updating!

So, a lot of things have happened! Charlotte spent a whole weekend at the hospital for an UTI. her blood levels were very high and the doctors were scared that something else caused the infection. She had high fever, diarrhea, vomit, refused to eat (which she never does), and slept a lot (which she doesn't like). I knew there was something going on with my baby the first time I went to the doctor, she didn't have diarrhea nor vomit but I knew something was wrong. I went again two days later and demanded more exams and finally the UTI results were shown. I am so glad that I am stubborn, when it comes to my kids I am weak and strong at the same time. Alexis was wonderful, he stayed at my cousin's house the first night and at a friends'  house the second night. He did great like always, he missed me though and "Chancha" which I am happy because he usually doesn't care but when he saw us, he ran to us and hugged us and kissed us. The nurses loved every time he would come and visit because he is really mellow and social at the same time. Also, he is goofy and very sweet. Charlotte on the other hand... she is beautiful but a hot temper. The nurses would come in the room and say: "prepare for the show" and Charlotte will scream at the sight of them! smart girl new when they would come in the room because she would lean to see underneath the curtains through the door and make sure there were no pairs of shoes walking in! once there were she would jump in my arms immediately. As I said, the nurses loved her because she is a beautiful little girl and has the cutest smile ever... they will stay a long time in our room just to try to make her smile! They were really good and I am grateful for their care.


Also, I keep forgetting to post: I have lost weight, I am at 138 lbs. I am content with my weight but I want to lose at least ten more lbs. I was inspired by my sister in law and she helped a lot! I am so grateful to feel good about myself and have more energy every day. Now I can look at myself in the mirror and think: "there is a beautiful lady there". I don't post as much anymore in here b/c I have facebook so is easier to post pics and statements in there. 

My new path

Since I was about 6 or 7, I have always wanted to study criminal law to become a criminal lawyer. I constantly had a feeling that I had to study psychology so I decided to make it into criminology but also I wanted to continue on my decided career. As I was watching a movie called "Dear John" and going to the special features and learning that the kid in the movie had autism, I had this strong feeling again. I always had it whenever I looked at my cousin, with down syndrome, and my brother, with cerebral palsy. I knew that it had something to do with them. I love special kids, every time I will visit my brother's school I couldn't help to smile at their innocence and the way they see life. They will always be innocent children and they have been sent to this earth to be protected from Satan. I know this because, again, my brother Alexis Francisco. That already makes me want to be around those special kids and makes me want to raise my kids in a way that they will understand this purpose and love and respect these children of the Lord. Well, as I asked the Lord "Do you want me to study psychology?" I felt this huge fire in my heart, so strong was the answer that I almost tear because of that great feeling. I asked "do you want me to help these special kids?" and again that answer and as I am writing it right now, I can feel my heart beating happily and having my chest full with the love from the Lord and his encouragement. Why didn't I see it before? I have always loved psychology, I have always read psychology books just because I wanted to, why wouldn't I think about it? specially when there are two members of my family that are special? Sometimes we are a little stubborn. I am happy that I am 100% sure of what I want to study, what I want to do in my life. I am still going to study criminal law but it is because I love learning new things, I love studying. I will do so after I get a career in psychology though, and as a home school mom, I think it will be great for my kids to see me working and helping these special kids. I can't wait, I will make it work, I will help them and I will help parents too. I want to be good on this, because they are precious children to the Lord that much that he sent them with a shield. I have a strong testimony of that by watching my brother grow, by reading his patriarchal blessing. I know I am the one that is going to help my brother to fulfill his mission here on Earth. I will work hard and learn fast so I can fulfill my mission on Earth too. I was told that psychology was a bad career, like evil. I prayed and researched about it and I am so happy that the Lord stands by his revelation to me, I know is a great career and that big leaders in the church are psychologist and often speak about it in their talks. I know is thanks to this study that many people can be helped, not only special kids. I am in love with my future career and I can't wait for Cameron to finish his studies so I can start mine.

The new world is a blessing.

I have come to appreciate technology a lot more these days. I know why the Lord gave us heat and air conditioning. Why he gave us Video games, TV, Internet, Cellphones, IPods, and so on. We have to understand though, where we come from: there were no video games in pioneers time, no technology as today obviously but they went through a lot of suffering, they were directly attacked by Satan in horrible ways. Now, we are attacked more than before because of so much technology plus direct attacks. That is why is called "Latter days" and "the hard times/days" but blocking our life from technology is not going to help at all. If anything it would damage us because we were sent in these days so we could build a better future, we were sent prepared to live in this world, then... why would we want to live like the "old days"? The Lord sent us today not yesterday, that is why we can't live in the past, we have to move one and make the best of it with what has been given to us. By that, I mean technology. I am so grateful my parents let me played on weekends since I was very young, 6 or 7, until 3 or 4 in the morning. I had no good childhood after that due to my being in a gifted school but I was because I was too stimulated by so many things, so many changes in the world. I enjoyed it! and it made me smarter, through High School my GPA never went lower than 4.37! I loved reading books and I was not forced to read ever! I loved playing and all my toys were the most advanced that there were and I still had great imagination. I enjoy technology so much that I have a facebook, myspace, hi5, sonico, and who knows how many more profiles out there. Thanks to this I can talk to my family and friends even though I am far away. Thanks to TV I can have a date night with my hubby and play video games and watch movies without having to pay a nanny to take care of our kids. I love that Alexis has so many advanced toys because I know that he is preparing for the future, we are sent to this Earth on these days because we can handle it but not to run away from it, we have to fight back! Alexis was 10 months old when he grabbed my mom's cellphone and took a picture, it wasn't just a coincidence because I saw him looking at it and grabbed it and pressed the bottom pointed at my mom (but forgot to take his finger away from the lense) and snapped a picture! I know that kids come prepared already, then why limit them by trying to take away their knowledge and making them leave the past? I am completely against it. After praying, analyzing, and meditating about these things I have come to the conclusion that all things in moderation is good unless the Lord, or obviously prophets b/c it comes from the Lord, have commanded not to do something. The church says that too much is wrong but when used correctly it can help to spread the gospel and set a good example. The question is: Can we play video games without spreading the word? YES, the Lord want us to enjoy this life and I am glad that video games exist because once my kids are older and playing with their friends some video games... they will be at home and not at someone else house. Also, they are getting a cellphone when they turn 16 or maybe younger because there is GPS. It is kind of like, giving some freedom to control! They will be able to have cell phones and I will be able to know where they are and to call them! Don't you love technology? I do and I am grateful, I am grateful the Lord created ways for us parents to spend time with our own kids and to be able to have them close. I am not saying that I will let my kids play every day all day, they will play but for limited time, moderation at all times, and they will read, they will watch some TV with me close by! With kids, you have to be smart, too much restriction and one day, when they are older, they will do anything they didn't do when young. If your kids do something that you don't like behind your back, then you need to change the rules and compromise! I know that I don't have teenagers yet but I was one once, I have kids whom I love, and I have seen kids who do things behind their parent's backs just because the parents were not willing to compromise. I want to be friends with my kids and also, I have a passion for psychology and I read lots of books about it so my knowledge and the guidance from the Lord will help through. I am not perfect but I want to say one day that I really did the all I could for my kids. I am grateful for my parents and for these days, thanks to that we can have air conditioning when is too hot outside, making us able to listen to the spirit and have with us in our home instead of worrying about heat on top of trying to fight against the world! we have heat in winter which helps us to not worry about physical discomfort but focus on more important things. My motto since I was 7: "Learn the past so that you can understand the present and start to build the future". I love the world and all things created by the Lord for me to enjoy, I show my appreciation by enjoying it! so simple but yet so complicated... I know the new world, the Latter days, are a blessing if we know how to live in it!

Vacation in VA!

I know, is a little blurry but I did not notice that Alexis was playing with it earlier right after he was eating something greasy! It was fun in Washington DC. I can't believe how beautiful VA is, I would like to move there in the near future. The kids did great but you can see Alexis did not like the sun too much and Charlotte kept laughing at him the entire picture session.

A lot has happened!

Well, I haven't been good at all at posting in here since there is facebook and since I started my new blog (mytwoyearoldtoddler.blogspot.com). Let's start with the first kid of our family of four: Alexis, he turned two and he had a birthday party with the theme of "Cars"; we invited my family and some friends from church that have kids. He had a blast! specially because he got more cars as a gift from us and also he got some from the grandparents! among other cool stuff from friends. He is 3 ft tall and weights aprox. 40 lbs, maybe less now that he is losing some weight. He has gotten used to his sister and we have seen the love between sibling already, he makes sure that she is ok, when she cries he worries and tries to calm her down or tell me to go get her when she is in her crib. He helps me a lot with the little things and I don't even have to ask him (see my new blog), he is a wonderful little boy. Now Charlotte, she has grown quite a bit, she was blessed on April 11th and last time we went to the doctor she was 21.25" and 9.14 lbs. She is still a lot smaller than what Alexis was at this age and she is in the scale 50%/50% I can't believe that she is in the scale!!! Alexis was off the chart in both weight and length since a month old! She is cooing a lot and crying a lot, she likes to eat all the time!!! But she is so adorable, she smiles a lot too so that makes up for all the crying. Now, my hubby and I; we are doing great and finally adapting to the routine of having two kids, now finally feel prepared to say that we want more (there were some days in which I told Cameron that I didn't want to have more, it was out of anger) and it is a relieve to say that we feel that we can do this. I recover a lot faster from this birth than with Alexis, I also walked a lot the day after she was born so I could get better faster! Cameron has been the same since he didn't deliver a child but with a lot of work on his hands, the poor man, but I am grateful whenever I receive help from him. As some people already know, we are moving to Utah by the end of July, so we are very excited and I am very sad at the same time because I will not have my parents nearby and we will be even further from my in-laws.
By the way, my mother in law came to town this past weekend, it was nice to have her with us and to finally have her meet the kids, I wanted her to just enjoy the kids and no worry about helping me but she helped a lot anyway, and enjoy the kids at the same time... I guess she is an expert at doing that since she had 7 kids total!
This week, I feel like my bond with both Alexis and Charlotte is a lot stronger than ever, I love both my kids and I feel like I can't ever let go of them but I know one day I will and that breaks my heart already but that is life, what I can do now is just enjoy them and grow with them!
Well, this was a very short story of what has happened lately but as I said, it is harder now with two kids, two blogs, facebook, the YW, and getting ready to move! not easy but I will try to be better, if not, just check out facebook! it is easier to do on daily basis. Good night!

This is the dress she wore the day of her blessing :)

This other dress she wore the weekend that my mother in law came to town! isn't she a cutie? I love her! :)

And... Alexis trying to put his shirt on and being goofy like usual! he started walking in that position that he was in this picture for few minutes, I guess because we were laughing so hard just by looking at him, he is the silly goose in the family!

Charlotte's Birth Story! March 10,2010

The original due date for this little girl was the 8th of March. I had a doctor's appointment and there was no progress since the week before (2cm, 50% effaced). He told me that maybe next week, but not too much hope that she was going to come on her own. I was praying in my heart so that he would ask me if I wanted to be induced, Cameron and I had prayed and we felt that I was going to do great when induced! The doctor turned around and asked the magical question and of course I said YES!!! He called the hospital and made the appointment for Wed. March 10th at 8am! I was so happy, I could hardly wait. The day came and finally I was hooked to the IV at 9am, didn't really feel any type of pain or anything until 2 pm!!! They were intense and painful, it turned out that they were coming out of the chart and there was no break in between the contractions they were constant!!! so they got a little worried and had to turned down the pytocin. I was only 4cm dilated at that time, and 100% effaced!
By 9pm they gave me the epidural, I could hardly hold the pain anymore and my water was artificially broken at that time but only 5 cm dilated and was the water broke it shrunk to 3 1/2!!! :(... not much for the pain I was feeling. The epidural was not really doing anything, I still felt the same pain if not worse. They put more into my back but nothing, they checked me and I was 8 cm already at 11 pm, they called the doctor to come into the hospital. I was not doing good, my body completely gave up and the pain was unbearable, I was feeling pressure and I was shaking, holding really tight to the bed and almost crying. The doctor finally arrived and checked "she is ready to work". I asked if I could push b/c I thought that maybe the pain I was feeling meant the necessity to push. They calmly said yeah, go ahead and push. The doctor was just walking out of the room to get dressed for the labor I push counting in my head 1,2... I heard a yell "Stop, don't push, breath, Get doctor Johnson!" The baby was already head out!!! LOL,If I had continued pushing until at least the count of 5 she would have been out just with that first push! I kept breathing trying not to push, the doctor dressing in front of me with eyes wide open, I heard nurses saying that I knew exactly what to do! Finally they told me to push and so I did and the rest of her body was placed on top of me, she was born in less than two minutes of pushing! She was so perfect, long and not as big as I thought! 20.5 inches and 8lbs!!! Born at 11:37 pm. I have never been in so much pain in my life, the birth of Alexis and this one were obviously very different, I feel as if this one was my first labor and Alexis' was just like a baby dropped from the sky! I have to say though, that it was all worth it! I love my little girl and seeing her makes my heart beats so fast!! I love her so much, I love being a mom and believe it or not, I love delivering babies into this world. Being a mom is a blessing and it is another exciting adventure!
Also, I had postpartum Hemorrhage. I had no idea of what was happening to me. I had high temperature, all of the sudden my pulse was very quick and my blood pressure was not good either. Everything turned out fine, the next day I was recovering pretty well, even though my little baby kept eating ME all night! I tried to massage my uterus every 10 mins. and kept doing whatever I was told to do by the nurses! I am glad everything went great and I am good as new!

Hair cut madness!

Cameron cut Alexis' hair. My mom did it for the first months then it was my turn with scissors but it is so hard now, especially being 9 months pregnant, to cut his hair. He complains so much and throws himself on the floor screaming to stop just when he looks at the scissors. So I asked my mom to let me borrow her machine and told me to put it on 8! It is really really short now but I guess the good thing is that we don't have to do this again, at the beginning of next month!!! Cameron did awesome and Alexis too, for the most part! Good job daddy!



Here is the result! it makes him look chubbier! :)

I'm a natural

I just fixed our bathroom sink yesterday. I had to replace the trap and the other pipe that connect under the sink.
I know, I know, you're probably thinking only plumbers or well experienced fathers can do that. You probably are wondering why I would even attempt such a daring repair.
Well, I don't know how to answer that. All I know is that I felt the heavy responsibility of the call of fatherdom weighing on my shoulders and so I heroically drove all the way to the hardware store (I needed one of the employees to help me because I had no idea what size I was looking for). And then I connected a few pipes and it was done ... very anticlimactic, I know. But I do know, that this is only the beginning of replacing pipes and fixing things at home. It's all down hill from here.
But as you can all tell, I'm a natural. What could be much harder than fixing a sink drain...

While we were sleeping...

Well, this is my son on Sundays!!! poor guy, he usually is so tired that by the time we get home, he is in his trying to keep awake mode, then he crashes!!! while mommy and daddy are sleeping on their bed!!! When the three of us are home we take our nap together but it seems like Alexis knows the trick, he puts US to sleep and then he silently slips out of our bed and enjoys the house for himself, which includes water everywhere, toys, and sometimes a dirty diaper somewhere in the house! so I think he enjoys when we take a nap, I have noticed too that during the week when I am really eager for nap time he tells me to sleep and he pretends that he is going to fall sleep but then I fall asleep and he is not right next to me when I open my eyes to check on him! eventually he does come to sleep for three hours since he is a really active kid, he gets really tired by the afternoon. It is just funny how well he knows what to do when you are unsupervised!!! I still love taking pics. of him when he falls asleep somewhere in the house, it is the only moment I can take "decent" pictures of him. Every time I want to take a picture of him, he runs to me and start taking pictures himself which sometimes they don't turn out too good! But no worries about him sleeping on the floor all the time, it only happens once in a while and usually on a Sunday! :)

Almost There

Well, so the baby has turned on her own!!! she is being head down for about 2 weeks!!! and I don't think she will turn back up again since I know she is bigger and it will be difficult. I am going on Monday to be put in the NST machine so they can detect any contractions that I might be feeling, they don't want me to have the baby at home. Last pregnancy, with Alexis, I went for my 37 weeks doc's appointment and he sent me right away to the hospital at 7-8cm dilated and 100% effaced and as soon as I got to the hospital (which was 5 mins. away from my doc's office) I was ready!!! The pushing process: 20 mins!! and he was a big chubby baby (9 lbs). This time I see that they are always checking me, I can't blame them really, but the difference is that with Alexis I was having contractions since 28 weeks and I was effacing and dilating through out those weeks until I gave birth, the contractions were always painful, constant, and long so that is why I didn't know I was in labor: I was already used to them! with this one... Nothing really has happened, I am not dilating, I am not effaced so far, and very mild cramping!!! It seems that my little Charlotte is not ready to come out into the world yet but I am so ready to see her and to have her out of my body!!! Well, I have been really tired, in a lot of pain, and on top of that... trying to get everything in order in the YW so by the time I have the baby they don't freak out on what to do, the New Beginnings has to be post pone now b/c the new material hasn't arrived yet, meaning I am definitely not going to be there!!! My counselor is a little scared but I already have everything ready since last year! It is just a little stress full to think that there are so many activities coming up that need to be done and I am going to be gone for a full month!!! I am trying to keep my house as clean as I can, trying to spend time with Alexis and play as much as I can with him but his games include me chasing after him, sitting and standing up on the floor to run around, and play with balls!!! It is really hard for me to do those things but... soon, I will be able to do that without a huge belly on the way!
Also, I have been in a really bad mood, I can't stand people asking me when they seem: "the baby is still not out?" if I still have a huge belly and no baby in my arms, what do you think??? I actually responded to one sister in church like that and since then she has stopped asking me questions... felt a little bad about that but I am not missing her questions! Also, I hate when people ask me, "is it a girl or a boy?" when I have been telling them for a about 16 weeks that it is a girl! if they don't care enough to remember, why ask every single time they see me?? urgh!!! I am not patient anymore and I am glad that my YW understand that and they just kind of get away from me when they notice I am mad! and then come close to me to let me know they like being in the YW and that they love the classes and that they are going to miss me when the baby is born. They are sweet!!!
I am also, getting nervous about our moving to Utah!!! I am trying to get rid of things, organized things and make sure everything is ready, I know is early since we are moving in July but with a new baby it seems like time passes quicker without us noticing, so I want as little bit of work as possible! so far, everything is doing good, but I feel like I haven't done enough, if I work a little hard, then I am attacked with severe pelvic pain!!!
To conclude this... I will be really happy when my baby is born, I feel kind of bad about the way that I have been responding to silly questions in church and about not being able to interact as much with Alexis. Even though I just said how bad my pregnancy is going, well... is not really that bad I know that I am just naturally cranky and that every time I feel her kick I feel really happy that she is there! and I know I am going to miss that after she is born!

Just thinking...

Well, I already made up my mind about a c-section. It terrifies me the idea to be in so much pain! but I can't wait to meet my daughter. Also I know that if it is the will of my Heavenly Father to have my baby through c-section then is for a good reason! I should trust him more, I kept praying so that my baby will not be in breech position anymore but now I pray for strength either way! I will have my doctor's appointment this coming Monday and they will check for the position of the baby, so far she is still breech but you never know, she still has time to turn. As said before, however she comes, is fine because that is how the Father wanted it to be and if that is the case then I will know both feelings of delivering a baby... yeah!! more knowledge! So just pray so that I have strength and a fast recovery!!! I really can't wait to meet my daughter, it is so unbelievable that I am going to have my second child. I already know how wonderful it is to have a baby so I can't wait for that feeling again!! I can't wait to see Alexis' reaction and I can't wait to have a crazy schedule again, like there is no time there is only feeding, diaper, and sleeping hours!!! It is awesome... I wish she was to be born early, partly b/c I am huge!!! and also b/c I can't take the pain anymore... this one is being painful but she better be cute when she is born and I think I will forget everything (J/K). I love my family! I love being a wife and a mother and I think there is no greater feeling than that! :)

Me at 30 weeks

snowman!!!

Snow adventure!

Yeah... he loved it!!!! LOL, my poor baby! he is actually now a little bit more willing to walk on the snow and to look at it, so I think we have some progress.