Namaste, Baby

I'm writing this blog post on my iPhone while sitting in the bathtub. TMI? I think not. I'm just embracing my new life as a multi-tasking mom. It's also cold outside and I needed to warm my bones. 

Yesterday, I decided to venture outside my typical day and attend a mama-baby yoga class. I showed up late which is sort of a bummer. Lucía and I are still working on perfecting our get out the door routine. After we got settled in I pulled Lucía out of her car seat and laid her on the mat like all the other moms had done with their babies.  I was amazed to see all these calm babies just lying there while their moms relaxed in child's pose. I put Lucía down on my Matt,  took a deep breath, and joined the other moms in child's pose. Next  the teacher instructed us to go into downward dog.. I looked up at Lucía and she busted up laughing at me. I immediately started laughing and went back to child's pose. I was about to get embarrassed, but then I realized the other moms were laughing with me. It was a nice start to my first mama-baby yoga experience. 

Now even though the class was relaxing, it was also a hell of a workout. We did planks, ab work and wall sits with baby. During one of the wall sits one of the babies started to cry. I swear that baby was communicating what my burning thighs were feeling. It felt good though! 

What made me so happy is that Lucía had a great time. She smiled and laughed at all the other moms and babies. It truly brightened my day. Even though at times the class was a bit overwhelming. Especially when the coughing snotty baby crawled toward Lucía and tried to touch her. I found my peace and truly enjoyed the class. I even met a few moms who invited me to lunch and a walk. I can't wait till the next class, but until then I will utilize the moves I learned in class at home. 

What sort of mom-baby classes do you attend or recommend? Let me know! 

         Spit bubbles with your namaste?

Questions...Questions..

Hello everyone, I know it's been a long while since I've updated the blog. Having a baby really is as time consuming as everyone says it is, and I love it! I worked full time up until I had our baby girl, so that meant little time for blogging and lots of time for sleeping. I'm happy to say our baby girl was born on Nov 1st, 2014 and we just love her to pieces. I am currently on maternity leave and enjoying every bit of time I have with her.

So instead of writing a long post to catch you up with what is going on in our lives. I figured I would answer Cindy Lu's questionnaire  that she tagged me in over at Loteria Chicana  Some of these questions have to do with Christmas. Oh well, better late than never.  Without further adieu.. here we go!!

1) What is my current health related goal?
Oh, man. Right now I am still working on just balancing my life as a new mom, but ultimately I would like to start running again. The Señor recently bought a pair of running shoes, so we hope to start running as a family in the near future. I did recently attempt to run up a hill and it felt like my body was just going to collapse on itself. I think I may still have a bit of the relaxin hormone hanging about.

2) What is my biggest irrational fear?
 I am deathly afraid of cockroaches and spiders being on me or even near me. I hope to not pass on this fear to my daughter.

3) Do I enjoy wrapping presents?
I usually do, but I'm terrible at it. I finally had the Señor give me a proper lesson on how to wrap gifts. I'd give myself a C+ for effort this year. Yeah, I suck.

4) What is my favorite cross training activity. 
I have fallen back in love with swimming. Although I don't like to swim in the winter time because being cold and wet is just awful. During my pregnancy I really enjoyed swimming. Feeling weightless and getting in a good workout always felt good. I hope to continue swimming once it warms up again.

5) If you came to visit me, what would we do? 
If Cindy and her family came to visit I'm sure we would have a good time. I love where I live and enjoy showing friends and family around my town. I would probably ask them to come in October so they could check out the balloon fiesta,   I'm sure Lucía would love a few play dates with her son Xavier, and if she is up for it..a run in the foothills. I would make sure to wait until she acclimated to the altitude before asking her to do that.

6)  I have two weeks off work and two round trip plane tickets to anywhere. Where would I go and who would I take?
My first choice would be Patagonia.  I would take my the Señor and our baby girl because she flies free until she is two. Check out the video below. It will make you want to travel there too. 
a story for tomorrow. from gnarly bay on Vimeo.

7) What’s the most embarrassing thing to happen to me during a run or a race?
Honestly, I haven't had an embarrassing moment happen yet. I'm sure my time is coming, so I won't even bother knocking on wood.  One thing that I can share is that I tend to lose my footing in front of people and almost fall down. This never happens when I'm by myself..just when I'm running by complete strangers. I love it when they say.."OMG are you okay? " and then I bounce off like freakin' Bambi yelling "I'm all good!!" But really I feel like a complete idiot and I'm trying to escape as fast as I can. At least It's not as bad as the poor girl below who busted her bum on the ice. 

8)  Three best days of my life? Or at least the top three that come to mind.
#1 The birth of my beautiful daughter Lucía

#2 When my husband asked me to marry him on the most beautiful hike I have ever been on next to a mountain lake in Colorado. 

#3 When I graduated from nursing school, passed my NCLEX, and got a job. 

9) Okay, so I HAVE to eat a fast foodmeal. Which restaurant would I choose and what do I order?
I would probably go to Twisters and get a whole disaster burrito with tater gems and green chile and split it with my husband. Eat now, fart later. 

10) Have I ever met a celebrity?
Yes! I met America Ferrera (Ugly Betty, Real Women Have Curves)  at a restaurant here in Albuquerque. She was campaigning for Hilary Clinton and she was so well spoken and approachable. What's even crazier is that I was telling the story to my good friends Allison and Danielle about how I met America and how awesome she was while I was visiting London. After getting off the Tube we came upon Piccadilly Circus and Allison said, "Hey, There's Ugly Betty!" We then became spontaneous extras for the last scene of Ugly Betty.  We actually saw ourselves on the last episode! At least I think we did.. We sort of had to squint really hard. True story. 

We are in there somewhere

11) Share a pic of myself in non-workout clothes.
Here ya go..

12) If I could choose to have a “do over” and switch careers, what would I choose and why?
Well, I already had a "do over" with my career. My first career was in social work and although I loved it, I hated getting laid off. Going back to school and becoming a nurse has been the best decision I have made for not only myself, but my family. I pretty much get to wear pajamas to work. It's awesome. 

13) If I won an Olympic Gold Medal, how do I think I would react?
I love Cindy's answer to this question. 
     " Probably like Leo Manzano. I’d do a victory lap with both the US and Mexico flags." 
I was so moved by this moment while watching the Olympics. 

14) What do I want for Christmas?
I wanted to get my hair dyed and cut. Honestly, I just wanted someone to brush my hair. Thanks to my husband I was able to get my "mommy haircut" and chopped a few inches off my mop. 

15) What Skill do I lack?
I lack quite a few skills actually. I wish I knew how to whip up a healthy, wholesome dinner in a short  amount of time. I also wish I knew I had to sew. Thank God for Youtube. I also lack keeping up with and updating this blog. I hope to change that this year. 

I really enjoyed writing this post. Thanks Cindy for tagging me. I would tag other readers to do this questionnaire, but I'm not sure If I still have readers on this blog. 

Cheers to a wonderful 2015!! 

And Then They Were Three

3 is a magic number. Yes it is!! 

I truly meant to write this post a long time ago, but I had no idea where my feelings, emotions, or hormones would take me.  It turns out I went into protective mommy mode.  I was excited and thrilled, but only felt comfortable with telling close friends and family with what was going on with me.  I'm glad I decided to go about it this way, as the amazing people in my life were not only great friends, but also a huge support as I went through this amazing process. 

February 24th, 2014

When I first found out I was pregnant it was after a long stroll at the new Target close to our house. I was walking around the maternity section at Target and I remember muttering under my breath, "God, I would be a good mom." I remember being shocked that I had said that out loud, but then immediately began to wonder if I actually was pregnant. I headed straight over to the health section of Target and purchased a pregnancy test. 

When I went home I decided to take the test right away. I was only a day late and didn't think much of it.  You can imagine my shock two minutes later.  Don't worry; I won't post a picture of the stick I peed on as proof.  There it was, two bright pink lines staring at me.  Even though the Señor and I had been trying to get pregnant for a few months I was still shocked and surprised to see a positive result.  I remember calling Patrick and immediately began crying and asked him to come home. Lucky me, he wasn't in the middle of some dangerous project at work. He simply said, "Ok, I'm on my way." I felt I had time to run to a nearby store and pick up a digital pregnancy test that simply showed the words "Pregnant" and "Not Pregnant." I returned home and pulled a Bitburger Beer out of the fridge for my husband for when he arrived. Bitburgh Germany is the little town I was born in. I figured this would be the perfect occasion for my husband to crack one open. When he pulled up I showed him the test. His eyes got really big and he gave me a huge hug. I handed him the beer and went to grab a glass of water.  As soon as the H20 kicked in I took another pregnancy test. Sure enough "PREGNANT 2-3 weeks" spelled out in digital letters.  We were excited and scared all at the same time.  We couldn't be happier to find out about the next adventure in our lives together. After we settled down, we decided to take our dog Shed for a walk around the neighborhood. We talked about the future and becoming parents. During our stroll  I couldn't help but rub my belly and hum the tune; "It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood."  

Something That Made Me Smile

We don't usually watch a lot of TV, but we were able to catch a re-run episode of The Simpsons last night where they did a small tribute Studio Ghibli films. Just like countless of others out there, I'm a huge fan of their work. I fell in love with Spirited Away and Ponyo just warms my heart.  Anyways, I thought I would share this little something that made me smile.

Crickets….

Hi everyone,

I know,  it's been forever since I've updated this blog. What is my excuse? I have none really, except that life has just been happening. Does that mean I gave up on this blog completely? Not at all. There was times I came back to revisit past moments, look up old recipes I had posted on here, and read up on all the lovely blogs written by my friends. Recently I have had something occur in my life that has brought me back to my little soapbox. I've missed writing on here and I've missed sharing parts of my life both positive and challenging.
Just to bring everyone up to speed. Here is an update:

I'M A NURSE: 
I am no longer a nursing student but an actual nurse. I studied my ass off and passed my NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure Exam) in 75 questions back in October. Not only that, but I landed a job at the hospital I wanted to work at a week later. Transitioning from student to nurse has been amazing and the scariest thing I have done in my life. There was a full month streak where I encountered almost every type of challenging patient you could have on our unit.  I was so grateful for the other nurses and techs on my unit who helped out during the challenges and encouraged me when I did something right. The only thing that I can say that I dislike is the schedule. However, a wise nurse on the unit put it bluntly. She said, "Suck it up Laura,  you are a nurse now." I wanted to bitter about this comment, but she was right. I knew going into this profession that it was going to be challenging, but I accepted it full heartedly. Now that i'm in this actual position I find it eases my mind to just go with the flow rather than fight it. At least for the moment that is. Nursing is a job that can be very stressful. I have discovered that running and going to acupuncture weekly has helped keep my stress in check.  I've also downloaded some meditation apps to listen to on breaks or before I go to bed. It seemed silly at first, but I find it really does work! I recommend the calm.com  app for a good escape.

RUNNING
I'm still running, but I'm not trying to clock in long runs. Now I just run to feel good. I find I just run and listen to what my body is telling me. If my body wants to walk a bit and take in the sunset happening on the westside of Albuquerque...I let it. If my body wants to charge a hill like a mad women...I let it. This doesn't mean that I won't challenge myself in the future to clock in the long runs again, but for now this is what works for me. I still have the La Luz Trail Run in my sights. I'm going to run up that mountain some day.

THE SEÑOR: 
Business has really taken off for the Señor this last year and we feel so blessed. We truly thank God for all the blessings we have in our lives. Construction is hard work and there is not a week that goes by that I'm not treating some freak wound he got on the job, but I'm so proud of him. His hard work put me through nursing school. His amazing support all the way through my crazy journey is something I will never forget.  We have both been working hard and are looking forward to our first vacation of 2014. We will be going to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic to watch my good friend Alex get married. We love a good wedding!

Recently we did a huge grocery shopping spree. We waned to purchase food that we could prepare and cook at home. With our new work schedules, it's been easy to just go out to eat. As fun and good as that sounds, it does get old after awhile. I hope to share some of the new recipes we try on the blog. Got a good recipe? Please send me a link or post it in the comments.

I look forward to catching up with everyone!
Cheers,
Laura

Nursing School Graduate

Hello BB Readers, 

Wow, it's been a minute since I've been on here and written anything. I remember back at the beginning of nursing school when I scoffed at the director of the nursing program when she said, "We own you for the next year and a half." Well, she was right, and I was propelled into my reality check with course work and study sessions. I also began to neglect this blog. I've really missed coming on here and writing updates. I'm still in a bit of transition at the moment going from school to work life, but I'm hoping I have a little more free time to get on here. 

 I recently completed the nursing program on August 10. I remember being so emotional on the day of my pinning ceremony (graduation). I even overheard a classmate say, "Laura is going to cry, watch." This made me laugh because I do not remember being so emotional before nursing school. It makes me wonder, did nursing school help me break down a wall and let me know that it's okay to share your emotions with patients or others, or was it just the fact that I survived nursing school and was so relieved that I just couldn't hold back the emotions.  I would like to think it was a bit of both. 

It has been an amazing journey of self-discovery and discipline to get to this point. I still remember when I was laid off from my job and feeling so lost. I remember coming to a realization during a long run that I needed to whip myself into gear and work hard to get into nursing school. When I look back, the whole roller coaster ride that was nursing school was worth it. Sure, I cursed the grueling schedule and almost every single exam, but with the help of some great nursing school friends and my amazing supportive husband, I survived. 

Next up: Studying hard and passing the NCLEX examination!! I GOT THIS! 

Hello, Springtime!

What an amazing past couple of weeks! As usual, I've been super busy with school and everything involved with it. However, today I registered for my LAST semester of nursing school! It's amazing how fast it came around. I'm excited, nervous, and happy to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

A couple of weeks ago I received a phone call from my sister who was visiting San Antonio at the time. With pure enthusiasm she let me know that she had gotten engaged to her boyfriend. I was elated for her! Looks like another Lopez wedding is in the works for next year. It will be an amazing celebration.

Just in time for Easter we received three new additions to our family. Our chicks Lucky Day, Ned Nederlander, and Dusty Bottoms. They have amazing personalities and we are excited to see them grow into beautiful egg laying hens. My husband and I had talked about getting chickens for a while, but never really had the time to execute such a project. My husband never does anything half-ass especially when it comes to building something. He put together an amazing coop for our feathered friends.  We can't wait to go into our backyard and gather up some eggs!

To wrap up this spring post I wanted to share my new love of getting around town on 2-wheels. On March 1st I  made a mini-goal to not fill up my car with gas until mid-April. So far it's been working out well. I enjoy the exercise I get from the hills in my neighborhood and the front row parking at school. The weather is nice and warm right now here in NM, absolutely perfect for a bike ride!

HAPPY SPRING!