4 Month Update

4 whole months already! Things are easier now; and by easier I mean I don't freak out over every little thing. Maybe I am starting to get the hang of this motherhood thing. Right when I typed that, no joke, she woke up from her nap. I had to take a  break from writing until next nap time to finish this post. I guess there are always things that will come up with every day, month and year that will make me "freak out" a little and interrupt whatever kind of routine I am on. It is how I am handling those things that I'm getting used to.

It is amazing to see how Olivia is developing. Now it is not just about eating, sleeping, pooping and crying. There is definitely more awake time, which I love. She loves to play with little toys and look at herself in the mirror. When I have something to do I put her in a little play seat with toys and put a mirror in front of her. That keeps her entertained for a while.

We follow a schedule, well we try to. I am not a very big fan of reading parenting books. I prefer to ask moms and dads that I know about things that have worked for them. One thing that everyone has told me is: start a schedule with her. So I did, ever since she was a baby we started developing a routine for her. It got easier once she started sleeping thru the night. So hang in there if you are still waking up every 2-3 hours.

Olivia started sleeping 12 hours at night when she turned 2 months old. Night time routine for us is warm bath time, night time lotion and pajamas; reading a book and a feeding. I would rock her to sleep, and then I would lay her down. When she turned 3 months, I started just laying her down when she was somewhat sleepy so she would learn how to fall asleep on her own. That was actually recommended to me by my doctor, and it has worked for us so far.

She loves to smile. She is figuring out how to laugh out loud, and it is hilarious. It's like a combination of trying to laugh, scream, and cry. It's amazing. She stares at me and laughs when I speak to her in spanish, and she loves to look at Collin and Ginger (Miniature Schnauzers).

Another thing that has worked for us is: when she naps during the day, if she starts crying I let her cry for a bit. I check on her to make sure she is ok, but I don't immediately pick her up anymore. She goes back to sleep 99% of the time. This is something I am still trying to teach Daddy, not to pick her up immediately. I think next month I will work on Daddy's schedule.

She loves to stare at her dad when he talks and sings to her. She can now hold her head up, and is learning how to sit on her own. She hates tummy time, and now has a love/hate relationship with the car seat. We are still working on that, although it has gotten better since we started hanging toys and a mirror so she can entertain herself.

As for me, it has been officially 1 year since I had an alcoholic drink. Believe me, I am keeping track. I have been exclusively breastfeeding so it was my choice not to drink. I think I am about ready to get a taste of a huge margarita; now that feedings are not so often. I'm sure one or even half of a margarita will be all I need after not drinking for a year.

I love that I get to spend all my days watching Olivia grow. I am thankful for Tim that works extremely hard so I can stay at home with Olivia. I wouldn't trade my non-shower, spit up covered shirts, same clothes as yesterday days for anything else. I love being Olivia's mom.

Thanks for reading,

Happy Thanksgiving!

I started celebrating Thanksgiving a few years ago. Obviously we don't celebrate Thanksgiving in El Salvador. So, I didn't really know what to do during this holiday. I knew I wanted to start making some of our own traditions when Tim and I got married.

We both celebrate the holidays very differently. I wanted to merge some of our favorite things that we are used to doing and then incorporate some new ones.
Putting up our Christmas tree is one of them. Every year since we got married, we decided that Thanksgiving would be the start to our holiday season by decorating our Christmas tree together.

Usually we would go celebrate Thanksgiving with my in-laws, or friends around the area. Last year we had 3 Thanksgiving dinners. I mean who can say no to sweet potatoes? We always had way too much to eat, way too much to drink, and then nap the day away before I had to be up and ready for Black Friday. This is the first time in about 8 years that I have not worked a Black Friday and let me tell you I couldn't be happier. I felt like I could really enjoyed the day without worrying if everything was ready for the biggest sale of the year. Or having to go to sleep super early so I could be at work before midnight.

Once again, things have definitely change around here. We decided this time it would be Thanksgiving at our place so we were not going anywhere. We went to church early in the morning, and then got back to start prepping for Thanksgiving dinner. First time cooking everything on my own. (Scary thought). Not really, everything turned out really great! (THANK GOD FOR E-RECIPES)

Our Christmas tree was done, we were stuffed and exhausted so now time for a nap. WRONG! Olivia was not ready to nap. Luckily, she is still young enough that gets entertained by pretty much anything. Looking at every single ornament in the Christmas tree and describing its shape and color did it. 45 minutes later and she was out. Just in time for me to do all the other things I needed to do around the house. Well, I decided those things can wait. I am learning to do that. You know, not everything has to be done at that exact time. You know what they say..nap when the baby naps. So, when am I supposed to clean..when the baby cleans?

I love Christmas time but it always makes me a little sad not to be able to be with my family. My mom was is a pro at celebrating the holidays. We were always the house that everyone came to. Some of my favorite childhood memories are around Christmas, because there were always so many people at home celebrating with us. I always felt a sense of unity.

We are making our own traditions as a family of three now. Cannot wait to see how every holiday changes as Olivia grows; and the things she will learn about this time of the year. Lastly, I want to say that today and everyday I am truly thankful for my family. My parents, my siblings, my sweet daughter and my husband.

I hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving

Family of Three

Yesterday was such a nice day! It was sunny and 61 degrees. The weather cooperated with my weekly prayers. I wanted to get pictures done when I got pregnant. Well, back then when I was fully pregnant and it was the middle of summer let's just say: I was not up for it. (To put it nicely) 

Later I wanted to get newborn pictures done when Olivia was born. Well, then the whole caring for a baby, no time to sleep, no time to shower, and hormones up the roof happened and I was not up for it. (To put it nicely). 

Finally before winter hits (it did this morning) we decided to take family pictures. Kasie did an amazing job. This is just a little preview, more to come later. She was great and made us feel super comfortable. We went to college together so it was nice that we already knew her. She is such a caring and genuine person. I feel like even if that was the first time that we were meeting, it would have still gone amazing like it did because of her personality.

The weather here in Arkansas had been a little crazy lately. Lots of rain, lots of wind, and cold. I was a little worried (ok a lot) about taking pictures outside with Olivia. Thank goodness it was such a nice day yesterday and we were able to finish the shoot with no problems. 

If you would have asked me a month ago if this was a good idea; I would have definitely said no. I used to get so worried about long trips, or any trips really outside the house with Olivia. It always makes me feel better when Tim comes along. It's like you have your army with you, made me feel more secure. 

Those days are slowly becoming a memory. I am able to come and go with her...get ready....BY MYSELF! I no longer worry about taking her out. I remember the first time I had to drive with Olivia by myself I was a wreck. I prayed, and cried, and laughed and prayed again for her not to wake up. Now I know she is ok, and like the lady at the Starbucks drive-thru told me: Babies cry....that's is something they do. 

I thought: well I know that, but thinking a little deeper, it was a re-assurance of I am not the only one going thru this, and I won't be the last one. So far, I haven't gotten the side eye if I am out with Olivia and she starts crying. On the contrary, I have gotten compassion. A lot of helpful people opening doors for me, and asking if i need help carrying things to the car. 

A lady at Walgreens the other day greeted me and immediately offered her assistance to quickly locate what I needed and carry the items to the register. I was so thankful to her. I thought wow she knows, she probably has been in my shoes. But then, she told me she hadn't been blessed with children yet. Sometimes you don't even have to be in other's people's shoes to be empathetic. That is a little of what we all need. 

"A kind of gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal". Steve Maraboli

Thanks for reading, 

Of all places....Arkansas

                            
 

 




If someone had told me that I was going to be living in Arkansas; I would have laughed. No way, not me. Why would I end up living in a state that I had never been before or had any interest in visiting. Well, you know what they say: Never say never!

I have been calling Arkansas home for about 8 years now. Four of those were spent getting my bachelor's degree at the University of the Ozarks. We moved out of state shortly after graduating and somehow managed to come back. I do feel like sometimes the state gets a bad rep.

The first time I came to Arkansas, was when I was on my way to the University. I remember at the Houston airport when they asked me: What is your final destination? I said: Arkansas. The guy looked at me and said: What can you possibly be doing in Arkansas? I replied: School, and his response, with a big smile: They have schools in Arkansas? HA-HA.

I have heard all the "jokes" about life in Arkansas. It doesn't bother me. I am used to people asking all types of dumb questions. Don't even get me started with questions about El Salvador. Do you have running water? Where do you shop for clothes? Have you ever eaten at McDonald's? Ayyyy Dios Mio! that is another blog post for another day.

Arkansas is a beautiful state. It has so much to offer. It forced me to re-discover my love for being outdoors. Tim and I have visited 25 of the 52 (or so) state parks Arkansas has. Our goal is to visit them all.
We love going on hikes (yes I do own a pair of tennis shoes). It is one of the best things to do; to be out surrounded by nature and conversation. We usually pack some snacks; so we can just sit somewhere and enjoy the amazing views Arkansas has to offer.

The winter months are coming, so there won't be many opportunities to be out. We decided to go on a road trip to see all the beautiful fall colors. I absolutely love this time of the year. Seriously, Arkansas is the best for tree-watching.
We ended up at the Cliff House in Jasper; thanks to a Facebook friend (Erin Hagar). I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day out with my family.

I think what I love the most about being outside, is that you can hear your thoughts so clearly. Nothing interrupts you except for nature. Take some time to go outside and enjoy the sunlight, or the rain, or the wind. Spend time alone with your thoughts, or take someone and enjoy a conversation.

I love this quote from John Muir (Author: My first Summer in Sierra: look it up and read it!) “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” 
This quote really does remind me of my time here in Arkansas. That is the way I feel every time we are out in nature.


Thanks for reading,

90 days

1 day old

 

3 months old

Today we are celebrating Olivia. She is 3 months old. She is growing up to be such a happy baby. She loves bath time and eating time of course. Once she realized that she could smile and giggle that is all she wants to do. She is starting to explore her fashion sense and dress with items that are not pink. We are thankful to God that she is healthy and growing. 

As for me, well this would be a long post to try to explain all the things I've gone thru in the past 90 days. I will just keep it simple. I am living my life in a way to make my daughter proud every single day. That doesn't mean I don't care about the things I used to. Trust me, the shoe collection is still growing as well as the makeup and clothes. Now I can also add a tiny version of that to my collection. 

Shopping for Olivia is so much fun, and I wish I could always dress her. I know the time will come when she decides what she wants to wear. She will go thru phases just like I did. Baggy jeans (check), oversized tees (check), crop tops (check), mini skirts (check). Dad is not looking forward to this. In the meantime I will enjoy this time when she has no say on the matter. Some of my favorite brands to shop for Olivia are Old Navy, Baby Gap, and Carters. All these stores are always running discounts (40% off, 50% off), and if you sign up for their reward programs you can really save some cash.

I joke around that Olivia leaves the house looking like a baby model with all the appropriate accessories. Me? well I go for the homeless look most of the time. Did I take a shower? MAYBE....Am I wearing the same clothes I wore to bed? maybe...maybe not. 

Now that she is a bit older I do have more time to get ready and spend time doing my makeup/hair, if I choose to (Or If I know I will taking a selfie that day..:)). oh the important things in life. 

I talked to my dad 2 nights ago, and he asked me about Olivia and her sleeping habits. I told him that she has been sleeping since she turned 2 months old, about 10-12 hours at night. I said: yay! we are done with that. I feel like I can relax a little. He laughed and told me: Trust me, you are never done. I am still at it with my youngest child being 28. It suddenly hit me, that is so true. That is what i want to give to Olivia; what my parents have given to me and my siblings. I want her to understand that family is everything. No matter where you go, what you do, your parents will always be there for you. Every time my parents come visit or I visit them. It never fails, when it is time to leave the waterfalls start. I cry more now that I used to when it is time to say goodbye. I miss having my family close every single day. I want to give Olivia that, the feeling that there is no place like home. The best feeling is to be surrounded by the people that no matter how many times you have failed them. They will never fail you or abandon you. My parents have given me that example and I will live the rest of my life following it for Olivia. 

Thanks for reading, 

Different kind of celebration

 Life gets kind of crazy sometimes. Tim and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary last Friday October 23rd. Usually I try to plan something fun for us to do, spend time picking out the perfect gift and writing the perfect card. Not this time, before I knew it it was Thursday 22nd and I had completely forgotten to do any of those things. (By the way I knew Tim had forgotten too, so I am not the bad guy here).

Well, this anniversary was definitely different than any others we've had. For once we have the most perfect gift we could have ever given each other and that is our daughter. With that being said, there are a lot of things that you can't do with a baby, especially at night. I have been working hard on getting Olivia on a schedule so I am not risking it. So far it has worked great for us because she has been sleeping 8-10 (sometimes 12) hours every night since she turned 2 months.
We love going to the movies, getting dressed up (I love this part more than he does), and going to a nice restaurant. Other anniversaries we've planned to go on a road trip and visit a city we've never been.
This time, it was a bit different. We went to a park that is close to home, and that we have been to many other times. No fancy restaurant, no dress and heels (weird), no movies; just the three of us going on a walk, like we have done hundreds of times. Olivia slept the whole time, and we spent our time remembering so many things that we have gone thru together. Good times and not so good times (hey everybody has those). We spent time talking about the future, planning and dreaming about all the things we want to do together as a family.

When we got home, I started thinking about how at first I was a little bummed that we weren't going to be able to go on a "special-date" for our anniversary. Then I realized that there will be many other opportunities to do those things later on. It doesn't really matter where we are, as along as we are spending time together as a family.

Relationships are hard, any type of relationship. Both people have to work very hard at creating them, they don't just happen.
Anniversaries are a reminder of a commitment to someone. I once read this somewhere and excuse me but I don't have the author's name. It said something like:
"In relationships the little things are the big things. It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other a safe place in which to grow. It is not only being with the right person, it is being the right partner".

Hope y'all had a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by.

Road Trip Fun

I absolutely love road trips. Any excuse to go on a long or short drive: SIGN ME UP!. Once Tim and I drove close to 2 hours from the University to Little Rock, AR for Starbucks. My Oh My how things have changed.

Before Olivia was born and even now people tell me: if you are having trouble putting her to sleep, just strap her in the car seat and take her for a drive around the neighborhood. She will be sleeping in no time. OK, easy enough....except for the fact that she absolutely HATES IT. She loves the car seat as long as we are not in the car or moving. That makes for road trips or any kind of trips well lets just say..unpleasant.

When Olivia was born, my parents came to stay with us for a month (THANK GOD). My mom and I decided to go grocery shopping with Olivia for the first time. It took us close to 4 hours. She would wake up half way from the house to the grocery store, and the crying would start. I am not talking about just a cry, this was a full meltdown. Her tiny face would get bright red, she would start sweating, tears would start rolling down and my favorite is: huge saliva bubbles coming out. We would drive back to the house and as soon as we would pull up to the driveway, it would stop. Well we did this for maybe 4 times before giving up.

Needless to say I was a little nervous about our trip yesterday to go visit Tim's family in Clarksville, AR which is where we also went to school. Clarksville is close to 1 hr and 45 minutes away from where we live now (an eternity with a baby). To my surprise she did not cry once! Maybe she knew I was freaking out the night before, couldn't sleep thinking about it (many of my sleepless nights and many more to come..I hear) or she was entertained by my singing skills (or so I want to believe). Anyone that has heard me sing is shaking their heads like: nope that was not it.
The whole trip she was so good, we went to visit Tim's family for the first time and then we stopped at the University to walk around and visit with faculty members.

It was so nice to be back and to bring Olivia to the place where 10 years ago, Tim and I met in old testament class. There are so many things I love about my school. The University is pretty small and because of this, you get to know everyone. This is by far my most favorite thing. It feels like a family. We were able to go into any building and say hi to professors and visit with people that we spent 4 years with. It was a great feeling to catch up with everyone. Our 15 minutes to swing by the school turned into 4 hours and it was amazing.

We were away close to 12 hours yesterday, which If I knew that was the plan, I would have been worrying myself to death. First time ever we have been away for that long. Once I relaxed and enjoyed the day, so did Olivia. Best part ever, when we got home it was a bath time, feeding and she slept for 12 hours straight. Guess what? So did I...Poor thing she had a rough day, exhausting day, and by poor thing I am referring to myself.

Thanks for stopping by, please share your thoughts with me or just say Hi!
Thanks for reading!

The best of all hoods *MOTHERHOOD*

Today was the perfect day to be out here in Northwest Arkansas. It is 70 degrees and sunny! So we decided to go to the pumpkin patch and enjoy some time outside. And by some time I mean like 2 hours max because there isn't a lot you can do outside with a 2 month old (excuse me...2 AND A HALF month old baby) TRUST ME! the half part counts when you are a new mom. You are most definitely counting!
I didn't grow up here in the states so when FALL comes around I am ALL ABOUT IT! Give me everything fall, leaves changing, temperatures dropping, sweaters and scarves, all types of food and beverages with pumpkin in them, and of course PUMPKIN CARVING! Yeah I know, I am 30 years old and I still want to carve pumpkins. I have to make up from all those years I was denied of such fun fall activities living in my beautiful El Salvador where is usually 90 degrees all the time. Plus this is Olivia's first pumpkin patch outing, and I know she won't remember, so this was more for me and dad.
2 and a half months already! Wow! I can hardly believe it. I have to say that again, or write it: Olivia has been with us for 10 weeks. Growing up I was never the type of girl that dreamt about being a housewife or being a mom. Now that I am both is like I am re-discovering the person that I am supposed to be, integrating my old self with my new one. And believe me it is hard work! My daughter is my biggest blessing because she is teaching me things about myself that I didn't know, and teaching that not everything goes the way you plan it. That is a hard one for me because I am a big planner.
I remember the first couple of weeks of us being home, I had the biggest meltdown. Why? because I had planned the day: First I will do laundry, then I will cook lunch, then we will take a nap. Sounds like a plan? Ok, great! Except that newborns and babies do whatever they want, whenever they want to. So Laundry time turned into a crying baby and soothing time, Lunch time turned into putting the baby to sleep time because she has been crying and now she is tired, nap time for me turned into deciding wether I should do laundry, eat or sleep and by the time my food was ready to eat, Olivia was up and crying because it was her time to eat. WOW I thought to myself: this is going to be wonderful (oh wait you can't hear my sarcasm thru writing). The truth is: It is incredibly wonderful! It is also the hardest thing I have ever experienced. My daughter is my biggest blessing because she is helping me become a better version of myself, a more patient and understanding, a more loving and compassionate, a stronger and more caring version of myself. Friends and Family have told me: Olivia is such a lucky girl to have you and Tim as parents, and I think I am the lucky one to have her and reshape my life into the person I was destined to be.


Thank you for reading, and please come back and check back with us. Any thoughts, suggestions or just plain ol' hi messages are welcomed from everyone!