Why travelling is good for your family

Our family travels.  A lot.  We have travelled more when the kids were born compared to when it was just the two of us.

True, travelling with little kids is not exactly a walk in the park.  But, every time we travel, the whole 24 hours of each day is spent with each other.  We do not have to go to work, our daughter does not have to go to school.  Our time is focused on each other, sharing experiences, finding joy in the littlest of things.

Travelling is our way of bonding with each other.  Travelling helps us create more memories with our kids.  Travelling exposes them to different cultures, different food, different races and nationalities.  It also teaches them flexibilty.  They can adjust to any situation without difficulty.

Because our kids have been travelling since they were young, they have never had crying moments on the plane. In fact, they enjoy travelling.  They enjoy the time we spend together. They enjoy looking at pictures of our trips, especially pictures of when they were younger.  They like the idea that they were there with us on all those trips. Sure, they may not remember everything they experienced on those trips, but when they see themselves in those pictures, they also smile and feel good.  They know that they were part of the experience.

But for me, the best part of travelling is seeing the excitement on your kids' faces when they see new things, experience new places, try new food.  Travelling is an experience and learning not only for the kids, but for the parents as well.

So, travel with your kids.  It will never be a waste.  Look past the packing and unpacking, but on the time spent together. You will not regret it.

A blessing or a struggle?

Today, as we celebrate our seventh wedding anniversary, I come to the realization that we have come a long way.

We started our married life overseas, away from family and friends.  It was okay at first, when it was just the two of us.  But, once the kids came, I used to always think that I was at a disadvantage compared to the locals because we did not have our families to help us.  It was made especially hard because we didn't know how we would balance work and taking care of our tiny humans.  

I used to envy my friends because they can leave their little ones with their parents and just pick them up after work, while I did not have that option.  It takes a village to raise a child.  But my village consisted of two people, myself and the hubby.  Sure, we had a helper in the house.  But, it is hard to leave your little one with a stranger you know nothing about.

So, despite now being a village of 3 people, we still did most of the caring for the child between the two of us.  Believe me, the struggle is real.  The stress is real!  When you're at work, your mind is preoccupied thinking how your little one is doing.  When you get home, you have to express milk, let the baby latch on, do the laundry, sterilize bottles, shower the baby, and do chores and feed yourself.

But now, as I look back at the last seven years, I feel blessed to have done it without our extended families for the most part.  This made our family closer to each other. 

This made days off cherished moments together.  This made us excited to come home at the end of the day just to be together as a family.  This made every time together a happy one.This made us look forward to spending time with each other after a long day.

Our work schedules also do not follow the normal 9-5 routine, so every time we have a semblance of a normal work schedule, we savor each moment.  And because it is just the four of us for the better part of the year ( our families do visit from time to time), this experience has really made our family grow emotionally.

Everything is done as a unit of four.  Our world revolves around each other.  We only had to adjust to each other's quirks, no one else's.  We also always still find new things to do together as a family.

What used to be a struggle, is actually now a blessing.  And I am thankful for that. We also became stronger people because of this experience, and I wouldn't trade it for anything!

My breastfeeding journey

After 6 years and 11 months, my breastfeeding journey has come to an end.  

I started breastfeeding immediately after I delivered baby J back in October 2012.  I breastfed her even when I was pregnant with baby A.  Baby J only stopped breastfeeding when I was nearing my third trimester of pregnancy.

Now, baby A has finally stopped breastfeeding, after 37 months.  For the last three nights, baby A has not asked to latch on.  My breastfeeding journey has finally ended. 

 Before baby A turned 3 years old, I was already telling her that we will stop our breastfeeding journey after her third birthday. She would always say yes. But when her birthday came, and she still asked to latch on, I knew I had to continue. After all, people always said it is best when kids self-wean. So, every night for the month after her third birthday, she would still latch on.  But surprisingly, the night she turned 3 years and one month, she just slept without asking to latch on. It has been that way ever since.

So, how do I feel? I feel both sad and relieved at the same time. I feel relieved because my body is my own again. I can finally sleep continuously at night without having to raise my shirt for my baby to latch on. But, I also feel sad. I feel sad because we won’t be sharing that bonding experience anymore, an experience that only the two of us share every night. I feel sad because I have to tell myself that I no longer have a baby. She is now my little girl. 

It has been a wonderful journey for me. I feel lucky that I was able to breastfeed my girls for so long. I feel lucky that I never had any milk supply  issues.  But most of all, I feel lucky that this experience has created a very close bond between me and my girls. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world!