Baby with a cold

Well, it happened. Patrick caught the cold I had/have. I must admit I do feel better, but still am a bit congested with a harsh cough every now and then. Well, Patrick caught it. He´s been congested and coughing for the last couple of days. Luckily, he´s still a very happy baby...except when he´s laying down. (I think the congestion builds up in his head when he´s lying down making life just tough for a small baby.) The days are a lot easier than the nights. The nights are chilly causing more congestion and the hot days are great to stop it. So, needless to say we´ve been up a lot at night and have been startled by his crys of "bloody murder".

Does anybody know of home remedies for the common cold for a small baby?

I´m on lemon, honey, hot water to get better unfortunately he can´t take any of that. I´d prefer to use something natural before resorting to cough and cold medicines.

Also, those of you that have had babies...how did you get back in shape after birth? I, appartently, look the same...but I have a gut...Ughh! And don´t know how to get rid of it. How did you find time to workout, if you did? Did you use some sort of girdle? How old was your baby when you got back into a workout routine? Let me know. I´m struggling. I just need an hour 3 times a week...but that seems pretty tough...just to find somebody that can take care of Patrick just for a lil bit each week. Ideas? Let me know.

Cold while attending baby

You know I hate complaining but catching a cold is the worst thing nursing with a small baby. This is the 2nd cold that I´ve had since Patrick was born. Its tough because not only does my dear lil one not have a strong immune system yet...but I´m nursing and the only one that takes care of him. Christian helps when he can, but stays pretty busy studying, work, church calling, etc. So most of the time until around 10pm we (Patrick and I) hang out. Its fun...but really tough being sick.

So, Patrick is now laughing more...not just a cute squeal. He lets it all out when I hide behind a piece of fabric and say "Boo!" He also laughs when we play in front of the mirror. His reflection totally fasinates him.

Anyways other than that like is pretty normal.

3 Months!

Well, he´s definately the CUTEST lil boy! Ok, so I´ve been soooooooo out of the blogging world. I´m back. Honestly, the first 3 months were tough. Patrick was really really really colicky at the beginning. But now, he´s the cuteset funniest flirty lil boy. We LOVE playing. He´s quite a playful guy. Now he only cries when he´s tired or hungry or wants attention and wants to play. He´s a very good boy and now we are actually able to get things done...a bit slower than before, but by the time the end of the day gets here...we´ve finally made the bed. :) He laughs and smiles. He´s quite a flirty lil boy. You only have to smile at him and he gets all excited and smiles back...its doesn´t matter who you are...he loves smiling at people when they smile at him. The other day I heard his first REAL giggle. It wasn´t just a squeal...but a real Ha Ha Ha! It was soooo cute! We are STILL struggling with sleeping through the night...though he has gotten better. Now he´ll sleep about 4-4.5 hours alone and the we are back to every 2-2.5 hours at night. He loves to eat. He´s grown sooooo much that he´s only 3 months old, but he where´s clothes of 6-9 months and is about to grow out of them. I just LOVE being a mom! Its sooooo much fun...a lot of work, but I love it.

Name Change

Well, we tried the other name out for a while...then 2 days before our lil guy received his baby blessing, we opted for a name change. His name is Patrick Emmanuel Diaz Taylor. We like it...and you can pronouce it easily in both languages. So, it doesn´t matter where we end up living...as far as his name goes.

Welcome Christian Jeremiah Diaz Taylor

Well, he´s finally here. He was born Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at 1;45pm. Weighing 3.360 Kilograms and 50 cm long. And I must say he´s the cutest lil boy ever! We are sooooooooooooooo thrilled to have him. Newborn babies are a lot of work...but he´s worth it. Labor and delivery wasn´t exactly like I expected it...all natural...lots of pain. Luckily, the pain wasn´t too bad until about 8am. (Labor pains started at about 3am, and at 9am we went running to the clinic when my water broke. What an experience! We were blessed that baby´s and mom´s health are fine and there weren´t any complications. What a blessing! Now we are learning how to be parents...I sure hope we are doing this right. Its definately different than babysitting. Isn´t he cute, adorable, handsome, and perfect?

Baby Diaz

Ok, so it looks like our lil baby is right on track. We took the last ultrasound. He´s in position and has already dropped. That means that he could come anytime. 36 weeks...but the doctor is almost sure that he´ll come before Jan 15th...the due date is approximately Jan 27th...but we´ll see what happens. What´s really funny is that I don´t think the doctor is used to part north american babies. They are usually a lil bigger than latin babies. So, she´s pretty sure that he´ll come out early and a perfect size.

You know what I love! I love going to the doctor and she checks out everything and says...PERFECT! Or what a good strong heartbeat your baby has...or perfect size...or...your gaining the perfect weight...good job...perfect, no dehydration, good level of iron. I just leave the doctor feeling much better about my baby. She said that at this point it is very very very unlikely to present any kind of complication...I just have to keep taking care of myself.

Anyways, I´m feeling good. A little overwhelmed with all the baby preparations and cleaning/disinfecting that I have to do before the baby gets here. I was planning a relaxing extra month to do it all, but the doctor says that it wouldn´t surprise her if he´s here next week. So, its time to get on the ball. I´m just glad that there´s a lil flex time between the holidays. Can you imagine Christmas preparations and a baby coming at the same time!?!

Oh, and we have a problem. We still haven´t decided on a name! IDEAS!?! SUGGESTIONS!?! We seriously need help. We want him to have to have an english name and a spanish name. IDEAS??? His last names will be Diaz Taylor...so basically something that goes well with _______ ________ Diaz Taylor. HELP! Anyways, that´s life. I really don´t know why I´m blogging when I have a TON to do...I guess I´m just looking for an excuse to sit down and rest a lil bit. :) Ok, gotta run. And HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Funerals

Ok, so I know its never all that great to talk about funerals, but its wearing on my body. Here funerals are quite different. The stake patriarch died on Tuesday and was also in the ward. Now with Christian in the bishopric there are a lot more responsabilities. The bishopric has really taken a hand in all the preparations for the funeral service, and of course I´m there to support in whatever needs to be done. Especially since the patriarch´s wife and 2 daughters are good friends of the family and have always been soooo kind to me.

So what´s so different about funerals here in Peru?

1. There´s a thing called a "velorio". That means that the day that one dies all the family and friends go and "pay their respects" by sitting around the coffin all night long until the early morning. So, yesterday night and the night before we stayed until 12am Tuesday night and almost 2am Wednesday night. I´m exhausted. I can´t even imagine how tired the family is. In these "sittings" generally they serve some kind of soup or crackers and a drink. Its really quite costly. Anyways, we stayed so long mainly because the bishopric needed to be there to make sure everything went smoothly and to close up the church building.

2. After the funeral service everybody walks behind the car with the coffin for about 5 blocks stopping all traffic. Then, everybody gets on a bus to go to the cemetary.

3. The burial ceremony is about the same, just a lot of catholic traditions unless you talk to the coordinators first. Oh, and generally they let the family members and close friends throw a handful of dirt and say a few words over the coffin once it is in the earth.

You know its interesting, but while living in Peru I´ve gone to/participated in 4 funerals. Today is the funeral service and burial. Just a note about Brother Villavicencio. He was a great man with a kind, loving spirit. He always had a smile on his face and thought of everybody individually. I feel privelleged to have known him.

Moments in pregnancy

I´m sure several of you have gone through some sort of back pain in your life. I just have never known it to be such a constant thing. Well, baby Diaz is about 31 weeks along and boy does my back ache. It seems to ache sitting down, laying down, standing, walking...pretty much all the time. I can usually change what I´m doing to take it away for a little bit, but its really annoying. But I´m getting the pregnancy "waddle" down.

Other than that pregnancy isn´t too bad. You know the basic stuff. A little bit of nauseousness every now and then, trouble bending over. I can´t see my toes anymore. You know, all the normal symptoms. I get tired, but have been very blessed to have an active baby that lets me know that he´s ok. Now he does have a habit of pushing in weird places causing me to be short of breath, be shocked in weird embarassing moments, etc.

Today I was teaching my sunday school class for the youth 14-17 and the baby moved so suddenly that it shocked me, I made a weird face, and ran out of breath before I could finish my sentence. Of course, the young women thought it was the cutest thing ever and the young men had a good laugh. Funny how that works, huh?

Oh, another scary pregnancy moment. Yesterday, I went out with my mother-in-law to stop by people´s houses to invite them to the baby shower she´s throwing me. Well, needless to say the streets here don´t have curbs, but every now and then people will put a giant curb in front of their house going perpendicular to the street. Well, needless to say my mother-in-law was in a hurry and floored it and hit one of those unseen curbs. My sister-in-law was thrown from the back seat towards the front and needless to say baby Diaz got a pretty big shock. OUCH! My tummy ached like no other and I couldn´t breath. It was horrible. I got home and put my feet up and rested until I felt better. The good thing is that that night baby Diaz started moving a bit. I was really worried. I think he got really shocked because he didn´t move as much as normal until about 2 p.m. today. He´s over the shock it looks like. But, a scary experience needless to say.

Those are just some of my pregnancy moments. What are some of yours like?

Tagged

Even if you don´t like the tag games...sometimes its fun to just play along.

RULES

1. Post rules on your blog

2. Answer the six "8" items

3. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving them a comment

8 Favorite TV Shows - in no particular order

1. Asi es la Vida

2. 2 Hombres y Medio

3. Matrimonio con Hijos

4. Esposa y hijos

5. Fuego en la Sangre

6. Cine Satelital

7. Simpsons

8. Cinescape

8 Things I did Yesterday

1. Homework

2. Cooked lunch

3. Family Home Evening

4. Shopped for food

5. Experimented with Baby Shower invitations

6. Blogged

7. Read 10 Ways to make the Diamond in you Sparkle

8. Laundry

8 Things I look forward to

1. Christmas

2. Our baby´s arrival into the world

3. Shopping for baby stuff

4. My next doctor´s appointment for the baby

5. Getting the package my mom sent me

6. Awaiting the arrival of my hubbie at the end of the day

7. Chatting with family and friends

8. Christian´s visa

8 Favorite Restaurants

1. Porton Gaucho

2. Nachos

3. Betos Grill

4. Olive Garden

5. Sonic

6. Pizza Hut

7. Pardo´s Chicken

8. Rebachini

8 Things on my wish list

1. All of my baby things I need for free or at least discounted!

2. A baby shower

3. Friends and family at least close enough to visit once or twice a year

4. Health insurance

5. A crib, playpen, bassinet for our baby

6. Massage chair, or a really good massage each day...especially in my back

7. American food variety

8. To be able to get up to BYU-Idaho and graduate

8 People to tag

I´m not going to tag anybody...but if you read this it would be fun to see your answers too! I must admit a lot of my answers may not be very well known...since I´m living my life in spanish. But, heck, its my life!

Earthquakes

Earthquakes here in Chimbote have been a regular occurrence the last couple of weeks. We´ve felt little rumbles, to long rumbles to, quite nerve wrecking shaking. Well, for the past 2 DAYS and NIGHTS we´ve been on alert for a BIG earthquake...you know one that´s bigger that a ricter scale 7, one that knocks down houses and buildings. So, we finally got our act together and put together an emergency bag. Its not anything too fancy, but its got the basic needs. Snacks, water, change of clothes, toothbrushes, toilet paper, flashlight, matches, medicine, first aid kit, money, etc. You know the stuff that you would have to have if something happened for a couple of days. I really feel much better having something prepared. Just in case. Now, I´m not a fanatic. My brother and sister in law have slept in their clothes...shoes on and everything just in case they have to leave the house running. I put shoes by the door to grab if we needed to leave quickly, but come on. I´ve gotta sleep and I can´t live my life scared all the time. I know we should be on the alert and all, but lets not be too extreme.

Plus, when we heard about the warning we said a prayer and we both felt better. We felt like we needed to pack an emergency bag...just in case, but that everything would be ok. I love prayers! 2 nights ago we went to my mother-in-law´s house and we both slept in the kitchen on a twin size mattress. Now when they say a twin size mattress is meant for one person...it is definately true. 2 people just don´t fit on it comfortable for an entire night´s rest. Then, last night we took turns of staying awake. One would sleep 1-2 hours while the other one stayed awake just in case a big earthquake came and we had to leave the house quickly. Well, needless to say we woke up exhausted. Tonight I´m sleeping on a normal schedule, earthquake warning or not. The good thing is that we haven´t had an earthquake and everybody is safe and sound.

I feel really blessed. You know everybody complains that they are losing sleep and sleeping in tents and uncomfortable because of a possible earthquake, but you gotta look on the bright side. There hasn´t been a big earthquake and everybody is ok. Everybody would be really really uncomfortable if there was a big earthquake and their houses were destroyed. Count your blessings. Anyways, that´s enough babbling from me. Maybe I´m just soooo tired I just keep babbling. Happy blogging and have a great day!

Baby Somersaults!

This blog was at the request of Amy. She just wants more blogs to read and more updates. Well, our baby has found a spot that he likes....and he doesn´t want to move. So...what has happened. I was put under "observation". What does that mean? It means that I´m in "bed rest" for a couple of days (a week) to see how things go so that the baby can get to where he´s gotta go and not come out too early.

Things I do.

1. Watch movies and TV...but who can watch that much TV? after a while me head just aches.

2. Read. I try and read, but unfortunately I haven´t found a book that really keeps me AWAKE and a have to read.

3. Sleep. The problem is that when I sleep too much in the day...night time comes...my hubbies exhausted and I´m wide awake.

4. Sit at the computer trying to do something productive.

5. Occassionally, I´ll try and cook something simple or sweep or do something simple...just to not be too stiff and get rid of the lil headaches.

Ok, so kinda boring, huh? I´m just a more active person and its bugging me soooooo much to have to stay in and do sedentary stuff. Its kinda depressing honestly. Ok, so its really depressing, but I try and keep good spirits...luckily it shouldn´t be too long. But, baby Diaz has stuck his head right up at the point of my rib cage and kicks down low. Its almost like he´s standing. I still try and keep house clean and organized, but Christian just has to have patience when I can´t get things organized until 8 pm. So, hopefully everything will get resolved soon and I can start doing stuff again.

27 weeks

Ok, so I realized that I haven´t blogged for a while. So, as far as the pregnancy is going. Its going fine. I must admit that my back and shoulders are a lot more achy and its getting harder to sleep at night. I´ve been told that this kind of thing happens further on in the pregnancy, so I try not to complain. Well, one night we decided to take photos of my baby in my belly for my parents. So, here they are. This was taken last week. He´s a growing lil baby boy!

Its a BOY!!!

Well, that´s right ladies and gentlemen. We got the ultrasound done and well...its a boy. He´s a big lil fella. He´s actually growing much faster than expected. The ultrasound says he´s 27 weeks old, when he´s actually 25 weeks old. But the best part is that he´s good, strong, and healthy. He´s got about 12 weeks now to get into the right position. I´m not so fond of the idea of a C-section. Ewww. Knives. Uggh! So, we are just hoping that in that time he gets where he needs to be. Anyway, that´s the big news. Now, we can start getting ready for a BOY! We are sooooo excited!

Am I living each day to its fullest?

Copy and paste the 200 statements then bold the ones you have done!! Hope you enjoy it!! 1. Touched an iceberg 2. Slept under the stars 3. Been a part of a hockey fight 4. Changed a baby's diaper 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Swam with wild dolphins 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a tarantula 10. Said "I love you" and meant it 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise 15. Seen the Northern Lights 16. Gone to a huge sports game 17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables 19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope 20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Bet on a winning horse 23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Taken an ice cold bath 28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Ridden a roller coaster 31. Hit a home run 32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking 33. Adopted an accent for fun 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment 36. Loved your job 90% of the time 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 38. Watched wild whales 39. Gone rock climbing 40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach 41. Gone sky diving 42. Visited Ireland 43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited India 45. Bench-pressed your own weight 46. Milked a cow 47. Alphabetized your personal files 48. Ever worn a superhero costume 49. Sung karaoke 50. Lounged around in bed all day 51. Gone scuba diving 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 54. Gone to a drive-in theater 55. Done something you should regret, but don't 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Been in a movie 60. Gone without food for 3 days 61. Made cookies from scratch 62. Won first prize in a costume contest 63. Got flowers for no reason 64. Been in a combat zone 65. Spoken more than one language fluently 66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone 67. Bounced a check 68. Read - and understood - your credit report 69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy 70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did 71. Called or written your Congress person 72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over 73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge 74. Helped an animal give birth 75. Been fired or laid off from a job 76. Won money 77. Broken a bone 78. Ridden a motorcycle 79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph 80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon 81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing 82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days 83. Eaten sushi 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read The Bible cover to cover 86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about 87. Gotten someone fired for their actions 88. Gone back to school 89. Changed your name 90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands 91. Eaten fried green tomatoes 92. Read The Iliad 93. Taught yourself an art from scratch 94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt 96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language 97. Been elected to public office 98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream 99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care 100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you 101. Had a booth at a street fair 102. Dyed your hair 103. Been a DJ 104. Rocked a baby to sleep 105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four 106. Raked your carpet 107. Brought out the best in people 108. Brought out the worst in people 109. Worn a mood ring 110. Ridden a horse 111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap 112. Cooked a dish where people asked for the recipe 113. Buried a child 115. Been inside the pyramids 116. Shot a basketball into a basket 117. Danced at a disco 118. Played in a band 119. Shot a bird 120. Gone to an arboretum 121. Tutored someone 122. Ridden a train 123. Brought an old fad back into style 124. Eaten caviar 125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need 126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant 127. Published a book 128. Pieced a quilt 129. Lived in an historic place 130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage 131. Asked for a raise 132. Made a hole-in-one 133. Gone deep sea fishing 134. Gone roller skating 135. Run a marathon 136. Learned to surf 137. Invented something 138. Flown first class 139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite 140. Flown in a helicopter 141. Visited Africa 142. Sang a solo 143. Gone spelunking 144. Learned how to take a compliment 145. Written a love-story 146. Seen Michelangelo’s David 147. Had your portrait painted 148. Written a fan letter 149. Spent the night in something haunted 150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane 151. Ran away 152. Learned to juggle 153. Been a boss 154. Sat on a jury 155. Lied about your weight 156. Gone on a diet 157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget 158. Written a poem 159. Carried your lunch in a lunch box 160. Gotten food poisoning 161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission 162. Hiked the Grand Canyon 163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks 164. Gone to the opera 165. Gotten a letter from someone famous 166. Worn knickers 167. Ridden in a limousine 168. Attended the Olympics 169. Can hula or waltz 170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books 171. Been stuck in an elevator 172. Had a revelatory dream 173. Thought you might crash in an airplane 174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert 175. Saved someone’s life 176. Eaten raw whale 177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint 178. Laughed till your side hurt 179. Straddled the equator 180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing 181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival 182. Sent a message in a bottle 183. Spent the night in a hostel 184. Been a cashier 185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 186. Joined a union 187. Donated blood or plasma 188. Built a camp fire 189. Kept a blog 190. Had hives 191. Worn custom made shoes or boots 192. Made a PowerPoint presentation 193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course 194. Served at a soup kitchen 195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube 196. Know CPR 197. Ridden in or owned a convertible 198. Found a long lost friend 199. Helped solve a crime 200. Kept a journal Sometimes I ask myself if I´m living each day to its fullest. According to this list I´ve experienced a lot of stuff. But, there is soooo much more to experience. Life is good.

Pregnancy Question??

Ok, so I know this sounds weird and all, but I´m kinda on my own in this one. For those that have/are pregnant, around 5 1/2 to 6 months did you get sharp pains in your belly? Sometimes I don´t know if I´m freaking out for a good cause or its really nothing and its normal. I have to admit, I´m not so fond of my gynocologist (she´s REALLY laid back and unproffessional), but according to my mother-in-law she´s a good doctor and knows her stuff. So, I really don´t feel all that comfortable calling and asking silly stuff like this and according to my mother-in-law everything is normal until you can´t get out of bed and walk to the bathroom. I´m not so sure about that one. HELP! Let me know. Its probably nothing, I just wanted to calm my doubts.

English Classes

I noticed it had been a while since I blogged. Well, I need your opinion. With expenses of pregnancy and a new baby coming up I was doing some thinking of some sort of job I could do to earn a lil extra. Can´t quit school. So, I was thinking that perhaps one of the biggest things in demand here is English classes. Now, I´m not talking about the literture classes in high school type stuff. I´m talking about the language. You know its funny. Everybody that speaks english as their first language take spanish classes in school and everybody that speak spanish take english classes in school. So, what I thought I´d do if give private tutoring classes. What better way to learn a new language than from a native speaker. Many people have asked me to teach piano and english classes. Well, I just don´t have a piano to be teaching classes...and the majority of people here don´t have a piano nor do they want to pay for the lessons (they want it free). So, english classes. I think that I´ll start by tutoring. You know parents want their kids to learn English well while they are in school and get good grades. So, I thought about making a few announcements at some of the private schools. I think it´ll go well, especially since my brother and sister in law have gotten much better grades in their English class since I married their brother. But, here´s my question. WHERE DO YOU START? HOW EXACTLY DO YOU TEACH ENGLISH CLASSES? Its quite different being able to speak, write, and understand it than teaching it and giving reasons to why the grammar is that way. Does anybody know a good website of basic grammar and pronunciation rules for English? It would be even better if its teaching from Spanish to English. Let me know what you think about my idea and if you know of any good websites for English grammar.

Bolivia Trip

Ok, so I know its been a long time since I´ve blogged. Some of it was just plain laziness and some of it was because we took a vacation/honeymoon. Well, ever since we got married we had been talking about the idea of going back to Santa Cruz Bolivia, where we served our missions. But, there was always some sort of excuse as so why not go. Well, one night in our family home evening we just felt very strongly to go now. Or, that a very same weekend. So, we went! And what a trip! To get there by bus it takes about 50 hours! So, you can imagine the trip. There were tons of problems getting there and getting back. So, the next time we take a trip like this we are going to try and be a lot more prepared for whatever comes our way. 1. After the first bus trip my dear husband came down with some sort of horrible stomach flu. So, we ended up staying in Lima a day instead of going on with our trip. 2. After 24 hours of being stuck in a bus...without a complete bathroom we got to the Bolivia/Peru border. We cross the lil bridge and get to Bolivian immigrations just to find out the law had changed about 6 months before. Before, anybody could enter in Bolivia with a tourist visa for 90 days and then leave. NOW, North Americans (nobody else) has to have a 5 year visa to just enter into Bolivia. Well, needless to say the president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, doesn´t like North Americans. So now we had to pay a $135 visa just to get in. We even thought about just turning around and going home. 3. We finally got to La Paz and they said, sorry that last bus to Santa Cruz already left. You´ll have to travel to Cochabamba first and then Santa Cruz. We could have waited until the next day in La Paz, but noooooooooo. La Paz gets way way to cold at night and the majority of the people there are theives...it was best to just get out of there. So we made the trip to Cochabamba and went to get bus tickets to Santa Cruz... 4. There was a trasportation strike in Santa Cruz. No buses were entering or leaving Santa Cruz for perhaps one day or two or three, nobody really knew how long it was going to take to open bus routes again. So we hung out in Cochabamba for about two days waiting it out. We went by the temple (closed for maintenence...just our luck) and we went to the giant Christ. We thought about turning back and go home. But the road opened up and we went to Santa Cruz! 5. We finally got there!!!!! We got there about 4 days later than we had planned, but we got there! What joy! It was a fabulous experience to see old faces and visit with converts and members and friends. We really had a great time! We really only had time for visiting...because shortly after...bigger problems came around. 6. The Bolivian country folk doesn´t like how Santa Cruz is going about things....so....BLOCKADES to every route out of the department (state) of Santa Cruz. Now what? 7. So we stayed one more day and were obligated to buy plane tickets to get out of Santa Cruz. There weren´t any buses leaving Santa Cruz and we just wanted to visit...not stay and live there. Well, all and all we got out safe and sound. And just in time! We found out that about a week after we had left there were more problems. They cut the gasoline from getting into Santa Cruz. More strikes, more blockades and the country is really in problems now. The west is divided from the east. The East (Santa Cruz, Beni, Tarija, Pando) want to separate and become independent. The East is the wealthier section...petroleum and that kind of stuff. And the West is where all the government comes from and they are generally farmers. Anyways, theres been a lot of problems...they sent the militia into certain cities, killed somebody, taken away the citizen rights from certain parts of the country. And the president of Venezuela wants to get a piece of the action...possibly a civil war. Things just aren´t looking too good. The thing is that its a horrible situation. I feel horrible that there are such wonderful people in Santa Cruz and they have nothing to do with this, but they are the ones that are and will suffer in the end. They just want to live their lifes without all these problems. Sucks, huh? But, you know what, it makes me feel really grateful for all the many blessings I have. I´m from a GREAT country. U.S.A.! And am living in a fairly stable country politically and economically. I just hope and pray that all my dear Bolivian friends are ok and that this political problem can be resolved quickly.

Ok, Are you ready for the big news!

Ok, so I guess the cat in out of the bag. And, I think I´m ready to let people know now. Yes, I´m PREGNANT! I know, crazy! The great thing is...that I hardly feel a thing. No "morning sickness", no wierd cravings. Just more tired than normal that, as always, being tired can cause more headaches for me, and i´m hungry alllll the time! But nothing out of the normal. The funniest thing is that nobody here even suspects. I think our baby is playing hide and go seek. I have a lil gut, but I´m a lil more than 4 months pregnant and still can tell a thing...unless I put on really tight fitting shirts. Anyways, its a fun and interesting experience. So, our family will become 3 instead of just 2 people at the end of January 2009.

Dreams

Do you ever have these weird, unexplainable dreams...and you just wake up confused? Well, that´s been me lately. For those of you that know me REALLY well...I just don´t remember my dreams. Here in the latin world...everybody remembers their dreams and I seem to always be left out...well, not any more. For example, last night I had a dream that will obviously never happen. Here´s why. It was about my good friend, Amy. I dreamed she was a missionary in Ohio and just tearing up a storm. I think that she was one of the best sister missionaries I had ever seen. Plus, tons of fun. I was her companion. We had a blast. Oh, and way spiritual. Now, why would that never happen? Well, for one...both of us are already married. I doubt either one of us would go back to living without our husbands. But it was really cool...just weird. The first dream that I remember in a LONG time is about something that is unlikely. Second, so my head was kind of aching so I decided to lay down and take a lil nap. Well, that lil nap turned into a 3 hour nap. Oooops! So, my good friend Amy was there again. It was right after a big football game...in high school. (Which also doesn´t make any sense since we didn´t even go to the same high school and its been years since we were in high school.) And there were lil pizzas and tortilla chips and Pace Picante Sauce. Now, maybe I´m just craving chips and salsa...but heck I would eat the chips and salsa like crazy and Amy would tell me..."hey, quit eating all the chips. They´re for the football champs." I didn´t care....but I just wanted tortilla chips with cheese sauce or pace picante sauce. Now for those of you that haven´t ever gone to Peru or Bolivia, (I´m in Peru.) Tortilla chips are non existent! And a hot sauce that has tomato in it...you can only find it in your dreams. So, maybe thats why I dreamed that. What I just don´t understand is why in both dreams Amy was there? Amy is a great person and I love her half to death...but when I remember my dreams...it never has anybody that I actually know well in it. So, who are the dream interpretators? And what do they mean? Who knows, they could just be weird dreams and thats all. But, if you are let me know.

Memory Tag

This sounds like an interesting game. I think I´ll try it and see how it works. 1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember! 2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.