A Valentine's Beach Date

I'll be giving birth in two months, and Mike has been asking me to go to the beach since the beginning of the year. We both know that after I gave birth, I'll be on house arrest again, and my world will revolve around breastfeeding our newborn every two hours round-the-clock (for the first few months). So just in time for Valentine's Day, we decided to go.

We didn't want to travel that far since driving, plus taking care of a toddler and a pregnant wife would be too stressful for Mike, so we tried to look for beach options in Batangas. After checking and inquiring to some resorts in Calatagan, we still ended up with La Luz Beach Resort in Laiya, San Juan Batangas. Mike and I just loved the ambiance there, and even compared to some expensive resorts around the area, we still feel at home and closer to nature at La Luz.

Shiko enjoyed the beach more now compared to the last time that we were here (he was only one and a half year old then). He was also braver now to explore the surroundings around him. The best thing was, he was not attempting to eat the sand anymore, so it was not that hard keeping an eye on him while he was playing.

One of the reasons why we chose La Luz is because of the Valentine's Special Dinner that they were offering at that time. Mike was hesistant to join at first, as he was concerned that a romantic dinner by the beach might not be the best place for a toddler, and that we could distract other couples who want to have an intimate moment. But we still decided to try, and both agreed to just leave if Shiko would start making a scene. I saw how Shiko tried his best to cooperate (so proud of my baby!), and how Mike took the extra effort for us to enjoy the night. I was hoping that Shiko would fall asleep in Mike's arms so we could stay longer to enjoy the acoustic music and the cold breeze at the shore, but when he said, "Daddy, ayaw na tugtog... Bed na, antok na.." it was the signal that our date night was over and that we had to go back to our room.

So that is how a Valentine's Date with a toddler look like. Sure it wasn't the type of romantic moment that the other couples around us had, but my love tank was filled nonetheless. One thing I realized is, yes, romance and quality date nights should never be taken for granted no matter how short or long we have been married... but as the seasons in our marriage change, there comes a time when it's not just the great and grand romantic surprises that matters... but also the little sacrifices and efforts that we do for each other -- taking turns on who's going to get food first while the other one takes care of the child, taking turns on who's going to look after the child, so the other one could take a nap, or swim, jetski, or snorkle, taking turns on who's going to get up at 4am because the hungry toddler wants to eat an oatmeal cookie... it is those late night massages because husband was so tired working and helping out with the household chores... it is offering to take the toddler out for an early morning walk, so the pregnant wife could have an extra hour of sleep... it is allowing your husband to shut the door for a while because he could no longer stand the tantrums of the toddler... and the husband coming out later on, so he could allow her wife to breathe and  cry after dealing with a huge meltdown... It is giving up our own comfort and convenience once in a while so we could both keep our sanity.

Seasons in our marriage may change, but one of the things that hold us together aside from love, is being there for each other through whatever seasons and circumstances, and allowing God's grace to fill the areas where we both lack.

Here's a Vlog of Shiko's adventure at La Luz