Officially a stay at home Mom

“The most important of the Lord’s work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own homes” -President Harold B. Lee

"You are the trip I did not take;

You are the pearls I cannot buy;

You are my blue Italian lake;

You are my piece of foreign sky."

(“To My Child,” quoted in Charles L. Wallis, ed., The Treasure Chest [1965], 54)

      When I started my job, I thought I would obtain my license to be a Clinical Social worker(LCSW) which gives me the ability to open my own private practice doing therapy and could bill insurance companies for my services. The plan was to get my LCSW and then have our second child. But of course, Heavenly Father had different plans and knew that my LCSW would have to wait.

    I started having strong impression that I needed to get pregnant but I brushed it off thinking it was just me getting excited because a lot of people I knew were expecting. It wasn't until I realized I was being stubborn, and not faithful to God that I accepted His timing and plan. Funny that I was already about 2 weeks pregnant when I ran that marathon!

    During my third trimester, I started thinking of whether I would go back to work or be a stay at home Mom. I prayed for God to give me an answer and help me accept it with joy and peace. And this is when we had several trials involving Melany and our family. These specific trials helped me make my decision and in the end I did feel joy and peace when I made my decision.

    I've been working since I was a young teenager, so staying at home was quite the adjustment. I informed my job I was not returning and although my clinical supervisor was quite surprised, everyone was very supportive.

   Being at home has helped me be more attuned to my daughters needs and to not regret missing out on life's important moments. The first two weeks were the hardest, specially with Enoch being gone to Washington DC and not being able to talk to many adults. I felt lonely and kind of out of place. I then started reading my scriptures more and setting up a schedule for Melany and our family. This helped because Enoch's work schedule is so crazy and unstable.

I'm really glad I made this decision and feel so blessed to have a husband who supports our family.
I am looking forward to seeing my Babies grow. And I'm so happy that Melany's behavior and listening skills are improving. I enjoy having our time together in Music class and teaching her to write and read. I feel blessed to have my undergrad degree in Liberal Studies/Elementary Education because I get to use it with my kids.

I don't know when I will return to the workforce but, for now I am happy being a stay at home Mother.

At my 8 week postpartum visit with my Midwife Lauren 

Halloween 2014

I don't know how but I managed to stay up a little later and make Maya and Melany's costumes. Enoch helped me make Maya's red Boots. I figured we would continue with the Dora theme and have Melany dress as Dora and Maya as Boots.

The week before Halloween, we went to the Alamo Ranch ward's trunk or treat in the evening. We were surprised to have Enoch join us thanks to his boss who let him get out early.

On Halloween night, we went to our neighborhood's trunk or treat where they had games, and plenty of treats. Then we went home to give out candy and do some trick or treating with Melany. This year, Melany got the hang of trick or treating much better.

September/October happenings

In September, Enoch traveled to Washington DC for training.

In October, we visited a pumpkin patch in a nearby city, Helotes. We bought two pumpkins and got our decorations and house ready for Halloween.

Melany got a big girl bed and ballerina sheets to match. She loves her new bed!

Melany the Ballerina

Melany started taking ballet class in September at a studio near our home. She absolutely loves it!! And I am so happy because dance has always been my passion. I have tried to instill this  passion to Melany since she was a Baby but always said I would not force it on her if she would rather pursue other activities. She loves to shake her body but is also learning foot steps involved in ballet as well as improving her listening skills. She looks forward to ballet class every week. We love our little Ballerina!

She's grown so much!!

After her first ballet class- worn out!

2 month old Maya

Our little Maya is no longer a newborn but a healthy, beautiful baby. I am in awe at how much she has changed in such a short amount of time. At her 2 month check-up, her pediatrician, Dr. Tamayo stated her physical capabilities and development are that of a 4 month-old baby. She weighs almost 10 pounds and measures 20 inches long. Maya is cooing and melts my heart when she smiles back at us.

And she is eating well, still almost every 2 to 3 hours. Less than 1 week after her birth, I had to change my eating habits to dairy free. What!! no ice cream, or cheese for me.. which meant no pizza!! But it was worth it because she has been doing better from her digestion. Maya's sleeping schedule is still not consistent but we hope she gets the hang of it soon.

Melany continues to be a great big sister but is learning to be very gentle and not treat her sister as her doll. Melany gets so happy when Maya smiles at her and often says "I love my Baby Maya." Everywhere we go, she tells everyone she comes across that she has a Baby, and her name is Maya.

Exactly two months old- 10/28/14