Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Families.
You are exactly who you are
Growing up I was super insecure about myself because I always felt so different. I felt different by the way I thought about things. I was never and still aren't able to connect with people my age. To this day I'm not really sure why, but I think it goes back to not getting reassurance from my parents. I never really had their full and undivided attention.
By Amberlee Keister5 years ago in Families
Meet Our New Born Baby Lio Vlog
A lot of babies were being delivered at Eden Medical Center during our stay there due to the fact that we waited about 12 hours to get a non-triage room. At least, everybody were following safety precautions to prevent the spread of covid by not letting anyone in besides the person going into labor and the husband or partner. They’re also not letting anyone in again once they come out of the building so we were stuck there for about 2 days. Huge thank you to all of the front liner staffs and healthcare professionals of Castro Valley Eden Medical Center & Alta Bates of Berkeley who did everything they can to ensure a safe delivery of our child (Born on 09/05/20 around 5am @ 40 weeks, 6lbs & 2.6oz) and for making sure that our little one Rogelio Stephen Cristi aka “lucky Lio” (Rogelio is based on my grandpa’s name on my mother’s side who passed away, Stephen is based on my wife’s grandpa's name on her father's side who is still alive today & he's part Japanese, Guamanian, Irish, Scottish, French, German and Filipino) gets everything that he needs to be in the very best condition (He was taken to NICU immediately as he had some fluid in his lungs that might have caused brain injury so they had to suck that out with a tube, gave him some oxygen while making sure his sugar, gas & acidosis in his blood is reduced & eliminated. They had to put him on a cooling blanket for a little bit to help with the brain development and needed to do an MRI to make sure nothing went wrong on his brain when he had fluid in his lungs which could've made it complicated for the oxygen to reach the brain) Lio is progressing so much day after day since he was sent to NICU a few hours after his birth. He was already looking chubbier and was off his oxygen on day 3 and has been feeding on some of her mother's breast-milk little by little on a daily basis until his body gets used to getting more breast-milk that his mother is able to produce more and more. He's also able to poo & pee which means his kidneys & gut works! Thankfully, I used to be a Certified Nurse Assistant so diaper changing and caring for a little human is second nature.
By Hobbies • Skills • Talents • Passion • Profession5 years ago in Families
Teaching Children Kindness
Generally speaking, the world would be a better place if people were kinder to each other. If all parents raised their children to help, the new generation would be the most compassionate yet. Bringing up a kind child means that you have to take the opportunity to shape your child as they grow. This desire has many parents searching for easy tips for teaching children kindness.
By Alicia Trautwein5 years ago in Families
Why Not Me
Its been 4 years since I first started IVF. In the beginning it was scary, embarrassing and just felt not normal. During the process my thoughts about it shifted to, amazed, happy, hopeful and joyful. Towards the end I became depressed, angry and confused. Today I am gracefully broken and ready to share my story with others who may be struggling with faith and hope or that may have lost the desire to keep going. My name is Gina Few. Marie Love is my FB name.
By Marie Love5 years ago in Families
Chocolates & Chips
Chocolates and chips are great for kids nowadays. The same thing happened to me when I was a child. I remember as a child I used to eat chocolate and chips at three o'clock in the morning and in the evening then I did not know that they are harmful to my health. My parents then used a way to explain to me that shows in this story of mine.
By Amanpreet Kaur5 years ago in Families
1st Anniversary Celebration Ideas
The first year of the marriage seems to be very beautiful, and it is the happiest moment for every couple. Every couple would like to spend their 1st wedding anniversary together with each other. It is important to plan something amazing and memorable to make sure you spend the day in the best possible manner.
By Raushan Kumar5 years ago in Families
Money Cake
My grandparents didn't have a lot of money, maybe that's why as an adult I remember this so well. I was pretty young, maybe turning seven and it was my birthday. We happened to be at my grandparent's little two bedroom, one bathroom house in Idaho Falls and I remember it being cold. Like the kind of cold that makes you leave your car running at the gas station while you're filling up kind of cold. Of course that isn't unusual for South-Eastern Idaho, the wind seldom stops blowing and it is legit winter for about nine months out of the year- but that's beside the point. The point is, that I was at Grandma and Grandpa's house for my birthday!! And as a little girl I couldn't be more thrilled.
By Amber Nelson5 years ago in Families
Shish Kabob
Meynardo and Lourdes Mendoza were the epitome of the American Dream. Immigrating (legally) from the Philippines during the Lyndon B Johnson era to America with nothing in their pocket except their medical degrees. Heck, they didn't even know each other yet when they began their residencies at that small hospital in Queens, NY. They were terribly homesick for their families, friends and culture but they knew that their success meant that their poor families back home would survive. Eventually Meynardo Mendoza would meet Lourdes Arquiza during their shifts at the hospital. They quickly fell in love and got married. Lulu (Lourdes nickname) soon became pregnant. Mey (Meynardo's nickname) was overjoyed with Lulu with the thought of the birth of their first son in America. What would the name the boy? They didn't want their first born to feel out of place at school with a typical Filipino first name like Carlos or Mario. They wanted a typical American name. One day while Mey and Lulu were at a greeting card store, they saw a rack with minitature license plates displaying childrens names on them. Presumably to be put on the back of a new bicycle. Thats when they saw it! "Melvin". Mey was a huge fan of 40's and 50's music as well the movies from the same period. Melvin was the first name of show business trifecta Mel Torme who acted, sang and composed. "Melvin Mendoza, what a great name"! they both agreed. Mind you, this is New York in the 60's. Melvin was far from being typical especially later on in little Melvin Mendoza life. Mey and Lulu started acheiving success in their medical careers and decided it was time to leave their little one bedroom basement apartment in Jamaica, Queens and head to the country life of Long Island (well, it was kinda the country in the early 70's). They bought a new construction 4 bedroom 2 1/2 bath home in Suffolk County with plans to move their own parents from the Philippines in with them. They purchased the home for $30,000. It was a normal tradition for the grandparents to move in to help take care of the grand children while the parents are working. As Melvin began nursery school (pre-school) he quickly learned that his name definitlely did not blend in. The neigborhood that his family moved to was mostly of Italian and Jewish families. "Hi, my name is Melvin" was usually followed by snickering and laughter. "What? Your name is Smellvin"? many of the kids would joke. The next question was always "Are you Chinese or Japanese"? Unfortunatley, most kids at that time had never heard of another country named Philippines. Melvin had a hard time making friends back then. Who wants to play with an Oriental kid with a werid name. Then it happened. An unassuming extremely thin boy with thick glasses named Abe said "I'll play with you" Melvin and Abe found an empty table full of Lincoln Logs to build an imaginary fort. Little did they know that this friendship would eventually span over 50 years. Later that evening, Melvin walked into the kitchen. Lulu and Lola (grandmother in Filipino) were placing large amounts of beef peices into a large pan to be marinated over night for Shish Kabob for the weekend barbecue. All the relatives that immigrated after Mey and Lulu were roadtripping from Queens to Long Island for one of many Mendoza back yard get togethers. Melvin was excited to tell about his new best friend Abe. Before he could get the word out, Melvin's mother said, "All your Tita's (aunts), Tito's (uncles) and cousins are coming in this weekend for the barbecue to celebrate that your going to have a baby brother and he is going to have an American name just like you! His name will be Maynard!
By Mel Mendoza5 years ago in Families
