It's your turn

Throughout my working life, I always did what I needed to do to make money and participate in the great rat race. Most of us do. While I always enjoyed the people I worked with and I genuinely cared about the company I worked so hard for, I knew that I didn’t want to work for someone my entire life and in an industry I’d only stepped foot in by chance. Or was it chance? But that’s a different conversation. Not many of us get the chance to truly do something we love to do as our profession. But every once in a while, I get to see or hear about this sparkling person, the person that ups and leaves and pursues their dream. I describe them as sparkling because when I meet or hear of them, they are so happy about what they are doing, or going to do, that they just sparkle. I can see this sparkle when they talk and in their beloved work. I was always so envious of these Sparklers and wished that I could do the same. But I was always so comfortable and fearful of…change maybe? Or going broke. Or maybe it was failing in my attempt to follow my dream. Most likely a combination of all these. So I was stuck. Watching the Sparklers sparkle while I did my daily rounds. Does this sound familiar? If it does and you’re fine with it, then fine. But if you’re not fine with it, why not do something about it. Open your eyes wide and just leap. Easier said than done, I know. Hell, why hadn’t I leaped and opened my spa business? I’ve only been talking about it for over a decade. My answer to that is that I ignored those precious windows of opportunity and I was too cozy in my spot in life for leaping. Windows of opportunity open all the time for us. Opens for us to up and leave and realize that dream, to do something good for others and to allow change to come into our lives. We then decide if we want to jump through or not. For me, I’ve been sitting for quite some time, but this year I was inspired by so many people…friends, teachers, card makers, bloggers, cake makers, gurus of all kinds and most importantly, my daughter and husband. I’ve been inspired, I’m ready for change and I no longer wanted to sit…so I leaped. I decided to leave my daughter in the care of someone else (one of the hardest things I’ve ever done) and got a job in the spa industry. I’m ready to realize my dream and immerse myself in the work. And I’m giddy every time I think about it because I can’t believe I finally leaped…all thanks to those that inspired me. Funny thing is, by me taking a leap and following my dream, I have inspired a friend to do the same. He’s going to be leaving a job a million folks would kill for to pursue his own dream. I wonder what person he’ll be inspiring.

Thanks a million to my husband, daughter, Gloria, Lydia and Jennifer for helping me become a Sparkler. Love you guys!

It's time...

I haven't been out of work for more than 3 months and I'm already itching to get back to work. I dusted off my resume this week and will be running around town next week to convince, bribe and beg for a job in an industry of which I have no experience in. I do have managerial and project management experience and I've led teams and presented to clients, so I'm hoping these qualities are enough to get my foot through the door. I really so want to be in the spa industry.

In addition to wanting to work again, it's really important that I start socializing the monster. We are together everyday, every hour and there is not really any outside interaction. We entertain ourselves all day and it's time for her to learn to be around others for a block of time.

Back to shape update - I was getting lazy because the pounds were coming off fast due to breastfeeding. My goal was 145 pounds by August 29th. Welp, that's next week and I'm 2.5 lbs away. I'm already smaller in size than I was before the pregnancy, but man am I jello! I seriously need to get some tone back, so I'll be working on that...when time allows! Sometime inbetween my new job, caring for my baby and husband and cleaning. :)

Ciao4now

Don't be a Salmon

Just when you think you have it all under control with either the sleep schedule or eating situations, the baby mixes things up. The lil monster has had trouble eating for the last month or so and it is affecting her sleep...and most importantly my sleep. Not enough sleep = bad mood Claudia. I'm 97% sure my milk supply is low because she fusses after 10 minutes of eating and she puts anything that is in sight into her mouth even right after feeding. Last clue that milk is dying is that when I pump right afterwards, I get 1/2 oz of milk at best.

At first the nights were bad because she was waking up more often than usual due to the lack of calories she consumed during the day. It's so frustrating when she wakes up 3-4 times a night knowing that she can and has slept 6-7 hours straight...multiple times. The day was just as bad because she'd cry and fuss every 3 hours (while I fed her) and it's is frustrating and heart-wrenching at the same time. Why can't I provide for my daughter?! Yes, I can supplement, but I'm really trying not to give up on breastfeeding. I want those extra 10 IQ points for her, dangit! After 3 weeks of this exhausting routine and reading up on solutions I decided to feed her every 1.5 hours or so....this way, she would get as much as she can all the whilst her continuous sucking queues my body to make more milk. She's seems happier overall even though she still fusses after 10 min of feeding and her sleeping is better. I realized that when I stop fighting it and just except how things are going to be instead of trying to make them what I need them to be, things got better.

Go with the flow.

First letter

Dear Olivia,

As I sit hear watching you while you eat, an overwhelming feeling of happiness overcomes me and a tear of absolute gratefulness rolls down my cheek. I suddenly have the urge to write you a letter in the nearly blank journal your father gave me when we learned that you were growing inside me. I want tell you how happy and blessed I feel to have you are in our lives though I’m not quite sure I can ever really describe the tingly feeling inside my heart when I just look at you…or even think of you. You are just over four and a half months old and we still can’t believe you’re here with us…that we have a beautiful, healthy baby girl. Your smiles and quirky chuckles entertain us so and we can easily stare at you all day just to get one gummy laugh from you. It melts our hearts when you do.

You have blossomed so much in just the last month. You play with your dolls and toys more. You suck your toe, which I think you do because we nibble on your feet all the time, so it must taste good, right? You roll over with ease and this scares mommy a little because you do it while you’re asleep too. Soon you’ll be crawling and eating solid foods and saying “Mama”. Say it with me “Ma-ma”. I know that even if I try to teach you to say “Mama” first, you’ll say “Dada” anyway. But that’s ok, I’ll still love you.

I don’t want the years to fly by, but I know they will and when they do, I know you’re going to grow up to be a smart and beautiful girl. Your father and I are determined to give you the very best life we can give you. The three of us have already been through so many ups and downs and there will be forever more, but we can and will get through it all…together. We will always be here for you. To listen, give, teach, share and love…Whenever you need and want it…and sometimes when you don’t think you need it at all.

My sweet Olive, thank you for blessing us and coming into our lives. Thank you for teaching us about a love we never knew…and about patience and sacrifice. Thank you for allowing me to hold you just a little longer right before I put you down to sleep. I never mind it…not even at three in the morning. Sweet dreams, Olivia. I love you.

Intervention for Twitter?

I am completely and utterly obsessed with Twitter. For those of you that have been living under a rock, Twitter is the latest social networking obsession of the world. Children, adults and businesses are twitter-crazy. Businesses especially have found Twitter to be such a wonderful and successful tool to reach people. It's insane! Newspapers, emails and television news are all now a second thought because of how quick information travels and to so many people at once with Twitter.

I spend every other minute watching my crackberry to see if the light is blinking, which indicates I a new tweet has come in. I have to hold myself back from tweeting all day. I feel a high when someone responds to or retweets my tweets. It's all crazy. But I love it. I use it to read up on what my friends are doing, which is similar to Facebook but Twitter is more of an IM style because of how fast information flows. :) I also use Twitter for education purposes. You will find experts of all sorts, including Dr. Oz and Jillian Michael's, and you can follow them to read up on their latest advice, findings, research, etc. I'm into skincare right now and it's unbelievable how much I have learned in the last months from just reading tweets. Check me out (partlycloudi) sometime and the other folks I follow. It's all day, FREE entertainment.

Catchalaters,
Claudia

New Mothers, if you never read anything ever again...

...must read this!

Naps will be your ticket to sanity. Nap start and end times are extremely important. Baby MUST nap!

Around 2 months of age, I started noticing that Olive would get cranky 90 minutes after she woke up from her naps. 3 weeks after religiously following the clock and putting her down every 90 minutes, a friend gave me a book about the N.A.P.S. program, which proved my time theory right. Bottom line in the book: note the time your baby wakes from a nap and 90 minutes later, put them down for another nap. Because of the sleeping patterns, this works. Want to know what happens when your baby doesn't go down for a nap...disaster for mommy. The baby is more cranky and it is much harder to get the baby to go to sleep if you pass that 90 minutes. What happens is that the baby will enter a new cycle of alertness.

Before I learned to read her cues and pay attention to the clock, that monster of mine would cry even though she was fed, clean and held. If those three things are checked off as done and the baby is crying like crazying...chances are that they're just tired. The baby may not act like they're tired because they may cry even more when you put them down, but give it a couple of minutes. You'll find a crazy, crying baby will be a quite, sleeping one soon enough. The key!...is to start rocking and putting the baby to sleep 10-15 minutes before the nap time. That way, you're not doing play time to nap time in 60 seconds. They need time to wind down and get ready for sleep...just like us. This same logic applies to when you're ready to put baby down to sleep for the night.

Putting a baby to sleep either for naps or bedtime can be pretty rough. Most important thing to do is be consistent, stick with it and remember that it may not be comfortable with whatever method you choose to put your little one down. It WILL pay off in the end. Good luck

Confessions and Shout-outs

I've been feeling real bad about the lack of posts I'm doing on my blog. You'd think I have more time to do so now that I'm a stay at home mom. Truth is, that little baby is keeping me tied up. I used to think that when she naps, I can clean or write, but I've surprisingly been taking naps at the same time. I've never been a napper, so it's very new...not to mention lovely! There's also all the updating I'm doing on Facebook and Twitter, so sometimes I forget to show love on here. But I'm going to try to get better about writing more. There are some reviews I'd like to post on stretchmark creams and new makeup I've recently tried. Be sure to visit every once and again...

Fashion Week in Austin kicked off last night and I had a blast. We visited a couple of places, but by far my fav was Waterstone Aesthetics on Guadalupe near campus. A lovely pair owns the place and I'd love to go back for treatments or a cut/color. Good luck and congratulations on the new baby, Waterstone!

Um....yeah...

Lo siento my amigos! I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted. A lot has gone downduring that time. I went back to work! Here's my story...

My mother-in-law watched over Olive as I went back to work...still awaiting the answer on whether or not I could work from home, work part-time from home and the other time at the office, or if I could just work part-time hours at home. They declined all three requests. I then did something they were not expecting. Something that kept me up for days just thinking about. I quit my job! I handed my letter of resignation to the boss and gave him my two week notice. Booyah AT&T! It felt liberating and I was excited to continue to be home with my lil monster. I was on a high from the excitement...but that high lasted 24 hours and then reality set in. Holy shit! I just quit my job. My family will be living off one salary...holy shit! I mean...we've been saving for this...hubby and I knew it was likely to come down to this, but to think about quitting and actually doing it is not the same. Of course, I still stand by my decision because taking care of my lil girl a little longer until she's less fragile is just priceless.

I've been jobless for a week now and I'm lovin' it. It feels good and I think Olive is happy to have me back full-time too. :)

So what's next for me...
I've always dreamt about owning a spa. I've talked about it for over a decade and I think I'm going to look into it further. Once Olive gets a little bigger I may take some courses. It's definitely a new direction...it's exciting and scary at the same time. I just hope I don't fail. I can't fail.

I won't fail!

P.S. Congratu-effin-lations to my very good friends (whom shall remain anonymous until I get their approval to write about them :)) They're pregnant, which was no easy feat to achieve, and I'm dorkishly giddy with joy every time I think of their achievement. Yup yup yup!

We Did It!

On Sunday, my sister and I completed the Danskin Triathlon. This is a HUGE feat for the both of us. My sister has just recently gotten serious about working out for her health and this triathlon is the biggest workout that she has ever done. She finished with a smile and a huge sigh of relief. I’m so proud of you, Vanessa! I knew you can do it.

As for me, this was very important for me to complete. To be able to complete a triathlon only after 3 months of giving birth is a big accomplishment for me. I signed up for this in order to force myself back into my routine of working out. It’s my hobby. It’s my own quiet time. I get to reflect, think and dream while I go for a run. No interruptions. No dialog. Just me and my thoughts and my music. Just writing this makes me want to go for a run right now, but I just had a margarita with my mother-in-law, so I best relax…that’s not to say that I’ve never drank and run before. :)

Decisions, Decisions

Today was my first day back to work. I’ve been pretty anxious for the last several days knowing what the result of my request to work from home part-time would be. The answer is “no”. The answer is also “no” to me working from home full-time. So my options are to either find a nanny to watch Olive from home…and quick! The other option is to quit. I’d love to try to make it work to see if I can even do it, but at the same time it’s hard to imagine someone else taking care of my baby while I’m at work. I’m scared they’ll undo all the work I’ve done with her nap routine or maybe Olive will think we’ve abandoned her. It also feels like work is anticipating my resignation. There’s a big move coming up in the next week and in the plans they have me sitting in a bullpen…with two contractors. :( A girl about to give birth in two weeks will even have her own cube…and she’ll be out for 3 months!…AND I’ve been at the company over 4 years more than she. So it’s crap. Knowing this fact makes me want to show them up and work full-time.

Leave my baby in the hands of someone else and return to work.
Stay at home with her, not get paid and risk having trouble finding a job later on.
I’ve got lots to think about.

Meet the Parents

So my brother and his girlfriend came to Texas to visit for several days. He flew in to Austin and hung out with us plus my dad and we did the must do’s for Austin. Trudys. Chuy’s. Barton Springs. Bone Daddy’s….Ok, so maybe Bone Daddy’s isn’t an Austin staple, but my dad and brother (and hubby) love that place. It’s like Hooters with bbq and instead of the tan tights the girls wear short ass shorts and frilly socks with mary janes. Much classier. :)

We had a blast and I gotta say that my brother’s girlfriend is a keeper. She wasn’t only super nice and knows the lyrics to every single song we heard, but she was able to keep up with the nutty family that we are. By “we”, I mean my brother, sister and dad. My mom and I are the normal ones…for the most part. :) First off, she has super patience to put up with my brother back in Tacoma. He’s a farting machine and will straight up fart in a store while he’s standing next to her, walk away and leave her with the staunch and for others to think she was the one that farted. My sister felt up her boobs the first day they met (I was a little jealous…they were purchased!). My dad pissed off the pool deck at our condo community (public space!) in broad day light and in front of the gf. I’ll admit that I picked blackheads off my dad’s back in front of her, but she seemed pretty interested as she hovered over me to watch me do it. All in all, we all had a good time. I think she enjoyed our kookiness and hospitality. She seems like a good, wholesome girl. Her dad was in the military for years and her parents are still together…AND she has fake boobs. Those are some good stats right there. :) Hopefully my brother doesn’t fart himself towards a break up because we all loved her. There was no mention of his wife (or ex-wife) so I can’t tell you if he’s still married or not. I’ll leave that for another conversation when he comes back down in July. Ta Ta for now.

Check in

I weighed in at 152 this week. Looks like I’m losing 1 lb a week and I’m very happy with the progress I’ve made so far. I also fit into my jeans again, which makes momma very happy. I know I said I wasn’t going to start shopping until I hit my goal weight of 150, but since I’m 152 and my boobs weight 2 lbs each (at least) I consider myself under 150. :) Whatever, I just want to start shopping already! My closet is fully of big shirts to hide my once there pregnant belly and clothes that are 2-3 years old…or more! I still have a shirt hanging that hubby gave me 10 years ago! In a way it’s nice that I still fit into clothes I wore 10 years ago, but I need to give it up. I don’t want to be put on “What Not To Wear” (I love that show, btw).

I’m still training for the triathlon and my sister and I are pretty scared for the hills that are to come the day of. After the triathlon is done I’ll be changing up my workout routine. Some of the fat is gone, so now I need to start toning up. I think more weight training and boxing is in order.

That’s all for now…gotta go pick up my brother from the airport. Stay tuned to see how it goes with meeting his new girlfriend and if he’ll be up for telling me when he’s going to get a divorce from the other chick.

Time flies when you're having fun

Olive is 10 weeks today! I have no idea where the time has gone and I just can’t believe how she’s growing. The little monster is now smiling. At me no less! Can you believe it?! I’m beginning to think she doesn’t hate me anymore. :) She’s smiling, cooing and even grunts back when we make grunting and growling noises at her. She’s definitely more fun these days, and the nights are usually nice with 4 hour stretches of sleep…sometimes 5!

Olive will finally get to meet her uncle. My brother is coming down to Austin this weekend, so it’s going to be another exhausting, but fun time. Hope he and his girlfriend can sleep through the crying baby. :) Having company over is when we really realize that our lives have changed. We can’t just make plans on the whim and I can’t enjoy a drink like I used to. Breaking her nap/sleeping routine is not something we like to do, but it’s hard not to when we have entertaining to do. I also have to watch my alcohol intake since I’m still breastfeeding. We have a small supply frozen as back-up, but it’s the mere fact that I would have to pump and dump that bothers me. I just don’t enjoy a drink anymore without stressing out about testing my milk for alcohol and pumping and dumping. It’s just not worth it. Breast milk is sacred to me and there are mother’s out there that would kill to provide this to their baby. Yet here I am, poisoning my milk with Mexican martinis with no salt and extra olives. So delicious! Oh, but I’ll still have one this weekend at Trudy’s. There’s lots to celebrate with Olive being 10 weeks and the arrival of my brother and his girlfriend…of which we can’t wait to meet. She seems real nice and my brother has been to Drama Town and back with his ex-wife…or is she still his wife? I dunno anymore. I stopped asking.

So before I forget, I finally uploaded some pics of Olive. It’s been a couple of weeks since I posted any of her.