Miami Moms Blog Welcomes: MIA Mom Ana-Sofia DuLaney

My name is Ana-Sofia, and I am one of your new Miami Moms Blog contributing writers!

I Am Miami

Long before I was a mom, I was born in Miami to Chilean immigrants. Raised in Kendall, I always stayed right here in Miami.  Maybe it was fear, maybe it was comfort, maybe it was family, or maybe, I knew Miami was where I was supposed to be.  I attended FIU for undergrad, go Panthers. And, after debating moving away to Baltimore for law school, I decided to attend the University of Miami School of Law. That decision, like every decision we make, changed my life. 

To backtrack, I am an only child, and at 10 years old, my parents and I moved to a wonderful new home.  At that age, I met and began crushing on my neighbor just two doors down the street.  That neighbor became one of my closest friends.  As a kid, I would wait by the stop sign to watch him come home from the bus stop.  Later, he moved away for college but we stayed in touch when we’d see each other during school breaks. 

At the time I chose to stay in Miami for law school, that neighbor had decided to move back just months prior. 

Finally, 12 years after we met by the stop sign between our houses, we began dating, and 5 years after that, he proposed at that very stop sign.  Together, we lived the city life in downtown Miami with our two dogs and loved it.  We got married.  We got pregnant.  Then we moved.  And we now live 1.5 miles from where we grew up.  Our families still live in those same two houses.  So, we all live within 4 minutes of each other.  You could say we’re creatures of habit.  I wouldn’t change a thing.

By the way, I’ve lived here all my life, and I still get lost everywhere I go.

I Am a Mom

It was a Saturday night, and we were planning on going to a birthday at a club in Miami Beach.  I really did not want to go.  I knew I was late on my period.  Lightbulb.  If I’m pregnant, I definitely can’t go to this club!  “The only way you’re getting out of going is if you’re pregnant,” my husband said.  Challenge accepted.  Quickly, I took a pregnancy test.  As I waited, I began to get ready to head out to the party.  I showed him the pregnancy test.  I shrugged, told him I wasn’t pregnant, and we should leave soon.  He took the test from my hand and said, “What do you mean?  This says you’re pregnant!”  Seems like I had not purchased the easy to read pregnancy test.  Flash flood of all the emotions.  If you’re wondering, yes, I got out of going to that club. 

So, life seemed to speed by after that.  Coincidentally, we had signed a contract to buy a house the day before we found out I was pregnant.  But agreed with the seller not to move in until two months later.  Not to mention the remodeling we had to do!  Finally, at six months pregnant, we were moving into our new home, and I felt huge.  Additionally, my husband’s rotating schedule at the nuclear power plant led me to handle lots of things by myself.  Plus, I traveled to different countries for work while pregnant; exhausting.  However, together, we got through it beautifully, in my opinion.  With the help of our family, we created a home, a nursery, and we were getting closer to welcoming our new baby. 

Finally…

As soon as we found out I was pregnant, we decided we wanted to be surprised by the gender.  Well, what do you know, planning a nursery was not as easy when you don’t know the gender!   It was now October, the spookiest of all months, and my due date came and went.  Hey, if this baby wasn’t going to be born on October 10, this baby was holding out until October 13.  My Friday the 13th baby arrived, albeit not the way I had dreamed.  After an unscheduled C-section, I remember anxiously waiting to hear what “it” was.  “It’s a boy!” my husband exclaimed.  He was here, healthy, and big.  9 pounds even.  More emotions, I am a mom. 

That little boy is now over two years old, and every day is an adventure.  I am grateful for every moment our family spends together and taking each day one step at a time.