!!!!!Celebrate!!!!!!

I could not let today go by without blogging, because tomorrow is a big day in the Garcia family! Gianna Avie Garcia is turning 4 years old!

I blogged several months ago about The Best "OOPS" That Ever Happened To Me (follow the link to read)- and that is exactly what Gianna is!
This is the first year we will be having "family parties" for our girls Birthdays- just the 4 of us and any other family who is able to come. We're allowing the Gianna to plan her favorite meals for the day, and she will wake up to balloons and streamers and decorations. Of course, we will end the day with a Barbie Cake and gifts. It will be a day to celebrate her and the gift she is to all of us!

It's so easy to go through the motions of planning a party and a day, and forget to reflect on what the celebration is. I decided this morning that I wanted to write a little something about my baby girl, so it caused me to really start thinking and remembering. I went back and read the blog above that I wrote about her- I grinned ear to ear as it brought back memories.

I also remembered when she was 3 weeks old, a very scary day. Everything was fine as I nursed her and read a book. When it was time to burp her, I sat her up- and something didn't seem so okay anymore. She was kind of limp- well, more limp than what a 3 week old typically is, and it seemed her color was not right. I started to "burp" her a little more aggressively to get her to respond to me. Gianna's eyes began to roll back in her head and her color was getting worse- I knew something was wrong when her lips began turning blue and white. Talk about multi-tasking- while trying to revive my child, I called Lupe hysterical, ran up the stairs to check on a sleeping Tenly, and prayed like I had never prayed before. Of course, by the time Lupe arrived home (he was there in probably 3 minutes with a baby sitter in tow- thank you Jessica) Gianna's eyes were opened, she had a very tired cry and her color was still way off.

We headed to the ER, considering you can never be to cautious with a new born baby. We lived in Columbus, which is a VERY small town- needless to say they were not equipped to deal with infants. They insisted because of her age and the circumstances, we needed to be transported to Texas Children's Hospital, they wanted to be sure everything was ruled out before they issued a clean bill of health.

We spent 3 days there, Lupe and I taking shifts between sleep (they gave us a room in Ronald McDonald House in the hospital) and being with Gia. We held her almost nonstop the whole 3 days, and no one could of convinced me to anything other than that. They ruled it acid reflux, and considering she was 4 weeks premature it sometimes has severe side effects.

A situation like that makes you value your children in a different way......I am so Thankful.

Gianna is one of the sweetest little girls you'll ever know. She is on the quiet side a bit, until she jumps into Tenly's comfortableness, but once she opens up and connects to you- she'll steal your heart. Tenly is her best friend, and she can't wait to have her home all to herself every day. Gianna is a giver, and loves to see others happy. She's a very compassionate little girl, taking every opportunity to tell you how much she loves you. Our little Gia looks like her Mommy, but she has more of her Daddy's personality. She loves to cuddle and sit close- which I take full advantage of. She looks forward to being my little assistant, as she tags along on my errand running and meetings without complaining and ever giving a problem.

Gianna is still known by the little pink stringy blanket and by her wild uncontrollable hair (another thing I gave her). She's a genius with puzzles and anything resembling a computer. But, I believe this little girl- who God told me was called to the world when she was still in my belly (You can read about that one here:Starting Young: Gianna Called To The World) will be know by the love that radiates out of her. She is so special- the best "OOPS!" that ever happened to me!

Excitement and Uncertainty

December 12! THE day!

Lupe's last "working" day would be December 10th.

Seemed like we spent days of weighing out our options- especially when we had limited resources, no job/home yet, and Christmas right around the corner.

Lupe had been sending out resumes and applications at every opportunity, but had not heard back on anything yet.

My parents had eagerly invited us to stay with them indefinitely without any hesitation- this brought huge relief!

We had been primarily looking at moving to the Lakeland, FL area- this is where I was living while Lupe and I dated and we both loved the area- and it was in a central location to a lot of family and friends. But, no doors had really opened as of yet- so we just continued to look and pray...look and pray...!
With limited resources and Christmas so close, we decided it would be a good idea to store our things in Texas and return to get them instead of shelling out so much money up front to get all of our things in storage in Florida (a decision we would late regret). We rented a trailer to bring the stuff we needed immediately with us to my parents and stored the rest of our things in Houston.

A few days before we left Texas, Lupe felt prompted to call a friend of ours, Ventura, from the church and inquire if he knew of any jobs available in his field (Independent and Assisted Living Facilities for Seniors). Ventura asked Lupe to send him his resume and give him a couple days to make some calls. He did call Lupe back and put him in touch with a friend in the field who had a facility in the Ft. Lauderdale area. By the end of the day, Lupe had an immediate interview lined up on Thursday Morning- the day after we arrived in Florida. (Funny part is, Lupe had fallen in love with Ft. Lauderdale when we were vacationing there that August- and was always "joking" about how often we could visit there.)

We would have the weekend to pull last minute stuff together, we were to be at church, Sunday December 12, so the Pastors and Leadership could pray over us and send us out from under that covering with their love and blessing. After church that afternoon, the girls and I were headed to the airport to pick up my dad and Lupe was headed to pick up the truck and trailer to begin packing our things.

Well, December 12 came and went. After our last service, we felt good. We felt the release we needed and wanted, not so much by the Pastors and Leadership- although that was great, but by God! We felt more than ever that we were following His leading and making the right decision for us and our family! The love, hugs, and encouragement that we were given by so many helped to give us even more peace. It was an emotional day- but very sweet.

After FINALLY getting back to the house, I became quite overwhelmed! I felt like I had done such a good job packing up- but there were still so many loose ends and last minute stuff that I really didn't expect. I wish I had pictures of all of the people that showed up and stayed with us late into the night and came back so early the next morning to help and just show us their love- it was so overwhelming. I remember for instance, Hania showed up that night and played with the girls while I ran around crazy- then came the next morning with our favorite breakfast and stayed until we pulled out of the driveway (all these memories are bringing me to tears even now). My friend, Catherine, took the day off of work at the last minute and helped until we had the truck unloaded in Houston- not because she had to, but because she wanted to.

My dad, the girls, and I followed Lupe, driving the truck, down that long road- I remember wishing Lupe was with me as we passed the entrance to the ministry grounds. I cried out of excitement, memories, leaving where our family began, fear, and anticipation.

It took us a couple of days to get to Florida. When we finally arrived- and we drove past the ocean on every side (which I had missed immensely)- we knew we were home (I joke with Lupe, that I believe he's really a Floridian at heart). We unpacked the trailer and car, and actually unpacked and had everything put away in our little bedroom at my parents before we went to bed. It was very hard to say goodbye to Lupe early the next morning as he left for his job interview- it was a 3 hour drive so he would come back the next morning. We had no idea what to expect , all we knew how to do was trust God.............................