i am a mother. 

the weight of this word is so heavy i cannot begin to tell you what a big responsibility that is. as a newbie mom on the day i turned 38 (yes, my son and i share the same date of birth), i have since discovered that rearing a child is probably one of the most challenging tasks a person can ever be given.

and so my task of raising my child began almost two years ago and i begin to share with you my musings, travails, boo-boos, delight, discoveries, and everything else that comes in between.

puya means child in capiz, where my mother hails from. in the cycle that is life, this is likewise a tribute to how i was raised by my mother and how it has influenced my own parenting style. and, how we contradict each other since the day i found out i was pregnant and the unending battle of principles, traditions, superstitions that has since plagued our mother-daughter relationship that has, thankfully, always ended in conflict resolution amidst some tears and tension. 

i called my mother nanay. my son calls me mommy. no difference at all.