Mwagala Monday

Mwagala’s personality is developing everyday. She makes herself laugh and throws her head back as she does so. She complains when something does not go her way. She dances at the sound of a rhythm. She crawls up to me and says ‘Mama’ then once I’ve given her my full attention she holds her face up to mine and lingers as if to say “I love you’ (this is my favouriteJ).

Today it rained. Hard. Mwagala does not really like the rain. She was nursing when it started but she stopped nursing and held on to me. Then the hail started coming down. And my laptop happened to be in a dangerous place where the rain could get to it. So I put her down so that I could grab it and place it somewhere else. She was mad! And scared. I actually hadn’t realized how scared she was until she cried. My heart broke. That something as small as a rain storm could scare her reminded me that she needs me to reassure her sometimes. She doesn’t know what this world is all about and she needs me to help her realize that a rain storm is not so bad.

So I held her. I held her and rocked her to sleep. And she kept holding onto me until she was fast asleep. I will keep that moment in my heart. The moment when nothing else made her feel safe but me holding her in my arms. I’ll remember the way she looked at me while I assured her that everything was alright.

And I’ll always remember that she is a person. A little person with emotions that she may not fully understand but that need to be dealt with and that I need to be the one to help her figure them out.

Well, until she thinks she knows better J  

Ebinsanyusa :)

This post is late but better late than never right?

So this week ebinsanyusa:

• I got my push present on Monday – a new set of rings! I was sooo excited! I love them! My jeweller did a good job. 

• Mwagala has slept for 9 hours straight through the night 3 times so far and I’m very VERY happy about this. I discovered that even though she was playing a lot during the day she wasn't spending all her energy so now I make sure she is tired enough to sleep through the night. Tonight she even fell asleep without breast feeding. She just started dozing in her high chair. Hahaha! 

• The one thing I've always wished I could change was on me is my nails. They never grow long and if they do they break almost immediately. This week however my nails have grown longer than they ever have and they haven’t broken! I almost can’t recognize them :-)

Mwagala Monday

Mwagala is becoming more and more her own person. She recently discovered that she has a belly button so each time she gets excited she pulls up her dress to show it to you. Sometimes she’s wearing a onesie and she can’t see her belly button but she still tries to find it. It’s the cutest thing.

So at church one Sunday we sat next to a lady who had a big button on her blouse. Mwagala pointed at it and the lady told her it’s a button. To which Mwagala quickly raised her dress, pointed to her belly button and said ‘Butto’. I chuckled and quickly pulled down her dress but she kept trying to pull it up to expose her belly button and show it off to her new friend. It was cute. But I didn’t like the idea of her showing off her body parts to strangers. Am I weird? Oh well, this week I’m teaching her where her eyes and nose are. At least that way there will be no lifting of dresses and such. So far, each time I say ‘Eyes’ she pokes my eye. It’s a work in progress J

Spouse or children - which comes first?

For some time now I have heard this question being asked. Who is a priority - your spouse or your children? Most times this question is followed by comments on how one cannot begin to fathom how a woman can place her husband over her children. And most times I do not join in the debate. But today I will let you know what I think.

My husband is my priority. He always has and always will be. I started this with him – just us two. My daughter is part of our family but she has no stake in my marriage. That is between my husband and I. Now, I love my daughter very much and I really cannot compare the love a mother feels toward her child to the love I feel for my husband. They are different and are both very intense. But when it comes prioritizing I know that my daughter needs to grow up seeing her parents in a loving, selfless relationship. She must see that love gives unselfishly and that her parents think of each other as important. She must see that we are a team. A team in teaching her what life is all about. A team in loving her. A team in disciplining her. A strong united team. And I cannot do that if I think less of my husband. I must actively show her that I think her father is worth respecting and loving. That he is worth her admiration. Otherwise, if I place her above him we become a team against her father.

I know that many women will be amazed when they read this. Some may even label me a bad mother. I’ve heard people say that one can always find another spouse but your kids will always be yours. In my opinion, if you treat your spouse like he or she is replaceable then you will, most likely, be replaced. And isn’t that what is killing our marriages? The fact that we go in with an exit clause? We don’t expect it to last so we always look out for what will make if fail. It’s no longer a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. And so we turn our attention to our children. We do all we can to make sure they turn out right without giving much thought to our spouse. But we forget that when God made the family he intended the parents to be a strong united team. He had a plan. Don’t mess with it or it will mess with you.

I know that my parents love me. I know that I’m very important to them. But I also know – beyond the shadow of a doubt – that they value their relationship way above mine. And I’m glad I got to see that. I got to see that a man cherishes and loves his wife – just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for it. My parents’ relationship made me feel secure. And I want that for my kids.

My marriage must be strong for my family to be strong.