Joshua is 2 years & 2 months old. As a mother, my heart’s desire is for my children to know God and for them to follow God all throughout their lives. I started to research how I could teach my son about God. I found some materials on the internet. But I felt like the materials might take an extra effort for comprehension at this time.
Then, friends of ours, Manny and Lisa, encouraged us to start teaching our toddler bible verses that would be easy to memorize. Manny told us to try Deuteronomy 6:5 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength”. Manny gave us a book by Larry Fowler called “Raising a Modern Day Joseph”. It says in the book that the most important years in a child’s life that will impact his future are the developmental years from ages 2-12 years old. If we intentionally invest in our children’s character and knowledge of God then they can go through life without compromising.
So I took the challenge and I decided to teach Joshua to memorize a bible verse in Deuteronomy 6:5 by doing actions. Joshua would put his hands on his chest when I say, “Love God with all your heart”. Then he would put his hands on his head when I say, “with all your mind”. Then he would muscle up his biceps when I say, “with all your strength”. And he would run and hug when I say, “and love your neighbour as yourself.” We would do this activity again and again at the start. Then we practice it about 2-3 times a day. Here is a sample video of this bible verse.
I bought Joshua a toddlers bible when he was born. I am trying to familiarize him with bible stories just by using my own words. We started with Adam and Eve, the story in Exodus when Moses prayed to God and how God parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to Pass, and David and Goliath. I am praying one day as we continue to talk about God, pray to God, and live out the grace of God, that my children will follow as well.
Recent days have been very tiring and for me because caring for a newborn has no schedule. At times I get to sleep by 12mn and wake occasionally to feed my infant. But there are nights that are so long that I have caught the sun rise before getting my sleep.
For several weeks, I have missed being the first one to get my son’s morning kiss. Joshua has tried to see me and wake me, but I’m too tired to get up… Even our morning play time is not the same as before. I begin to sense that this has been an adjustment for my older son.
My two year Joshua asks for mommy’s attention by acting like a baby. He would ask to wear diapers even if he is potty trained and no longer needs it. When he sees me feeding his baby sister, he would ask if I could carry him just the way I am holding his sister. He also has periods of crying for no reason so I can hug him and embrace him. Sometimes, he gets moody and tries to fight me especially when he wants to play.
Of course, I am concerned that he might start feeling jealous of his sister and express that in the way he approaches her. But I am so blessed because God has given my son a tender heart for his sister. He may have meltdowns with mom, but never with his baby sister Anna.
When Anna cries, he would run to her, touch her head and say “Be Happy, Anna!” When Anna is awake he would always ask to kiss her. He often jumps in the crib so he could play with her and kiss her.
Joshua loves being “manong” or older brother. He smiles when we give him praises for being a good and sweet brother. There is such joy in my heart to see that my little “manong” truly loves his baby sister.
Many ask how I met Steve. Everybody gets giddy when I say “it was a blind date”. Yes it was my first blind date and last… and finally he became the man I married!
That blind date I remember so clearly. I arrived 30 minutes late in Les Souffle and he was cool and collected. He was smoking his cigar and having scotch — and I thought, “He isn’t my type”. On the other hand, I had a cold so I was sneezing and blowing my nose throughout the dinner date … (Not very attractive, ey). It was a double blind date because we each brought a friend who we tried to pair as well. It was a tense night, because we were all getting to know each other. The night ended in suspense. I wondered if I will hear from him again. But Steve did call and we got to know each other more through more dates.
When we met he was 28, working as a stock broker and starting a Fund Portfolio Management Company. I was a 22-year-old working student. We became friends for 6 years before we tied the knot. Our marriage is a gift from the Lord… It’s a journey of faith. We waited for seven years before God gave us children. The journey also made us grow as a couple especially when God led my husband, Steve, into government service. Now, we are parents, and together we are learning how to raise our children to love God and our neighbors.
Today he celebrates his 44th birthday. I want to honor Steve, my husband, friend, and the father of my children.
Strength – You have been my strength, my source of security. Your love has allowed me to bloom to be the woman I am today. You have always given me freedom to express my gifts and you encourage me to be my best. Your prayers for me have covered my weak points. You have provided for me and our children. When I feel insecure, you remind me that God is all we need… Thank you Steve for being my strength.
Truth– You have always spoken truth and you avoid sugar-coating the truth. You say what needs to be heard because of love. You have also encouraged me because you love God’s Word. You desire God’s truth and want to obey Him. I am so blessed that you are after God’s heart. I am a very fortunate wife because you are honest to admit your mistakes and you never found it hard to say “I’m sorry”.
Empathy – God has given you a heart for people. Your passion to serve the helpless and bring some light to the hopeless has fueled my own desire to serve others. When you host those medical missions and bring hope to people with challenges on health, it energizes you. When you are able to help someone get an opportunity out of difficulty, I see gladness on your face. It is your joy to see other people happy.
Visionary– The more I know you, Steve… the more I understand that you are a man focused on one vision — To make God the Center. You want God to be the center of our marriage, the center of our family, the center of your service, the center of everything. When God is at the center of everything, then all things will fall in its proper place. We have seen that in our lives. Even in the midst of the storms, because God is at the center, there is great peace. Your vision for Sarangani is God-centered Prosperity — Our declaration is, “Without God we can do nothing”.
Excellence – One thing about you, Steve, is that you like things done excellently. You have patience to train and develop leaders to be more efficient, to think outside the box, and to go beyond. You are not over bearing but you command respect. Even at home, you are patient with us. We know that you want us to do things with eager hearts and to do things well. I thank God that you have that virtue because this sets as a good example to our children. You are a great adviser to all your siblings and to me on achieving our goals and reaching are full potential. God is to be praised for giving us someone like you.
Over all, I want to say “I love you”. You are such a good and faithful husband to me… Thank you for taking care of me and our children. You are the man who continues to hold my heart. We love you dearly, babe.
Though I am lacking sleep and tired, I am exerting extra effort to do something fun and educational for my toddler, Joshua. I have seen myself concentrate more on my infant, Anna, and I do feel bad that I am not spending enough quality time with my son.
I went online to research how to make home made paint. I found a wonderful recipe from http://www.familyeducation.com. It’s a flour based home made paint that Joshua and I can use for a finger painting project.
Preparing the paint must be done one day before. It requires a bit of cooking, and color mixing and refrigeration.
The next day after Joshua’s breakfast, we got the floor ready and the cartolina paper for our finger paint project. He was pretty excited to start experimenting on mommy’s home made paint!
We used different colors and swirled the paint on the cartolina with our fingers and with our hands. Joshua made circles and we stamped our hands on the paper. It was not long and our painting project was taking shape as an abstract piece of art!
We capped our activity by washing off the paint off our hands in the inflatable swimming pool and went swimming. The paint was easy to remove from our hands. It was a great bonding and educational activity. And I am mighty proud of Joshua’s first finger painting.
Having a second child is like going back to scratch. The only difference is having the knowledge and the experience of child care from the first child. Even then, every child is different– I have heard that line before, and I have to agree with all the other moms about that.
My first born, Joshua did not want to be put down, he always wanted to be held. As a boy he ate almost every hour and at times every 30 minutes. I was dead tired breast feeding him. However, he was a happy baby. He did not cry so much. Meanwhile my second child, Anna, is different. She likes to sleep. She eats alot and takes a lot of milk so she can go and sleep for 2-3 hours. However, when she is awake she has a straight face and seldoms smiles. She easily cries. Her voice is so loud and full that it can be quite stressful for anyone who is handling her.
I am back to sleepless nights. I have taken the night shift and I let Anna’s nanny get her early in the morning so I catch about 3 -4 hours sleep. To keep me awake, I need my smartphone. I get to browse on Facebook, I get to read my bible online, I also get to listen to music especially praise & worship songs. These night shifts have become my quiet times… my time of conversing with God.
Anna for sometime was colicky and that made her cry alot. But God sent a friend who gave me some advise to try gripe water. After some online research, I asked my sister-in-law to buy us gripe water from Healthy Options. That did help in releaving her gas, and gave her better sleep. But that did not stop her crying blues when she is awake.
I asked God to help me understand how He made our daughter… To give me wisdom and instincts to know how to care for her so she would be a happier baby. It is during the night shifts that I start thinking of all the events that are happening around me. I wish I could have been present on those events but caring for Anna has made me stay home. Many times, I keep thinking I am missing out. But a friend in the Lord, reassured me that this is what God wants me to do at this time. To focus most of my attention on my family. After all family is my primary ministry.
Its very hard to do, but I have declined many invitations. I am such a go, go, go person. Resting is often a struggle for me. Deep inside I do feel that this is what God wants me to do and I shall trust Him in this season of my life.
As a mom, I really enjoy my time with my children… In recent days, the Lord has been answering my prayers because Anna is responding more to me and is crying less. The Lord has also shown me, what seems to me a missing out on events is not a loss on my part. The Lord has been getting me involved on the things I am passionate about on a different way. I am able to do some work online and connections are made via emails. I don’t really leave the house, but God is still making me significant on the things that matters to me. Truly God is amazing!
God is teaching me that He knows me intimately. He knows my children and their needs. He is giving me wisdom on how to be a better mother. He is teaching me that if I am dependent on HIM, all things will just settle in their proper place and in the right time. Even the things that I love outside my home, He is working them out in my favor. All I need to do is TRUST that God knows what is good.
And with all my heart, I know it to be true. Our God is good! Oh God, you steady my heart… 😌
Here is one of the songs that have blessed me. Its during my night shift quiet times that I have come across this.
Last January, my sister and her entire family came to the province to help me out. Joshua needed distraction from my pregnancy and childbirth… and cousins are great sources of distraction! It was 10 days of bonding and 10 days of character building!
Monique, my twin sister has 4 children. Her eldest girl, Sabrina, is 12 years old. Next are 3 boys — Matthew, JD, and Ezra. The great thing with them was that they could stay long with us because they are all home schooled. School follows the student and not the other way around!
Joshua’s “distraction” team!
The house was a riot. I really appreciated my husband because he allowed the kids to make a mess out of the house. Joshua had swimming mates in the pool. Usually he does not like having other people share his swimming pool. This was good for him. There were alot of laughing and alot of crying. There were lots of negotiation and also moments of time outs… For Joshua it was learning to SHARE, saying “can I borrow?” and learning to let go and move on to another toy.
Joshua learned to lend all his toys. I saw him cope when his cousins invaded his space. He took his favorite toys in the baby’s room so he could have alone time with it. I also saw Joshua get into the mode of showing off everything he had. He would bring his play doh then after going through it all, he would excitedly bring out the next toy. His cousins also had taught him different styles of negotations. Like when one gets a toy and the other does not want to share and starts whining, one must find another toy in exchange for that favored toy. It was watching the very principle of barter trade — toddler style!
I guess what I loved the most in bonding moments like these are the growing fondness to one another and the building of friendship. Relationships are built through time. We have to invest in new memories. I am so thankful that my dear sister and her husband make family time a priority.
I got time to bond with my sister which is precious because I live miles away from her. They did not fuss that they did not see any tourist sites when they were here. Spending time with me and my family were more important to them. I am so blessed by their generous and service oriented hearts because they made themselves available for us.
Sister Bonding!
Family is a gift from the Lord! Time is a gift from God! We must intentionally invest in them.
And just like that 30 days had passed and my little princess turned a month old! I spoke too early when I described my little girl as an angel that just loves to sleep and is super easy. Well she was until 2 weeks old and then our nights became sleepless nights as Anna turned colic.
I now have a better appreciation for my mom and those who cared for me as a baby. I learned from my mom that I was colicky as a baby too. Let me describe what a colicky baby is — she gets fussy and then cries uncontrollably with a red flushed face, fists clenched tight, and legs kicking in protest. This scene happens not for a few minutes but a few hours! It is not her diapers because they have been changed. It’s not hunger because she has been breastfed and has burped. But, she continues to cry and cry. It was not long that we noticed something not right with her tummy. Her abdomen gets warm, bloated, and hard. It gets relieved when the gas is passed or when she poops.
Our pediatrician advised us to not stress or get angry as she throws these fits because the baby can feel it. If she keeps crying the gas will build up and so will the pain and discomfort. These colic episodes usually happens late afternoons and most often in the early mornings (like 2-3 am). Caring for a colic baby is sooo tiring!
Initially my husband was upset because baby Anna was just inconsolable. But as the days went on, God sent him people who verified about the Colic syndrome. My husband became more sympathetic and understanding towards our situation.
I have to thank God too, because I can really see that He is teaching me to stretch my patience. I recall how I had my bouts of impatience with my first-born when he would not sleep! I caught myself being frustrated with spells of anger spilling out because I was tired. This time, God has given me grace and self-control. When I see my baby girl in her colicky moments I stay calm. I know she is uncomfortable and likely in pain. Another blessing in this situation is talking to God more. Everytime Anna goes into her colicky mode, I begin to pray and sing songs of praise.
They say that most babies get over this state when they reach 3 months. I pray that God will relieve her of this earlier than that. Whether in blues or in bliss, in hardship or in ease, all of these are part of the joys of motherhood.
You have heard the line — “terrible twos”. They associate this with children at the age of two. It describes how rowdy and difficult it is to care for a two year old. Their energies are just bursting and they are more independent. At two years old, toddlers are more expressive of their feelings, especially when they protest and whine. This is also the age of understanding the word “NO” and use it alot.
As Joshua turned 2 years old his understanding and ability to communicate amazes me. I love this age! He is able to verbalize what he wants and what he does not want; what he enjoys and what he dislikes. Joshua can tell us what hurts and if he experienced something bad. Unlike when he was younger and where we would try to guess how things were. He is learning to reason and to explain things. At this age, he also realizes when he is wrong and sometimes he has difficulty saying sorry.
Of course, since he is also more independent, he often wants to try things for himself. He wants to put his own milk in his bottle. He wants to get his own snacks. He wants to set the rules on play. Since he also communicates more, there are also lots of negotiation going on. It can be amusing and sometimes annoying. Hahaha!
There are those days where he gets lazy to talk and decides to cry his way to what he wants. Or throws a fit because we said “no”. Then my patience gets tested and I demand from him a different behavior. I have to remind myself, Joshua is just 2 years old. He is just a baby and I forget that at times.
So far, there are more incredible moments than terrible ones. It’s been such a great opportunity to watch this boy grow. I’m learning to also relax and really exercise patience. All thanks to my incredible 2 year old!
One of my personal advocacy is breastfeeding. On my firstborn, I breastfed him for a year and 5 months. It would have been longer if I did not get pregnant with my second child.
I got inspired with many of my mommy friends who had the money and capability of buying formula milk but chose to breastfeed their babes instead. I told myself that if I was going to have a child, I would definitely follow their footsteps and breastfeed. When I did get pregnant with my eldest son, I was a 35 year old mother-to-be and clueless on breastfeeding. I asked my twin sister Monique to get me booked on a breastfeeding class. We got the one in New Manila at the Medela house. Boy, it was an awesome eye opener for newbie moms like me!
Colostrum is the first milk that a mother produces. This is a clear syrup-like fluid that is filled with super antibodies and vitamins that protect our babies from diseases caused by bacterias and viruses. I also learned recently that colostrum is now sought after by cancer and auto-immune patients to strengthen their bodies and extend their life. No one can replicate colostrum and only lactating moms can give this to their babies. Isn’t it amazing that God has made women capable of producing this natural protection and food for their own offsprings?
I have seen how strong breastfed babies are. Just with my own son… I have observed how quickly he recovers from the flu. Even with fever he continues to play and run around like he isn’t sick. When Joshua got amoebiasis he continued to be energetic and playful.
I also love bonding with my babies. Breastfeeding is both nourishing and nurturing. Did you know that God has made women release a hormone called “oxytocin” when she experiences a milk let-down? This hormone is a chemical released in the brain that makes the mother and child experience a feeling of relaxation and the feeling of being “in-love”. This makes a mother have lots of love vibes and a natural nurturing behavior.
Breastfed 1 Day old Anna
When I started to wean Joshua did I realize how much formula milk costs. The grocery shelves published prices from P600-P1200 per can. Wow, its really true that you can save so much money if a mother decides to breastfeed. If you compute for a year (or 52 weeks), a family can spend about P200,000 a year just on milk! Truly God enables a mother to provide what her baby needs without spending so much.
Stocking breast milk in the fridge
I must admit, the first time I breastfed I was frustrated and discouraged. My milk did not come out till the 3rd-5th day. My sister helped me by providing her breastmilk in those days. My husband was getting worried that our son was not getting enough nourishment. I had to pray, relax, and believe that God will increase my supply. I also continously latched, and pumped after breastfeeding, ate oatmeal for breakfast and ate malunggay soup and took natalac tablets. As sure as the sun rises in the morning, so did the supply of my milk increase and became sufficient for my baby. I made a serious decision to commit to breastfeed.
Also what helped me is the facebook group of Breastfeeding Pinays. Mothers and Lactation Consultants give free advise and encouragement to one’s breastfeeding journey. You can follow this group and learn alot from here. My advise is to get as much support and not give up. This is one of the best gift a mother can give to their child.
Even the bible mentions about breastfeeding. Here is one account on Jesus.
Luke 11:27 GNB “When Jesus had said this, a woman spoke up from the crowd and said to him, “How happy is the woman who bore you and nursed you!”
I encourage moms to try what God designed naturally for us to do.
The faithful day of the birth of our second child has arrived. It meant being away from home for 3 days and being confined in the hospital. I requested to enter the hospital on the same day of delivery because I wanted to spend as much time with my 2 year old son. He won’t be allowed to visit the hospital and 3 days is long. My heart goes out to him because he has been feeling the blues and acting very needy and moody. It’s unsaid, but Joshua did feel anxious about the new baby.
God was with us as we delivered my daughter Anna via cesarean section. All my blood donors failed the conditions required by the hospital’s blood bank. Yet, the Lord in His sufficiency guided my doctors and allowed me to recover without any need of blood transfusion. Also, my gestational diabetes was non-existent as well. I had normal blood sugar and blood pressure. I was very healthy to deliver the baby. God is to be praised. Even my internal organs when my OB saw it during the operation said that they looked much better than 2 years ago. There is healing happening in my body and I give God the glory.
Anna our daughter is such a blessing. She weighed 7.2 lbs and 51 cm long. She latches really well and breastfeeds a lot. She also sleeps a lot and is a very easy going baby.
My twin sister was so kind to baby sit Joshua while I was gone. Her kids were a big help in making Joshua busy. However, Joshua still had trouble adjusting to no mommy at night. He had night terrors and would wake more often and cry looking for me. Daddy Steve also doubled his time and effort to keep Joshua bonded with him.
As I was recovering in the hospital, I kept praying that I’d recover fast and that the adjustment of Joshua will be a breeze. I asked God for grace especially because I’m going to be breastfeeding the little one and still have enough attention for my toddler child. I was getting anxious in the hospital and looked forward to going home.
On the third day, I finally got discharged. Though I had a cesarean operation, God gave me strength to move around. I looked forward for the meeting of Joshua and Anna.
When we got home, Joshua was sleeping. I got all emotional that I had to kiss and hug my baby boy. He went through an emotional roller coaster in the past days.
When he woke up to meet Anna for the first time, he looked at her and kissed her. He was awkward with me, but not with Anna. He played all day in the room where Anna and I was. When I breastfed Anna, he took the other side and tried to do the same. When Anna cried he would be so concerned and he would look and try to kiss her hoping she would be pacified. Joshua is a sweet and loving brother. I feel so blessed!
I’m enjoying this blessed week of family. Joshua and Anna are getting to know each other more each day. Daddy is really taking the extra mile to be Joshua’s best friend. Anna is such a sweet angel because she is so easy that I get to spend time with Joshua as well… Now the awkwardness is gone! Truly prayer holds the family together.
“Don’t worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. And God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 GNB)”
SARANGANI MOMMY 