Babysitting Sophie

Over the weekend, a little girl named Sophie, my niece, kept me happily busy and gave me an overview of how toddlers like her are to be cared for.  She was left under my supervision and thanks to her nanny, watching over her was easier since she did most of the taxing things i.e., carrying the tiny one to the bathroom for a bath, having her sit on her high chair during meals or properly putting her to bed when her sleeping time came.  My movement was limited because I couldn't stir around that much with my growing belly.  Nevertheless, it was a fun day for both of us.  This was the first time I spent a whole day with Sophie and I found it very amusing. 

I realized that looking after a toddler is both a simple and a complicated task.  I say it is simple because in Sophie's case all she needed were her toys, her favorite TV shows, food, milk and water.  I didn't have any problems with  handling her because she was the most well-behaved little girl I had ever kept an eye on.  Looking after her only entailed singing, dancing and animatedly talking to her when we played with her blocks, dolls, and teddies.  With toys all over the room and her cheery enthusiasm, I couldn't think of having a minute of difficulty.  For this, I give credit to her mom, grandma and nanny for keeping her tantrums locked away.  We enjoyed each other's company, but mostly I was the one who got delightedly favored by her giggles and wiggles.  I say it's complicated because you also have to watch over her safety, not leaving her out of your sight while she is playing and this can keep the baby-sitter from doing other things, in case you only have one helper to do all the household chores including childcare.  The timing had to be right and the tasks had to be finished before she wakes up or goes to another part of the house.  

Nonetheless, it was an experience that opened my eyes to the wonders of child minding.  This gave me an idea of what to prepare for and what to look out for when our baby Diday comes.  That might not have been all that I needed to do, but I was able to grasp a little of how it was to be a Mom-for-a-day.  

33 on 13

I've been too prepped up with preparing for our baby that I barely noticed the tiny white hairs growing along my hairline.  There just used to be one, but now there are three!  Does this mean I haven't been looking closely at the mirror for the past 7 months?  Or did I just not mind checking my hair because it stopped falling off?  These are just two of the things I could think of now that I saw these strands of hair growing out of the ordinary; not too out of the ordinary though, because I know they would eventually grow as time grows old with us.

Too busy waddling around, being extremely overwhelmed by this feeling of bliss, I've missed to notice that one part of my body I have had issues with for the longest time.  I have had falling hair for who knows how long and I instantly got ecstatic when I noticed that my hair didn't fall off more often than I observed.  I even got to the point when I told my Mama, "Look, Ma!  No more falling hair!"  as if I was in a TV commercial for a new shampoo!  I thought it was because of the trim that I had a month ago and the shampoo that I'm now using, but no!  My hair has gotten stronger and healthier because of the tiny one that I am carrying inside.  I read in one of the for-moms-to-be articles that one of the things pregnant mommies get to enjoy is having healthy hair because of the nutrients and the vitamins that are being actively circulated in the body-this is true with my hair being one of the beneficiaries of this miracle, to my belief.

My hair relief, as I call it now, is just one of the many things I am most thankful for at this moment.  The good news is, just exactly 1 hour and 10 minutes ago, I turned 33!  With all the changes that has been happening in my life, I am really thankful that I've reached this far to have been blessed with such a magnificent gift-the gift of giving life to another human, the gift of nurturing another soul to become good, if not great in her own ways, the gift that we have always been praying for for the past four years.  Little Diday, as we call her now, is a miracle and a blessing to both her Daddy Mel and I.  She came at a point in our life where despite the choices we had to make and the challenges we had to face, we stood faithful, strong and still.  We knew she was our reason for putting up with all the sacrifices and the loneliness of being apart.  She is indeed an angel!  And as I add another year to my existence, my only wish is for us to be worthy of her love and presence, to be the parents she truly deserves and to be able to provide her with the best that we could.  Being a mom at 33 is something to me.  If we can recall, Jesus had to take the greatest of all sacrifices around this age.  I, too hope that I will be able to take on what I can do for my family and to care for this present that was given to me.  

Cheers to another year! 

The Beginning...

Finally! After months of contemplating and mustering the much needed courage, I have come to a point of writing my own blog.  It's not easy, believe me.  I have been reading blogs created by moms over the past few months and I wondered how they were being done.  It took me a while to do this and here it is now!  Join me in exploring and discovering life's ocean of pearls-simple, elegant charms which we can appreciate and possess.  This is my passage to a new chapter in life - my life as a wife and a mother.  As a pearl is spontaneously created by nature,  I'll be crafting my journey by nurturing a new being that I've been carrying for  the past several months. I'll take you to a view of the voyage I'll be taking, a trip I have long been waiting for.