Blessed

I have been remiss in updating this blog for over three months now... I just can't seem to find the time to sit down and really write these days.  It's not that I lack topics to write about... in fact I have so much to say I don't know where to start.

My son, Adam, who's now three years and five months old is starting to learn how to read and write already... although I didn't enroll him in a daycare center (like his cousins) or a tutorial center, we try to teach him little by little at home.  Me, my mom and my husband Charlie take turns in guiding him how to write and identify letters and numbers.  And we do need to take turns, because he can be quite stubborn when he's not in the mood.  Even when you're at your calmest, sometimes your patience would really be tested when Adam's in one of his naughty moods.  So when I feel like I'm almost on the edge of getting angry with frustration, I take a step back and ask for a substitution! :))

My daughter, Charlize, is now eight months old.  She's just a happy little baby.  Even when she was nursing a fever and had colds a couple of weeks back, she didn't lose her smiles and laughter.  She's also started eating baby food when she turned 6 months and she eats with gusto!  She loves the Cerelac Soya and Monggo variant as well as the brown rice and milk variant.  She also loves Gerber Pears and Gerber Bananas.  Like her Kuya, she drinks Enfa A+ milk... she's now on Enfapro A+, while her Kuya is already on Enfakid A+.

Work, as always is an endless battle with paperwork, cataloging and encoding... but that's what I signed up for so no more complaints from me... Besides, I am lucky to have a job that pays enough so we could get by without having to beg for our keep.  Hubby is also kept busy with work but fortunately, both of us work from Monday to Friday only so we always spend the weekend with the kids.

We are blessed...

Izzy's Baptism

If I have been absent for a while in updating this blog, this is not solely due to my balancing act as a career woman and a mom, this also partly because I was extra busy preparing for my daughter's christening.  Now that it's finally done, I can write...

Yesterday, my daughter, Charlize Ann was welcomed to the catholic faith at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Parañaque.  Her daddy and I were so happy that our family and friends graced us with their presence during the event.  We had the reception afterwards at Chowking and I am quite satisfied with their service, the crew were very polite and helpful.  Plus the food was delish and served just at the right time.  Our guests went home with their bellies full and their hearts light.  The giveaways were done by El Regalo and they were really nice.  The diaper cake from Party Fairies was a hit as part of the backdrop in a lot of our guests photos.  And the DIY tokens for the godparents were also well received.  All in all, it was a success!  Here are some of the highlights of the event in pictures:

Water Color

Last weekend, I let my son use his free water color set from Enfakid A+.  He had lots of fun, painting the coloring pages that I printed out for him.

Hubby and I got in on the fun too... Adam was so proud of his work that he put them all on display on our refrigerator door.  After that, he had nothing else to talk about but coloring the rest of the day.  Even during Sunday mass, he kept saying that he was going to show Mamu & Dada (my parents, his grandparents) all of his work and that we should print more coloring pages so he could paint more.  I asked him to be quiet at least during mass and we will do so... He was very good and quiet until the mass was finished that we rewarded him to a trip to the mall and his favorite arcade.  Afterwards, we had early dinner at KFC.

Hearts Month

Today was my third (and thankfully, the last) day of "calling in sick" at work.  Over the recent weekend, my cough and colds got worse so I wasn't able to go to work since Monday so that I could recuperate faster.  As I was feeling a bit better, hubby asked me to go on a post-Valentine's Day movie date with him.  It has been quite a while since we've watched a movie (in the theater) so I said yes.  Plus I really, really am super excited with the sequel of Ghost Rider  so even though I was still coughing occasionally, I wasn't able to pass up on this.  I don't like to elaborate too much on the film as I might get carried away and give out spoilers... suffice it to say that you really should watch this if you liked the first movie.  I just love Nicolas Cage... next movie to look forward to would be National Treasure 3:

Since I have been in bed almost the whole time that I was home these past couple of days (my kids are with my mom at my parents' house so they wouldn't catch what I have) I was able to squeeze in reading a couple of books I have purchased a while back but has not gotten the chance to read.  "Call After Midnight" and "Stolen" by Tess Gerritsen were the ones I couldn't put down once I started reading them so I got to finish them.  Lately, I have been looking for more Tess Gerritsen books that my collection of Sandra Brown books may soon be matched by a new favorite author!

Also, since I had so much free time... I was able to research on how I could further stimulate my son's mind by giving him more educational activities at home.  I was already talking to my husband and my mom about enrolling him at a nearby school but my mom said it might be too early for him.  This article is also very helpful when contemplating on "school" choices for your kids.  I haven't reached a final plan yet, but this summer, I would definitely be looking for an activity to expose Adam to "school environment" so I could gently ease him into it and avoid the "crying" when it's time for him to attend "real school" already.

Tomorrow, I'll be going back to work... back to papers and deadlines...

Dropping By

Work has been quite hectic these past couple of weeks that I have not even visited my own blog much more visit my friends' blogs... Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to do that!  Anyway, I'm happy to report that life has been quite amazing.  My son, Adam celebrated his 3rd birthday on the 26th and got his wish!

My baby, Charlize is now 3 months and she often smiles and giggles when you talk to her.  She's getting so big, it's gonna be time to keep (or give away) some of her clothes to give room to her bigger clothes *plus we have to buy new ones, of course*.  On her last monthly visit to her pediatrician, she weighed 5.5 kilos already! And she got her ears pierced.

  I keep thanking the good Lord for all the blessings he keeps on giving me and my family... even for the stress of being busy at work, for without it, my husband and I wouldn't be able to provide for our kids' needs and the occasional luxury.

That's all I've got to report right now. (or that's all I can with so little free time)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.