Domain Registration
My fellow N@Wies who are into pro-blogging are all doing it, getting their own domains and starting new blogs.

Domain registration is very easy nowadays, with many sites helping even those who are non-techie to easily learn the ropes of having one and maintaining one.

When choosing a domain name, one must consider several things, like a target audience (country), what type of site it will be (or what company), if you'd need more than one domain name, etc. PaylessDomains.com.au is one site where you can go get register for your own domain, offering 24/7 support, free e-mail hosting and other perks like renewal reminders and domain name parking for free with every domain registration. It even offers domain transfers and renewals.

The site is easily navigable with enough links in the front page for the new user in case he has more questions or issues needed to be verified.

And what do you know, my friends are all grabbing the opportunity of taking their blog lives a step further.

Maybe I should too.

5 Things I Want My Kids To Know Before They Grow Up

I was tagged by Abie and Nice :)

1) It takes courage... to live, to love, to laugh. It takes courage to be yourself, to self-realize, to reach for the stars.

2) Love is a choice... which a person makes everyday.

3) Love comes in different forms, in different ways... not in different amounts.

4) There is always a higher power governing us all, which is why we should always respect each other and treat each other fairly.

5) I want my kids to know how it is to be a child, to be innocent and carefree and be allowed to make mistakes, believe in the impossible and the magical and the fantastic... and to be allowed to take equal delight in my arms, or a wriggling worm, or a cone of ice cream.


I am passing this tag on to Mai (again, para isahan na lang sis), Con, Jacque, Tin H and Mari Rose

When and How did you know...
... that you want to spend the rest of your life with your spouse? That he/she is THE ONE?

Yes, I am pre-empting the mushiness that is Valentines... and since I don't have time yet to bloghop and answer tags and what-nots, i'd leave this question here and hopefully have visitors leave answers (or... answer it in your blog and leave the url to your post in the comments section).

Or if you've already blogged about it, leave the permalink for your post :)

Tags and Awards

TRAFFIC TAG
Tagged by Nol and Heidi :)

Cut and paste the following starting here.

I have randomly selected 5 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You will have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes we hope it will be a long list!)

It’s real easy! Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially! The benefits of Viral Linking:- One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode!- Increase your Google PageRank fast- Attract large volume of new traffic to your site- Build your community- Make new friends!


The Strategist Notebook
Link Addiction
Ardour of the Heart
When Life Becomes a Book
The Malaysian Life
Yogatta.com
What goes under the sun
Roshidan’s Cyber Station
Sasha says
Arts of Physics
And the legend lives
My View, My Life
A Simple Life
Juliana RW
The Callalily Space
Petra
Summer in Blue
The Pipeline Fixation
My Restless Feet
Soloflight Ed
Jean's My So-Called Life
Tet's A Sweet Taste Of Life
Nol's A Wonderful Journey to Life
GBex, Reaching out the other side of world
Butchay
Idealpinkrose
Thinking Out Loud
CHISMIS
Winged Words
HTH by Mec

Now, I am tagging Grace, Jacque, Mai, Yna and Wella for this :)

*~*

And thank you, Abie and Mari for these awards :)





I've been blogging since 2002, I think, and have met so many people already online... some of whom, I haven't heard from for a long time. But these w@wies and n@wies sisters i've grown to depend on for cheer and support, they really rock!

And it looks like we're here to stay :)

I'm passing on the awards to the same people I tagged above... because my CWL friends are the best, and to welcome back Grace into the blogosphere :)

Quiet Weekend
My darling husband's flight got delayed so he ended up having to stay another day in China, and got home last Friday instead.

Words will not be able to say how much we missed him. And Yakee had a gift of sorts for his Pop... last Thursday, he first willfully turned over on his front. Friday, he's already able to free his hand easily when he does his turn and his father couldn't be happier... and prouder!

Me... I was sort of sad because he's crossed another threshold.

Oh, add to this milestone is the fact that he's really able to move across the bed through crawls largely due to him kicking. Soon, he'd really be rolling over and crawling for good, I just know it.

Where has my baby gone? Sniff, sniff.

We also brought Yakee to the pedia yesterday, partly because he refuses to feed right during the day and partly because he's been sneezing and coughing and snoring for the past three days.

The pedia said his lungs sounded clear and since Yakee remains active and fever-free, all we could do is observe if he'd really develop coughs and colds. The coughing could also be due to pooled saliva, hehe. And then there's the fact that weirdly enough, Yakee gained .7 kg in just 11 days (to think that before that, he only gained .3 kg in over a month).

Hubs and I vowed to not end up like those parents who rush to the doctor for any little thing. But I guess it's really hard for first-time parents to just trust their instincts too. Plus of course, better err on the side of caution. At least am assured that Yakee is healthy... and validated that breastfeeding is helping him thrive the right way.

Because it does seem like he has colds, a mild form of it. But other than us being troubled by his breathing, he doesn't even seem to be bothered by it. He's still happy as a lark who loves to sleep all the time.

To celebrate our son's good health, we bought crabs and had it cooked guinataan style. We also movie-marathoned all of Saturday: Knocked up, Heartbreak Kid, final episode of The Amazing Race and then Capote.

Something more to celebrate too... hubs submitted this picture I took in Davao in their company's regional Photo Contest (Wonderful World). It's not really a photo contest where you have to mind apertures and lighting and composition etc... but you had to submit a photo depicting the theme. Anyway, he captioned this picture "HELPING HANDS" :) We won second prize (a new cam, I think).

And despite being strapped for disposable income, hubs has given me the go signal to plan our IT for a trip up north this Holy Week. Oooohhh, my itching feet are ecstatic!

How did your weekend go?

*~*

Friends with tags and awards, I will get to them soon.... I promise! And thank you! :)

*~*

Are there any of you wondering how to handle babies? Hope this helps...

Missing Pappie

Pappie,

It's not coincidence that I fuss and cry in Mommy's arms when I know you're around. Because yes, I want you to hold me. I have Mommy the rest of the day and it's only at night that I get to be in your arms. I love Mommy and I won't ever get tired of having her cuddle me and play with me, but I love you too. And I like being in your arms, feeling very secure in your softness, remembering those nights in the hospital when I was just born and feeling scared of this new world and you comforted my fears away.

I miss you Pappie. I miss looking up and smiling at you. I'm behaving for Mommy and trying to be less fussy so she won't worry and cry. And I can't wait to be kicking in your arms again, gurgling and vocalizing and reminding you of Mommy's love for you.

I love you Pappie, you're the best ever!


Yakee





Hay mahal... your babies miss you. Take care over there in China and see you Thursday.

*~*

Trivia: Yakee was conceived before the same trip Jojo made last year, hehe.

Save Buckets
If yours is a household like ours, where part of the house is filled with chargers, cables, hard disks and gadgets in general (read my hubs' Asus eee post for an idea just how many we have), then you're probably always looking for good deals, like us!

Fortunately for the world, there is the internet which makes price and feature comparison more convenient. It's real easy, all we have to do is click. And click. And click.

I've chanced upon Save Buckets.co.uk, a site where you can literally find great deals on the usual hot items that husbands and wives alike drool over and save for. Mp3 players, electronic games, sports equipment and accessories, even computer hardware and home furnishings are easily searchable. You can choose to look for them per shop or per category.

There's even an FAQ page for easy reference. Isn't that neat?

Now I just need to save up so I can buy my uber wonderful hubby a nifty treat.

The Asus eee PC that Strikes My Fancy and How I’d Sway My Wifey to Allow Me to Buy One ... Or Maybe Not
aka IT'S A MIRACLE THAT HE POSTED AGAIN
I have always had the compulsion to buy different kinds of bags. I wouldn’t say that I could rate at par with one of our former First Ladies when it comes to collecting this accessory but this is a compulsion that I feed by continuously finding ways to justify why I would need a new bag. Basically I’d tell myself, I’d like this bag since it would nicely accommodate two of my gadgets, and the other bag I bought since it fits in my laptop and 3 of my gadgets, and so on. A particular bag for a particular need (or in some cases a particular “want” or “mood”). With the same gusto as my chronic sickness for bag buying is how I end up wanting certain gadgets. Especially gadgets I cannot have (basically because my new hubby/daddy status does not give me the luxury to purchase these toys).

One of these toys which I have been craving for since late last year would be the Asus eee PC. An itsy-bitsy (a 9 by 5 inch laptop) little monster which really packs a big punch. This little baby can be categorized either as an Ultra-Mobile PC (which I disagree with since most of the gadgets in this category have touch screens), a Sub-Notebook (but again most of the laptops in this category are of the 9 to 12 inch screen category), or a Palm-top (which is sometimes mixed with PDAs). I wouldn’t spend much time talking about the specifications of this laptop since its website and wiki’s provide detailed information on this aspect. Nor would I attempt to give a complete technical review about this product, since by just typing the key words “asus eee pc reviews” in your search engine of choice would result to a plethora of references (well this site offers one of the most complete listings of reviews). Most if not all would say that that this little baby is a lean, mean, value for your money machine which has two flaws, the keyboard is a bit cramped and the laptop tends to be a bit warm after a while. But again these flaws are considered minor given the fact that this little baby is priced at US$400 (prices in the Manila range from Php 17, 000 – Php 20,000). What I would try to attempt is to answer my wife’s question, why I really want one of these little suckers given the fact that I am issued a Dual Core laptop with 2GB Memory at work, and have 2 desktops at home (well one actually needs reformatting), 2 pdas (both Palms), 1 media player, and 1 PDA Phone (Windows Mobile / PPC)? (aside from your 2 other phones, Baby, and the laptop I use - Wife)

Well besides the “want” factor, I am already resigned to the fact that I would not be able to justify purchasing an Asus eee PC. But I believe the main reason that fires up my butt (so to speak) about this product is that it is like owning the first batch of Apple PCs handmade by Steve Wozniak and marketed by Steve Jobs (founders of the Apple Computer and two of the founding fathers of the Personal Computer). Asus eee PC has opened the market to a whole new niche in the “techie” and non-technical consumer market, and has awaken the true meaning of what a “hacker” really is.

For the non-technical consumer market this product offers a compact and mobile machine that would serve the purpose of surfing the internet and have the basic software to do productivity tasks. The eee PC does not come pre-installed with Windows, but rather with a well thought-out and designed distribution of Linux (Xandros to be exact). The interface, icons and applications that is installed as a factory default is very easy to navigate and use, that even a non Windows user can readily use the laptop (this link would serve as a good example of what I mean). And yet for those who opt to stick it out with the most common of operating system, Windows, this laptop is certified to run on Windows XP, though as of current is not offered as a factory default.

Now for gadget-freaks / techie people like myself this wonderful gadget has brought about the following frames of thought. First and foremost, that it is indeed feasible to manufacture a cost-effective computing system at a fraction of the price. This laptop would not compare to the computing power and capacities of a high end laptop (best example would be the hard disk size, 4 gigabytes on the eee PC as compared to the 120 Gigabyte average on most of the newer laptops) and yet the fact still remains, prices for computing products can be brought down if products are well thought out, well-designed and efficiently manufactured. A second factor that tickles my fancy is the fact that since this product was introduced to the market, a vast explosion of technically inclined and talented people have so to speak “thought out of the box” in order to surpass the limitations of the base product. People had ventured out to modify this product to see the best benefit they can do with the laptop. In all true sense of this activity (creating software and hardware mods – modifications), the original essence of what a “hacker” comes about. (Overview section).

The most common modification done with this laptop is how to extend the hardisk capacity from the base 4 Gigabyte hardisk to a 20 Gigabyte or even 30 Gigabyte machine. Modifications also range from adding in the capability to connect devices via infrared or Bluetooth, to making the LCD screen into a touch screen unit. And these modifications does not stop with just the hardware, various attempts are successfully documented in the areas of installing different kinds of operating systems on the Asus eee PC. And even up to the level of creating improved video drivers for the eee. And because of the limitations of the base unit, the community of Asus eee PC users continuously test and overcome application limitations on the unit (as this forum proves: list of games you can run on the Asus eee PC). In some aspects the Asus eee PC is now being considered as the new generation “hobby pc”, a tool to exercise one’s ability to be creative and imaginative.

The last and definitely not the least of my reasons (for I know I can add in more and more reasons being the gadget freak that I am) is not much a reason to why I would like to have one of these hot item, but more why I am thankful that Asus came out with this product: To prove that with demand follows competition. I may not be able to own an Asus eee 701-4G PC but a possibility might arise that I’d get it’s leaner competitor (well this laptop comes with a 30 Gigabyte base unit) made by Everex hoping that the landed price in the Philippines would not differ much from its published price (published at US$399). Or another possibility since I would always favour owning a Tablet PC / Ultra Mobile PC over these subnotebooks / Palm Tops, is for me to wait for the LimePC line (published at US$300) to come out into the market and hope that it can also be software modified.

I’d like to own an Asus eee PC to feed my thirst to have one of the best developed “value for your money” I.T. product there is in the market to date. If tomorrow a manufacturer comes out with a US$200 9-Inched Dual Core Tablet PC with 4GB Memory and 250GB Solid State Hardisk that is as thin as the new Mac Book Air and can run the Operating System and application of my choice, then I’d acquire that in a heartbeat, but then it would also mean I’d need to wake up from my dream or wake up 50 years from now.

~ Jojo

(alas, I am really married to a gadget-freak and it breaks my heart so that he cannot buy this particular gadget... but I am so proud and thankful that he knows his priorities... I have tried bargaining with him to 'lose' and 'sell' some of his gadgets so he can buy new ones... maybe I can help him along by selling his laptop bags? Hehe... Mec)

20 Questions and Horoscopes
I know it's taking me ages to do these things (and seldom really pass them forward since I always get the feeling that am among the last to respond, hehe)

So anyway... 20 questions, tagged by Toni
Here’s the rule: Remove 1 question from below, and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag 8 people in your list, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged. Whoever does the tag will have blessings from all.

1. At what age do you wish to marry? I said i'd only get married once am 25 years old or older, I got married at 28
2. What's a favorite childhood memory? Being fetched by my maternal grandma to go to my aunt's where I will be spoiled rotten by their cooking
3. If you have the chance, what would you probably say to your beloved? Good thing I always grab the chance to say I LOVE YOU :)
4. Where is the place that you want to go the most? Anywhere just as long as the greatest loves of my life are with me... but i'd really love to return someday to Davao and El Nido and see them thru my son's eyes :)
5. Which part of you that you hate the most? Right now, nose :D Still runny and allergic!
6. When you encounter a sad moment, what would you do? Wait for hubs to talk it out with him
7. What are you afraid to lose the most? My memories... but if it's a material thing, my pictures!!!
8. If you win $1 million, what would you do? Travel the world and buy my hubs all the gadgets of his dreams...
9. What do you loved the most last year (2007)? My husband's increased ability for caring and loving and nurturing and patience and tolerance... all manifested when I got pregnant
10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you. Very involved Mom, succesful pro-blogger, happy wife
11. What is your new yrs resolution for your better half? Lose weight through a better diet and regular exercise
12. Till now, what is the moment that you regret the most? Uhm... maybe not having been at Pyro's side earlier during his last hours...
13. Which type of person do you hate the most? Everybody's a hypocrite but I hate big-time hypocrites
14. What is your ambition? Stay sane and happy and productive as a SAHM
15. If you had one wish what would you wish for? A better Philippines and more decent, more righteous Filipinos
16. How did you celebrate new year? Spent it with hubs' family and opening more gifts for Yakee
17. Name one of your body part your hubby or boyfriend tells you he adores. My hubs is shameless, he adores all of me!
18. It is already 2008, do you have a new year’s resolution? Not get losyang?
19. What do you look forward to in 2008? Yakee crossing thresholds and reaching milestones
20. What were your accomplishments last year? The biggest would be leaving my comfort zone by becoming a SAHM


I am tagging all my CWL friends for this... hehe


*~*

2008 Horoscope, tagged by Mari

Rules: Visit this link, choose your zodiac sign and copy/paste what the stars have to say on your blog then highlight all the predictions that you like or you can relate to.

Libra Horoscope 2008

Libra Horoscope 2008 promises monetary gains for the people born under this sun sign for the coming year. Highest financial gains can be witnessed from the month of July to November. The horoscope talks of chances of Libra people gaining money from legacy likely in the second part of the year. In short, the horoscope 2008 talks of only positive things in terms of money and finances for Libra people. However the horoscope also warns people to be a little judicious. Secondly the Libra horoscope 2008 terms accountability and responsibility to be the themes for the year ahead.

The horoscope 2008 urges Libra people to take accountability of everything they do, be it in any sphere of life. This theme also applies to the career front of Libra people for the year 2008.

The true worth of a Libra person would be put to test in terms of professional matters in the year ahead.

The love life of the people born under the zodiac sign Libra would blossom further as per the stars. People who are in love would find the relationship getting better and exciting. While those who are in search of true love would definitely meet someone special. Marriage is also on cards for people who are unmarried and have decided to tie the knot.

According to the horoscope, success would come to those Libra people who have complete confidence in themselves. Victory would come to those who will maintain a healthy as well as positive approach towards life.


... for this tag, am leaving everyone to just dive right in!

I went Misty-eyed
Dang Wella for being bored and making this layout...



We've come a loooong way. We still haven't really managed to regularly update our group blog but we still all generally stay in touch. Half of us are already parents.

Charie and Mack are trying to conceive, after Charie beat endometriosis last year. Charie is also her usual kabute self in the ygroups but we love her anyway.

Chris has already joined Wendell in Japan. She also dealt with endometriosis last year but came out of it still sexy. She owes us Huggies diapers too. Hehe.

Con and Nel are enjoying their baby porkchop (Joaquin), born last year (May). Con's the only one of us who didn't have pregnancy problems.

Jacque is now a WAHM, thanks to Simon's promotion. She's also on major party planning mode for Simone's upcoming first birthday this Feb. Simone is the CWL Kids' beautiful panganay.

Karla and Alex have just purchased their own pad... where many of our get-togethers are sure to happen from now on. They're also TTC as we speak (and am sure they have sullied all rooms in their new place, wehehe).

Mai and Paul are counting the days till they can get to hold Baby A, who's going to be the third boy in the bunch. I'm sure the child will be worth all the pregnancy trouble Mai had to go thru (imagine vomiting around 5 times a day?)

Tin and Archie have just given birth to a giantess in the wonderful image of Andy. Am sure Tin is also breastfeeding her baby like a pro by now.

And after ten years, Wella has finally joined Nikky in the States where she is now able to pick fights show him just how much he was missed. They're also thinking of having a little weirdo running around their home soon.

And Yna and Xean are now on a great adventure in Singapore, meeting new friends and enjoying new jobs.

Sigh.

So much has changed and yet, so much has stayed the same. We're all still friends, after all. We're all still crazy, after all. Those who were OC before are still OC now.

I have nothing but good wishes for my friends, who have been a source of inspiration and comfort and laughter so many times.

And I can't think of a cuter bunch of kids than the ones we're all having :D

Earning through Smorty
Friends left and right are getting on the pro-blogging bandwagon. And friends left and right are buying DSLRs and other gadgets, going on trips to Boracay or Hongkong, or throwing their husbands or kids fabulous and semi-lavish birthday parties. Or, they are able to afford more and more digiscrapping kits or baby items on sale at Target.

How are they doing it?

It was only recently that I realized that they get paid to blog. Yup. They are earning from blogging, whether through sponsored posts or reviews or ads strategically placed in their websites. Smorty is one of those providing services to advertisers by connecting them with bloggers who can write about their products. You might want to check them out, their site is pretty navigable enough. Most common questions are already answered in their FAQs page.

Earnings grow over time, as you get more opportunities and always depending on many factors, like your blog traffic. But they're earnings you can depend on, at a specified time. Smorty won't scam you like other sites I wouldn't even mention (like the one I get suckered into yesterday).

And if you're wise with your earnings, you can buy your Asus EEE in no time.

Check-Ups and Mates
Most of this post is around a month due already... but you know how I insist on details so...

the OB check-up
My check-up got delayed by some three weeks. Anyway, I am healing quite nicely anyway. My OB did ask me about family planning and whether i've also considered my options already.

So I raised my questions on injectables and here is what she said:
1) Injectables usually have worse side effects than pills. So you'd have more acne and bloat more and more likely suffer from headaches. This is a one-time big-dose injection of pure hormone after all (every three months).

2) Injectables lengthen one's infertility phase... sometimes even up to a year which is why she doesn't normally advice it for women with irregular periods who might want to have another kid or two in the near future.

3) Injectables do not affect milk supply for breastfeeding women, however, unlike pills (the two-hormone ones).

So for the meantime, it is condoms for us (although I haven't had my period yet due to my purely breastfeeding stint). And I will probably schedule a pap smear middle of this year.

I also asked, just in case, what I should know if I happen to get pregnant anytime soon (like this year, even if we don't have plans). She assured me that my CS wound would be completely healed by the time the next baby will be due... however, getting pregnant this early will probably result in a lower birth weight for the next baby as my body has just recently invested in Yakee.

How about you mommies, how have you maximized your OB visit lately?

the pedia check-up
A month ago, we switched pediatricians. There isn't anything wrong with the lovely and soft-spoken Dr. Caedo but since hubs is a very busy man, going to the pedia's clinic in Asian or Makati Med will always be a hassle.

So we switched to a neonatal specialist who was referred to us by hubs' cousin (a pedia before in PGH). He was her professor, thesis advisor and wedding principal sponsor. He actually holds clinic in Asian too, started last August but we only found out about it after our first visit with him. One other plus for Yakee's current pedia is that Dr. Barias (the good doctor who tried helping us with PY) and my OB know him. Then again, they seem to be all products of UP and PGH :)

Anyway, we went there on a Tuesday. After the initial interview, Yakee received his 5-in-one shot for only P3,200 (including consultation fee!). Yakee was supposedly due for oral rotavirus vaccine too and I asked his new pedia baout it. He told us that as a policy, he doesn't really give it, explaining that the ones who really need the vaccine are the ones who cannot afford it (meaning the poor). Those of us who can afford it (and our former pedia said it will cost P3,500) are also able to afford distilled water and most probably keep everything sterile for the baby. Plus, the vaccine only protects the baby from rotavirus, but not from other viruses and bacteria that will cause diarrhea and he'd rather parents just continue being vigilant about sterilization and hygiene rather than spend for this vaccine and be complacent. So I opted not to get it anymore and just continue being paranoid about Yakee's things.

The pedia also advocates breastfeeding but voiced his concern that after six months, breastmilk shouldn't be the baby's main food anymore. He said breastmilk is only best for babies up to two years if it is complemented by the right diet, where the baby should actually get his nutritional requirements. I guess he's encountered many mothers who use their breastmilk as an excuse not to feed their babies real, nutritious food. I assured him I will feed my Yakee accordingly (and have actually started bargaining with hubs about junk food, fast food and sweets... all of which I intend to delay introduction to Yakee).

I know... coming from a Mom who has just consumed half a roll of cake in 24 hours, that sounds rich. But it's actually what kids are for: to challenge the parents to live healthier lifestyles.

the soulmate
At that visit, there was only one other baby waiting with us. But what are the odds of Yakee sharing the same birthday with that baby girl?

She was born via CS too, at 9:36 AM (Yakee was born at 9:59) and was there for the same shots that Yakee got.

Her name? Adriana Nicole. Her nickname? Nokee. :)

They're both due back on Feb. 12 for their next shots. Sigh. I hear wedding bells already :D


*~*

Tomorrow, however, am bringing Yakee back to his pedia because we had to rush him to the ER last Saturday night.

See, he pooped three times that day which was abnormal (he usually poops every three days or so) and his last poop had traces of blood. I was immediately panicked!

I also feel a lot guilty because it seems to be an intolerance to a drug i'm taking, which is being passed onto him thru my breastmilk. The ENT who first prescribed my meds actually advised me to STOP breastfeeding, saying i'd be passing bacteria to Yakee through my breastmilk (just goes to show that even doctors don't know much about breastfeeding, and that this should be addressed by the national health system).

I refused to stop breastfeeding and cried and cried to Jojo about it. I know that lest am HIV positive or getting cured for cancer, I can continue breastfeeding because there are generally alternative drugs I can take for most common ailments (and my gosh, this is only acute sinusitis anovah!). What I did was consult Yakee's pedia who changed my antibiotic prescription to something more suitable.

Still... like what I said, Yakee seems to be reacting to something i'm taking. To Decolgen, a decongestant, for that matter, which is really, really weird. It could still be a coincidence. We're being asked to get his stool cultured for more info but he hasn't pooped yet.

But given my strong allergy history... I can only sigh. Like what I told hubs, I cannot imagine the implication of Yakee being allergic/intolerant to the decongestant am taking (which, if it passes onto my breastmilk, will only be in very miniscule amounts!)... what it would mean for him in terms of diet and drugs.

And lest somebody out there wonders why am still breastfeeding, here's why:
1) Yakee has been exposed to the same germs that our household has been exposed to. Not breastfeeding him, if only for the meantime, will also mean not passing onto him my antibodies. He actually showed signs of colds last week but seems to have recovered within the same day.

2) The incident with Yakee's poop may just be coincidental to my taking new meds. After all, he didn't react to Neozep when I took it for two days the week before. And decongestants ARE safe for breastfeeding moms, as well as some antihistamines and most antibiotics. Not breastfeeding him now, when he's actually hit by something else, would only compromise his immune system.

3) Breastfeeding actually protects babies from allergies, both in the short and long-term. I cannot help my allergic history. My husband can't help his either (he had asthma as a child). It actually wouldn't be a surprise if Yakee inherits some of our hypersensitivity, but breastfeeding will provide him some amount of protection... whether by fortifying his immune system or decreasing the severity of his reactions.

Don't believe me? Then google breastfeeding and allergies.

The Worst of It
I'm still sick...and may even have to return to the doctor because the antibiotics doesn't seem to be doing me any good.

I hate having to sneeze or cough when am holding Yakee. I hate that I can't pick him up readily sometimes because I have to wash my hands first. I hate that I sometimes forget to disinfect because he's already crying incessantly, desperate for attention.

I hate that am not sleeping well... and disturbing Yakee and Jojo in their sleep.

I hate that i'm groggy and sluggish and tired most of the time.

I hate that I might have really caught a bug, that this isn't just some allergy anymore, therefore, I could be contagious.

I hate that I can't kiss my boys.

But most of all... I hate not being able to smell Yakee's sweet smell for days now. He's growing up so fast and am missing his baby scent and it makes me feel terrible.

Really terrible.

Am It
... was tagged by darling Yna so while the little one is sleeping, I might as well answer the tag :)


1.Two names I go by: Mec and Miau
2.Two things I am wearing right now: tank top and boxer shorts
3.Two things I like to do: Eat and Read
4.Two things I want very badly in this moment: to get better and a slice of Alex Franco cake, hehe
5.Two things I did last night: submitted a blog post and digiscrapped pics for my sister and mom's picture bags
6.Two things I am doing tomorrow: Blog and Upload pics
7. Two things I ate today: banana and chicken sandwich
8. Two favorite beverages: iced tea and mango juice?
9. Two of my favorite food: cake and chocolates
10. Two persons I last spoke to: cousin and sister
11. Two things about me that you may not have known: a licensed teacher and former mountaineer
12. Two jobs that I have had in my life: Tax Specialist and Corplan Specialist
13. Two movies I would watch over and over: Titanic and Love Actually
15. Two favorite things to do: Eat and Read

Follow up question:
What are the 5 gifts you would have bought for Yourself last Christmas, if you had unlimited income?
~ trip around the world, staying in expensive places and going on luxury cruises
~ photography package of latest dslr, one-on-one lessons with a seasoned photographer and studio lights
~ lots of really nice, sexy nursing wear
~ my own car (sedan), colored pink and yellow
~ properties in Davao or El Nido


and as usual... I am not tagging anyone anymore as I seem t have been the last ones to get this tag :)

Conserving Water
One of the better things about living in the Philippines is a really abundant water supply. We're actually one of the few nations left where there are still places where you can drink the water straight off the tap... or the creek.

Unfortunately though, it is this abundance that has resulted in a wasteful attitude towards water. I don't even want to go ranting at just how wasteful we are about it.

In our province of Lipa, it is not uncommon to find homes with rainwater tanks which households use to gather rains for washing clothes. Before summer ends, the bigger of the boys are usually sent to clean these rain water tanks in preparation for the rainy season. Isn't that a neat idea? That way, you can even rinse your washing to your heart's content.

It's high time the Philippine government starts investing in water saving solutions, like investing on grey water systems, like what Australia and Japan have already done. The water we enjoy today won't always be there. Already, authorities already forewarn the people that there may not be enough water for the greater Manila area. Typhoons, while wreaking havoc in other places, have saved us time and time again but that may not always be the case.

Wouldn't it be nice if creeks and rivers and lakes can be preserved for our kids to enjoy because we're able to save and reuse water?

Three's a Cloud
Well... it felt like a blur to me, at least :)

Yakee turned three months yesterday. And as a treat, we were able to force my sister to cook pancit for him... which she did. It verged on disastrous many times but the pancit turned out tasty.

I was also a very pasaway Mom because I dreamt of cakes last Sunday so hubs bought Yakee's cake a day early just so I ca finally satisfy my craving for mocha cake. Hehe.

I've found myself getting sad a lot of times these days because of Yakee. He's just really growing up so fast, it sometimes feels like he's never been an infant. Yesterday, as proof that he's a growing boy, he responded to play with delighted giggles instead of just smiles. You know, that kind of play where you pretend to be surprising/frightening the baby (think of that tiger in Ice Age)?

And it feels like he's going to be teething soon.

And he screams with delight now... so loud that I sometimes even mistake it for cries of pain.

Sniff, he's growing so fast. Waaah.

And I think he's undergoing another growth spurt because his sleep cycles have changed yet again... and insists on playing between 12 midnight to two in the morning.

And of course, we love him so.

Better Caring
One of the things hubs and I constantly talk about is growing old. Ideally, we intend to have a retirement fund and home ready for us so we won't be burdening our kids who might have to take care of us.

Then again, sometimes we also consider the possibility of living in nursing homes, with care options and care experts, since we cannot pretend to know for sure that we won't require specialized care. Considering the diet and lifestyle of our generation, we may both get Alzheimer's. Considering our parents, chances are we would both likely get Type 2 diabetes. We may even end up being cancer-ridden for all I know.

In all honesty, I really wish to avoid scenarios where children are left resentful and leading compromised lives because they had to attend to sick, ailing parents. Not that hubs and I will shy away from the task when our parents need us, but still, it's not something you want your own children to have to worry about.

Such morbid thoughts so early in the morning, I know. But since i'm still very much sick today, I couldn't quite stop myself from pondering this sad inevitability: we will grow old.

Sending out Christmas Cards
One holiday tradition I found myself starting was sending out Christmas cards. Last year, I bought Christmas cards to send via snail mail to friends and family. This year, I opted to send a personalized digiscrapped photograph of our family with our holiday greetings to friends' mailboxes instead.

Have you ever wondered whether the mailman gets to hand over the card personally to the recipients, or had to slip it instead in their residential mailboxes? Or commercial mailboxes, in cases where you sent it to their company address?

I'm just wondering out loud on who gets to be first witness in the delight friends and family felt over a piece of mail... my piece of mail.

Holidays 2007

This will be brief as I am really sneezing my head off, running my nose down and coughing like crazy.

We had a very busy Holiday. None of it spent buying presents or wrapping gifts. We were just busy. Mostly, I tried to steal away in the afternoons to get IDs and certificates and grocery shop. There's even this one time that we major grocery-shopped, I got depressed with the bill. Ahehe.

Dec. 15, we decided to brave the crowd at World Trade Center and check the Christmas bazaar. Most of the clothes on sale were expensive. Anyway, we were all just getting irritated by the heat so we hung out at the Precious Moments kiddie area and feasted on sausages. And the only thing we bought at the bazaar? Schublig sausages!!!

Oh, we also bought Yakee a tunnel gym... which he'd probably use when he's already crawling already.

After that, we decided to get away from the area as Star City and MOA crowd were causing major traffic. We had dinner at Pantalan Restaurant overlooking Manila Bay instead.

Dec. 21 was Christmas Party day at my former office and at hubs' office as well. Yakee attended both since Pappie Jojo's party was at night. My former colleagues all fussed over Yakee, who wowed them by smiling at anyone and everyone.

They were marvelling at his neck control, usually not yet that strong at just 2.5 months. A colleague, who is both a father and gym buff, took it upon himself to prove just how tough baby Yakee is by turning him into the Helicopter Baby. And heaven bless my weird baby for he loved it!



That night, Yakee didn't mind the noise of the band Jojo's company hired for their party... he's mastered the art of tuning noise out by sleeping, hehe. And hubs was sweet, he wishlisted his ka-Monita to give him something for Yakee instead.

Hubs had time to drop by SM and buy this Fisher Price infant-to-toddler seat for Yakee too. I guess i'll just blog about Yakee's furnitures in another post. :)

Dec. 24 we went to Lipa for Noche Buena with my nieces and nephews. It wasn't as cold as I expected so Yakee in a frogsuit was enough for warmth... but as soon as we entered the Church for Midnight Mass, the elders all had something to say. Not only were they not content that a hooded blanket was around Yakee, they were even clamoring for the electric fan to be turned off.

Sigh. Forgive me but I was really not liking the priest for being so winded with his tales because both I and Yakee were sweating profusely... and I was thinking it would be worse for Yakee to be filled with sweat when we go back out into the night after the Mass.

Jojo lined Yakee up to be blessed by the priest though. And he didn't mind the noise of the Noche Buena feast... he even played and played till 2 AM. Howell.

Dec. 25 we went home to my in-laws so Yakee could get smothered by kisses and love. We mostly just ate and opened Yakee's gifts, most of which were toys he wouldn't really appreciate for another year or so, and clothes. His loot could fill an entire plastic chest, like his cousin Iya. I guess that's the blessing for us, we need not spend on toys and accessories for Yakee for a while.



Dec. 27 was Py's death anniversary, but nobody wanted us to bring Yakee to the cemetery, esply as it was raining, so we just went to my SIL's home. My darling son just pooped and slept and fed the entire time.

Dec. 28 was our second anniversary but hubs had to work because he already missed work the day before. To celebrate, though, he brought home a mocha cake for me (since it's the only cake I like these days) and tuna sashimi and some maki (yeah, I know, them together seems kinda gross). As thanksgiving too, we sent all the kids staying with us to Star City while our family spent a quiet night in bed.

Dec. 30 we went to Lipa again to bring my niece, Ela, home. Then we went home to Las Piñas again. I helped out some as MIL made apple pie and chicken galantina for us.

Dec. 31 we attended Mass with my in-laws and enjoyed pizza with the chicken galantina.

January 1 Happy New Year! Yakee didn't mind the racket of the firecrackers at all. And he also mostly slept during the day while hubs' maternal cousins were about. We did visit Nanay, hubs' maternal grandmother, before going home here in Paco. Nanay said Yakee looked like hubs. :)



It doesn't sound much when blogged like this but the Holidays was physically and emotionally exhausting. My nose is still dripping from my allergy attack since Christmas which is why we're spending the weekend sa quietly as possible. I've also put hubs in charge of Yakee since I had to take decongestants and antihistamines already... good thing i'm able to pump milk at will now so Yakee can miss a direct feeding from me sometimes without going hungry.

Although hubs says he wouldn't mind Yakee getting drowsy too from getting some of the decongestant from me. Hehe. He refuses to be put down again... not sure if it's another growth spurt thing or it's his way of dealing with all the Holiday stress.

Anyway, there is no doubt that the New Year holds much promise and adventure for us. After all, we have a child who will be learning to eat and crawl and walk and talk...

And all we can really wish for is good health for him. Of course, for us too... but we love him best.

Bedding for the Nieces
Last December 28, we had Duday (age 9) sleep with us in our bedroom to accompany Ela (age 11). We had them sleep on the floor with a foldable mattress and comforter to warm them while hubs slept with Yakee and me on the bed. It was an anniversary treat for hubs and me, to be able to sleep together again after days of sleeping apart. It was also a treat for the girls, who have bonded so well in the past few days but had to sleep in separate houses at night..

When asked, both would love to come visit us again in the summer and during the Holidays. Suffice it to say that this might become a tradition, having the girls over when they are on school break.

So now i'm wondering if we should get them their own bedding, maybe like this Pirate Bedding for a feel of romantic adventures to make their visits more memorable. They are, after all, special girls who we have watched grow up so making sure their visits are happy times would only be natural for us. Surely, having their own unique bedding would tickle them pink and facilitate more bonding moments by our feet.