1, 2, 3, 4, She’s 5!

I can still vividly remember what it was like five years ago. The nesting phase when all I can think about is seeing her for the first time. The waiting, the anticipating and the excitement build up like I’m a soda can ready to pop. I know moms can relate to me, but for those who are still single, imagine a feeling of anticipation whenever you’re about to experience something new for the first time. Your first day in your new job or first day of school. It’s also similar to traveling to a destination for the first time. It can also be similar to getting something you’ve worked hard for- a new car or a new house. It’s just exhilarating and exciting that you have no words only feelings of gratefulness & happiness.

But having another person come out of you is most certainly incomparable to anything tangible. I’ve always thought I’m strong even before I became a mother. All the struggles & hardships I had to endure at a young age made me who I am today. But being a mother has given me so much more and have made me realize that I am stronger and can conquer anything I put my mind to, especially if it’s for the overall wellbeing of my children.

Five years after, I can say that I’ve learned more than what I’ve learned in the past two decades of my existence. To quickly summarize, here are five things I’ve learned being a mother of two.

Anything worth having never comes easy.

This goes for anything worth having, really. When we learned we were expecting, I never thought I’d experience all the pregnancy symptoms and be on bed rest for the first trimester. It wasn’t easy but it was definitely worth it.

The lil’ Ms. GJG about three years old, caught taking selfies on the iPad. Heehee.

Everything is a test.

Whether it’s figuring out child proofing, burping or nursing. Every little thing has become a test and it’s something that we eventually realize as we go along.

My funny lil’ cowgirl

Easy does it.

Motherhood, homemaking and the other roles I play are challenging, even though they sounds so easy to fulfill. The secret to juggling everything and making each day productive and let’s not forget a happy one, is to not sweat the small stuff. Easy isn’t easy really but it helps if you take it easy. Stressing over the chores you need to finish won’t do you any good. Seriously, I’ve tried it. Complaining over the mountain of dirty laundry won’t really make them clean anyway, di ba?

My princess Jasmine.

It will always pass.

Those hard & challenging moments of breastfeeding, waking up in the wee hours of the night, traveling with young kids and everything else in between that we, as parents oftentimes find stressful will all soon pass. All the fun, carefree moments we make into memories will also soon pass. Take it all in. Time flies so fast, you can’t relive these moments so be sure to make them into good memories.

Be present.

I am guilty of multitasking. This I admit. I may be a homemaker but I am also business owner. This leaves me wedged in between a working woman and a stay at home mom. It’s challenging because oftentimes they’re intertwined. I answer emails and I check on our store while I’m tending to my children. It’s not easy (what’s new?!) and my kids always catch me doing both. So much so that my lil’ Ms. GJG would quip, “Mom, let’s play! But you cannot use your laptop or your phone, okay?!” If this line is said by a five year old, then it’s time to drop everything and just be present. Again, moments like this- when your child wants to spend quality time with you will soon pass. When they’re older and have established their identity and a life of their own, you’ll be the one asking for some good ol’ quality time.

Lil’ Ms. Nurse GJG posing before her “duty” taking care of her baby brother.

Aloha!

She loves doing staycations and vacations because it exposes her to a different place and ignites her to be aware of her surroundings.

My lil’ passenger loves our quick all-girls time. She likes that we have this ritual of bonding as I bring her and pick her up from school.

She’s my mini me and finds dressing up to be fun as much as I do.

Just like most little girls, she loves wearing her mom’s shoes. 😉

Dressing up and posing for her OOTD.

I’ve written a few posts regarding this lil’ girl’s birthdays HERE, HERE and HERE.

My not so little baby girl!

Ending this post with my favorite comedian, Tina Fey’s Prayer For A Daughter.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her
When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Happiest birthday my love. I thank God everyday for you and your lil’ brother, for entrusting me to be your mother. I am forever grateful for the chance to raise you & guide you. I love you to the moon and back, infinity and beyond, forever and ever. Have the happiest 5th birthday lil’ Ms. GJG! 🙂