Updates!!

How am I organizing this blog you may ask. yes I am playing catch-up of 2 months; so I figured follow the pictures. I will be blogging about the events that were picture worthy to us throughout the past 2 months.

Going to Illinois: included lots of Isaia family time, local shower with my cousin Traci (expecting a little girl just a few months after us), quality time with friends and family. Good food, including going out to eat and lots of home made food (and lots of sugar). We got our fix of snow and were ready for warmer weather after the 2 weeks.

Grandma with her "talking stick" so she is able to hold her own with 5 Italian boys plus the rest of the crew.

Dad's house warming gift!

The 5 boys!

The cousins - although we are missing a few.

such a great gift idea from my cousin Amy.

miss this family A LOT!

oh the things this amazing man puts up with and I'm sure it is only the beginning! We hit 2 years March 3-

Me (and baby boy), Grandma, & Traci (and baby girl)

mom Ramsier made her first solo flight to see us!! So appreciated. We are very blessed by all the efforts of family and friends

working on cloth diapers or I guess they can be used as hats.

lots of enjoyable dinners with this guy.

Also Traci spent a few days here in the Dominican Republic and helped Josh and I celebrate our 2nd  year anniversary. It was wonderful to share this time with her and share the campus and our work here with her.

Activities with the students: We have been enjoying our time here on campus. Josh has enjoyed taking the boys to Puerta Plata go-karting and to the beach. The boys also went on an over night trip to a beautiful beach Monti Cristi. The campus is continuing to grow as we look forward to welcoming a new counselor this week. He is coming with his wife and 4 kids (twins which are about 2 months old). Also towards the end of April we will be excited to welcome another family with 6 children, the father will be helping Jeff with more administration roles. The girls have enjoyed a shopping trip to Santiago, including self-serve frozen yogurt. The girls also helped host a baby shower for me here in campus which was a lot of fun, and helped up get excited for new baby coming SOON.

the boys at the beach

mmmm, the best present for the pregnant lady!!

baby shower games

Ramsier updates: I am getting bigger, one month left - baby very healthy. We have enjoyed taking time to go through a few birthing classes with our local Doula, who does speak English. Looking forward to a Skype baby shower with family and friends from Sardis area (also a joint shower with a good friend, Charla - who is due just a month or so after us). We are looking at buying a car this week, which is a pretty big investment and has been a long road as cars in the DR are a lot different than the US. Also buying a car, as an American, is just asking to get a poor deal; we have found a man on the island that has assisted in our search. 

34 weeks. Due April 29th!!

Preparing for baby: How in the world does a couple prepare for a new born to total transform their lives, so I here. The answer I think we are coming to is just, relax and enjoy as much of the preparing process. God has designed the body to take 9 months and for this we are thankful. It has been a growing anticipation for me at least. At the beginning, it was so hard to believe and realize what a child would bring. At this point we are still completely unsure of what having a baby will require and how to prepare BUT we are more excited. We are enjoying the time we have together and also enjoying lots of nap times when we can; also enjoyed a "baby-moon" to a friend's wedding in the sky, which I will touch on in another blog. As I think about labor and child birth I am excited and extremely nervous. It reminds me of the mentality of preparing for the Chicago Marathon I participated in a few years ago, except there is no way to plan for the date and I will be the only one “participating” in the race. I have prepared what I can and believe God will give my body the ability to birth the child. If not, it will still all be over one day… :)  

We have been blessed with lots of baby items and am so grateful to feel pretty settled and ready for new baby boy due April 29th- oh except for still no name for sure!!