Say What?

In my first year of being a mommy, I've heard pieces of advice left and right from experienced moms - many I wish I never heard.  Why? I think most of them made me worried and paranoid for no reason at all! Some examples..

1) "Hah? Lagi mo karga? Wag ganyan! Sinasanay mo!!" 
- Hello, I realized that babies really do want to be carried all the time! What's the point in wanting a baby kung ayaw mo mahirapan? Hahaha.  I mean, now that Liam is 13 months old, he hardly wants to be carried and always wants to explore on his own.  My point is, the I-want-to-be-carried stage does not last forever and I'm glad I cherished those days because I actually miss it now!

2) "He doesn't sleep in a nursery? Naku, you'll have a hard time once you go back to work!" 
- There is an extra room in the house, which will be his room in a few years but from Day 1 until this very day, he still sleeps in our room.  Yes, nahirapan talaga ako, having to deal with a baby who still did not sleep through the night and then having to wake up at 5AM every morning for work.  But like #1, hindi siya forever, so konting tiis lang naman.  Plus, I thought to myself, when my baby cries in the middle of the night, I'd much rather he have my arms to go to rather than yaya's.

3) "Breast milk is the ONLY way to go."
- Those who have tried probably know that breast feeding is not as easy as 1, 2, 3.  I had such a horrible time breastfeeding that I gave up so easily (as early as 3 months).  To begin with, I was already mix feeding Liam as early as 1 month so my supply never really came in.  I believe that breast milk is the best, but I don't think I'm any less of a mother for giving my son formula milk early on.  If anything, I feel like I did not have enough knowledge about breastfeeding as well as support for it - something I will make sure I have if given a chance to have Baby #2.  Everyday, I am thankful to the Lord that my mostly-formula-fed baby is healthy and has never had any sickness (save for colds that lasted for a couple of days).  To breastfeeding moms, I salute you 100%!

Anyway, my point is, to each his own.  I learned that comparing will not get me anywhere.  People can give you advice but each baby is different and whatever works for one may not necessarily work for another.  Now that I'm more knowledgeable about pregnancy, babies and breastfeeding, I feel like I can do much better next time (but not anytime soon, hehe).

Post Rizal Day Run 2012

Disclaimer: I'm typing this from my phone since our WiFi won't work for some reason so expect me to just blab away.

How to describe today's run?

Oh. My. God.

I would normally oppose to using this expression as I don't want to take God's name in vain but for this morning's run, I really cried out to God so many times!!! I prayed the rosary like a bazillion times, too. At the beginning, it helped to make me more focused. This time, I abandoned my earphones and replaced it with prayer and some quiet time. I was praying well until about KM 18 and then as I got more and more tired, it became harder and harder too to focus on my Hail Marys. So I kind of got lost and just let my mind wander - which was also good. I rediscovered the beauty of running without music and just connecting with myself - past, present and future.

Going back to my Hail Marys, I guess it could serve as a metaphor for life. As the race got harder - fatigue was setting in, I was beginning to feel like I wanted to just walk, the sun was out, was also getting hungry, etc. etc. - I got distracted from my prayers and started dwelling on all the aches and pains I was feeling. It became more about me rather than my prayers. Similar to life, when things get hard and there are failures left and right, I sometimes get side tracked and end up letting go of the One thing I never should - my faith. Then life becomes more about myself and less about Him.

Next time I shall practice becoming better at praying while running - even as the KMs rack up.

Overall, it was a good run. Enough water, stations even had instant noodles! I almost gave up but thanks to CA, I pushed on and even if I had to walk the last few KMs, it was still better than not finishing at all. I don't know what I was thinking, making DNF (Did Not Finish) an option.

So, that's how I end my year. By proving to myself that I can achieve great things not because I'm awesome like that but because my God fuels me and He never runs out :)

It's a wonderful feeling ending the year on such a positive and spiritual note - who knew running could bring about that?

Van and I in Starbucks for a quick brekky :)

39 Weeks & Still Preggo

I've never been a fan of waiting.  Good thing I know he's worth the wait ;)

On Patience and Selflessness

Each experience, good or bad, is out to teach us a lesson.  Despite having gone through 9 months of pregnancy (the waiting, vomiting, waiting some more, nausea, waiting a little bit more...), I can't believe that in these last weeks, God still pushes for even more life  (and shall I say mommy) lessons.

Since I hit the 37-week mark, I've been hoping day and night that I'd go into labor, claiming that I was already excited to see Liam - which is true, by the way.  But lately I've been thinking...

I remember years ago when Ms. Sabado observed me in the classroom.  One of the things she mentioned was that she found me to be a bit impatient when it comes to questioning.  According to her, when I'd ask the class a question, I hardly gave what the academe world would call "think time" and impatiently move on to another question, or another student.  She told me I had to be more patient and give the girls time to reflect and actually come up with an answer in their minds, think of how to deliver the answer and then actually raise their hands and give the answer.  That comment of hers always stuck.  I made it a reminder to myself to always be patient, in and out of the classroom.  This time around, at 38 weeks and 3 days, my patience is yet again being challenged.

With much thought, I realized that not only is God trying to give me a lesson on patience, He is also teaching me about the many other ways I need to SELFLESS.  The main reasons why I want to give birth already are...