your toughest parenting challenge: being married at the same time. (don't worry, my mahal is looking over my shoulder while I type) .
hey.. you people who married before us- why didn't you tell us how marriage combined with kids was going to be so challenging?
your favorite parenting moment: for AJ: when he was a baby, watching him smile or giggle as he slept.
for Jasmine: when she smiles at me as soon as I come home from work. i know her smile is for me.
something you wish you go could go back and do over: not work in the hospital w/infectious patients prior to AJ's birth; they said his glaucoma is not something I could have prevented - but still... you never know.
also: not go back to work 6 weeks after AJ's delivery; although Auntie helped us (and I am forever grateful), that time that I didn't spend with AJ is something I have always regretted.
best piece of parenting advise you've ever received: sleep.
i try to get sleep but it sure is hard. my sleep cycle has been messed up since I was pregnant with AJ.... hmm~that would be approximately 5 years now.
favorite way to stay connected: my mahal, AJ, & I don't go a single day without saying ' i love you' in some form.
...we also are very comfortable with farting and discussing farts.
quality you most hope to instill in your child: to love...to connect. life is short - to love is an all encompassing quality that leads you to all other good qualities. I also hope this quality for myself.
also to be passionate and confident.. despite my parenting skills which I know can be overcautious and overbearing.
your child's bedtime routine: AJ will ask 'is it 10 yet?' if it's 10, he will get ready to sleep. brush teeth, eyedrops, and cartoons.
your secret managing-a-meltdown trick: for AJ: his crying tantrums are just like mine when I was a kid... so I think about what would help me if I was having a crying tantrum - a tight hug and soothing voice.
for Jasmine: food
something that surprised you most: how much AJ has soaked up between the ages of 2 to 4. so much to learn.. i'm surprised by what he has learned from other people.. not me. example: he talks about planets and disneyworld.. days of the week, etc. etc. etc. things that I don't remember teaching him. thank you for early childhood education.
before I became a parent I never knew: how reflective of my life I would be.
I think back to memories in my childhood that I want my kids to experience.
I think about relatives who have passed away: how do you think I turned out?
I think about all the things I want to do or accomplish before my time on this earth is done.
I think about ... at this point in my life- am I where I want to be.. who I want to be, if not how do I get there? am I the person that I want my kids to think I am?
also...now that I am a parent - I can see my parents as more than their roles as my parents .... kinda weird all this insight. I have a better understanding of them and also of myself. before I became a parent, I don't think I knew how much my parents love me. if my parents love me as much as i love my kids - wow.
favorite sunday morning routine: it varies ...but it always involves cartoons.
