random (waiting for d-day)

I finally bought b. boy his Tommee Tippee bottles. Couldn't wait for donations anymore.Hehe! I figured this is what I really want for our lil' one so why not get it for him right?! We are extremely frequenting all these baby stores for a couple of weekends already. Nakakaloka all the cute stuffs that we want to buy for b. boy. Even kuya is gettting addicted already. We went to Baby & Co Podium last Sunday because Kyle wanted to buy these cute socks that he saw a week ago for his "ading" (an Ilocano term for a younger sib)- then he saw these squirking toy for newborn babies and he wanted to get it as well. We tried to stop him but he got mad- kasi it's his money naman daw. Yes folks, kuya's been saving for his lil' bro's welcome present too! So there, he bought four pairs of super cute socks and a newborn toy for b. boy. (I shall post the pics after Saturday). So loving, generous and thoughful kuya Kyle. Mom and dad are so proud :)

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Met up with my bestfriend Mar last Friday night at the new Eastwood mall. At last! we've become so busy with work and yes we are getting old and yes- she is still complicated (rather - she still dates complicated men!) There's so much catching up to do! We've been missing so much. We had coffee at Starbucks so we can have more time to update each others' lives. Oh, I had to drag her to Babyland and Toytown for some baby shopping also. (Yeah, priorities change- Babyland vs Steve Madden :D ) My loots that night- a flashcard brain stimulator for infants, a cute puppy bath towel and a non-toxic liquid soap for cleaning b. boy's feeding bottles. I got him a cute bib that matches one of his outfits too! :)

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saw Ice Age - Dawn of the Dinosaurs with kuya and hubby over the weekend. The film was hilarious!

*****

Nearing d-day, mommy is becoming anxious and impatient. Maybe it's because of the big belly and the swelling feet hehe. And my body is aching badly. I hardly sleep at night anymore which means I have a hard time waking up in teh morning, but as practiced, I still wake up to preapre Kyle for school even if we have helpers around who can do it for me. I love being a mommy to Kyle. He can actually fixed himself alreadyfor as early as 3-4 yrs old but even with that, I still make sure to wake up and look after him while he prepares himself to school. Soon, kuya will grow and will not need me to look after him, but I want him to remember that mommy is just around when he calls out for a towel or warm water...

I am excited about the stuffs that i've been collecting for b.boy. I so love extraordinary and personally designed onesies- not the typical white ones. I've been collecting cute designs -mostly cars, truck, play balls and cute designs made by local mom-preneurs on-line :) I find munchkin products interesting too! very colorful and vibrant! I already bought a blue bottle & nipple brush today (non-slip grip) and I am planning to go back for the formula dispensers, medicators, soft-tip infant spoons and fun ice chewy teethers :) Oh life! magastos pero masaya! :D

*******

Hospital bag for mommy & b. boy - all set!

Pelvic Ultrasound done last Sat at Medical City - everything normal! Thank God! :)

Weekly check-up scheduled on Wednesday. Hay!!! Can't wait na talaga!

Endorsements due to finish this week. Maternity Leave filed. Excited to be just home and play mommy to my kids and full-time wife to my hardworking hubby! :) Perfect! :)

*******

the baby ticker is making me impatient already :D c'mon!

feeding bottles

Ok, call me anxious and all but I am really going crazy and gaga over all these BPA issues that's been circulating the net for months now. A mommy friend of me and hubby sent us a post few weeks back which resulted to me changing my feeding bottle preference from one brand to another. As parents, Jp and I would want what's best for our kids of course.

Prior to all the BPA issues, we already ordered Avent feeding bottles from a relative in the US. We've heard so many good reviews and feedback from close family and friends who used these for their babies and kiddos - so it was really frustrating to hear negative notes about Avent containing Bisphenol A - in their clear bottles. We went to check Baby and Co. for their BPA free Avent bottles (honey-colored) but the price is outrageous!



I had to look for other options- feeding bottle that is cheaper but not compromising b. boy's safety and health of course. I learned about Tommee Tippee BPA- free bottles. I like their Closer to Nature set. Very very clean and the teat designed to mimic the natural flex and feel of a mum's breast. This is perfect for mommies like me who will be breastfeeding and bottle feed at the same time. The price here in Manila is actually cheaper than Avent. A set of three in SM's Baby section is around Php1300 (you get one bottle free as part of their promotion/ being offered only while supplies lasts). Look below, isn't this chubby bottle cute!?? :) But I am a still bit hesitant to get this brand as well because I don't know anyone who've tried using it.


Last among my top picks is Gerber's Gentle Flow feeding bottles. I found a mompreneur on-line who sells a set of three for only Php800. Good deal right?! But I am still having the price checked in the US though- for comparison. I might end up with these bottles already. It's BPA-free and a lot more cheaper than my two other choices. I ws told that these bottles are even better than Avent. I love the colors too! :) very baby and so dainty! :P

Photo Credit: www. amazon.com

Informative Post about the effects of Bisphenol-A (BPA)

here, here and here.

father's day

celebrating father's day at thai kitchen.

happy happy father's day again to the best dad! :)

(next year we're celebrating with two boys already! can't wait!)

thanks for the love and thoughfulness.

i want to tell you that- i am the proudest and happiest wife!

happy birthday mama =)

happy happy birthday to our everdearest mama! =) we had simple dinner at home last night. mama prepared home made lumpiang ubod (yummy!). we had pasta and bbq also. for dessert, I made kiwi float (hubby's request) and mango float (kyle's request and favorite). my mother in law ordered this yummy dayap chiffon cake from the chocolate kiss cafe . something new to add to our list of favorites =) i just realized now that we had more desserts last night than the main course! teehee!

it was Philippine Independence Day holiday in Manila last Friday. Hubby and I treated kuya :). Last hurrah before the schoolyear starts! :) We got him his PS3 game (sorry I forgot the cd's title) from Blitz and his animated TRANSFORMER robot from Toy Kingdom. We had lunch at our favorite Rack's (where else?!!) before heading home for our afternoon siesta :)

happy days! :)

baby shower at Mr Kurosawa

loving cousin in laws prepared a baby shower for me last June 6 at Mr Kurosawa (a funky Jap-resto at the new Eastwood Mall - with the likes of John & Yoko in Greenbelt 5). We had so much fun and girl bonding. I love that it's quiet and very intimate.


I got most of what I don't have yet :) Receiving blankets and newborn side-snap shirts from ate ina, adorable infant socks from sassy, goat's milk baby lotion and soaps from kara, newborn diapers from nina and very useful baby bouncers from ria & my sister in law pebbles.(yup! theye got the same gifts for b. boy) we had to have ria's gift replaced the day after because it would be impractical to have two bouncers for baby. we bought other necessities instead. newborn avent feeding bottles, diaper gauze and frog suits. super exciting! can't wait for b. boy to arrive.



taken eastwood mall after the baby shower. met up with the husbands and we went malling while the kids played at timezone. great family bonding for everyone! :)

(l-r) nina.ina.ria.preggy tin.kara.sassy. love you all! :)

Along Came Baby

i hope we can find time to go and visit this baby bazaar on Sunday at The Fort. I'd love to see cute stuffs for b. boy there :) it'll be an awesome bonding for me and the two boys if ever...

b. boy's first gift from grandma! :)

again, i must say that i am definitely one of the luckiest daughter-in-law for having such a thoughtful, loving and generous mother-in-law. (sometimes nga over na that me and my husband would find a way to stop her! hehe!). last weekend, we headed over to the mall to get kyle's new school bag and uniform pants. MIL went with us to check on the the baby cribs/ playpens for her "apo" at baby company. so there, the excited lola ended up getting a crib for b. boy already :)

like normal parents who would always want the best for their babies/kids, hubby and i ended up reseraching for this and that brands for the obvious and given reasons: we want our b. boy to be comfortable and safe :) we initially wanted a white wooden crib for the room but then again, we had to consider so many things first. one is if we are to get a wooden crib, it will be hard for us to mobilize it to any other place in the house whenever needed. we then thought of getting a graco or chicco playpen/crib instead because of good recommendations. for about teh same price,we ended up getting the latter because of it's better and more useful features.

you can view product info here.

random

currently reading....
God's Little Devotional Book. a gift from my good friend naomi and our ninang baby on my birthday. my every night reading before going to sleep...

What to Expect When You're Expecting. our cousin's partner, Ria lent me this book when she found out that we are expecting. very very informative and useful :)

Pregnancy and Baby's First Year. bought this book months back and i find it very very informative and practical. an advantage- the book is published here in Manila- er the inputs are not so complicated and very much easier to understand and follow :) a perfect guide book for pregnany mommies out there!

my boys went on a date last Sunday while I stayed home to bond with my mother in law. they went to see Harlem Globetrotters Tour Philippines at the big dome. it's boys night out for them!:)

we had late dinner at stackers, a burger cafe that recently opened in eastwood city.

weekends are never enough...

onesies

hubby and i spend most of our weekends looking and shopping for cute baby stuffs! we started buying the basic cotton newborn tees, mittens, booties already but i've been meaning to look for other cute and stuffs for b. boy!:) something unique, crazy and cute!




found these cute dino (carter's), trucks (fisher price) onesies in one of our routinary malling on weekends! :) i wanted to buy more but the rest of the designs were for little princesses already:D so i had to settle for these two :)

bought this cute bibs too in one of the summer bazaars in tiendesitas :) winnie the pooh used to be kyle's theme when he was a baby. his room, his toys, blankets! everything! now, hubby and i are looking into more sporty themes like basketball, soccer and cars the baby coming!:)

got a number of onesies and baby shirts too! some are still big for a newborn, but i just can't help to be "atat' whenever i see cute stuffs for b.boy :) i normally go window shopping with my two boys! happy to see the two very excited as well!

breaktifasty!!!

I don't normally get excited about breakfast. My mom would know. In my grade school days, she would normally feed me for long hours! I would let the food stay in my mouth and end up throwing it out. Yucky! I would end up crying because she'd get mad. That's our everyday drama even until when I entered highschool already. In college, I would end up leaving the house with my stomach empty(bec my mom is not there to check on me anymore). I don't know, I just don't like being forced to eat in the morning - when I actually just woke up. Ironically, I love breakfast food like tapa, longganisa, tocino, spanish sardines and so many others. But I would want to eat them at a later time in the morning.


Now that I am working, I normally eat my breakfast in the office instead. I wake up, take a shower, dress up and leave for work right away. Eating breakfast is not part of my routine at home. I normally eat my breakfast or drink my coffee an hour or more after I get to work, after i've settled myself and answered a number of my emails and phone calls. I recently found breakfast love in these stalls that recently opened in our 7th floor cafeteria: cerealicious ( i love their blockbuster cereal trails!) and panini (love their bacon lettuce and tomato!). There's another stall that offers organic brewed coffee and I am excited to try this after I give birth. Yes, when the baby's out! :P



On weekends, I look forward to breakfast only because then I know that i'll be with my family. Saturdays- is "breakfast day" in our house. My mother in law would normally hosts breakfast for the whole clan. It's been like that traditionally even before I met my husband. It may be tiring at some point (esp if you were out late on a Friday hehe) but nonetheless these Saturdays are very meaningful and important to everyone in the family esp my mother in law and her sisters :)


I love quiet breakfasts with my husband. We would normally do this on Sundays before mass. We are lucky to have a few personalized and quaint cafes in our area that's good enough for a perfect breakfast. Our favorites: Banapple and Kopi Roti (both located outside our village).I believe we will never grow old doing this together :)

(with husband taken at kopi roti. some two years ago :) kyle took this photo!)

busy bee

My hands are tied up on a Monday and yes this is me - a WORKING MOM! (a bundat-working-mommy). For weeks i've been trying work and manage my schedule and make sure that I attend to everything equally. This is the hardest part though... with the big tummy and b. boy stretching and kicking inside my womb (like as if he just ate a huge chocolate bar), I know I have to start slowing down. I am officially on my 30th week and i'm lucky that this pregnancy is very cooperative. Except of course, when the back aches strikes at night.

I want to list my MUST DO for this week.. Yes it's Monday and I feel that the next four-six days is not enough for me to finish my wifey, mommy and work assignments. Wheeeww!!!!

• finish weekly menu for the house
• grocery
• buy new set of tea plants
• coordinate with gardener for the frontyard trimmings
• buy new set of uniforms for Kyle (he's grown!)
• buy new bag and schol supplies for Kyle
• cover books/ notebooks for the Kyle
• call Kumon center
• resume general cleaning (Kyle's room and ours -both in major need of spring cleaning before b. boy arrives)
• See Dr Michael Gan for my sugar consultation and diet
• OB check-up (we have to visit every two weeks now)
• join mama's garage sale on Saturday
• attend Parenting Seminar (for expectant moms) on Saturday (1-4pm)
• prepare homemade dessert for hubby (been wanting to do this for two weeks now)
• work on my soap orders/ new webpage
• attend baby shower planned by officemates (supposedly a surprise thing but someone slipped & just had to spoil it unintentionally! haha!
• have my nails done! (pending for one month already!)
• get myself a comfy flat formal slippers that I can wear to work (the heavy weight is making it hard for me to walk around the office and do my daily sales calls already. yes, my feet got bigger!yikes!)
• work on client proposals
• submit accreditation requirements
• submit weekly report and itin to my boss
• meeting with important client on Wed pm

• file FTS for end of the month payroll
• schedule dentist apppintment for me and my two boys
• hopefully visit Manila Ocean Park on Sunday (last hurrah for Kyle before the end of his summer vacation)
• check out crib and stroller at Baby & Co this weekend
• update my solace more often inspite of the busy schedule

I hope to accomplish everything this week or maybe in the next two weeks. Most of these are urgent and I really have to finish them. One important self reminder though: slow down honey!

we're having a boy! :)

Yup, it's another baby boy! :) and of course my two boys are very very excited! Thank God everything's safe and normal! :) Except of course that I have to cut down my sugar for now! no chocolates & cakes for now. sob. :( We strarted shopping for baby stuffs already. I can't wait for b. boy to come out. Kyle is very excited too! I admire him for being so "kuya"! He's been talking about the baby from day one. And mind you, he's very strict too! Haha! I am guarded!:D

back now :)

It's been centuries .I know I had to sacrifice time for blogging in exchange of my wifey,mommy duties and so many other responsibilities that caught me off guard for the past months. Truly, I missed blogging and so with reading posts from my favorite bloggers as well. And because of not being able to blog for the longest time, it took me a while to gather my thoughts and start writing again. Teehee! I do not know which ones to blog first! From last year to this date- were so many spectacular experiences and events that's worth sharing. I will try my best though to sum it all up and be able to share with you my most tiring and busiest year ever- yet the most memorable and blessed year as well. :)

finally :)

our little one on the way :) big boy is now a "kuya" and daddy jp is extremely excited. we had our first OB visit yesterday. so it's confirmed! i am five weeks pregnant! :) we're having a baby!!!

talk about having the best christmas present ever :)



happy. happy. happy :)

the busiest ever...

new work, B in mind... cooking...

and yeah, my plants and flowers are taking so much of my time :)

making the most out of my weekends with hubby and my Kyle...

the girl will try to post backlogs this weekend (cross-fingers )

it's been a month and more...

the west side story

Seeing the West Side Story on its first day showing last Sept 5 was kinda disappointing for me. Maybe I expected too much. It was my second time to watch the West Side. First was in 5th grade when we were invited to watch the play at St. Paul,QC. I showed no interest at that time. I went because it was a requirement.

It was my personal choice to watch the West Side this time. Moreso when I learned that Joanna Ampil is playing Maria. Though my worries proved me right, I never expected more flaws to show up that night. I knew then that J. Ampil's voice will be more dominant over C. Bautista's singing since the later is not really into theater acting. It's disappointing too that the sound system was actually not cooperating in the middle of the show down to the end. The sounds were roaring up & down during Maria's solo performances. Anita (played by Rowena Vilar) on the other hand was very entertaining. She danced so well ,sang so good and acted so perfect for her role. Kuddos to this Filipino-Australian theater actress who came home to perform for us. It made the show more funny, alive and interesting.

I am not to judge the show now since I went on a first day. That's what I got for being so eager & excited!Hehe! I know there'll be a lot of improvements on the next playdates. :) Somehow it makes me think though if the Christian and Karylle team-up will turn out better since they can complement each other's singing. Same genre,same note and same level.

It was my very first time to watch a play with my husband and funny that I only learned about his interest in theater few months after we got married. Even if the the West Side show was not perfect, still this will have a special place in my memory lane :)

My good friend Naomi was there too with her parents, Ninang Baby and Atty. Nestor Corpuz. And boy, i'm surprised to see a college friend Paul Febre with his fiance who just got back from the US. it's nice to bump into long lost friends who went to see tha play also :)

books,sports,theater,exams etc.etc. etc :D

My Kyle started reading this already for his book report. The boy's load in school is becoming heavier everyday. Some of the Math problems are that complicated that me and my husband would even have to check with each other if the equations and solutions that Kyle answered are correct. hehe. We're back to gradeschool! It's fun though. Hubby and Kyle gets to bond in the afternoon because daddy Jp would usually help him with his homework while I recheck and review with him after dinner :)

* * * * *

I'm excited to see West Side Story at the Meralco Theater with my husband tonight. Our much-awaited date! :) We bought the tickets months back in June and at last, it's here! :)

* * * * * *

It's badminton day for me,hubby and my in-laws every Saturday :) It feels so good to have my Saturdays off. I get to spend more time with family and do a lot of things. I get to cook more meals, fix and decorate our home. Things that I really heart doing. My two boys are really excited! My heart melted when I saw Kyle's face lighten up when I told him that I don't have Saturday work anymore :)

* * * * * *

It's my brother Jc's board exam on Saturday and I am wishing him all the luck :) I paid him a visit last night to check how he's doing. The man is nervous. He's been studying crazy for the past months. The walls in his unit are all tapped with reviewers in manila paper that he uses to familiarize himself with all these formulas. I offered to bring him to the testing center on Saturday. This is my little way of showing him my support (i don't think I can help with reading hehe). So there, Mico, Kyle and I will wake up 5am on Saturday so we can all bring him to Manila for his Board Exams :D

I know all the hard work will pay off bro! I know you can definitely make it! :) We'll pray for you :)