My Baby's Birth!!

   My baby's birth made me the happiest woman in the world. Even though I did not plan his existence; I accepted my most valuable gift from God because I am a real woman.
When I was pregnant I had a wonderful pregnancy. I was really healthy thank God, but when I was in the last week, I started feeling the sacrifice that a woman has to survive.


BABY SHOWER

     My last pregnacy week was the hardest for me. I started feeling the pain five days before my due date; I went to the hospital three times with terrible contractions, but the problem was that I  was not dilated so they sent me back  to home. The last time  I  remember that it was at 8:00 am. It Was a Thursday, November 25. I  was at home, I was with my boyfriend, and I could not bear any more. The pain made me crawl on the floor. When I went to the bathroom FINALLY I  was ready to go to the hospital. I could not walk. I was scared and excited.

     The only thing I wanted was to have my baby in my hands. When I was in the room, lamentably there was a bad nurse. I think that she was having a bad day because she was angry all the time. When I thought that I could not stand the pain any more and I was a step from dying she did not believe me, but when the doctor came my baby's head was almost out side. The time came and my baby was ready to come into the world. When I was pushing I thought that was a long time, but it was not. I just pushed three times and my baby came out. When the doctor put my baby on my  chest, it was wonderful. He was crying, and when I talked to him he stoped. Of course I was crying, and all the pain disappeared in a second.



HIS FIRST DAY.

     All my pregnacy I thought  about if I was able to have  my baby, and how I was going to treat him. I had the answer when my baby was born, and discovered that a woman is born with this ability, and we can do the impossible for them good. The next day the doctor came to see me, and he said that I did a good job because I  did it with out medicine. I felt really proud of my self beacuse I thought that I couldn not do. During the time that I was in the hospital all our family and friends came to meet him. Everybody was happy. They brought him a lot of gifts.

    When I went home we were really happy. The first night we could not sleep; my baby cried all the night; he was hungry; I did not know beacuse I was breastfeeding him, but that was not enough for him. At 5:00 am I could not any more. We were very worried, and I called my mother I told her what was happening and she said: "he is hungry give him a little formula and his going to be ok" and he was. He finally could sleep better.



SANTIAGO ACOSTA

   Until now  we are the happiest family. My son is very healthy, intelligent  and very strong. He is only five months and he looks two months older.


HE IS FIVE MONTHS

 

My FirstTtrip To Colombia After Being Here For One Year!!

      After being here for one year, I decided to plane  my first trip to visit my brother and his family. I had been thinking about this trip all the year. I saved money, I bought gifts for them and I was so excited to see my brother. I was missing him too much. This was in December 2011,and the day finally came. My mom and I were in the airport  waiting for the flight, talking about what we were going to do there.

     The trip was at night  and I could not sleep for the emotion that I was feeling. Finally the stewardess said that we were going to land. I was extremely excited and my mom told me: "please Karla be quite" you had been talking too much, but I did not care. The only thing I was thinking was getting out the airplane and running  very fast, taking my  bags and finally being with my brother, but the procedure in the airport takes a long time.

    When we were waiting in the line to go out I was jumping, trying to see him. When I found him my heart wanted to go out from my body. FINALLY  we were together.  I hugged  and kissed him a lot, and I did not want to let go of   him, but.... My mother again: "Karla can I hug my son please". We were in the car going to his house. Everything was different. The streets and  houses were smaller than here.

MY ADORABLE BROTHER

     We came to home and my niece was in the window waiting for us cute as always. My sister in law  had prepared a delicious breakfast. The food tasted different. I was really happy. That night we went out to see the lights of the city because it  was  in December. we walked around, we ate too much; food, candies and all that I like. In December 7  we have a tradition in Colombia "The candles day".

DECEMBER

 In this tradition all the families go out and light candles. It looks beautiful. So as always we went out too, and we shared in family.

CANDLES DAY

    The next days we did a lot. We went shopping, we went to different parks, we ate out side every night, and I passed  spectacular days with them. One night we went out to a club. My brother and I Danced a lot. We make a nice couple dancing. I  spent much time with my niece; she wanted to sleep with me all nights.

WE ENJOYED A LOT

     In December 16, we have another tradition. "Los aguinaldos". This day we made a dinner, and we give gifts to  each  other. That was another nice night. I could see how happy were they  with all the gifts that we brought them. That made me feel  really  happy  because when my mom and I lived there, we did not have enough money to buy gifts. That's why I remember this trip gladly because we made them feel happy.

SANCOCHO.
WE COOKED OUT SIDE THE HOUSE

    

The Saddest Trip To Colombia. Feb 2015

     In Colombia there are still many members of my family, including my brother, his family, my father, and my grandparents. I was planning my trip like each year for December 2015, but unfortunately I had to travel in February 2015. My grandfather was really sick in the hospital. Many members of my family live here so everybody had to go to Colombia to be with with him. Nobody wanted  something bad to happen to my grandfather. The days passed and MI PAPITO felt the same; he did not got better.


MI PAPITO

    
       One day when all the family arrived to the hostpital,  the bad notice came.... MI PAPITO woke up worse than the other days. The doctor did not give him  hope to live, they could not do anything. My grandfather had a blood infection, and it had moved through all his body including his lungs and kidneys. Also he had liver cancer and he did not know, but thank god he did not suffer with those diseases. All this happened in two weeks.

      No one in my family could believe it. He was a very strong man; he never had been  in a hospital, that's why we always had hope because he was a healthy man. We prayed and prayed  and the only thing that I  supplicated to god was that my grandfather not suffer.

     The next morning the doctors called us and let us know that MI PAPITO  just had fifteen minutes of  life. We were in shock. I couldn't imagine that I had to say good bye to him forever. All my family went to the room one by one to talk with him in the last minutes. We couldn't believe that MI PAPITO was in that condition. I couldn't say anything to him, I was speechless. His hands were still hot when I touched him, but that was his moment and we had to accept what god had for him.
.



MY GRANDPARENTS

      During the funeral all my family was calm and I was really surprised. My grandmother was the strongest woman that I had ever  seen. She did not cry, she said that MI PAPITO would never  leave her alone. The moment came and we had to leave him in the cemetery. I was not able to see him during the funeral, but when the man said that we had the last opportunity to see him, I couldn't abstain. I finally  saw him. He was really cuter than I had ever seen him. I wanted  him to opened his eyes  and I wanted all this to be a dream, but it wasn't.  We had to leave him.

    The hardest part was when we returned to the house. Everything was quiet and all his clothes and his pajamas were in the same place where he left them. I went to his bed and I was there for a while.
Until now I can not believe that MI PAPITO died. I always tell him how much I love him and how much I miss him.

HE WAS IN MY FIFTEEN YEARS PARTY



FROM THE AIRPLANE



My Fifteen Years!

      When I was a child I always dreamed about my quinceanera.  I wanted everything that a girl hopes for her big party- my beautiful dress, my ring, my crown, and of course to dance the waltz with my father. When I was fourteen  all my family started organizing my party. Everybody  wanted a different kind of party for me, but what I wanted was to have my photo album, dance with my brother and father, have dinner with my friends, family and, spend the night with my father.... but he never came. I waited for him all night, calling him but he never answered my calls. Until now I do not know the reason why he did not come to my party. Anyway  my family made me feel like the most special woman in the world but, nobody knew what I was feeling inside with the absence of my father. However I tried to enjoy the night and my mother especially made  this party a spectacular birthday.

      At midnight the mariachis arrived. That was a  nice surprise. All the guests enjoyed the music they were playing. There was another surprise when the mariachis left the party. My mother and my brother prepared a special speech about my life with photos and videos when I was a child and while I was growing up. Everybody was excited. Of course I cried when I saw and heard all the beautiful things that they were saying and showing about me.

      During the party I felt really happy, everything was more than I hoped for even if my father  wasn't there. All my friends really liked my party and, I felt very proud because all my family, especially my mom, wanted it to be the best night of my life and, it was. That was one of the best nights of my life. I loved sharing my fifteenth birthday with the people who really love me. Definitely the only things that we have are the memories and this one is a really good memory for my life.

Leaving My Country And My Brother

 

      The day we knew that we were going to come to The United States, we were very happy. My
mother, my brother and I had been waiting for a long time to have a better life here. When  the papers arrived to our home from the emigration, we read that my brother could not come with us because he was already 21. The only thing that we knew was that we could  not live without him.  We had been living  together all  our lives. In that moment the happiness we were feeling disappeared in a second.

MY BROTHER

 

       My brother could not believe it, he always had dreamed of studying here and to be a professional designer. However his girlfriend was the only happy person because they could be together. They had been hoping for two years for a baby and my mother said: "this is the moment,  they  need a baby". My mother realized it would be best for my brother to stay but, she was desperate. She could not imagine what was going to happen to him without us.

 Days before we left  the surprise came  "my brother's  girlfriend was pregnant". That was the best surprise that we could have. My mom was very happy because finally my brother was not going to be alone so he could wait for my mother to start the procedure to bring him and his family.



MY LITTLE NIECE

      When finally  the day came that my mother and I had to leave him and our beautiful country, it was the saddest day of our lives. I felt in my heart the emotion to come here. When we arrived at the airport it was the hardest part. to Say good bye to him and my little niece who was only two months old.  We cried and cried  until the last moment. We really did not want to leave them.

MY MOTHER- MY BROTHER AND I

JHON F KENNEDY AIRPORT

     In the moment we arrived to The United States, we were excited seeing all the different people from others countries and, all the languages that they were speaking.
Ours lives changed a 100%. I have been studying for 4 years and working very hard. This country gave me my happiness, my little son and, I'm very thankful with god for that. My mom has been working  two jobs at day. We have been doing this to give my brother all that he and his family needs. My mom brought her husband from Colombia and, he is helping her a lot. We are waiting for my brother and his family to be all together like we were in Colombia. Since we came here, we have been traveling each year to see my brother and his family, so the wait can be less harsh.

 



THE MOUNTAINS FROM COLOMBIA

                                                  

MEDELLIN-COLOMBIA