The Feeling of Being Blessed......

Today I have had time to reflect on the events of yesterday and how blessed I feel I am. My daughter and son-in-law requested that I be the extra person attending the labor and delivery of my first Grandson. I am reflecting what I gained yesterday....

Besides a beautiful gift from God, Alexander Elias Ruiz, I also was able to be blessed in other ways....

• I was able to feel like I was an integral part of delivering God's gift.
• I was able to see the gift of true love and dedication that my daughter and her husband have for each other.
• I was able to experience the true love that the children have for me.
• I am able to realize that aging is a wonderful gift from God as I am given more blessings along the way.

God was with us in that labor and delivery room and his presence was felt. When I was handed the baby for the first time...maybe 10 minutes after he was born, God led my hands as I didn't plan it, but I made the sign of the cross on his forehead and blessed Alex in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

What more can I ask for in life..........................

ALEXANDER ELIAS RUIZ

Born on September 17, 2007 at 6:47 or 6:43... p.m.

Weight - 8 lbs. 10 oz. and 21 inches long

Mom, Dad and Grammy were present. Mom did a great job and Daddy was fantastic!

http://s99.photobucket.com/albums/l300/jolylady/Alexander/?action=view&current=AlexandGrammy2.jpg

Go to the link above and you will see me and my Grammy and also the slide show from my birthday!!!

Latest Baby Report.........

Here is a note from Debi and Eddy after today's doctor appointment. The pictures are of Debi today.

Hello to all:

I just wanted to let everyone know that it doesn't look like ALex will be born on his due date which is tomorrow...instead, if he is not born by Monday September 17, 2007 I will be induced at 7:00am. The doctor still thinks that he will come before that, although he has been saying that for two weeks! Eddy and I are extremely excited and just tired of waiting! Hopefully the next time you hear from us there will be pictures of our little boy attached!

Love,
Eddy & Debi

Are all Men Stubborn from Birth?

My daughter Debi, who is 9 months pregnant and is beginning to resemble the Michelin girl, is wondering if all men are stubborn. Last week it seemed that all signs were a go for her baby, a boy, to be born. No such luck......through hours of pains with come and go contractions....no baby. Her official due date is September 12th but the doctor said last week that all was ready and he probably would not see her for her next appointment. Well....she's still here and she's still pregnant. I told her husband to hold a flashlight at the "entrance" and yell.,..."go to the light Alex....go to the light!" They are about ready to try anything! We'll let you know when that stubborn boy decides to come out!

15 YEARS AGO TODAY....WHERE WERE WE?
15 years ago today we were walking around in a fog. The previous night was spent huddled in a hallway on a soaking wet floor.....praying that we would live through the monster that was trying to destroy the home we had built and lived in for not even a year. No words were spoken during that storm as the winds were deafening but a volley of prayers were aimed at the heavens and our Father to keep our family and friends alive. We prayed for our daughter, Jessie, who was on a trip in the Bahamas and could not get off the island. We feared for her life and later found out that she did not have to experience the wrath of the storm like we did.

In a small hallway, my husband, our son Danny, daughter Debi and friends, Marcie, Phil and their children, Jonathan and Jennifer huddled together in fear.

We survived but we will never forget..................never!!! It was the hardest life lesson.....for the first time in our lives we felt unable to protect our children and that is a parents' job. Hopefully we will never again experience that feeling. We learned the true value of family and friends.

My youngest daughter always said afterward...."Mami....please don't let it rain." How does a mother stop the rain?

Hurricane Andrew....August 24, 1992.
See pictures at http://www.local10.com/slideshow/weather/13966131/detail.html

Nine Month Report.....

Our daughter Debi, married to Eddy Ruiz...my favorite son-in-law, is in her ninth month of pregnancy. Her due date is officially September 12th but they say that the baby is already approximately 6.5 lbs. and is big and in position.

Debi has been having a lot of pain and I just thought she was being a whimp. Well...the doctor has diagnosed her with pelvic separation. This is a rare condition that happens during pregnancy and causes extreme pain

Its symptoms often include one or more of the following:

pubic pain
pubic tenderness to the touch;

lower back pain, especially in the sacro-iliac area
difficulty/pain rolling over in bed
difficulty/pain with stairs, getting in and out of cars, sitting down or getting up, putting on clothes, bending, lifting, standing on one foot, lifting heavy objects, etc.
sciatica (pain in buttocks and down the leg)
"clicking" in the pelvis when walking
waddling gait
difficulty getting started walking, especially after sleep
feeling like hip is out of place or has to pop into place before walking
bladder dysfunction (temporary incontinence at change in position)
knee pain or pain in other areas

Debi has 99.9 percent of the symptoms. Now I feel bad for telling her to suck it up! Ha!

One of the side effects may be a breech delivery, hand by face delivery, head down but facing up or head tilted. All of her ultra sounds are showing the baby with his hands under his chin! Next week she will have an internal exam and hopefully all will be ready to go.

We don't think she will make September. As you can see....she looks huge! These pictures were taken today when we went to lunch.

I Am Sew Happy!

My husband has finally finished everything that needed to be done in my new sewing room. Saturday he added shelves to my closet and hung a peg board for my tools, etc. Take a look by going to the link below. It took me two days to stock my closet with the supplies I had in my laundry room/office. It was tiring work and I have decided that I could open my own craft supply/fabric store but hey...."She who dies with the most material wins!" I am a happy woman and I think my husband is happy too because I will be spendingmore time here! He can watch sports all evening long now. The only addition I want to make is a glider chair on the empty wall by the door and then I'll bring in my Ott floor lamp so I can do my hand sewing there. Hope you like it!

http://s99.photobucket.com/albums/l300/jolylady/Our%20Home/Sewing%20Room/