It's my 8th year anniversary as an employee at the V (but my 10th year if you count my contractor days). Am I thankful? You bet I am! A lot of good things came my way from working here. I have also learned so many things in the process, and have won a lot of friends as well. I can honestly say that though I am part of the minority, they never treated me otherwise. My skills accounted for the respect I have gotten from my co-workers regardless of whether I was educated in a third world country. Working here had been both a rewarding and a fulfilling part of my career.

To those who know me, I do not stay beyond the 2-year mark in any company so this is quite an exception. Why? Because they pay well and they treat their employees fairly. If you're good and hardworking, your efforts will be rewarded. The benefits are awesome - among the best I've seen so far in the Bay Area.

So here's to many, many more years of employment at the V (hopefully my job doesn't get outsourced).

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I am having a tough time breathing these days. Whenever I take the train, I feel I'm being suffocated. I keep tossing and turning on my seat. My OB said this is normal because my uterus is pushing my lungs as the baby grows.

I am also feeling strain on my legs. Could it be that I'm having another big baby? I'm only on my 29th week and I feel I'm waddling already!

Whenever I stretch out at night, you bet leg cramps will follow!

As far as sleeping goes, I cannot seem to find a good position either.

And the backaches are becoming more and more constant. Thank God for a husband who gives a good rub in the back!

Sigh, I still have a long way to go! Oh, please don't think I'm complaining. I'd do anything for the baby!

We came back from Vegas on Tuesday at 1am. The traffic along Hwys 15 and 58 were terrible!

So, what did we do while in Vegas? On Saturday morning, we went to Red Rock Canyon in Nevada. In the afternoon, we walked along the strip and watched freebie shows. On Sunday, we went to Mt. Zion National Park in Utah. In the evening, we let the kids loose at Circus Circus' children's play area. On our way home on Monday, we dropped by Hoover Dam. Productive and pretty tiring I'd say... ;)

Kail enjoyed playing with my friend's kids (ages 11, 7, 5). The way they treated each other were like siblings. Even up to this day, Kail would do a roll-call - ate? uya (for kuya)? tita? My friend L said her kids also miss Kail a lot and have been bugging her when they'd be able to see my little guy again. Cute!

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I have been very open about our journey through Infertility in the past. It took us 2 years to finally conceive. Hubz and I were both in tears when the pregnancy test came positive. I had tears in my eyes when I saw Kail and held him in my arms for the very first time. Now that I'm pregnant again, we are excited but not so much like the first. This time, there's a little bit of apprehension mixed in. Would we be able to handle raising a toddler andan infant at the same time? How would Kail react to a new addition in the family? Will he feel jealous if our attention is suddenly divided in two? But this video made me realize that we are so blessed to have been given another chance to become parents. There are couples who have been longing and are still waiting for this miracle to happen. We know the feeling - we've been there before.

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There was a thread on one of my e-groups about living with in-laws and though I didn't get the chance to sharemy point of view, I thought I'd post my two cents on my blog.

There is a reason why leaving one's parents to be one with the spouse is biblical. I firmly believe that couples should be given the chance to work their marriage out and live on their own. Having in laws or parents in the same household complicates matters and might even rock the marriage in the end. I should know because I grew up living with my paternal grandparents and siblings. There would often be disagreements between my mom and my dad, between my mom and my dad's siblings, between my mom and the grandparents. That might have caused (in part) the break-up in their marriage. It was then that I vowed to myself that I wouldn't put myself in the same situation when I have a family of my own.

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I'd like to blog about my son's new pediatrician. With Kail's former pediatrician, the wait time is unbelievable and when we're finally seen, she would check on him as fast as she could. I feel that she can't wait to get us out the door! When Kail developed horrible rashes on his face and skin, she kept giving him creams to help withthe itching, but it doesn't make those rashes go away. I have asked over and over for a specialist referral but she would shrug my concerns off. Only after 7 or 8 months did she finally cave in and gave us a referral to an allergist. Kail was diagnosed as allergic to eggs and nuts!!!!

If she didn't take her sweet little time on thereferral, we would've immediately known and I would've stopped giving him anything that has eggs on it (bread,cakes, etc). When I was breastfeeding, I would've refrained from taking in anything with eggs. If only those things happened, the rashes might've been controlled and my poor little Kail didn't have to suffer.

So, after years of looking for a realiable pediatrician, a friend finally recommended Dr. M who holds clinics in Vallejo, Benicia, and Fairfield. She's heaven-sent! She doesn't make us wait any longer than 10 minutes. She's always very attentive to what we tell her, and she's good at pacifying our concerns and making our worries go away. She takes time to look and examine Kail when sick. She would even give us tips on raising a toddler like discliplining him. I just can't imagine why it took us this long to find her!!!

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Happy weekend everyone! Stay dry if you're in NorCal!

LV fanatics, have you seen this??? ;)

I got the result of my glucose tolerance testing a couple of weeks ago and I was told I tested positive for gestational diabetes! This was a surprise because I didn't have one with Kail. I guess age may have a lot to do with this since I'm turning 35 this year! I have friends who didn't have one on their previous pregnancies but was tested positive on their recent ones. Tomorrow I have an appointment with a nutritionist for the prescribed diet. I also have to prick myself a few times a day to check my blood sugar. Bummer! All those sweet stuff I ate during the holidays finally caught up on me!

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I need a new cellphone. My treo 600 isn't bluetooth capable so soon, I wouldn't be able to use it while driving.Here are the phones I'm eyeing:

The Blackberry Curve 8310:
The Palm Treo 750:

The Apple iPhone:
We visited The Apple Store last weekend and I heart the iPhone! My only concern is the price.

So what do you think bloggers, if you were in my shoes, which would you choose?

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I am surprised to find myself actually working on fulfilling my goals (others call them resolutions) for the year. I won't divulge them yet until I've completed them so as not to jinx a good start. Wish me luck to be able to complete one of them before I give birth, and the other one before my birthday in September... ;)

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We're off to Vegas on Friday with some friends. I am in need of this break because I've been stressed thin on our Feb. 22 install. Yes, I am taking off before we go into Production for a much-needed respite. But no, we're not going to Vegas to gamble. I just think that we needed to get away as a family before I give birth in May, otherwise, we may not be able to go at all. Besides, we have our timeshare week expiring this year so we might as well use them since we're paying for a very expensive maintenance fee anyway.

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I got tagged by Gem! I'd post the reply when we get back. Sorry Gem - things have just been pretty hectic!

'Til my next sari-saring post, possibly when we get back from Vegas!

Sari-Saring Post

I sat in for my 3-hour glucose test today. I was there as early as 7:15am, told the pinay phlebotomist/receptionist that I was there for the glucose test, hoping she'll give me the drink and I can start counting the hours. She instead told me I have to wait until she calls my name, and then I have to give her my doctor's request, and only then will she be able to give me the drink. Well, it took 45 minutes for the manager (thankfully) to call my name. I told the manager I was there 45 minutes earlier and she confronted the pinay why I wasn't given the drink right then and there. She said she needed to know if I fasted, to which I told her I did. To think that there was a sign to let the folks at the front know if we're in for glucose test or other timed tests!

An hour later, you'd think she learned her lesson (she was reprimanded by the manager by the way). I had to remind her that I'm due for my second blood draw (the first was prior to drinking the solution). She asked my name and insisted that I'm not due for another 10 minutes more! I debated that I saw the manager write the time on my paper (9:02, 10:02, 11:02). Yun pala, there were 2 of us there for the same test, with the same name - what a coincidence right?! Haay naku, the last time I ate was 6:30 last night so at 9am, I was so, so hungry, with another 2 hours to go. Muntik ko na kaya siyang kagatin sa inis!

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For the second day in a row, Kail was harboring a fever at wee hours in the morning, then the fever will be gone by morning. Father and son are also hacking by now, and when Kail starts a coughing fit, he'd throw up. My poor baby... I hope he'd feel better soon!

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What's up with the weather? I have had to scrape ice on my windshield twice this week. This morning, the newscaster warned motorists to drive safely along Hwy 29 as there's ice on the road! This is California, for Pete's sake... we're supposed to enjoy a snow-free weather!

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I have been seriously thinking whether I'll undergo another C-Section or go through VBAC (Vaginal Birth afterC-Section) this time around. Hubz wasn't around when I gave birth to Kail and I figured maybe he'll appreciate the chance to be my labor coach this time around. But do I really want to subject myself to all that pain? My next consideration is the recovery period. Since I would have an infant and a toddler to care for, it'll probably be easier if I opt for VBAC with a shorter recovery period.

One advantage I can think of regarding C-section would be a longer leave period. I can only have 6 weeks off for a normal delivery while there's an allotted 8 weeks maternity leave for CS. I could use the extra two weeks to bond with my two boys! ;)

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We watched Spiderman last weekend and Kail was enthralled. He kept saying "Miman" even in his sleep! He also loved watching the DVD over and over again.

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Have you ever seen these boudoir shots? I wish this was introduced back when I was a size 0, and back when I had the nerve to bare it all without feeling like a pig! I would've immediately booked myself a session then. Haay sayang... I wonder if I'll be able to get back to my ninety-something lb., size 0, a waistline of 23 self? I probably have to live at the gym and exercise nonstop to achieve this. Unless of course, I become a suki of Drs. Calayan or Belo?! ;)

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Happy weekend everyone! Sorry for the hodge podge of posts. Hope the weather in your side of the world is so much better! To all those in Northern California, it'll rain again through the weekend so stay dry people!