Rainy Day in Pass-a-Grille

When one of my best friends, Ana, was visiting from DC in February we had plans to go to the beach as much as possible. She had not seen the sun since November and we've had plenty of sunshine this winter. It never rains in February but apparently it does if you make plans. We still went to the beach hoping that it would be nice and clear there. We drove towards the south end of St. Pete Beach, an area called Pass-a-Grille. When we got there it was foggy and "cold". We ate the sandwiches and snacks that we took, Emma unsuccessfully chased a few seagulls, took a nap, and we came back to Tampa. We stopped at the Westin Hotel at Rocky Point where it was sunny. We had a coffee and went home again. Emma wanted to get in the water but it was not a good day for that. I can't wait for the weather to get better and for her to enjoy the beach.

        

                      

                      

Saturday at the Curtis Hixon Park

Every time that someone from out of town is visiting, I take them to Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa. This is one of the newest places in Tampa and one of my favorite parks in the City. It's modern and beautiful. University of Tampa, a must see in Tampa, can be seeing on the other side of the river. My dear friend Ana was in town visiting me and Emma for a weekend in February. We had plans to go to the beach but the forecast said it was raining and it was indeed raining in the morning. We moved our beach day for Sunday and spent Saturday in Tampa. Emma loves nature so this was the perfect opportunity to do something fun for her and at the same time show my friend around. The forecast was wrong and we had a sunny and warm afternoon. We miss you Ana. Thank you for the pictures of me and Emma. I LOVE them! Come back soon!

UT in the background

Mom, no more pictures please! 

Emma's First Birthday

For Emma's first birthday in January, I wanted to create a photo book with some of her best pictures. Since we have taken so many pictures, it took me about one month to select my favorites. I collected pictures from my cell phone, my camera, Andre's phone, my mom's camera, her first photo shoot at the hospital, the studio session she had done in December, and Andi's pictures (still my favorite pictures of her). I also asked our families to write her a letter or a message. This book will be kept in a "vault" until she is old enough to take care of it. Her first year was one of the best and toughest years of my life and I love that now we have it documented and preserved. This photo book was perfect because I enjoy making scrapbooks but I don't have the time anymore. The result is shown below:

Click here to view this photo book larger

Click here to create your own Shutterfly photo book.

Winter in Florida

February and March are my favorite (weather) months in Tampa. It is sunny, warm and it doesn't rain. We have been lucky and our winter has been warm compared to the rest of the Country with their record low temperatures. This explains why it is impossible for Floridians to find an affordable hotel room to spend a weekend at the beach right now. I started my search when Valentines day was near and I wanted to get away for a few nights. I tried different weekends and I couldn't find anything for less that $250 to $300 per night for a room that I could easily get for $99 in the summer. I gave up on my weekend plans but I decided that we could still enjoy the beach like tourist and headed to the famous Don Cesar Hotel in St. Pete Beach. Our plan was to eat lunch and have drinks by the pool with a few friends. The pool was full of snowbirds who didn't mind the windy afternoon and the cold water. After a few mojitos and lunch, we walked towards the beach. It was a perfect Saturday afternoon with sunny skies and in the low 70s. Emma enjoyed every minute at the beach walking by the shore and crawling around chasing seagulls. We have been going for 3 weekends in a row to the beach.  The next time we go to the Don Cesar, I plan to make a stop at the spa while Emma and Andre spend time at the beach. 

**General info for those driving to the Don Cesar for the day: The hotel has 2 other restaurants where they will validate parking. The pool's restaurant/bar does not validate it. Self Parking is $15 and Valet is $25. Drinks were $12 each and most of the lunch items were about $15 each at the pool. Everything we ate was great.  

The Myth of Having it all

As a working mom, I often feel like I'm doing everything I can but it's never good enough. I feel that I am a mediocre wife, mother and that my house is never clean or organized the way that I would like it to be. I no longer take time to get dressed or do my hair and makeup. I do what I can with the time I have and most of the time the result is just...mediocre. I got my first pedicure since October last week and that felt like a luxury. Something harder to accept is that I am not the employee that I was once. I can't work a 60 or even a 50 hour week anymore. I'm not available 100% of the time and I take sick days if my daughter gets sick. The best I can do is work during my lunch break and use that hour productively instead of driving to buy lunch. I was finally allowed to have a laptop and I've worked after 8:00pm when Emma falls asleep. I have about 2 good hours before I want to fall asleep. Recently, I've started to cook at night to take my lunch the following day. At least I'm doing something healthy for me and my family. Emma ate chicken with broccoli and quinoa last night. She has been a picky eater for several months. She is even rejecting my mom's cooking which is amazing!

We have spent time at the beach the past 3 weekends. We drive in the afternoon and stay a few hours to let Emma enjoy the sand and the wind. The water is still cold but she loves to get her toes in and walk holding our hands. Seeing her happy is what makes me happy. I've taken my camera out and I have lots of pictures to share. I will upload them soon. I always abandon this blog when I get overwhelmed. The art of balancing my life is something that I have not mastered. Until I can find the secret to be super mom/woman I will have to accept that I'm doing the best I can and I'm OK with it. 

**Thanks to "Lean In" and Sheryl Sandberg for letting me see things differently. If you haven't read the book please do. I wish I had read it when I was starting out my career. 

My Tripod Walking Style

The past few months were very slow and rough to say the least. I broke my tibia at the plateau in November and that meant that I couldn't walk for 3 months! This is the first bone that I ever break in 32 years at a very inconvenient time in my life (with an active infant). I cried for at least 5 days thinking what was I supposed to do with a little girl and a demanding job where I had already taken 3 months of maternity leave this year.

When the doctor first delivered the news, I was mostly thinking about the trip to Colombia that we had planned for months. We canceled the trip and stayed home instead of joining my family. I'm glad that we canceled because I had no idea what it was like to be on crutches. I always knew that it looked difficult, but it is a workout where your arms and the good leg get extremely tired. I really didn't think how the simplest things in life were also going to get extremely complicated. I read somewhere that stairs and crutches are mortal enemies. It is the perfect description on how I felt about them. We have been living with my parents because just thinking about going up or down the stairs in our townhouse gets me nervous. I did it a few times using my arms and my bottom but I don't want to do it everyday. My biggest challenge to this day is to be creative on how to take care of Emma and show her my love. She is already used to me not taking her to turn the music on or she doesn't show me things like other people who can take her there. It breaks my heart that I'm not her favorite person anymore. I also had other challenges like taking a shower. The fear of slippery surfaces and more broken bones had me taking sponge baths for several days at the beginning of this "journey". I asked someone to be next to me when I went in and out of the tub until the past week.

The pain was gone 2 weeks after the injury. I lost my balance once on my way to the bathroom the first week and hurt myself. After that I only went to the places where I really needed to go. I decided that to get some air and also some holiday shopping done, the best way was to rent a wheel chair. When we went out, Andre pushed the chair and I took Emma on my lap. She got bored after a while so he had to walk her around. Andre was a wonderful husband and father taking care of both of us without complaining about it.

I'm blessed with my family who helped me unconditionally and Emma's nanny was also wonderful taking care of Emma and me when my parents were on vacation and Andre was at work. I asked a few friends for help babysitting since I couldn't stay alone with Emma. My dad drove me to the orthopedist appointments and physical therapy twice per week. Things also worked out well thanks to the help of my my boss who allowed me to work from home as long as I needed. I returned to the office part time last week and full time this week.

One of the hardest things was reminding myself that this was only temporary. The limitations caused by crutches were annoying, and I couldn't wait for the day that I could be independent again. During my 2 months of no weight bearing and 2 weeks of weight bearing I learned many things. Besides knowing how to go up and down steps, I learned how to be more patient. Being restricted to move was an opportunity to stay at home and watch my baby grow and for that, I am grateful. Today, during my physical therapy appointment,  my therapist took my crutch and told me to walk. It was surprisingly easy. I was using only one crutch for the past week and taking occasional steps when I had something to hold on to in case of emergency. I started driving yesterday and today I walked. I am excited to finally say that after 2 and a half months this broken leg is healed. I still have a lot of work to do to get my strength back. I'm just happy that I can finally say today: GOOD BYE crutches!

The Best of 2013

January

The year started with Emma still in my belly. The first week I was sent home by the doctor because of my high blood pressure. I was extremely busy at work and stressed all the time. I "lost" 2 weeks at home with Emma because I was only allowed to take a total of 12 week leave from work. I really felt like I couldn't do it anymore. The swollen feet and the work load were too much for 38 weeks pregnant. It was the last time that I had time to do nothing and sleep late!

Emma's birthday was January 13th and after that my life was changed forever. 

February

I stayed 10 weeks at home when Emma was born. Watching her grow was an incredible experience. One that allowed me to take naps with her on my chest. Those were my favorite moments of the day. She was so tiny and she loved to sleep there too. She still does :)

March

The whole month of march I was still at home. Andre was in between jobs and he was also at home with us. I will always treasure those moments together plus he became really good at changing diapers. 

April

Going back to work was extremely difficult (emotionally). However, this also allowed me to get some of my "normal" life back and also not only talk about feedings and diapers. The few hours that I get to see my baby a day are the best hours of my day. I was exhausted because I had to be productive to leave on time, rush to pick Emma up, pump my breast milk several times a day, store the milk for the following day, wash the pump and the bottles, give her a bath and finally put her to sleep. She was waking up between 2 to 3 times every night. 

May

May was a busy month. We celebrated my dad's birthday, my first mother's Day, Emma's baptism and I had to do a lot of over time at work. I can't remember much of this month. That is probably because of the sleep deprivation. 

June

Three of my best friends visited us during June. I am extremely lucky to have friends which I can almost call sisters. They loved spending time with Emma and I was happy to see how at different stages in our lives we can still be great friends.

One of those friends, Andi, took some great pictures of Emma and I. I will treasure these pictures forever. Thank you Amiga :) next time you have to be in the pictures. 

July

Summertime in Florida means lots of pool and beach time to cool down. 

August

Emma loved going to the beach. We will have to go back next year. 

September 

My parents, Andre, Emma and I went to Canada during Labor Day weekend. Our trip to Canada was great. Emma was a great little traveler. After a bad New Year's Eve a long time ago, I made a promise to myself to travel to at least one new country every year. I have kept that promise even pregnant and now with a baby. Canada is not far but it was a good start. Traveling with a baby takes a lot of planning and it is exhausting but it is what I enjoy the most. 

October

October is my favorite month of the year, not only because it's my birthday. The temperature is nicer and I can finally enjoy being outdoors and not hate it because of the heat and humidity. Emma was very sick on my birthday for about one week. She had a strong respiratory virus that became bronchitis and ear infection. She was feeling better by Halloween. 

November

I was finally feeling like I was catching my breath at the whole working mom routine. We had another trip planned and I was counting the days to take a week off work. We went to Busch gardens several times. I loved watching Emma clap to the Sesame Street show and get excited with Elmo. We had a trip to Colombia planned and I broke my leg a week before the trip. We didn't travel and the good thing is that I have a voucher until October of 2014 with American Airlines. I have been using crutches since November and we can't do much these days. Andre has to take care of both of us when we go out. I want to take Emma to see Elmo again soon since our passes expire in April of next year. 

December

This year, Christmas was exciting  again. I want to create new traditions for Emma and also teach her some of my family's traditions. She got many gifts from our friends, family, Santa, and El Niño Dios (baby Jesus). 

Everyday, I am thankful for my supportive family and friends. Partcularly this year, I don't think I could have made it without them. At the beginning of the year learning how to be a mom and again at the end of the year to help me with the challenge of not walking or doing much by myself. I am ready for 2014 and I hope that we can take advantage of not paying for Emma's plane tickets for another year. Her passport is waiting and I can't wait to live new adventures with her and my loving husband. I have to get my 12 grapes ready for tomorrow and also pack a bag to "travel" in 2014. Do you have any New Year's Eve traditions? Happy 2014! 

Back to Busch Gardens with Emma

Every time I write a post about theme parks, I feel like I'm working on their marketing team. I just really like them and now that Emma likes Elmo, there is no better place for us to go. Unfortunately, I don't think that we will be going there in a while. I broke my tibia at the gym last week. I'm using crutches and this will be the case for at least 2 to 3 months. I'm very upset about the whole situation. We were going to Colombia tomorrow for 10 days and we decided to cancel the trip. It could be possible to go but I know that the best is to take care of this injury. 

Lory's Landing

Looking at the Flamingos

Snack time

The sunday before I got hurt, we went to Busch Gardens for less than 3 hours. It was enough time to catch the last Sesame Street show, ride the carrousel, look for Elmo and also see the birds at Lory Landing. Emma was very lucky because the park was almost empty and no kids were in line to meet Elmo. He played with her for a few minutes, she grabbed his nose and was not scared at all. She also had the chance to see Abby Cadabby and also grab her nose.

A Very Furry Christmas

Sesame Street Safari Area

Elmo's Trek House

At the Carrousel

We ended up buying more souvenir pictures

Emma & Elmo

Abby Cadabby

Her face after touching Abby's nose is why we keep going back