So long 2009

2009 brought about many changes in our life, and I'm thankful for all of them. To start off, I was a stay at home mom with Alex. In late June, Alex started preschool. This was heart-wrenching for me, but the changes I've seen in him have been amazing. In August, I finally started working after a year and a half long break with Alex. Finally, we found out that we are expecting baby #2 and couldn't be happier about all the great things that 2010 has to bring.

In 2010, we are looking forward to a lot of family weddings and celebrations including Roly & Marissa's wedding as well as the birth of our newest family member. We are really excited, and I look forward to blogging all about my experience as I did with Alex. :-)

In the meantime, we are amazed every day at the wonderful little person that Alex is becoming. He is a kind and loving soul although he can be a bit hyper and crazy sometimes. :-) He loves to sing like his mama and enjoys wrestling with anyone who will indulge him. He is currently in a phase of pulling off his shorts all the time, and we're still working on potty training him. We haven't gone full force yet because he's not yet ready but we are adamant about having him out of diapers by the time his little sister or brother arrives in June.

Work is work although it keeps me so busy that I hardly recognize the time flying by. I enjoy working with children. They keep me on my toes. I have a tremendous respect for teachers and challenge anyone that has never worked in the public schools to try to doing the job of anyone in public schools for a day. I might scream the next time I hear someone proclaim how wonderful our job is because of all the vacation we get. SHEESH! It's a tough job!

No more whining! My resolution for 2010. Happy New Year All!

Grateful for our blessings

Just a quick post to give a little update. We are on Christmas break for 2 weeks so we're trying to get plenty of rest while accomplishing all the things we don't have the time to tend to during the regular craziness of our lives. I am officially 13 weeks, 1 day pregnant and very grateful to almost be past the first trimester. I've managed to catch an infection and virus all within a week's time so hoping to be feeling better once I've finished taking my antibiotics. In the meantime, I'm enjoying every minute of being at home with Alex (and Eddy of course but that goes without saying.) :-) I'm posting a picture of my sonogram from my 12 week appointment. Usually a sonogram isn't necessary at this appt, but baby decided to be uncooperative so doctor had to do a sono to hear the heartbeat.



We got to spend some time in the Valley with Eddy's family and will be spending some time with my family this week. Looking forward to eating lots of tamales and feeling no guilt over my holiday eating. :-)

It's been a while...update

The last time I posted, we were working on getting Alex adjusted to preschool, and I'm happy to report that we have all adjusted. He still doesn't love it but since he started with a new teacher this past week, he's doing much better when we drop him off. Alex definitely takes after the Contreras introverted personality, at least around strangers.

I can't believe the semester is winding down and we're getting ready for winter break. I'm looking forward to some time for rest. I posted it on facebook already, but we are expecting another addition to the Contreras family, and we couldn't be more excited! The baby is due June 29, 2010 although he/she will probably be about a week early because of a c-section. Needless to say, I am exhausted, especially since I wake up at 5:40 a.m. Monday thru Friday, but the morning sickness seems to have subsided. I definitely haven't experienced the morning sickness with this baby that I did with Alex so that's been great for me. Those who were around me when I was pregnant with Alex know how hard it was on my body.

I made it a point to keep track of my pregnancy with Alex using my blog on myspace, and when Alex is older I will give him a copy of all of my entries. So, I am going to attempt to do the same with this baby only through Blogger now. If you are interested, feel free to read and I hope you enjoy my craziness and whining. Have a great week!

Preschool update

We began week 2 of part time preschool this week. Last week, Alex went Tuesday and Thursday, and this week we increased his attendance to three times a week on Mon, Tues, and Thursday to help his adjustment. He's been having a hard time adjusting, but his teacher promises his behavior is perfectly normal. He tends to stand in corners by himself, doesn't eat much of his food, and cries when we drop him off and pick him up. Madness!

He is slowly improving but his behavior at home is very nervous and kinda whiny/cranky. Oh well! Mama's gotta go to work! Otherwise, I'm getting ready to start work this August and I'm both excited and nervous but I'm ready to finish this CFY that's been looming over my head since finishing my master's last May.

I'm trying to post pictures of Alex in school but my scanner is being difficult...I will post as soon as I get this scanner to cooperate.

First Day of School

I knew this day would come sooner than later, and I have to admit that some days I was eager for it to come when Alex would misbehave, but I'd have to say that I underestimated how difficult this day would be for me. It's a feeling I can't explain, but it just broke my heart leaving him in an unfamiliar place all day with unfamiliar people. I was able to watch from home on the center's internet video monitoring site, and I witnessed a few occasions where Alex was still getting comfortable, and it broke my heart. Like I said, I can't explain. I cried multiple times, and I even find myself crying after picking him up...motherhood has turned me into such a softie..UGH! :-)

When I went into his classroom to pick him up, he started crying...I hope Thursday goes smoother than today for both of us...I can't imagine what the owner and Alex's teacher would say if she saw me crying two days in a row.

This day is over, and for that, I am grateful. I pray that the Lord give me the strength and perseverance to make it over this hurdle. Pretty soon, I hope that both Alex and I love his school experience as much as his daddy does.

Summer time

It seems like only yesterday that I was graduating with my master's and having over a year to stay at home with Alex. That was a year and almost 2 months ago...my, how time flies! Next Tuesday, the 30th, Alex will be starting preschool, and I'm so nervous about the change that's going to bring. I'll be starting my job in a little over a month so we're starting Alex with a few days a week of preschool so that he adjusts to being away from home during the day. I'm nervous and anxious...I know leaving him at a school all day is going to be rough but if he's happy there, I'll be happy knowing that he's filling his days with social interaction, knowledge, and fun. I pray for his well-being, and I believe the Lord will allow everything else to fall into place as it should be.

Otherwise, we've been keeping busy with getting preschool supplies (diapers, wipes, clothes, backpack, etc.,) and I've been brushing up on speech therapy literature. We spent a few days in the Valley with Eddy's family this past week and had a blast. We're getting ready to go to my 10 year high school reunion in a couple of weeks where I will get to hang with my homey, Danielle for the first time in over 7 years...I miss that girl!

Alex had his first haircut a few weeks ago, and here is one of my favorite "after" pics. :-) Enjoy!

Just let it go

I've never considered myself a fashionista by any means. Clothes are functional for me although I find that wearing decent-looking and age-appropriate garments often puts a little bounce in my step given the right make-up and nicely-styled hair. That said, there are articles of clothing in my closet that belong in the trenches of the Salvation Army that I haven't been able to part with for various reasons including: possible contribution to a Halloween costume (think tight pleather pants), dress-up day at work (hillbilly for a day), it might come back in style one day.

I know and you know that I should just LET IT GO! I dug deep into my closet today, and just for kicks, I decided to post a few of the articles being donated. I had to keep reminding myself, "just let it go" as I proceeded to take article after article off the hanger. It made me feel free! My two examples include a belly-bearing clubbing shirt and a maroon (Gig 'em Ags) knit flare sleeved shirt. The bottom pic is the whole pile...once I got started, I just couldn't stop!





I am in desperate need of a makeover...this became more evident as I rid myself of a long sleeveless linen dress and clubbing clothes from my college days. I am a proud mommy, but I don't have the desire to look like a tired and beaten up mommy, even though I might feel like one some days. We are devout Dave Ramsey followers so spending large amounts of money on clothing isn't an option for us but I'm currently looking at vamping up my wardrobe with school-district-employee and mommy appropriate wear. Any suggestions and recommendations are welcome! I'm really not good at picking outfits that are cute yet age-appropriate...I always go for cute, but appropriate for a middle-aged woman. Someone please help! :-)

Couples Eating

I've heard this mentioned twice this week by two different people so I just had to put my thoughts down. I use to think that I was a complete weirdo because of this issue. From the moment that Eddy and I started dating, I always felt compelled to eat as much as he did, whether we'd go out to eat or stayed in. At home, for some strange reason, I always felt the need to serve ourselves equal portions and then of course came the self-inflicted guilt over finishing everything on the plate. When we'd order a pizza, I had this strange urge to eat as many slices. It wasn't until a year of heartburn, an IBS diagnosis, and a colonoscopy later that I decided to change that mentality.

Now that I've heard it brought up twice, I don't feel so bad talking about it with others. I just wonder if this is why I've always tended to gain weight when I first started dating somebody. Weird topic to write about, I know...it was just fresh on my mind.

Happy to report though that tummy issues have been resolved. :-)

Alex's favorite songs to jam in the car

I have compiled a list of songs that Alex finds acceptable in the car and decided to make a blog out of it in case any of you ever have the chance to ride in a car with Alex and really don't want to hear him scream his head off.

1. Jason Mraz-I'm Yours
2. Jason Mraz & Colbie Calliat-Lucky
3. Right Round-Flo Rida & Keisha Cole
4. Blame it on the Alcohol-Jaime Foxx
5. Anything Michael Jackson-i.e. Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, PYT, Beat It, The Way You Make Me Feel, Black or White...none of the slow stuff though
6. Sara Barreilles-Love Song
7. Daddy Yankee-Rompe
8. Daddy Yankee & Rupee-Tempted to Touch
9. Pitbull-Calle Ocho
10. Neyo-Closer (this is probably his favorite ever)
11. Beyonce-Single Ladies

That's what I have to work with if I don't feel like hearing his Baby Einstein or Little People sing-a-long CDs.

Fun times for me!

1800 calorie a day update

Since just before the beginning of new year 2009, I decided to start making some lifestyle changes, especially in the area of food intake. My exercise routine was hanging on for dear life by a thread with a maximum weekly workout of once/week and some weeks I just went without. Needless to say, I felt horribly out of shape. I also started noticing that my pants felt a lot more snug in the hip and booty region. I even started to notice an occasional muffin top depending on the pants I wore. Sexy, I know!

Part of me wanted to blame the winter months and the natural body process of storing fat during colder months...the logical side of me really knew that Texas probably doesn't get cold enough for the body to undergo any fat storage. Another part also wanted to blame mommyhood, but we all know chasing around a toddler is more than adequate exercise. But hey, it's what kept me going!

So, I've always maintained what I call my "happy weight," which I won't disclose because it's really just a number. Just to give you a range, at my heaviest, which is when I was into serious strength training and muscle mass building, I weighed 138. My senior year of high school, I weighed 121. My happy weight is somewhere in between. :-) Back in January, I got on the scale, and based on the number I saw, I was certain that it was broken from all the times that Alex had flung it across the room and bounced on it. So, I had Eddy weigh himself, and I was sad to admit that the scale was not broken...it was indeed me who had exceeded my happy weight by 6 pounds. While 6 pounds might not sound like a lot, my weight hasn't fluctuated since college and of course during pregnancy so it really hit home that my pants weren't just tight because they were fresh out of the dryer. I also knew muscle mass wasn't to blame. :-/ I had gained weight and my daily Doritos fix and late night snacks weren't doing anything to help.

I started by making small changes. I gave up drinking anything but water with dinner. In the beginning, it was REALLY hard because I was always a diet soda or tea drinker with meals, so it took me a couple of months to make any more changes. I also picked up my running/walking to 2-4 times/week for 30 minutes. Then by early-mid March, I decided to start tracking my calories and aim for 1800 calories/day. I have to admit that I'm never very precise with the calorie tracking so I read labels and guestimate (made up word, I know.) Sometimes I go over by a little bit, sometimes I stay under, and sometimes I'm just right. On the days, I go over, I make sure to run an extra 10 minutes.

I'm happy to report that I'm back to my happy weight, fluctuating anywhere between 2-3 pounds under but never over. YAY! :-) I'm running 4-5 times/week for 30 minutes with pilates 2-3 days/week and strength training 1-2 days/week.

Now, I've never really had an ideal weight (different from happy weight, I promise) because we all know that muscle weighs more than fat and I would rather be firm than be rail thin with weak musculature. I've based my success on how my clothes fit and how I look in pre-pregnancy clothes (baby tees, tight fitting shirts, etc.).

I realized that I had reached my goal when I put on my skinny jeans fresh out of the dryer and I could fit both hands in my pockets and still have room left for another set of hands. HA! I know it sounds silly but I was so excited! I haven't truly felt like I was in good shape since having Alex until now. I still have a lot of toning to do so I'm still practicing an 1800 calorie/day meal plan. I'm even trying 1400-1600 calorie days but that's only when I have really filling good foods in the house and we don't go out to eat. I refuse to starve myself!!!

About another month before bathing suit season, and I might just step out in a bikini...not sure yet...I don't want to embarass Alex. :-)

Best husband

I just wanted to give a shout out to the best husband ever, Eddy! Okay, I whine and complain about him sometimes, but I can't imagine a better daddy which makes my job as a mommy much easier! A happy mommy really does make a happy family.

I've been on a hiatus but I'm back

I took a hiatus from blogging mostly because as Alex gets older, the amount of time I spend at the computer decreases in order to prevent any additional and unnecessary damage to our house. Also, the longer I spend at the computer, the longer Alex has to delete files from my hard drive by simply banging on my keyboard...strange how that happens!

Anywho, life is grand. I have a job lined up starting this August with a school district as a speech pathologist intern (I get paid and only a grand less than a fully certified speech pathologist so don't feel sorry for me...'intern' just a technical term.) I'll be a fully certified speech pathologist at the end of the school year in 2010 so I'm looking forward to that!

It's been almost a year since I graduated with my masters and have been staying home with Alex. I have absolutely enjoyed my time as a stay at home mom but I'm looking forward to finishing what I started and getting my CCC's. Once I start work, I'll be able to decide which is harder: being a working mommy or being a stay at home mommy. I think being a working mommy will be harder which is one of my biggest concerns with starting this summer.

So far, here's the biggest difference for me.

Stay at home mommy
Pros

• No commuter stress (this is huge being that I commuted 3 hours/day during rush hour to San Marcos and back for over 2 years)
• No guilt over leaving your child at a day care center or with another caregiver (also really huge for me)
• Saving money on clothes, eating out, gas
• Having time to do lots of fun things and bonding with your child...lots of time

Cons

• Always feeling the need to cook and maintain a clean house (I think this is self-inflicted guilt that I just can't let go)
• Always trying to pinch pennies again to avoid guilt over not working and not contributing financially to my house after having spent over $30k on my masters degree
• Never get to eat a meal in peace...this is a big one!!!

Working mommy
Pros

• Get to eat in peace
• Get to contribute to your family financially which equates to buying more non-essentials for everyone including me...YAY!
  
• Get to have a maid!!! YAY!!!

Cons

• Guilt & concern over leaving my child with another caregiver :-(
  
• Not enough time to cook what I would like as often
• Stress from work & commute (big yuck)
• Always on a time crunch (another yuck)
  

Only time will tell how this working mommy thing will work for me. Keep us in your prayers.