I Had A BABY!!!!

5:16 PM theothersideofalex 0 Comments

Pregnancy Update: 25 Weeks with my first child

11:18 PM theothersideofalex 0 Comments

I have not posted a blog form update on my pregnancy and I really don't know why, I guess I just didn't think about it! Anyways I am 25 weeks and 3 days pregnant and here is how I am feeling so far. For the first 4 months I was nauseous, I threw up a few times, but mostly just constant nausea all day and night. I could not focus and I had to stop working. At around the 4 month mark I began to feel much better, I went to my parents house for a month because my older sister was finally in town so I had to go home too!! I had a blast and if you want to hear about that trip I will link that blog post here. I have been home now for a couple of weeks and have continued to feel great with no set backs. Now my new and basically solitary symptom is back pain. I have a little bit of sciatic nerve pain. but this is minimal. I still have trouble breathing, but I wouldn't call that a symptom really I don't think anyone can breath when they are pregnant. I currently do not have any stretch marks but there is still more than enough time for that. I guess all that's left is to show you a few pics!! I hope you enjoy them!! If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask as I am an open book when it comes to this pregnancy and nothing is off limits.

Long time no blog! Big Update and Future Plans for myself and this Blog!

11:17 PM theothersideofalex 0 Comments

     I have been pretty distracted these last few months, not only distracted but unable to focus even when I try to. There is not a whole lot going on, but what is going on is somewhat overwhelming. I have been working so hard for the last year to open my in home day care and am very proud to say that it is in fact open and I have even had kids in it!! This is such a huge deal for me you all have no idea. I have been waiting and working towards this, what seemed to be impossible, task of opening this damn day care. This is a legal fully functional military daycare, otherwise known as a Child Development Home. It is standardized by both the United States Navy and the CDC. The food is standardized by the USDA and the FDA.
     The process to become fully licensed is not difficult in most places, but for some reason, where we live is exceptionally drawn out. I began this process about three years ago, they had a snafu in the Virginia area so all applications were suspended and I had to find other work. Finally about two years later they posted a big banner about becoming a CDH provider and I thought wow!!! maybe this is really going to happen this time. So I went to start the process and that was August of last year!!! I thought I would be good to go and open working full time with six children in my care long before Aaron and I got pregnant. As it happens, my first week of full time care I was already 35.5 weeks pregnant... So needless to say I have been a very frustrated and angry person for the last year. Every step took months to complete and there seemed to never come a day when I would actually ever open. My husband was very frustrated as well, because our finances are accustomed to me working a full time schedule and our budget, savings, and plans have not only been put on hold but have suffered.
     Because I needed to be ready randomly for classes and paperwork I chose not to work while I was applying for this license, that coupled with becoming pregnant in November, I really wasn't able to work until about the fifth month of my pregnancy. I am so happy to have everything done and ready to go before I give birth, this way everything is set up for when I return to work full time in mid-October. depending on when she arrives I will have about six to eight weeks of maternity leave, now this is my own business and nobody sets my hours or tells me when to work, but I figured if I treated as any other job then I would be more likely to push through and start working sooner rather than later to attempt to recoup from me not having steady work for nearly a year.
     I am ready to dive in and be a mother, I am ready to be a boss and really start my career. I think in the next blog I will lay out my ten year professional plan and sort of give you the run down on what I want to happen and how I plan on getting myself there. I think blogging will be a great outlet for me and I hope to open up more like I did today and really share my life and what it is like trying to maintain a career of my own, raise a family, take care of my home, and still support my service member to the fullest in his career.

Thanks for reading,

-Alexandra

I am back from vacation!!

2:23 AM theothersideofalex 0 Comments

I had a lovely vacation at my parents house on the East Coast of the US, (just in case you are reading this and you aren't from the US.) For nearly three years I have not been able to get home to see my parents, firstly the cost is quite high as I live overseas and the timing was never perfect enough for everyone to be home at the same time and get the most out of that high ticket cost. But for about a week and a half there was this magical window, that hasn't been in over 4 years, where everyone in my family would be home at the same time!! So I had to jump on the chance to go home to complete the family circle! My immediate family includes my just absolutely beautifully perfect mother Sonia, my finally retired father Cesar, my badass just got her Bachelors Degree with a whole lot of honors older sister Ariana, her two children that have defined me for the last 11 years Cesar and Elizabeth, and last but not least my younger brother a newly minted Marine, whom I am very proud of soon to be Lance Corporal Orlando... Of course I am the middle child Alexandra just in case you didn't know haha, and with me on this perfect and magical week and a half was my beautiful unborn baby girl, making this trip that much more special as my family has never seen me pregnant and they loved it. I will share a couple of highlights of my trip with you and hopefully grab some pictures from various locations to illustrate the fun for you.



My sister and I went to the mall like normal sisters that don't live on different continents do and let me tell you it was amazing! We were sooo normal just eating lunch at Maggiano's and shopping for shoes and makeup. It was glorious, we haven't lived on the same side of the Earth in over 4 years so for her and I it was much needed sister bonding time. I built/upcycled a few special toys for my niece, I watched hours of anime with my nephew and we had a special bowling date just us two. My brother and I ate a lot haha and he shared his stories of his new Marine life. My Dad and I did little projects around the house and just hung out and went to hardware stories together of course we had a blast and my Mom and I made a blanket aka she made a blanket I cheered her on!! We drank coffee and ate and went shopping and we crocheted together and we basically had the best time ever!!! Going home is just everything I needed before baby comes, I love my husband and he does his best to be there for me when I am home with him, but he also works a lot and he is only one person. When I am at my parents house there is always someone home to hang out with, make some plans and have a good time. I so appreciate the amazing family that my parents have built and the home they work so hard for so that I can come home and feel amazing. Soon my husband and I will be building our own family and hopefully we can make a home that our children can continue to come back to.

I left for my parents house at about 18 weeks and I am now 24 weeks pregnant and a lot has changed during my trip. But that is a post for another day. Thank you so much for hanging out with my and reading a little about my trip. Please post a comment about a great family trip you have gone on or hope to in the future.

Thanks for reading,

-Alexandra

Traveling Home: The Beginning

11:14 PM theothersideofalex 0 Comments

Thanks for reading,

-Alexandra