Acalias says good bye to Great Grandma

It seems like it was just the other day that grandma was shooing me out of the kitchen while telling me I had plenty of time to learn how she cooks. One month flys by too fast.

I had goals to be productive while grandma was here but instead I let her take care of Acalias while I'd rest, relax and sometimes nap. I've had so many exhausting nights but after a month I think I can handle being mom and wife without any help.

The best part about having grandma here is i've come to know more about her and the life that has made her who she is. After the passing of my Maternal grandmother in June, I felt that should take advantage of the time I have with Grandma Nativa. It was time I question, listen and learn from her and her life experiences. Grandma has always been very aware of my needs (and siblings) throughout our childhood and has helped out with out any expectation of reward for her efforts. She has loved me unconditionally, I'm so blessed to have her in my life.


Grandma immigrated from Haiti in 1969, this is her Green card photo. Dosn't she look fabulous? She was 38 years old but many thought she was 10 years younger.

Now for pictures in her Golden years...40 years later


Acalias is going to really miss being held by her.



Skofeild is going to miss all the attention he's recieved from her.




and I'll miss no laundry, a clean orderly home, a trustworthy babysitter and dinner at 5pm everyday. It's hard to keep up with time restraints with a little one on a schedule of his own.

Baby Announcement

Our official announcement for our son.


We took a few pictures during the first week Acalias was born. Thankgoodness for digital cameras, we had to take A LoT to get some good ones.

One Month Mark

I can't believe my baby is already one month old. It seems like we just barley brought him home from the hospital. I've stopped calling him "banana hands" and now call him "chunky monkey". He can eat...A LOT! It seems like every time he's awake he's eating. My nurse says he's going through a growth spurt so it's not unusual to feed him more often in the evening time.



Dad needs to get this book read before the first day of class. He is reading it to me but it's not as exciting as moms breast milk so I think I'll take a nap.


Mom and I having a conversation in Spanish. I like to be rocked in this glider while listening to Baby Mozart.


Although I've taken up all Mom and Dads attention, this is my protector. He's always by my side once I start crying.


Smiling at mama. He's been smiling a lot more often, typically after he eats. It's fun to see his dimples that are only revealed with a huge grin. His dimple is on his right cheek.


Adorable, need I say more?


Grandma Nativa has been helping out for 2 weeks now. It's been so VERY nice to have her. She's 79 years old, but the woman is like an energizer bunny. She cooks AMAZING food, no matter how hard I try I've never been able to make my food taste like hers. When she's not cooking, she's cleaning the house or doing laundry. Our dog Skofeild loves her because she pays attention to him. He now follows her around the house and asks her to be let out when he needs to potty. Grandma also goes on walks with me and baby almost every day.



Acalias is typically fussy from 11pm to about 1am. Derek and I try everything to comfort him but sometimes we get so tired and Grandma is always right there to take him off our hands. She has some kind of magical trick up her sleeve because as soon as he goes to her he falls asleep.

It's been so fun to watch Grandma and our son, she seems so content just holding him. She has told me stories of how she helped out when I was first born and how blessed she feels to be helping out with our son. I've convinced her to come back every year (if her health permits of course).


One last thing...check out our Basil! It's the only herb along with Oregano that has thrived to live. I think I over watered the seeds, I'll try again because I was really looking forward to all the other herbs that I had planted.

Getting to know him...

I still wake up to Acalias' cries thinking "I can't believe I'm a mom!" Derek and I have been getting adjusted to life with our son. As exhausted as we may get, we have enjoyed every moment with him.
Acalias prefers to eat laying on his right cheek, if I'm not fast he enough he resorts to sucking on his hands. He loves his softest blankets, or other soft materials against his skin.
He cries when he's wet, he cries when he's hungry, he even cries when he's lonely. As much as I don't miss being pregnant, I do miss having him close to me 24/7. It's hard to put him to sleep in his crib sometimes. I prefer to have him sleep in the bed with Derek and I.


Acalias loves his daddy. He used to move at the sound of his voice while he was still in my belly. Now he enjoys napping on dads chest. He loves when his dad hums a random tune or to be rocked in his arms.


I can't get enough, I know his facial expressions are involuntary but he is so entertaining to watch. I don't think I've ever laughed and smiled so much just by watching another human being. I love, love, love this little boy. Derek says Acalias is always comforted to come to me, I think it's because I smell like milk... I'm pretty much a milk machine, feeding ever 2-3 hours:)

Acalias' First Week

IMPORTANT NOTE: Many have asked us how to pronounce our sons name. It is spelled the way it sounds. If your still struggling pronounce it try sounding it out Aka-lie-ous.

After over 48 hours in the hospital, I was ready to bring our son home. The Nurses were great, they took really good care of us but I was anxious to be in the comforts of my own home. We were fortunate to have my father-in-law visit during our stay at the hospital. We live so far away from family and we were thankful to share our joy with family.

Acalias meeting Grandpa David, about 30 minutes after delivery.

Acalias slept the entire time while we were in the hospital. Our first night home, he decided to stay awake all night long. Thankgoodness my mom flew in on Monday and with her help we were able to get some sleep.

Acalias being smothered with kisses by Grandma Cindy

For the most part our son sleeps the majority of the day. I love watching him sleep, I'm still amazed that my husband and I created him. My mom says that he looks like Derek when he's asleep and he looks like me when he's awake.

We had our first Doctor appointment on Tuesday. Acalias wasn't too happy about being undressed and weighed. He sprayed down the entire scale with his urine.

Our little family, shortly after his first appointment. They pricked his heal again so we left the shoe off the foot that was pricked.

We have nicknamed our son bananna hands, his hands are so big and they tend to get in the way when I'm trying to feed him.

When his hands arn't flailing everywhere, he has his index finger pointed as to say "I'm #1", we think it's pretty hillarious.

Acalias is very alert for a newborn, Grandma Milar sent us this bouncer and he seemed to really enjoy it.

His flailing bananna hands helped to activate the sounds on this toy.


We didn't want Grandma Cindy to have to spend the entire time in our little apartment. We took her to the Farmer's Market and we strolled around down town while she looked at the Antique stores (which she really enjoys).

This week has flown by way too fast. We're thankful Grandma Cindy spent an entire week with us. We've been well fed, well rested and our home is the cleanest it has been in a long time.


Grandma's love is so evident for Acalias, I really enjoyed watching her smother our son with love.

June 25th, 2010...

Our son Acalías Maxwell Rodeback has finnally joined us!



On Friday at 5:55pm he came into this world weighing 9 lbs 1/2 oz and 20 1/2 inches.



This little boy has already brought us so much joy, we love him so much.



We look forward to sharing more about our adventures with him as we learn how to be his parents.

Still Waiting...

Everyday for the past week I've either received a phone call or text message inquiring whether we've had our son yet. NOPE...still waiting. Derek and Skofeild are doing a lot of this...

Derek and I have both had severe allergies this week so he took some time off work. He has lost his voice and he is constantly coughing. I tease him about being my labor coach, he's going to need Que cards that say "Breath"... "Relax" and so forth. I have a rash that is devouring my entire body, I've been taking beneydryl which makes me so drowsy.

Skofeild has been extra affectionate, he likes to cuddle with us whenever he gets a chance. He flips out whenever Derek tries to take a picture of me and him but he seems pretty calm whenever I take pictures.

When I'm not "nesting" or napping, I'm doing a lot of this...

Some days it takes a lot for me to get on the treadmill but between the excessive heat and the overall feeling of being heavy I've been trying everything to induce labor. I'm listening to salsa on my i-pod, it's music that always makes me want to move:) I'm thinking about taking my i-pod with me when I go into labor, maybe it will distract me from the pain.

The walking has helped the baby get into position, I've posted a couple of pictures of two angles so that you will notice that my stomach isn't as high as it once was.

You'd think that I had a set of twins in my belly by my size. As far as we know we're only having one.

At our last check up I was dilated at a 2.5 cm. I was expecting to go into labor any day now. Several of my friends said that they were dilated at a 2.5 for an entire months so that squashed my hopes of going into labor any day. Wish us luck, we are so...Excited!