Welcome to our world!

You Get What You Pay For

2010-01-16T23:35:00.000-08:00

Howdy Folks!

I know I usually use this blog to update people on how we are doing, so I want to begin by saying that we are doing fine. Joe and I started teaching again at Kestrel after Winter Break and Nayeli is back in the care of our nanny, Kristina, for half the day.

I did want to update people as to Nayeli's health status. As you might or might not know, Nayeli was found to have high levels of lead in her system, 14 micrograms to be exact, after having blood drawn at the beginning of December. Because of this I've been a one-woman research team bent on knowing as much possible about this serious situation. The national average of lead in a person's body is 1 microgram and the World Health Organization and Center for Disease Control and Prevention state that any lead level over 10 micrograms is very serious. From the research I've read on numerous websites, any level of lead is dangerous in the human body. It only takes 2 micrograms of lead to increase your risk by 89% of heart disease, heart attack, as well as increase your risk of death by stroke! Blood lead levels below 10 micrograms have been reported to be associated with lower IQ and behavior problems such as aggression, in proportion with blood lead levels. Between the blood lead levels of 5 and 35 microgram, an IQ decrease of 2–4 points for each microgram increase is reported in children. Lead in the human body is no joke!

The reason I am writing about this is because we live in Arizona, in a condo that was built after 1978, the year in which lead-based paint was banned, and well after the switch from lead water pipes to other piping material. That leaves only 4 places from where this exposure can be coming from: Nayeli's toys, our dishes and cups, the ammunition for Joe's guns, or the soil around our condo complex. I'm in the process of receiving test kits from the ONLY social worker in Arizona employed to follow, educate, and help the 300 children in this state with lead levels over 10 micrograms. In a week we will hopefully know the exact source of the lead contamination and I will keep you all updated. Just so you know, it only takes a few exposures to high levels of lead to raise your level over 10 micrograms, but it takes over 1 year to clear your body of it, once you are removed from the source of contamination.

The reason for the title of this entry is because amongst all the research I've done, I've come to notice that almost everything in our house comes from another country, overwhelmingly from China. All of Nayeli's toys , with the exception of one book (which is from Taiwan), and many of her clothes & shoes are from China. Knowing that the lead could be coming from a toy led me to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission website (www.cpsc.gov) which lists all toy recalls for various violations, including lead-based paint violations, from 1973 to present. Since July 5, 2001 there have been easily over 200 KNOWN products that have been imported to the USA and manufactured mainly in China--anything from furniture to make-up to school supplies to clothes, but mainly children's toys, that have been recalled for lead-based paint violations. Why does the US ban the manufacture and distribution of lead-based products on its own soil, but then opens its trade doors wide open to flagrant and frequent violators of the laws put in place to protect our children's (and our) health? Only one reason--economics and capitalism, as in the pursuit of the all-mighty dollar at the expense and detriment of others.

I am not completely guiltless in this situation. I am just as guilty as the CEOs of those greedy corporations who outsource jobs and companies to China, in that I am always searching for rock bottom prices. I'm always in the pursuit of stretching that all-mighty dollar, knowingly purchasing items from other countries because it's cheaper and ignoring /denying the effect it has on my family, our health, the health of the Chinese workers, the environment, the global economy, etc. After all, times are tight and we have to look out for ourselves...right? As it turns out, you can only deny things for so long before it catches up with you, and in this case through the health of the most important thing in my world...my daughter.

So I just want everyone out there who took time to read this lengthy blog entry, that you don't just have to live in the Midwest or east to be aware and sensitive to the dangers of lead-based paint. I hate to sound like Fox News, but it can happen to any family, anywhere. Just beware of buying things on the cheap--they are cheap for a reason. After all, you get what you pay for.

More pics from the our summer adventures

2009-09-06T22:32:00.000-07:00

(Nayeli's first swimming pool experience was at Prescott Valley's community pool. It cost us $5 for us to swim in a really nice salt water pool. She wasn't quite sure if she liked it or not at first, but after getting accustomed to the water she loved it. Here she's with her tia Claudia at the shallow end.)

(Total daddy's girl if you can't tell by the picture!)

(Also a little diva....)

(Some more climbing shots.)

(Joe insisted that I put this one on the blog--wanted everyone to see his belaying skills!)

Claudia Does Prescott

2009-09-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

This past July my sister, Claudia, came to visit us in Prescott for 2 weeks! It was awesome to have her here and have her go through many of Nayeli's 1st experiences with us: Nayeli's 1st camping trip, Nayeli's 1st climbing excursion, Nayeli's 1st mountain lion sighting, Nayeli's 1st visit to a shooting range, Nayeli's 1st swim in a pool....do you like how I stuck the scary stuff in the middle of the list and ended with something relatively safe to distract you from it?:) Her 2 weeks here flew past, but it was great while it lasted. Here are just some pictures of our adventures:
(We took Claudia climbing at Boulderlands near Granite Mtn. and she was able to complete a pretty tough climb--also losing some skin in the process! Gotta love climbing!)

(This was Nayeli's first camping trip at Mingus Mountain campground. She did awesome! We had a pretty big animal visit our campsite in the evening while we were sleeping {it even sniffed our tents...we heard it's breathe} and Joe had to run out of our tent in his undies wielding his firearm in the dark...our hero!)

(Going anywhere with a child is no easy task! Just look at all the stuff we brought for one night of camping! We almost lost the baby amongst our pile of stuff...)

(Nayeli hanging out in the pack n' play at her first climbing excursion at the Promised Lands! As soon as we set up our spot, we heard and saw the shadow of a mountain lion above us! After giving Joe warning {he was setting up the climbs} he spotted the crazy cougar who then charged at Joe who had to use his trusty firearm to scare it off! We quickly repacked our things and high tailed it outta there looking over our shoulders every 30 seconds...)

(Nayeli is the picture of coolness even after hearing a mountain lion screech! She's just happy to be in the shade and out of that crazy backpack we always stuff her into!)

Father's Day Pictures

2009-07-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

So, here we are again playing catch up:) Wanted to share some cool Father's Day pictures with y'all! For Father's Day we traveled up to Flagstaff and took a ride on the Sky Ride, a chair lift normally for skiing Snow Bowl, the ski resort. During the summer, they allow people to ride up to the summit of Mt. Humphreys and it is SPECTACULAR! The pictures really don't do it justice. On that day we had the honor of being the very last people allowed on the lift and we were the only ones on the summit taking pictures. Afterwards, we strolled around downtown Flagstaff and ate an amazing dinner at a restaurant whose name escapes me, even though we eat there everytime we visit the area! All in all it was a fabulous day and we thoroughly enjoyed introducing Nayeli to magnificent vistas of Arizona and to Flagstaff!(The Devine-Benitez Family at the top of Arizona! We're the King & Queens of the Mountain!)

(It was 34 degrees at the top of the Mtn. so Nayeli had to be bundled like a snowbaby.)

(Trying to let my hair down and look casual, but really I'm cold & I have to pee.)

(The summit is over 12,000 ft. above sea level--this was the last sign on the lift before getting off.)

(Baby Nayeli takes almost everything in stride. She was totally mellow on the ride up--it was mom that was freaking out that we'd get stuck on the lift, or a bee would sting Joe who would accidentally let go off Nayeli, or we'd get hit by lightening, or....any other impossible scenario that could occur!)

Our life revolves around...

2009-05-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Nayeli! I think we should just rename this blog to Nayeli's World because that's all I can seem to write about! We really do do other things besides take pictures of our child, I swear! I'm currently back in real estate helping my good friends buy their first home in the Prescott area. There are so many new financing programs for first time home buyers and so many foreclosures that, if you have the savings, good credit, and steady job, it really is a terrific time to buy a home in this area.

Ok, back to what's really interesting...here are some more cute pictures of Nayeli! :)

(Just lounging around in my PJs.)

(Mom & Gypsy tag team kissing me!)

(Look! I can stick out my tongue!)

(I love my exersaucer!)

(Looking like a duck after my bath.)

Random Pictures...

2009-05-25T10:47:00.000-07:00

We just love this little human being so much...sometimes we feel like just hugging and kissing her to pieces!(I get love from my daddy all the time! I'm definitely a daddy's girl!)

(I get love from my momma too! I love it when she kisses my ears and cheeks!)

(I can sit up almost all by myself! Sometimes I need a little help though...)

(Look at my baby push-up! The yoga mat's sticky mat sure helps me get a grip. Now all I need is to get my legs under me so that I can start to crawl and raise some havoc!)

(The family all dressed up at Kestrel's graduation! This picture of us all dressed up is as rare as the endangered snow leopard!)

School's Out for Summer! School's Out Forever! (Well, almost...)

2009-05-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

We're free! Yipee! Well, Joe is at least, and I'm only free for one week until I have to go back to teach summer school. Our last official day of school was this past Thursday and I don't think I've ever seen the teachers as excited! Now that there's extra time I don't have to play catch up on the blog, at least until June 1.
Here's what's happened thus far:
Nayeli started eating solids! She's a big fan of eating rice cereal. Pretty soon here we'll be feeding her fruits & vegetables and we'll be sure to have a camera on hand for those reactions!
(Yummy! I'm a slave to the spoon! I go into a trance when it is near my mouth....!)

(I'm certainly my daddy's daughter because I finish all my food and then I yell for some more!)

Last week, Joe took his Wilderness class out camping & hiking and Nayeli and I were left to fend for ourselves. Our neighbor, Betty, came to tell me not to go into my carport because she saw a snake slither into it and she wasn't sure if it was a rattle snake or a bull snake. I went down a couple of times with a flashlight to see if I could see it, but no luck. I could hear it though--the snake was big enough to move Joe's 19 foot fiberglass sea kayak around, which was enough to send me and Nayeli running back up our stairs. A professional snake wrangler came to remove the snake and he said that it was the biggest snake he's seen thus far in the season. He guestimated that it was around 6'6'' long when it wasn't constricted. Here are some cool shots of it:

Easter!

2009-04-24T20:35:00.001-07:00

Easter was pretty mellow for us. We hung out at home and grilled out for dinner. Even though we didn't do anything super special I couldn't help but dress up Nayeli for Easter--it was a perfect excuse and a perfect day to put her in a cute little dress and take some adorable pictures.(Me and Nayeli doing up-side down Eskimo kisses--those Eskimos sure know how to kiss!)

(Since we didn't go to church for Easter, I had Nayeli say a little prayer anyway! Actually, she was just looking at the butterfly mobile above her head--but I bet you wouldn't have known the difference if I didn't tell ya!)

(Since we already Eskimo kissed, Gypsy wanted to remind Nayeli how to French kiss! For an English breed, Iowa born dog she sure likes this French custom a lot!)

(This is my favorite! In this picture she really looks like me when I was her age!)

Pictures to make you smile :)

2009-04-24T19:46:00.000-07:00

(Gypsy also got in on the fun at the park. Believe it or not she went down the slide all by herself and loved it!)
(Check out that perfect sliding technique & form!)

(Nayeli going for the Guiness Book of World Records by trying to fit her whole fist in her mouth.)

(Nayeli looking very cherub-like after a bath. Oh yeah--this one's going to be trouble when she gets older!)

Ceasr Chavez Day

2009-04-24T19:25:00.000-07:00

This was the day that we went to Granite Creek Park to celebrate Cesar Chavez Day--a Mexican-American activist that formed the Migrant Farmer's Union and fought to improve the quality of life and working conditions of migrant farmers. We met our friends, the Arias family at the park, and had a little fun ourselves on the playset!(Nayeli's first ride down the slide--well, actually it would be her first scootch because Joe got stuck at the top of the slide and did the butt scootch all the way down!)

(The Arias Family: Jose, Marta, Martita, & baby Victoria)

(Brrrrrr....it was cold for us Arizonans! It was a whole 50 degrees out!)

(What a sassy little baby with her pink patent fuzzy boots and mini skirt!) (A different day a different outfit to show off, but still that same smile!)

Long Time No Post

2009-04-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

Howdy Everyone!

It's been a loooooong time since I've been able to get online and update the blog. We were out of interent access at our house for over one month--I was going through serious withdrawl too including the shivers and crabbiness!

So here are some pictures from the past couple of weeks in no particular order (mainly because I no longer have any short term memory and can't remember which pictures come first chronologically.) (Baby Push-ups! Already she can do more than I can!)

(Trying to save $$$. Which includes haircuts at home for Gypsy....Joe giving her a "Brazilian" trim on our patio (she wouldn't come near him the rest of the day after this.)

(Nayeli can be very suspicious of the camera at times....this is one of her more serious faces!)

(Gypsy teaching Nayeli how to French kiss!)

(Doing the Hokie Pokie at story hour at the library.)

The Many Faces of Nayeli

2009-03-17T09:32:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was another magnificent day in Arizona. We took great advantage of the day and went for a very long walk through a local trail in town. These pictures were taken on the trail when Nayeli woke up from her nap due to how bumpy it was. Joe and I are so very lucky to have not only a healthy daughter, but a sweet one at that who's disposition is very much like her father's--mellow and good-natured. She's laughing and giggling more and more each day and we spend our days trying to figure out what will make her laugh. It's become almost a competition between Joe and I: who can make Nayeli laugh the most? Joe discovered that she loves it when he kisses her belly all the way up to her neck and this makes her giggle. I discovered that when I hide out of sight and "spring" back into her line of sight while making a "spring" noise like "BOING" this makes her laugh hysterically. She also loves it when you pretend to eat her feet! The thing she enjoys the most, where I have a good advantage over Joe, is when someone sings to her. She likes anything and everything. I got her to smile in these pictures just by singing "Vacation," by the Go-Gos. Go figure....maybe babys need a vacation too?

More River Pics

2009-03-08T15:44:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to post some more river pics from yesterday. Enjoy!

Thumb Butte Hike

2009-03-08T15:11:00.000-07:00

Late post--

With spring in the air, Joe and I are taking more weekend trips with Nayeli to fully maximize the marvelous weather we Arizona's are blessed with. Last weekend our adventure was hiking up Thumb Butte! For those of you who don't know, Thumb Butte is a local Prescott mini-mountain and landmark. Along with Granite Mountain, it makes up the natural skyline of our town. It's a very popular hiking trail, but it is NOT easy. On the way up it has an 18% grade and on the way down it has a 9% grade and the elevation change is 500 feet in less than 1 mile! On this day we decided to take the stroller with us so that Nayeli could nap, completely forgetting that physics was against us in this scenario! Who knew that pushing a stroller up a mountain could be so difficult? Apparently the many hikers we saw on the way up knew and we were told several times that we were brave for taking on such a challenge--in retrospect I think more stupid than brave! Anyway, it was an incredible workout and I couldn't feel my butt or calves for a couple of days after. Gypsy also got her workout in! We clipped her to the stroller a couple of times and, like a sled dog, "mushed" her up the steep parts of the trail effectively pulling the stroller behind her. She may be a little dog but she sure does have a lot of heart! A couple of people did give us dirty looks when they saw this--I imagine they probably thought it was doggie abuse or something. Hey, even though she's a Yorkie her ancestors are wolves so she's quite capable of doing things besides wearing sweaters and hanging out in purses! (At the beginning of the trail: happy, oblivious, & sweat-free!) (They call me upper management--I supervise all the hard work while I lounge & nap. This is the good life!)

(Alfalfa's got nothing on me! I worked this hairdo all over Thumb Butte!) (Us: "Mush, Gypsy Mush! Yorkie Power!" Gypsy: "I think I can, I think I can.")

(See, we're not complete slave drivers! Gypsy hitching a ride on the stroller with Nayeli in between mushing sessions.)

River Rat Family

2009-03-08T13:51:00.000-07:00

We took Nayeli on her 1st rafting trip down a section of the Verde River yesterday. Our friend Kevin, and his sister Laura, joined us on our little adventure. It was a beautiful sunny day with very few people on this section of the river. This is the time for running Arizona's rivers because the snow will soon be all melted and the rivers will become little creeks--unrunable by raft or kayak. So we had to make sure that Nayeli got a taste of river life and the outdoor adventures to come with her crazy parents.

Before you call Child Protective Services on us know that for safety we made sure that Nayeli had her infant PFD on at all times. We considered putting the car seat in the raft with her in it, but we nixed that plan thinking that the car seat would not float in case of a freak accident. So we put her in an action packer (a sturdy tote) that we tied to the raft and built her a little nest inside for her comfort. She thoroughly enjoyed the ride and was in and out of sleep for the trip. She especially liked the little rapids (class 1 at the most) we went through--on the last one she got sprayed in the face by some water, which woke her from her beauty sleep with a funny jump and but not one peep! She was such a trooper! I made sure to put lots of natural sunscreen on her face, but even so she got a funny pacifier tanline around her mouth...we need to get her a wide brimmed hat for these trips in the intense Arizona sun.

We also visited some Anasazi cliff dwellings that are off the river. The only time Nayeli became upset was when we put her in the Kangaroo sling to climb up to the dwellings....she does not like the Kangaroo sling at all....I think it's because she's not used to her arms and legs dangling in the air.

All in all it was such a fun trip and it has Joe and I already planning for next weekend's outdoor adventure with our girl--do you think summitting Mt. Humphrey's would be too much for a baby?
(Kevin holding Nayeli-- her PFD makes her look like a Ninja Turtle!)
(Nice & Comfy in my box with my turtle shell on.)
(The epitomy of safety! Hey, didn't baby Moses get sent down some river in a box too?)

(Our fearless & capable sternsman.)

(Lunch break on the river. Check out Gypsy in this pic--she's got great balance!)

Sisters from another Mister

2009-02-16T10:59:00.000-08:00

I believe that a truce has happened in our home, between Gypsy and Nayeli (the proof is in the picture.) I know we've taken other pictures of the two of them together, but they've never been taken willingly by Gypsy--yes, I know we are frauds for staging pictures for our blog! Yesterday, while taking pictures of Nayeli in her outfits Gypsy jumped on the bed and lied as close to her as I've seen her do! This morning, after feeding and changing Nayeli, I put her down on the bed next to Gypsy and she started giving Nayeli's head a thorough tongue bath--it was priceless, especially Nayeli's look of surprise on her face. So after 2 and a half months, Gyspy has finally come to accept her hairless, two legged sister as one of her pack. Who knows, maybe she'll even become a surrogate momma to Nayeli? She can take over feedings when I'm too tired! heehee Such a shame to have 9 nipples go to waste! :)

(Can't we all just get along? We finally are!)

(Found this outfit and the one below at a resale clothing store in Prescott Valley! Nayeli's now ready to go camping with us and doing it in style with her pink long johns and kitty kat hat. She loves it when I sing the Meow Mix song while putting on her hat. BTW: this whole outfit only cost $3!)(Nayeli's ready to paint her daycare red with her "Tea" peach wrap shirt and her "Bon Bebe" floral pants with flower detailing at the hem. Of course, no baby's outfit is complete without a flash of color as seen in her fabulous purple headband. You go girl and show your stuff on that baby runway! (hehehe Ok, I'm going a little nuts cuz I just typed all that out with a RuPaul voiceover in my head.)

(This is too cute! Don't they just have the same look of surprise on their faces? Like father, like daughter.)

(This picture didn't come out the sharpest but it's still heartwarming. This is the book aunt Kelli gave us for X-Mas and it makes me want to cry everytime we read it to her--can't tell if it's still the hormones or what. She loves being read to and follows along with her eyes....although here I think she's rooting for Joe's nipple!)

Peavine Trail Hike Pictures

2009-02-09T21:18:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post some more pictures of our lovely 6 mile hike on the Peavine Trail with Christen and Marcella. Just to make the midwesterners jealous: on the day of our hike it was 60 degrees and sunny! I'm a licensed Realtor and can help with your move to the southwest--so give me a call when you shake off your insanity and want to move down here to permanently defrost. (A backwards hat makes any baby look like a bad ass! Even in dad's arms...)

(Nayeli smiling at her papa--although because of the delay on the camera I couldn't quite capture the moment:(

(Marcella and Gypsy taking a breather and posing on the rocks like pros!)

(Mom pictures are very rare b/c we're usually the ones taking the pictures.)

(At the parking lot at the start of our hike--Nayeli screaming her head off and Marcella as calm as can be with Elmo.)

All Hail To Christen & Marcella!

2009-02-09T20:56:00.000-08:00

(Nayeli and Marcella: BFFs already, just like their mamas!) (Marcella, before our hike, with her Elmo Doll--which she loves with such a passion!)

(What a cutie pie! Marcella in her baby Patagonia hoody making faces at her mom!)

(Chris and Marcella enjoying zuchini fritters at our baby dinner party their 1st night in town.)

So the beginning of February marks many beginnings and endings, among them is the farewell to one of my best friends, Christen, and her baby, Marcella. Chris and Ella came to Prescott to help Joe and I take care of Nayeli for the final two weeks before she had to go into daycare. They were not only amazing help, but amazing company as well. We've been SO spoiled by the help of so many people that it will most definitely be a rougher transition into the real world without them. Chris is an amazing cook and she exposed me to some new dinner recipes that I will try to incorporate into our dinner routine. Among them were quiche, enchiladas, pasta with bolognese sauce, and sloppy joes (although I didn't quite learn how to make this one but I'm sure I'll be calling for the recipe soon because it was Joe's favorite: Sloppy Joes for a sloppy Joe:) ) heehee

Although we didn't get to do many things (work just gets in the way of life!), we still had a lot of fun working out, going for a hike, taking Marcella to her first swim in a pool, watching movies, cooking, and catching up on the good ol' days of high school! We will forever be in debt to Chris and Marcella for coming to visit and help us out, as well as James, Chris's husband, who let us borrow his wife and daughter for two straight weeks! We love you guys and miss you already.

Busy as Bees...Bzzzzz

2009-01-24T21:45:00.000-08:00

This past week my sister Claudia and her main squeeze Rob came to visit us in Prescott and to help us babysit Nayeli while we continued our transition back to our normal work schedule. They were passed the baton from my mom whom left as they arrived, and even though they had big shoes to fill they were awesome! Thanks Claudia and Rob for your great company and help--we owe you one.

After having an awesome breakfast at our favorite breakfast place, the Dinner Bell, we took Nayeli on her 1st hike ever last Sunday. Joe made like a mamma kangaroo and carried Nayeli in his man pouch down the Woodchute Trail on Mingus Mountain. We didn't get very far because, as you can see in the picture, the trail was covered with snow and ice and it was super slippery. So instead we drove down to Jerome and hung out there window shopping. Her first hike was short, but fun.

We got this super duper fabulous backpack from my old job, The Women's Wilderness Institute. It's one of those where you can stick your kid in it, as well as all your hiking and baby supplies, and carry everything on your back with amazing comfort. We got a little too excited to take her in it on her first hike, but we were quickly brought back to reality when we realized that she still couldn't ride in it because of her loosey goosey neck. Joe wanted to put her in some type of neck brace so that she could ride in it (silly papa!), but I didn't feel that whiplash would be a good thing....we opted for the baby sling instead. We can't wait until she can ride in this pack though--she's going to see some amazing Arizona spots from that vantage point!

I went to a reunion of my 1st birthing class, Birthing From Within. It was a chance to get together and process the birth experience and introduce the babies to one another. On the left are Eric, Amy, and baby Eden (who was born the day after Nayeli.) On the right are Matt, Jill, and baby George (who was born 5 weeks before both of the girls.) It was so much fun to hang out as parents and share stories. The babies are so cute and I'm looking forward to watching them grow up as Nayeli's friends. (Joe wasn't there that day because he ditched us to go kayaking with Rob on the Verde River!)

Here's a picture of the babies all together--they didn't drink their V8s that day and that's why they are all leaning to one side or the other!

Time Flies Like No Other!

2009-01-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

(Grandma and me chillin' like villains.)

(I am such a cuddle bug--especially with my papa.)

(What can I say....I love my hats and posing in them!)

(Such an angel!)

(Mom carried me for 9 months--it's dad's turn now!)

In 10 days Nayeli will be 2 months old and I'm in shock with how fast time passes by...it's especially more noticeable now that we have her as a measuring tool and not just our wrinkles and sagging body parts!

Things have been SO hectic around here that it's hard to take a breath and take it all in. I keep thinking that tomorrow I'll be able to slow down and process it all, but I'm coming to realize that life as a mom may never really allow me to do that. I might have to get used to taking it all in while juggling 10 other things as well, just like eating while driving while talking on the cell phone (not the safest thing to do but sometimes it's gotta be done!)

I went back to work for the first time since Nayeli was born last week on Monday. It felt like I had swallowed a jar of butterflies with how nervous I was. Things went well and I'm back on track with teaching--although I am now the spaciest teacher at the school with sleep deprivation as my new friend. I'm also on track with an exercise program to get my bootay back in shape--I'll let you know how it goes especially since my friend sleep deprivation likes to mingle with my other friend donut cravings!

On another note, my mom came to Prescott to help me transition back to work. She stayed with us for two weeks & was the most incredible help EVER! Needless to say we are going to miss her and her bomb diggity dinners.

Sleep Deprivation is a B&@ch!

2008-12-14T22:20:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was my 1st weekend alone with Nayeli and Gypsy. Joe took students from his wilderness class to Arizona Hot Springs all day Friday and Saturday. So while he was soaking in hot springs and boating down the Colorado River, I was getting up every 2 hours to feed the black hole that is Nayeli's stomach and calming her from her all-day and all-night fussiness (Do I sound bitter right now?) I got a total of maybe 3.5 hours of sleep (all interrupted) on Friday night, which only brought out the Incredible Hulk in me. You did NOT want to be near me on Saturday...I didn't even want to be near me on Saturday! I know that everyone and their mother has told me that you get very little sleep with a newborn, but I always thought I would handle it more gracefully than I am. I am definitely open to suggestions from my veteran parent friends and family as to how to be more "Dalai Lama" about the lack of sleep. Just a couple of hours of sleep can mean the difference between viewing parenthood as a total conspiracy to suck the life out of a person and a total joy and miracle. I say this because on Sunday morning, after I fed Nayeli, Joe took her into the living room and gave me the gift (it was truly a miraculous gift!) of 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep! I woke up refreshed, happy, loving, and energized--the complete opposite of what I was on Saturday. What's funny is that never before being a mom would I have ever considered 4 hours of sleep as refreshing! Anyway, Joe redeemed himself for having left me alone with a ravenous & hysterical baby & a sick dog (oh yeah, did I mention that Gypsy was also puking all over the place.) Moral of the story: Never let your partner leave the house so they can always be there to relieve you so that you can take naps!

Oh, and here are some other cute pictures of our family:

(Looking like an Oompa Loompa in my hat & chillin' in my swing!)

(Eyes wide open & calm...at least for a short while.)

(Dad loving on me 'cuz I'm super cute in my new pink pajama suit!)

(Can't a girl just burp in peace without the paparazzi breathing down my neck!)

(Please help! A dwarf human has stollen all the attention at my home and my mom & dad have forgotten all about me! Send extra TLC a.s.a.p.)

The Milky Way, Good Bye Grandma Lucy & Baby's 1st Bath

2008-12-05T22:44:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to announce that the Anna Dairy is now open for business! I have eschewed my teaching job in order to go into the milk production and distribution industry full time. What can I say--it's a great experience but I think I'll have to have a talk with my supervisor, Nayeli, about the crazy hours and lack of vacation time! As you can see from the picture above, she really likes to delegate the work and then lays around with her arms crossed on MY chest--I mean talk about taking advantage of the situation!

"Grandmas hold our tiny hands for just a little while, but our hearts forever."
On another note, my mom (a.k.a. Grandma Lucy) left to go back to Chicago on Wednesday. She had stayed with us for one week and I was very sad to see her go. Not only was she great company but she was tons of help as well. It's funny to think about how much I needed my mom as I was learning to become a mom. I'm really grateful and blessed to have her love and support, especially during the past week--she wasn't able to have her mom, or any help besides my dad, around after my sister was born and I can't even imagine how hard that must have been for her! It was awesome to see my mom doting & loving on her first grand-daughter. It's so exciting to envision their future relationship together because my mom will have so many great things to share and pass onto Nayeli, lessons that I learned as well thru her that will be better appreciated a second time around. Anyway, thanks mom for all your help and your love. We love you very much and miss you already!

Last but not least we'd like to share pictures of Nayeli's first bath. We held off for a while bathing her as part of the hazing ritual that comes with being a member of our hippie family. Really we were just waiting for her umbilical cord to fall off which happened yesterday night. BTW: Does anyone know how to store an umbilical cord? We'd like to keep it to use as a humiliation tactic for when she become a teenager! Nayeli's first bath was definitely a team effort between Joe and I. Who knew we'd need so much coordination and strategy when dealing with a tiny newborn? As it turns out babies are slippery when wet and new parents are quite awkward when dealing with wet, slippery newborns that wail like an ambulance during their first bath! To our surprise, Nayeli did not become the dolphin we expected her to be during her bath. I'm sure that her father is not going to stop trying to convince her that she must LOVE the water--after all she does have a pink kayak waiting for her to grow into and kayaks are NOT used on dry land. She did smell like baby heaven afterwards (thanks Burt's Bees) and then passed out for a long time due to the exhaustion from such a traumatic event. Needless to say, we look forward to further traumatizing our daughter with water until she grows gills (or so says her papa!)

Here are just some other adorable pictures we'd like to share with you:

(Papa doing a good job burping me--no sailor has anything on my burps!)

(Mom and I singing a duet: We're practicing to take our show to Vegas.)

(Grandma Lucy made this headband for me and now I'm too sassy for this blog!)

Beautiful Nayeli Sol Devine

2008-12-01T20:17:00.001-08:00

It is with great joy and pride that Joe and I introduce to you our new daughter, Nayeli Sol! She was born on November 26 at 3:39 am in Cottonwood, Arizona. She was only 4 hours away from being born on her papa's birthday, which was the 25th, but instead she was born on her cousin Tessa Devine's birthday! November truly is a blessed month with the celebration of Thanksgiving, giving thanks for all blessings in our lives including the cool people born this month!

Nayeli was born at the hospital after many, many hours of trying to birth her at home. I started having contractions at 3 am on November 25th. The midwife and her assistants came over to the home at 8am and by 4 pm I was fully dilated and ready to push. So for the next 5-6 hours I pushed and pushed and pushed Nayeli down to as far as she would go. I eventually ran out of energy & stamina (I had only 3 hours of sleep before the contractions started and kept me up) and had to be transported to Verde Valley Medical Center where I pushed for many more hours until the doctor offered to use the forceps to help deliver Nayeli because she was obviously stuck. Apparently the infamous Devine head was stuck under my pelvic bone and wouldn't allow her free passage! With a couple of tugs from the doctor she was finally born into our wonderful world--all 7 lbs. 13 oz. of her! She is a total doll and we love her so much already--sometimes it feels our hearts will explode with all the love we feel for this little girl! We very much look forward to introducing her to all of our beloved family and friends and creating special and loving memories with her.

It's Officially Official

2008-11-10T21:27:00.000-08:00

As far as the law is concerned, Joe and I are officially hitched! I know it may seem like a shotgun union, but to us it's just a formality--in our mind, and in the eyes of all states that recognize common-law unions, we've been married for four years. But now we have the license to back us up in case of any medical or family emergencies. It's a shame that in so many states the same right isn't extended to same-sex couples. We really wanted to get a license in California, where up until one week ago they granted same-sex couples the right to marry, because to us equality for all is an important part of our belief system and it's something we want to pass onto Nayeli. Unfortunately, Proposition 8 was accepted by a little more than half of California's population, so there went our chance to get a license in a state not tainted by prejudice....we know that in Arizona same-sex unions would not be allowed because of how conservative this state is. We hope that we can still play some form of activist role in the future in this matter, but for now we had to do what was most practical for us and get the "piece of paper" in Prescott.

Oh, by the way, feel free to send any congratulatory gifts via USPS, FedEx, or UPS to our home and/or make out all personal checks to Joseph Devine & Anna Benitez:) LOL hehehehe

The Birthing Corner

2008-11-08T18:47:00.001-08:00

Today was spent getting the rest of our birthing supplies ready and prepared for D-Day (the delivery day.) The picture above is of Joe blowing up the birthing pool, which has a sea theme going around it. I guess since we can't have the baby in the ocean, this would be the next best thing! Among the supplies we had to get are the following: wash clothes, batteries & flashlight, a fish/kitchen strainer, sea salt, bleach, Castor oil, tarps, garden hose, faucet adaptor, toilet paper & paper towels, garbage bags, super glue, stew pan, big towels, a bucket, Gatorade, and a ferret....just kidding about that last one:) Sounds like a list that McGuyver would request to build an airplane or something!

The other picture is of my birth corner up and ready--well almost. I'm not really liking the symmetry of the hanging sarongs from the ceiling, but I figured that I better save some stuff to do for my labor project during early labor. It was a lot of fun getting things ready. I have some birth art that Joe and I did in one of our birthing classes hanging from one wall. On the mirrors I have some positive affirmations written to remind Joe of what to say to me when I'm screaming and cursing at him for causing me so much pain:) It's really nice to be able to have a say in how your environment is during labor. The goal is to surround ourselves with as much positive and comforting energy as possible--what a great way to birth and to bring Nayeli into this crazy world!

37 weeks and counting

2008-11-07T19:30:00.000-08:00

So this past Wednesday marked 37 weeks of pregnancy! Yipee! Our midwife, Paula, stated after checking me that she thought I would probably be another week to a week-and-a-half until I gave birth...apparently I went from 1/2 cms. dilated to 2 cms. in just 7 days, the baby had dropped substantially, and my cervix was even more effaced than the norm. So Joe and I went into overdrive today getting things ready for Nayeli--buying a hose to run hot water from the bathroom to the birthing tub, getting towels together, disinfecting & cleaning our home, etc. We get our birth tub this weekend and we're going to set it up and try it out before the birth, like a rehearsal birth:)

This Sunday we will also be having a "Family Blessing" sponsored by our school's director, Sue, and our very good friend and co-worker, Sarah Eastman. I am so excited to have a little party and to hang out with good friends and co-workers. We'll definitely take many pictures and share them with you all on the blog. In the meantime, here are some more belly pictures, as well as some pictures of Joe getting an orientation on a game called W.O.W.--this means I probably won't see him until Nayeli's birth:)

T.G.I.F.!!!

2008-10-10T21:35:00.001-07:00

So we thought we'd share with you what our dorky selves like to do on a weekend night...

First off, we made a killer soup. It's my first time making soup from scratch--lame I know! The recipe is from my mom and it came out yummy, but not as yummy as hers--I'll never cook as amazing as she does. My soup included the following: lentils, brown rice, broccoli, onions, garlic, green peppers, potatoes, chicken stock, water, fresh parsley, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, and Adobo seasoning! We have leftovers now for about one week--thank goodness it's tasty and healthy!

Afterwards we rocked out to Rock Band--"Devine" on the guitar and "Lola" (that's me) on the microphone! The pic is of us jammin' to "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs! (We really are such dorks!)

Late Post for September

2008-10-10T00:23:00.000-07:00

Alright, so we are playing catch up with our posts if you can't tell! We're on fall break from school and finally have time to do some things on our giant "TO DO" list, which includes this blogging business.

Anyway, we wanted to share with you how we spent out Labor Day weekend. We had a fabulous weekend getaway to San Antonio, TX to visit Josh, Cortney, Tessa, Molly, baby Max, & Jasper. Thank you so much Texan Devines for putting up with us for an entire weekend, which included making awesome gourmet meals, entertaining us with trips to the pool & Riverwalk, and teaching us about the benefits of playing Guitar Hero until 1 in the morning! We really did have a great time with them and, as always, it was hard to leave family. Our highlights definitely were grilling Josh & Cort about our upcoming baby journey, seeing just how much the girls have grown, and meeting cute-as-a-button Max! They definitely will be receiving many phone calls from us once Nayeli has arrived as they are true veterans to this crazy thing called parenthood!

Late Post for August

2008-10-10T00:14:00.000-07:00

My parent's came to visit us in Prescott in August to celebrate my dad's 100th birthday--yeah he looks really good for his age (he gives all credit to Oil of Olay!) We had lots of fun with them as we usually do, but their trip was way too short....Vegas called them for a couple of days after Prescott.

Just wanted to post some pictures of his birthday celebration at Casa Bonita in Prescott Valley.

My First Pictures

2008-08-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

We'd first like to start by welcoming you, our esteemed guest, to our blog! We finally got our butts in gear, at least for a day, to do this--we've been talking about doing a blog forever! Our short and long term memories are not as good as they used to be and we figured this would be a great way to help us remember the small and big things in life, as well as catch you up on what's been going on with us.

The biggest news we have to share is that we are expecting our first baby on Thanksgiving Day! It's a girl and we're excited to share the name that we've chosen for her, which is Nayeli Sol Devine. Her 1st name means "I love you" in Zapotec, which is a Mexican Native American dialect. Her 2nd name means "sun" in Spanish. Yeah, yeah we know we're hippies at heart:)

These are her first ultrasound pictures that were taken. I know you can't see much of anything--just squint your eyes and tilt your head, kind of like a Magic Eye, and maybe you'll be able to see her! We hope you enjoy our blog and we look forward to keeping it as up-to-date as possible, which keeps you as up-to-date on us as possible! Hugs to everyone!