Dia de las Madres

If I would have known Mother's day was like having a second birthday I would have started having kids years ago! I woke up this morning to the cutest surprises. The Hershey's chocolate bar was gone in 30 seconds. I got the most awesome card that made me laugh and cry at the same time:) And finally the best present of all: a Spotify gift card. So ever since I started going to the gym I've been using Pandora like crazy. I am the typical Hispanic that loves hip hop, cumbia, salsa, pop and anything that makes you want to start shaking it, but the problem is I have to skip every other song because they are either inappropriate or they start cussing. I've been dying to have my own set of music so I can pick clean awesome songs and not have to worry about it while I workout, but I know it's a luxury we can't afford. Fortunately I forgot I have an amazing husband who spoils me, so this morning I got an amazing gift card for spotify (an app that lets you pick and download all the music you want, create playlists and basically is the cooolessst thing ever). I can't even express how excited I am.

“I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children.I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden.I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.”

-Marjorie Pay Hinckley

After hearing this quote for the first time a couple months ago, I have decided this is the kind of mother I want to be. I've made it my motto throughout my pregnancy and have read it many times as a reminder of the mother, wife and woman I want to always be. I want our family life to be messy, fun and real. Kids won't remember or care about the perfect little outfits you put on them or their perfectly braided hair, they will remember the moments you spent with them and the fun you had together. My mom was the best at this. She was such a cool funky mom who did so much crazy stuff with us. I will never forget one night when my mom, my little sister and I spent hours choreographing a song and memorizing the lyrics to it. My little sister and I had just watched Bring It On (a cheesy chick flick about a cheer leading competition) and felt inspired to recreate the main song. We each had a part we sang and then did our own little dance while the others side danced. Of course we had to put customs on for this so we all went to our rooms to get ready. My mom came out in her swimsuit with a Hawaiian lay and grass skirt on. Her part went like this:

" My name is Lilo

I like to party

Cause when I shake it

the boys say "Ay Mami!"

She sang her part like a star. It was one of the best afternoons we spent together as a family. I really don't know any other mom who would do such a ridiculous thing with her teenage daughters. 

One of my favorite views of life comes from the response of a college director regarding his early retirement to take care of his wife who had just been diagnosed with Alzheimer, "It's not that I have to, It's that I get to." I see motherhood as the most amazing calling and privilege any woman could ever have. I can't wait to meet my little angel and get to spend my life helping her learn and grow. Something tells me though that the one who will grow and learn the most will be me:)

                       1). 16 weeks 2). 16 weeks 3). 20 weeks 4). 24 weeks 5). 29 weeks 6). 30 weeks

Little Moments that Matter

So I'm taking one of my usual trips to the bathroom at work and as I walk back to the office I see Esteban standing there! I did a double take to make sure I wasn't hallucinating (he worked last night graveyard and had class at ten so I was sure he was home sleeping) but it was really him! He just stopped by to visit me and brought me a Toblerone (my faaavorite chocolate bar) with a cute love note. We talked and laughed  for a few minutes and then he had to leave. I walked back to the office flushed and practically floating. And then I realized it is moments like this that make marriage so awesome. It was just a normal day, not my birthday, anniversary or valentines day, and that's what makes it extra special.

Prego Moments

Being pregnant is awesome in a very crazy, weird, love/hate way. here are my  current top six events of pregnancy:

1. Feeling a little human being inside of you: coolest thing ever. Isa loves to kick. I picture her as an energetic strong willed little girl. I will be sitting in the most random place like staff meeting at work and she will start kicking, and i will slowly put my hand in my stomach and enjoy every moment. At nights I like laying on my side because it helps with the heartburn (heartburn story next). Isabella doesn't like it so she will start kicking me on my side until I move. So i'll switch sides. but she'll start kicking my other side too. Finally I give in and  lay on my back and start laughing imagining my little stubborn baby smiling inside because she got her way. She is just like her mom.

2. Heartburn. This one is awful in a funny way. So one night I'm by myself laying in bed and all of a sudden I feel my chest burning. I start freaking out thinking I'm having a heart attack. (i had never had heartburn before) I start holding my chest and almost cried and then I remember one of the common pregnancy symptoms: Heartburn. I lay there laughing with relief since I'm not dying but then stop because it makes the heartburn worse.

3. I'm on a seafood diet: I see food and I eat it. So at the beginning of my pregnancy I didn't know how prego ladies gained wait. I never wanted to eat and everything looked gross. After this past month, I definitely know how we gain wait. I eat like a bear. I find myself around the dinner table with people and everyone is saying how stuffed they are and I'm thinking "hmm I could probably eat another plate." Or I'll wake up at 3 in the morning have a bowl of cereal and then wake up in the morning starving as if I have been fasting for days.

4. Hormones. Honestly my mood swings aren't terrible but I have had some funny moments. One night Stephen came home at 6:00am after his 8 hour graveyard shift and found me balling in bed. I had just had a nightmare of my grandma dying and i couldn't stop crying. I seriously cried for about half an hour. Stephen finally just went to the bathroom (since that's the only way we can give each other privacy in our studio apartment) and said he would just let me cry it out. Oh and then the day I got furious at the contact lense lady at Cotsco because she sucks at explaining how their deals work. I drove home bashing on her the whole way and all Stephen said was at least this time you are mad at her and not me (so sad but so true)

5.  Soreness. if you see me walking around campus like I just got off a horse don't judge me. My whole body feels like I just ran a marathon. The worse is when I drop something and I have to pick it up or when I am laying in bed and have to take one of my many bathroom breaks. On Sunday I took a bath and was so sore I had to have Stephen pull me out of the bathtub cause I couldn't get up by myself. For some reason this was hilarious to Stephen and he stood there laughing for a minute before helping me out.

6.Gym time. For some weird reason this past month I have loved going to the gym. It helps me work on the mood swings and makes me feel like I'm doing something about the huge belly (even though it keeps growing). Plus it keeps me busy while my poor husband works his butt off in either his work, his internship or school.  Yesterday a girl told me I was a champ for being there and to take it easy. And you know what I realized? She is right, I'm a champ for being there! Go me

Can I just fast forward through the next 3 months and have my little girl in my hands?

2013

2013 is a year worth blogging. Life has brought some pretty interesting things.

1. Numero uno would be bebe. We are expecting a baby July 13th! Best birthday gift I could have ever asked for:) The first three months were rough but honestly after hearing other people's experiences I had it easy. Now that I feeling better, pregnancy is starting to get pretty fun. Right now bebe is the size of an avocado (appropriate comparison since he is Hispanic) 4 and 1/2 inches long and 3 and 1/2 ounzes. he has limbs and his scalp is starting to pattern. He is even starting to grow toenails! For some reason the toenail thing is so cute to me:) I also found out that bebe can start hearing our voices so of course I have introduced him to the world of music. Our current choices are disney, classical/spiritual, and of course musica latina. Everyday we dance to shakira, ricardo arjona or daddy yankee. I want to start singing to him but Stephen won't let me. I don't get why.  You might be wondering how I know so much about bebe. I have this awesome app on my phone that  sends me weekly reports about what is happening that week. It's pretty awesome.

Husband: when you get pregnant make sure that you pick an awesome husband. He needs to understand the long suffering part of charity. Because let me tell you, at least for us, the pregnancy has been harder on Stephen. Since I have been practically useless he has had to take over cooking, washing the dishes, doing laundry, and cleaning on top of his internship, graveyard shift at work, and 15 credits at school. Seriously my man is a hero. Oh and did I mention he caters my every whim? First, I get weird craving at inconvenient times. Examples, sushi(cooked of course),pizza for a week straight, strawberry smoothies from Burger King, and mangos muchos muchos mangos. I hate chicken and can't get near the trash. Oh and I have waves of exhaustion were I take 2-3 hour naps randomly. The other night I was craving sweets just as he left for the library at like 9 pm. I fell asleep and completely forgot about it. Next morning I wake up to a chocolate bar with a cute cheesy note attached to it. I love him.
But when I start feeling guilty I remember a story our financial aid counselor told us. Completely inappropriate story to hear from your counselor so of course I loved it. Two college students are having a baby. The wife is in labor and the husband is holding her hand. The wife keeps screaming  she wants an epidural but the husband keeps saying, "come on baby push through it we could could save 400 bucks!" finally the doctors turns and kindly tells the husband, "put your manly parts between a door and then slam the door against them ten times. That is a tenth of what your wife is feeling  right now. Get her the freaking epidural!" Moral of the story: I deserve to be spoiled.

Familia: Bebe is a big big deal in both families. First gran kid in both families and also the first great gran kid in my family. So you can imagine the excitement. We spent all Christmas break at Stephen's parents coming up with names. I loved hearing pregnancy stories from both Stephen's mom and grandma.When we were trying to get pregnant my grandma would call me on Sundays to tell me that she had heard Sundays were a good day to make babies...Before we left Honduras she made Stephen promise he would work hard on giving her a gran kid. Stephen happily accepted;) Everyone knew we were trying but my dad, so when we told them we were pregnant he didn't talk the whole time. Raquel says he left to his room and cried. Everyone back home is waiting for bebe. Grandma is knitting blankets and my mom and sister are getting ready to come in June for about 2 months. I am so blessed to have such an amazing family. Bebe is in for a treat.
Me: i finally have a pregnant belly. I discovered it this week. I usually wear baggy clothes so I somehow missed it but on Wednesday I was getting dressed and boom there it was. I love it! Can't wait to start using some cute maternity clothes. Keep growing bebe!

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2. Numero dos is kind of scary but awesome. Two weeks ago I got called to be the Relief Society President in my ward. I am usually a pretty confident person but this one caught me completely off guard. The phrase, "the Lord doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies those he calls," has so so much more meaning to me. I remember sitting in bishop's office and being out of words. I'm pretty sure bishop is the only person in the world who thinks I am quiet. Although it is a bit overwhelming I am so excited and grateful for such a privilege. I am part of an amazing ward and can't wait to see what this calling will bring into my life. Sometime last week I was feeling pretty stressed so I decided to go read a talk about being a Relief Society President. In the talk sister Beck said something like, "when you do what the Lord asks, angels will help you minister, and you will be part of miracles in other people's lives." This quote brought peace and reassurance to my heart. I have two amazing counselors and a secretary and with the Lord's help we will do great things. Already I have grown so much. 

Well that's it for now but we can say los Wells are going to have a busy but amazing year. Honestly life is more worth living when you feel productive and needed. Can't wait to see what other surprises this year brings. Maybe we will get a dog or something. THAT would be unexpected.