Why I Am Still Breastfeeding My Preschooler

It was exactly a year ago when I wrote about the How and Why of My Breastfeeding Journey. I can't believe that until now I'm still going to write about it. It's not that I'm tired of telling my story about it, it just amazes me how far I have come. I won't ever forget, it's because of God's unending grace in my life.

My Love Bug is almost 4 years old now, 47 months and 28 days to be exact. And I'm happy to tell everyone that she still loves "Mommy's milk". That's how she calls it. Sometimes I wonder if it's just out of habit that she asks for my milk, but as I look at her every time she tells me she wants to "dede" (Filipino word for "nurse"), I can tell that she still likes it. There are times when people around us, specially family members would tease and discourage her from getting this liquid gold but she couldn't be dissuaded. She would always get assurance from me that it's just fine to "drink Mommy's milk".

My Love Bug at 47 months. She nurses when she takes a nap and at bedtime.

"She's older now; a preschooler. Why do you still breastfeed your daughter?" you may ask. I may only have a few reasons why I still do it, but I believe these are enough to continue doing it.

It's just the natural thing to do. From day 1 until today, I believe that feeding one's offspring is a natural thing to do, isn't it? Although there are lower forms of animals that do not care for their young (because they are not given the ability and the wisdom to do so), female mammals (including human moms) are gifted not only with the ability to care for their young but also with this precious milk to nourish them. My daughter would always say, "Mommy, it's okay for me to 'dede', di ba (isn't it)?" And I would assure her, "Yes, it is." :)

I remember that time when I gave birth, I was so afraid I would not be able to breastfeed my daughter. We (my husband, the nurses and I) did everything we could possibly do. Because not even a drop of milk was coming out from my breasts (I have inverted nipples), the nurses got an electric pump and start pumping my breasts. Nothing happened. Then they used a syringe so my nipple would "come out". Still nothing happened. I was petrified. But prayers with faith and persistence really do work. I was determined to breastfeed. So even without seeing that liquid gold I let my baby latched onto me (which I believe is a natural thing to do). And then the "natural thing" happened. The milk just flowed out! Until this day, my preschooler is enjoying and loving it!

The bonding moment is priceless. If I may say this, it's not just my daughter who is emotionally benefitting from breastfeeding her. I am too. I can't describe how I feel every time my daughter nurses. I'm overjoyed! And I can feel how happy she is too. It's like our "date", a special moment between us that even though we don't say a word, she knows she is loved and I am too.

It is a gift that you receive and give as well. I feel so blessed to be given this precious gift. I have learned from a medical practitioner that generally, women have the ability to breastfeed their children and there's only about 1% who wouldn't be able to do so. I am humbled to be part of the 99%. This is the kind of gift that you wouldn't want to keep for yourself. This is the gift that doesn't bless you alone (Benefits of Breastfeeding for Mom) but the recipient (your children) as well. Who wouldn't want that kind of gift? :)

Are you a breastfeeding mom too? What are your reasons for doing so? Please feel free to share your thoughts on the comments below. I would love to hear from you.

Happy Breastfeeding Week to all the breastfeeding moms out there! We are blessed so let's be a blessing! :)

Grace and Gratitude

Grace is such an amazing and encompassing word.

It always gives, overflows and overwhelms.

It's like the evening sun in the coolness of spring; warm and comforting.

I'm one of the many undeserving recipients of God's grace. My heart-cup is filled up to the brim. It is not because of who I am but because of who He is. My soul rejoices. It is saturated with thanksgiving.

Grace from the Giver. Gratitude from me.

And The Liebster Award Goes To...

Me! Hahaha! Imagine my surprise and excitement when a dear friend of mine informed me that she nominated me for the The Liebster Award. I was like, "What is it?" But I was (and still am) so grateful and ecstatic. Haha! The Liebster Awards turns out to be a cool and awesome way to promote and discover new blogs and the bloggers behind them. So, how does this work? A friend (or virtual friend) who is also a blogger nominates you and gives you some fun personal questions and you answer them through your blog. Then you pick or nominate other newbie bloggers to do the same. Of course, don't forget to thank the one who nominated you and link back to her so others can read her blog as well! ;)

My heartfelt gratitude goes to Ivy of Loving A Simple Life for remembering me and giving me a chance to be a part of, well, this "prestigious" award! Hahaha! Thanks, Ives! Now, I'll be answering her 10 questions. Here we go!

1. What is your vision for your blog?
     I would like my blog to be a source of inspiration to all women regardless of age, color, size, race 
     and religious affiliation; that it will serve as a "nesting place" for every tired and weary woman or 
     maybe a safe haven where she can just be herself.

2. What are your reasons for blogging? 
     I'm blogging because, first and foremost, I would like to glorify God through my blog. Another 
     reason is because I would like to help and inspire other moms like me. Still another is because I 
     really love to write. :)

3. What are your plans in the next five years for your blog?
     Well, I'm hoping that I'll have my own domain; my blog will be an avenue to my other pursuits.

4. How many children do you want to have? Why?
    I would like to have three kids - one girl and 2 boys. I just thought it would be fun to have three 
    kids. The Lord has blessed me and my husband, however, with one precocious girl and we are very 
    much thankful for her. We are already content. ;)

5. Where do you want to retire?
     Here in my native land, Philippines my Philippines!

6. Where is your dream vacation place?
     Paris!

7. What are your plans to grow financial life?
    Pray! Save! Get informed! Save!

8. What is the best decision you ever did as an individual, wife or mother?
     I believe the best decision I have done in my life is to know Jesus and accept Him as my personal 
     Lord and Saviour. Next to that is to marry God's best for me. As a mother, I believe, staying at 
     home so I can be a full-time and hands-on mom and wife and breastfeed my daughter is one of the 
     best decisions I have ever made.

9. Do you prefer your child/ren to be homeschooled or to attend the regular school? Why?
    My husband and I prefer to homeschool our daughter. Here are our reasons why.

10. What makes you happy and sad?
     A lot of things make me happy, really. It's not difficult to make me smile or laugh. What makes me 
    sad? Sad movies (haha!), injustice, loss (family, friend or pet) and sickness.

There you have it! Now it's my turn. You are hereby invited/nominated:

Gracie Maulion of the FabMama

and

Dani Vita of StarfishJourney

Please answer the questions below and... Enjoy! :)

1. If you were given a chance to change something in your life, what would it be?

2. Give the top 5 persons/things that matter to you the most (I know it's not in question form but you still have to answer it, haha!)

3. What's the best compliment you have ever heard from a child?

4. What will make you a "child" again?

5. In your own little way, how can you change the world? :)

6. What is your pet peeve?

7. How do you manage stress?

8. Which do you prefer, coffee or tea? Why?

9. Who is your favourite cartoon character? Why?

10. If I were to give you a gift,  what would you like it to be?

Signing on... Again.

Oh... It's been two months. I have been wondering (and wandering places where I had only dreamed of going to) where time has gone. Changes... changes... changes... Why does that surprise me? After all, there's one thing in this world that is always constant and I know, you guessed it right. Yeah, change. A lot of changes had happened and continue to happen.

But, here I am again. After being disconnected from the blogosphere (not that I have totally shut my eyes and ears from it), I'm coming back and signing on again. Grateful indeed...

Welcome back, my beloved readers! :)

Resting in His Grace

What does it mean to rest in God's grace?

Is it do-nothing-and-just-leave-everything-in-God's-hand kind of attitude?
Or perhaps it is like sleeping on whatever bothers you as if it's not even there in the first place?

Neither.

To rest in God's grace is simply to believe that God will fulfill what He says He would after you have done what He told you to do. More often than not though, it's easier said than done. However, we could always look in on the past and see what God had wonderfully accomplished in your life; miracles, surprises, blessings. 

Whatever they are, we can always trust Him to bring about the best... Therefore,

rest in His grace.

How My Toddler Learned to Say "I Am Sorry"

Just like any toddlers, my daughter is not perfect. I mean, she has her meltdowns, is sometimes mischievous and behaves like, well, like a 3-year old should do. But if there's one thing that I'm very proud of is that, at a very young age, even before she learned to say the word, she already knew how to say "sorry".

I can still remember, when she was one and a half year old, whenever I called her attention because she's not "listening" to what I'm telling her - of course, that would make my voice firm and a little louder than usual - she would immediately come to me then hug and kiss me. At that time I didn't know what she's doing or what she's up to. Eventually I realized it's her way of telling me she's sorry for whatever she might have done or for not listening to me. Soon she's able to talk and could "articulate" her feelings of regret. It melts my heart every time she does it.

So, how did she learn to say these 3 precious words? I am not claiming to be an expert in this matter but my experience has taught me that these "steps" (or whatever you may want to call them) really work for us.

Start early. It is never too early to teach our children the kind of values we want them to have.
As early as possible we should exert effort to inculcate in them the beliefs that hold true to us.

Teach by example. It is one thing to say it, doing it is entirely a different thing. Our actions speak volumes to our children more than the words they're hearing from us. As far as I can remember, I didn't tell my daughter at that age to say "I'm sorry" whenever she "offended" me or her dad. My thought at the time, "How will she understand it? Wait until she turns two." However, whenever I did something wrong (that would mean, I got mad at her for no reason or I had misjudged her actions), I was quick to say, "I'm sorry, baby. Mommy, didn't listen to what you're trying to tell her. I'm sorry. I won't do it again. I love you so much." Little did I realize that that left a deep impression in her heart- that there's nothing wrong with admitting you're wrong and it's okay to say you're sorry.

Sometimes the challenge with us adults, or parents for that matter is that, we're too "proud" to acknowledge our own mistakes. We think that because our children are "just kids" and we're the grown ups, we are always right. As a result, we don't say sorry to them and in turn, they won't as well.

Be a good model. Growing up, my siblings and I would say "I'm sorry" whenever we would offend anyone among us or even our parents. Why is that? Fortunately for us, my mother is a good role model. As a result, I have carried that "habit" until now. Being a couple, my husband and I are quick to admit our faults and say "sorry" to one another when we know that we've offended each other. We're unabashed to acknowledge our mistakes before each other and even in front of our daughter. And I believe that made a great impact to our daughter. Remember, in the eyes of a child: If daddy and mommy are doing it, then it must be right.

Commend the act. One of the things I do after our daughter say, "I'm sorry" is hug her. Since her primary love language is physical touch, mommy hugging her after she admits she's wrong makes her feel forgiven and loved. I believe that just like us adults, it takes a lot of courage for a child to confess she regrets the wrong she's done. So appreciating the act will encourage the child to bring out the same positive response when a situation calls for it.

I hope these simple steps help you as well in teaching your child/children say "I'm sorry" and other common courtesies. Can you think of other ways/steps? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment box below.

7 Things Every Wife Should Know: A Book Review

Have you ever read a book and felt like it was talking to you or about you? Well, that's how I felt as I read 7 Things Every Wife Should Know. Written by Viviene Bigornia, a newly wed herself, she tackles the subject of marriage with vividness and clarity.

The book (or ebook) is easy to read and to the point. Viviene shares her joyful experiences as a new wife. Although she is honest to tell her readers that there is no such thing as a "perfect marriage", she  believes that a couple can have a successful and happy married life through the 7 key virtues that every wife should know (and may I add, follow as well). She uses the acronym T-R-I-U-M-P-H and devotes one chapter for each virtue. Furthermore, she expounds each one by citing insightful stories of hers and some married women whom she is closed to and has witnessed their married life.

At the end of each chapter, Viviene provides sections which give reader a chance to reflect, read, respond, pray and take actions on every nugget of wisdom gleaned from the topic. The author also includes Real Lives of Real Wives which is about real stories of married women that tell happy and contented married life is possible and can be achieved. Viviene concludes her book with her own love story.

My Thoughts
As I have mentioned above, I felt that this book was talking to (and about) me as I was reading it. Being married for 7 years, I am reminded once again to "be the kind of wife" that I know God has called me to be. Just like Viviene, I am also a passionate marriage fan and desire to see that every couple who decided to tie the knot will not only have a blissful wedding day but also a long-lasting and successful married life. It pains me to see couples, who after that 2 - 4 hour wedding ceremony and party one day find themselves "falling out of love" for reasons that could have been worked out or resolved. Just like anything in this world, perfection cannot be achieved in married life. But who says that one has to be perfect to be happy? In this life, we may never attain perfection, however, we can always strive to be content, satisfied and successful not by our own strength but with God's grace.

And for me, that is what this book is all about: God's grace. It is by God's grace that a happy and successful married life is possible; that the 7 things/virtues can be applied by the wife; that marriages will be strong and successful. Only by His grace. I believe Viviene made it obvious by consistently mentioning about God and His intervention in married lives throughout the book. She constantly seasoned every chapter with Bible verses which help get her message across. Now I'm not saying that this is just a "feel-good book", no, not at all. In fact, what Viviene shared are practical stories and insights which a wife or aspiring ones will find inspiring and then realize, "Indeed, a happy married life is achievable."

The book can be finished in one sitting but I will not advise you to do so. Take time to chew and digest what is written in every chapter. The sections Viviene provided at the end of every chapter are helpful for meditation and think through process. What's more, you can share and discuss your thoughts about what you have read with a fellow wife or even a group of wives.

I say that this book is best for those who are planning to get married. You should secure a copy before you say "I do" to the man of your dreams. As for those who have been married for a year or even "forever", this book will give us a gentle nudge on the elbow and remind us of the promise we  once made on that one blissful day we had so longed for.

How to Get a Copy

You can get this book in paperback copies for Php 399 and Ebook (PDF version) for Php 199 by clicking here (for Philippine residents only. For non-Philippine residents, you can get a copy from Amazon). And because it's the love month, Viviene is offering a 15% discount for my readers until the end of February. Yay! Simply order by sending her an email at teacher_viviene@yahoo.com. Please don't forget to write 15%OFF on the subject line. Bonus: free shipping nationwide!

Hurry! Get your copy/copies now! :)

Disclaimer: I have received a free copy of the ebook in exchange for a review. However, the opinions I have mentioned here are purely mine and were not influenced by the free product given.