December 31st

MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Family to Work Day

Hello, December! Christmas shopping and parties are everywhere now, and actually last Friday, my husband took us to his office for the Christmas party held especially for the employee's children. We were all excited about it cos it was my first time to actually see where he works.

We got there a bit early and had a lot of time to kill so Jai took us to his floor and showed us his desk. I'm really impressed with their office cos it's clean, well guarded, and the facilities and perks are really good. And the people, they were all so nice to Iaine. I was also glad to finally have met Jai's immediate boss.

We also stopped by the nearest mall before heading home. I was so tired, I slept almost the entire trip. Iaine was knocked out too. She really had a blast that day.

Now it's December 22nd and there's only a few days til Christmas. I'm really excited for my daughter's 2nd Christmas cos now she knows how to appreciate and actually OPEN presents. We only have one problem though-- Santa doesn't know what to give her yet! Oopsie.

Now that I'm back to blogging, please feel free to also follow my other blog: TheMomGirl. It's somewhere I'm more open about the more personal, girly side of me, not necessarily touching topics on motherhood and marriage. See you there.

And happy holidays, mommy bloggers!

Back with a Blog

Now that I'm back I feel like there's so much to talk about but I know I don't remember all of it. This update is so long overdue, I don't even know where to start. I'm really disappointed in myself because the main reason why I keep this blog is basically to have something to look back to for memories of Iaine's childhood. And now, there's a huge lapse between this one and the last one. So that sucks.

Partly it's because my laptop broke down around May 2011 and I just got it fixed earlier this month, and because Iaine is getting bigger at such a fast pace it's harder now for me to find time to write about her.

But right now I'm more proud of her than ever before. She's not that little girl anymore who wails and laughs and just babbles. She learned how to speak at such a younger age but now it's more than talking. She says what she wants, she complains when she's upset, she calls us by our names, she knows how to say a lot of words, names of things, commands, and she understands what they mean. She sings songs, reads aloud, has her favorite TV shows and characters, and many more fun developmental milestones. It's really impossible to enumerate everything because she has suddenly become this super smart little lady. Time has escaped and it's taking my daughter along with it.

Now that I'm back, I also want to tell you that I was almost at the verge of deactivating this blog because I've negleted it so badly, and it actually led me to publishing a new one which is a little bit more about me than Iaine and the rest of the family. A place where it's me, me, me time everyday. I actually just made it public today but I've been planning to do that for weeks now. I'm just sorry that I still can't tell you the address though. But it's pretty obvious for some...

I have a few more post ideas brewing and I think this one would still be followed by a couple more but I don't want to promise anything, having such a busy family life. Iaine is now a year and 8 months old so I'm super busy almost every second of the day just watching over her. While this end here, I bid you wonderful day full of God's blessings.

Ttil next time!

Avent in Pink

Last Saturday, Iaine started using these super cute Avent BPA-free PolyPro 9 oz bottles in PINK! They cost more than the white ones but they're just so nice!! They also come in blue, marketed towards little boys of course. They come in threes and twos (I think) and they're special edition!

Iaine's actual bottles (3). Adorbs!!

Back with News

I had to review my blog just to recall the last time I wrote something--July 1st. August 9th today and I can't believe I haven't blogged for more than a month.

Well so much has happened since then and it would be impossible to tell you everything, but I'll share three major events that have happened recently.

Iaine got hospitalized for the first time on July 21st. A few days before that, she had a fever for 3 days that spiked up to 39.4 on the 2nd night. She also had diarrhea, vomiting, and she was so colicky. It was hell. That was probably the most irritable I've seen her. My MIL was kind enough to help calm Iaine down though but when we both had a night of almost not sleeping, we knew we needed to take her to the hospital. We took her to the pedia to get checked up but it was no use.

My first choice was SPHMC but because we were 25th in queue (room reservations), we had no choice but to take a chance at other hospitals in the city. I called my aunt who's a stockholder in another hospital and she immediately helped us reserve a room in JON.

JON's ER was busy but thankfully, not busy enough for us. After I was interviewed by the nurses and resident doc about Iaine's condition, I proceeded to the admitting office. After several minutes of going back and forth from the ER to the admitting office, I was back in the ER for Iaine's IVF insertion. We had to wrap her with a blanket to keep her from moving and I had to hold her close as she was crying a lot. Everytime she screamed, pangs of pain crushed my heart.

The first attempt was successful, giving me huge relief. Iaine cried some more but not for long. After about 15 minutes of waiting, we were finally wheeled to our suite room and there, Iaine's road to recovery started.

Side story: Because of Jai's employment in his generous company, we have been entitled health cards, giving us the assurance that hospital and other medical expenses wouldn't be a problem... except, for example, if transferred to a room not covered by the health insurance. Well, we did just that because we were so terribly misinformed by the staff on our first day there. We were told that we only had to pay in cash 30% of our total hospital bill so we were confident about moving to a suite room. But we were wrong. On the first day in the hospital, the insurance company called and informed me about the real deal: We had to pay for incremental cost, excess doctor's PFs, and excess room rates. I mean WTF, right? My daughter has a health card and I don't want that to go to waste just because we were misinformed by hospital, so I called admitting, I called the insurance representative, I called EVERYBODY I needed to call just so we could move to a room covered by the card. We were transferred at 11 frickin' pm. Communication: nobody does that anymore?

Anyway, Iaine had a hard time adjusting to the setting. She was hooked to an IVF and we had to drag the IVF stand everywhere she went. She's also so active that she pulled out her IV twice by accident. Her attending physician wasn't her pedia (health card conditions) but in 2 days she was doing all better and we were sent home.

Iaine is fine now and I'm trying to gradually decrease the amount of milk she consumes in a day and increase her solid intake.

. . . . . . .

On July 28th, my MIL called and told me some very sad news. Jai's only living grandparent passed away.

I chose not to tell him immediately because he was at work and it was very busy night, so with a heavy heart I went to bed and tried to sleep although I couldn't. I tossed and turned in bed, so bothered by the news and so afraid of telling my husband because I know how much Jai loved and idolized his grandfather. It really felt like I was keeping a very big secret from him, but of all the grandchildren, Jai was one of the most deserving to know what happened. He is a legitimate grandchild and the first grandchild of Papang. They shared so many memories together.

But, around 1:30am Jai called and told me that an unknown number texted him, saying that his grandfather has died. His voice sounded a bit shaky so I knew he was afraid of hearing what he didn't want to hear, but I was left no choice. I confirmed the bad news.

He broke down and I couldn't help but cry myself. He was so hurt and heartbroken and he was in so much disbelief. We all knew it was possible but nobody really expected it to happen. Nobody wanted it to happen. Papang seemed so active and healthy at 82 years of age. His tragic passing was just too unbelievable for everybody.

My husband and I were miles away that night but all I wanted was to hug and comfort him. He was in so much pain that he had to take a moment on the phone with me, to just let his tears run down his cheeks and compose himself before he went back inside his office.

Papang's body was buried last Saturday, August 6. It was a very sad day for the family and everyone else whom he shared his generosity. The cemetery was crowded with hundreds of people, and I'm sure that on this day, everyone is still heartbroken from losing him. He touched so many lives with love and kindness.

I've only known Papang for a few years, but in that short time I saw how great of a man he was.

My husband looked up to him in the highest regard, so breaking the news to him was the hardest thing I've ever done, but I promise to be always here for him in this time of loss.

. . . . . . .

August 1st was our 2nd wedding anniversary. At that time, Papang's wake was still ongoing so Jai and I chose not to have an extravagant celebration. He even skipped seeing Captain America that week.

But on August 1st he made me so happy with sweet simple things. He woke me up at around 6am with a tray of Pancakes, butter, syrup, bread, and hot chocolate. Breakfast in bed! And that afternoon we decided to take Iaine with us to the mall just to spend some quality time together. When I asked him where we were headed first he told me he was gonna have a haircut. Ok what. His hair was almost as long as mine and I just couldn't believe it. I've been bugging him for months to get his head mowed and on our wedding anniversary he finally did it. Now he looks way more handsome and I couldn't get enough of touching his hair and nape now! So anyway, our mall date ended with dinner. I had roasted chicken, rice, a side of corn and carrots and a muffin. Burp!

We went home so in-love and happy. A simple celebration like that was really enough to acknowledge the day we said our vows and promised to be one for eternity.

The next day I posted this as my Facebook status: "Yesterday was August 1st, and I can't believe it's been two years already since i married him! I really couldn't have chosen a better man to live the rest of my life with. I love you so much, Jai! Happy 2nd wedding anniversary! ♥"

And Jai posted this on my Fb wall: "when im feeling small, you're my super mushroom. when im bruised, you're my adamantium. and when im bereft of answers, you're my 42. marrying you was the best butterfly effect i have ever started. happy second anniversary, love. i love you through all universal reboots."

His way with words always takes my breath away...

. . . . . . .

This post ends here and I'm leaving you with this:

No matter how often we experience the happy and the sad, simply being with your family is really the best way to go through it all.

Drowning

First of all, I am blogging from my smartphone because I can. Second of all it's 12:51 in the morning and I can't sleep. And third, almost 2 hours ago it was still June and I must say the month ended like crap.

I just felt like crap the entire day, you know? Even with Iaine pooping less frequently than usual and kept being the cheerful child that she is, I still felt so shitty and exhausted. Maybe I wanted to get out and get some sun, or I wanted some sort of spa treatment, ot retail therapy, or just sleep for hours just to compensate for the sleepless nights Iaine's been giving me. She usually sleeps past 12 midnight and I know it's not a good thing (I can see your nose flaring from here) but there's really nothing I can do about it. She's like an energizer bunny, she'll play for as long as she wants to. Believe me, I don't like it one bit. Sleeping late gives me a headache when I wake up and makes me cranky, and in the past couple of weeks, that has happened like 95 percent of the time (talking about the headache). I don't know if it's just PMS, but whatever it is I'm not happy about it.

I did get a chance to go out today, by the way.I just finished sterilizing Iaine's bottles and I realized that we ran out of distilled water. So I took a bath and dressed up, walked to the nearest store with her stroller in tow and purchased 2 big jars of distilled water, 6Liters each (Iaine's still having diaper issues.) And whaddaya know, it was raining super hard when I checked out. Like, thunderstorm-hard. I took Iaine's stroller by the way so I wouldn't have to carry the jars all the way home with my bare hands, but I guess what happened today could have been just as difficult doing that under the bright sun. Like I said, there was a thunderstorm, and I had to push the stroller with one hand and hold my umbrella with the other.

Maneuvering the stroller w/ 1.2Liters of water strapped in was like walking a rabid stray dog. The winds were crazy, the road was uneven and bumpy, and he umbrella was no use. After just making a few steps from the store I was already soaking wet and so was the stroller.

I got home safe but completely drenched and tired. I took another bath and resumed doing what good mothers do.

You can probably guess that thunderstorm experience didn't make me feel any better. I guess I'm pretty lucky though because I didn't end up dying from a lightining strike, falling trees or electric posts or something.

I know that life's not always happy. It's just that today is one of those days when I get a hard slap on the face and shake all the optimism out of my soul. The experience could have been funny on any other day, but I was already feeling like shit so I couldn't really laugh about it now. I usually love it when it rains, but no, not today.

I need to unwind, badly. We all do. Sometimes.




Ps.
Exactly a month from now, it's August 1, our 2nd wedding anniversary. I wonder what will happen.

The Mascot

If you don't know what or who Jollibee is then it's either you live in another country or under a rock. Jollibee is one of the leading fast food chains in the Philippines and his face is everywhere. There are franchises all over the world but in this country every city has at least one Jollibee restaurant. It's very, very popular because it's marketed especially towards children, teenagers, and family. I even celebrated my 7th birthday in the first ever Jollibee restaurant in this city.

Jollibee is also the name of the main mascot. He's a giant red bee who's always smiling, happy and friendly. Kids love him, including those who are afraid, like hysterically crying when seeing him up close. To a little kid he's like the equivalent of Justin Bieber in the world of teenagers except little children don't have posters of him, draw hearts around his face, dream about being his girlfriend and having Bee as their future last name.

I really think that in this country, there comes a time in every Filipino child's life that he/she learns to love Jollibee. Iaine is soooo at this phase.

She loves the theme song, TV ads, and whenever we're on the road, she points at every Jollibee poster she sees that has Jollibee's face on it. Sometimes she even makes ME point at them just to emphasize how much she loves him.

I'd hate to feed my daughter fast food and kids shouldn't always be having it, but it's amazing how powerful advertising is. Fast food is not the healthiest, but because of the way Jollibee is being marketed even children at the young age of one (babies!) are becoming fans of the brand. To me it's not a bad thing though. As long this Jollibee character is making my daughter happy, he's a good guy.

Final Diagnosis

Surprise! It's another milk+poop update! But before you get tired of it, let me promise you that this is the day that changes everything. This is where it gets interesting and shocking. Remember when I was all happy and shiz? Like in the 2 previous blog entries? Well it turns out I was wrong about something but almost solved the puzzle.

Yesterday Iaine had another diarrhea episode of 2 loose watery stools and 3 sharts (I'll let you figure that out for yourself). Diaper supply almost ran out and another diaper rash appeared, so I knew I couldn't let things get any worse than that. I decided to take Iaine to her pedia this morning to finally, finally get some answers behind her condition.

It's rainy season in this part of the world but my mom and I still braved the almost flooded roads of the city just to take Iaine to her pediatrician, Dr. C. If you read about the previous checkup in one of my other posts, I might have mentioned that the doctor who was in the clinic that day was only a substitute because Dr. C was out. I had no choice but to get a consult from Dr. M.

I'm no expert in medicine but somehow I had a hunch that Iaine might actually be lactose intolerant. I dismissed it of course, because Iaine's not showing any other signs besides diarrhea and it's all so sudden.

But after telling Dr. C all the symptoms, answering a lot questions, and after the physical examination she performed on Iaine, she came up with the answer to all this. Final diagnosis: LACTOSE INTOLERANCE.

Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose. Lactose is a type of sugar found in milk and other dairy products.

Lactose intolerance happens when the small intestine does not make enough of the enzyme lactase. Enzymes help the body absorb foods. Not having enough lactase is called lactase deficiency.

Babies' bodies make this enzyme so they can digest milk, including breast milk.

Premature babies sometimes have lactose intolerance. Children who were born at full term usually do not show signs of lactose intolerance until they are at least 3 years old.

Quoted from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001321/

I have never met anyone who's lactose intolerant. Honestly I'm a little bummed out because this condition is so unfamiliar to me and I never thought in a million years that my own daughter will have it an one point. Dr. C said that the LI eventually developed in Iaine somehow, that's why it didn't matter what milk we gave her. But there's no point in being sad about it. In fact, I'm happy that we finally figured out the cause of all the diaper trouble.

Another thing that I realized is that Dr.M is a nincompoop. She didn't even have the slightest idea it was LI and all she did was unintentionally mock me by telling me all milk brands are the same. I know they're all derived from cow's milk you incompetent twit, I'm not a child. THEY'RE NOT ALL THE SAME. She seemed to really want to correct me but I'm sorry Dr.M, someone should revoke your license and burn it. I can't believe I wasted 300 pesos on a moron like you and I'm never getting a consult from you again.I mean come onnnn, just antihistamine meds? When you know it's diarrhea we're dealing with? Seriously? What the hell. I thought you were the doctor, not me.

So anyway, Dr. C advised that aside from the usual cooked meals, I should feed her yogurt and Yakult (cultured milk with live lactobacilli). She prescribed meds, vitamins, and sure enough, a new milk brand. Goodbye, Enfagrow A+! Iaine is now drinking Pediasure (by Abbot) which is a brand for especially formulated for lactose intolerant children (and it's a bit more expensive than other milk brands, too). All this new stuff is supposed to make her BM better so I'm following every doctor's order. I'm also keeping her away from dairy products as much as possible because that's what's mainly contraindicated with LI. I'm really hoping for the best now that we finally figured out what's going on.

This is the start of a long process and I'm gonna do everything I can to help my daughter get through this. It's only lactose intolerance after all, and my daughter is one tough cookie. =)

What Is It Now

A few days ago Iaine had another diarrhea episode and the worst diaper rash ever. It was hell for both me and her. I had to wash her and change her diaper every time she peed and pooped and while that happened she kicked and screamed. She was in so much pain. I had to handle the situation alone because nobody else could handle her.

That incident made me a bit depressed. I was running out of answers! What could it be this time? Was that the definitive sign of her being allergic to her milk? But why so late and why so sudden?

So we guessed it was the water. From purified water we switched her back to Wilkins distilled water and now her bowel movement is better. I think all this frequent heavy rainfall is affecting the water supply in some way.

I'm still wondering though if we should give Nido Jr. or Pediasure a try. But for now I'm hoping that Enfagrow A+ won't fail us. I'm also forcing Iaine to eat more solids.

Kalurkyyy!

Sweet 16 Months

I guess mothers are just naturally proud of their children as much as they are concerned about them. Lately I've been flooding my facebook page more than usual, with status updates about Iaine's developmental milestones, funny quirks, photos, and videos. Sometimes I may come off as a braggart but I think other moms would understand. Every mother thinks no one's better than her kid. That's like engraved in our DNA or something. So I will never be sorry for being proud of my daughter. Now, I hope you don't mind my rubbing it in LOL...

Iaine turned 16 months old on June 6th (which makes this another long overdue post)! Actually, she doesn't look like she's only 16 months. She's a tall girl with 8 white deciduous teeth (and more cutting through!) and most strangers mistake her for being 3 years old. Some people talk to her expecting an equally understandable statement for a response and it they're always surprised when I tell them Iaine's only a year and 4 months. Even Jai and I can't believe it sometimes as well. Our wonder child is growing up at such a fast pace.

Iaine says a lot of names and words already and each day she learns more antics to show off whenever she's in the mood. She knows how to ask for whatever she likes and playtime is always so fun.

Sometimes she can be a handful just like any other toddler, but she's not like other kids who throw a fit like there's a revolution happening right inside the house. Because she's a very curious child, most of the time I find it hard to keep her away from stuff she shouldn't be touching, but I understand it's only normal.

At this very young age, Jai and I are noticing Iaine's inclination and interest in music and dance. She sings, dances (even interpretatively), and just loooooves to listen to all kinds of music (especially piano and cello)!

Sometimes I also let her make art out of paper and crayons. Coloring outside the lines is okay but I don't think I'll ever be a fan of coloring on the floor, tables, and walls! Thank goodness that hasn't happened yet.

As I've said earlier, my Facebook account is chalkful of Iaine's photos. She loves the camera and being the beautiful girl that she is, the camera also loves her. I'm always reaping sweet comments and likes for her photos and that always makes me happy and proud of being her mom.

It will always be impossible to tell you everything about Iaine's recent developments on this blog. I can write about it on here forever but even that won't be enough. Living with her every single day and seeing everything she does on a daily basis makes me a living diary of her life but I can only tell you so much. As a good mother and wife, I try to always be here to guide her, and watch over her, and seeing her do all these incredible things is enough to make me proud of her. Sharing stuff with the world is actually just a bonus. =)

Like I always say, words will never be enough. No big words will ever be enough. Guess I'll just leave this here: Iaine is too amazing for words. =)

Shaken Up

Iaine and I stayed at my parents' house for 4 days and on the 4th day (today) we decided to try this newly opened restaurant in the city, Shakey's. It's been years since the first Shakey's restaurant in the same city closed down so we were really curious about this new one. We, particularly my husband and I, have been waiting months for it to open.

After running some errands we arrived to the restaurant. The first thing I noticed was that it wasn't well lit although the air conditioning was ok. It wasn't packed with customers but I was sure we were outnumbered by crew members (they were all over the place). No arcade was in sight and the only entertainment were two flat screen TVs mounted on the wall. A fat Michael Buble was singing and the TV was on mute. Well, unless he was. Imagine that.

We chose a booth in the corner of the restaurant and I noticed how one of the two-sided benches were slightly farther away from the table than the other one. Turns out the customer on the adjacent booth pulled the bench closer to their table, leaving a huge space between our side of the bench and our table. The table, by the way was a huge mess, and not one of the crew members was paying attention to it until we made them clean it up.

Once they finished cleaning it up (except the floor which had food crumbs and other stuff), we settled down and I immediately asked for a high chair. Iaine obediently sat in it and played with a menu book while the rest of us decided what to order. The lady, who introduced herself as our personal waitress, handed us the menu and promised to get back to us at once. Well she didn't, and we had to ask someone else to take our orders.

It wasn't long before our meals were served. The taste was great. Not excellent, but great.

We were done with our main course and dessert was served. Side story: The waiter had a chance to make some small talk and found out that Iaine isn't not my mom's youngest like he thought, but my eldest. He was surprised and I was flattered.

I actually feel proud when that happens. People often say I don't look like I've given birth already. Well I do try to keep myself from looking like an old hag cos being a mom is hard work. The least I can do for myself (and my husband) is try to look good.

So anyway while we were having dessert, Iaine took a huge bite out of the pizza and it looked like she was about to throw up. My sister and I took her to the ladies room and I was surprised to find a crew member (#1) gussying up in front of the mirror, crew member (#2) was just about done using one of the two cubicles and another crew member (#3) , A MAN, was cleaning up the other cubicle. Iaine, my sister and I squeezed ourselves in the center of the tiny room and none of the crew members were budging. The door burst open too, because another crew member peeked in to talk to the employee in front of the mirror, and because it was a very small space the door hit my arm. She said she was sorry, but STILL.

Weren't they suppsed to be somewhere else? Say, a comfort room for employees only?

CW #2 AND #3 finally left, giving us, the costumers, a chance to use the cubicles for chrissakes, but #1 was still standing in front of the mirror trying to make herself look better (although impossible). I was carrying Iaine becase there was no space for her to walk so I told my sister to go do her business before I do. When she was done she took Iaine and I told them to go back to the booth cos I figured Iaine wasn't gonna throw up after all. I sent them away and finally had my chance to use the toilet.

CW #1 was still there. God, she was irritating.

When I was done she had already left. I hurried back to our booth because I thought my mom would have paid the bill already. But when I got there everyone was still seated. Still no bill.

It took us around 30-45 minutes before the bill was handed to us, giving my mom time to talk to a waiter she knew and giving dark clouds plenty of time to hover and make it drizzle outside. And I was sure that if it wasn't for our constant "bill please" reminders we would have stayed for like an hour more and we would leave the restaurant mid-rainfall. The crew made some excuse about a technical problem with their computer but whatever, that kind of service is still bad for business! I guess calculators don't exist anymore?

I just really wanted to get out of there.

We exited the building and the security guard had the decency to escort us with an umbrella. That was nice, but it will never compensate for our first dining experience in Shakey's Pallocan.

I don't know if it was because employees were new at their jobs and they're still getting used to it, but hell, customers don't care about that. Customers go to a restaurant of their choice because they expect something GOOD to come out of a dining experience. Whatever that is it's up to them, but it all boils down to one thing: customer satisfaction.

I'm thankful that my mom was kind enough to take us to a popular restaurant and pay for everything but I just wish the money she spent was money WELL spent.

TLDR; Loved the food, hated the service. I guess you can count this post as a restaurant review so I'm giving Shakey's - Pallocan a 4 out of 10. I'm not nitpicky about restaurants and I don't write about them at all really, but this one, I just had to.

The service was average and I'm still being nice. I hope to have a better dine-in experience next time.

Sunday Afternoon

It's the weekend! That means, Jai is home and it's family time. Today the three of us woke up late, did our usual start-of-the-day routines and by the time it was noon we were tired and sleepy again. Jai and Iaine took a nap and I was left awake doing more stuff but when they woke up it was like everybody was energized for playtime and a stroll.

We decided to drop by this convenience store nearby called Mini Stop, kinda like 7-11, to have our merienda (afternoon meal). We tagged Iaine along and the cheerful child was was so excited to go out.

We got to the store and Iaine was screaming in delight. We let her run, walk around and pick up some items from the bottom shelves for the sake of exploration. We paid for or meals and sat down but Iaine was still walking around observing people around her and absorbing the new environment. I'm sure the lights, smell, and colors amused her, and it was fun to watch her take it all in. A simple dine-in experience to two adults could mean so much more to a growing little girl.

I let her take a few bites out of my sandwich and a few sips out of my iced tea, but she was more interested in playing than eating. When we were done, we left the store and I could tell Iaine felt cut short and a bit bummed out, so before heading home we dropped by another place to buy more stuff to take home.

It was a grocery store and Iaine loved being there. But I have to say, the cutest thing she did was grab a pair of rubber yellow slippers from a shelf and put it in my grocery basket. Little boss knows how to shop!

When that was over we finally went home and I could feel the Iaine's fulfillment that afternoon. Sunday is family day and to me, it doesn't matter how we spend it, as long as the family is together.

Iaine stepped inside the house, smiling.

I love how the simplest things still make her feel our biggest love.

Got Shot v.2

It's the 2nd day of June and I got my 2nd dose of HP vaccine today! This one doesn't hurt as much as the first but there's still this heavy feeling in my arm. The first was on May 2 and the last dose is scheduled on November 2. I'm happy that it's several months away from now. Being stuck with a needle is never fun, no matter how important!

Say NO to cervical cancer! Ask your OB-GYN how to get protected. Today. :)

We're Back!

I totally owe it to my daughter that I update this blog. I started this because of her and now I can hardly update it. Sorry, babe! You may not remember, but so much has been going on lately and I'm sure you'd understand.

So. I'm actually typing this using a desktop computer. Something's wrong with my laptop and I haven't taken it to a repair center yet. Anyway, of all places, my laptop just had to give up on me while we were in the hospital.

We, pertaining to my husband and I. Due to inevitable circumstances Jai was hospitalized on May 18th and was diagnosed with Urticaria, Hiatal Hernia, Esophagitis, and Gastritis. He's been having heartburn for a long time but we have always dismissed it because before it was always relieved by burping. But recently his attacks were too much to bear (it was affecting his work) so I knew I had to get him to a hospital.. and it was a good decision. What we initially thought were a simple allergy and heartburn turned out to be big stuff after all and and should be taken very seriously. Iaine was left in the capable hands of my in-laws while I (and other nurses) nursed Jai to health. He's okay now although he's still on meds to cure Esoph. and Gast.

He was discharged on Saturday and that night I was the one who fell ill. My sinuses were acting up again but on Monday we still made it to MOA/SMX for Maroon 5's concert. He got us tickets weeks in advance and I tell you, he wasn't gonna let anything keep us from seeing that band. I was looking forward to it too, but more because that was a day for us to actually DATE. Movie dates and dinner dates are fine, but this was a special day. He set up a day for us to be together, just the two of us, act like teenagers, love-struck lovers, and just enjoy each others' company. I admire him for giving intimacy a huge importance in our relationship. Being "great parents" is good but being "great parents and a great couple" is way better!

I had fun at the concert even though I wasn't familiar with some of the songs. But I really like the band and I was there to have fun with Jai so I did. And that's all that matters.

We got home on Tuesday around 3:30 in the morning and immediately I felt worse than ever. I also developed a cough which was just great. I didn't stay home though because I had to get Jai a medical certificate so sure enough when I got home I felt like wanting to be hospitalized myself. I got worse and I was sick for days. I still have a cough now but I'm better.

May 27th was Iaine's day! I took her to the Dora/Boots Meet & Greet at SM Batangas and had to buy merchandises worth a total of 700php just to get in the VIP area. She's only a year and 3 months old so she wasn't allowed to play the games on stage but I could tell she really enjoyed the event, cos by the time it was our turn to take a photo with Dora and Boots I realized she was already asleep on my shoulder. Too much running ang playing wore her out. I was carrying her and no earthquake could have woken her up. But that was alright, she saw the mascots dance the Dora theme song before she drifted off to sleep. We went home with Dora stuff, digital photos, and smiles on our faces.

And we're down to the last stop of this short trip on Recent Memory Lane. We have Jai's paternal grandfather and Jai's step-grandmother's 25th anniversary. It was held in Fernbrook Gardens (one of the most glamorous function halls in the South of Luzon) on May 28th. I was dressed in a deep red gown, Jai in a black/white/gray number, and Iaine in a royal blue/silver dress. It was a glamorous and fun night to remember (I'm a flaming shot virgin no more! LOL)

Everybody got home exhausted, but on May 29th Jai and I went on a movie date/grocery shopping at the mall. Kung Fu Panda 2 was awesome!

Life is an adventure. Just keep the happy memories coming! :)