Showing posts with label Motherhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Motherhood. Show all posts

October 16, 2013

Jonathan {8 Months}








Dear boy, you are growing so fast. I'm happy to see you are healthy and big but at the same time it makes me sad, knowing this time will never come back. 

You are crawling everywhere! Actually you started crawling the day after you turned seven months and haven't stopped since. Getting up and pulling on everything, trying to get to me whenever I'm away - it's all so much fun (and so worrisome for mama). You are walking along side the couch and not afraid to let got of my hand (so brave). 

Toys do not interest you anymore - everything else seems to be more fascinating, interesting and captivating. It takes you about 30 seconds to find your way back to where I am after I put you down to play by yourself. No place to hide.

You have only two teeth but even that's enough to leave tiny bite marks on the couch. (thanks baby;-)
 You love playing with other children. Every time you are in the church nursery you are absolutely smitten by all the action. You love playing with your cousin and together you are trouble. 

The way you explore everything and the enthusiasm you greet me with every time I walk in the room is absolutely adorable. You smile at me and crawl so fast trying to reach my feet that sometimes you trip over yourself, silly goose. 

You love bath time and get super excited when I turn the water on. We play and splash, get to know water and everything you can do with it. Bed time is my favorite because I get to hold you and feed you, while you snooze in my arms. Since I'm not nursing anymore, I really enjoy the special bonding time we have together and don't want to teach you to hold your own bottle. 
It's so precious because I know it will not last very long.

You have gotten so used to falling asleep in my arms with the bottle that you refused to fall asleep on your own. It was a battle that I had to face because you wouldn't fall asleep without mama. Being a mother is hard because I have to make decisions that break my heart at times but in the end I know they will be good for both of us.

I have introduced you to the foods that we eat and you love it. Simple soups, fruits and veggies, chicken and cereal are your primary foods and you seem to enjoy it. Although, every new taste is very exciting so we are trying everything we can get our hands on. 

I'm loving this stage. You are learning from everything and watching my every step with complete fascination. Although you are trying to get into every cupboard and cause trouble, you are so much fun to be with. You love reading books and playing, it's great to watch you explore new things. 

We are trying to eat dinner all together when daddy is home and you love being a part of our meal time. We pray with you and hold hands while you babble away. It's my absolute favorite. 
You sleep very good and wake up with a smile on your face every morning - you are one of the happiest babies I have ever seen. 

Stay little baby boy.
Mama loves you.
Daddy sends his love too.

October 2, 2013

Love {Motherhood Challenges Series}




Jonathan at 3mo old photo shoot

Love is hard.
It's not just a feeling of butterflies in your stomach, or head spinning from the excitement of newness, or not even sweet feeling of joy when holding your newborn babe.
Love is action. Love is thought. Love is work.
Sometimes love requires a lot of work to stay alive.
We say that we love things - everything from a tasty burger to our mother. But the love I'm talking about is something that you learn to give, something that needs time to grow and mature

To love children it takes...
...patience when they don't listen and obey; when they have stubborn will and awful attitude
...care when they can't care for themselves. Every time of the day, every day.
...compassion for their inexperience when they don't know any better.
...lots and lots of teaching right from wrong and empathy for their mistakes. 
...wisdom to let them go and be independent while carefully watching over. 
...sound judgement when to punish and when to have mercy. 
...kindness in every word we say. 
...goodness and grace. 
...understanding of their little minds and how God designed them.
...tenderness for their fragile soul and impressionable spirit.
...affection and smiles. 

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;  does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
(1 Corinthians 13:4–8)



Love takes much effort on our part and doesn't come easy because, let's face it, we are selfish human beings.
It's hard to give love as a parent without having a constant source to receive from.
This is why God's love to us, people, is such an important part of His existence. He loves us every time we mess up, every time we leave Him and don't obey Him; every time we make mistakes and are unkind. We bring turmoil on ourselves and still ask Him to help us and guide us. And He does.
Truly God's love is amazing!

As a mom, I know that I cannot love my child as much as God loves him. I cannot come even close in understanding, kindness, compassion and wisdom that God has with us but I can try.
It isn't easy and every day grind gets to me.
I fail. I ask His forgiveness. 
I try again to be the best mother I could be. To show my little boy what love really means and how give it to others. How to live it and show love in my everyday life.


October 1, 2013

One Heart




 MUNCHKIN #1                     +                         MUNCHKIN #2

=


MUNCHKIN #3




Over the weekend hubby and I (finally!) got a chance to get away from the daily grind. It was a long awaited but short-lived vacation that we both very much needed. 
One thing I did not expect is to miss my baby so much. 
This little munchkin of mine completely stole my heart. 


My sister was gracious enough to watch Jonathan and, although I trust her completely, I was anxious. The night before we were supposed to leave, I couldn't sleep, was super worried and doubting the entire idea.
 I honestly did not think it was going to be this difficult to leave him behind. For just one night, mind you.

I've read countless stories of mothers who had to leave their child over night (or two) and how they were driving away in tears. I thought that those mothers were taking it a tad too far. Why wouldn't you want to leave your kid somewhere to escape for couple of days? 
You do. Really. You need to.
But when it comes time to leave, you doubt and feel guilty and just about to cry. 

You brought the little munchkin into the world and that heart is a huge part of you.
No matter where, no matter how far away, he will forever and always be with you.
He's a little part of both of us.

Who do you think he looks like?



September 23, 2013

What We Are Up To



I thought instead of boring you with a minute by minute update on what's going on (who needs another one of those?) I'll summarize it for ya.
Here it goes. Only the important stuff ;-)

  
Making : a ton of DIY projects. Started a million of them but how many will I finish?
Cooking eggs Benedict every morning. I have to lay off the Holaindaise
Drinking : water out of fancy glass bottle. even with a weeknight dinner it feels a bit grown up and we like it
Reading: between pages of marriage and baby books. Must. Know. It. All.
Wanting: a vacation
Looking: at my baby trying to stand up all by himself 
Playing: with his shoes. they are just so fascinating and it's like a new toy every time
Wasting: time on Pinterest
Sewing: a dress I found in thrift store which was too big on me. 
Wishing: for summer days to stay longer.
Enjoying: family time when daddy gets home. especially when Jonathan goes to sleep and I get him all to myself
Waiting: for the weekend. exciting stuff is happening
Liking: my new brightly colored wall in the kitchen
Wondering: when Jonathan will start walking
Loving: the changing foliage 
Hoping: for a mild winter
Marvelling: at God's goodness, love and mercy everyday. it still amazes me 
Needing: more time in a day 
Smelling: the last rose in my garden
Wearing: lots of fall colors 
Following: too many blogs
Noticing: how old I'm getting
Knowing: that this time will never come back and Jonathan will never be this little again. sad face
Thinking: about Sunday message
Feeling: tired
Bookmarking: cooking magazines
Opening: curtains every morning and letting sunshine in
Giggling: with my sister and mama. best time ever
Feeling: my cold toes. always


Got the idea from this lady

September 18, 2013

Life Lately, In Pictures









This is our life. 
This smiling face, curious gaze and lots of kisses.

Have a great day!



September 13, 2013

Jonathan //7 months//







How fast does the time fly! 
When you were born and I was constantly nursing you and changing your diapers every two seconds, it felt like the routine would never end. Yet here we are seven months later with you sitting, eating solids, desperately trying to crawl and talk.

Your bottom two teeth came in just the other day without fever, drool or much wining. The night before, you woke up about five times and I was getting aggravated and tired of it. After picking you up the third time, changing your diaper and nursing you, I decided it's time for you to sleep. You wined for a little bit and fell asleep. An hour later you woke up again, and then again. I bet it was probably uncomfortable but you got through it.

You are really trying to crawl and most of the time just want to stand up. Last night you took your first step on all fours and daddy and I about to have had a party. You are so active and curious, always looking and exploring things. 

You have the most adorable and funniest laugh. We play and cuddle, I read to you and make animal noises and you just crack yourself up. 

Most nights you sleep 8pm - 7am but if you had a lot to eat, you do wake up once in the early morning with a super soaked diaper. I change you quick and put you back to sleep, after a quick nursing session.

You are easy going and happy kid unless you are a) hungry b) tired c) have a dirty diaper. If all of the above are done, then you are a happy camper. Although, you still don't want to hold your bottle on your own.

You love taking walks with me. Every morning when we go for our stroll, you just look around and don't make a peep. About half an hour into it, your start getting tired and fall asleep. I get my exercise and you get your nap.

Daddy and you have a special bond going on. Your father loves spending time with you and playing with you. You are his 'little buddy' which is always sweet to see.

You are in 12 months clothes now and growing by the minute it seems. I don't know if you are even going to fit into the clothes I bought you for the winter. Your weight is average but with height you are in 75th percentile.

You still love to nurse and be near me. I love to hold you when you are sleepy and almost falling asleep on my chest, sweetly sighing and closing your eyes. I put you on my shoulder and press my cheek against your soft baby skin and just don't want to let you go. I want to capture and sear that moment into my brain to remember it and hold it in my heart forever.
 I love this stage and want to just stop the time and enjoy your sweet little smiles with two little teeth, and hold you in my arms a little longer, before you try to run away.

Love always,
 mom and dad

September 6, 2013

That One Time I Was REALLY Afraid


Blogtember Day 4: A story about a time you were very afraid.

While I was thinking about this topic, I could think of only one time in my life when I was scared. For real. 

When I was pregnant with Jonathan, I had all these different ideas in my head on how his birth is going to be. Every Braxton-Hicks contraction gave me butterflies and I thought that 'this is it'. But they never progressed and at my last check up I wasn't dilated at all.

Doctor told me I could wait another day or two which, given my current situation, probably wouldn't help. Or I could get induced. I really, really, really did NOT want to get induced. After careful discussion and consideration hubby and I decided to go for induction. You can read Jonathan's full birth story here

On the day we were scheduled to be at the hospital, I really didn't sleep much. We got up, had brunch and made sure that my hospital bag was packed to its maximum capacity. I had laptop and movies, snacks and magazines (oh how naive I was) and pretty much everything else did not need. After packing everything into the car, tiding up the house and doing my make up and hair (I had to take some last minute pictures ok?), we were ready to go. 

I still had doubts about our decision but tried to be optimistic and talk myself into it. In my mind I was listing every reason why this was a good idea and why we didn't want to wait any longer, but I was afraid.

I was scared to death of the pain that was coming. It's like seeing a train coming your way and knowing it's going to hit you but not being able to do anything about it. It's going to hurt. A lot. That's the way it is.

I was afraid of the unknown. I haven't been through this before and not knowing what's coming was the worst part of this whole ordeal (being the control freak that I am). 

I was nervous that I'm going to chicken out and get an epidural (which I did). I knew that my pain tolerance was very low and the side affects of epi are great. Nevertheless, the stories I've heard about the pain, made me consider it even more.

I was afraid of all the complications and every horror birth story kept coming to my mind (that's what you get for reading a million blogs). 

I was afraid of something happening to the baby and him having some kind of physical or mental defect. I was so scared that I will blame and will never forgive myself for the rest of my life. 

I was afraid that although my husband was there with me, he couldn't help me much. I felt so alone and scared, that all I kept doing the entire ride was holding on to his hand and praying.

That fifteen minute ride to the hospital felt like an eternity and my heart rate was going up with every mile passed by. I was nervous, anxious and jittery which probably wasn't helping the situation. 

The only thing that helped me get through was to get my mind off those things. Even praying wasn't helping because I kept listing and asking the Lord to make sure that none of those afro mentioned things happen, which send me into a mental freak out every time.

It was the scariest time of my life. 
But it was worth it.
I know we made the best decision we could make at the time and I had a perfectly healthy baby in my arm, which I thank God for everyday.








August 30, 2013

Guilt {Motherhood Challenges Series}


Before becoming a mother, I knew of the great responsibility that comes with the role. However I did not know that some of my biggest faults and challenges will come out of hiding and, having another human being in my care, be magnified by like a hundred. 

I've always struggled with guilt. 
Constantly feeling guilty for simple things that I choose to do for myself, my family and what others think of me. I mean, it's difficult being a people-pleasing perfectionist with guilt-ridden mind.
Since motherhood is a constant choice of parenting methods, feeding schedules and sleeping styles it's hard not to look at other moms and think 'how do they have it all together?'

People tell me that I only have one, that it's nothing compared to multiple kids. And maybe they are right. Maybe I'm just a big wimp and maybe I don't know anything but let me tell you something: it's hard.
It's hard enough with only one baby.

Having a community of other mamas, going through exactly the same thing you are going through sure is helpful but at the same time, we only things on very surface. I have fallen prey to letting others think that I'm the best mother out there; that I have it all together.
Most of the time I don't.
And since I'm doing it wrong one time or another, guilt is something that gets me down every time.

I feel guilty for not nursing until 99 months old. Although I'm still doing it and supplementing with formula, there are mamas out there who don't let their kids have a drop of formula. 

I feel guilty for taking time for myself during the day and letting him just play and whine a little on his own.

I feel guilty for letting him cry it out when he just doesn't want to do anything else, given that he's fed and changed. I taught him how to fall asleep on his own, but even that was heartbreaking at first. Letting him cry for five to ten minutes is hard enough but when I hear someone else say that you should pick your baby up every time he cries, just about puts me in tears.

I feel guilty for not taking enough family photos and missing his first laugh  Not taking a video of his first cry or whatever else important may have happened and I didn't have camera on hand.

I feel guilty for wanting to leave him (at mere four months old) with my sister, so hubby and I could go away for a few days. Although it didn't happen, people look at me with shock for not wanting to take the baby along with us. I feel guilty for being so selfish.

I feel guilty for forgetting to pick up my baby from the nursery the very first Sunday we went to church. I mean, who forgets they have a newborn? Apparently I do.

I feel guilty for wanting to go to work and not just be stay-home wife and mama. I hear people say that I should just enjoy him right now, which I absolutely do. Though, at times, I need to feel like I'm a grown adult with other interests besides what color his poop is or what new food should I try feeding him.. 

I feel guilty for not having enough patience with him when he just wouldn't eat those peaches; or when he doesn't want to go to sleep according to my schedule; or when his whining is driving me nuts. 

I feel guilty for getting too busy and not taking time to pray. To pray for my family, my little boy, for wisdom and guidance because I sure need it.

I feel guilty for not playing with him when I have chores to do, or simply not getting home for his bed time. 

I feel guilty for not spending enough time with hubby and constantly focusing on Jonathan. Even our conversations come down to what I do during the day and how long Jonathan naps.

All these things are every day challenges that mothers (read: I) face and I'm sure I'm not the only one. 
Or am I? Please tell me I'm not, so I can stop thinking that I'm crazy.
 With all the perfectly edited and filtered Instagram baby pictures (they don't have any food on their little bow ties and their hair is perfectly combed), I think it's time to get real. 

Life isn't perfect and we all have to deal with issues, we are all in the same boat. It's good to know that you are not the only one dealing with challenges and storm of emotions running through your postpartum body. That other mamas too give their babies formula, let them cry it out, play by themselves, don't have enough time for anything, forget their baby in the nursery, can't wait for 8 o'clock and want to escape the house sometimes. 

God has been teaching me patience. He has also been humbling me big time, showing me that I'm just like everyone else, that I don't have it all together, that I need Him every day. More then ever. 

At the end of the day, I pray God will guide me through and help me do my best. Although, when I don't succeed at times, there's always tomorrow and He will be there too. 







August 13, 2013

Jonathan //6 months//

Daddy's teaching you to stand strong and tall
Celebrating your cousin's birthday. All pink and not sure it all. Poor guy.
Handsome little dude. #toomuchcutenessinoneface

I honestly didn't see this day coming so soon. It's your half birthday! Should we get a half of cake? Since you can't have any, we will enjoy something delicious on your behalf dear. 
So 6 months...Where did the time go!?
I remember trying to teach you how to latch on and now I'm stuffing that face with green beans, which you still aren't huge fan of.
Dear boy, you are growing way too fast and yet not soon enough.
You are such a happy baby, I can't believe how many fears I had about having a child but you have proved a lot of them wrong. 

You sleep like a champ, eat like a hungry monkey and enjoy playing by yourself. Now that I know you more and what ever cry, wine and smirk means - life is becoming easier. I don't worry that you will be screaming your lungs out in Walmart or that you won't take the bottle and I will have to nurse you right there in cereal isle. It's like we have our own rhythm and get along very well.
Of course, you have your days and I have my moments but over all, you are one easy-going baby. 

You are rolling all over the floor and sitting up a little too. You love your cereal and don't mind the bottle. But most of all, you still love to nurse and actually will get kind of cranky if you don't get a nursing session in any given 5 hours. And there I thought you will be weaned by 6 months. Yeah, so that didn't happen.

You have the most adorable and contagious laugh I have ever heard and yet most of the time, you are one serious fella. Every grandma loves you but you get very shy around strangers and turn away with a cute smile. Such a heartbreaker already!

You are ever so curious and love looking around, going for long walks and exploring new surfaces and places. You are also a lot more sociable and don't cling to me all the time, which is good when I have to leave you in the nursery during church services. You are fascinated with all the kids there and I'm pretty sure soon it will be your favorite place.

We had a small struggle with getting you used to falling asleep in your crib during the day. You have such a stubborn personality already and a very strong will but finally you got used to it. Now if I see you getting tired and rubbing your eyes, all I have to do is give you a bottle and put you in the crib where you fall asleep all on your own. Such a smart kid. 

It's such a fun time watching you take everything in and explore this new and exciting world. 
Daddy and I love you very much.
We pray for you to grow big and strong, to know God and love others.
Happy half a birthday son!

July 12, 2013

Babies Make Your Heart Grow Softer

 

Once you have a kid, everything changes. I mean, everything
Your priorities shift, or at least they should.
You start asking people where they bought their strollers and begin thinking about what you are going to leave to your kids after you are gone.
Most of all, though, you change your perspective on child rearing.

Before you have kid(s) their cry seems endless, their whining annoying and their smiles - dorky. After you have a kid of your own, it seems that every cry is a call for help, every whine is just cute babble and every smile is pure joy.
Then you realize what you think you know about raising kids and advice you offer has zero ground, no matter how many parenting books you read. You don't know squat.


You start getting more patient, kind, soft spoken, caring and gentle. 
You stop judging other moms in the grocery store whose kids are having a melt down. 
You stop giving looks to parents whose kids don't want to eat anything except hot dogs and cereal.
You don't look down on mothers who bribe their kids with cellphones and ice cream.
You don't roll your eyes at moms who breastfeed for two years because their child refuses to wean.
You don't judge mothers those don't breastfeed at all.
You don't criticize parents who can't go to public places with their chillins.
You don't because you understand, for the very first time, actually how hard this parenting thing is, how much it changes who you are.


These little chubby, adorable human make you softer. 
They bend and twist your heart in the ways you haven't imagined before. 
They make your heart ache when you are away from them.
They make you cry when they cry.
They melt your heart with their smiles.
They make your heart skip a beat with every milestone.
Babies. They are true God-given blessings.
And they make your heart grown softer with every passing day.

June 20, 2013

How Far Are You Willing To Go To Please Your Man


Get your mind out of the gutter. I'm not talking about any shades or any gray nonsense here but what you are willing to do within reason to be attractive to your man. 
I may sound old-fashioned and anti-feminist but I've been thinking about this a lot lately. 
Who do women dress for? Do we dress to stay attractive to our men or do we buy designer labels and try to fit into size 2 dresses just to show off to other women
Hubby tends to think it's the later and lately I've been inclined to think that too.

Let me back up a bit.

Ever since I got pregnant, my body started changing and taking some unwanted forms (hello stretch marks?). Unwanted is a very understated word. Those changes were hated with passion.
 Don't get me wrong, it was wonderful to bring a life into this world. Only it wasn't so wonderful to see my body take a hit and show clear signs of aging. I've complained and lamented over my baby weight to my hubby a few times too many. 
He kept saying that I'm even more beautiful to him, that he loved my body as it was and on and on. Sounds like a sweet guy eh? Well, did I believe him? Of course, not. 

I wanted to fit into size 2. I wanted to show other gals at church that I've lost all my baby weight. I wanted to wear a-line skirts for goodness sake. I wanted to wear all the latest blogger fashion hits (leather pants anyone?). I wanted to wear my hair in a top-knot, without it accentuating my filled in cheeks. 
But it wasn't happening soon enough.

After an honest conversation with hubby,  reading this post and couple girlfriends on this topic, couple things became very clear.
Men don't care about latest fashion.
Men don't care about size.  

When a wife is dressed nice, a husband isn't going to ask her where she got that hot dress that accentuates her size 8 curves from. He will pay her a compliment. He will tell her she looks sexy. 
The end of story. 
Well, maybe the story continues but behind closed doors ;-)

Women on the other hand? A whole different story.
Women care about the labels.
Women care about the latest trend
Women care about the price tag
And most of all, women care about what other women will say/think about them.
Don't deny it. You know it's true.

We, the female species, know that men are very easy to please. As long as men are fed and their women look good (whatever that entails for your man),  have some sexy time (ya know what I mean?) they are set for life. Yep that's all.

So if you know that your man doesn't care about J.Crew, loves to see you in heels, can't stand the top-knot and has an aversion to giant jewelry (i.e. statement necklace), would you give it all up?
 Or would you still wear/not wear it?

There is a fine line between being a total pleaser and loosing your own identity and someone who loves dressing for your husband because, well, he is the one who matters the most. Doesn't he?

It's about giving and receiving. If you want your man to give you what you want, fulfill your emotional needs and love you the way you need to be loved, it's probably a good idea to listen to his advice on your looks.
It matters to him. A lot. 
I can see how this would bother a lot of women. 'He should love me the way I am' and 'Forget it, I'm not giving up my__________' is the attitude that comes naturally.
This is what is meant by marriage being hard work, a lot of compromise and sometimes sacrifice and submission (oh no! not that word)
. Bending your own will to please someone you love isn't a sign of weakness, or giving in to male's chauvinistic domination but a sign of maturity and true love.
Isn't it what we, ladies, really want? 
I'm just sayin.



June 19, 2013

What She Wore


For a first time mama and fashionista like me, it's a bit challenging to find the balance between comfort and style. Comfortable fabrics, no fuss tops, minimal jewelry and closet staples are my go-to pieces when getting dressed. Check out these must-haves in any mama's closet.

- you've got to have plenty of tees, as they go with everything and can be dressed up or down, with skirt, shorts or pants
- a maxi dress when you simply don't have energy to dress up is a must for any mama
- chambray shirt goes with everything
- pair of comfy, appropriate length shorts
- a small floral cross-body satchel that's sure to dress up any plain outfit
- have to have jeans (in light wash for summer months)
-  cute floral dress for going to dinner with hubs or having friends over for bbq
- protect your eyes from sunshine with these cute cateye sunglasses
- when you need to go up the stairs carrying that car seat, or chasing your little one down the street you need to be wearing cute pair of nude flats
- maxi skirts are like grown up fancy pajamas that hide unshaved legs
- when it's hot and got lots to do it's sandals time
- having a little ones means they will be tugging and pulling on your statement jewelry left and right, so a simple bracelet is a way to go 
- last but not least, dress up any good ole t-shirt with a scarf that has a fun print and you are ready to go

Hope you are having a great week!



June 14, 2013

Jonathan // Four Months//




Oh my, how the time flies!
Dear Jonathan...
You are four months old and growing like a weed. So many things are changing, so many things are happening.
My dear boy, sometime in the last four months I managed to fall in love with you. I love you more then anything else in the world. You are my baby boy. 

It was hard for me to say that I loved you when you were first born because love is something that grows over time, something that needs constant attention and care. I've nursed, changed, bathed, rocked, burped, carried, kissed, held you since the day you were born, but only now I realize how much I love you.
You definitely have a calm personality and very content to be in one place for some time. Although you absolutely love looking around and always inspect everything with your curious gaze. 
We dubbed you Curious George.

You are very patient. When I need to get boogers out of your nose, you don't even make a peep. Just hold your breath for a little bit while I do it and bounce your heels on the bed. Such a trooper. 
You love taking baths and excitedly move your feet, splashing the water. If you are a little fussy, all I have to do is draw a bath and you quiet right down. 

You went through a growth spurt last week and let me tell you, I'm so grateful that you've been sleeping through the night all those months. Only couple of days waking up every two hours wiped me out. I don't know how those mamas do it for several  months. I'm so blessed and you are such a good kid.
You do not like the car seat but as soon as I start driving, it's all good. 
You haven't been sick or allergic to anything which is a great blessing.

It's interesting to watch you on your play mat, as you try to reach and grab toys - always such a serious face. You don't like strangers and only want your mama, but you started smiling at grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins recently. 
My mom's neighbor wanted to look at your chubby little face and peeked into the car while you were inside and you got scared. Started crying for real - with tears. I felt bad for the lady who wasn't sure what she did wrong and didn't want to tell her that you are such a scared little monkey. Gotta toughen you up a little, boy!

You are still eating like a champ - 2-3 hours during the day and sleeping through the night. You love nursing and nothing comes in place of a boob for you. Can't fool you with water or pacifier either.
I gave you a little oatmeal cereal to try and you weren't thrilled about it but then gobbled it up. Also, black currant juice with water was kind of sour; you made the cutest face but kept drinking it. So funny.

You love when I play with you and blow raspberries on your time while I'm changing your diaper. You roll from your tummy on your back and from your back to your front, which is pretty impressive in your age. You have a real laugh now and a super deep voice. Your baby talk is more of an old man complaining about his arthritis babble and it's super adorable. 
You are not fussy and very easy going, and a huge blessing in our lives.
Daddy and I love you. 

June 7, 2013

Leading By Example

A leader leads by example, whether he intends to or not.
Ever since I got pregnant, I've been thinking a lot more about what kind of example I'm going to be for my kids. Am I going to be the kind of parent my children will follow and be proud of? Or the one they want to stick in the back of the family album and be embarrassed of at the family reunions?

We talk a lot about teaching our children to do right.
To respect their peers.
To honor their elders.
To love their neighbors.
To fear the Lord.
To esteem their heritage.
To obey the authority.
To love their spouse.
To cherish the youngsters.
To protect this God-given Earth.

And that's all fine and good and very necessary. As parents we have the responsibility to raise those little ones into mature, responsible adults with solid moral values.
The best way to do that is to teach by example.

You can spend your days drilling, talking and lecturing your children about what is good, wholesome and right but if you yourself isn't doing any of it - it's not worth a  single penny.
Your actions speak louder then your words.

You have to be respectful to your mean boss, without talking trash behind his back.
You need to honor your parents and grandparents, landing them them a helping hand when they need assistance in their old age.

You need to love those who gossip about you, mean to you at the grocery store and take your pew on Sunday morning.
Those who take advantage of your kindness and take your parking spot at the mall. Those who don't respect your space and privacy, and who don't ask for forgiveness. Love them.

You need to show your children how to fear God and honor Him with your life. How to be an example to this world without judging those who aren't doing right. How to be a genuine Christian and nevermind occasional hypocrisy and hate.

You need to appreciate where you've come from and who you are. No matter the race, ethnicity and color without putting anyone else down.
You need to obey the laws that are put in place by the government, even if at times they seem ridiculous and the authorities aren't truthful.

You need to protect the littlest children from the cruelty and hate in this world, showering them with  abundant love.
You need to protect this Earth for future generations and be thankful for sunshine and rain, for beauty of flower and depth of an ocean.

You must be what you want your children to become.













May 17, 2013

Favorite Photo



This post is part of Blog Everyday In May Challenge
Day 17, Friday: A favorite photo of yourself and why

As I was looking through the many pictures I have saved on my computer, I couldn't decide on the favorite. I asked my husband if he had a favorite picture of me and he said that no one picture describes me. And that's very true. 
All pictures have stories behind them. They are all telling something. 
And this one speaks volumes.
It's a favorite pictures of myself, as of  right now
It shows one of the most important roles I'm going to play in my life.
I'm about to become a mama.
I love the cute little belly and the nice colors.
I also can't help but notice the fondness with which I gaze at this new life forming inside of me.
It's so precious that my heart almost aches.
It also brings back many memories of long pillow talks with hubby about our future and our boy.
The many fears and uncertainties and reminds me how blessed I am.
Right now. This very moment.
And I can't help but to thank the Lord above for giving me this wonderful life, many blessings, 
a loving husband and my little boy.

P.S. Head over to Always Maylee to see my guest post...

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