E at 10 Months

Wow, what a whirlwind! This little nugget is, well, not a little nugget! She is WALKING, has 4 teeth - & 2 more coming - still adores big sis, is learning how to climb and loves to smile.

E is a growler who tends to to be unsure as to whether she should growl or giggle when you hand her a bottle. She steals Ate's milk and thinks it tastes far better than her formula. Who can blame her, once you've hit table food, it's difficult to find that powder stuff appetizing. Sometimes, mommy still struggles with the fact that she didn't push harder to breastfeed, but it is what it is and both babies are happy, smart and healthy, so mommy can't complain.

It is such a joy to see the love these girls share and how much they enjoy one another. It is crazy to me that E is taking steps so consistently now and it is fun to watch them communicate in their own little language. AJ is the most helpful toddler I know. She comforts MeiMei when she cries at diaper change time and throws away the trash so her little sis doesn't get a hold of it. On the flip side, it is difficult to share her blankie, but you know how that is!

Life Update - July '17

Sisterly Love

Wow, it has been a while since we have posted one of these, huh?! Well, best type to it.

E is 9 months now, as you may have seen in our previous post. She loves her Ate and is about ready to walk! It is crazy!!! AJ adores her MeiMei and gives her lots of hugs and kisses. It is such a joy to watch them grow, play and learn together.

PJ was selected last month to begin a leadership program with work. Right now, this entails going to monthly classes at the area office and implementing suggested management techniques at his store. Later, it could mean moving to different stores within his district to develop under-performing pharmacies; then it may mean a corporate promotion as a district manager. One step at a time, though. Jessy is so proud of him and excited to see how the Lord develops his leadership skills and uses his work ethic within his company.

Jessy is continuing in her weight loss journey, and right now this means taking a maintenance break in order to allow her body to balance out after a 65lb weight loss in 6 months! If you would like to follow her journey, she has a separate page here. She has begun to do some team training classes at Chuze fitness which has been awesome! It is such a fun place to work out.

The Great Escape

PJ and Jessy were blessed to see Christine (PJ's sister) graduate from her residency program last month and spend a long weekend in Ohio to celebrate her's and Peter's (their brother's) graduations. He completed his undergrad in Washington. It was a good reunion and we are excited that Christine and her boyfriend will be working in Reno beginning this Fall as they start their first official careers. It was so much fun seeing all the places Christine has lived over these last few years and enjoying some of the sites. Columbus had an amazing Farmer's Market, we found an escape room (and won!), there was a beautiful hiking trail and old town area we were able to visit, and we saw the largest Air Force Museum in the country!

Disney Babies

The girls had a difficult time spending those 4 days with Jessy's family. They (we) were blessed to have the time at home since Jessy's mom stayed overnight, but it was still pretty hard, particularly on E, as she had just started eating table food, was (and still is) teething, and found it difficult to eat while mommy and daddy were away. She had a bit of stress issues and tummy problems and it took a couple of days to get back on track, but Jessy is so proud of her troopers!

I think that is it for now. Thank you, everyone <3

Number 2 at 9 Months

Wow, it has been far too long since I have shared life here! There is part of me that feels so much guilt for not keeping up as well as I did with AJ for E, but the other part reminds me that I have 2 to watch over and it is better to enjoy them than to keep up the baby book. Although, my little brother might have a different opinion!

Anyhoo! E is 9 months old already and I don't believe it! She has 3 teeth and 1 more coming in. I began calling her MeiMei because Lolo (grandpa) calls her his little Chinese girl - as those features are a bit more prominent in her than AJ, and it means "Little Sister" in Chinese; I also read it in Joy Luck Club, loved it and am sticking to it.

This girl cannot wait to walk; she is constantly pulling herself up on whatever is in front of her, trying to take steps (and succeeding) when she has a hand on something. These 2 sisters love one another so much, they enjoy wrestling and hugging one another and making each other laugh. It is so wonderfully precious to watch.

E Is Five Months Old

Well, I guess she is technically 5 and a half months old now. I am sorry we are a little late, but I guess you can just expect that until there is some semblance of a schedule. It is unclear right now as to when that may become a reality as we have a 5 month old and an almost 18 month old. So, good luck with that!

Anyhoo! As I said, E is 5 months old and is growing so much! She's rollin, she's rockin, and she is grabbin everything in sight! I call her flipper, she tends only to flip over when no one is looking ;)

*I am about 18lbs
*Ate (Big Sister) makes me laugh the most
*I am currently a mommy's girl, but I reserve the right to change my mind
*Bright colors and big smiles make me turn my head
*Talk to me and you can keep me from eating, since I need to be social and cannot be bothered to take in nourishment hehehe

For the Grandparents

Dear Grandpa & Nonna and Lolo & Lola,

I want you to know how incredibly grateful PJ and I are to have you so close and so willing to love on our family. Thank you for dropping everything and spending time with the girls. AJ and E will never understand how valuable it is for them to have their grandparents so close and so ready to spend the day with them.

PJ and I do not know what we would have done these last few weeks without you! With me going to the hospital, needing to go to dental and other doctor appointments, having to run long errands that stretch through nap times... It would be so stressful without you. We have so many friends who are far from family or have to drive long distances from home to see their families/ We also have friends who have lost or are in the process of losing their parents and are facing the challenge of seeing their little ones grow without their grandparents in their lives.

I grew up with so much family, it's ridiculous. I never understood (and probably still don't truly comprehend) how immensely blessed I am to have known 4 grandparents - and even 1 great grandparent until I was 13. At 27, I still have 3 living grandparents and so have the opportunity to see my babies loved by 4 grandparents and 3 great grandparents!

Knowing what I am going through and understanding the stress I am experiencing in this season of motherhood, I am grateful for all of you and the difficulties you had to face in your season of rough parenting. Mom, you faced single motherhood for 14 years! Ryan and I were adults (for the most part) before you married again. Dad, we have had our disagreements and rough patches and seasons of growth in our relationship, but I am so grateful that the Lord brought you into our lives when he did. And you are such an amazing Grandpa! Daddy and Mama, you guys had a few siblings here in the states, but you were on your own! Your parents were in the Philippines and passed without having these opportunities to love on their grand babies like you are. Thank you for the many sacrifices you made for Baba, PJ and Pete.

I just want you all to know how much it means to us to see you enjoy your grandbabies and that you are so willing to drop your days off, vacation days, and weekend plans to help us with them. Besides expressing myself through this blog, and tearing up as I do it, there are not enough words nor is there enough money in the world to compensate for the amount that we appreciate and love you for your support and encouragement as we tackle this parenting thing.

We love you guys!

Familial Healing

As many of you know, last week I was in the hospital for an infection. I had surgery on Saturday and was able to come home Sunday afternoon. It was a rough week, but I am so incredibly grateful for my parents and in-laws for taking the time to come and take care of our little ones while we were gone. It was so hard to be away from them under such a stressful umbrella, but I am happy to be home. We are also blessed by our church community! They are bringing dinners over for us this week so that I can take the time to get back into the swing of things and not have to worry about cooking and meal planning.

God is definitely using this time to humble me, as I tend to get a little ambitious and stubborn in trying to work toward goals and having good schedules. I have been forced to rest, unable to push my limits in my workouts. I have been forced to consider my goals for long term fitness and what this looks like for our family and evaluate my inclusion of hubby and the girls in these goals. I have been forced to pause, which many of you know I struggle to do, so that is the way the Lord has seen fit to get my attention.

I have to say that I am grateful to take this time and have the opportunity to re-evaluate how I can manage our home in a more God-honoring way. As I was able to finish my women's study while in the hospital, I can also re-focus my spiritual goals in the form of devotions and Bible study.

This has been a great time to reflect on God's sovereignty and the call of humility He has placed upon us. I appreciate the chance to repent from my selfish ambition and desires and will probably spend this next week looking at Proverbs 31, embracing this time of rest and honoring this season of motherhood.

Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement. I am excited to see how the Lord will use this time of healing and refreshment to strengthen our family.

-Jessy

Defining Success

I just wanted to check in with a quick family update!

PJ continues to do well at work. It was tough for him to receive the December results on their store's numbers and find out that they were not number one, a spot they had held pretty tightly for a few months prior. It was a slice of humble pie for him to remember that there is never a time to stop pushing. However, it was a good opportunity for me to support him and encourage him in the accomplishments that he has achieved beautifully over this last year. Just because they did not make number 1 in December does not negate the hard work that has been put into making his store a success over the last year.

In the last year they have gone from underperforming and stress-filled to a well oiled machine where the environment has been uplifting in the coworker relationships. Please be praying for the growth and maturity of one of his new coworkers who is working to find her place in the store. Also, the lead technician will be taking some time off to recuperate and connect with his family before his paid family leave runs out. Pray for a time of refreshment for him as well as diligence for us. That PJ would take care of the schedules in a timely manner and that I would encourage him every step of the way over the next 3 weeks.


I have been working on finding a flow that works for the girls and I as I am amping up exercise and meal planning. May the Lord help me to be creative in making new meals that keep AJ interested and keep me in check not to deprive myself of so much at once so that I may continue on my weight loss journey with success not only for myself, but also for my family. This journey is not just for me, but it is for me to be a more fruitful home manager and trainer for my little ones, as well as a biblically submissive wife who takes care of her hubby as he leads us through the challenges and blessings of life.

AJ has been testing boundaries day after day. It is a continued challenge for my patience and drawing a clear line of consistent grace and discipline. Each day seems to bring difficult set backs, but when I take her to lunch and she eats well and socializes with our family or I can sit her in a chair while I get my eyes checked at the doctor, it is clear that the Lord is giving me enough grace to successfully teach my children well.

E is taking rice cereal at night, which is elongating her sleep time, but there is still a challenge to get her through the night. Please pray for consistency in her schedule and that we would not be lax in what we know might work for her instead of taking the easy routes of feeding when we know she is capable of rest. She is rolling from back to belly pretty consistently now, in that, whenever she is placed on her back, she flips for a better view then gets frustrated with her lack of strength to hold herself up for an extended period of time. It is adorable and she is enjoying the flip game!


That seems to be all for now. Thank you for your love and encouragement as our little family continues on our journey! It is such a blessing to know the love and support we have from our church family and all those around us. We love and appreciate you all so much!

-Jessy