<![CDATA[Elienai & Christian + 1 - Our blog]]>

<![CDATA[Elienai & Christian + 1 - Our blog]]>Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:39:38 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[She's growing too fast!! ]]>Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:30:40 -0800http://www.elienaiandchristian.com/1/post/2011/10/shes-growing-too-fast.htmlI can't believe my little girl is going to be 7 months tomorrow, I don't know where time has gone! I feel like it was just the other day when I was in labor for 18 hours, and held her in my arms for the first time. Since then, things have changed so much; and by that I mean that our lives have changed and so has she. Every day has been an awesome journey, some more hectic than others but we have gotten through them. She has been developing so quickly that it's just amazing. She now eats many things, all veggies, red meat, chicken, turkey, yogurt and all fruits with the exception of just a few. She has also been crawling backwards, which from what I hear is the beginning to crawling the "right way". We decided to build the walker for her about a month and ago, and Oh Boy! she now goes all around the house grabbing everything she can find. She loves bath time, enjoys playing with her toys the company of family and friends, and one of my favorites...she's sleeping 10-11 hours at night!! I feel like she's becoming a big girl, way too fast... I know it has to happen but sometimes I'm not really ready for so much independence. I thank God for her life and for allowing her to grow healthy, she is the greatest miracle that has happened to Christian and I. I'm trying to enjoy every minute and every stage, which they are all beautiful and perfect in different ways. Who knows ....maybe I'll just have to have another baby soon! ;)
Glad I got a little time to blog, here are a few pictures of Eslie and us in the last few weeks. I love every face she makes... lightens my day!

On our first Disney trip

The face of trouble <3

So blessed to have both of them! God is sooo good to me!

]]><![CDATA[Sooooo...It's been rough but God is good! ]]>Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:01:43 -0800http://www.elienaiandchristian.com/1/post/2011/08/soooooits-been-rought-but-god-is-good.htmlThese past few weeks have been emotionally draining; as most of you know I started working as a teacher which means I can't be home with my baby girl anymore. I'll be honest with you, I cried like a baby a few times, being a mommy is the best job out there and I was missing it. You are probably thinking why I went back to work? Well, besides the extra income not being bad at all ;) I was presented with a great opportunity to work at what I consider to be one of the best schools in Miami-Dade, Terra Environmental. We had prayed for this job over a year and thought God's answer was NO, until I received an e-mail telling to go in for an interview and that I basically had the job. This is the best way to get my foot in the door since it is my first year teaching. I hope to be able to stay home in the future, and I know God will grant me the desires of my heart!
Besides the overwhelming experience of the first week of school, dealing with leaving the baby behind didn't make it easier but thank God I made it through the first week and it wasn't as bad as I thought it wold be. God gave me peace, and understanding and I do have the great blessing of having my mom take care of my little Eslie, which gives me comfort knowing that she's well taken care off and being loved...and of course spoiled! God is sooo good to me that I can't even begin to explain, he has given me the strength and it's been ok. I get home before 3pm everyday, and spending time with Eslie hasn't been an issue. I'm still breastfeeding her, which was one of my worries and she still loves me... I thought she was going to love me less! :) For the mommies out there that will have to go through this process, it's rough (I think no matter how old they are) but God will give you the strength you need, I promise!

she still loves her momma!

]]><![CDATA[I can't find the time to blog! ]]>Mon, 08 Aug 2011 19:34:42 -0800http://www.elienaiandchristian.com/1/post/2011/08/i-cant-find-the-time-to-blog.htmlAs you have probably noticed,my blog entries have been diminishing since the birth of my beautiful girl Eslie. If you are a mom or dad you can probably understand why, if you are not....one day you will. She is an awesome baby, doesn't really complain unless she's sleepy or hungry but she does require alot of attention because she doesn't like to be bored; yes, she's only 4 1/2 months but she needs to be entertained. So throughout the day I try to do activities with her, for example, she watches her worship DVD in the morning, then we do some gym time, I try to have one outing planned for almost every day, sometimes it's just to Publix but she likes to be out and about. Bath time is one of her favorite times of the day since daddy is home by then. I love every minute with her!
Since my last blog, a few things have happened. For starters, Eslie has been sleeping better which is absolutely fabulous. We now get at least 5-6 hours straight and that's a major blessing. Also, she started eating solid food. It has been a bit of a challenge getting her used to the spoon and all the new flavors but she's getting the hang of it and I'm learning not to get frustrated...sometimes it's hard! I'm still breastfeeding, and I have to say I'm very proud of myself for doing so. She will be 5 months soon and it's been all on breast milk, I'm very thankful to God for having the opportunity to stay home until now and for giving my so much milk to provide for her. At the beginning I used to worry so much that I wasn't going to have enough, but God answered my prayer and I have been able to feed her full time, it really is a huge blessing. Now, I'm trying to figure out how to get her off the breast and what formula to choose, sometimes I feel bad because she really likes it, but I believe after the 6th month babies use the breast more as a pacifier than for nutritional purposes...but the process will be tough.
Another change will be coming up, I will be starting work now in August and it's bitter-sweet. It's a new job as a teacher, chemistry teacher in high school to be exact so it's kind of exciting, but I know I'm going to miss my baby like crazy....and that's the bitter part of it. We had prayed for that job a while back and we thought God's answer was NO, but all of sudden I was called back and offered to come in for the new school year and so we have decided to take this opportunity because it doesn't come around too often, but I do ask that you pray for me..... this transition from being home as a full time mommy to going back to work I know it's not going to be easy. I do have the blessing that my mom will be taking care of her and also I get home pretty early too.
Well, that's all for now. I hope I get to find the time to blog once again soon.
Here are a few pictures of my chunky monkey eating solid foods! :

]]><![CDATA[Decorating for cheap! ]]>Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:43:27 -0800http://www.elienaiandchristian.com/1/post/2011/07/decorating-for-cheap.htmlEver since the moment I got pregnant, right away everything became about baby... the baby room, getting everything we needed, cleaning it, organizing it; so we left a few projects around the house undone. Now that things are starting to settle down a little we are getting back to the things we need to do around our house. In case you don't know, my husband is very handy and he can practically do anything around the house, which is a true blessing. I think most couples make a "To Do" list of things that need to get done eventually, weather is in a few weeks or throughout the years. Ours is pretty big, but little by little we are getting there. Among these things, we had our little half bath that needed some TLC. Until now it was just white walls, with a toilet, sink, toilet paper and some soap to wash your hands once you were done doing your business... I think everyone would agree that that's no way to make your guest feel welcomed! So this past Saturday Christian painted the bath, we added a few touches that really made a huge difference and now it's so much nicer and inviting. In order to make this happen we really didn't spend much money at all, which was the goal. We used some paint we had bought when we first got married, went to Marshalls (we love going there for some cool finds) and found some good deals on candles and other little decorations,finally used one of the picture from our honeymoon as the art in there, and we spent less than $50 :) I happen to love how it came out. I wish I would have taken some BEFORE pictures but totally slipped my mind, here are the AFTER ones! Hope you like how it turned out

We still have a few other projects to tackle, but we'll do them little by little. I love to work together with my hubby around the house, it's lots of fun and watching the end result of our work it's just great. If you don't have much money and still want to do some decorating, don't get discouraged, there's lots of ways to make it nice without breaking your bank and it makes it that much more fun!

]]><![CDATA[A little catching up! ]]>Thu, 23 Jun 2011 19:51:07 -0800http://www.elienaiandchristian.com/1/post/2011/06/a-little-catching-up.htmlIt's been forever since my last blog and so tonight I was determined to write one, even if it meant loosing some sleeping time since Eslie is down for the night....which I have to say is a big, big sacrifice! These past three months with out little one have been a blast and huge blessing in spite of the exhausting nights, which hopefully will end soon. We have been able to see our little girl evolve and it's just an awesome feeling. She now smiles and can hold her neck up to sit down, she recognizes us and stops crying when one of us two (mommy or daddy) carries her, she started to eat rice cereal and she even likes to watch her DVD's, I have the feeling parenting is about to get even more exciting and I just can't wait for the adventure to continue. Although I think I'm going to miss her not being so tiny, I'm also looking forward to the stages to come and I'm just trying to take it all in and enjoy every minute I can with her, I can't thank God enough for giving us the blessing of being parents!

This past Sunday was father's day and it was an incredible day! Besides celebrating my very fantastic dad, this was Christian's first father's day and I was soo excited! Eslie had some money in her piggy bank and so we got ready during the week to make his day super special. We spent the morning together, Eslie gave him his gift and card and we all ate breakfast together. She even dressed up with a special outfit that said "I love DAD" and for church they wore matching outfit and looked very cute together. We made the card in advance with picture of Eslie and daddy on the most memorable moments, like the first time he held her, the first time he took her for a walk on the sling, bath time and so on! Also we bought him a watch and to make it extra special we engraved "#1 Dad" in it to remind him every time he wears it that he truly is the best dad ever! I love to see how he takes care of Eslie, how he loves her and treasures every minute with her and even enjoys changing her diaper...yep, I'm not lying, I really think God spoiled me when he gave me a husband like him. I really hope we were able to let express to him how much we love him and hopefully made him feel like a king for the day! I look forward to many more memorable father's day! Here are a few pictures from father's day which I hope you'll enjoy.
I have no more time for today, but promise not to take so long in between blogs...well, I really hope so! Till then...thanks for reading and love you all!

]]><![CDATA[My first mother's day! ]]>Mon, 09 May 2011 12:47:22 -0800http://www.elienaiandchristian.com/1/post/2011/05/my-first-mothers-day.htmlYesterday was such an awesome and special day! It was double special because it was my first mother's day and Eslie's dedication at church. I was so excited waiting for the weekend, I didn't know what being a mom on mother's day felt like.. I know it sounds kind of lame but I was anxiously waiting for it, and I have to say, I was NOT disappointed!:) When I woke up my amazing husband and daughter had a surprise for me. Christian told me that Eslie gave him her piggy bank savings so he can get me a gift hahaha and it was the most precious moment ever. She came holding my card and gift and gave me this beautiful ring that says mom, I absolutely love it and it's something I'm going to treasure forever!
Since it was mother's day, we also thought it would be a great opportunity to do the baby dedication! It was a very emotional moment, all of our family was there and also friends supporting us! Christian did a beautiful slide show to share with everyone and of course... there were a few tears shed, but tears of joy! We then had a wonderful lunch in honor of the moms present and of course of Eslie for her dedication. I can't thank God enough for my mom and the blessing she is in my life and for allowing me to celebrate with her.
   We pray that she becomes the Godly woman He wants her to be and that God gives us the wisdom and strength to raise her in His path.
   Thank you all for the wonderful mother's day wishes, we love you and ask that you continue to pray for us and we go ahead in this journey as parents. I'm so thankful for the blessing of being a mom to a beautiful baby girl and look forward to many more mother's day celebrations!
   God has been good to me and I will praise him!

My beautiful card

Eslie holding my gift!

My gorgeous ring! It says mom on the sides.. my hubby has great taste..thank you baby!

Our family of three! <3

]]><![CDATA[Parenthood :)]]>Thu, 21 Apr 2011 01:26:47 -0800http://www.elienaiandchristian.com/1/post/2011/04/parenthood.htmlWhen we were pregnant we always wondered how parenthood was really going to be. You can hear opinions from everyone, you can watch as many shows/movies/documentaries as you want but nothing really gets you ready for this amazing journey. The moment Eslie was born is when we began to experience what being a parent really meant. By this I mean, the worries begin, the sleepless nights, and also this part of the heart that was empty before, gets totally full and you experience an overwhelming love for this tiny baby.... just wonderful!
So far it's been good, I'm not going to lie, we have had some nights that have been quite tough, frustrating and have left us exhausted, but in spite of all that we can't help but smile everytime we look at her, even if it's at 4am! ...This is true! I have been frustrated because she doesn't want to go to sleep, and I'm sleepy, and then she looks at me with her big eyes and I just melt completely and can't help but think that I would do it all over again for another look like that, it's true love and it's just amazing!
After a couple of rough nights we consulted with our friend Debbie (awesome nurse) and she pointed out a few things we should be doing. One of the things is to let her cry at night when she doesn't want to stay in her bassinet... of course after she has been fed, burped and cleaned. If we know she's good to go, then she needs to know it's night time and she has to sleep. This sounds easy to do but it's the hardest ever, there's nothing worse than hearing your baby cry really loud and not being able to pick her up... five minutes feel like an hour, but I have to say it works! At the end of the day, we are her parents and although we are here to kiss, squeeze, and love her, one of our main roles is to teach her and sometimes it takes sacrifice. I definitely recommend speaking to someone with experience and asking for advice, it really helps to know the reason behind the cries or the way the baby is acting. For example, I didn't know that at only 3 weeks old she could actually get bored. I thought babies only ate, pooped, peed and slept, but thanks to Debbie now we know that as she becomes more alert she needs change in her activities and not feed all day long... so now, we take her for strolls, and we do tummy time, and it has worked out great.
Parenthood is beginning to make more sense and I think we are getting the hang of it. We pray everyday for God's wisdom and strength to be the parents He wants us to be and the parents Eslie deserves. We are so thankful for such an awesome baby, she really is a good baby and the most beautiful in our eyes...a true blessing from God :)

]]><![CDATA[Our baby girl is here!]]>Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:46:41 -0800http://www.elienaiandchristian.com/1/post/2011/04/our-baby-girl-is-here.htmlSo it's been a little over two weeks since the arrival of the most beautiful baby girl ever (of course, she's my daughter and to me she is the most beautiful ever!). What can I say?..there are no words to describe the joy and overwhelming happiness we felt on March 20th when we saw our baby girl for the first time. Her name is Eslie and we just love her soooooo very much. It's incredible to fall in love so quickly,just truly amazing!
Eslie Anne Maldonado was born right on her due date, Sunday March 20th at 4:53am, weighing 6lbs, 12oz and measuring 19 1/2 inches, after a very long labor of almost 17 hours; but I tell you this much, even though it was long it was all worth it!
Friday the 18th, we went with a group of friends to the fair... and I have to say I think this is what got me into labor. We walked for hours and ate alot too, that night I started having contractions but all of the sudden they stopped and so I went to sleep. The day after (Saturday)when I woke up at around 10am, I went to the bathroom and felt a little gush of water come out, but because it was little I wasn't sure if it was my water that had broken so, we decided to pack everything in the car and go have breakfast. I know.. most people would have gone right away to the hospital but I was hungry! hahaha While eating breakfast I kept on leaking and then thought "Ok, this might be the real deal, I think we should go to the hospital". Christian and I started heading to the hospital and once in triage, I got checked and indeed my water had broken, this was around 12pm. We both got excited to know we were going to meet out little girl! I have to say at this point I wasn't really nervous at all and I was not in pain. Although my water had broker I wasn't having any contractions at this point and was only 1cm dilated. Once we got admitted, the Doctor started the Pitocin since I was not having contractions on my own....and then, the real deal began! The pain began to intensify quite quickly, and that's when it hit me that I was in labor. About the pain, I tell you, there's nothing that compares to it; you feel like you cannot breath and sometimes you just feel like you can't handle it, but it's good to keep in mind the reason of why you have the pain. Thank God I had my amazing husband by my side the whole time, I would squeeze his hand really hard every time I had a contraction. What worked for me was just closing my eyes, squeezing Christian's hand, and just breathing. If you read my previous blog, my plan was not to get an Epidural but here's what happened: After almost 6 hours on active labor and very intense contractions only 1-2 minutes apart I was stuck at 2cm dilated and it all indicated I was going to end up with a C-section. Since I was not advancing, we decided to get the epidural for two reasons, of course the pain relief since we knew labor was going to be longer than we expected and I didn't want to be exhausted for "pushing time", also we decided to get it because it was going to help me relax and that way I would dilate faster. To make the story short, I was not advancing and the doctor told us that if by 12:30am I was not at least 5cm dilated I was going in for a C-section. By this time although I was not at 5cm, I was 4cm and so since I had made some progress my doctor decided to give me a few extra hours to see if I could have a vaginal delivery... which of course we wanted. We started praying in the labor room, and everyone outside in the waiting room started praying as well, and indeed a miracle happened... by 2:30am I was 8cm dilated and advancing. When it was close to pushing time, I was deprived from my Epidural and oh man! the pain was back and much, much worse! but it was better to push without the epidural so I could feel the contractions and to know how to push... trust me, I don't think it's possible to push when the medication is working. After almost two hours of pushing, we saw our baby's face for the first time and it's a picture in my head that I cannot erase.... just an awesome experience. Christian and I were able to experience the birth of our little miracle together and what a blessing that was!! Just incredible, a day we will never forget! When I first held her, she had her eyes wide opened and I want to cry from just thinking about it, it was love at first sight. Right and then we became parents and a family of three!
All the pain and sweat was absolutely worth it and I would do it all over again. Now we are enjoying her to the fullest even when she wakes up every hour at night :) She's the biggest blessing God has given us as a couple and we just love her with all our hearts! We are so thankful to our Lord for a beautiful healthy baby, and a safe delivery. He heard our prayers and granted us the desire of our hearts.... We are beyond blessed!
Here she is, not very happy to be out of mommy's cozy belly!

]]><![CDATA[Baby Diary: Week 38 "Oh yes, that time has come"]]>Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:44:32 -0800http://www.elienaiandchristian.com/1/post/2011/03/baby-diary-week-38-oh-yes-that-time-has-come.html

We are now on our 38th week, just two more to go, or it can happen before. To be honest, about a week ago or so I used to ask myself why other women who have had babies before always say the last few weeks are the hardest and that it gets to the point where they just want to have the baby really badly....well with the beginning of this week I'm starting to realize why! :) I can definitely feel the pains and aches at this point, not to mention the sleepless nights... although I do have some good ones here and there. My back has been hurting much, much more, sometimes to the point where I feel like my heart rate is raising as if I just ran a marathon. When I told my Dr. what I was feeling she explained that what I'm feeling are actually contractions, but nothing serious yet, they are not constant at all and totally far apart. I guess it's just my body getting ready for what is to come. I just pray that I'm able to handle the pain when the real time comes since I would like to stay away from an Epidural... yes, I'm not crazy and I think I'm going to do it! God created us to be able to endure labor pains and I just ask for His strength to get through it. I have recently seen the documentary "The Business of being born" thanks to a friend of mine (Kristel) who recommended it. It's excellent and I think every pregnant woman or whoever thinks of getting pregnant in the near future should watch it, it's very informative. Although I'm not using a midwife, I do trust my group of Dr's to help me make the best decisions for the baby and I, and above all I trust that God will give them the wisdom to do what's best for the two of us. I do believe the more natural the better....but, don't judge me if for some reason I end up with an epidural (lol) I tell you one thing though, I will try my hardest to do it without and you can pray for me!! :)
I am thankful in advance for my amazing husband who is going to support me every step of the way and he's going to be the strong rock he always is!

Dear Eslie:
You have no idea how anxious both daddy and I are to meet you. We know you'll be here soon and just can't wait. We love you with all our hearts and are waiting for your safe arrival! Don't take too long to come out ok?!
-Mom and Dad

]]><![CDATA[And the room is ready! ]]>Thu, 10 Mar 2011 03:14:19 -0800http://www.elienaiandchristian.com/1/post/2011/03/and-the-room-is-ready.htmlBefore we even found out if we were having a boy or a girl we had been looking around for ideas of what we wanted to do in the baby's room. After seeing way too many cute things, we finally decided on two styles and color schemes we liked, one for a boy and another one for a girl. When we knew we were having a girl then it became time to put it all together and start working on her room!
I have to say, I'm soooo very proud of my husband for working so hard on making the room perfect for his little girl. He's really excited about how it came out and so am I. We didn't want a "pink overload" although of course the room must have some pink.... she IS a girl! :) So we decided to do one of the walls with a wall paper and the rest yellow. The theme became "Sweet little lambs" with a touch of flowers. Little by little we looked for all the little details we thought would make the room special, yet still simple and not overwhelming (You know, full of decorations everywhere you look). We also decorated her bathroom... which has a different theme, very colorful and fun so she enjoys every minute in there!
We love going in the room and imagine how is going to be once she's finally around, and we sure hope she loves her new room! Can't wait to meet and hold our girl.

Her adorable rocking lamb, gift from abuelo and abuela.

Changing table/dresser.

Her closet :)

Here are a few pictures of her bathroom! (you can click on them to make them bigger)

]]>