It’s a New Year!

And it’s 5 days old already. We had a lovely few days with family at Ohope Beach over Christmas.  It wasn’t perfect beach weather but some brave souls (and little excited ones) were able to go swimming, and there was plenty of sandcastles and the occasional boat trip.  Christmas was incredibly exciting for the small gaggle of little girls there, lots of presents, lots of food including a crazy chocolate fountain and over-decorated gingerbread house, and all the aunties around all at once!

However the holidays are now over and today we are back into routine.  Maya went to childcare, I went to university (mostly to sit in fount of this computer screen and read blogs- which lead me to remember I should be updating this one but really didn’t add anything to the PhD process) and unfortunately Luis stayed home with a stomach bug (although that’s not exactly part of the routine!). 

So what will this year bring for our little family?

Obviously I want to make significant progress on the PhD- I need to complete the university confirmation procedures in February which means finishing the proposal and literature reviews, and then get into the data collection.  This will require about 6 months in Honduras, as well as significant amounts of online research.  By the end of the year I’d like to have the data collection completed, analysis underway and be thinking about some serious writing.

This means another year of hard work and travel.  It also means another year of changes and potential instability for Maya and makes things tricky for Luis.  He is looking for work, but given the economic climate and our travel plans he is not having a lot of luck.  However he is enjoying being able to spend a lot of time with Maya (as primary caregiver when she’s not at childcare), and working on computer and other projects at home and in the Latin community.  He’s also been able to host a few radio shows and is becoming a popular DJ in amongst Latinos here.  

So it will be another busy and challenging year.  I’d like to say I’ll blog more and keep you up-to-daye but I say that every year and it never happens, so we’ll take it as it comes.

Merry Christmas!

We’re off to Ohope Beach tomorrow, joining the family there for a kiwi beach Christmas. Maya is so excited. It’s the first Chirstmas she’s really understood and been able to get into it. It’s so much fun to watch and makes Christmas so special.

Anyway I must get back to cleaning and packing. This is just a quick note to say Merry Christmas to all my friends and readers. I hope to ’see’ you back here in 2009!

Surgery

Luis has finally had his knee surgery. He went in to hospital Tuesday morning, had the surgery in the late afternoon and was home the next day (after a slight delay due to a bit of unexpected bleeding). He is now resting up at home, still stiff and sore and frustrated at not being able to move, but happy the recovery process can now get underway. And hoping it is quick so he can get in a few soccer games before the end of the season!

Maya was a little apprehensive about the whole hospital experience but has now appointed herself as Papi’s doctor and likes to “fix’ his knee with Sesame Street sticking plasters.

I have been muttering and complaning about ACC and the time it has taken to get this surgery but having recently watched the MIchael Moore documentary “Sicko” I am now only grateful. Under the ACC (government-run Accident Compensation Corporation) system Luis got the surgery, for free (without insurance), at a comfortable private hospital. Our health system is not perfect but it works.

Hopefully Luis will recover quickly, in the meantime the enforced rest should give him an opportunity to get some study done. Exams start in less than two weeks!

Portrait of Papi by Maya, May 08

Portrait of Mummy by Maya, May 08

For photos of Maya you will need to check her blog page or our photo album!

It is hard to believe that another year has gone, …

It is hard to believe that another year has gone, until we look at Maya and see just how much she has grown and changed. She is definately not our little baby anymore, but an active and very independent toddler.
Christmas here was busy but good. We had friends and family around for Christmas Honduran-style on Christmas Eve- my attempt at tamales was somewhat successful but the rompopo (eggnog) was enjoyed by all! On Christmas day we had a kiwi-style christmas dinner here in our new home, with my parents and sister Deborah. Maya had a ball unwrapping Christmas presents, starting with her stocking in the morning, a present sneaked from under the tree (when we weren’t looking) after church, then the main event before lunch. After lunch we went over to Deborah’s boyfriends home for more drinks and food… and more presents for Maya! The rest of this week has been much quieter, as family and friends have mostly gone away for the holidays… but we have to work. We are planning to have our holiday (vacation) in February.
I continue to enjoy my new job, there has been (and still is) a lot to learn but I am enjoying the opprtunity to broaden my skills and deepen my knowledge in a very interesting workplace. My challenge for next year is to take on the role of Sexual Health coordinator for the centre. I have already done some training and will do more in March, along with some personal reading and study. I find this area very interesting, and look forward to learning more.
Luis continues with his work in Mental Health, and will probably stick with this over the next year as he works on completing his degree. He had hoped to get this done this year (2006) but unfortunately he has been struggling with frequent and severe headaches and was unable to do so.
As I would like to stick with this new job for a while, and Luis is studying, we will be staying in Wellington for a while longer. Our long-term plan is still to return to Latin America- we would really love to introduce Maya to friends and family there- but it is going to take a little while.

It’s been a very long, cold winter here, and very …

It’s been a very long, cold winter here, and very busy, which help in part to explain why this website hasn’t been updated for so long. The main reason for the lack of updates however has been Maya’s increasing mobility. I need to have eyes in the back of my head so I can sit at the computer and watch her at the same time!

Anyway our news in brief….

New Home: We have moved again- just up the road this time. In May this year my parents bought a house here in Wellington as an investment property, and after a quick clean up and redecorate we moved in as thier first tenants! We are supposed to be helping them with some of the work that needs to be done here (not too much done yet…) while we find our feet financially and work out the next step in our lives.
Here’s a picture of our little house:

And heres Maya looking on while Grandma and Papi work hard stripping wallpaper…

New Job: For me (Sharon). Last month I went back to work three days per week as a Primary Health Care Nurse. Luis has reduced his hours to four days per week (still in Mental Health) to help care for Maya, and she spends one day each week with her Grandma.
The job is at a health care centre that cares for a low income population, with a large proportion of immegrants and refugees. This makes it quite challenging but also very interesting. Although I miss Maya when I’m at work I am also getting a great deal of satisfaction from being able to once again use my skills and training to help others, and am really appreciating the intellectual stimulation of the workplace.

Other news includes the completion of my thesis, which was submitted in March (I will graduate late this month). And of course, Maya continues to grow and change- you can catch up with her news on her baby page.

Maya has finally met her Aunty Ruth! Sharon’s sis…

Maya has finally met her Aunty Ruth! Sharon’s sister Ruth has been back home from London for a couple of weeks visit and spending lots of time with us, and with Maya. As expected Maya has stolen her heart! “Aunty Jo” also came down from Auckland for the weekend and so for the first time in nearly three years all the “McLennan girls” were together. We had a great weekend, walking to Butterfly creek for a family picnic on Saturday (first prize to Luis for pushing the baby buggy all the way up the hill) and more eating at a family lunch and family and friends bbq on Sunday. The das part was saying goodbye to Jo as she won’t be back in Wellington before whe also heads off to the UK in April. And while we have a few more days wirh Ruth, she too will be saying goodbye soon . But it’s been fun, and made some good memories, thanks “twins” for visiting!

Summer is over… and the first few days of autumn w…

Summer is over… and the first few days of autumn were wet, windy and cold. I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come because I’m not ready for summer to end yet. Another month of warm sunny weather would be wonderful!
Not only is the summer coming to an end but I feel Maya’s babyhood is going to come to an end far to quickly. Although she is only 8 months old she is not only crawling but also standing and cruising the furniture- and attempting to stand alone. She is very determined to get moving, and I am anticipating having a toddler on my hands far sooner than I would really like. She is growing into a happy, bubbly little girl and we are very proud of her.
We have settled back into Wellington very happily and are enjoying being close to family and friends. I am also enjoying being a “SAHM” (stay-at-home-mum) for the moment, having finally completed and submitted my thesis. It was an amazing moment when I finally had my other “baby”- a printed and bound copy of the thesis in my hand- with my name embossed on the front. Now I just have to sit back and wait for the results… and get motivated to complete a report for the individuals and organisations who helped me (coming soon I promise!).
While my life is now revolving around Maya (and the housework) Luis is working hard to pay the bills and debts accumulated over several years of study. He is back working at the local hospital as a health assistant in Mental Health. He is employed on a casual basis, working wherever they need help across the hospital, however he has been able to get more or less full time work, he is quite popular both in the general mental health units and also in the forensic care units.
Unfortunately however studenthood is not completely behind us as Luis has found out that he needs to complete three more papers to graduate. So he has re-enrolled as a part-time, extramural (distance) student. He will actually do four papers this year- the extra paper will enable him to graduate with a double degree, so the extra study will definitely be worthwhile.

We made it. We are here in Wellington in time for…

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 w…

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 rema…

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!