THRIFTING LOVE!

Growing up my mom always took us to Bronco, a thrift shop right across from where we lived..I loved it,there was nothing like this back in Mexico.It was full of cool stuff and we always managed to get in trouble for moving everything!. After a while of living in the U.S. I got the memo from my peers that you shouldn't shop there "That was where the poor kids shopped" Well I was poor but I wasn't about to let them know. Of course as I got older everything embarrassed me, and being forced to shop there for clothes made me feel ashamed and very very sad for myself..WA!!! i was a big baby!... Today I can say proudly that I'm a thrifter! I go in there almost every week, to see what new treasures I can find...

So far ....

Center frame, Free

Cool new earrings, $1.00 each

Industrial cool looking side table..$3.00

Sweet day with my two boys !

Lucas tasted tomato for the first time

romantic

My two loves

From Panama with love

I guess we're living longer..Great Grandson cards really!! Love
them

Ah Valentines, It's honestly the first year we haven't been sooo broke that we can't go eat out. I had a great day with my two loves. L enjoyed some tomato and steak.. Mommy had a Carne Asada platter, delish. Dad had shreded steak tacos. The ambiance was great, there was a guy with a guitar and he played a song for L, boy was he excited. I've heard about these restaurants that ban children and I'm hoping I never experience anyone telling me that I can't bring my baby to their establishment. Anyway, we had a great time, We later visited Gg Schwabe, Auntie Eileen needless to say they got an awesome Valentine..Lucas :)

Lucas Valentine card

I made a DIY Lucas Valentine card..

I used a blanket for back drop
old broken sunglasses without lenses
took old red envelopes made hearts& bowtie (re-cycling :)
a little picassa editing
and there you go..

happy valentines everyone

What is working and not working with Lucas :)

7 mos bf :)

Lucas is breastfed and loves it....I breastfeed my child, and yes I do think breast is best.I understand it doesn't come easy for some women, there is so much that can make bf soo hard like latch, amount of milk, work, pumping, sleeplessness. I don't judge Moms, breastfeeding is a very personal choice. I actually never thought I'd be bf myself but it worked for me and I wouldn't have it any other way. It does however take a bit of sacrifice from the mom, but if your committed and love your babe it doesn't seem like that. I plan to bf now until L is ready to part with it..there i said it. In the past I've said that i wouldn't do it past 12 months but it was only because i was getting bullied to think it was gross to bf a tot. As L is growing my convictions are growing and I may stand up to those bullies one day.

Lucas eats with his hands, not with me feeding him(master of holding itty bitty cheerios)....I'm allowing my babe to self-feed (baby-led weaning) I think it improves and helps his motor skills and allows him to have fun and experience foods textures. I was worried about choking! I'm a first time mom so everything under the sun worries me. At 4 months I started wit mushy cereal to make sure he could swallow, and yes it turned out he could. To date he has tried a variety of food from strawberries to steak and chicken. I allow for time and to see if allergies do arise. Since he has a protein allergy to milk I have stayed away from cheeses and milk, At about 2 1/2 months the pediatrician gave me an ultimatum, to either go on a lactose free diet or I would have to stop bf and have him go on a soy based formula...needless to say I had to completely change my diet around. It has helped me loose the extra baby weight, at least. I'll wait until after 10 month to start giving him yogurt and other milk products.

Lucas goes in the potty (work in progress)....We have began doing Infant potty training, basically reading into his cues and placing him on the potty for him to go. I didn't expect to have poop the first time and I did. He has done well for his first week, he doesn't fuss or cry and in one day I've wasted about 2 diapers. The goal is to get him to be diaper less at 18 months but no pressure.It's one of the reasons I don't really wanna talk about it, except to my family. I was reading that the average tot isn't fully potty trained until age 4! wow!. We'll see how this pans out, as long as he's content we will keep this going.

Lucas sleeps w/ mom & pop( Not working for us )....oh and Co-sleeping, It is greatly shunned by Pd's because of the SIDS risk, again something I'd never think I'd try because of the risk.When done correctly it's very effective in getting baby to sleep, It has worked for us but it's time to get Lucas back to his crib. I can't sleep like this anymore, he's too big and I'm sore..
All mothers are different I have to say that I really enjoy being a mom. You have to do what works

How do i know my baby is sick?

Does he behave differently? A little, but something far more unexpected ..HE SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT.. well well, let's not get ahead of ourselves Adri. I'm still co-sleeping with wanting to transition onto his bed due to lack of space.I took Lucas in on friday because he had a serious cough followed by vomit, the doctor said it was mild pneumonia and wanted to keep an eye on it.He was prescribed some anti-biotics and basically a free pass on the whole No-tears approach momma is trying to get him back into his bed. Well Friday night to my surprise we only woke up with coughs not wanting to feed although I know it probably has to do with his body protecting him and wanting more rest outa him. Still, not being woken up to feed is quite a shock. I'd think that if he was sick i'd be up literally ALL night!. Last night he slept 5 whole hours un interrupted followed by a small feeding then back to sleep until 7:30 am when the cough-vomit began again. Not sure if we'll make a habit out of this wonderful sleep but all I want is for him to get better.

How i told my husband

Even though I'm still feeling pretty elated of sharing my status with umm probably no one reading I have to keep up with it and more posting about our family dynamics. My husb is an American citizen, He's in fact a mutt though.He has some Irish-Polish blood and some Mexican in him, fifth generation so no Spanish. We dated for for about 6 months before i told him about my status. I mean, you really don't go around saying this stuff!. He was my boss, so if it didn't work out I didn't want to get fired so i kept it a secret, until i knew he was the one for me. I broke the news to him over what else, a text.! He couldn't  believe it, "But your so Americanized " he added. Of course this didn't change how he felt about me, he actually got really protective and I drove less and less.We always joked how I was opportunistic gold digger and was marrying him for his money(we're broke lol) but more importantly his status..ha! You'd be surprised how many people actually marry for this specific reason. I have a friend who only dates citizens, it's part of the culture. Growing up at least in our household I always heard "You better marry a citizen" is this crazy or what.? Actually, I once had a guy I was dating (he's white) ask me to marry him! honest to god!! just so i would get my visa and go to school. He was such a sweetheart but I couldn't do that. To me marriage is a sacred, the vows I exchanged with my love mean the world to me and i hope to be with him for life!. So we will begin tackling this pesky situation slowly, and hopefully I get my residency and then my citizenship.

Be genuine, be original, be you!

I have been struggling with ending this blog. I've asked my self the following, What is the point of this blog? Do you want to write about just baby L? Is it a family blog? Is our life to boring for a blog?...And pretty much concluded that yes! My life is too damn boring for a blog. I'm a mom (wow so is a lot of women) I'm a wife ( ditto) I'm Mexican (yup) I'm an Illegal immigrant..... So there it is, a truth that I rarely share with strangers and the one thing that is trully me. I have been pushing myself to be more authentic with people. I've always struggled to be me and although I'm still searching I think i'm getting there little by little.

I was born In Juarez Chihuahua, Mexico on July 19, 1989.My story is one of many, the typical going north for more opportunities. I didn't come to the U.S. until I was 8, I am the oldest of four.I remember my life in Juarez being easy, much simpler. I remember being by myself a lot of the time, My brother is 5 years younger. I have always hated being an illegal as long as I can remember. When I was in high school I didn't try as hard as I should have because I knew there was no future in school for me. My parents brought me up with the belief that I wouldn't be able to go to school due to my "status". So I cruised. If you've ever heard of my native city then you know it's full of violence and crime. I have always been an asshole to my parents for bringing me here, for ripping me away from my roots as i so lovingly said one night to them. What would I be doing in Juarez I constantly wonder. Excuse me if this sounds like a jumble of words. It is. I can even being to write down what it means to be ILLEGAL. How much it sucks when you have to provide identification at a local bar to enjoy your first over 21 beer, and they say Nope sorry not valid here. You can't drive..still do. You can't travel..still haven't. I miss my grandma so much.She really raised me, my mom was always working my dad was in the U.S. The actual only vivid memory I have of my dad is of him prying me away from my bike, which was being repossed!!! My younger sis has been here since she was 9 months old, Do you think she feels Mexican? Nope she is an American. She loves this country. She goes to school. She knows she's illegal too.My brother is an excellent student, if anyone deserves to go to college is him!. My middle sis is more like me, not here nor there.Still all she knows is this country, she was one and a half.

Now to my present. I've been married for about 2 years know my husband for 4, we fell in love got pregnant, lost that little babe, grieved our love got stronger. Tried for a baby again with a heavy heart. Our rainbow baby was born June 29.. We soon have to start the immigration process and I have to say I'm a little nervous. Mainly because I broke the law. While I had no say in coming here, let me just say that I entered legally I just overstayed my visa. I know in order to keep going forward I have to get my shit together. I must fight to remain where i've grown up. I must fight to better myself and help my husband out. I wanna go back to school to be a photographer and graphic designer. I wanna accomplish my goals. I want to visit my grandma in Juarez.I will keep you posted on my Immigration trails