Raul had the opportunity to go to Mexico last January to visit his grandfather and the rest of his friends and family in Santa Monica, Puebla. When he arrived home, his restricted driving permit for work was ready and waiting for him. So, he has been driving to and from work as well as driving to and from different work sites since last winter. He will soon be eligible to apply for full reinstatement of his license. We can't wait!
While Raul was in Mexico, I found out that I was pregnant. My original plan was to wait to tell him until he came home, but I couldn't wait that long, so I had the pleasure of telling Raul that he was going to be a daddy over the phone. I was expecting a small freak out, but Raul was nothing but excited. We began calling the baby baby Joey since Raul was counting on it being a boy. He was under the impression that he was to name the boys and I would name the girls (assuming that we have more than one child, of course). No matter how hard I tried to convince him that a child could not just be named Joey and that he needed a proper longer name like Joseph or Jose, Raul insisted the baby was to be Joey. However, months later the ultrasound confirmed that baby Joey was a girl. Then Raul asked the question, "What are we going to name her?" So much for me picking out the girl names! :)
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In May, we became home-owners. Raul's wish list for a home included a fireplace and a garage big enough for him to make into a work-shop. My main requirement was that it was in a nice, safe neighborhood. God provided more than we could ask or imagine. Our home is not only in a nice neighborhood, but it has a fireplace, a 2 car garage, and many other "bonus" features such as a sun-room and a fenced in back yard. The location is perfect. We are only 7 minutes away from my sister and her family and 5 minutes away from Raul's parents.
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As I write the blog Raul and our daughter are taking a nap on the couch together. Parenthood is harder than I could ever have imagined, but I can now understand that indescribable love that a mother has for her child. I have also fallen deeper in love with Joie's daddy. There is nothing more sexy than watching a father care for his child! :) So....here we are in our next chapter of life. Lots more adventures to come, I'm sure.