Parent Life is Beautiful!

[thisbe.ara]

---

m no parent but someday, when i'll be one, i know i will be able to appreciate it much..
maybe because i have done a little parenting on my own..taking care of 3 younger siblings. hehe
well, we had our financial crisis sometime ago.. we had nothing.. and then my other brother was celebrating his birthday.. we didn't have any gift for him because we'd rahter spend it on another meal.. yep, that's true! hehee.. then out of nowhere, my baby bro (aged 4 then.. ) went to my older bro... and he gave this tiny little package.. naay scribble nga "kuya" with a heart.. grabe. we taught him how to write when he was 3. when my celebrant bro opened the gift, he saw this treasured stuffed dog of his.. grbe jud oi..we can't help but shed a few tears. he gave his toy to my bro para lang ma-happy cya.. and to think he treasured that toy so much.. it touched me grabe... i love my family so much, my brothers, my sister, my parents.. grabe.. we share this bonding that couldn't be easily broken through all the storms in our lives.. now, we can celebrate birthdays nga naa na generous food and celebration.. but it will forever be etched in our memories.. the day when my brother celebrated his happiest birthday (according to him) with sandwiches, my family and a little black stuffed dog given by our youngest.. ain't that sweet?

[n`gel]

Ay ka cute. That's one testimony to happiness in simplicity.

[lindsay]

@ n'gel. my son is gonna be 7 yrs old next week..time flies fast. that's nice that your daughter is sleeping pretty good coz my son wasn't a good sleeper. i remember waking up almost every two hours when he was a baby and every 5 hrs until he's 2. u'r lucky u have ur mom to help u coz that is so hard to come by here.

[EZRA]

Ako sab.. akong anak can only sleep soundly if matug sya sa akong tiyan... this lasted for almost a year.

[n`gel]

By the end of 2 months... 3-4 months old is the habit forming stage daw Ez, dapat daw i-train na ang baby hinay-hinay, your baby was used to sleeping on ur tummy, as long as dili busy ang parent okay lang na para naku if that's what the baby likes.

Right now I just leave her in her crib for her afternoon naps half-asleep. I don't really rock her to sleep anymore, matulog ra sad siya after a few minutes. She's getting used to it now, same goes at night. Thanks to the internet gyud kay la gyud koy kapangutan-an, sige lang ko basa-basa about mga ingon ani.

With regards to feeding intervals all babies are different daw. I observe my baby real closely kada month and see her changes with regards to her feeding schedule. She drinks lots of baba during the day, usually 2 hr interval 3 ounces, I don't mind basta lang daytime kay ang gabii man nga putol² tulog maoy makaluya, afternoon naps niya straight 4 hours tulog. Sa ako sabot she's stuffing during the day, and she sleeps longer at night. What a relief!

One thing I realized too, me having survived with my baby alone for 2 months, karon ra ni nibalhin ako mama diri, nga dili sad gyud maayo grabe ka kakapoi kay la na kay energy to even talk to ur baby. First month niya luya kaayo ko's tanan luoy kaayo ako baby la gyud tawn energy iya mommy mo storya storya. My baby helped me I told her not to make it too difficult for mommy, eventually, closing to her 2months, kapahuway naku. And boy her development soared skyhigh. At her young age at 2 months, she talks back at me na kung hagwaon, she sings with me too iya favorite kay I have 2 hands. I call her language "alien" language. Sige lang siya katawa makapagawas siya's iyang tingog. We bought her lots of children's cd's... magkayuring lang ako baby. Weeee!

[EZRA]

We bought a crib... and it was never ever used. Butanganan ra ug stuffed toys. I loved putting the baby on top of my tummy anyways ... so okay ra, his favorite songs were Sweet Love and Rapture by Anita Baker. Inseparable kaayo mi ni Ezra sa una, sige lag gakos.

I can't remember unsay feeding pattern namo sa una. Murag 2 or 4 ounce bottles to akong gamit pero I dunno if puno ba to.

We also had that internet thing... kanang mga month-to-month nilang I send describing the changes sa baby which helped us as well. That was cool para sa mga unexperienced parent.

[boliklik]

hi sir jack, i'd like to post some poems i found, i know this should be on the arts & lit.... pero i just have to post it here...... hope u understand


[size=18px]The Cost of Children[/size]

The government has calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition!

But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.24 a day! Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice says don't have children if you want to be "rich." It is just the opposite.

What do your get for your $160,140?

Naming rights, --- First, middle, and last!

Glimpses of God everyday.

Giggles under the covers every night.

More love than your heart can hold.

Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.

Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.

A hand to hold, usually covered with jam.

A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sand castles, and skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.

Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up.

You get to fingerprint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek, catch lightning bugs, and never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh, watching Saturday morning cartoons, going to Disney Land, and wishing on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect
spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck.

You get to be a hero just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, taking the training wheels off the bike, removing a splinter, filling a wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to history to witness the first step, first word, first bra, first date, and first time behind the wheel You get to be immortal.

You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren.

You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.
You have all the power to heal a booboo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost.

Enjoy your children.

PARENT LIFE IS WONDERFUL!

[boliklik]

[size=18px]Best Job In The World [/size]



I've been a mom (mother) for over 15 years now, and along with gaining spider veins, 25 pounds, and a few dozen worry wrinkles, I've also gained knowledge.

For instance, I learned a major lesson when my darling daughter, age 3, put her peanut butter sandwich in the VCR slot. It seemed she wanted to "watch" her lunch instead of "Little Mermaid". Trust me... VCR's do not eject Peanut Butter Sandwiches!

In the twelve years since that sticky incident, I've also learned the following gems of wisdom:
A new mom really can get by on 3 hours and seventeen minutes of sleep per night. You could use the bags under your eyes to pack for a cruise, but at least the sweet smell of poopy diapers can act as smelling salts to revive you.
If it's 2am and your toddler whines, "Mommy, my tummy hurts!", you have three seconds to react before his stomach contents wind up on your pillow case.


A two year old can stuff half a purple crayon up his nose in the time it takes to tie your 4-year-old's shoe.


Your proudly potty-trained 3-yr-old will always have to "go" after she's bundled into long underwear, pants, and a snow suit.


A mom can have a 102 degree fever, hacking cough, and horrible rash, but she still has to make supper, make a cover for a 6th grade Science book, and take a sliver out of an 8-year-old's finger.


If head lice is invading your son's class, he'll pick that day to borrow Josh's comb (even though he usually never combs his hair).
A teenager may call your jokes lame -- but she usually repeats them to her friends.


Nothing feels better after a hard day at the office, dentist, or tax accountant, than a big hug and sticky "tootsie roll" kiss from your favorite kid.


The best presents are not made of gold or silver, but consist of uncooked macaroni noodles glued to a jar and sprayed with paint.


Being a Mom is the best job in the world, and it's truly worth the spider veins, extra pounds and extra wrinkles.

[boliklik]

[size=18px]DADDIES[/size]



When the good Lord was creating fathers, He started with
a tall frame. A female angel nearby said, "What kind of
father is that? If you're going to make children so close to
the ground, why have you put fathers up so high? He won't
be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, tuck a child in
bed without bending or even kiss a child without a lot of
stooping.

And God smiled and said, "Yes, but if I make him childsize,
who would children have to look up to?"

And when God made a father's hands, they were large and
sinewy. The angel shook her head sadly and said, "Large
hands are clumsy. They can't manage diaper pins, small
buttons, rubber bands on ponytails or even remove splinters
caused by sticks used as baseball bats."

And God smiled and said, "I know, but they're large enough
to hold everything a small boy empties from his pockets at
the end of a day, yet small enough to cup a child's face."

And then God molded long, slim legs and broad shoulders.
The angel nearly had a heart attack. "Boy, this is the end of
the week, all right," she clucked. "Do you realize you just
made a father without a lap? How is he going to pull a child
close to him without the kid falling between his legs?"

And God smiled and said, "A mother needs a lap. A father
needs strong shoulders to pull a sled, balance a boy on a
bicycle or hold a sleepy head on the way home from the
circus."

God was in the middle of creating two of the largest feet
anyone had ever seen when the angel could contain herself
no longer. "That's not fair. Do you honestly think those large
boats are going to dig out of bed early in the morning when
the baby cries? Or walk through a small birthday party without
crushing at least three of the guests?"

And God smiled and said, "They'll work. You'll see. They'll
support a small child who wants to ride a horse to Banbury
Cross or scare off mice at the summer cabin or display shoes
that will be a challenge to fill."

God worked on, giving the father few words but a firm, authoritive
voice and eyes that saw everything but remained calm and
tolerant. Finally, almost as an afterthought, He added tears.
Then He turned to the angel and said, "Now, are you satisfied
that he can love as much as a mother?"

The angel shutteth up.

[boliklik]

[size=18px]MOTHERS[/size]


Somebody said a mother is an unskilled laborer ...
somebody never gave a squirmy infant a bath.

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby...somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, normal is history.

Somebody said a mother's job consists of wiping noses and changing diapers...somebody doesn't know that a child is much more than the shell he lives in.

Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct...somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.

Somebody said being a mother is boring...somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.

Somebody said teachers, psychologists, and pediatrician know more about children than their mothers...somebody hasn't invested her heart in another human being.

Somebody said if you're a "good" mother, your child will "turn out"... somebody thinks a child is like a bag of Plaster of Paris that comes with directions, a mold, and a guarantee.

Somebody said being a mother is what you do in your spare time ...somebody doesn't know that when you're a
mother, you're a mother ALL the time.

Somebody said "good" mothers never raise their voices...somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child wind up and hit a golf ball
through the neighbor's kitchen window.

Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother...somebody never helped a fourth grader with his math.

Somebody said you can't love the fifth child as much as you love the first...somebody doesn't have five children.
Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in the books...somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery... somebody never watched her "baby" get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten.

Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back...somebody never organized seven giggling Brownies to sell cookies.

Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child
gets married...somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.

Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home... somebody never had grandchildren.

Somebody said being a mother is a side dish on the plate of life... somebody doesn't know what fills you up.

Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her...

that somebody isn't a mother.


*sigh* sorry jud tawn mama sa akong kabadlongon sauna. karon kahibaw na ko nga d jud lalim