Caleb's First Boo Boo

It's official. Caleb had his first boo boo this morning, and it was all mommy's fault. As you can see in the picture below, there is a little bandaid wrapped around Caleb's index finger. Poor little guy. I was trimming his nails, which I've done multiple times before, and missed the nail and cut a little spot on his finger. He immediately started crying, who wouldn't, and once I realized what I had done, I started crying as well. I felt HORRIBLE!!! As soon as I started crying he stopped and just stared at me like I was some sort of crazy woman. I'm sure I looked and sounded like it. I just kept repeating to him how sorry I was for hurting him. He snuggled me for a bit and then we went into the bathroom and I tried to do some damage control. Thank goodness for the flex bandaids they make now and a little bit of vaseline. It took about five minutes to get the bandaid on because he was so squirmy, but he's doing fine now.

As I'm sure all you mommies out there know, there in nothing worse in the world than knowing you somehow just hurt your child. Praise the Lord that it wasn't any worse, and that he's young enough to never remember what happened, although I'm sure there will be many more things in the future he will want to blame me for, but we've got a few years until that happens.

I love you baby and I am so very sorry! I promise to be extra extra careful from now on when cutting your nails. Just remember, I do it because I love you and care about you, and don't want you to scratch yourself up!

-Jill

4 Weeks Old

Caleb, today you are 4 weeks old, and I can't believe it!!! You have already grown so much and I just love spending every single day with you! You are a very laid back baby. You love to just sit and look around. And you love to eat! You're now up to 6 ounces at every feeding! I can't believe it! You also love to sleep and are going 4.5-5 hours in between feedings and are only waking up once in the middle of the night. Mommy loves you very much for this!! Each day with you is an adventure. You love to sleep on your tummy on mommy or daddy's chest. You've started focusing on your one toy that you have that makes noise, and you like to sit in your swing, even though mommy doesn't swing you because it's too violent looking:). You are still getting over your cold, but are doing much better. You are starting to fit into 0-3 month clothes, which means you are packing on the pounds. Mommy can't wait to start dressing you in all your cute little clothes, and taking you out to show you off! Only a couple more weeks and we'll be free and clear to go and visit all our friends! Daddy will be having shoulder surgery at the end of this week, so Grandma Preuss is going to come back and help mommy out with you, and I know she can't wait to get you in her arms again. Mommy is very thankful for such a wonderful, loving and supportive family who has been more than willing to help with anything we need, even though everyone is out of town. We've also started having meals delivered to us three times a week and that has been such a HUGE help for mommy! ALL the food we've received has been delicious! Caleb, you are such a precious blessing to mommy and daddy and we love you so very much!! Happy 4 week old birthday sweetheart!

-Jill

Caleb, today you are 3 weeks old! Mommy can't believe it! The first three weeks of your life have been amazing, wonderful, difficult at times, but absolutely more thrilling than I could ever have imagined!You've gone from newborn baby to a little chunky monkey! You eat up to 6 oz at each feeding, wow! That's double what a normal baby your age should be eating. The nurse said that it's ok to keep feeding you as much as you'll eat, there must be a reason you're eating that much to begin with!

At your two week appointment, you weighed in at 8lbs. 14.5oz., which means you've already gained over a pound. Most babies are just getting back to their birth weight at that point, so you're ahead of the game. You also ranked in the 50th percentile for weight and height, which is perfect, since mommy and daddy are both the "average" american size.

You love to sleep, well, during the day that is! Night times are a little rough, but we're working through them, and daddy has been a HUGE help with that! He comes in and saves the day when mommy gets a little too tired, frustrated and emotional. Thank you for that daddy, you are AMAZING!! You sleep on your side sometimes, but have found that sleeping on your stomach is your favorite position, especially if it's on mommy or daddy's chest!

You also love to make a ton of different faces. We find ourselves sitting and staring at you, just laughing because you are so stinkin' cute! I'll post more of your faces next...

You are very alert and STRONG! You have been able to lift and move your head on your own since about 10 days old. Sometimes, we don't know where you're going to go and have trouble holding you still. You often fight us when we're trying to change your diaper and/or changes your onesie, but somehow, we always get it worked out, even if it does take and extra 5 minutes!You LOVE to grunt when burping, and espeically when you're making a dirty, like most babies. It's so adorable to see your grunting face, you squint your forehead and sometimes curl your lips. Mommy just can't get enough of you!!

You also LOVE bathtime. Thank goodness our bathroom is the warmest place in the whole house, I think that definitely has something to do with it. You don't fuss hardly at all, and mommy loves getting you all wrapped up in your little hoodie towel when we're through, and holding you tight (with the exception of when you decide to pee pee in your towel and all over mommy as well)!

You now have a double chin, and no visible neck. Thanks to all that extra food you're getting, no doubt! You're also starting to get some serious rolls on your thighs. Mommy is still praying against the 25lbs. at 4 months like your daddy was. I want to continue to be able to hold you and love on you without having to worry about my arm falling off from you being so heavy. I think you'll fill out nicely, and I know that chunky babies are much healthier and cuter as well. Keep packing on those pounds, in moderation of course honey! You will only continue to get cuter with time, I know it!!

Things I want to remember most about this time with you...

1.) I LOVE BEING AT HOME WITH YOU!!!! I feel like for the 1st time in my life, I'm actually living out what I was created to do, be a mommy!! Thank you Lord, for this, as I know it's only because of you that I am able to do this full time!!

2.) You sometimes coo and talk in your sleep. Mommy is starting to learn all your different noises and cries and it's so fun!!

3.) You have laughed twice now and smile all the time (all while dreaming of course)! Daddy missed the 1st time you laughed, but you did it again while he was holding you the other day and his smile was ear to ear!! I can't wait to hear you laugh and see you smile on purpose, not just because you're dreaming!

4.) You like to be swaddled, but you have to have your arms loose. Just like you were in the womb. I always felt you moving the little parts of your body and now I'm realizing that it was probably your arms and hands tht were always tickling me!

5.) You have sucked on daddy's face and nose many times hoping to find more food, but are always disappointed at the outcome. Of course, daddy teases you pretty bad, so he's got it coming to him anyway!

6.) You are done with newborn diapers and are already in size 1! I can't believe it! They are still a little bit big on you, but you do a great job of filling them to the maximum capacity. That's how we knew you were ready for the next size up.

So, here's my current favorite picture of you, smiling of course! You are precious and such a blessing and gift from the Lord! I love praying with you during the night, and praying for you during the day. You are healthy, beautiful, fearfully and wonderfully made and such a JOY to my heart, each and every day! I love you Caleb!!

-Jill

Friday, a Big Day at the Garcias

Friday was a very eventful day for us! We started out pretty early. Caleb ate breakfast and then we started to get ready to go visit all our friends at Shay's 1st Birthday party! Caleb, of course, had to show up in style, and I must admit, it was SUPER fun for me to dress him in his first outfit, rather than just a cute little white onesie that he wears all day while at home. I know, it's a little big, but what can I say, he just so stinkin' cute anyway!!

Shay thoroughly enjoyes her cupcake and by the end of eating it, she was wearing it head to toe.

This is such a sweet picture of Katie and Julia! I'm so sad I didn't get more pictures of the event!

Once we got home from the birthday party, it was nap time. I love it when he curls up on mommy's chest and sleeps like this, it's one of my favorite parts of the day!

Our next big event was Caleb's bathtime! We were still sponge bathing at this time because his cord had not fallen off yet, but it did later that day and his belly button is looking so great! At first he was crying but once we got going, I think he ended up enjoying himself very much because he just sat there and cooed (sp?) as I wiped him down with soapy water!

After bathtime, it was time for a manicure! We sat in the rocker and I trimmed and filed Caleb's sharp nails. We're hoping that as the weeks go on, his face will clear up and he will stop scratching his face up. Poor little guy, the first week his face was pretty beat up, but each day it's getting better!

He also spent some time in our swing! Thanks to Travis and Andrea for letting us borrow it! While he's still too little to actually swing in it (the 1st setting of the swing is pretty violent for his size), he enjoyes just sitting in it and looking around, and of course, falling asleep!

And, of course, I had to add a favorite picture of the day. What a sweetie he is!

This is my absolute favorite picture of the day, by far. He sure does love his chest time with us! He's such a cuddler! If only he could sleep this well at night and not just during the day!!

Our 1st Date Night!

While my mom was in town this past week, she was wonderful to let us go out for our first date night since Caleb was born! While it was short (we were both so exhausted), it was much needed and we had such a fun time. We went to Red Lobster for dinner (my pick), then made a trip to Best Buy where we had $60 in coupons and got to pick out some Blue Ray movies, and finally stopped off at Kohl's to try and find some gloves for Aaron, but instead found me some! We were out for about 2 hours, but it felt like so much longer! I, of course, called home to check in and Caleb was being great for Grandma, no surprise there.

One other thing I don't want to forget about the night, was the fact that I got to wear my pre-pregnancy jeans!!!Thanks again, Mom, for everything you did during your week here. You were an amazing help, from cooking dinner, to doing laundry, to cleaning the bathrooms, to taking the early night feeding so that I could get some much needed sleep! I might be calling you to come back sooner than you think! I love you!!

And finally, here's a picture of Aaron and I as we're getting ready to leave.

One week

Well one week ago today our lives changes forever and it has been such a blessing. We could not ask for anything more! This week has definitely shown us both the ups and downs of being new parents. Caleb has been jaundice this whole time peaking at 16.8 on the Bili-Reuben tests. We had to take him to the pediatrician 4 times in 3 days, but Friday we got the news that his number had dropped to 15! Praise the Lord!

For the most part Jill and I are exhausted with the occasional 3 hour nap in between feedings and trying to get him back to sleep. Unfortunately he has gotten his days and nights switched up so he falls back o sleep pretty fast after feedings during the day, but come night time he stays awake forever then by the time we get him into his bassinet he is hungry again and the cycle continues. Fortunately this too shall pass and Jill and I will be able to get a few more hours of sleep at one time...sooner or later :-) For now, Jill is sleeping when the baby does and I have tried to do the same.

Jill is doing great and has been feeling better each day. We are working through the nursing deal, but for now we are supplementing with formula, and whatever she can get through pumping. We hope and pray that this won't be the norm because it is so expensive, but we will do what we need to do to give him what he needs.

All in all things are really good! I think that I have definitely gotten past the surreal stage and get that this is it. We have a son and he is a great gift from God. It has been great to sit with him and see him stare back at me even though I know he can't quite make me out. I got a little emotional yesterday as I stared into his eyes and just prayed for him. That the Lord will heal him from the jaundice, that he will know Christ as his personal Savior, that I will be a great father for him, that he will know joy and happiness that only One can give. I heard over and over again how having kids would change your life and how things are just different, but one cannot completely understand it until they hold their very own in their arms. Until their heart stops when their baby stops breathing for a split second because he is crying so hard, or jump out of bed when you hear even the slightest whimper hoping that every thing is OK. I have prayed daily that God will protect him as he sleeps, and the Lord has been good! We are excited to see what the Lord is going to do in this little persons life and can't wait to see what is next.

Here are a few pics since the hospital. We are obviously bias, but we think he is a stinkin' cute kid!


We are not sure why, but he has this frown on his face quite a bit. He has a whole bunch more faces, but we haven't quite captured those yet. People say he gets that from me (Aaron), go figure ;-)

Aaron

Momma and Baby

Sorry there hadn't been any pics of the baby and momma, but here is one I took an hour or so ago. Side note: Cone head is diminishing...woohoo!

Here is one of our dear friends and the helpful 2nd coach during labor, Karla! You can check out their blog here.

Rest

So we have been very blessed and have had the whole morning to ourselves to just relax and do nothing but enjoy our new little bundle of joy. Jill was able to feel better once she was able to shower and bath...like a new woman. She looks great and is feeling great!

We did have a couple of visitors and Grandpa and Grandma came back as well with some much wanted lunch for Aaron. Jill is well taken care of with the menu they offer here at the hospital. In fact I am a little jealous that she is getting some really awesome food. And I am not saying that the food is good for hospitals, I mean it is good for most restaurants. So needless to say she is good to go in the food department!

Here are more pics of the baby, Grandma Garcia and Casey (Jill's small group Co-Leader).

Last Night

So first night in the hospital went really good, at least for my expectations. We were both able to sleep pretty well between feedings. The baby stayed in the nursery until feedings at 1am and 5am. Fortunately the nurses also did their thing around the same time as the feedings so that was nice for Jill so that she could actually get some much needed sleep. If anyone is wondering, we are in room c475 at Presby Plano. We think we will be leaving tomorrow afternoon, but we will see how baby does tonight. He is A+ and Jill is O+ so there is a risk for jaundice, but we pray he won't have that problem.

Here are a few more pics with some friends of ours from church, the Sheltons.

Grandpa and Grandma Preuss.

Caleb hangin' out with Grandpa.

Grandparents

Here are a couple of pics with Grandma and Grandpa (we will post more with the other 2 Grandparents soon)

Grandma Preuss and Baby Caleb.

Grandpa Garcia, and Baby Caleb.

And done...

So after moving to the new room and getting "settled" in we were able to take some better photos. So here are ones of the Garcia clan.

Daddy and Baby! Does he look like daddy or mommy?

The Garcia's...YEA!

He's Here!!!!

We have a boy...7 lbs 13 oz. He was a weeks early and was born at 11:57 am. Special thanks to Karla who was a great coach and help during the 2 hours of pushing that Jill had to do! She was such a champ and I am very proud of her! He is definitely cone headed, so I will try to take some more pics as his head becomes normal again.

He is healthy and all boy! Thank you Lord for such a precious gift and the opportunity to raise a young man up in your ways! We praise you for this miracle and are excited to see what you will do in his life.

Thank you for all your prayers.

Love

Aaron and Jill.

Update

She is at 9cm and they are paging the Dr now. So hopefully anytime now we will greet baby Caleb into the world!

It Begins...

So Jill started having contractions this morning around 12:45am. By 3am we decided to call the Dr. and they said to come on in to the hospital. So we arrived and they admitted us. We are currently 5 cm and 75% affaced. The epideral is in and things are 100% better for Jill now with the contractions. They were definitely not fun! Nurse says we are just sailing at this point. Here are a few pics of the labor room. It is definitely nice!

More updates to come!

The Big Reveal...

Last week I wrote that I would have a big surprise at the end of this week, well, here it is!!! We were blessed by some WONDERFUL people in our lives, who gifted us with a 3d/4d sonogram session this afternoon!! There are no words that can express the emotions I felt looking at my sweet baby boy, watching him move and kick, suck his foot, grab his ear, yawn and smile, all while still in my growing belly!! WOW! With our sonogram, we received a DVD of the entire thing, 25 minutes long, a CD with almost 50 pictures of him, and even some black & white and sepia printouts of some of the best shots we got! As I was laying there watching him on the big wall (they had the images projected onto the wall in LARGE form, it was so cool!), I couldn't help but think about my absolute favorite chapter in the entire bible, Psalm 139. Honestly, up until we found out we were pregnant, and even now, up until today, I always applied it to myself. I was created in my mother's womb, I am fearfully & wonderfully made, I am unique. But today, I was blessed with a whole new outlook and understanding of that Psalm. I understood it as if the Lord was reading it to me about Caleb. The first few moments I saw him up on the big wall, I could not believe it was him, and I was overwhelmed with joy, contentment and true excitement of what is to come. And yes, I did cry (not surprising though!). All in all, this was one of the best days of my life, and I will cherish these pictures of Caleb forever. Who knows if I will ever have this opportunity again, but I know for today, I am going to cherish every single moment of this pregnancy I have left...and then the real adventure begins!! Enjoy the photos!!

I think he has my round nose here

This one is a little awkward, but the two little things in front of his mouth are two of his little toes (the others are blocked by his arm)

He was trying to get his little foot in his mouth here

And mission accomplished! Yes folks, that is his foot!

He was clearly getting tired of us pushing on him so that he would move and cooperate a little more. He yawned probably 4 or 5 times during the 25 minute time span. So precious!!

This one and the next are probably my two favorite. He has such a sweet little face, I can't wait to soak him up when he gets here!!!!

Caleb, we love you so much and cannot wait to meet you! You already are so much a part of the joy I experience daily! Thank you Lord, for such a gift as this sweet little life!

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139: 13-16

Be Blessed and Encouraged!

Getting back into shape

So you might be asking yourself why I am already getting ready for Halloween. Actually, this is the gear that was loaned to me by a friend here in Dallas. I have been wanting to start biking for exercise for a while, and just have not had the money to buy the gear to do it. So I decided to ask Don if I could borrow his bike to see if it would even be a worthwhile investment.

So today I decided to go ahead and see how my body would like/ dislike this type of exercise. Here are my thoughts 30 minutes after my first ride:

1) I am out of shape. I was doing really well by going to the gym 4 days a week before I hurt my shoulder and I was in pretty good shape. Not so much anymore!
2) I am not sure if it is the shorts (again borrowed) or what, but I would say that the nether regions were not doing so hot about 5 minutes into the ride. This can be damaging to the motivation to keep going, but I did anyway (11 minutes total for first ride time).
3) I like this much better than running. For one thing, I can't run because of my herniated disk in my back. I tried it, but wound up walking home after my second run from my back giving out. It is low impact, and I feel like I could go much longer without pain. We will see if this is the case when I wake up in the morning. I am curious if I will be super sore, sore, or not at all sore. I will let you know.

Over all, first day not to bad. Not great, but am looking forward to doing it again, which I guess is a good sign. I will continue posting to let you guys know how it goes.

P.S. Since I am borrowing the gear for only 2 weeks, I am also keeping my eyes and ears open to anyone not riding their bike that wouldn't mind me using theirs for a while. I need to talk with Jill about money and where we are to maybe start saving up for one of my own (along with everything else we are saving up for :-) ).

First Days

So my first couple of days at my new job consisted of meeting mostly everyone that works there minus those that were out of the office or on vacation. I learned how to use some of the systems necessary to perform my role there. For those of you wondering my title, it is NOC (Network Operations Center) Support Technician. I also found out a couple of perks that I will be getting with this new position:

1. They will pay for all training materials and tests so that I can become certified. Something Jill and I have talked about me doing.

2. I get a company cell phone, which will be the new Iphone. Really excited about that.

3. Reimbursement for my DSL at the house. This is great because I was just bumped by AT&T to the Data Max plan which gives me up to 10.5 Mbps. Really, really fast for those of you less techy people reading this.

So early on in the day I found out that most everyone there are dog lovers. In fact one of the ladies brough her 11 month old Mastif to work. According to them this is a normal occurance for employees to bring dogs to work (I enjoy this since Jill and I can't have pets yet).

By mid day the two Bills (whose team I am on) and I went to Walmart and Tom Thumb for a grocery run. We were picking up ingredients for homemade ice cream since one of the ladies had brought there ice cream maker. So around 3pm we all gathered in the break room to enjoy this tasty treat.

Now obvioulsly I did do some work, but apparently around holiday weekends the office kind of slows down since our clients kind of slow down as well. In fact I left at 2:30 my second day. I have a feeling I need to enjoy this since it could be the calm before the storm. They assured me that things will definitely pick up soon.

So all in all I had a great first couple of days, and look forward to the days to come.

Transitions

So for those of you who have not heard, I have started a new job! It all started about the time that Jill and I found out that we were pregnant. I started looking at the budget and what I brought to the table financially with Wired PC Guys, and just started praying that God would show us where he wanted me to be vocationally so that He could provide for our family.

It wasn't but two weeks later that I got a phone call from my old boss with Accenture asking if I would be interested in a position at Celanese on a contract basis. I gave him an answer that same day after talking it over with Jill and our Community group, and since he needed to know pretty quickly. It just didn't seem to be the best move since I would be making less money, and there was no guarantee that this would turn into full time gig.

Well the next day I had lunch with Don and he decided to throw me a curve ball and encouraged me to speak with Tom Wright who is the IT Director at VentureNet. He encouraged me to do this because he found out that there were two positions they were trying to fill. So I contacted Tom that next day and setup a meeting with him over breakfast. I did this because two days in a row I fell like I have been nudged a little to see what opportunities were out there.

As I spoke with Tom about where Jill and I were with a new baby and wanting to try and allow Jill to stay home, he got excited by the fact that I was now looking for a full time position elsewhere. He proceeded to tell me that one of the positions was still open and that he would love to me to look into taking it. He wanted to make sure that the man I would be reporting to would be on board so we set up a lunch appointment the next Monday. After this we definitely continued praying multiple times a day for this opportunity as to whether or not this is what God wanted for us.

Lunch went very well, and by the end of it they had given me an offer letter. This was exciting since it was going to be a salary position, with paid time off and bonuses and holidays. You would be surprised how nice things like vacation and sick time sound when you haven't had them for a little over a year. So after much prayer and conversations with Jill and our friends we decided to accept the offer.

I e-mailed my new boss with the news and I started July 2, 2008. We are excited to see what the Lord will do next, and are anxious to meet our new little one.

Coming Soon...

To the Garcia house near you, a brand new addition to the family. That's right Jill and I are expecting our first little one come January 11th, 2009(current due date), and we can't be more excited, overwhelmed, and blessed! As of today we are 9 weeks along, and we have heard the baby's heart beat (a fast little 174 BPM) and had the first sonogram take which you can see above.

We actually found out almost a month ago when we took the home pregnancy test. It was weird because the night before we were going to take the test I had this really weird feeling like it was going to be positive. Don't ask me why I thought this, but I did. So I told Jill that when she took the test to let me see the results first. So morning came, Jill took the test and I waited a few minutes then looked at the results. I walked out of the bathroom and said "Sorry honey..." which was followed by Jill's very disappointing sigh, "...looks like we are going to have to find a new place for your office since we are going to need it for the nursery!" This was followed by Jill jumping out of bed as if she were 7 and it was Christmas morning.

We thank the Lord for answering our prayers and continue to rest in him through the rest of the pregnancy and beyond. It is funny to look back at just the last few months. First we finish paying off our debts then we are now expecting a little miracle.

We ask for your continued prayers for Jill (she has been feeling nauseous pretty much all day for last few weeks), for the baby's health, and the overall pregnancy. We thank the Lord in advance for how he will show himself through this little one. We will keep you posted on any changes and when we find out the sex of the baby, which we will be doing.

Love you all!

Summer Movies

This summer is shaping up to be a good one for movie goers. This week kicked it off with the awaited live action, comic book turned movie IRON MAN!

Jill and I braved the opening night and saw this great movie, and I will say that even if you have never read the comic or even hate comic books, this movie is still well worth the $10 bucks for movie tickets.

There are two comic book movies that stick out in my mind. Those being Batman Begins, and Spiderman (not the one that came out in the 80's). Iron Man, has rounded out the top three in my mind. The main character Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is at best a money hungry, womanizer, who enjoys all the toys in the world, and owns his own weapons manufacturing company, but lacks a true family. The people closest to him are his assistant Pepper Potts (Gwenyth Paltrow), Col. James Rhodes (Terrance Howard), and Obadiah Stane who helps Stark with Stark Industries.

This is not the Peter Parker story of a man who turns into a superhero by being bit by a genetically enhanced spider, or even Bruce Wayne who relies on fear and gadgets to defeat his foes, as a part of the revenge for his parents being killed in front of him. Tony Stark is a genius who uses his brain to make brawn through his one of a kind (at least for the moment) suit that allows him flight, and strength among other things, in an attempt to help those that can't help themselves.

I won't go into details, but suffice it to say, I would be willing to buy this movie once it comes to DVD, and even go see it again in the theater. It is funny, action packed, and actually has good acting with a well delivered script. Jon Favreau, the director, hits this one out of the park. Keep an eye out for him in a cameo as Stark's personal driver. Also make sure you STAY TO THE END of the credits for a short scene by a special guest actor.

If you disagree with this review, that is great....really! If everyone liked and disliked the same things, this world would be boring. I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars.