Random early morning thoughts

I've been up mostly before 6am these past days primarily  because i changed my sleeping time. when before i would hit the sack at 1 or 2 am already, thus waking up at 8am, it has been a different routine for me now ever since i reminded myself that optimum rest is achived when sleeping between 10pm to 2am.

you see, i am a mom of a 1year and 8month old hyperactive and very clingy toddler. that said, most if not all of her time are spent with mama. stacking blocks with mama, putting on makeup/lipstick with mama, visitng lolo and lola with mama, playing/learning through the ipad with mama, even eating and drinking water should be done with mama. this leaves me with no time for myself other than; one, when she takes her nap in the afternoon which usually lasts for an hour or less; two, when i sneak out of the house for a deliberate ME time when i have really important things to attend to which requires immediate action; and three, when she retires her day at around 9:30pm.

i have no problem with my little girl waking up early because she is usually up at 8am, which gives me more time with my thoughts. here are some things brewing on my mind this morning:

1. the ingredients i need to buy for the weekend. it just hit me lately that since it has been my wish to learn how to bake, why not practice at the holy cross home on weekends. after all, they have the oven there and saturdays are usually my free days since the lola fills up in attending to sofia.

2. how to go about with the storage of my stocks. i am planning to put up a small business, and finally i was able to get a comittal from the owner of the space yesterday. said i could start anytime. now i still need to figure out how to store my delicate products. uugghhh!!!

3. to buy or not to buy additional units. if you have been monitoring business news, you know how stock prices have plunged in the past weeks. and yesterday, it closed at its lowest at the 5900 level. when the trend downwards started, experts say it is best to buy when PSEi reaches this level. but now im arguing with my thoughts if today's a good time, or wait til it goes a little down further. you know how greedy we can get sometimes. hehehe

4. buy a bag. my instagram feed is flooded by shoes and bags retailers, by choice of course! hahaha i was able to buy 2 shoes in a row, thus i am not inclined to buy another one, not anytime soon. as if! i, however, have been feasting lately on the beautiful bags they sell. but all came in a hefty price. thus the guilt and hesitation, because i dont think i deserve having an expensive bag this time. so the battle of the impulse and reasoning continues inside me.

i shall wait for my little girl to wake up in the next 30 minutes and tuesday shall officially begin. but the raindrops on the roof makes me want to cuddle with my pillows and curl up under the sheets again :)

have a great day friends!!!

roselle's big day

last saturday, i attended the wedding of one of my dearest friends. rac, as we fondly call her, finally had the wedding of her dreams. i remember when we were still together working at metrobank, she would announce it to clients that she is getting married soon, even without the partner yet. yes, she was that excited to get married. she had boyfriends then but none really stood out as the husband material, until vals.

vals, happens to be the new associate of roselle's father in the law office. they were just strangers when they first saw each other at the law office one morning. it was "like at first sight' for the gentleman, while it wasn't for rac. eventually they became friends then later became lovers, hiding it from the family. that is, even when they see each other everyday at the house (the law office is just located right infront roselle's house). in fact, it was actually her father who knew about the relationship last.

june 15 finally came. it was a night of celebration of love -- from family and friends who came to surigao from different parts of the country just to witness the union of two people brought by love at the right time.

(Photos are not mine, lifted from mich and lai's fb page.)

from table number 3. i must say, im in love with the dress and suit of the couple.

sans ricel, this is the solid bloc from metrobank before.

shiela and i were secondary sponsors, while leah (on the right) was one of the bridesmaids.

My Breastfeeding Success Story

From the first day i knew that i was pregnant with our first child, i knew for myself that there was no other way i am feeding my baby but through my breast. i felt that it was THE only way a baby takes nourishment, at least for the first few months of her life. (im sorry if the statement offends mothers whose feeding for their newborns came in formula milk.) i did all my research on the topic and read countless posts from mommy bloggers who generously shared their breastfeeding journey and the many things they did to succeed on it. believe me, when you want to breastfeed your child, you need all the experiences you can gather not only to give you pointers, but more importantly to push you not to give up easily.

While breastfeeding is the most fulfilling, most satisfying feeling a mother can have, it can equally give you disappointments and woes along the way. especially on the first few days of your child when your milk supply has not been established and your child cries non-stop because she seems not satisfied with the amount of milk you feed her, the feeling of frustration shoots up on you that the easiest thing to do is just give up. imagine the mother that you are, yet you are not able to provide the basic need of your child. i could have fluently given up had i not read accounts of breastfeeding stories. thank heavens for internet. hihihi

The principal thing one should know in breastfeeding, just as in economics, is the law of supply and demand. our bodies supply the right amount of milk relative to the requirement of our babies, as dictated by the frequency of feedings or the number of times babies go to our breasts. and boy, for over a year and eight months that i have been nursing my daughter, i must say i have learned this by heart. this is the reason why i have maintained my milk supply even after i stopped taking lactation pills or eating foods that may help increase the production of milk. it should be remembered that while babies continue to nurse through the breast, the mother never ran out of milk.

Also, the immense benefits of breastfeeding should be underscored. the government did not just create laws (RA7600 and RA 10028) specifically giving attention to the issues of breastfeeding for nothing. even the advertisement of formula milk for babies 2 years old and below are prohibited in order the stress out the importance of breastmilk for babies. i personally think most mothers are aware of the benefits it gives to their children, yet many choose to neglect it thinking that formula milk is a perfect substitute and provides the same value. sadly, it does not. and i stand on this premise, thus my determination to succeed in breastfeeding-- nothing short of the best for my daughter.

Lastly, as the common saying have it, the best things in life are free. and such is breastmilk. why do you want to spend thousands of pesos for substitutes, when you can have the perfect ones at no cost.

Through it all, I am just so thankful my nipples aren't inverted and my daughter latched on perfectly right away. it would have been a difficult breastfeeding journey. but in the end of it, the will to breastfeed in order to provide the best for my daughter and the realization of the primary purpose why women have breasts drive me to do and gave me the determination to succeed on breastfeeding.