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!