Chrisita's Wedding

Phoenix enjoyed celebrating with the family in the marriage of his second cousin Christina Straw to her new husband Dustin Brock. We wish blessing and best wishes on them both...Phoenix sends a very slobbery kiss to Chrisita and Dustin the Newleyweds! (Phoenix now gives "kisses" by planting his open and drooley mouth on your cheek).

a Piano duet with Grandma

First Snow

Indiana...a bit of a temperature and color change from Oregon. We enjoyed a brisk walk in the freezing air of Indy this morning with Grandpa George, Aunt Stacie and WALLY the fabulous Scotty

First Airplane Trip

Phoenix enjoyed his first trek across the country to visit The Shopp Family for Christmas. Prayers were answered as he faired very well...and several people commented on how well he behaved. He slept all the way to Denver, and stayed content for the last 2 hours to Indy...Praise God! and everyone who knows me knows that I was a bit apprehensive about traveling with him in the plane...

First Christmas with Abuela

"El Jinete Phoenix"

Weighing in at 19lb, 15 ounces, our four month and three week old Phoenix enjoyed his first exposure to our favorite animal today at 5 Rock Ranch. "Dougie" handled his precious cargo well. I must admit though that Phoenix was a bit shy of him and after a moment of photo ops started to put out his pouty lip in protest...and possibly fear of this new, big friend. Hopefully many more photos of "El Jinete"Phoenix( "Jockey" Phoenix) will be yet to come.

sleighbells ring....

tonight we enjoyed our first "sleigh" ride...okay, so it was on the streets of a suburb of Portland, but it was a wagon pulled by purtron horses...and it was awesome! (photo not included...but it happened shortly after these photos)...Merry Christmas everyone!

Jolly jumpup in real time

Phoenix enjoying one of his favorite pasttimes...

putting up our christmas tree

all of santa's helpers...(phoenix not pictured as it was past his bedtime...the little guy in the photo is his friend Espen).

Thanksgiving with the Franklin Family

A visit from Tia Veronica

We enjoyed a visit with Tia Veronica. He's 4 months November 20th and he's weighing in a hearty 18lb. 6 ounces last week. (He's currently off the charts on both weight and height!) I thank God for his health. We've been praying all along that God will make him strong in mind and body and He's definitely answered that prayer. Pastor Rick and Diane gave us a Toddlers Bible for him that he's already started enjoying.

Baby Buddy Times

Nothing like having a baby...and then enjoying friends who have babies too! Amy and her daughter Shaylee Rose are on the left, Gretchen and her daughter Aylaa are on the right. Phoenix is outnumbered by girls...but as you can tell; I don't think he minds.

newest member of the franklin family household

gerber baby

racking the leaves

we enjoyed what is probably the last nice sunny day of the year...Phoenix hung out with us as we worked.

Reading time with "Uncle" Tim

Already beginning his University level education Phoenix reviews current artwork with Uncle (and Professor!) Tim.

brought to you by Abuela Nini

Abuela (Grandma) Nini has introduced Phoenix to a whole new world of exersaucer's and toy cars! Phoenix has been hilarious to watch as he studies his new toys...his drool and stare shows onlookers how very serious he is about playing!

As much as I don't like Halloween, I love dressing up and any occasion for celebration with friends and family! Here's Phoenix "tigrito" sending you all warm wishes!

growing up

I guess that says it all...cute little guy gettin' some love from his mommy. How the time has flown...he's only 31/2 months old, but I feel like he's been with us forever and I can't imagine our lives without him now. Phoenix is now taking on the responsibilities of a big baby...sleeping in the crib, learning to fall asleep on his own. His parents are making it; but just barely. I first and biggest challenge thus far has been to let him "cry it out" for 30 minutes...comforting him every 10. He fell asleep after thirty, and last time I checked he's still sleeping.

Kisses and Tractors

Thanks to "Abuela" Nini Phoenix is now sporting both the cowboy hat AND the tractor! Not to mention kisses from Aunt Becca! (Notice the sun...thank God for sunny day's in Oregon!)

a visit with Aunt Becca!

- From Aunt Becca - Baby time is a wonderful thing, although on this day I could well understand why some parents are driven to drink! Phoenix had decided earlier in the day he just wasn't willing to fall asleep no matter what tricks I played, and it wasn't until his Mom came home that he decided to be happy. So I was quite glad to have Anita back and to turn over babysitting duties. Maybe after being fed, or actually I think he was most happy because he finally got to be naked, but whatever the reason he was content for the moment. So we had our little photo op, and he had quite the time GQ'ing it, as Nita called it. I still haven't been able to get him to laugh, but will keep trying before I leave on Saturday.

like father like son- Phoenix's first hat

for those of you who know Hamlet...it was only a matter of time before Phoenix would start acquiring his own collection of hats...so here it is...his first serious hat! Yeehaa cowboy!

For our dear Esperanza

Today I wanted to create a page in rememberance of our beloved Esperanza...the twin of Phoenix who lived 5 months in-utero before his spirit left his developing body and returned to heaven. I thought the best way to remember would be to include the e-mail I sent out the day we found out about his death. **please note that at the time we were told it was a girl. Weeks later the amniocentesis report indicated that it was a boy. If your life was changed or affected by his life I encourage you to write comments on this page so that others can be encouraged by your story.

February 26, 2007

This was the morning…the morning that we’d know whether to buy pink or blue…GI Joe or Barbie…and all those “important“ things. The ultrasound was normal…the baby was healthy and everything looked healthy. We got a great shot of his “third arm” confirming that it was a boy…everything was looking great…until she noticed the second heartbeat. Something was obviously wrong and as she left the room to get the doctor she quickly announced that we were having twins. Shocked and not sure what to think we sat there quietly trying to take it in. Immediately we began to understand that there was a problem with the second one as everything about it looked different. They started to point out the problems…fluid in the brain, a hole in the heart... the doctor quickly counseled us that there was a problem and sent us off to a specialist to have further testing done.

After another hour of ultrasound work the specialist counseled us there indeed was a very severe problem with the second baby. Baby “A” was healthy and weighed 16 ounces…baby “B” weighed a mere 4 ounces and was severely underdeveloped in many ways. She suggested an amniocentesis done on both babies to confirm the problem. They think that the problem with baby “b” is a chromosome condition. Most of the things that the doctor told us were confusing as she threw in words of “operation to end baby “B”s heartbeat in order to prevent problems with baby “A”. She also talked about possible blood thinning problems with me if we allowed baby “B” to continue living…as well as increased risk of premature delivery if both babies continued to develop. Both Hamlet and I were very strong on the fact that in no way would be abort this baby…and that whatever happens…whether it be problems for our healthy baby or to my own body or life; it was and is God’s plan. It will have to be God’s hands that take our little one’s life from earth…not our own. These lives…this two precious little souls were created and designed by God and each of them has a purpose and significance…even if they never take their first breath.

We covet your prayers for these little lives as well as the health of my body through this pregnancy. These children are God’s and we recognize that we are merely stewards of them for the time God gives them to us…however long that may be.

“Blessed be your name God…you give and you take away and our hearts will choose to say “Blessed be your name”.”

We will keep you posted on the news of these two special souls.

To the Glory of God,

Anita and Hamlet Opazo

March 3, 2007

God is faithful. He knew that we would never choose to abort our special baby…even to the risk of the other baby’s life as well as my own. We prayed that God would either make her a miracle baby and heal her completely; or that He would take her quietly, and in a way that would not harm either my body or the health of our baby boy.

God took our beloved daughter “Esperanza Opazo” to be with him. We will look forward to meeting her in heaven.

We had an appointment with a specialist on Friday to talk about our options and where to go from here, as well as to answer any questions that we have about the condition she had. She was diagnosed with “Triploidy”; where she had an entire extra set of chromosomes. She had multiple abnormalities including fluid where there should be brain mass, club feet, severely small body parts, and severe problems with her heart. The longest surviving baby with this condition lived to 10 months. The doctor did not expect her to live to term and cautioned us about the risks involved. Thankfully he supported our desire to NOT perform the selective reduction which would have stopped her heart.

He wanted to see the babies and understand what he was working with so he sent us for an ultrasound. Looking at the images on the ultrasound we began to understand quickly that there was a problem. He regretfully informed us that there was no heartbeat...sometime between Monday and Friday her heart had stopped. It was a very sad moment for us as we realized that our baby girl was gone. At the same time we thanked God that He made that decision for us and that we were not asked to make it. We believe that it really was the best timing for it as this will allow our healthy baby boy a much stronger chance of going full term in my womb instead coming prematurely. It also takes away much of the risk that was thought to be possible to me.

It has been a difficult week; but both Hamlet and I agree we would do it all over again as we were given the gift of meeting our baby girl …seeing her heart beat and watching her kick and move as well as having ultrasound photos of her silhouette. We thank God that the ultrasound was this week and that not next…when we would have been told about only a body of a second baby.

We named her “Esperanza” because in Spanish that not only means “hope”, but literally to be in the “state of waiting”.

Thank you all for your prayers, your e-mails and your words of encouragement. It meant so much to us to know that people all over the world were interceding on our babies behalf. Please pray with us that this healthy boy would grow to love God passionately and would go all over the world…even to the dangerous places…to share the love of God with people that don’t know Him.

We send you all our love.

Hamlet and Anita Opazo

First pumpkin patch images

Phoenix's mom the photographer

our walk in the fall

Chillin' in Flames

enjoying the fall...

was it really that long ago...

Phoenix is now 2 and a half months old. Where did that time go?! I look at these pictures and I am amazed that he was once so small...and not so long ago either. For me though that time seems far off as he's grown so much and shown so much of his personality...he's smiling (has been for about a month now)...reaching out to play with his toys...holding conversations with us in "babyese"...I am amazed at this gift of motherhood and how it's such a precious and valuable gift...as well as a difficult one. I have to remember that he is a child of God and I am merely a caretaker blessed with the time that He gives me with him. Gloria a Dios..."Slavaboga"...Glory to God.

From our Russian Friends Uri and Natasha... and for the "starving" Aunt

Some of our dear friends from Russia sent us the sweater,hat and socks as a gift for Phoenix's birth...thanks Uri and Natasha! "Previet Klopia" (atleast I think that's how we said it!). This is also for the "starving Aunt" Becca who's missing out on the photos of our little one...here is yet another photo of the famous Phoenix Opazo.

Family Visits

I've been asked several times about recent photography work. I looked through all my photographs of the last few years to find lots of great memories, but only a few decent photos. I blame this partly on the fact that I had a decent (but not good) camera. I have since bought a new camera that, for me, is high quality...only to find that being a mom limits me greatly on time and energy to put into photography. For now; my joy is in being the best teacher to my students that I can be as well as balancing a healthy family life with my growing family. I've attached a recent photo of my miracle, my son for any interested onlookers. Enjoy.