Yikes!!!

Yes, I am an irresponsible blogger. I cannot come up with a decent excuse for why I have not been able to post something new here for months and months. So I guess I’ll just pick up where I left off.

Or not. A LOT has happened between the time my daughter was first potty trained to the present time when she has blossomed into a smart and sassy little girl who is the center of attention of our lives right now. No, I just cannot fathom how I could just pick up where I left off.

And I initially saw this blog as a sort of chronicle of my so-called mommyhood skills! Oh well.

ADIEU DIAPERS!

Never, even in my wildest dreams, did I imagine that I would have a fairly effortless time potty training my daughter.  I’ve heard countless accounts of months-long potty training horrors from fellow moms — poop ending up all over the floor … poop ending up in your toddler’s mouth because you happened to be looking elsewhere when she decided to go right there on your bed … pee drenching her crib … fitful nights of rousing your toddler from bed to make her sit on her potty … and the horrible accounts go on.

So, I’ve been trying to put it off since she turned 1. I’ve come up with an array of excuses from “She’s too young,” to “She’s not ready yet,” to “I’m not ready yet.” I gave it a couple of attempts, though. Since half-heartedly done, none of these, needless to say, were successful.

However, 2 weeks ago, for no apparent reason at all, I decided to push through with it head on. Admittedly, she seems to have been ready for it since her 14th month. I came across a potty training checklist online where parents could somehow gauge the readiness of their toddlers for potty training. My baby fit snugly right into the “All set!” type. I devised a no-nonsense, unyielding strategy — absolutely no diapers from Training Day #1! Well, except at nights because I hate rousing myself from sleep.

Encouragingly enough, the first 2 days were pretty rough. Pee puddled every 20 minutes or so on the floor … poop plopped down whenever, wherever … and there was endless rushing to and fro from my daughter’s room to her potty (my husband and I opted to use the kind that can be attached to the toilet seat). Through all the chaos, there was my darling daughter yelling, “Pottyyyy!” sometimes right on time, other times a tad too late. I also couldn’t help but smile, triumphantly I might add, whenever I saw her face scrunch up in disgust whenever poop or pee streamed down her legs. Sometimes, life’s lessons should be learned the hard way indeed.

Fast forward to the present and we’re completely diaper-free. Even at nights! And she’s only 18-months-old! Now isn’t that something I could be proud about?

T-shirts

The indomitable, ubiquitous, uncomplicated t-shirt. It has seen countless eons of fashion, and yet, it has silently survived, unscathed. What is it about t-shirts that make us love them, cling to them and turn to them when confronted with a lazy, relaxed, hectic … heck, ANY day?

It is a squarish garment with squarish, wing-like extensions jutting out on either side. It comes with various neck shapes — v-necked, round-necked, boat-necked, turtle-necked, low-necked. You may wear it different ways — tight-fitting, loose, body-hugging. It comes in all the colors of the rainbow and every other color in between. It is decked out in any way possible. You may wear it with almost anything inside your closet — jeans, skirts, shorts, jumpers, tights, pedal-pushers, jogging pants, slacks.

T-shirts are simple, yet dependable. They have a way of making you look effortlessly cool, chic, rock, sporty, feminine, sexy, cute. They could slyly convey whatever message you want to get across — “I don’t care how I look!”; “Don’t you think I’m the cutest thing in town?”; “I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today, so get out of my way!”; “I am available … wanna have dinner with me?”. Yet, they may also have a way of keeping you inconspicuous in a crowd.

T-shirts. Everybody owns at least one. Why? T-shirts are the “comfort food” of fashion. Everybody needs comfort food sometimes.

Mommyhood

Is there such a word?

Since I became a mom (16 months ago), I have opted to use this word to refer to this new milestone in my life. Why not just good ol’  ”motherhood,” or “parenthood?” Well, they both sound so formal … stiff … awkward. Those terms seem to refer to MY parents! I need my own identity! Thus, “mommyhood” came into life in my own little world.

Only one word comes to mind when I think of mommyhood — AMAZING. I used to tell my husband that I pity him for being a member of the male species. They would never be able to experience this awesome, wonderful, magical journey! Finding out you’re pregnant, meeting your baby for the first time via ultrasound, all the aches and cramps of pregnancy, the terror of the unknown a.k.a childbirth, waddling, the onset of labor, the magical transformation of the fear of childbirth into actually wanting to give birth already, and finally, all the grunting and moaning … and there she is — the most precious person in the world! Now, how did that happen? Did that beautiful, little creature really come out of me? Magical. Wonderful. Awesome.

Okay … so three words come to mind. Yes, aside from being equipped to bear children, I also have the license to be fickle-minded.

I’m so lucky to be a woman!