Sad...

It has only been a couple of days since my mom left and I am incredibly sad... I think I had never cried so much in my life... I feel so lonely...

On top of that, I started back at work yesterday and I have to spend the whole day without my babies, which makes me feel even more alone! Being back at work has kept me busy but it also makes me a bit cranky!

Iggy hasn't been that much support either, because all he does is work; he claims that he has so much work to do and doesn't realize that there's work at home too... hopefully he will see it soon...

I'm feeling sad overall and I just hope that it goes away soon... Not having my parents and sister around is one of the worst things that have happened to me in a while.. It might sound silly for some but only I know how bad it feels!

Today has definitely been a tough day... very very sad!

Wordless Monday...

An afternoon at "Paradise Cove"

Today we spent the afternoon at "Paradise Cove", which is a water park located inside C.B. Smith park, right around the corner from our house. The day was very sunny (and super hot), so we decided to go for a splash. Olivia had so much fun playing in the water and the big slides and Gaby got to wear her bathing suit for the first time. It was such a great afternoon and a great way to spend time as a family!

Weight Loss Journal: Week 2

I must admit I was a bit of a slacker this week since I was focused on helping my mom pack for her move. Here are this weeks' stats..

OVERALL STARTING WEIGHT: 172lbs
DESIRED WEIGHT: 150lbs
Normal BMI: 18.5-24.9
Current BMI: 26.9

Week 2
Current Weight: 171.5 lbs
This week's workouts:
Friday: walked 2 miles

Total lbs lost: 0.5

Mini trip to Disney World...and good bye!

After much consideration I decided to go to Orlando with my mom and sister. My mom insisted that I should at least drive up there with them, since I couldn't join them on the whole drive to Alabama... Iggy offered to take care of Gaby while I went and took Olivia to Disney for a day so I went... It was a nice way to spend another day with mom and my sister before their move and we had so much fun...
We took the girls to Magic Kingdom and they simply loved it.. Olivia has been there a few times, but it was Cookie's first visit to it was very special... The weather was amazing and the girls loved dancing around with the characters during the parades and had a blast on all the rides... it was even better because the park wasn't crowded at all and the waiting in line was pretty decent..
We took so many pictures and enjoyed the day so much....
Today I drove back home with Olivia, while my mom and sister drove up to Alabama... It was so hard to say good bye and I cried hysterically when I hugged my mom before she got into her car; she was incredibly sad as well...it was definitely a bittersweet trip....

The end of a chapter...

I never thought it'd be so difficult to walk through an empty house and help someone pack their stuff and move... well.. it turns out that helping my parents pack and move has been the most difficult thing I've had to do...
The end of the chapter where my parents live in the same town I do, is quickly approaching and I am incredibly sad... I always hoped this day would never come...
As some of you know, due to work reasons, my dad has been living in Auburn for over a month now and my mom will be driving up (either today or tomorrow) along with my sister and niece to finally relocate as well...
I am staying behind here in South Florida and I know that things will never be the same... I have been really lucky to have them around for so long and I'm still not ready to accept the fact that they will no longer be around the corner and that I will have to either catch a plane or drive 10 hours to see them or simply hug them!
I know I sound very dramatic but I am extremely close to my parents and really wish this wasn't happening... I will miss them so much and will cry a lot for the first few weeks, maybe months...
I really hope that God gives me the wisdom to understand His will and pray that my parents' life will only get better and better as a result of this relocation...
I also hope I can visit them very soon and spend some quality time with them in their new home!

Welcome baby Rachel Jane

Some of you might remember this post, where I mentioned my friend Maggie, who was recently admitted to the hospital due to complications with her pregnancy and was subsequently informed that her baby girl had Down's Syndrome... I've been specially touched by Maggie's story from the beginning since I had a sister that was mentally challenged and know first hand what it means to have a special angel in the family....

After several complications, Maggie delivered baby Rachel Jane via c-section on Saturday September 19th; she was 30 weeks along and was not prepared, however, God did what He does best, and the beautiful angel is here, safe with her parents and being cared for by a medical team...She is going through some health issues, which are common on preemie babies as well as other issues attributed to her Down's Syndrome.. but I am sure that she will soon be able to go home with her wonderful parents, who will raise her with all the love and care she deserves...

When I spoke to Maggie to congratulate her on her new bundle of joy, I was specially moved by something she said...She told me "I know we've been through a lot, and I know we have a long way to go, but all I care is that she is here and I love her to death"... This goes to prove that the love of a mother is unconditional and so immense that nobody will ever be able to explain how a love so magnificent can begin by looking at a little baby's face...I truly admire Maggie and her husband Stephen for being so strong and pray that God will always give them the strength to face the challenges that they may face....

Thank you God for baby Rachel Jane, who will make this world much more special every time she smiles... Congrats Maggie for such a wonderful and beautiful little girl!

To learn more about little Rachel, you can follow Maggie's blog at http://www.maggiefluck.blogspot.com/

My new favorite picture...

I simply love this picture!... my new favorite! ;)

Wordless Monday...

Dani's baby shower...

We had so much fun today at Daniela's baby shower, which was celebrated at her mother's house with a bunch of friends and family. My friend Dani is expecting a baby girl (Samantha), due in mid-November and she is looking beautiful and is glowing nicely....it is her first child and her and her husband Sean are absolutely thrilled about their soon to be baby daughter....Her baby shower was absolutely beautiful; every detail was taken into account... from the games, to the decorations, the food and the music... everything was great and I must say the desserts were especially yummy!... All of the guests had a blast and Daniela received a bunch of gifts for her baby girl!!!We're thankful for a fun day and can't wait to meet baby Sammy!

Danielita's 7th birthday

Today we attended Daniela's 7th birthday party, which was held at Pines Ice Arena. Daniela is Eliece's daughter, who happens to be Iggy's boss!
Even though Olivia couldn't go ice skating (she really wanted to), she had a lot fun looking at the other kids on the rink be silly and enjoy the ice. She also danced around, drank hot chocolate and ate marshmallows for the first time, which by the way, she loved. Danielita was very happy with all of her friends and gifts... It was a very fun party.... Happy 7th Birthday Dani!

Weight Loss Journal: Week 1

As I said in this post, I will post a weekly "Weight Loss Journal" entry to summarize my workouts and weight details of that week. Here we go...

OVERALL STARTING WEIGHT: 172lbs
DESIRED WEIGHT: 150lbs
Normal BMI: 18.5-24.9
Current BMI: 26.9

Week 1
Current Weight: 172 lbs
This week's workouts:
Tuesday: 15 min cardio, weight lifting 30 min
Target area: legs
Wednesday: 20 min cardio, weight lifting 20 min
Target area: arms (biceps, triceps, shoulders)
Pounds lost this week: 0
Better luck next week! ;)

"Milo" visits us from Mexico

Today we got a visit from our confirmation sponsor and one of our favorite people, our friend Emilio "Milo" who is visiting from Mexico, where he works at coal and gold mines. He is a mining engineer and a very smart man....he is also a great friend and wonderful spiritul sponsor...We hadn't seen him in over a year so his visit was definitely exciting!!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

My grandma is turning 81 years old today and I'm so happy and thankful to God for blessing her with another birthday and another year!...

This birthday is extra special since a few months ago, my grandma's cancer came back and we thought we were losing her!

I have blogged about my grandma several times (read this post) since she is currently undergoing chemotherapy for her 3rd cancer (she's had breast and throat cancer).. she is a true fighter and we are all so proud of her for being so strong and sticking to her treatment...

She is a wonderful woman, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and we all love her dearly...

Unfortunately we are unable to celebrate this birthday with her since she is currently in Venezuela; however I was able to talk to her on the phone and she seems to be doing great. Also, once her treatment is over, she will be coming to stay! I can't wait for that!

She told me the treatment is working great and she is feeling strong and full of life! Thank you God!!

Happy 81st birthday Grandma! May you live many more happy years!!

Disney on Ice

Today I took Olivia to see "Disney on Ice: Princess Classics" and she absolutely loved it. We saw the show from a corporate suite at the Bank Atlantic Center, thanks to my friend Pechy, who gracefully gave me a ticket from her company....

Olivia was fascinated with the show, she loved seeing all the princesses skating around and the whole spectacle of lights, music and dancing was just great. Her favorite part was the one from "The Little Mermaid" and she was especially happy when Mickey, Minnie and Goofy came out skating too... simply fabulous!

It was also great for some mother-daughter bonding time and on top of that Olivia got to play with some of her best friends, including Melissa, who is my friend Pechy's daughter... what a great outing!

Something to think about...

Warning: SAD post, especially for mommies and expectant mommies. Don't read if you get easily discouraged by sad stories....

For the past two weeks I have been bombarded by sad baby stories that come to me in one way or another. Because all of these stories have come at the the same time, I have been very emotional and extremely analytical... here are some of the things I have heard lately:

1. My friend Yda (who I mentioned in this post), lost the twins this week...she was already 17 weeks or so. This is her 4th pregnancy ending in miscarriage in the 2nd trimester and she is very sad. Her faith remains very strong, which is admirable, but it is a very sad story...

2. A girl I know from WTE, who was scheduled to be induced in late August, had a rare placental abruption the day before her induction and her baby girl died.. It was so sad, especially since it took her over two years to get pregnant and this pregnancy had been uneventful for the most part... Needless to say her and her husband are devastated.

3. A friend of my sister, who was due in early September, recently delivered a baby boy after having a great pregnancy. Well, to her surprise, the baby is extremely sick and has had numerous problems including a tumor in his back, testicles that didn't descend, ears that didn't develop and even epilepsy... very shocking for the new parents...

4. Another girl from WTE, who is due late in November, recently started having signs of pre-term labor and went to the hospital. It turns out she was losing amniotic fluid and had a minor placental abruption. After doing an amnio she was told that her baby girl has Down's Syndrome and her water has broken. She now has to stay in the hospital until she delivers. The doctors are trying to delay the labor until she is at least 34 weeks, which is October 15th. She is very sad... it also took her a long time to get pregnant and her pregnancy had been great so far...

5. A friend of mine recently pointed me to this blog about a baby that was born with a condition called "anencephaly", which talks about her mother's struggles with her health and such.. very sad....

So.. after reading and hearing all these sad stories I can't help but be so thankful to God for blessing me with two healthy daughters, who make me so happy and proud. I regret all those times where I have complained about my baby not sleeping, or her crying or Olivia not listening to me.... I feel even worse about complaining because I can't go to Paris or buy something I really want. All those stories really have put things into perspective for me and have helped me understand that there are bigger problems in people's lives and we should be really thankful for all the good things in our lives. I have taken for granted my pregnancies and the health of my babies so many times and I can only try to ask God to forgive me for my ungrateful attitude and those moments when I have failed to understand His will and His blessings!

Thank God for my healthy daughters and all the healthy babies around the world! and Thank You God for allowing me to see my daughters' smile every day in this happy world!

Olivia is 26 months!

Oli is 26 months today and needless to say I am amazed at how fast time flies... yes... I have probably said that a million times in the past 2 years...but it STILL amazes me! ha!

My sweet baby girl is too smart for her own good and I cannot stop saying that; she is incredibly talkative and her speech is super developed; she talks more than most kids her age and has a very clear understanding of what goes on around her....

She has been in school for a full 3 weeks now and she absolutely LOVES it. As a mother, it is wonderful to know that she feels so secure in a particular setting and that she feels loved and welcomed... I'm glad we made such a great choice!

Olivia is very active and sometimes extremely disruptive, however, I think that is typical behavior for a 2 year old so I really can't complain. She has, however, made some improvement regarding her behavior and is back to her sweet ways!

She is fully potty trained except for the night diaper, but we'll get there eventually! ;)

Also... I have to point out that Olivia loves to sing and dance and does both very good... I have plans to enroll her in dancing lessons but no academy will accept her until she is at least 2 1/2 years old, so I have to wait 4 more months.. I'm sure she will love it!

Ok... so that's it for now... I could probably right for hours about her, but I don't want to bore my readers!! Happy 26 months baby girl!

Weight loss struggles

I have been struggling with weight loss for about 4 years already. Ever since I got married in 2005 I started to gain weight and to feel unhappy with my figure... then came the pregnancies and it all went downhill from there....

I'm now officially in the "overweight" category and feel very unhappy with the way I look.

In my "good ole days" I used to weigh around 145-150 lbs and was in a size 4... 6 at most.... Although I have lost all of the weight I gained with my last pregnancy I am currently at 172 lbs and wear a size 8, which could potentially be a 10... mmmm... not very flattering I may say...also, none of my cute clothes fit anymore because I have somehow punished myself by not buying nice clothes!

So.... after starting diets (and failing to stick to them) several times for the past 4 years, I decided to take on a different approach so I recently started to read a book called "Spiritual Secrets to Weight Loss", which not only fits my current needs but it is also very engaging and easy to read...it is a 50-day challenge about weight loss with a spiritual approach!...sounds interesting, huh?

I have been exercising and trying to make better food choices in an effort to accomplish a healthier lifestyle, which in turn will lead to weight loss (or so I hope)...

I have decided to start blogging weekly about my weight loss struggles so that whoever reads this can keep me accountable to my goals... Every Sunday I will make a little post with a summary of that week's workout and current weight and BMI so that I can document my weight loss and healthier eating habits....

Thanks for reading and let's hope I can accomplish my goal.. which by the way is to be back at 150lbs by the end of the year! (yikes!)... Wish me luck!

Gabriela is 2 months old!

My baby Gaby is 2 months old today...wow.. where did the time go??? It's amazing to see my babies grow up so fast right in front of my eyes! What a blessing!

Gabriela is doing great; she is hitting every milestone by the book and shows signs of being such a happy baby. Smiles are constant and very abundant and she is extremely active; she has already rolled over a few times and is constanly moving her arms and legs; she has excellent head and neck control and is very alert!

Sleep patterns are "ok"; she sleeps through the night most nights (8+ hours), but there are still a few crazy nights here and there.... oh well, we really can't complain in that department...I know many mommies have it much worse than we do!

Gaby is also much needier than Olivia was, she is constantly looking for me and wants to be around familiar faces and be held all the time....what a sweet baby!

She had her 2-month appointment today and got her shots; she only cried a little bit and stopped as soon as I held her. She now weighs 10lbs 1oz and is 23 inches long; although she is still on the light side, the doctor said that she is very tall and her growth pattern is adequate, so I'm not worried. He recommended that I feed her a bit more rice cereal to assist with her weight gain and growth as needed!

Her next appointment is scheduled for October 16th; she will get her ears pierced and the doctor will check her weight again....

Happy 2 months Gaby!

Parent-Teacher night!

Last night was our first "Parent-Teacher" night and I gotta say it was wonderful!!

We were very excited to be able to meet with Olivia's teacher and talk about her progress. We were informed of the school's curriculum and methodology and were greeted by all the staff that comes in contact with Olivia...it was great! We were also told that Olivia is a very engaged child and does great with other children.

Now, more than ever, we are so confident that we picked the right school for Olivia and we are really happy to have felt such a warm and positive attitude from all the teachers and assistants. On top of it all we got to meet some of the parents of Olivia's classmate and even some of the children were present during the Open House....

Thank God for guiding us and bringing us to such great place! Let's hope Oli continues to make progress and enjoy her day to day school routine!

Quality time with my mommy...

As many of you know, my dad recently got a job in Auburn so my parents will be relocating to Alabama very soon.... and I am super sad about it..

My dad already left and has been living in Auburn since mid August and although he has been down to visit a few times, I miss him like crazy!!!

... but the saddest part is yet to come.. and that is the day my mommy leaves!!! I pray to God that I can deal with the sadness that her move will bring... She will be leaving this coming Sunday and I am dreading the moment when I have to say good bye! 

So... today I decided to spend some quality time with my mom; we went to lunch and then we went to the movies to watch "Julie & Julia", which by the way, was a great movie.  It was wonderful to spend all day with my mom and even though she is still here I have started to miss her already... My mom and I are very close and I cannot fathom the idea of not having her around on a daily basis...

On top of that, my sister will also be leaving to Alabama with my beautiful niece, who happens to be Olivia's best friend and playmate!

I certainly wish my parents and sister a lot of luck with their new life but I wish this wasn't happening and we could be together forever!!!

I need all the kinds words and support I can get from my readers... because although it sounds silly, this is going to be very hard for me!

Wordless Monday...

Lazy weekend...

This weekend was so lazy... we literally only left the house once and the rest of the time we were in our pj's laying in bed or the couch... how wonderful!!!

The rain was BAD, so there was very little we could do outside so I guess we really had no choice but to stay in.. We ordered pizza, Chinese food and watched movies... it doesn't get much better than that, ha!

On another note, I'm officially on the countdown to go back to work, since my maternity leave will soon be over. I'm scheduled to go back to work on the 21st, which is only 8 days away... I gotta say I'm ready to feel productive again and although I know it will be hard to leave Gaby for 8 hours a day, I think that it will be great for us to get back to some sort of "normal"...

So, I will enjoy these last 8 days with my baby and embrace reality!