A Mother's Journey Through Life

Hi, my name is Cindy Saldivar. I am thirty-six years old. I have five other children and I am pregnant with my sixth. I have had a long and hard journey through life.  My sister passed away when I was nineteen year old. I was left to raise her two children. I had a one year old child at the time, and I was in my seventh month pregnant with my son. 

Here I was, nineteen years old, raising four children and bear in mind, my sister’s children were little also. My niece was three years and my nephew was four at the time of their mothers passing. It was difficult at first; I was so exhausted most of the time. Getting up at night was a constant as my niece was having a terrible time dealing with the loss of her beloved mother.  My nephew was as calm and serene as ever.  My one year old daughter was vying for my attention and then my newborn son was born two months after my sisters passing. Exhausted…yes!

I well remember going to bed...finally…and crying as I was so tired most of the time. I was suffering from baby blues on top of it and grieving for my sister. Now my niece and nephew are grown up. My niece just turned twenty and my nephew is twenty-one. My own children range from my daughter-eighteen, son-seventeen, son-fourteen, son-eleven, and daughter-nine. Now I find myself in the same predicament again. Except this time I was grieving the loss of my beloved father who passed away on April 2, 2006. I was so loved by my daddy.  I didn’t realize I could actually have anymore children because when my baby was nine years old I had a procedure done regarding my Thyroid. I took two radioactive iodine pills to kill off my thyroid. They said I would become sterile. I thought ok, I am content with my five children. 

Then eight years later I end up pregnant. Still, I look at this point in my life and think...You know what? I would do it all over again...I am hoping for a son to name after my beloved daddy. My husband and I have been together since I was fifteen years old. He’s my first true love and continues to be my rock and foundation. We are overjoyed at the coming birth of our sixth and definitely our LAST child in March of 2008.