Friday, April 29, 2011

Tenth-Month Old


Our baby has just turned ten months old yesterday. At this stage he has already quite a lot of milestone developments. He:

1) claps every time he's doing something that amuses him - like when he watches several favorite segments of Brainy Baby, when he watches Itsy Bitsy Spider of Supersimple learning songs or when he's really happy of any activity he sees.

2) does Close-Open his hands at times when you provoke him. Now we're trying to develop him doing Ba-bye actions.

3) can stand for a few seconds on his own confident that he can hold on anytime to the side of his crib whenever he feels like falling. Also, he attempts several instances in crossing crosswise distance of his crib. There's a probability that he might be able to walk on his own already when he'll celebrate his first birthday.

4) he can now really sit on his own without support but dives automatically  to any pillows or stuff toys whenever he feels tired or sleepy. Hence, he better do this on our mattress for a better cushion or else he'll end up hurting himself.

5) can be entertained easily or be amused to any funny acts you do in front of him and pays you a very infectious laughter. In other words, he's now very playful.

6) really now loves to do walking (of course) with an aid than by just putting him inside his walker. Letting him do his walking is I think gives him the liberty to go to areas he can't reach compared to when he's in walker, just like climbing up and down our stairs. The cons? the aid of his wobbly walking ends up having a back ache and perspires more than him.

7) loves to seriously scrutinize any new things around - like our t.v. or dvd remote controls (the funny thing we noticed is that whenever he gets hold of it, he would hold it in front of him as if he's pointing it onto something just like exactly using it), like his Kuya Josh's toy cars (he loves to spin the wheels), also like his Kuya Josh's blade (like that of kasing) toy et al. In short, there's that much curiosity in him now.

8) imitates playing POGS.

9) loves to answer our landline phone. Then looks at the ear piece part after listening to the voice of the caller.

He is certainly learning new things and gradually having lots of milestone developments but the sad part of his now being a ten-month old baby is his not vanishing constipation. He's still having it. It's really a pity showing him slightly raising his other leg in an attempt to release his waste only to produce a tiny (size smaller than that of a Chicos seed) feces. He's already regularly taking Lactulose lilac as a laxative but still not giving him a promising result. Maybe it has got to do with his milk? Now we'll have him Enfapro instead of Similac HW or Nan HW. Hopefully, this will vanquish his plight.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Holy Week : Family Bonding Holidays

Though we have to observed the season, as was supposed to be, to be holy but sadly we weren't able to do what a devout Catholic should do except I think preparing binignit. Having binignit last Good Friday had at least made us "in".

4.21.11    Holy Thursday
I started the day doing Jaiden's morning routine: assisted him in walking with his new pair of sole-sounding shoes on, had him take his vitamins plus the Lactulose lilac while he was watching one of those Brainy Baby CD to keep him still on his high chair, then had him his Gerber vegetable mix and Cerelac wheat and milk as his morning food  (after a while of eating pure Gerber vegetable mix, he puke.), then had him took his usual  bath. After an hour of wobbly walking and climbing up the stairs, Jaiden fell asleep for an hour and a half in our couch. That was a record of his morning sleep. His mamala said that he just usually slept for only half an hour but in his stroller. The rest of the days was spent with Jaiden, with his papa all along and with my laptop. Nothing much had happened except that there were more physically exhausting-laughter and amused-entertaining moments with our baby.

4.22.11    Good Friday
Manang Laling prepared for our breakfast our binignit. I was surprised when she told me the cost of the grated coconut. It was twenty-five pesos!!! Shocks!!! Nowadays, you really can no longer make a delicious binignit for just having a fifty-peso budget.

The rest of the day was just normal except that I finished already summarizing all the soft copy pics for printing. That night I watched Slumdog Millionaire. It's a very good movie and it deserved to won the 2010 Oscars. Then I fell to my goodnight sleep and I awoke past midnight to feed our baby and later on found myself writing this.

4.23.11   Black Saturday
Two days of staying at home doing the normal routine. In the past when we were just a couple, those two days would already been so boring. It would seem that we would have to go out somewhere to kill the boredom. However, this time it is different because everyday is an exciting and joyous moments with our baby. By just hearing his hearty, innocent laughter and shrieking are just more than enough to make my day and I believe his papa also. Thus, that Saturday was different.

Manang Laling went home for her day off. So inevitably either my hubby or I had to do the basic household chores but I ended doing it all  :-) which I think worsened my already destroyed no-longer-shiny fingernail-colors.

In less than an hour for lunch my mother-in-law arrived with his first grandson. She and hubby cooked bihon-based meal with the main ingredient that of a canned mushroom and pork leg. I forgot what was the name of that canned meat and mushroom (hubby dear, care for help?). I think the cooked bihon was sumptuous. It was very delicious that made me again forgot of my diet. Sidenote: I am now 110lbs. (yehey!!!).

While baby took his afternoon nap, mother-in-law (I think almost the whole afternoon) did telebabad (talking over the phone with a friend for more than an hour) while his first grandson enjoyed playing Plants vs. Zombies. Hubby and I stayed upstairs in our room with our baby. He played his computer games while I watched The King's Speech (such a very nice movie, again). The rest of the day that happened was usual - playing with our baby after his regular nightly routines.

4.24.11  Easter Sunday
While most of the devotees are up very early in the wee hours to witness the "Sugat" (reenactment of Jesus' risen from the dead with the accolades of the angels). I can't describe much about how the Sugat is reenacted and its incidental activities because (poor me!) since birth I haven't witnessed one. Maybe I'm just that sleepy head then and still, at present. Now that we already have our baby to care, I doubt if I can ever witness one but I think I will, someday, in God's time.

Our baby awoke as early as six plus in the morning. So I had him practice his walking within our house' vicinity. Our neighbors were busy getting themselves ready for their beach outing - the traditional (Pinoy?) activity during Easter. Watching them suddenly gave me a jolt festive feeling. So I thought to myself that before we would fetch my mama in Labogon we would have to drop by SM. I'm sure that our baby would enjoy strolling as much as I would enjoy myself too and to see him happy.

When I told my hubby about it, at first he agreed. Then later, he changed his mind not to side trip to SM for the reason that we have nothing to do there and I half-agreed. Moments later I realized that it was what I really wanted to do. I had been hoping to stroll the mall for quite some time already. Hence, we need to go there and hubby agreed for he has no choice at all.

Indeed, we just seemed to smell the mall for an hour. However, we were able to visit the Sparkles Balloons' stall and saw what their postcard invitation look like. Also, we went to the SM toy department to see a not so costly Winnie the Pooh stuff toy to hopefully buy it for our baby so that he would be acquainted with the character for his later on special day. Unfortunately upon seeing the toy, either his sleepy mood made him not amuse of it or he just loves his Edie  so much that he doesn't like Edie to have a competition of his affection. With this, we decided not to buy yet.  Oh! by the way, we had the photos below as our souvenir.


Arriving in Labogon seems like something new to our baby though he was able to visit there already more than once. He was in all excitement mood that when he saw the faces of my cousins he didn't hesitate to smile at them for a few seconds then stopped for a moment to look at them intently - my signal that he is about to scrutinize the unfamiliar faces and probably would have again his stranger anxiety. So I didn't wait for him to feel the anxiety. Hence, I abruptly ended the meeting and proceeded to my premarital home. He seemed not to mind the unfamiliar house upon seeing the familiar faces of his mamala, his papalo and his dear-playmate-cousin. He immediately felt at home that he automatically made his wobbly walking through and through the house. Still not enough, I had him practiced his walking in the uneven ground outside our house where there are lots of eroded stones. These stones are something new to him as he is used to the do walking exercise in the cemented ground in our subdivision. So he really enjoyed stepping on those stones and I had inevitably had a short work out (by just merely assisting him). I think we did it for about thirty minutes, then head back inside to have his supper. We bought with us his necessary things - his Cerelac, his dishes, his soap for his nightly bath et al.

Bath time was such messier than  usual because the house just had a small basin. So just imagine the result; the floor was about to be totally wet and we had to hold the basin so as not to tumble it. Later on we decided to put him inside the pail since he very much liked to get inside of it. Thus for his rinsing, I had to get the water directly from the faucet. So he was kind of surprised to felt the water cold.  With all the inconveniences we had caused, at least we were able to established his normal routine as much as possible. With this, we are and in behalf of our baby, thankful to my mama and papa for being patient and understanding to us.

After a few minutes, our baby fell asleep. I believe he was just so tired because he hadn't have his usual two hours nap in the afternoon and he had his wobbly walking in SM and in the grounds of our Labogon house. Even in our car when we were going home already, he was still asleep. He just woke up for a while then fell back again to sleep. We arrived safely in our residence. Then regular life is about to unfold.

We may not have been able to do what a Catholic would've done but I'm very sure that by those serene family moments we had made us closer to each other and by our own ways made us recollect and reflect our lives as Christians.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

You've Changed

For more than a decade, I never thought we would come to this point of our lives. I had always been proud that you had stuck with me all through out. Back then you were so sweet and I thought you had full of care. Now I'm beginning to have second thought.

 I was always the one who walked out whenever I couldn't stand it and remember? you were the one who made it a rule to always finish it no matter how tiring and how late it would take us.

Everything changed when He gave us our ultimate joy. I thought it was the stress and the situation. However, last night I told you how I felt about it. Now it pained me to realize that you seemed not to care. I thought I just have to keep it to myself. I don't know why it seems very hard now to do the thing we have very much struggled to worked out in the past. The thing that made us strong and is our very core foundation until lately. I really don't know why.

After this, I'll talk to you for the last time. I'm afraid that this will all build up within me and in fairness to you because if I don't do it now, it might be late for you to do anything about it.

I thought it would be fitting to borrow Carrie Bradshaw's line in Sex and the City 2 though it's not exactly the situation we are in. She said, " we were perfectly happy before we decided to live happily ever after". I hope this isn't the case we have now.


Saturday, April 16, 2011

Your Purpose

As a deep, analytical thinker as my friend said it, here I am again pondering. In the Purpose Driven Life book, it said that before we were born and even before we were formed inside our mom's tummy, God already imprinted us in his record or knows what our life would be. He already set for us our purpose in this world. He has already his master plan for each one of us. And I guess as I pondered on about your life, I'm beginning to think that we are indeed created by God for a purpose.

I have watched you grow.
 I have witnessed everything. 
We were playmates.
 I protected you at my very young, fragile body not to let you fall. 
So innocent as I am, I was there in front of your head, in front of the stairs doing all my might, all ounces of my energy not to let you fall. 
Maybe then I am born to protect or help you and you be the helpless and be the instrument that would remind us that there is God.

Your life had been challenged to death, as young as before your first birthday. 
Helpless as you are, I know it wasn't your choice. 
At that time, I know they were in their deepest pit of their lives. 
Though they wouldn't tell me but I felt the sorrow, the hardships and the struggle they were in. 
But yours was the hardest. 
You were in the most pain a baby can ever have. 
You'd fought for your life as much as they did their best to put you out of your misery. 
 That was then one of those turning point of their lives.
As the situation seemed bleak,
they have turned to God and they made it through.

We had grown up. 
We dreamed of beautiful simple lives. 
We worked hard for it while they did their best to make our ends met. 
Everyday was a challenge for us,
but it was very much for them, emotionally and financially.
We went on and on hoping that there's always a light at the end of the tunnel.
We were so busy working our heart out,
 that we tend to forget Him. 

He then let us came to our senses. 
Something unexpected happened,
a wake up call reminding us all that He is the ultimate architect.
The tunnel then, still had to be journeyed
and was yet far from the end.

As a new life was about to unfold, 
ours was unfolding to an unimaginable detour. 
It was so hard to accept it. 
It devastated us all,
 though I know that you felt the guilt. 
I know you never meant to hurt us. 
But with God, there's always a way. 
He made his ways. 
Resources had been there to helped you through it.
My boss once told me that "everything happens for a reason".
Maybe it indeed happened for reasons only Him knew.
One thing was for sure,
it brought us back closer to Him.

God was so good. 
In just a matter of time, 
He made your life backed on track. 
You were happy and excited but at the same time sad. 
Sad because as you get to know your new found love, 
you were also about to distance yourself to your first priceless love. 
I knew you were torn. 
But then again, God is everywhere and you re-found Him there. 
I believe it was your most pillar in trying your best to live in that unfamiliar place, 
now you learned to call home. 
Again, I, together with my other half, was God's instrument for your rising. 
I know that God is always good. 
Every thing just fell to places.
The tidal wave just eased. 

For quite some time now, the sea has been calm.
I wish time would stood still.
I know I'm dreaming the impossible.
Now you awaken me.
Life indeed is a roller coaster. 

This time it's different.
I know you can handle it.
Though it'll affect all our lives, 
I know that there'll always be a way.
With Him nothing is impossible.
Always remember the song, Footprints in the Sand;
"During your times of suffering, when you could see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you".



Friday, April 15, 2011

Robin Padilla and Mariel Rodriguez Planned June Catholic Church Wedding

Robin Padilla and Mariel Rodriguez facing hindrances to their planned June wedding | PEP.ph: The Number One Site for Philippine Showbiz

Hahahahyyy!!!! why do Mariel wants to be married to a Catholic church with Robin anyway? She had been married in a Muslim ceremony in Taj Mahal, right? So why the fuss of doing another wedding? So far, they're the only couple I've known to have been married in different religion. First they were married in an Igorot ceremony (http://www.pep.ph/news/26815/Robin-Padilla-and-Mariel-Rodriguez-married-twice-in-Baguio-City-on-September-13) as the people said but vehemently denied by them (Robin and Mariel). Then in Taj Mahal.

I would like to ask them these, specially Mariel, isn't it just for publicity's sake? or to go with the norm that it's every woman's dream to walk the aisle in a very nice wedding gown? They said that it is for her family's sake but I found it to be lame. Are they that famous and financially able that they think that everything is possible for them? Gosh! you two come to your senses!

Robin said that Mariel has been crying that their Catholic church wedding might not push through (http://www.pep.ph/news/29094/Robin-Padilla-and-Mariel-Rodriguez-facing-hindrances-to-their-planned-June-wedding).

Robin said that it will create division in religion. He said let them be serve as an example. What? is he out of his mind? Let them be an example of a couple married to two different faith? I know that there's only one God but let us respect the different religion's beliefs. This couple should keep their feet on the ground. I think they're spoiled brat, specially Mariel. Gosh! paiyak-iyak (crying) pa si Mariel!

To Robin and Mariel, you can't just have the best of both worlds. This is the reality of life. 

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Amanda Seyfried - Little House


I love this song.... and the movie... they have Amanda and Channing have nice chemistry.....

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Caimito

The visibility of caimito (star apple) in fruit stands implies that summer is undeniably here. It has now been my third day of eating caimito as my lunch dessert. It could've been coincidence that the nangka (jackfruit) sold by my suki (regular vendor) wasn't of good aura that made me bought my first caimito for the year. Then I somehow make it now regularly.

Having this caimitos kind of remind me my childhood summer. My grandparents used to have lots of caimito trees. They had the green-colored and the purple-colored fruit of caimito variety. My male older cousins at that time would climb up the tree bringing with them the "kuhit" (long stick with a basket-like pouch attached) for getting those fruits that are at the tip of the weak branches which are of course hard to reach. Me, I just stayed on the ground and looked up at them busy clinging and transferring from branches to branches and sometimes they would ate up there. They would also bring with them basket with rope tied in it for storing the fruits they'd plucked. Once the basket is full, they would bring it to the ground through the rope. Since, us, apo (grandchildren), couldn't consume it all, my cousins would then sell it house to house for a very cheap price.

Another thing that reminds me are the caimito blossomed flowers which I think would happen when the it is about to bear its fruits. My cousins would then enjoy gathering the fallen flowers on the ground by inserting the tiny-middle whole of the flower with a single strand of "silhig lanot" (broom made of gebang palm) to make it into necklace or bracelet. It was just for the fun of it.

Back then it was just so simple. Caimito eating was just so priceless. Now, I have to buy it at P30 a kilo (maybe it's cheaper in flea market). I am devouring three pieces of it, the usual half-kilo quantity, every lunch time. Too many? no, I don't feel full after eating it. Maybe, one kilo of it will do. Shocks!!!! can I really do it? hhhmmmm..... well, I think there's  no harm in doing it. After all, it's a nutritious food.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Ring

I have this pic as my FB profile. I happened to go over it as I made my summary of soft copy pics for printing. I like how my hand looked good with my ring on it so I uploaded it and made it my profile just yesterday. As I browsed FB today, well, guess what? somebody also made her hand, with her rings on it made it her profile pic. Coincidence? hmmmm..... maybe but at the back of my head says its not. Anyways, though she had two rings on it but my single engagement ring still looks beautiful than those hahahahah!!!!! so mean of me! heheheh.... at least I'm honest to myself. Peace to her! if you know who I mean or you know who you are anyway :P Have a nice day!!!!

Monday, April 11, 2011

gem: An Update of My Hopeful Loosing Weight Monitoring

gem: An Update of My Hopeful Loosing Weight Monitoring: "gem: gem: My Hopeful Weight Monitoring: 'gem: My Hopeful Weight Monitoring: 'gem: gem: gem: Reality Hits Me: Yay!!! it's a good sign. Within..."

Just when I thought all my hope is gone but it isn't. I'm now back on track. I checked my weight tonight just for the thought of checking it. Lo and behold, I was surprised that I'm already 112 to 113lbs!!! What a nice thing to know!!! I hope to be at least 107lbs. someday.

By the way, one thing I've learned in surfing the net about maintaining your decreased weight is that you have to monitor your weight as much as possible. I guess, I just have to do that. :)

An Update of My Hopeful Loosing Weight Monitoring

gem: gem: My Hopeful Weight Monitoring: "gem: My Hopeful Weight Monitoring: 'gem: gem: gem: Reality Hits Me: Yay!!! it's a good sign. Within a week I lost 1lb. So as of now, I'm 11..."

Well, it's been a while since I've talked about this goal of mine. I still do my morning cardiovascular exercise but I don't know why I'm still stuck in 118lbs.  :(   too bad. Yeah, I know! it's been quite a while now and I'm no longer loosing any weight. Maybe it has got to do with my diet? I just lessen my rice intake but the rest specially the meat, I haven't done much about it. Or maybe this is really now my normal or regular post-pregnancy weight ? The incidental pregnancy fat is already impossible to diminish? Mama told me that because I really had flabby stomach during my pre-pregnancy period then my pregnancy has contributed much to it. Hence, there'll be no wonder why I'm having a worst one now.

Sometimes I forgot about my goal and got tired of it, specially when I think that my weight has stuck in 118lbs. I'm sometimes discouraged of it because I can't sacrifice eating regular foods. Also, I sometimes forget the no-no kind of food to eat like the bread, the concentrated powdered juice, the soft drinks during weekend and just yesterday the most grave one was p-i-z-z-aaaa!!!!! weeewww!!!!!! I guess I just have to succumb to the fact that I have to say goodbye to my long-stored denims. Then buy a new one of my current size?

As of now, I just don't know. As in I DON'T KNOW!!!! sa bisaya pa - AMBOT LANG!!! 

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Pacifier



While most babies consider pacifier as their comfort in going to sleep, my baby doesn't. My baby sucks his thumb whenever he's about to sleep. I take his sucking differently. I'm assuming that he's still not satiated or that he's already full and wants to burp but doesn't know how to deal with it so he takes comfort in sucking his thumb. When you try to get his thumb out of his mouth he would whine.

Last night, he fell asleep very early, as early as around six in the evening. By around eight he half awoke and automatically sucked his thumb, a very clear sign that he was hungry. So I bottle-fed him his formulated milk. After a while, he let go of the bottle, moved to his side and sucked his thumb. I tried feeding him again and he took the milk.. Then, he moved again to his other side and sucked again his thumb. When I tried feeding him again, this time he didn't take it and still continued to sucked his thumb. So, I scooped him up and carried him in my arms his head on my shoulder. I was actually hoping that he would burp and if not at least he would feel better because he might have been full already. After a while with sleepy eyes, I put him back to bed. He continued to sucked his thumb. Uncertain of what to do and afraid of the notion that his thumb-sucking might affect his teeth or that he might make it a habit, I resorted to his long-kept pacifier.

With his eyes half-closed, I inserted to his mouth the nipple of his pacifier. Instead of making him fall asleep, the pacifier made him awake. He wasn't comfortable falling asleep with it. He toyed it. Holding the ring attached to it, he bit the nipple like a teether. Now, his eyes were already wide open and was amused by the rubber nipple that made him kept biting it. Since he was still sleepy, he just lied still and scrutinized the pacifier, biting it once in  a while.

Pacifier isn't new to him. He had it during his newborn days. However, we set it aside the moment he showed no intention of using it. I can still remember an instance when I put the pacifier to his mouth, he immediately got it and throw it aside, as in literally throw it swiftly like telling me "I don't like it!". This is why his pacifier has long been set aside. From then on, I have been holding on to my understanding whenever he sucks his thumb. That's why when I gave it to him last night, he somehow considered it something new to him.

Back to my experience last night, the pacifier had kept him awoke for a while. When he was sleepy again, he let go of his pacifier and sucked again his thumb. I decided to let him do it until he would fall asleep then I would try to get out his thumb and bottle-fed him again. Who knows, my understanding of his thumb-sucking might still holds true. When your a mother, dealing with your baby would really have to be a trial and error method because every baby is unique. True enough, when he had fallen asleep with his thumb in his mouth, I replaced his thumb with the nipple of his bottled-milk and he took it. After a while, he moved to his side and fell deep asleep, this time without his thumb. Hence, he was already very much sated.

Well, with what happened  I can really say now that pacifier doesn't work with my baby. :-)


Monday, April 4, 2011

gem: Blue Valentine

gem: Blue Valentine: "Blue Valentine is a 2010 romantic drama film written and directed by Derek Cianfrance and starred by Michelle Willi..."


So they really got romantically involved huh! Well, who wouldn't in that steamy scenes they had and for a handsome guy like Ryan Gosling.

It's nice to know the aftermath of the artists' life after a certain romantic movie.

Minglanilla Church's Right Wing

gem: Minglanilla Church's Left Wing: "We always stayed on the left wing area of the Minglanilla (proper) church because other than the place is airy, it has ample space left for ..."

In fairness to the church, I feel I need to write this.

Yesterday, out of nowhere, we just decided to sit in the right wing pew of the church. I think it has got to do with the place where we were able to park our car. We arrived earlier than usual, so were able to park in the upper right side of the church where there were nice shades of the trees.

In the right wing area, the voices of the celebrant priest and the readers were very much audible. I don't know what's the difference with that in the left wing. One thing's for sure is that we'll make it as much as possible to stay there the next time we hear our Sunday mass. =)