Lesson Learned on a Mixed Prayer

Everyday, before I go to my office, I drop by the chapel to say a quick morning prayer.  Since I often feel stressed at work, the first thing that I pray is for Him to give me strength and will to go on with my job and to guide me in my everyday tasks and projects.  With all my energy focused on this hope, I would always feel better once I'm on my desk already and my days become more manageable.  It shows that God really lifts our burdens and produces miracles to make our prayers come true.

However, my mistake, I think, was this: What comes last in my quick morning prayer is for my family, to keep them safe, happy and healthy.  And to be honest, my heart usually is not really set on this prayer because my focus is on my career worries.

This new year, I promised not to be late for work because I had too many tardiness and leaves last year and I am quite worried that my attendance would affect my career.  My tardiness and absences are all because of family matters, especially when either I or my daughter was sick.  And of course, I couldn't help but to excuse myself from work if my daughter is sick because...well, I am a mother and I want to personally take care of my daughter.  Anyway, just last Wednesday, I broke my new year resolution--- I was again absent from work because my daughter suddenly had very high fever (and I didn't know why.  She was her usual self the day before).  I informed my officemates and they replied positively.  The next day, my daughter still had fever and I had to bring her to the hospital for check up (thank God it wasn't dengue.  Actually her CBC and Urinalysis tests were normal).  That was the 2nd day of my absence.  Then Friday came, she still had the fever and I was planning to take her to another doctor for second opinion.  That was the 3rd day of my absence from work.  My work colleagues didn't already reply to my texts and probably they were already pissed off because we still have a report to work on.  My conscience nagged me whether to go to work and leave my whining and crying daughter who was begging for my embrace or stay at home to take care of my daughter and get ready to be nagged by my officemates (or boss!) next week.  Obviously, I decided to be with my daughter for those 3 days.  A mother's heart is truly stronger than being a career woman.

On the afternoon of my daughter's 3rd day of being sick, her fever suddenly cooled down and she became her normal self again.  I guess she just wanted to feel secured and loved because her daddy just went abroad last week and will be back after a few months.

In this light, I learned that  no matter how much I prayed for my own self growth at workplace, if I do not put the well-being of my family first, everything that I've worked hard for will crash down.  I guess I had my prayers all mixed up.  I should first pray for my family's safety, health and happiness then other personal hopes should come next.

And of course, though I knew this all along, I would always remind myself that being a mother is a mother's main job.

A Birthday Story (Happy Birthday to me!)

It's my birthday and I spent it while working. Hehe.  As much as I would like to take a bithday leave, I couldn't because I am coordinating a week long training at our office.  I still feel blessed because I got to spend it at our head office instead of spending it in an official business provincial trip (coz that would be sad, I wouldn't be able to be with my family). 

I started the day with a smile from my husband, greeting "Happy Birthday" to me.  But then, the first one who really greeted me a Happy Birthday was my brother, Bob, who texted me at 12 midnight (duh, he might be in a midnight shift in call center that's why he was still awake that time!).  Next who greeted me through text was my parents who are currently taking care of my daughter Rian at Laguna for a week (as much as I would like my daughter to be with me during my birthday, I still decided to bring her to her grandparents' house in Laguna to take a short vacation again because I would be extra busy in my work this week because of my training program). 

I was smiling when I got in the office so early in the morning because my husband drove me to the office (and that was about 6:00 am...my work starts a 8:00 am).  It was a very thoughful act, because my husband rarely drives me there! I passed by our building chapel to pray and thank God for giving me a new year.  After that, I slept on my desk for an hour and half.  And when I woke up, I brushed my teeth, put on my make up, and placed a big smile on my face, preparing for my day's task ahead.

Outside our office window.  It was 6 am but the sun alreaady shines so brightly, showering blessings on my birthday.  Thank you Lord for a wonderful special day.

Other greetings during the day came from my friends and mostly from FB friends (Facebook forwards me my wall messages.  Hey, the phone's still alerting until now! Gonna thank my friends later through my FB wall).  My officemates greeted me happily, some even visited me in the training room (which is at 11th floor of the office building.....  The Training Team's office is located at 7th floor, so just imagine, I was at 11th floor the whole day for the training!).  Of course, my participants also remembered my special day.  They were happy to have spaghetti for snack (I requested our caterer to serve it for our afternoon snack.  But don't get me wrong coz I didn't pay for it.  The training's snack is on the training budget!).  At lunchtime, I was surprised because I got these desserts---

The cake slice with cherry came from our new officemate, Grace.  The other cake slice came from the training's catering manager, Sir Zaldy.  The almond gelly came from another officemate, Sir Ariel.  Thank you guys for making this day a little more sweeter!

The best is yet to come.  My husband went home earlier than me and he started to cook pesto pasta (as he promised to me).  When I came home, dinner was served.  I celebrated the birthda dinner with the whole household (my husband with my in-laws).

The pesto pasta was my hubby's cooking product for the night!  The cake's not opened yet when I took this photo and the crispy pata's still on the stove and still sizzling!

A happy happy day for me, indeed even though my birthday week would be a busy training week for me!  29 years of existence...more to come bceause I'm sooo excited to live my life with my loved ones--- my husband, Jeff and my daughter, Rian.

Friday Faves #6: Favorite Baby Picture

Tomorrow's a Friday again!  Time to relax and unwind.  Our Friday Faves topic for this week is all about YOUR FAVORITE BABY PICTURE!  Blog and brag about your own cutie baby photo (P.S.  it must be your own photo, not your children's or other baby photos).  Let's see how we all look like in our infant years...hehe.  Don't forget to place the Friday Faves badge with your post and link with the Linky Tool below.  Start scanning old pics na! :)

Happy Friday Faves meme blogging!

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My Mommy and Me (when I was 1 year old).

I soooo love this photo because I can feel my happiness in my smile...probably because I'm in my mother's loving arms.  I also love my baby outfit because I looked like a fashionista, with my sleeveless pink terno, cool cap, and bracelet.  And I just noticed that my hairstyle before looks just the same with my own baby's hairstyle today-- with bangs. Haha!  I will treasure this photo forever.

Being a New Mom, Having a New Lifestyle

**I began to write this post a week when I was still a full time homemaker, before I got hired from my new job.  But I finished this a week after I started my new work.  Therefore, to avoid confusion, I maintain the persona of a housewife as I continue and finish this entry.**

My baby now turned 8 months, and this stage is really different from her early months.  When she was 1-3 months old, she barely keeps awake and therefore I could do other household chores that needs to be done.  When she was 4-6 months old, our sleeping nights were quiet (unlike when she was 1-3 months old wherein she would always wake up at night because she was hungry).  She had learned to sleep throughout the night.  But when she turned 7 months old, she started to wake up again in the night, not because she's hungry, but because she wanted company.  She also now has longer time being awake...which means she always look forward to play with me...and because of it, I couldn't do other chores (and even finish this blog!).  Being a mom really is a new lifestyle for me!

My new lifestyle of being a full-time mom of an 8 month old baby girl (with no helpers around):

1.  Having only a 5 minute brunch meal break.  But if I want it longer, I eat my meal while my baby is sleeping at 11:00 am, which would take an hour, if I'm lucky.

2.  But having my meal breaks while she's sleeping would mean moving my bath time at her afternoon nap, which is around 4:00pm.  This nap time of hers usually takes only 30 minutes.  So I would just splash my whole body with the liquid bath soap, put some shampoo on my hair, and rinse myself as fast as I can.  Scrubbing is reserved for weekends, wherein my husband could babysit for our baby longer while I do my things.  Sometimes if I'm unlucky (means my baby would just sleep for a few minutes), I would have my bath time at night before I go to sleep.

3.  Watching cartoons for most of the time.  I already know the schedules of Nickolodeon shows at TV5.  The first show we watch in the morning is Hi5 (that's at 7am in the morning), then followed by Dora the Explorer / Go Diego Go!, Blue's Clues / Wonder Pets, Spongebob, Danny Phantom and Jimmy Neutron. My baby can't get enough of those shows!  Everytime she hears the theme songs (especially the opening songs of the show), her eyes would be glued at the tv.  My baby loves Spongebob Squarepants so much, she glows with joy whenever she hears him talk or sing.  And because of that, I learned a lot about Spongebob...I actually got perfect scores in Spongebob quizzes applications in Facebook!

4. Speaking of theme songs, since my baby and I watch those shows everyday, I can't help but to memorize the music they play.  Sometimes I develop the Last Song Syndrome wherein I tend to unconsciously sing the last song I hear---which are the theme songs of the cartoon shows we watch. ~If only I cauld join you there in the air...floating free without a care.  I wish I could fly and see things with a different eye...~  Guess in what cartoon program you heard that one! :)

5.  Bending exercises.  My baby would snatch a toy and then throw it on the floor.  She would do the same for the next toy she would get.  And the next.  So therefore, I had no choice but to pick up every little bit of her tos on the floor every now and then.

6.  Aside from toys, she now also tries to grab other things such as car keys, cellphones, figurines, and electric fans!  Therefore we have to baby proof the rooms.  All delicate and fragile things are now hidden from her.  So imagine our house becoming more bare than before...except for the stuff toys lying around.

7. Sleepless nights again.  As an 8 month old baby, she develops separation anxiety.  Whenever she sleeps, she thought she was left alone.  And when that happens, I get up and cradle her to sleep again.

8.  Being my baby's personal dietitian.  Since she's now eating solid foods, I make sure to provide her the right nutrients (and the right food for her age).  She is now eating lugaw (plain porridge or rice congee), mashed vegetables such as carrot, potato, squash, and sayote (chayote), mashed fruits like banana and mango, and she also munch on the famous biscuit for baby here in the Philippines (Marie biscuit) and the famous baby food Cerelac (all diffrent flavors). But I make sure she still take lots of milk and water.

9.  Being my baby's number 1 playmate.  Well, it's just the two of us in the house for the whole day.  That's why she's always looking forward to play with me.  And I really have to be creative so that our play time would also be a learning experience for her.

10.  My baby's hugs becomes tighter and warmer.  She's now consciously smiles to people who really please her.  Her eyes already clearly show joy, fear, anger, and other moods.  She already knows how to grunt, chuckle, and other sounds she can pronounce ("Mamama" when she wants to be comforted or when she's hungry, "Papapa" when she wants to play, "Abababa" when she becomes impatient). Whenever I witness her every milestone and development, I can't help but to feel proud.  Despite of being tired, sleepy, hungry, and even stinky most of the time, I still love to do mothering duties to my daughter...because whenever I see her happy, then I become happy, too.  It's my new lifestyle--- a proud and happy mama! :)