To the man...

To the man that swept me off my feet from our very first kiss.

To the man that spent every day of my pregnancy with me. Every day.

To the man that always surprised me with "the little things."

To the man that asked me to be his life-partner, became my perfect match, and then gave me the greatest gift out there - the gift of motherhood

To the man that our little girl´s eyes light up to when she sees him.

To the man that I look forward to spending the rest of my life with, growing old with, and watching our princess become a mommy one day.

To the man, the best father to Micaela and best partner to me. 

Happy Father's Day, and thank you for being YOU.

Letter to my princess: 27 months

Sweet princess, you are already 27 months old and I must tell you that I will never stop doing our little monthly updates because I just enjoy them so much that I want you to enjoy them later as well! I like to get in here once every month and update what has been going on with you, us, and our family during this stage in your life. What stage mommy? Oh you know, just that very vital toddler-hood stage.

You are so so smart. You amaze us every day with the things you know and you are constantly learning. Because of this, I am always looking for new ways to fill your brain. :/

I have had trouble trying to find things to teach you (silly, as there is a world of things to learn), because you already mastered your ABCs, numbers (up to 10 in English and up to 15 in Spanish), shapes, and colors. But, luckily, we have found quite a few things to work on these days...

Now we are learning what sounds the letters make and trying to figure out what letter each word begins with. I can tell that this will take us some time, as it is not an easy task. You have been doing a lot of memory activities as well and you do wonderful with that. We have one that we always do, and you sure have better memory than your old mama over here! 

You love other kids and always run to hug them without worrying if we have met them before or not. All while having the biggest smile on your face.

You are such a little mommy! It's so interesting to me... You will talk to your dolls and furry pets like they are your babies. You try to "feed" them, "cure" them when they are not feeling well, "make them sleep" when they are tired, etc, etc, etc. 

Sleep has stopped being an issue with us lately. I am so happy to say that we have been doing fine for a while.

Tantrums. I think we are going up (getting better) with these. I don't want to jinx myself, but this past month you have really started listening more and we don't have to tell you multiple times to do something (well we do, but not as often as we used to). You have also learned the importance of listening to mommy and daddy, especially when we are doing something fun, and know that if you don't practice your "listening skills" we will have to go back home. I can't say that we are out of the dark. I'm sure we will have many more hard times to come in this area of being a toddler, but it's looking up, and I'm proud of you for that.

Eating has also gotten better. Unfortunately, the only way we have figured out to do lunch is to tell you that you are eating all sorts of animals and you love it! I know, i know, we still have to work on you eating those healthy vegetables... but we´ve had great progress in this field... :)

Potty training. This is a whole post that I am saving for later. But to touch up on it here... we will start working on it the last week of this month (as it has also been agreed with your nursery teachers). I am hoping that we will be trained before you turn 3 (hahaha). I am sure you will!

You still suck your pacifier and twirl your "pitas - strings" at the same time. This is your soothing mechanism. We will however be trying to quit the pacifier sucking deal once you turn 3. We have a ways to go...

I could still write and write and write, because the truth of the matter is that beyond all issues that we may face with you now, you are such a happy, loving, full of energy and LIFE child and you continue to amaze your papa and I each and every day. You give the biggest hugs and the sweetest kisses and we are so grateful and honored to know you, love you, teach you, and make memories with you. The best risk taker in all the land, and the cutest little thing to ever stand. And that my dear is your mommy rhyming for you!

We LOOOOOVE you SOOOOOOO much,

Your Mamita

Parenting, a term with no concrete definition...

Parenting is a very interesting and yet undefined concept. There are so many experts that will tell you to do this in order to be in the right path and avoid that if you don´t want any problems later. They will tell you this will help your child grow and develop into a kind, patient, strong individual while that will surely end with a lot of... problems. Whatever those problems they predict will be... 

The dilemma with experts defining parenting is that every opinion is different. Sure, some may reflect the same bases. Yes, overall everyone can give you a general idea of their definition of parenting. But, when you start to dig deep into each different category pertaining to parenting, you will then begin to run into conflicting statements, styles, and points of view.

Parenting changes you as a person. Once you are a mother or a father you stop thinking about yourself and your needs. Nothing is black or white to you anymore. Everything requires checks and double checks. And changes? They are a constant in your life. One minute you think you know it all. The next you find yourself dumbfounded by something you just discovered.

If we were to question ourselves about something we decide to do, think about women 50 years ago and how they felt. When there was no such thing as car seats to protect their children. How about 20+ years ago when women were urged to formula feed versus breast? How about the times when mothers were told to put babies on their belly to sleep? "Experts" used to tell mommies not to hold their babies too much since attachment is bad, and that babies need to learn to cope. Years ago moms were told not to provide love to their babies. Pretty ridiculous, right?

"Do it this way. No don't do it this way. Do it that way. No wait, that's not good for the baby either. "

So I wonder. What will "the rules" be 20 years from now? What will the experts say that will meke it seem as if I were doing things wrong now?

I am a confident mother. I know that what I'm doing is best for my princess with the knowledge I have with me in this present day. Is it what every other mother is doing? Probably not, as all mothers are different. Is it that they are doing what people recommend? Maybe. But does that mean that future experts and researchers will agree with all the decisions that are made by mothers nowadays? Absolutely not.

I hope that my girl will always be aware that any decisions that I make as her mommy keep her best interest in mind. That before any expert, research article, or "trend" of the day, I use my motherly instinct, the knowledge that I hold, and follow my heart with every aspect of motherhood.

Sometimes, I learn from my own mistakes. Sometimes, I challenge myself to find different solutions or options for her. Sometimes, I read and read and read until my eyes were going to fall off.

Sometimes, I don´t read at all.

I don't believe there will ever be one definition of the perfect parenting style. Parenting is so complex as it is. So many different categories, so many different ways of going about things, so many different experts and differing opinions. It's one of the most controversial topics to date.

I don't believe you could ever describe the "perfect mother." The one who does all the things correctly, at all the right times, with all the right experts backing her up.

To me, the perfect mother is one who loves her children first, and unconditionally.

Everything else will just fall into place once you start by doing so...