The Princess Performs

The Performing Princess from Taleah Murray on Vimeo.

What can I say? She is a natural! She's got the looks, the fashion sense, and an astounding vocal range. I know, I know, I should get her an agent, right?

For White People Marrying Into Latin Families

Okay, so this is going to be totally politically incorrect, but it's my blog and I am okay with that! The other day, we had some friends over and we were discussing the learning curve that our spouses had to overcome when marrying into our Latin families. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it would have been extremely helpful for my husband to have had a list of written warnings before he asked me to marry him. This way there would have been no surprises and a lot less awkward moments. If you are Latin, you will totally understand what I am talking about. If I could go back in time here, is the warning list I would have given to Ricky before he bought my ring.

1. When I say, "We are having a family gathering at 5:00p.m." it means there will be at least 50 people there including people I do not know, but who are somehow "my cousins" and everyone will not get there until 7:00p.m. Punctuality is relative.

2. At some point my grandmother will call you, me, or someone in the room fat at every family function or will let us/them know that our/their hair is ugly or that they just do not look good. This is normal, don't get offended.

3. When you enter the room at these family gatherings, you must greet everyone in the room individually with a hug or you will be thought of as rude, inconsiderate, and anti-social. This goes for when you leave the gathering as well. So, start leaving 30 minutes before you want to get out the door.

4. Any time we go to one of my Latin family member's houses you will be offered food. Eat it! And always ask for seconds. It's a compliment.

5. If you are not a doctor, lawyer, or accountant, my grandfather will insult you and ask you why you are not one of these professions. He will also ask you for the exact amount of your yearly wages, and there is no way to get out of answering this one.

6. My grandfather will take about 7 years to learn your name, until then, he will just refer to you as "Michael." Just answer to it.

7. If you want to get on my grandfather's good side but do not fall into one of the approved professional categories, do not fear, there is hope. Become a fan of "los Doyers" and all is well.

8. There is always some type of family drama happening and everything is a BIG deal! Every family gathering is almost guaranteed to end with someone being upset about something. If you want all the details, just call grandma. She will give you all the scoop in the most entertaining and dramatic fashion.

This about covers it.

The Ultrasound

We went in for our 20 week ultrasound yesterday and I so wish I would have had a video camera in the room to capture Maia's reaction. I had prepped them for what was going to happen and had given them the speech, "God decides whether it's a boy or girl and we will be happy either way." Noah had grasped this concept well. That morning he told Maia, "I hope it's a girl for you Maia." So sweet, because I know that he really wanted a boy but he was willing to sacrifice to make his sister happy.

After all the measurements had been done, the tech invited Ricky and the kids into the room. They were a little nervous walking into the dark room and seeing mommy lying down in a hospital gown. They stared at the screen wide-eyed, trying to make sense of the black and white blob on the monitor. The tech explained what they were looking at and Noah asked, "Is it a boy or a girl?" The tech said, "Well...you see that there? It looks like you will have a little brother." Noah's face lit up. He jumped up, clapped his hands, and let out a joyous yelp! I simultaneously watched Maia's face slowly drop into a frown. She was devastated. As the news sunk in she could not help but break down and cry a heartfelt-hopes-of-a-little-sister-dashed cry. I tried to console her from the position I was in telling her she was still going to get to be a big sister and help mommy with the baby. It didn't work. She stood there staring at the screen sobbing. Ricky picked her up and she laid her head on his shoulder and continued to weep. I could tell the tech was a little uncomfortable and I could not help but laugh at the whole situation.

Poor Maia. She is doing better now, but every once in awhile I can tell that she is still holding onto a glimmer of hope that it may be a girl in there.

Some Thoughts On This Pregnancy

I love that I don't have to suck in my stomach after a big meal. I can just let it all hang out and blame it on the baby rather than on my gluttony.

I am extra forgetful this time around. I forgot picture day, I forget to take my vitamins daily, I forgot to pick up my kid from school today, I forget to brush my kid's teeth all the time, I even almost forgot to pay my mortgage...

I find myself overwhelmed all the time. Ricky says I am going to give myself a heart attack because I seem to get stressed out at the littlest things. The thought of adding another child into my already chaotic life just seems so daunting. At the rate I am going, I sure to forget a child somewhere at some point in the next year.

I can't seem to find a shampoo and conditioner that I like. Everything I've tried smells way too strong and grosses me out. I think I may just go with the dread lock look .

Why do I have these red blotchy streaks on my face? Really? What does that have to do with being pregnant? Between the hormonal break outs and blotchy streaks, my face is seriously going to break the bank with all the concealer it is requiring.

The Heart of a 3 Year Old

Noah is not a good eater. In fact, I spend most meal times begging and threatening him while he complains and takes forever. It is exhausting. When I finally get him to take a bite, the food stays in his cheek for a good 5 minutes. So, you can imagine how unpleasant and long meal times are with this kid. The other day, I decided to try the "kids- are- starving- all -around- the -world tactic" to speed up meal time. Here is how it went.

Noah: (for the 40th time in his whiniest of voices) But, I don't wanna eat, I'm not hungry.

Me: You know what? There are little kids all around the world who are starving. They are so hungry and their tummies hurt really bad because they want some food but their mommies and daddies don't have enough money to feed them. So, you should be thankful that your tummy doesn't hurt and that your mommy and daddy can feed you and you should eat your food.

Noah: Do they say, "I'm hungry. I'm hungry." all the time?

Me: Yup.

Noah: Well, I have an idea! Why don't I take some of my food and take it to those kids who are hungry!

Me: (Stumped)Uh...well we can't really take the food that is on the table right now because it would get rotten, but we do help one of those kids. The little girl on our refrigerator. That is why we send her money so that her mommy can buy her food and her tummy won't hurt.

Noah: Oh! Okay. Let's pray for those other kids right now. (Folding his hands) Dear Jesus, thank you for the kids who are hungry. Please help their tummies not to hurt anymore and help their mommies and daddies have money to buy them food. In Jesus name, Amen.

Me: Noah, you have such an amazing heart. I am so proud of you...Now, can you please eat your food?

You Know You're A Bad Example When...

You pull out the cleaning spray and start cleaning the counters and your daughter says, "Mommy why are you doing dat? You don't oo-sually do dat. Teresa does."

Teresa is the cleaning lady who comes once a month. Ay yaiy yaiy! My daughter is going to be a slob.

My Latest and Greatest Fashion Discovery

Let's face it, my budget cannot handle a pair of designer maternity jeans. It just does not make sense to me to spend upwards of $150.00 on a pair of jeans that I will only wear for a few months. However, the type of maternity jeans that my wallet can afford can only be described as saggy crotch/butt jeans. You know, the kind that make your butt look saggy and make you walk like a penguin because the crotch sags down to your knees? But, I NEED jeans. I mean jeans are so versatile and I wear them at least 4 days out of the week. Do you see my dilemma?

Well, the other day, I went shopping, but I decided to skip the maternity stores and see if I could find fashionable clothing that would accommodate my growing belly in the regular stores. There I was looking for baby doll dresses, loose fitting shirts, and leggings when lo and behold, I discovered my new wardrobe staple: JEGGINGS! Jean leggings! These are even less expensive than the affordable maternity jeans and much more comfortable plus I do not have to worry about looking like I have a saggy butt or walking like a penguin! They even have some that have pockets on the butt so you don't always have to wear long shirts with them. They are absolutely AMAZING and a perfect solution to my maternity jean dilemma. I am so excited that I just had to share. Maybe one day I'll post a picture of me in my new favorite discovery!