Well it’s been a while since I’ve even had the strength to write. But this journey has been something out of this world!! From the beginning moments of surprise, disappointment, anxiety to today’s emotions of excitement, anticipation, and joy.  It’s definitely been a roller coaster ride of emotion! God has prepared my heart for this wonderful moment.  God has trained me to take in ONE DAY AT A TIME. That’s all I can do. That’s all we can do as a family.  We don’t know what life will be like in the next few days let alone the next few months…lol.  I imagine it will be like nothing I dreamed about. But just like the Lord prepared me with two, I pray he continues to prepare me/us for four. Wow, did I say that out loud?! I’m going to have 4 children!! It’s crazeeeeee!! But Tuesday looks like it will be the day!

I am a little nervous about the induction day. Of course they will let me do what I can initially by breaking my water, and seeing if I can progress on my own without Pitocin.  Prayerfully, my body will take over naturally like it did with my delivery of Juan.  My uneasiness has come in where the doctors say it would be best for me to have an epidural because of the extraction of the 2nd baby. Of course I want what’s best for the baby and I want to avoid a C-section by any possible means if I am able to.  So I will be getting that early, against what I imagined all this time.  

We’ll see how it goes.  I just pray that everything goes well and the babies are born healthy, and I have no complication from that big needle in my back…lol.

We’ll talk again soon!!

It’s so funny, for about a year we talked about the 5 love languages (touch, quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service) as husband and wife in our Marriage Ministry. But most recently, I’ve really noticed how my children’s love tank is affected by these very languages. It makes total sense, why wouldn’t they be?  They are little people that require love, or the acts of love, in a way their minds can comprehend and appreciate.  My husband and I were talking about it the other day and our kids love languages seem to be very clear right now. They may change as they mature, but for now they can be read loud and clear!

Sanai, our first born, 8 year old princess, is definitely quality time and words of affirmation.  When we talked to her about it she goes…mommy I’m gifts…lol.  She may like to think she’s gifts…but for sure she is the 2 mentioned. When these are fulfilled she feels a total and complete love. Being aware of this helps us to be sure we are continuing to give her what she needs to feel loved and not just know that she is loved.  

Juan, our 2 year old Bam-Bam, is touch!! He needs hugs and kisses, and the closeness to feel that he is loved.  Funny, fulfilling the other things will only touch the surface of his little love tank, but when he is hugged and kissed and even caressed on his face, he is in total heaven. He even enjoys these things from his big sister! Watch out future wife!

It’s been really helpful assessing these traits in them, as we can better appreciate what is needed for them to be complete.

I haven’t read the book for kids, but the characteristics that were in the book for married couples seem to be similar traits to look for in your children. Very helpful approach when looking at self-esteem for our kids and how that affects development and overall maturity!

Want to know more about YOUR kid’s love languages? Take this quiz!
http://crcpeninsula.org/Love_Languages_Children_Guiz.pdf

Well it ended up being a lovely and relaxing 4 days in the Big Apple.  Didn’t do all I had hoped to do with the kids, since the belly keeps me from getting around like normal, but the kids enjoyed themselves and we had a wonderful time catching up with family and friends!!

Tuesday - (arrival day). We stayed at a wonderful hotel, Aloft in Harlem.We left MD at 5 am ready to hit the road. Hubby had to be there hours before his first appointment which was at noon. 

The thing is that we got there waaaay earlier than we anticipated and didn’t know if we would be able to check-in as early as 9:30am.  Omar had somewhere to go and be….but what about us?! I definitely think the belly and kids had it’s advantages with this sorta thing…lol!! They saw me “wasting time” in the lobby with a 2 year old energetic little boy and and an inquisitive 8 year old girl, then on top of that this belly that looks like it’s ready to spit out life right now….oh yeah…they gave us a room in a matter of 15 minutes…lol. The room was beautiful and as spacious as it could be for a Harlem hotel..the only down side…no bathtub…only shower and for a 2 year old…he wasn’t feeling that too much! We completely vegged out in the hotel and since we don’t have cable at home, it was a luxury for us to have 500+ channels to choose from! 

Wednesday
We spent visiting my grandmother in White Plains, NY.  That was great. She hadn’t seen the kids in about a year or so, so that was great. My little cousin and my aunt joined us later.  Omar took the train up from the city so we could visit the saints at Westchester church of Christ for Bible study. Though we were very late, it was truly a blessing to be there with them. They always make us feel welcomed and like family.

Thursday
My friend came to visit us.  She actually lives in MD but is also a model/actress and spends half her time in NY. She’s doing very well so it took me to come to NYC just to see her!! It’s always a great time! Then we ventured out for a bit in the city and wore me out by the time we returned to the hotel room. I was sorry to disappoint Omar, but I had no more energy to do anything more! I know he was looking forward to meeting some friends downtown, but I had already done all I could do.  So we ended up getting NY pizza and eating in the room while watching Discover Series on Sharks and other ocean life :-)

Friday
Time to head home! So I wake up at about 3am to this little 2 year old crawling in our bed…I’m too tired to get up and put him back in his bed! Wake up for good at 6am and step in a pool of water. Oh no! Immediately I start thinking, what has Juan gotten into while we were sleeping?  Then I check the rest of the room and see that there is flooding by the front door as well. Relief… at least I know our son didn’t do it!! So of course we call down and find a pipe burst and about 4 room are affected! For the inconvenience they gave us complimentary breakfast (wonderful since breakfast cost us $50 the first day!!) and points toward a complimentary night’s stay - totally worth it for me since I go up there so much!!

Hooked up with a long time friend of ours and ventured out to see the AFrican American Burial Ground downtown and the 9/11 site. Sanai is learning about that this year and it’s crazee that she wasn’t born yet, so she can’t appreciate the emptiness of the space. But she has seen the tragedy on You Tube and understands where Mommy and Daddy were at that moment in time.  She was amazed to actually be there! Gotta love learning through the eyes of a child!

That was our trip! We had a ball…just sorry I forgot my camera to document more of it :-(

“What does a female midlife crisis look like, anyway? A big face-lift, a little red car, an overdose, an affair, an escape to the Galápagos Islands? Or none of the above?

It is both a stable truth and an unsettling one that our lives loop and twist from age to age. The baby toddles into childhood, the child erupts into a teen, then a woman, who by the time she has passed 40 is long overdue to shed her skin again. That shedding can be traumatic, treacherous, born of sorrow or stress; but to hear the prophets of personal reinvention tell it, it may also be an unexpected gift. With that endearing sense of discovery that baby boomers bring to the most enduring experiences — like growing up or finding God or burning out — women are confronting the obstacles of middle age and figuring out how to turn them into opportunities.”

This article got me to thinking…..Both Omar and I will hit the big 40 this year. Is this something that I may experience or are currently experiencing!? From a Christian’s perspective, I’m not so sure….

I can remember being in my early 20s and being out with my hubby (then friend/boyfriend) and seeing what I thought to be at the time “old fogies” trying to hang with people half their age in a desperate attempt to recapture their youth….or they were smply pervs…lol! lol…now that I am one of them (I mean soon to be 40…not a perv..lol)..I wonder what kinds of things I have consciously/unconsciously done to reidentify with my youth.  Well I think I have done some things because of the industry I have chosen..young is in…and the longer you look it…the longer and better one will work.  So maybe I have dabbled in some anti-age remedies, healthy nutrition so I can maximize a youthful appearance and all the rest of the “normal” stuff most women do day-to-day. But now that I’m having two babies at nearly 40, recapturing my youth would seem to be one of the last things on my list of “things to do”…lol. 

Reinventing myself is something the article spoke that the baby boomer generation is clearly doing.  I think I agree with that! Atleast, I believe this is something I have constantly done year-to-year as a way to keep things new! Though I have lost the battle time and time again with growing my hair, I do try to keep things together, neat, and “pretty”.  Another thing I have noticed is my identification with young 20 somethings. Befriending them and listening to their challenges in life takes me back in time….mostly it helps me be greatful that I’m no longer in that time!  I don’t want to be young again in that sense…as life was really different then! I lived life according to my own philosophies and not God’s…almost searching aimlessly.  My early 20s were spent building a college career, and my mid-late 20s were spent building a modeling career in other parts of the world. Always doing what it took (within reason and respect of a happy marriage) to be successful! This venture took away “something” from my marriage, but now that I understand what God would expect from us, it make it all the better redeeming the time! Stability wasn’t something that was a part of our lives then….. A successful full-time modeling career is very spontaneous and UNSTABLE - not a good recipe for a happy marriage and stable family…not for me anyway. I literally had to choose! But in choosing God and family, God has blessed me with a p/t modeling career that fulfills that passion but doesn’t take me away from my responsibilities as a wife and mother.  The Lord has blessed me and my husband tremendously and getting to work at something I LOVE is the icing on the cake!

Mid-life crisis…can’t say I’m really having one..maybe I’ll rethink it at 50…lol!

As my time is further spent in God’s word, learning about His awesome protection, love, guidance and more, the more thankful I become for life’s blessings. It’s funny, during one of our devotions with the kids this week, we explained the concept of life - full of peaks and valleys.  We also explained about optimism vs. pessimism and depending on how you look at life will determine your thinking about it.  When we look at the glass “half full” we can focus on the goodness of God, life’s blessings, and move forward ever knowing that God has our best interest at heart although life doesn’t always turn out how we desire it to be.  Where as looking at the glass “half empty” leaves us to focus on the things we don’t have, creating an avenue of selfishness, lack of thanksgiving for the blessings God has bestowed on us. Our lesson went on to examine REAL LIFE and how it’s comprised of “peaks and valleys”.  Our perspectives will completely shape how we react to it.  Paul faced much adversity in his life’s mission, but having an optimistic heart always kept his eyes on God’s goal, whereas a pessimistic heart can tend to create a self-seeking goal.

Sanai totally got it! She understood that life is not full of roses and that we as individuals should strive to be happy (or content) irregardless of life’s circumstances (Philippians 4:11).  There are many valleys we hit in life that have the potential to overthrow our faith and joy (illness, death, joblessness, depression, money, etc.) but when we stay in the Word and have the courage and strength to live life in an optimistic fashion, we have an immediate reward AND a reward waiting for us in heaven! During the challenging times of life, I have to remind myself of that often.  when the kids are going through something challenging, we try to bring them back to this principle!  As a child, I never imagined the life that I am living now.  But now looking back, I can’t imagine anything different.

I get such joy watching our children grow in God’s love! Homeschooling has really allowed for us as parents to watch that closely and maintain a consistency that gives God’s lessons of life throughout our days. I’m reminded of a scripture that illustrates this very concept~

Deuteronomy 6:7 -  You shall teach them [commandments of God] diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

What better way to instill these values in our kids then through all walks of life - academics, life lessons, play, etc.

The new curriculum I have been testing out lately (PACES) does just that.  There is God throughout every subject (English, Creative Writing, Social Studies, History, Spelling, etc.).  His influence is so key in growing up faithful children.  

His influence has allowed for my marriage to just overflow with love too! Being in a relationship with a man who truly loves God and wishes to lead his household in that way makes all the difference in the world!! As we grow in the Lord, our love grows more deeply. We had a pretty okay relationship before we let God in, but now the blessings are overflowing! Our communication and commitment to one another is a direct reflection in how we decide to serve the Lord - with love, honor and respect! Is it perfect?! Not by any means! We have issues just like any other marriage. But allowing God to lead us makes for a more fertile ground to grow together! When conflict arises, (after we get rid of the selfish tendencies that still linger…lol) we let go and let God! It’s easier to settle disagreements when we do it God’s way! It’s the perfect solution for us and has sustained our relationship over the last 9 years (been together 19 years)!

I’m excited about what the future holds for The Eaton Family. The sounds of laughter (doubled…lol) and the continued learning of our family together under God’s umbrella, leaves me excited about what the future holds….

So Juan finally had his second development test on Friday! He passed above age level in most areas (cognitive, fine and large motor development, emotional, social, & more!) but where he was lacking significantly was his speech development.

It’s funny, because I mentioned this to my pediatrician at his 2 year examination. Really just based on the progress of other children his age, and my research online regarding child development. My pediatrician said it was too early to diagnose and that I shouldn’t be concerned. So fast forward 8 months later, and I see him making some progress, but still no where near the charts for his age level! I go to a long overdue Mocha Mom meeting back in January and speak to some moms there that have boys around the same age as Juan, and they tell me about this fabulous FREE program that Montgomery Cty Infants and Toddlers offer for development assessment!

Immediately when I came home, I put a call in and got the ball rolling. In the meantime, I continued with our “school” which consisted of letter recognition, letter sounds, number, shapes, and colors. Juan knows all that stuff so surely with him sounding out words as he comes across them without any prompting he will be speaking better soon and there is nothing to be concerned about! NOT!! He was making great progress in sounding out letters, but putting them together was challenging for him and I needed some help. So we had the preliminary assesment and they found the results I mentioned earlier, but we still needed to do the official assessment with a speech therapist and teacher to be sure.

Sure enough, they came and played some games with him of which he was totally excited. “He is the perfect student”, one said. The final report assessed him at a speech deficiency of less than 25%. So he qualifies for the services…hallelujah! and he is a little behind in getting started, but they are optimistic that he will catch on quick! Our baby LOVES learning and he learned two words while they were here! If that is any indication to how quickly he will grasp the program, then he will soar!

All that being said, they gave me a pat on the back with the work I have done with him. They surely could see I’ve been working hard with him. That’s always good to know that you are doing a good job. Now we have to back track a bit and go to the basics of slowly speaking and annunciating once syllable words so he can begin to mimick our sounds. His understanding is off the charts, so we are good there! We have to get his little brain to slow down enough to focus on his mouth formation and sounds. I’m excited about what’s to come for him. He will have fun and I will learn a lot too! Another thing they mentioned that was a great affirmation for me was that his sign language was for good at minimizing his frustration with communicating. Whenever he wasn’t comfortable saying words, he would sign them. They noted that on his chart and at then end found that to be a great tool for him! Good…I thought that was hindering his speech…atleast that was the thought the pediatrician put in my mind!

Anywhoo…I’m glad we’ll get him the help he needs. They did say this may slow down his potty training efforts…so it may not be any regular class camp for him…shame…but I’ll take all the help I can get!

Next time…I will follow my instincts!!

So our adventure of NY was definitely a blast for Sanai. We got the call that she was holding for the entire week, but honestly, $$ wouldn’t allow for us to be there the entire time so I was hoping for 1-2 days so she could get the experience of what filming was like. Well, as the industry often does, we get her details Tuesday evening…lol…and now I’m left to scrounge for arrangements to get her there and stay the night since her call time is so late in the day. I tell you, as much as I love the hustle and bustle of this business, it is definitely a challenge being so pregnant and dealing with the spontaneity of it all!

The real deal, it was a great experience, but we probably won’t do something like this again! Meaning extra work that pays very little in comparison to the expense of getting up there. The bottom line is that now that I am not able to get up there the least expensive way (taking the bus @ $25 r/t per person), driving is not the most economical decision for our family for a job that pays less than $500. Both Omar and I thought it would be a great experience for her, and something great to add to her resume since she is doing this now for fun. But as we progress forward with the expense of two added family members…we (or should I say “I”) have to be better stewards of the $$ the Lord has blessed us with.

This was an expensive trip! I just pray that Sanai and the rest of us will get more opportunities that don’t hit so heavy on the pockets!