Doctor's Visits

I lost track of how many times I have been to the doctor in the last three weeks! Javi had some kind of bacterial infection (was never really sure what it was), and week later had a virus, and a week after that came down with an ear infection. So after many sleepless nights, nursing him like he is a newborn, and more antibiotics that I would like to give him in a lifetime, I think I can say he is better. I think life is back to normal. I am glad he is finally happy and himself again, and I hope he doesn't get sick for a while!

On one of the first doctor visits, when Isaac saw his get his stethoscope to listen to Javi, Isaac told the pediatrician, "my tummy hurts" and he lifted up his shirt. Dr. Wei humored him and listened to him tummy. This is so funny to me because just a few months ago Isaac dreaded doctor visits. Just pulling into the parking lot of the doctor's office produced hysterical crying. And now he wants the doctor to check him! Now Javi is the one who never wants to see another doctor after being poked and prodded so many times! :(

Halloween 2008

We had fun-filled and activity packed Halloween this year! It started with a trunk-or-treat at church, a day at the children's museum, regular trick-or-treating, a great neighborhood party, and another friend's party! Whew! We were exhausted, but the kids had a blast! Thanks to my mother-in-law for always sewing the cutest halloween costumes!

Obamonos!

November 4, 2008 will be a day written in history books. What an amazing voter turnout! I got home just in time election night to tune in and hear Obama's speech. I feel very optimistic about the future of our country.

Javier's First Birthday

Javier turned 1 on October 25, and we celebrated his and Eric's birthday on the 26th with both of our families. I made a cheesecake for Eric and a pooh bear cake for Javi (since that was his halloween costume). He thoroughly enjoyed his cake and was up for several hours after that! I can't believe he is already one!!!!!

Family Camping Trip II

Eric's birthday was this past Sunday, the 19th, so to celebrate he wanted to go on a camping trip. We planned it for weeks and we decided to go back to Huntsville State Park because we liked it so much last time. Thankfully, it didn't rain on us this time, and the weather was perfect, except in the early morning hours--we were freezing! We had a wonderful time, especially Isaac, who even invented his own camping song. We hiked and fished, and wanted to stay more days. Here are some pics of our time there and a few short video clips.

Funny Isaac quotes

Isaac is talking up a storm! He took his time getting started and I worried that he might have a serious delay, but there is nothing holding him back now. Now he amuses me constantly with his conversations. Here are some funny things he has said or continues to say:



"Mapi" : he says this because he is used to talking to me all day, but then he remembers that he wants his "papi"

"I forgot" : he says this randomly and out of context. I think he mimics Eric saying this because he hears Eric saying it all the time to me when I ask him about something.

Whenever he would see a black man, he would point and say, "Obama". Now he just says it when he sees him on TV. He know who McCain is too.

Several times Isaac asked if we could go to "Las Letras" (the letters). I kept trying to figure out what he meant. One day we were driving by HEB, and he said, "alli estan las letras, H-E-B!".

Isaac used to love taking a bath, but now he runs and I have to chase him and trick him into getting into the bathtub. So, one day he says, "Mami, I got the blues." I thought, where on earth did he get that? He proceeded to sing, "I got the blues, I got the blues, I got the bathtime blues." Its a song he picked up from his favorite cartoon, Caillou.

4th Anniversary

Eric and I celebrated our fourth anniversary last week. The actual day was October 1st, but we went out (without the kids, of course) on Friday evening. We went to this cool latin fusion resaurant, Alebrije, and for dessert we went to House of Pies which is where we went the night we got unofficially engaged!

This is a picture of us on our actual wedding day outside the Houston, TX temple on October 1, 2004.

This is what my living room looked like after my girlfriends and sister transformed it for us while we were at dinner the night Eric proposed to me. I knew he wanted to propose, but when we came home, I thought I was just going to get dropped off. When I opened the door, I was in for a huge surprise!

Hurricane Ike

Things are finally getting back to normal. We have electricity and we have a routine again. It was crazy and non-stop for a week and a half, and it all started when Hurricane Ike entered the Gulf of Mexico. We watched the news closely for days and checked the National Hurricane Center updates several times a day (even before it was in the Gulf since we were in the cone). We had planned on staying even if it hit Galveston directly, continuing its path to Houston, since we are not in a mandatory evacuation zone. Trying to decide whether or not to leave, prepare the house, the car, pack up, etc. reminded me of evacuating only three years ago for Hurricane Rita.

On Wednesday afternoon the state officials announced voluntary evacuation for Galveston. By Thursday morning, there was mandatory evacuation for Galveston and the low-lying areas in Galveston Bay (where my parents live). Schools districts in those areas announced closures, and the city started to prepare. The stores were packed that day as people scrambled to buy food and supplies knowing that power would be off for days. Eric still had to work that day, so I went to Home Depot in hopes of finding plywood to board up our windows. When I got to Home Depot, I couldn't find parking! The line inside for the plywood wrapped around the store!

The rest of the day was spent boarding up windows and running around to drop off food and supplies for people staying behind. I spoke to several people who had lived through Hurricane Alicia (1983) and read several blogs of that same storm. I started to wonder if we shouldn't leave. The phone was ringing non-stop as friends kept calling wondering what we were doing and what we thought they should do.

At 10 PM Thursday, the NHC announced the hurricane had weakened so we decided to stay. On Friday morning, I woke up at 5 AM to check the weather again, and they announced the hurricane was strengthening again, so we decided to leave. I went back to Home Depot to try to return some of the plywood (I bought too much). They were already shutting down the store, but I was able to sell it to a lady in the parking lot. As we were loading it onto her car, someone else came and tried to buy it off of her!

We left to San Antonio to stay with our friends and most gracious hosts, Brian and Lily. It was great to spend time with friends and they made every effort to keep our minds off of the storm. Although, Eric and I stayed up pretty late into the night the storm hit streaming Houston news from his laptop. Hurricane Ike hit directly on the east end of Galveston and the Bolivar Peninsula one mile shy of a category three hurricane.

We live about 50 miles from Galveston, and the winds were still very strong when they reached our area of Houston. Our neighbors said it was a very scary experience, and something they would not want to live through again. So I was verys surprised to see how much damage was done in the area where I live. Since we are so far inland, we are not in danger of storm surge, but the winds can still be very strong, and of course, a hurricane, has many tornados. Here are some pictures of what I saw when I returned to Houston Tuesday morning. These pictures were all taken within a 1-2 mile radius of my home:




Centerpoint Energy is still working around the clock to restore power to the city. Thousands still without power--many schools are still not open.

Fences are down everywhere--I heard even as far inland as College Station!

This is everyone's front lawn as they wait for the city to pick up tons of debris...

This was in my complex--someone's carport completely flew off--yikes!

We have family and friends who were only allowed to return to their homes this week to see what condition their homes were in. Our parents' home were intact with just a few minor damages. We are grateful that everyone is OK and that the damages were minor compared to others.

So, you may ask, why do I still live in Houston? Its the nation's fourth largest city and the economy here is great! The jobs pay higher than average, but the cost of living is dirt cheap compared to other large cities. Plus, there are people from every country, which is always fun and interesting! Plus, its HOME. Both my family and Eric's family live here, but Eric is always saying he wants to move and experience another city. But for now, we'll be here!

Welcome home, Vinisha!

Jenny and Mohan brought Vinisha Luciana Yeggoni home on August 16th, and she turned seven months on August 29th. They are thrilled to be her parents and she is not only keeping them very busy, but has filled their home with love. We are so excited that Isaac and Javier now have a first cousin!

Enough!

Last night, Barack Obama gave his accpetance speech for the democratic presidential nomination. Even if you are not an Obama supporter, you cannot deny the fact that he is an extraordinary and empowering speaker. What a speech! In case you missed it, here is the link so you can see and hear it for yourself: Barack Obama acceptance speech. I look forward to a historical campaign in the next few weeks!

Car Accident

Unfortunately, I was in a car accident with the boys the day after Isaac's birthday party. Fortunately, we were all OK, just very distraught and emotional. We were on our way to church, Eric was already there, so I had to call him and give him the bad news. I was almost to church, so he was able to be there very quickly. Thankfully, we had a witness who was nice enough to take the time to wait and speak to the policeman. This made all of the difference since the guy that hit us was trying to blame me.
Lessons learned: If I am ever a witness to an accident, I will stop and give my statement, no matter how long it takes. Second, don't leave the scene of the accident until you have a witness and the witness information. I didn't do this. I was so distraught after the accident, and I was just focused on calming the boys down, switching the car seats to the other car. I was able to eventually track down the policeman who in turn gave me the information which the insurance needed (it takes too many days to wait for the official police report). The insurance companies are merciless, its your word against theirs!
Even though the car is totalled, and I've spent more time talking to insurance companies than I'd like to think about, I am SO GRATEFUL that we are all alive and in one piece! It was quite a scare, and I hope to never experience anything like it again!

Isaac's Birthday Party

We celebrated Isaac's third birthday with friends and family on Saturday, July 25th. We had the party at the pavillion and pool area of our townhomes. Isaac decided he didn't want to swim until the end of the party, but he enjoyed drawing with sidewalk chalk and running around with his little friends. Thank you to all who attended--we enjoyed everyone's company. I went a little crazy with the cake--I think it took as long as the wedding cakes I've made...anything for my little boy!

Isaac's Third Birthday

Isaac turned three yesterday! We will have his official birthday party on Saturday, but we started the festivities on the actual day! I took him to the playscape at Memorial City Mall (it was so nice to be indoors!) and he really enjoyed it! Usually he is pretty shy when we go to a new place or see new kids, but he got right in there and romped around! Then, after lunch we sang "Happy Birthday" with the cupcakes I made for him. Everyone that called and wished him a happy birthday, he said happy birthday back to him/her! If you ask him how old he is he still says two, but if you ask him a second time, then he will say three!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ISAAC! WE LOVE YOU!

In Loving Memory of Supriya Yeggoni

Supriya was born on July 2, 2007, and she passed away on June 26, 2008. She lived in an orphanage in Bangalore, India run by the Missionaries of Charity (founded by Mother Teresa). She was literally an angel from heaven, all were drawn instantly to her.

My sister, Jenny, and her husband, Mohan, were waiting to be her foster and subsequently her adoptive parents. They spent many hours in the orphanage with her, and would have moved in to the orphanage if the Mother Superior had allowed it! They fell instantly in love with Supriya and hated having to say goodbye each visit.

All of the family is deeply saddened by this tragic loss, we felt like Supriya was already a part of us, and of course, she always will be.

I write the words to a children's song from our church that Jen said she kept thinking of when she thought about Supriya:

Heavenly Father, are you really there?

And do you hear and answer every child's prayer?

Some say that heaven is far away,

But I feel it close around me as I pray.

Pray, He is there.

Speak, He is listening.

You are His child,

His love now surrounds you.

He hears your prayer,

He loves the children,

Of such is the kingdom,

The kingdom of Heaven.

We love and miss you, Supi...

Father's Day/My Birthday

To celebrate my birthday and Father's Day we went to Galveston with my family. Esther and Benji came up from Austin. The boys had so much fun! Initially Isaac was upset because his feet were dirty (the sand), but eventually got used to it, and he surprised us all by jumping the waves with his Tio Mincho and not feeling scared! He even fell in (completely under) and didn't cry! We got to the beach a lot later than we expected, but enjoyed it nonetheless!

Father's Day Pics

Summertime--Javier

Javi is kicking and kicking already in the pool! He is happy anywhere as long as he has something in his mouth!

Tummy time! Javi is changing so quickly! He is already seven and half months! He broke his first tooth, he loves eating solids, he sits up by himself, and he is always smiling or laughing. When is he is tired or hungry, however, he shrieks! He really has developed a VERY high pitched and VERY loud scream--its embarassing when he does it in public!

Summertime--Isaac

Isaac loves going with his Abuelo to the garden! He picks carrots, tomatoes, and peppers, and either eats them right away or carries them with him everywhere! He is used to my sister's two golden retrievers, Bailey and Simha. Considering how fearful he is of most things, he seems to like the dogs!

This is where Isaac is most comfortable--the edge of the pool! We try to get him into deeper waters, which he will reluctantly, and clinging on for dear life!