Party of 3 / Ya somos 3

Eli's Christmas show performance last Saturday December the 3rd

2011-12-05T22:05:00.000-05:00

Hi, this is Eli's Christmas show performance. She comes out right behind the big Christmas present / Show de Navidad de Eli. Ella esta escondida detras del regalo grande de navidad.

Summer Days 2011

2011-10-09T00:13:00.000-04:00

Coloco varias fotos de mi nina durante el verano:

En la playa con mi bebe. Empacamos lunch y chao chao

Otro dia en la playa. esta vez usando el vestido de bano retro de mama Clarena cuando tenia su edad

Mami tambien tenia que subir

Y aqui en casa sacando a pasear a todos los bebes al tiempo. Para que mas coches, si todos caben

One stroller is enough to take all the babies out

Afuera de la casa posando

Mami e hija se fueron para una feria de animales cerca a la casa

Le fascino montar a caballo a mi chica preciosa

Vimos muchos animales

Aqui trabajando y haciendole competencia a mama

En el parque con la prima Isa!

Esta fue otra salida en un fin de semana al zoologico en Boston

Las inseparables...

Caras lindas...

El tio Jaime O

mariposa posando en la mano del tio

Y aqui en un parque de agua cerca a la casa de los tios en Boston

Today Saturday September the 10th 2011

2011-09-10T21:57:00.000-04:00

We had planned a trip to NYC for this weekend to celebrate my 9/11 birthday however because of the 10th anniversary of 9/11 attacks and some potential threats in the city, last night we decided to postpone our trip for next weekend. Eli was very excited about her visit to the Bronx zoo and was not happy with the change of plans so we decided that instead we'd take her out to the ocean. She first refused but later on she was okay and so this afternoon we drove to Portsmouth and Rye, NH.

The weather was beautiful, temperature in the low 70's. Just perfect for a nice afternoon to enjoy the beach and the ocean. Here are some pics of the day.

Labor Day weekend

2011-09-08T22:10:00.019-04:00

We had a very nice visit over Labor Day weekend. Les, Hanna and Kevin stayed with us and we loved their company. The children were happy with each other's company. We went to the beach, to a farm to pick apples and to a nice pancake house among others. We really had a nice and fun time together.

Eli received a nice present from Kevin's grandma. She knitted a vest for Eli in a peach color that looks very nice on her. It fits her great too, no too big not small jus perfect for this fall and winter.

Hoy Domingo Julio 17 del 2011

2011-07-17T22:22:00.003-04:00

Hoy Domingo Eli y yo fuimos a misa temprano. Llegamos tarde como cosa rara , pero afortunadamente alcanzamos por lo menos a parte de la misa. Como siempre, ella pensando en las donuts con jugo de naranja que dan en la iglesia despues de la misa, pero estos ultimos Domingos no han dado asi que como ha estado un poco decepcionada, mama le compra una al salir de misa. Luego fuimos a cambiarle el aceite al carro mio que ya estaba pasado de millas para esto. Luego regresamos a la casa, yo desayune (Eli no porque se habia llenado con la donut que le compre mas jugo). y nos alistamos para salir. Empaque almuerzo, alistamos toallas y todo lo demas necesario para un dia de playa, nos pusimos nuestros vestidos de bano y a eso de las 10:40am ya estabamos en el carro de ida hacia el gimnasio en donde Eli esta tomando clases de natacion y yo tengo membrecia aunque poco la uso. Estuvimos alli nadando hasta las 12:45pm. Eli disfruto muchisimo y yo tambien. Ya esta saltando solita en lo mas profundo de la piscina y a mi tambien me hizo saltar desde alli varias veces. Nade rico, lo mismo Eli, atravezamos la piscina unas cuantas veces, y saludamos a otros padres de familia que estaban tambien alli con sus pequenos.
De alli salimos asi como estabamos para la playa ubicada a unos 10 minutos. Volvimos a la misma playa del dia de ayer y aunque la temperatura del dia de hoy estaba mas alta que la de ayer (hoy...100 Fahrenheits), logramos un area con sombra de la playa y la pasamos muy bien. Arme la carpa que le regalo Andresito y Mariale pero el viento la levanto varias veces con toallas y todo lo demas que le habia colocado adentro para que no se volara. Almorzamos, jugamos, etc y como a eso de las 5 de la tarde estabamos saliendo de alli. Manana colocare foticos. Tan solo escribo para no olvidarme de lo acontecido el dia de hoy.

Algo que Eli me dijo ayer : Mama estoy feliz porque tengo todo lo que necesito: a ti y McDonalds.

Hoy 16 de Julio del 2011 fuimos a la playa

2011-07-16T23:52:00.012-04:00

Hace mucho que no escribo. Sin embargo deseo comenzar nuevamente a colocar en este blog las fotos de mi nina linda. Hoy estuvimos Eli y yo en la playa. Papa Greg esta en de viaje asi que anoche hicimos planes las dos y decidimos que hoy iba a ser dia de playa. Entre otros, porque Eli se porto muy bien esta semana en casa mientras yo trabajaba. Estuvo Jueves y Viernes en casa pero muy juiciosa. Gracias le doy a Dios por haberme dado una hija tan bella y con tan lindos sentimientos. Anoche me hizo reir, ahora no me recuerdo por que. Lo unico que me acuerdo es que me dijo que ella estaba gordita..."como tu mami". Hoy nos fuimos para la playa como a eso de las 3pm y estuvimos alli casi hasta las 8pm. Yo prepare una sopa de pasta con pollo, arvejas y zanahoria para la playa. Tambien llevamos maiz pira y cerezas ademas de agua. Eli estuvo en el agua casi todo el tiempo, tan solo salio a comer. Esto quiere decir que mama tambien estuvo en el agua casi todo el tiempo. Solo al final, traje la silla y la puse cerca a la orilla y me sente alli y le dije que podia jugar en el agua pero sin irse mas alla de la orilla y asi lo hizo. Jugamos, me relaje. No me imagine que estuviera tan cansada y agotada. Este dia me ha hecho darme cuenta que estoy tiesa, he perdido mucha flexibilidad y hasta senti que me canso sin mayor esfuerzo. Esto es consecuencia de mi falta de ejercicio, de falta de actividad fisica con mi trabajo en la agencia de viajes y de todo lo demas. Voy a pensar mas en mi y a volver al gimnasio. Eli es definitivamente una compania increible. Tiene sentido del humor, es agradable, no es problematica, hace caso a lo que le digo, es juguetona. Mejor dicho, es una bendicion de Dios.

Estas foticos son del ultimo mes. Las de la playa son del dia de hoy, Julio 16 del 2011.

Cuando Eli se subio al carro, me pregunto si podia dormir, yo le dije que si, y luego de esto, quedo profunda en segundos. Llegamos a la casa y se desperto, pidio pacha, hicimos planes para ir a la piscina donde esta tomando clases manana Domingo porque quiere saltar desde el trampolin y tal vez volvamos a la playa en la tarde. Vamos a ir a misa temprano, 8am para asi empezar el dia temprano. Ya se fue a acostar porque estaba rendida. Mi bebe ha crecido mucho, le duelen sus piernitas pero le preguntamos al Dr. y dice que es "growing pain". Te amo Eli. Voy a continuar escribiendo en el blog para no perder detalle de todo lo que haces y dices. Y en un futuro, leer, recordar y quererte mas y mas.

December 10 2010 - Our baby's Birthday

2010-12-25T13:19:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,

These are eli's pics on her birthday.

Christmas Day 2010

2010-12-25T12:48:00.001-05:00

Hola a todos,

No he actualizado este blog por varios meses. En algun momento sere mas explicita, pero por el momento, adjunto foticos de nuestra Eli los dias 24 de Diciembre en l anoche y 25 de Diciembre en la manana.
Eli paso muy bien abriendo sus regalitos, jugando, brincando y en fin, haciendo todo lo que una nina de su edad hace.

Garden at home

2010-08-19T22:50:00.001-04:00

While Eli and I were down in Colombia, Greg did a terrific job at home with the garden and the weather has also helped so much to get the results we are getting.

Thesee are some pics from today:

Potatoes, Beets, Tomatoes, broccoli, string beans, peas

zucchini

lettuce

sunflowers, pumpkins and corn

Tomatoes

Venezuela - March and April 2010

2010-08-02T22:57:00.005-04:00

Boda Civil Andres y Mariale en Caracas / Civil Ceremony in Caracas

2010-06-27T01:29:00.001-04:00

Hello everybody,

These are pics of Andres's and Mariale's civil ceremony. It took place in San Antonio de los Altos, town located about 30 minutes from Caracas. Eli had a great time at the party meeting everybody, including beautiful cousin Ana Sofia who was at that time 26 days old. Ana Sofia is Juanfer's and Mariana's daughter and it was the first time for us meeting Annie.

Hola, finalmente saco algo de tiempo para colocar las fotos de la boda civil. Ya hacia un par de dias que mis papas habian llegado a Caracas, asi que Eli estaba dichosa viendo a sus abuelitos y demas familia. Espero disfruten de estas foticos...Abrazos.

El dia de la boda civil, el clima estuvo muy agradable con temperaturas altas. Eli y yo habiamos llegado el dia anterior de NH en donde todavia estaba haciendo mucho, asi que la temperatura en Venezuela se sentia como un paraiso para nosotras.

Aqui estamos con una tia de Mariale

La abuelita no se pierde ningun evento.... y a sus 100 (cien) ! a-os de vida.

Abuelita con Eli

Nanito con Eli

La comida de la boda civil estuvo deliciosa...paella, crepes tanto de sal como de dulce y una mesa llena de postres deliciosos preparados por la mama de Mariale y su familia.

Here we are enjoying the warm weather, the company and the special occasion

Con mi madre

Aqui esta Lilian con su preciosa nieta

Los padres del novio...Tia Betty y Tio James

Mariale's family

This is such a beautiful picture!

Mariana and Annie

The in -laws

Sometime in March this year

2010-06-26T22:45:00.000-04:00

I just found these pictures in my camera. They were taken before Eli and I left NH in March. This is our girl.

New Year's Eve

2010-06-10T00:43:00.002-04:00

Here I am in June posting pics from New Year's.. but better later than never.
We received the year 2010 in company of JaimeO, Angelita and Isabella. The girls enjoyed the snow,the food and playing together.

Christmas pictures 2009

2010-06-04T16:41:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone. Eli and I arrived in Bogota more than a month ago. Eli is attending day care every day from 8am to 5pm although grandma and grandpa want her home earlier than this. Most of the times we pick her up at 3pm. She wears uniform from Monday through Thursday and Fridays is casual. My mom had a trigeminal neuralgia surgery on May the 13th and Thank God her recovery has been so fast and wonderful. She was in hospital for a week and she is now home. I've been working on my new business so I haven't really had a chance to rest. I'm hoping I can travel to hot weather in about ten days and stay at my relatives vacation house near Bogota.

And these are Christmas pics....yes, six months old. But I think it's better now than never. Don't you?

Cousins Hannah and Eli

Maybe this year we'll change the tree's place. Just for a change

Our beautiful girl

So cute

With the family

Opening presents

With Molly

Nice present for Eli

Mmm...yummy

More presents

Christmas dinner

Grandma Joyce, Hannah and Jacob

Family time

Eli loves her grandma

Eli's Birthday / December 10 2009

2010-04-25T22:44:00.006-04:00

These photos were taken in December of last year. Eli received nice and useful gifts and she was very happy opening and playing with all of them.

On her birthday we had to travel to upstate NY to say goodbye to a wonderful friend who passed away so when we arrived at uncles Tim and Beth's house, they had dinner ready for us and grandma Joyce had a nice cake she had made to celebrate Eli's 3rd Birthday.

Here she is opening birthday cards and playing with Dora's stickers she received

Looking at her friend Lauren's pic. She then put the pictures in an album

Here she is opening grandma's Joyce present. A box filled with all sort of articles to do manual work...even on the walls

A present from Mom and Dad

Aqui esta Eli jugando con los regalos que recibio el dia de su cumple.

Papa le esta ayudando a armar la casa de munecas que recibio como regalo de parte de Kevin, su amigo de un a-ito de edad.

And here she is exploring the doll house

Mama no puede creer que ya tengas 3 a-itos

Before leaving for upstate NY on a snowy day

El mismo dia de su cumpleanos, antes de salir para upstate NY

Con la almohada de perro que sus abuelitos Jaime y Herminia le regalaron ese dia

Mi nina linda...

That night at Tim and Beth's

Que cena tan rica nos tenian los tios

Y aqui esta la torta de cumpleanos que abuelita Joyce tenia lista para celebrar

Nice birthday cake that Grandma Joyce had for Eli. Notice the pretzel decoration

Are you ready girl?

Buen trabajo! Apagaste todas las velas

Next day and Joyce's house

Some reading time

Eli y abuelita

Once we went back home, there were some more presents waiting for her to open

Presents from her beautiful friends Lauren and Ava

So much behind. Pics from November 2009

2010-04-24T22:40:00.009-04:00

Hello everybody,

Eli and I are in Venezuela. We came to celebrate with the family my grandma's 100th birthday and my godchild's wedding! Both celebrations were so beautiful and meaninful to me. Greg came for the wedding and went back home.

I hadn't had a chance to publish these pics from the middle of November of last year and I want to catch up as much as I can so here you go. These pics were taken both at home and during a trip to New York City to visit some relatives that were visiting from London.

Eli is doing great. Well, except for a stomach issue that she is having. The same lactose intolerance problem she's been suffering for a while. She was doing much better before we came to Caracas but she is now back into not having such a great time when eating something that contains lactose. But for the rest, Eli is having a great time with the family while I've been working hard on my new travel agency business and hope that my efforts will pay off in the near future...we'll see.
Love,
Clarena

Eli at home finger painting

Pretty hands :)

Helping mom in the kitchen

Mixing some carrot and beet salad

Eli is so helpful and very good at following instructions

Ayudando a mama a mezclar su ensalada favorita: ensalada de zanahoria y remolacha

My baby...

Greg bought this shirt for her in Montana last year and it was very big for her back then

Nice hair

Eli really loved these sandals when she saw them at the store in November and decided to bring them to NY City with her. But of course sshe was only able to wear them inside the apartment

On the way back home from New York by bus

Near the Radio City Music Hall with Tias Flor and Herlinda

Luce como una muchacha ya grande con esos jeans

Mirando una guia de la ciudad de NY

Back at home

Wearing her winter boots

Con sus botas de invierno

Fotos tomadas en Noviembre del 2009

Almost three months without posting...

2010-02-21T21:15:00.014-05:00

Hi everybody,

I am so sad I did not have the time to update Eli's blog before but many things have happened latelly. We can't always do everything we want to when we want to do it.

Let me tell you, Eli is becoming such a beautiful girl. She is home with mom now and very busy, talking up a storm in both English and Spanish and I love to see her progress. She is becoming a smart and sweet little girl.

About a month ago Eli got locked inside my car after having a morning walk in the woods. I put her in her car seat, strapped her in and then left the car keys next to her seat and closed the door. At first she panicked and cried so much while I was also in panic watching her through the window. The car alarm sounded very loud everytime Eli made any slight movement inside car and she would just go nuts. When we finally calmed down, I started explaining Elizabeth what to do to be able to get out the car seat. First she freed her arms but her legs were still strapped. But then after about 50 minutes of struggle, directions and frustrations from both parts, Eli was able to grab the door handle and open it! Yes, she was such a great help. I didn't have to call triple A to open the door for me. A nice couple that was there at the parking lot with us, gave Eli a refreshing drink as a prize for her efforts. We then got in the car and laughed all the way home remembering every single thing we had gone through.

And here are the pics from the trip to Bogota in August of last year. It was Eli's first time in Colombia and she loved all the attention she had from everybody.

You can see more pics of the trip on the slideshow. And if you click on it, you'll see them larger.

Hace ya casi tres meses que no actualizaba nuestra pagina. Ahora estoy mucho mas ocupada y el tiempo no me alcanza para todo lo que quiero hacer. Sin embargo, aqui estan las fotos de nuestro viaje a Bogota en Agosto del 2009. Y para ver mas foticos, pueden ver el slideshow y hacer click en el, para ver las fotos mas grandes.

Eli esta bien, muy grande y activa. No esta llendo al jardin desde mediados de Diciembre, asi que las dos estamos en casa lo cual nos ha ayudado a unirnos mas. Le gusta mucho pintar con acuarelas y temperas y tambien con sus dedos. Necesito llevarla a mas actividades, pero poco a poco nos iremos organizando mejor. Abrazos, Clarena.

Visitando a Nicolas y Lili

Plaza de Bolivar

Villeta, a unas dos horas de Bogota

En Villeta

Con abuelito

Con Marti y Diani.
Gladys
Durmiendo en Bogota el primer dia que llegamos

Con Ednita

Happy Birthday Elizabeth / Feliz Cumpleanos mi nina linda

2009-12-09T23:09:00.006-05:00

Mi Eli adorada, gracias por ser tan especial, tan alegre y tan carinosa con mami y con papi. Te adoramos, estamos felices de tenerte en nuestras vidas y le pedimos a Dios que te proteja, guie e ilumine a cada instante. Feliz Cumpleanos mi nina linda!

Pics from June of 2008

Fotos de Junio del 2008

Foto de Septiembre del 2009

Isabella's Birthday / Cumpleanos Prima Isa

2009-11-27T15:16:00.010-05:00

Last Sunday was Isa's birthday and I baked and decorated her birthday cake with Elmo's theme. I made a chocolate almond cake and decorated it with italian buttercream. The outcome...not bad but it didn't come out the way I expected and wanted. The cake was a little bit on the dry side, however the buttercream I put in between layers as well as the one I used for decoration, helped tremendously and children and adults ate it in the end. And here it is...

El Domingo pasado fue el cumpleanos de la prima Isa y la tia Clare horneo y decoro el ponque con el tema de Elmo, el escogido para la celebracion. Hice una torta de almendras y chocolate y aunque me quedo un poco seco al paladar, la combinacion de este, con la cubierta de crema de mantequilla hizo que no se sintiera tan seco. La decoracion me salio bonita, claro que tengo que mejorar o usar una mejor receta para la crema de mantequilla y asi poder decorar de manera mas delicada y con superficies mas lisas. Pero al final, ninos y adultos comieron y todos quedamos contentos!
He aqui, la preparacion de la torta...

Toasted almonds and flour/almendras tostadas

Whole eggs
Butter
Bittersweet chocolate/Chocolate amargo
Egg whites / Claras de huevo
Mixing some of the ingredients / Mezclando algunos de los ingredientes
Whisking the eggs over a hot water bath/Mezclando los huevos en bano de maria con la ayuda de Greg
Almost ready/Casi listoMore mixing
Adding the melted bittersweet chocolate/Adicionando el chocolate derretido

Ready to bake/Listos para hornear

All done/Listos

And here is Elmo!

I used gumpaste for Elmo's figure

It was perfect for the party

Perfecto!

Las dos primas saludandose

The two couisins saying hi to each other

Y con la tia

Socializando.../Socializing

Preparing blueberry pie for Thanksgiving/Haciendo pie de agras o blueberries para el dia de Accion de Gracias

Halloween parade Oct 30

2009-10-30T20:12:00.008-04:00

Estas son fotos que fueron tomadas el dia de hoy en Franconia, NH. Los ninos salieron desde el jardin y caminaron por la calle principal.

These pics were taken this afternoon.

Miss Ladybug

Eli salio vestida de "mariquita"

Saliendo del jardin con mama

Tratando de que se dejara tomar la foto

We had a nice weather during the parade

El clima estuvo muy agradable. Parecido al de Bogota cuando esta haciendo un poquito de frio

La directora del jardin

More children from the school

Daisy y Eli. Daisy tambien es adoptada y de Guatemala

On Main Street

With some goodies

Descansando

Back to the school

I like her butt

Opening a card from Gradma Joyce

With stickers and a nice Halloween card

Venezuela

2009-10-29T14:30:00.015-04:00

Eli and I went to Venezuela for a week to visit the family. My aunt Betty was the only one who had already met Eli but for the rest of the family, it was the first time. She did good when I think of all the new people she met in such a short period of time. The only pattern that Eli had during the entire 5 week trip including Colombia, was that she would be very shy at first, not lasting this shyness more than five to ten minutes of meeting someone. But once she had passed that stage, nothing would stop her. Eli is such a social, easy going and friendly girl that everybody loved her.

We had a very nice family time in Caracas. I'm so glad I saw my grandma who is 99 years old! Yes, she is 99 and with a better memory than a 40 or 50 year old person. She knows where things are, she remembers family member's phone numbers and she is still pretty good at matching names with faces. I wish I had her memory and vitality. Abuelita Virginia does not cook anymore but she eats very well. Anything she wants, she eats. She loves candies and can finish a bag of them in a couple of days. No pains, no aches. She is still very strong. God bless her and keep her this way for many more years.

A few things that I want to write about Eli before I forget:

-Last weekend she picked out her first pair of shoes by herself. We went to a children's shoe store and she grabbed a pink pair of sandals from the rack. I didn't pay too much attention because I was not sure if the size would fit her next summer so I grabbed them and after looking at something else put them back in the box. But Eli found them again, brought them back to me and said: mama, para mi. Me gustan. So I decided to have her try them on, she loved them and they were not as small as I had thought. They were cute sandals for summer time so we bought them and Eli left the store wearing them.

-Yesterday Eli was with Greg in the house while I was at a doctor's appointment. I don't really know what the deal was but Greg said to her: Eli, no es no. And she said back to him: No es si! Greg said that he held his laugh but once she was gone, he could not stop laughing.

-Eli is accepting again some lactose products such as cheese and yogurt. This is so good for all of us. We still have her drinking soy milk on a daily basis which I don't mind but I really hope that she starts tolerating dairy products again.

_She has learned to pray at night. She knows the entire prayer so I just follow her and let her lead.

_Eli knows a few Spanish children's songs such as "los pollitos dicen pio, pio, pio" y "arroz con leche" and she is speaking both English and Spanish very well. She speaks Spanish at home and I brought from Colombia a few cd's and videos that will help her develop the language.

And here are some pics of the trip. Eli, this is the journal or diary I am creating for you. And I will be printing it too. Love you.

My cousin and God child Andres. He and my uncle picked us up in Cucuta, Colombia and then we drove all they way to Caracas.

With tio James on the way to Caracas

Aqui esta Eli con mi tio James almorzando en el camino y de via a Caracas

En el carro durante el viaje. Eli se porto muy bien. Ademas Andresito le compro un par de peliculas de ninos para que viera en el camino

Mi abuelita Virginia.

Eli y mi abuelita tuvieron un par de encontrones pero al final ya se abrazaban y daban besos. Lo que pasa es que la Srita Eli no es tan santica que digamos y entonces veia a mi abuelita acostada rezando y ella le halaba el pelo o le pegaba en la cabeza y mi abuelita no se dejaba y le daba un coscorron de regreso.

At my aunt and my uncle's book store

Tia Betty en la libreria

Aunt Betty found some manual arts for Eli

Con la tia Betty

Ayudando como siempre

Grandma Virginia

Andrecito y abuelita

Tres generaciones

The three generations

Viajando hacia la playa

As soon as Eli got off the car and saw the pool, she started undressing herself

En la piscina del edificio cerca a la playa

Con tio James

Here she is wearing my swimsuit! Yes it was mine when I was her age

Este vestido de bano fue mio cuando yo tenia su edad!

Con la tia Mariana

Con JuanFer, hermano de Andres

Cerca a la playa

Juan Fernando

Enjoying the beach

At Mariana and JuanFer's apartment in Caracas

With Mariana's mom

Andresito...mi ahijado

Tio James y JuanFer

Con Elbita. Gran amiga de la familia

Los futuros padres con Eli

Que carcajadas

Como si estuvieran teniendo una conversacion muy seria

Que risa tan linda de mi nina

Con la prima Claudia Marcela

De regreso a Cucuta, nos quedamos una noche en una casa de monjas, amigas de mis tios(el nino no es de ninguna de las monjas...cabe aclarar, sino de la Sra que ayuda en la cocina)

Cenando

En el aeropuero de Cucuta

La frontera con Venezuela

De regreso a Cucuta

Diciendo adios a su adorado Andres

Eli estaba triste, sabia que ya estabamos diciendo adios

Eli y fuchi, fuchi.

Mama tambien estaba triste, pero aun asi no dejaba de tomar fotos

Tio James

Columbus Day Weekend

2009-10-10T23:59:00.006-04:00

It's been a while since my last posting. Eli and I left for Venezuela and Colombia in the middle of August and came back home not too long ago. I spent my birthday in Bogota and I thank all my dear friends and family who wished me a happy birthday through out the distance and sent me beautiful notes via e-mail, e-cards and left me voice mails on my phone. I have plenty of photos to post about the trip but as usual, I'm late and have little time to blog. So I decided to start by posting today's pics. Later on, I will blog about our trip.

Cousins Kaleigh and Rachel are visiting during Columbus Day weekend. Madrina (god mother) Rachel and her boyfriend brought with them their kitty named Patches and Eli is in love with her. She calls her "my baby" and "el gatico" and does not want to let her go. Here are some pics of the day.

Kaleigh, Eli and Patches

Poor kitty

She was busy with Patches

Later tonight helping decorate a cake that madrina baked.

Rachel and Eli

The cousins

That looks very comfortable...for Eli

Summer Trip to New York ...

2009-08-08T20:42:00.016-04:00

She is such a girl! We arrived in Rome, NY before leaving for Watkins Glen. Eli found a bunch of shoes and boots at Barry and Kathy's. She tried them all on and modeled them for everyone.

Madrina Rachel and Eli

Grandma Joyce and Eli at brother Tim's 50th birthday party at his new home on Seneca Lake

Eli y Mama!

Tim and Beth's Beach

Tim built this entire house himself, a traditional timber frame home

All the trim is black walnut milled from a tree that grew on Tim's land in Ithaca

Seneca Lake

More of the house ...

Greg and Uncle Jack

Mi Esposa

Aunt Connie and Joyce

Niece Hannah and Aunt Beth and some one I don't know ...

Jack and Greg's butts. I don't know why.

It was our Anniversary weekend, too!

Uncle Timmy and Eli

After Tim's party, we went to the St. Lawrence River with Barry and family ... Kathy, Rachel, Kaleigh and Brett.

Eli did great on the sailboat. She loved it all!

If we don't swim ashore, we use the dinghy

Just back from a nice run

Barry's boat, a Cape Dory 33

Making s'mores. Neka had never heard of this, melted marshmallows sandwiched between Graham crackers and Hershey's chocolate. She loved them!

A s'more.

Eli and Rachel getting ready for bed on the boat

Summer Days

2009-08-06T22:13:00.025-04:00

We've been having a busy summer. The weather has been nice, not too hot although it's been raining a lot. We haven't had many beach days but on the other hand, we haven't had to use at home the air conditioner at all. These photos were taken during the month of July.

Estas fotos fueron tomadas en el mes de Julio. El clima ha estado agradable porque no ha hecho mucho calor pero ha llovido mucho. El sol viene y va por raticos. Tratamos de sacar a Eli lo que mas se pueda ya que el invierno llegara pronto. Yo tambien he aprovechado de tomar mas sol este a-o debido a una deficiencia de vitamina D que me descubrieron a inicios de a-o. Gracias a Dios ya estoy mucho mejor.

I'm not sure what's going on here, but she sure is cute!

Beach babes, Eli and Luciana! Our friends from Ottawa came down for a week and this is their daughter Luciana with Eli. We had a lot of fun.

Stroller babes, Eli and Luciana!

Katia, Katia's Mom, Clarena, Eli, and Luciana at Harvard.

Mom and Eli

I don't know who the two guys in the background are, but the people in front are Katia and Luciana, Clarena and Eli and ... Katia's Mom.

A walk along the ocean with our friends Luciana, Katia, Katia's Mom, and Daniel ...

... and speaking of walks, these guys walked right under Clarena's office window one day!!!!

Eli just bein' Eli!

Beautiful smile!

Luckily, this usually happens about once a day and lasts up to one hour.

This is Eli with Lee, her early intervention specialist. When Eli first came, Clarena arranged to have Lee come work with Eli. So, sponsored by the State, she came every week for a year. It was Lee's last day ... Eli did so well on her first "evaluation" after starting the program that Lee was fired (the State said Eli was doing great and that Lee wasn't needed).

But Eli loved being challenged every week by Lee and Lee's learning exercises. Eli would always ask, "Lee comin?"

She's going to miss her.

Le ensene a Eli a comer fresas. Aunque no parezca tiene su ciencia, sobretodo para una nina de dos a-os.

Aqui estamos en la playa, en un fin de semana que papa estaba de viaje

One day at the beach while Daddy was out of town

Eli taking pictures of Mom (mostly).

Eli tomandome fotos

Pic also taken by Eli

More fun with Tia Betty

2009-08-05T20:47:00.001-04:00

Estas son mas fotos durante la visita de la Tia Betty. Las ninas disfrutando de la compania de ella y obviamente nosotros tambien.

The "Girls"

The Primas (Cousins)

It's just a thing Latina women do ...

Tia Betty, the Primas, and Tio Jaime

Eli in her natural state ... moving, moving, moving!

Eli loves her Tio Jaime!

This look may have something to do with the number of photos Mom takes :)

Mama with both girls ...

Beautiful Smile

Love those eyes

Memorial Day weekend

2009-07-18T23:09:00.013-04:00

Nuestra sobrina y madrina de Eli, Rachel, vino de upstate NY a visitarnos durante el fin de semana de Memorial Day. Mi tia Betty llego de Caracas al siguiente dia y JaimeO, Angelita, Pili con su novio Skyler y obviamente Isabella, tambien se unieron a la celebracion y pasaron un par de dias con nosotros. Las que mas disfrutaron fueron las dos ninas, quienes cada dia parecen entenderse mejor y ser una compania la una para la otra. Espero les guste las foticos.

During Memorial Day weekend we had the company of our niece Rachel who came from upstate NY . My aunt Betty arrived from Caracas and my brother and his family joined the group and spent a couple of days with us.

Aqui esta la tia Betty recien llegada de Caracas

Rachel, Tia Betty, Eli and Isa

Having a nice colombian meal

Platanos maduros no podian faltar en el menu

Con mi adorada Tia

Rachel and Eli on the way to Mount Washington!
With my baby...Greg

Tia Betty, JaimeO e Isabella

En un rio muy bonito aqui en New Hampshire que me hace recordar los rios colombianos

El agua todavia estaba fria

Sin embargo asi, las ninas metieron sus piecitos al agua

Nice river about an hour north from home

My baby's feet

Padre e hija

El trio incansable

Con la llama en North Conway, NH

Y aqui estamos en Mount Washington!

Mount Washington

Aqui estamos tomandonos un chocolate para calentarnos un poquito del frio y viento tan terrible que habia

Mi Greguito

No matter how cold and windy it was up there, we really had a blast at Mt. Washington

The temperature dropped drastically in a matter of a few miles

Pasamos un rato muy agradable a pesar del frio. A Eli le fascino el viento y su madrina se encargo de hacerla reir y consentirla durante la visita

Aunt Betty

On the way down, just a few miles from the top, you could appreciate this beautiful and clear sky

But if you looked to the other side, then you would see this...

Hicimos varias paradas durante la bajada. Aqui ya esta mas calmado

Se divisa un cielo claro y una vista preciosa

Y las dos chicas aqui disfrutando

Enjoying the wind

Funny faces

Mama Clarena y Papa Greg

Nuestra nina

El mismo dia en una parada para zona de alimentacion

Las primas

Quick Update from Papa

2009-07-17T15:52:00.007-04:00

Yes, it's CPR. I'm smiling because it worked.

Feigned innocence ...

Denial ...

Criminal activity.

En la cocina ... con que? No se.

Caliente!

Simpatico

Buen Provecho

Shakin' it for Mama.

Faces

Eli loves the Jeep.
Siga Papa!

She's good incentive to run.

Quick update from Mama : Eli calls the yellow color, banana. The rest of the colors are all green for her. I've been trying to have an explanation for it and the only thing I can think of is that the first color I taught her was green (it's my mother's favorite color). From then on, no matter how many times you teach her the colors, she still says "verde" when you ask her what color is something.

This week, Eli got bitten really bad on the back of her head. She has a red spot, about 2 inches big and the center has a hard bump. I was so nervous about it that today I took her to the doctor. The nurse said that it was nothing we had to worry about and that in a couple of days it should go away. We'll keep checking on it.

Today Eli said good bye to a very nice lady who was coming to play with her and do some speech therapy on Fridays. Eli was re-evaluated today and she is doing so well that she no longer qualifies for this program. She would start asking for Lee early in the week hoping that I would say: yes, she is coming today. But this will not be the case anymore, not even on Fridays and although I am very happy for Eli's great results and fabulous work performed by Lee, I feel sad because we'll miss her visits. Specially my baby. Well, she'll get over and probably we'll have Lee visiting once in a while.

This is my update for now. Take care and thanks for reading our blog.

The Vegetable Garden

2009-06-25T22:03:00.016-04:00

This year we decided to have a raised bed vegetable garden and so by the end of April, Greg started the construction of it. He did everything. Greg selected, measured and marked the area, prepared the soil and planted the garden. April was still too cold and windy for me to be outside so I did not show up in the working area very much, not even when Greg suggested that I could go and take a closer look at it. But I was not indifferent to the garden or to Greg who worked so hard. On the contrary, I was following all the development from the kitchen window and took enough pictures to document the evolution and construction of the raised garden.

On this blog entry I have attached pics of the garden as well as some pics of Eli that are already two months old and If I don't post them today then I don't know when it will happen. I hope you enjoy it.

This is my baby on a sunny day

Here she is wearing her converse sneakers, the only ones that she cannot take off at school to walk bare foot

Here she is helping Dad pick up some wood outside of the house

No, she is not grumpy, it's just that she does not like pictures anymore. I wonder why...

And I was the same way with my father who used to take hundreds of pics of me per minute

And here we have the chosen area for the vegetable garden. Greg worked for almost half a day removing the grass in the area that you see in the pic

But then our wonderful neighbor must have felt pity for him and decided to help him out

And in about two hours, he did the rest of the garden (more than 3/4 of it)
And here is the tiny but great helper

Eli helped Dad all the way through the process. She was outside with daddy the entire time in different occasions

The construction of the garden was a process of many long weekends

But she didn't give up. No, no, she loved it. Eli would get in the pile of soil, play with the worms, pick them up, kiss them and put them back on the ground and to the less lucky ones she would just cut in half and leave them alone.

In this photo you can see the raised beds being built

And a tiny flower in one of them

What is she saying here?

Eli loves books and loves when somebody reads with her. She is pretty good at passing the pages, pointing at things, repeating and naming things from the books and pretty much all that involves having a book available, like tearing it apart as well.

I don't remember why she looks so frustrated. Maybe Mommy quit reading with her to take the picture.

Nice jeans little girl

And now on to Mommy's desk

I took this photo on a Saturday afternoon after she quit working in the garden. Eli was so exhausted that she slept fom 1pm until a little bit longer than 5pm. This is very unusual for her. She usually takes 45 minute naps or sometimes she does not take one at all. Greg was so concerned about her that he would go and check on her every 15 minutes during the last two hours of nap. I was a little bit worried too but she looked so much in peace and her breathing was so strong that she couldn't have been happier.

Another day at the garden

These pics are with my adorable aunt Betty who came from Caracas last May

Here you can see that the garden is all finished. Greg even put some chicken wire around it to avoid any animals from coming (well, at least some) and also to help with the growing of the peas, beans and other vegetables that need some support for growing.

We also planted...oops, sorry. Greg also planted tomatoes, beets which I love, broccoli, kale, spinach, garlic, onions, scallions, red peppers, jalapeno peppers, corn, carrots, baby carrots, lettuce and all sort of herbs like cilantro, basil, etc. Greg started some of the herbs and plants inside the house and then transplanted them to the garden. It looks pretty nice now.

This is me just for fun. Nowadays nobody takes pictures of me so I have to do a close-up once in a while.

The Notch

2009-06-03T22:29:00.005-04:00

Our daily commute involves driving through the Franconia Notch. I enjoy very much this drive and although is a long commute of about 50 minutes, the scenary is breathtaking!

And now an update on Eli...
Mama: what are you eating Eli?
Eli:popo.
Mama: popo? let me see... So Eli showed me her hand and yes indeed, it was popo. (Imagine my reaction).

Another conversation:
Eli: mama moot (moose). Mama moot, mama, mama moot, mama mama moot.
Mama: Yes Eli moose.

One more:
Eli: mama beto. Mama beto.
Mama: Si Eli, beso. Un momento, ya te doy un beso.
Eli: no mama, beto.
Mama: si Eli, ya te doy un beso.
Eli: mama, ique (Enrique)
Mama: Si Enrique.
Eli: Si mama, Ique...Beto.

One more:

Eli: papa avion
Mama: Si Eli, papa avion
Eli:papa Jeep
Mama: Si Eli, jeep
Eli: papa cata (casa)
Mama: No Eli, papa no esta en casa

She fell asleep on the sofa

Pics of the notch taken from the car

Fotos tomadas en Abril del 2009

Same place as above pic but taken a few days later

Area de esqui.

Franconia

Providence, RI.

2009-05-19T21:12:00.007-04:00

The first weekend in April Eli and I joined the upstate, NY crew and visited our niece Kaleigh who attends Brown U. We had a wonderful time with the family and although Eli had a meltdown at the restaurant that evening, she enjoyed seeing her grandma, uncle, aunt and cousins. The car ride was fine, Eli did great and we sang along the way.

Here she is waiting for the family to arrive

She called "papito and mamita" in Bogota many times and talked to them for a while (imaginary calls)

More talking while waiting

Just being cute

And now, let's go to the desk

What is this...

and this...

Nice smile

She enjoys every minute

And here she is looking through the pages of a very nice family album that grandma Joyce put together for her. The album has pics of my handsome and cute husband from when he was born till today. I love the album. It must have taken Joyce quite some time to put it together but she says that she has done the same for her other grandchildren and enjoys doing it.

And here is uncle Barry carrying Eli

At Brown U. with the crew

Having lunch at an Indian restaurant with K. and her boyfriend Henry from Maine.

Visiting cousing Isabella / Visitando a la prima Isabella

2009-05-17T21:10:00.008-04:00

Last week in March while papa Greg was traveling on business, Eli and I spent a weekend in Boston visiting Isabella, tio Jaime O. and Tia Angela. Isa and Eli had a great time together playing, running around, climbing Tio JaimeO's back and in general, enjoying each other's company. Here are some the captured moments during the weekend...

This is Eli's new style of sitting in her car seat. Very comfortable! On the way to their house.

Riding Isa's pony

Isabella petting her pony

Tio Jaime O.

Tio Jaime cargando a las dos senoritas.

Con mas juguetes de Isa

Next day, after church

And more playing
Easter coming up...

Isabella was very nice allowing Eli play with her toys.

That's a cute face

And more cuteness

En el Culumpio

2009-04-29T21:02:00.014-04:00

Ahora que el clima esta mucho mejor, como el de Armenia estuvo hace tres dias, o como el de Bogota el dia de hoy, ya podemos salir mas y tener a Eli afuera de la casa. Estos son unos mini videos que tome con mi camara hace dos dias. Desafortunadamente se graba muy poquito pero por lo menos se puede escuchar a Eli hablar algunas palabritas.

Abusing Papa ...

2009-04-28T22:07:00.009-04:00

Eli's favorite words and phrases ...

"No running! No running!"

and ...

"Jumping! Jumping!" (on Papa)

"Papi, mas?"

"No, Papi"

"Shoes"

"I'll do it. I'll do it."

"Chao, chao"

"Mami, mas?"

Foot and Hand prints / Huellas de pies y manos

2009-04-12T20:26:00.007-04:00

We finally had the time to have Eli's prints taken for her baby book. It was fun, we laughed a lot and she had a nice time giving us a hard time! Afterwards, we gave her a bath and she was ready for more exploring and playing time.

Finalmente sacamos el tiempo para tomarle a Eli las huellas de pies y manos y ponerlas en su album the recuerdos. De todos los lindos regalos y obsequios que Elizabeth recibio a su llegada a casa, ninguno incluyo un libro de memorias o recuerdos. Asi que a finales de Diciembre le compre uno, el cual ya estamos llenando con todos sus daticos y fechas especiales.

Nice smile, baby.

Huellas digitales tomadas por Papa.

If we had waited a little longer, her feet and hands wouldn't have fit the page.

Her shoe size is 5/6 . She is huge!

Washing shoes / Lavando zapatos

2009-04-12T19:21:00.005-04:00

We decided to wash all the shoes that don't fit Eli anymore before giving them away.
Eli enjoyed helping me with this and took her job very seriously until the very last pair of shoes were ready to dry.

Eli y yo nos pusimos a la tarea de lavar todos los zapatos que ya no le quedan buenos a ella, antes de darselos a alguien que los pueda usar. A Eli le gusta mucho ayudar en los quehaceres de la casa, asi que estuvo muy juiciosa lavando sus zapatos.

My baby's hands...so cute

She did a good job!

Aqui ya estaba un poco cansada

Aqui ya esta un poco cansada asi que recosto en el lavaplatos

The Brooklyn Children's Museum

2009-03-21T14:09:00.010-04:00

These pics were taken during the trip to NYC back in February. We met our friends Sara and Jeff and their children at the museum. We all had a nice time, Eli enjoyed playing with sand, climbing and sliding and running all over.

An update on Eli's progress: She is now talking more and understands both English and Spanish. I speak to her in Spanish all the time and for different things she knows the names in both languages. Yesterday while riding in the car on the way to work Elizabeth said to me: mama dos. I turned around and looked at her and she had two fingers up and the rest down. She was so proud of it and of course I made a big deal out of it and we both celebrated the achievement. The struggle of the fingers up was over!

Last week I taught Eli what her Dad's and Mom's names were. So this week I asked her to tell me our names and she remembered both of them! I was amazed, we had only worked on the names once and that was about 5 days go. She has very good memory.

Elizabeth ate pretty well this week. She loves fish. She also likes avocado, soups, rice, fruits, chicken, pasta, etc, etc. She likes some crackers that I bought the other day. They have brown rice, quinoa, flax seeds and sesame seeds. Very healthy and crispy but very strong in flavor and pretty ugly for my taste and Greg's taste. This girl likes them very much and the other day I even gave her the option of choosing between two kinds of crackers being the other kind less healthy and more tasty and she chose the strong ones! I keep them in the car and Eli can easily eat 4 or 5 of them during our daily rides.

Eli likes to wear my high heel shoes and walk with them from our room to her room. And she does a pretty good job!

Well, I seem to forget many things that I would want to write about Eli. I'm going to have to keep a piece of paper with me as my memory aid. For now, these are the pics from the second part of our trip to the big apple.

At the hotel
Outside our room
Valentine's Day romantic dinner for the three of us at an indian restaurant in Brooklyn

With Mom and Dad on Valentine's

At the Brooklyn promenade

Store in Brooklyn

At the children's museum

Eli and Libia

Sara, Jeff, Tobia and Libia

Guess who?

Having lunch

With Sara

A trip to the New York Aquarium / Visita al Acuario de New York

2009-03-15T20:38:00.012-04:00

Greg y yo decidimos pasar el dia de San Valentin en New York el pasado Febrero. Nos quedamos en un hotel en Brooklyn y el Sabado en la manana nos fuimos para el acuario que queda ubicado tambien en Brooklyn.

La nina estuvo dichosa, le encanto todo, corria por todos lados, miraba los peces y todos los tanques con los diferentes animales marinos, hablaba, repetia lo que le deciamos, en fin, disfruto inmensamente de la visita al acuario.

Estas son fotos de la primera parte del viaje y esta vestida con el "abrigo" que los tios Tim y Beth le regalaron el a-o pasado. No se lo habia colocado en todo el invierno, asi que decidi sacarlo y mostrarselo a ver si lo llevabamos en el viaje y una vez que lo vio y yo le coloque la pava o sombrero, no quiso quitarselo para nada durante las 5 horas que duro el viaje por tierra. Esta pinta nos hace reir mucho porque parece una chica de vida alegre, se ve tiernisima y muy animada.

Pasando a otro tema, hoy Eli tuvo chequeo con el gastroenterologo y a Dios gracias la encontro mucho mejor y todos los resultados de los examenes que le hicieron hce como un mes, salieron bien. Tambien subio un poquito de peso y aumento en estatura. Esta pesando un poco mas de 27 libras y de estatura tiene 85 cms o sea que como unas 33 pulgadas.

Nuevas palabras de Eli: tatana (montana), abiba (arriba), ven, aca, aqui, quibo(quiubo), totuga. Cuando le preguntan cuantos a-os tiene, dice dos. Y le preguntamos que como esta, y dice bien.

La semana pasada le ensenamos a mostrar tan solo dos deditos para cuando dice la edad, pero fue una risa completa ya que no puede sostener sus deditos entonces usa la otra mano para ayudarse y ni asi lo logra.

En el carro, durante el viaje

In the car on the way to NYC.

She must have been sweating but did not want to have her coat off

At the hotel room

On the way to the aquarium

Mirando todo

Tocando...

We also visited our friends Les and Hanna who had a baby boy last December

His name is Kevin.

On March the 11th of 2008 / Hace exactamente un a-o

2009-03-11T22:10:00.003-04:00

Greg and I flew early in the morning of the 11 to Guatemala City. We arrived there at midday, got to the hotel, had some lunch at one of the restaurants and settle down in the room waiting for Eli to arrive. She was finally there at around 730pm.

It's been a year already of having her, of getting to know her and getting to love her. Today, I'm thinking a lot about that day. Eli, I will always love you. Your Dad will always love you and we are so blessed to have you in our lives.

Arriving in Guatemala City

Waiting at the lobby
More waiting...She is finally there with Sra. Juanita

Saying good bye to her foster mother, Sra Juanita. They were both very sad

Looking at her daddy

Talking to Grandma and Grandpa / Hablando con los abuelitos en Bogota

2009-02-21T13:59:00.009-05:00

I was able to capture these pics from a telephone conversation between Eli and her grandparents in Bogota. She was so much into the conversation and, although nobody understood what she was saying, everyone knew she really meant everything she said! I passed her the phone and she left my office. She kept talking all the way from the living room to the kitchen. She then sat down on the potty that my parents gave her for her birthday (and that by the way she hasn't started using yet) but anyway, she sat down and started talking up a storm, making faces, changing the phone from one hand to the other, and she just had a great conversation. I loved it and so here it is the sequence of the conversation in pictures.

Estas son fotos de hace aproximadamente un mes, de Elizabeth hablando con sus abuelitos en Bogota. Le pase el telefono y se fue conversando hasta que llego a la cocina en donde se sento y continuo hablando, pasandose el telefono de una mano a otra y haciendo gestos y articulando toda clase de palabras que tan sollo ella entenderia. Aqui esta la secuencia de esta conversacion en fotos.

Llego a la cocina y se sento en la taza o poseta de bano que mis papas le regalaron de cumpleanos y que a proposito no ha comenzado a usar.

Telefono en la mano derecha

Ahora telefono en la mano izquierda

Haciendo senas con las manos

Ahora mas seria y concentrada en lo que le dicen

Quien sabe que estaria diciendoles.

De llanto a risas

2009-02-10T20:28:00.009-05:00

Elizabeth ha estado mas estable ahora, luego de tener un mal de estomago con diarrea por casi seis semanas. Ayer tuvimos cita con un gastroenterologo quien le mando varios examenes de sangre y materia fecal. La nina no ha perdido peso, pero tampoco ha ganado en los ultimos meses. Yo confio y pienso que fue un virus que la ataco de manera muy fuerte y espero que los resultados de los examenes nos den una luz o nos digan que esta totalmente bien. Durante todo su malestar Eli no dejo de comer o de jugar y de ser tan activa como siempre, asi que esto es otra cosa a su favor.
Con respecto a vocabulario, ya dice muchas mas palabras y pone juntas hasta tres al tiempo. Dice por ejemplo : mas agua mama, I'll do it, etc. En este momento estoy trabajando en los colores. Los repite pero todavia no sabe diferenciarlos. Los numeros los cuenta hasta veinte, claro que yo diciendolos primero, tambien nombra a toda la familia, amistades y amiguitos y profesoras del jardin a donde va de Lunes a Jueves.
Este fin de semana pasado, estuvo muy carinosa y se la paso dandonos besos y abrazandonos, claro que ella siempre es muy carinosa con nosotros y eso me gusta mucho.
Tambien me gusta mucho de Eli, que si llega a llorar por algo, el mal genio le pasa muy rapido. Esta manana por ejemplo, la levantamos temprano como de constumbre e inmediatamente la metimos al agua. Lloro por un momentico y luego ya estuvo bien, jugando y disfrutando del momento y ella es siempre asi, cambia un momento no muy agradable y lo convierte en uno agradable y sin problemas. Hasta yo tengo que aprender de ella!

Este fin de semana le terminamos de arreglar su ropita en un armario o dresser que era de Joyce, la mama de Greg. Nos lo regalo, Greg lo pinto del mismo color de la cuna y ahora ya tiene toda su ropa bien organizada y hasta nos sobra espacio.

Estas fotos son de la primera semana de Enero cuando ya estabamos empacando y desarmando todo lo de navidad. No orecuerdo por que fue que la reganamos y le dimos "time out" o sea que se quedara quieta mirando la pared por un minuto. Aunque ya lo ha hecho varias veces porque este es el castigo que les imponen a los ninos en el jardin cuando hacen algo indebido, esa noche Eli no lo resistio y lloro terriblemente. Pero luego, al ratico ya estaba contenta y jugando de nuevo con el papa.

Poniendo cara de consentida

El papa cambandola de panal.

Castigada por un minuto

No resistio mas

Lagrimas de cocodrilo

Con papa pero todavia llorando

Y ahora jugando

Encantada jugando

Ayudando a desarmar el arbolito del segundo piso

Que juicio de nina

El balcon da a la cocina

Y ahora ayudando a que?...

Menos mal que todos los adornos eran de peluche o bolas de icopor

Christmas Pictures!

2009-01-20T22:51:00.013-05:00

Thank God I'm finally back to normal! It was such a difficult time to do my everyday routine feeling sick and without energy but I'm very happy that I'm feeling much better and that the persistent cough and general discomfort have gone away.
Going back to where I left off a month ago, I'd like to say that we had a very nice Holiday time with the family. First Tim, Beth, Joyce, Hannah, Jacob and Molly arrived and then Barry, Kathy, Rachel, Kaleigh and Brett came home. Eli couldn't have been happier with the visit. She loved every minute of it and had no problems interacting with the big crowd. We all helped with the cooking. Some of us stayed home while others went shopping at the outlet located 4 minutes from home, so in general we were all content and happy to be together.

I also want to give and update on Eli's development. She is now counting up to 20 in Spanish, she is putting up to three words together, she now runs faster than ever, she is also much bigger and can now reach further on my desk and kitchen counters. Eli kisses me in the middle of the night in many occasions when she is in bed with us, she likes jokes, loves music, likes to ask for a facial tissue to clean her nose, she says words like I got you, I'm done, no way, Guatemala, she names all her uncles, grandmas and grandpa, cousins and friends from day care. She also eats very well and likes soups, rice, tangerine, raisins, broccoli, avocado, plantain, melon, crackers, greens, eggs, etc, etc. Eli knows all the body parts in both English and Spanish, she understands both languages without problems. I talk to her in Spanish all the time and her vocabulary is pretty extensive and not because she is my daughter but Eli is a very smart girl. Oh, and she is a daddy's girl. She loves Greg or nene or baby as she calls him. And she loves daddy's jeep too. The other morning Greg says that he was putting her in the other car when she started crying and saying: no, jeep, jeep and did not want to get in. Eli is our compliment and our everything and I cannot picture my life without her. The Lord bless her and protect her today and always.

And these are some of the pics from Christmas.

Our house. The back is the barn, the middle is the kitchen and the front to the right is the rest of the house.

These pics were taken at the beggining of December. Never the amount of snow we saw last year.

The guest house to the left

I baked a carrot cake and decorated it with fondant. It was good but there were other sweets more appealing to the crowd.

Tree decorations

My other baby.

Beth loved her present from husband Tim...and so did we.

It was a whipped cream maker!

Eli in her Santa dress from uncles Tim and Beth.

This is the wrapping for my present. Greg painted it and it looked very nice.

Making faces

When she is ready for a diaper change, she opens the drawer in the kitchen where we keep the diapers, takes one and goes straight to the living room where she knows we usually change her.Smelly girl.

She is huge! At her 2 year old medical check up, the doctor said tha she is now in the 30th percentile for lenght and in the 50th percentile for weight. Before she was off the chart for lenght, she was way down. So she is huge now.

With Grandma Joyce.

Nice album she received for present.

With Godmother Rachel.

Just guess who we are looking at...

Reaching further and further...When Eli arrived from Guatemala she was as tall as the desk's height.

Here she is looking at the calendar godmother Rachel received from her.

Ajiaco time.

Brett and Kaleigh.

Tacos/ Fajitas time.

Eli and Molly

Eli loves gramma's company.

I've been sick :(

2009-01-11T22:24:00.004-05:00

I don't think that I need to tell you all how I've been feeling lately and how energetic I've been. My face says it all.
I started with this cold/flu like symptoms before Thanksgiving( did I say Thanksgiving...almost two months ago?)and despite all the medicine that my doctor gave me the first week in December and some home remedies, I continued feeling sick with symptoms like coughing, sneezing, lack of energy, etc. But when I thought that I was almost there, the worst came. About two weeks ago I started with a terrible cough that would wake me up and make me get up in the middle of the night, a runny nose that left all my skin around the mouth an nose so red and sore that it would hurt to put some moisturizer on, a sore throat that wouldn't let me pass any sort of liquids and many other symptons proper of a very, very bad cold. This week the doctor precribed me different medicine and sent me for a chest x-ray. Thank God my lungs are clear and there is no inflammation. I still feel sick, tired, exhausted but at least I am not coughing the way I was coughing before.
This is the reason why I haven't posted. This and all the chores I have at home plus a sick baby that started with diarrhea right after Christmas when the family was still visiting. Eli is still not drinking any milk and although she is much better now, her BM is not normal yet. Lots of Pedialite every day which I hate but nothing we can do. Some home remedies have also helped. The good thing about Eli is that as you can see in the pics, she does not look sick, she does not slow down, she eats normal and plays as usual. Amazing!
I hope that I can post all our Holiday pics later this week. Take care,
Clare.

He estado enferma por ya casi dos meses de una tos y una gripa terrible. Sin embargo, lo poer de esta enfermedad me llego hace mas o menos dos semanas cuando una tos persistente no me dejo dormir por casi una semana completa. Me tenia que levantar en la madrugada varias veces y a pesar de todo lo que me tomaba no me pasaba la tos. Me siento cansada, exhausta y con un sueno terrible.
Por otro lado, Eli tambien ha estado enferma. Comenzo con gripa, fiebre, tos y diarrea. Ya hace mas de dos semanas de esto, y aun sigue con la diarrea aunque mucho menos. No esta tomando leche. Cuando tenga oportunidad y mas animo, coloco las fotos de la Navidad. Espero no pasar de este fin dde semana que viene.
Abrazos,
Clarena.