A Week To Be Thankful For

One of the things I love about my school district is that we have an entire week off for Thanksgiving vacation.  This year my parents flew in for most of the week and Sergio took several days off as well, so we had an amazing week filled with fun, family, and FOOD.  16 of us gathered at Sergio's parents house for the big Thanksgiving feast and ALL took home several days worth of leftovers.  I was in charge of the mashed potatoes and stuffing, and we also decided to throw in a fruit salad, apple cranberry cake, and a couple of pumpkin pies.  Mom and I had lots of fun together in the kitchen all day Wednesday.  As you can see, Serg's specialty is turkey--he baked one and deep fried the other.  His mom baked another and cooked a fourth one rotisserie style.  Out of control!

One of the things Serg has been itching to do is take my dad shooting--some good male bonding time, Texas style.  So while my mom and I spent Wednesday cooking up a storm, the men enjoyed an afternoon together at a local shooting range followed by a hearty meal at Whattaburger.  Now, I don't usually enjoy cooking very much, but preparing Thanksgiving food and chatting with my mom as we roll out pastry,  mix batter, or peel potatoes, is one time I really love it.  We all enjoyed ourselves that afternoon.

Another highlight for the week was a shopping trip to Mexico.   We stepped over the border to Progreso and only spent a couple of hours there, but mom and dad had a blast purchasing some goodies.  It was Mom's first time in Mexico--she was surprised you could be only a couple of hundred yards from the United States but find yourself in such different surroundings.

Visiting Bethany & Sergio during the winter months means leaving behind the chilly snowy north and heading down to sunny South Texas where Thanksgiving Day temperatures reach into the 80s.  Here are my parents enjoying a nice Thanksgiving swim (ok, I will admit it the water was too cold for me, but they were willing to brave the first few minutes of freezing-ness to have their autumn dip), so any and all who grimace at the thought of 3 months of uninterrupted snow and ice are always welcome to head down for a visit!

Family Photo Shoot

Though the hour leading up to the moment we arrived at the studio was a bit rocky (why does getting family photos always seem to trigger some sort of family conflict?!?), we made it there smiling (miracle!), and our first ever Solis family photo shoot turned out to be a great success!  Gerardo Garmendia, an incredibly talented photographer from a nearby ward, captured a little bit of our family personality and love for each other in these pics (just a few of our favorites).  If you want to see the rest of the digital prints that we purchased, you can go to:  www.flickr.com/photos/bethanysolis.  We couldn't be more pleased with how they turned out!

More Michael (what else do I write about?)

Our little boy is growing up!  Now able to hold his head up all the time, we were able to set up Michael's doorway jumper.  He loved it!  Though he's not yet rolling over, he's moving around like crazy; we put him down in his crib in one position and find him in an entirely different one when we go back in. He's now also giggling and chattering constantly...it's so fun to hear him wake up and start "talking" to himself.  This week he also suddenly began to hold on to things--rattles, blankets, hair, everything!  He even attempts to hold on to his bottle with 2 hands, though it will be a while before he can actually sustain it.  It was also the week he really started keeping his head up while on his tummy.  It was quite the week of milestones for Michael!

Motherhood Unplugged

The more Michael grows, the more he looks like Sergio...especially this past Sunday as both father and son donned shirts and ties for church.

I adore weekends and the time we get to spend with the baby.  I definitely have frequent waves of "I'm-a-terrible-mom" syndrome as I struggle to balance work and family and deal with the realities of opening a new school as a first year principal while also learning the ropes as a first time mom.  It means juggling all the demands on my time in a way that gets everything done while still feeling like I'm putting first things first--not always successful on that front (thus the "I'm-a-terrible-mom" moments).  

Sergio and I both work long hours, but we've come to understand the fact that, given where we are in our respective careers, this just has to be.  We're doing a good job of tag-teaming it with the baby and finding ways to support each other rather than resent each other for time spent working.  I'm so thankful for such a hands-on husband--who changes diapers, cleans spit-up, prepares bottles, and takes the baby to the pediatrician like no other.  Serg has morning duty--he does everything to get Michael ready for day care and drops him off, while I take over in the afternoon.  I leave work by 5:30 to pick up the baby, and we enjoy a few hours together before Serg gets home from teaching his evening Wing Chun classes.  It gets a little more tricky when you throw in presidency meetings, family literacy nights, book studies, parent/teacher conferences, and all the other evening events I find myself needing to go to while Serg is still working.

All in all, balancing work and motherhood takes a new level creativity and quite a sense of humor.   Case in point: (and just know that the anecdote I'm about to share could be considered by some to be too much information, but those of you with kids know that after childbirth there's practically nothing sacred anymore, so I'm gonna share it anyway)  ...I am trying desperately to make sure Michael's diet still consists primarily of breastmilk.  This means I need to pump periodically throughout the day, sometimes in less than ideal places....like supply closets or offices with chart paper plastered all over the door window.  

Well, our new school still has no office (we're waiting on the city for a permit to turn on power in the portables), so my principal's office currently consists of a desk in the hall.  Let me also add that, because we're building in phases, our first building has fairly large student restrooms but only one private staff bathroom, a bathroom that also doubles as a janitorial supply closet.  This is the only place I can privately pump, so I drag in a chair (in spite of strange looks from those who wonder what on earth I need a chair for to go to the bathroom) and plop myself down to occupy the only adult restroom for 20 minute chunks at a time, only to emerge with a mysterious and inordinately large black bag slung over my shoulder as I smile nonchalantly at my colleagues waiting desperately (well the small handful who refuse to use the student bathrooms) to go to the bathroom.  No, I do not really look forward to this twice daily ritual.

But there's more....given that there's so much to accomplish in a given day, I have to employ some of that extra creativity I mentioned earlier.  So I use masking-tape to keep the shields "hands-free" and get work done on the computer while pumping.  So there I was--storage closet, chair, masking tape, big black bag, pump, computer, the whole nine yards--when the school fire alarm went off.   Ah yes--picture it if you dare.  It was a mad rush to get myself presentable and head into the hall to sweep the building and then outside to make sure all students were accounted for.  I still can't help giggling out loud as I think of it.

Yes, the lighter side (and unplugged version) of balancing work and motherhood.

Arrival of the Great Pumpkin

Halloween was pretty low-key (in comparison to what it's bound to be in years to come) but we couldn't resist putting Michael in costume.  Serg spent most of Thursday night and Friday with a pretty violent stomach virus, but he was well enough for us to venture over to Grandma Carmen's and Grandpa Sergio's on Friday night for the family to gush over our own adorable "great pumpkin."  Honestly, I can't stand the cuteness!  :)

Getting to Know the Real Michael Solis

It seems like Michael's really starting to develop some "personal preferences," unique physical features, and a distinct personality.  This is what we've come to know about our son so far:

* He adores baths.  He'll start calming down at the sound of running water and, while he hasn't really started laughing yet, his excitement once in the water is the closest he's come so far.   Hunger, however, trumps his love for baths....as this rare tearful splash-session reveals:

* Michael, like his daddy, is only grumpy when his tummy needs filling (and occasionally when tired).  Other than that, both father and son have incredibly sunny dispositions.  Tummy-filling, by the way, has proven most successful; Michael was only 5 lbs 6 oz at birth and then--at his 2 month checkup--he weighed in at a whopping 12 lbs 9 oz.  Rolls and dimples everywhere....yay!!

* Michael is quite the strongman.  Almost everything is done with fists clenched (including taking very deliberate--and almost calculated--swings at the animals hanging from his mobile), and tummy time looks like a frantic push-up drill (both arms and legs forcefully pushing him up, almost on all fours).  Needless to say, my martial arts school owning husband is quite pleased.

*  He may end up having wavy hair, if a newly discovered cow lick is any indication of where this is going.  I've had to start brushing Michael's hair in the opposite direction, as it was no match for that darn cow lick.  I'm crossing my fingers that there's still a chance he'll inherit Sergio's stick-straight thick black Japanese hair.

* Michael recognizes mom, dad, and himself (well, that's what we like to believe anyhow).  He breaks into the most adorable grins upon seeing us as well as seeing himself in the mirror.  Talk about heart-melting!

* Michael puts up with his mom's obsession with cute baby boy clothes.  I have to exert tremendous discipline when out and about on shopping trips, but I couldn't be more excited that he's starting to fit into size 3-6 months clothing--baby boy clothes start getting soooo cute at that size!

* Michael, thankfully, is beginning to sleep through the night.  It's happened 3 times so far this last week or two, and mommy is DEFINITELY counting!  

Blessing Our Baby Boy

Last Sunday (Sept 29) was a day we've been looking forward to for a very long time...blessing our beautiful baby boy. My parents made the trek down from Northern CA to South TX to be here, and, of course, we had all of Sergio's family with us--they all live here in Mission, just 10 minutes away.  It's great to have a set of doting grandp

arents so close; they're always ready and willing to watch Michael so Serg and I can have a moment to breathe every once in a while.  Don't get me wrong....being parents is SUCH a blessing, and one we've looked forward to for quite a while, but sometimes just a 10 min trip to the grocery store by myself is a definite treat and can make my day.  But back to the blessing...

It was the first time we'd arrived to church on time in months (terrible, eh?)...so early we even had time for some quick pics outside the church building.  The blessing itself was beautiful; Sergio was joined by his brother and bro-in-law, our fathers, and the Bishop. 

 

Michael couldn't have looked cuter in his adorable blessing outfit, another cute creation by Grandma Chris (and still haven't figured out how to rotate in blogger....my pics keep reverting to horizontal orientation)  (??)

On Monday I returned to work.  It was, overall, a good week, though I've been SOOOOOO beyond exhausted (sleepless nights and long work days--yuck!) I can barely think straight.  I hoping it doesn't take my body long to adjust to the sleep deprivation that's sure to continue for a while yet.  If I wasn't nursing, Serg could share a little more in our 3 AM fun.  :)