Two Thumbs Up

I have a backlog of posts since December and the mere thought of having to play catch up makes me want to procrastinate all the more. 

But I have to get started, one post at a time. So here's one about the birthday girl.

C is now a feisty 2 year old. We celebrated her birthday in December with a trip to the zoo and a simple dinner at home with her grandparents.

The zoo affair was extremely exhausting as I was the solo parent (since the hubby couldn't take leave) with two kids who each have a mind of their own (and great minds don't think alike in their case).

The 6 year old is armed with a map, ready to dictate where to go. The 2 year old is wired with the instincts of a curious, first-time explorer of the zoo, ready to throw a tantrum when her whims and fancies aren't pandered to. 

Throw in an impatient mum and you get quite an explosive combination!

The night was a flurry of activity as well with us buying food, collecting the cake and running all these errands while it was pouring buckets. By the time the actual celebration started, I was ready to call it a night.

C probably doesn't know what a birthday is, but with all the attention showered on her; she seemed to know it was something special. She was exceptionally happy.

As we were taking photos and I was looking at her beaming face, a feeling which I can't find the right word to describe took hold of me. I was exhausted but seeing how happy she was made me willing, even eager to go through this whole crazy day all over again.

And then it dawned on me that this was exactly how I felt about the last two years.

I remember the sleep deprived nights. I congratulated myself for training my baby to sleep through the night at 3 months old, only to have her suddenly decide to turn the tables on me by waking up 2 to 3 times a night when she was 6 months old. And this lasted till she was 14 months old despite my best efforts to "retrain" her.

And then there was the sick SAHM situation which I absolutely abhor. I was running an almost 40 degrees fever and in between nursing the baby and changing diapers, I was shivering under the blanket, praying very hard that the baby will nap longer.

There were of course other moments of sheer exhaustion and frustration but those two situations topped the chart for testing my resilience to the utmost.

But that was in the past. And the battle scars of motherhood are etched deeply in my memory. The early years were tough but now they are treasured memories of my journey with C.

So as we celebrated her birthday that day, I remembered all the trying moments, smiled and gave thanks to God for the little girl who turned my world upside down.