Tag Archives: 53 weeks

Blessed to Be a Mommy

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As I sit here this Mother’s Day, I find myself reminiscing about how I got to this point…besides the obvious! 😉 I’ve wanted to be a Mom for as long as I can remember, as I’m sure many other women have dreamed. Growing up I think my plan was to go to college and be married by 23, with a baby by 25. Well, as life happened, my idealistic “goals,” didn’t play out that way! After college, I set out to pursue my career in broadcast journalism, and “on the side” indulged in my passion for dance, auditioning and becoming a member of 3 Pro Sports dance teams in my early 20’s. When I “got that out of my system,” I appeared on a reality show (in reality TV’s early days), and eventually moved to Phoenix, Arizona…when I felt it was time for me to grow up! Sure, I had boyfriend’s along the way – nothing ever very serious, lots of fun times with my girlfriend’s and great life experiences of travel and adventure…but in my heart I kept thinking the road (and timeline) to becoming a Mom couldn’t be far off.

In 2006, with my 30th birthday quickly coming around, I decided it was time for a BIG change and a move out of Arizona was what I needed…and so I took a leap of faith and made my way to Miami, Florida. You know, the perfect place to settle down and find that special someone! KIDDING!! LOL! Miami proved to be a great re-energizer for me to meet new people and give me new perspective on my career. In my mind I always maintained that while I can’t control meeting the right “one” to have my family with, I was always in control of what I did to make a living. In South Florida, I shifted gears into reporting entertainment and lifestyle stories for Deco Drive, spending several exciting years covering red carpet events, traveling, attending VIP parties, meeting famous celebrities and all kinds of “socialites.” Then, my clock started ticking…LOUDLY…now in my mid-30’s and feeling SUPER single.

I’ll admit, I’m the kind of person to put a lot of pressure on myself and I have a hard time adjusting when things don’t go according to “plan.” So, I was starting to feel like maybe Motherhood just wasn’t in the cards for me. Now I know these days many women delay having children, and it’s definitely not uncommon for a woman to deliver her first child after the age of 35…but with no real “man” prospect in sight, I decided to make another move, back home to the Bay Area. Miami had been great to me, but the fast-paced, rock star lifestyle and land of big booties and single scene just wasn’t gonna work for what I wanted.

One thing I clearly recall about really wanting to find a life partner and get on the right road to becoming a Mom, was to start living the life I wanted. I cut down on late nights/early mornings out on the town, I put more focus on my faith and ultimately distanced myself from the things/people, who weren’t in line with my values. Well, as life would have it, my move home to the Bay Area wasn’t where I found “it” either, and not long after I made the cross-country move back to California, love finally found me…and HE was back in Miami!

You could say it was a whirlwind romance, we’d actually met many years before getting together, sharing mutual friends, and remaining acquaintances over the years…but never had really talked or dated. However, when we did end up finally having an opportunity to learn more about each other, years after our initial meeting, the stars aligned and BOOM it just “happened.” One thing led to another, we both wanted a family and well, we didn’t waste any time!

Now, I have a generous and supportive life partner, and have fulfilled my dream of becoming a Mommy, to not one, but TWO beautiful baby boys…in just a short 53 weeks! Clearly, we were meant to pro-create…TOGETHER! haha! I could never have planned this out or imagined how my cards would play out – first becoming a Mom just a few months shy of turning 36 , but I wouldn’t change it for the world. There’s still lots of life to live and the daily challenge to raise these boys to the best of our ability is constant. I have truly been blessed and I sincerely believe becoming a Mother is among my greatest accomplishments. Looking back, sometimes my faith did waver and I would question why it wasn’t happening to me, but it’s true when they say everything happens for a reason and it will happen on God’s time! I am the lucky one, I am BLESSED TO BE A MOMMY.

 

 

53 Weeks Mention in Brickell Magazine

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Brickell Magazine released it’s annual issue of the Top 20 Professionals Under 40, and I was lucky enough to be chosen for this year’s “list!” It’s a pretty cool honor, and I’m even more flattered and proud that my Mommy Blogger title and this blog, 53 Weeks, made the cut with a nice mention! The “Mommy Blogger” life is a real hustle and it’s nice to be recognized for it!!! 🙂

My (Almost) Irish Twins

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I have a set of Irish Twins…ALMOST! My boys were born exactly 53 weeks apart, so we missed the official “Irish Twins” designation by a week. If you’ve never heard of the term, here’s the definition as posted by Verywell.com.

Definition: The term is used to describe two children born to the same mother in the same calendar year or within twelve months of each other. The phrase originated as a derogatory term associated with Irish immigration to the United States and England in the 1800’s. The implication was that large groups of close-in-age siblings were the result of uneducated, poor Irish Catholic families’ lack of birth control as well as self-control.

In modern use, the term is not intended as an insult, but rather a description of siblings born close together. Irish twins are not actually twins and they are not the same as having twins, which are defined as two siblings born from the same gestation.

It wasn’t exactly in the “plan” to have children so close together, I didn’t even realize I was really pregnant until a strange pain on my left side started recurring for several nights over a period of a couple weeks…and that finally prompted me to get it “checked out.” I think I was a bit in denial, I mean being first-time parents we were so busy running around, trying to figure everything out, establishing sleep and feeding routines, just trying to get back to being “us.” My line of thought was that it would take some time for my “cycle” to get back to normal, and quite honestly, in the ensuing months after delivery, there really weren’t that many “opportunities” for his sperm to meet up with my egg…if you catch my drift! Nonetheless, a blessing was bestowed upon us for a second time, because when I had the “pain” checked out, an ultrasound was performed…and there he was, clear as day, so perfect and already closing in on the 10 week mark.

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After some careful calculations, we quickly learned that this baby would be due shortly after our first-born turned 1! And — actually it was possible that they could share a birthday and/or be Irish Twins. Fast forward, the weeks leading up to Raef’s first birthday were a bit hectic. Here I was prepping for baby #2 with a HUGE belly and extreme pressure bearing down on my pelvic bone, all the while planning Raef’s 1st birthday bash, and hoping Isaiah would stay put until the festivities were through! And — just as if Isaiah was listening, he came after big brother’s birthday at the 39 week mark, on July 10, 2013…that’s 53 weeks to the day Raef was born.

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A couple of the most common comments I hear from people is that it’s “good to get it over with” and “gets easy as they get older.” It certainly has been challenging so far. One of the more difficult parts for me has been meeting their very different needs. On the one hand I have a super independent toddler who is more than ready to go out and explore the world (on his own), with lots of energy to expend, while on the flip side, my infant is immobile (for now), and limited with his food, play, etc… So, it’s a constant juggling act to work out a routine and manage my time so that I’m meeting both of their very different needs. It’s not horrible, but with two little ones, it certainly has its moments, thankfully…sleep schedules and routines do help.

I will say I am looking forward to watching them play together and grow up as best friends, best bros, teammates, etc… It’s only a matter of time now until they’re both pretty much the same size and able to share clothes…and be twin-like. Everyday I am reminded of how lucky I am to have my two (almost) Irish Twins!

 

 

New Mommy Blog

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53 Weeks is OFFICIAL! This new Mommy Blog isn’t as much about its creator as it is about the huge network of Mommy’s who make the world go ’round!

53 Weeks is all it took for site creator Aubrey Aquino to become a mother to two beautiful baby boys, and now “53 Weeks” has become her platform to showcase anything and everything that happens in the realm of a Mom’s world! 53 Weeks will share first hand stories in Mommy 101, spotlight the diverse lifestyles of all types of Moms through Q&A profiles, check out and review new, hip and cool baby gear, offer tips for fitness and fun, fast recipes for families on the go, as well as be a place for you to show off your favorite kid pics!

Special thanks to Tony Robles aka tony.psd for creating the awesome cartoon illustration take on Aubrey and her 2 boys for the 53 Weeks graphic, Adrienne Aquino for her additional graphic and design consulting and of course to Darryl Lee Sang of Interactive Minds for his hard work and input in setting up the website.

Be sure to check the site everyday for new content and you can follow us via social media too!

Facebook – http://facebook.com/fifty3weeks
Twitter – http://twitter.com/53weeks