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First Date... Now My Soul Mate?

Actually, I don't believe in soul mates. But the fact is, the last time I posted on this blog was just after my first date with Michael! Mr. Assertive asserted himself all the way to the altar... And boy am I glad! Now we've been married almost two years, and we recently added a lot more cuteness to our lives.
"Exhibit A" of cuteness!
I started this blog way back after my mission because I kept seeing so many little miracles around me, and they were too good not to share! Now I'm returning for the same reason. I know that God is involved in my life, and that knowledge has carried me through many personal questions and heavy experiences. There is always something to learn.

So here is my "New Mom" update! Wow, I really love this. Staying at home with my little one is so soul-stretching and heart-changing, in the most cosmically mundane, dirty diaper kind of way. Sometimes when Mike asks me how my day was, my response is simply, "Uhhhh...." And then I mentally go through the five cycles of "Feed baby, change diaper, read to baby, encourage baby during tummy time, shake rattles, hold and talk to baby, put baby down for another nap." Behold- 75% of my day.

These are not the things that have previously made me feel productive. Moms don't get paid, or promoted, or even graded on what they do. But I've always known in my heart that helping God raise children was important and right, and something I was meant to do. Now that I'm in the throes of that, it makes me laugh but also warms my heart to know that changing diapers IS the work of eternity, that singing and nursery rhymes and walks around the block ARE the manifestations of motherhood and eternal families. These daily moments are the building blocks of eternity, so I keep stacking them!


(Blog post repeated below, but in Spanish)



Para mis amigos Chilenos, también tengo la meta de escribir mis pensamientos en español! Pero tienen que perdonar mi vocabulario... No es como antes era! Ay, y también van a perder el chiste de este entrada de blog. La ultima vez que escribí aquí, justo había salido con Michael (mi esposo) por la primera vez! Escribí un poco de la historia, pero fui un poco floja y no la traduje. Así que los que quieren escuchar la historia de como conocí a mi esposo, pueden llamarme por Facebook o algo 😀

Miren! Ahora tenemos bebé!

La razón por la cual empezé escribir este blog es lo siguiente- después de volver de la misión, ví que a pesar de las diferencias de horario y actividades diarios, habían tantos milagros en mi alrededor. Me asombraban! No podía verlos sin compartirlos, asi que empezé este blog. Ahora, al pasar dos años, vuelvo escribir con esa mismo sentimiento. Tal como todos, mi vida se llena con los desafíos, la risa, las bendiciones inesperadas, y mucho más. Aquí pueden leer de todo eso!

Por ahora, les cuento un poco de la transición de ser mamá. Durante mi embarazo, todavía trabajaba, estudiaba, y más. Terminé mi carrera con una practica profesionál de enseñar a los niños de septimo grado (soy profesora de lenguaje). Esto hacía hasta una semana antes de tener a mi hijo! Y de repente, me encontre en la vida de una madre de ´tiempo completa´. De ahi, cuando mi esposo me preguntaba ´¿Como fue su día?´, pasaba por mi mente las cinco veces que hice la misma rutina- ´Amamantar al hijo, cambiar el pañal, leer con el bebé, jugar con el sonajero, llevarlo en brazos y cantar al hijo, dejarlo tomar siesta.´ Casí no sabía como responderle.

Como mamá nueva, buscaba sentir valorada y exitosa, pero no había notas escolares ni premios para las cosas que hacía cada día. Siempre había sentido que la maternidad era algo importante y inspirado, ¿pero podría sentir asi al saber que la maternidad usualmente significa cambiar el pañal y cantar canciones de cuna? Al principio, no parecía ser tan importante como creía. Una noche mientras miraba a mi hijo, sentí claramente que yo tenía parte en la obra del Señor, y que las rutinas diarias que efectuaba como mamá se volverían a los lazos eternas entre mi familia y yo. Las cosas chicas de cada día serían la fundación de la eternidad. Sé que la maternidad es un llamamiento divina, y me siento grandamente bendecida de tenerla. 

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