At long last - Jason Dominic Serrano has arrived!

Alberto and I are ecstatic to announce that our beautiful son has finally arrived!

Jason Dominic Serrano arrived on Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 8:12 pm.

He was 7 lbs 3.5 oz and 19 inches in length.

Here is a picture of him after getting his footprints taken, alongside his parents' fingerprints:

We had quite an eventful day on Tuesday the 9th. I was continuing to have intermittent contractions after the post made on Sunday December 7th, but they kept going away only to come back in the middle of the night.

But on Tuesday December 9th, there was no turning back. Mom and Stephanie, having been kept updated throughout the process, decided to go ahead and head into Houston on Monday afternoon in anticipation of a delivery in the near future. We all wokeup on Tuesday morning and started counting my contractions at 6 am.

I had a doctor appointment that morning anyway, and at 9:30 am Dr. Behrmann measured me at 4 centimeters dilated. She recommended that with the new dilation and the contractions, that I should come back later in the day for a recheck and then she could evaluate if it was time to head to the hospital. We made arrangements for me to come back at 2 pm, and Mom, Steph and I headed to lunch.

Between 11:00 and 1:00 things really got interesting. The contractions were starting to come closer together and pretty intense. Our waitress at Luby's kept coming by the table to check on us and make sure that I was going to be ok! I am so glad I had such a good lunch at that time, because that was the last opportunity I got!

After lunch we decided to go home and pack our hospital bags into the car just in case we'd be going straight to the hospital from the doctor appointment. Well, by the time we got home, I'd already progressed to the point that I decided for all of us there would be no doctor visit. It was straight to labor and delivery for me! We called Alberto and within 10 minutes he had joined us at home.

Alberto, Stephanie and I arrived at the hospital to find that there were no labor and delivery rooms available. Must have been a busy day! Alberto and I did the slow dance in the waiting room for about 20 minutes until there was one available and met our labor nurse, named Jennifer. Mom and Elizabeth joined us there a few minutes later, and every started to get settled in for the wait.

Once I was situated in my hospital gown and bed, I was rechecked, and I had dilated to 6 centimeters. Things were really coming along! I had also made the critical decision to go ahead with an epidural, and the anesthesiologist showed up about 20 minutes later with the blessed cocktail.

I say blessed cocktail, and I mean it! I was incredibly thankful for the pain relief. The doctor did a great job of administering just enough to get rid of the pain, but I could still feel the contractions and know when to push during delivery. I will never doubt the wonderful properties of the epidural again! :)

At 5:15 I was 10 centimeters and ready to push, and everyone was shooed out of the room except the doctor, nurse, Alberto and me.

Everything was going great with the delivery with one exception - the baby was in a sideways position and didn't want to turn!

It took almost 3 hours to get him out, and some extra effort from Dr. Behrmann to encourage him to rotate. Every time we had gotten him rotated a bit, he went right back to his sideways position. This kid was not ready to leave his nest!

Finally, at 8:12 Jason Dominic arrived and he looked great!

He is a really beautiful baby, with dark brown hair and cobalt blue eyes. He is the spitting image of his Daddy, though Alberto says he has my nose and chin. He has long fingers and toes and is incredibly strong! We have all marveled at how this days-old baby is already able to lift his own head, and practically rolls himself over!

Our stay in the hospital was fine, though we were all exhausted, even the baby! Check out this great photo we got of him, as if to say "Wow, what a day I've had!"

We went home on Thursday night, December 11th, and have been getting adjusted to life with baby ever since.

I have had a bit more difficulty recovering than the baby has, which is why it has taken so long to get this posted and to start calling friends and family. I apologize for the delay, but it really was necessary for me to get back on my feet.

I am still in bed most of each day, just trying to heal, but we anticipate being able to start receiving visitors to meet the baby next week.

Thank you to everyone who has been so thoughtful and kind to send us flowers and well wishes and gifts! We feel very blessed to have such a wonderful network of friends and family and we love each of you as well!

Holiday Season 2008 begins and baby updates

I guess we've officially entered the holiday season - the mall traffic definitely indicates as much! Alberto and I took a long 3 hour stroll around the Galleria last night, trying to see if we could kickstart the baby's arrival. I am 39 weeks today and my due date is 6 days away!

We had a great Thanksgiving this year in Houston. I was really happy to be able to spend time with friends and my sister too, and grateful that Alberto enjoyed himself as well.

We had a small Thanksgiving dinner at home with Elizabeth and our friend Erik. I cooked Cornish game hens again, and this time I did it Cajun injector style. I had no idea what I would end up with, but everyone agreed that the birds were juicy and delicious. Erik was also sweet enough to send flowers after the weekend to thank us for having him over. Thank you Erik for spending the day with us! We really enjoyed your company.

That night, Alberto and I went to see Bartek and Edyta for their Italian-themed Thanksgiving party.

We met some really fabulous people as well, and hope to be able to hang out with them some more.

They were friendly, gracious, and fun-loving, and we had a super time!











We also celebrated Edyta's birthday which is just around the corner, since she won't be able to celebrate here in Houston.
















A week later, it was my 33rd birthday on December 3.

Quite different from last year, I firmly stayed put at home! I am way too pregnant to be going anywhere fast, even on my birthday! :)

My sisters were so cool to commemorate the day too! Stephanie sent a lovely bouquet of flowers and Elizabeth showed up after work with a decadent chocolate cake. Thank you ladies!




Also on my birthday, Andrea's baby finally made his big appearance! Dylan is adorable, and takes after Andrea with his dark hair, dark eyes and dark skin. He is going to be a ladykiller.

In between and after all of this, Liz has tried her hand at some photography with me. I asked her to take some maternity photos before the baby comes and I must say she has done really well! A few of the unedited photos are below. We'll be choosing our most favorites to touch up and print. Thank you Liz for your hard work! Everything is beautiful.












So, where does that leave us? Waiting for the baby!

Like I said at the beginning of this post, we are looking for ways to encourage Baby Serrano to make his debut. I have been working on the exercise ball and finding ways to squat down for things (thanks to a timely tip from Andrea! :) ). We also did our 3 hour walk around the Galleria last night.

By all indications, it's beginning to work! But since this period of time is totally unpredictable, I'll have to leave it at that.

The next post you see from us should be post-delivery!

Operation Prep Nursery

We've been focusing heavily on getting the baby's room ready for a few weeks now.
We have:

*painted the walls

*gotten the crib set up

*set up the playard/changing table

*prepped the nursing station

*gotten the cd player and baby music ready

*and washed every single thread of clothing the baby owns

And what a wardrobe he has!

Check out at all the cool stuff our kid is going to wear, thanks to all the gifts our friends and family have given! He is definitely going to be the coolest kid on the block.

He has sports themed outfits, monkey themed outfits, teddy bear sleepers, doggie nightgowns and lots of sea turtle and froggie towels.

I can't wait for him to wear one of his home-made beanie and bootie sets too. They are beautiful and handmade!

And don't get me started on the hats - beanies, caps, hats with tassles....what a cutie-pie we will have.

Here's his crib all put together!

Isn't the bedding great? And the rich cherry of the crib is a beautiful contrast.

Our adorable plush monkey toy sits in the corner, patiently waiting for his new friend to arrive!









Liz and Alberto were kind enough to tackle the matching wall border a couple of weekends ago.



It was a lot more work than one would think! But they managed to have a good time getting the task done, even though they got a little wet and gooey.






Here's me on November 16 - when I officially reached 36 weeks.

I'm nine months pregnant now!

What a journey it has been.


We can't wait to meet our little boy.

Why Sea Turtles?

I have chosen to theme much of the Baby's world around the Hawaiian Sea Turtle, called Honu by native Hawaiians. His room is sea turtle themed, and much of what we asked for in clothing and accessories is turtle related.

People have been asking me why I chose this. Maybe it seems unusual to center a baby's world around such ancient or odd creatures. I thought I'd spend a few minutes talking about why I made this decision.

Alberto and I were lucky to be able to spend a fabulous week together in Maui earlier this year. This trip was a way to rejuvenate ourselves and renew our commitment to starting a family. It's no coincidence that we got pregnant around the same time! It's still up for debate whether we got pregnant on this trip or in the few days after our return, but one thing is certain - the vacation was the catalyst to making it possible!

While we were there, I got to witness these amazing creatures up close and personal. To be frank, it was impossible to avoid them! They are very social creatures and enjoyed swimming near where snorkelers and scuba divers gravitated. I had the personal privilege to swim with two of them (one on each side of me) during one of my snorkel trips to the place dubbed "Secret Cove" in South Maui.

I was completely enchanted with them from the moment I first laid eyes on them. They are graceful and elegant in all that they do, and their beautiful fluid motion carries a sense of high dignity and wisdom. Honu grow to be very old, sometimes as much as 80 years! I believe that their species carry a sense of old word wisdom that is only gained from millenia in close contact with the earth.

For Hawaiians, the honu is a symbol of longevity, peace, humility and the spirit within. I have read that the Hawaiian word for peace comes from the word Honu because of the embodiment of peace that is represented by the Hawaiian Sea Turtle.

In short, I developed a deep sense of respect and wonder for them.

We also learned on the trip that the Hawaiians also consider Honu to be good luck. If you have spent any time with me during the last 8 months, you have probably seen my most cherished momento from our Maui trip - my necklace that has a Honu pendant with a plumeria flower on his shell. I believe it does bring me luck, as my days always seem to go a little better when I am wearing my Honu necklace than when I'm not!

I decided that I wanted our new baby to be surrounded by these characteristics, in the hopes of cultivating them within himself. If my baby becomes a wise and dignified man, surrounded by luck and known for his peaceful ways, then my goal will have been accomplished!

Here's a little more information I found about the honu. I hope you love them as much as I do!

Info links:
http://www.turtles.org/hawgrnd.htm

http://www.hanauma-bay-hawaii.com/marinelife.html

A short video from YouTube:



Photo Gallery:

http://gohawaii.about.com/od/oahuphotos/ig/Hawaiian-Green-Sea-Turtles/

Houston Baby Shower - Oct 26, 2008

We had the great pleasure of spending an afternoon with dear friends and family is welcoming the impending arrival of little Baby Serrano. Jennifer was awesome to host the party, and everyone had a fabulous time.

I loved being able to share this with Alberto and tried to make the day not about me and the baby, but us and the baby. We had a great time talking and joking and laughing with people and taking photos that will help us remember such a good time.

Along with Jennifer, Alberto and me, the following people were also there:
my Mom and Dad, Mark and Stephanie, Elizabeth, Jeff and Joelle, Debbie and Alan and Tracy, Desirae, Marcus and Geneva, Alex, Meha, Hiro and his friend Luz, and Rob and Caroline and Zoe.

The food was quite yummy, and the cake, brought by Brent and Andrea, was fabulous. We also made a video of the day and everyone giving advice to the baby for him to watch when he gets older.

Thank you all for sharing the day with us!

Here are a few photos from the party:

OBAMA WINS!!!

Simply Amazing! What an incredible day for our country!
Alberto, Dudley and I watched with relief and excitement as the announcement was made on CNN!

NO MORE BUSH! NO MORE CRAZINESS!

I feel like I can breathe again.

We then did a little victory dance in our pajamas and watched Obama's victory speech over celebratory bowls of yummy chocolate ice cream!

I Voted!

Voting here in Houston was easy and fast. My polling location is just around the corner of where we live, so I got up a bit early so that I could walk over and vote before my doctor appointment this morning.

It was at an elementary school and yes, school was in full session - I had to weave my way through munchkins of all sizes to get to the auditorium. Fortunately, my name was already on the rolls! Through a snafu last week with the registration office here, I was expecting it to not be there. It's a testament to the the efficiency of our resources here that my name got put on the list within just a few days.

All in all, I was in and out in about 10 minutes. The only thing I was not comfortable with was that there was no option for a paper ballot. What happens if an election volunteer accidentally trips over the power cord and the machine goes down? It's like I was never there. Stupider things have happened - it always makes me a little nervous!

VOTE VOTE VOTE! I'm going to be so stressed out waiting to see how this turns out!

Renaissance Festival - October 19, 2008

I had the great pleasure to take Alberto to his first ever Renaissance Festival last weekend. The Renaissance Festival that takes place annually in Plantersville, Texas is one of the largest of its kind around the country. It lasts for 6 weeks, and is an annual tradition for Texans everywhere.




During the six years I was in California, I lamented October every year because I knew that everyone I grew up with was having at the RenFaire and I was going to miss it again! I couldn't very well let our first year back home go by without a visit!




We chose the weekend with the theme of 1001 Dreams.



I love the flight and fancy and whimsy of fairies, so I was hoping to see more than the usual amount by going on this particular weekend.





During the day long trip, we did see many beautiful fairies, with very elaborate and iridescent wings and beautiful costumes.

We also got to see the King and Queen's proclomation to open the festivities, and the King's Court dance for the Queen.


We started the day off by listening to a bagpiping band called Tartanic.



They had a great sound, mixing traditional bagpipe melodies with modern rock n roll beats and rhythms.

They were also a bit crazy, so it was a fun way to start the day.









Of course, Alberto had to see the Ded Bob show - no RenFaire virgin can miss out on that!



He really enjoyed it and the show was enhanced by the beautiful mid morning sunlight streaming through the thatched cover over the stage.










We also saw The Other Brothers who were a bunch of goofs that like to play with fire a lot.......




and the oh-so irreverent Mud Show, which really got us laughing our heads off!





















At noon we watched the parade as it wound through the festival grounds, with the entire King's court and representatives from every shop and performance in the line.





In the afternoon we found some games to play, and Alberto won a couple of cute stuffed monkeys for me, which will now hang proudly in the baby's nursery :)




















Jousting was of course a fun event, though we chose to go during the hottest part of the day - full sun in the Arena was not agreeing with me!

We managed to sufficiently cool off afterward though with some drink (water for me, a margarita for him!) and food.

Alberto tried so many things! Steak on a stick, cajun fries, the gigantic turkey leg, grilled corn on the cob.....while I had the crawfish etoufee and then a shrimp poboy later. I must have been in a seafood mood.






The only thing I regret us not getting is something sinfully sweet toward the end of the day! By the way, all of this food was after we'd started the day with two breakfast burritos on the way there! We were quite fat and happy by the end of the day.

It was a lovely trip, and we were fortunate that it wasn't totally packed with the usual droves of people that the RenFaire receives.


This was only the second weekend the Festival was open, and I really wanted to get there before my pregnancy got any further along.





The day was fabulous and Alberto absolutely loved it. By the end of the day he was already talking about how we bring the baby next year, maybe even dressed up in Renaissance gear!
By the way, the photos you see of me here are at the 32 week mark. I am officially 8 months pregnant!