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Editor happily returns to post at WG Resident
By Sheila Sanchez
I gladly returned to my post as the editor of The Willow Glen Resident last week.
It was a bittersweet come back.
Bitter because I left my 3-month old son, Mario Antonio, in the care of my mother; and sweet because I was reunited with a staff of reporters and photographers I've learned to love and respect, even though I was only at the paper for a short while, just 41/2 months.
Staff Writer Kate Carter, who covered for me as acting editor, is back to her reporting duties covering the Willow Glen community with the same passion and dedication she has exhibited for the past year. Willow Glen Resident readers must be grateful for the love and concern this young, energetic journalist has for the newspaper and for the community. I'm thankful for Kate's hard work.
While on leave I read the paper regularly, studying each edition with care. Kate was doing a great job and I could spend time home nursing a newborn baby without worrying about the paper's coverage.
I'm now prepared to take on the challenge of being a full-time editor while trying to raise a family of three children. I have two daughters, ages 9 and 7, and a husband who is sometimes like a child himself! I'm returning to work with peace of mind and much gratitude for the kindness and sacrifice of my mother who has left her husband and friends to come to my rescue while I make this transition. I asked for help and she gave of herself willingly without questions asked. I'll try not to keep her too long -- just long enough until I can find someone qualified to take care of my little Mario.
He was born healthy and extremely adorable at 1:01 p.m., Sept. 24, at Good Samaritan Hospital, in Los Gatos. He weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces, and was 18 inches long.
Getting used to the routine of a newborn baby was difficult at first with feedings every two hours in the middle of the night and little sleep for the first month, but as my son grew, he began to eat more and sleep longer. He now sleeps a full five to six hours straight during the night!
Compared to my two daughters' newborn experiences, this baby is an angel. He hardly cries in between feedings, and slept up to 18 hours after first coming home from the hospital. My mother insists he's not any easier than the girls were when they were born and that my ease and confidence with this baby comes with the experience I've had before. I'm not sure. I hardly contradict my mother anymore, finding her wiser as I get older, but I know this baby is easier than my girls were. A nurse at the hospital told me boys are easier than girls. I now believe her.
I've also found myself wondering how any woman could have more than three children. I hardly have time now for my two daughters whom I know have felt the absence of their mother and father's attention during the past three months. With three children, we're learning to divide up our time with each child evenly; but our newborn baby is still taking up a big chunk of our attention and we only hope he will be less demanding.
The girls have become great helpers, with my 7-year-old daughter becoming extremely protective of him. She tells mother what to do regarding the baby all the time. Mother says he will grow up with three 'mamás' instead of one!
Much of my third birth experience has been filled with peace and love. I was fortunate enough not to experience any post-partum depression. I've strongly felt the hand of the Creator, as I've grown to love and get to know this newborn child.
Amid the nation's suffering because of the war in Afghanistan and the slowdown in the economy, I've found myself thanking God every day for the happiness my husband and I feel as we enjoy our growing family; and for the jobs we have, which help us to support our children in the Bay Area.
Another event for which I'm grateful for during this holiday season is the recent purchase of a new home in south San Jose. We'll be moving in at the end of the month. Our daughters will attend a new school and again will have to make new friends in a new area. We're grateful to those who have made this dream a possibility.
At this holiday season, I would like to wish our readers happy holidays in the warmth and love of their families and friends and much success for the New Year.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
