Support from other parents I think is very important. I feel like I do get good support from other moms that I know and even some moms that I don't quite know. But I do have to say that I have seen a lot of parents who could maybe do a little better in that department.

It all started when my father in law was asking me if I felt pressure because these days it seems like things are so strict when raising a baby. Like baby is suppose do this at this age or don't give that to baby or baby should eat this. But I actually told him that what gives me stress is when other parents ask me things and I think it's them being nice but they are just trying to one up us on everything. If I say my baby is 20 months old then they say he looks small meanwhile they are both 7ft tall and their 2 year is already like 4ft. So yes my average sized baby is going to look small. Or if I say my baby walked at 13 months their baby walked at 7. Well I'm exagerating but I've had people say things like to me. I have heard a lot of moms say things like this at our play group. My favorite is when I see a new mom clearly tired someone asks how her baby is sleeping she says not so good and then of course their baby sleeps 12 hours straight. Wow I'm sure that makes another mom feel great.

Just yesterday my husband was at a neighbors yard talking to a mom and her two little ones. These neighbors we never really met and we know everyone except for them because they tend to keep to themselves. Now she works from home and her husband is home as well and their kids go to daycare. Ethan was shy because he's never met them and she's talking about how she's so happy her kids go to daycare because of socialization. I go out of my way to make sure he is around other kids all the time. He is just like me I'm quiet when I first meet someone. Since when is there anything wrong with that?  But I must say that I'm proud of my husband for what he said next.

Husband - Do you consider me social? My husband is the most talkative and the least shy person I know.

Neighbor - Yes

Husband - Well I never went to daycare a day in my life.

Ha! This is exactly what I mean what the hell is the point of saying something like this when you see my son is being shy. Well moms and dads the stresses of keeping up with other kids is coming from you!!! Not play group teachers, babysitters but you. Let us all do a better job of supporting one another. I'm not saying that all parents are at fault because I do get and hear a lot of positives out there but we can do better.

You know I get that people want to let everyone know how great their child is doing. Sometimes it would be better if parents give a little more support to other parents out there. Telling someone that their child is cute or telling them how great he's/she's doing works better. I try and say that to parents but I do wish I heard that a little more. Not just to me but to other parents as well.  It's amazing all the things I overhear when I'm at Ethan's play groups. So next time you are giving another parent info on your child ask them about their child and just say "that's great."

I am very happy to announce that my little man has finally been baptized. I am very proud and happy for this moment in his life. We had a very special day yesterday with him and our family. It was a lot of planning and a bit stressful at times but of course it was all worth it. Everything turned out great.

Congrats to my son who I absolutely love and adore.

20 months

My boy is now 20 months old. He is the most loving little guy ever and he is learning so much. He is repeating everything I say and is still a very busy little boy. Going out to eat or even the grocery store has become a bit of a challenge but it has been fun at the same time. At this age they are so funny, curious I absolutely love it.

New words
Potatoe in Spanish
Christian
Elmo
Open
Up
Cookie

Favorite things to do
Play in his little swimming pool
Loves to color
Loves to go for walks

Favorites foods
Fruit
Grilled cheese
Rice cake snacks
Yogurt

Happy 20 months to my Ethan.

currently happening

So I've been super busy this summer and my posts have slowed down but I will do my best to keep them going.

So currently Ethan is getting baptized this weekend so I'm preparing for that. I am so happy this is finally going to happened. I would have done it sooner but his godfather to be lives across the country. It's been a little difficult to find shoes for him I must say. It's been a very hot summer so I found a nice cotton white romper for him to wear which is great because he will be comfy in that. So for shoes he will just be wearing a pair of white fisherman sandals which I'm happy with especially in this weather. The only other option for him was those high top white dress shoes and that just wouldn't work.

Also happening in my life at the moment is me finding out that my mom has type 2 diabetes. This has me so worried about her. My parents mean the world to me so I just want both of them to be healthy. Now my mother is skinny so I never thought of her getting this disease. But apparently you do not have to be overweight to get the disease. She had to make a few changes but she is doing much better now. 

I'm also preparing for a wedding that I am in which will be in about a month. So I'm getting the dress altered today and making appointments for hair, make up and nails. And as soon as I make arrangements for someone to watch Ethan everything will be all set. Being in a wedding these days requires quite a bit of work so to finally have the wedding is a great celebration of all the hard work that everyone put in. That's of course in addition to the real reason we will all be there which is because these two people fell in love and decided to spend the rest of their moments together. 

So I will be updating you all soon all on everything with pictures of course. Have a wonderful weekend.

4th of July

Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. We had a great 4th and a pretty good weekend. We had a picnic at a lake with some friends and family. That was fun but let me tell you 19 months is a hard age. He's just into everything and has absolutely no fear. I ended up just chasing him the whole day. So although these family outings are nice they just make me more tired. The lakes and parks are obviously not baby proofed and he would never stay in a stroller or anything for long.

The weekend was nice because we went to another lake but it was just the three of us and it was nice to have alone family time. Sometimes I feel like I don't get to have these special experiences with Ethan when there are other family members around because they always take him off my hands for a while. The bad thing about that is that I'm always just taking care of him and I don't always get to do the fun stuff alone with him like playing in the sand, bringing swimming but I guess it is nice to have some mommy relaxing time.

We also went to a local town pool which was nice cause he got to play with other kids and we got to spend some time with family and friends again. Also it's been hot and humid so we needed some pool time for sure. We are definitely going to do some swim lessons with Ethan but we are waiting for fall because we are busy just about every weekend this summer.

We also spent some time in our mini pool that we have on our deck. This was definitely a good buy since he loves playing in the water.

Being a stay at home mom

Being a sahm is the best decision I've ever made for me and my family. But I do have to say that stay at home parents don't get enough credit sometimes. I've had a couple of difficult jobs but this is much harder. It challenges me, tests my patience and it completely fulfills me. It's truly what I've always wanted and I'm glad that I am able to do what I want.

Being able to teach my child different things, feed him lunch every single day, put him down for naps, and just be with him means the world to me. I understand that it's not for everyone but for me it's exactly what I want to do and I am thankful. I just want everyone to truly understand that being a stay at home parent is truly a difficult job. It doesn't mean that you get to stay at home sit on the couch or clean your house and just do whatever you want. It also doesn't mean that stay at home parents are just cleaning poop or feeding kids all day. Trust me it's much more than that. The same way I understand that being a working parent is difficult I want people to understand that a stay at home parent it also difficult in a different way.

Now that my son is 19 months old I have to plan out different activities so that he is busy but also so that he starts learning different things. I do let him do things on his own so that he can explore and figure some things out himself. I like for him to do that but I also sit with him and read,  show him different shapes or colors and just help him learn. All of this of course while I take care of my 8 month old nephew. But I do have to say he's pretty good and usually is just paying attention to whatever Ethan is doingJust teaching and playing with the kids can fill my day but there's also preparing meals, cleaning up, changing diapers and dealing with our pets so I barely have time to do anything else. But I would not change it for the world. I'm super blessed and so thankful. For the stay at home parents out there I know it can be hard so make sure you take some time to look at your child or children and remember what's it's all about. And for the working parents you are doing a great thing and one day your children will be so thankful for all the hard work just like I am thankful for everything my parents did for me.

Back from vacation

So I've been back for a couple of days and I still feel sad that I had to come back. I had a wonderful time in San Juan, PR with my whole family and it meant the world to me that I got to spend some time with my parents.We all met there and spent two weeks in the warm sun. But the end of the trip is when it got a little hard for me. I am very close with my parents and because they no longer live near me it kills me every single time I have to say goodbye. It literally takes me a few days to get in a normal mood again.

Besides the part where I had to say goodbye to my parents and family we all had a great time. We went to some beautiful beaches, we ate a lot of great food and got some much needed relaxation. My parents and family spent a lot of time with Ethan and my nephew which gave my sister and I a bit of a break. It really is a beautiful place with the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen and I've been to quite a few. If you are ever in the area visit Flamenco Beach in Culebra, PR. I hate car rides and boat rides but it was worth it. I went once before in October and it was great because the weather was perfect and there were no people so we basically had that gorgeous beach to ourselves. I just had to go back and I'm glad I did.

It was a fabulous trip and I'm so happy I was able to go.