Merry & Married

Bourbon, beignets and a baby!

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

My husband and I love to travel, and even more so now that we have our little girl. So soon as we had a 3-day weekend, we packed up our bags and hit the road to one of our favorite spots in Louisiana --- New Orleans!

Because we had a 10-month old baby in tow, we knew our itinerary would be different this time around, but fun nonetheless.

We embarked on our 5-hour road trip before the crack of dawn to ensure we made it to New Orleans just in time for some delicious charbroiled oysters and seafood gumbo at one of our favorite spots on the French Quarter - the Acme Oyster House.

The line was a bit long, but oh so worth it! Even our little munchkin enjoyed the menu.

Afterwards we decided to walk off our lunch at Jackson Square. It was our mother-in-law's first time in New Orleans, or Louisiana for that matter, so we wanted to make sure she experienced as much of it as possible.

With our baby on the stroller, it was rather easy to navigate through the streets of New Orleans. We even made our way down Bourbon Street because, well, everyone has to experience it! And we were actually pleasantly surprised to see how many families were strolling down Bourbon during the day with their little ones.

Later that evening, we wandered through the Garden District to admire the architecture of the homes there.

As for dinner, we stopped at this amazing hot dog place off Magazine Street - Dat Dog. Imagine crawfish-stuffed sausages and etouffee-topped hot dogs? Yep, they have them and they're mouth-watering!

On our second day, we checked out the cemeteries, which are above-ground tombs referred to as the "cities of the dead". At first I didn't understand what the big deal was, but once you step into these cemeteries, you are blown away by the magnitude of these tombs.

We also checked out the New Orleans City Park, and the levees, and capped off our night with a stop at Cafe Du Monde for their famous beignets.

So no, this time around we didn't party until wee hours of the morning, but we still enjoyed our trip very much because that's the beauty of jazzy New Orleans. It's one of those places where folks from all walks of life can find something fun to do.

If you've been wanting to take a trip to New Orleans but hesitate because you have little ones, we hope this will inspire you.

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When mommy works late...

Monday, May 23, 2016

(Bilingual - en español)

There's no denying it's hard to work late because I miss our little girl so much, but there are some benefits - really!

You see, when I work late, my husband gets the opportunity to bond with her even more, and it's absolutely precious.

As parents, it's very important that our baby girl knows early on that she can count on us. Regardless of how hectic our days are, we want her to know we're still there for her. Some days she may not have both of us playing with her in the living room, showering her with kisses and giving her undivided attention, but she will always have at least one of us.

So when I work late, I know she's in the best hands she can be with her daddy, and I can already see a special bond between them.

In love with daddy!

Sometimes he'll take her to Costco or Harbor Freights (Paul's favorite stores). Other times, he'll take her to the park or just watch football with her at home. Last week, they went to buy groceries and then Vida spent the afternoon outside watching her dad smoke salmon, which by the way was delicious! I'm working on convincing him to do a video tutorial because he's a pro!

Kicking it at Sprouts

Regardless of how they spend their evenings when I'm at work, there's no doubt Vida enjoys every minute she gets with her dad - just look at that face!

Plus, I absolutely adore the photo updates I get from my husband when he's out and about with Vida.

Long days at work will never be easy but getting photos like these fill my heart with joy. How do you guys manage when you work late? I'd love to hear from fellow working moms OR dads!

(En español)

No hay duda que es muy difícil trabajar hasta tarde porque extraño demasiado a mi pequeña niña, pero hay que ver siempre el lado positivo.

Cuando tengo que trabajar hasta tarde debido a eventos o juntas, mi esposo tiene la oportunidad de fortalecer aún más su relación con nuestra hija.

Como padres es muy importante que Vida sepa desde temprana edad que siempre puede contar con nosotros. Independientemente de lo ocupados que estemos, queremos que sepa que aún estamos ahí para ella. Algunos días no podrá tenernos a los dos presentes jugando con ella y dándole toda nuestra atención, pero siempre tendrá al menos uno de nosotros.

Así que cuando yo trabajo hasta tarde sé que está en las mejores manos posible con su papa, y me alegra mucho ver como florece la relación entre ellos dos.

A veces, mientras yo trabajo, la lleva a Costco o Harbor Freights (sus tiendas favoritas). Otras veces, se pasan las tardes en el parque o en casa viendo futbol americano. Por ejemplo, la semana pasada fueron a comprar el mandado para la semana y luego pasaron la tarde afuera preparando salmón a fuego lento.

No importa como pasen el tiempo, no cabe duda que Vida disfruta de cada minuto que pasa con su papa – ¡su carita lo dice todo!

Aparte, me encanta las fotos que me manda mi esposo cuando se andan paseando.

Tal vez nunca sea fácil trabajar días tan largos, pero me llena el corazón de alegría cada vez que recibo fotos y veo que se la están pasando muy bien juntos.

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Exploring the Children's Museum of Houston

Friday, April 22, 2016

(Bilingual - en español)

As a working mom, I look forward to the weekends and holidays to stay home with my baby girl. In April, due to bad weather in Houston, work was canceled and I got to enjoy a few extra days at home with her.

So soon as it was safe to travel on the roads, I took off to the Children's Museum of Houston to play with Vida and watch her explore her new skills.

The Children's Museum of Houston is actually HUGE - three stories and an entire outdoor section with an interactive water exhibit and an EcoStation! But because Vida is only nine months, we spent our entire time at the Tot*Spot, which is open to children from birth to 35 months only.

Ever since Vida mastered sitting up and crawling at the Children's Museum of Denver, we've made it a point to take her at least twice a month to a museum of some sort that provides plenty of hands-on activities for little ones and ample space to explore.

Now that she can crawl, she's unstoppable!

The Houston museum's entire Tots section is completely padded and has tons of toys for children to play with, including books and a playpen full of balls. This has helped Vida gain confidence as she practices standing up on her own and even takes a step or two while holding to our hands. As much as we baby-proof our home, her freedom to explore the house is still limited so this is a great alternative.

And well now she's unstoppable! She has even started to learn how to interact with other children her age which we love. So if you haven't already, make it out to the Children's Museum of Houston with your little ones or any museum for that matter. I'm biased about this one simply because it's so close to us, but we've also visited the Children's Museums in Austin, San Antonio and Denver, and they're all wonderful!

Como madre que trabaja, espero ansiosamente los fines de semana y días festivos para quedarme en casa con mi bebe. En abril, debido al mal tiempo en Houston, se canceló el trabajo y pude pasar varios días en casa con ella.

Tan pronto como lo era seguro viajar en las carreteras, nos fuimos al Museo de Niños de Houston para pasar la tarde jugando y ver como desarrolla sus nuevas habilidades. ¡El Museo de Niños de Houston es realmente enorme! Cuenta con tres pisos de exhibiciones, incluso una sección al aire libre con una exhibición interactivade agua y un EcoStation. Pero debido a que Vida aun no cumple al año, nos pasamos todo el tiempo en la sección Tot *Spot, que está abierta solo para niños desde nacimiento hasta los 35 meses de edad.

Desde que Vida aprendió a gatear en el Museo de Niños de Denver, nos motivamos a llevarla al menos dos veces al mes a un museo de algún tipo que ofrezca actividades para los pequeños y un espacio amplio y seguro para explorar.

Toda la sección Tot * Spot del Museo de Niños de Houston está completamente acolchonada y tiene un montón de juguetes, incluyendo libros y un corral lleno de bolitas como el que ven en las fotos (es el favorito de Vida). Esto ha ayudado mucho a que Vida agarre confianza en sí misma mientras practica ponerse de pie e incluso ya ha dados unos cuantos pasitos agarrada de nuestras manos.

¡Y así ahora no hay quien la detenga! Hasta ha comenzado a jugar con otros niños de su edad. Así que si no lo han hecho, les recomiendo que lleven a sus pequeños al Museo de Niños de Houston o de hecho, a cualquier museo de niños. Yo obviamente prefiero el de Houston simplemente por lo cerca que nos quedar pero también hemos visitado los museos de niños en Austin, San Antonio y Denver, y todos son increíbles.

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Loving motherhood, married life and my career

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

I remember early on in my pregnancy wondering how I would manage it all - being a wife, working full time and being a mom. As my belly grew, I went from wondering to worrying as the comments came flooding in. "How are you going to do it?" "I bet you won't go back to work." "When I had my children, I thought I could but I just had to stay home." "I could never leave my child's side."

Was everyone right? Am I crazy to think I can do it all? Am I already setting myself to be a horrible mother? I began to worry about how I would even survive, much less attempt to excel in all.

But when I set eyes on our baby girl for the first time, an incredible peace came over me.

Every time I held her, I felt stronger and more confident. I went from fearing to believing. With every day that passed, I kept thinking, I've got this!

Yes, there were many sleepless nights and challenging days. Many times I wondered how I would ever function on just 3-4 hours of sleep each night, but as my mom always said "Ya veras como le haces". (You'll see how you do it.)

And the thing is, you do. You find a way. When you love what you do, you make it happen.

Now, nine months later, I'm not just balancing my career, my marriage and motherhood, I'm LOVING it all.

So while I may not know the secret to sleep training, or best postpartum workouts, or even how to get a teething baby to stop fussing, I'm happy to share with you what I've lived so far - my personal adventure as a career-driven, busy mommy and devoted wife. If anything, I hope to provide you some encouragement and lift your spirits when you think you can't do it all.

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My 1st Trimester: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Being pregnant has been the biggest blessing BUT that doesn't mean it's been a rose-colored, paradise the whole way, at least not for me. Each pregnancy is different SO there may be women out there who had a glorious time every single day of their 9-month pregnancy. (If that's you, LUCKY YOU!) As for me, here's how my first trimester went down.

THE BAD & THE UGLY

Nausea felt like never-ending food poisoning. I did a lot of research the first day nausea hit me and came across articles alleging that cutting out all sugars and fried food prevented nausea. Other fellow mommies swore by crackers and ginger. But as for me, nothing worked except waffles and carbonated water. Not exactly a balanced diet, but it was all I could keep down so I made sure the waffles with maple syrup I ate were as healthy as could be (gluten-free, organic, etc...)

My sense of smell was my worst enemy. My sense of smell was so intense, I swear I could smell rotisserie chicken (my biggest food aversion) from the store's parking lot. Other days, I woke up detesting my husband's cologne, and every scented lotion I had went straight to the trash because I couldn't stand the smell of anything from Bath & Body Works.

Food aversions. Chicken has been the biggest one! One day I bought my husband a rotisserie chicken for dinner and although I stowed it in the trunk on the drive home, the smell was so overwhelming, I barely made it to the house. Other food aversions include: turkey, salmon and macaroni & cheese. (Oddly enough, those used to be my favorite foods pre-pregnancy.)

THE GOOD

Experiencing the first ultrasound. A-MA-ZING is the only way to describe the moment when you get to see your little bundle of joy and hear his/her heartbeat.

Our 1st doctor's appointment to confirm our pregnancy!

Brainstorming how to share the news.

We decided to wait until Christmas time to share the news. We told my parents first with a framed photo of the ultrasound and a letter their unborn grandchild in the back.

As for Paul's mom, we gave her a photo book of our relationship, from dating to engagement to our wedding, and the final page was the following...

Christmas Eve 2014

For Paul's dad, we also framed the ultrasound along with a decal for Paul's favorite college football team (CU Buffaloes) which said 'Little CU Fan on Board'.

Still being able to wear your clothes.

Pregnant but not showing yet so getting dressed every morning was nothing out of the ordinary. I enjoyed this phase as much as possible because things surely changed when I entered the 2nd trimester.

14 weeks pregnant

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A wedding-inspired nursery for our Baby Girl

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

It's crazy how much can change in the course of just one year! Last year during Easter weekend, my mom flew with me to Colorado to help plan my wedding.

Wedding planning - April 2014

This Easter, she drove up with my dad to Houston instead to help me prep the nursery for our baby girl!

Because our daughter will be born just a few weeks after our first anniversary, I was inspired to use our wedding's soft yellow and gray color scheme and chevron theme for her nursery.