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!

Remembering the Past

We met with the hubz' cousin on Sunday at Gerry's Grill in Union City. It was funny to see the two of them bonding as if they've only seen each other recently when truth of the matter is, they haven't seen each other for the past 20 years or so!

The conversation drifted to our first few years in the US. To most people back home, they think that life overseas is heaven when in fact, it isn't. This is why a lot of people would give anything to be able to get that seemingly elusive tourist visa.

Life in the US hadn't been easy for an immigrant like me. I left my comfort zone in exchange for a life of uncertainty here - all because I wanted to give my future children better lives. I was hired directly from Manila. I was one of those Y2K programmers they brought over to help with the conversion. I had no relatives close by - I relied heavily on my friends' kindness. My first apartment didn't have a decent furniture, everything was bought from the thrift store. I was sleeping in a sleeping bag. I walked a lot (because I didn't have a car) and took public transportation. On days when I had to work late, I would sleep on my cubicle. I worked long hours even on weekends. It was tough being the "kid" in your group (I was only 24 then) and I felt that I had to prove myself so they would take me seriously.

I wasn't born with a golden (even silver) spoon in my mouth so everything I have now, I worked hard and prayed harder for. My perseverance and hardwork did pay off, and thankfully, my husband and children wouldn't experience walking home uphill (I used to live in Daly City) on a cold and rainy winter night. They wouldn't have to sleep in a sleeping bag, and sit on the floor. They wouldn't have to run after a bus because they were at the stop a few seconds late. They wouldn't have to slave away because their greencards are in progress and one bad move and they'll be shipped home. They wouldn't have to go to a laundromat to get their laundry done because the washer and drier in the apartment complex is broken.

Ah, the things you endure for the people you love! I hope that someday my kids will realize how blessed they are. I hope that they would learn to appreciate and value all that they have because behind every penny is someone's blood, sweat, and tears.

It's back to work yesterday after the 3-day Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. I got the chance to clean our bedroom, scrub the bathroom, do loads of laundry, complete my ironing, take care of Kail. On Sunday, we took Kail to the Oakland Zoo which he enjoyed very much. At a tender age of two, we have seen his love for animals. At the zoo, he never failed to amaze us when he was able to name most of them - from elephant, to zebra (which he calls horsie), to girraffe, to the pig, and a lot others. He also enjoyed taking the sky ride with his dad.

It was a wee bit cold when we were there so the next day, I have sore throat and I began coughing. I guess I wasn't bundled up properly. It definitely was a sunny day, though the temperature was in the 50s. Now I'm hacking again.

Kail and I had a funny conversation yesterday while he was watching his Baby Einstein DVD:

Mommy: Kail, that's a driveway

Kail: Car

Mommy: No Kail, it's a driveway for the car

Kail: No mommy, CAR! (pointing at the car easing in to the driveway).

Oh well, Kail won this debate of course.

The holidays have come and gone. And then, while busily counting down for Kail's second birthday on Jan. 4, the little boy got hit by a virus. He was harboring a 102.9 degree fever on his birthday - very clingy and oh-so-irritable. Poor guy! At about the same time last year, he was also sick, and has just gotten out of the hospital in Manila.

We did nothing fancy on his birthday. I was hoping we could go to Disneyland but good thing we didn't book anything. The Bay Area was pounded by a winter storm which left a lot of households in the dark (thankfully, not ours though). Kail was down with a nasty combination of fever, cough, colds. He was up and about almost all night because he couldn't breathe properly. He's a little better - no more fever, but he passed the virus on to me. So, I have clogged nose, sore throat, and I'm barking like a dog. I couldn't take any medicine because I'm pregnant so I'm relying mostly on good ol' natural remedies like gargling with warm water and salt (and sometimes with cayenne pepper instead of salt), eating lots of oranges, drinking tons of liquids, and trying to stay warm.

Hubz, on the other hand has been spared. Perhaps because his antibodies are imported from the Philippines... ;)

Hopefully we'd be well soon and the weather will finally clear up. We're still hoping we could take Kail somewhere for his birthday.

Have a blessed 2008 everyone!

How was everyone's Christmas?

Christmas is still my favorite holiday, apart from a couple of years not so long ago when I played "The Grinch" and hated celebrating it. That was before the husband came to the US and before I had Kail. Now, even when Christmas is the most expensive holiday, I enjoyed it even more because I saw it through the eyes of my son.

We attended a christmas party at the Escudero's on Christmas Eve. After the party, we went straight to church for the midnight mass. Kail was up until the First Reading, and then he fell asleep in daddy's arms. It felt good going to church with my family.

The next day, we had a couple of friends over (Kail's godparents) to celebrate with us. Kail had a blast opening presents. He was so excited to play with toys. I never remembered having this many gifts when I was a child. Even the husband commented the same thing. We'd be fortunate to have new sets of clothes (and shoes) for Christmas. Call it reliving my childhood, but that's exactly how I felt while Kail was opening his presents. I felt more excited than he is!

It has been confirmed - we're having another boy in the family! Looks like I'm the only rose among the thorns, hehehe! Our little boy proudly displayed his "patutoy" when we had the ultrasound on Monday. The husband laughed because he wanted another boy. I would've wanted a girl but hey, I don't mind being the only queen in the house - as long as the baby is healthy and he looks like me again, hahaha!

Now we need to search for a boy's name. I only have a girl's name ready... ;)

Our East Coast photos are finally up. You can browse them here. Just be warned that there are lots of photos!

To those who congratulated us on our family's new addition, thank you.

This pregnancy is so much different than my first. I always feel queasy, I have frequent headaches, and I feel crappy. I am past the first trimester but I still feel queasy all the time. My friends say that it's because I now have the husband around to pamper me with attention so I'm feeling like this. To those who have been in the same situation, you probably know I'm not acting up. And because I feel different, I do hope it's because we're having a girl this time! My husband would roll his eyes over this and would say that this would give me a chance to share my ka-kikayan with someone. How true! ;)

On Kail-front, I took this photo of him with the tree over the weekend.

I didn't have a hard time making him smile for the camera. My son is definitely not camera-shy. I have trained him well, hehe! He has grown fondness with Barney and Elmo. He loves to sing along (though we couldn't understand most of what he's singing) with Barney, he imitates the action songs, and he loves to dance. He's still a happy and friendly kid - would say "hi" to anyone and "bye" to people leaving. He's starting to show a little bit of independence. But we still call him our "terrible two". He throws a very bad tantrums when he doesn't get his way. He gets upset when we couldn't understand what he's saying. If he doesn't want to wear the clothes I'm asking him to wear (or even shoes), he'd say "ayaw" and would refuse to wear them until he gets to pick what he wants. He says "oh no", and can now say "mommy" (finally! It used to be "mama").

Father and son are still inseperable. Yesterday, the husband had a job interview. When Kail woke up, he was wandering around the house looking for daddy. He thought his dad was merely playing hide and seek with him. Whilst I was able to leave him immediately for babysitting before, I now have to sneak out so he wouldn't cry.

I still marvel at the rate my son is growing. It seemed just yesterday I was holding this newborn infant who was solely dependent on me to survive. Now he's slowly showing that he can do things on his own. I'm having a hard time letting go. How does a mother actually accept that one day, the children she so carefully raised will be on their own?

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? We spent ours at home with a few friends over. I didn't cook the turkey this time but ordered from Boston Market instead. It was the husband's first Thanksgiving, and because he is finally here, we truly have a lot to be thankful for.

I also went shopping the next day. I didn't wake up as early as 4am to brave the crowds though. I went to the mall at around 8am, went to Kohl's first, then to Old Navy, and lastly to Target. By 11am, I was done with my shopping. I went home, had lunch with Kail and hubz, then we went to Toyota and came home with this baby - a new 2008 Highlander Hybrid Limited in Iced Amethyst Mica.

We went to the LV store in San Francisco on Saturday to exchange my Tulum bag with the Manhattan PM. I found the Tulum GM too roomy for me.

Here's a cute conversation I had with Kail:

Mom - Kail, can you show me where the baby is?
Kail - Babeee there (points at mommy's tummy, and kissed it too)
Mom - Good boy! Now can you go to daddy and show him where the baby is?
Kail - Babeee there (goes to daddy and points on his tummy).
Mom - nyahaha - you have a big tummy daddy!

So looking forward for a 4-day weekend so I can finally upload our vacation photos, put up the tree, decorate the house for Christmas.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone... just in case my next post takes a while... ;)

We're Back!

We're finally home from an eventful trip to the East Coast. We were living by the suitcase for 2 weeks as we trotted from New York to Canada to Chicago.

When we got back, it felt summertime in the Bay Area when compared to the weather in the East Coast. It was already in the 30s when we were there!

Kail was harboring a fever on our flight back. Thank God the Tylenol kept him sleeping all the time. I was really afraid we'd get a repeat of our trip home to the Philippines where he cried the whole 12 hours! I guess the weather really got to him. Stubborn as he is, he refused to wear his bonnet, nor his mittens, and he doesn't even want to wear socks at times!

Hubz aunt gave me an LV bag as a birthday gift. She took me to an LV store and asked me to pick any bag I wanted and she'll pay for it. I was beyond shocked. She has done too much for us. She paid for our hotel the whole 6 nights we were in Chicago. She lent us their van so we could get around. She would take us to dinner on most nights they're not busy with their business. And then she took us shopping! After too much prodding, she got me this bag (the Tulum). After all, if it was just me, I couldn't imagine myself spending that much money for a bag.

Funny thing is that my husband was so shocked of the price that on our way back, he kept checking if I have the box at hand. When we were boarding the plane to San Francisco, we left the box at the boarding gate. My husband ran with Kail in his arms to get it. In the midst of all the flurry, the flight attendant at the gate asked where he was going and he blurted out in Tagalog "may kukunin lang ako". He said he was so worried that he couldn't think how to translate that in English, hahaha! All's well that ended well because he found it just sitting where we left it - whew! Hubz said that bag's going to give him a heart attack, hahaha!

I still haven't uploaded the photos. Will hopefully do that one of these days!

Taking off on a jetplane...

I'm sooo in need of this break that I can't wait to leave. We're going to exciting places starting tomorrow until the 10th of November.

The Big Apple... The City that Never Sleeps!


Niagara Falls

Chicago

I'm so out of here... if only our stuff would pack itself!

Ciao!

Vocabulary of a 19-month old toddler

Kail's vocabulary is increasing by the day. Though he still blabbers in a language we couldn't understand, he at least has some words we could decipher:

baby - ah dee
daddy - dah dee
mommy - mama
ball - ba
balloon - lol
thank you - eh ooo
cat - tat
dog - dot
elmo - momo
no more - momon
banana - nana
wala na - nana
milk - dede
water - tater

I can't wait for my son to finally be able to speak in phrases. At the rate he's going, he's probably going to be as ma-kwento as mommy, hehe.

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Jody tagged me, so here are some weird things about me:

1. I'm a bag lady (not that I hoard bags) but I carry lots of 'em. I have a laptop roller with my laptop and work-related documents, my lunch bag, and a big shoulder bag which contains reading materials and personal items.

2. I sleep with a blanket all the time - even when it's scorching hot in the summer. I just have a fan fullydedicated to make me comfortable and the aircon is in full blast, hehe.

3. I'm a shopaholic - whether in store or online.

4. I love window-shopping. I can get out of a store without carrying anything, but just looking at things to buy satisfies me.

5. I can't sleep without hugging a pillow, even when I have my two boys beside me to hug.

6. I wipe my bathroom sink and faucets everytime I use it.

7. I keep magazines and books in the bathroom for reading when I'm on the "throne", hehe.

8. I have a LOT of scrapbooking stuff, but I'm not cranking up enough LOs to make a dent on my stash.

9. Some women crave for bags and girly stuff, while I have a love affair with cameras. I have a film SLR (Nikon N80), a DSLR (Nikon D80), a point and shoot digital camera (Olympus Stylus). I have 3 lenses - Tamron 28 to 200 mm, Nikon 50mm f/1.8, Nikon 18-105 f/3.5-4.6. I am salivating over Panasonic DMC-LX2 or Leica D-Lux - point and shoot cameras with 16:9 wide CCD, f/2.8mm wide angle lens. Also in my wish list is an SB-800 or SB-600 external flash.

10. I pray the rosary on the train (on my way home from work).

My Creative Endeavors

I've been in a creative rut since October 2005, back when I was pregnant with Kail. After I have given birth, the more I didn't have time to scrap because I was busy solely taking care of an infant. When I got back to work, the more it became impossible for me to sit down and scrap. I was faced with the responsibility of taking care of Kail and then having to work full time. I was on a hectic schedule with a demanding job. My need for creativity was easily satisfied by scrap shopping and reading scrapbook-related magazines. Now that the husband is home with us, I can now sit and be able to scrap a little here and there. In fact, whenI told hubz I needed to get back into shape by going to the gym, he quipped that I didn't need to do that, and that I ought to spend whatever free time I have scrapping. I'm glad he supports my need for a creative outlet and that he sees the importance of documenting our lives.

So, what have I been up to these days? I have enrolled in two more Big Picture Scrapbooking classes - Brushworks by Renee Pearson and Write Now by Amy Sorensen. I can now create brushes with photos, swirls, even my own handwriting for my layouts. With Write Now, I am able to journal the fast and easy way. It's not perfect journalling but it's the type of journalling that focuses on the why, not necessarily on the who, what, where type of stuff. I am also close to completing the All About Me album. This is a kit I got to benefit Breast Cancer research last year. I just have to add the photos and do a little bit more on the journalling and I'm done. Next on my plate is Kail's baby album. This is also a kit I had purchased on sale at Simple Scrapbooks. I have printed off the photos and am now doing bits of journalling. I'll be ready to assemble it as soon as I've completed my All About Me album, hopefully before Kail turns 21, teehee! I have also completed 5 journalling entries on some of our everyday happenings. I guess you can say that I'm the type of scrapbooker who prioritizes our everyday lives rather than the special occasions. I feel that our life may be mundane to some, but it is that little bits and pieces of our everyday that creates the special big picture of our life. I just hope I won't lose the momentum - what with our hectic weekend schedule as we take hubz on a tour of California.

In the meantime, I'm posting the last digital layout I made from the Brushworks class. The background paper is a close-up photo of Kail I converted into brushes. Cool huh?! :)

Very Picky Eaters

Kail used to have an appetite of a horse. He would eat anything and everything that he could get his tinyhands on, even when he's not supposed to eat them because of his allergies. Lately he's been refusing food. I somehow blame my ever-picky husband for it. Hubz is an honest-to-goodness carnivore. He doesn't eat veggies nor fruits. Even with meat, he's very picky. He won't eat anything that he's not used to seeing/eating. His favorites are simply sinigang and fried chicken (not very challenging to cook!). He doesn't eat leftovers, and this is because his lola owns a canteen so he was spoilt not having to repeat food the next meal, and having a variety of choices when he eats. He doesn't cook either because his lola does that for a living anyway. Kail sees him picking out his food so he probably thinks this is how it's supposed to be, since they're together 24x7.

I'm really finding it hard to feed my two boys these days. I'm practically pulling my hair out to find a way for them to eat. As a working mom, I don't have time to cook three meals a day. Since migrating to the US a couple of months ago, hubz doesn't eat lunch anymore. He would eat a bagel and it'll last him 'til dinner. Come dinner time, I noticed that whenever we have veggies or leftovers, he would eat very little. But when it's meat, he eats even the last bit of rice.

I don't know what else to do to make my boys eat. At least Kail eats fruits and veggies, but hubz, forget it. It's like talking to a tree when I tell him the health benefits of eating these types of food.

Any ideas mommies? I'm really desperate for tips.

I am one who have always believed in the power of prayer. I have seen it in my life and I can definitely attest to this.

It is with this same faith that I would like to humbly ask for your prayers for a friend and her unborn baby. Please check out Kaye's site for details. She is one very strong wife and mother. Her unwavering faith in God is truly an inspiration.

Thank you and here's to the power of prayer!

At the airport last week, I saw this poor woman carrying loads of baggages (on a cart of course), trying hard to keep up with her husband who is carrying absolutely nothing but a laptop bag. Then, he boarded the elevator well ahead of us (my roommate, me, my husband, and my little boy). His wife boarded last. In fact, the elevator almost closed up on her. The husband said something in their native language, and the wife just kept quiet. It sounded like he was berating his wife for not being able to keep up.

I told my husband I wanted to take the suitcase out of the cart, hit the husband on the head for not respecting his wife. My husband replied that in their culture, such is normal. It was then that I realized that though I came from a third world country, I have a lot to thank for. As Filipinos, our parents always reiterated the value of respect - especially to women. I remembered men would always say "ladies first". I am also grateful for the fact that my husband treats me as a partner - an equal. We walk hand-in-hand - nobody lagging behind. He consults me on his decisions, respects my opinions, allows me to control our finances, does his share of household chores, is a hands-on dad when it comes to Kail.

Related to this, I have a teammate asking a Filipino male friend how they are at home. My friend responded that we equally share household chores. He was aghast. In their house, he is the king. He would lie on the couch all day - doing whatever he feels like doing, while the wife does everything. I could not believe my ears! If that was my husband lying on the couch while I scramble to get stuff done, I would really hit him with whatever I can lay my hands on.

Unbelievable that in our modern day and age, there are still cultures who treat women as second and third class citizens (seemed lower sometimes). In my opinion, these men do not deserve wives, they ought to hire slaves!

I swear, this is like eye-candy! I like the the hobo, gypsy fringe bag, and these two purses - this and that.

Sigh, I'm not a bag person, but I couldn't resist these bags that looked like patterned papers - so yummy! How I wish money grew on trees!

Have a great week everyone!

I've been Tagged!

I've been tagged by Jigi!

I must post the rules, 7 random things about me and then tag others to do the same. Sounds fair enough, right?

These are the rules… each player starts with 7 random facts about themselves on their Blog. People who are tagged need to blog 7 facts about themselves and post the rules as well. At the end of their blog list 7 people you are tagging. Let them know that they are tagged by leaving them a comment.

1. Shopping is my therapy. I head out to the mall when I'm stressed.

2. I take online classes at www.bigpicturescrapbooking.com to hopefully curb my creativity back on track, and to encourage me to start scrapbooking again.

3. I love to read. Whenever I have an idle time (like my commute to work), I read books, magazines, or anything that piques my interest.

4. I'm a shoe fettish. A woman can never have enough shoes.

5. Fall is my favorite season. The weather is just right for me and I have to admit, I look cute in boots, hehe!

6. I collect Strini handblown glasses. I have not purchased a single one though because everything I have are gifts.

7. I'm a light sleeper. I wake up with the slightest noise, but can easily get back to sleep.

Please feel free to tag yourself...

Happy Father's Day (belated)!

To my hubz...
To my dad...
Happy Father's Day!
I love you both

I've always admired "hands-on" dads and I'm thankful to find one in my husband. It doesn't matter that he wasn't physically present for the past 16 months of Kail's life. He had only been here for a month and yet, he and Kail are inseparable.

To all dads I have had the pleasure of knowing, this day is made just for you.

After a Long Hiatus...

Yes, the husband is finally home with us. He has adjusted to his "domesticated" life pretty well. He has learned to change nappies, feed and take care of Kail, give baths, wash the bottles, mow the lawn, vacuum the carpet, help me with cleaning the house, put out the garbage. For someone who grew up having maids around, this is definitely a 360 degree change! I asked him if he gets homesick and his response, well, he doesn't even have time to be homesick, hehe!

I took him around the city on his first week, to Discovery Kingdom on his second, and to LA during the long weekend. As you can see, we've been pretty busy.

I've also decided to change skin and change blog title. However, I lost all the links to the blogs I frequently visit. So, if you're reading this, can you post the link to your blogs on the Comments section? I'd truly appreciate it!

I'm leaving you with some photos of our newly-reunited family... 'Til next post!