Acalias' Blessing Sneak Peek

Daddy getting Acalias ready for his blessing on Sunday morning.

More pictures to come soon...I promise.

Please stay tuned I can't wait to tell you all about it!

Labor Day Weekend

We planned a weekend get away to several sites that Derek is interested in for rotations. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Medical school curriculum, Derek will have all of his class work completed by June. The upcoming two years will be spent rotating with a doctor(observing & performing procedures). Students can fulfill their rotations anywhere with in the state of West Virginia.
We would both like to live in a bigger city so we visited Parkersburg, Wheeling & Clarksburg. Parkersburg actually had sidewalks! It still seemed a bit small to me but Derek toured both hospitals and seemed impressed. I was happy to learn that the nearest temple is in Columbus, Ohio only 2 hours away rather than 5 hours we usaully travel to the D.C temple:) Wheeling is located in between Ohio and Pensylvania. The area the hospital was located in reminded me of of my mission in Oakland, California...so I'm not too giddy about that site selection. I think I'd worry too much especially if Derek was working really late into the night in that area. We talked to several locals who advised us of areas to stay away from, great neighborhoods to live in and so forth.

Here we are at a rest stop in Ohio on our way to Wheeling.

Clarksburg has a brand new hospital that hasn't opened yet. The area seems comfortable and diverse. We stopped by their Italian festival while we were there, I hadn't see so many people in one location since I attended the state fair last year.

Acalias did really well for his first trip. He cried only when he was hungry or needed to be changed, otherwise he was sleeping or grinning at me. I'm hoping that our trip to Utah will be just as smooth.

Two month mark

This week Acalias and I went to his two month check up. I had estimated that he weighed 12 pounds but I was wrong. He weighs 14 lbs 10 oz and he's 23 inches long. He's above the 95% in both his height and weight.

No wonder my back aches so much after carring him for long periods of time.

His eye lashes seem to be growing longer too, they take after his daddys. It's so unfair that boys always have such lovely eye lashes

He still thinks that he is number one...and for the most part he is.

I managed to complete one of the sewing projects that I had on my list. My best friend vacations in Hawaii every year and she always brings me something back. This year she sent me fabric and I made Acalias a car seat cover.

The velcro straps on the carrying bar keep it in place. It's lined with canvass so when it's windy, raining or cold he can stay nice and cozy. We've decided that it essential, especially when it comes to overly friendly people at the grocery store.

The following pictures are our favorites of this week:

This little boy loves his mommy and daddy.

Giving up the good to go for the GREAT

Derek brought home a guide for rotation site selections. Once this year is completed the students will fulfill two years as rotatees before beginning their four year residency. The tours will begin August 28Th and every weekend has a different site scheduled for touring. I'm excited to move to a new area, my only request is side walks to run on. Derek would like to move into a bigger town, hopefully a bigger town will have sidewalks. The following are some areas that Derek is interested in: South West- Ashland, KY, Central-Parkersburg, WV, South East-Princeton WV. We will be traveling a lot in the next few months. We hope to find a site that we both enjoy.

This week I signed up for my first post pregnancy 1/2 marathon. I had been wanting to run the Suntrust race in Richmond,VA since I read in the Runners World magazine that it was ranked one of the top marathons. This will be the biggest race I've ever run (as far as participating runners). I'm quiet excited! Now that I've committed myself and paid the hefty registration fee, I'm motivated to train harder! I'd like to beat my previous 1/2 marathon time of 2:07. I have a long road ahead of me, I need to strengthen my core muscles and lengthen my stride because I'm as slow as a turtle right now. Here is our little boy in his sporting gear, he's ready to go out for a run with mommy. Good thing Acalias loves being outside, when he's fussy a run outside calms him down. Acalias loves to look around at his surroundings but he typically falls asleep after about ten minutes. It's an adjustment to run with a stroller, I'm so used to pumping my arms to help me get into the rhythm of running. I leave Skofeild at home, it's too much work to push a stroller and control a dog. Most people have dogs around here so Skofeild is constantly getting riled up so I'd rather leave him home. As for an update on our herb garden, our basil grew beautifully and our oregano is sprouting out a few leaves. We finally decided to use our allotted date money (which we never use because there is nothing to do out here) on some fine dining. We purchased the ingredients for pesto and Derek bought some t-bone steaks (we eat steak twice a year at most) We used spaghetti squash rather than pasta and boy this meal was so delish! We love good food and we both love to cook, this meal was so easy to prepare. I was never big into red meat but I think my husband has converted me. It's funny to think that I was so anti meat during my entire pregnancy. I told Derek I was turning into a vegetarian but now I can't get enough meat to eat. Here a few of my favorite pictures from last week. Our little one is growing so fast! Guess who has found his hands?, He is now using him to pacify himself when he's hungry. It's funny because he doesn't really cry out, when I hear him scarfing at his hands at 3 am I know it's time to feed him. He is starting to coo a little bit, I love to hear his little voice and see him smile. We have tons of video footage but for some reason, the blog won't let me upload them. Any suggestions? Any help will be much appreciated.

Acalias and Mommy

I made it through my first week alone with Acalias. Derek finished with work study last week and started school this week. Acalias' schedule is still unpredictable but I take advantage of his long morning naps to get things done around the house.

I've been saving Acalias' cute clothes for when we actually leave our house. Last Sunday was Acalias' first time to church so I pulled out a super cute outfit and gave it to Derek to put it on him. When we arrived to church, Acalias had massive poop explosion and when I went to change him I couldn't figure out how Derek managed to put the outfit on him. The 0-3 month outfit was so tight! I was sad that he never even had a chance to wear the outfit more than once so now i'm no longer saving outfits. This is a bath robe size 3-6 months, it's already a bit snug.



Roar, says this cute pjs he's wearing. This little boy has been held so much that he never had the chance to really cry. Goodness, this week has been filled with cries it's sad to hear but I can't get anything done with him in my arms. I estimate that he is 12 lbs now.

This outfit says it best because it's what I do the majority of the day. Acalias has a healthy appetite. He's been smiling a lot lately and we love it!

On exhausting days, I look forward to Acalias' naps.

He looks so peaceful, so content.

I'm excited for the day I don't have to hold his binky in his mouth. It surpised me to see him grasping on to his binky.


Rather than napping along side Acalias as usual, this week I've been journaling. Yesterday I completed my 17Th journal. I have my whole life recorded in books, the good times and the bad. This particular journal is special because it took three years to complete. I wish I had written more but, since getting married I haven't been as consistant as I once was.

The bulk of this journal was written during my pregnancy. It was such a trying time for me and to remain optimistic I had to write nearly every day. Journaling is therapeutic for me. I notice that I tend to write more during the challenging and happy phases of my life. I began writing when I was 5Th grade, I never missed a day on my mission and I love reading about how I felt when I was dating Derek. I keep my self in check by writing about my blessings, things I need to improve (which are many), goals and so forth.

Many people ask what I eventually plan to do with all my journals. I plan to leave them behind for my children. When Acalias serves a mission I'll have plenty of my own stories to share with him, he'll receive copies of my mission journal entries. If I have a daughter, I may have an idea of all the emotions she will feel as an adolescent/teen through my journal entries. Hopefully my children will appreciate and cherish my journals as much as I do.

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.