Weighing In...

I track my weight every Thursday morning and guess what... I gained 1.5 lbs! How disappointing. On top of that I had a really tough day today and just gave in to a can of Coca Cola and some Chinese Food... *sigh*

I have to admit though that can o' coke was soooooooooooooo good! (Haven't had anything but water for a while now.

Here's to the rest of the Weekend and next week!

Tears for a country in need...

As many of you know Haiti was hit by a devastating 7.0 earthquake. Just thinking about the country and the lack of rescources they had before the earthquake and now after this disaster.... My heart aches for the people of Haiti.

My prayer is that the Lord would provide them with an overwhelming amount of aid from across the world. I pray for healing, physical, emotional, and mental healing. I pray that they will be able to rebuild quickly and better than before. That against all odds they will find more people than expected alive and doing well. That is my prayer.

I pray for life and restoration... I pray for Haiti...

Losing Weight in 2010

I gave birth to Karis 8 months ago, and I'm still carrying all that "baby fat" around with me. I went online to determine my BMI (body mass index) and what that means for me and my health. It turns out because I am only 4'11" I am just entering the obese category, putting me at risk for health issues including heart problems. So, in December, I decided to join Weight Watchers.... just before the holiday's! What was I thinking?! I should I have waited until after I've had my Pernil, pie, turkey, pasta, arroz con gandules, etc, etc, etc.

The good news is I have lost 6 lbs since December 17th!!!! I'm feeling motivated and excited to get to my ideal and healthy weight! Woo Hoo!

P.S. I'm also excited to follow a new blog called Diet Buddy! http://dietbuddy2010.blogspot.com/ It has been encouraging to know I'm not alone on my journey.

Reflections on Christmas

What a wonderful Christmas I had! Family, Friends, and Food! This Christmas Eve we spent at my parents house and we opened our Secret Santa Gifts from one another and ate some delicious Arroz con Pollo! And then in the evening Richard, Karis, my parents and I attended New Life Fellowships Christmas Eve Candlelight service. On Christmas morning Richard, Karis and I opened gifts, ate breakfast, spent the day together and went over to Veronica's new house for Christmas Dinner with family and friends.

As I reflect on this Christmas season all I can say is that God is so generous and loving. I've had a rough couple of years as I've had to face some challenging situations. But the Lord has blessed me with an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, and great family and friends.

It has been tough, financially, recently because I had lost my job 3 months into my pregnancy and haven't been able to obtain employment since then. We have had to learn to adjust to living on one income while expecting an additional member to our little family. But in the midst of it all, God has been teaching us to re-prioritize, get organized and plan ahead. All while blessing us with a great Christmas of giving and receiving gifts. I am so thankful for the blessed people in our church. Many have given us Christmas wishes, delicious Christmas treats, gifts for Karis and for Richard and I. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Here are some pictures from this past Christmas season:

CORRECTION ON PREVIOUS POST: "Married with Children..." Post

CORRECTION!
Sorry for the delay. But this just occurred to me today:
I stated that Mick Jagger was in the rock band Aerosmith. He's not. Steven Tyler is.

Don't ask me why I made that connection... I have no idea! :)

The Faces of Karis

Just for fun, I took just a few of the millions of photographs we have of Karis and decided to put together a little collage on Photoshop to post on my blog. As you look at all of the "Faces of Karis" you may be able to see why we love her sooooo much! Enjoy!

And Now: Married With Children! Well... With A Child!

Karis (pronounced like Paris but with a 'K') has now been with us for over 4 months now. All you have to do is walk into our apartment and see that it now looks like a very messy day care center. Toys, burp cloths, bibs, and bottles are sprinkled throughout our digs and I love it! Don't get me wrong being a first time mom has been a tough adjustment for me (and I'm still adjusting). But I can't imagine not having our little girl with us.

Let me introduce you to Karis Rose Villodas. She is 4 months and 2 weeks old and FULL of personality. She loves to be tickled and to see her mom, dad, aunts and uncles act super silly just to get a laugh! She knows what she wants and is not afraid to cry for it... :) Karis enjoys sitting on her dad's lap and watching the Mets game (Dad has already brainwashed her). She actually stares at the television as if she is following the game. Karis is always looking for a change of scenery. She loves to look at and examine her environment. With wide and bright eyes she looks at every corner of a room searching for something to capture her attention. Once she finds the attention grabber she is focused.

When you call her name and give her a big smile she will turn towards the sound of your voice, catch your smile and put her head down as if she was blushing from the flattery of your attention. This will totally melt your heart as it does ours.

Her laugh is infectious! All you want to do is hear it again, and again. You'll do anything to hear that laugh. Yes even sound and look like an utter fool! But who cares... Karis' laugh is one of the best sounds you could ever hear.

As for me... I'm sooooooo tired! She is a lot of work. More work than what you read about in books, online articles or Child Preparation classes. Richard and I were married a little over 3 years before we had Karis. I thought I was busy then! Boy was I wrong. She's 2 Full-time jobs! :) Don't get me wrong. I can't imagine not having Karis around. She belongs in our family, and I love her. But becoming a mom for the first time has proven a challenge for me. I'm used to picking up and going as I please, getting PLENTY of sleep and having a lot more ME time. Now it's packing several bags for a trip to Grandma's, waking up at all hours to feed her or soothe her crying and starting ME time only to be cut short for a feeding or Karis time!

Now that we are 4 months into it I'm starting to get into a rhythm with Karis. I'm learning her cries and discovering new ways to soothe her and meet her needs. And as she gets older I'm sure it will become more manageable.

I recently tried to start a Part-Time work from home gig only to realize she was still young and the time it took me to make any progress at work took a lot out of me. I spent many hours away from her at 3 months old and it broke my heart. She had grown so close to me. I had barely left her for that long before. I had then decided to put that on hold and take this time to get to know Karis better and to do more reflecting.

At different stages of your life certain "parts" of you (sides of you) begin to reveal themselves. For example: I've never been a mother before, so at this stage in my life I'm learning more about what is important to me as a mother, how patient I am or am not, etc. So, I'm learning to let all of my experiences as a new mom sink in. I'm enjoying every moment. And I'm especially enjoying Karis. She wont be this little for much longer. And in the words of Mick Jagger (Aerosmith) "I don't want to miss a thing."