baby-turned-toddler

My son recently turned three yet it feels like it was only yesterday that I delivered a perfectly healthy baby boy to this wonderful world. I could still vividly remember every excruciating detail of my labour. The unbearable pain from the back of my spine down to my feet that no amount of comfort from anyone helped and would ever help. The very long wait in the delivery room, whimpering for the severe discomfort and praying for full dilation to occur soon while looking at the ticking clock. I still recall myself telling my Dr. to greet my husband on my behalf, who was also anxiously waiting outside the room with my mom, a happy birthday. The fear I had while I was being moved to the operating room. The worry while they were attaching wires to me before they asked me to crouch enough for my knees to almost touch my chin so they could inject me with anaesthesia. Pain and agony were replaced with unrivalled joy when I had my first glimpse of him. He looked like my husband, I grinned to myself while still feeling numb and cold. Exhaustion followed yet I still managed to utter a birthday greeting to my fatigued husband and thank you to my drowsy mom, both happily met me as I was being rolled to my room. I guess I slept the whole day but I didn’t miss the fun we had at the hospital room to celebrate his birth and his dad’s birthday though I was just deprived of the food they brought.

The seven pound bundle of joy who cried every now and then during the first month, who enjoyed eating his first solid foods on his 6^th month onwards, who entertained everyone with his giggles and grins, who always had a good sleeping pattern (never woke up at dawn or in the middle of the night), who mimicked adults using the phone with his incomprehensible mumbles, who enjoyed watching Barney and Brainy Baby series, and who walked when he was one is now an inquisitive, silly (like his dad or even more), playful, sweet toddler. A toddler who’s so beguiled by helicopters and airplanes, a little boy who enjoys wrestling with his dad, who argues with me when I read to him and I change the characters’ names, who easily mimics what adults around him say or do, who loves singing and dancing (don’t know where he got it from) who messes the room with his toys and books often, and who explores everything around him.

I know he has a lot of things to learn as he continues to grow and I have a lot more things to discover as I go on with my journey with him as he explores the woes and wonders of this universe and become a mature adult.

Paradigm Shift

“A whole new world...a new fantastic point of view...” are lines that perfectly describe my current status. Career-woman to full time housewife. Outlining lessons to preparing menus. Constant yapping with lots of noisy students to listening to a toddler’s persistent demands and innocent questions. Researching to surfing the net or updating social networks. 360 degrees routine and lifestyle change.

The alarm buzzing at dawn sending me to harried preparations followed by the rush to catch the first trip van has been replaced by still an alarm buzzing but this time at 6 o’clock and a calm getting out of bed and leisurely organizing my husband’s baon for the day. Gone are the days where my tongue gets burned in my haste to drink my coffee or Milo. I now savour and enjoy the sweet aroma of my steaming hot coffee with garlic bread, pancake or scones. I miss pandesal though.

The hustle and bustle of a heavily populated classroom and school is replaced by an environment of deafening silence. Days consumed with checking projects, home reading reports, class discussions, meetings and other activities are over. Now, my days unfold with domestic routines - preparing food for and feeding my toddler, washing dishes, doing the laundry, tidying the room, bathing my son and sending him to his afternoon nap, and preparing dinner. Brief lunch breaks which used to be spent with chitchat or running errands is now used to surf the net, chat with family and friends, upload pictures, write blogs, cross stitch or my favourite of all READ. The few hours in the evening which were divided between attending to my child and my husband, and preparing lessons for the following day are now dedicated to bedtime story reading and conversations with my hubby thereby making me retire to bed earlier than the usual.

Hectic has turned to calm. My frenzied schedule has become stress free! However, I still absolutely greatly miss my busy blossoming career. I miss the opportunity to share my knowledge and skills to students and fellow teachers. I miss the professional exchange of ideas with friends. I miss the chaotic yet fun learning environment of the classroom. I miss putting on my lipstick and wearing high heeled shoes or sandals daily. I miss changing bags that suit the uniform's color. I miss scribbling red inked pen on students' work. I miss all of it but I don’t regret leaving it. I’m not leaving it actually, just putting it on hold for the sake of this newly built little family that I dearly adore. If that career won’t reappear, I will still not regret it because in this newfound vocation I found a different kind of fulfillment. Nothing can compare to the joy of seeing your son's development and growth every minute of the day. Yes, not everyone is given this kind of opportunity. Am I lucky? Certainly not! I am simply BLESSED!