...elow daddy!

pangs came here for the weekend bearing tsugtsug gifts! the most important, and thankfully useful thing he brought was this Rocker Swing. The first time tsugtsug sat on it, he friggin fell asleep! as in! i couldn't believe it! i was jumping and hugging pangs when i saw those little eyes close! granted, it has yet to happen again, but i have faith! bwahaha. *positive thinking* he likes the swing a lot, he has slept on it for 45 minutes and when awake, he can stay for about 20. i know it doesn't seem much, but believe me, every minute of him being able to entertain himself is heaveeeen. i can actually write this blog! (he's currently on the swing)


here's tsugtsug sleeping on his new throne. the big hand's another gift.. the zaky!


nagulat ata si pangs kung gano na kalaki si tsugtsug ehehe. and he's not boring anymore ehehe. when pangs left tsugtsug would only cry and sleep.. now he stays awake for a couple of hours and smiles his gas off in a poopoo session..


meh milagrong ginagawa pag ngumingiti yan


who? me?


bilis din natuto ni pangs.. had to teach him how tsugtsug likes to be carried.. there's a science to the bounce-bounce dance ehehe.. he also learned that tsugtsug is a very smart baby.. he knows when there's a change in altitude lol. (read: he doesn't like you sitting down while holding him!)

and there will always be a photo session when his daddy is home:




what's up mommy?


anong kalokohan ito?


family portrait!


more pictures on his flickr site.

miss na namin ang daddy nya! (miss ka rin daw ni mommy, nakakatulog sya ng matagal eh hehe) his next visit is tsugtsug's binyag. can't wait!

...dead tired

*sighs*

i am so tired. both of my wrists hurt.. my joints are aching and i have this shooting spasm that hits me on my left hip..i have no idea what position causes it! nabibigla na lang ako sa painnnnnnn. i think my seldom-used muscles were challenged by tsugtsug. from his last checkup, he is now 9.9lbs! i don't know how i'll be able to carry him in the succeeding months.. maybe my arm muscles would grow bigger too? lol. carrying him is like having a total workout.. triceps, biceps.. pati muscles sa thigh, tapus cardio workout (when i try to rock him to sleep... imagine 30 minutes of walking, semi-jumping while carrying 5 kilos).

it's all worth it.. once i see his eyes closed and his mouth open. nyahahha.

good thing his daddy is visiting soon! yahooooooooooo! yey pangs! he'll be here on the 21st. don't forget my bilins nyahaha. i asked for more baby stuff.. hopefully, they won't turn into baby junk! hehe. in n@w, (newlyweds at work) i asked what baby purchases they regret and recommend.. turns out one's regret is another mother's recommendation.. so iba iba din. mga regret ko so far is yung crib.. but its still early, so hopefully he'll be able to use it once he is a bit bigger. (pang kulong ehehe) i asked pangs for a sling, some nursing blouses (i dunno where to buy here!) and an automated rocker.

tsugtsug's rashes are beginning to subside too! yey! i use cetaphil on his face.. and mustela dermo-cleansing gel on his body.. i really like the mustela products. its pricey, but its a big bottle and i only use a little.. so i'm pretty sure it'll last a couple of months. haaay, if i only knew, i should've used it from the very beginning. di gusto ni tsugtsug yung pigeon toiletries. sayang, mabango pa naman.

meh nabasa ako sa net yung 'how motherhood changed me'.. eto yung akin:
- i have a new hobby.. making cotton balls
- when constipated, i do a 'inhale-push-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10-exhale'. works much better!
- i can finish(gulp) a meal in 5 minutes.
- i have a new skill.. i can tie a ribbon using only one hand. o-ha. (i tie a loose mitten while holding him)
- i changed from a no-cup to a B-cup!! bwahahaha.

sige, yun muna.. tulog muna ako habang tulog ang baby.

...now i know

motherhood brings about tons of realizations..

first is how friggin tough it is. i decided to room-in tsugtsug on my 2nd night at the hospital, despite the strong advice of my friends and cousins against it. it was definitely hard, being responsible for the little one so soon after giving birth.. i still had painful uterine contractions, and my stitches were definitely hurting.. i think my argument then was, at least we're in the hospital where help was just a buzz away. thinking back, i'm not positive if i would've done the same thing. it was just too much responsibility, too fast! i couldn't rest at all, same for my mom and pangs. but i believe it really helped us to gain confidence as first time parents.. how to carry tsugtsug, change nappies, then a midwife showed us how to bathe him.. and most importantly was the breastfeeding. we (tsugtsug and me) were able to practice our latching.. latching is definitely the hardest part in breastfeeding.. being with him in his first few days where he didn't need that much food yet, i didn't feel any pressure at all that i was starving him. i can't imagine doing it for the first time at home! i remember during the first week, i was trying to pump milk but there was just so little.. then i stood up and left the bottle with the pump on the rocking chair.. when i got back, the milk leaked thru the bottle and 3/4s was gone.. i cried and cried and raymond and my mom had to calm me down.. i was just so friggin exhausted and frustrated then..what came to my mind though was "it's no use crying over spilled milk".. LITERALLY. then i calmed down a bit. hehehe.

another realization is.. i'm so glad i've read and researched about childcare and breastfeeding. there's just too much varying opinions from the oldies! you wouldn't believe how formula advocates the oldies are. lol. as in. they could become med reps for milk companies. tsugtsug was weighed on his 10th day and he lost a pound and everyone was like "WHAT? WHY? GINUGUTOM MO!" i honestly wasn't worried because i've read that babies do lose some birth weight on his first two weeks (especially breastfed babies) but i was beginning to get paranoid too with everyone clamoring for formula! i gave in eventually, but he only gets formula about once/twice a day when he cries in the middle of feeding for no apparent reason. (sometimes, napupupu lang pala! naiiyak sa pag iire nya). anyway, it's not just the formula.. they have opinion about everything from pacifiers to giving water to using bigkis! but good thing about my mom, she reads the books i show her so there are less arguments.

first 2 weeks, raymond, my mom and myself were taking care of the baby and we were all so sleep deprived. we were staying at our house where there was no cable tv, we had to make do with the shitty tv reception. sobrang walang tulog i was able to watch from unang hirit to dramarama to telebabad to the station sign off. pag 1:30 am i would look at tsugtsug and say.. now what? lol! also, while watching dyesebel (we can only get channel 2 and 7), there was a dialogue na "anong ginawa nila sa mukha mo dyesebel?" the 3 of us were like "huh? bakit? ano nga ginawa sa mukha eh pareho lang?". we couldn't see that half her face had scars because of the snowy reception nyahaha. (tapus black and white lang! minsan nagiging colored pag natatamaan ng electric fan ata hahaha) later on, we would watch dvds from 1-5 (twilight hour) then raymond would jump up and down in the middle of a movie and say "2:00 am pa lang!!!!". I remember Ate lala's song to us "Kay tagal, ng umagaaaaaaaaa" hehe. it sure felt like that every single day. There were times I wanted to quit breastfeeding because it felt so unfair.. everyone else was asleep (including tsugtsug..human pacifier ako nyan eh!) whereas I was trying to stay awake in fear of smothering tsugtsug with my boob. (urban legend lang ba yun?)

now that tsugtsug is a month old, i have more or less adjusted to his moods.. and to his schedule..from 1-6,i can usually sleep 4 hours.. we're 1 hour awake when i'm nursing.. i still can't put him down on his crib to sleep (what a waste of money!) but as long as he sleeps on my chest, he can sleep for 3 hours straight.. on afternoons its a different story.. sometimes he cries so much for no apparent reason it drives me nuts! just like today, minsan sinasabayan ko sya ng iyak hahaha. kaloka. i worry why he hasn't pooped, i worry if i'm starving him.. i worry about his rashes in his face and on his chest and on his neck... dati binibilang ko pa! lol! wawa eh, ang dami huhuhu.

i've also realized how much crap i've bought for tsugtsug.. the crib sucks! lol. i should've bought the one with a real bassinet (the round one) cause he seems to be lost in the hugeness of the bassinet we bought for him.. now i bought a separate bassinet which he barely uses as well.. oh well.. i'm still hoping he'll use it sooner or later..

last but definitely not the least realization.. that this little person is completely dependent on me.. its so scary!

tomorrow's his checkup. i'm excited to know how much he weighs now. my wrists hurt so much from carrying him, feels like i have permanent carpal tunnel syndrome.

yun muna.. 2 weeks in the making ang post na toh hehe. bye for now.

...tsugtsug is 1 month old!

you can't see it but inside tsugtsug's mittens is his peace sign too!

...birthing story

April 30 2008, 11:30 AM: It was my special request to give birth on May 1. May 4th was my actual EDD but my OB said it can be done. A couple of days before this, I've already been experiencing a bit of brownish bloody discharge after a weekly IE(internal exam aka fingering) so i'm quite paranoid on going on labor earlier than expected. (so i'm pretty much just lying around and watching TV.. ehehe what else is new, trying not to do anything strenous) After hearing stories of dry labor, etc..I was worried I wouldn't feel if my water broke or something.. Anyway, at this checkup, my OB did this procedure to induce labor called 'stripping'.. I was already 2cm dilated.. I didn't know what the hell she was doing at that time but it sure felt she had her whole hand in my you-know-what. She warned me there would be more blood and told me to have myself admitted at 10pm that night. I remember hugging my Dad and saying "Mamaya na!" My dad said "Bakit 10? May basketball (PBA) mamaya eh". L O L.

April 30 2008, 11:00 PM: Arrived at the hospital. (dad waited for the game to end.) I wasn't feeling anything anyway. Prelabor room was packed but I was able to get in after about 10 minutes. The resident OB there said I was already having contractions, 7 minutes apart, but still 2cm dilated. I was feeling quite pompous at this time, cause they kept asking me if it hurts but I wasn't feeling anything so I was even standing and walking around, while waiting to be wheeled to the Labor room. I was even thinking.. "eto na ba yung contractions? eh hindi naman masakit eh!". BOY.. WAS I DELUDED. LOL.

May 1, 2008, 12:00 midnite In Labor room.. still wasn't feeling anything. Nurses/Resident OBs would check my contractions every now and then, or do an IE on me. Tsugtsug was still moving a lot, so sometimes the nurses would have a hard time timing my contractions.

May 1, 2008, 2:00am Got hooked with oxytocin.. think its the chemical that induces labor.

May 1, 2008, 2:30am My OB got in, was already feeling contractions. On my mind "ahh eto pala yun..parang dysmenorrhea nga". The nurse was timing my contractions but she was reading her OK magazine and she said my contractions were 3 minutes apart to my OB but I said "no, its 2 minutes" nyahaha. I told my OB "nararamdaman ko na po. Eto pala yung contractions".

May 1, 2008, 3:00am "Nararamdaman ko na po" OMG. what an understatement. I was trying to be brave and everything (I've heard that once you get epidural, your dilation(?) slows down) but OhMYGOSH it friggin hurt. as in imagine your worse case of dysmenorrhea times 1000. As soon as someone checked on me I said "HINDI KO NA PO KAYA!!" Also, what surprised me was the farting. bwahaha. I would sometimes fart with the contraction. I even asked a nurse if she could smell something. I told her, "Parang nag-UST ako". lol. There was also a time I totally farted right at my OB. nyahaha. All I could say was "oops. sorry po." My OB just said "It's okay, ganyan talaga." (ganun naman pala eh! hehe)

May 1, 2008, 4:15am The friggin anesthesiologist finally came in. Waaah. My contractions were coming in every other minute. And gawwwd.. the pain, the pain! Tama lahat sila.. parang humihiwalay balakang ko sa puson ko. HUHUHU. At first I would do the breathing thingie (like you see in movies) but then it would be really painful all i can do was grit my teeth and cry through the pain. One nurse who checked on me said "OH, meh nageemote na dito" LOL. BWISET! While waiting for anesthesiologist, I was thinking what (profanities) I would tell him ("Where the f*ck were you?", "Bakit ngayon ka lang!?", "Finally!" or "Took you long enough!!") but all I could do was helplessly look at him through squinted eyes due to the pain pain pain I was feeling. Getting epidural was weird. First they position you on your side (knees near your chin).. then i felt this coooold jet spray of alcohol on the whole of my back.. twice or thrice i think. then the needle which didn't feel like anything. Imagine you had to stay completely still while you're having the painful contractions. (On my mind.. ei.. this guy is sticking something on my spinal cord..paralysis?? waah) After about 10 minutes more of pain... it finally took effect. I was shivering but I didn't care. Later on, shivering would be a welcome sign that the top-ups were taking effect. Waah i was in heaven. I was already drifting to sleep when my OB checked on me and asked how I was feeling. "Okay na po. Masaya. LOL"

May 1, 2008, 5:30am-8:30am I was back in HELLLLLLL. the epidural would lose its effect after every hour and I was asking for top-ups. good thing there was a change in shift and i got a different (more punctual) anesthesiologist. He would come in after only a few minutes once I request a top-up. (bring on the drugs!) I asked how many times I can ask for a top-up (I was wondering if every hour was too frequent) but he said since I'm 6cm dilated already (this was like.. at 6am) it was okay but he would only do half a dose or something so I won't be too groggy once it's time to push. During these times I was praying that I would get fully dilated already. One episode of waiting for the top-up, I was just crying and grimacing when I noticed the nurse checking on me was also sniffing. I dunno if she just had the colds or was sympathizing with me nyahaha. I must have looked pretty pathetic haha. (or she's a newbie nurse). Anyway, these hours were the hardest. Everything was going thru my head "BAKIT BA AKO NABUNTIS!" to religious "My god, my god why have you forsaken me?" to rebelious "NEVER AGAIN! never never again!" then back to sanity with a lot of praying.

May 1, 2008, 8:30am I was feeling the contractions again. I was debating on whether to ask for a top-up or not when my OB came and did an IE on me. (IEs after the epidural didn't hurt anymore. I could be gang raped and not care. All that was hurting were the contractions) At first she said it was just 9cm but after checking again after about 10 mins she said "I think we're ready". Then they asked me to do a "mock-up" pushing. Someone taught me how to push. "Inhale, then push! 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. Slowly exhale. Yung parang nagjejebs ka uh!" So I did what they asked. My (punctual) anesthesiologist was also there and said "You're really good at pushing!" and all I can say was "Madalas kasi akong constipated". LOL. At 9 a.m. I was transferred to the Delivery room. This is friggin IT!!!

May 1, 2008, 9:00am More pushing tips. They said "Never inhale between 1-10". And my anesthesiologist said he would help by putting his weight on me and pushing the baby. And for me to only push through contractions. So it was good I didn't ask for a top-up, I could tell when my contractions were coming in. First contraction I was like "eto po meron na!" then the ritual. It was a full house in the delivery room (probably 7-8 people) and everyone was chanting, "Inhale, push. 1,2,3,.." Then OMG the anesthesiologist put his weight on me and gawwwd it hurt. as in! they said i shouldn't inhale but honestly.. I couldn't even inhale even if i wanted to! It felt like an elephant was on top me. I was pushing with all my might and then he would put his whole weight on me and I would be grunting like "eeeerrrgggggggggh" and he would say "walang sound!" and I was like "whatthefuckpanongwalangsound". My throat would hurt with the grunting. After 2 pushes, they "prepped" me. (shaved my thingie, prepared their equipment) Someone has a videocam which everyone kept on saying "Oh, still picture lang uh, baka mayou-tube tayo!" (videocam turned out to be ours, raymond handed it to them) Then the pushing again... after about 5 or 6 pushes, someone shouted "Baby out! 9:40 AM!". waaaah. When tsugtsug was brought to me I just looked at him and I was so tired, I couldn't even cry. (but believe me, i was crying inside, hehe.. dunno from relief or from happiness, maybe both) I just stared at him and the camera for the photo-op. I was so out of it, I couldn't believe I was staring at this little thing that was once moving inside my belly. Now I want to put him back inside again with all the crying he's doing. bwahahaha joke lang tsugtsug.

And that's it. I remember dreaming of water and coke while inside the Recovery room, I was so thirsty. I even begged the attendant there to give me a sip of water but they wouldn't let me because they said it might cause me to puke. When I was finally brought to my room, I saw Pangs finally after 3 long months. My family and relatives were also there and I still had some morphine in my system that's why I was able to chat a lot and joke about my labor.

Here are some pics in the Delivery room:


bloody baby gavin


me and gavin.


1 week in the making ang post na toh. wahaha. I'll tell you more next time.

...meet tsugtsug!

aka Gavin Laurence Arenas, 7.3 lbs, normal delivery


and loadsss more here: tsugtsug's flickr site

got so much to tell.. so little time. (before the little one wakes up) nyahaha. everything so far has been overwhelming.. from my labor to taking care of this little baby. we're now settled in my parents house (ate ging left already huhu..) and Pangs was able to set up this computer at our room so i'll hopefully stay connected.

birthing story coming up soon!

...labor day!

this is it. bwahahaha. the long wait is almost over. i'm excited and super scared. since my checkup yesterday, i've been having streaks of brownish (bloody) discharge (eww). I called my OB the first time i saw it and she said it was okay, that we were still 'on' on labor day. she says i'm 1cm dilated but i'm not feeling any contractions whatsoever. i've had suuuuch an easy pregnancy that, i'm worried that i might miss some crucial sign that i'm going into labor. but i'm expecting contractions will feel like HELL so as long as i'm not feeling anything, i'm trying to stay calm.

tomorrow will probably be my last pregnancy checkup (hopefully!).. pray for tsugtsug, that he'll be a healthy baby.

thank you keh tsugtsug (Thank God!) because he's such an obedient baby.. waiting for his dad and giving me such an easy breezy pregnancy. hope he behaves till he's out hihi. but i'll probably miss his movements in my belly. eating will never be the same again. lol. i will miss my belly moving like waves, as if tsugtsug's doing acrobatics or something. (he's doing it right this moment)

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. todo na toh. I'M SOOOOO excited! WAAAAAAAAAAAH. and scared. WAAAAAAAAAAH.

...so matagal

yeah.. still preggy. i think tsugtsug will definitely wait for his daddy. just one more week, i can't believe it!!!! i'm soooo happy and excited! pangs will be here on Thursday!!! *jumps jumps while holding tummy* hihihi.

i think i'm ready.. i have the sterilizer ready for use, my hospital bag prepared (plus tsugtsug's stuff) and yessssssss.. we have a name for tsugtsug.. which i totally won't tell until its written officially on his birth certificate. (ayoko na magbago, please lol!)

oohhhh.. was just IMed my fave cousin Ian... waah his wife already gave birth, i'm so envious! congrats insan!

oh, tsugtsug.. tayo naman! hehehe! cge.. babay na munaaaa. DVD marathon again.

...why him?

i knew it. i knew that i would jinx michael johns by speaking about him in my blog. I'm so sorrryyyy I didn't mean to. L o L. but dammmit, i'm still pissed that he's eliminated. super pissed. I didn't have any unrealistic expectations of him winning the whole thing but I would've liked him to be at top 5 at least. (ahead of Syeisha and Kristy Lee!) arrgh. All i can do now is to say goodbye to his manliness. and his adorable aussie accent. and his voice. huhuhuh. i loooove his voice. *sighs*


photo from rickey.org
Goodbyeeeeeeeeeeee.. I really hope to see you in TV again!

*sighs* anyhoo. am still pregnant. tsugtsug is still very active. i do have a hard time finding the right position to sleep though. its like my whole tummy shifts to the left and then everything aches in my right side. i dunno what's up with that. i have stopped reading "birthing stories" and other labor stuff because it just simply terrifies me. i feel it adds to my confusion and anxiety instead of making me feel prepared and well informed. the book "What to Expect on the First Year" makes me fall asleep after just a page. and my suitcase isn't ready yet. I mean, it has stuff inside, but its not everything that i would need. am i panicking? LOL. i don't know. i'm just nervous i think. or constipated. LOL. i dunno what i'm feeling anymore, if its physical or emotional. i can't friggin differentiate.

..time for my daily siesta. i love being a bum.

...packed and ready

actually, its just tsugtsug whose ready.. i haven't packed my stuff yet. Kuya Chad (naks, kuya hehe) gave us this wendy bellissimo messenger diaper bag last christmas and i filled it up with tsugtsug's stuff to bring to the hospital.



They say I should have all the stuff we need to bring to the hospital ready so that when it's time and i'm experiencing some labor pains, i won't be panicky trying to shove stuff in bags and just calmly go the car and grab our already prepared bags. (that's the idea anyway)


Here's the stuff i packed for tsugtsug:
BABY'S THINGS FOR ROOMING IN
-tie shirts
-disposable diapers
-mittens
-booties or socks
-receiving blankets
-cotton
-bath soap
-wash cloth
-going home outfit

I actually have like 2 onesies (including his going home outfit) and a separate tieshirt cause I don't really know what kind of clothing to bring for tsugtsug. Tomorrow I'll probably prepare my stuff. (if i can find Ate's very small luggage) I'm on my 37th week already and I should have all these things done by now. (uh-oh, i'm getting nervous again *breathe in, breathe out*)

I have Tsugtsug's Baby book as well which i should start filling up too. except tsugtsug doesn't have a name yet. WHAT!? LOL. yeah. i mean, we have 'tentative' names that i'm keeping a secret for now. There's just too many opinions. L O L. No more surveys, etc. It just invites more unsolicited advice ahahah.

*sighs* it's so friggin hot nowadays. as in super really hot. I almost cried yesterday when there was a power failure at around 4pm, i was really panicking like "wtf wtf wtf" and then shifting thoughts to "it'll only be a few minutes, it'll only be a few minutes" and then the electricity did come back after like 5 mins. I can barely survive on electric fan (i keep on turning the aircon on) I don't know how i'll manage without some friggin air moving.

Oh, good news.. we have a new helper! Thanks to Erlyn! now i can have someone to buy me Halo-Halo. hahaha. talagang yun lang naisip ano? (Yeah, she can wash dishes too.. but the halo halo seems more important)


Anyway, sometimes I'm thinking that its okay if Pangs is not here in time for my delivery.. at least he'll have 2 solid weeks with Tsugtsug..What if he comes and i'm 2 weeks late or something! that'll be awful. (He'll only be here in Manila for 19 days) But sometimes I also think selfish thoughts and I really want him by my side. *sighs* Of course the ideal is on the day he arrrives here is THE day but that's... ooops.. must think positive thoughts. Yeah.. i think that's what i want. LOL. Labor on Labor day! Also, my sister is so funny. She always have these tsugtsug dreams hahaha. I think she's really worried. You see, I'm sharing her room and we sleep on the same queen size bed and I told her stories that some pregnant women leak water and the bed becomes insanely wet or bloodish. (first signs of labor) So now she's constantly having dreams (nightmares) of me having the baby already and the bed soaking wet. Last night she told me she was looking at my tummy and tsugtsug was moving. Then she dreamt that tsugtsug was crying, still inside my belly, with tsugtsug's face visible or like, molded on my tummy (like an alien thing). She was trying to hush tsugtsug so she will pat my tummy (or tsugtsug's face ehehe).. When she told me about it, I said she was creeping me out. lol. She said in her dream, I was already asleep but tsugtsug just wouldn't stop crying. hehehe. I guess i'm stressing my sister out. LOL.

That's all for now. I'm looking forward to American Idol tonight.. Ramiele is out (boo-hoo anyway.. she sucked for so many weeks) but I looove Michael Johns. I guess i like underdogs. I don't know why people don't get Michael Johns. He is just such a.... manly man (yum yum LOL) and i loooove his voice. I definitely like rockers but I don't know why I don't like David Cook (maybe its his voice.. its not recognizable.. he looks like a big wannabe for me.. and i hate AI contestants doing every cover of covers from alt/rock bands.. like chris daughtry b4. never liked him too.) Michael Johns is just awesome for me. Even when judges say negative stuff about him, I don't care. I think i'm blinded by his looks. He had bad comments again but I'm hoping his fans will make him stay for one more week. bwahahaha. Bye guys!

...inventory

i'm doing an inventory of tsugtsug's things.. and let me tell you, it's A LOT! i've filled up about 5 plastic boxes already and tsugtsug's not even born yet!! LOL! Pangs and I didn't have the experience of actually buying something for the baby together.. back in SG, we would go to baby stores, but never really bought anything. you know why? baby stores can be pretty intimidating! there's just TOO much stuff there!! (too much ALIEN stuff) I needed to read a loooot of books and forums just to understand all these unfamiliar baby terms.. (rompers, creepers, layettes, etc) Who knew nipples/teats come in different no. of holes? Or that breast pumps can be electronic/manual? and Anti-colic bottles? (What the hell is a 'colicky' baby?) I learned quite a bit thru googling and from n@wies(yahoogroup for pinoy newlyweds), TG.

Here's a list of tsugtsug's stuff so far (btw, my balikbayan box arrived safely!):
CLOTHES:
6 sleeveless shirts
3 short sleeve shirts
9 shorts
a dozen nappies (for punas punas daw.. also learned that lampins have 2 kinds! and have weird names! gauze and birdseye!)
8 onesies including his going-home outfit



i love SM Mall! ehehe. actually, all Malls here in Manila.. clothes are so cheap compared to SG and i didn't even go to Divi! (was initially planning to, but got so lazy) I bought this set on discount, so cheap and they're even 100% cotton!


This one i bought in SG. It's kiddopotamus (something like that) swaddling something. Swaddling is when you wrap the baby and make it look like a burrito. Apparently, newborns like to be swaddled, like how they used to feel while they were in the womb. This swaddler has velcro and stuff so swaddling can be idiot-proof.

I also bought:
9 mittens (the string kind, i've read in forums that garterized kind easily get off)
9 Bibs
4 caps
7 booties (also bought the string kind, 1 is from the matching set from the photo)
3 receiving blankets (hooded)
3 baby blankets (without a hood.. don't ask.. i'm not sure also why i bought)

BATH GEAR:



I bought a cheap bath tub (around 300 bucks, 10sgd) cause i won't be able to bring this to SG. but i bought the cradle thingie for newborn from safety 1st: (again, who knew? apparently for neck support. you can support the baby's neck with your hand, but at least with a cradle you can use two hands to wash the baby)

3 hooded towels (i thought hooded towels would look literally like a hood, as in little red riding hood's hood.. but its more of just a triangle patch at the corner of a towel.. so i was like, this is it?)
2 in 1 Pigeon Head to Toe wash
3 wash cloths
1 sponge

SLEEPING:
1 playpen




Bought at Sta.Lucia Mall.. its so cheap!(under 200 sgd) 3 in 1 Disney Babies playpen siya. It has a changing table, bassinet and playpen. There's even an organizer for diapers and wipes. It's like a cheap version of Graco pack and play. Again, not sure if we can bring the playpen back to SG so will not buy Graco stuff here. Future Grandpa contributed 3k for the crib (Yey! thanks Daddy!) Actually, I was dead-set already to buy this 3.2k crib we already checked out before. We would pass by the Disney Baby playpen but not ask about it cause it has a tag of 5.5k. But then we saw this awesome, awesome (not Graco, forgot the brand) crib and it was 8.5k.. the salesman made the demo and we were impressed but not with the price.. AND SO, when we looked around again and saw the Disney Baby playpen, it now seemed super INexpensive hahaha! so we went home with it. Also, salesmen for baby cribs are sca-ry. as in. they're so competitive with each other haha. "Ay yan mam (sabay turo sa kabilang crib), madaling masira net nyan eh!" then the other one says "Ay mam, hindi totoo yun, sa kanya plastic yung lining, eto cloth" etc. etc.. LOL! I'm surprised these guys haven't knocked the lights off each other!




with changing table and organizer
Anyway, I also bought 2 comforters for the playpen. Not sure where to buy fitted sheets, perhaps i'll just use regular sheets and tuck it in really well.

FEEDING:
I think i went overboard with the bottles. Think I got too much! Anyway, I'll keep some in boxes so I can give/sell some in case I won't be able to use it.
3 4oz feeding bottle
4 9 oz feeding bottle
2 7 oz feeding bottle
--> It's different sizes cause the 4 and 9oz are Avent ones, and the 7oz are Pigeon bottles. I think someone mentioned some babies like the nipples/teats for Avent, some like Pigeon that's why I bought 2 brands nyahaha.
Also have tongs,bottlebrush for cleaning. Haven't bought the bottle cleanser.. waiting for Reeyuh. AHAHAHA.(*winks*)

I bought the Newborn starter set, then the 3 pack 9oz bottle. got the 4th 9oz one from the Breast pump.


Since I'm keen on breastfeeding, I also bought the Avent Isis IQ Uno Breastpump. I decided on this because its the only reasonably priced electronic pump that I found. (I bought it for 270sgd, about 7.8k)I was first hesitant to buy a pump because some people told me not to buy cause i might not be able to produce milk, etc. but after googling and reading about breastfeeding, napipilit daw yun. :D. And a pump actually helps to stimulate the milk.


Got this breastmilk storage sets as well.


This is the Electronic Sterilizer I bought. Got to remember to read the manual and learn how to use it! ehehe.


Also have Pigeon disposable breast pads (for leaks). Oooh, i have a 'milk story'.
(WARNING to Squeamish and underaged people!)
I saw milk come out from my left boob ehehe. I was so freaked out! ahaha. My nips have been aching lately so I guess I was bored and decided to play with it LOL. I just pinched the whole thing and I saw a teeny bit of liquid come out. I stopped breathing for a whole minute, then tried it again. Liquid still came out! I told my sister right away (Ate! Meh gatas ako tingnan mo oh ahahahaha!) Then that night, I was reading "What to expect on the First year" and saw that you're not supposed to stimulate your breasts as it may cause uterine(?) contractions ehehehehe. I felt really guilty hihihi. I'm not gonna do it again, ok? Was just really happy (and shocked) when I saw the milk.

Okay, back to tsugtsug's stuff...
EVERYDAY CARE
I haven't bought baby wipes yet. It's recommended that you don't use baby wipes until the baby is 2 months old (Alcohol in wipes are harmful daw on baby's skin). So cotton and warm water will do.




Vivian recommended: No-rinse cleansing fluid by Mustela. She swears by it. She said sometimes, even after you wipe the baby's butt it still smells of poopoo and this one gets rid of the smell. So I decided to buy one (it's 20 friggin bucks, almost 600php.) and try it. Tsugtsug's behind is precious. harharhar.

Also have 2 tubes of drapolene cream (for every diaper change to prevent rashes) I couldn't find the DESITIN brand some n@wies recommended. Anyway, ito muna.

I think that's it so far. *whew* OH, I also have this baby laundry detergent by Enfant (again, who friggin knew babies have their own) and a couple of waterproof mats. (for the crib, changing table, etc.)

Today was my check-up (I'm on my 34th week!) and my OB said April 10th is my 37th week already so I can have the baby anytime after that. On my mind when she said that was "noooooooooooo tsugtsug and I will wait for Pangs!!! lol. But at least, I won't worry too much after April 10 with regards to tsugtsug becoming a premature baby. My checkup from now on will be weekly so I hope tsugtsug behaves and waits for his daddy! :D

That's it for now, bye folks!

...ooops mali

the other night, i woke up at 2am because of a veryyy painful stomachache. on my mind was "oh shit, hyperacidity na naman badtrip".. so i went down to our kitchen and ate some blue skies biscuits.. i've had hyperacidity before (more so when i became pregnant) and from past experience, the relief after eating just one biscuit was almost instant.. but this time, i finished the whole thing but it was still very painful.. it was so painful, it made me feel sick and i puked the whole thing again. (water i drank and the biscuits).. i was trying to fight the urge to puke, i puked tuloy in front of my sister's bedroom door so i tried to catch it on my hands hahahaha (ewwwww). after that.. i attempted to eat again another packet (maybe its because its blue skies and not skyflakes that's why it wasn't working??? that's my theory. LOL) but it was about 3am then and i couldn't tolerate the pain anymore. i never went to the doctor before about this and when i asked, they would tell me that prevention was the best cure.. (eat small but frequent meals.. have a light midnight snack an hour before sleeping) but i remember that night, i didn't eat my usual cookie, and hence the hyperacidity. i woke up my mom and she gave me a cup of warm milk but it still didn't work (lalo pa atang sumakit). when she suggested to go to medical city, i was in so much pain i agreed. (big mistake!!! lol). 3:30 we were at the hospital, first time i got to ride a wheelchair haha. all pregnant patients go directly to the pre-labor room so at least, i now know what that looks like harhar. i was asked to put on the dressing gown (which i attempted twice to put on right.. i always forget the opening goes at the back! as if i haven't watched enough hospital shows) and then i lied down and hooked to a fetal monitor to check if i had contractions. 20 minutes daw for them to know. but my oh-so-pasaway-na baby kept on moving so his movements would dislodge the fetal monitor and screw up the monitoring so we had to do it again and again and again. i think it was the 3rd attempt when we were able to complete the test and the doctor said i had one contraction so she needs to do an IE on me. ohmygosh, first time i heard this term (yeah, sorry, my OB in SG never did this to me!!). The doc inserts her fingers in your you-know-what to check if your cervix (or whatever's down there) is open. gawd it was painful, perhaps it's because pangs is away i felt like a virgin again AHAHAHAHA. anyway, doc says my thingie was closed. (good! tsugtsug will wait for his daddy!)

But that's not the reason why my blog is titled as such. its because after the fetal monitor was wrapped around me, after only 5 minutes, every ounce of pain i had felt was gone. as in zero. as in nothing. no more tummyache. (blue skies finally took effect!) so you can imagine how foolish i felt lying there, totally pain free. when someone will check on me and ask me "humihilab ba?" i would murmur "mahapdi pa" HAHAHA. it was very stupid. i was already thinking how much this will cost me. and then another patient came in and she was experiencing pre-eclampsia (right spelling? dunno) which made me feel more shameful that i was taking up some needed manpower when i should just go home and get out of the way so they can focus on this lady. (she was only 26 weeks pregnant, and they were poor. they were transferred there because the clinic they came from didn't have enough facilities. she had medicard but her coverage was only for consultation and not for admission. her baby's heartbeat is slowing down and since she's only 26 weeks pregnant, her baby needs extra care in nursery that will cost them roughly 15k(500sgd) a day! when you're lying and have nothing else to do, you tend to hear everything ehehehe.) so there i was, (i haven't completed the monitoring test during this time) feeling embarassed and thinking why i didn't eat a friggin cookie last night. finally, the doc came in and did the IE thing. She called up my OB and my OB wanted to admit me and i was like "no way! i can't pretend anymore lol" i mean, outloud i said "no, i don't think that's necessary" and they injected me with this medicine to lessen my nausea and prescribed me maalox. haha. maalox lang pala, kainis. anyway, the whole thing only cost me 1100 bucks(35sgd) so at least THAT part wasn't so bad.

*sighs* last night i ate like 3 times after 7 o'clock (pasta, then some minatamis na saging and then the slow-acting-blue-skies) and the night went by without incident. TG!

lessons i've learned:
eat the friggin cookie before bedtime
pregnant women can take maalox
don't take milk when you have hyperacidity! (my mom and i both didn't know okay?)
wear a nicer shirt before going to hospital (don't ask me what i was wearing)

that's it. hope you also learned something from my experience eheheeh.

..tsug-tsug, tsug-tsug, tsug-tsug

i think my heartbeat now is as fast as tsugtsug's! lately, i have been restless and filled with anxiety.. super kabado.. i usually can sleep easily, but now, i can't sleep before 1 am. It's a mixture of how uncomfortable my tummy is now and this funny feeling i get in my stomach (like hyperacidity with indigestion, lol) AND all these thoughts going on in my head. so much stuff like.. how will i know i'm even in labor? LOL. i've had a smoooooth ride so far (no complaints here!) but sometimes, it makes me wonder if i'll ever be feeling any sorta pain or contractions. (i don't even know how braxton hicks feels like) Or like will i be able to breastfeed successfully? Or mundane stuff like what if tsugtsug doesn't like Avent nipples! wahahah. What will i friggin do with all the bottles i bought! (i think i bought 6, plus those that came with the sterilizer) And where is my friggin balikbayan box? It's been 2 weeks already! TG we brought the Quinny with us but that box has tsugtsug's Sterilizer, bottles, breast pump.. baby books.. and my gingersnaps preggy jeans wahahaha. i knoooow i'm an advocate of positive thinking but it IS really tough to stick with happy thoughts when i keep thinking that THAT box contains my 640sgd worth of baby stuff nyahahah!

And then, there's the issue "will pangs be here when i deliver". I dunno why we thought May 1 is okay day for him to travel. That's my friggin 40th week! (okay, getting nauseous now).. He's supposed to buy the infant car seat for tsugtsug! What will tsugtsug use if he's not here L O l. (yun talaga naisip anu!) What if he's still in friggin Japan when i go in labor??? Hay. so many worries. But yeah. writing about it helps.. it makes me read my post and say "We can't do anything about it! Might as well not worry" hehehe. (i'm going locooo)

Yesterday was my first visit at a local OB. I must say, the system kinda sucks here. I went to Medical City and I got there at 9am. I called them before to confirm their opening hours and the receptionist did say 9am-2pm. Lo and behold I got there at quarter to 9 and it was still friggin dark inside the clinic. No one was there yet! I wanted to be early cause the girl said they don't take appointments, its just a first come, first serve basis. I guess I got used to my previous OB's clinic.. when they say they open at 9am, it means the DOCTOR comes in at 9. And you can get listed as early as 8am. Okay, so the girl/receptionist came in at 20 minutes after 9 (no biggie right?) but the Doctor came in at 11am! *sighs* at least I was warned by the girl receptionist to eat first as the doctor will come in at 10 (10 daw! hmpft) so I wasn't THAT hungry. When Doc finally came in, they even chit-chatted for 10 mins before seeing me. (okay, i'm being a b*tch now haha! but like my mom said, they know we've been waiting since 9am, the least they can do is entertain me ASAP) My OB was pleasant enough (mommy-like) and she's my friend's Tita so I have no complaints with HER perce. She just used a doppler to listen to my baby's heartbeat and then just felt my tummy to determine size and position of baby (hehe how old school)

But that's fine. My actual complaint is that when they need your bloodwork done, ultrasound done, or whatever kind of test, she just writes requests in her little notepad and you have to leave her clinic and go to some other level in the hospital and have someone else do the test. (which means one whole day of queueing) i guess these stuff i just took for granted in SG. Its pretty convenient to just go in the clinic, have your blood/urine taken from you and lie next to my ob's ultrasound machine, all in one room. (and yes, pay your bills there as well) I'm pretty ticked with the blood/urine.. that can easily be taken by the doctor and they can send it to the lab. OH WELL. (i'm sure there are pinoy OBs out there who have their own equipment inside the clinic) forgot its not the norm.

oh Pangs, my EVER sweet and thoughtful husband sent me flowers today! I panicked a bit (is it our anniv? is it our gf-bf-anniv? is it MY Birthday!??? lol) but it was him being super supportive.


my loveeeeeely flowers


It came with this message:

Dear Che,

Cheer up pangs! Don't worry too much, I'm sure everything will be ok, with you and tsug-tsug. I'm quite confident that he'll come on time and I'll be there with you in the delivery room.

I miss you pangs, really really miss you. Can't wait to see you this May. I love you so much.

Lastly, happy white day.

Your pangs,

Mond

P.S. Kain ka lagi dami, dont forget your vitamins and drink lots of liquid.


I am so spoiled by my hubby. Miss you a lot! (*tingin sa taas*)

That's it for now. Oh, and white day is like Japanese Valentine's day. So happy white day to everyone!!

...ate's wedding

more of the pictures! these were just taken by my dad (so no photos at the church yet hehe)



bride and groom


drunk bride.. i love her gown! (looks similar to mine ehehehe)


with cousins


me and ate chary


mom and dad.. look at mom's gown, so bongga hehe.


missed my pangs so much.. next day they went to mt. fuji!!! i'm so so so envious. here's his photo


with sir tony and vivian .. its so beautiful!


that's all for now.. bye guys!

...me and my drunk cousins

was my sister's (Ate Ging) wedding yesterday... everyone had a blast, and the open bar was a BIG hit (not to mention, super sulit). even the bride was drunk hahaha!


No, L is not for loser but Lasheng. Lasheng na Lasheng. my cousin doctor (bottom right) went hurling at the toilet after this photo was taken. (gusto mo pang magSerendra uh!)


Was I green with envy? Only a teeny weeny bit.. watching their crazy antics (imagine my cousins shouting to Chad's dad "One MORE SHOTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!") was the next best thing. right, tsugtsug?

more pictures to come! (of the bride, at least!)

...i got a quinny!!

or should i say tsugtsug got a quinny!!! my wonderful and very generous colleagues bought tsugtsug his very first stroller!!!! ohmygosh up to now i couldn't believe they bought me such an .... .expensive gift hahahaha! thanks so much! i just told them to buy me a "nice-to-have" and this really exceeded my expectations. now, pangs just has to buy the infant car seat to go with the stroller so tsugtsug can use it as soon as he is born!



tsugtsug will look good in red!!! luvv u guysssss!


m, me, j, l and yy enjoying the pizza


l with gf, a, r and mommy in red too! color of the day


L singing 'like a virgin' on the magic sing.. such an appropriate song for her L O L!


L doing the speech.. she's such a sweetheart (and b*tch in one, lol), i will miss her terribly. she's like me, we both cry easily hehe.


my mom and i are almost packed and ready to go.. (just a few more stuff).. so excited for my sister's wedding! after a lot of drama and suspense.. she will be walking the aisle and we're so happy for her! congratulations to my Ate!

yesterday was my last day at work and it was still hectic.. was still working at 6pm and i almost didn't make it in time to meet my agent! they will do the paperwork for me (cancel my EP and stuff like that) i'll definitely miss my filipino and local friends... i'll also miss my team lead.. (the nice one!) i told him (xw) that it was a good thing i was transferred to his team halfway thru my employment as i would've quit earlier if i wasn't! lol! i told him how grateful i was and how much i learned so much from him. oooh i wanted to hug him there and then when he said goodbye to me bwahaha! (must be my preggy hormones)

anyway, i'm so happyyyyyyyyyyyy to be work-free!!! (stress free!) i have bought some of tsugtsug's stuff as well (they're all in my balikbayan box!)... some avent stuff that people told me to buy here as they're more expensive in manila.. but other than that, i'll buy the rest in SM! haha! i'm so excited to do some major shopping for tsugtsug..clothes, blankets, bath stuff, the works! pangs also bought some baby gap stuff .. (sabi ko nga, mas sosyal pa si tsugtsug kesa saten uh! abah naka gap!) seems like gap is cheaper in tokyo than here in sg. He bought onesies that say "YES, I have always been this cute" hehehe.

that's all for now. see you guys soon! (oh, here are some more pics from our bbq last last week at A's condo.. their condo had a freakin bowling lane.. how cool is that!?)





anak ni rommel.. super cute! clap siya everytime magroll yung ball.. khet nga canal ka, palakpak siya! (look at the pic before this, pumapalakpak din siya hehe)


mommy doing it.. abah, mukhang strike uh hehe.

ay onga pala.. belated happy valentines to everyone and happy birthday to my pangs!! (he now has someone sleeping with him.. teddy bear he named rocky! c/o vivian who he met on the 26th. thanks vivian for being my courier! heehe)

side kwento lang..
i guess my husband has spoiled me a lot (okay, yeah, its a fact) and i have started to expect these flowers and gifts on special occasions.. (you can't blame me pangs!) and with everyone in the office saying "where's your flowers, Ann?" i couldn't help wondering myself... on the morning of valentine's day.. my mom texted me:

momi: "may package ka from raymond!!"
i then squealed at my seat and sent an instant message to my officemate M "I got a package from raymondddd" so i texted my mom.. and asked what was it.
momi: "ewan ko. baka card"
and i was like "huh? card..." it was so not pangs' style and so i thought about it and then WHAMMMM. my giddy feeling was gone. i texted my mom.
me: "that's not a card. its the security pass and some cds raymond took with him by mistake"
and momi was still optimistic:
momi: "malay mo!"
me: "buksan mo na!"
momi: "nyah. security card nga tsaka isang cd. hehe"
(nang-asar pa si momi lol!)

so i told M about this and she was laughing so hard and told me to lower my expectations haha.

but then of course pangs still gave me flowers (received it at 6pm) when some random chinese guy just called me and asked "what time you leaving, eh?" and me saying without hesitation, without asking who he was "8pm" and said goodbye. THEN i told M i finally got my flowers haha. The guard already knows me by my name because of the flowers i get.. cause they're only a few months apart (november- my birthday, january-our anniversary and now feb for valentines)
and i got mama and baby giraffe as well!!!


with mama and baby giraffe


look at my tummy! pictures c/o paparazzi jeff.

that's all folks! bye!

...i wanna go home

.. cause everyone has left! its the eve of chinese new year and work is half-day for all employees.. and lucky us, contractors not included. (not in our team anyway).. my TL did tell us we can go home at 7ish if there wasn't any major problems.. (poor R and L has to stay 'til handover).. he gave us this weird creepy smile while saying it.. i guess i'll be happy too if i was on sick leave monday-tuesday and then on holiday for thursday and friday. (he knows how to time his sickness well)

anyway.. mom and dad are here! and cousin C also! haven't had time to go anywhere with them because of work but since its holiday tomorrow til friday, we'll probably go to the usual spots (sentosa, night safari.. ohmygosh night safari again??) its sooo nice to have my parents here.. i missed them sooo much. now my mom prepares me breakfast (rice for breakfast, how great is that! lol! no more froot loops ehehe) and she even did the laundry for me last night! (I showed her the many advantages of an automatic washing machine.. lol. my dad doesn't like the automatic ones, he says its waste of soap and water.. i told him, i'll never go back to a tub with a separate washer and spinner.. neeeever againnnnnnn!!!)

Pangs also feels so much better now that my mom is here.. at least he's assured that someone is taking care of me. I'm especially scared for the late night cramps.. now I just put some ointment every night and I try not to stretch with my legs pointed. that usually causes my extremely painful leg cramps. speaking of pangs.. its snowing in tokyooooooo. shhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeet. i'm so inggit. super major jealous. hay. demmit. lol. oh well. will just shave some ice and throw it around. lol. ingats ka dyan pangs.. bawal madulas sa snow.

Going home now.. looking forward to the looong weekend ahead. Happy Chinese New year!!

...tsug tsug power!

...tsugtsug power!!

last wednesday, for the very first time, a kind lady offered me her seat at the MRT.. i was late (left at quarter to 11am) so i decided to take bus 40 to the Aljunied MRT.. I usually don't take that bus.. mainly because i have to take a pedestrian overpass to get to the station.. but anyway, i didn't want to be late (again) so i took it.. good thing i did! this lady, perhaps in her 30s looked at me and offered me her seat.. wowwwwwwww! i feel its official, i now look pregnant! (after 28 weeks haha) i was also wearing a sorta tight fitting blouse (sorta, because it wasn't really tight fitting, but it was my most tight fitting empire cut blouse) so i thought that might have helped.. anyway.. i'll neverrr forget her hahaa. i was profusely saying thank you to her. there are signs here above some selected mrt seats that say "please offer this seat to someone who needs it more than you do" with a picture of an elderly and a pregnant lady. so I walked towards that and held on to the bar but the 2 gay guys didn't offer me their seat, it was the lady who did. i knew they were gay cause as soon as I sat down, they began talking to each other "oh my gawwwd, we're so meannn. we didn't offer seats! i completely forgot this sign. we're seated under the siiiigggggnnnn. oh my gawwwwd." LOL. it was funny. hehe.

Aljunied MRT station must be a lucky charm for me because today, i got offered a seat again!!! (i am sooo amazed hehe) this time by a man... perhaps 40s.. AND, i was wearing a very loose empire cut blouse! so, this means, i really look pregnant now! (so happy hahahaha) Pangs calls it "tsug tsug power".. hahaha. i'm now re-thinking the Bus 40.. might be taking that route more often if i get seats from there hehe. I've stared people down in Lavander MRT to no avail.

I think tsugtsug is really getting visible now (i'm sooo glad). Although I have painful back aches, leg cramps, and my tummy feels really heavy AND I get tired sooo easily, I'm glad i'm finally showing a tummy. I was getting a bit worried but I've even googled about my small tummy. They say as long as the doctor says its okay, then there's no need to worry. I have my checkup tomorrow so I'll ask her then.

Speaking of checkups.. ammm sooo excited to see tsugtsug again. I'll try to ask for a picture again.. (for you pangs! hehe) that's it for now..

Advance Happy Birthday Harbie! and Have a good weekend guys!

...konnichiwa

pangs left sunday morning at 4am. i promised him i wouldn't cry so i didn't. i didn't go with him to the airport anymore, knew it would be worse if i came. anyway.. i was watching him by our balcony as he went inside the cab.. as soon as he closed the door.. i suddenly felt this shooting pain on my chest.. then the tears began to fall.. wahahaha. i tried to go back to sleep after that.. i gave up after an hour.. so i got up and watched TV.. Disney had America's Funniest Videos on,and i laughed on the silliest things..who knew watching people bump on glass doors (repeatedly) would be therapeutic. at 6am i went back to bed.. and i fell asleep til 11am..went outside to the dining area and saw TP.. then i cried again hahaha. i couldn't control it, (now i'm trying to control it again.. *tingin sa taas*) my tears just fell non stop for 2 minutes..

i was so restless that day.. i couldn't even sleep.. i got a call from pangs on 330pm.. i felt better instantly.. i am sooo envious.. i want to be there with him.. i want to see tokyo for myself! but his stories are the next best thing.. we talked on and off until it was time to sleep.. he has the laptop (the new company didn't give him one) so we bought a skype phone which didn't need a PC.. was a good buy for us, cause he can call me anytime (and i can talk to him while lying in bed! hehe).. i liked his vendo story.. now he can eat his dinner without speaking a word to the staff! all he has to do is insert some money on a vendo outside the fastfood store, select his food by pressing a button and a paper comes out. The paper is then given to the fastfood staff and then they give him the food.. pretty cool! he had japanese curry which he says is like our curry.. not spicy, but sweet. (all for just 450yen) Did i tell you i'm soooo jealous? i made him promise that he'll have to go back there with me! he says its so cold there (1-4 degree celsius! he says today is 1 Celsius) you have to learn to walk faster hehe...i think he is using now all the stuff he thought he wouldn't use.. scarf, gloves, lip balm! just to beat the cold (ei pangs, don't forget to use the moisturizer!!!)

oooooooooh found out that EAT BULAGA and SOP are coming over here in SG on Feb 24. YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! something to look forward to. i am so going there so early to secure a spot hahaha. i already texted my mom and my housemates and they're all coming (hopefully i can convince them to come earlier).. so exciiiteddddd. i wish everyone is there.. (vic, janno, regine hehe) i've never watched any of these shows live before so its a new experience.. and i'll get to see how many filipinos are here in SG. bwahaha.

that's it for now.. will try to update regularly (for pangs too). bye folks!

...manila, manila

it's been more than a month since we got back from Manila (and not really Manila, but Antipolo) .. spent christmas and new year's there. (i swore i'll never spend christmas in SG again. never everrrrr.. to friggin quiet.) nothing makes me feel at home than firecrackers and bloody "juan lost his finger again" news.

its always exciting to go back home.. first week my dad hit a motorcycle and a jeepney (TG my dad was okay.. TG the motorcycle driver is alive.. TG the jeepney is actually impounded so he couldn't claim money for the damage my dad has done to his jeep. lol.) .. 2nd week, my parents' mayna birds got stolen. demmit!! (goodbye muymuy and maimai the 3rd.. or are they the 4th? i've lost track) this robber climbed on my parents' balcony.. ignored everything else there and just stole the birds. they didn't even take the cages. wonder if they're still alive. huhuhu. just when maimai (or is it muymuy) was learning to speak hello.. guess his first word should've been 'help' or 'saklolo' or 'magnanakaw'.. much more useful.

i cried at the airport when it was time to leave. (must be this preggy hormones) i didn't want to go back.. i guess its because we got settled in at 2 weeks staying at our house.. we already had a routine.. ooh i miss pandesal. every morning, pangs would buy pandesal just 2 houses away and he'll cook bacon and hotdog for me. lunch time it would be out somewhere in a mall or jollibee!! hihihi. i love jollibee now. i love chowking too. waaah. i miss chowking wanton noodles. wanton noodles here taste,..chinese! lol. i dont like chinese tasting wanton noodles.. i want the fake chowking ones! bwahahah! and mangoes. huhuhu. i love our mangoes. hindi lasang gamot. dito lasang gamot! bwiset!.

christmas day was our houseblessing. we had sooooo much food. we had lechon, lengua, caldereta, pancit malabon, bbq, rellenong bangus, embutido, lumpiang ubod.. a lotttttt. i only spent like 10k(php) to feed 50 people. and we had sooo much leftovers we could feed another 30. that day was soooo tiring. never imagined entertaining could be verrry tiring. we'll have to think twice of doing that again. (but pangs loved it.. he said to make it a yearly thing) we also bought our bedframe and sofa just for the houseblessing. we didn't want our guests to see our older-than-me-double-deck-turned-king-size-bed and the safety-hazard-rattan-sofa. and ooohh so happy how the renovations turned out. my dad did an aweeeesome job. everyone got the mediterranean theme hehe. (i am so over modern-asian) and some said our lot looked more spacious than its 240 sqm.



house facade... see the rounded grill thingie? has our initials on it!


side gate.. love the brick! (just found ideas in magazines, internet)


had everyone at the back of the house..we have so much food! all of us except ate chary (she was at my parents house at this time)


my makulit cousins..look at tenten! teenager already!(right of kris, one with the headband)


tenten playing taboo.. (that's my dad's hand at the back hehe)


The chad on the mic.. yep,...there's always time for magic sing!


bryan and vian... tired after all that running.. (just watching them made me tired!)

new year's day we used our newly built brick grill.. though we discovered some design flaws (haha) but its easy enough to fix. we didn't have any fireworks but i've got some pretty rich neighbors cause they had these really awesome fireworks that i only see on TV hehe.

we also spent some 2 days in bulacan with my in-laws.. finally got some shopping done for maternity pants and stuff. everything was so hectic.. first the shopping of the bedframe and sofa (which i had no idea would be quite difficult..there was the problem with the delivery date, we had to have it before christmas and then everything we liked was already sold/reserved!) then grocery shopping for the houseblessing.. then shopping for office clothes (for me and pangs.. his new work entails longsleeves and a tie!) .. never imagined shopping could be so stressful. we bought a center table also and curtains and rods. (that's how bare our house is)

eiii.. tsugtsug received gifts already! (lucky guy!) chad (ate's fiance) gave us this really great looking diaper bag and this thingie we can use to record and hear tsugtsug's heartbeat! he got feeding bottles from pangs' cousin.. and shoes and clothes from jing and kate! (thanks guys!) i have a feeling this baby is going to get sooo spoiled with gifts. (first grandchild in both sides of the family!)

i got great christmas presents as well.. makeup from 2 sisters (laura mercier concealer from ate ging and prestige eye makeup palette from ate chary).. maternity pants from mom.. pangs got this gorilla tripod thingie and lots of shirts..

also celebrated our 2nd anniversary!!
pangs had flowers delivered at my office (so sweet, as usual!mwahhh).. L and M liked my flowers hehe.


of course, had to take picture of my present once we got home


had dinner at our new favorite japanese resto at Suntec. (had very nice pinay server too!)

there's big news for pangs.. he's gonna be deployed to tokyo for 3 months. he's leaving on sunday. totally mixed emotions for me. i'm excited for him and also sad that we'll be apart when i'm in my last trimester... (okay, more on the sad part haha) but we realized its time to grow a bit and prepare ourselves to make these kind of sacrifices.. it has its pros anyways.. we'll be able to save, (they're giving him per diem for that) save more (cause i'll have the baby at Pinas).. and I'll have help from my mom once tsugtsug is out..

mom and dad are going here in SG on Feb.. dad will stay a week, mom will stay the whole month, and then we'll go home together. so its not so bad for me. Hopefully, it'll be okay for Pangs too. we still have so much stuff to do.. packing (we're letting go of the condo), buying stuff (he never had winter clothes! skype phone!!) and difficult decisions made that led us to this point.. we've dealt with this before (being apart for 6 months when he first got here in SG) so i hope it'll be not as bad as the first time..i would like to think we've matured since that time...
anyway.. good luck to us. and to tsugtsug hihihi. (my baby should get a proper name)

speaking of tsugtsug.. i am so addicted to looking at baby stuff online.. and all these terms i'm learning.. bassinets, layettes, rompers, creepers.. LOL! never understood what these meant before (still vague on the 'creepers').. but we haven't bought anything yet! twice, pangs and i went to the baby section thinking of buying something but twice we have failed. (too much baby stuff confuses us, i think) i'll probably buy a few avent bottles here before i go(they say its cheaper here) but the rest i'll buy in Manila.. i still like looking at stuff online though.. all the pack and plays.. cribs.. strollers.. wahahah. i think its what's causing my 'baby dreams'. first i dreamt i was giving tsugtsug a bath (with his diaper still on!).. but he's caucasian! (perhaps from looking at all the baby models online?) and then i dreamt of ate lala's babies (she only has one in real life) and the second one looked like ziggy! (search for him online) and everyone was pretending he looked normal except for me! bwahahah. M tried to search for the meaning of my 'ziggy dreams' but even google had no answer. Also, my tummy isn't THAT big yet (still not getting seats in the MRT!!).. although tsugtsug is very active (kicks a LOT) i'm beginning to worry a bit.. my next checkup is on feb 2 so i'll ask my doctor again. (though she does measure every checkup during ultrasound.. so i guess i'm just being paranoid.. i think its everyone's 'you're tummy's so small!' or the 'there's no bump there' comments that are getting to me)

that's it for me.. (quite a long post) byeee for nowwwwwwwwwww.