Just one of those days...

***Disclaimer- the following are the rantings and ravings of a pregnant woman in her eight month and may not be considered politically correct. Comment at your own risk***

I must have received a fresh batch of pregnancy hormones today because I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Let me rephrase that, I woke up on the right side of the bed at the wrong time! Not only was it much earlier than my Tylenol PM drugged body was prepared for but, it wasn't exactly the most pleasant way to be awakened from a dead sleep. Apparently our two-year-old had a similar experience because he was equally as crabby. That could explain why he woke me up at 6:45 by beating me in the head with one of his baby sister's rattles.

With a "To Do" list a mile long, I wearily prepared for the day hoping and praying that I would be able to muster enough energy to finish all that I needed to before heading to the airport to pick up my mom and Lisa. It never ceases to amaze me that a toddler can undo in less than an hour what it took an entire weekend to accomplish. Thus was the state of our home. Oh it was dusted, vacuumed, polished, and mopped, but one would never know it was so clean under the vast array of crap that now littered it. Everywhere I looked I saw a new project that needed to be done before this evening.

First on the list was grocery shopping. It should have been last because the hour and a half that it took to hit two stores was enough to put me over the edge and turn this pregnant woman into a raging alcoholic.

I realized, upon finishing my grocery list, locking up the dog, and tying Daniel down to get his shoes on his feet, that Fernando had taken my house key last night and I had forgotten to get it back. When you are raised in a state of paranoia, like the one my father raised me in, it is unfathomable to consider leaving the house without locking the door (locking in our house, by the way, always meant one lock, two deadbolts, and a security door) and here I was about to leave our apartment with the door completely unlocked. Due to my increased hormonal state it took me all of about 2.5 seconds to go from concerned to not caring a bit should someone rob us blind. So we headed to the store.

Upon arriving at Kroger, Daniel immediately spotted his favorite shopping cart. You mothers out there know which one I'm talking about. It is a cart attached to what looks like a Little Tikes car that your kid can "drive" around in while you shop. Cute idea, right? Wrong! Did the creators of this "brain child" ever stop to think how difficult it would be for a woman, even one who considers herself freakishly strong, to push this veritable Lincoln Town Car through the narrow aisles of a crowded supermarket? Obviously not! But, in an attempt to humor my child and give him some indication that I do in fact love him, I allowed him to climb into the driver's seat and away we went. Apparently, my sacrifice meant nothing to him because less than three feet into the grocery store he started complaining. Please understand that the word "complaining" is used to describe any behavior ranging from screaming to throwing crackers. I experienced them all. But the highlight of the shopping trip was when he decided he wanted to be in the "other" blue car. Yes, I said "other" as he was already riding in the blue car he picked out for himself. Lo and behold, no matter what aisle we went down, we ran into that other mother with her son quietly driving his blue car and looking at Daniel like he was a lunatic. I wasn't about to argue. I did, however, consider giving in to Daniel's temper tantrum and trading him for the quiet 4 year old in the other cart. Think his mother would have noticed?

Somehow we both managed to leave Kroger alive and headed to Walmart- another huge mistake. I should know by now that Walmart makes the most pleasant of days a complete nightmare and here I was about to enter my least favorite place in the world on what was quickly becoming my least favorite day! I managed to change Daniel's mood briefly by offering him some fruit snacks. I was just beginning to marvel at my own ingenious when he dropped three of them on the floor and the meltdown commenced. I really think the highlight of the day, though, was the fact that somehow I managed, no matter where in the store I was, to get trapped behind the group of retarded kids. Around the 3rd or 4th time I got trapped behind them in an aisle with Daniel still screaming over the loss of his Curious George fruit snacks, I'm fairly certain I audibly heard God laughing at me.

I am happy to report that we made it home, Daniel quite literally in one piece and me without even a smigen of energy to attempt the next thing on my list. Should have stopped at Starbucks on the way home.

April, already???

Is it just me or have the last three months been a blur? This year is already going entirely too fast! I cannot believe it is already April 6th. For us, that means May 25th and the arrival of our little girl is just around the corner- a thought that is both exhilerating and a bit frightening at the same time. We are so thrilled to have a new addition to our family (and especially a precious baby girl at that) but I would be less than candid if I didn't admit that there are days I wonder if I can handle the demands of a newborn and a VERY active 2 1/2 year old little boy. I suppose it's like anything else in life...you just DO IT. We are getting Sofia's room in order a little bit at a time and it is finally looking like a nursery. We are looking forward to completing that project in a few weeks when our new laptop arrives and we can officially remove our computer and what remains of the office. That adds to the excitement! This week we are looking forward to another doctor's appointment and a baby shower. Not only that, but a much anticipated visit from my mom and "Grandma" Lisa. It will be so wonderful to have them both here, especially for our shower on Saturday. Daniel can't stop talking about his "grandmas" and will be thrilled to see them when we meet them at the airport! Sunday we will celebrate Fernando's 32nd birthday and I will be particularly relieved that we will officially be the same age and he will be forced to quit calling me, quite literally, his "old lady". :) I am looking forward to making it a very special day, since he will be traveling a majority of the next three weeks. I am gearing up for my upcoming role as a single parent, a role that becomes increasingly difficult with my expanding belly and continuous lack of sleep. And I will, undoubtedly, spend much time on my knees in prayer while he is gone. Not to mention that Daniel and I will be having our Potty Training day at some point between now and the 1st of May- granted I can pull everything together to make it a success. It's a day I'm actually looking forward to because I know he will enjoy his "party". The next several weeks will bring many changes to the Orona household, but all of them will be milestones and definitely worth remembering.

Blast from the Past

Much Ado About Nothing

Far too many days have passed since I last updated our blog and it's about time I do so...
Fernando and I have been much like ships passing in the night between his work trips and my visits to friends and family- which have ceased indefinitely until some time after Sofia arrives. We are hoping to bring her back to Phoenix as soon as possible so that her great-grandmother can see her in person, even if it means traveling to the desert in the summer. Oy!

In the meantime, we are determined to get the house in order before the end of May. Or shall I say, I am determined to get the house in order before the end of May. I'm pretty sure I've entered the "nesting" phase of pregnancy, which is particularly heinous in our household considering my already obsessive compulsive nature when it comes to cleanliness and organization. Fernando would greatly appreciate your prayers!

We are already at 30 weeks which is so hard to believe. The fatigue has returned and I don't anticipate it leaving until some time around October or November. Something to look forward to...In the meantime, I just try to muster enough energy to chase Daniel around the house and get everybody fed each day- a feat in and of itself. If I have a Dr. Pepper or two, I may even manage to do a load of laundry and/or make our bed. :)

It's another rainy day in Little Rock (shocking), although the rain hasn't actually started falling yet. It is just gloomy and we managed to lose our power already for a short time. I would love for someone to be able to explain that phenomenon to me! Fernando is on his way to Shreveport, Louisiana, for the next few days so Daniel and I are on our own. I managed to change out of my pajamas, but it's looking like that will be the extent of it for me today. Daniel is currently running around in a diaper (and 1 sock) until his "Snowman" jammies are done in the dryer. He insisted on wearing them all day today, which, of course, meant doing a load of laundry. Some days it's just not worth the fight.

As I write, Daniel is tearing through a box of his baby sister's toys and reveling in his discoveries. He has also reverted to chewing on teething rings and shaking rattles. This will undoubtedly last until the theme song for "Max and Ruby" echoes from the family room.

I hope to accomplish something of value today, I have a list of "Things To Do" a mile long, but something tells me my day will consist of getting Daniel milk, watching a bazillion episodes of Go, Diego, Go, and listening to the Sasquatch stomp around upstairs (a story for a blog yet to come).

Welcome to the Family!

My sister's boyfriend, Wade, has been an honorary member of our family for years now. We have loved him since we met him and have known they are a perfect match. Just this morning, I'm happy to announce, Wade became an official member of our family when he and Nance got married! We knew it was coming, but had no idea when. We are all SO happy for them and thrilled that we have an official brother-in-law and "Wunka Wade" (as Daniel calls him). We love you guys!

Back to Bed...

It's been a strange week at the Orona house. Our two and a half year old has chosen to adopt the sleeping habits of a newborn the past few nights. Monday night (or Tuesday morning rather) he decided to wake up at 1:15 ready to start his day. He finally succombed to his need for sleep around 4:00 and was up bright and early at 6:30 in the morning. We assumed the noise of the storm woke him up. Tuesday was a bit better- no thunder. But he was ready to go at 5:45 am. Last night, he crawled into our bed at 4:15. Some parents may shrug their shoulders as if to say, "welcome to life with a toddler". But for Fernando and I, who have been blessed with a little boy who has slept until about 7:30 am since he was 4 months old, this is an abrupt change and one we cannot figure out how to remedy. Each night it grows increasingly frustrating. Especially when all attempts to help him fall back to sleep fail miserably. As a parent, and a pregnant one at that, there are few things as frustrating as leaning over the side rail of a toddler bed (or climbing into it) at 2:00 in the morning trying to soothe a little boy who refuses to give in to sleep. At 4:15 this morning, I found myself in this exact predicament- again. Tears of exhaustion began to well up in my eyes when something dawned on me.

I started to wonder if I have ever made God feel this same way and ever so subtly, the Holy Spirit answered..."yes". I began to think of all the times in my life when I've woken up in "the darkness" and thought to myself, if only I could get up and start doing something, it would all be better. If I could take action and start moving then the sun would come up. And God says to me, "just rest". I so often struggle with giving up control and do everything in my power to change my circumstances when all I need to do is close my eyes and rest- knowing that God will take care of everything in His time.

Darkness brings such fear and uncertaintanty. It's at those times when Satan chooses to bring the thunder. He knows our weaknesses and that, if he can just get our attention and cause us to be restless, we will do just enough to get in the way of God's work in our lives. But the Lord is telling us, that if we just get "back to bed" and rest in Him, the sun will come up a lot sooner. That doesn't mean that we won't have those "nights", that seem to last forever, when we just need to crawl into His arms and feel His embrace or be able to look up and know that our Father is right there beside us. But only in the darkness can we truly know what it means to rest...

When we come to God as a Father, while we must remember that He is Lord of heaven and earth, which obliges us to come to him with reverence as to the sovereign Lord of all; we are blessed to be able to come to Him with confidence, as one able to defend us from evil, and to supply us with all good. Knowing full well that He will embrace us, scoop us up, and lovingly carry us back to bed.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." -Matthew 11:28 (NLT)

Life With a Two Year Old

Every day is a new adventure when you're the parent of a toddler. Toddlers are energetic, unpredictable, curious, and VERY resourceful. I am beginning to believe that having a two year old can be likened to having a miniautre neanderthal running wild through your home. Some days I can handle it. Others, I cannot. This has been one of those days...

I'm not sure what set the day off on the wrong foot. My gut tells me that it had something to do with Daniel bounding into the bedroom just after 6:00 a.m. singing the theme song to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Or it could be the fact that simple tasks such as putting on your child's socks now require the use of an octagon and a referee. Whatever the cause, I knew very quickly today would be a long day. As I was wearily making waffles at 7:00 am, I found my son hard at work organizing his magnetic alphabet letters... in the dog's water bowl. It only took about 30 minutes for the letters to be removed and placed on a paper towel to dry. The fact that Daniel was arranging the letters by color certainly helped to expedite the process.
















Can't wait to see what the rest of the day brings...