Breakfast

With all the rich food that we have taken in during the holidays, I just lost my appetite for the usual bread and butter or fried rice, eggs and hotdog breakfast.  It's a good thing that my mother-in-law brought us dried fish from Ilocos during her last visit with us.  So here's my breakfast for today!

Eating this, you really have to use your bare hands... it adds to the pleasure of eating "tuyo" dipped in spicy vinegar.  I know one shouldn't eat too much salty foods but when you eat it just once in a while, I don't think it would be that bad.  I just had a craving and had to fulfill it!

2012

We have been blessed with so much this past year, 2011... I have only to pray that 2012 will be filled with as much laughter and happiness as the year that was.  And if there be trials that come our way, may we continue to strive hard to overcome them and remember the knowledge that we would gain from each experience, good or bad.  I pray for prosperity and good health for my family and friends... Happy New Year everyone!

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!