It has been a year of many changes and I think that Christmas with Ford is like the combination of these months of great joy, it is like reaching the top of a mountain after so much effort and so many moments of adaptation also due to this global pandemic. I think that closing 2020 in that way, in a little house, with that decoration, with the illusion that this Christmas season also provides, is to close a very important cycle in my life and also celebrate the happiness that Ford has given us.

Now everything is around Ford, he’s like the center of my home, he‘s also the boss of this house. Our schedule, our priorities, our plans also have a lot to do with him.. Due to this pandemic, we have all had to stay at home and that I think has been the most beautiful or most important thing that this reality we are in has taught us, right? The family unit, the importance of staying together at home, physically together ... that is the plan for this year. We are going to celebrate him here at the house, celebrate him, celebrate health, calm family here in Miami, well and work, it’s also time to work this Christmas.

The kitchen has never been my strong suit, now is when I have started to dabble once again because I am cooking and preparing food for Ford, so everything has changed around here too. I‘m trying to give him everything, vegetables, next week’s meat, fruits. But for Christmas, I am Peruvian, we eat turkey for Christmas. We usually have dinner at 12 at night, which this year will not go through Ford’s schedule; But, for example, I like the details of my country like the Peruvian panettone, which is like a sweet that we eat. Obviously, the turkey is going to be very important. Having my mom and my sister with us is important. I always say that sometimes the traditions, apart from the food, are also the loved ones, the people who are with you during those days.

This year I am living this Christmas for him. I built the tree and I try to explain it to him, he is only seven months old but I think the photos, the memory ... people asked me: what can we give Ford? From Santa Claus, of course, and I‘m mostly asking for educational toy things. It is at a time of great development. I’m going to put his hand on a piece of paper to save the size of his hand and it will be like his letter to Santa Claus.

He is a very fashionable baby, I was looking forward to this moment. He is like my doll of flesh and blood, so I enjoy him very much, he also lets himself put on what I put on him: the hat, the coat, the stockings. I always say, it is a stage that passes so quickly that I want to see him as a baby so I always try to keep him with that baby essence. Obviously my mom always loves to put the style of a little man on him, but whenever I can I wear those traditional Spanish costumes they fascinate me.

Ford came to teach me many things, the most important lesson I think is patience. I have had to learn to be very patient, to be much more flexible with my time, with my plans and also the lesson of unconditional love. I know that many people say it and that sometimes it sounds a bit corny but they actually teach you that, living that kind of love firsthand that is very difficult to experience otherwise.

It has been a Pandora‘s box of many surprises, many good things that people told me: ’you have to live it to know what we are saying when we tell you that it is a totally different love’, I can confirm that and there are also very difficult. Motherhood is not easy, it comes with many challenges, with many trials where one has to stand firm in their priorities, emotionally maintain that balance and say: “everything is going to be fine.” When you’re not sleeping well, when you don’t even have time to eat, you worry a lot more, before I didn’t worry so much ... since my son was born, I have worried about many things.

It is very difficult, it is a great challenge not to feel that maternal guilt that takes over your thoughts, it is very difficult to get rid of that and it is very important to transform all those emotions into something positive. My son is an inspiration engine, what I do I do for him, I go to work for him, I make an effort and work harder now than before because I have a reason, I have a purpose, I have a person who depends on me. So I advise moms first to celebrate, to say I‘m doing a good job, what I’m doing, I’m doing to the best of my ability. Many times we are very critical of ourselves instead of saying that we are doing an excellent job and that is the first piece of advice I give you: Celebrate moms! And number two: try to see the positive side, say thank you God that I have a job, thank God that I can feed my son and live with that attitude of optimism and gratitude constantly.

I wanted to take time for myself and not lose my essence as a person, not just become Ford‘s mom, I wanted something very creative. That’s where the idea of the podcast was born. I read a blog or a writing by who my partner is now in the podcast about postpartum anxiety and sometimes what you see is not what you imagine because motherhood has to be in a certain way full of happiness and yes, it is, but there are very dark and very difficult parts, so we wanted a platform to share these topics. I also wanted a project in English to challenge myself on a professional level in something different, it will be a podcast in English, and for me it has been a great challenge because I always work in Spanish, Spanish is my first language. So Motherish was born, we are very excited learning with other moms too, an interactive community with other new moms.

There have been many changes and yes, it has been very difficult, because I continue to be a very private person but I also needed a lot of help when I gave birth. When Ford was born I realized that it is impossible to do it alone and I depended on many friends who were going through the same thing and I discovered a community that I didn‘t know existed, this community of moms. So I said, “What can I do to help others?” It was the best way to be transparent about the things that have been difficult for me as a mom. I think I have been much more open with the purpose of sharing this because I believe that other moms can learn, they can learn from my mistakes too. Now I understand why moms start flooding their pages with photos of their babies because it is difficult to control yourself and not want to share everything. I don’t want to be one of those moms who get tired with those photos and videos like ok, now, enough of your son please ...

Now I admire my mother much more, I respect her much more and I always knew that she was an excellent mother, but now as Ford‘s grandmother she is much better, I even get excited because she has been a great help and the way she loves my son, it is the best thing that God has been able to give me too.

When one accepts this type of interviews and sharing such intimate moments, it is very nice because when time passes and as the years go by, one can remember and have captured that moment that despite the fact that we live in a very digital world, sometimes you think Mom does a terrible job of saving those memories and printing them, even uploading or sharing the photos. I always say: ‘the cell phone becomes a cemetery of memories because the photos stay there’, so I think that for me it was the perfect opportunity to open the doors of my home and invite HOLA! USA so you can capture and share this moment with us.