Welcoming Luca - A Labor of Love

On July 10, Luca Alexander Batista decided he wanted to meet us!  He was almost 3 weeks early, and he was on the small side (5 lbs, 5 oz, 19 inches).  I'm so glad he came when he did.  This entire pregnancy, I was very thankful for the ability to be pregnant, and that God chose to give us a child, but I did not enjoy being pregnant.  I think you can be thankful for something without loving every second of it, and that's exactly how I felt!  Being pregnant 3 weeks less than I was expecting to was a nice surprise, even though we were so unprepared.  The day before I had decided I needed to go ahead and pack a hospital bag.  But did I?  Of course not!  I had 3 weeks left!  If you know me at all, you know I don't do anything sooner than the day before it needs to be done.  Some call it procrastination... I like to put a positive spin on it and call it "working well under pressure." :)

The one thing I did do that day was make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, which would come in very handy after delivery since I hadn't eaten anything.  The doctor even ate some (after he had cleaned up and come back to check on me).  I told him he could have one, even though I thought even offering was gross considering everything that had just gone down in the delivery room.  But he took one and then took another, because he said they were yummy.  If I say so myself, I do make a mean oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.

7:30 am
Thursday, July 10 started out like a normal day for us.  I had one of my weekly doctor appointments, and Alex didn't have to go to work until noon so we were going about each of our morning routines.  As I was getting ready, my water broke.  Alex was outside with the dogs, and I ran through the house and yelled to him, "I think my water just broke!  Yeah, it definitely did!"  Then I proceeded to run around the house like a chicken with its head cut off.  I thought I had my wits about me, because I even thought to grab the iphone charger and throw it in a bag with a few other random things, but hours later when my phone died, I realized I had grabbed an ipad charger.  Sigh.  But as it turns out, labor is terribly painful, so I wouldn't so much be needing a phone or really anything other than the labor and delivery nurse and my husband's hand to squeezefor the next few hours.

8:00 am
When we got to the doctor's office, they checked to make sure my water had indeed broken (but first they had me wait in the waiting room for a little bit... looking like I'd peed my pants about 4 times... awesome).  They confirmed that yes, it had broken, but I was nowhere near going into labor, and since my blood pressure was pretty high, I would need to be induced, and that it would most likely be a slow labor, 24 hours or more.  I remembered somewhere in the recesses of my mind other women mentioning that being induced can make contractions worse since they don't start naturally.  But I quickly pushed that aside and reminded myself, "You're getting an epidural as soon as they'll let you.  It will be fine."  To say I was unprepared for the way my labor would happen is an understatement!

Me, before labor really started.  I was
texting a picture of my new haircut
to my friend Rachel :)

They assured us it would be a while, so we decided that before anything really started happening, it would be best if Alex went home, let the dogs out, and grabbed some things that we might need as the day went on.  I told him to eat something good, but under no circumstance should he tell me what he ate or talk about it in any way when he came back, and I would just pretend he was going without food like me :)

11:00 am
Before Alex got back I started having contractions.  "These aren't so bad," I naively thought to myself.  "I'm just a little crampy.  It's kind of cool that they're already coming 5 minutes apart."  Let's just say I was 100% not mentally prepared for labor.  Not. At. All.  Alex got back shortly after they started, and we just talked a little bit and waited some more.


1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
My contractions got more and more uncomfortable.  The nurse checked to see how far along I was around 3:00 pm.  I was only 1 cm dilated, so she said (again) that it was going to be a LONG day.  I asked about the epidural, since I knew I wanted one and the contractions were starting to get more uncomfortable (side note:  if you can describe them as "uncomfortable," they aren't as bad as they're going to get... I had no idea).  They explained to me they don't like patients to get an epidural yet when they aren't very far along, because that can slow down labor, and my labor was already going to progress very slowly (I think they jinxed me by saying that SO MUCH).  I agreed and decided I could tough it out a little longer, since that was their recommendation.  Now I know to be more assertive for next time.

4:00 pm
It got bad really really quickly.  Like, the nurse had to get in my face to yell at me to stop panicking, because I wasn't breathing and I just couldn't deal with what was happening.  So, through this terrible pain, I was thinking, "I must be a total wimp, how can it be this bad when I'm only 1 cm??"  They still wouldn't give me the epidural, but I did get some of the IV pain meds that don't do too much except make you really loopy, but at the time, it was enough to help me calm down at least.

5:30 pm
The IV medicine wore off and the contractions were SO BAD.  I have never felt pain like that.  I asked for more of the IV meds.  The nurse said, "Well, we can give you more, but it doesn't usually work as well the second time."  I asked about the epidural again, and she said she'd have to check to see how far along I was, which she didn't want to do because of the risk of infection.  I don't know if I eventually just wore her down, or if  she was tired of me freaking out from the pain, but a little while later, she said, "I'll check again, but you probably won't be very far along."

6:00 pm
So, she proceeds to check to see how far along I am.  When she finishes, she doesn't say anything right away, and she starts getting a lot of stuff in the room moved around.  Then she says, "Well.  You're 9 cm, almost 10, so I'm going to get the doctor so you can start pushing."  Um, excuse me?  This whole time, you guys have been telling me I can't get the epidural because it would slow my labor down, and I ended up going through everything without one??  I was in too much pain to be frustrated.  And then I said, "Can I have the epidural now at least?"  The nurse told me I had already gone through the most painful part of labor without it, but if I still wanted it they would call the anesthesiologist.  I didn't think I had the mental ability and physical strength to push while also in that much pain, so I asked for the epidural anyway.  It's easy now to say I wish I hadn't gotten one, but honestly, I know it was the right decision for me, in the amount of pain I was in.

**Side Note:  The nurse was awesome, and she would hold my hand and breathe with me through contractions, since I wasn't mentally prepared for a natural childbirth.  She was a total gift from God for my labor experience!**

6:30 - 7:00 pm
So, they called for an epidural.  Don't tell a woman in the end stages of labor that the anesthesiologist will be there in 1 minute, when in fact, it will take him 15 minutes.  That's 15 contractions.  So, finally they had to call a second anesthesiologist, because the first one never came, and they gave me the epidural.  It helped my contractions in just a few minutes.  Unfortunately, it didn't exactly go... everywhere it needed to.  So they had to readjust some things and we waited another 15 minutes.  Basically, my left side and leg were totally dead, and the right side pretty much felt everything.  At that point I didn't even care, I just wanted to be done.  Apparently, I wasn't the best at pushing, and they had to use a vacuum to get Luca out.  The doctor said I was a couple of seconds away from having to have a C-section (I had preeclampsia, and he needed to be delivered pretty much right when he was).   I'm so thankful he came out when he did, at exactly the right moment!  I'm fine with a C-section, but if I ever have one, I would prefer it to be planned and not after hours of labor!

7:26 pm
Luca Alexander Batista is born!  :)

After he is all cleaned up and back in our room!

Holding him for the first time!  :)

All of these specific details of labor and delivery are important to me, and I wanted to write them here to remember them.  But the best and most important part is that Luca was born, he was/is healthy, and I made it through something I've been afraid of pretty much my whole adult life.  God is faithful to help us in our fear and pain (physical and otherwise).

My heart is full of thankfulness!  And wisdom for next time!  :)

Our little sweetie pie on his first day with us :)

Alex getting to know Luca.  He's such a good Papa!

My Best Frenemy. Food.

I've always lived to eat.  My vacations with my best friends (and now with my husband) consist of planning out the new restaurants we will visit, and then we fill up the time in between meals with talking and maybe planning a thing or two (including where our next meal will be).  I live to eat... until recently.

The last 3 months since we found out we were expecting our baby have been super backwards for me.  Not to say I haven't been eating all the time, because I definitely have!  But I don't want anything.  I'm mostly eating because I have found out the hard way that not eating makes me feel even worse.  In the beginning of my pregnancy, I had a constant slideshow of food running through my brain.  I would just let each picture pass through my brain, saying, "Gross.  Gross.  Gross.  Ooh, maybe.  Ew, never mind.  Gross..." until I finally found something that I thought might not make me sick.  So, food became a frenemy.  Sad times.

Let me just say that I am so thankful for my husband.  Money is tight, but he saw how helpful it was for me to be able to just eat what sounded good to me during my first trimester.  We didn't do much cooking, because I couldn't handle the thought of anything smelling in the kitchen before or after we ate.  So... we did a LOT of eating out.  We are hopeful that February will be the month where things get back to normal.  Or at least that we'll have a new normal that will include cooking at home a few times a week.  This will be better for our budget and our baby :)  

With the help of some Zofran (which I finally got some more of... don't get me started on how the insurance company only covers 21 of them for every 30 days), I am feeling a little better.  Here's a sign of change for the better.  For the last 3 months I couldn't look at Pinterest or think of cooking (scrolling made me feel sick, and also I couldn't bear the thought of sight of random food in pictures).  Today, I used it to help me make a 2-week meal plan so that we can actually stick to a budget this month!  Here's to trying, even if we fail :)

The top is the chore chart I made, and the bottom is our meal plan.
It's basic, but at least it will help us a little bit!  

Tin Roof... Rusted

Our first ultrasound at 9 weeks - barely recognizable!

     We found out on our 2nd anniversary that God has blessed us with a teeny tiny Baby Batista - due July 29, 2014!  We were very excited, scared, thankful, overwhelmed, and mostly in awe of the great responsibility that comes with this news.  

Our second ultrasound at 11 weeks - looks like a baby! 

    
     We have learned a great deal about trusting in God already in the short 12 weeks that he or she has been part of our lives.  We know (in our heads... I'm sure we'll have to learn it thousands more times in our hearts) that this baby is a gift from God, which means that though we love her or him fully, it's with an open hand, trusting that God is ultimately her creator and father.  Who can love someone more than the One who made it?  Having suffered loss in other areas of my life, I can tend to assume things will go wrong. I have constantly had to pray and give my anxieties over to God.  It's only been 12 weeks!  My goodness, parenthood is a lifetime of learning to trust God in a completely different way.  I'm scared to be a parent, but I know the timing was from God and that I will be changed and grow (both spiritually and physically - ha!) in ways that I might not have otherwise.  His ways are good, and I am learning to trust.

     I'm planning to resign at the end of the school year to stay home at first.  As many of you know, TEACHING IS HARD.  I admire the women who can teach and be a mom.  I am the biggest scatterbrain in the world, and I know I couldn't do both well.  I might work in the future, but probably in a different capacity other than teaching.  I'm going to try my hand at the stay-at-home mommy thing for a while, and then take it one step at a time.  One really great thing that has helped us be able to do this is that 2 days after we found out we were having a baby, Alex had an interview for a new position in his company as a wellness coach.  He got the job that very day!  This new position, along with some budget overhauling and revisiting of being a mega-couponer will enable me to stay at home.  I am both excited and nervous about this, but given the two options, I just don't think teaching is feasible for me while I have a little baby.  So, we are thankful again for the wonderful timing of Alex's new job and our news!

     I've failed on taking the weekly "growing belly" pictures, because I feel like there's not much change at first.  Now that I can't button my pants (TMI?), I think it's time for me to start actually taking the pictures weekly.  The two pictures I did take show a little bit of a difference... although the 11 week "bump" could be because the only things that have sounded good in the last 6 weeks are Cook-Out and McDonald's.  Lots of friends have been encouraging though - once the nausea subsides (please, God, please let it be soon), I can make up for it and eat lots of healthier things.  I hear that 14 weeks is a magic number for some women.  I hope I hope I hope I hope! 

     I will be trying to blog more with updates on how my pregnancy is going, and when we find out the gender (although we have a little while before we will find out)!  We're excited and thankful! 

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!"  Psalm 118:1

Puppies, Newsies, and Time off Work

     I'm tracked out again!  This is my longest track out (3 full weeks off!), and I'm enjoying every minute of it.  On my first day off, I spent the entire day doing laundry and catching up on Glee in my pajamas.  And it was awesome.  Since then, I've been playing catch-up with stuff I've been meaning to do around the house, and visiting with different friends that I wouldn't normally get to see in the middle of the day.  Makes me wish I was a "stay at home person" (I'm not quite ready for the "mom" part).

Rupert and me!

     This past weekend I had a lot of fun being spoiled by my super husband.  On Saturday morning, he woke me up, and we went to go pick out a puppy!  We are going to bring him home in a few weeks, and I am so excited!  Poucha will pout at first and probably be pretty mad, but I think she'll warm up to him.  I'm hoping she'll see him as a baby and maybe she'll develop some mothering type of feelings.  Maybe that's just wishful thinking.

     We had a hard time deciding between 'Manny' and 'Rupert' for his name (and that was before I suggested the ever compelling choice, 'Lord Grantham').  We both really liked 'Rupert' though, so that is the one we chose.  Alex and I are going to have to read up on crate training, and a whole lot of other things about having a puppy, since my mom was really the one who trained Poucha.  It will be a fun and potentially trying experience, I'm sure!  

Rupert is the one in the middle.
The other puppies are his sisters.  So cute :)

     On Sunday night, my husband drove me out to our friends Lauren and Teresa's apartment, where I knew we were having a get-together for my birthday.  What I didn't know is that it was a Newsies theme party!  Music was playing and most everyone was dressed up as a Newsie or a girlfriend of a Newsie (since there was only one in the movie, it's hard to know what that would have really looked like...).  

     We watched Newsies on their wall using a projector.  It was just like a movie theater, which was so exciting for me, because I've basically only ever watched it hundreds of times on VHS.  We didn't actually finish the movie, since it was getting late and it was a Sunday night (and you know, we are all old now).  But don't worry, I will make Alex finish watching it with me, because he rented it on his Amazon account - and it's good for 30 days!  It was such a great birthday weekend!  Here are some pictures of the fun:

The birthday girl (who is turning 30 for the second time),
and my sweet husband (who has also turned 30 several times).

Dance move

Mara and Gladman, looking fabulous in their outfits.

And more dance moves.

And again :)

Another dance move attempt

Newsies!  They look very authentic.

The party guests :)

On the big screen!

     For Valentine's Day, I won tickets from my school to see a hockey game:  the Hurricanes vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs!  Alex and I are going to take advantage of a free Valentine's date, even though we aren't exactly hockey buffs.  Or even hockey fans.  It should be fun though, and even if it's not, at least we'll be together!  :)  I hope everyone has a good Valentine's Day!

I still do!

I do!  I still do!  :)

I said this with excitement one year ago, and I have not once regretted it.  Of course, I didn't quite know what marriage would be like, but I knew it was the right thing for both of us.  It has come with many challenges, more joys, and moments of thinking to ourselves, "Wow.  Guys and girls are SO different!"  Coming together to live as one, when we had both been single for a while, brought other challenges.  In an earlier blog, I mentioned some of the words that Alex and I would use to describe our first year of marriage. 

Mine:  learning, fun, laughter, prayer, and sleep 

His:  delight, understanding, closeness, study, and love

Learning and understanding are probably the two words that most accurately show what we have learned and worked really hard on this past year.  The more I can know my husband (what makes him happy, sad, anxious, mad), the more I can be a help to him.  He has learned so much about me too, and I am excited that no matter how long we'll live, we will always be learning one another and growing in understanding. 

Anniversary #1!

  

This weekend, we celebrated by having a "stay-cation" in Raleigh.  We pretended to be tourists, and had a lot of fun!  Saturday morning we started with a relaxing visit to my favorite spa (I'm pretty sure at this point, Alex would like me to say that he didn't have anything girly done).  Then we headed over to the B&B, Oakwood Inn. 

Bed and Breakfasts are fun to me, it's like your staying at somebody's house, only you don't know them, and you aren't required to sit around making small talk, which is nice.  We walked around the neighborhood (which we have both driven and walked through probably hundreds of times - but never as pretend tourists!)  :)  After exploring a little bit, we got ready for dinner.  Alex took me to Ruth's Chris.  I had never been there, and it was VERY good!  Plus, they gave us a free chocolate torte, which was so super! 

Sunday morning, we had breakfast at the B&B (hence the name) - yummy pumpkin pancakes.  Well, yummy to me.  Alex prefers meat and eggs at breakfast time, so he wasn't so excited.  They were very tasty though!  We had a nice conversation with a very nice couple that reminded me of my Uncle Allen and Aunt Shelley, and another lady who was traveling by herself.  After breakfast, we checked out of our room, and headed off to my husband's next plan, the Tour de Raleigh.  So sweet!

 

In front of Arthur Murray Dance Studio



At Fred Fletcher Park, where we had
our engagement pictures taken, and
where we went to spend time together
the night before we got married!



We went to places all around Raleigh that had some sentimental memory or significant moment in our relationship and took our picture at each place, and talked about the memories we had there.  Some of them felt like so long ago!  It was really fun, and a sweet plan made by my husband to celebrate our first year together.  We went first to a ballroom dance studio and Red, Hot, and Blue (our first date locations), then to Champps.

About 3 years before we ever started dating, when I didn't know him, except as "That guy Panama," Dan, Casey, Nicole Wilson, and I were eating at Champs and we saw him sitting at the bar.  I thought it would be really funny to ask the server to send him a water from us, because my friend Joy said her brother did that one time, and we all thought that was really funny.  He wouldn't even look at us, because he was worried some girl was really hitting on him, so he just ignored our general direction.  Eventually he saw us, and realized it was us, and we all laughed a lot.  Who knew I'd end up marrying him!  Now he likes to tell people that we met because I sent him a drink at a bar :)



I asked to drive at this point, because I had a place I wanted to go:  Fox Road Elementary.  We parked in the parking spot I sat in when I told him I love you for the first time.  On the phone.  At my elementary school.  The first time he said I love you to me was in an argument/very serious conversation we were having the night before, and I wasn't sure if I had heard him correctly, and I didn't want to say, "Did you just say you love me?" you know, in case he hadn't said that :)  So, the next day on the way to school we were talking on the phone, and he said it again, and I was finally able to say it back.  What a special day, even if I was in a parking lot.  I sure do love him! 



The bench where Alex
proposed to me last summer :)



Next stop:  Raleigh Rose Garden!  This is where Alex proposed last July.  It was such a sweet day, and going back was extra special.  We didn't realize that the roses would actually be blooming in November (neither of know a lot about gardening, clearly), and it was so gorgeous!

So beautiful! 

 

The last part of our tour was to All Saints Chapel, where we got married November 13, 2011.  I absolutely love that little chapel, and it is so special to us now!  It wasn't open, but we took our picture in front of the doors.  Then, we ended our tour at the Stockroom, where we had our reception. 


All Saints Chapel <3

Our wedding day was so much fun, it was great to relive parts of it and talk about some of the memories.  I had so much fun getting ready with my bridesmaids.  Amber drove us to the church, and as she, Erin, Nicole, and I sat in the car, she said to me, "If you change your mind, I'll drive you anywhere you want."  :)  Of course, I didn't hesitate for a second when I said, "I want to get married," but it's so sweet to have friends that will truly do anything for you.  I love those all the girls who were with me that day!  (And the 2 that couldn't make it - Emily and Casey!)

We had a blast this weekend, recounting the memories of our wedding day, and dwelling on all that God has taught us this past year.  I am so excited for the many years to come, God willing! 

Here are some more pictures of the weekend:

The "sitting" portion of our room at the B&B.  Fancy :)



We took turns sitting thoughtfully.

 It seemed like the right thing to do.



 

Next, I decided to catch up on my correspondence. 
Nicole Judd would be proud.

Alex didn't think it was quite so fun.

I love this picture for 2 reasons.  The flower
is beautiful, and my husband is being a creeper.

Raleigh Rose Garden!  :)

Thirty (um.. actually only 12) Days of Thanks

If you know me, you probably know that I procastinate a lot and usually read books halfway... so it makes sense that I got to November 12 and stopped typing out what I was thankful for :)  I compiled all the posts into one.


It's November 3, so I have a few to catch up on.  I'm a little late on the trend, but it's a great way to remember all of God's blessings in my life, so I'm going to start on it a few days late.

Day One:  I'm thankful for Alex Batista.  There are so many reasons why, but for today I'll add a few excerpts from the book, "I Like You" by Sandol Stoddard Warburg. 

You know how to be silly
That's why I like you
Boy are you ever silly
I never met anybody sillier than me till I met you

I like you because I don't know why but
Everything that happens is nicer with you
I can't remember when I didn't like you
It must have been lonesome then

I would go on choosing you
And you would go on choosing me
Over and over again
That's how it would happen every time
:) 

Day Two:  I'm thankful that I was able to vote Friday without fear or feeling unsafe.  I'm grateful to live in a country that sees women as equal to men, and I am not kept from voicing my opinion. 

Day Three:  I'm thankful that I grew up with two parents who loved God and prayed for me every single day.  I can remember being really little, and they thought I was asleep, and I would hear them come into my room and pray over me.  I don't remember what they prayed, but it made me feel so safe, and I knew that God was taking care of me.  And I know He still is. 

Day 4:

I'm thankful for a new website:  www.ziplist.com

I can compile a list of items based on the sale prices at the stores where I shop.  I haven't used it yet, but I looked at the website, and it looks like it will be useful!

I'm also thankful that we got paid and can finally go buy some more groceries :)  And while I'm at it, I'm thankful we have TWO paychecks since we are both working.  Yay!

Day 5:

Today, I am thankful for the time change!  I woke up at 5:52 without an alarm and actually still felt rested and ready to get up.  I made time to read my Bible (which I haven't done in the morning in way too long!) and I made it to school early.  Even though it gets dark out too early (sad face), I'm thankful for the extra energy in the morning!

Day 6:  I am thankful for my O2 group from church.  Cary and Jeannette and I meet every 2 weeks, and we have been reading through the book of John together.  I am thankful that they encourage me to read and study the Bible, because they know how important it is to my faith.  Also, Jeannette always has Cokes at her house, and Cary sometimes feeds us pizza, which is all very exciting  :)

Day 7:  I am thankful that even though I started working at a different school, I'm still allowed to wear jeans and flip flops to school!


Day 8:  I'm thankful for my students.  Last year was so tough, and although my students this year each come with their own set of challenges, they are really such little sweethearts.  It's so nice that when I correct them, they simply say, "Ok" or "Yes Ma'am."  No eye rolling or talking back (well, there was one kid who did that a lot at the beginning, but I put a stop to that pretty quickly).

They do super cute things every day.  One student told me that his dad gave him $5 to buy candy at Food Lion, and he told me he bought gum and saved me a piece.  I'm thankful for my sweet class :)

Day 9:  Continuing from day 8... yes, my class is sweet.  But today I'm also thankful for year round school,because Mrs. Batista needs a BREAK!  I tracked out today, and I don't start back with my students until December 3.  Yesssssssssssssssssssss.


Day 10:  I'm thankful for free dessert on our anniversary.  Our waiter at Ruth's Chris (best steak ever, in my opinion!) gave us a chocolate torte, which just happens to be my favorite dessert in the world, even more than ice cream (gasp).  Yum!

Day 11:  Today I'm thankful for 70 degree weather.  Even though I LOVE cold weather, we had a super nice weekend to celebrate our first anniversary.  It was a lot like the weather last year on our wedding day.  Beautiful!

Day 12:  I'm thankful for the beauty of God's creation.  Growing up, I had a TON of beauty all around me (the beach along the panhandle is one of the best beaches, in my opinion), but I took it for granted and rarely noticed... I suppose because I saw it all the time.  As I've grown older, I've learned to appreciate and take in the beauty in creation that is around me.  Particularly today, I see the beauty in the leaves changing colors and falling to the ground. 

Death is an ugly thing to us, because we were originally created to live forever in fellowship with God.  We miss our loved ones, and we see death as an unnatural thing (which is true).  I am reminded today that even when death comes, the Lord is faithful, and He is able to bring about many beautiful things through death and situations that seem hopeless. 

Nichole Nordeman wrote a song on one of those WOW cd's (remember those? ha!), and I've always loved these particular lyrics:

And even when the trees have just surrendered 
To the harvest time
Forfeiting their leaves in late September
And sending us inside
Still I notice You when change begins
And I am braced for colder winds
I will offer thanks for what has been and was to come

And everything in time and under heaven
Finally falls asleep
Wrapped in blankets white, all creation
Shivers underneath
And still I notice you
When branches crack
And in my breath on frosted glass
Even now in death, You open doors for life to enter

4 months later... Life Update :)

I've been meaning to blog for the last 4 months... but life got really busy.  So here's a quick update! 

Alex (Panama to most of you) is enjoying his new job, and still really thankful to be working!  He has also been teaching in the Spanish service of our church (Iglesia Atesorando a Cristo) along with another friend of ours, Marco.  He enjoys teaching very much, and we are waiting to see how God works in the community, and in our new church service.  I enjoy seeing him teach, but it makes me sad not to be able to understand him, since I don't speak Spanish.  He is sweet to often tell me the night before what he is going to teach about, so I can at least be a part of it.  God has really been helping me to be thankful for this new season of our lives.  I'm trusting in God that I can play a role in this ministry that my husband and I are involved in, even though I don't speak Spanish. 



This is the coffee mug
I have sitting on my desk at
school.  I mean it!  :)



 I'm enjoying my new job as a 3rd grade teacher.  My students are pretty cute.  And apparently the transition from 2nd to 3rd grade is tough!  My new students kind of make my class from last year seem like high schoolers.  It took me a few weeks to put an end to their incessant whining, but they figured out pretty quickly that Mrs. Batista doesn't have a soft spot for whiners.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  They are growing up and maturing quite nicely though, in my opinion.  Cutie pies :) 

As Alex works and teaches, I've been thinking a lot about my job, and whether or not I want to do it longterm.  I've thought about teaching ESL, going back to school to be a counselor, or to train to just teach one subject, like math.  I love math.  I also love to write.  I don't think I could write a book though.  At least not a book with a plot.  It takes so much imagination and time to develop the details that would support a novel.  I wish I could just suddenly become about the same level of famous as Donald Miller, because I'd love to write a book and already have a group of people that would want to read it.  I'm not really up for the hard work of trying to get people to read a book I wrote :)  I imagine if I ever wrote a book it would be filled with random stories, many about teaching, and some just about how ridiculous people can be (but in a funny way, not in a mean way).  I absolutely love to watch people.  If I'm not careful, it can quickly spiral into judging them, but on a good day it's just amusing to observe people. 

Another exciting event in our lives:  I bought my first pair of Toms.  They are really comfortable when I'm teaching.  I feel pretty cool, you know, being about 2 years behind the trend.  That's how I always have been though.  I joined late on the following trends:  capri pants, big sunglasses, skinny jeans, owning an iPod, boat shoes... I enjoy observing the trend for a few years to see if I think it looks dumb.  Then, I sometimes join in.  Here are a few that I have chosen not to join:  Twilight, colored jeans, nerd glasses, and eating organically. 



 

Alex and I with some of his family at our wedding reception :)



We are going to be traveling (travelling? no.  traveling) to Panama in November!  I'm so excited to meet Alex's dad and see his family again!  I will finally get to see where my husband grew up, and many things that make him who he is.  It will also be good for me to be surrounded by Spanish pretty much the whole time.  This will help in my quest to eventually be able to say more than, "¿Hola, como esta?"  His family is so excited to see him too.  It's been too long singe they've been able to spend time together.  We can't wait!


Poucha was ignoring us and pouting. 
She has quite the little personality, for a dog.



Alex and I will be celebrating our 1 year anniversary in just a few weeks.  We are going to enjoy a "Staycation" in Raleigh.  We have really enjoyed our first year of marriage.  I thought of five words that could sum up year #1, and I asked Alex the same thing.  Mine are:  learning, fun, laughter, prayer, and sleep.  Alex's are:  delight, understanding, closeness, study, and love.  More on those 10 words in a later post.  

Poucha has probably endured the biggest hardships of our first year of marriage.  She and Alex are the best of frenemies.  She was (and still is) a bit traumatized by Alex moving in once we got married.  The first week we were back from our honeymoon, she was super confused about why he wasn't going home.  Confused, and not very happy about it!  She has been acting out so much, I think that we may need a surprise visit from The Dog Whisperer.  I'm hoping we are rounding a corner and she will realize that Alex isn't going anywhere.  They are stuck together for a good long while :)