LITTLE MOMMY!

Many have asked how Susana is doing with the transition of having a baby brother. Today, Abner and I took time to thank the Lord that she has done great! She loves her baby brother and would kiss him all day if we would let her. We are trying to teach her that when he is sleeping that's not the best time to kiss him, nor are his eyeballs the best place to kiss him, but other than this she loves Abner Daniel. As soon as she sees him, she puckers up her lips to tell us to lower him to her level in order for her to smooch all over him. It has been fun watching Susana learn lots about being a mommy and her trying to imitate everything that I do with Abner Daniel with her baby. She now burps her baby, wraps him in a blanket, nurses him, etc. She even sings to him, which is just so sweet. The first time that Susana saw me nurse her baby brother she kind of freaked out and Abner had to take her out of the room, but since then she has become very knowledgeable in the whole nursing experience and tries to imitate all she sees. We have been blessed with this little mommy, who loves her baby brother and her baby.

MY BIRTHDAY!

Well, I officially turned 31, as of December 15th. I had to laugh after getting a card in the mail at the end of November, and wondering why I was getting that card. I thought that maybe it was a Thanksgiving card, then I thought maybe a card for the baby, then my next thought was that it was an early Christmas card, nope, none of the above. It was a birthday card and my birthday was the furthest thing from my mind at that time. Now, the day has come and gone, and I don't feel a day older. I do need to take a moment though and share what a great day it was, mainly because I have a great husband. Abner is awesome when it comes to making me feel special every day of the year, and this day was no different. Him and Susana came in bright and early and started the day off with serenating me with Happy Birthday. We ate breakfast and then journeyed out to the mall to buy some perfume and sunglasses. This was Abner Daniel's first trip to the mall and he did great. We then went to Pizza Hut for lunch, took some naps in the afternoon, and celebrated an anniversary with some friends in the evening. It was a blessd day and I thank the Lord for yet another year of life. He truly has poured out His blessings this year. Thanks to all who sent birthday greetings, you helped make the day special.

SHE´S WITH ME…

The other day while we were still at my sister-in-laws house, we were all hanging out as a family, the four of us in the bedroom that we were staying in when Abner went to make a phone call. Susana hasn’t left daddy out of her sight for long after being gone for two weeks, so of course she had to go and follow him. At my in-laws house, we were on the second floor of their house, and it made me nervous to have Susana near the stairs, so I yelled out to Abner to make sure he could see her. His response was, “she’s with me.” There was something about the way that he said these three little words that took me to the day that we will stand before the Lord. Something that made me realize that come that day of judgment it is Christ Jesus that will be the one to say, “she’s with me.” I praise the Lord for His salvation and grace.

PERFECT TIMING!

Back in September, the Lord began planning a trip where Abner and his whole family would travel to Argentina in November. Abner and I prayed about his going, knowing that the dates that he was going to be gone were very close to my delivery date. Feeling that this trip was from the Lord, we booked the ticket with Abner returning on November 27th, while the rest of his family returned on the 30th.
The same day that Abner arrived my sister-in-law, Gina, who is also my gynecologist, checked me to see if I had started to dilate, and to my surprise I was at 3cm, but without any pain, so Gina and I were thinking that the baby would come Wednesday night or Thursday. I just wanted one day with Abner after him being gone for two weeks.
Susana and I went to the airport at 8:00, and anxiously awaited daddy’s arrival. I could feel that the baby had dropped and there was that same pressure pushing downward that I remembered before giving birth the first time, but didn’t think much about it. Susana was all smiles when she saw Abner walk through the door, and on the car ride home kept rubbing his arm. Too cute! Upon arriving, Abner mentioned that he had barely slept the night before and I was like, o.k. Lord, not tonight.
After getting back to Jorge Mario and Gina’s house, where we were staying, we all went to bed tranquilos, calmly not expecting a baby to be born. Around 3:00 a.m., Susana woke up and we stuck her in bed with us. I had started having contractions before this, but still wasn’t sure if they were the real ones, or just more Braxton-hicks. With Susana squirming around next to me, I decided that the floor was more comfortable. Around 3:30 a.m., I had diarrhea, which was the first real thought that I could really be in labor. While in the bathroom, I confessed to the Lord that I didn’t know if I could really go through the whole 2 ½ hours of hard labor that I had went through with Susana, and simply asked that He would give me His strength and endurance.
Once leaving the bathroom, I went back to the floor and Abner came over to see how I was doing, I told him, “I think that we are having this baby tonight.” He told me that he was going to go and get Gina, but I asked him to wait until the contractions where closer together. Reminding me that she needed to get everything prepared, he went to get her. When Gina came in all she said was, “Kelley Marie, Kelley Marie.” After checking me once again and finding that I was at 8 cm. which was music to my ears, Gina’s famous words in both births, “Don’t push!” As Gina and Abner were preparing the room for labor, the contractions continued. Once the room was ready Gina told me to lie down and by that time I was free to push with each contraction. After three good pushes, Abner Daniel Arévalo Hofmaster made his way out and into our arms at 4:30 a.m., weighing 8lbs. and measuring 50 cm.(19 ¾ inches).
This truly was a blessed birth and we are blessed to have this little guy with us. The Lord answered so many prayers two of the big ones were that Abner would make it back in time and that Susana would be asleep during the birth. God answered these prayers and continues to reveal His faithfulness to us daily. Abner Daniel is a good baby, very peaceful! Susana is loving being a big sister and just can’t kiss him enough throughout the day. Abner is a GREAT husband and daddy and it is so good to have him home.