Happy Birthday Lucia!

***Belinda is celebrating Lucia's birthday by writing her first blog***

I don’t think it is fair for people to warn you or give you parenthood advice, because truth be told – NO ONE and NOTHING can ever prepare you to become a first-time parent.  It is most probably the only job in the world where you go into it completely blind, inexperienced, and scared as … (insert your own phobias here), and then just for the fun of it – throw in sleep deprivation, raging hormones, and screaming-baby-pitches-you-didn’t-know-could-be-possible.  It is a miracle that the human population is still around! 

 I mean, if someone were to apply for a babysitting job or daycare job and say – “I have absolutely NO experience with a baby, and I am hanging on by a thread because I only slept 3 hours last night and I am having a hormonal breakdown”  - there is no way THAT crazy would get the job.  And yet that is what happens each and every day.  In fact, exactly one year ago TODAY, we were ‘hired’ for the job of parenting our beautiful little girl.  Our life changed in a way that we couldn’t even begin to fathom. 

This past year has been the craziest, toughest, but most incredible year of my life.  My beautiful daughter Lucia Grace came into my life one year ago, and boy was I not prepared.  And the funny thing is - I thought I couldn’t be any more prepared than I was.  But just when you think YOU have everything under control – God likes to use life as a little teaching tool. 

And boy did He teach.
And boy did I learn!

My daughter screamed from her first day in this world, and continued to do so (straight) for the first 3 months.  I don’t just mean baby-scream … I mean scream – with pitch and loudness that her pediatrician described as ‘blood curdling and bone piercing’.  There are a few of you out there that got to witness and experience it … you know what I mean.  Never have I felt so helpless, and never have I prayed so much - I prayed for the screaming to stop, I prayed for sleep – for me and for her, I prayed to not strangle my husband, I prayed for my old life back.  There were a number of prayers said.

But as the months passed, a funny thing happened. Things … got … BETTER!!  And better, and better, and better. Everybody always tells you to “hang in there, it WILL get better”, but in the moment, it is impossible to believe them. The first 6 months were just pure survival. My husband was a saint, and as I was struggling to just make it through the day, he was doing all the cooking, cleaning and laundry – because the most I could get done in a day was get either myself or her dressed (and it could never be the both of us on the same day).

After 8 months, I would guess an average of 4 out of 7 days were functional and actually enjoyable.  And then 11 months came along and it has been a new lease on life.  She naps, plays, eats (generally) and sleeps like a regular baby (still doesn’t sleep through the night though).  I can NOW tell when she is having a bad day or doesn’t feel well, because they are an oddity – NOW.  Beforehand, she would have an ear infection or a sore throat and we had no clue because that was her regular temperament 6 days out of the week.  

Now for all of you people out there with good, perfect, happy babies – don’t judge me and don’t give me advice!  And if one more person suggests stuffing her with cereal to make her sleep through the night, I’m going to tell you where to put that cereal (and it isn’t back in the box)!  My daughter is ‘cut from a different mould’, and that is okay.  She is all the more beautiful for it.

She inherited her father’s fiery temper and her mother’s willful stubbornness.  She has her father’s rhythm and love of music (thank goodness she has the voice to go with it).  She is exceptionally serious and inquisitive, which leads to great self-entertainment for long periods of time.  I love her little quirks and irks – like her puffy marshmallow feet, her 3 fat rolls on her upper right thigh, her cellulite dimpled bottom.  I truly believe that all the hard work that goes into parenting this strong little girl will create a confident, intelligent, happy woman one day. 

Over the past year, I have not been apart from my little girl for more than 5 hours.  And as much as she drives me crazy sometimes, I miss her the instant that I’m apart from her.  Being a mother is harder than anyone can ever tell you, but it is also the most amazing thing you will ever do in your life.  To watch this miracle of life unfold before my eyes is awe-inspiring.   It is the most selfless, thankless job you could ever do, but I would still choose to do it again.  I thank God for giving me this precious gift for the past year.  I can only pray for many more (years together that is – not kids!).

I also thank God for giving me the husband and marriage that I have.  Javier most probably changes more diapers than me – including poopy ones (once again – don’t judge my parenting/diapering skills).  He bathes her each night and reads her bedtime stories.  He will get up with her in the middle of a rough night even if he has to go to work the next morning.  He watches her in the morning on weekends, so that I can sleep in.  He sadly leaves her (and me) behind each morning to go to work, so that I have the privilege to stay home with her.   

He teaches her, sings to her, plays guitar for her – I am so blessed to have such an amazing and involved father for my daughter.

But most importantly, he has stood by my side through my rough days and my good days.  He has never stopped loving me, and has never stopped trying to be the perfect husband and father.  We are a good team, with our strengths and weaknesses balancing each other out.  I can see that now, and I know God knew that when He matched us together.  The family that prays together, stays together – TRULY!

And so on this one year anniversary of unfathomable changes – I celebrate the gift of my beautiful daughter.  I celebrate every milestone that I have been blessed to witness, not missing a SINGLE one.  I celebrate every tear that I was able to wipe away, and every snuggle that I was able to enjoy.  I celebrate every laugh I was able to initiate, and every joy that I was able to share.  I celebrate every new discovery and wonder that we discovered together.  You are one of the greatest loves of my life, and I thank God every day for you.

Happy birthday to my sweet little Lucia