Saturday, December 31, 2011

Polka Dot Boy

My poor baby boy got sick over a month ago with an eye infection. Eight days later it cleared up and was soon replaced with a cold. That cleared up and then came an ear infection. As we were on vacation, we went to urgent care and got a prescription for Amoxicillin. Go figure, five days later he broke out in red spots all over his face, tummy, back, okay so his whole body was covered. Yeah, he’s allergic to the stuff. So back to urgent care we went, now in Mexico. He’s looking much much better after 48 hours. He’s been a total champ through it all too. Hardly complains about any of the past crappy weeks. Here are a few pics of him and his polka dots.


Saturday, December 10, 2011

Merry Mexican Christmas!

This last weekend Ryan and I headed downtown for a date. We went to see the lights and displays they put up in the plazas. It's pretty much the same every year, but it's still so fun to me. I thought I better share a blog about it though... cause I feel like it is so typical of the culture. One interesting part about it is that they include, in one of their scenes, Adam and Eve in the garden. In another scene, they have Hell. Interesting. I suppose they would like us to think about the fall and how Satan tempts us, and how we must use the atonement of Christ. I kinda like how they include different Biblical parts because I really does make you think about why we celebrate the birth of Christ and what it all means from a grander perspective.
Though, I totally admit that seeing Satan on his thrown with his imps and fire is pretty startling to see so nearby the gentle nativity scene.
I took some pictures, but only with a camera phone.





Satan on his throne



Another interesting scene is the one below, depicting a family of Mexicans with the pinata. Apparently, the Pinata with the nine points represent nine sins. Then you beat the sins with a stick till it is destroyed and you finally receive your small gifts and candy. That's where the whole pinata thing came from I guess.





Crap stupid blog erased the photo, ill upload it in a min. ...

and finally the giant Christmas tree...






Friday, December 2, 2011

Faces of Bool...

I love Easton's faces and expressions! I couldn't resist a blog post of these sweet gems, which I came across while weeding out our family photos.... Enjoy! These are in no particular order.









This last video isn't about expressions, but rather a cute Daddy, Easton bonding moment that I also came across, which I had forgotten about...
Easton is prob about 4-5 mo here!


Friday, November 25, 2011

Our Thanksgiving


Thanksgiving was a lot of fun this year.
My friend Pau and four missionaries joined us. Thanks to the help of Pau, preparing the food was hardly a stress. We chopped, cooked and taste tested all morning and most of the afternoon. The house smelled wonderful. When the missionaries came over we stuffed ourselves then played hours of Monopoly Deal. It was a lot of fun and a special thank you to our guests for making the day memorable!

Our guests




Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Partay with Brandon and Sarah




We had such a wonderful time playing with Brandon and Sarah last week. We ate, ate, and ate some more! haha. After they left Ryan mentioned to me how funny that what we kept wanting Brandon and Sarah to experience down here was the food.

I called the gorging, the pre-Thanksgiving stretch! I am feeling pretty good about it!
Anyways, what didn't we eat? It was so fun showing them our fav rest., and hole-in-the-wall places! Thankfully, neither of them got sick either.
We were also in the car a bit, driving back and forth from Mexico City and we also made a trip to the Geiser. The car rides were great opportunities to sit and chat. Though, Easton was a bit squirmy, I tried to tune in as much as I could.

The Geiser is an 1-1 1/2 drive from our house, where a geiser has been tamed and feeds several large pools. They are like hot tubs and a lot of fun to visit. There is also a "tirolesa" there, or a zipline. It was one of the most intense things I have ever done! I am not joking, it was scary! So there are three ziplines and 2 bridges. All five events are over a desert canyon-type terrain. So you feel like you are hovering far above the Earth. The ziplines were fun, but the bridges were intense. One of them had little steps you take to get across. It was a brain workout not to get vertigo. Your line is attached to a zipline of course, but it is loose, so pretty much you feel like you are crossing without any security. I know this prob doesn't sound like a big deal, but it surprisingly was. I love testing heights, like skydiving, repelling, etc, but this was a whole new thing. Since, it has been awhile since I have done anything like this, I think that also added to the hype. One way or another, it was a lot of fun and a bit intense! Great sisterly bonding, hamming it up between Sarah and I so as to distract us from the heights.

Last week was great fun! Since then, we enjoyed/somewhat-endured a 15 hour temple trip with Easton on Saturday, put up Christmas decorations and I am in the middle of my prep for Thanksgiving. It takes me about a week of work to put on this great show! Ha! I LOVE Thanksgiving. And speaking of which, I should prob get off here to make and freeze my pie crusts!

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Halloween Bear

For Halloween Easton was a bear. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to use the costume to its full potential. Mexican day light savings was last Sunday and so for the past few days we have been trying to get Easton on the new sched. too. Unfortunately, with an earlier-than-usual bedtime, Easton was a wreck by the time it hit six o'clock. Suffice it to say, we didn't make it to either nights of trick or treating (some Mexican neighborhoods go trick or treating on the 31st, while others go on the night of the 1st, which is Day of the Dead). Bummer! One way or the other he was going to use this costume! So I just dressed him up in it on Monday and then took some pictures... enjoy!



As he was pretty exhausted at this point of the day,
we only got a few smiley shots in the bear costume




Within moments he was back to making this face




His very concerned nanny checking him out to make sure all is well,
as Easton hits a new octave




I think all the commotion was stressing Violet out because
she tends to chase and chew on her foot when she
is stressed out or full of energy. I guess she fit both
categories here.




Almost...




There! She won!





Monday, October 31, 2011

Mom and Dad come to town!









Easton walking from Hannah Frank on Vimeo.



My goal for today is to get a blog up before the end of the month, so here goes!
First off HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
I will prob post another blog soon with pics of Easton in his bear costume, so stay tuned for the sweetest little Halloween bear!
I could blog about a lot of different things, but I think I will stick to my Mother's visit last week. It was absolutely WONDERFUL!
I looked forward to my parents coming out for awhile and then tried soaking them up every second they were here, and now it's somewhat depressing that they are gone again. Isn't that always the way?
So, unfortunately, my Mother was only here for three full days. My Dad came down with her, but had a full schedule with work meetings. Easton and I managed to steal some of his time early in the morning before anybody else was awake. Neither my Dad or Easton sleep in, so for once, it worked in my favor:)
Easton and I got to spend our days with my Mom, which was such a treat! I seriously felt like I was on vacation too, since I negated all chores and responsibilities and enjoyed the more tourist parts of the area. My most favorite day was going to Leon with my Mother. I wish I could relive it every week. In Leon there are giant malls with purses, shoes, and accessories. All things leather. Ryan and I went three weeks earlier too, but that didn't stop me from finding a lot of new treasures again. It was a blast shopping with my mother!
We also enjoyed daily stops at the store with the delicious horchata, trying local candy in centro and just hanging out and relaxing at the house while Easton napped. I love that Easton had naps cause it gave us time to put our feet up and just chat chat chat!
Easton loved having my Mother around and was quite disappointed when the fun stopped the day after she left. He loved all the new toys she brought down for him (thank heavens for the switch up cause I am almost all out of new kitchen utensils to give him!) and he loved all her attention!!!
My mom discovered Easton's love for walking around, while you hold him by his arms of course. When he gets excited his little feet go a million strides a second! It was really cute and I have a video ill post if I can figure out how that works...
All in all it was a wonderful week! makes it hard to go back to ordinary days... At least I get to look forward to seeing everybody at Christmas again!
Below are some pics of the week.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Split Entry

(I apologize for the lack of pictures. Somehow, we have already used all the space on our comp in one year, so I cant download them till I weed out some other things to make space.)

First off, a few pictures for your enjoyment!.... It was another wonderful Mexican independence week! Love the Aztecan dances, the long weekend with the hubby and though we couldn't party late with Easton, it was a perfect lazy weekend with lots of movies!

So for the real juice.... We are moving home to the lovely USA!
The news came as a surprise and I totally admit that I bawled a little. Mostly cause I started to get that homey feeling here and was getting a bit more settled here. I feel like year one is the most difficult living abroad. Then year two becomes a lot more like home. Year three, you just don't want to leave! So in many ways I'm grateful that we aren't leaving at year three! I'm still in the position where I would be happy to stay and happy to go. I absolutely have loved living here! Being reshaped and eyes opened again by living in another culture is such a gift. Personally, experiencing my first year of motherhood here will always make Queretaro extra special! The good news is that I will never say goodbye to this place. It will always be see you later since Ryan and I plan to come back to Mexico often. I hate goodbyes, and love see you later! Wish I could leave with return tickets in my hands.
My biggest ties have been with the Jaras and my ward, and with my sweet young women, especially. Can't wait to see what these amazing girls make of themselves.
When I asked Ryan what he will miss most he said just being surrounded by the culture like walking through centro hearing the music, smelling the air, and watching the people. He also said the food. What can I say? A mans heart is through his stomach right? At least that's how it is with my two Frank boys!
For me? Well, no brainer, the climate here is impeccable and I will probably miss it more shivering my way through wisconsin winters! I will also surprisingly miss Spanish. It has been my feat as well. Languages are only a small part vocabulary and grammar, the real feel of a language is through it's people. Can I claim fluency? I suppose according to a resume I can, but in real life I still feel an amateur. Maybe it's just me but I feel like in English you can organize your words just right to convey feeling behind the words, with Spanish I feel like I was finally starting to see the light. Language has always been a pitfall for me, even in English. I don't have much talent with words.

Anyways, back to the point! On the flip side, I'm so excited to be near family, to find every ingredient for my recipes, to smell those Autumn leaves and to be able to road trip it without paying an arm and a leg for tolls or worrying about shady areas. Also can't wait for nature! Its difficult to go hiking here and virtually no swimming in lakes!

Really, the list could go on, but their are happy and sad things on both sides. We move back this coming Spring and I plan to get a head start on Ryan to find housing, cars, etc. I already have my eye on a cute cape cod, that with a little tender loving care could be my dream starter home. I foresee lots of beautiful memories there with my first little kiddos!


Now for the split entry part of this blog! Easton is six months tomorrow! Where did the time go? This last month has taken me for a spin! He did a total 180 with sleep patterns and I felt like I was dealing with a crabby newborn. This past Sunday made it all better though. His first tooth came through and it made me feel sorry for the little guy cause all that fussing was just pain and discomfort. Sunday also marked the day when he first held out his arms for me! Best moment of Mommyhood. I feel like it was the closest he's ever gotten to running up to me and giving me a hug and a kiss. You know, reciprocation. Anyways, I almost teared up. And even though Ryan shined a big gleaming light on the subject that him wanting me to hold him will get old, for now it's quite the opposite effect!
He is my little prince, complete with me as the servant:) He makes my days so much more worthwhile and even at the toughest moments, if I hand him off to somebody for more than an hour I come back missing him and so excited to have him with me again. I think the separation anxiety is not just in relation to the baby!

Anyways, he's now 17 pounds and just over 26 inches of pure bliss!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Easton Eats Squash

Poor baby Easton has had some not-so-fun reflux. Our peds man told us to start introducing pureed solids so that he has some positive conditioning to texture in his mouth, especially after eating his milk twice in most cases. We were told to start with green, bland chayote. Unfortunately, I can't say that positive conditioning came into play. Ryan and I couldn't help but take a bunch of shots of E-Man's ridiculous faces as he ate his squash. He didn't really fuss or cry, he just kept giving us quite the facial theatrical experience. So here are some fun pics of the event.


Part1:



"I really don't think that I like this stuff, guys"






"Eh! What the heck is this crap?"






Yeah, he's had it right about now. Hand with spoon finally recoils.






"I'm mad at you Dad"





Part2:



Ahh the motherly touch!
okay, okay, so I switched out the squash for the cereal.






See, it's not all torture.
He actually really enjoys eating off the spoon.
I think he thinks he's a big kid doing it, cause he also insists
on drinking out of our water cups at the dinner table.






"yeah, much better"






We even got a smile





So maybe next time I should switch spots with Ryan and have him feed Easton the cereal. Though, I really think Ryan was getting a kick out of it. Oh, man, this kid is doomed to be ruthlessly teased. What can I say, he came down a Frank!

Sunday, July 31, 2011

The sound of grass

Have you ever listened to the grass after it rains? It sounds like pop rocks on a tongue. I imagine that it is the water evaporating, making the blades of grass "uncrinkle" back to it's regular shape.
Anyways, where am I getting this from? Well let's just say Easton makes me stop and smell the roses quite a bit...
This past weekend I helped decorate a chapel for a youth activity. Of course Easton was with me and twenty minutes into decorating, Easton started fussing. So I took him outside to put him to sleep. Can't tell you why but nature soothes this boy. As there was nowhere to put him down for a nap, I took a seat under a tree once he conked in my arms. That's when I heard the grass.
My point? This is one of the reasons why I love kids... Originally I was a little put out that I had to stop decorating and put Easton asleep. But then really enjoyed being left to my own thoughts with my baby boy nestled in my arms. And I feel like thats what kids help adults do... They help us to forget ourselves and help us notice different things around us.

So thanks Easton for making me stop and hear the grass!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Dr. appointments

So Easton had his second dr appointment here in Mexico. Nothing too out of the ordinary, except apparently one leg seems longer than the other. Took an Xray and we will hear more about it at the next visit... But that prob sounds a lot worse than it is. The dr thinks it's not a big deal and I'm thinking it's a discrepancy that will work its way out...
No that wasn't the interesting part, the best part was Easton laughing through the entire visit! What kid likes to go to the dr? He seriously flirted with the dr and giggled during the physical. I guess I'm a lucky mom for that! He had his second set of vaccines as well. Both times he just pouts for five seconds and then is right back to his normal self! What a surprise! I almost look forward to the next visit as my kid is better than his normal self!

Man, Eman sure likes getting out of the house, even if it means a dr visit!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Happenings at the Frank's House

This has been a long week.

Do you ever have those weeks where somehow there is something going on every day, which is very fun but also very tiring? That's kinda how it went for me.

First off, Ryan had some coworkers come down from WI, so we enjoyed their company one of those nights. They are here to work at different credit unions, so in effect, there will be a trip to Veracruz and Mexico City next week. I think I might go with them... am I crazy with a 3 mo. old? probably.

The other big event that has and will be taking lots of attention and time is that Ryan and I are moving to a new house. I absolutely love where we are living and feel a little depressed, even as I type about it, that we are moving. I love our neighbors, the pool, and just how comfortable we are in our home. I don't look forward to moving, but after talking about things Ryan and I decided that we have a great opportunity to move to a smaller home as our contract for this home is up the 20th of this month. By moving to a smaller home we will be able to save a lot more on rent. We currently live in a lovely city that had very inexpensive rent, so why are we paying so much more when we can still sit comfortably in a smaller home for almost half the price? So I will be going without the pool, which is my least favorite part... but... I did find a great "pool park" twenty minutes away with a 1.50 entrance fee. Not bad, I plan to go there a lot with Easton as he gets older. We will still be in a three bedroom home, but the house is just overall smaller in each room. Optimistically, I look forward to filling up the house better with our furniture and hope for much less echo!
The biggest stresser with this is that we need to be out of our house the 20th, we will be in Veracruz up till the 20th and the week after the 20th we go on our trip to Wisconsin and Utah. A lot of travel and moving in a small window. again, am I crazy with a 3 mo old? Probably.

So once we get things all switched over, ill take some pics!

Monday, May 30, 2011

My boys!



This last weekend we decided to introduce the pool to Easton. I know, I know, he might be too little, but I couldn't help it. I REALLY look forward to long summers at the pool with my kids!
Ryan was in charge of keeping Easton entertained as I was getting our bag ready and what not. Of course their happened to be a soccer game on and before I knew it, our little boy was being introduced to TV and sports. This was Easton's first TV viewing and he was hooked. I had to snap a shot.

I was determined to keep the sun off of Easton at the pool. I put on this little hat, which wasn't really very little on HIM. Haha, I love my sweet baby boy! Always entertains us with his looks.


Well since we are living in 90 degree weather with a blazing sun, the water was like bath water in the pool. Easton loved it and we had him in the pool for prob a good twenty minutes before he started squawking. I think he will last longer next time too, we just didn't make it the pool soon enough before his nap.

Now all I need is a water donut to put him in!

Monday, May 23, 2011

Shout out!


I just have to give a shout out to a wonderful chica from Mexico, Paulina!
She has been a wonderful friend and a great help with Easton since he was born. She has gone to the market with me, helped me bake for the Young Women, kept me company while Ryan took work trips, and even watched Easton on a ridiculously hot day while we went to the temple.
She is a smart and kind person and very mature for her age. I could go on and on about her, but pretty much she is awesome!
Thank you Pau for all you do and who you are!

Updates



Last week Ryan had a work trip in Ecuador. I was too nervous to stay home alone for a week with Easton, so my sweet sister, Haydee, offered to take us in for the week. So off to LA we went. I felt so blessed and lucky to go!

The week was absolutely wonderful! Easton and I spent a couple days at the apartment hanging out and waiting for the work day to end so that we could play with Haydee and Nate. It was nice to have a change of scenery and I even enjoyed a couple hours in the sun on Haydee's roof. We took lots of walks and prepared a couple dinners. My sister took a couple days to hang out with us. One day we "went to work" with Haydee and cruised around LA with her.
We also met Haydee's boyfriend, Nate. He is a wonderful person and all four of us had a great time together in the evenings playing cards, eating yummy dinners and just sitting and talking.

My sister and Nate are pretty much amazing and had me signed up for a massage, manicure (love them Haydee!:)), and a date with the dry bar (a hair styling salon). Ahhh, so wonderful! I finally got to enjoy some delicious Sushi ( I haven't had it since before I was prego with Easton)! Of course we went shopping and visited one of Nate's beautiful shopping malls that he works at. It was a lovely week and can only thank (over and over again) my sister and Nate! Thank you guys! I love you both!
Really my favorite was just seeing my sister. Brings a tear to my eye just thinking about her. She is truly one of my most favorite people on this Earth!
Posted pics on Facebook but here are just a couple.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Moms and baby!

First off, Happy Mexican Mother's Day!

After I left the house my appreciation for my Mother grew. Now that I have my own child, my appreciation for my Mother has grown yet again! Having and raising a child is a lot of work, takes a lot of thought and requires a bit of patience and I am only on week seven! Ha. It is also wonderful and inexplicably one of the happiest things to me.

I would just like to applaud every mother out there, especially my own, who ever worried, loved, protected, and taught. It is a lot of work and though it might go somewhat unnoticed some days, every effort is quite noble. Thank you for every sacrifice and every bit of love you have offered!


Secondly, I just finished reading my good friend Angela's post about her new baby. She mentioned a bunch of his likes and dislikes. I too don't want to forget my newborn's personality, so I am going to mention a few things here.

Well Easton is almost seven weeks. Last week he measured to be 10 and a half pounds. Woowoo! Nice going my little munchkin.

My absolute favorite things about Easton are
1. He is extremely cuddly and loves to nuzzle into my body as he gets ready to sleep.
2. Right after he wakes up and is done with his meal, there is about a twenty minute window where he is extremely alert and very happy. Several times a day at this time, I lay him on his back and use those twenty minutes to talk to him. He smiles, coos and even so much as lets out some kind of little laugh (or maybe just excited coo). He tries to talk back to me and we will go a good twenty minutes, sometimes, talking back and forth. This is my highlight!

Other things about Easton...

He is a very social boy and gets along with anybody holding him... but I must admit he shows preference to his Mama

He is getting better at sleeping at night, wakes up three times instead of five or six... but he has nights where he tries my patience and wakes up four or five times again.

Part two of the above is that the poor little guy cries in pain from a gassy tummy. I think this is the culprit to waking up so often

He eats just like me, practically inhaling his food. He is done with his meal in about 8 minutes

He loves to be moving and gets bored of a scene pretty fast. In fact I realized the other day that he gets fussy in his car seat when we are stopped at a light for a while or when we are stopped in traffic. He stops fussing as soon as we are moving again

He is getting better in his bouncer and will now sit in it for twenty minutes before getting fussy

He is great with eye contact and has been since the day he was born. I never saw a newborn hold a steady gaze for so long

He hates dirty diapers, a late meal, and a gassy tummy. It is almost always one of these things when he gets upset.

He is a stubborn little fellow and purses his lips tightly closed if he no longer wants to eat or he doesn't want his pacifier.

He still gets hiccups regularly, like he did in my belly

He flails his arms quite a bit, Ryan calls him our little karate kid

Did I mention he loves being cuddled and in motion? That is the best way to calm him down

He has had a hard time with breastfeeding but randomly decided to get good at it all of a sudden two weeks ago

He loves being hot. I mean to the point that he is sweating. Ryan loves his constant sweat mark on his arm

He's in size 3 mo. clothes already

He is quite hairy and had little tuffs of hair on his shoulders and ears when he was born

Ill add more as I think of things, but this is a pretty good start!







Sunday, May 1, 2011

Baby Blessing


Last Easter Sunday, April 24th, baby Easton was blessed at our Colinas ward, here in Mexico. Among the circle were the Bishop Campos, Luis Santana, Luis Lazano, and Dad Frank.

Here is a photo of Ryan with Easton after church.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Boom Baby- Five Generations



Five Generations- Boom Baby!
So excited to get a photo with my Great Grandmother! Seriously, such a highlight.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Labor Story

Okay, it's been almost a month, so I better write this down before it slips my mind. And yes, somehow I have repressed much of the labor memories.

So to back up, lets go to March 2oth at 11 pm when I woke up with a start. I couldn't tell you why, but my guess is that I must have had a hormone rush or something as my body geared up for the main event. After pushing on my tummy a little to feel Easton's kicks I fell back asleep. Though, something felt different.

So throughout the day on the 21st, I had surges (contractions). I just figured they were the routine braxton-hicks, so I dismissed them as nothing out of the ordinary. My mother, on the other hand, was convinced that I was going to go into labor. She arranged to have family home evening at the bowling alley so that I would have to be up and about. I thought she was exaggerating but played along anyways. The bowling ally was full so we went to the movies to see Rango instead. Ryan and I kept track of the surges in the movie. I felt 8 within the two hour movie.

Throughout the night the surges came stronger and more frequent, so I couldn't sleep. At midnight they were evenly 15 mins apart, by 1 am 10 mins apart, then from 3 to 5 am they were between 5-8 mins apart. I started to get suspicious so we called the hospital and they told me to come in just to be sure. At 6:30 we arrived at the hospital and after negatives on all the checks from the resident MD, was told I wasn't ready yet. The nurse didn't buy it and requested that I had my cervix checked. I was dilated to a 4 and 60% effaced. So they admitted me.

Throughout the morning and that night I practiced hypnobirthing, which is a relaxed state of mind during labor. I listened to soft music and focused on keeping my mind relaxed and breathing. It was extremely helpful and I did just fine during this period. At about 10:30 am the surges started to get very strong and I asked them to check me. I was at a 6 and 80% effaced. I was getting tired from all the back labor. The back labor was difficult to deal with and I wasn't able to focus on the surges as well.

I had tried the birthing ball, side lying, back lying, and nothing was really relieving the pressure from the back labor. The lovely nurse who had helped that morning, suggested to move to the tub. At first I didn't want to, because every time I changed positions the surges would get stronger. In the end I went to the tub and it was SO helpful. Next baby, I am going straight to the tub! I felt less during the surges and it wasn't until about 1:30 that I started to lose it again. I had had it and asked to be checked. If the progress wasn't improving I was strongly considering some kind of numbing. Well, they checked me and I was complete. Geez, how long had I been complete for!? Good thing I asked to be checked. Those last three or four surges were tough, but after hearing that I was complete I had renewed energy. I jumped out of the tub (literally) and skated across the floor to the bed.

I realized that I had no idea what I was supposed to do next. I tried pushing, totally in vain (I was not doing it right at all). Then, mother nature tuned me in and I was able to use the surges with the pushing. In less than twenty minutes and prob only four or five pushes, baby Easton came into this world, without even a cry. They immediately brought him to my chest and for the next couple of hours, I couldn't move. I was in complete denial that I had a baby and just kept staring at Easton. Those two hours were most likely two of my happiest hours in my life. Magical. It's not like fire works went off, but it was just a gentle feeling of love. I wish I could relive those two hours every day.

So that's about it...
If you heard Ryan's side of the story, he would emphasize the fact that at some point near the end I chomped his finger. Ops. He would also mention how exhausted he was from holding me up in the tub. Wierdly, after I got in the tub my entire body went numb and couldn't even hold myself up. So glad the hubby saved me from drowning:). Ryan passed out soon after the birth and took several naps over the next day or two. People kept asking who had given birth me or Ryan.

On the flip side, after delivering Easton I had the most fantastic recovery. The moment he was out, I was totally awake and energized. If I can toot any horn, it is the recovery from a natural birth. Truly amazing! I was tired a few days later from lack of sleep, but my body felt like almost nothing had happened.

Made it!

Ahhh, it is Friday and we are back in Mexico!!!

We flew from Madison to Mexico City on Wednesday. Then took the shuttle bus from Mexico City to Queretaro.

I can't tell you how nervous I was to travel with a three week old. When I was 8 months pregnant and flying from Mexico to Wi, Easton moved a ton through each flight! I was so nervous that this was going to be a foreshadow of the trip back. I was pleasantly wrong.

I could not have asked for a more perfect traveling experience (minus the fact that Ryan and I were exhausted). Easton slept both flights and was awake in the airports. When he was awake, I don't think he could have been more happy. I think I can say that the kid was in awe. He kept looking at all the people and different things. I began to realize how much Easton likes to be stimulated. I am surprised that my three week old likes to see so much. Must be a Frank:) because I am much more of a home body.

Even at home, during his awake hours, he is most content when you walk around the house in and out of different lighting. He tends to turn his attention to the sunnier spots. Boy after my own heart, we both have an attraction to the sun.

So anyways, I was grateful nobody touched him, sneezed near him, or anything of the sort in the airports. He seems to have made it intact! Ha, I am a worry wort.

The next day, Thursday, was not so hot! Almost as bad as day five of Easton's life when he refused to eat for twelve hours! So yes, Thursday we were all exhausted. We got to our house at 1 am that morning, then of course there were the routine feedings throughout the night and for some terrible reason we all woke up at 7 am. We ran errands all morning (we had no food in the house and needed to pay bills before our water and electric was shot off again). I nearly had breakdown number two by 4 in the afternoon when we finally finished running.

After a 10 pm to 9 am wake up and sleep routine (I am not a nap taker so I just reserve 12 hours at night to get my sleep in between feedings) last night, I feel so much better!

So blessed by Wednesday and can't get much more tired than Thursday!
Cheers Easton and Ryan!

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Introducing... Easton




Easton Mark Frank

Born: March 22, 2011 at 1:59 pm
Weight: 7 lb 10 ounces
Length: 19.5 inches
Labor duration: about 14 hours





Friday, March 18, 2011

One week left!


Wow, where has the time gone!?
Even though it says one week left, I wonder when baby Easton really plans to get here. I have a tentative induction date for April 1st, but am considering skipping it... what's one more week, right?!
I was not too thrilled about the April 1st birthday either, especially cause Ryan has already been joking about and pushing for an April Fools birthday. Great, our son isn't even born yet and the poor kid's father is already scheming his birthday. I am still hopeful for a March baby:)
Things have been going well though and I am very content with pregnancy right now. Aside from the growing few stretch marks I have acquired (tear) and this awful cold I caught this past week, I am feeling pretty great. False labor has been going on for weeks and it's kinda fun to feel the muscles contract. Bodies are pretty amazing to me.
So I will post one last pregnancy picture. I had another growth spurt the past two weeks. I still don't feel enormous, but the picture might say otherwise. Sometimes Ryan lifts my belly for me and it feels so liberating to get the weight off! It makes me gitty to get my body back and the weight off! Now, lack of sleep, I can stand to put off for another week or so!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Foooood!!!

Tonight we are having a couple LDS missionaries over for dinner. As Ryan is home and we are having two young guys over for dinner, I am making something hearty. I am making Pasta with Basil Cream Sauce, salad, rolls, and pie. The recipe that I found for the pasta sauce, is without fail, a hit every time I make it. The flavor is wonderful and of course there is all that cream which leaves your stomach begging for a second helping. Yes, it's one of those lean-back-in-your-chair-as-you kick-yourself-for-over-eating recipes.
As some of you might know, I almost never memorize recipes and never remember how I tweak them either. I try to write notes, but in the end I think half of what I make is forgotten and difficult to find or reinvent again. This is not one of those. Thankfully I found the recipe online and somehow I always manage to find the correct page again.
This basil cream sauce is made by Chef Vogel and after a little further investigation, discovered that he has his own website of recipes. Once I find a good recipe, I tend to experiment with others from the same webpage. I haven't ventured into the other recipes...yet, but I can assure you that if the only recipe you walk away with is the Basil Cream Sauce, you will be content.
Here is the site:
www.foodforthoughtonline.net
I hope all you aspiring chefs enjoy!

Ps, the cream sauce is very quick and easy to make! I usually add peas or roasted peppers for a little more color and variation.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Stress and joy

Holy crap, things have been crazy lately!
So just 25 days left till baby Frank's due date, but who knows what that really means!
Last Monday Ryan and I flew from Mexico to Madison. The trip was a success and I was really grateful that I didn't really have a swelling issue or any other discomforts. In fact I was feeling so confident about my state of being that when the flight attendant offered vouchers for a later flight, Ryan and I were the first ones to the counter. I love free miles!
Then I ran amock last week, spending time with my Mother, trying to get prenatal classes finshed and meeting my Dr. for the first time (weird saying that at 36 weeks!). He is... interesting. Great Dr., totally different than what I was expecting though.
Then Friday afternoon I was working out all the kinks to getting Doodle back to Mexico after he is born. Screeeeech, eeeeek, ahhhh! Apparently, you can't take an infant over the border with just a birth certificate (unless you are by land or sea), which is what I had been told. He needs a passport after all... yeah those take a little while. So does that social security card that the passport app requires... and so does that birth certificate that the social security card app requires!! and of course it was 3:30 on a Friday when I figured this all out, three days after I am no longer advised to fly internationally! Ahh, I was about to turn my little hiney right back around and sneak onto the next flight to Mexico City. I was so stressed and there was no way I was sitting in the US for the first two-three months of my baby's life without my hubby.
I called different agencies incessantly till the clock tocked five. Dang passport call center kept feeding Ryan and I different info about it all, you need a social security #, then you don't. It was 2 to 1, not in our favor at five. Ryan felt pretty confident that this was all going to be okay and that in some weird way it was supposed to happen. Hannah's thought: Yeah, maybe it was supposed to happen to prove what irresponsible parents we will be! (When I panic, optimism is not my strength!)
So after worrying for the next couple days Ryan left on a jet plane Sunday afternoon, back to Mexico for work. Then bright and early Monday morn, I called the different birth certificate people to see if I could get a rush on that. Ryan called the passport agency and good news!!! We don't need a social security card, we can get the passport processed in a day and no longer than two weeks, and I am going to be put on the list as a priority for the birth certificate to be processed, so no more than a two week wait, and prob much shorter! Woooopeeee!

So, if all our sources check out, we will be sitting pretty on the airplane sometime in April.
If not, we will resort to plan b: travel by land or sea (that would be.... interesting).

Moral of the story:

Don't wait to get these sorts of gov't documents for your wee one. It takes forever and you will be grateful you don't have to worry about this sort of thing when you decide to travel, if you just get it done in the beginning!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day!

"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two."

-St. Augustine

-Thank you Ryan-