How I am Rocking Motherhood!

In the hustle bustle of everyday life, it can be very easy to forget to appreciate yourself! To remind yourself that you are doing a good job – as a mom, as a parent! And that is why I love this idea of the Rocking Motherhood Tag.

Thank you to the wonderful mommy Tina Wilson Naddler from ‘No, You Need To Calm Down!’ (yup, that is her website) for tagging me for the challenge.

This challenge also allows me to talk about my fave topic – ME! Modesty is my middle name, didn’t you know? So here goes:

1. Thriving, not just surviving. We have crossed the one-year mark, and I am thrilled to announce that we are indeed thriving. We have hit all the milestones, and have gone up on the growth curve! He has learnt to babble, and cruise, and crawl and walk on his knees (don’t ask!) He is happy, and healthy and just a pure bundle of joy! He loves being around people, and he loves to go out and explore! He even loves his books. We managed to cross one year with no falls or bumps, or getting hurt (except for that really awful diaper rash)! And apart from one time when fever hit, and we needed medicines, it has been smooth sailing (as smooth as it can be).
2. Parenting Our Way. I quite like the fact that the husband and I did not have too much support (read interference) when our baby arrived, and till now. We were able to do things our way. We possibly made mistakes along the way too, but we have learned a lot and have grown together as parents! There was someone who came in to the cooking and cleaning, but taking care of the baby was all just us.
3. Building Relationships. One thing I do love is the fact that we have been able to establish strong bonds between my baby and his grandparents, and uncles and aunts! Thank you to technology mainly. But we have also taken a conscious effort to find time to do video calls or visits (as often as we can). I am proud to say my boy will grow up knowing he is adored not just by his mom and dad, but the entire family as well!
4. Still ME. I love that my life has not stopped or changed too much. I have successfully managed to continue living the life we used to before baby came along, but with the additional joy (and responsibility) of having my son around. Life does revolve around my boy, and we have more routines in place, and are way more organized. But I am still me! (does that even make sense?) I still find time for things that I enjoy doing – even if it is just binge watching NCIS or stuffing my face with cake. I still go out with my friends, and I still find some me time amidst all of the motherhood tasks (probably because I have the best husband in the world who does faaar more than his share of parenting – But don’t tell him I said that).
5. Booby Monster! Coming into motherhood, I always knew that breastfeeding was what I wanted to do. And woohoo! We have already ha one successful year of breastfeeding. Was I averse to the thought of formula? No, but I definitely wanted to give breastfeeding a chance – with my full commitment. I went to classes before delivery; I read and researched like a mad person; and I booked in a consultation with my lactation consultant. The first few days were a nightmare! The latch was incorrect, which meant I was in insane pain! There were nights when cluster-feeding drove me up the wall. But every time, I reminded myself of my promise to my boy to give it my best shot, and we got through. And I am so delighted to say that I did it! The six-month mark and then the one-year mark have been crossed too. I definitely want to keep this up till bubba is 2 at the very least!
6. Expressing Away. Yup! I know! This is related to my breastfeeding journey but I do think it deserves another bullet point all by itself in this list. It has already even got its own blog post. I have been pumping religiously for about a year now! Some days, I have had to pump over six sessions. While it is absolutely no fun to spend hours attached to a machine, I wouldn’t change it for a thing (maybe a better pump? Or maybe shorter sessions, more milk! A big pat n the back to me for staying at it! And not giving in to formula (PS- no, I don’t think formula is evil! I just didn’t want to go that route personally).
7. Worklife-momlife balance. Coming back to work was a given! But actually doing it when my boy was just two months old was a bit scary. I was not sure if I would be able to do justice to my job, or if my boy would somehow lose out because I was returning to work. But thank God, neither happened. I was able to give my 100% at work (maybe not my crazy work 16hours a day workaholic mode though). Work went well, and so did my other commitments – in terms of choreography, emceeing or other writing projects. Work did not get relegated to a back seat. But at the same time, motherhood got its due too. I am so proud of me (ah! so modest) for how well I have been able to mage things!Special shout out to Eldertree Nursery who are taking such amazing care of my son while I am at work.
8. Being adventurous. Before his first birthday, my boy had already been to four countries. Qatar where he was born. Bahrain where I call home. India and a trip to London. He did about 12 flight trips, and has been on a boat, and train as well. Not bad, eh? And he has been a dream to deal with. His love to explore new places is incredible. So curious and eager to see new sights and have new experiences! And I love that we have been able to encourage that spirit of adventure, and love for all things new!
9. The Blog. I am also super happy that my blog is still up and running! And that I have been able to link it to my journey as a mom, and haven’t had to ramble (too much)! Though I may not post as often as I would like, I still have a decent number of hits each week. It has been awesome – I am thoroughly enjoying this, and I know it does help a few people at least (so yay!). Tried my hand at doing some humor, some serious educational writing, some interviews (of other super moms), and even some poetry! I do wish I had the patience and commitment to post more regularly. But for now, this is good!
10. Giving Back. The husband sometimes feels I spend way too much time on my phone. Maybe so. But I do think it is important to give back. I wouldn’t be as capable at motherhood as I am now if it weren’t for my mommy support groups. And now is my chance to give back. I am a peer counselor of a breastfeeding support group for Indian moms, and I am also on a few other groups – and I do try to answer as much as I can – with facts, and the knowledge that I have gained over the last year.

BONUS (you know, ‘cuz I am so full of myself) The first birthday party was a success! Yes, I did all the planning and organizing by myself (PS – the control freak in me loved it) and it was really awesome (even if I say so myself). The place was perfect, the settings were perfect! Short guest list, and everyone had a great time. I am very happy with the way it turned out. And so was my baby boy (because I said so)!

THANK YOU to Patricia of ‘White Camellias’ for starting this challenge! And I tag the following lovely wonderful mommies to take this on!

• Polly Byles of Follow Your Sunshine
• Nicky Quinn of Bunny, Monkey and Me
• Shahira Mohammed of By Shahira
• Shaher Bano Rizvi of Diary of a PMP Mom
• Fazeelah Dhillon of DhillonDeeds

Alright ladies! You are IT!

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