Blessed and Grateful

What we went through is not even a fourth of what others went through. A former colleague of mine lost her mother because of the floods brought about by Ondoy. But it's been a trying weekend just the same.

But allow me to focus on the blessings:

1) Thank God that I had a class that hindered us from going to Las Pinas earlier. Because Pappie was home, he and my cousin were able to rescue our ref from the flood, among other things.

2) Thank God for LRT, I was able to go from Vito Cruz to Pedro Gil without risking my neck despite the heavy rains.

3) Thank you to McDonald's and this saleslady in Paco, who gave me plastic bags for my things (because all I had was a paper bag).

4) Thanks to the fact that though we live in an easily-flooded area, it's still pretty much walking distance. So although I had to wade through thigh-high flood waters from Taft to our home, I still got home. And there were many strangers who were kind enough to say which areas to avoid so I don't fall into manholes.

5) Thank God that our actual home is higher than a lot of homes in our street, so we only got leg-high flooding in the other house, and foot-high waters in ours.

6) Although we have soooo many things, they were all generally easy to carry upstairs. And I thank God for keeping me awake in the afternoon, despite my exhaustion, so I got to start salvaging them before the waters got to them.

7) Thank God that Yakee remained safe, despite the falls from the flood (because he kept insisting to play in them), the chairs, the stairs, the bed (because he's hyper and refused to listen). I am also thankful that he doesn't appear to have swallowed any of the flood water when he slipped face down on the water... and that there was no need to brave the rains and flood to rush to the ER for him.

8) I am thankful for breastfeeding. I was not at all worried about my son having a clean something to drink.

9) I am thankful that my cousin has gone to the market so there was food to be cooked. Plus, we have the noodles from the grocery, and all the cannes goods and mashed potatoes that my parents have sent from the US. I didn't have to worry about food. And water.

10) I am also thankful that our electricity was not cut off.

11) Thankfully, my instinct not to panic and worry was right when our son accidentally locked himself in our room. I am also thankful (even if I cried) that my husband loves our son enough to scold me about not staying with Yakee when he expressly told me to do so. And yes, I am thankful for my son's relentless spirit, that he managed to unlock himself out of the room.

12) Thank God we have a second floor.

13) When preparing our MUST-SAVE bag, I couldn't help myself but also feel thankful that if worse comes to worst and we had to flee, there were some things we could save that would really help us... and that I was at least given time to fill a bag.

14) That the rains stopped and we got to clean our homes.

15) That my parents' main concern is for us to clean the houses really well so that the two babies won't ever get sick.

16) That I got to reward my husband with homemade empanada for all his hard work the entire weekend.

17) I am thankful that the two people I love and need most in life are sleeping soundly beside me.


I really hope a lot of people will extend help to those who were affected by Ondoy. And hopefully, this doesn't happen again.

Our Bed Rocks

Seriously. It rocks.

See, bed frames these days are not made of the same steel that were used decades ago. Eventhough we bought a fairly expensive one when we got married, the frame supports have all gotten bent out of shape from our combined weight and our son's jumping.

And since we didn't want to take away the frame (I don't want to hassle myself with disposing it) and sleep on the mattress on the floor, and because I don't want us buying a new one before we get a new home, we got a cousin to help fix the frame since it was already giving me back pains and affecting our son's sleep (it takes time for him to find a comfy sleeping position). What my cousin did was add wooden supports underneath, the idea being that our weight will push the steel supports back in their original place and that they'd stay there because there'd be the additional wooden supports. Unfortunately, until that has happened, our bed will continue rocking.

Yakee finds it funny and calls the bed "seesaw".

It wakes hubby and I up though, when the bed tilts a little when we shift positions in bed.

Mothering, Fathering

While browsing through books at Booksale, I came upon this quote:
"American society suffers from too much mothering and not enough fathering."

I liked it very much because I believe it's the general fact, regardless of nationality, and for Philippine society most specially. Filipino mothers coddle their kids and their husbands let them. Or Filipino fathers insist on dishing out the punishment without earning first the authority to discipline, and their wives let them. It's as if you can only get loving and gentleness from one parent, and character and values from the other.

I've said it before and will say it again. Kids need to be raised in the different kinds of loving and parenting that mothers and fathers give. They need both tight hugs and pat in the backs, and in equal measure, for them to really be equipped to face the rewards and harsh realities of the world.

Spoiled Mommy, Supportive Hubby

I had to be at a workshop the whole day of Saturday and hubby was trooper enough to care for Yakee the whole day. They bonded on videos and bath time, then they waited for me at McDonald's V. Cruz so we can go to the book fair.

And shopped, I did. But I did not spend THAT much. Only around P2k worth of books, most of which are to be given away as gifts in the parties we're attending these coming weekends. Some are also for Christmas gifts to nieces and nephews.

But since OMF Lit was selling Hans Chirstian Andersen hardbound books for P100 each, I bought Yakee a complete set of 3.

And yes, though it was a bad call, we decided to have dinner at MOA so I can still go shopping at the sale... I only bought shoes for Yakee though. But dining at MOA cost us some 2 hours because of the great crowd that were hungry like us, and Kenny Rogers' crew just couldn't cope. My poor son, out of extreme hunger, begged for food (he'd open his hand in the universal begging sign) from the others who were already eating. And he ravaged the veggies in the samplers we bought. Poor kid. Poor, poor kid.

The rest of the weekend passed by in a blur of playing, sometimes quarrelling kids at my in-laws.

*~*

SIL tied up my son's hair in pigtails (they're that long already) complete with pink ribbons. I laughed so hard when I saw Yakee because he looked soooo much like me!!! My hubby was dismayed, of course.

Hard to Dote

I don't know what it is with bookstores recently but hubby and I have been scouring Booksale and National Bookstore for chidren's books with musical instruments for Yakee (because I'm sick of 'Charlie Bird Counts to the Beat' and 'Ang Mahiwang Biyulin', having to read them 2-3 times each night) but we cannot find anything at all. There are lots of books on going to school, going potty, going to the beach, playing and dinosaurs and trucks but no musical instruments book.

We've already bought him flash cards and an instrument chart. And we're on the hunt for a copy of 'Bravo, Amelia Bedelia' because Yakee would love it for having two of his favorite things: Amelia Bedelia and musical instruments.

Hopefully, the Manila Book Fair will yield more books for us. I'm thankful that Pappie is very supportive of Mommy and Yakee's love for books.

We also managed to buy him his sturdiest play drum yet. That's his third in a year!

Challenges

I woke up with a back pain radiating from my right buttock up to my spine last Tuesday. Twas bad enough that I go numb, weak and dizzy when I even try carrying Yakee. Hubs insisted I go for a check-up the following day.

So I did and was given pain relievers. I had told the doctor I was highly allergic to Ibuprofen and Mefenamic Acid. She gave me Iskelan. I didn't want to really take anything but I also didn't want to inconvenience everyone, esply hubby, by wobbling about in pain. But I did wait for hubby to get home first before I took any, in case I had reactions.

Well, turned out I was also highly allergic to Iskelan. Taking Claritin didn't help and by the time hubs brought me to the hospital, my eyes were already shut again, I was coughing so hard because my nose and throat were constricting, my stomach was cramping and I was itchy all over. I must have received 5-7 shots of adrenaline, steroids and antihistamines in the four hours I was at the ER.

And now am taking more meds which prevent me from breastfeeding. It's a challenge for mebecause it really breaks my heart.

It's a challenge for Pappie, because he has to take care of both of us, and also be involved in making sure Yakee doesn't rage about not being able to breastfeed.

It's stressful for Yakee, but he's been a trooper about it so far. He'd cry and throw a fit but never really raged yet. he'd either eat or sleep the stress away.

Sigh.

It's so hard when a nursing Mom gets sick! And allergies really suck!

Season for Pilfering - and Birthday Concerns

The books I ordered off Ebay got lost in the mail. 17 books in all. 'Nuff said.

*******

Pappie arrived yesterday from Kuala Lumpur via Cebu Pac. His baggage was tampered with. He locked the main compartment well but forgot that he left his media player in the 2nd (outside compartment). When he got his luggage from the conveyor belt, he saw that it was locked differently na. Since their arrival was 4:30 AM and he was tired, he forgot he had a valuable there and didn't think of reporting it while still at the airport. It was only when he got home that he realized his beloved media player was missing.

*******

How to celebrate my and Yakee's birthday?

See, we're big on celebrations. And I really want another trip to the beach. But now I can't decide on WHEN.

The most practical time would be to have it over the Halloween holidays so that Pappie need not file for more leaves. But that might mean MIL won't come along and we'd be missing trick or treating at Alabang.

One other option is to just rent a pool either in Las Pinas or Pansol (hotsprings so that even if it's cold, the kids can enjoy the water) and make it a family thing. However, am not sure darling cousin will come along if SIL will.

Of course, we could just go, just the three of us, to anywhere so that we need not consider other people. But that would also mean not having US time (me and Pappie).

And yes, we can just drop our travel plans and save the money.

*******

I think it would be best to really just go to Balay Indang (or somewhere similar) over a weekend, with only MIL and cousin. Ahehe.

Or a Jollibee party perhaps?

No wonder hubs is sressed with me!

Can't Stop Digiscrapping

I just really love the recent pics taken of my nieces. And I love the freebie kits I got from Delicious Scraps. So heaven help me, I just want to scrap and scrap and scrap. Oh and I particularly love Lianne's innocent pic... hubs did great in capturing that moment :)








Delicious Scraps Freebies

Missing Pappie

Poor hubs.

He left for Malaysia last Thursday. They got him a budget trip from Cebu Pac and he was annoyed that they weren't informed that the travel tax isn't covered yet by that one, so he had to withdraw pa. And then the flight, though not delayed, took a longer time than usual.

They got to KL at 12:30 AM or so. Their hotel was like an hour away from the airport and they had the misfortune of getting a cab driver who was lost twice. Even I (and it seems, Yakee) lost sleep waiting for him to get to their hotel. He was finally settled at past 2:30 AM. Haaay.

Then they also had to travel for several hours to Port Dickson naman.

Anyway, I miss him. And Yakee refuses to settle in his sleep if am not lying down with him. And I pray that hubby gets home safe.


Designs by Kacci, Al Sandra & Century Gothic fonts

And I really intend on shopping my heart out to console myself. Ahehe.

Updating With Morbid Conversations

I didn't update this blog for the longest time in its history, I think, because I was sad. And if Mommy ain't happy, ain't nobody happy, right?

Anyway, I was really in a bad mood the rest of August and the mood only lifted this recent long weekend, which started with Pappie and I shopping (well, it started the night before that, really *wink*).

And no, I don't usually shop to cheer myself up. And though we bought tops for myself, most of what we bought were really for Yakee. And we bought a new luggage which hubby will use in his trip to Malaysia this week. But hubs and I had dinner alone and I felt reconnection I was missing.

*~*

Saturday, we spent with my NGO friends of over a decade. Pappie was so gracious to allow me to give some of our money to help out my friend with a kidney problem. And during the ride home to my in-laws, we talked about whether we'd have gotten married if one of us had as serious an illness, or if we'd have had a child. I mean, if you know you'd need a lot of money just to fight for your life, will you really bring a child into that equation? Then again, if you know that anytime, you could die, wouldn't you want to leave something of you behind that isn't material?

*~*

Sunday, we all went to Silang, Cavite to accompany MIL in checking out one of their properties. After that, we baked fudgies. I got a kick seeing hubby and BIL creaming the butter and making the dough while 'competing' for their Mom's attention ("I got the premium butter because I am the favorite", "No, you got less butter because it's directly proportional to your brain") and making us laugh with their banter. The kiddos got a kick from sampling the buttered sugar and what's left in the bowl of butter and cocoa fudge. And BIl and hubs got to eat the fudgies first, as a reward.

*~*

Monday we attended a death anniversary of FIL's friend and that guy's grandson's first birthday (circle of life, yes). We loved the catered food (Albergus), the kids loved running around Heritage Park (try running after three!) and the guests loved that my son danced for them while someone was singing.



Before going home, my boys bonded at CDR-King where hubby bought a new gadget for himself that I couldn't contest because he's stressed. And on the way home, we talked about eulogies, wondering what we'd say about our parents when they pass away.

Then I told him that if I die before him, I know he couldn't really shower me with praises so i've thought up a eulogy for him and Yakee.

"My wife/mother wasn't perfect, but we love her and she loved us." :D

Hubs need not worry... I know I will shower him with praises because even though he's also far from perfect, he's also a really good man. :)

*~*

Anyway, it's September now. I promised my family a better Christmas tree this year.