Santiago

Santiago Angel. Oh my Santiago. My little strong snuggle bug!! Santiago is now three months old. He is already sleeping 6 to 8 hours straight at night and he rolled over at 11 weeks!! This is one strong boy!! He is so big and healthy. Did I mention that he's beautiful? 

Santiago has really gotten a rhythm going     I love waiting for him to wake up in the morning so I can go and snuggle him. It is very rare that he doesn't wake up smiling and happy. He really loves mommy and he really loves milk. He loves being sung to and of course being held but he also has a massive love affair with his hands right now! Some days I can leave him alone in the bedroom for a couple of minutes and I will walk back in and he is just eating his hands and looking at his feet. And he is a talker! He spends most the day trying to engage something or somebody. Yesterday he had quite the conversation with the chair and when the chair didn't respond he moved onto the guitar. Poor baby still doesn't realize that his toes will never talk back. He loves being up especially standing up and has started crying when having to be laying on his back. He wants to see the world and wants to experience the world. He started reaching for things about eight days ago and, while he can't grab onto them very well, he is coordinated enough to touch them. His eyebrows move in such a cute way when he's trying to focus on things. And he loves his brothers. His smile is so big when he watches them play when they make him laugh. And speaking of laughing he just started doing that two weeks ago! I think he's going to have a great big belly laugh. We just love him and we could never imagine life without him. It is only going to keep getting better and better!!

Emilio

Emilio David. My bright, strong-willed boy. Emilio certainly knows who he is!  We have been working hard to help him learn how to calm down when his mads and his sads get so big so fast. And believe me they get big really fast!! He's been earning stars when he's able to calm himself down and we did it for a month and it really seem to help. He still has a hard time transitioning from doing one thing to another but that's getting better too.  Sometimes it's easy to forget he's only three years old because he's so big!

It is his first year at preschool and he is doing so well!!! He is definitely not a people pleaser and he's not a cookie-cutter kind of kid. He dances to the beat of his own drum. It is one of the things that I love about him even if it can be very challenging at times! At school he is participating well and doing really great listening. It is fun to see him branch out on his own without his big brother. He seems to be doing well academically and socially. He's one of the only kids in the class that can already write his name! Proud mama!!

He has been such a great big brother to Santiago. Santiago loves watching him play because he is so much energy. Sometime Santiago doesn't know if you should admire him or be afraid of him because he's so energetic! His way of giving Santiago hugs is to smell him. I just love it as he nuzzles his head into the babies chest and takes a deep breath in. So sweet! 

Emilio has also become quite the storyteller! He's figured out that he can make up stories in his head and have them come out his mouth and get a reaction. After hearing that Ignacio went to a computer class at kindergarten Emilio created a lavish story involving a limousine and movies that he watched as he was driven to his computer class by his teacher. Crack me up. The funny thing is that he actually believes his own stories! Angel said he was that way. I will give him the credit for this one! We just love Emilio. Life certainly would be boring without him in our family. He keeps us laughing, often times without even trying. 

Ignacio

My Angel Ignacio. My heart. Ignacio is doing so well. He continues to be bright and beautiful. His habit of waking up between 530 and 630 in the morning is really paying off now that school is started. He is up early to take a shower and is ready for the day. This all occurs usually before any of us are even up! Angel takes him to school every morning and they really enjoy their time together even though the school is only four blocks away. At school conferences the teacher said that Ignacio is already meeting the academic goals for May. While most kids are learning their vowels, Ignacio is already reading books. The teacher's working to make him a leader while in big groups and then giving him special work to make sure he's challenged. We don't want this little boy to get bored! 

What's even more special is watching him become a big brother all over again. He loves Santiago and Santiago really loves Ignacio! Both really light up when they see each other!! I love watching the magic happen. His relationship with Emilio continues to be strong and I think we have turned the corner since starting school. He was coming home pretty tired and moody and taking it out on little Emilio but things have been better the last couple of weeks. Ignacio had a lot of changes in a short amount of time but he seems to be handling it well. 

And, to top it all off, my little boy, my firstborn will be six years old November 29th!!! I can hardly believe it. What a beautiful blessing he has been to our lives.

 

Technology

Good news! I now have an app on my phone so I can blog without needing a computer!!  This will allow me to keep things up-to-date much easier, especially seeing as we don't have a laptop anymore. So now where do I begin? How about an update on each kid? Posts on each of the little boys to follow!

First

It seems like just yesterday I was locking eyes with you for the first time.  It seems like just yesterday I put you to my chest for the first time.  It seems like yesterday I changed your first diaper and wiped your first runny nose.  It seems like just yesterday that I held your entire little body on mine all through the night.  It seems like just yesterday your little finger wrapped around mine and the tears came.  You are big now.  You are bright now.  You are headed on a new adventure that has nothing to do with locking eyes, holding on or snuggling in.  You are about to fly.  To see new things in a big, big world.  To open your hands wide to catch all that is amazing in them.  Always know, that no matter what, you are loved.  You are loved so very much.  You are cherished and loved and seen and believed in.  You are mine and now you are the world's.  Good luck in Kindergarten my first baby.  You are going to fly.

Santiago Angel Cisneros

Big and healthy. That's how we make them for sure!!

And then there were five...

On July 26th, 2013 at 4:07am Santiago was born.  Today is August 26th, 2013 at 10:10am and I am finally blogging.  Where do I even begin?  Labor?  So many false starts this time!  Is this it? No. Is this it? No. Then finally the contractions started coming around 3pm and continued pretty regular.  By 6pm I was calling the hospital and by 7pm I was sitting on the hallway floor unable to get up.  The boys were putting there hands between my legs and stating that they were "ready to help."  We tried to call Miguel and he finally came.  Contractions were strong and regular and I cried as we left the boys but felt good knowing Casey was on her way to take over. On the way we missed the turn to the hospital.  Good Lord.  You would think that wouldn't happen the third time around! As we arrived Angel parked the car and then I was wheeled rather quickly by a nice man who brought me to Labor and Delivery.  Nothing better than seeing Amy Knox's face, the midwife who has been with us through thick and thin.  What are the chances?  As now acting supervisor she is only on call one day a month.  Amazing.  She checked me and I was at 5cm.  Into the birthing tub!! There I stayed for over three hours.  One contraction at a time.  Taking it slow.  Feeling like floating.  Trying to relax.  Let me just say...that is impossible in active labor.  At 11pm I hadn't eaten in 12 hours and was feeling week.  At that point I requested an epidural and made my way out of the tub.  The next 1/2 hour was horrible.  They made me go to the bathroom....OUCH!!  Then I had to get an IV...OUCH they blew the vein.  Then I had to wait for to get hydrated...OUCH big contractions.  Angel was right there.  Forehead to forehead with me.  The guy finally comes to do the epidural and at this point I don't even care.  All of a sudden Angel turns white and starts falling back.  Extra staff is called in and they sit him down.  Nurses rush in and the guy finishes the epidural and then heads over to be with Angel.  I am scared.  What is wrong???? They get him juice and lay him down in a bed next to me.  The nurses say this is common.  I am worried.  Then it is all over.  Angel has color, I don't have pain.  Beautiful.  I suddenly feel guilty for leaving all the discomfort to the baby.  I am told to sleep...yea right.  With a numb body, blood pressure cuff and IV that is NOT going to happen.  The hours pass and my water breaks.  I thank the gods I have an epidural...that is when it really get intense!  I labor down for over an hour.  Amy check me and the head is there.  She goes to deliver another baby and comes back.  Time to push.  I start to cry. This is it.  The moment I have dreamt of.  The baby on my chest.  Alive. Breathing. Okay.  Through all the losses, all the fear and all the bravery this was it.  I only pushed for a few minutes and his head came out.  Full head of swirling black hair.  Wet and beautiful.  The tears come some more.  My baby boy.  My love.  Come to me.  He started wiggling his own head as if to birth himself.  The midwives laugh.  I look up and notice all the nurses have left there posts to come and support me. Amy is crying.  She knows.  She knows the back story, the under current and the meaning behind the meaning.  And then he is here.  Big and beautiful and here.  On my chest.  He is here.  Welcome Santiago.  I love you.  I always have.