Thursday, August 3, 2006

Mommies in the House

I’ve just had some pleasant mommy chit-chat with some of my officemates. There’s sort of a baby boom here…a few months after I got pregnant, about three other officemates of mine suddenly confirmed their interesting conditions…! Hmm, I’d like to think that I’m sort of a trendsetter here…

It’s surprising how obsessed one can become with pregnancy and motherhood (well, assuming, of course, that you’re happy conceiving your little bundle of joy). We’d affably compare our experiences: the pregnant mommies would ask me what I went through when I was at the same stage as theirs, while those who have older kids would tell me about their experiences as new moms, as well as the things I should look forward to when my baby grows up.

And even as it’s now three months since I gave birth, I would still greedily sift through webpage after webpage on write-ups about pregnancy and parenting. I just couldn’t get enough information crammed in! The result…? I’m now scared to death that my little one could get SBS (I told the entire household to NEVER EVER shake the baby)…or he could be a victim of SIDS (I now obsessively remove any and all pillows around him when he sleeps, and I make sure he sleeps on his back. I’m also close to being an insomniac, just watching over him.)…I’m also wondering in retrospect whether he had acid reflux when he was two weeks old (he used to vomit out his milk in projectile, poor thing)…sigh…so many new fears are awakened in my highly-impressionable mommy brain!

But it’s not to say that I’m living in constant fear. In fact, I live for those moments when my son would surprise me with another one of his milestones. Yesterday, my mother-in-law showed me how he could now roll on his belly all by his little self. When he was about two months old, he showed the capacity to roll over, except that he couldn’t get his arm out from underneath his body…well, yesterday was a different story altogether, he could do it by himself now! My little boy is also becoming increasingly boisterous, enjoying all his toys and would only nap when he’s really, really worn out. Today, they showed me how he loved to sit up propped against the sofa (have some pictures and videos taken, to boot!). We also found out today that he now likes to sit up in his tub when he’s taking a bath, instead of lying down on the bath supporter. He’s growing up so fast!

I’m sure that, like most mothers, I tend to think that my baby is the smartest, most gifted little creature that was ever born this side of the planet. It’s simply amazing how many new things he can learn in the space of a few days. So now, I become increasingly agitated the longer I spend time at the office – it could only mean that I’m missing out on so many new feats!

But I’m glad that my little son is a lot more forgiving towards me than I am to myself. I’m elated that he always has a ready smile for me whenever he’s awake. He also coos delightedly at me whenever I speak to him, as if eagerly telling me about his entire day, happily sharing with me the little things that I’d missed.

I love my son beyond words. I love having a family. I love being a mom!

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