This is Me (Cristina). I'm 24, going on dead. I turn 25 this year and it makes me feel OLD!
It's hard to find pictures of me for 2 reasons. Firstly, I'm almost always behind the camera. Secondly, like many women I know, I hate how I look in pictures. I often go through the camera and delete pictures Ian has taken if I don't like how I look. He hates that. Lucky for me there's no way to get those ugly pictures back.
That being said, I'm about to post some older pictures of me. I think Holly was about 8 months old so, these pictures are nearly 2 years old. I don't post them because I want to. I'm posting for comparison. Believe me...it hurts to show these to you.
Wow. Like I said, it hurts to share those, but it is necessary for an update. Since we moved away from Rexburg 1 year ago, I've lost 20 lbs. I visited with a doctor in California for a check up and for the first time I heard 5 painful words....you need to lose weight. What? Don't you know I just had a baby lady? Okay, she might be 18 months old, but who has time for exercise with 2 children under 2? Not me!
Well anyway, it hurt my feelings a lot. It's not that I felt like I was the perfect shape or anything. I just didn't think I was in so bad of shape that anyone had a right to tell me to lose weight. She wasn't gentle about it either. She even gave me a target weight! I am proud to say I have met her target weight and it feels good! In fact, I weigh less than I did when Ian and I got married! I still don't like that doctor. In fact, I will never go back to her office.
Eight pounds have come off in the last 6 months since we moved here. I had no idea how much I was changing except Ian kept telling me my clothes looked baggy and unflattering (it was meant as a compliment). The reality hit me this week when I went to the doctor and stepped on the scale. Wow. Now what do I do? I was looking to hit this target weight and now that I'm there...what?
Well, I've decided to get my body back...or to try. I don't know how long it will be before I have another baby, but whatever exercise I do until then will only help me with the pregnancy and labor. So, I've started yoga! I once thought yoga was weird with all the named poses (warrior, downward dog, etc.), but that was back when my exercise was more intense. I thought yoga was for sissies, then I had a baby and realized I have no flexibility or core strength. Anyway, I haven't been doing it very long, but I have felt the burn! What I love most about yoga though, is that as I focus on my breathing I feel a lot of stress relief. I desperately need that these days because...
...this is my life.
I love love love these kiddos so much, but even when I'm trying to relax in bed and play a game, I have little arms reaching all over me! Ahhhh! Yes, sometimes I want to scream. In fact, sometimes I do scream. It usually followed by a lot of apologizing and repenting. But, despite the stress they bring I would never change the way things are. Why? Because for every one of the pictures above, there are about 10 pictures like the ones below!
Being married and additionally a mother has brought me the most happiness of any decision I've made in my life. I was happy to find out that I had a full tuition scholarship, but not as happy as when I found out I would be a mother. I was happy to graduate college, but it was vastly over shadowed by the day I brought Holly home from the NICU. We love living in England, but the experience overall is enhanced when Atley and Holly slip into mild british accents. SO cute!
As for my other work, I'm in the primary and it's really growing on me. I've always felt a little awkward around children, because you have to be a little silly for them to really like you. My self esteem often prohibits silliness, except with my own children. They have to love me. :-) I'm learning all about how primary works and am more and more grateful for the primary leaders who taught me.
Another thing I've been working on since before we moved here is the piano. I had a feeling I would need to sharpen my skills and that they would be needed here. So, the first day in our ward they asked me if I could play the piano. Ha! Good thing I've been practicing. In the last 6 months I've gotten a lot better. I play just about every week in Sacrament meeting and I frequently fill in in primary. That is my favorite. I get to be with the children and watch them sing and have fun without having to be too goofy. Though, I do think they get a giggle in now and again when I hit wrong notes. Hey, I said I was getting better, I didn't say I was perfect! I have enjoyed the blessing of a supportive husband who sits in church and tries to keep our kids reverent and away from the piano while I play. They like to help...too much. Again, that's why I need yoga!
Lastly, one of my favorite things I've been doing is trying new foods.
Some have rocked my socks and some have left me missing home and the familiar foods of my childhood. Belgium was definitely a highlight--as previously mentioned. The See's Candy peanut brittle I got yesterday in the mail was at the top of the list. We'll just gloss over the fact that it isn't really new, just the best I've ever had! English food, Turkish food, Indian food, Chinese food (like from China...not the U.S.)...all so different and so good in their own way. I find food to be a great adventure. When I enjoy it responsibly, I find it can be my friend and not the enemy I've been carrying around my hips, legs, and belly all the time. I often wonder if I'll have cravings for English foods when we go home. Only time will tell...
That rounds it off for our family. I know, I know, you were hoping for another one. Don't worry. Someday we'll have another baby and you'll have so many posts you'll be begging for mercy. Just be patient. We'll wait together :-)
