We made it. We are here in Wellington in time for Christmas. I've been looking forward to this Christmas- Maya's first Christmas- for so long it seems almost strange that it is here now. But it is Christmas Eve, and soon we will be celebrating the birth of another baby long ago. It seems appropriate to have a baby at Christmas somehow.
We will spend this evening together, our little family. We plan to have a "catracho" style Christmas dinner together in our new home then go to church, and open some gifts before bed. Tomorrow will be a "kiwi" style Christmas dinner with Grandma, Grandad and the aunties, at Grandma and Grandads, and more gifts! We get a 2 day Christmas as Hondurans celebrate on Christmas Eve and New Zealanders on Christmas day.
Although we are just staying here in Wellington for Christmas and New Years it will be wonderful to relax. We have been very busy over the last few weeks with moving and setting up house. Luis has gone straight to work as a Mental Health Support Worker for the local health board, and I have been busy with baby and finishing my thesis. The final draft is now completed and in the new year I will need to have it printed ready for submission. Finally!
Maya is growing fast. Her latest achievement include backwards shuffling, eating solids (bananas and baby rice... she thinks it's great!) and sitting unsupported for short periods. She is very curious and very active so we are starting to think about making the house child-safe... she's so determined I'm sure it won't be long until she is crawling!

We are moving.The studies are (all but) over and we are on our way back to Wellington. We will be moving into our new home in Newlands, Wellington this Saturday (3rd). Consequently I am writing this surrounded by boxes and piles of "stuff". It is amazing how much junk can be collected in a little less than 3 years.
We are moving for a couple of reasons. Firstly to be closer to family and friends while Maya is little. And secondly because job prospects for Luis are better there. He already has casual work lined up at Capital Coast Health, where he worked before we started this university journey. He will be working as a "Health Care Associate" (support worker/ nurse aide) in mental health. This is however temporary while he applies for permanent positions. I plan to stay at home with Maya until my thesis is completely finished. I have completed a final draft and am just awaiting feedback from my supervisor before having it bound and (finally!) submitting it. Submission is planned for January, after which I will be looking for part time work.
It is a little sad to be leaving here. People have been good to us, particularly since the birth of Maya. We have leaned a lot, achieved and lot and have a lot of memories here. But live moves on and we are really excited to be "getting on" with our lives after three years buried in books.
However now I must get back to packing... next update from Wellington!

While the first few weeks after Maya was born remain a bit of a blur in my mind, life has now settled into some sort of routine. In between Maya's feeding and playtimes, I am attempting to get my thesis finished. I usually manage a couple of hours a day, if not distracted by shopping, housework, visits to the university and friends, and website updates! I am almost halfway through editing the thesis, then it will be off to my supervisors for a final check, before final editing, formatting and printing. I will be very relieved to finally get it done and handed in, although I have mostly enjoyed the process it seems to have dragged on for a long time now.
Luis is now over half way through his final semester and starting to worry about final exams... and job applications! We plan to move back to Wellington as soon as Luis' exams are over and are already applying for jobs- gotta get those student loans under control asap.
Luis is also limping around again, having injured his foot playing (you guessed it) soccer. While x-rays ruled out a fracture, it has been very painful and he is supposed to be on crutches, which of course he really dislikes! However it is slowly improving and he thinks he will be back playing soccer in a couple of weeks...
We have managed several trips to Wellington over the past couple of months, visiting Rahel and Mark Williams (Mercy Ships friends) whose beautiful baby boy was born 6 weeks after Maya, and intorducing Maya to her Great-grandma, on holiday from Greymouth. I guess the next trip may be for job interviews and to look for somewhere to live!

What a roller coaster life has been for the past month! Sleeplessness, dirty nappies, crying... all made worthwhile by the beauty of our daughter's smiles! ...our daughter. I'm still gettting used to that phrase. It is taking me a while to get used to theidea of being a mother. I sure there is nothing that can quite prepare you for the transistion to mother (or father) hood. However while our attention is clearly dominated by baby at the moment, life goes on. Luis is back at university for his final semester, taking papers in development studies, politics and sociology. Finding time to study is obviously more difficult now but it is encouraging to finally be close to finishing. I remain on leave from thesis writing, although if baby is settled I hope to get back into editing the thesis over the next week or two.While life is now a relentless rountine of feeding, changing and sleeping, I am managing to get out and about most days- shopping, walking and trips to the university. Maya has been to university four times already, firstly for a morning tea with Development Studies staff and students who wanted to welcome her (and have some cuddles!), and then weekly for seminars and meetings. She is certainly very popular there, and the outings provide me with a break from the house and some food for my brain! We also managed a trip to Wellington a couple of weeks ago to visit Maya's Grandma and Grandad. While there Maya had a lot of visitors as well as visits to friends, shopping trips and walks, all of which she coped with very well. Now Maya has passed the one month mark, life is now settling into more of a routine. I will hopefully have more time to study, do the housework- and update this site! So check back soon.

A new journal for a new phase in our lives... from Sharon & Luis to Sharon, Luis and baby. It's an exciting time, and more than a little scary too. Our baby is due any day now, and we are as physically ready as we can be. But it still seems quite unreal, becoming parents. Guess it will be real soon enough!
I am now officially on a suspension of enrolment from the university, until September. This means the thesis (which is nearly finished) is on hold while I concentrate on becoming a mum. Luis has just finished his semester one exams- just one more semester to go before he finishes his degree! If baby comes on time then the timing will be great- he is now on holiday for three weeks so is at home to look after me and get to know his baby.
Anyway my plan is to use this journal to share our journey as we become a family of three, progress with our studies and our future adventures! Check back often!