Sunny Days!

Enjoying sunny days with a smile and growing belly...

The second semester in Jose's second year is almost coming to an end. We enjoyed a sunny spring break this past week, taking it easy and basking in the gorgeous sun (a real treat for those of us who live in usually-dreary-in-late-winter Massachusetts). 72 degrees was the high yesterday--that's enough of a reason for me to write a celebratory blog post and share pictures of our afternoon picnic on the Charles :).
Days like that make me miss California, and long for the sunny/warm afternoons of Austin, Texas... Thankfully we'll be getting plenty of vitamin D very soon, because we'll be spending quite a bit of time hosting barbecues in the backyard of our cozy summer cottage (yep, we got the cottage :)!

4 more weeks until we're Texas bound. We'll be spending these last few weeks tying up any loose ends and preparing for our busy summer. At 32 weeks, I'm starting to get a little nervous about the whole birthing process. But we're mostly excited because there is so much to look forward to. Like a baby...and a new car!

We've been car-less for the past couple of years. We thought it'd be tough having a car in Boston, so we sold ours before moving here. We were under the impression that we'd have to pay a thousand bucks or more for a parking spot near our apartment, thankfully that isn't the case (turns out there are plenty of free spots nearby). We've recently started getting a little nervous imagining ourselves car-less with a tiny baby. It isn't tough getting around when it's just the two of us; hop in a taxi or rent a zip car, no problem. But try doing that with a newborn when it's 10 degrees out (and they're sick, or crying, or just cold...) and things get a little complicated! We've decided on a Subaru Forester, at least I think we have. It'll be our first family car :).

Speaking of family, that's one thing we really miss living over here alone. Spending a few years away from pretty much everyone we're related to has really changed my perspective on things. I used to think that living far from relatives wasn't a big deal, mostly because I spent half my life living away from extended relatives. But now that we're having a kiddo, and I'm seeing how excited both our families are about the new addition, it makes me sad that our little girl won't have any of her grandmas or grandpas around the first year. Not only that, but it does get lonely when its cold and snowy out on Christmas Day, and it's just the two of us celebrating the holidays together. Of course, having friends over for dinner is fun. But there's really something to having a healthy relationship with those we call mom, dad, sister, brother, etc. From a distance, Jose and I can sense the excitement of our moms. They'll both be first-time grandmas (so you can only imagine how happy they are about this little girl!). It's so cute when my mom calls to tell me about this frilly dress she's about to buy, or when my mom-in-law talks to us on Skype and shows us the spanish fairytales she bought to read to Mirabel (we've decided to change the spelling of her name).

Our families aren't perfect, but both Jose and I have come to appreciate the way they show their love for us. It's such a blessing to know that when we step off the airplane, there will be someone there to lovingly greet us and accept us for who we are. Now that we're starting our own family, we think about how we'll mesh our extended and immediate families together; how holidays will be celebrated, how vacations will be centered on family, and how we hope to help those in our families who've struggled to make it on their own. I'm realizing more and more that it's impossible to be independent without being connected to family. The security their love provides is essential. Even if that love isn't shown perfectly, you take what they have to offer and gain even more by giving without judging or holding a grudge. Everyone wins that way.