Category: Motherhood

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Embracing Motherhood with Cycles and Cradle

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Cycles Baby Laundry Detergent

I remember it like it was just yesterday, preparing for our twins’ arrival. Seven months into pregnancy, my husband and I started carefully disinfecting every nook and cranny of the house, and gently washing their first set of clothes.

As first time parents, ordinary tasks like washing baby clothes or hanging curtains in the nursery were sacred and emotional moments. We knew our lives were going to change forever, yet totally clueless about how much it actually would!

You can never be fully prepared for motherhood

The thing is, no parent saw it coming, how much love would overflow at the sight of a tiny baby you just met, how addicted you would be to the smell of your baby’s skin, or how much a little smile would change you, break you, wreck you.

Nothing would prepare you for the sleepless nights, the laundry that doesn’t seem to run out, the scare of a little insect bite or a low-grade fever, the endless packing and unpacking of the diaper bag, the crying, the feeding, the bathing.

The good news is, you get better at it somehow. You learn to decipher what your baby needs just by the sound of her cries. You know not to pack too many clothes or too many bottles. You know what brands of shampoo or laundry detergent to buy. You learn to deal with the bad days and make the most out of the good ones.

And you become appreciative of the fact that you don’t have to do motherhood alone. You get by with a lot of help from your family and friends, and from passionate brands who understand your need to give your children only the best.

Cycles and Cradle

cycles

Cycles and Cradle is in the business of partnering with mothers to give their children utmost love and care.

A company that was established by a meticulous and protective mother herself, Cycles and Cradle offers natural and innovative baby products—from laundry detergent to bottle cleansers, from baby wash and lotion to insect repellent and diaper cream.

We got our first set of Cycles mild laundry detergent products from our baby shower, three years ago, gifted to us by a seasoned mother who knew just what we needed to have as new parents. We’ve been using Cycles laundry detergent ever since, and just recently started using their baby skincare products under the new Cycles Sensitive line.

Proudly Filipino-made, Cycles and Cradle celebrates its 10th year anniversary this month, and we join the thousands of mothers and families whose lives were made better and easier by this brand’s commitment and vision to give our little ones only the best.

We couldn’t be more grateful.

Happy 10th anniversary, Cycles and Cradles! Thank you for being all around awesome.

Cycles and Cradle Baby Essentials

To know more about Cycles and Cradles, visit their websites and follow them on Instagram.

Cycles Laundry Detergent // cyclesbaby.com / Instagram
Cradle Natural Cleansers // cradlenatural.com / Instagram
Cycles Sensitive // cycles-sensitive.com

Mommy Reflections & Easter Sunday Photographs

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Sometimes, it just happens. A perfect long weekend. Followed by a perfect week. Even though there’s really no such thing as perfect, perfect is just too good a word to not be used, especially if you mean something close. These photographs were taken on Easter Sunday.  I have more of these where it came from, they’re just too many to flood my Instagram with so I thought I’d post some of them here on the blog. :)

No yaya and no work, we spent the entire weekend being lazy and spending much-needed quality time with the girls. We went to a family reunion on Friday, but pretty much stayed in the rest of the weekend. It was the Holy Week, and although most of our activities included drawing on the wall, dancing to Hi-5, singing silly songs, learning new words and colors, and making sure the little babes were happy and entertained, there’s much realization for me about the power of the cross and God’s presence in this season of my life.  Continue reading “Mommy Reflections & Easter Sunday Photographs” →

December Dawn

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I woke up this morning to the sound of the rain. Stuck in a tangle of tiny arms and legs, I breathed in the familiar silence that comes with the beginning of each day—the calm before the storm, moms would say.

It was the morning before Christmas and I wanted to bottle it all up: all the feelings, the morning breath, the warmth that filled the room I shared with my little family.

I remember how I ranted one too many times about this most wonderful time of the year, which wasn’t always my most wonderful time of the year. There’s something melancholy about Christmas that I couldn’t quite point my finger at, and every year I grew a little more jaded and cynical and I just wanted the season over and done with.

Needless to say, I felt a shift in recent years. Suddenly there’s something to look forward to on Christmas. And year after year it has become merrier and brighter and more.. hopeful.

With two little kids running around the house and pulling ornaments off the tree, how can you not love Christmas? It never gets old—David and I would find ourselves looking at each other from across a room full of mess, and our hearts would burst with joy and gratitude to God for redeeming Christmas and making a family out of us.

This song played softly in my head this morning, and I thanked God once again for Christmasses and December dawns. It’s a beautiful Christmas love song that was composed and sung by two of my college friends, Reev (music) and Sheila (female vocals) and I often find myself wishing more people knew it!

It’s the anthem to my Decembers, and it’s on loop my Christmas playlist every year, just like Jose Mari Chan’s Christmas in Our Hearts.

Go ahead, have a listen. And I suggest you hug your loved ones a little tighter and longer as the song plays on. You’re welcome.

Merry Christmas! :)

Lyrics of the song after the jump.

Continue reading “December Dawn” →

Two Years

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2ndbirthday

Photos from two years ago.

It’s that moment when the lights are out, and everyone is asleep, and I’m alone as the clock strikes 12 on a very special day. The twins’ 2nd birthday officially begins! And it’s as if they wanted me to have this moment to myself—to breathe, to let stuff sink in, to be quiet, to reminisce, to thank the Lord for every good and perfect gift.

I’ve been reading posts from two years ago over the past hour, and I.. am such a crybaby. Is this okay? Am I being too melodramatic? Is it normal for mommies to be a little sentimental about things like, you know, birthdays and stuff?

Around this time, 2 years ago, I was being wheeled into the recovery room after giving birth via c-section, and Dawn & Rain were breathing their first breaths. Fast forward to last night, before the girls fell asleep, Dawn was singing twinkle twinkle little star (without the actual words) at the top of her lungs, and Rain was busy putting coins in her new alkansya. Meanwhile, their Daddy and I watched them with amusement and so much love.

Do you remember?

Wow. What difference two years can make!

I want to share King David’s Prayer of Thanksgiving, which has become the prayer of my heart today:

“Sovereign Lord, I am not worthy of what you have already done for me, nor is my family. Yet, now you are doing even more, Lord. You have made promises about my descendants in the years to come. And you let a man see this! What more can I say to you! You know me, your servant. It was your will and purpose to do this. You have done all these great things in order to instruct me. How great you are, Lord! There is none like you, we have always known that You alone are God.” ~2 Samuel 7:18-28

God is beyond amazing. And this mommy here is ready to celebrate. Today is going to be awesome. :)

It’s Mother’s Day, and, oh hey, I’m a Mommy!

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It’s been 18 months since I gave birth to the twins and I’m first to admit that the idea of myself becoming a Mommy took a while to sink in. And yet, somewhere in the midst of changing diapers and giving warm baths and witnessing two little humans grow (too fast, I must add), I find myself learning to embrace this (new) role with eyes and arms wide open.

I’m a Mommy, and I love being one!

The thing is, I was never motherly. Sometime a few years ago, a cousin of mine predicted that I’ll be the last one in my batch to settle down and have kids. I don’t know what made him say it, and I didn’t exactly contest—I knew that I didn’t fit the Mommy profile.

Maybe because I was horrible with kids. Maybe I wasn’t the type to settle down in one place and it showed in the way I restlessly moved from one place to another when I was younger. Or maybe I was too preoccupied with my career at that time that it didn’t look like I had time to pursue having a family.

Or could it be that I feared becoming a mother that I subconsciously pushed it at the back of my mind?

I go over the bucket lists I made when I was younger and find that I never once listed or dreamed of becoming a Mom. Never. Like, it just never crossed my mind. I know of friends who believed in their hearts that they’re going to become mothers someday, and they did become mothers and they’re awesome at it!

As for me? I wanted to be successful in my career, go places (New York, check; Sydney, check; Italy, maybe someday), buy this and that, find The One, get married before 30, establish a passion business, have my dream wedding.. and, the list kindof stopped there.

In retrospect, how can I not have dreamed of becoming a mother someday when it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me now? It’s like The Dream I never knew I had!

All these years being unsure of what I want, or what my dream job is, or where I want to go next.. Suddenly, one thing is certain.  I’m a Mommy, and God called me to be one when He blessed me and my husband with these two beautiful little girls. And I learn over and over again that no matter how inadequate one feels about a role, God is the one who equips her to be the best person for it.

Surprisingly for me, nothing—no job or hobby or dream—has ever been more fulfilling than this. Epic, I must say, and we all know that the word “epic” is not to be used lightly.

So this is how it feels like, to be a Mom, on Mother’s Day. I don’t think I’ll be receiving hand-made Mother’s Day greeting cards from the twins this year, not yet, but I look forward to the tiny hugs, adorable smiles, and little kisses I’ll be getting today. :D

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And before I end this monologue of sorts, I just want to throw a little shoutout to my fabulous Mom who modelled and taught me unconditional love, who raised me to be who I am today, and who remains to be as beautiful and as amazing as ever.

Happy Mother’s Day Mom! I thank the Lord for you! I didn’t quite grasp how much you (and Dad) loved me back then, but I get it now. Thanks for loving me/us the way you do. :-*

And finally, I’d like to send some virtual hugs and highfives to all you mommies out there, all over the world. Happy Mother’s Day! Enjoy this day darlings, you deserve it! :)

We Weren’t Joking Alright

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Two years ago, on April Fools Day, we announced on our Facebook wall that we were having twins. It sounded like something someone would post on April Fools, but we were overjoyed and we couldn’t wait until April 1 was over to share the news to our family and friends.

April Fools Joke -- NOT

“I know it must sound like a really good April Fools joke, but it’s for real, we’re having twins. We’re still recovering from the sweet surprise, thank you for including us in your prayers.”

It wasn’t an April Fools joke alright, but we still couldn’t help but laugh whenever we remember that moment we found out we were having twins.

We were in the ultrasound room of Delgado Memorial Hospital, when the sonographer on duty nonchalantly announced The single most life-changing news of our lives.

“Twins? Seriously?” my husband squeaked, “Are you really sure?” I remained still on the hospital bed, and my husband barraged the sonographer a bazillion questions I would have asked myself, except I was frozen and unable to say anything at all. He calmly explained to us what we were seeing on the ultrasound screen—two gestational sacs, one placenta, 5 weeks old.

“How did that happen?” my husband asked.
“Do you have twins in your family?” the sonographer asked us back.
“None in my family,” I answered. (That time, we didn’t know this yet.)
“Is that really possible?” My husband asked.
“Yes. It happens. Very rare, but it’s possible to have twins even if you don’t have it in your genes,” said the sonographer.

He answered a few more questions until we’re positively convinced that what we heard (and saw!) were true. Dazed, we went out of the ultrasound room, sat in the hospital lobby to wait for our ultrasound prints, and took some couple selfies that we later posted on Facebook. We then called my Mom, and then my husband’s father, who also couldn’t believe their ears.

The rest, as they say, is history.

They’re turning 18 months old this month, and wow do babies grow fast! It’s not at all easy to raise twins, and there are days when I feel so tired like I could sleep an entire week straight. The expenses are doubled, the responsibilities are doubled, and I sometimes wish 24 hours a day is doubled too. There’s never enough time for everything!

But what an awesome, awesome ride this is, and believe it or not I still sometimes whisper to my husband at night, “Do we really have twins sleeping in the bed with us?” He would smile and answer, “yes we do” to state the obvious, and we would drift off to sleep like that—smiling.

God wasn’t joking alright, when He called us to be the parents of these two, and we couldn’t be any more grateful for this sweet April Fools surprise God has played on us.

Best April Fools non-joke ever.