Maxwell is 2!

We celebrated Maxwell's 2nd birthday over the weekend at one of his all-time favorite places: the aquarium! And on the way home, we stopped for Japanese food (another Max favorite) which was topped off with tempura ice cream (which, ironically, we had to trick Max into tasting). Today, he & I had some one-on-one time at the park which was followed by a pizza dinner with Grandma & Grandpa and more birthday ice cream (courtesy of Auntie Val). The only favorite thing that was missing was Daddy, whom he did get to talk with on the phone and webcam... and who sent Thomas the Train as his representative! (Can't wait to see you again, Mike!)

Scenes from Max's birthday:



It's hard to believe that my baby son has become a little boy. His personality and unique characteristics and interests have been developing and evolving along with a rapidly expanding vocabulary and unexpected motor skills. I have been especially amazed by his increasing self-confidence and independence. Not that he's doing his own dishes or anything. (Although, I can hardly wait till that day comes!) From the simple task of using the appropriate utensil to move food from his plate to his mouth (without spilling most of it somewhere between), to fearlessly swimming across the pool with nothing but inflatable arm floaters to assist him, to sharing his toys with Maya or cousin Josiah without even being asked... these little things make the infamous "two's" seem not so "terrible".

Early rhythm perception and motor coordination at 1 year old:

Refining his hand-eye coordination at 2 years old:

Here She Is!

Well, she must have inherited Mike's punctuality... or, rather, his admirable habit of being early! Although Daddy had plans to welcome her into the world over Labor Day weekend, our baby girl took the initiative to welcome him home from Kansas. I guess she was so excited to see her daddy, she just couldn't wait for the weekend. ;)

Maya Lourdes Miranda Mercado was born on 8/28/08 at 12:08pm--less than an hour after I walked into the hospital! Weighing in at 6lbs 4oz and measuring 18.5 inches (with APGARs of 8 and 9 for the medically-inclined audience), she made quite an entrance.

The labor that preceded this unexpected delivery was nothing like my experience with Maxwell's birth, hence, the vagueness and my uncertainty of whether or not I was truly in labor! With strong contractions almost every hour starting at around midnight, Maya gave me plenty of warning to tell me she was on her way, but I still wasn't convinced. Even at 6:30am, when the contractions started coming every 8-10 minutes, I kept telling myself "Maybe if I just relax or go for a walk the contractions will slow down." Looking back, I think I was just in denial that I was going to have this baby without my dear husband to coach me through it! Kudos to my beloved mom for taking on the role of coach, camera person, and videographer all at a moment's notice--literally!

As healthy as she was (and has been), Maya unfortunately did have a temperature of 101.6 just a couple hours after birth, which bought her a ticket to the NICU (neonatal ICU) and 5 days of IV antibiotics. As soon as she was discharged from the hospital, we took her straight to the airport with us to bid goodbye to Mike once again. Needless to say, we're looking forward to some quality family time when Mike comes home one last time before he leaves the country.

Here's a glimpse of Maya's first week of life...

Thank You

It's our first Thanksgiving on Guam, and although we may be separated from our loved ones back in the States, God has given us more than enough reasons to celebrate this holiday with grateful hearts. At the top of the list, He has been gracious in actually leading us to build new relationships with dear friends and relatives here on the island... which means we have some awesome food and fellowship to look forward to later today!

Our most recent blessings include a smooth transition into me going back to work and Max starting daycare, surviving another birthday, and acquiring an additional form of transportation. I'll have to expand more on the work/daycare experience later (maybe after we get some heavy-duty cooking done!).

"O taste and see that the LORD is good:

blessed is the man that trusteth in Him."

-- Psalm 34:8 (KJV)

Maxwell's just as excited as Mom is about her birthday silicone baking pans!

Mike's new macho car... in classic "Military Green"

We pray your hearts would be filled with joy and laughter as we praise God for His gifts of love.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Thirty!

I'm trying not to see myself as old but rather as wise or experienced! I actually had a pleasant birthday experience which included a weekend visit from a good friend and favorite Saipan resident Bev, dessert at Cold Stone (yes Guam has a Cold Stone!), golf stuff, snorkeling, discovering local Japanese cuisine, and spending time with Gemma and Maxwell. God has truly blessed this past year and I know he has so much more in store for the future.

Since I don't blog as often as I would like I wanted to share other October experiences. Last week, I went on my first medical evacuation--a.k.a. "medevac"--to Tripler Medical Center in Honolulu, HI. I had to fly with two hemorrhagic stroke patients who needed a higher level of care. As a family medicine physician, this really was out of my comfort zone, but it was cool to get into my cammies for the long military flight (sorry no pictures)! The trip went well, and the patients were safely placed in capable hands. The rest of my trip consisted of jogging, reading, NBA on TNT, Spiderman 3, and Chinese take-out. Good times.

Upon my return from HI, the next morning I ran my first PRT (physical readiness test) on Guam. For those of you unfamiliar with the PRT, it is a semi-annual test which consists of push-ups, sit-ups, and a 1.5 mile run. There are minimum requirements for passing based on age. This PRT marks the first test that I get to be placed in the 30 and over bracket! What I am most proud of is that my numbers have improved in all categories despite being placed in a new age bracket. 10:59 on the run, 71 sit ups, 75 push ups...not bad for an old guy! :)

One last story. These last few days have been a bummer. Our clinic has been pushed to the very limits trying to meet the demand for appointments. We have been shrinking our appointment times to 10 minute appointments, increasing our walk-ins, seeing patients post-call...all bad things. Also, 2 providers from our department are being sent to the Middle East for 9 months which doesn't help the situation. We are constantly being asked to do more with less. I was starting to feel a hint of burnout. But through all this the Lord seems to find ways to speak to me. Today, I saw a patient in clinic with a problem list that included chronic pain, bipolar disorder, depression (the list goes on) and a warning from my staff that the patient was "not being nice". By the way, the patient had no chart and was asking for more narcotic medication. The pain of primary care. My strategy was to listen. He gave me an earful about his horrible experiences with surgeons, his medications, his shoulder pain , his knee pain, his neck pain, his memory loss, his career. I continued to listen, nothing more. After what seemed like an eternity, he began to calm down and then said something that really touched me. He said, "Don't let this hospital get in the way of taking care of the patient." What? Did I just receive sound advice from my bipolar, chronic pain, mad-at-the-world patient?? I laughed quietly to myself. Thank you, Lord, for such timely wisdom.

ONE

Today, Maxwell is 1 year old! (Although, technically, tomorrow is when it will be September 22 in CA.) At 11:07 pm, on a late Friday night, Max was born at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton in southern CA. Weighing in at 6 lbs, 14 oz, he made his presence known--thanks to a healthy pair of lungs! Now estimated to be at least 20 lbs and pulling some of his own weight around, my itty bitty baby is turning into a little boy.

The 1st birthday seems to be a milestone for us parents just as much as, if not more than, for our child. Sure, he's growing and learning to make sense of this strange new world... but so are we! If only babies came with owners' manuals! Maybe Mike & I should bake a cake to congratulate ourselves for keeping Max alive and kicking (and celebrate our own survival) for a whole year! Truly a miracle. :)

The main festivities will take place next week with some of our closest friends on the island. But the climax of today's celebration is the welcoming of Lolo GJ and Lola Beth (the Miranda grandparents) whose plane shall be landing in about an hour! Here's how Max is keeping busy in the meantime...

Before...

You want a piece of this?

...

...After! :P