Let There Be Courage

Matthew 4:18-20

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him."




New year's resolutions fail because they lack a sense of revolution...a sudden, radical and fundamental change in ourselves. Every year we commit to do, change or act on something and often fail after 2-3months of halfhearted effort in a sub standard expectation.

But like the disciples, when you fundamentally change you are changed forever and can never go back to the life you once knew.


We're never who we used to be, but are we becoming who we're intended to be?? How will you answer the call to cease being who you are and finally become the person you're destined to be?


Thus begins....the reinvention of Justino Reyes....

More to come....

The Sound of Angels Singing

Big boy is beginning to develop a sense of humor...he loves to laugh and is now looking for us to make him laugh.

Mir was playing with him and I heard his laugh from across the house....so I raced downstairs and caught the last few seconds on my blackberry.

Bad Habits.....

I don't know who on earth could have taught him this.....

Ok, maybe it's a bad habit and I shouldn't condone this kind of behavior...but it's friggin hysterical.

This kid has a lot of personality....

When he's done with a toy....he means it. - "Ok Daddy...I'm done with the football, what's next?"

I look forward to these "conversations" every night.....they usually involve playing with toes, rolling over, singing songs or grabbing of the face....

We love our little boy....

Like looking in the mirror...

Think there's a resemblance?

Daddy at 4 months:

Isaiah at 4 months:


You be the judge.....

It's been a long time...I shouldn't have left you......

Oh man....its been a busy Q3 and early Q4...

let's get caught up with Q3 '09....had a baby, bought a house, took a road trip, Ellie's having a baby and Gabe got a tattoo......

Baby news....

Enter Michael Buffer: Ladies and gentlemen....caballeros y caballeras....Fighting out of the blue corner, weighing in at a solid 17 1/2 lbs and just days under 25 weeks of age, called my most the pound per pound greatest boxer of his generation.....the reigning undisputed, undefeated WBC and WBA super light ultra mega feather weight champion of the woooooooorld.... Isaiah...."El Papagayo" Reeeeeeeyyyyyyeeeesssss....

We've already started the math/reading flash cards, reading to him in English, Spanish and French....he has his Baby Einstein developmental DVD's and alphabet play mat.....overkill, maybe. But Mir and I need this kid to go to college for FREE. By the time he's ready to go, it'll cost $1.7 million per credit! No friggin way.

We could have sought to develop his jump shot and rapping skills, but decided to go the safe route...education. He can decide to be Lil Wayne AFTER he has a brain in his head.....

I've also decided that Isaiah will be the next big BT soloist for he BT choir. I had a vision of my boy up there singing.....so, he's going to rock it out. By then, G should be a media mogul and will sign his Godson to 4Life Records. As it is, we're trying to get him into one of G's next video's. LOL...I can see it now...video chicks with their chicken nuggets hanging out, Isaiah chillin in the baby bjorn wearing an iced out medallion. Babies...the new bling accessory for 2010.

Coco, when do vocal coach lessons begin? Right now, he's proficient in garbled baby talk and yelling.

Trivia question: What is Isaiah's favorite toy (other than his toes)?

The remote control.

Favorite hobby: Rolling over

Favorite song: If you're happy and you know it

In other big news....Isaiah's Titi Ellie and Tio are having a baby! G and Ellie are due in Feb with baby Isabella...I can't wait to meet lil Bella! She and Isaiah are going to be bff's.

So what does the proud Padrino do....yes...get a tattoo. 4 LIFE HOMIE!

Sooooo Sorry...

I've been a bad blogger...it's been a while since I've posted anything.

Stay tuned....updates coming soon!

And I promise that it'll be worth the wait!

Hello

I'd like for you to meet my good friend Mr. Dragon.....

Grrrrrrrr...

Hello,

My name is Isaiah and I love hugs and kisses....


Week 7....what can I say other than; we are absolutely, madly, insanely in love with our little boy.
Now, I realize my latests posts have been somewhat serious an not the usual random babble many of you have become accustomed to, so let's get right back on track and lighten the mood.

Sleep deprivation is a crazy thing.

1.) There is nothing on TV at 3am...Mir can give you a rundown of the nighly TV schedule for 3am, 4am and 5am...and I gotta tell you, not much on unless you want to want to buy car scratch repair products, Sham-Wow's, donate money to the Holy Ministries of Finance for God of No Name Church in Texas (at least they send you anointing oil and a prayer for every $100 check you send them) or as Mir has absolutely been sold on....Your Baby Can Read. Now, Mir hasn't met an infomercial she hasn't liked, but for some reason I feel like this package will be arriving in the mail any day now.

Ok, so let me break this down for those of you who haven't seen this yet...it's an infomercial for a learning system for babies...you get flash cards, books and a program that'll teach your INFANT how to read.....Basically, Rosetta Stone for kids. It shows them the word, shows them the object, repeats, uses it in a sentence and then repeats. I wonder if it comes in Russian, Swahili and Chinese....better to start Isaiah early. Triple threat baby!

2) Warning: Falling asleep on the train may get you arrested for assault.....son, I've headbutted at least 2 or 3 people on the train while knodding off. Late pamper changes, a kid who won't go back to sleep at 4am and a few late nights at work, combined with the oh so gentle rocking of the Q train at 7am in the morning.....

ZZZZZzzzzzzz

POW!

"Oh my God.....Miss, I am soooo sorry."
"Oh it's ok, don't worry"
"No, I just hit you hard....are you ok"
"Yes, I'm fine"

3 mins later.....

POW!!
"Holy crap"

3) Everyone wants a piece of the action. It's bad enough you're sleep deprived but EVERYBODY wants one of 2 things.......an opinion or time. Arg...ok, we get it...new parents but we have master's degrees...I'm sure if cave people figured out how to feed, bathe and clothe their child in the wilderness, I think we can figure it out. Or as my mentor tells me, "There's a lady on a mountain in Guatemala with no running water, no electricity, a dirt floor and a baby that is perfectly healthy." They tell me opinions are like butt cracks, everyone has one and they all stink.....Next up, time. We have none to do whatever it is that you need us to do....check please!


4) To be continued.

An open letter to my son - Isaiah 40:31

Dear Isaiah,

You were born on 6/12/09 at 9:16am and from that first moment I held you, I was irrevocably and undoubtedly changed forever.

Proverbs chapter 4:10-17 reads:

"....I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way. For they cannot sleep till they do evil; they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall. They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day."

God has entrusted me to guide you on the path of righteousness, to teach you how to be a man in both word and action, to foster your personal and spiritual growth, provide wisdom and understanding while protecting both you and your mother all the days of my life.

Along this road, we will strive to learn together;

God is love

Live with love in your heart and a song in your head

Faith is not belief in the absence of evidence

Faith is trust without reservation

Fear is the absence of Faith

Hope is the conscious application of Faith in the face of Fear

With purpose, life has direction

If you know why you travel along this road and where you want to go, you’re likely to succeed

The one thing Love is not, is unsure.

Love is not finding the perfect person, but seeing the imperfect person perfectly

Family is security

Honor your mother for it will be the foundation upon which you will build all future relationships

Be truthful to yourself and you will be truthful to others

Respect others but don't be taken for a fool.

Do your best and have no regrets

The only failure in life is not having tried

Never make the same mistake twice

Losing can be as much of a win as winning

Richness in character far surpasses material wealth

Your family name has intrinsic value

Leadership is servitude in its highest form

It is the privilege of providing opportunities for others

Take things seriously

And then laugh at yourself

Build a plan and execute

Focus on what you're doing but always think ahead

Education is not an option

It is an privilege

Discipline is avoiding what is harmful for you,

Pleasure always comes with a cost

We may not always be where we want to be

But we're always where we need to be

Know that we'll always be there for a high five, a kick in the pants, a shoulder to lean on and always....always....more cowbell. I look forward to learning these, along with many more life lessons as we travel this road together....

Isaiah Gabriel Reyes

39 1/2 weeks in the making - Isaiah Gabriel Reyes made his grand entrance into this world.

What can I say about the day....other than it was a complete blur.
In typical fashion, we set the alarm for 5am to be at the hospital for 6:30am....for a scheduled c-section at 8am.

"beep beep beep...click...zzzzzzz.....
HOLY CRAP BABE, IT'S 5:50AM AND WE NEED TO GET TO THE HOSPITAL!"

After a quick photo op, I sprinted to the car, packed up Mir and we were on our way by 6:15am.....

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You're off to Great Places!

You're off and away!

Go Team Reyes!

It was a mad scramble...80 mph on the FDR and made it to the hospital an hour late (made the drive in about 20mins from BK to 98th st). The initial intake was kinda rocky. Let's just say, Mir hates hospitals and confined spaces. Put her in tiny hospital room, close the curtain, mention imminent surgery and you set the stage for a very volatile situation.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance

you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.

There are some, down the road between hither and yon,

that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

However, everyone from the intake nurses to the docotors were absolutely amazing. They put Mir ease, made her comfortable (aside from the whole IV thing) and I stuck by her side every step of the way.

Self portait by the anesthesiologist - Yoni. We love this cat.

When it came time, the docs plugged her ipod into the stereo in the operating room, I changed into my scrubs and we spent the entire time talking and kidding around. Nurses were dancing to the music, doctors kept us distracted and before we knew it....we had our little boy in our arms. The look in Mir's eye and the smile on her face when holding our boy for the first time was priceless....

And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and 3 / 4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

9 out of 10 on his APGAR baby! My boy is already getting A's!
I keep telling people...this kid is advanced for his age.

I'll spare you guys the birth photos but here's the infamous Dr Silverstein swaddle. This kid was wrapped like a burrito.

Isaiah stayed with us the entire time in recovery and we were on our way to our room within an hour. Eventually they took him to the nursery to be examined but some genuis administrator decided to change our room......so the baby went to 5th floor nursery and we went to the 8th floor.

Ok, here's where I lost my mind....Mir in post-op discomfort, our baby on another floor and the nurses telling me they would transfer the baby up after they verify that he can regulate his body temperature..... An hour later, I was on the 5th floor stalking the nurses. I wanted my baby and I wanted him NOW!

When they finally brought him up (I was already waiting outside of the nursery, face pressed against the glass), we didn't let him out of our sight the rest of our stay in the hospital.

I have to say, it was the longest and shortest 4 days of our lives if that makes any sense....in brief: Mir's hatred of hospitals, nurses checking on us every 2 hours, a constant stream of visitors, sleep deprivation, an annoying IV stuck in Mir's hand, a crying baby and realizing the full impact of being parents just blended one day into the next. Mir hadn't gotten more than an hour or two of sleep in 4 days.....and we were all a bit cranky.

4 days later....we packed him up into the car seat and took him home.....and haven't slept since.

So...

be your name Buxbaum or Bixby

or Brayor Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,

you're off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So...get on your way!

Oh the places you'll go!

Birth announcement by Noontime Designs.

B, you're my boy.

We're Back!

Bermuda was friggin amazing!

We're already thinking to go back next year with Lil J.....Mom has already volunteered to go on vacations with us as our "nanny" so why not?? Free day care!

Pack the bags, get out the bathing suits and snorkel gear, let's hit the beach in Bermuda! It's only a 2 hour flight! It takes that long to get to Orchard or Jones beach on a Saturday afternoon in the summer anyway. And Bermuda beaches aren't contaminated with medical waste or raw sewage like NJ beaches. I only wish we would have dicsovered this place sooner!

I have to play catch up now b/c I didn't take my laptop on vacation this time (sorry Daniella). But many of you have already seen the pictures on shutterfly.com so I figured I'd amuse you with highlights of our trip....in story book form. What can I say? I gotta start practicing for story time with Lil J.

Be warned, bed time for me when Papa tucked me in was...unique, to say the least. I was told stories like the time a dog attacked him in the street on his way to the bodega and he then reached into the dogs mouth, grabbed its tail and pulled it inside out. Try being 10 yrs old and having that kind of imagery in your head before you go to sleep! Or of pigeons eating stray dogs or mice eating cats....or Los Cuentos De Juan Bobo. It was only in my mid to late 20's that I actually picked up the book to read it for myself and didn't recognize any of the stories in it! Papa would open the book and just make up a story! I know, it explains a lot about me but more about the kind of man my grandfather was.

Our poor kid has no idea what kind of insanity he's in for with us as parents.

And so we begin our tale, in a land far far away.....

Twas the afternoon we landed...it was rainy and cold.
But blue skys were coming, or so we were told...

Afternoon cakes over tea that we shared,
Overlooking the ocean, go swimming I would....if I so dared.

And tucked into bed, wishing Mir a goodnight
Wind gusts and hail storms knocked out our light.

A mini monsoon battered our room!

Hoping that morning, would save us from gloom.

We went exploring, in search of some fun,

Wondering when oh when, would come out the sun

Into caves of adventure, we delved into the deep

Into Mines of Moria, with Gollum a-creep...

My precious in hand, a Balrog we slayed

Sauron is dead, be not afraid

Day three, the sky gave way to the sun
To Hamilton we went, adventure has begun

Cathedrals and churches, history uncovered
We walked until tired, over lunch we recovered


The next day up early, I watched the sun rise
As I stood on the tee box, it blinded my eyes

My name is Barrington, the duck said unto me
My name is Justin, pleasure to meet thee

Dost thou know the rooster, Mr Tumnus his name
I do indeed, that chicken gots game....

To St George we were off, cannons we fired
Layed seige to a sandwich, and then we retired

To the stocks with the pirate, the croud yelled with glee
She plead for her life, and thus was forced to flee

Spoils in hand, we made off with our treasure
Back to New York, to our every dispeasure.

And so ends our tale of our mighty hero,
Mir with 'Lil J and her husband Justino

And We're Off.....Again

We leave in just over a week for BERMUDA!

Our first (and hopefully not last) getaway for 2009....people keep telling us to travel and vacation while we can but I remember going to PR for vacation as a child....pack it up and keep it moving. Logistically yes, I understand that it is a little more difficult to do anything when you have kids but since when do Mir and I do anything the easy way? We find new and creative ways to make our lives more difficult every day! I'm just saying....as long as this kid has his shots, we're good to go. Besides, mom has pretty much volunteered herself to go anywhere/anytime for the opportunity to babysit. I've learned that much thus far....don't refuse help.

Which brings me to my next point....my OCD and this child.
Mir's good friend Des was so kind as to lend us a book on baby bargains which I've been studying diligently. No, not reading....studying. I had no idea this stuff was so complex, I feel like I'm studying for the CFA......safety ratings, prices and brands of car seats, strollers, cribs, mattresses, mattress covers, bedding, baby clothes, furniture, decor, carriers, the list goes on and on. I told Mir that I'm going to build a spreadsheet with a cost benefit analysis to use as a guide we build the registry. Her idea was to just bring the book with us but why sort through a book to look for pages when you have a handy pie chart in a powerpoint presentation? Can you tell I'm in Finance?? Babies and numbers so far...."no bueno" as Iz would put it.

On the baby front, both Mir and 'Lil J are doing well. We sat on the couch last night feeling this kid kick the crap out of her....he was very active when she got home last night. It feels like light tapping coming from the inside. So friggin cool!

We have a big doctor's appointment coming up this Tuesday (week 22).....our second anatomy scan. They'll compare this one to the last one to track the baby's growth and development. I've also signed up for a parenting class offered by CS in April. I'm the first to admit that I have no idea what I'm doing but I'm willing to suck it up and be the dumb one in class. I hope it's a remedial class...although not remedial as "when a daddy and a mommy love eachother very much" (which would be cool to sit through if you know what I'm saying). I'm having horrific mental imagery having to change a doll and looking like a compete tool. C'mon guys, you know me. You know that I can't take anything serious as it is but for me to have to change a pamper on a doll, how many of you would pay to see that?? I know I would. Just teach me how to not drop the kid and I think I'll make the rest up as I go along. Maybe if they have live babies, I'd be a lot more comfortable...then again.

Ok, back to work I go...counting the minutes until Bermuda. Why Bermuda? 2 hour flight, 5 golf courses, warm weather, pink sand beaches and it's Bermuda, of course! The decision was also much easier b/c Mir has some friends in Bermuda. She had an opportunity to get to know Ivan and Pastor Gary as an accompany hostess at BT and what a great group of people, so nice. Those of you who know me well, know that we only surround ourselves with positive people and energy. So, if you're a loon, chances are we ain't that cool. But I digress...if you scroll down you'll see our trip to Barbados which was amazing....PR was overpriced for this time of year...and we've already hit pretty much every island in the carribbean, or at least Mir has. Maybe late 2009 or early 2010 we can hit St. Thomas and St. John. It'll be baby's first beach adventure, so we have to make it count. If we try for vacation in September or October, Baby J will be about 3 months...old enough to travel!

Next update, belly pics and baby's new 3D ulstrasound.....

We're having a......

Today Mir had an appointment for a full anatomy scan of Baby Reyes and the results are in! Baby Reyes is HEALTHY AND NORMAL!

Checklist:

• Heart and Heartbeat were normal
• We had all our fingers and toes
• Brain is developing normally
• Legs and arms are fully developed
• Everything else was where it was supposed to be

The scan took about 30-45 mins and we had a very nice Russian chick at the helm who flew through the scan. Bing bang boom....here's he head, let's hear the heartbeat, cross section of this, cross section of that and we're done!

We're almost at the halfway point and both Mir and baby are doing well. Now, if I can only get Mir to come home from work at a reasonable hour I'd be a lot happier. I'm thrilled to see that the baby is doing well but 12 hour days in the office cannot be healthy for either of them. And despite my pleas to slow down and start rolling off many of her responsibilities, the workdays just seem to be getting longer and longer. I'm really worried about the long term affects of work related stress and long hours will do to both of them.

Let's just say, maternity leave couldn't come soon enough!

Week 18

It's week 18 and you people are getting greedy...I can't keep updating this blog every week. I have to work! But since I'm already on...here's the latest:

How your baby's growing:
Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces (I don't do well in ounces, how much poundage is that? A soda can is 8oz, is that the same?). He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead (Mir already feels this kid bumping her). I believe the words "alien" and "invasion" were used today.

We've been taking pictures of Mir's belly every 2 weeks...and poco a poco the belly is rounding. We have a big test this Friday and we still haven't agreed as to whether we'd like to know if we're having a boy or a girl. Mir doesn't want to know and I do...I mean, I'm the person who wanted to open Christmas presents 2 days before Christmas...and gave Mir her present on Christmas eve!

On other good news....we have at least 4 friends that are between 14 and 20 weeks pregnant as of this week. I won't "out" anyone but congratulations! Expect us over with our kid and an overnight bag....a la Garcia who managed to sneak the boys PJ's into their bag one night and then gave us the "We're getting out later than we thought, can you keep the boys? I hadn't planned on being this late". Yea right! Who was she kidding?

Ok guys, no pictures this week...yea yea, I'm boring. Back to the grind and another hour or two left in the office (time right now: 5:30pm)....arg, its been an insane week only made worse by the loss of my NY Giants. Football season is over, when do pitchers and catchers report?

Week 17

It's week 17 and only 161 days to go!

According to the babycenter website:
Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

For those of you who keep asking, we have no idea whether Baby Reyes is a boy or a girl yet. We won't know until Jan 16th, and even then....we might just keep it a secret for a little while. Who knows, just keep checking back to see if we've posted the results. I just had a Maury Povich moment....."Stay tuned, after the break we'll come back and announce the results of our DNA tests"...."In the case of 1 year old baby Alize Hennessey Bently Rolex Lafonda Jenkins Reyes, you ARE the father." Ooohhhhh snap son!


Mir's been a champ...now, I only thought it was an old wives' tale but Mir is actually craving salty foods...specifically pickles. Kosher dill pickles to be exact. Hey, as long as I'm not getting kicked out of bed at 3am to go buy ramen noodles, pickles and ice cream...I'm good son. This I can handle...


I leave you with this....on the top of this page, there is an option to scroll into the next member's blog. I gotta tell you, don't bother. There are some real losers out there with too much time on their hands. Don't believe me? Check it out....enjoy pictures of people's dogs and cats...