Monday, April 27, 2009

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Blogging has been a bit slow for the past week or so. We've been going through some big changes in our routine. On Monday, after a glorious 3 months at home, I returned to work in my 4th grade classroom. While it was nice to get back to my class and my co-workers, it was really difficult to leave my little guy at home. We've got a wonderful nanny, Jessa, who has been giving Zeke loads of fun this week. He's adjusted well to drinking from the bottle, and seems really happy every day when we get home. All in all, he's doing splendidly. Now, I just have to get myself adjusted to the new routines.



I was thrilled this morning when I woke up and knew that I had 2 full days to stay home with my little family. I took this short video of Ezekiel sitting in the black chair in our living room. His neck is getting so strong and he gets really chatty sometimes. Unfortunately, this video does not capture a chatty moment. I'll keep working on that one.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

How hearing loss can be a good thing

Karine: (shouting from guestroom) LOST is on tonight!
Tom:(shouting from kitchen) Lobsters are tonight??????
Karine: (from guestroom) Lobsters??? Mmmm. Yeah, let's have lobsters!
Tom: (walking into guestroom) You want to have Lobsters for dinner?
Karine: Yes. Will you go to the fish market and buy some please????

1 hour later

Tom returns with a bag of two fresh lobster tails- total cost $12. Karine whips up a batch of roasted garlic mashed potatoes and cuts the lobsters open just like they do at a restaurant. She looked on the internet to find out "how to butterfly lobster".




Delicious meal followed by wonderful entertainment. (LOST was on tonight).

Monday, April 13, 2009

Semana Santa: Part II

After our trip to Roatan, we were glad to enjoy some relaxing time closer to home. We visited The Lodge at Pico Bonito for a delicious lunch and walk around the grounds. Grandma Jean babysat so that Tom and I could go out for our first big night on the town. We enjoyed 3 hours of fun in the Zona Viva as child-free parents. It was a fantastic date night!


We spent Saturday around the house relaxing. Tom taught Jean all about the excitement of Facebook.


When Easter Sunday came, Zeke was happy that the Easter Bunny had rememberd him, but sad that Grandma Jean was leaving.


All in all, it was a great Semana Santa.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Semana Santa: Part I

Grandma Jean arrived safely last week, but we've been so busy that we haven't had time to post an update. Ezekiel was very excited to get to meet his grandmother and cuddle with her. We spent the first few days together just hanging out and catching up.


On Saturday, we headed up to the Villas Pico Bonito for a relaxing day in the rainforest next to the pool.
Zeke in his shades with Dad and Grandma Jean

Reading by the jungle pool


Zeke's first "big pool" swimming experience

On Monday, we packed our bags and flew out to Roatan for a little fun in the sun. For those of you who were worried about my swimming with dolphins dream, have no worries! While we were out in Roatan, we visited Anthony's Key Resort for a dolphin encounter. It was so neat! Tom, Jean, and I were all crazy about being in the water next to these fascinating creatures.





As you can tell by his face in this picture, Zeke was not crazy about encountering the dolphin. He cried and squirmed most of the time. We did have fun making that memory together though!

We spent Tuesday at the beach at our all-inclusive resort- the Henry Morgan. This Italian run resort was the perfect place for us to relax, read, eat, and do a little more swimming. Ezekiel was the most popular person at the entire place. He spent hours entertaining the Italian, Canadian, and Honduran guests at the resort. We were pretty proud of the smile show our little guy put on for everyone.

Zeke and Jean both enjoyed their first experiences swimming in the ocean in West Bay before the rain started.


It's not normal for us to get rain this time of year, but we think it was nature's way of protecting us from too much sun.


Today, we're back in La Ceiba and gearing up for the next leg of our vacation week. We're looking forward to a visit to Pico Bonito National Park, some dinners out at our favorite restaurants, and a little more beach time on the mainland.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

2 Months Old

Ezekiel has already been in this world for 2 whole months! Today we celebrate his birth with the arrival of Grandma Jean. Zeke is so excited to meet her this afternoon.

Yesterday, Ezekiel had his 2 month checkup and vaccinations. He turned 3 shades of purple and let out a scream like I had never heard after the first shot- it was pretty heartbreaking! After a day of rest a little help from Infant Tylenol, he seems to be back to normal today.


This week was also a big week because Zeke started spending time with his new nanny. We've got a wonderful woman who is actually from the U.S. that will be taking care of Ezekiel until the end of the school year (June 5!) She is warm and loving with Zeke, and he really seems to like her. I feel better about returning to work after Easter knowing that our sweet baby is in good hands.

In the last month, Zeke has grown so much. In fact, the doctor gave us some stats to prove it! Ezekiel now weighs 12 lbs. 8 oz. and is 23.25 inches long. I think he's going to be a big boy. He loves to eat what mom serves, and even enjoys a bottle given by his loved ones. He sleeps in 4-5 hour stretches at night, usually waking to nurse only one time in the middle of the night.


Zeke's favorite activities this month have been swimming in the family pool, celebrating his Irish heritage with Mom (he's 1/16 Irish), attending an international school volleyball tournament, and looking at walls. He's also started to show an interest in the Honduras national soccer team.


Zeke has recently discovered that he has hands. He looks at them, puts them in his mouth and grasps onto my hands and shirts.

His favorite toy in the house has been the bears (ositos en espanol) that hang on his pack-n-play mobile. He'll coo and stare for 20 minutes while watching the little bears go round and round.

Happy 2 Months, Zeke!