Say cheese Melany!

We took pictures of Melany about 3 weeks ago. We had so much fun dressing up our little doll with various colorful outfits. We loved how the pictures came out of our little princess! We love her smile, her soft skin, and the joy she has brought to our lives. She is all we ever dreamed of and more!

Sneak Peek

Below is  the link where you can see the recent pictures of Melany. We will post more pictures as soon as we get the CD in the mail from the photographer:)http://tegynfriedmanphotography.com/blog/?p=1986

The Secret's Out!

       In a previous post, I mentioned I was "waiting and wondering" what the future of our family would have. Since things are almost finalized, I have Enoch's ok to officially let everyone know why I have been going a bit crazy lately.
Enoch had a change of plans in terms of careers. He no longer wants to be a pharmacist but a Linguist. And after much prayer he has received his answer and started looking in to a field he truly had a passion for. This last Monday he swore in and is officially a part of the United States Air Force. We don't know when he will be leaving for basic training/boot camp but, it will for sure happen in the next couple of months. I will not join him after basic training until I finish my Masters at USC in May.
     Yes! I know this is crazy, I know I will miss him dearly when he is gone but I'm looking forward to traveling to various places once we are together. Since we've been together, our schedules have always been hectic so I feel I have been prepared a little bit for this big change.
I love my husband and am so proud of all the hard work he has thus made to get to this point. He had to pass several tests for the Air Force, loose weight and sacrifice his time and energy for this goal. We are a hard working family who support each others dreams. We are looking forward to learning about the next phase of our lives, so we will keep you posted!

     In the meantime, Enoch is working 2 jobs like always and I will be starting my last year of grad school and internship as a school social worker/counselor at Redondo Beach Unified School District. We are getting used to being parents and enjoying our time with  our lovely daughter Melany.

One month old Melany

Finally caught a picture of her adorable smile

I get to be a military wife:)

Random likes

Here is a list of random thoughts/events from the past month(in no particular order):

-I am in awe at the feeling I got when our little girl was born and how everyday I love her more and more, it's AMAZING!

-I can't get enough of my Melany's SMILES and her array of hand gestures

-I enjoy reading Gordon B. Hinckely's WONDERFUL book

-Our family visited us to witness the blessing of our PRECIOUS daughter this past Sunday

-I had a GOOD time this weekend at the wedding of my friend Anahi at Elings Park in Santa Barbara

-I am so GRATEFUL for my mother and dear husband, they were so helpful during my long and tedious labor. I don't know what I would've done without them!

Grandma Gloria and Melany

-In 1 more week I can start exercising again! I never thought I'd yearn to exercise. I have been walking with Melany at the park but nothing beats the FEELING of a good workout. 

Melany Is Here

Hello All.
I apologize that this post is not in the same format that my lovely wife usually uses. She is much more artistic and creative then I am.
Anyway, I am excited to write this post nonetheless to share with you all that our lovely daughter has come into the world.
Melany Sariah was born on Sunday July 10, 2010 at 2:30 PM.
As I looked and saw my baby the first time I really felt like a dream and didn't even know if I was really there. I cut the umbillical cord and heard the baby crying a fresh breath.
I handed her over to mommy and we were just speechless staring at the new life in front of us.
The days since then have been amazing and challenging. Melany is the star of our home and has given us plenty of things to laugh and joke about.

Sleep is more of a novelty than ever, but I wouldn't change a thing.

PS: Many thanks to our friends and family who have supported us during this exciting time.

Waiting and wondering

Lately, there have been two things on my mind constantly. One of those pertains to the unknown time when our baby will be due. This is a "normal" unknown that I'm ok with having. There is another "unknown"  that I never thought I'd be contemplating. I can't say much yet (I promise I will once I confirm) but what I can say it will affect our small family greatly. I've been wanting to scream and shout about it because the plan is so crazy to me.

     On the other hand, today happens to be the day I will be having my baby shower! I'm so excited to see some of my friends and family gathered together to celebrate the upcoming birth of our child. I feel so blessed to have family and friends that make my life beautiful and special. I will miss those of you who are out of state/country in places like Guatemala, D.C., Colorado, Louisiana, Texas and Philadelphia. Please know that your prayers and good wishes have helped me have a good pregnancy so far. I love you!

    I'm also wondering how our little milk shake will look like. Will she have her father's unique eyebrows/ears or her mother's dark hair and tan skin? Hmm..?? In the mean time, I am contemplating on this journey of pregnancy. To some, pregnancy was a breeze. For me, I don't think so. I traveled with this baby to Guatemala, hiked the Mayan ruins, finished my first year of grad school and sat in a therapy session with my client trying really hard not to fall asleep or barf in their faces.
Ah! the joys of pregnancy. I loved the experience but I'm also glad its coming to an end! I love making fun of how I was in denial at first but I wouldn't have it any other way. We love our baby so much!

Add the black hair and she might look like this!

*These cartoons are too funny:

 

 

8 months pregnant

 I can hardly believe I am in my third trimester and just came in to my 8th month. I decided to take 2 courses in the summer at USC because I wanted to take lesser units in the fall when my baby is a newborn. It will already be hard to leave her and I didn't want to be gone in school/internship for more time than I have to. But, I know it will make the rest of my pregnancy go by faster and interesting. The two classes I am taking are Psychopathology and Diagnosis of Mental Disorders as well as Leadership in the Social Work Professions and Organizations.  So far these classes have been very interesting.

Being in class for 8 hours is the downfall, but good thing this summer session ends June 28. That's 2 weeks before I'm due! So far I have enjoyed her random kicks and reading and singing to her with Enoch. My favorite part has been when Enoch reads to her from the Friend magazine. I know he will be such a great father.  I love that he makes me laugh and has been so supportive throughout my pregnancy. We took pictures about 2 weeks ago at Laguna Beach.  I go to the doctor on Friday to get an ultrasound so we'll see how big she has gotten:)