2 months

Time seems to be flying so fast when you have a toddler who's about to turn three and a sweet baby to occupy your days.  My angel, Charlize Ann is now 2 months old!  To celebrate, I cooked spaghetti (which was consumed by Kuya Adam with gusto) and bought a chocolate cake.

Christmas 2011

Merry CHRISTmas to all!  May you have the joy and peace that can only be achieved from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the life and light through Him who is forever faithful!  Always remember, everyday is CHRISTmas because of what CHRIST  did for us.  May God bless us all in the coming new year too!

Back to Work

Tomorrow, I am reporting back to work after two months of maternity leave.  Time seems to fly so fast.  I hope my mom and sisters would be able to care for Izzy and Adam while I am at work because I still have yet to find a nanny.

Everyday is a Miracle

Having a baby (even if it's already your second) really makes you discover new things about yourself and the changes that you have gone through either by choice or by circumstance.  What's even more enlightening is the fact that you are now living the life that you have dreamt of when you were younger.  Isn't that a miracle?  Here you are trying to achieve your goals and aspirations in life, praying that the realization of your dreams come soon and then before you know it, there it is... Now I feel so complete, I have a loving, generous and caring husband, a very active, intelligent, talented and good-looking son, and now a perfect princess ~ my daughter.

  Today, Izzy (that's what I want to call my princess) had her first check-up with her pediatrician.  So far, her she has gained weight: she's now 4 Kg.!  She'll be starting her vitamins by next week and her next appointment with her pedia is on the 30th for her Hepa B 2nd dose.  Haay, life is so amazing talaga... I went through all these with Adam but now that we're starting from scratch with a new baby, it still seems so refreshingly new.

The Day our Princess Came

It has been quite an ordeal, going through this second pregnancy... Maybe I was just not expecting my second experience at being preggers to be that much different from my first, but the pain and emotional rollercoaster really took it's toll on me.  So, by the time I reached my eighth month I was so ready and willing to give birth already.  But of course, I still had to weight a few more weeks... and so I did but entering my 9th month, I already went on maternity leave.  I just couldn't go to work anymore with the pain I was feeling plus the frequent cramps I was experiencing at that time.  I stayed at my parents' home while waiting for my due date, which I spent embroidering my baby's name on her blankets and diapers.

October 26

  I was wishing and praying that this would be the day... but nothing happened.

October 28

  Please Lord, let it be today or before October ends... I just can't endure the wait any longer...

October 29

   I almost can't even get up to pee... The pain just seems to be getting worse!  Today's my Aunt Lily's birthday but I just couldn't leave the house.  At around 6:00 in the evening, I drank lots of water and told my mom I'm going to sleep early.  It was already 8:30 PM when my hubby woke me up to have dinner but I said I didn't feel like eating so I just had a couple more glasses of water then went back to sleep.

October 30
   At around 12:45 AM I got up to go to the comfort room.  I also splashed water on my face because I felt really hot and then went back to bed.  I couldn't go back to sleep though... I kept tossing and turning until I gave up trying to sleep and tried to read a book instead.  After a couple of pages, I got up to have another glass of water and then went to the living room to watch a TV.  It was already 2:00 AM when I felt the first contraction... I timed the intervals and when they were coming too quickly after one another, I woke up my husband and parents and we all went to the hospital.  I was admitted to the Emergency Room of Olivarez General Hospital at 2:59AM.  My water broke when they performed IE on me and the contractions kept becoming more and more frequent.  They couldn't properly IV me so they just sent me to the OR so the anesthesiologist would be the one to do it.  My OB arrived at around 3:15 AM and at about the same time I heard them say that my contractions are too frequent and long already that it was too late for an epidural.  I think I just got a shot in my arm for the pain because the rest was just a blur after that...

Next thing I know... I am being wheeled in to my room and was being instructed to rest up so my baby could room in with me by the next day.  It really is quite an overwhelming feeling when you get to hold your baby for the first time... It's like being introduced to your purpose in life... here she is, Charlize Ann Yadao, a very welcome addition to our family...

Charlize was born on October 30, 2011 at 3:31AM weighing 3.23 kilograms with a length of 50 cm.

Wazzup?

2 months and no posts... that's what a difficult pregnancy and being busy at work does to you...

There are of course moments during my bedrest that I could have written something just to update this blog but I seem to have lost the will-power to do so... Anyway, I a couple or so weeks away from starting my maternity leave at work and I still have a kilometer's worth of lists to attend to before giving birth...  There's doing the laundry and ironing of baby's clothes that I have been given or have bought over the past couple of weeks; there's buying the baby stuff I would be needing and don't have yet; there's figuring out who's gonna be taking care of Adam during my hospital stay; and a lot of other stuff that I can't seem to figure out when I'm going to do and how I'm going to go about it.  Who knows when my next post is going to be... maybe a month or so after I have already given birth (let's cross our fingers) or maybe much longer than that...

Coping

Looks like I'll be doing one post a month again... I just came from a couple of weeks of complete bedrest as ordered by my OB and I'm at a loss as to how I'm going to deal with the mountain of work that was piled on my desk while I was "out".  There's also hubby's change of work to take into consideration... I'm just thankful that I have a very supportive mother-in-law who has been quite a huge help in the financial department.  And of course, I wouldn't be able to cope if it weren't for my parents and youngest sister, Mae, who takes care of my little prince when I can't.  Thank God for blessings like a supportive family, without which I wouldn't know what to do!

Troubles

Lately, I have been looking for the right words... the strength... the time... to be able to put into writing the quite busy and trouble-laden weeks that has been plaguing me.  First, I am having quite a difficult pregnancy and although I have been advised by my OB to take a leave of absence from my work, I just can't.  Short of someone offering us financial assistance, hubby and I just can't afford a month or so of me not having any form of income at all.  We are barely able to save up for my forthcoming delivery from both our monthly income as it is that I just can't imagine how we can survive if go on leave now.  So that's that... I can't complain about having work because it's a blessing that both hubby and I have jobs when others don't, I just pray everything's going to be alright with baby #2.  See the thing is I have a low-lying placenta and... well to make the long explanation short, it is causing me pain and I have to take meds and all that... and hopefully my condition will improve soon!  And then, just when I am having difficulty moving around like I did before, Adam got sick, and was cranky and wanted to be carried all the time.  Of course, I can't carry him for more that a minute or so, so I had to ask my hubby and sister to do it for me but Adam wouldn't have it that way so he got even more cranky and short of just breaking down and crying with him, I had to be more creative in keeping him entertained while he was still feeling sick.  Oh, and of course between me and Adam having to take meds, it only means even more expenses...  *sigh* even writing about it makes me exhausted... I just pray these troubles go away soon!

First Ultrasound

I had my first ultrasound at sixteen weeks, the gender couldn't be determined yet so I guess I would have to be patient a little longer and wait for my next ultrasound to be performed... I am really praying for a baby girl but another baby boy would, of course, be so welcomed also.

5 Years!

Happy Anniversary Honey!

Pichi-pichi

Since my first taste of Amber's Pichi-pichi with cheese about a year and a half ago, I have always compared other pichi-pichi to it.  So far, I haven't tasted any that would surpass the cheese-topped goodies that come from Amber's.  And I am super thankful that Amber's opened a branch very near our place in Parañaque.  So now, whenever I get the craving for their delectable pichi-pichi, I wouldn't have to go far.  Just this Monday, after office, hubby and I went to Amber's to get 30-piece-box to enjoy for merienda.  We got to share it with Adam, my niece-Cheska, and my parents.  The kids loved it so much that we had to stop them from eating too much or they will ruin their appetite for dinner.

The Graduate

My youngest sister graduated last Wednesday, March 30 with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. I must say, that it was quite a happy moment for the whole family since Mae, has been hard at work and study at the same time for almost two years now. She started out as a full time student her first two years of college and then became part of the Jollibee SEEDS Program that enabled her to work, study and earn a bit at the same time. Both my parents has been retired for almost three years now, so aside from the 12,000 per semester shouldered by Jollibee, we have to come up with the rest of the money that is needed to complete her tuition fee. I am fortunate enough to have been able to contribute enough financial and moral support to my very industrious sister who is now a full-pledged graduate! So you may understand how ecstatic I am that we have hurdled the worst, and she would now be able to support herself and maybe help out with my parents' household needs. I love you, Mae, we are so proud of you!

After the graduation rites, we celebrated with a monster meal delivery from Shakey's.  We were all so hungry but we didn't get to finish all of it even though the food was tasty.  Maybe we're just too tired or maybe there was just too much food. :))

Gatadobo

A while back a friend gifted me with this delectable dish from a restaurant called Coconut House.  Since then, I have been wanting to visit the said establishment if only to get another dose of the tasty Adobo with gata but I have not had the opportunity to go there.  The craving was renewed however when I got to watch a feature from Carmina and Pekto's show, Day Off.  The Coconut house was recommended as one of the must try places when dining out.  Now, I also want to try their coco halo-halo... hmmm, hopefully, I'd be able to finally visit this restaurant this summer and try their mouth-watering goodies!

All Day Sickness

While I was preggy with Adam, I didn't get to experience what most of my friends and relatives said they did while they were pregnant - morning sickness.  So, these days I'm thinking "be careful what you wish for..."  It's not like I wished for it, I sort of just shrugged at them when they were saying that it was hard for them to wake up in the morning because you feel like you're going to throw up any second... Well, here it is... and worse, because I also feel it in the afternoon and sometimes at night!

The solution:  Currently eating small but frequent meals; I always have saltines and/or hard candies in my bag; and I take 5-minute naps whenever I get overpowered by drowsiness.  Hopefully, I would be able to overcome this stage really soon because it is quite a damper on the happiness of being pregnant, not to mention, it becomes a hassle when I have to attend to Adam but I feel so sick to do so. :(

While I Was Out

It's almost a month since my last post and I have been dying to write about what's been happening to me these past few weeks...  I'll just have to compress everything into one short post for now because I am still reeling with the flurry of activity that has been my world lately.

First, let me start with a big, happy bit of news:  I'm pregnant!  Yes, baby #2 is on the way... I am now 7 weeks pregnant and counting.

The thing is, I have been suffering from asthma attacks again.  I even developed skin allergies from I don't know what, a couple of days back and had to take my anti-allergy meds again.  That's something I haven't done for a couple of years now, so it was quite a surprise to me.  There's this constant feeling of nausea and drowsiness that I didn't experience while I was pregnant with Adam before.  I have gained almost a kilo of weight already and I haven't even reached my 2nd month of pregnancy!  I'm scheduled to have my first ultrasound next week so...

In the office, a transfer of offices has been already announced and I have to carefully pack and label everything before the big move.  I don't have a secretary/clerk to assist me so I have to do all these on my own.  It's a good thing that the office I'm moving to is just a couple of doors away from my current one so it's not going to be a huge adjustment, but still, the amount of documents I need to transfer is quite a lot and the office I'm moving to is relatively smaller so it's going to be a challenge to fit everything into my new space.

As for my talkative, active baby boy, Adam, he's just a little fireball that keeps me going.  Currently, he's into games in the I-touch like "Traffic Rush", "Sniper Strike", "Cops and Robbers", "Tower Bloxx", and "Pig Rush".  While Pororo, Pocoyo, Handy Manny and Cars are the cartoons he never tires of watching.  He's more conversational lately although some of his words, you'd have to strain your ears and imagination before you can understand.  Like one time he kept asking for "Picky Caws" when he was actually asking for his "Mickey Mouse" stuffed toy.  Then there was one time he said he wanted to eat "Pochik" when he wanted to eat "Pork Steak".  But most of the time we can understand him and is very talkative...

Well, I guess that's all the update I can give right now.  Hopefully I'd be able to post soon and report more often but I can't really say anything for sure these days.

Happy Hearts Day

Today marks "the feast of hearts".  We commemorate love and affection almost everyday but today especially... call it riding the commercial wagon, call it corny, call it whatever you want.  But I enjoy seeing lots of people celebrating their love, so this is one of my favorite days of the year.  Where you see heart decorations almost everywhere and you get sweets from your loved ones.  This year's sobrang cheesy gift by my hubby is a short AVP he posted on Facebook.  He says he didn't get to put as much time and effort to it as he wants due to his work (and probably my using the computer every chance that I get).  But it doesn't matter how short or long the time he spent working on this, it's definitely the thought that counts!

It's his rest day today and he usually picks me up from work on Mondays, so we'll see what else he has in store for us this Valentine's day.

Manila Zoo

It has been over a decade since my last trip to Manila Zoo so I was excited both for my son (who will see it for the first time) and for me too. I have been hearing good reviews of the renovations for this place that I have been wanting to visit for the longest time. Hubby and I were awake and getting ready for the trip as early as 7AM, unfortunately, we let Adam sleep late the night before so he woke up late (9AM), as a result, it was already past 10AM when we left the house. My mom, dad, youngest sister, Mae and my neice, Cheska, went with us on our "field trip".

Anyway, the trip itself was quick enough since it was a weekday and we didn't encounter that much traffic. Manila Zoo was... well, a bit disappointing for me since I was expecting a much improved place, but that's just me... what's important is that Adam loved seeing the animals for the first time (well, most of them, he saw for the first time) instead of just looking at them in his picture books or seeing them on TV and videos. He almost threw a tantrum though, when the "bebra" (his way of saying zebra) didn't come out in the open. It was the one animal he really wanted to see in person but Adam had bend over the fence just to get a peek. Good thing when went over to the tigers cage, they were roaring and moving around... he really enjoyed that and didn't want to go to see the other animals anymore. He loved hearing the tigers loud roars (while I was scared just hearing one roar) and even imitated them. We stayed in front of the tigers' cage for a good twenty minutes. The only reason Adam lost interest was when Charlie bought him a monkey stuffed toy from a vendor nearby. Adam hung the monkey around his neck even as we gave him his milk while sitting in one of the benches inside the park.

After the "field trip" we went to Congo Grille at SM Mall of Asia for a super late lunch and also to celebrate my youngest sister's birthday. We were supposed to go on the "Cruise" of Manila Bay right behind MOA but the kids were all tired out already so decided to postpone it to a later date. We passed by Dampa instead to buy prawns (my sister's favorite) which we later cooked in lemon butter sauce and ate to our belly's content for dinner.

P.S.

Kiong Hee Huat Tsai!

Adam @ 2 yrs.

Like I've mentioned before, we ditched the big party idea for my son's 2nd birthday.  Instead, I cooked spaghetti and we had cake and ice cream for my baby on the 26th and then we went on a "family day field trip" on the 28th.

The little boy woke up with a smile on his face as we were singing happy birthday to him the night before and he was super excited to blow the candles on his cake.

As soon as the spaghetti was cooked, we dug in right away...

The birthday celebrant ate lots! *syempre spaghetti's one of his favorites these days*

And then Tita Mae, lighted the candles on the birthday boy's cake *notice that the boy is already trying to blow them out even before we finished lighting the candles*

And then of course, we had to help him blow out the candles or they will melt until there's nothing to blow anymore.  But he asked to do it again (light the candles and blow them out) three times.  The only reason he stopped asking to do it over is when we told him it was time to eat the cake!

Oh, and he had to help cutting the cake, because no one's allowed to touch much less to eat the cake if he's not the one serving, hahaha!

It doesn't matter that there was more cake on his chin and cheeks *and on the floor* basta big boy na sya so sya na lang daw kakain on his own.

And after the feeding frenzy, we went to hear mass.

Soon as we stepped back home, he asked for ice cream!

And here's the birthday boy clowning around for the camera.

And here he is again, holding one of his favorite gifts *this one's from me*, a pillow in the image of his new favorite cartoon character, Lightning McQueen.

Note: Pictures and kwento about the field trip to follow.

Family First

I have always envied my friends who are SAHMs, I feel they are able to maximize their quality time with their kids, not to mention be there to witness practically every milestone of their children's life. This is one of my frustrations... not being financially able to quit my job and leave the earning part to my husband. I am very thankful for having a good-paying job and for having a husband who works hard and is very responsible. I am also grateful for having a family who takes care of my little boy while my husband and I work. I am specially appreciative of the blessing that is my son. I just pray that in the future, we would be able to afford to live on my husband's earnings so I could concentrate on being a mother and a housewife. Having said that, I apologize to my former classmates who never tires in inviting me to get-togethers and reunions. Sorry for always declining... It's just that I have very few free time and these precious moments, I really want to spend with my baby. I do have a social life, it's just that they're limited to workout time or after-office "chikahan" over coffee with my friends and co-workers. I have never been an extrovert, even as a teenager, I have always preferred being at home, playing couch-potato or tinkering over an art project. I guess I'm what you'd call a homebody... it's what makes me happy. I don't fit in in crowded, noisy places. I very seldom have the desire to dress up and go to parties and on the rare occassion that I attend an event, I do so just to see and be able to catch up with old friends. This is who I am, I do miss my college buddies, high school barkada and gradeschool friends, but given the choice whether to spend the weekend going to a restaurant to meet former classmates or cozy up with my son, hubby, a DVD movie and a bucket of popcorn... I'd choose the latter.

Change of Plans

It's official... we're ditching the party idea for Adam's 2nd Birthday celebration and treating him to a family "field trip" instead... He hasn't been to the Manila Zoo, so we're bringing him there.  And then the whole family is going to eat out wherever we feel like it...  The decision was made last weekend when we found out my youngest sister needed money for school.  I just feel so wasteful to spend the money for a one day affair when someone I love needs it for something that will last her a lifetime.  So, I talked to hubby and we agreed that since, Adam got the big party bash for his 1st Birthday, we're going to celebrate in a more subtle way this year.  This way, I know Adam would be able to appreciate the trip more, plus we'd be able to give my sister a more meaningful gift.  By the way, my sister, Mae, is already in her last year of college and she's celebrating her 19th birthday on the 28th of January!

Don't Quit

I just want to share this poem I found in a ceramic decor in my mom's house...

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about,

When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don't give up though the pace seems slow--

You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,

It seems to a faint and faltering man,

Often the struggler has given up,

When he might have captured the victor's cup,

And he learned too late when the night slipped down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far,

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--

It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Comfort Food

Saturday morning turned out to be busier than usual... Hubby wasn't able to go to work due to fever and severe headache so before doing my usual Saturday chore, which happens to be tackling the laundry, I cooked breakfast for him first. It's a variation of a recipe I found from Miss Connie's website. This time, I just did the usual omelet instead of "cupcakes".

Then for lunch, I brought hubby to a recent discovery... Sen Lek Thai Noodles. We feasted on steaming hot bowls of Thai noodles before he took his medicines.

And then in the afternoon, as we are about to go shopping for Adam's diapers and stuff, the little boy asked to eat burger amd spaghetti from his favorite fastfood... McDonald's. Of course he had to order spaghetti and burger and also a hot fudge sundae... oh, and fries too! 

All in all, this day has proved to be a day of comfort food for the whole family.

Picture Books

I tried to expose Adam to picture books as early as he was only 10 months old.  His current favorite is a 4-piece set I bought from Toy Kingdom last September (2010).  I guess exposing him at an early age is paying off now that he's almost two years old because he can identify most pictures or objects when pointed out to him and sometimes he even corrects his cousins when they identify pictures or colors incorrectly.  Here's a video of how he "reads" a couple of his books and show his kakulitan in the process.

Weekend

Weekends these days aren't really as relaxed... Since I don't have help, I do the laundry on Saturday mornings and attend to Adam the rest of the day. When Adam wasn't walking yet, it was easier, but now that he's really mobile, we very seldom spend it lazing around in the house, enjoying the quiet time. These days, even when we are watching a video of his favorite toons (Pocoyo, Handy Manny & Mickey Mouse Clubhouse), he would say "Mommy, bas tayo" or "Mommy, walk tayo bas". And you have to either keep him busy with something else or succumb to the call of the outside because he wouldn't stop asking. Sunday mornings, I spend ironing my and charlie's uniforms then it's family bonding time once again. But as I watch "my boys" goofing around or just sitting together, I feel like our weekend time together is always "bitin". How I wish I could spend more time with my hubby and son...

Biggest Loser

Yesterday marked the first day of our "biggest loser" program at the office.  Actually it's not really an office thing, but together with a few officemates, I started working on my weight loss project.  The motivation for all of us (aside from the health benefits, of course) is the pot money.  Each person who decided to join the "biggest loser" thingie agreed to give a certain amount of money which would be the price for whoever loses the most weight after 3 months.  We had our "official initial weigh in" yesterday and our "official weigh in results" would be taken on April 7, 2011.  The premise is that we would have workouts as a group every Tuesdays and Thursdays after office hours but the rest is up to you.  Whether you want to work out on your own and accompany it with a diet that best suits you is all in your hands.  We had a fun and sweaty workout yesterday and everyone who joined (not all included in the picture above) is looking forward to the next "session"!

Countdown

In 20 days, my son, Adam, is going to turn two years old.  A small celebration is already in the making (and has actually been in the making for about a month already).  But more than the day itself, just the experience of being a mom to this fireball that is my son is quite a day-to-day momentous event.  It really is quite amazing how babies grow so fast and absorb so much information in so little time that you sometimes get breathless when you think about it.  In a blink of an eye, he's already 2!

This talkative and hyperactive boy is the love of my life.  He can be quite a handful at times but I guess that's just normal for kids.  His tantrums sometimes almost brings me to tears and the times he got sick caused my heart to break, but just a smile from him makes it all worthwhile.

Optimistic

I want to start the year right, I want to be able to blog more yet work as efficiently and be a mom and wife at the same time... talk about multi-tasking!  Anyway, 2010 has been a year of ups and downs, like most years are, and I'm sure 2011 would be another roller-coaster ride.  But whatever blessings or obstacles come our way this year, I want to stay positive and stay mature about everything.  I have been a bit of a procrastinator for the past several months but I want to do away with that this year.  Optimistic and Participative... that's what I want to be more of for 2011.  I'm crossing my fingers, praying hard and concentrating as hard as I can so I would be the best I can be for this year and the years to come!

It's Me!

Since it's been a while since I last posted anything in this blog, some of my "regulars" may be wondering how I look like these days... We'll, as you can see... I've gained weight!  Hiyang siguro sa stress at puyat, hehe!  Hopefully, I'd be able to lose weight this year and post a slimmer me soon!

P.S.  Just in case you were wondering, I am not endorsing the alcohol that I was holding in the picture... I tasted it that night (it was given to a friend as a gift) and it was way too strong for me, even for occassional drinking! (Gumuguhit, teh! Sobra!)

Welcome 2011!

I want to revive this blog from it's long sleep by greeting everyone a Happy New Year!  May the year ahead bring us more happiness, less troubles and abundant blessings!