Wordless Wednesday

Well, a few words...

From the front

From the back

...Life is good.

A Happy Thanksgiving

We were extra thankful this Thanksgiving because we got to share it with our precious little Levi. I thank God all the time for blessing us with a happy and healthy child. We were also fortunate enough to have a visitor this year...Grandma Bauer. She flew down to meet her new grandson and teach me how to make all the delicious food for our Thanksgiving dinner.

Here are some pictures from our day together: (and I apologize in advance to my fellow Bears fans for the Cowboy gear...I can only win so many battles ;)

Heritage Turkey ~ Very yummy!

I hope all of our friends and family back in the States had a Happy Thanksgiving too!

Wordless Wednesday

Old photo, but precious nonetheless.

Payback is a B&#%$

In general, I think my mom said I was a pretty good kid. She said I would get into things, but once she said no, I'd never do it again. However, this one time...

My mom was all dressed for work in a nice white blouse and I was in my highchair finishing up my breakfast. She came over to get me out of my chair and I had peanut butter all over my hands. She told me to be good and do not touch her shirt. So what did I do?...I took both my hands and grabbed her arm and twisted my hands, getting PB all over her, with a BIG smile on my face. I of course don't remember, but it doesn't surprise me that I would do something like this...I do like to cause trouble sometimes.

So far, Levi is really good...takes good day naps and only wakes up 2 or 3 times at night to eat and then goes right back to sleep, which makes Mommy very happy. He also only cries when he's hungry. But, he does have a little Mommy in him...

Levi has this thing that sometimes when he is put on his changing table, that's when he decides to crap his pants. It took several diaper changes for mommy to learn this. I foolishly assumed that if his pants already had poop in them, then he was ready for a change. Well, apparently that's not the case. After being pooped on 6 times and peed on 5 times, I've learned to lay him on the changing table and let him do his thing for 10 minutes or so. But, still, I don't always get it right and he gets me...and lately with a smile on his face. Oh well, I keep telling myself maybe this means potty training will be easier because he obviously knows when he has to go potty.

Happy One Month

As of yesterday, Levi is officially one month old. To prove to everyone that he is getting big, he sat up in his Bumbo seat for the first time on his own.

Here were a few of his favorite things this month: 
     
1. Positioner/Wedge ~ We use this in his bed instead of swaddling. It gives us piece of mind that he is not rolling around (even though I know he's too young right now) and that he is safe and secure at night.

2. Boppy Pillow ~ We use this when he is out in the living room with us and he wants to look around or take a nap.

3. Changing table ~ Weird, I know, but I have a whole post coming about his changing table behavior.

4. Rocking ~ Surprise, surprise. He definitely is a Bauer because he loves to rock with Daddy, and now is starting to enjoy his own swing.

5. Bath Time ~ He is still enjoying his bath time, which makes mommy happy.

Only in Costa Rica, October ~ 3rd Times a Charm

It is commonly known that trying to get anything done in CR is not easy or fast and never gets done on time. Your patience will be tested here and mine were in the following story:

Preface ~ Since I am on maternity leave, half of my paycheck each month is paid by the government and I have to go to Santa Cruz to pick it up. It usually takes about 30 minutes to get to SC, but since the road is REALLY bad (full of potholes), I have to add 15 minutes. And since they are doing construction, I have to add another 15 minutes. Therefore, it takes me about an hour each way (keep this in mind). Oh, also, I have to communicate everything in Spanish, which should be easy for me by now, but I'm still learning, so this makes the following story even more interesting.

Day 1 ~ I headed out to SC last Friday at 9:00am to pick up my paycheck. I prepared myself for a semi-long trip because I know things are slower here. I located the correct building fairly easy and headed inside with a positive attitude. There wasn't a very long line at all...surprising for a public facility. The lady was very nice and started on my paperwork right away...so far looking good. She got all the paperwork ready, but she realized that someone put in the computer that I was on sick leave and not maternity leave. So, this should be an easy fix, right?....oh no, not here. She sends me next door to another office to see Marvin, so he can fix it in the computer. There was one person before me and it took Marvin 30 minutes to help him...I'm still calm. Finally, when Marvin got to me, he realized he needed to have a doctor approve the maternity leave, but since it was already 11am, the doctor was on lunch break and then Marvin would go on his at 12pm, so I had to come back at 1pm...really?!, ugh. *Side note: Everyone gets an hour lunch here and some offices/stores close down during this time, crazy I know. So, JB and I grab some lunch and shop a bit. We return at 1pm and I check in to see if they can fix my paperwork now. Well, of course not, the doctor is in a meeting and the office closes at 2pm, so I will have to come back on Monday. I headed back to the car to tell JB and I started crying because of my frustration and wasted time away from Levi...it's the hormones. He was very sweet and said it'll be okay, these things happen...he made me feel better. So, we headed back home. (5 hour trip, no money)

Day 2 ~ I headed out to SC on Monday at 8am, but this time without JB. He stayed home with Levi since my mom already went back home. I went back to Marvin's office and he remembered me and got the paperwork done in 15 minutes...yay, progress! Then I headed back next door to get my money. The same lady waited on me, and again, was very nice. However, she said they couldn't pay me until 1pm (mas o menos: more or less, you get this a lot) because either they didn't have enough money then or they didn't have any at all...it was in Spanish, so I couldn't decipher between the two, either way, no money yet. So, I went shopping again and grabbed some lunch, again. This time, the lady had my phone number and said she would call when the money arrived. I was just finishing up my lunch when she called and I got all excited since it was only 11:30pm. But, of course it was more bad news. She said the money wouldn't be there until tomorrow...of course it won't be. So, I headed back home. (5 hour trip, no money) 

Day 3 ~ I headed out to SC on Tuesday afternoon at 12:30pm because the lady called and said the money was there. As I walked out the door, JB said to remember to be patient and not expect my money to be there...in my head I was thinking it better be or I'm going to lose it, I'm so sick of driving to and from SC on the crappy road!!! I got there and the lady that was waiting on me before was not there, so I got a bad feeling in my stomach. I was directed to another lady and had to wait 30 minutes. She checked my information and then directed me to another lady. This lady FINALLY was able to pay me...YAY! Oh, but it's not over. She paid me $2100, half in $10 bills and the other half in $2 bills (well, colones equivalent to those bills). I walked out of there looking like I robbed a bank. At least she gave me more than one months pay, so I don't have to return until January...thank goodness. (3 hour trip, got my money)

Well, that's my story. I definitely have become a patient person since moving to CR, but this time, I think it was a bit ridiculous. So, next time you think you have slow service in the States, think again ;)

*Sorry, there's no OiCR for September, I was a little preoccupied getting ready for Levi ;)

1st Photo Shoot

We wanted some photos with Levi in the first month. Our friend, Lizzie came over and did a photo shoot for us. I think she did a wonderful job, and the photos turned out great! Here are a few...