Photo Credit: Wordplay

Happy birthday to my blog, dutdot.com. Happy birthday to me. Today marks my 2nd year in blogging at dutdot.com. The blog is two months older than my first born. I delivered my 1st baby on March 27, 2009 in Kuwait.

Looking back through the past two years, it was a roller-coaster of emotions for a new mom like me. Other than my hubby who stood up with my ups and downs, (trials and errors as a new mom, the period of being nannyless for over a year after giving birth, my work then in a company here in Kuwait which I had to leave or had to let me go, my doubts of putting off my work over my baby, and more), this blog has served well its purpose of being my sounding board. Like a personal coach, this blog has harnessed my talents in writing, in blogging, in making the most of myself – mostly as a mom, and as a business person.This blog witnessed how many times I had been torn between going back to the workforce – corporate world or remain as who I am now: a startup work-at-home mom; a startup founder. UNTIL I realized I didn’t need a job outside home.

We were nannyless, as I  said earlier, for over a year (and having a new baby then as a first time mom) was something that my powers weren’t prepared – overseas. I was even told by my hubby’s relative to just go home and find a nanny back home so I could work at the province. No. It’s not the life that I wanted for my family.

I have a job at home, and it’s not the wrong one for me. Isn’t it true that “life is too short for the wrong job“? In fact, I don’t call it a job. I call it a lifestyle. It’s only lately that I have embraced my new found calling – I now have a WAHM career. I have been doing my business for almost two years as a work-from-home mom, and I am venturing as well into other related fields such as affiliate marketing, and bringing to the next level my Internet marketing skills, but never did I consider it as my WAHM career. I thought then that having a career is something that one would just get at the corporate world. NO. The thought that I have a WAHM career has liberated me more than ever. Along with this is the realization that there’s purpose in what I am doing. More about this topic soon when my new Web site is ready…

…Two years of blogging at dutdot.com and counting!

Here’s to great life ahead. Cheers!

THE 31st LETTER

March 4, 2010 @ 3:26a.m.

Dear Baby,

You’re asleep, baby, and here’s Mommy at the table, tinkering the laptop and doing some research stuffs. I paused to write you a short letter. I felt so sorry for you that we went to Caribou Cafe, and we both inhaled the smoke emitted by those people who were smoking around us. Although we were seated in the non-smoking area, still, we both inhaled the smokes there. Mommy promises that it would never happen again; if we’re going to Caribou Cafe, we’d sit in the corner – away from the open space.

Mommy’s still wide awake at this hour. I just couldn’t sleep. My mind is racing over the business things that Mommy has to do. I know that you’re my priority, baby, so whenever I hear you cry, or whenever I feel that you want to play with Mommy, I do give up everything that preoccupies my mind and hands. Business things could wait at a later time. It would take perhaps another year before Mommy would finally take a full blast in the business.

I take this quote from Zig Ziglar as a guiding principle in Mommy’s life: As I look back now on my coaching career, I think of my family, I think of the days that we spent together. I say this to coaches everywhere: If you ever have a chance to take your kids with you, take them. Don’t miss that opportunity. Because when it’s all over and done with, when you look back, those are going to be your fondest memories….

Tonight, you have been a heavy sleeper. Mashallah. You only cried for two times, and you looked for Mommy in our bed, and you didn’t find me so you started crying even when Daddy was there beside you. Anyway, I pressed the bottle’s nipple into your mouth, and you sucked some milk and started to doze off. That’s when I returned to my blogging mode. Mommy tried to update the Now Reading widget, and I thought of putting the book “Writing a Children’s Book” by Pamela Cleaver in my list. That’s when I was directed to the author’s Web site where I learned that she was an only child. I read her full bio about how she grew up as an only child.

Photo Credit: SPTimes

Mommy was thinking out loud then, “how would you be doing in the future if you’re our only child?”I don’t know why I thought about that. In the past months though, I always had this nagging thought that, perhaps, there would be an only child (you) in our family. Remember, you came after almost six longish years. There are times, though, that I imagine how would life be if you have a baby brother. So technically, Mommy is thinking of having a second baby (a boy, God willing) but Mommy has, still, a lot of considerations. You’re too young to know them, but, I am sure that in due time, you’d ask me about these things. We’ll cross the bridge when we get there. For now, Daddy and Mommy are enjoying you as our only baby. Cheers!

As culled from Pamela’s Web site, “As an only child, books were my constant companions”, Mommy’s certain that you, too, will always have books as your companions. At a very young age of 4 months, you already showed that characteristic: you love to hold books, in particular, those heavy books of Daddy. Until now, your eyes beam whenever your hands could reach and grip books.

A few weeks from now, you’ll be turning ONE. That reminds me to gather the things that I should scatter around you and let you select the sole item that first catches your attention. I learned this from Mama when I heard from her that I picked up the ballpen when I turned one. I’m so excited about the thing that you’d choose. I am thinking of putting in our carpeted floor the following things: your laptop (real and not your toy laptop); your books; ballpens, toys, magazines, and other things that I would think of by then. We’ll see.

This is all for now, baby. Mommy’s eyes are already droopy. Play with you later.

iloveyou,

mommy

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