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."