Hello everyone!
8/2/2006 2nd year post op!!!!

Today is my 2nd year post op anniversary.

Many things have come and gone within these two years of my life. Last year on my 1st post op anniversary I posted an update and looking back on it, it was a sad one!

Today on my 2nd anniversary I can only say that I have not regret one single day of my new life. I had lost a total of 166 lbs, until my honey and I got pregnant. yes, you can go ahead and laugh. I say it that way because my honey says that he’s also pregnant and that is why he craves different foods. *smile*

Ok, if you have time to read go ahead, if not then let me advice you that it’ll be a little bit long. If you have read my one year anniversary post (08/2/05), you probably found out about my husband leaving me and our son last year in February. He divorced me in June and that same month he was already living with someone. He won’t admit “why” he left us and I also don’t really care to know. If he did leave because he had someone already, well then that was his choice. I'm not going to sit here and say, "oh, we were happy and out of nowhere he left us", because it wasn't like that. We did have our fights/disagreements, but I honestly felt it was no reason for him to leave and right away file for a divorce.

Anyhow, even though he had left us and divorced me, I still found myself putting my life on hold for him. Last year in September during the hurricane Rita evacuation he called me and said “I’m coming home this weekend”. On a Wednesday when I was getting ready to leave Houston to go with my brother in Austin he called me again and said, “I’m not coming home after all. My heart sank and all I told him was ok.

I got home, got my windows taped with the help of my son (he’s 9 now) and my 14 year old cousin who I’m also raising as my own daughter. We packed and we left. It took us over 6 hours to get to Austin because of the horrible traffic and all those people trying to leave Houston. The next day while in Austin with my brother, my ex-husband calls and says, “I do want to come home and I’ll be doing it when you come back”. That’s when I put my foot on the ground and said, “No you’re not. I’m tired of putting my life on hold for you and I’m not willing to keep doing it”.
Two days later I drove home with my kiddos and since my kids were asleep, I took the time to meditate, pray and think. I remember talking to God like if he was sitting right next to me. When I did that, I remember crying and asking him to PLEASE take my ex-husband away from us as far as he could because all he was doing was hurting us. At the same time I thanked God in ADVANCE for that good man he had in store for me. I prayed over that man that God had prepared for me.
Without even knowing this new man... I was already declaring victory and happiness with him!

Anyhow, to make a long story short, that same night I met my fiancée through my neighbor. My neighbor kept insisting for me to meet his friend and because I still had hope in my ex-husband and me, I would always tell my neighbor that “some day” I would meet his friend. My neighbor rang my doorbell that night and since his family had evacuated without him, he had no car and asked me if I could please take him to the nearest convenience store. We did take him and I remember him offering us something to drink and my kids said yes and got off at the store while I waited in the car. That day he said to me again that he wanted me to meet his friend and I said no. He kept telling me how good of a man his friend was and all he wanted was for me to meet him. I finally said yes and with a quick phone call his friend got there in about an hour.

I was not...how do I say this? Mmm I was not shocked/impressed with his looks nor did I think anything of this man. We sat outside my neighbors garage while the kids played with a bunny his friend had brought over a day before for his niece. We kept making fun of that poor bunny because it was cute but it stunk BAD. *smile*

Anyhow, when I was getting ready to go back to my house, my neighbor’s friend asked me to go to dinner with him. I said ok, I’ll see you here tomorrow night at 8. When I went inside my home, I told myself “what in the world are you thinking?!” “You didn’t like him, you didn’t think he was cute nor do you two have anything in common.” I kept thinking, “What in the world will you two talk about since you have nothing in common.” That was my thinking to my own self. I thought of calling him (he had given me his #) and telling him to please forget about it, that I was not interested in having dinner with him. Well the next day came around and so did 8PM. He rang my doorbell and took me to dinner. I’m not kidding you, we talked, talked and talked for 4 days in a row every night form 8pm until like 2am. I remember going to work with dark circles. On that 4th day I remember him ringing my door bell with this HUGE vase with flowers. I kept trying to look who was behind this bouquet of flowers and then saw him. Yes, go ahead and laugh with me. My honey is short and I love that about him!

He asked me to marry him in December and I said yes. We had planned to get married on September 24, which would be our one year anniversary of when we met, but since we stopped taking birth controls in January and got pregnant in late March, we have moved the date to late August, if not early September. We knew we might not conceive until the summer but took the chance and started early.

When I found out I was pregnant I got scared. When I told him, I CRIED and HE jumped up and down. I was SCARED, he was HAPPY. How weird is that? I was scared because I remember when I got pregnant of my son, my ex-husband was not happy and for some reason thought my fiancée was not going to be happy. I kept forgetting that this man IS different and we had actually already planned this pregnancy. He reassured me we were going to be ok and immediately called his brother in North Carolina to give him the news. He then called his sister here in Houston and told her too. She immediately said we had to move the wedding date and of course we agreed, like 2 teenagers. Similar to when your parents get after you. *smile* We thought we were going to be judged since we are both Christians and no, till this date only one person (old friend) has judged our decision to conceived before getting married but that person is also not walking straight with the Lord and felt that by judging us, she would probably feel better about herself.

Anyhow, his sister is the most solid Christian person I have ever met and I call her anytime I need prayer or advice. She’s honestly a new sister that I feel the Lord sent me, to guide me. I also know in my heart that on that day (Sept. 24th, 2005) the Lord heard my prayer and right away rewarded me with this good man. I feel in my heart my fiancé is that man God had prepared for me. God answered my prayer in less that 24 hours but it took me months to think back and reflect on that prayer I had said that day. I remember when I was thinking back about it and told my fiancée, he also told me he felt the same way and he felt I was that woman God had prepared for him. Him and I were put through allot with our ex’s and feel God rewarded us with one another for all that we went through.

We are thinking of naming our little girl GENESIS ANAHI. Genesis is a biblical name and based on a book his sister loaned us, Genesis means “beginning”-“new start”. We both feel she’s the beginning of our new life and we might stick to that name.

My ex-husband did try to come back in the picture back in November but by then I was already happy with my fiancée. When he found out I had someone he tried so hard to come back home but did not succeed. This is how good my fiancé is. He actually told me he was willing to step back and let me go and make things work with my ex-husband, just for the sake of our son. He was willing to let me go and that proved allot to me. I didn't though. My ex-husband had left us numerous times and I honestly was tired of him coming and going whenever he pleased.

Oh, by the way, my ex-husband’s girlfriend is also pregnant and coincidently found out the same day I did. It’s sad because he was about to leave her since he was not happy and stayed with her ONLY because she’s pregnant. We’re good friends now and he has shared with me that not a day goes by without him missing us. He said to me 2 days ago that his only REGRET in life is leaving us. He takes my son with him every other weekend and tells my son how much he still loves me but my son never tells me anything. He has apologized so many times to our son for leaving and not being there for us when we needed him. My baby is only 9 years old and already understands what is going on. I still remember like it was yesterday……I remember waking up in the middle of the night only to find him crying for his dad. What could I do? All I could do was cry with him and tell him mommy did everything she could from keeping daddy from leaving. I would then tell him how we have a daddy who loves us and would never forsake us. Our daddy God! I would tell him how we can not see him, but HE was there to take care of us. I remember that would comfort him and he would immediately fall asleep.

What have I learned in the past 2 years? I’ve learned that if God PUTS you through it, he will PULL you through it.

I’m now engaged (and very much in love), almost 19 weeks pregnant with a little miracle growing in me (It’s a GIRL!) and very happy with LIFE.

I went to weigh myself and I'm up a total of 17lbs. I'll be 19 weeks tomorrow and I’m hoping to keep this weight steady. If not, well then I’ll have to work very hard after having my little one. It’s all for a good cause, huh?

Ok, I think this is it for now. I told you this was going to be long. I didn’t mean to write my whole life story but it seems like I did.

Hugs,

Letty
IT’S A GIRL!
18 weeks and 6 days pregnant
EDD 12/28/06

Before getting pregnant 169.2
Current weight 186.6 lbs (up 17.4 lbs)
start weight 335 lbs
Total loss 165.8 lbs (before getting pregnant)