A good day is all we need

I get up of bed one morning, my tiniest toe gets stubbed against a wall, and I hit my head hard against the bedpost upon stooping down to check said toe. This doesn't feel like the beginning of a great day. An ego boost was served during lunch, when a couple of distant relatives showed no restraint in telling me I got "fat and frumpy"... or in tagalog "tumaba at nalosyang". Never mind that the last time they saw me I was a skinny 16-year-old with mantis limbs and XS denim jeans. C'mon!! Who stays that way after 10 years!! Even Twiggy garnered some flesh here and there. Wanting to liven up my mood, I tried to cook a nice meal for myself (grilled veggies and tortilla). It took only one quick slice on my teeny tiny kitchen knife for me to realize that SOMEBODY sharpened them to perfection. Holding my severed limb , bleeding finger under the faucet, I reach for my cellphone and called the doctor, my husband. In between sobs, I told him I cut myself, I'm fat, and my throbbing toe is killing me. He must've sensed how low my spirits are because he did not dare laugh. He consoled me like the sweetheart that he is. I forgot what he said exactly, but it was about how awesome I am and he can't wait to get home to give me a hug. 

That being said, my BAD day did not stop there. All day long, I was dropping pans, tripping on my own legs (yes I'm THAT clumsy), skidding over spilled fruit juice. I was accidentally sucker punched in the gut, courtesy of the little dumpling... AND a huge pimple grew on my nose! I swear it wasn't there the day before!

I guess every one has had  a day when they feel like everything that could possibly go wrong did go wrong. Yesterday was THAT day for me.

But TODAY...

Today the little dumpling tried my vegetable fritata for breakfast (SERIOUSLY? NO white bread and nutella this morning???).

Alighting a cab, he waved at the driver and said "Bye! See you!" I could feel my cheeks flush with pride. (My son is 3 and a half but rarely talks, especially to other people... so you could guess how badly my eyes wanted to well up when I heard him say bye to a stranger)

He had a good day in school. Teacher says he was very good and attentive. Teacher introduced her son as the dumpling's playmate/classmate to facilitate interaction with other kids... and the little dumpling accepted his new playmate and played games with him. I wish I could have seen that!

AND. AND!!!

I have given up on potty training for a few weeks now. I figured it's one stressmaker I can tick off my list for now to make way for other more pressing concerns. I figured he will lose the nappy when he's ready. (I didn't mean for that to rhyme!) But just before bedtime, I saw him enter the bathroom... a little interrogation is all I needed to do to find out why he was there.

Yep. He said "poo-poo"... in the smallest, cutest voice you could imagine. To be actually there... in that moment, when my poop-machine child metamorphoses into a tiny person in charge of his own bowel.. it made me cry. We're not ready to lose the nappy yet, but I have a feeling we will get there soon.

In my world, this day trumps all the bad days of stubbed toes, severed limbs, and nose zits. It was as mundane and plain as any SAHM's day could be. But the little things, this little miracles and moments when I see snippets of him growing into the man he will soon become.. This is what makes every sucker punch worth it.