immediate or growing l.o.v.e.?

Mamma's Reflections 

When we found out we were expecting, the number of unsolicited suggestions/advice came down pouring on us. Apart from all the "oh, your life will never be the same" lines, we also got "As soon as you will hold the baby in your arms, you will feel overwhelmed with love and you will understand everything your parents have gone through." Uhm? Ok, so when I held Maya for the first time, tears came down. Sure, they were tears of happiness but I did not feel the "overwhelming love" that everyone kept talking about. Mamma's instinct had definitely kicked in, but the never-felt-before-love? Not so much.

In fact, when we got home, things went down hill.

Post partum kicked in.

Exhaustion from sleepless nights kept growing.

Cries would not stop.

Feedings were happening so often, that I did not feel human anymore.

Love? 

Ya right! Love was the last thing on my mind. 

All I wanted was for things to get back to the way they were. Normal. With a lot of sleep.

Instead, my life has been changed for ever, as all those premonitions had promised. But the rewarding feeling of love had yet to make its grand entrance.

7 MONTHS LATER...things are totally different.

I love Maya more now than I did 7 months ago.

My heart has expanded with every day that she has been in our lives, and the expected love has entered our lives little by little and it is growing every day.

Sometimes, I wonder how it is even possible to love so much, and care/worry/stress/work so much for a someone else. It is so true that the arrival of Maya has changed our lives....it has thought us a new level of love.

What's for dinner

We have been busy this week and I did not take too many pictures of the dinners we made.
Recently, however, I made this

{Soba Noodles with Chicken, Snow Peas, Grape Tomatoes and fresh Ginger}
We are big on cooking. I love to cook. It relaxes me. So when it comes to dinner, I don't see as a chore. It is almost me time. It allows my creativity to flow.
Soba Noodles are made with buckwheat. Thus, wholesome. Nutritious. Filling.  Just cook it like according to the package and toss it with your favorite protein and veggies ( I sauteed onions, snow peas and ginger in olive oil, and added the grape tomatoes at the end), and your favorite seasoning.
It is super easy!

What is new with Baby Maya

We went on a hike and a picnic last weekend. It was so much fun. A great way to show a curious baby what is going on around her. But it also a great way to get a good workout and spend time together.  This is where he hiked.
 

And this is us facing the last part of the hike.



Maya (and the stroller!) was such a trooper. 
 After the hike, we eat lunch.
This is what I had packed for the picnic.

Spicy Lemon Chicken Wraps.


I am currently on Weight Watchers, so I packed the portions according to
 our respective points allowance. Here my wrap.

I also packed Maya's sweet peas lunch so that she would eat at the same time we were.

Mamma's tip
If you go on a hike and are concerned about bugs, clip this to the stroller (not directly at the baby.)

It creates a barrier around the immediate vicinity and the bugs will not bother you. If you are on the move, it is a bit less efficient, but overall not a bad solution if you don't want to spray baby's bug spray. We also had the stroller's net, just in case.

Happy bug free hikes!