Have a good Christmas

Well we are about to celebrate Christmas, and it is Andrews first. We are going through the process of being able to make a trip to the United States. I know that my mom and dad are so excited to see Andrew and also Eliana, and me too. So family, get ready, because God willing, we will soon be making a trip up there.
This Christmas, may we know Jesus more. Those of us that will see Jesus as he really is, our breath will be taken away at his beauty and our eyes will shine as we behold his glory. He came down from Heaven, and took his sin upon him, and was punished and killed for it. But he will return soon. We are all sinners, and in need of a Savior. Lets call out to Jesus, because he is the only way we can be saved. He is full of grace and mercy and love, and he is so good. I am not saying that because others say it... I am experiencing it myself, and wish to know Jesus more and more. It is so amazing and wonderful how good God is.

update

- Andrew is growing and growing. Before long he will outgrow his smallest clothing.

- A doctor said it is good that Andrew is going through 7 diapers a day, because that means he is getting plenty of milk. Well this last package of 56 diapers, I believe he went through it in 5 days. So that is how many, 11 a day?

- He is eating and eating. I now understand that breast feeding is much more difficult then giving formula. It takes much more time. I would like to say that Andrew is consistent to feed every 2 hours, but often it is every hour. But during the night he seems to be consistent at every 2 hours. And sometimes he really gets to sleeping, and won´t eat for more than 3 hours.

- He likes to be carried. Well not just carried, but likes when I walk with him. When he starts getting fussy, and will pick him up, and walk around the house, and he likes that. But as soon as I sit down, he is crying, usually because he wants fed. He likes when we have to go to different places. We our beginning all the paperwork, and all the stuff we have to do to be able to visit the United States. So he likes that because I am carrying him and walking, and he likes to be in the buses, because there is movement.

- He loves his mother. Of course nobody knows how to take care of him like Eliana, because she has the mothers touch. She sings to him, and always knows what to do.

- I am so excited about being able to see the United States again. I will love the thought of showing Eliana my country. Everything will be new to her. She has never seen snow. It will be so cold in Iowa, and I imagine that will be hard for her. She has never experienced cold like there is in Iowa. Pretty much all the food will be new to her, although I know she will be glad to cook some Peruvian food, so family can try that. Peru has some really delicious food, and Eliana is a good cook. She is used to living in the middle of a big concrete city, so seeing the wide open country in Iowa, and Kansas, and Oklahoma will be a change for her, but I think she will really like it. It is not easy to go to a new country where people speak a different language. I know how hard it is, because I have done it. After my first trip to Peru, I remember saying that it was the hardest 3 weeks of my life, but at the same time the most blessed 3 weeks.

- I hope everyone has a good Christmas. Christmas in Peru is also celebrated on the 25th. But here, people also celebrate by setting off fireworks, and do the fireworks on New Years Eve also. But with all the homes being brick and concrete, you can´t set them on fire. I told Eliana that when my family gets together at someones house, they will clean it before they leave. Eliana thought that was a wonderful idea, and so Eliana is wanting to make that a new tradition here. While in a bus, we passed by a big sign that read ¨Christmas here is about Jesus¨.

God created marriage.

"A girl should get so lost in God, that a guy has to seek God to find her!" ~ Dannah Gresh, author.

And I would also say, A guy should get so lost in God, that a girl has to seek God to find her.

If I had not been seeking God, I would not be with Eliana. And there are several reasons for that. The first is if I had not been seeking God... I believe God would not have allowed me to come even close to Eliana. God was protecting Eliana. When Eliana was I believe a teenager, she had asked God to close her heart, so that her heart would not open until the right guy came a long.... so she could not have feelings for someone that God did not want her to be with. And God did that.
The second reason we would not be together is because if I was not seeking God, I would probably not be looking for a women like Eliana, who knew God and was seeking to know him more.
Anyways, all I can say is this... God brought us together. If it were not for God, we would not be together. It truly is incredible how God brought us together, and how he helped us. We were married because it was Gods will.
I am married to such a wonderful and special woman. When I was younger and imagined being married, I never imagined God would bless me with a wife like Eliana.
I feel very honored, because I know that God loves Eliana so much, and he chose me to be her husband. And the blessings continue, because God has brought us baby Andrew.
If I could give advice to people that are single, it would be... seek God. Trust in him, and trust that if it is in Gods good will, he will bring you to the person that he wants you to marry. But just wait, and have patience, and know that God can do the impossible. After all, did God not create us, and the entire universe... bringing 2 people together is quite easy for him. Everything is beautiful in God´s perfect time.

The joy that a baby brings.

All of these photos were taken since I posted the last photos, but if your wondering what he looks like today, then that would be the first 5 photos or so. Those were taken today. Andrew and Eliana are doing well. Andrew has a cold, but is doing much better. Its hard having a new born, and seeing them sick. The first night he ran a fever, although we told the doctor about it, and he said that what he had really was not to be called a fever, because it wasn´t much. Now he still is stuffed up in one of his nostrils, but is doing well. I can´t believe how well he has done. He hasn´t been crying much, and just takes everything with patience, except when he wants to eat, then he gets to crying.
So the last 2 nights were rough, because he was up so much, but last night went better than the night before. He is eating a lot more now. I don´t know why, but since he got sick (I think it’s a cold), he has been eating much more. And so he is going through even more diapers. We will change a diaper, and it seems like today almost immediately he is dirtying the next one. We took him to a doctor when he got sick, and the doctor wanted him to be eating as much as he could, so its great he is eating so much. Before he would eat a little, and fall a sleep, but now he is not falling a sleep. That is something that Eliana and I prayed about, and he almost immediately started eating more, so I know that God did that.
That is about all on this end. Hope everything is doing well.

oh how he loves being with his mama

he loves his milk also

kisses from mama

daddy, how many times are you going to take my photo?

fast a sleep

I forgot what its called, a kalic? well he seems to have 2 of them.

chubby kissable cheeks

dad, its a nice toy and all, but not really interested right now.

is it time to eat yet?

he loves to smile while he sleeps.

I am a happy baby!

probably my favorite photo.

daddy, you should really think about shaving.

got any blue socks to match my outfit?

I would like to have something in my mouth right now, preferably a bottle.

precious

I just don´t know what to think of that camera.

please wake me for dinner

me and mama

I can´t move my arms, but I don´t mind

he´s a mama´s boy

I imagine all babies are mama´s boys, and its no different for Andrew. When Andrew was born, they cleaned him up and immediately brought him to Eliana and put him on her chest. He was crying and crying, but when they gave him to Eliana and he could hear Elianas voice, he stopped crying, and was listening to her. The nurse was surprised and said that Andrew recognized her voice. My mom had told me a similar story before and I think that Rhonda recognized her voice after she was born.
Eliana will take a shower or something, and so I will be a lone with Andrew, and he usually will start crying unless he is sleeping. The other day he was crying but once Eliana stepped into the room and he could hear her voice, he stopped crying, and was listening to her voice.
Andrew is very blessed to have such a wonderful mother. I would say that not many babies or children have a mother like Eliana, and that is sad, but I am so glad that Andrew does.

He´s an afternoon sleeper, and a night eater.

Some of this is from an email I sent to mom:

Things are going well here. Andrew sure likes to wake up during the night, and not want to sleep. He breast feeds a little, and then falls back to sleep. So its a challenge to try to keep him awake. And then he wants to eat again in 30 minutes or so. Last night we held him off so he didn´t eat again until 2 hours was over. But that is hard too, and I had to keep putting the pacifier back in his mouth. I don´t think he ever fell into a deep sleep. So his eating schedule is not good, but we are trying to get a schedule going. I think he woke up at 2 a.m., and we did not get back to sleep until 4. And then had to keep him busy with his pacifier until 6, but he actually then slept until 6:30.
Elianas mother has 8 children, and she is amazed at how alert Andrew is, and also how strong Andrew is. She says that Andrew is very intelligent. And since Andrew has a lot of Inca blood, we say that he has the strength of an Incan.
So neither of those he gets from me, although he does seem to have a receeding hair line, which would be from me. But I imagine that will fill in, and mine never will. :(
So things are going well. Anybody have any tips on getting him on a feeding schedule, and maybe even a sleeping schedule?

our lives have changed