A New Addition in September :)

If you follow me on Instagram or know me in person, you probably already know that Michael and I are expecting baby #2 in September! If not, surprise! We are both thrilled to become a family of four and giving Lydia a sibling. I'm 13 weeks pregnant and am finally starting to feel a little less exhausted. Much like my first pregnancy, I only experienced a little nausea in the morning and mostly because my stomach was empty. I am also experiencing the same aversions and cravings, nothing too sweet but lots of fruit, everything salty, spicy and sour. So far I am beginning to think much like my mom and sister that I am one who bypasses morning sickness, however, I seem to get a double dose of fatigue. I did exercise most mornings and it worked as a pick me up but still felt drained after lunch. Nap time became my best friend!

We found out I was pregnant pretty much the same way as last time. My period wasn't due for a few days but I was feeling off and sluggish. I just had a feeling I was pregnant. I told Michael to pick up a test, I took it that night and we waited for the results. I asked him if he could read it and he reacted the same as last time. "Oh boy" HAHA. I just laughed. We were both elated and a little nervous. In my previous post I talked about how we traveled to Puerto Rico in November, and there was an outbreak of the Zika virus back in the spring/summertime. We actually wanted to get tested for the virus before trying for a baby but God had other plans for us! So we quickly made an appointment that following Monday with our doctor to get a script for blood work. At this point we already told my sister and our parents so they could keep us in prayer as we prepared to test for Zika.

After we went to the doctor's office we learned that it was only necessary for me to get tested, and we got a stack of papers about the Zika virus and how the test worked. I actually googled up a storm prior to the doctor's appointment and learned about the horrors of the Zika virus to those who are pregnant. I prayed a lot prior to getting the blood work done and after while I was waiting for the results. I waited about a week until we fond out that I tested negative for the test. I felt incredibly relieved and thanked the Lord for answering our prayers! 

The three of us got to hear the baby's heartbeat a couple weeks ago, and last week we were able to see the baby for the first time via ultrasound! Lydia is still not sure what the heck is going on, but I am sure she'll fall in love once the baby is born. We are planning to find out the sex of the baby sometime in April, and would be happy with either a boy or another little girl. I already have a list of names! :) I may or not share the name on here once we've settled on one.  Now that I have finally posted something, I'm going to do my best by keeping you guys updated as I go through my pregnancy!

Changing my perspective of time...

I am generally a creative person. I am passionate about cooking, trying new recipes, writing and often dabbling into photography. I would definitely say I am at my happiest when I have the time to do those things. It's funny because I thought being a stay-at-home mom would grant me the free time necessary to create and quickly learned that was not the case! Don't get me wrong being a wife and mom is the most fulfilling experience in the world for me, it's just when I don't always get a chance to create it makes me a little sad and moodier. 

Some days that special time I have to create comes easier and other days my time is limited. I'm actually thanking God as I type this because Lydia is playing by herself and not demanding me to pick her up! A big turn around indeed. I was dealing with a needy chub over the last couple of weeks, and by the time she would go down for a nap, I'd have to prepare dinner or was too exhausted to tap into creativity which made me feel discouraged. However it helps when I remind myself that I'm doing a good thing by placing my family first and my passions second. No I can't do everything all at once, but I can do everything I desire to do in increments. Having this perspective has really changed my attitude when my time is limited and it is key in surviving the epic burn outs that come from being a stay-at-home mom!

As a Christian, I depend on Christ for everything, including my time and without Him I doubt my perspective would be positive when I'm burnt out. Through Him I am a more patient, industrious and kind woman, He even gives me a peace of mind when time isn't by my side. I am learning that I have to pray for myself to find that special time and wholeheartedly trust that God will open a window for me. I am also learning as a wife, it's okay to ask for help when I'm feeling exhausted and that I'm not being selfish if I ask for alone time to create. It's what makes me a happier wife and mom after all. The scripture above is one that I'm holding onto when I am feeling especially burnt out. “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken.” -Psalm 34:17-20 

I have to say I feel a lot better writing what’s been on my mind lately, and I am slowly working myself back into writing more content!

Lydia Lately {7.12.2016}

"Though she be but little, she is fierce!” -William Shakespeare 

In a few short days Lydia will be sixteen months old. Her imagination is so big, her love for her family is strong, she's independent and she finds joy in the little things,  all traits that I truly admire! Through this journey of motherhood I am constantly learning how to prioritize my time, be more present and not sweat the small stuff. Motherhood is challenging and just when I think I got everything under control something new proves me wrong, and that my friends is humbling! I'm understanding that it's impossible to be in control of everything and that some days will be more exhausting than others. Though knowing that God's in control keeps me grounded and the encouragement from friends and family who remind me that I'm doing a good work as a wife and mommy does too.

But enough about me-- here's what Lydia's been up to lately:

-she is in the 2% for weight and 7% for height but the doctor isn't concerned because Michael and I are shorties! 

-she's talking on the phone with random objects like my old credit card!

-she's waving to people a lot more now

-she is blowing kisses and giving cuddles 

-she is saying words like "hi" and "mama" in context! she is still babbling but finds ways to communicate with us through body language. 

-she's eating with utensils 

-her favorite foods are blueberries and cheese, especially the free cheese samples at whole foods!

-she is playing with her dolls and "reading" books

-she's dancing every time she hears a beat! we went to a winery and they had a band playing classic rock music and she was dancing up a storm.

-she's growing another tooth on the bottom!

-she asks us for a cookie after she's finished dinner; she points to the jar and laughs like a maniac! 

-bath time is one of her favorite pass times

-she sleeps in her crib most of the night!!! *hallelujah chorus*  

-Zoe and her have a special kind of love/hate relationship; Lydia yells at her but wants to hug her all at the same time.

-she has a strong temper and had a breakdown the other day because we took away a pen from her. she was literally in rage for 10 minutes! 

-she makes us laugh and keeps our hearts full on a daily basis :)

I love you Chubski!! 

Friday Love! {6.10.16}

one // These pictures of Lydia eating corn last weekend. She was all about that corn and wasn't about to share with anyone either!

two // Buying 10 plantains for $1.99 and yucca for $0.69 a pound in New Jersey… It made part of me miss living in Jersey. We used a few of the plantains for tostones on Tuesday and now that the rest of them are ripening I'm going to make a pastelon tomorrow! And instead of making yucca fries, I'm going to boil chunks and serve them with mojo because it's been a while!

three // This blog post on protecting your marriage. Such encouraging list of things I know and have heard in different ways but always need reminded of. IE: raying for Michael, doing more of those little things, making time for him, etc. Life gets hectic being a mom, and unfortunately I haven't been making my most important relationship top priority. The list reminded me that I need to spend more time praying for Michael and being present for him. Fortunately we are going on a date tonight by ourselves to catch and spend much needed alone time with one another!

fresh out of the oven; feelin' confident with my results!

the next day after being transferred, prayin' ice cream will cover this up!

four // I learned a little lesson in pie baking. I baked a cherry pie with frozen cherries and it resulted in an extremely loose/watery filling, and then I transferred it all the way to New Jersey. Unfortunately when I took the pie out of the foil it was covered in the cherry filling and the once flaky crust became soggy. While I did have a mini meltdown, the pie was still 100% edible and was an excellent base for ice cream. I learned that next time I will be using fresh cherries in my next pie : )

five // Our CSA begins this Wednesday and I am so excited! It'll be our third year subscribing and I feel much more confident with knowing what to do with all the produce. I got a spiralizer attachment for my Kitchen-Aid on Christmas so I'm seeing a lot of zucchini pasta in the future, and possibly use my juicer to make fresh juices. (Confession: I've had my juicer for 4 years and only used it twice in my life!) Though I might need to do more research on kohlrabi and what the heck to do with it. That vegetable befuddles me. Any suggestions? 

source

six // I made these mini oatmeal cream pies and they were really quite good! I didn't get a chance to take my own picture but I found them to have the perfect balance of sweet & salty, the cream filling was delightful and not too sweet, the cookies had a nice kick from the cinnamon and were exceptionally soft as any oatmeal cookie should be!

Hope you all have a beautiful weekend!

Lydia Renee's First Birthday Party!

Just a small collection of photos from Lydia's first birthday party. While I didn't quite capture every detail on my camera (I somehow forgot to photograph lunch and another banner, whoops!), I am glad I have these pictures to look back on! I'm super grateful for all the help my family handed to bring this party to life and also keeping me sane. Michael helped with the decorations, the cake bunting banner, and made that beautiful flower garland! I made slow roasted pulled pork. I had it cooking throughout the night and before we went to bed, I made Michael pray that it would cook thoroughly before the guests arrived! Thankfully it was perfect, and there was more than enough food to go around.

Mom made chicken empanadas, bacalao salad, a big pot of yellow rice, and salad. She also made those darling brown paper goody bags filled with double chocolate macadamia cookies, sesame cookies and my chocolate dipped coco's. Mom W. made adorable bunny deviled eggs that were also incredibly delicious! I put out some homemade chex mix, a cheeseboard with crackers, some of mom W's jalapeno jelly (so good!) and my brother-in-law's girlfriend made a tasty enchilada dip. For dessert, I had baked yellow layered cake with  chocolate sour cream frosting and vegan dirt cake served with dye-free gummy worms, and of course cafe con leche. Leftovers for days!

The birthday girl slept a little during her party and was initially confused/cranky from the large crowd of people but she eventually adapted, and was enjoying herself! I can't believe she is already one years old. The first 12 months have been such a fun ride and we look forward to new adventures with our daughter, and many more birthdays!

Life Lately: My Baby Shower and Preparing for Birth

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to celebrate baby Lydia Renee with my family and friends in Jersey. My baby shower was an intimate little shindig at a Chinese restaurant close to where I grew up, and like my bridal shower is thrown by lovely mom. She always manages to put together beautiful showers and my baby shower was no different! She used my favorite color lavender and even added French Bulldog pictures into the decor; does she know me or what? I felt like it was the perfect combination of spending time with the people I love and sharing mutual excitement for the arrival of baby Lydia. Speaking of Lydia, she received gifts that went above and beyond Michael and I's expectations! At the end of the shower I received a notebook that collected everyone's advice and words of wisdom. I don't mean to sound cheesy (even though I kind of am!) but I couldn't help but feel so blessed to be surrounded by so much love. Nothing is more encouraging to me than knowing that people are praying and supporting Michael and I through this exciting journey as new parents. 

After my shower we headed to my parents house, and spent the rest of the night lounging and catching up. The next day my nephew DJ got dedicated at church and I was so happy to be able to witness that! During the dedication DJ, who is usually a fun loving baby, managed to keep on this serious face the entire time; it was so cute. After the dedication we headed to Aria and David's house for lunch and fellowship. It was much needed since I won't be coming back to Jersey in June! Hopefully my family gets the hint and decides to visit us months before that. My parents did say that they plan on staying two weeks, after Michael's paternity leave ends and I am hoping my sister can come shortly after that. 

my mom and baby me :) 

As far as feeling prepared to give birth to a baby naturally, I feel like I might be almost there. I doubt I'll be 100% ready and that's fine with me; God designed my body for this! I started writing my birth plan and am getting more comfortable with the idea that Lydia might be here in less than a month. That is of course she decides to make her debut earlier than later. Michael and I started taking Lamaze classes in Pittsburgh to further prepare ourselves. I was impressed to learn more about Lamaze and was relived that it wasn't just breathing techniques! (Because I don't think that would be enough for me when labor pains intensify!!)  It's also about having confidence in your birthing experience, finding relaxation in between each contraction, being educated on decision making and using non-medical pain management techniques, etc.

We did an exercise in class with our spouses that required us to use pillows to find a place where we felt most comfortable. I ended up leaning on Michael on my side and needed pillows just about everywhere. My head, hips, legs, in between my legs and in between my arms were nice and cushioned. I had been experiencing back pains prior to the exercise and that position helped alleviate pressure from my back which felt awesome. We have 4 more classes if Lydia decides to come later than my due date and I kind of hope she does because I really enjoyed the first class! Our instructor who is also a doula, mentioned that labor is obviously hard work and will be painful but at the end of the day, our bodies were designed to give birth! Another great resource for me has been Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth which similarly focuses on natural childbirth and opens up with birth stories. And lastly, I also have the advantage of having my big sister give birth to a healthy baby last August! She's been helping me immensely plan out my birth plan and all the little details that come after giving birth. Because let's be real, I'm getting closer and closer to becoming a mom! I'll probably share one or two more posts about how I am preparing for the biggest event of my life... giving birth to my daughter!

xo, Jessica

New Year, New Goals

Hey. It’s the start of the new year and also the time I usually start mapping out realistic yet challenging goals to accomplish within the next twelve months. And I am sure you all do the same! It’s a wonderful thing because even if I didn’t get around to all my goals, I’m given another year to start again. Making goals for myself not only makes me feel motivated, it also gives me an excuse to get out of a slump in the dead of winter. And because I’m starting this year as married lady, I’m more inspired to grow not only as a person but as a wife. The goals I have for 2014 are very much cohesive with the events that happened in 2013 and even 2012. For instance last year three life changing events happened to me which impacted the person I am today. 1) Putting an end to my avascular necrosis by getting both of my hips replaced. 2) Getting engaged to Michael. 3) Marrying Michael on a warm November day!

Read more after the jump.

Lingering thoughts

Hi everyone!

Last post I spoke about my eating habits and how I seemed to be feeling lethargic/meh/bored with my choices. I’ve actually followed the little guidelines I wrote down in my previous post and can honestly say I feel a lot better consuming less sugar, caffeine and wheat. And guess what? I haven’t touched a bowl of cereal before bed in nearly two weeks! BUT,  I will admit I did bake a cake in the middle of the week and had a slice or two :x though, I am not guilty about it! I’m glad I’ve been more conscious of my whole food intake and believe that a delicious piece of peach upside down cake (I didn’t take pictures, sorry guys!) is okay to indulge in once in a while. The cool thing is that the cake I made contained two whole eggs! After eating the cake I did not feel cramps in my stomach at all. It was kind of like a victorious moment considering eggs have been absent in my diet for well over a year. I’m incredibly intrigued to try a whole egg fresh out of the pan with a sprinkle of herbs and salt + pepper. Will it upset me? I won’t know if I try it and that’ll be another story for another day...

Other than eating, this week I’ve been finishing up my premarital homework and have come across some very interesting realizations. The chapters that stood out to me focused on evaluating your prayer life and bible study practice. It helped me realize the areas in my life that I needed to improve and to seek God for strength in those places. I learned that I need to pray more through all areas in my life, for the people I love, the president, our nation and the world's events. I learned that prayer grants us with the spirit of wisdom. (Ephesians 1:17) The wisdom needed to discern false teachings and to comprehend the mystery of the gospel to share with unbelievers. (Ephesians 6:19)  Overall the whole study on prayer and bible reading opened my eyes to be more involved with my relationship with Jesus, and I was so blessed to have received that wakeup call through those chapters. I really look forward to Wednesday when we actually go over our notes as a couple with our counselors, Esperanza and Mike.
Well that’s all I have on my mind today, perhaps I’ll have a recipe of the delicious smoothies now that the weather is finally heating up. Aren’t you glad summer is here? I know I am!!

-Jessica

Tired

Dear Sleep,
Without you I become a neurotic mess. I feel more of an urgency to take on my daily routines, my head is clouded and I tend to forget what I am doing. I become crabby and believe that the whole world is supposed to be considerate of the fact that I haven’t gotten enough sleep. I realize how imperfect I am. I see that I don’t handle stressful situations on low-energy. Let’s face it I need you sleep in order to stay positive in my environment.
Sincerely,
An Exhausted Jessica
And lately I haven’t been getting very much of sleep.  I’m really thinking it has a lot to do with my incisions and all the stress my body has been through during surgery which I had a little over four weeks ago. (Time flies!) I also think it’s all this wedding talk. It’s not stressing me out at all, but I am always thinking about it and somehow repetitive thoughts tend to haunt my sleep. Like last night for example, I woke up at 4AM because I couldn’t stop thinking about caterers… Then my other thoughts have been based on Michael and his job. He’s been very distracted by it lately and it’s definitely been on my mind too. It’s been such a long journey for both of us so we were praying for good news nearly every day. He heard some bittersweet news yesterday but I’m not fully sure what all the details are. I trust that God will provide clarity for the both of us and I’m also praying that we’ll be close together once again. It’s been really hard and it sucks to see him so frustrated. I just want all of this confusion to end and to end in clarity.
And those are my thoughts.
-Jessica

Excited to Be Alive

Dear Friends,
Today I just finished my last day of in-patient physical therapy, and I must say I’m very amazed with how quickly my range of motion is coming back and I’m feeling truly optimistic with what I’ll be able to do after outpatient therapy! I’m dreaming of deep squats for sure! I don’t know how many times I’m going to say this but I feel extremely blessed to have had this operation, and am excited for the future because every day I get one step closer to full recovery. In your face, avascular necrosis! Okay so I’ll admit my physical well-being isn’t the only reason I’m so excited to be alive right now. Something occurred this past Saturday afternoon. Something big. Something beautiful. Something incredible, special, remarkable and spectacular!
….And that something is that I, Jessica Adriana Malave, got engaged!  And not just to any old fellow either, but to my best friend, motivator, encourager, blessing and the love of my life Michael. We couldn’t be any happier either! Our journey together has been nothing less of a blessing and though we’ve been through many trials this year, we’ve only grown to love each other more and more. God has taken care of us both immensely. He continually uses Michael to encourage me and motivate me to be the best version of myself. Michael supports my dreams and I support his dreams. Ah, I’m just so happy because we’re finally engaged after talking about it for months! Oh my word, Michael is my fiancé. Alright, I know what you’re thinking the million dollar question… How did he do it?

As you all probably know, I haven’t been out of the house much. I’ve been feeling pretty sick from the all the horrible Coumadin pills I’ve been taking, (which I stop taking on Monday, wee!) and being out of the house for longer than twenty minutes can be very uncomfortable. Last weekend we also got a lot of snow too. So, I was a little surprised and kind of suspicious when Michael told me he wanted to take me to the park where we had our first date just to “talk.” To make a long story short, we walked by the lake and we took a few pictures. He then went on to say very sweet words to me which I honestly couldn’t concentrate on because I was just waiting for it to happen. I knew it was coming as soon as he unbuttoned his coat and reached for something in his pocket. Yep. It was a black box and as he opened it he recited the question, “Will you marry me?” I couldn’t help but attack him at that moment and kiss him. After that he placed the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen in my life on my ring finger and carried me to my car.  And the whole ride home we kept saying, “Ahhh, we’re engaged” and “you’re my… fiancé/fiancée!” (said in a much exaggerated French accent of course.) All and all it was a beautiful experience and I wouldn’t have asked for anything better. I just felt the need to express my happiness to the world! By the way, I hope you don’t mind seeing wedding stuff on here for a little while. Muahaha ;)

PEACE.

-Jessica

Hello friends,
I gotta say my weekend was encouraging, awakening and incredibly relaxing! My sister Aria, mom, Esperanza and I drove to Maryland for the Women’s retreat at Sandy Cove.  But before we got there we stopped at Delaware for some lunch. My lovely mother found a spot called Fresh Thyme’s a small organic cafe run by a mother and daughter, that serves vegan and gluten-free options! I enjoyed a veggie burger with fresh avocado, tomato and sprouts, a side of quinoa tabbouleh and a delicious (yet very crumbly!) brownie that I shared with Aria. All and all everyone enjoyed their meals and I can honestly say the food was satisfying, wholesome and yummy! After enjoying lunch, we walked around the town for a little, then headed over to Sandy Cove to check into our rooms and relaxed a little bit before our first session.
Every year I look forward to the fellowship, escaping from New Jersey and most importantly enjoying Gods perfectly crafted creations. This year the theme was “Incomparable Christ” and a lot of testimonies were shared over the weekend.  To me the woman's retreats are a time of basking in His word, worshiping in His name and all the extraordinary things He’s done in all of our lives! This retreat left me with a very basic statement which is: in order for God to reveal things to you, you need to let Him in. That means you have to be willing to surrender everything.  For the longest time I thought I was right with God, I thought that loving Him and treating others nicely was enough. But nope, a relationship with God is so much more than that. It actually involves me to include God in everything and not to only run to Him when things get bad. I should be talking to Him always! The truth of the matter is that investing a relationship in Christ will reward us with the biggest gift any of us could ever imagine! And, what could be sweeter than that?
“How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
Psalm 119:103
(sweeter than agave, if you’re vegan!)
Until next time,
Jeffie Jessica