Braving the Fireworks, Greatness Starts @Home

When I was a kid, I was in bed with cotton balls inside my ears every New Year's Eve. I just hated the loud bang of fireworks so much that I would rather miss the festivities than subject myself to the stressful noise and smoke. And because of this intense fear of fireworks, I usually suffered from anxiety during the holiday season. My Mom had to bring me several times to the doctor due to a fever that would miraculously go away after New Year's Eve.

As an adult, I no longer fear fireworks so much. But I still refuse to watch it up close. I can bear the loud noise it brings but I just could not stand watching it explode in action. It still makes my toes cringe.

I just recently watched the 3rd Philippine International PyroMusical Competition and I'm proud to say that at the age of 33, I finally braved my fear of fireworks.

But this is not my story. This is the story of my two-year-old son and his greatest moment of achievement.

It all started at home. My son, Neo, had always been fascinated with candles. In fact, when he was one, he would refuse to eat a cupcake if we do not put a candle on top of it for him to blow.

And even though he's always unsuccessful with the task, it didn't impede him from trying harder and harder each time. He finally did it on his 2nd birthday. It took him several tries but after we coached him to blow the candle with more power, he finally put out the first of the many birthday candles in his lifetime.

I was so proud of my little boy that day. Especially, when my Mom told me that I wasn't able to blow my birthday candles until I was 4.

But that was not all. In a few weeks, he graduated from birthday candles to holding his very first Roman candle on New Year's Eve.

Amazing indeed! He made the two-year-old me look like a real underachiever.:)

That same night, I realized how much the fireworks truly amaze him. He saw color and energy where I saw smoke and fear. At 2, he was able to appreciate the beauty that I failed to see all these years.

Through his tiny sparkling eyes, I finally saw the magic that makes New Year's Eve alive. For the first time, I finally looked up in the sky and watched the bursting fireworks with a smile. Gone are the noise and anxiety and in its place was the realization of unfounded fears and every single New Year's Eve that I missed. 

I always value my bonding time at home with my son. It's where I find my greatest fulfillment as a mother. Educating him at home gives me the opportunity to show him the simple life, free from the complexities of the world outside. Who would have thought that my son, at his very young age, would be able to teach me a thing or two and maybe more in the years to come?:)

Neo gave me the courage to face my fears and freed me from a lifetime of gloomy New Year's Eve. And for that, I will always consider this, one of my little boy's greatest moments of achievement.:)

The Tale of a Mom and a Pizza

I always knew I would one day get old. And I am beginning to feel it today. It’s my 33^rd birthday and here I am at the mall, buying some food for a quiet celebration with my family. I bought a tray of spaghetti, which my mom insisted about. She somewhat believes that eating the long strands of noodles on your birthday will prolong your life. So even though I was a bit on the doubtful side, I complied. Better safe than sorry.:)

I, then, picked up my birthday cake. The kind with lots of candy flower decorations that left no space for candles to be placed. I’m just not in the mood for some candle blowing ceremony today.

And last but not the least, I went to Pizza Hut and ordered my favorite Tuscani pizza flavor, Supremo. I can still remember the first time I ordered the Tuscani pizza. My husband and I were at a Pizza Hut counter for almost 30 minutes just trying to decide which pizza flavor we would buy. He wanted the Supremo and I was insisting we order the 3 Cheese Bacon and Spinach. In the end, we had to buy both just to avoid a big fight.:) It’s funny though, that I ended up liking his choice, the Supremo. And he ended up devouring the entire box of 3 Cheese Bacon and Spinach. But he did leave me a slice, a very small one.:)

I fell in love with the Tuscani Supremo because it totally tickled my taste buds and brought my pizza experience to a whole new level. I liked the thinness and crispiness of its crust and I was dazzled by the perfect balance of its well focused flavors. Its distinctive Italian taste didn’t overwhelm the palate and allowed the great pizza flavor to emerge. And even though I wasn’t just eating but analyzing each and every bite, I got transported to Italy before finishing my first slice. After all, how often can one say that her pizza experience turned into a journey?

I got home to a lot of hugs, kisses and birthday well wishes. This somehow made me realize how lucky I am to have a dependable husband who loves me, a cute son whom I’m crazy about, a loving mom who would do anything for me and 6 wonderful siblings who have always been there for me.

This realization made me change my mind about not blowing my birthday candles. I may feel old but I would rather be old than go back to the time when I was young but had never met my husband, had never given birth to my son, and had never yet tasted my favorite Tuscani Supremo.:)  I wouldn’t ever trade what I have today for youth.

So, I placed with pride the big number 33 on top of my favorite pizza and whispered a silent thanks to God along with my wish to become a better mom to my son and to somehow win the Ipad 2 at the Pizza Hut Tuscani Flavor Your Life Blogging Contest. I, then, asked my son to blow the candles for me and welcomed my 33^rd year with open arms.

                               

Winning this Ipad 2 will give me the opportunity to educate my son even more. My two-year-old is currently learning his ABCs and numbers through the interactive videos I downloaded online. His doctor suggested a more stimulating medium because my son has a tendency to quickly lose his interest in books and drawings. However, we only have one desktop computer at home which I also share with my husband. With this Ipad 2, my son and I can enjoy more hours of learning together in and out of our home. I can just imagine how my baby’s eyes will light up on Christmas Eve when he sees his new animated “book”. 

My son is my life and making him happy will always add flavor to my existence. I always knew I would one day get old but becoming a mom had changed me into a better person and made me look into the future with much anticipation. The future is bright, how could I have missed that before?

“JOHNSON’s My Kid’s Growing Up So Fast Contest”

The first time I saw my Neo, I instantly knew that he's braver than me.  He endured the hardships of labor and bore the ordeal of getting stuck in my cervix for quite some time. But still, he came out kicking and very much alive. In fact, unlike other babies, he didn't sleep for the next four hours after birth. Instead, he didn't waste time and started bonding with me and his daddy right away.

Neo Sebastian Reyes, at birth.

The next day, I was with him when the nurse gave him his first shot of Hepatitis B vaccine. He just gave a short sigh and went back to sleep. The same thing goes on the third day when for the first time, I gave him his first bath. I was expecting him to resist a little. God knows how I used to run out of our apartment door naked when I was 5, just to avoid my mother and the hose she's about to douse me with. But I finished our first bathing session in a breeze. My baby was fully awake and just totally enjoying the moment, as if reminiscing his nine months of just floating inside my womb.

Neo's first bath.

A year passed and he still loves his bath time just as much. As a matter of fact, he would be cranky the whole day if he missed his daily soak. He is changing before my eyes but his skin is still like a baby’s. We still need the gentle care of JOHNSON’s Baby Milk Bath, with Vitamins A&E and 100% more milk proteins to nourish developing skin.

Johnson's Baby Milk Bath

Bath time is fun time.

One milestone after another only strengthened my belief that my little boy inherited the genes of a daredevil. His stunts and antics are the kind of stuff that the one-year-old "me" could only dream of. My mother said the same when she saw her grandson stand up while in a moving car ride inside the mall. She also felt pride when she saw an older child bully my son inside a play house. Instead of running away, my little boy looked the big bully in the eye until he scared him with his killer stare.:) Yet still, Grandma was a little surprised when she saw her grandson not only ride but run around inside the biggest ferris wheel in the world when we were in Singapore.

Our little daredevil at the wheel.

Braving the heights inside the Singapore Flyer.

And his first dip in the pool? He had so much fun, he even complained when we had to leave.

Neo's first dip in the pool.

But in our Boracay vacation a few months ago, the mother in me was finally put to the test. My kid was totally enthralled with this giant slide inside the hotel. When my husband went to the front desk to ask if a one year-old is allowed to ride, I was secretly hoping the lady would say NO.

I wasn't a brave kid when I was young. On top of many things, I have this fear of slides since I was 7. A kid pushed me and I fell off a slide with a bloody mouth. I never went near a slide since then. Not even my husband managed to convince me to do so in our 10 years of togetherness.

As luck would have it, the lady said YES. And so, my son rode the giant slide with his daddy. His squeals of delight echoed through the room. He went for it a few more times until we had to leave. But then, my little boy looked me in the eye and pointed to the slide, as if sensing my fear. It seemed like he was asking me why we haven't tried the slide together. I didn't know what happened next but something stirred my mother's heart that gave me the courage to join my son.

My favorite mommy and son moment to date. My kid's growing up so fast, he helped me face my greatest fear.

My kid's growing up so fast, who would have thought that he would get me to face my greatest fear after all these years? But then, Neo isn't just another one-year-old. He is my son for whom I would do anything. Just like all the mothers out there who happily endured the hardships of labor and the bigger responsibilities of becoming a mom.

Motherhood is a series of adventures that not even a roller coaster ride can describe. There were days when we were high with excitement, especially, when our babies had accomplished a new milestone. There were also those quiet moments when our kid was asleep and we're just perfectly content to cuddle him close and smell the baby scent we so love. Then, the low days...when all things just seem to go haywire and we begin to wish we can live the single life even just for a day. So, I wrote this essay to remind me and all the mommies out there how lucky we are to have been blessed with our kids. For daredevils or not, they will always be the apple of our eyes.

"Thank you, Neo, for inspiring me every minute of everyday!"

REFLECTIONS OF A MOTHER

I made this essay for my sake,

For sometimes I fail to appreciate,

These precious moments when I still can say,

That you depended on me in every way.

I now realize that I’m lucky this way,

That I have you all day in my embrace.

For someday this moment will be way past today,

When the world and your dreams will be yours to take.

Then you won’t have a choice but to forsake,

The mother who cared for you, so that you may,

Look for your destiny and make mistakes,

To learn to live and find your own way.

When that day comes, I will have to face,

Empty days without you when I wake.

But don’t you forget, I’ll be here to stay,

To guide you every single step of the way.

Looking back someday, I’d be able to say,

It’s a good thing I wrote my reflections today,

To remind me of my precious yesterday,

When once I was a mother to you all day.


***If you like this blog entry, you can leave a comment below and give your own title suggestion. Johnson's Baby Milk Bath will be giving away a gift pack to the commenter with the most creative and relevant title for this post. You can leave your comment from October 8-October 21, 2011. On or before November 20, 2011, I will announce the winner of the Johnson's Baby gift pack. To make your comment valid and be eligible to win, you must be a fan of Johnson's Baby World of Firsts Facebook Page. 

Reflections of a Full-Time Mom

By: Cheryl Ann Lei Reyes

I made this video for my sake,

For sometimes I fail to appreciate,

These precious moments when I still can say,

That you depended on me in every way.

I now realize that I’m lucky this way,

That I have you all day in my embrace.

For someday this moment will be way past today,

When the world and your dreams will be yours to take.

Then you won’t have a choice but to forsake,

The mother who cared for you, so that you may,

Look for your destiny and make mistakes,

To learn to live and find your own way.

When that day comes, I will have to face,

Empty days without you when I wake.

But don’t you forget, I’ll be here to stay,

To guide you every single step of the way.

Looking back someday, I’d be able to say,

It’s a good thing I wrote my reflections today,

To remind me of my precious yesterday,

When once I was a mother to you all day.

"Thank you, Neo, for inspiring me every minute of every day."