Lil’ J makes three!

I’ve been busy for good reason. ‘Lil’ J’ made her debut on 9 July 2010 bringing us great joy with her strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes (all of which we hope she keeps!), her father’s eyes and mouth and mother’s nose, fingers and toes.

A good friend reminded me “when a baby smiles in her sleep, it is because an angel is whispering in her ear.” I like to think those whispering angels are her great grandparents and KO, whose namesake Lil’ J carries as a middle name in her memory.

We are now a family of three! Gone are the days of a quick trip to the store, a long restaurant dinner without making sure Lil’ J is in a good mood or sleeping first… That said, we are adjusting well.

It’s an interesting phenomenon being a mother with a seemingly easy baby. Having heard the horror stories about lack of sleep, disagreements between parents, days of screaming, baby blues and a sense of isolation, I am almost embarrassed to admit, we are happy and enjoying being a family of three. Perhaps our prenatal schooling, ‘know it all’ advice from baby books and tales of parental woe sensitized us and prepared us for the worse. Yet, honestly, life has changed, but it is far from over as we know it!

The first month was admittedly a challenge as I recovered physically from a c-section and we learned to understand Lil’ J’s needs. Thankfully my mother was here the first three weeks to lend valuable hands and support to get us into our new groove. (Thank you Mom!)

‘My children are my world’ a friend recently wrote on Facebook. I would re-phrase that to read, ‘my daughter is part of my world.’  One day, Lil’ J will grow up, start school, meet her first love, experience a broken heart and later go off to college. As a mother, I believe I can best set an example for my daughter by continuing to be myself and not sacrificing my lifestyle and personality. Travel, work, family, friends and dinner conversations with my husband are important to me. While life has indeed changed, it carries on with Lil’ J – admittedly with some adjustments.

For every excuse I give myself that a road trip is a chore, it gives me all the more reason to give the carseat and its contents a spin. (traffic jams and all.) For every person that says it will be difficult to travel, it drives me to plan the next voyage. (travel cot included.) For every minute I feel sorry for myself about being ‘home alone’, I set a luncheon date with Lil’ J in tow. For every opportunity to have a girls night out or join my colleagues for an offsite (even on maternity leave), I am working up the courage to ask for babysitting help (advance planning being key for all concerned). For every breastfeeding diehard’s subtle tone of disapproval and comment about the importance of breastfeeding for mother, child ‘bonding’, I thank my lucky stars I am not stuck with a child on my boob, can plan easily and even invite my manager to give my daughter a bottle (to her great delight).

And so goes sunflowersbythesea’s experience with motherhood so far. I am a very proud mother, have the most beautiful baby in the world (of course ) and am ever thankful my husband and daughter help me get 6-7 hours of sleep a night.

Welcome Lil’ J. We are all so glad you are here and wish you a happy, healthy, safe, long life surrounded by love and full of adventure. You have my personal commitment that I will try to be the best mother I can be. The journey ahead promises to be an exciting one.

On that note, your passport arrived today!

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