Becky Rodriguez

Meet Becky Rodriguez

Hi All! My name Becky, and I am one of the newest contributors to Austin Moms Blog, and before we start… no I haven’t seen her butt and yes I have good hair. I’m super excited and slightly terrified for this opportunity to share my crazy experiences as an ex nanny, teacher, server, NICU parent and an Austin new mom.

I moved from New Mexico to the Austin area, in February 2015 and according to the doctor, was pregnant within the first 2 days of arrival, WELCOME TO TEXAS! That first year was eventful because I had Olivia early (25 wks 5 days), and that‘s when we discovered the world of NICU parenting, where nothing is ‘normal’; I received a wildly romantic, low-key proposal from my guy and we brought the baby home on Christmas Eve.

If forced to describe myself in one word, it would have to be cheesy. I heart cheese, and I am about to pull a Forest Gump, because the cheese can be soft, smoked, spicy, mac’ed, curded or EZ… it does not matter, that’s how deep my love goes.

I enjoy cheesy movies, from horror to romantic, yep my favorite movies range from the John Cusack movie ‘Better of Dead’ to ‘Love Actually’ to ‘Born in East LA’ to ‘Red Sonja’ to ‘Rock of Ages’ to ‘Army of Darkness’ very eclectic, but no doubt cheesy.

I use clichés and bad puns; I believe if you put good into the world, you will get good in return; the thing I hope my daughter learns from her family is to be kind and empathetic; I smile and say hello to everyone I pass; I sing and dance in my car, and I sound good!…I’m corny and I embrace it.

Some of my friends would describe me as a responsible, care-free spirit; who is annoyingly enthusiast and not afraid to play in the mud; thinks Friday’s are ‘break the rules’ kinds of days, and is the happy, no-nonsense mom to Olivia Rae. Some are contradictions, but all are true. I’m THAT mom who will sing loudly and dance (if the song calls for it)in the bathroom stall and not necessarily to Olivia’s face, but to her tummy, diaper or any object that may make her laugh and distract me from the smell. She loves it, I love the great acoustics, and the lady in the next stall secretly loves it (I hear the humming).

Olivia has to be one of the best things I have ever done. Not only has this little girl taught me how much strength I truly possess — 5 months in the NICU will do that — but she also has made me slow down. I used to be notorious for taking on more than I should, which had me rushing around like a tornado, living out of my car, eating horribly and arriving late to everything. I never planned on being late to events and it’s not done purposely or because I don’t respect other peoples time; it was merely collateral damage of my lifestyle.

See I know what you’re thinking, ‘there is never an excuse for being late Becky (tsk tsk)’….oh wait, those are just the voices of my parents, yelling at the screen, as they read this. After having Olivia, I realized I could no longer live that type of life, although it does creep in now and then, most things we do are planned and I have a more realistic idea of what my days could and should consist of. Hold on people, Don’t kick me out of the spontaneous mom club yet, we still randomly explore Austin areas, go on last-minute play dates, check out the newest festival and try new restaurants. The big difference is, it’s not always on the same day.

One of the other ‘best things I’ve ever done’ was reconnecting with an old friend named Ryan. We met in 8th grade, became friends in high school, graduated from the same college and then we lost touch when he moved to Austin. One night I get a message from him and the friendly banter started, we went on our first date 8 months later (in our hometown). It developed into a long distance relationship and after a couple of years of that, I decided to move. I’ve been blessed to have fiancé who is patient, honest and makes me laugh with the most absurd things. Without Ryan, this journey would not be filled with as much humor, love, and the nights of ‘baby is finally asleep, so we can have an adult beverage and two-step in the living room’, to stay sane.

Becky Rodriguez
Becky is a transplant from New Mexico and has been in the area for 5 years now. She has her Bachelors of Science in Education from New Mexico State University and has been involved with Big Bothers/Big Sisters; Habitat for Humanity; and TRiO EDucational Talent Search. She is engaged to Ryan and the mother to a feisty and silly 5 year old named Olivia and a curious 2 yr old named Frankie. Becky enjoys exploring Austin and the surrounding areas; during the weekend, Olivia and Frankie will drive up to 2 hours in any direction, to try a new activity, attend a festival or play in a new park.

3 COMMENTS

  1. Really heart touching story …. Becky !! I love the cutie-pie she would be having a great time with the kind of mother like you. Your expressions & thoughts about parenting are so good & motivated. I hope you would have wonderful years ahead in Austin. Keep enjoying & smiling 🙂
    – Jenny

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