Our Little Halloween Flower

I can't say that she enjoyed the experience as much as we did, but this is one cute little flower. Next year we just might venture off the front porch and do some trick-or-treating. It's hard for a 1-month old to gum candy corn...or to say trick-or-treat for that matter :)

A lot can happen in 9 months...

Moving back into the country, job hunting, positive pregnancy test, working 2 jobs plus tutoring, lesson planning, bills, will we ever have our own place to live, is it a he or a she...James or Nora?, snow turns to flowers turns to hot humid summer turns to colorful leaves falling from the trees, belly keeps growing, uncomfortable, Sergio is here for a month!, travelling to Charleston, Wilmington, Virginia, DC, the zoo, Sergio goes back to Madrid, got the teaching job at Enloe, things starting to come together, last name changes from Edwards to Tojo, Jose tutoring at NC State and private lessons, September 24 comes and goes, 41 weeks and counting, writing essays for NC TEACH application, more lesson planning, still working, Oct.3 4AM go to the hospital, Oct. 3 7AM sent home from the hospital, Oct. 3 7PM go back to hospital, Oct. 4 8:23 AM, 9 lbs 3 oz, 21.5 inches long...enters Nora Mar Tojo.












Indeed...a lot can happen in 9 months.

Big News!

Jose and I are pround to announce that around September 24th we will be "mamá y papá" :) Very exciting times. Not only did we bring the cats on the plane with us to the US, but, little did we know, we brought a little Tojo Edwards too.

Week One Stateside

It's been a pretty productive week back on this side of the Atlantic. The day we left Santiago it was snowing and when we got to Raleigh we were greeted with a winter wonderland.


Then once we got to my parents house we were greeted by my sister and 3 wonderful nieces and nephews who had decorated the house. Paco and Michu were oh so happy to finally get out of their carriers after being behind bars for almost 24 hours. They've adapted really well to their new abode and we've even let them explore the great outdoors a little bit.



This first week was dedicated to searching for the perfect car. As you all know, you can't do much in the "home of the free and the land of the brave" without a set of wheels. But after a long few days of searching and negotiating we took home our "new to us" Jeep Liberty!











Now that we have a car...the job search continues...

And the packing continues...

I've been absent from blog world for awhile, because I got lost in a pile of boxes and luggage. I never realized how much just two people could accumulate over the years in a small apartment. It's a lot. And over half of it is now shoved up into the attic. I actually fear that the ceiling might cave in on the apartment.

All I have to say is that this is not fun. I will be thrilled when we can sit down on a sofa in Raleigh, sip a Dr. Pepper and...well I can't say "for it to all be over", because it will be just the beginning, so I'll just say...see what life has in store for us there.

One of my favorite sayings in spanish is...poco a poco.

New Year, New Beginning

These last couple of days have been full of food and family. Last night we rung in the new year quietly with family. We danced in the kitchen. We drank champagne with dinner instead of wine, lovely. We sent and received new years text messages to friends. We ate turrón and our 12 lucky grapes. We talked.

I'm very hopeful and excited about what 2009 has in store for Jose and I. New jobs, new home, new country, new life.