First Birthday Present To Our Baby

Greetings from Japan! The long awaited day is here! Baby Liv is one year old today and we are currently in Hokkaido to celebrate her first birthday. (She is loving the cold weather here!) Not that she can recall of, but S and I promised we would share with her these memories that were also part of hers in the form of videos and photos when she is older. (:

Konichiwa!

Very often, I would watch Liv while she is fast asleep because looking at her brings back the memories of her for the past year. I have witnessed her roll over for the first time, wave her hands for the first time, ate her food on her own for the first time.. She is growing up fast, it felt like I was pregnant with her not long ago...

I remember somewhere around week 16 of my pregnancy, I started feeling small fluttering movements in my tummy. It felt like my stomach was grumbling, as though it was digesting the food I just had. Liv's movements became more apparent to me as days went by. On some days, I would let out an "Ouch!" instantaneously. And on some nights, I would be jostled awake. Her strong karate jabs and somersaults could sometimes hurt a little but they were assuring. It was as if she was using her movements to tell me, "Mommy, I'm strong and healthy, so please do not worry." S was equally excited over her movements too. We spent every night before bed to sing and talk to her. We would gently massage my belly, hoping to feel her little elbow or knee against our palms. Sometimes if we were lucky, we probably got what it felt like a fist bump from her. The movement of life inside a mother-to-be can be the most amazing feeling she can never forget. It was a kind of indescribable bonding with my unborn baby then. (:

A day before Liv's estimated due date, she decided that she was ready to meet mom and dad. A sudden sharp pain hit me while I was sleeping. It was nothing like the usual braxton hicks I had been experiencing in the last few gestation weeks. Right then, I understood what mothers meant when they said "you'll know it when it is the real deal." Don't bother asking anyone or looking up the internet on how real labor pain feels like because it's true, I knew I was in labor when the contractions started! I could barely walk when the contractions became more regular. I was huffing and puffing with every step I took. They were way more painful than any sort of stomach cramps that I have experienced. But thank God for a considerably short labour. Well, a little fast that S and I were unable to react. >.< Baby was delivered minutes after I was told to start pushing! Liv probably felt the same way too because she looked kind of bewildered by the sudden change of environment. *laugh* One thing for sure was that she seemed to sense our presence, her cry ceased as soon as we received her from the nurse. I cradled her in my arms, her tiny body against mine. I took in her baby scent and our eyes finally met each other for the first time. At that moment, the world around me seems to come to a pause. I have been waiting to see her all these while. I used to look at her ultrasound pictures everyday, picturing her over and over again. The lips of mine, the nose of S... "She's so beautiful", I thought to myself. It was indeed love at first sight. Nine months of pregnancy related discomfort and the intense pain during labor did not matter anymore because Liv is worth it all..

"Being a young mom means that we met a little early, but it also means that I get to love you a little longer."

Today, my tummy is no longer firm and flat, neither is my hip small enough to fit into a size 0 again. But no one can bring me down by shaming me of my saggy tummy and widened hip because it is a new shape with a purpose. I love my current body more than ever and I am not shy to say that I am proud of it. It has created a new life, a miracle that I called "my child". So do all the mothers, don't feel upset nor ashamed of your postpartum body. They once provided the best environment for our babies to grow, they are beautiful. (:

Something to share with all of you, and eventually to Liv..

Our 1st birthday present to our little girl this December...

Happy 1st birthday, Liv.

With Love, 

Mom & Dad