the many faces of william!

curious

excited!!

camera shy

aware

silly

eyes for muma 

talented!

enough pictures!

playful 

loving

Chicago trip part 1

Hello all from Key West, Florida. We just returned home after spending 4 days in Chicago, meeting the man that my son is named after, William Joseph Soto (the first!!). It was such an exciting time and I now, feel so much closer to my son and Nick. I feel like I have such a better understanding of who they are and where they come from. Meeting Great Grandpa was such an honor, and watching him hold baby William was a moment that I will cherish forever. I must say, they seem very fond of each other! William took to his great grandfather right away and had nothing but smiles for him the whole time! It was such magic and I feel so grateful to have been a part of it all. I have tons of pics to share and will post them all once we get settled back in. But for now, I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to all the family that made us feel SO WELCOME and loved during our stay in Chicago. It has truly been an unforgettable time for us and thanks to you all for making it happen.

williams first flight

exhausteddd

heading home

bye bye great grandpa!

4 month William

pool daze

Hello friends,

Hello from Key West during mango season =) It sure is a yummy time of year for us down here. We have been super blessed with a friend who has not one, but two big, beautiful trees and all the mangoes we could ask ever ask for. There is nothing like biting into a cold, sweet, delicious mango and letting it run down your chin. I have never enjoyed mangoes the way that I am these days! The other wonderful part of my friends with mangoes is that they also have a BEAUTIFUL salt water swimming pool, which we are free to use as much as we want. This is where William is learning to do his kicks and where he has gone all the way under... TWICE! He does really well with it, I actually think he likes it and tries to do it himself sometimes! He is not afraid of the water, not one bit. I love this about him. He is a true salty dog, just like the rest of us =) The ocean is just home to me. I can definitely appreciate other landscapes, but there is something about being able to see to the horizon. The thought just gets me choked up. It's my connection to all that is. Anyways... here are some pics of my Williams swimming in  the pool recently. Enjoy. Hope everyone is well.

(ps. wanted to let you guys know, if you have a gmail account and are signed in, you can write to us on here! I love the comments!)

is this real life?

being a mom (feelings of a 3 month mom)

what is it about being a mom that just seems to satisfy my innermost being? Is it the organization? The satisfaction of completing daily tasks? Is it a hand written grocery list or a well equipped beach bag? Is it holding something in my arms? Is it the end of another day, knowing I am loved? I don't know, but there is something about being able to stare into the eyes of another and see yourself and liking what you see. There is something about a huge smile, just for you. Or a warm head on your heart. It is words and thoughts and feelings and so much more. It is the feeling of a piece of me being outside of my body where I can touch it and see it and feel it. It is the end of a long day. The whimpers during sleep. The immediate, innate reaction to his every need. The feeling of giving with no expectation. Perhaps it is without a doubt what women were equipped to do, so all that love that is so much a part of us has somewhere to go. All I know is that William Joseph is a part of me. A part that I can't exactly explain or even understand, but am so happy to have. When he looks at me, I sware he is seeing so much more than what meets the eye, so much more than what anyone else can see. There is no judgement, there need be no conversation. I am so blessed to have received him. He is so wonderful and perfect. I just can't get enough. He is so much happiness. Pure and true. His little warm body and soft, white skin, in my arms... It is like laying on a cloud. It is pure heaven. I can't even explain it. I just know that I have to try. I have to try to express and put together what I feel, because that makes it all real. That means it really happened. It's not just this beautiful dream that happened to me one night. It was as real as you and me. I thought I had known happiness before William was born. I know what it is like to love and adore things. I love flowers, I admire them every chance I get. I love to smell them and observe them in their bursts of color. I thought I had never seen something as beautiful as a flower. And then came my William. The prettiest flower of all. He is like a bud emerging every day. The feelings that I have to protect him and just hold in my arms forever... they are something serious. It can be a bit overwhelming at times, but it is a part of me just like he is. I love him and he will forever be my tu me manques.

3 month William

I have been so excited to talk to you guys all day! Today is William's 3 month birthday. I feel mostly excitement today. Excitement for what is and how FAR we have come in the past 3 months, and excitement for the future, and how far we will go. We have really grown so much in the past three months. We are really starting to function as a solid unit these days. From only having ourselves to take care of, to now having four living beings to care for, we are doing quite well. William is everything we could ever ask for and more, like the 4th member of the wolf pack. He comes with a little extra luggage, but hey, I get that. Here he is up here with his new buddy, Shea Shea the sheep. I have a feeling Shea Shea is going to be around for a while. I think he is going to be THAT toy (the one that sticks around until you are about 12...Don't worry William, momma won't tell.)   =)

He is just my heart and soul and I love him more with each passing day. I also love that he is getting older and able to do more stuff! I feel like now I can take him to the grocery store and stuff (even though I probably won't). But anyways, I just love this picture of him. He cracked a little smile for his daddy and I for this 3 month photo shoot, while we stand there in front of him, pulling out all the stops to get him to smile. And we got it. The three month William photo, even more perfect then he was a month ago.

Enjoy guys. And as always, thank you.

Nick and Feryn's Busy Year

Thank you miss Mary Prada for this BEAUTIFUL slideshow. It is such a great recap of the year and everything we have accomplished together. I can't believe it's been a year! I know people say it all the time, but time sure does fly. This really gave me an appreciation for the journey that we have been on. I am so lucky to be surrounded by beautiful friends and family. Now, I am looking forward to my best friend having her baby, due in October. Cannot wait to meet that little guy, and most of all, can't wait for my best friend to be a mom because I know she is going to be a great mom. I can't wait to walk into the room and see her holding her baby. It just fills my heart with love. =)))

In other best friend news, Nick and I got to have a night out this week! We were gone for a whole three hours and got to go run around Mallory Square for a bit and meet all of his friends down there. It was definitely a fun night but I loved coming home to my William. =)

Enjoy the show =)

(ps can i just mention that i LOVE banpankw?)