Hey Baby, It's Cold Outside! January Mendez News

Hey all!

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Happy New Year!

Abigail with Granny Andrews

January has all been about recovering from jet lag. Let me just tell you, baby jetlag stinks. We had no problems going to the US, but coming back was pure killer. And of course, because Abby’s schedule was all off, it meant mine was too. The first week Abby was up from 11pm-4am. By the second week, we got that down from 11pm-2am. Finally she started sleeping through the night in the third week, and that was not a moment too soon. I was just about to pull out my hair.

So, did you guys make your New Year’s Resolutions? We did. One of mine (besides getting up to date on all of my scrapbooking) is to lose the rest of the baby weight. Joel and I have been doing pretty well with our diet so far I think. And to mix it up a bit, this month I signed up for a belly-dancing class. Yep, you read that right. The International Women’s Club here is hosting a 4 week class that is a pretty good deal, so I figured, hey why not. Man, there is nothing like looking at yourself in a dance room mirror for an hour to confirm that you need to lose weight! Hahaha

Some ladies from my Bible study have decided to get together once a month and scrapbook at my house. Last Sunday afternoon was a first time, and I have to say that I am so excited that we are doing this. I’ve missed scrapbooking with other people. (Abby helped Daddy watch sports during the scrapbook workshop. It was a very difficult job.)

This month, our friends (who are also Dominican) hosted the embassy’s Latin-themed wine and cheese party. I helped cook several of Joel’s favorites of his mom’s dishes. Everyone seemed to like them, though I’m not sure I did them justice.

The weather here has finally turned cold, and that means staying indoors. The main mode of entertainment seems to be hanging out at people’s homes. Game nights and dinners seem pretty popular.

Abby is doing well; she weighs 16 pounds and is growing like a weed. She is going to be very tall I think, she has very long legs. She is really into grabbing things and playing with toys, and sits up pretty well on her own. She’s not crawling yet, but she thinks she can. She scoots in a circle on her belly, and if you put her on hardwood floors, she can go backwards. Slowly but surely, her hair is growing in. She has just enough hair now to look like a little boy, so I’m constantly putting bows on her head. Abby’s progressed to eating baby food – she’s made her way through avocado, bananas, squash, and sweet potatoes. As soon as she’s over this cold she picked up this weekend, we’ll be trying out peas.

Abby in her new high chair

Abby in her new duck bathtub, eating a duck.

Abby talks incessantly and the little bugger’s favorite word is “Dada.” That’s gratitude for ya. You should see how she just flirts with her Daddy. Who of course is the biggest sucker for all of it. But she does give the best open mouth kisses.

Abby and Joel at the park in Zagreb

Next month, I finish up the vacation I’m taking from writing the embassy newsletter, and get moving with my online Spanish. Joel will be taking a maintenance Spanish course as well. We are taking a trip to stock up in Aviano, and might even get out of the house for a date on Valentine’s Day, if we get a sitter. Abby’s hoping it will snow again, so I can make her a snowman.

Talk to you all soon!

Love,
Julie, Joel, and Abigail

Abby's First Snow!

We finally got our first snow today, and I just couldn't wait to share these pictures!

Abby in the Snow

Oooh, mommy, that white stuff is cold!

Okay, so maybe making baby snow angels was not such a good idea.

Looking down our street.

Sadly, it's already melting away this afternoon, but this morning our neighborhood looked so pretty with all the snow all over everything.

Okay, that's enough for now.

Love, Julie and Abigail

Happy New Year!

So before we get started with the new year, here are a few pictures to update you from December.

Abby's Dedication Service

At Kate's Birthday Party

Picture with mall Santa

Christmas Eve

In Alabama- Aunt Nancy finally gets to buy girl toys

With Zac and William

As you can see, we've had a great time, and Abby has been royally spoiled. Mission accomplished! (And no, Abby did not get her two front teeth for Christmas, unfortunately.)

We fly back to Croatia this week, and get back to the daily grind. We have nothing big planned, other than recovering from jet lag and getting Abigail back to her normal sleeping schedule. Shoveling snow will probably be on the schedule sometime this month, too!

Talk to you all soon!

Love,

Joel, Julie and Abigail

Merry Christmas!

Abby wanted to say Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Mendez Clan!

Love,

Joel, Julie, and Abigail

Happy Holidays! December Mendez News

Well, we made it. It's now December.

The reason I say that is because November was a rough month in our household. Between teething and baby puke/spit-up, and more teething, it's been quite an adventure in our house. I decided to forgo many of the "field trips" with the IWC I planned to do this month. Since Abby spit up so much in October, I thought perhaps staying at home and not being on the go so often might help with that and her napping schedule. Didn't really work, but it was a good idea.

Sleeping Baby- a Rare Sight in Our Household

This month we had several holidays, plus a weekend trip to Aviano, so Abby has gotten some serious Daddy-bonding time. I'm sorry to report that Abby is a sports fan. She is fascinated by Sports Center (ESPN show) and loves watching sports on TV with Joel.

Joel and I had our first baby-less "date" in Zagreb this month! The American International School of Zagreb's high school did a production of The Crucible and I talked Joel in taking me to see it. That is an extremely difficult and challenging play, and you could see how hard they worked and how enthusiastic the students were.

We also went to the Marine Ball this month. It doesn't count as a date though, because a) it was boring, and b) it felt like we were "working" the entire time. I'm also happy to say that my dress arrived and it fit, and I didn't look like the fat cow I was worried I'd be. The best part of the Marine Ball was the masseuse that came to our house beforehand, and gave me a great massage.

Thanksgiving was a huge feast - my only gripe is that we had way to much food left over. Even after inviting some friends over that weekend for an "Leftovers Party," we are still stuck with a chunk of food that's going to have to get tossed. Oh well. Everyone liked it at least.

Abby's First Turkey-Day

Abby has hit some major milestones this month. As I mentioned before, she's teething. Nope, nothing has actually broken through yet, but they are very close. I just got her weighed today, and she was 13 pounds, 12 ounces! That is a HUGE jump from her last appointment where she had hardly gained anything at all. Abby's also jumped up to eating 7 ounces of formula at a time. She's really talking and babbling now, and laughs and squeals like a little girl. She absolutely loves Elmo. We found out that Sesame Street comes on here every morning at 8am, so she watches it every day, while I attempt to eat breakfast. She got a new Bumbo chair, which helps her to sit up and she is so cute in it. She recognizes certain toys and I think already has a few favorites. Her eyes are still light, but we can't decide if they're going to stay blue or turn green. Her hair is finally growing in - she's got a nice thin layer of dark (brown or black, depending on the light) fuzziness all over. It's mostly straight, but I think she's going to end up with my frizz. Poor girl.

Abby in the Bumbo With Her Baby Doll

And she's eating cereal now! She's such a hoot. It's taken us all month, but she's suddenly figured out what a spoon is for. Next month if I get brave, I might start her on baby food.

Gotta Have the Messy Face Picture!

Did I mention how slimy baby drool is? Just checking.

In December, we come home! Next week I frantically pack, Friday we fly out, and then we'll be in Miami most of the month. I am dreading the 15+ hours in a plane. Right after Christmas we head to Alabama to spend a week. Our families are ecstatic. We'll be doing a little "baby-dedication" ceremony at Joel's parent's home, as well as attending cousin Kate's 3 year-old birthday party. (It's a movie star theme and I'm the family expert, so I've been drafted to help. It should be fun.) Beyond that, Joel and I plan to let the family spoil Abby rotten, which won't be hard, and hopefully not kill our diets with all the food we plan to eat. And maybe Santa will come visit us, too!

Love to all of you!

Julie, Joel, and Abigail

PS. Certain members of the family who shall remain nameless have suggested that I could be spoiling Abby. Let me ask you, could you say no to this face? I mean, really.

November Mendez News

Hello All! Abby is taking a nap (finally, after two hours of cranky-pants syndrome) and Joel just got home and now has baby duty, so I have a few minutes to update you all on October. (Abby on her 3 month birthday at left.)

This was a crazy busy month. Joel spent a week out of town and Abby and I survived pretty well. I was very glad when he got home though - and Abby's face just lit up when she saw him. It was like she was thinking, "Oh, there you are! I've been wondering where you've been." I think she knows what the word "Daddy" means, because she gets excited whenever say talk about him. When I say "Mama" to her, she just looks at me and laughs like she's thinking, "You silly woman."

In other family news, we now finally have a housekeeper twice a week. One day to clean the house, the other to watch Abby while I work. Abby and I have gone on several outings with the International Women's Club - a museum tour, a tour of the Botanical Garden, a Restaurant visit, and a day trip on a Wine Tour. I've started going to a Bible study on Thursday mornings. We also all went on this Kezele "farm" outing with the embassy. Basically, the kids run around and play, they feed us a lot, and then there were a couple different activities - like traditional songs and dances performed for us. Joel and I did a wine tasting, which was fun. The food was great. And we picked out a pumpkin, but I chickened out of carving it. I thought for sure I'd cut my hand off. So, it's just sitting in our living room right now.

Joel and Abby at Jerun Lake

Julie and Abby on the Wine Tour

Last weekend, we had the embassy Halloween party. Abby and I handed out candy to the trick-or-treaters. For the costume contest, Abigail was a "Tootsie Roll" and won the popular vote, though she lost the election. She had a good time too, she refused to sleep the entire time (it went past her normal bedtime) and just stared at everyone and everything. (That's her on the right. She's still a little confused why her mama made her wear such a weird outfit.)

We're checking out more of Zagreb now. One Sunday we went to "Jarun Lake" that has these great walking paths, etc. We've also hung out a little bit downtown. I think we've "found" our church here - it's a Baptist Church that does its service in Croatian, but translates it via an earpiece into English (kindof like going to the UN for church). We went for the first time last week and really enjoyed it. The music was good even if we didn't understand it, and they have a really nice little room set up as a nursery. That will come in handy on the days that Abby decides not to cooperate and behave in church. She loved the music last week, but wanted to talk back to the preacher, so I had to take her for a walk during the sermon. (But the earpiece worked in the hallways so I could still listen, which was cool.)

Family Picture at Kezele Farm (yes, I've been a little camera-happy lately.)

Abby's 4-month dr. appt is next week, and we should find her new weight, etc then. At her last appt she was 11 pounds, 6 ounces. This month she's drooling like a fiend, and teething. We can actually see the teeth coming down in her gums. Oh, the joys of parenting. She chews on her fingers like she is going to gnaw her fingers off. She's practicing rolling over on her own and is getting pretty good at it. She babbles and laughs all the time now, but unfortunately; laughing triggers her spit-up reflex. I'm hoping that goes away soon.

After writing all this, now I understand why I've been sleeping so well!

Coming up for November, we have the Marine Ball this weekend, another trip to Aviano next weekend, and Thanksgiving. Then in December, we are really looking forward to coming back to the States for a few weeks.

Oh, and it's now COLD. This Saturday the low is supposed to be negative (-)1 degree Celsius. Yep. That's COLD.

That's it from us for now! Talk to you all soon! (And have you ever seen such a beautiful baby?)

Love, Julie and Joel

Happy Pumpkin Day!

(Abby and Puzza checking out the baby in the mirror.)

Hi all!

I've got to make this quick - Abby is napping and that is a very rare occurrence in this house.

September is a complete blur. We spent the entire month unpacking, taking care of Abby, unpacking, taking care of Abby, you get the idea. Occasionally, we cleaned the house.

I started my job writing the newsletter this month as well. There were a few bumps in the road at the beginning, but things are starting to smooth out now. I was finally able to hire someone to come to the house twice a week starting next week, praise and hallelujah. One day to clean the house and one day to watch Abby while I work. It's not easy trying to write a newsletter and take care of a baby at the same time. Abby seemed to like her and she didn't look like an axe murderer, so we'll see how it goes.

The Marines had a Texas BBQ this month, and it was GOOD (see Abby dressed up "country" at left). Plus we made another trip to Aviano - they were having a case lot sale (buying in bulk like at Sams or Costco) - and we needed to stock up on formula. We've been able to find Pampers here in Croatia, but not American brands of formula. So, we filled the car to the brim with food and other fun things. I joined the International Women's Club this month. They are very active with events, trips, museum tours, and a baby group. Abby and I went to her first museum yesterday, which amused the other ladies on the tour. They teased me about exposing Abby to culture so early. (Actually, I had an ulterior motive - now I can use my visit to write an article for the newsletter next week.) Almost forgot to mention that I signed up with a casting agency here in Zagreb to do extra work! Richard Gere is shooting a movie here in November, so hopefully I will get called. Wouldn't it be funny if I came all the way to Croatia and got discovered?

I'm also performing daily to a packed house and getting rave reviews from the critics. Songs in my show include, "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," "Father Abraham," "This Little Light of Mine," "Do Your Ears Hang Low," and many more. (Hahahaha Had you going there for a minute, didn't I?)

This past Saturday Joel and I decided to play hooky from cleaning and unpacking. We hit the Dolac market again, went to their version of Home Depot looking for barbeque grill, found a "ToysRUs" type store, and went to the park and the zoo. Yep, it was a busy day now that I think about it, but anything to get out of the house! We found a swing at the baby store - what a gift from God! Abby loves it, AND she took two, count 'em, TWO, two-hour-long naps in it on Sunday. Amazing! While at the park, we found the zoo, and it was crazy. You could get right up to the lion and tiger cages. I was six inches from a huge tiger! It was cool. Next time I will remember to take the camera.

Abby news: She had her appt with the Regional Doctor at the embassy this week. She now weighs 11 pounds, 6 ounces and is 22 1/2 inches long. He said she is extremely alert and aware for her age (of course!) and is doing very well. She's talking pretty well now, and "sings" along with me, and laughs when I help her do the hand motions to her songs. She's found her hands and spending hours chewing on them. She's mastered smiling and lifting her head up when she is on her tummy, and is currently working on the art of drooling. She'll be 3 months old next week.

We've discovered that Joel had an unknown gift from God. It's called the "Gift of the Shoulder." Put a baby on his shoulder, and said baby will fall asleep. It's an absolute miracle.

October is already gearing up and looks to be a busy month. Joel has a work trip to Frankfurt; Abby has decided to volunteer to handout candy at the Halloween Party at the Embassy, and there is a trip with the Embassy that we are going to go on to a farm. We'll get to pick pumpkins, go on a hayride, eat, and drink wine. Sounds like fun!

One more thing: Abby is now sleeping through the night. Going to sleep at 8:30pm-9pm, and waking up between 6am-7am. In her own bed. Eat your heart out, people!

Aaahhh . . The Smell of Fall! Happy Labor Day!

Yep! We're finally all here together in Croatia as a family, and it's been fall weather for the entire time we're here! I thought we'd at least get another couple weeks of warm weather, but I guess we're too far north or something. The high here tomorrow is going to be around 66-68 degrees (Fahrenheit). I've been walking around saying, "But it's August!!!" It's been raining a lot too.

So since I always do a monthly recap for you guys: The first half was (of course) in Alabama and crazy busy. Abby met all sorts of friends and family, and I got some great pictures for the baby album. Then last week we finally flew over here to Zagreb, Croatia, and were blessed with being in Business Class again. Abby behaved very well on the plane and got plenty of sleep (picture on left). I didn't get any sleep at all (What is it with stewardesses who wake you up to ask you if you want something to drink when it is obvious you're asleep???), so by the time we landed I was wiped out and slept like a ton of bricks. For the past week now pretty much all we've done is that I take care of Abby and unpack while Joel works, and then Joel takes care of Abby and helps me around the house some more. He's been spending his evenings putting things together for me - like the stroller, the crib, bookcases, etc. We also took a weekend trip to Aviano, Italy, to the military base to stock up on stuff. I'm happy to report that we managed to get everything in the car and didn't have to strap Abby's car seat to the roof! hahaha

We are making good progress on the house; it doesn't look like a moving van barfed all over the house anymore. But we still have a long way to go, and with Abby I have only a few solo hours per day while she's sleeping to really plow through things. Or perhaps shower and brush my teeth :) . But her room is done mostly (Abby napping in her crib on right) - we're waiting on a couple things to still be delivered. The living room and dining room look good and we can at least walk through our bedroom. We finally got the computer and DSL working. And I can't get a part-time housekeeper quick enough if you ask me. Just to have someone deal with the dirt and cat hair will be such a help. (I put an ad in this week's newsletter, so that should be fixed soon I hope!)

My next big house project is setting up my office. Especially since I start my new job this week! I will be writing the community newsletter weekly for the Embassy. I'm a little nervous about it, they expect a lot - I'm supposed to write these cover stories each week and they expect it to be 2-3 pages long! But I do have some great ideas that I want to try out, and I'm looking forward to doing it.

Our house is going to be great though, and I think I'm going to really like our neighborhood. (Joel winning the war with weeds above, left. That's our back yard by the way!) There is a tiny "corner-store/mom and pop store" just two blocks away, next to a coffee bar. Joel and I ate at a FANTASTIC steak restaurant two weeks ago. And we're not far from a huge park, once I get used to driving and not getting lost.

(Puzza is doing well also, he is loving all the room he has to run around and is absolutely fascinated by Abigail. He must think she's a new cat, he loves to curl up with her. We have to watch him closely to make sure he doesn't get carried away. Abby is taking it all in stride. That's Puzza enjoying the sunny windows on the right.)

I do have to say, our darling Abigail has taken the Embassy by storm. I've been there twice now with her, and EVERYONE has to stop and coo over her. Even the Croatian cleaning people stopped me so they could babytalk to her in Croat. Abby looked like she understood them perfectly also, it was very cute. Every one remarks on how adorable she is, and I have to say that they are all right. Even when we were Aviano, Italy, folks would stop me so they could look at her. So it's now a worldwide consensus. We apparently have the cutest baby in the world! (There she is at the embassy below, left.)

More baby news: Abby is doing well, and is really starting to smile "talk" to us now. She sleeps in her own bed for part of each night and for her naps during the day, and is up to eating 4 ounces at a time. She's also figuring out how her finger work, which is funny to watch. She likes when Mommy sings to her and to cuddle up on Daddy's chest when he holds her.

Coming up in September: lots of busyness. I'll be working from home on the newsletter, Abby will get even bigger and coo and laugh at us more and get spoiled by everyone we meet, Joel is working hard at work but thankfully is keeping better hours than Rome, and we'll finally get settled and get out more to meet folks.

Talk to you all soon!

Love,

Julie, Joel, and Abigail

Off We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder . . .

Hey everybody! Well, Abby and I are getting on our way to Croatia. After a week of paperwork and beaurocratic nonsense, we finally got our tickets and are ready to go.Before we leave the US though, I thought I'd send you guys some pictures of Abby while I can.

Abby sucking her thumb!
















My Sleeping Angel














Our Silly Girl













Okay, that's it! When we get in and get settled and I get the computer unpacked and set up, I'll post for you guys again!

Julie and Abigail

August Mendez News

Hi everyone! Our little angel Abigail is lying in my lap as I update this blog for all of you. She would say hello, but the darling is sleeping.

I guess you guys know most of what we did this past month. Babies do tend to take over your lives, I’ve noticed.

We had a great visit from Joel’s parents (to the right) who came to take care of us and spoil us for a week. I’m still recovering from all the fantastic food that Joel’s mom cooked. After that we went down to Fairhope (Abby’s first road trip – thank goodness she likes her car seat) and saw my parents and the rest of my side of the family, where we wolfed down more fantastic food, as that’s probably the last fried seafood we’ll get for a while. But between Tata, Papa Mendez, then Nana and Papa Joe, I don’t think Abby’s been put down in over a week. Can we say spoiled??


I can’t tell you how cute this little girl is. She cries only when she’s hungry or needs changing. She very rarely gets fussy, and sleeps in three hour stretches, so Mom and Dad can get some sleep at night. She does these adorable little smiling and laughing things when she sleeps. We have no idea what a three week-old could be dreaming about that would make her smile and laugh, but I am guessing she’s remembering the goofy songs that her Daddy makes up and sings to her. She eats well, and is a pro at burping and passing gas like a grown man. She likes to cuddle and snuggle up to Mommy at night while she sleeps. And she’s just so beautiful that she takes my breath away sometimes. Where in the world did this amazing creature come from?

I have to tell ya, life here is rough.

I should mention that Joel is a Champion poopy diaper changer. Really. He should get a medal for some of the doozies he’s gotten. I keep telling him, that’s her way of showing him love.

Having so much help around has been wonderful. Not only have we gotten a chance to rest and recover a little; Joel and I have spent most of our extra time getting chores done. There is so much to do to take a baby overseas. We had to rush the birth certificate getting done so we could get her social security card and her passport paperwork. (Getting Abigail's passport pictures above) We have made numerous trips to Wal-Mart (the hotel is right down the street) getting all sorts of baby paraphernalia. Oh, and a couple of trips to Sam’s to stock up on a billion diapers. The movers came last week to pick up our shipment of stuff, including the crib. I’ve been attempting to plow through my “to-do” pile that didn’t get done before Abby joined us, and I’m making decent progress. Not great, but decent.

August marks another month of insanity for us. Both Abigail and I have check-ups next week, and Joel leaves to go back to Croatia on Friday. Then us gals will follow hopefully the following weekend. The real fun begins after that, unpacking, trying to set up our house, and getting adjusted and settled in another new country. Plus the fun of taking care of this little girl and learning how to be parents.

So, that’s what’s up with us. Since Abigail is napping at the moment, I’m going to join her in Dreamland!

Love, Julie and Joel and Abigail