We Made It!

We are home and so happy to have made it full circle... now the real stuff begins, right!? =) I am such a happy mom. So blessed to have a healthy little baby boy. He has been such a heavenly treat for Danny and me.

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Recap:
Started feeling the contractions around 4pm on Thursday. We entered the hospital around 2am Friday morning. I labored for about 2 hours more there before asking (begging?) for my epidural around 4am. I started pushing just before 6am and the baby was born at 6:30am. He was in a hurry and mommy was not complaining about that - just glad I had enough time to get the epidural!!!

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My Dad (who baby James is named after) sent us this e-mail and we thought it was pretty funny:
Congratulations Lauren and Dan on becoming parents! And good timing -- right before the weekend. We are thrilled, relieved, and astonished at the ease with which you pulled it off (and we barely broke a sweat). Rumor has it that his first name is James. The last name is not in doubt--Thorley. But what is the middle name? Reported weight: 8-1/2 pounds. Reported length: 54 cm (21-1/4 inches in gringo). Reported hair color: blond. Reported CF (cuteness factor): off the charts. Nationality: dual (Tex-Mex).Demands are pouring in for digital images.

Love, James I (the first)
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We have taken a million pictures of course and I must say that I am very grateful for the blog so that we can "show off" our little guy to all our family and friends back in the states and in Uruguay and Brasil! Here are my favorite pictures. Love to you all!

Xoxo, Daddy D, Mama L, & Baby J

Labor!!! The results.



Visitors! Neighbors and first best friend - Joseph.Ward friends! Getting ready to go home.

The man who made it all happen - Dr. Bolanos - Saying goodbye and going home!

James' Day 2 Capped with Celebration Dinner

The last night in the hospital they wheel a table into your room and cook you a gourmet meal. We had a lot of fun celebrating J's arrival while eating Fillet Mi non and Spinach Stuffed Chicken.

James' Day 2

JAMES DANIEL Arrives!!!!

At 6:30 AM on 10 October 2008 we were blessed with the arrival of our son James Daniel. We couldn't be more pleased with our healthy, handsome son and the fact that Lauren is recovering well.

Weight: 8 lbs 7 oz (3.969 Kilos)
Height: 21 inches (54 centimeters)

This is a husband post so it will be short, when Lauren gets home from the hospital there will be plenty more.

Mom holds James for the first time!

Our little family.

Kind of a tall fella.

Recovering.

Happy Post...

Due date is tomorrow and still no baby... and no reason to think he is on his way either. Kinda a bummer but I know he has to come sooner or later. Hooooooray! I can't wait to see the little guy and cuddle with him. Mmm.

My tooth is all fixed up and I feel very blessed that it was all able to be taken care of before baby J makes his arrival. Now I can focus on what is most important... a fresh new baby. Mmm.

Also, is this dress not fabulous?! I love the sleeves and I want it. Mmm.

Just My Luck

(*WARNING - Long whiny post - Read at your own discretion!!!*)

Every time someone tells me a story about having some totally unlucky thing happen to them I often think in my head "Oh man that is totally Lauren luck". Now I do not want to sound ungrateful - I am richly blessed each and every day in fact - but can I just whine for a moment.
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I am 5 days out from my due date and the have maybe had about 4 hours of sleep in the last 4 days. Now all pregnant woman typically have this sleeping issue but it is not even the baby that is keeping me up these nights - it's LAUREN LUCK! About 4 days ago I started having a toothache and thought I had brought it on by actually flossing for the first time in about 2 months (I know gross - but your gums are so dang sensitive when you are prego) so naturally I am all sorts of mad at myself. Well, next day after not sleeping one bit it only seems more painful. I try to take a few Tylenol and ice it and hope that I just irritated my gums a bit when I flossed. I try to go to bed that night still no sleep and the next day I have about had it. I call the OB go in and get some pills from him and he tells me to go see a dentist. At this point I know something is not right in my mouth - my cheek is swelling and I am totally unsure why the this tooth is hurting since I had a root canal done it about 5 years ago and it's actually a pretty little crown now. So I get a dental referral from the Embassy - hello do Mexicans even have dentists!?!? Thankfully I hear he is married to someone who works at the Embassy and comes highly recommended. I am in his seat for like 5 minutes max in which time he feels the gums where the toothache is and tells me instantly - you have an abscess. He takes a quick x-ray to confirm and sends me out the door at no charge with his endodontist (root canal specialist for those lucky folks that have no clue what that is) to start repair. I am FLOORED. Can I please sue this dentist in UT who totally botched this root canal the first time and left me for years wondering why my cheek was always a bit tender? The Mexican Dr. kept asking me about the first root canal and if the dentist used a protective dam to keep the site clean - NO - so he thinks that bacteria might have gotten inside while he was doing the job. The Dr. also pulled out the little rod that they put in to fill up the canal - the UT Dr. had put in this brittle little plastic rod that was like a 1 inch splinter. The Mexican Dr. was so mad that anyone would put that in someones mouth that he found a little jar to save it in and show his students (he taught 3 years at Baylor in TX - good man). Anyway, I still have to go back to finish the procedure on Monday if the baby does not come first.

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Thankfully my crown was strong and did not crack or break when the Dr. was drilling it open. Thankfully Dr.'s in Mexico are quick to help and assist and do not even charge you for their service if it's a quick visit. I am thankful that Danny was a hero and stayed home with me to taxi me around all day in this insanely traffic filled city and was incredibly patient and sweet.

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I am still feeling the tenderness and still not sleeping so great hence it being 5:30am and I am blogging and not exactly the way I wanted the week leading up to having my first baby to go but as my sister said somehow ladies who break their legs or get a horrible flu before going into labor all somehow get through it. I will too.

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The end.

Now... can this baby just come already! =)

Just for Laughs...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgrrQwLdME8

After Much Begging...

My sister has a blog! That is my older (but smaller) sister Carmen. I am so happy since I am so far from them now and I am going to miss seeing her 3 boys grow into little men. She and her family just moved to the Corpus Christi , TX area a few weeks ago after living in Maryland - not too far from where we lived before and were lucky to see them frequently.

Check the Valencia family out ... http://www.mom2beachbums.blogspot.com/

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Now, since my efforts to get Carmen blogging has reached success my attention will now turn to my younger (and smaller still) sister Allie. Wish me luck. =)

Hail to the Redskins

They beat Dallas today. Hoooray!

Too Much Time On My Hands...

Seriously, waiting for this baby is no fun unless you find a website that you can morph you and your husbands pics together to see what your baby might look like. =)

Our Boy...

Our Girl...

Now, join the fun...
http://makemebabies.com/

Tag!

My sis-in-law Jenny tagged me a while back and I finally am getting around to doing it. I have a lot of time on my hands waiting for this boy to get here - not sure why I did not do this a while ago haha.

Enjoy...

THE RULES: You have to take 10 pictures of the following things and you have to do it right away. No straightening, cleaning or wiping you kids nose (I mean it!). Then you tag 6 others.

1. KIDS -

Only this one - ugly, white, and big right now. Haha - EW =)

2. BATHROOM -

Nice water cooler, huh!? We live in Mexico - enough said!

3. CLOSET -

We still have not received our shipment of household goods - this is all maternity clothes. Boo. Notice I packed my bag for the hospital - anxious maybe!? =)

4. FAVORITE SHOES -

All shoes are favorites right now. My feet and legs are too swollen to wear anything but flip flops. Boo, again.

5. SELF PORTRAIT -

Refer to picture # 1 - trust me you do not want to see more pics of me than that. =)

6. LAUNDRY ROOM -

Thank goodness for these things.

7. KITCHEN SINK -

As Dave Matthew's sang - "Don't drink the water!"

8. FRIDGE -

Empty - I eat a lot lately. =)

9. FAVORITE ROOM -

The baby's room - Empty for now. Wishing my shipment would arrive so I can put all the baby's stuff up. Hopefully soon!

10. DREAM VACATION -

Oh easy - Santos, Brasil - my mom's hometown. I would want everyone to be there together. It has been way too long...

I TAG ...

Rylie, Carole Ann, Lindsey, Chelsea, Amanda, Mary, EVERYONE ... I am bored and want to look at your homes. =)

It'a Raining Babies!

Congratulations to:

Joanie n Jake on their beautiful baby boy -

MANOA

Becky n Garrett on their precious baby girl -

ADELINE

and

Alberto n Diane on their adorable little baby girl -

MIA

I am a bit jealous. =)

Time is a Tickin' Folks

All the sudden Danny and I are feeling that the end is near! Most likely because we see so many Doctors these days.

We had a sonogram last week and the got to see, not so little, baby J. It has been a while since we last saw him. But good news is that he is in fact a he (I have been so worried that for some reason the last sono was wrong) and he is looking healthy. The tech also said that he is pretty low already, that he probably weighs around 6.3 lbs, and that he seems to be lining up to come between Oct. 7th and 10th. I also saw the Embassy Dr. today (who is also in our Bishopric) and he checked out my tummy and is thinking this baby is pretty big already. Yikes! He was giving me all the tips he knows to get this baby coming sooner rather than later. Lets hope something works soon before I have a 9 - 10lbs baby in me... Joanie you are my inspiration. =) This Wednesday I go to my OB - I wanna make him commit to not let me go past my due date - hope it works!!!

Here I am at 37 weeks...

Other good news - I have had this strange and rather upsetting aversion to diet coke ever since I got married (Danny's curse maybe?) but I have found that the Mexican diet coke - Coke Light - taste great! It is not exactly the same as I remember but it does not taste like I am sipping on Lysol anymore. Hoooooray!!!

This past Saturday some Embassy folks invited us to Las Estacas. It is a neat little resort/park about 2 hours away that centers around a natural spring that flows into a river of sorts that you can float down. At the end of it it comes into a kinda pool area that is full of playgrounds, bridges, and rope swings. It is a beautiful area with crystal clear water, lush trees and flowers, and with temperatures around 85 all year round I think we will enjoy visiting again!

Hurricane Ike

Praying that people are kept safe from the storm - especially my sister and her family who just (this past Monday) moved to Corpus Christi and my father-in-law's family who evacuated Galveston. For the sake of Danny (and you too Nellie!) I hope Galveston is preserved - I know how much you all love your hometown!

Remembering...

9/11

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It is hard to believe that so much time has passed. I am grateful that we are not forgetting those who bravely lost theirs lives that day. May God bless them, their families, and all of America.

This was from the Ground Zero Memorial Wall back when I visited NYC in 2006. I loved the drawing of NYFD and NYPD angels.