Elliott is Here

Both children are sleeping, and I actually feel rested enough to not nap with them! Yeah! I doubt this means that I've returned to the blog world, but I definitely thought Elliott deserved some attention here. Our son, Elliott Brinin Vila, was born on Feb. 16th. He was 9 days early, but still managed to weigh more than his sister did at birth. He has brought a whole new joy to our family, and Eric and I are just overwhelmed with the love we have for both of our children.

Summer '07

I've really fallen out of the regular blogging mode. Sorry. I guess I've been on an unofficial break. To be honest, I don't think I'm capable of keeping up with the volume of blogs I wrote prior to starting my job. Even though I've been on summer break, I still don't feel like I've have too much free time. I've been working on picking music for next year, going to Hawaii for a friends, wedding (ok, so that's not work, but still ...), leading the music for VBS, planning a huge trip with the choir to New York, attending a workship on how to teach AP Music Theory, and participating in the Texas Choral Directors Association conference. I can hardly keep up.

Still, I have been able to spend some amazing time with Charlotte. She is so much fun!! She loves to hug, play peek a boo, giggle, and run away from me in the hopes that I'll catch her. There is so much more cuteness that goes on in this house, I can't even begin to share it all with you. Every day I thank God for giving us Charlotte. I love her more than I ever thought possible.

As if there weren't enough love going around, Eric and I found out about a month ago that we're expecting another little Vila! This news caught us by surprise, but we couldn't be happier. He or she is due February 25th, which means my school year will be cut short for a very good reason. It also means, unfortunatley, that I won't be able to go to New York with the choir in April. I was really looking forward to seeing all of my New York friends. Ah well, we'll have to come another time, with our two children!!

I can't believe I'm going to be the mom of two!

Charlotte Turns One!

Happy first birthday Charlotte! One year ago today you were only a few hours old, and our lives have never been the same – in fact, they have never been better. Everyday it is a blessing to wake up and see your sweet face smiling back at me. Recently, you’ve learned how to give kisses, and your kisses are the sweetest I’ve ever received. You like to linger on my cheek or my lips and make sound effects, a drawn out “mmmm” sound. True, you won’t kiss me when I ask, but when you do I know it’s because you really want to show just how much you love me.

To quote the Beatles yet again, “I love you, I love you, I love you. That’s all I want to say.”

I'm Not Shocked

I'm not shocked that Melinda Doolittle went home tonight on AI. In fact, I predicted it after her performance last night. I didn't want to be right, but I thought I would be. She didn't wow me like she usually does, and she forgot her words to "WOMAN" (or whatever the real title is). I've loved Blake from the very beginning, and can forgive him for going overboard with the beat box thing. Jordin is great too - and she's really improved vocally since the beginning (with the exception of Bon Jovi week). Still, Melinda was the best singer on the show, and she deserved to win, but when does that really work out? I can't speak for Season 2 because I did not watch it, but it always seems that the best singer does not win. Even Kelly Clarkson, who is an amazing singer, did not show us what she is now capable of doing when she was on the show. She was usually vocally tired, and pushed her voice to the point where I thought she would do some serious damage.

Just had to comment on the show tonight.

By the way (for those of you who know Merle), have you noticed that Jordin has similar mannerisms while performing? I have, and if you're reading this Merle, it makes me miss you all the more.

Busy

Whew! This past week is over! We had our spring concerts at Marshall HS this Thursday and Friday, and had either rehearsals or performances every other night this week. I had been dreading last week since I started the job, and am so glad it's over. It was, however, enjoyable in the end. Our choirs performed very well, soloists were amazing, and our tech crew did a seamless job with transitions. I'm so proud of the kids - they are really incredible.

Charlotte is wonderful. Here is what she is up to:

1.) Crawling - She has become very good (and fast) at crawling. One day she climbed all the stairs (with me close behind) and didn't even seem tired at the end.

2.) She is sporting one crooked tooth, and hopefully more are on the way. She loves chomping on anything with her tooth.

3.) Says "mama" - finally. Oh, it just makes my heart melt.

4.) Disobeying us on purpose. She understands what no means, stops to take it in, and then continues on her merry little way.

5.) Eating grown-up food like there's no tomorrow. I don't understand how such a little person can eat as much as she does.

All of this working and mothering has left me a little behind in the world of American Idol, Lost, blogging, and current events. Just to give you some idea, I still haven't watched American Idol Gives Back night, but it is waiting for me on our DVR. I have resorted to listening to the news on my way to work (thank you NPR), but have not watched the world news or done much reading on my own. That's one thing I miss about public transportation - at least I could read on my way to work.

One final thought. Something strange has been happening in Texas since we moved here. It rains all the time. Seriously. We haven't had to water our lawn since November, and it's greener than green. Everything down here is green, which is kind of freaky for South Texas.

Well, that's all for now. I hope to be a better blogger in the near future.

Oh yes, and here's Charlotte in all of her cuteness.

A Little Time

I have a little time this morning because the entire school is in testing mode, and for some reason (for which I am very happy), I have no testing responsibilities today. Yesterday was spent with the highly entertaining task of sitting in a hallway and occasionally sitting in classrooms to give teachers a break from their equally entertaining task of watching students who have nothing to do because they weren't scheduled to take a test that day. Sounds like fun, right?

Anyway, I feel compelled to say something about American Idol. Last week I actually enjoyed Sanjaya. His spanish on "Besame Mucho" was quite good, and he delivered the song in a subtle way, which was effective. Like Randy said, he was very smart with his song choice, and with the smirk he gave to the camera at the end, making me laugh and every pre-teen swoom. This week, however, he quickly returned to the Sanjaya that more than deserves to be voted off. Please, oh please, let this be your last week, Sanjaya! Still, he may stick around for yet another week. Chris gave a very poor performance last night and may be the next to go. I've never been fond of his nasal delivery - planned or otherwise!

In Charlotte news, she is happy to be out of daycare and is thriving with her grandma, and I mean that literally. She has put on roughly 2 pounds, is crawling everywhere, talking her own special language, and eating rice dream (rice based ice cream, since she's still allergic to dairy). She loves to eat peas, and often won't eat anything else until she sees peas with it. She is the funniest, sweetest, fiestiest little girl, and I just love her so much!!! I still miss not spending every minute of everyday with her, but I'm relieved that she is doing so well now.

Still here

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. Eric, Charlotte and I are doing fine, but this working mom thing is tricky. I have been feeling so guilty every morning when I leave Charlotte at daycare. The first two days were fine - I think she was enjoying the novelty of it all - but once reality set in, she was not having it. She has become ultra clingy and cries every time I leave her, which in turn makes me cry and doesn't lead to the start of a very good day for either of us. I love being able to see her at lunch, but then comes the inevitable moment when I have to leave and she starts to cry. It is just so heartbreaking. Add that to the fact that the number of babies in the daycare has just about doubled since the time I enrolled Charlotte and you can probably guess that I've been second-guessing the whole daycare thing.

Thankfully, a much better solution has arisen. My mom has volunteered to drive in to San Antonio on Sunday nights so that she can watch Charlotte Mondays through Wednesdays. On Thursdays and Fridays she will be going to the home of a caregiver that comes highly recommended and lives close to my school. I think it's going to work out beautifully. I will still be able to see Charlotte for lunch, and I'll know that she is receiving the attention and nurturing she needs.

In other Charlotte news, she has finally started crawling (but she still prefers to scoot), is sitting and standing up in her crib (which makes me nervous), waves at everyone and everything, and is all about eating big people food. She still hasn't sprouted a tooth, but I'm sure we'll see one soon.