Welcomed Visitors

Last Sunday Mike parents Dave and Sherrie came to visit us for a week. To me they are much more than just my parents-in-law. I’ve hear that some people just don’t get along with their in-laws, or that they don’t like them at all. A lot of times I have heard people almost complaining about having them in their home. I love being around Sherrie and Dave. They are fun and I feel like I can talk to them as if I were talking to my own parents. Maybe it is because I lived in their house and we are used to each other. We are so far away from both sides of our family that it really feels good to be able to spent time with them. Having our kids around people who love them and care about them is such a blessing.

Thank goodness my kidney stone pain went away right before they came on Sunday night, so we were able to go out and do fun things together.

On Monday we went to see the Gibbs Gardens. Mike always wants to go see gardens although I am not the garden type. Going to the outlet mall would be my kind of outing. However, I have to admit that the gardens were very impressive. We spent most of the day walking around beautiful landscaping stuff. We came back home to rest for a bit and give poor baby Mika some time out of her car seat. Then we went to the international farmers market. We love that place because you can find almost anything you can think. We bought some Mexican pastries, German chocolate, delicious shrimp dumplings, some type of French cake, and my favorite new thing Baklava (I had to look it up to spell it correctly). We then came home and ate dumplings and all sorts of treats.

Tuesday we went to an animal safari. It was super fun and scary at the same time. These animals are so used to humans that they come up to you and demand food. We were told not to feed certain animals like zebras and ostriches because they might bite. One zebra came to the window while I was distracted looking the other way and when I turned around she was terrorizing my poor Lisa. This zebra had almost her entire head inside the car and was showing us her teeth. Lisa was screaming and covering her eyes. I quickly rolled the window up. We were laughing hysterically but we were also a little scared. Lisa was fine and continued to feed the animals. To Lisa all the animals were just giant Ellas. The lesson we learned is that you shouldn’t use your own car. You should rent one of their vans so you are not worried about the long horns damaging the side of your car. We came back home and ate at a Mexican restaurant. Real Mexican food is hard to find and we love this place that is close to our home.

To stay true to their nature Dave and Sherrie worked for the next two and a half days fixing one of the bathrooms in our home. For some reason I knew that they were not going to spend a whole week without doing some type of labor. We are very grateful for the work they put into making our home look better. Between me having to take care of two kids and Mike working full time and going to school there isn’t much home improvement going on here. Thank you, and sorry that you felt you needed to do something other than relax.

Friday Night we went out to eat real Chinese food. We came home and ate Costco’s chocolate cake and tried to watch a movie, but we were all very tired and went to sleep.

Saturday morning they went back to Utah. We are grateful for the time we had together. My kids never see their grandparent so this week was awesome. Lisa loves Ama (Grandma), she is not sure about Apa (Grandpa) but by the time they left she was asking us where they were. Hopefully we can be together for Thanksgiving.

 When Grandma and Grandpa were here for baby Mika's blessing we forgot to take pictures so I made Mike put on a shirt to take at least one. Its blurry and Mike is actually wearing shorts underneath, but now we have ONE picture.

The one where I passed a kidney stone

I never would have thought that there was something more painful than giving birth, but there is. Remember some posts ago I said I was a wimp because I am afraid of being in pain and how much I begged to get an epidural? Well my friends I just discovered that I am in fact a master of pain.

It all began Friday at 3 in the morning after I fed Mika. I tried to go back to sleep but felt a little sick. I stayed in bed awake for a little bit; I saw Mike get ready to go to work and leave a little bit before 6 am. At around 6:30 I went downstairs because I just couldn’t go back to sleep and there is where it all started. I started having lower back pain followed by a horrible pain in my stomach. I have NEVER felt something so horrible. I thought it was a very bad tummy ache and decided to drink some chamomile tea, which does wonders for my tummy aches by the way. It did not go away; it actually got much worse. I waited because I knew Mike was going to take Tuesday after Memorial Day off of work to spend time with his parents and I didn’t want him to have to leave work early on Friday. I couldn’t stand the pain. My kids woke up and I had to feed them and it was excruciating having to do normal things while being in so much pain. I wanted to keep moving and at the same time I also wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. I felt pain whatever I did and I also started getting scared because the pain was so bad I thought I was going to pass out. Right after I fed Lisa breakfast and was able to put Mika in her swing I had a rush of so much pain that it made me run to the bathroom and throw up. Because I had thrown up I thought I really had a stomach bug or something. I decided to call Mike. He told me to call the insurance’s nurse line and then let him know if they thought I needed to see a doctor. Well they obviously told me to go see a doctor. I called Mike again and by that point I was screaming and can barely speak. Because of my history with pain tolerance I think Mike didn’t think I was in so much pain, so he took his time finishing up thinks at work. One hour and a half later I called him and screamed at him to get home and take me to the emergency room. I could barely nurse baby Mika and I was crying out of pain and fear because I didn’t know what was going on.

 I told myself to hold on a little longer until Mike got home and he could take care of the girls so I could scream and moan in peace. Then I told myself to hold on a little longer so we could get to the hospital. Then I told myself to hold on until they called my name, took my information, history, and symptoms and took me to a room. Then I told myself to hold on until somebody showed up to see me. Then I told myself to hold on until that somebody put an IV for fluids and maybe give me something to take the pain away. Them I told myself to hold on until the doctor came and asked tons of questions while I cried my eyes out. Then I told myself to hold on until the doctor told the nurse to give me morphine. Then I told myself to hold on for lab work and a cat scan to see if they could give me something else because the two doses of morphine did NOTHING. At about 2pm Dilaudid (?) came. This medicine finally helped me feel better. I even took a nap.  

The doctor came back and told me I had a 7mm kidney stone, which at that point I knew because of the questions they have asked me. All this time I am worried sick about my baby Mika. She had had a total of two ounces of formula, one in the hospital and one the night I went home because I thought my milk was never going to come. Both times she threw it all up and cried so I never tried again nor she has needed it. With all the medicines they gave me they told me to pump and dump the milk for a few days so I could take the pain medicines they were going to prescribe me along with one medicine to help me pass the stone. I hated the idea but since I didn’t want to be in so much pain I was willing to give it a shot. Mike had gone home to feed the girls and put them down for a nap. Mika was so hungry that Mike said she ate the two ounces of formula sample we had at home. After he picked me up from the hospital we went to get a can of the same formula and to drop off my prescriptions, four medications total 2 for pain 1 for nausea and 1 to pass the stone. We went home and it was time to feed Mika again and then it all went sour. She was not having it. She refused to drink the formula. I wasn’t even in the room because she never takes a bottle from me anyway, even if it’s my own milk. Mike gave it a rest and the tried again and by then Mika was starving and was so upset, she was crying so hard and it made me cry too. Mike tried to feed her with a medicine dispenser and she took some but 10 minutes later she threw it all up and cried some more. She was so tired of screaming that she fell asleep. I was in pain again but I had made the decision to skip the meds. It had been 6 hours since I last had any medications and I had been pumping and dumping the milk so I called the pediatrician and poison control and they both told me it was pretty safe to breastfeed again.

I will never forget the moment when I nursed my baby again. She was nursing and smiling at the same time, relieved and comforted by her mother. I also felt relieve to be able to feed and comfort my baby. I spent the most horrible two days of my life and at the same time I have discovered that I am capable of more than I give myself credit. Friday night I was in so much pain I had to go downstairs because I was afraid I was going to wake my family up with my incessant moaning and the same happened all day Saturday and half of Sunday. I prayed so hard for the stone to pass before Dave and Sherrie got here for the week. We had been so excited to have family in our home and I didn’t want to ruin their vacation by being sick. The pain went away Sunday afternoon, just in time for me to be able to make dinner for them.

 I see it this way, Heavenly Father knows exactly what I am capable of doing, but he wants me to make the decisions that are going to lead me to know for myself that I am a strong woman. I feel so blessed now that I am in no pain at all. I am also grateful because even though we tell ourselves as mothers that we would do anything for our children it is nice to know that when that time comes we can actually do amazing things driven by the immense love we feel for them.

Kidney stone pain is like the most intense labor pain. The difference is that when you are in labor you know you are going to give birth to your child, you know that there is a happy ending to the pain; you know there is a purpose and a reason. In summary, I would take both of my kid’s delivery pain combined over these three days passing a kidney stone.

I am brave and I absolutely can do hard things.

 Photos not related to the post, except the first two.

Mika after nursing  for the first time in almost 8 hours

Mom was trying to rest when Lisa came wearing her super cool sunglasses.

An August July Entry

That means that I should have posted this entry in July when I wrote it. I have been writing a lot but I don’t have much time to “clean” my writing and then I end up not posting anything. So I apologize for my grammar mistakes found all over these last entries.

I am the Meetings Committee Chair; that means that I am in charge of making the Relief Society monthly meetings happen. This July our meeting was obviously all about pioneers, cultural diversity and heritage. We are pretty good about having our speakers/teachers lined up months in advanced, but somehow this time our speaker couldn’t make it and we didn’t have time to find another speaker. The little talk was about being a pioneer within your family so when we were figuring out who to call everyone was looking at me.

I think I have stage fright. Just the thought of speaking in public makes me nervous and when it is actually happening my voice breaks, my hands sweat, mi knees shake, and I am a total mess. The interesting thing is that I only discovered this since I have been a member of the church. I didn’t know I was so afraid to do it until my first talk during sacrament meeting. The Relief Society presidency knows this and they are super nice; I never have to make announcements or anything that involves speaking in public. So when they all looked at me even I was surprised when all of the sudden I volunteered to do it. What got into me? I don’t know, but I felt like they needed me to do it plus I didn’t want to have to contact somebody in such short notice.

I was super nervous just thinking about it and to find some confidence I went back to read my patriarchal blessing. I was pleasantly surprised to rediscover something written there, it reads, “Your voice will be heard in English and Spanish; open your mouth and your tongue will be loose”. I have shared my conversion story with my ward today and since I have shared that talk a lot I decided to prepare something different. The day came and I did great. I was super nervous still, but I had written everything (even the jokes) because I know that if I was nervous I was going to get all mixed up and forget something important. Basically I shared a little bit of my conversion story but focused on the struggles that I felt were similar to those of the pioneers who crossed the planes. Fear of the unknown, fear of change, faith and sacrifice. I feel that even when times change the struggles of people who choose to follow the Lord and change their lives are very much the same. I also found during my pondering and reading that sometimes we as converts think that our challenges are not the same as those of the people born in the church. I think that being a pioneer means to stand for what you know to be true even when everything else around you tells you differently, and that includes life-time members. Maybe you knew that already.

I also found myself thinking about my temple experience in a different way. I have always known that the sacrifice of having to leave my parents outside the temple the day of our sealing was what I was supposed to do. When I was sharing this experience I realized that because of that sacrifice my daughter won’t have to go through the same, as long as they choose to be married in the temple and I am alive an worthy of course. I still cried my eyes out remembering what I felt seeing my parents so sad, but I am hopeful someday they will decide to go to the temple themselves. I had sisters at the end thanking me for remind them how fortunate some of they were to have their families with them when they were sealed. I hope to see my daughters marry in the temple one day.

I don’t have pictures of that day, but I do have some pictures of my girls.

The End of Swaddling

Mika started rolling over eight days after turning 3 months old. I know because she did it while I was recording a little video of her as an anniversary little present for Mike on July 23^rd. I didn’t think much of it until three weeks ago when she started rolling over to her stomach WHILE swaddled. I thought it was a one-time thing but she kept on doing it. It is kind of scary because once she is on her stomach with both arms strapped tightly to her sides she cannot go back to her back nor she can push herself up. We decided that it was time to stop swaddling her, which is very hard let me tell you.  I wonder if anywhere in the world there are parent who do not swaddle at all. How do they get their babies to sleep without waking themselves up? We   I have had terrible nights ever since she is not swaddled anymore. She had been sleeping from 9pm to 6am, which was glory for me really, and after sleeping that much at night it is horrible to go back to getting up at least twice before 6am. I am not going to even start talking about naps during the day because they are not happening! It has been a struggle, but I think I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. It takes her approximately half an hour to fall asleep but she eventually is able to do it. It makes for shorter naps but I will take it y’all (see what I did there? I am from the south now)

I love my little girls. While I was pregnant I kept asking myself what I would do with two little girls. Lisa is still a baby to me and I couldn’t imagine my life with two babies. As life goes on I now can’t even imagine not having both of them. Mika fits perfectly in our family. She is a very content little girl. Her dad said it best while giving her her baby blessing, “I bless you that you may always have your joyful disposition throughout your life and that you are able to help those in need because of your peaceful nature.”

I hear all the time that second children don’t get as much from us, and I agree until certain point. Yes I do not spend as much time alone with Mika as I did with Lisa, but at the same time I think I live more in the moment with Mika than I did with Lisa. I am not petrified and trying to do everything perfect. I do try to keep a schedule for naps and meals, but if she is not cooperating I don’t freak out. I am not the most put together mom, my house is not the cleanest and neatest, and I might to be the kind of mom with a thousand things going on and a super busy life, but I make sure that my kids are happy and healthy and as long as I have a semi-clean and safe house everything else can wait. Maybe one day I will be organized and motivated enough to do things other than being a mom to my girls like baking, scrap booking, sewing but for now I want to look back and remember all the time I gave my kids and not the other things going on, I want to remember the time when my baby girl got so big and smart and mobile that I needed to stop swaddling her.

This is when trouble started

Now she sleeps like this and it drives me crazy

Any other moms out there freak out and feel the need to check on their unswaddled babies every 2.5 minutes?

The Man with the Yellow Hat

This is a sad and funny post. Last year when we were preparing to travel with Lisa to Utah for thanksgiving we decided that it would be a good idea to buy a tablet so she could be entertained during our flights. Up until that point I had been very good at not letting her watch any TV whatsoever so I didn’t know what kind of shows or activities were appropriate for her. Mike decided that Curious George would be fine and he downloaded some episodes in the tablet. Ever since we did that Lisa has been obsessed with Curious George and to be honest I can actually tolerate him for a long time.

This semester Mike’s boss decided that it would be a good idea to have somebody from the facility’s administration to be on campus at 6 am to supervise the members of the crew working those hours. Now I don’t know what got into him but Mike decided to volunteer. He says that the other two administrators were super happy. One of them said that he couldn’t have done it because his kids are in school and he helps around the house in the morning. The other said he had done it before and found that he was only working way more hours. Supposedly Mike warned them that if he wasn’t gone by 4pm he would be cranky. When he came home and told me I was very upset. I know Mike; he is a work martyr. The more he works the better. It is not acceptable to work a regular 8 hour schedule. He says he HAS to work at least 9 hours plus an hour for lunch he says. At that time I was ready to take my road test and get that over with once and for all. I have been taking the car to run errands and I know that is wreck less and I am endangering myself and others. In my defense I just go to the gym two or three blocks away and the supermarket close by. I was super excited because with a license I can just drop Mike off at the train station and pick him up in the afternoon night. When he decided to go to work at 6 my plans were crushed. The train starts working at 5:40 and there is no way he can make it to work on time. He still promised to be home early enough so I could go out and do whatever I wanted (grocery shopping, gym, visiting teaching, or just take time away from the kids) but that hasn’t happened.

So the point of the story is that Mike still works pretty much all day. This semester he is going to school Tuesdays and Wednesdays so he doesn’t see Lisa from Monday night until Thursday night and as a result…The Man with the Yellow Hat is daddy. According to Lisa, anyway.

No pictures guys sorry…oh wait. Maybe I can find one of daddy

Here it is

Now for real, I love this picture

Lisa is two

On July 31^st my precious baby Lisa Marielle turned two years old. I (because I am Mexican) wanted once again to have a big celebration for my girl, but Mike (because he is Mike) wanted nothing to do with a party. So like everything else in our interracial marriage this was up for discussion. I have been living in this country for almost five years and while I have been able to assimilate the culture that doesn’t mean I understand or agree with everything. We have both learned that for both of us some things are more important than others. For me it is almost mandatory to have a birthday party every year for my kids and even though Mike doesn’t understand that he tries to be understanding of my feelings just as I try to be understanding when he says he doesn’t think a party is necessary. We both realize it’s a cultural thing and agree on doing something special for her but not too over the top special. We bought her a set of table and chairs for our Spanish sessions since it really helps to have a formal space where she has to sit and listen to mom, Rio 1 and 2, and thanks to Grandma Anthony we were also able to buy her an awesome tricycle. We ate cake and had balloons in the house, we sung happy birthday and had a great time as a family. One of these years she will have a party (remember my wedding party? Well not that big) but for the time being this was just perfect.

We are so grateful for our little girl, she makes us so happy. She and her sister are the light of our lives. Lisa is a very happy and friendly girl as long as we don’t go out of her routine too much. I have found that some things make her really anxious. She has gotten too big for the laundry basket we use inside the tub to give her baths and when we decided not to use it anymore she had a fit. She cried incessantly for the entire bath for about a week; now she only cries when we first put her in the tub. She can’t stand any of us messing with her crib; if we decide to change the bedding we have to do it while she is out of the room just to avoid the tantrum. Potty training? We have tried several times and she just hates everything about the toilet. We even got her a super cute potty training set that came with a step stool, a small soft toilet seat, and a hook. She loved playing with it but as soon as we put it on the toilet she freaked out. So we don’t even know where or how to start since we don’t want to use the small potty; we don’t want to have to transition her again to the big toilet. Besides, it sounds like a hassle if you are out; with the set we got her we have a small portable seat to put on top of any toilet.

I hope these are just normal things that toddlers struggle with. Lisa is my very best friend. I have always felt a little bit out of place here and because of it I am not one to seek to be around people. I love spending time with her. Even when I have had a bad day and I cannot wait for her to go to bed when she has been sleeping for a couple of hour I miss her. Is that crazy? I feel like I want to go see her even though I know I will see her the next day. Baby Lisa is so pretty I still can’t believe how much she has changed. I love her more that words can explain.

Out with the food pouch in with the rib bone.


At two years old Lisa,

• ·         Understands both English and Spanish
• ·         Speaks mostly Spanish (Two-word sentences if we are lucky)
• ·         Loves her dog Ella
• ·         Tolerates sister Mika
• ·         Adores dad
• ·         Loves pasas and “nacks” (raisins and fruit snacks)
• ·         Absolutely hates going to the doctors
• ·         Is obsessed with Curious George and the Rio movies
• ·         Sucks the corners of her blanket (which she calls kee – kee)
• ·         Has to sleep with her kee -kee, Curious George toy, another toy called beast, and a book
• ·         Doesn’t like mom to do her hair in any way.
• ·         Loves nursery
• ·         Helps mom unload the dishwasher and feed the dogs
• ·         Still wears diapers and totally hates the toilet, she doesn’t even like to be without her diaper (lucky us)
• ·         She hands mom or dad wipes and a diaper when she wants to be changed.
• ·         She is in the 57% in weight and 98% in height
• ·         Is VERY stubborn, and throws tantrums at the least provocation (welcome to life with a toddler)

We recently had some family pictures taken and I took advantage of the time with the photographer to squeeze some birthday photos for Lisa. She wasn’t cooperating but at least we got a couple.

These are Lisa's first birthday pictures

These are Lisa's second birthday pictures

The terrible twos captured in one picture

And here are some of the pictures I took the day of her birthday. If I had planned my day better and Mika's naps would've worked out perfectly I probably would have been able to make her a cake. Mike bought the most delicious cake I have ever tasted so it turned out better that I didn't make it. Days like these are especially hard for me since I love being around family. Did you know that in Hispanic cultures kids don't leave home until the day they marry? is normal and expected to live with your parents until then. another thing that I even find a little weird is that we don't move out of state, we stay where our family is unless we are totally forced to do it; that means my brother ans my sister are probably going to stay in Merida, Mexico forever. Interesting. Anyway, Lisa's birthday was fun and we spend some time remembering the day of her birth and how we felt. It was very nice to relive some moments. not the 12 hours of labor though.

In this picture you can see George and Beast