Riley just had his first Trick or Treat yesterday & this was his costume 😀
Hello Guys! 🙂
It’s been a crazy busy month as I try to meet all my deadlines before flying to Singapore! I’ve been wanting to write a blog post but I:
(a) eventually fall asleep while trying to put Riley to sleep. (He used to sleep in a co-sleeper but e wants us to be hugging each other before he goes to dreamland these days).
(b) get too guilty about meeting other deadlines I eventually put off processing my thoughts here.
Time flies! I was looking for more photos of Riley. This was him at 4 months old in his Recaro Car Seat from Mothercare! :O
But I swear, every time I step into the shower, I’ve got the blog post figured out. *Now I can’t seem to remember anything again because it’s 2:59am.* Then again, I just don’t really want to put off writing or the thoughts will get stale! :O
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It’s just funny that this year, I’ve apologized to my friends in advance that if ever I don’t remember anything like the last time we met, what we laughed about, what I wore and such, they really have to forgive me. My brain no longer has time to process short-term memory & turn it into long term memory! Haha. Riley’s sleeping patterns are getting better but his teeth are in a hurry to introduce themselves in the world (he already 9 at 9 months of life and a couple more on its way). He has been such a trooper and eating his way through it but on certain nights…wait…I don’t feel like I need to explain myself further in this department. *You know, I may just be answering unsolicited questions from potential / anticipated / unnecessary random unsolicited advice.*
Anyway, it’s so cliche but watching Riley practicing how to walk is making me wonder “What!??! I just gave birth and I have this tiny man trying to stand up & walk already?” So, before the year ends, I just want to remember the things that helped me get by this year as a new mom (so I can look back at this too and laugh someday):
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1) Multi-vitamins and Proper Diet – Okay. Maybe not to proper when I have my dose of Hello Panda, Chocolate drinks & Kit Kat Dark but thanks to pregnancy and pumping, I’ve never allowed myself to skip a meal unless I want to risk feeling that I’m shaking in hunger / have that feeling of fainting. So, yes, parenting has helped me regulate my sched & struggle put a meal window in there.
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2) Water – Hydration is key! OMG. I never took water seriously. I would just always complain “but I didn’t like the taste of it”. Now, I finally learned to hydrate more than ever! At the very first sign of dehydration, I start having a runny nose and dry mouth. *I just drank a cup of water.* You see, before I finally surrendered myself to this simple & straightforward task, it was a lifelong episode of:
not drinking enough water >>
getting the first sign of colds >>
being useless the next day but still having to work while trying to get better >>
eventually developing flu >>
eventually consuming tablets and tablets of medicines but still not getting better >>
promising that I’ll drink more water the next time and take care of my body >>
really try to behave and learn to rest and lie down >>
get better
Haha.
The other side of this “water” entry is: My friends and workshop participants know that I really love drawing out metaphors out of everything at the risk of sounding cheesy, nuts and effortlessly going off-topic! But, looking back, if there’s one thing school has equipped me to survive life, it’s my reflection papers (and it’s still in my system which is probably why I’ve been blogging for 7 years now) and my philosophy subjects that help me try to make sense of things.
Call me one day/night/midnight while trying to chase a deadline and I might have a talk about Capitalism ready for you or the duality of everything in life or why everyone is innately good. Lolz. *What are these words coming out of my fingers?*
My fave saying when it comes to water if Bruce Lee’s wise words “Be like water, my friend.” Water just flows but it can actually tear up a rock through time…through persistence. It can take different shapes & forms. I can be very stubborn especially with the things I really believe in but it seems motherhood has thrown me several situations where I am slowly learning how to be gentle but assertive in all aspects of my life. Nope, not quite in the 100% water zone yet. I’m still figuring things out and unlearning some stuff in my life as a reactive Hydrogen particle.
*Gahhh…Geekery cannot be hidden.*
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3) Contentment – is a very relative term. There is probably no perfect contentment versus the amount of stuff that you have equation but they say, comparison is the thief of joy. More than ever, the busyness of motherhood has only afforded me to focus on my work and my goals. I always say that maybe that’s one of the gifts of motherhood. I still get my news and info here and there but I don’t even have a lot of space to react as much as I used to. Dealing with a constantly moving 11kg baby and managing work has helped me recognize that truly, I only have a finite amount of energy. In a day, there could be a lot of things that I can react to but I’m just usually wide-eyed and overwhelmed and let the tiny things pass.
*You know, I used to stare at this book called “Don’t sweat the small stuff” and go “Oh my gosh! How could you not focus on the small stuff that affect the bigger picture?” Hahahaha.
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4) Less Alone Time – Being an introvert most of my life, alone time is precious to me. When I have to finish my work, I punish myself by sitting in the same place until I get things done. These days, the process of trying to beat a deadline has many surprises : anywhere from trying to calm down a baby, entertaining a curious human on a high chair who grabs everything within his reach, rescuing someone who just returned all the lunch he had on his table or on my clothes, trying to put to sleep a little guy who seemed to have woken up from a bad dream.
I have less time to be alone but in a funny way, all these little detours while working has helped me keep myself more sane.
It must be the line of work that I’m in wherein you have to constantly let your ideas evolve. The downside of that is I can’t let my mind stop making each thought it gives birth to bigger and eventually consuming me when I’m alone with my feelings. Haha. Thanks to all these work detours and sharing a workspace with Riley & his yaya, I am obliged to leave my desk and reprocess my lay-out / palette / timeline / workflow while getting free fluffy hugs & giggles.
5) Gratefulness – Every new mom knows this. So, when Riley was born, it got to a point where time for taking a bath, brushing one’s teeth as well as sleep got too precious. I barely had time to take care of myself and even the things that are supposed to be for and about the baby were trying to fight their way to the top of the list too! Should I change the baby’s diaper first or should I wash his bottles? Should I change his sheets & fix our room or eat so I have energy for him? Then again, life still goes on and other challenges come to visit now and then as you try to figure out your new life as a mom. A friend once said that I should make a list of things that I’m grateful for every day. But, with very little sleep, I just close my eyes in the shower and count from 10 to 1, enumarte things very quickly in my head (because you knowwwww…the baby might wake up and bawl after discovering he’s alone).
Still far from getting this right 100% but every time I feel like all my emotions are going to burst out of me, I try to think about this and you can say I’ve somehow mellowed compared to my 20’s self.
6) Less Time to Feel – You know, this should have been marked as 4b. I used to complain I didn’t have the time but I actually had the luxury of interpreting an e-mail / text exchange in so many ways. I spent so many hours, days, weeks, months & years thinking,
“Is she angry at me?”
“How come this e-mail was worded this way?”
“There are no smileys. Are they unhappy about my work?”
“What am I doing with my life?”
“Am I an artist?
“I’m not comfortable in calling myself as an artist.”
“I’m not good with what I do!”
“Huhu. There are so many talented people out there.”
These days, the only message I hear inside my head are, “Well, THE CLIENT IS WAITING! WE DON’T HAVE TIME TO TALK ABOUT YOUR ISSUES!!! Okay, the design that you’re working on sucks. NOT YOUR BEST. REPEAT IT. WORK ON IT. GOOOO! TIME IS RUNNING OUT! Yes, you’ll get better with constant practice and just try to improve as you go. Let’s talk about your life plans later.”
My husband is probably one of the calmest people I know (unless he’s driving or if the food he’s eating is not at par with his fluffy standards). Even at the height of a logistical nightmare with several of his phones ringing while driving and people panicking at the other end of the line, he still managed to talk to everyone in a firm but calm tone. He has never has
Is it Monday tomorrow???????#HälloRiley – ?: @thatgirltrixie ?: @mothercareph
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7) Sleep – How apt is it that I’m ending the blog post with this topic. So, I used to lie down and have a hard time sleeping. I used to spend all night reflecting about life alone. I did create several comics about sleep. (I should probably do a compilation).
*I actually fell asleep after writing this. My laptop also died & my charger got fried. Hey, that rhymes!*
8) Multi-Tasking – Moms know this very well but now, multi-tasking skills really come in handy when you have a baby in the house! I have to do 2 things at the same time. So, people were asking why I can’t just do one thing at a time instead. Then, I said that if I did, I will never actually have time for sleep anymore! Hehe. Also, my close friends know that when I’m working on a design submission, my hands are busy. So, they know that I love them dearly but I can only accept calls. I can no longer afford to chat. If I can reply via desktop, I do because 10 fingers are better than a huge pointer on an iPhone screen. 😀
A photo posted by The Googly Gooeys (@googlygooeys) on
*OMG. Are you guys still with me?*
Well, speaking of multi-tasking, when I go out for errands, I also do design inspo hunting when I visit Mothercare!
Riley has really helped me explore new subjects when it comes to drawing. When I was pregnant, I didn’t know if I should start drawing little boys. I was still stuck in drawing ballerinas phase and I didn’t quite figure out how I was going to transition.
However, when Riley was born, sifting through a pile of clothes with baby animal doodles on them, I started exploring how to draw animals. Then my palette also changed a bit. *Or wait, did it? Checks Instagram.*
The hubby is super happy to have gotten Riley a Recaro car seat too! He’s such a racing fan and Recaro is a German brand that does quality seats for professional racing cars. Soooooo, you’re assured about the quality & safety. This was a photo taken when we went on a roadtrip early this year! It was such a joy that we were already able to bring him around. Recaro car seats area also available at Mothercare. :) *So, yes, while the mommy is shopping, there’s also something for daddy.* :D
I’ve mentioned this before but I’m just so happy that Mothercare has items for boys that are as colorful! 🙂 You know, if I had a girl instead, I wouldn’t want our house to be bleeding pink. 😀 Then again, that’s just me.
Aside from clothes & costumes, Mothercare is also my go-to for toys, sippy cups, bottles, accessories. This is where my hubby & mom bought me my pump on New Year since only malls are open on holidays! They pretty much have a bit of everything: I’m also a fan of their toiletries. Haha. You may buy wipes in bulk & save a LOT. 😀
Now, the bigger branches like Mothercare in BGC have assortments of cribs. I always tell the hubby that if there’s a reason why I frequent the store, that’s because I love the colors and there’s an excuse for me to buy new stuff for Riley I like their taste in general and the items have been hand-picked for you…you just need to choose. Aside from safety & quality, I’m very picky with hues. Not just because something is colorful, I like it right away. 😀 *Eep. That finally came out.*
There you go moms, dads, doting aunties and uncles…and oh, grandparents too! 😀 Now you know where to get gifts for Christmas 😀 Hehe.
Check out Mothercare all over the web:
Website: Mothercare.com
Facebook: @MotherCarePhils
Instagram: @MotherCarePH
Contact / Visit a Mothercare branch near you! 🙂
Bonifacio High Street: 478 04 73
Greenbelt 5: 501 30 85
Shangri-la Plaza Mall : 631 18 96
Trinoma: 901 30 97
Abreeza Mall Davao : 082-321 93 69
Glorietta4 : 949 75 57
MO Galleria: 576 36 44
MO Harbor Point: 047-251-1103
MO Robinsons Magnolia: 442 88 38
MO Centrio: 088- 323 40 71
MO Rob Manila: 353 36 82
Podium: 584 83 58
Eastwood: 570 04 02
SM Lanang Davao: 082- 285 34 19
Ayala Center Cebu
Century Mall
P.S. I’m loving how my blog is evolving with us! I used to feature art spaces and art events…and now art found in kids’ clothes! Haha. I always used to worry about this.
Anyway, I bombarded you guys with too many words & thoughts already. Have a great weekend! 🙂
XOXO,
Mommy Tippy & Riley
Related Posts:
Happy One Week Riley!
Picking Baby Names Part 1
Picking Baby Names Part 2
Picking Baby Names Parts 3 & 4
Pregnancy Diaries
How you manage to take really great photos of Riley still baffles me. Kids can be so makulit and malikot! my nephews and nieces would never stay put. LOL. Galing niyo dalawa ni Riley!