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.

GOTTA LOVE LITTLE GIRLS!!

Susana is a ball of laughs. Just look at this face. Thanks aunt Leigh for all the clothes. I love trying them all on, this day it was the swimsuits, the day before this it was the pants. I am such a little girl!

SPECIAL PRAYER REQUEST...

The Lord has provided the opportunity for Abner, along with his parents, and 5 siblings to travel to Argentina November 14-27th. Please pray for this trip and also for Kelley, Susana, and the baby as Abner is gone. Abner Daniel is due December 9th, we are trusting that he stays in there until Abner is back.

ANOTHER ANSWER TO PRAYER!!!

A HUGE blessing and answer to prayer. We have been asking for prayer for a truck for quite some time now. As we looked back at old newsletters, this prayer request actually started even before moving to La Ceiba in February 2005. In August 2006, the Lord asked us to give our car away, and to simply thank Him for the vehicle that He would provide in His timing. Shortly after the Lord asked us for our car, He spoke through a brother in Christ that it would be through three people/parties who were going to provide the vehicle that the Lord had for us. Well, the Lord touched a friends heart in the U.S. to begin asking about our need for the truck and a month later the truck is in our hands, through three different parties. We have truly seen the faithfulness of the Lord and the law of sowing and reaping. When we sow apples, apples is what we receive back…when you sow a vehicle a vehicle is what you reap. God is so perfect in all that He does. When we went to buy the truck, it was more than what we had in our budget. We shared with the owner of the dealer the amount that we had and that we couldn’t add to the Lord´s blessing. The owner of the dealer is a pastor also and told us that he wouldn’t stand in the way of the Lord and for us to take the truck for the amount that we had. We found out later that the name of the car dealer means, ¨valley of blessings.¨ The owner prayed for us before leaving and spoke words of life into our spirits. Three things the Lord asked us to pray for: our children, a house, and a vehicle…three things HE has provided. God is so good!