Tender Musings

I’ve been wanting to go on an out-of-town trip for a long time, but both Gian and I have been busy with work and raising a one-year old that we’ve put all of our out-of-town plans on the back burner for the past couple of months. Travelling with a baby is just a lot harder to plan, so we wanted to wait until she is old enough to walk on her own. The perfect opportunity came just after her 1st birthday when I learned that Liz, a BYUH friend, was coming to Manila for a visit. I was so excited and I immediately started planning a day trip to Tagaytay. It was the perfect destination because it’s only a few hours away from Manila, but it’s far enough to get away from the busyness of the Metro. Transportation: One of our biggest consideration was how to get to Tagaytay from Quezon City with the least amount of stress as possible. I read blogs of how others planned their trip and after much thought we decided to go by private car. Since we don’t own a car and both Gian and I d...

I watched in fascination as my daughter grew and reached her milestones month after month. Rolling over, sitting up, crawling, and then standing on her own - these were reminders that my little baby is not so little anymore. But, these changes didn’t come as a surprise. I expected them to happen. In fact, I waited in anticipation for each one. I read articles online on what is expected each month and I encouraged and cheered her on as she developed one skill after another. What I didn’t expect were the changes in me. I didn’t realize that as Rei reach each of her milestones, I would also reach mine. Let me give you an example. When my daughter doubled and tripled her body weight, my capacity to feel also increased. I never knew I was capable of feeling so much as a mother. I have felt an array of emotions ranging from extreme happiness to nerve-racking fear in the last 12 months than I ever did in my entire life. How? My heart learned what it’s like to experience pure joy when...