You Know You're a Stay-at-Home Mom When...

Thursday, January 31, 2008



Getting asked to serve for jury duty is possibly the most intriguing thing that's been asked of you since you got that ring on your finger.

They even gave me a free bus ticket! Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

Swaddle Me

Monday, January 28, 2008


Months ago Emmanuel and I read a funny article in one of our parenting magazines about a new dad who wanted to know what it was like to feel like a baby. So the author of the article had his wife feed him a bottle, rock and swaddle him, among other things. It was entertaining to read at the time, and I thought it'd never come up again.

I was wrong. A few days ago Emmanuel just randomly lied out the quilt on the floor and asked me to swaddle him. (The guy in the article said it felt very comforting.) He was content until he found himself powerless to a certain 25 pound teething Emma (and her drool).

Emmanuel is going to kill me for posting this hahaha.

Babies Rule, Mommies Drool?

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Okay, this is something that I've struggled with for months. Should you work your schedule around your baby's - or should your baby adjust to yours?

Last Sunday Emmanuel and I were all ready for church. It was 12:40 (church starts a 1pm). Emma was asleep still, even though I put her down for a nap almost 2 hours ago. Emmanuel told me to just let her wake up on her own. So I did, and she didn't wake up for another hour. We missed church.

And maybe the answers to this question will vary based on your family beliefs or where you grew up. When we were in Mexico, my in-laws couldn't understand why we couldn't just lay her down for her nap anywhere. My mother in-law even tried to put her to bed in a hammock! Emma just screamed, of course.

Yesterday, Emma didn't take a nap until noon. This made me think that she was going to start giving up her morning naps, and so I planned on going to playgroup today at 10:30. She fell asleep at 10:10 and we didn't go.

So what to do? Do you let them sleep according to their own schedule and defend her from everyone around you asking of your time at her nap time? Do you let them sleep a little and then wake them up? Or do you just put them in the car and deal with the grumpiness for the rest of the day? Sometimes I feel like other moms deal with things better than I do, because I feel like it's impossible to do the latter! A grumpy baby means a grumpy mom, (and then a grumpy dad) and each day is so important to me. So what would you do in those above situations? What do/did you do with your babies if you are a parent?

This is a personal invite to all who read this blog. Moms, Dads, friends, even if you have no kids - post away!

Emma's Walking!?

Monday, January 21, 2008

I'm not sure when to say that your kid is officially walking, but I'm pretty sure she is. Today she was just walking into the blue...like into the center of the living room where there's no furniture or anything for her to grab onto for balance. She walked today for about a 6 foot length of floor. We couldn't believe our eyes! I have a video, but it's kind of dark, and the house is a mess, and I sound kind of scary, and.......... who cares, here it is!

Family Day

Saturday, January 19, 2008


It was a chilly day (about 55) but it was the first day the sun came out in about 4 days, so we decided to get bundled up like Texans do when they think they're in Alaska, and go downtown. We don't go down there as often as we should because the traffic moves slow due to construction, and then once you get there it's usually at least $10 to park.

Today we walked the riverwalk and ate at Shillo's - this neat deli with a diner-type feel. Emma ate her first hot dog. But she didn't really eat it - she just tried a piece (a miracle!). I know you moms are going to get on my case, but I swear she's a picky eater. She goes through these phases, like right now if I give her a vegetable she'll spit it right back at me, even when they're hidden behind noodles or something. Potatoes are the only veggie she's currently eating. (Green beans used to be okay too, but not anymore!) If you moms have any suggestions on how to get more veggies and fruits in my little ogar, I'd love to hear them.

So while we were downtown we shot some photos, and Emmanuel took one of the best pictures I have of me and Emma so far! So I am excited. I know I love to look at pictures of me and my mom when I was little, so I hope she'll like it someday as much as I do!

!Feliz cumpleanos a ti!

Sunday, January 13, 2008






It's amazing what can happen in a year. They come out helpless, with almost no sight, just with an instinct for survival. They can come into any climate into any country born to any mom anywhere, and around 9 months, they learn how to respond in your language. They learn to roll over, then sit up, lift up, and finally stand and walk. Emma went from 7 lbs. 6 oz. to 24 lbs 3 oz. Isn't it amazing? That's more than triple her birth weight! And babies around the world do it every year. I want to tell Emma, because essentially this blog will be for her and her future siblings, that I am so grateful for her in my life. It has been a trial to get through sleepless nights and days, doctor's visits and hours of crying, but all of those moments disappear more and more from my memory each day. They do so because they are replaced with the good - when you rest on my shoulder like you are hugging me - when you laugh at me when I make fish face - when you take steps and are so proud of yourself you laugh like a little drunkard - you have made me and your dad happier than ever. Thank you Emma, and thank you Heavenly Father for giving us a healthy beautiful baby girl.

Now for more pictures from our little party! We had over some of our closest friends (no more would fit in our apartment!) and we did a little decorating and just had fun! I made a coconut cake from scratch, and it actually came out delicious (it was my first time making a real cake). My sister-in-law gave us all of the leftover party things from Mexico, and so we used those too (she made the cow figure with balloons behind the cake). There were lots of pals for Emma to play with. When I see her with other kids I think she needs to get out more or get a younger brother or something (no, I am not pregnant). Oh, and I side note, Emma took 5 steps in a row today! Each day she gets a little better!

Happy Birthday Emma!






Today is Emma's first birthday, and man do we have a lot of pictures! I don't know where to start with all of them! The thing is, Emma had 2 parties, one in Mexico right before we left (so we could celebrate with Emmanuel's family) and then another one yesterday with her buddies.

The party in Mexico was a big one, and man did Emma have a blast! There were about 20 kids there, and there were indoor trampolines, slides, a pinata, a huge cake, some delicious chicken mole (pronounced mo-lay) made by my mom-in-law, hand crafted decorations and party favors made my my sister in law, and lots of guests and presents. Emma, with papi's help, hit the pinata, played on the slide, jumped on the trampoline with mom, and chased the other kids around crawling and got her white tights all dirty. I thought she'd have a hard time enduring hours of a loud party, but she must be Mexican or something, because she loved every minute of it!

So, without further ado, here are some of the party pictures from Veracruz:

Emma's 1st Steps/Primeros Pasos

Tuesday, January 8, 2008



Emma's first steps were taken Jan. 3, 2008 in a Tampico, Mexico hotel. She was so excited to get out of a car seat after 8 hours that she couldn't resist!

Los primeros pasos de Emma fueron el 3 de Enero en un hotel en Tampico. !Estaba tan emocionada salir la portabebe que no podia resistir de caminar!

Likes/dislikes Mexico continued

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

On the last post, I wrote about the things I love the most about Mexico. Now here are some things I don't care for:

1. No toilet seats! Okay, this may sound trivial, but it bothers me a lot. Most public and some households do not use toilet seats. In other words, you sit on the bowl itself. I have a feeling that it was men who started this trend...

2. Corruption, disorganization. Some may disagree when I say this, but the infrastructure of Mexico is unstable. The roads aren't well cared for, there are police you can trust and then those you can't, the public serviceman can be bribed with a Coke and a $100 pesos. And the number of poor people and the conditions they live in is related to this as well. For me, the poverty is the most shocking and urgent problem that needs reform here.