The Villalpando Fam

CONFESSIONS: PART 2

2012-02-02T13:57:00.000-06:00

1. I can't eat an entire apple in one sitting. I get through half of it and then I start gagging. It's so bizarre.

2. Since one of my resolutions was to be healthier I can honesty say that I have drank 6-8 glasses of water every day. It's a record.

3. I am currently exercising using the Couch 2 5k app and I love it! I'm on week 5 and I am running 7 minutes at a time (another record for me!).

4. I haven't run 7 minutes straight since high school. (a damn shame) and it feels SOOO good! I've really grown to love jogging and how it makes my body feel.

5. I can't wait to get pregnant again. I had a pretty good pregnancy with Jocelyn (minus the 3 months of all day sickness and the migraines). I loved being pregnant. Like, LOVED it!

6. I can't wait until our cars are paid off. By October of this year we should have one car paid off and the other very close to being paid off and it's going to be awesome.

7. Sometimes I still feel guilty when I want time to myself. Makes me feel like a bad mom.

8. There has been a few things on my heart lately. Things that I'm not going to put publicly on my blog but let's just say that sometimes I feel like I'm crazy. Seriously.

9. I can count on one hand the number of real girlfriends I have.

10. I usually really like Valentine's Day. I'm one of those people that gets all into it. But, for some reason, I'm not that excited about it. I don't know why. Weird.

40 DAYS IN THE WORD

2012-01-23T14:45:00.000-06:00

We were sitting in church the other day and Pastor Mark was talking about the new series that Community of Faith will be starting called "40 Days in The Word". He said that, at that time, they still needed quite a few people to step up and be willing to host groups for this series. I instantly felt a pull from God saying "go for it"! We have been blessed to have a nice home and I want to use it for His glory!

So what does this mean for you? Well I would love for you to join me!

January 28 & 29, 2012 (February 2nd for my group), we will begin our journey through 40 days in the Word! This six-week study will focus on six principles of God’s Word, and will help teach you to be not only a “hearer” of the Word, but also a “doer”. We hope you will join us as we dig into God’s word and discover all of the great things He has in store for us in 2012 through this exciting, life-changing study!

When: February 2 - March 8, Thursdays at 6:30pm

Where: My home in Cypress

(if you would like to come email me and I will give you my address)

Who: This group is open to women of all ages (sorry guys!)

Signing Up: To sign up for this group click here.

or you can email me your contact information & I can get you placed in my group.

jessica[dot]villalpando[at]gmail[dot]com

(Side Note: If you use the link to sign up please email me that you did so,

so I can make sure you are added to my group.)

I'm super excited about this! I can't wait to see how God is going to change my life and the lives of everybody involved. It's going to be great!

PHOTO BOMB!

2012-01-22T22:50:00.003-06:00

Here are recent pictures from my iPhone! Enjoy!

This was Game Night the other weekend. Richard is being a picture creeper

& Sergio and Laura are looking like one smokin' couple!

Our little princess!

This weekend we went and hung out with my uncle and his family and Jocelyn

had a blast with him. Can you find her in this picture? LOL.

This is Jocelyn & Adalyn! She is my uncle's (pictured above) new baby girl and she is a doll!

I could just eat her cheeks. They are so chubby!

Jocelyn & Daddy - New Year's Eve 2011

Michael & John were college roommates and now best friends!

Michael invited us to a Rockets game the other week and it was so fun!

Best buds! (BTW, we are SOOO excited about Michael & Mary's wedding in July!)

She's so beautiful!

Jocelyn & Uncle Jake. Uncle Jake is Jocelyn's second favorite guy in

the whole world!

John before surgery.

Jocelyn & Mommy - New Year's Eve 2011

My life!

Sisters!

That's it!

HELLO 2012!

2012-01-20T11:45:00.000-06:00

Ok so I'm a bit late. We are almost out of the first month of 2012. It's been a good month!

This year I really told myself that I was going to start writing more. I love writing. Unfortunately, for you blog readers, I've been writing more in my journal than on this here blog. But I really want that to change. I'm really going to try to write here more. (I already have some posts I'm preparing.) So I'm going to commit to writing at least 3 times a week. Now don't hold me to that but I promise I will try.

I feel like 2012 is going to be a great year for The Villalpando Family and I want to share it with all of you!

Thanks for reading, y'all!

[[RESOLUTIONS]]

2011-12-31T14:12:00.000-06:00

I'm not one for "resolutions" per say but I do have some things I would like to work on for 2012. I have a feeling 2012 is going to be a great year for us so I'm looking forward to it!

For 2012 (in no particular order)...

I'll just get this one out of the way... I would like to be healthier. I'm not going to put that I want to lose weight (even though I do). I want to learn to love my body. Whether I'm 170 lbs or 130 lbs. This body has the stretch marks to prove that it's strong and it gave me my precious baby girl. So I want to learn to love it and treat it right.
I want to get more organized! I'm a super organized person but I feel like in the past few months my house and my car have been so out of whack. And when there is mess around me I feel the anxiety kick in. So here's to being more organized.
Last but not least (certainly the most important)... I want to better my relationship with the Lord. I want to spend daily time in His Word. I want to start a Bible Study (like I said I was going to). I want to go to church every Sunday, even if John can't come with me. To better my relationships with everyone in my life it has to start with my relationship with the One and Only.

So that's it. Healthier. More organized. And God.

Here's to 2012 and what it will bring!

A SAVIOR IS BORN...

2011-12-24T15:00:00.001-06:00

I'm in awe every year at this time of year when there are presents to be bought and family to be seen.

In awe that so often I forget to true reason for the season.

Oh thank you, THANK YOU, Lord for your Son. Our world is so broken without him.

So this season I pray that your family know the real reason for the season

and that you are filled with overwhelming joy!

For A SAVIOR IS BORN!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

from our family to yours!

BEING A WIFE MEANS...

2011-12-21T11:46:00.000-06:00

admitting you are wrong even when you think you are right...

putting pride aside...

praying relentlessly for your husband...

getting over some pet peeves you used to have because

you are stuck with them for the rest of your life...

encouraging your husband...

that sometimes you won't have time for yourself...

making sure that your husband doesn't have to worry about petty things

around the house because he works so hard to provide for your family...

that I get to fall asleep & wake up next to my best friend every day...

challenging your husband at the same time that you are supporting him...

being able to laugh with your husband over the 1st time you tried to use the grill

without his help & burnt the chicken to a crisp...

knowing that your husband will always protect you...

always having a partner for Game Night...

never having to search for the other half of my heart...

there is no greater joy than seeing the father

of your children embracing fatherhood...

being able to spend the rest of your life with your soul mate

& not wanting it any other way...

CONFESSIONS: PART #1

2011-12-19T15:18:00.000-06:00

I saw this over on Kelly's Korner blog and thought it was a fun idea. I have a feeling I've done this before but for the life of me I can't find the actual post. Oh well. Here are random confessions from yours truly...

I love beef jerky. Like with a capital "L". It's a sick obsession. I should probably see someone about it considering I could eat an entire bag of beef jerky in one sitting. I know. Sick.
Sometimes I fall asleep with makeup on. I know it's disgusting. I actually learned that every night you fall asleep without taking off your makeup, you age 10 days. So that would mean I've aged about 3-4 years. I'm a lot better at taking my makeup off now before bed but sometimes I'm just so dog tired that I can't help it.
I'm not intimidated by many people but my boss intimidates the crap out of me. And it's not like he is a mean guy. I think it's the fact that I can't read him. Sometimes he wants to joke around and then a second later he is all business. It's confusing y'all!
I'm a FIRM believer in "do unto others as you would have others do unto you" (Luke 6:31). I will respect people if they respect me. I won't lie to people so I expect them not to lie to me. I've had my fair share of crappy friendships where it was so one-sided. I have a awesome friends now though.
I hate open doors. It's weird. I always have to have every door shut in our house if they aren't in use. Poor John has probably heard me say "shut the bathroom door" about 5,185 times because I can't sleep when it's open. Our pantry door swings open if it isn't shut all the way and it drives me bonkers.
Another pet peeve is when people stand up from sitting at the table and don't push their chairs in. I mean that is proper table etiquette right? Duh!
Sometimes I think about going back to work full time instead of part time. It would help with the finances but I can't wrap my mind around losing that precious time with Jocelyn. But I know working mamas do it every day.
I talk to my mom every day. (Ok. That really isn't a confession. Just a fact.) Usually we call each other in the mornings before work. And I usually call her after work. And we text throughout the day. And then me and Jocelyn usually go to her house Saturday and Sunday mornings when John is at work for coffee and eggies. It's nice only living 1.2 miles away from your parents. What can I say? She's my bff.
I can't wait for Jocelyn to be a big sister. The thought of her running around with her sibling makes my heart skip a beat. I LOVE LOVE LOVE being a big sister. I have the best of both worlds because I have a little sister and little brothers. So for my firstborn to be a big sister makes me so super duper happy!
I'm sometimes torn about what I really want to go back to school for. I would love to be a high school teacher but sometimes I think I would be really good at something like Human Resources or Management. Geez those are on totally different ends of the spectrum.

Enough about me...

What are your confessions?

THE PLAN

2011-12-14T09:59:00.000-06:00

Unless you are friends with me on Facebook or follow my tweets then you don't really know what's been going on in our lives. Well, come to think of it, even if you do follow my social networking then you still probably don't know what's been going on. Ha.

John was promoted to District Manager at his company. The promotion itself is awesome but he has been super busy and works at least 6 days a week. It's been tough because me and Jocelyn miss him and want him home with us but he does have a job to do. Poor guy! He has to get surgery for THREE hernias at the beginning of January. He isn't looking forward to that but he will actually get some days off which is going to be really nice!

Jocelyn is a toot. She is in a whiny stage where she just whines for everything. I've had to calm her down and tell her to use her words if she wants something. It's not working. Haha. Oh toddler hood. She is starting to repeat more and more words. It's amazing to see her develop and makes it a little bit easier to understand what she wants.

Me? Well ya know? Same 'ol, same 'ol. Not but really. Starting next month I will be going back to school. Before John and I got married I was so close to getting my AA degree and I can't even tell you why I stopped attending. I guess I just wanted to be a wife. And then we decided to have a baby. It's all worked out fine but I am excited about going back. There are so many wonderful options for women (or men) that want to get a degree and be a wife and be a mom and so on. You really can do it all! And that's what I had to tell myself... I don't want to settle (not that I would necessarily be "settling" for my family) but I wanted something that Jocelyn would be proud of me for and something that I could be proud of myself for. So I will be going back to pursue an Associates of Arts in Education. It may take a while and its going to be hard but it's possible!

Anyways. We are excited about Christmas! My sister-in-law comes home next week and we haven't seen her since Labor Day so we are excited about that! Excited about spending time with family and I'll be off of work the entire week after Christmas! Woo hoo!

So that's it. That's the plan!

HUSH LITTLE BABY

2011-12-12T12:07:00.001-06:00

UPDATE FROM LAST NIGHT: So I did everything I said I was going to do. Dinner. Bath. Books. Bed. Jocelyn still cried for about 45 minutes but eventually went to sleep. And she didn't throw up! And she slept THE ENTIRE NIGHT... until 9am! Hallelujah! Hopefully it wasn't a fluke. We will find out tonight. I think the sound machine really helped. It's what she was used to as a baby. So let's pray that tonight is as good as last night... without the crying.

That seems like an appropriate title for this post because I feel like I've been repeating that song in my head for the past week when it comes to putting Jocelyn down to sleep. (Ok more like screaming that song in my head.)

You see what had happened was...! Lol. Ok I'm so tired that I'm delirious and writing nonsense.

Ok back to the point. So we were those parents that let our kid sleep with us for a while. Eight months to be exact. I would try to put her in her crib but it never worked. So after a good pep talk from my motherhood guru, Laura, we decided that it was time to let her cry it out. The problem was... she would cry so hard that she would vomit. Gross. It took a good 4-6 months to get Jocelyn to finally go to bed without crying (and vomiting).

So Jocelyn had been doing exceptional the past few months. We would tell her it was time for "night-night" and she would run to the stairs, ready to go to bed.

Then a week ago it all changed. Now we can't even mention the words "night-night" because she starts hyperventilating! I don't understand it. Did something frighten her? Is she cold? Is she hot? Why all of a sudden does she hate sleeping in her room?

I admit that we might have contributed to this because we got in the habit of letting her lay in bed with us for a bit before we took her up to her room and occasionally she would fall asleep in our bed and we would transfer her upstairs. So has she gotten used to falling asleep with us? We tried taking her upstairs last week after falling asleep in our bed and she had a fit.

So as of right now I'm out of ideas on what to do. I mean I am going to change some things up a bit like:

Get back into a bedtime routine that we got out of. Dinner. Bath. Snuggle (not in mommy and daddy's bed) and then Night Night (in her own bed).
Joc usually gets a cup of milk after bath time but I am going to cut it out this week. We are going to have to cut it out eventually to get ready for potty training. So I'm going to make sure she is drinking her cup of milk at dinner time.
I used to use a sound machine in her room when we first started letting her cry it out and then I thought it might be interrupting her sleep but I'm going to try to use it again tonight and put it on the timer to turn off after an hour. (Although I'm nervous that she will wake up in the middle of the night and the sound machine just might soothe her back to sleep.)

So that's the plan. I'm open to any other suggestions this wonderful blog world might have. Because this mama is tired, frustrated, discouraged and bitchy. And we all know... if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

NOV. 11

2011-11-11T08:31:00.001-06:00

Thankful for the men and women that fight or have fought for us.

We are eternally grateful!

Happy Veterans Day!

"This nation will remain the land of the free

only so long as it is the home of the brave."

Elmer Davis

21 MONTHS

2011-11-10T09:26:00.000-06:00

Joc,

You are 21 months old today! That means that Mommy will start getting ideas for your 2nd birthday party!

There are times that I look at you and still can't believe you are mine. Isn't that funny? I still can't believe you are mine but you were meant for me.

For 21 months I'm going to write 21 fun facts about you.

21 Fun Facts about Jocelyn

by Mommy

1. You are constantly on the go. You don't just walk anymore. You run everywhere.

2. You still love to be outside.

3. You are still in a size 4 diaper.

4. You can wear some 18 month clothes but mostly you are in 24 months even if they are a little big.

5. You wear a size 5 1/2 - 6 shoe.

6. You drink about 4 cups of milk a day and 2 cups of water.

7. You still aren't interested in going in the potty.

8. You love talking on "the phone". Basically anything that resembles a phone. You walk around the house just jibber jabbering. I think most of the time you are talking to Prince Charming.

9. You love to kiss and hug mommy and daddy. Especially at the same time.

10. You are still a picky eater but will eat fruits and veggies so it's ok.

11. You don't watch as many movies as you used to.

12. You LOVE to read books.

13. You take one nap a day for about 2 -3 hours.

14. You still sleep great at night.

15. Here is a list of words you can say: mama, dada, yia yia, cuuup, tang (Tangled), ohhh, papa, coco,

I'm sure there is more.. My mind is blank right now.

16. You have recently started resisting bath time unless we put bubbles in the bath.

You used to love bath time.

17. Your laugh is contagious.

18. You love your sitter, Ms Rosy.

19. You love playing with accessories. Sunglasses, hats, jewelry.

20. You prefer playing with puzzles over any other type of toy.

21. You love Bunny and Mr. Wiggles.

21 months ago, when I held you in my arms, I knew why God made me want to be a mama so badly. I was waiting for you. Everything about you makes sense to me.

You are everything I've ever wanted.

So here's to 21 months Baby Girl! Here's to making them the best of my life!

To the moon and back,

Mommy

NOV. 10

2011-11-10T08:04:00.002-06:00

Thankful for a healthy and happy 21 MONTH OLD little girl!

NOV. 9

2011-11-09T11:45:00.000-06:00

Thankful for deep conversations with my husband

that make our bond even stronger.

NOVEMBER THANKS

2011-11-09T11:44:00.000-06:00

I've been seeing everyone post on Twitter and Facebook each day for the month of November things they are thankful for. I did this once on Twitter and then just converted to my journal. So I've been writing what I'm thankful for in my journal but I'm going to start updating on here also.

So let's play catch up:

Nov. 1

Thankful for having a Lord to know and love.

Nov. 2

Thankful for a husband that supports me and loves all of me.

Even my flaws.

Nov. 3

Thankful for a little girl that lights up my world even in the darkest places.

Nov. 4

Thankful for girlfriends that I can lean on and that encourage me to be a better wife and mother.

Nov. 5

Thankful for a mom that is not only my mom but my best friend.

Nov. 6

Thankful for God's comfort when it comes to finances.

Nov. 7

Thankful for Facebook (weird, I know) because it allows me to stay in touch with old friends.

Nov. 8

Thankful for a job that allows me to be a working mama and a stay at home mama at the same time.

I FORGOT I HAD A BLOG

2011-11-09T11:35:00.000-06:00

Sorry guys. I used to love this whole blogging thing. Like before I was a wife and a mommy. Amazing how my time is out the window now.

I want to try to get better because I want Jocelyn to have these memories. It's important to me.

So here is me trying to get better.

K, thanks.

THE WATER WALL

2011-10-14T09:56:00.000-05:00

A few weekends ago we had one of the most beautiful Saturday mornings. Something that we have missed around here in South Texas. So we woke up and went to breakfast and then decided to take Jocelyn to the Water Wall for the first time.

Here is a video of her experience. She loved being able to run around and play with Daddy. It was a great time! Enjoy!

I have to tell you this story! If you've ever been to the Water Wall in Houston then you know there is a large field in between it and Williams Tower. The border of the field sort of slopes downward as you are walking towards the middle so Jocelyn, my sweet sweet girl that likes to run everywhere, took off for the field and totally face planted. John and I couldn't help but laugh (after we knew she was ok) and what made it even funnier was that right after she fell she turned around to look up at us and started pulling grass out of her mouth. It was so funny! We are the kind of parents that laugh at our kids when they fall. That's how we roll.

THE FIRST TIME I PUT MY KID IN TIME OUT

2011-09-15T09:40:00.002-05:00

Whoa. Longest title ever, right?

Anyways. I talked to our pediatrician at Jocelyn's 18-month checkup about time out. I knew that we might have to start being a little more aggressive with disciplining Jocelyn because she is starting to get a little more... challenging. Ha.

So our pediatrician told me that it would be a good time to start time out. I had some reserves about it because I didn't think that Jocelyn would really understand the concept. Boy was I letting her off easy. Homegirl had us fooled as to just how smart she is. (She's a genius, by the way.)

So Jocelyn used to be a great eater. Not picky at all and she would eat whatever we put in front of her. Not so much now. She is super picky and pretty much all she wants to eat is fruit and veggies. Which is great but we would like for her to get in some protein also.

So anyways. The other night I made a southwest chicken casserole. It had corn, black beans and rice, which are all things that Jocelyn loves. Apparently, she doesn't like them all mixed together. As soon as we put her in her high chair she was crying. Then after a few failed attempts to try and feed her I just gave her the plate thinking that she would just want to do it herself. Yeah. Ummm no. She launched the plate across the table and it fell onto the chair.

At that moment I knew that I had to do something. After me and John just stared at each other for a second in disbelief (where did our sweet little baby girl go?!?!?) I picked crying Jocelyn up and took her to the time out corner. I sat her down and told her she was going to sit there because she threw the plate.

At first she was crying. Then after about 20 seconds she stopped and I expected to her little footsteps heading our way. But I didn't. After another looooong 40 seconds I peeked around the corner and she was standing in the corner just staring at me.

I walked over to her and told her that she was in timeout for throwing her plate of food and that's a big no-no.

What happened next melts my heart every time I think about it! She leaned over and gave me a big kiss. Complete with the "mmmmah" sound and everything. So I picked her up and told her that I loved her and we walked over to John and she wanted to give John and big kiss also.

I was totally shocked. Shocked that she threw her plate of food. Shocked that I was able to put her in time out. Shocked that she stayed there for one minute. Shocked that she seemed so apologetic.

I was a first for all of us. First for Jocelyn to go in time out. First time that we had to get a glimpse of parenting an uncooperative child.

Let's hope it doesn't happen very often.

Psssh, yeah right!

GO TEXANS!

2011-09-13T09:36:00.000-05:00

If you don't know us in real life (opposed to fake like, ya know?) than let me tell you that we are HUGE sports fans, specifically football. We are die hard Houston Texans fans. Well at least one of us is... John tends to get angry sometimes and bash them but, not me, I'm a die hard.

We watch every Texans game of the season. Every. single. one. We yell and we shout and we cuss (we're sinners like that) and we high five. And it's AWESOME! We've taught Jocelyn the touchdown sign. You know when the refs throw their hands up like the "Y" in the "YMCA song". It's super cute to see her do it every time we yell "touchdown".

We were super excited for the first regular season game this past Sunday. We all got dressed in our Texans apparel. You will be able to tell who one of our favorite players is. ;) We grilled burgers and hung out with family.

Another reason I love football is because it means Fall is right around the corner. But that's another post for another day.

Anyways. Let's see some pictures shall we?

Of course she has to have a bow.

Her outfit wouldn't be complete without it.

My little Cushing fan. :)

She was getting a little frustrated at the camera.

She was really frustrated here. "No more pictures ma!"

Sweet baby girl.

(And excuse the quilt and the bag and the flip flop. Ha.)

There was a special moment before the game that they brought out this HUGE American flag.

It was pretty emotional.

Playing outside.

Daddy & his girl.

Our little family.

Our little Texans lovin' family!

GO TEXANS!

THE BEST OF ME

2011-08-26T08:45:00.000-05:00

You ever see that commercial (I think it's Nutrigrain) where it shows the woman making a bad decision first thing in the morning with a donut or something and then how it snowballs into bad decision after bad decision throughout the day? Then it shows her making a good decision first thing in the morning and then she makes good decisions throughout the entire day. Yes? No?

Anyways. Well I completely agree with that commercial! Because that's what my week has been like. It started off with one bad decision at the Astros game (can anyone say chili cheese hot dog? FOOT LONG? Eeeek.) and then it just spiraled out of control from there with hot cheetos and a Chick-fil-a sandwich WITH FRIES AND A DR. PEPPER.

Y'all as soon as I ~~devoured~~ ate the entire meal I felt so ashamed. Like I had failed myself. So I said "Ok, I'll pick it back up tomorrow!" Nope. Never happened. Not for the rest of the week.

You see temptation got the best of me. I didn't work out. Barely drank any water each day when normally I drink about 4 or 5 bottles. It got the best of me.

So when I stepped on the scale this morning I was already prepared to see my starting weight on the scale. I stepped on. And waited. And waited.

Well hot dog! To my surprise I saw a loss. It was a very tiny loss but it. was. a. loss. Hallelujah!

The amazing thing about Weight Watchers is that you never really fall off the bandwagon. Or fall off the diet. Because WW is not a diet. I know it's cliche but WW really is a lifestyle change. And that's what I want. A change in my quality of life.

Another amazing thing is that if you have a bad day or a bad week... you get another chance to make it better! And that's what I plan on doing. Making this week count. Giving it my all so I feel that I am working hard towards what I want to be the BEST OF ME!

So for the record, I am down exactly 3 pounds since I started WW three weeks ago. It ain't much but I'll take it!

BE STILL

2011-08-25T15:24:00.000-05:00

Right now we are in a certain stage with Jocelyn where she hates getting her diaper changed. She hates changing her clothes. She constantly wants to be going going going.

I can't even begin to tell you how many times I tell her to "be still" or "sit still" or "lay still" on a daily basis. (It's a lot, fyi).

I will lay her down and she just starts kicking me (big no no) and yelling "nah nah nah (no no no)". I will tell her that it won't take too long but she just has to be still. I will get her diaper changed or her clothes changed. The job will get done. She just has to be still.

The more I thought about it the more I compared this stage with Jocelyn to my relationship with Christ.

There are so many times that I am going going going. Praying praying praying. Sometimes kicking and screaming because things haven't gone exactly the way I wanted them to. Sometimes yelling in my head "no no no, this isn't what is supposed to happen." There are some times that I think I can handle things on my own. Sometimes I think that I don't need anyone's help. Let me be the first to say that taking things into your own hands and not consulting with the Lord will never end well. I know from experience.

So here I am kicking and screaming, wondering what to do next and all the while God is saying "Jessica, BE STILL!"

There are times in our lives where sometimes all we have to do is... nothing. Just be still. Just let the Lord get the job done because the amazing thing is... HE WILL! It may not happen like you have it planned and it may not happen right away but our God is a God that knows exactly what He is doing. He has it planned out for you before you even know you wanted or needed it. Can I get an 'amen"?!

When I started thinking about this I wish I could say that I automatically thought of Psalm 46:10 but then I would be lying and thou shall not lie, right? It wasn't until later that this scripture popped in my head and I thought, yet again, how amazing God's Word is.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

So now I ask you...

Was there a time in your life that you wished you would've just BEEN STILL and waited on God?

MISSION: FAT MOM

2011-08-19T09:24:00.000-05:00

If you are a regular reader then chances are you've read about my weight quite often on this blog. If you want to play catch up you can read about my weight loss (or lack thereof) here, here, here, here and here.

I've admitted things about my weight loss journey. Things that I'm not proud of. Things that I am proud of. And so forth.

I told you about how usually I stick with something for 2 weeks and then slowly (but surely) it starts fading away. I hate that about myself. I really do.

So anyways. Bring on MISSION: FAT MOM! Why do I call it that? Well I've always told myself that I didn't want to be the fat mom. I didn't want to be the mom in the pictures with other moms that is a huge whale. I don't want to be the mom at the football games stuffing her face with nachos knowing that they are just going to go straight to her ass. And I don't want Jocelyn to grow up seeing me be unhealthy and thinking it's ok. I want to be healthy and teach her good eating habits.

Two weeks ago (today) I joined Weight Watchers (again). I can honestly say that I've stuck with it for two whole weeks. Tracking EVERY SINGLE THING I eat or drink.

My first week on Weight Watchers I specifically focused on learning the points and finding new healthier things to eat. I lost 2 pounds (can I get an "amen"?!) in the first week. I weighed in last Friday and was excited about the number on the scale.

Then this past week I kicked it up a notch and worked out 4 days out of the week. Now if you are familiar with WW then you know that when you work out you earn "Activity Points". At any time during the week you can swap your activity points out and you can, basically, eat them. Well I didn't do that. So I was surprised when I weighed myself this morning and only saw a .8 loss. Now I know, I know. A loss is a loss. But I guess I was just expecting something higher since I had worked so hard.

A little discouraging? Yes. But WW reassured me that any negative loss is an accomplishment. This week I'm going to eat more protein after workouts and actually use my Activity Points to see if it makes a difference.

Now I can tell you that I have not had a soda since starting WWs. I've been taking a daily vitamin everyday (reminds me of prenatal vitamins and I admit I gag a little). And I've been drinking way more water than I ever have before. I may not see tons of weight loss but I feel healthier. My body feels lighter and I feel more energized. And I love that.

I was dreading going on a "diet" but I feel like WWs is far from that. I can eat whatever I want. But being on WWs helps me make healthier choices and makes me feel better about myself. I'm not trying to be supermodel skinny. I'm trying to be healthy because that's what my body deserves. This body that grew my sweet daughter for 9 months. I owe it to my body for giving me such an amazing little girl and protecting her and keeping her safe. I deserve this.

THINGS WERE NEVER SHORT ON

2011-08-18T14:34:00.000-05:00

The other day as I was making tea (again) I started thinking about how we always have certain things in our house. I thought I would share some with y'all.

1. Luzianne Tea. We always have tea. And I always make it. Never bought in a can or a jug. Always made with tea bags. Usually semi-sweet. Ever since I started Weight Watchers (a post for another day) I haven't had any soda. Tea has been a great substitute because it has flavor, unlike water. I can get pretty burnt out on just drinking water. Blah.

2. Cereal. I would show you a picture of our pantry but I'd embarrassed y'all. We seriously have about 7 boxes of cereal. Ha.

3. Milk. For all the cereal. No seriously. We go through about 2 gallons of milk a week. Jocelyn drinks milk like crazy. I'm thankful for that though.

4. Bath and Body Works Antibacterial Soup. I love this soap. I love most of the scents and it doesn't dry out our hands. I love the price even better. Usually you can get them for 5 for $15 or $20. Not bad!

5. Candles! I'm a HUGE candle person. I love Yankee Candles. Like Love with a capital "L". I also like the candles from Bath and Body Works. Yankee Candle came out with some new Fall scents and o.m.g. Makes me want to run and put on my boots and scarf.

That's it for now folks. Those are some things that we are never short on and always have on hand.

What about you?

What are things you always have around your home?

OH NO THEY DIDN'T!

2011-08-15T11:24:00.000-05:00

I know this is a sensitive subject. But after I read a story about a woman who was told to stop breastfeeding at The Houston Zoo I became curious as to what other people thought about it.

Basically, a woman was breastfeeding in public at the zoo and a zoo employee asked her to please do that in private. A Houston Zoo official has publicly apologized saying that that employee must've acted out of their own opinion. Under state law, a woman is allowed to breastfeed in public.

Here is my opinion. Maybe it's because I'm a mom. Maybe I would have a different opinion if I didn't know what breastfeeding was all about. Well probably not. Ha.

I think breastfeeding is a beautiful, natural, amazing thing. If I were to be in the store, at the zoo or any public place and I saw a woman breastfeeding I wouldn't even think twice about how it may offend someone. It just seems so natural.

When Jocelyn was a baby I had no problem breastfeeding in front of anyone. Now I did cover up if there were men around and if I was in public. If I were at home and it was time for Joc to eat I had no problem whipping the boob out. Maybe I have no shame. Haha.

So I'm curious.

What do you think about the subject?

Have you had any awkward situations where someone told you to cover up or stop breastfeeding?

I can tell you that if someone asked me to stop breastfeeding they would regret messing with this mama bear for the rest of their lives!

RANDOM THOUGHTS OF THE DAY

2011-08-12T10:50:00.000-05:00

1. Changing up the ol' blog a bit. Still working on it. Pardon the mess.

2. Oh well.

3. It's so hot.

4. I can't wait for Fall.

5. I want to make chili.

6. And light my fireplace.

7. I need to buy paper towels.

8. Not to be used for the fireplace.

9. In-laws are coming over for dinner tonight.

10. Maybe I should make a dessert.

11. A Dr. Pepper sounds so good right now.

12. But probably not worth it.

13. No, definitely not worth it.

14. A glass of wine sounds good too.

15. That's probably worth it.

16. OMG. Can't wait until Monday night!

17. Texans! Texans! Texans!

18. I really want to throw a wine tasting party.

19. I should start planning it.

20. I love parties.

21. A lot.

22. I want to plant a garden.

23. It's probably a waste of money.

24. I would kill all the plants.

25. I love weight watchers.

26. I love John and Jocelyn.

27. I love lamp.

A WHOLE YEAR AND A HALF...

2011-08-10T10:15:00.001-05:00

Jocelyn,

Today, August 10, 2011, you are a year and a half. Those words sound funny coming out of my mouth. I can't believe so much time has gone by since I first held you in my arms and was in awe of how beautifully perfect you were. Then again, I can't believe in just a year and a half you have made me feel more love than I ever thought possible. I told your Daddy the other day that being a mommy is like falling in love all over again... EVERYDAY. That's how I feel about you. I feel like I'm falling in love everyday. You are just that wonderful!

Joc let me just tell you... you are a hoot! You make us laugh everyday. Your little personality shines through and let's just say that you have some spunk in you girlfriend! I have a feeling that you will keep us on our toes and that mommy will have to learn to be a patient disciplinary because you have some attitude. Ha.

Let's get to some specifics for right now. At a year and a half:

You are wearing size 4 diaper. Some people have mentioned we should start talking to you about the potty. You do seem curious when we are in the bathroom. I'm not quite sure you understand the concept yet though.
You are in size 18 months clothing. Pants/shorts are still kind of big on you but they will stay on. Most shirts fit you perfectly.
You are in a size 5 shoe. Mommy bought you a size 4 and it seems like not a month later you needed a bigger size. I almost feel like you will be growing out of a size 5 pretty soon.
Eating. Oh dear. You used to be such a great eater. Now it seems like you don't want to eat anything except fruit. Which is a good thing but it also worries mommy and daddy that you aren't getting the proper nutrients you need. You are a tiny little thing. You still don't like meat that much. You will eat most veggies but still prefer fruit.
You aren't saying too many words, although, you do communicate with us. You can say mama, dada, sit, taaaa (Tangled), cheeeee (cheese), psss (please), shza shza (yia yia), papa (for poppy and popo) and then you do this funny thing where you point your finger (usually at the dog) and say da da daaaa. Little Miss Bossy Pants.
You are a great sleeper! We've recently transitioned into one nap a day and I feel like you transitioned so smoothly. It was just like one day you didn't want to sleep at your normal time so I waited a little longer and BAM! one nap a day. I'm really enjoying this because it gives us more flexibility during the day and your naps are longer. Allows mommy to get some things done! You are sleeping around 11 hours at night, all night and you no longer need your sound machine.
We haven't had your 18 month check up yet but I'm guessing that you are around 25 pounds and you still have a big ol' head. :)

Jocelyn, we are so blessed to have you. We see the world in an entirely different way because of you. You are our shining star because you make everything so much brighter in our lives!

We pray that you will grow up with a love for Jesus that is just unbelievable! We pray that we are able to set good examples for you when it comes to God, life, marriage and the world.

We will always want the best for you sweet girl. And we will ALWAYS love you! No matter what!

I love you to the moon and back,
Mommy

OUR TRIP TO SAN ANTONIO

2011-07-18T18:39:00.001-05:00

Here are some pictures from our trip to San Antonio! We had a really great time!

Lunch at Red Robin!

Uncle Jake

The Riverwalk

Remember the Alamo!!

Nick and Gabby

Apparently Jocelyn isn't in to Texas History just yet.

Schlitterbaun!

And no vacation is complete without relaxing and watching your favorite movie

Tangled!

Thanks Aunt Stacy, Uncle Troy, Nick and Gabs for being great hosts! Miss you guys already!

THE ZOO

2011-07-18T18:05:00.000-05:00

A few months ago me and Jocelyn took a trip with Auntie Ashewa and Grammy to the zoo. This was right after Jocelyn mastered walking so I knew we were in for a treat because it would be one of the first times we would take her to a very public place and let her loose! :)

She loved walking (or running) around the zoo and especially the gift shop!

Mommy and Jocelyn

Grammy, Mommy and Jocelyn

Auntie Ashewa and Jocelyn

Riding the choo choo train!

SIGH.

2011-07-18T11:34:00.000-05:00

I used to love blogging. I really did. I loved writing down what was happening in our lives so I could go back and look at it and remember those moments when we were happy or scared or excited or nervous. But with a toddler running around it's near impossible to sit down and write. I'm going to try though.

We just got back from a mini "vacation" to San Antonio. I use vacation lightly because when you have a toddler running around it's not easy to relax. A vacation to me would be me, a good book, a margarita and my feet in the sand. Alone. Ha. We had a lot of fun though hanging out with John's family at the Riverwalk, Schlitterbaun and their pool and hot tub. It was nice to get away from reality for a few days. John has been working really hard so he deserved a few days away.

We also celebrated 3 years of marriage on July 11. Three of the best years of my life! I'm so lucky to have found my soul mate and best friend. :) John makes me a better person!

My new job is going great! It has definitely been an adjustment but in a good way. I went from a job I knew everything about to a job I know nothing about but I love learning the new stuff. The atmosphere is so relaxed and comfortable. And I can leave my house at 7:20am, drop Jocelyn off at the sitter and make it to work on time only sitting in minimal traffic. It's awesome.

I have pictures to upload from our mini-vacay and as soon as I do that I will add them to the blog.

I am seriously going to challenge myself to update more often and upload more pictures. Even if nobody reads our blog. I want to be able to have these memories written down so we can look back and reminisce on our lives!

Ok that's it for now. Ta-ta.

BUSY

2011-06-12T11:03:00.001-05:00

That's the best word I could come up with to describe our life right now. I feel like we haven't had any down time in so long. And the next three weekends are packed with stuff. I'm grateful for all of this excitement but I'm a little worn out.

There are a few reasons to all of this busyness (is that a word?).

Remember when I wrote this post about our home situation. Well time flew by. My parents house was built (and its beautiful) and we are now settling into our new home. Its surreal how everything has turned out and now that I look back I know that God was part of all of it (isn't he always?!). It is fun to be able to decorate how I want to (even though I'm really bad at it. Ha.). I will post pictures soon of our new house and how we are changing it to make it our own. :)

Another reason for all the busyness is I started my own business. It wasn't what I thought God had planned for me but it has been an unexpected blessing. I'm now a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant! It has been stressful and overwhelming getting everything together but it has all worked out. I just want to tell you the story of how this happened because God was a HUGE part of it. Y'all I had been praying for a LONG time for God to open up doors because I felt like where I was just wasn't... right. So I prayed and prayed. And it was hard. It was hard because I felt like in a way I was telling God "Hey God. Where I am right now just isn't the right thing for me." But of course that isn't the truth. God doesn't do that. He has a right time for everything. So my sister's best friend, Kelly, has a brother, Richard, that I went to high school with. I hadn't talked to him in a long time but I knew that he was married, to Megan, and had a sweet little boy. One day Danielle, my sister, told me that Megan sold Mary Kay and she didn't have to go back to work in August. So I emailed her just to hear more about it. She invited me to a meeting and as soon as I heard the director say that one of Mary Kay's mottos is "Faith First, Family Second & Career Third" I immediately got goosebumps. And then after hearing about the company I knew God was saying "Go for it!" Fear usually holds me back but I had such a peace about it. So I went for it. It's been GREAT. I will not be posting tons of stuff trying to sell things on here. Occasionally I may post about a product that I feel you just HAVE to have. But if anyone is interested in purchasing anything you can contact me at jessicavillalpando@marykay.com or visit my website to see all of the awesome stuff at www.marykay.com/jessicavillalpando. And I have to say also that I gained some amazing friends, Richard and Megan, through all of this. I'm so thankful for them and their friendship.

Also, I had also been praying for something that really was hard for me. I have worked at the church for over 6 years. It has been a place where I have grown up. I started when I was 18 and single. Me and John both accepted Christ there. We were married while I worked there. We had a baby while I worked there. I have friendships that are irreplaceable from the people I have worked with. Well now that we have Jocelyn I realized that spending 3 hours in traffic each day I went in to work was taking time away that I could be at home with my family. So I had been praying for a job opportunity to open up closer to home. I'm sad (and happy) to say that I gave my two weeks notice last week and my last day at the church with be June 22nd. I found a job 10 minutes from home that is allowing me to keep the same work schedule I have now and it's just going to be so awesome. I'm excited and nervous and sad and happy. It's all bittersweet.

And Jocelyn. Jocelyn is running around like a wild woman. She is so much fun and makes us laugh every single day multiple times a day. By the end of the day I am WORN OUT from chasing her around. I just love her to pieces and can't imagine my life without her.

So there you have it. Our life basically. Crazy but it is our own. And it is wonderful.

15 MONTHS

2011-05-10T10:05:00.000-05:00

Sweet Baby Girl,

Today you are 15 months old! Where do I even begin to explain how fun you are?!

On April 3 you took your first steps. Mommy and Daddy were both around to see you and that moment will be cherished in our hearts forever! We were so proud of you! It didn't take long for you to understand that you actually liked walking. As of today you only crawl when you are being silly. You prefer walking... EVERYWHERE!

You have started to watch movies. You are still not really interested in that many. Your all time favorite right now is Tangled. You will sit and watch that movie over and over again if we let you. You LOVE it! You also love the Disney channel. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is your favorite!

You love, love, love to go outside. You are happiest when you are outside!

You are still a great eater. You love your fruits and veggies. You still aren't very fond of meat. And you definitely like to feed yourself. You are getting so independent.

You are a great sleeper! It took a long time to get to where you don't cry it out when we put your down for nap time or "night night". But we made it. Now you know when we put you in your crib that its time to go to sleep and you just lay your precious little head down and go to sleep. Sometimes you play with your bunny and bear for a little bit and then go to bed. But no more crying. You usually go down around 8ish and wake up around 7ish. You take two naps during the day usually about 3 hours after you wake up.

We are amazed at how much you learn everyday. You want to figure everything out and now exactly how everything works. It's so cute and Daddy thinks you are going to be some kind of engineer. I think you will be a ballerina. :)

You don't say too many words right now. You say "Dada", "Mama", "Sit" - when you are talking to the puppies and you point your little finger at them, "Hiiiii" and "Szha Szha" for Yia Yia. We are working on words like "ball" and "milk". You will get there!

You have been climbing up the stairs for a while now but now you know how to climb down all by yourself. We have invested in many baby gates! ;)

Jocelyn, you are the light of so many lives. There are so many people that love you so much and you make us laugh on a daily basis with your funny faces and your cute little dances. It's so fun to see your little personality shining through everyday.

I love being your mama! You make my life so much better!

Love,
Mama

TO GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE WE GO

2011-05-03T16:59:00.001-05:00

Great Grandmother's house that is.

On Saturday we packed up and left the house around 8am and headed out to Bremond, TX. An itty bitty town up north.

I've always liked going up to Granny's house. It feels so good to get away from the city and just relax. I said the same thing about Granny's house the last time we took Jocelyn up there.

This time way so much different than last time. Last time Jocelyn was only a month old and slept almost the whole time. This time she was everywhere. Walking. Everywhere. She LOVED being outside and looking at all the pretty flowers and plants Granny grows.

Granny's Garden

We put Jocelyn in a wagon Granny had and she loved being pulled around and picking the flowers. As you can see, she even tried to taste the flowers.

Her facial expression cracks me up in this picture.

Looks just like her Daddy!

Pretty flowers.

Wherever Jocelyn went Mickey and Minnie weren't far behind.

Don't let the pictures fool you though.

She did A LOT of walking all by herself!

Mommy and Jocelyn

So beautiful!

So perfect!

Ok that's enough pictures Mom!

We had such a fun time at Granny's and can't wait to go back!

A CONSTANT BATTLE

2011-05-02T13:01:00.001-05:00

That's what it feels like. Trying to lose weight feels like a constant battle.

A battle against myself. A battle against food. A battle against exercise.

Every day is a challenge. I don't wake up in the morning and think "Today is the day I get to stuff my face with whatever I want and not have to worry about it." I wake up and think "There are 90 calories in one blueberry waffle."

But that's ok. Day by day. That's how I have to take this journey. Day by day.

Ok enough with the whining Jessica!

Back to the goal. Last week was pretty good. I participated in my first Zumba class. Umm hello?! Why did I wait so long. I heart Zumba. I've been taking Jocelyn on walks a lot and just playing outside with her when I can.

Food? Well I did pretty good. Still tracking calories using myfitnesspal.com (LOVE this site!). The only day that I got off track as ~~Secretaries~~ Administrative Professionals Day. Our bosses took me and some assistants to Taste of Texas. I did have salmon but then I share a chocolate mousse cake with a co-worker. I know. So bad. But so worth it. Haha.

To be honest... I was surprised when I stepped on the scale this morning. I didn't think I would lose weight. I could've pushed myself harder and exercised more. But I didn't. I lost 1 pound though. So I need to lose 1 1/2 lbs this week and 1 1/2 lbs next week to hit my goal. I can do this!

GOALS:

Starting Weight 4/18 - 170

Today 5/2 - 167

Mini Goal by 5/18 - 164

Mini Goal by 6/18 - 158

Mini Goal by 7/18 - 152

Mini Goal by 8/18 - 146

Mini Goal by9/18 - 140

Mini Goal by 10/18 - 134

TOTAL GOAL by 11/18 - 128

The battle is on!

Linking up to Heir to Blair's McFatty Monday

LET"S TALK ABOUT THE MOTIVATION

2011-04-25T11:12:00.001-05:00

Last week Blair listed some reasons to why she is trying to lose weight. It was nice to see those reasons written down and if you're like me (Type-A) I have lists everywhere. So I thought I would write down my reasons as to why I want to lose weight (me and Blair have some things in common ;)). I've written down my mini goals and I keep one copy in my purse, one at work and one at home and it really helps when I see them and I remember to keep my eye on the prize! So here are my reasons for losing weight:

To get rid of the muffin top
So I don't feel like the fat person at the beach or pool
To weigh less than John
So I can actually enjoy shopping and trying on clothes
So I can have a better variety of cute things to wear
To actually feel sexy when John tells me
To fit into those size 6 jeans in my closet that I can't bring myself to get rid of
So my outside matches how I feel inside
So (hopefully) I can buy new *smaller* bras (ya catchin' my drift?)
To be able to be the motivator and not the one being motivated

There it is. My list. My motivation list.

Ok. So moving on... this week was pretty good. Eating right and healthy wasn't a challenge. (Ok ok. On Easter Sunday it was a challenge with candy flying all over the place. I didn't deprive myself but I also didn't stuff my face.) But other than Sunday it wasn't hard. Drank a lot more water and no soda.

I'm not going to lie to you. The only exercising I did was playing softball yesterday for a good hour and a half. Work. Out. But I didn't do any hardcore exercising last week. Bad Jessica! That's ok though. Because I LOST 2 POUNDS! Woo hoo!

In order to reach my monthly goals I knew I had to lose a pound and a half a week. So the fact that I lost 2 pounds already put me ahead. Yessir!

GOALS:

Starting Weight 4/18 - 170

Today 4/25 - 168

Mini Goal by 5/18 - 164

Mini Goal by 6/18 - 158

Mini Goal by 7/18 - 152

Mini Goal by 8/18 - 146

Mini Goal by9/18 - 140

Mini Goal by 10/18 - 134

TOTAL GOAL by 11/18 - 128

This week I do plan to exercise so hopefully the pounds keep coming off!

LIKE A BOMB

2011-04-20T21:05:00.001-05:00

I've written on this here blog before about asking for help or support when I need it. Err, or not asking for it when I need it I should say.

Well the past few days have been pretty rough for me. Pretty emotional. I can't get into detail about what's going on but let's just say that Satan has reared his ugly head one too many times. I know it's to discourage me. I know that it's to make me question certain things. But I also know that God is at work. And I know that the Lord is a mighty mighty God!

I have needed some answers to some questions for a long time. I got those answers... just not the way I thought I would. Now that my questions have been answered I have to figure out what to do from here. Well maybe not just what to do, but how to do it. I'm still trying to figure that part out. I really wish I could get more into detail because I'm sure none of this is making any sense. I guess I just need to type it to get it out of my head because there is a lot going on up there.

Anyways. Back to asking for help or support or whatever. You see I am the kind of person that usually feels like I need to be the rock. I feel like I always need to be the shoulder to cry on. Maybe because I'm a firstborn and I always feel like I have to be the strong one for my siblings. Maybe I'm just a control freak. I don't know. But feeling like I always have to be the emotional supporter (when I don't) usually gets the best of me. Because I bottle everything inside for so long it's like a bomb. Well you know what bombs usually do. They explode. And that's what happens with my emotions.

I'm working on getting better at talking to certain people about how I feel. People that I know will just listen. People that won't judge. I'm working on asking for help when I need it.

Do you ever do that?

Do you ever bottle stuff up inside until you just can't hold it in anymore?

SPLISH SPLASH

2011-04-19T09:53:00.001-05:00

One of Jocelyn's favorite things is water. She has always loved bath time. So when John decided to wash the cars last night I knew it would be fun to put her in one of the cute patootie swimsuits she got for her birthday and let her play with the water hose. (Don't judge.)

She LOVED it. I thought that she was going to not like it because after you got wet it was kind of cold. But she didn't mind it one bit!

Such joy!

This little swim suit is too much!

Of course we had to take her baby for a walk.

Curls. Curls. Curls.

Her hair is starting to sport some seriously cute curls!

BANDWAGON

2011-04-18T09:48:00.003-05:00

I fell off of it. Like I fell off and kept rolling down the street. Fell. Off. The. Weight Loss. Bandwagon.

I had lost 3 pounds. 3 hard earned pounds. I tracked EVERYTHING I ate and worked out at least 45 minutes a day for two weeks for those 3 pounds.

Then I got sick. Bad sick. Couldn't breathe. Heard my heartbeat in my ears. For about a week. Then Jocelyn got sick. So I didn't work out. And I lost it. Not pounds. The motivation. I lost the motivation.

You see... that's typically what happens. I'm committed for about two weeks. I've noticed that about myself. It's sad really. But at least I noticed it. Right?

So last week I re-evaluated everything. I re-evaluated how much time I had until I needed to be in a swimsuit. (Which in Houston was like yesterday.) I re-evaluated my goals. I re-evaluated how important it was for me to lose this weight.

My answer? It's still very important. Because the thing is... I don't feel like I fit this body. My inside doesn't match my outside. I feel like I look ok but then I see a picture and it all goes down the drain. I feel like an energetic youthful woman and then I have to carry baby, diaper bag, purse and whatever else out to the car and I'm huffing and puffing by the time I get in the driver's seat. This isn't me. This isn't who I am and it's not who I want to be. Not for me. Not for John. And not for Jocelyn.

I realized that I was being pretty hard on myself. Eight pounds in one month is a tall order. Not saying that I won't be able to do it but I need to take baby steps. Baby steps. So I've dropped it down to six pounds in one month. That's my goal.

I hate to say that I gained those 3 pounds back but I did. I'm only human. But that's not the point. The point isn't about gaining those 3 pounds back. It's about losing them. All of them.

So here are my new goals:

Today: 4/18 - Weight: 170

Mini Goal by 5/18 - 164

Mini Goal by 6/18 - 158

Mini Goal by 7/18 - 152

Mini Goal by 8/18 - 146

Mini Goal by9/18 - 140

Mini Goal by 10/18 - 134

TOTAL GOAL by 11/18 - 128

So you can see from my original goals that it will take my longer this time around. But it will help me maintain better and the reward is so much sweeter.

If you could just pray for me. Pray for my strength. That when I hit that two week plateau that I will keep fighting. Because this isn't just for me. It's for them too. And for them... I would do anything.

Bandwagon. Schmanwagon. :)

LET'S PLAY CATCH UP

2011-04-06T12:55:00.000-05:00

It's been a while, hasn't it?

I'm sorry for the absence. Things have been crazy and relaxing at the same time.

And now we have a WALKER on our hands! Yes, Jocelyn started walking this past Sunday, April 3. She is still a little hesitant but getting more comfortable every day. To say that we were excited is an understatement. We were/are ECSTATIC! When she took those steps we clapped and yelled and screamed and were so happy! It was an amazing moment that I will never forget.

So let's see. What else has been going on?

We ran (walked) the 5K last weekend! It was a fun experience and I'm glad we did it together. It was nice to get up early and do something that is making a difference in the lives of others.

Last weekend me and John had a night out! The last time we spent the night away from Jocelyn was our anniversary last year in July. So it was much needed. John had won a free night stay, dinner for two and two 30-minute massages at Messina Hof. It was AMAZING! If you ever need to get away I highly recommend it. The hospitality was awesome. The food was even better. It was just perfect!

Oh I successfully threw John a surprise birthday party! I had been planning it for about three months. I had a buddy take John golfing on a Saturday morning and the party preparations began. My uncle came over and cooked AMAZING craw fish and we had about 40 friends and family come over and celebrate with us! It was kind of stressful making sure the surprise would not be ruined but it all worked out and John was SO surprised!

That's pretty much what's happened in our life. We are just enjoying each other and enjoying our little girl who amazes us every day! It's pretty awesome!

CHECKING IN

2011-03-17T09:54:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. I know I'm way behind.

Last week I was super sick and to be honest I'm still not 100%.

This week Jocelyn has been super sick so she has been getting all my attention. It's so sad to see her this sick.

Let's just pray that Daddy stays healthy.

So as soon as we are all better I will update with some fun pictures and videos.

Adios.

McFatty Monday: Week Two

2011-02-28T08:16:00.000-06:00

Ugh. I wish I could say that I lost more weight but I can't. Thanks to the rodeo cook off and peer pressure (ha. just kidding.) I didn't lose.

But the good thing is that... I didn't gain. And that right there is a freakin' miracle! Due to the fact that I ate a fried twinkie. Ha. Ewww. Just kidding! No way would I ever do that. That's like a blocked artery waiting to happen!

Anyways. So here I sit at 168.2 pounds still. But I'm pumped and ready to see that number change in the next week.

Training for the 5K is going good! I'm starting to feel my endurance change and I really like running with my man! Makes it a lot better and he pushes me like it's no ones business.

I may not be dropping pounds but I put on a pair of pants that have been hanging in the closet for a while that are a size smaller than what I've been wearing. I haven't been measuring inches but I may have to start!

Anyways. So here is it. My goals and dreams. (Ok, dramatic much.)

McFatty Monday: Week Two

Starting Weight (2/14/11): 170

Current Weight: 168.2

Mini Goal #1 by 3/14/11: 160

Mini Goal #2 by 4/14/11: 152

Mini Goal #3 by 5/14/11: 146

Mini Goal #4 by 6/14/11: 138

Total Goal Weight by 7/11/11 (3rd Anniversary!): 130

McFatty Monday: Week One

2011-02-21T16:14:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite blogs, Heir to Blair, posts a blog every Monday that has to do with weight loss. She is realistic about her weight loss and it makes it really easy to relate to her.

Well I've decided that it's time for me to get real about my weight loss goals and the only way I can do that is with accountability. So I'm about to do something CRAZY y'all.

I'm about to post my weight for the whole world wide web to see. Crazy, right? You tellin' me.

But first let me tell you a little more about this journey...

I told you a few weeks ago that John and I are running my first 5K together. (He ran one in high school, pssh, show off.) We started training last week for it and it was challenging but not crazy hard. We are using the Couch to 5K Program and it's been really good.

I also starting using myfitnesspal.com to track calories. I know it's kind of creepy getting support from strangers but the support has really kept me motivated. I've been tracking all of my calorie intake and exercise and guess what... I lost two pounds in a week! Yup. It may not seem like a lot but it's a lot to me!

So are you ready for this... now don't pass out when you see this number and if you feel faint then... well sorry. Ha.

Ok. Here is my starting weight as of last week, my current weight (that includes the weight of growing a human being for almost 10 months. booyah.) and my goal(s) for this weight loss journey:

Starting Weight (2/14/11): 170

Current Weight: 168.2

Mini Goal #1 by 3/14/11: 160

Mini Goal #2 by 4/14/11: 152

Mini Goal #3 by 5/14/11: 146

Mini Goal #4 by 6/14/11: 138

Total Goal Weight by 7/11/11 (3rd Anniversary!): 130

170 pounds yo! I was just able to tell that number to John last week. My husband. Why are us girls so afraid of sharing their weight? I mean I worked hard for that number. I have a beautiful one year old that is so much more than worth that number. Right?

The reality is that no matter what I did (or didn't do) for that number. It's just not healthy. I don't want Jocelyn to grow up thinking it's ok to eat whatever you want and not have consequences. I want her to grow up knowing that she was *blessed* with her body and she needs to take care of it and not abuse it.

And get this... while I'm trying to lose 40 38 pounds John wants to gain 40 pounds. Go figure. So we've been talking about a reward we will give ourselves once we both hit our goal weight and the word "cruise" has been thrown around a little bit. Eeeek!

I guess there are a few reasons why I'm posting all of this.

a.) I need the accountability. I really do.

b.) I want to be able to look back at this journey and see how far I've come.

c.) I want to inspire other women to meet their goals whether it be 5, 10 or 50 pounds. If I can do it you can do it girl!

Good luck!

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY

2011-02-13T11:16:00.002-06:00

Planning Jocelyn's party was a mixture of emotions. I had a lot of fun getting stuff together but it was also kind of stressful making sure we had everything that we needed. But everything turned out perfect!

Jocelyn's party theme was a candy shoppe/sweet theme. She had a candy buffet that was too precious. It was perfect. See for yourself...

I baked all the cupcakes.

We had red velvet, chocolate, white and carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

And the candy buffet...

For the party favor we got 8oz mason jars and allowed the kids to fill them with candy.

On the top of the mason jar it says "Thanks for being sweet"

The birthday girl with her candy (that she didn't get to eat. Ha.).

And here is her outfit that was just soooo adorable.

My mom bought it for her and great granny bought her her first pair of Converse All Stars in PINK!

Here is Jocelyn with some of our guests. You will notice that it's near impossible to try and take a decent picture with her. Haha.

We had a bubble machine and she really enjoyed that.

She loved being outside pushing her baby in the stroller.

Seriously?! I mean isn't she just gorgeous?

We opened presents which I have a ton of pictures but I'm not going to post those. I will tell you that every time she got clothes she would squeeze them really tight and bury her face in them. She hearts clothes. She got some great stuff!

Then we sang her "Happy Birthday" and she loved that. She really liked being the center of attention.

Then we told her to dig in. And dig in she did!

It was a good day and we had fun. I loved celebrating my sweet girl!

THE BIRTHDAY DAY

2011-02-13T11:16:00.000-06:00

We woke up at 1am on Jocelyn's birthday to her crying in her crib. I was more than ecstatic to go get her and put her in bed with us even though I had plans to walk in in the morning and sing "Happy Birthday" to her. But instead we woke up to her lying right next to us.

Bed head and all... prettiest birthday girl ever!

After playing in bed we went downstairs for breakfast. She had her favorite... blueberries!

And a waffle.

We spent the day running around getting party stuff and giving our girl some extra lovin' all day. We had plans for our family to come over on Thursday night to have some dinner, open some presents and eat some cake.

I had to add this picture because she just learned how to drink from a straw a couple of weeks ago. It still freaks me out that she is getting so big.

This choo choo train is still one of her favorite toys.

Daddy and his girl

Time for presents!

She got this cute little art set for her Auntie Ashewa. She loves to color.

Then she got a stroller and a baby from Grammy and Grandpa. She LOVES it.

Next it was time for cake. Jocelyn's first ever cake.

To say that she liked it is a huge understatement. SUGAR!

It was a perfect day. We spent most of the day with just the three of us. Our little family.

MY LETTER TO JOCELYN - ONE YEAR OLD

2011-02-10T07:00:00.001-06:00

Precious Jocelyn,

Today is the day. Today is the day that I will go get you out of your crib in the morning and I will remember probably around the same time exactly one year ago you made your debut into this world. Your loud "let me make sure everyone knows I'm here" debut. This day falls right behind the day I married your daddy as the best day of my life.

Today I will sing "Happy Birthday" to you multiple times. I will make sure that I give you lots and lots of kisses and hugs. I will hold you tight and thank God for making you mine.

Sweet Jocelyn, this past year cannot be put into the right words to describe just how amazing it has been. You made my dream of becoming a mommy come true. I feel as though I am not worthy of being the mother of such a wonderful and beautiful little girl but I know that no one can ever love you as much as I do.

There are so many things that I don't ever want to forget about this past year. So many things that are still fresh in my memory. I want to be able to tell you these things years and years from now so I wrote them down for you.

I don't ever want to forget that you HATED the formula they tried to feed you on her first few days of life at the hospital but you had NO trouble at all breastfeeding. You wanted your mommy! :)
I don't ever want to forget how much I love when you reach out for me when you want me to pick you up.
I don't ever want to forget the look on your face when you figured out how to splash water in the bathtub. Pure fascination.
I don't ever want to forget the way you smell.
I don't ever want to forget that feeling I had when you got your first tooth.
I don't ever want to forget what a big mama's girl you are. Because I have a feeling it won't last long before Daddy takes over.
I don't ever want to forget the look on my mother's face the moment when she first saw me as a mother. Your mother.
I don't ever want to forget the joy I felt everytime they rolled you into our room from the nursery at the hospital.
I don't ever want to forget how excited you were when you learned to wave "bye-bye".
I don't ever want to forget how hard it was to transition you from taking a bottle every two hours to every three hours.
I don't ever want to forget how hard it was to let you CIO for a few days during your naptimes and bedtime.
I don't ever want to forget how you love to give everyone kisses.
I don't ever want to forget how you snuggle in my neck when you get shy.
I don't ever want to forget our mornings when we just sit and play in bed.
I don't ever want to forget how scared I was when the doctors told us you had jaundice and you were only one day old.
I don't ever want to forget how you shake your little booty when you dance.
I don't ever want to forget how I felt when you held your baby doll for the first time and pretended to rock her to sleep. Like a little mommy.
I don't ever want to forget how much your smile lights up my life.

One year ago you came into this world after I had been waiting for you for so long. I took one look at you and instantly fell deeper in love. I didn't think I could love anything so much and yet I feel like my heart may beat out of my chest everyday for the love I feel for you.

You make everything in my life so much sweeter and brighter. I didn't know love like this could exist. You have given me more of a reason to be a better person and I hope one day I can make you proud. You have taught me so many lessons in your short year of life. You inspire me to love deeper and stronger. You are my heart.

So Baby Girl, thank you for making this past year the best year of my life. I hope today you know that you are loved more than words can explain.

Happy Birthday my sweet sweet Jocelyn!

To the moon and back,
Mommy

ALWAYS. SOMETIMES. NEVER: JOCELYN EDITION

2011-02-09T15:48:00.001-06:00

In honor of Jocelyn's first birthday, which is TOMORROW.

I wanted to do an "Always. Sometimes. Never." edition just for her!

Jocelyn ALWAYS...
loves to eat.
likes to be chased.
likes to take a bath.
want to play with our cell phones.
loves to be spun around in circles.
continues to amaze us.

Jocelyn SOMETIMES...

likes to go to sleep.

likes to be in her car seat.

eats everything on her plate.

is fickle about people.

gets interested about what's on tv.

throws a fit here and there. :)

Jocelyn NEVER...

misses a meal.

was a bad "teether".

gets tired of playing with her toys.

stops moving (unless she is asleep.)

has a problem being left alone with Daddy.

has to worry about not being loved.

MY VERY FIRST 5K!

2011-02-07T10:04:00.000-06:00

Come out and support us (or join us) on April 2, 2011 for my very first 5K!

I did it (well not yet)! Ha. One of my goals for 2011 was that I wanted to run a 5K. Well I made the first step and signed up for the Aid Sudan 5K with Houston's First Baptist Church.

And who better than to be at my side and support me than my hubby. So he got lucky and I signed him up too. He is just thrilled (insert sarcastic remark here.) We will wake up bright and early on Saturday, April 2 to head out to Bear Creek Park and run our 5K at 8am.

We're super excited about this. But we are even more excited that all proceeds for this run will greatly benefit others more than it will benefit us. All proceeds will benefit Aid Sudan, an interdenominational non-profit organization working in three locations across the U.S. and targeted in southern Sudan. For more information visit AidSudan.org. For just $25/runner you can change the life of a person or family in Southern Sudan!

We would love for you to be there to cheer us on and we would love it even more if you would join us in the run. If you want to join us then register online here. The more the merrier!

Time to start training!

HOLY JACK FROST

2011-02-02T16:14:00.000-06:00

One year ago I posted this post. I was 38 weeks pregnant. I didn't know that that weekend would be my last weekend before I became a mother.

I don't remember much about the weather at this time last year. I'm thinking it was probably warm because we do live in Houston and it's usually always warm. But I think the day we took Jocelyn home it was actually cold.

Not this week.

Tomorrow night and Friday morning we might get snow! The weather man is predicting 1-3 inches in our area! Now usually this isn't a big deal... well who am I kidding? Snow is always a big deal in Houston. But this year it is even a BIGGER deal because I get to experience it with Jocelyn! I have to say that I am quite excited.

I better get my camera charged.

SNEAK PEAK!

2011-01-27T14:47:00.002-06:00

Jennifer over at The Maynard Moment gave me this idea of doing a sneak peak for Jocelyn's birthday party!

I have had a lot of fun planning this and getting things together and I CAN'T WAIT to see how all of this stuff is going to look like when I put it all together! But more important I am so excited to celebrate my little girl's first year! I can't believe its almost here!

So here it is... a sneak peak!

Just in case it's hard to read, it says,

chocolate, sprinkles and candy galore

a sweet celebration we have in store!

our little sweetie is turning one!

we're having a party

so come have some fun!

Isn't it so cute?!

AFTERNOON AT THE PARK

2011-01-21T20:28:00.000-06:00

Ok we didn't spend the whole afternoon at the park, more like 10 minutes. Haha. But we had fun with our little piglet.

Jocelyn was so excited to go to the park. Can't you tell?

Daddy helped her up the bridge.

She is so good at walking with assistance.

Then she wanted to do it by herself. So independent.

"Look Mommy."

This girl LOVES anything that has a stirring wheel.

So her heart was content with this blue wheel.

See?!

Then we moved on over to the slide.

She was a little unsure about it at first.

Then she wanted to climb up the slide all by herself.

She loved this see-saw thingy. (I don't know what its called. Ha.)

And apparently so did John.

(I love that you get to be a kid all over

again when you have kids of your own.)

We finished our trip to the park with Jocelyn's favorite thing ever!

The swings!

These pictures make my heart happy.

The look of pure joy on her face.

There is seriously nothing better in the world than being a mom!

A HOME OF OUR OWN

2011-01-21T09:20:00.000-06:00

When me and John got married we moved into our small one bedroom apartment that was just perfect for us! It was big (for two people) and spacious and we loved it.

When we got pregnant we knew we weren't ready to buy a house so we upgraded to a two-bedroom apartment. We brought our baby girl home to that apartment and started our journey as parents there.

Then the time came. We were ready to upgrade again. We were ready for a house. My parents were gracious enough to let us stay with them while we saved money and looked for a house so we wouldn't have to renew our lease at the apartment.

That was six months ago.

Yes, folks. Six months. We didn't intend for this journey to be so long but we have learned such a valuable lesson. More on that in a minute.

When we started looking for houses we also started the financial side of everything. We had someone look at John's credit and said everything looks great and as soon as we had the whole amount of the down payment we would get the pre-approval letter. Then that didn't work out.

So we went to another loan officer that realized that everything on John's end looked great. But now-a-days its a lot harder to get a house. They checked my credit and it all went downhill. You see I don't have bad credit. There is one thing on my credit that was holding us back.

At this point in the process my parents had offered their house to us but we refused. I was prideful and wanted something of my own. I didn't want to take my parents house for fear that I would always feel like it was their house and not mine. Plus we had already found a house we loved. We found the house after looking for months.

Then we found out we weren't approved. Because of me.

Y'all it was hard. It was a hard hard day. Even harder for me because I felt like it was all my fault. I was irresponsible before I got married and now my family was paying the price. It has taken a long time for me to get over this. I'm still fighting demons.

So we felt like we were back to square one. We knew we couldn't get a house and we were sad. Then my parents offered again. They offered their home to us. They were planning on building a home in the near future and wanted to give us the option before they put it on the market.

We prayed and prayed about it. I will admit that, out of fear, we first thought it was too much and we were just going to get back into an apartment. We even went and looked at apartments. Then we realized that we would be spending almost the same amount for a two bedroom apartment as we would for my parents four bedroom house! So we went back to praying.

This is where the valuable lesson comes in. We learned that no matter what our plans are for our future, God's plans are so much better. (Can I get an 'amen'?)

God knew that, for some reason, He wanted us in my parents house. That's why nothing has worked out. That's why we weren't approved. That's why it took us forever to find a house we actually liked. That's why my parents offered over and over again. We are meant to be in this house. It is meant to be our home.

I wrestled with myself over this and finally realized that this isn't about my pride and it's most certainly not about having a nice, new home. This is about my family. We have been offered an amazing house that is more than we could've wanted. We would've never been able to get a house this size that was in our budget. Jocelyn will have a home. A home that she already loves.

And John and I already have major plans on how to make this house look like ours. And I'm already falling in love with it. (I will take before and after pictures when everything is done. We will be starting some of the renovation soon!)

So that is it. That is the big news. We have a house. We are sharing it right now because my parents are building a new home. (Which is another blessing! Their new house is going to be gorgeous and I'm so excited for them!) We will be sharing it for another 4-5 months but that is a-ok with us. We are able to save more money and we are able to have peace in our hearts about this.

It may not have gone the way we thought it would. But God is always faithful and He is always providing. This plan, His plan, is so much better than anything I could've ever thought of.

MONSTER IN-LAW

2011-01-15T14:25:00.000-06:00

There are so many movies out there that depict the typical relationship a wife is supposed to have with her mother-in-law. You can't forget that movie with J-Lo and Jane Fonda where Jane Fonda basically tries to make J-Lo's life a living h-e-double hockey sticks. It's called Monster-in-law. Clever.

When John and I were dating and when we realized that we knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together one of the first things I thought was "Will I be able to live with his family for the rest of my life?" That's horrible, right? But when you marry your man you marry his mother also. It's just fact.

At first I thought that my mother-in-law, Diana, would have a hard time letting go of her little boy. He was her youngest child and he was her baby boy. (Side note: Diana if you are reading. Just hear me out. I promise this gets better! :)) I was really nervous that once we got married Diana would not let me take over and be the wife.

And then I thought about when I had kids. Would Diana make me feel like I had to do things her way and raise my kid the way she raised hers?

Well, let me just say that I have been so blessed by having such a wonderful mother-in-law. When John and I got married I never felt like she was overstepping her boundaries. And once I had Jocelyn she has never made me feel like what I'm doing is not right. Of course she gives me advice when I ask for it but I never feel like she is forcing it upon me.

She loves our family and she does everything she can to help us in anyway possible. She is an amazing mother and an even better grandmother. She loves our girl and that makes me love her even more.

So Diana I just want to tell you a little something... thank you for loving us. Thank you for showing me that a relationship with a mother-in-law doesn't have to be the stereotypical relationship. Thank you for always making me feel like I was a part of the family even before I married John. Thank you for loving Jocelyn so much and being such a great Grammy. Words cannot express how much I love you. I think you are an amazing woman that has so much to give and deserves the world. The relationship you have with your children is inspiring and I hope someday that my children talk so highly of me the way your children talk of you. I love you and I'm so glad you are my second mother. Love, Jess

FRIDAY RANDOMNESS

2011-01-14T22:03:00.001-06:00

Here is just some random stuff about my week:

- I was really frustrated on Wednesday night after Jocelyn had thrown up for the millionth time from crying in her crib when it was bed time. Then I felt bad for being frustrated.

- My man rocks my world.

- I got to celebrate a friend's precious baby at her first baby shower. I can't wait to meet him/her. (That's right. They didn't find out the sex. Crazy!)

- I get to celebrate another friend's TWO babies tomorrow and I can't wait to see her and the twin boys in her belly.

- I called to cancel my birth control pill refills and the pharmacy tech asked me "Awww. Are you trying for another baby?" Negative lady. Negative.

- John made a totally spontaneous purchase and totally made my year (or the next six, depending on how long it holds out) and bought me my first Macbook! I. heart. it.

- Planning Jocelyn's first birthday party has been so much fun.

- I hate laundry.

- I asked my mom if it was too early for Jocelyn to be starting the terrible twos. She said yes. Darn.

- I'm really bad at Twitter.

- I can't think of anything else to say.

Christmas Posts are here!

2011-01-11T10:41:00.000-06:00

Take a look back at all the pictures from our Christmas Celebrations!

Evans Christmas

Villalpando Christmas

Christmas Morning 2010

A Martinez Christmas

Christmas at Paw Paw's House

Evans Christmas

2011-01-11T10:36:00.000-06:00

After John's parents we headed over to Uncle Jason's to celebrate with my mom's side of the family. It was the first year Uncle Jason has hosted with his new bride and he did a fantastic job!

Organizing presents

Jake and Gavin

Isaac, Jake and Gavin

Danielle and Anthony (and Gabe)

Sweet Amber

Still playing with her choo choo train

She loves it!

Villalpando Christmas

2011-01-11T10:31:00.000-06:00

After opening presents on Christmas morning we headed over to John's parents house to celebrate with his parents, sister, cousin and Granny. It was so much fun and some of the presents she got on that day are still some of her favorites!

Family Pic

She loves loves loves this toy!

Jocelyn and Granny

These were all of Jocelyn's presents.

Christmas Morning 2010

2011-01-11T10:17:00.000-06:00

I was so excited for Christmas morning. I couldn't wait to see Jocelyn's face. I know she is really young right now but let me just tell you... she LOVED her magnadoodle! Haha.

This is what Santa brought.

A new carseat and a new toy.

"MAGNADOODLE!"

This is what I think was going through her head.

More presents

More magnadoodle

Me and John bought her this cute little bunny rabbit from Build a Bear and it is so soft!

She loves it.

A Martinez Christmas

2011-01-11T10:10:00.000-06:00

On Christmas Eve we headed to my dad's side of town to celebrate with their family. My grandma makes tamales every Christmas Eve and it has to be my favorite part! So so so good!

Daddy and Jocelyn

This is how Mexicans do it! Go big or go home!

Auntie D'Nelle loving on her niece.

Brieanna and Jonathan

Mark, Brandon, Christian (my lil' bro), and Josh

Brieanna, Ashley, Shannon

Mommy and Jocelyn

Anthony and Danielle

Waiting to open presents

Siblings.

Opening her first present

Smiling at Uncle Christian

Christian

More presents

My best present ever!

Christmas at Paw Paw's

2011-01-11T09:53:00.000-06:00

We started off the Christmas festivities a week before Christmas at Paw Paw's house. It was so good to see everyone and the kids were so sweet with Jocelyn. Last year she was still in my belly which is so hard to imagine when I saw her opening her presents this year.

Cousins

Opening her very first Christmas present

The Girls

More present opening

Jocelyn and Paw Paw

She loves him. Can't you tell?

Me and my girl

The whole fam!

(Minus John, Johnny and Troy. They had to work.)

My Love-Hate Relationship

2011-01-10T10:15:00.000-06:00

with TECHNOLOGY!

I have been trying to post the tons of pictures from Christmas but it's hard to do when you have a computer that is ssslllllooooooowww! Hence why we are computer shopping!

So the posts and pictures from Jocelyn's First Christmas will come. They will be a little late but... better late than never!

Letters To My Daughter - Eleven Months

2011-01-10T08:00:00.010-06:00

Jocelyn, I feel like I just wrote your letter for 10 months! Another month has flown by....again.

You are 11 months old now! One month shy of ONE YEAR. How did this happen?

All I can say is that I'm LOVING this stage right now! You are so much fun to hang out with and you make me laugh so hard. You have quite the little personality and it is so much fun to see you develop.

You are constantly learning and I feel like I'm teaching you all day in just the little things that we do. Whenever I give you snacks like Goldfish I always count them for you. One day I know you will start counting them for me. We are also working on blowing kisses and pointing to our noses. You are so smart little girl!

A few weeks ago I posted on the blog a video of you dancing and your dancing skills have only improved. You dance anytime you hear music but now instead of moving your head back and forth you have brought you shoulders into it. So funny. And then if you are standing up and one of your toys plays a slower song you will bend your knees and just go up and down, up and down. I love watching you dance.

You are still eating great! You don't like baby food anymore so it's been a struggle trying to make sure you are getting healthy food in your little body. I know right now the formula provides everything you need so once you switch to milk I am going to have to make sure you are eating even healthier. You L.O.V.E. macaroni and cheese. You eat it up! You also like black beans, new potatoes and chicken. You still love raspberries. They are your favorite!

You mostly wear size 12 months clothing but you can still fit into some 9 months. You wear a size 3 shoe and a size 3 diaper. We weighed you yesterday and you finally weigh 20 pounds! Yay!

You are still crawling everywhere! You are so fast and you love to be chased. You can pull yourself up onto anything but you can't quite stand on your own for no longer than a few seconds. I don't feel like you'll be walking anytime soon but that's just fine with me. I am in no hurry for you to grow up.

This month you celebrated your first Christmas! It was so much fun and you got so much great stuff from your family that loves you so much! Your favorite toys are the ones you can push and walk with. You love your legos that Auntie Ashewa bought you and your rocking horse that Auntie D'Nelle bought you. My favorite gift that you got is a James Avery charm bracelet from Yia Yia. It has a little teddy bear on it and it looks so cute around your little wrist. I was a little nervous about you not liking wearing it but you don't even notice its on. So cute!

We also celebrated a new year! But you slept right through it with Mommy and Daddy. You didn't even wake up when the fireworks started exploding at midnight. Waking up on January 1, 2011 with you and Daddy was the best new year I've ever had!

I can't believe almost a year has gone by Jocelyn. This time last year I was having my baby showers and preparing for your arrival. I thought I knew how much I would love you but I had no idea it would be this much. Thank you for making my life so much better! I love you.

Love,
Mommy

Questions of 2010

2011-01-05T10:39:00.001-06:00

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?

I gave birth!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions and will you make more for next year?

I don't even remember my new year's resolutions from last year.

No I did not make any new ones.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Umm, yeah. Myself.

Also, a few friends and my aunt!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Thankfully, no.

5. What countries did you visit?

Ha. I had a baby. Didn't have time for travel.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you didn’t have in 2010?

I would like to have our own house.

7. What dates from 2010 will be etched upon your memory and why?

The day my daughter was born. Most amazing day of my life!

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?

Becoming a mommy!

9. What was your biggest failure?

Not making time for myself.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nope. All is well.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

My kid, technically speaking. We did have to pay for her. Haha.

Seriously,

12. Where did most your money go?

Bills. And Jocelyn.

13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Meeting my little girl. And learning that a few of my closest friends we're pregnant!

Can't wait to meet your little ones Christen and Laura!

14. What song will always remind you of 2010?

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

I have sang it to Jocelyn almost every single day. It's her favorite.

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?

a) I have always been happy. But Jocelyn brought a new kind of joy in 2010. I'm loving life right now!

b) Well, thinner if we count the two months I was pregnant in 2010. But I'm about the same.

c.) Ha. Well John got a new job that provides better for our family. So I guess richer. Haha.

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Saved. Sleep.

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Eat.

18. How did you spend Christmas?

All over Houston with our family. Perfect.

19. What was your favorite TV program?

LOST.

20. What was the best book you read?

I didn't get a lot of reading in.

But I started reading Finding God's Will by Gregg Matte and I LOVE it!

21. What did you want and get?

I wanted to be a mom. I got it!

22. What did you want and not get?

A house. This whole house buying process is stressful.

23. What was your favorite film of 2010?

This is a hard one. Way too many.

Harry Potter was pretty good.

So was Inception.

24. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?

We went to dinner with some of our closest friends. I turned 24.

25. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Nothing. My year was great. The good and the bad.

26. Who did you miss?

Jack and Sawyer.

27. Who was the best new person you met?
Jocelyn.

28. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.

No matter what you expect out of life, God is always in control.

2010 was amazing! I can't wait to see what 2011 brings!

Hello 2011!

2011-01-01T00:00:00.001-06:00

May this year bring you abundant blessings!

-The Villalpandos

Mommy Guilt: Part 2

2010-12-29T09:18:00.001-06:00

I know I said I will post about Christmas but after reading this... you will know why I didn't.

A few months ago I wrote a post about feeling guilty for wanting time for myself. Yesterday was another one of those days where I actually wanted to get away. Jocelyn was super cranky and I didn't know how to fix it. She wouldn't nap and she would just cry and I didn't know what was wrong. It was one of those days where I kept looking at the clock and praying it would move faster so John would come home.

Then after she was in bed (until 2am when she woke up crying) I sat there and the guilt overwhelmed me. When John came home and asked how my day was I couldn't even make the words come out. I couldn't even say "It was horrible and I wish I weren't here". It made my heart hurt to just think about saying those words. They were true but I just couldn't make them come out of my mouth.

The guilt was so strong that all I could do was cry. Cry because I felt like a terrible person. I felt like a terrible MOTHER. I'm not supposed to want to get away from my child when all she wants is me. I think I actually felt my heart break because I felt like a failure. I felt like there was something wrong with me for wanting to get away and have some peace and quiet. What kind of mother thinks like that?

I don't have very many of these days. Most of the time Jocelyn isn't even fussy. Most of the time, if she is fussy, I know how to fix it. But yesterday I just felt like nothing I did was making it better. And as a parent that's all you want to do... is make it better for your child.

After having a serious talk with myself and with God I felt better. I poured it all out there. I layed it all at His feet and He reassured me that everything will be ok. The only question I could think of was "What kind of mother thinks like that?" God let me know... every mother. Every mother, at one point or another, thinks like that. It doesn't mean you love your child any less. It doesn't mean there is something wrong with you. It doesn't mean you are a bad mom. It just means that you need to step back and ask for help. Ask for help and not feel guilty about it.

Christmas Post Coming Soon!

2010-12-27T19:43:00.000-06:00

I will be posting our Christmas post tomorrow with TONS of pictures and maybe even some videos! :)

I survived without a bump on my head.

2010-12-20T15:55:00.000-06:00

Warning: Again, this post talks about girl stuff. So if you don't want to read about it then get out of here. :)

Funny title, huh?

Well, remember when I wrote this post about Jocelyn being a big sister? Well, when I said it was likely not to happen for a few more years... I was serious. And I took action.

Last week I walked into my OB/GYN's office after many phone calls back and forth between her nurse and myself and the insurance company. I had pumped myself up after reading way too many things on the Internet about what I was about to do. I say "pumped" myself up but it's more like "freaked myself out".

Me and John (ok...really just me) had decided that the pill just wasn't working for us. There are a few things I do not like about the pill but to be honest... I'm so bad at taking it every day at around the same time each day. And when I don't take it when I'm supposed to I start freaking out about the possibility of being pregnant. Just ask Laura. I've gone to her freaking out before. Haha. So yeah... the pill wasn't for us.

So we thought about other options. Other birth control options. We both know that we don't want to have another baby for quite a while. I had always heard about an IUD and so I asked my OB/GYN about it. After checking with the insurance I found out that all we had to pay was the $20 co-pay and that was it. Ummm hello?! So financially it was the right choice because let's just say I'm on the pill for 3 years and I pay $10/month. That's $360! $360 vs $20? Yeah. Hard choice.

So then I researched and researched. I wanted to know everything about an IUD. I found out there are two different types. Mirena, which is the more popular brand. And Paragard. After researching some more I decided that Paragard was best for me. I liked that it was hormone free and it allowed my body to go through its natural cycle.

So Paragard was ordered and there I was sitting in the waiting room at my doctor's office after just reading about the insertion procedure online no more than 2 hours earlier. Why?! Why did I read it? I read that some women pass out after the insertion process and I even have an old co-worker that totally passed out after she had hers done and hit her head on the counter in the doctor's office. Yikes.

The time had come. I was called back and did what I do every OB/GYN appointment. Pee in a cup. Get my weight. Blood pressure. Yeah I knew the routine.

Then in comes my doctor. The very woman that was the first person to ever hold my daughter was about to make sure that she wasn't going to meet any other of my children anytime soon.

One of the things I love about my doctor is that the whole time I was pregnant and any time I got a procedure done she was sure to let me know exactly what was happening when it was happening. Some women like this and some women don't. So there I was. My legs in stirrups and my doctor says "Ok I'm going to let you know what's going on instead of just shoving this thing up there." Thanks Doc.

I read online about the pain. Some women said it hurt worse than childbirth. (Seriously. Crybabies.) And some women said it was just a really big cramp. Now I'm not trying to toot my own horn but I have to say that I have a pretty high tolerance for pain. When I was in labor, yes it hurt, really bad but I just breathed through it and there wasn't any screaming or yelling at my loved one that were in the room. Ha. So I was hoping that my pain tolerance would hold up right now. Because frankly, my cervix had been through enough the past year. Poor thing.

I layed there listening to my doctor telling me how she was going to numb me and put something cold in there. Then Doctor said "Ok. Big cramp, big cramp." Yup. It was a big cramp. But nothing worse than I ever got right before Aunt Flow came. "Ok there you go." Doctor says. "Wait, it's in." "Yup."

That. was. it.

I was freaking myself out for nothing. I even texted Laura saying "OMG. I'm so nervous." as I was waiting for my doctor to come in.

After it was inserted I layed there for about 5 minutes because, frankly, I didn't want to pass out and bump my head because this mama didn't have time to spend her day in the ER. No way.

And that's my story of how I survived getting an IUD. Sorry it was so long.

It's been one week since I got it and at first I had some bleeding which has totally stopped now and I don't have any cramping at all.

Let's pray this thing holds up for about 3 more years and then Jocelyn may be a big sister. Maybe. ;)

Letters To My Daughter - Ten Months

2010-12-17T10:20:00.000-06:00

Jocelyn,

I know I say this every month but how can it be that you are ten months old already? It just blows my mind. You are growing up right before my eyes and there is nothing I can do to stop you. My heart is torn because I want you to stay a little baby and need me and want me to hold you and the other part of my heart is so excited to see you learn and experience new things.

This month has been so so so fun! You are absolutely hilarious. You make the funniest faces and love to make people laugh. I feel like you've learned so much these past month and you are so much more independent.

This month you learned to wave bye-bye. And girl you are so proud of yourself when you wave goodbye to someone. When I drop you off at Ms. Rosie's house in the mornings and you wave goodbye to me you are just smiling away. Makes me sad that you don't seem like you will miss me but makes me so happy that you love Ms. Rosie so much! You will wave bye-bye to anyone or anything. You waved bye-bye to Target the other day. Ha.

This month, on December 5, you got your first fat busted lip. We were at Auntie Erika's baby shower and you slipped while standing next to my leg and went face first into the wood floor. Jocelyn, you are such a tough little girl. You only cried for about a minute and then wiped the blood from your lip on your brand new shirt sleeve. Thanks sweetie.

This past month you started dancing! Little girl you like to shake your little tail! Anytime you hear music you will bob your head back and forth and just smile. It's so so cute! You especially like Ellen Degeneres' theme song for her talk show. Every time you hear it you stop what you're doing, stare at the TV and dance your little heart out. I'm sure Ellen would be proud!

You've also started shaking your head "no". You don't really do it when you don't want anything but more like when we just say "Jocelyn, no no". And then you shake your head. Your one smart cookie!

You are still such a good eater. Although you do not like baby food anymore. You prefer the real thing vs. the mashed up baby food. The other day I boiled some carrots for you and you LOVED them. Some of your favorite foods are avocados, carrots, raspberries, goldfish, graham crackers and cheese! You are still on the fence about meats but we're working on that. You still drink formula and you drink about 8 oz. every 3-4 hours. My big girl!

You can still fit in some 9 month size clothing but we have started transitioning to 12 month size. I weighed you last week and you are still at about 17-18 pounds. Petite! You were a size 3 diaper and a size 2 shoe.

Your first birthday is right around the corner and Mommy has already started planning it. Daddy says he wants to "go all out" for his little girl!

We are so excited to celebrate your first Christmas this month! I have to say that you are the best gift I could ever think of. You have turned our world upside down, inside out and all the way around. To us, you are absolutely perfect.

I love you more than I will ever be able to express.

Love,
Mommy

Yummy Avocados

2010-12-14T11:47:00.002-06:00

Jocelyn is at the age where she is just so curious about everything. Especially what we are eating. If we are eating something and she sees us she will crawl as fast as her little arms and legs can take her and beeline straight for us.
We do not have a problem with this girl when it comes to food. She loves everything (except her baby food. Go figure.)
One of her favorite snacks are avocados! She loves them. Even though they are super messy we like to encourage her to learn to feed herself (which she does a great job at)! But when she feeds herself usually the food is EVERYWHERE! Haha.
So here are some pictures from snack time. A very messy snack time.

My little chunky monkey!

Dancing Queen

2010-12-14T11:14:00.002-06:00

Jocelyn has become quite the little dancer. She pretty much dances whenever she hears music. It’s so cute!
These pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago when she first started dancing and she kind of shakes her head back and forth. Now she gets her arms and torso into it. She gets down!

And for your viewing pleasure… here is our little dancer shakin’ what her mama gave her to Rob Thomas!

All Things Christmas

2010-12-08T15:26:00.002-06:00

I got this from The Maynard Moment blog and thought it would be fun! So here goes!

All Things Christmas

1. Have you started your Christmas shopping?

Yes! And I'm happy to say that I'm almost done. All I have to get is our mothers (go figure) and Jocelyn, which will be easy. Last year we waited until the last minute and it was just so stressful!

2. Tell me about one of your special traditions.

One of my favorite traditions is playing games after dinner at my Dads house. My family over there is so competitive and we always get all hyped up. Needless to say, John fit right in when he joined that family because he is super competitive. This year, since we now have our own child, we want to read Jesus' story to Jocelyn every Christmas Eve.

3. When do you put up your tree?

Usually it is right after Thanksgiving!

4. Are you a black Friday shopper?

Three words: No freakin' way.

I like to shop online on Black Friday because most sites are doing free shipping. The first year we were married John woke up bright and early to go get our fake Christmas tree (yes, we use a fake tree. Sue us.) He got a GREAT deal on a very beautiful tree!

5. Do you travel at Christmas or stay home?

Well, ha. You see. Both of my (divorced) parents have remarried and so all together we have five families to try and see in two days. So yes, there is a lot of traveling involved. Thankfully it is usually in the Houston area but makes for a BUSY season.

6. What is your funniest Christmas memory?

I can't really remember a funny Christmas memory that sticks out. There is always laughter. But I think I would have to say two years ago we were all playing Rock Band (guitars, drums, singing. All of it.) and my Dad attempted to sing "La Bamba". That was pretty funny!

7. What is your favorite Christmas movie of all time?

Oh how do I narrow it down to just one. There is just no way. So here are a few of my all-time favorites: Home Alone. I mean I could watch it over and over. Elf. Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?

8. Do you do your own Christmas baking?

Not normally. But I've just gotten into baking this year so maybe I will try some.

9. Fake tree or real tree?

Refer to #4. Haha.

10. What day (as a mom) does the actual panic set in?

Uhhh. I'm not sure I understand the question. Panic for what? Buying presents? Getting Christmas cards out on time? Decorating the house?

11. Are you still wrapping presents on Christmas Eve?

No. I am all done wrapping by at least the week before Christmas.

12. What's your favorite family fun time at Christmas?

I love all of it. And this year I have a family of my own so it can only get better!

13. Christmas music? Yes or no?

If yes, what's your favorite song?

Yes! Yes! Yes! I have my radio on 99.1 all day every day. I don't have a favorite but I really like the ones by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

14. When do you plan to finish all your shopping this year?

I should be all done by the end of this weekend! Woo hoo!

Ok, it's your turn now!

I've lost it.

2010-12-06T14:38:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry the blog has been so "blah" lately. I go through spurts where I really love my blog and update it all the time to not even looking at it. I've just lost the motivation to blog as of late. Well maybe it's not that I've lost motivation. Maybe it's just that I would rather play with my baby when she is awake, catch up on my shows when she is napping and cuddle with her daddy when she goes to bed. ;)

I will try to be better because I know you just can't wait to see pictures of our precious Jocelyn and hear about all the fun stuff she is doing like dancing and waving "bye bye".

Thanks for your patience you fine people!

Thankful

2010-11-22T09:10:00.000-06:00

for:

-a forgiving and gracious God

-a wonderful hard-working husband

-a healthy beautiful little girl

-a job

-loving family

awesome friends

-hand sanitizer

-toilet paper

-insurance
-a roof over our head
-DVR
-good books
-permanent markers
-flavored coffee
-second chances
-date nights
-great in-laws
-Target
-girl talk
-quiet time
-football
-laughter
-Jan Martin
-turkey and dressing
-good health
-life

What are you thankful for?

Security

2010-11-22T08:24:00.000-06:00

Ok. I've been watching the news, listening to the radio and reading online blogs about all of the ~~complaining~~ stuff going on with the new airport security and I have to get my two cents in. And it ain't gonna be purty.

1. Seriously, people. Seriously. People are trying to protect our country. Trying to protect YOU! And you want to complain about a body scan. Cry me a river.

2. Yes, I've heard about the pat downs that are being called close to a sexual violation. Well then. If you don't want to be patted down then don't get on my plane that I may be flying on. Or that my child may be on. Or my husband. Mkay?

3. Here's an idea. Let's ask the 2,976 people that died on 9/11/01 if they would mind a pat down or being a little inconvenienced to have their body scanned. I bet I know what they will say.

4. Instead of crying and complaining about these scans or pat downs. Why don't you all give thanks that there are people willing to do them. Or people willing to fight for our country. Or people willing to go out of their way to protect us on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day. Those people that have to give up the holidays with their family to look at a screen all day.

You spoiled, selfish people.

Ok. My vent is over. Bye.

An introduction is in order...

2010-11-15T10:55:00.000-06:00

Ok y'all. It's time to come out of the lurking closet. :)

I want to get to know y'all.

Like you've gotten to know me.

I know that you are there because, according to my stats,

there are quite a few of you reading this here blog.

Talk to me. I want to know you!

And just for fun. I put a poll over there <--
for you to tell me if you are a friend, family, stranger, etc.

Let me know!

And don't be afraid to come out of the closet!

Patience...God's Way, Not Mine

2010-11-15T10:27:00.000-06:00

The time had come. It was time for Jocelyn to learn to fall asleep on her own. I had been putting it off for so long and giving myself stupid excuses.

First let me give you some background. Jocelyn started sleeping through the night at 2 months old. Meaning she didn't wake up hungry anymore and she knew that day time was time to be awake (besides naps) and nighttime was time to be asleep. We have always rocked her to sleep and then put her in her bed.

I LOVED rocking her. Seriously, I loved it. We would snuggle up and I would sing to her and pray over her. But then it came to the point where I was literally wrestling with her. It wasn't because she didn't want to go to sleep. It was because she couldn't get comfortable and would go from one side to the other. Boo.

At around 6 months old she started waking up in the middle of the night crying and me or John would go in there and get her out of her crib, rock her and put her back in her crib until she woke up crying again. Then it got to the point where when she started crying we would go in there and get her and just put her in bed with us until morning. Now, she was still sleeping. She would fall right back to sleep as soon as we started rocking her or put her in our bed.

Well I finally got up the guts to start letting her cry it out. I knew it would be hard and I honestly would not have been able to do it without encouragement from other moms (Thanks Laura!). We started on a Friday and it was way harder than I thought it would be. Hearing her cry and not going to soothe her went against every motherly instinct I have. But it was totally worth it, y'all!

(I promise I'm getting to the patience part!)

Ok so we started on a Friday and by Monday it was taking her about 20 minutes to go to sleep (better than when we started and it took her 45 minutes). There was one night that I layed her in her crib and looked at her little lip pouting and I walked out and just started sobbing. It was too much. John let me cry on his shoulder and kept telling me that this was going to be ok and we were doing the right thing.

I knew it was working but I hated seeing her cry. I wanted to be able to just lay her in bed and her go to sleep. Without the crying. I wanted it so badly.

Then she got sick. y'all. Strep throat. And I knew it was God saying "Just have patience with her Jessica. She will get it." Because she didn't cry it out at all when she was sick. I rocked her and cuddled with her. Then as soon as she was over it and I put her in her crib that first night after being sick to go to bed... 10 minutes. That's all it took. Then the next night. No lie. She cried for like 10 seconds and was out within 3 minutes.

I knew God was telling me that I had to have patience and let Him control the situation. As much as I wanted to control it and wanted her to go to bed without crying I couldn't control that. I had to have patience... God's way, not mine.

Nap times are still hard but bedtimes are going great. Definitely making progress! Just gotta have a little patience. ;)

Could I be...?

2010-11-12T10:42:00.000-06:00

WARNING: This post contains words like "period", "gyno", a lady part that rhymes with "sipple", "birth control". You've been warned.

Ok y'all. I'm about to get pretty private (or open, whichever way you want to look at it). John and I have been pretty careful since Jocelyn has been born to try and avoid giving her a younger sibling. Neither one of us are ready for another baby yet. Now if God wants us to have one then we would go with the flow but right now we just don't want another little one.

I am not on the pill. Because half of the time I always forgot to take it and then I would freak out for days upon days about not taking it and then I would freak out because I was freaking out and it was just a mess. So John and I decided that we would resort to other forms of birth control, i.e condoms. (Ohhh I said "condoms". Shocker.) Anyways.

So my periods are usually pretty consistent. I know that I usually start around the same day of the month or before. Never after that day. Following me? So that day came around and my period was no where to be found. I texted a friend telling her about my situation because I knew she would calm me down and reassure me that everything was ok.

Now let me just tell you something. When John and I started trying to get pregnant with Jocelyn one thing that hinted that I was pregnant was... about to get personal... that my nipples were so sore. Y'all I could barely wear a bra. And my nipples had never been sore before. Ever. Not even when my period was about to come.

Ok so back to me freaking out. My nipples were sore and it was the day I should've started and nope. Aunt Flow wasn't around. My friend convinced me to just get a pregnancy test so I could put my mind at ease. So off to Target I went with my little shopper and bought my first pregnancy test since having a baby. (Is it ironic that I bought a pregnancy test on the same day Jocelyn was 9 months old? No. Ok. Maybe not.)

As soon as I get home I get Jocelyn situated and take the test. And I wait. I see that first pink like. The one that means negative. And I wait to see if a second line pops up. Whew. No second line. Hallelujah.

But then... I think. What if it's wrong? Could I be...? Could I still be...? I mean these tests are wrong all the time. Right?

Oh well. My gyno appointment that just so happens to be the next day will tell me for sure. Went to the gyno. Gave me a test. Negative. Praise the Lord.

After days of stressing about it I am finally at ease. Then I start my period like an hour after my appointment. Go figure.

Coming up next...

2010-11-11T09:25:00.000-06:00

Sorry the blog has been neglected lately. Jocelyn is just getting over strep. This is the first time she has been really sick. She had a little ear infection a few months ago that didn't even phase her because we caught it early. She has been super cuddly which was a plus but was just miserable. I wish it were me instead.

Anyways. She is better now so I'm back. I have a lot of ideas in my head. I just have to get them out. Ha. Here is what's coming up next (in no particular order):

Ren Fest (We're going on Saturday. Don't judge us.)
Could I be...?
Patience... God's Way, Not Mine
Motherhood: The Good, The Bad & The Blessed
Living in the "right now"

Letters To My Daughter - Nine Months

2010-11-10T08:00:00.014-06:00

Another month has gone by Jocelyn! Where are these times going? It's all happening so fast and I can't stop it.

This month it seems like so much has happened and changed. You are changing everyday!

-This month you learned to clap your hands. When we say "Yaaay!" you will start clapping. So cute! Especially at Uncle Jake's football games.

-You've also started giving lots and lots of kisses. You kiss your baby doll, your stuffed animals, pictures of babies in magazines and you even try to kiss Lucky. We just say "kiss kiss" and you open your month and lean in for a wet one! It just makes my entire day when you give me a kiss! Something funny that I have to add so I don't forget is that when I'm holding you and you are trying to squirm out of my arms to get down you think that if you give me a kiss then I will put you down. So without me even asking for a kiss you lay one on me and then expect me to put you down. I love it! So sweet!

-You went on your first trip to the zoo this month! We had so much fun and you loved being outside and the animals. Needless to say Mommy and Daddy have never had so much fun at the zoo before!

-You had your 9 month check up a little early this month so here are your stats (8 months, 1 week):

Weight: 17 pounds (23%)

Height: 25 in. (64%)

Head: BIG.

-You are wearing mostly size 9 month clothing. You are in a size 3 diaper.

-You are eating anything that you wont choke on. We just started giving you baby food that contains meat. Like Chicken Noodle or Vegetable Beef. So far you hate all of it except Turkey and Rice. You will get used to it though. You eat everything else! You are not a picky eater at all. Yet. ;)

-As of November 5 you are completely off the bottle. I just gave you a cup one day to start the transition and you had no problem with it. Mommy hasn't packed all your bottles up though. I'm in denial.

-Last week you stood on your own without any support for like five seconds! Although you did not like it at all. You got pretty scared and haven't done it since. As much as I'm looking forward to you walking a part of me just wants you to stay this little baby forever.

-You are having some trouble with sleeping. I've read that most babies, around 8 months, change their sleep patterns. You will fall asleep in your crib but by the morning you are in bed with mommy and daddy. We don't mind snuggling with you though.

-Speaking of sleep. You have been a tummy sleeper since the day you were born. You never really liked sleeping on your back. Well that has totally changed. You will roll all over the bed in the middle of the night slapping Daddy in the face and kicking Mommy in the back. You don't mind sleeping on your back one bit.

You make my life so much better Jocelyn. I've never felt this joy before. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I love you!

To the moon and back,

Mommy

Silly Little Rabbit

2010-11-05T18:51:00.000-05:00

This Halloween was the best one ever! Me and John aren’t huge Halloween people. We never dress up or go to parties but we love trick or treating with our little cousins and this year… with our daughter.

The greatness didn’t start with trick or treating though! First Fest at our church, Houston’s First, started off the weekend festivities. HFBC does a wonderful job at making First Fest a family event. There is so much to do there and we love it!

In the preschool section they had so many fun things for kids Jocelyn’s age and a little older. Here she is examining the bubble wrap:

Then she took a dive in the ball pit (pool) (By the way, isn’t that onesie precious?):

After she had all her fun in the preschool area we went outside to cheer on Uncle Jake and Auntie D’Nelle on the bungie thing:

Then she went down the slide with Daddy:

After First Fest we headed over to Auntie Karen’s and Uncle D’s for the Annual Family Pumpkin Carving Contest! It was a blast.

Nana and Jocelyn:

Everyone working hard on their pumpkins:

Taking the insides out:

Mommy (me) worked really hard on Jocelyn’s pumpkin!:

The finished product! I totally free handed this. Didn’t even outline the letters. I just started cutting! Came out pretty good for my first time! And we won MOST AUTHENTIC PUMPKIN! Woo hoo!

Then on Sunday night we headed out with our little rabbit to go trick or treating. That lasted all of 20 minutes because she was so tired so we went home and handed out candy to the cute trick or treaters.

Our silly rabbit:

Jocelyn helped hand out candy!

After all the candy was gone it was time for bed. “Come on Mommy, time for night night.”

Our silly little rabbit makes everything better!

Let's be real.

2010-10-27T09:32:00.001-05:00

There are so many times I read a blog where I think "Is this person really that perfect?" And the reason I think that is because it is always sweet beautiful pictures or funny posts about life. Then I thought to myself... is that what my blog is like?

I usually do write about the good things going on in our lives. Do I write enough of the bad? Because, let's face it, we are human and we have problems. I have problems. (Some of you already know that. ;))

I want to be able to look back at my blog and remember the good times but I also want to remember those times that I struggled and grew from it. I want to remember where I was in life and how I was dealing with it. So I decided to write this post. And be completely "real" with my readers. So here it goes.

Lord knows I love my daughter. But there are days that bedtime can't come soon enough.
I struggle with my self confidence. I try to be trendy and cute all the time. But I'm not.
Me and John fight and most of the time it's because I bicker and nag too much.
Motherhood is the most rewarding and amazing thing that has ever happened to me but it can be hard sometimes.
There are times when I take and take and don't give back.
I have dark secrets that still haunt me from my past. Almost every day.
There are times when I think I am weak. Very. Very. Weak.
There are also times when I think that I don't deserve the things that I have.
There are times when I question if I made the right decision even though it's too late.
I get jealous of other people, mostly moms, that have more than I do. More time. More success. More beauty. More options. More possessions.
Sometimes I wish I could just leave everything behind and get away for a day. A weekend. All by myself. (How bad is this? Makes me look like a horrible person, doesn't it?)
I expect so many good things to happen to me even when I don't deserve them.
I often day dream stupid things that would never happen to me. Like winning the lottery. (Can't win if you don't play) And think how much easier our life would be. (Would it really be easier though? Probably not.)
Sometimes I think I am a horrible person. Mainly because of everything I just wrote and the fact that they are true.

That's it. That's me. Raw. Real.

Jocelyn’s First Trip to the Zoo

2010-10-26T15:30:00.001-05:00

On Saturday we took Jocelyn to the Houston Zoo! Grammy and Grandpa (John’s parents) went with us and we had a blast. And I have over 200 pictures to prove it. (But don’t worry I’m not going to post all of them on here.)

Jocelyn was checking out the program and mapping out our schedule for the day.

She LOVED the aquarium. She got to get up close and personal to Nemo and Dori! :)

After visiting the Sea lions and the birds and part of the Children’s Zoo she was wiped out. Naptime!

After naptime we went back to the Children’s Zoo to pet the animals.

Then we went to see the brand new baby elephant that was born October 3. Jocelyn was giving him an applause because he was so cute!

Then we went over to the little pumpkin patch.

Every child got to pick out their own little pumpkin and they had craft stations that you could decorate your baby pumpkin at. I wrote “Jocelyn 1st Trip to the Zoo” on her pumpkin. I don't know how long it will last so it’s a good thing I got pictures.

After the pumpkin patch we stopped by the gift shop and got a souvenir and then headed to the choo choo train. It was a perfect way to end our day.

Such a Daddy’s Girl!

Wiped out from having so much fun!

*Thanks to Grammy and Grandpa for sharing this special day with us. I’m so glad y’all got to spend quality time with her. She loves y’all so much!

I told my mother in law that it’s amazing how much having a child can change things. John and I haven’t had that much fun at the zoo since we were children. We see and experience things all over again through Jocelyn’s eyes but this time it’s so much sweeter, brighter and better!

How do I even begin...

2010-10-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

How do I even begin to try to explain a weekend retreat that has changed my life? That blessed me beyond words? I'm going to try my best.

On October 8 Danielle, my little sister, my Auntie Kath and myself loaded up the car and headed to the hotel for a weekend that I was unsure of. Unsure of how things would play out. What would happen? What would be said? What wouldn't be said? I had prayed and prayed for weeks that I would be able to get these two women to this retreat and let me just tell y'all... God is so amazing! Because not only did He get them to that retreat but I truly believe that He spoke to their hearts.

Y'all I got SO MUCH out of the this retreat. And I have EIGHT pages of notes to prove it. And I'm not talking about little 8 1/2 x 5 pages. I mean eight pages of 8 1/2 x 11 notebook size! I'm not going to write out all my notes but just write some of the things that stood out the most to me.

Donna Gaines was the main speaker and she was awesome. She said "if you're a believer then your cup isn't half full. It's overflowing!" AMEN! She also was speaking about how we are to be faithful to God, even in the gap time. Even when we are waiting on God we are to be faithful. After the first night of the retreat I was writing in my journal about the thing that spoke to me the most that night. Donna was speaking about David and how he was "a man after God's own heart" and how he followed the Lord with all of his heart. And I was so convicted because I don't just want to follow God with part of my heart or just the half that I want to follow Him with. I want to follow God with all of my heart. All of the time.

There were two breakout sessions and they were both awesome! One of the sessions was led by Gina Webster and what I got out of this is priceless. You noticed that I took a blog break for about a week because her session asked one question that tore my heart open: "Are you settling for a counterfeit satisfaction?" I didn't have to think about this one at all. I knew the answer as soon as I read the question. Blogging. Blogging was my counterfeit satisfaction. I blog to keep our family that we don't get to see often updated on our family. But I know in my heart that I like a lot of readers. I wouldn't have a site meter if I didn't care. And I read TONS of blogs. Well I noticed that reading those blogs and updating my blog is taking precious time away from the Lord. Let's face it. Sometimes reading the Bible can be so repetitive. Blogs are so much more fun to read. That's what I thought. I was settling with letting blogs satisfy me instead of reading God's Word. When reading those blogs will only satisfy me for, oh, I don't know, the 2 minutes it takes for me to read them. While reading God's Word will give me ultimate satisfaction. GOD IS MY ULTIMATE SATISFACTION. PERIOD. So I just have to ask... are you settling for a counterfeit satisfaction?

The other session was led by Adam Mason. Yes, a man. At a women's retreat. I was skeptical at first but his session was just as awesome. He spoke on one word: Hope. What a beautiful word. There was a lot I got out of his session also. He asked if we deeply believe that hope has found us. I just had to look at my little sister and the fact that she was sitting next to me at this retreat to know the answer to this question. The evidence was right in front of me. Yes, hope had definitely found me.

I enjoyed the retreat so much. But nothing... nothing... beat the two minutes I got to pray over Danielle. I will remember that moment for the rest of my life. I will remember the embrace I had around her and the feeling of the Holy Spirit embracing the both of us. I will remember the tears streaming down both of our faces and the sisterly bond that got stronger in those minutes. I prayed that God would show her her purpose on this earth and show her her worth and just how much she is loved by Him. I prayed that she would fall so in love with Jesus and that He would be the only satisfaction that she would ever need. Thank you Jesus.

The retreat helped me realize what kind of person I want to be. It doesn't matter who I was. It only matters who I'm trying to become. A better servant, a better follower, a better missionary, a better me.

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him

a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

John 4:13-14

Hey Y'all

2010-10-11T08:07:00.000-05:00

Well this weekend I went to the Women's retreat with my little sister and my aunt and, y'all, I can't even begin to tell you what a blessing it was. For me. For my sister. For everyone. It was simply amazing. And I can't wait to tell you all about it.

But for right now, I will be taking a break from blogging. I feel as though I have let blogging replace my time with the Lord and so I will be taking a break for about a week and then we'll see where I am.

When I come back I can't wait to share what the Lord is doing in my life! He is so awesome and so faithful! See y'all later!

"The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?"

Psalm 27:1

Letters To My Daughter - Eight Months

2010-10-10T08:00:00.027-05:00

Eight months! Jocelyn you are eight months old!

This month was a fun one! You are crawling everywhere and I am constantly on my toes keeping an eye on you. You can even crawl up the stairs all by yourself. Scary!

You've experienced your first live football game. Go Uncle Jake! At first you would get startled when everyone would cheer and shout but you got used to it.

You also went to your first weddings. We had cousin Raymond and Angela's wedding all the way in Austin. You did great on the way to Austin and back and you even took a nap on mommy at the wedding. Then the very next weekend we had Uncle Jason and Alexis's wedding here in Houston and you did awesome. You were a very good girl in the church and even decided to say the prayer with us. It was quite funny when you let out a little squeal while we were saying the Lord's Prayer. You were awesome at the reception and had your first dance with your daddy. Daddy was so proud to show you off!

Along with all the fun stuff this month we also had some scary stuff happen. You fell off the bed for the first time (and hopefully the last) and that was very scary. But you are a strong girl and didn't have a scratch on you. Mommy's tough girl!

Here are my EIGHT favorite things about you (as of right now):

1. You are a happy baby! You are rarely fussy and when you are fussy I know that you are either tired, bored or hungry.
2. I love your giggles! You laugh and laugh when we make funny faces or funny noises.
3. When I am feeding you your Gerber Puffs you are like a little piranha! You go to town on them!
4. You are truly a "mama's girl" right now.
5. You are a full fledged crawler. I am constantly chasing you.
6. You love to eat. Anything.
7. You have tons of baby toys but still prefer to play with our cell phones or car keys.
8. When someone is talking to you you will smile and then bury your head in my chest. It's so cute!

You have changed my life Jocelyn. These past eight months have been the best in my life. I pray for the young woman you will become. I pray that you will love Jesus and live everyday to glorify Him. I love you more than I would ever be able to explain.

To the moon and back,
Mommy

Gifts to Grow

2010-10-06T13:48:00.000-05:00

Gifts to Grow is a program by Pampers where you can earn reward points every time you purchase a Pampers product. You can then redeem those points for things like coupons, donations to the March of Dimes, personalized photo cards, baby toys and books, etc.

And it's totally FREE! You have nothing to lose.

If you have a little one now or one (or more) on the way this is totally worth it!

You just go online and enter your codes (that are labeled on each Pampers product)

and viola! That's it.

AND...

head on over to the Deal Wise Mommy blog for

the codes that will get you 70 free points to get started!

Seriously? So easy! Go do it. Now.

The Beautiful Outdoors

2010-10-05T16:17:00.001-05:00

The weather in Houston has been absolutely gorgeous. We have been trying to spend as much time as possible outdoors.

Me and Jocelyn went for a walk and it was a.w.e.s.o.m.e.

I think she looks like John in this picture:

We played on the swings:

We played in the gazebo:

And then she had some fun playing on the ground (yes I put her on the ground. Shame on me.):

Sigh. I love being a (part-time) stay-at-home mom!

Go Bears!

2010-10-04T23:11:00.001-05:00

Jake started football season a couple of weeks ago and to say that we love going to watch him is an understatement. It’s more exciting than the NFL! So far the Bears are 4-0. Undefeated baby! Go #70!

And of course Uncle Jake has the perfect cheerleader to cheer him on!

Good Luck Bears on the rest of the season!

Wedding Bliss

2010-10-04T23:10:00.001-05:00

We took Jocelyn to her first weddings this month. She was so good at both of them and we had so much fun.

The Thorson Wedding:

My oldest cousin on my mom’s side got married on September 25th. I have to say that Raymond and Angela’s wedding was one of the simplest weddings I have ever been to but definitely the most intimate. It was absolutely beautiful and it was all about the bride and the groom. It was perfect.

The Bride and Groom

Playing with Uncle Jason

The Evans Wedding:

This past weekend we went to Uncle Jason and Alexis’s wedding and it was so romantic. Everyone was so happy and we had so much fun.

My Beautiful Baby

Mr. and Mrs.

Daddy’s Girl

Congratulations you two happy couples! I pray that you will always love each other just as much as you did on your wedding day. If not more. ;)