Oh BOY!.....or GIRL?

Looking back, I can't believe I didn't put all the pieces together. Apparently, my co-workers (especially Denis' drivers) figured I was expecting long before I did. I didn't know it at the time, but people had actually been asking Denis...he didn't tell me because he didn't want to hurt my feelings. But he saw it. He'd been guessing it for weeks! He'd dropped hints here and there...I thought he must be joking with me... It was happening to ME and I didn't even catch on! Wow.

For a week or so after our cruise, I'd wondered...the stuffy nose, the weight gain, weird moments of nausea, my dresses not fitting on the cruise (UGH!)...I thought, "well, maaaaaaybe." But, not likely. Until my good friend and I went to dinner and she began talking about her med student friend who examined a woman who had no idea she was pregnant...hmmmm...a sign? And THEN...we saw another good friend and her new baby boy...ok, another sign. So, I'm holding this adorable baby and thinking, "Ok, it's time. It'll be negative anyway, so what's the harm."

I think I took four over-the-counter tests before I broke down and made a call to my doc. Denis' first words were, "Ooooooooohhhhh boy!"

The hardest part was not knowing....BOY or GIRL? It was torture! I immediately googled "predictors" and "signs" of gender.


For the record....these things DON'T work

Bahama Mama

It turns out that Diego has been "traveling" the world from the very beginning! Denis and I went "cruising" February 15, 2009 sailing to Key West, FL, then Freeport & Nassau, Bahamas. Little did we know we had a "stowaway" on board with us! And here I blamed seasickness for my trips to the cabin bathroom and infirmary. We had a great time despite my green complexion...

Key West was our first stop. We enjoyed the cute little shops, charismatic bars (whoops!), and a great little oyster bar (oops again, but, boy was it good!) before heading out for kayaking in mangroves and snorkeling with sting rays. I also ended up with probably the worst sunburn of my life...of course. :)

Denis enjoyed the local artwork......oysters soaked in lemon juice........and a great Key West sunset!

Next stop was Freeport, Bahamas, which turned out to be very industrial...yet had great beaches and a national park. We, again, kayaked in what seemed to be an endless stream of mangroves. Very peaceful!...until Denis steered us directly into the mangroves. Do you know how hard it is to get out of those things? I blamed a little bit of irritability on Denis' seemingly poor sense of direction. :) Looking back, raging hormones were probably the culprit. It all turned out well, however, and we ended up kayaking straight to a beautiful white beach, where we had lunch, waded in the ocean, and lounged in the sand. Later, we hiked to a cave in Lacaya (the name of the native people of the island) National Park--Ben's Cave (we even met the real Ben!)--and learned about native plants & animals.

Beach on Freeport..........................Ben's Cave.....................interesting pine trees in Lacaya Nat'l Park

Last stop--Nassau, home of Atlantis! We spent the day at this gi-normous hotel/resort. Just amazing! Turtle feedings, shark feedings, aquariums, beaches, bars, shops...this place has it all. I felt like we could have spent our week here and still not see it in it's entirety. I thought the aquariums were fantastic. It was a great day to spend on the beach and eat conch fritters--a local favorite, but not one of mine (or Diego's)...an acquired taste, I guess.

(The last picture should look familiar to Mary--Stacey (& Diego) at the Atlantis aquarium)

Our cruise (first "family" vacation?)...we truly had a great time! I had to hold Denis back from finding a job application for Carnival Cruises. We plan on doing it again someday, although, it will have to wait a bit...at least until I can wear a regular-sized swimsuit again.

I can't believe I'm blogging

First MySpace...then Facebook... I've never "blogged" before. I don't even read blogs. But...after some very good friends told me about theirs, they've convinced me there are some pretty good reasons to keep one. Soooo, here is the Shafenberg-Bernal blog. Maybe we'll end up with a cool nickname like Brangelina or Speidi. Hm. Maybe not. Anyway, I'll be doing my best to keep everyone up-to-date on our newest adventure...Diego. I already feel like he has so much life. He's been "traveling" to exotic places and enjoys "waving" at the camera (a.k.a., sonogram wand). He moves around constantly in his little...well, not so little if you ask me...home. If he's anything at all like his Dad, he will be one active, curious, adventurous little chico. :) Let's see if I can keep up with the boys, eh?

Welcome to our little spot on the world wide web...Pictures and updates coming soon!