Christmas is here...

'Twas the night before Christmas. Our oven is busy making cassava cake for tonight's noche buena with friends. I also made peach cream pie earlier.

The kids are asleep, trying to recharge for a long night with their friends. The husband is watching Tagalog news in Pinoy TV. I'm busy with a Christmas entry on my blog.

This is probably our happiest Christmas ever. It's Calix's first and our first Christmas in our new home with just the four of us. Despite the recession, we still consider ourselves blessed. God has been truly good to me and my family.

From our family to yours... a very Merry Christmas and a Properous New Year!

Kail the Kuya

Hubz got upset with Calix last night. We were having dinner when Calix suddenly cried - the cry when he wants to be held, so I held him. But then I couldn't eat, so I placed him down again. He cried - louder this time. Hubz placed him in the living room without any lights on. What actually touched me was when Kail, then having dinner with us, stood up from his seat, went to the living room, opened the light, and stayed with Calix - trying to pacify him. I tell you, I was so proud of my little boy. I knew right then that when they grow up, they could depend on each other and they won't leave each other's sides.

LP 32: Maalaala mo Kaya

Ang litratong ito ay kuha noong dekada 70. Ang sanggol na nasa litrato ay ang aking mahal na asawa nung siya ay bininyagan. Uso noong panahong iyon ang mga maiikling damit/palda. Ang mga pantalong makipot sa binti at biglang luluwag sa laylayan - walis ang turing ko sa mga pantalong ito dahil sa paglakad mo'y animong malilinis ang sahig. At ang mga buhok na sobrang titigas na maski ano'ng galaw mo'y hindi magugulo! Ang kwento ng aking ina, beer daw ang inilalagay nila noon dahil hindi pa uso ang ispreynet. Parang ayoko yatang tumabi sa kanila kung ganoon. Mga amoy-lasing siguro sila, hehehe.

I Voted!

It's Election Day and an exciting time for all citizens, including me. I have mailed in my ballot a couple of weeks back. I wanted to make sure my vote will be counted. God bless America - for the freedom it stands for, and for the freedom it gives its' citizens to be heard and to make a stand. Today, history will be made. With the economic crisis on hand, it is important, more than ever, to choose wisely - to pick those who will lead America back into its seat of power.

Halloween came and went. The weather forecast said it was going to rain. True enough, it drizzled. Good thing the kids were done trick or treating. We have about two bags of candies to finish, plus those bags we weren't able to give out because we were out with the kids. They might end up in a balikbayan box to Manila for christmas.

A year ago, we were in the East Coast. On hallow's eve, we were sightseeing in downtown New York with Kail dressed up in his pumpkin sweats. He was handed a handful of candy then. Calix, on the other hand, was still in mommy's tummy so no costumes for him. This year though, theywere dressed as Mickey Mouse (a hand-me-down from Kuya J) and Dragon (which I got from Old Navy for $5). I also got them matching pajama sets to wear in bed. Hubz said I'm more excited about Halloween than the kids. I even practiced Kail to say "trick or treat" days before. Am I a stage mom in the making? ;)

My Wishlist

Christmas is 59 days away, and it's never too early to start on my christmas wishlist. Of course, with the economy being the way it is these days, they may just remain on my list.... :)

For the geek in me... the MacBook Pro!
For the bookworm in me... the Amazon Kindle!

For the mamarazzi in me... the SB-600 flash!

For the working woman/mom-on-the-go in me... the Louis Vuitton Palermo!

For the scrapbooker in me... the Cricut Personal Cutting System!

LP 30: Liwanag


Ang litratong ito ay kuha ko noong Nobyembre 1999 sa Flagstaff, Arizona. Panahon ito ng taglagas kaya halos ubos na ang dahon sa puno. Lubha akong nabighani sa ganda ng pagsikat ng araw kaya kagyat kong kinuha ang mano-mano kong camera. Isa ito sa paborito kong kuha.

Tinitingnan ko ang litratong ito tuwing nakakaranas ako ng pagsubok sa buhay. Kung susuriing mabuti ang litrato, para itong nangungusap at nagbibigay pag-asa. Para bang sinasabi niya na huwag matakot dahil pagkatapos ng dilim ay liliwanag din. Patunay na ang kasunod ng gabi ay isang bagong umaga na puno ng pag-asa. Kahit na nalalagas ang mga dahon, tutubo at babalik muli sila sa panahon ng tagsibol.

Napakabuti talaga ng Diyos! Para bang kinakausap niya tayo sa pamamagitan ng Kanyang mga likha.

Breastfeeding Challenges

I would like to think that I have done as much as I could on this area of motherhood. But, unlike other mothers out there, I simply wasn't blessed with enough milk supply for my baby. Even my lactation consultant confirmed that I have done everything to the T, but I still couldn't feed my baby full breastmilk. Even when I have succumbed to taking Reglan, a medication that supposedly increases milk supply, I couldn't extract more than 2-3 oz of milk per pumping. Is it because I had complications with my C-section? Is it because we have been plagued by seemingly endless issues and problems this time around? Or is it because, simply put, I wasn't blessed with enough milk ducts or they didn't develop fully? Is it related to my PCOS? For whatever reason, I simply cannot produce enough for my little Calix.

Since I started with the patch, I also noticed a steady decline in my milk supply, especially now that I ran out of Reglan. It has occurred to me to just stop trying and leave Calix with formula - he has no complaints anyway. But I was surprised that my husband noticed that I haven't been giving Calix breastmilk. He told me to keep pumping, and maybe I'll trigger the supply again.

You see, unlike Kail, Calix never had constipation, nor did he develop ectopic dermatitis. My husband thinks it's because he was getting more breastmilk than Kail ever did. But even with all these issues of milk supply, I am still grateful I was able to make it to the 5th month. My goal was 6 months but nature had other plans!

I truly salute all breastfeeding moms out there. This wasn't a walk in the park. I had to endure lots of sleepless nights because I had to steadily pump every 2-3 hours just to increase my supply. I am not ashamed at nursing my son in public - my only issue is that he still felt hungry after that. I just wish I had more to offer you know?

These past few days, news of financial gloom and doom have hit the headlines. You cannot help but feel depressed of it all. The world's economic giant is finally falling on its knees! The stock market has hit the fan. I dare not even look at my 401K anymore!

In the homefront, I have been doing a lot of calculations lately, doing my very best to stick within budget as even our dollars feel battered and torn in this economic chaos. We have been doing our part to save on utilities. I heard in Oprah show yesterday that unplugging unused appliances can save on electricity, so I've started doing that. We have programmed our sprinkler system to twice a week now. We maintain a list of groceries whenever we go to the store and we make sure we stick to that list. We try to go to the groceries with a full stomach so we won't be tempted to buy unnecessarily. We have avoided eating out. Every little bit counts.

Yesterday morning, as Kail moved to our bed, I realized that at the end of the day, everything that mattered to me most are in that bed - my husband and my two kids. As we are also undergoing some trying times, I am confident that everything will come to pass, and that the Lord will guide our way out. I believe that when the Lord turns our lives upside down, it is because He has something better planned.

Litratong Pinoy #27

Ito ang unang linggong lalahok ako sa "palaro" ng litratong pinoy. Ang tema ngayong linggong ito ay ang Kompyuter. Ito ang isang bagay na malapit sa aking puso dahil dito namin kinukuha ang ikinabubuhay namin. Dahil dito, nakarating ako sa Amerika upang maghanapbuhay.

Tunay na sa panahon natin ngayon, nakalulungkot isipin na hindi kumpleto ang ating mga araw kung hindi natin nagagamit ang ating mga kompyuter. Lubhang naging alipin na tayo ng makabagong teknolohiyang ito.

I've been out of circulation yet again. Calix is almost 5 months now, and is growing up so fast - right before our very eyes. He started eating solids a week ago and like his kuya, he's proving to be a big eater. Kail on the other hand, currently has ear infection so he's been coughing and sneezing, and his nose is dripping.

Here is my boys' latest photo - my favorite one. It is not always often that they get together like this - for camera's sake, so the mamarazzi in me had to take advantage... :)




Kail is a very good kuya. We can now ask him to do things for Calix - like give us diapers, give him his bottle. And he also loves hugging and kissing his baby brother. Calix, however, seem to dislike being near is kuya. Even when these two boys came from the same parents, you can see, even this early, their differences in attitude. Kail is so friendly and malambing while Calix seemed a bit distant. Calix doesn't do well with strangers unlike Kail who flashes his beautiful grin to everyone. But, differences or not, we still love them so much!

I am one who takes pride in being able to balance career and family life, but at the back of my mind, I had hoped that I wouldn't be in a position when I would have to choose between career and family because the choice is obvious. To someone who values family like I do, it's hands down family right? But, it wasn't as easy a choice as I thought.

I was recently faced with a decision between career advancement and family. I talked to hubz about it and he said it best - "Weigh your priorities. Choose what will make you happy". In the end, I decided to forego that chance to climb up the corporate ladder.

Because I can work from home on most days, I get that opportunity to take part in my kids' milestones. Time with my kids is something I will never be able to get back would I miss their growing up years. Sure, I'd get the chance to rub shoulders with who's who in the company but what good would that do if my own kids wouldn't even recognize me? At the end of the day, their hugs and wet kisses mean more to me than all the money and fame in the world. After all, I'm a mom 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and I couldn't be happier.

I've been out of touch for a long time again, but with some very good reasons. With two kids to care for, I couldn't even find the time to catch my breath. And if that isn't a good enough reason, we decided to move to a new house during the last week of July. If you think those are enough to drive anyone insane, I took two summer classes at the Community College to finally complete my Real Estate prerequisite for taking the state test. Since summer classes are only 8 weeks long, all courses had to be taught double the time which means I cram 4 times as much because I took two classes! If you think I'm done with those three heavy reasons to be out of touch, I'm also back to work since July 7th.

To those who have been aware of my C-section complications, I am healing better now - thank God! However, I have an outpatient procedure on Friday at a surgeon's office to finally put this issue to rest.

And if you think I'm done giving reasons, well, you're in for a big surprise! My family has been going through some rough times lately because of what I thought were good investments that ended up haunting me. Anyway, we're taking it one day at a time with hope that this too, shall pass.

So, if you get the chance to see me, don't be surprised since I dropped 34 lbs in all since giving birth (I only gained 30 lbs total throughout the whole pregnancy). I'm 4 lbs lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight. 4 more lbs to go and I'll reach my pre-marital weight at 100 lbs!

Other than that, God has been good to our family and we couldn't be more than grateful.

Welcome Calix Matthias!

Calix was born on May 8, 2008 at 8:48 am via a scheduled C-section at Sutter Solano Medical Center in Vallejo. He weighed 9.6 lbs and was 21 inches long at birth. Like his kuya, he is in perfect health and he brought with him tremendous joy.

I am currently recovering from complications on my C-section. My doctor referred to it as wound hematoma. In layman's terms, my incision hasn't closed because I had clots and the inside isn't healing as expected. With this, I have had to visit my OB daily to have her change the dressing. I have also been in pain since Day 1 though I refuse to take pain killers unless necessary because I am trying to breastfeed. This has been a traumatic post partum recovery and it made me seriously consider not having another one. My only consolation amidst all these is that I have another beautiful son whom I absolutely adore.

Belated Happy Mother's Day to all. Here's to the many sacrifices moms can endure for the sake of their beloved children.

Please include me in your prayers for a speedy recovery as well.

Tomorrow, May 8 at 7:30am, I am going in for a scheduled C-section to meet Baby Calix - the latest addition to the Apolo household. I am enjoying the last few hours alone with Kail because I know I'll miss him terribly while I'm at the hospital. Since he was born 28 months ago, we haven't been apart at night. If the hospital won't allow him to stay, then he and his dad would have to sleep at home and I'd be left all alone.

While we are busy doing our last minute preparation for the big day (the husband is out on the yard mowing the lawn), I am feeling under the weather. I have colds and my throat felt sore. We have a pre-op appointment this afternoon and I'll just bring it up then. Gosh, I hope they could get me something that'll make these symptoms go away. I don't want the baby to get infected on his first few days of life, and as much as possible, I don't want to put off the delivery date any longer. I am having trouble sleeping already due to my carpal tunnel, and then there's the uncomfortable feeling of a heavy tummy. I'm having difficulty walking and standing up. There's also the pressure on my lower abdomen (like menstrual cramps). I really think it's time.

Won't you please include is in your prayers for a safe delivery and a healthy baby? Thanks so much!

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I met with Mary, the lactation consultant from La Leche League and she gave me lots of useful information to help me be successful in breastfeeding. She also promised to be available to me anytime and promises to visit once in a while to see how I'm doing. Because of my breastfeeding issues with Kail, I am really keen on successfully breastfeeding this time around so I'm trying to get all the help I could get up front.

To my dear husband, Happy, Happy Birthday!

Thank you for the love, support, understanding, kindness, and care you have given me through the years.

Thank you for being a great husband and a wonderful father to Kail, and soon, to Calix as well.

I love you... more than you'll ever know!

I would just like to post some new layouts I did in two days. Layout 1 is a project from Big Picture Scrapbooking's Gretchen Schmidt's class I took in September last year. Layouts 2, 3, and 4 are based from the Pagemaps book and Valerie Salmon's sketches.

Materials used: paper - Basic Grey Buddy Boy and Bazzill Basics; Notecard - Mellette Berezoski; photo by Picture Co.

Journalling: Kail, at age one, we already know you have a cheerful personality. You always have that cute little smile on your face. Keep it up even when life throws you lemons sometimes.

Materials used: cardstock - Bazzill; patterned paper - Basic Grey Gypsy; Font - Heidi Swapp; Notecard - Imaginisce

Materials used: cardstock - Bazzill; patterned paper - Chatterbox; font - Making Memories; Notecard - K&Co.

Journalling: Kail discovered monkey bar at the playground and he loved it! With dad's help, he'd swing back and forth and giggle. My son is definitely 100% boy!

Materials used: cardstock - Bazzill; patterned paper - Chatterbox; Photo corner - Heidi Swapp; "Happiness" font - K&Co; "is" font - Making Memories

Journalling - Happiness is... having you as our son, seeing your beautiful smile everyday, having a son that always exudes happiness!

It has been a while since my last post. To those who were wondering, no, I haven't given birth yet. But, as of yesterday, I am officially on maternity leave. It feels strange to be at home and not working (this is because I work from home on most days). Kail is probably wondering why I'm always around him, but nevertheless welcomes my being a dotting mother. We read, play, snuggle, take naps together. The husband also welcomes the break from taking care of the little guy.

I am starting to pack my hospital bag, and I have completed the baby's stuff in there. I just need to add my own and we're ready to go. In the meantime, there's also a lot on my To Do list before the big day that we have to fulfill.

My carpal tunnel has been bothering me lately. I couldn't sleep well at night because of the numbness and the pain on my wrist. This is the one thing I dislike on my last trimester of pregnancy. I've had this with Kail and I have it again this time. Oh well, I just have to live with it. Besides, a couple of weeks more and I'll be carpal tunnel-free (I hope).

Maternity Portraits and Tagged!

On Saturday, we had our photo shoot with none other than Auey Santos of Photograffiti. It was such a fun shoot!

I've always admired Demi Moore's unforgettable maternity portrait and though I don't have the heart to bare it all, I can daresay I have the courage to bare my very pregnant tummy! The photos can be found here. I couldn't be happier with the images.

Kudos to Auey for her talent and overflowing creativity and artistry!

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I've been tagged by Dang and here's my take on the Six Unimportant Things About Me:

1. I love chocolates even when it triggers my migraine. The darker it is, the better for me!

2. I hate the taste of milk (it used to upset my stomach) but because of calcium, I have acquired the taste.

3. I love to shop! In fact, I hoard lots of scrapbook supplies though I barely make a dent.

4. I am OC when it comes to the bathroom. I like the faucets sparkling, the sink white as snow so I wipe it off everytime we use the bathroom. I've also taught the husband and my son to clean as they go so cleaning won't bea big production number everytime.

5. I love taking photos and I love being in photos!

6. I can read and watch TV at the same time. When I was in school, I used to study and do my homework in frontof the TV. Call it multitasking, hehehe!

I owe one more tag from Gem. Hope to get to it soon!

I finally replaced my 3 year old Treo with this sweetheart:
I love, love, love my new iPhone. What's great is that I didn't have to shell out a fortune for this darling. A close friend neighbor's major weakness is collecting the latest cellphone craze. She got this baby a couple of months ago and after minimal use, she decided it was too big for her. She sold it to me for a fraction of its original cost with some accessories! I didn't even have to pay for taxes. I'm a happy camper! ;)

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I was able to churn out 5 LOs in 3 nights. If you know me, this is a BIG milestone since I haven't touched my scrapbook supplies since September last year. Here are the latest LOs I created:






Valerie Salmon's sketches provided the inspiration to finish three of them. I also decided to splurge on flowers when I can. With a house full of boys, it is not often I get to do this (even when I have tons of flower embellies to use).

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I also had Kail's 1st birthday album printed from Blurb. Special thanks to Jeff Lopez for providing the digital layouts.

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We have not been successful at potty-training Kail yet. Hubz isn't consistent at making him pee every 30 minutes or so (he gets lazy sometimes - men!). This is what I'll focus on when I start my maternity leave. I plan to go off a couple of weeks early - April 21st - so I'll have time with Kail and hubz, and hopefully, I can rest a bit before the baby comes on May 8.

We have opted for another C-section. Because of my gestational diabetes, I might have another big baby and might have another hard time at getting him through the birthing canal.

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On my previous post, I mentioned I'm going to have a date with hubz while a friend babysat Kail. Hubz and I did get the chance to watch a movie, but my friend gave me a surprise baby shower after we got back. I wasn't really expecting it since this is our second baby, it was going to be another boy, we were able to keep all of Kail's stuff for the next baby to use. Anyhow, it was still a welcome surprise. I'm so blessed to have good friends.

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I still owe Gem and Dang their tags. Will get to them as soon as I can - promise!

We have started training Kail to sleep on his own bed since Saturday. Hubz and I have squatted in his room to make sure he doesn't feel afraid when he wakes up and find himself alone, and would thus, refuse to sleep in his room. We noticed that he would wake up at wee hours in the morning to move to the adjacent airbed (where hubz and I are sleeping for the past week). We didn't mind because almost all kids we know do that - move to their parents' beds when they awake, that is. But last night was pure success. He slept on his bed the whole night! It was actually I who would wake up in the middle of the night to check on him and make sure he's ok. The hubz has been teasing me that Kail seems ready to move to his own bed but I'm just not quite ready to let go. He's absolutely right! If not for the coming baby, I would reminisce him sleeping in our bed for as long as he'd want to - nevermind the fact that Kail occupies most of the bed while hubz and I are squeezed in on both edges. Also, for the past couple of days, he has been taking his afternoon naps on his bed - without his daddy beside him. You see, with Kail, he loves sleeping atop his daddy so it's truly an achievement for him to sleep alone. I have to pat my husband on the back for being so patient at training him. Now, if only we'd have the same patience to potty train him as well!


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I have finished creating Kail's ABC Album (which I started last night by the way). You can browse the finishedproduct here. It is now ready for printing - yahoo! Thanks to Jessica Sprague's pre-made design that made this photo book easy peezy!


Special thanks to The Picture Company for the photo on the cover, first page and to the Grandmas' photos. Another kudos to Jeff Lopez for the Family and Xtra Special photos. Those were taken from Kail's first birthday party.

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Our close friend and kumare L volunteered to babysit Kail tomorrow while the husband and I goes on a much needed time alone. She actually convinced me to take that date day since we won't have this time alone when baby no. 2 comes along. Kail is well-loved (and Kail loves playing with his kuya and ates too) by our friend's kids so we know he'll be in good hands.

Kail has a Dancing Tots class in the morning, and we'll probably head to Union City immediately to attend KuyaAxel's birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. Then we'll drop Kail off at the A's, have lunch, then watch a movie.We need to head back before nighttime because we promised our neighbor we'll watch Pacquiao with them at their house.

We're excited! It's the first time in ages I'd be out with the husband. That's the price we pay for having no help nor family around.

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Happy weekend everyone!