Sunday, December 20, 2009

Food Trips

I've been to this places and tasted their products but I won't go any further. I forgot all about it. I just want to remove some left behind photos of 2009.



Froyo.


Hap Chan















Le Coure De France










More to Blag! 2010

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

A Great Message that is so true

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

All Natural Products

Another good find for me is the Indigo products which I chance upon during my surfing and my precious all around information n@w. When Bella is snoozing, I sometimes sneak for a few hours to go and look for good buys for her on the net. I make it a point to search for products which are natural and free of chemicals as I don't want her to be exposed to these kind of products. One of which are the products of indigo baby.

These are the items that I initially ordered from them

Free from Parabens, artificial perfumes, petrochemicals, Lanolin and other unnecessary synthetic ingredients!

The first product I search was something to protect my precious from mosquitoes that carry the deadly dengue. Good thing they have shoo fly 60 ml Spray bottle which is deet free. No need for me to worry about chemicals.


And for those of you tired of that strong citronella smell, this lavender, geranium, eucalyptus & citronella-based insect repellent is heaven in a bottle! Shoo Fly Don’t Bother Me will keep those pesky mosquitoes away from you and your loved ones. This product is already proven to be effective, mine is almost finish so I will be ordering again anytime soon.

Another one from their list of items is the Jar of Love. A healing gel made from Peppermint pure essential oils. This minty superstar gel is great for cold, fever, flu, jet lag, motion sickness among other things related to caring for your little ones or yourself when times are rough! No wonder it is their best seller, it is really effective. Bella has cough few days ago but after several rubbing on her throat and back, its now gone. Plus of course she is breastfed so I am sure she has the anti-bodies to defend against foreign invaders such as bacteria, viruses and toxins.

Another innovative product from these yummy mummies is Jar of Hope.

Made out of blue chamomile essential oil, this gel is great for mommy and daddy burnouts, stress, insomnia, fussy babies, insect bites, motion sickness, inflammation, (relieves puffy eyes from sleepless nights) rashes, cuts and wounds. Also helpful with teething!
*Note that Blue chamomile is the most healing of all chamomiles due to its azulene content. It is truly a lifesaver gel to help ease life's little boo-boos for the whole family.

I also got their DIVINE INTERVENTION Room & Linen Spray which can be used as a hand sanitizer, room freshener, linen spray, yoga mat spray or a mild cologne. New formula of lavender and peppermint pure essential oils to pick you up when you need it.

This is really a good use especially for working mom like me.

And last but definitely not the least is their Roach Wars. I only bought the 50 grams in small ziploc bag since bottles are not intended for shipping.


It's a super secret home made concoction to finally rid of your cockroach problems. Made from all-natural ingredients this surefire total roach warfare powder is a MUST for every household!
The yummy mummies have no mercy against these pests because we know our babies crawl on the floors and we'd hate to see them have creepy crawler friends
Oh, they're chemical and deet free which makes you less guilty of killing them buggers ;)
How to use: Scoop a small amount and place on cardboard on corners or roach infested areas. Be surprised to see dead roaches the very next day! It works like magic!

With additional Php 50.00 for shipping, I got all my products in no time! - Some photos and information was taken from Indigo baby.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Relaksasi Day

Maybe I just can’t get enough of it. Before I started working again, I decided to relax myself to be ready for the real thing. I’ve been absent in the working environment since March and that would be like 5 months already. I needed to be ready for a new job, a new work, new environment and new people. And also this backache is really hurting me.
Same routine happened during my relaksasi day. I was asked at the reception what complimentary tea I wanted, and this time I picked the cold drink. I was shown to my room to prepare for my 15 minute sauna. The place was so relaxing, with the soft music on.

When I was done heating myself up, I was led back to my room. I was actually surprised because the last time my friend and I had shared the room for a massage, we had to go out since the bathroom was outside, but I discover that it is even nicer to have a room of your own because it already has an attached bath.



Also, I love their shower, this is what I wanted to have once we already acquire a place of our own.



And this time, I had a swedish massage. I like this even more than the “hilot” massage and it is even cheaper (P550.00). The masseuse just had the right touch for my liking. Not a hard one but definitely the right pressure. She even shared some few tips on how to massage my little bella. After that, she gave me hot towels and helped me remove some oil residue. Great service. For that, I gave her tip. Then my drink came. It was refreshing indeed but I had to say I love the hot tea even more.



There you go, another relaksasi day. I feel like drowsing off already.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Pumping Working Nanay

This week is a riot. I started working again last Monday, 10th August. Everything was just chaos. Few days before I report to work, I had to go to the mall to buy some new office clothes. I had to pump every now and then to have milk supply for Bella so she won't run out.

First day of office was ok. Still nothing to do so I counted the time till 3 - 4 - 5 5:30! Whoohooo! Time to go home. No one was bothering to clear their respective table and everyone seem to be too busy. I waited and waited. Damn. I can't do this. Bella is waiting for me at home. She has to have her milk from nanay in the evening. I feel like crying already. I know she can't find her sleep come evening time. From 5 to 7 PM, she wants to be with me and I with her. This is damn breaking my heart. I want to have my career and at least earn something but I don't want my daughter to suffer in the process. I waited for her all my life and the least thing that I can do is be with her every step of the way. If only I could do something to make ends meet without sacrificing her growing up years. I want to be the first one to see her first smile, her first word, her every first.

I know a lot of moms understands what I am feeling right now. Moms who wants to be the best mom for their kids. Moms who wishes to see their bundle of joy everyday but work and other stuff just won't make it happen. I sometimes envy my mom. She is the one taking care of Bella when I'm at work. She is the one seeing how my daughter's doing everyday. She sees her smile, her cry, her feeding, her eyes that stare. She may even be the one to her ALL FIRSTs. And all I can do is to listen to her story on how my daughter had been on that particular day. I wish I am her. But still I thank her for being a mom to my daughter when I just cannot.

At least, for consolation, my daughter is still purely breastfed. I religiously pump in the office every 3 hours for her next day's feeding and feel guilty when I had to delay my pumping time. I am a new employee. Everyone is still a stranger. But I dont give a damn. This is for my daughter. This is the only thing I can do for her in exchange of not being with her for more than 10 hours everyday.

I will find a way to be a work-at-home-mom. That I promised you bella. Just hang in there my precious.

Working Mom

This week is a riot. I started working again last Monday, 10th August. Everything was just chaos. Few days before I report to work, I had to go to the mall to buy some new office clothes. I had to pump every now and then to have milk supply for Bella so she won't run out.


First day of office was ok. Still nothing to do so I counted the time till 3 - 4 - 5 5:30! Whoohooo! Time to go home. No one was bothering to clear their respective table and everyone seem to be too busy. I waited and waited. Damn. I can't do this. Bella is waiting for me at home. She has to have her milk from nanay in the evening. I feel like crying already. I know she can't find her sleep come evening time. From 5 to 7 PM, she wants to be with me and I with her. This is damn breaking my heart. I want to have my career and at least earn something but I don't want my daughter to suffer in the process. I waited for her all my life and the least thing that I can do is be with her every step of the way. If only I could do something to make ends meet without sacrificing her growing up years. I want to be the first one to see her first smile, her first word, her every first.

I know a lot of moms understands what I am feeling right now. Moms who wants to be the best mom for their kids. Moms who wishes to see their bundle of joy everyday but work and other stuff just won't make it happen. I sometimes envy my mom. She is the one taking care of Bella when I'm at work. She is the one seeing how my daughter's doing everyday. She sees her smile, her cry, her feeding, her eyes that stare. She may even be the one to her ALL FIRSTs. And all I can do is to listen to her story on how my daughter had been on that particular day. I wish I am her. But still I thank her for being a mom to my daughter when I just cannot.

At least, for consolation, my daughter is still purely breastfed. I religiously pump in the office every 3 hours for her next day's feeding and feel guilty when I had to delay my pumping time. I am a new employee. Everyone is still a stranger. But I dont give a damn. This is for my daughter. This is the only thing I can do for her in exchange of not being with her for more than 10 hours everyday.

I will find a way to be a work-at-home-mom. That I promised you bella. Just hang in there my precious.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Auntie Anne's Pretzel

I had to run some important errands and need to get back home early in preparation for my daughter’s 2nd month birthday. I don’t have time to think and enjoy delicious meal at this time so I just grabbed a bite at the nearest food stand. I saw Auntie Anne’s at the ground floor of SM Megamall near Ice skating rink…



I really didn’t how much it cost as it is the first time I bought this. Far-ouT! always is the one buying me this stuff. As I was about to pay, I got five 5-peso coins from my pocket because I saw this digit from the POS machine. I was already handling the money to the cashier when he blurted out the amount…

This…Almond flavored and chocolate dip for P80.00


Unfortunately, the figure i saw was for another customer. Good thing, I already have a bottled water bought from the supermarket so I didn’t bother to order a drink. I was munching my foodie and all I was thinking was “sana nag Jollibee na lang ako.” *kuripot mode*

Monday, August 10, 2009

Flosss from Breadtalk

After a nice meal. I received a text from mom asking for a floss for dessert. This is not the dental floss, mind you. It's one of the bread from breadtalk. I believe it is one of their best. I even recommended it to a foreigner who approached me and ask what kind of bread I was holding. I told her the details.



That the floss has several version, Flosss, Hotchic, Fire Flosss, one of it is the one with cheese. It cost around Php 50 which is pretty expensive for a bread but it's definitely worth it, its soft, light bread subtly flavored with special cream and generously covered with pork flosss.

I also brought a chocolate bread for additional dessert. Nice.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Avent BPA-free storage bottles

Yey! I got my Avent BPA-free storage bottles.



This box contains four 4-oz. breastmilk storage bottles. This product is made from Polyether Sulphone (PES) – a BPA-Free material with a natural honey-colored tint. The ones I have had white transparent color. I’m not sure though, if that color indicates that it is BPA-free.



This is more convenient for me since it fits my Avent manual breastpump. It is easier for me to express and store. This can also be used directly as feeding bottles by simply replacing the sealing disc with nipple.




I went to SM Megamall (my favorite mall) few days back to check how much this storage bottles cost. It was P1500.00 same price with the multiply seller I bought this from, I just added additional P 50 for delivery for a hassle-free online shopping. For your information, the ones sold in malls are not BPA free bottles unless indicated. “Bisphenol A, a hormone disruptor that can cause reproductive damage and may lead to prostate and breast cancer in adulthood, is used as a building block in polycarbonate plastic, but not in the substitutes, such as polypropylene.”

“Previous study have shown that if your repeatedly scrub, dish wash and boil polycarbonate baby bottles, they release BPA.” This shows that when the same new and and used polycarbonate drinking water were exposed to boiling hot water, BPA, an environmental estrogen, was released 55 times more rapidly than before exposure to hot water.

Make sure that bottles you buy are BPA-free to lessen your contact to these chemicals. We may have been exposed to same substance since childhood but for as long as we can help it, it is better to be safe than sorry.

However, after several research, I am not sure anymore if BPA-free bottles are as safe as we thought it would be. You want to read the whole story?

This is frustrating. We only wanted our child to be safe from this harmful chemicals. Good thing, I only use plastic as storage bottles. On feeding time, I transfer the milk to glass bottle and thaw on hot water as it is the safest way. While I don’t use glass bottles for storage as there are some nutrients from the breastmilk left inside it.

Persia Grill

What a hectic schedule. I don't even have time to breathe. Every morning from Monday to Friday, I wake up at 5:30 A.M. Get ready for office, have a long walk / run, walk /run in Guadalupe, Take overpass, ride an ordinary bus going to Bicutan(airconditioned buses are limited and gosh! it will take you like forever to get you to destination). From Bicutan, take overpass again which is by the way twice the length of Guadalupe overpass. Take jeep going to Tanyag (If I'm lucky, the jeep will wait to have it full and I am there sweating and waiting and running late!). Take tricycle going to my office were what I do is update the pendings, call this, call that. Do this, do that, backtracked the backlogs. Go from one place to the other because I dont have my computer yet and many others. Uppps...pump it up...pump it up till my hands are hurting from pumping every 3-4 hours religiously. The clock is nearing 5:30 but unfortunately, no one wants to go yet, everybody stays as if there is no tomorrow. Going home time is 6:30 - 7:00. I had to rush because baby bella is running out of express milk.

Take a tricycle to get out from the area. Then ride a jeep going to Bicutan. Bus until Magallanes, then take MRT. Walk from mall to the jeepney terminal.

Home at last. Time for bella to feed...but I have to take a shower first (yes, pasma to the end power!) before getting any nearer my baby. Then right after our bonding moment, I eat dinner, wash bottles and pump parts. Sleep between 10 - 11 PM then wake up again at 12:30 for another feeding session on the breast and pump on the other one. Then, same routine around 3:30 AM. Grab few hours of sleep again then when the clock strikes 5:30...start all over again. This goes on everyday.

I don't know which is becoming the hassle, working? pumping? Or it is just the way it is.

Anyway, thank God there is Saturday! And when it's week end, I make sure i give time for a little treat just to keep me sane. This time I indulge myself in Persian Grill.

The first time I went here I was kindda hesitant since I saw foods wih curry! I've been in the middle east for quite a while and the last thing I wanted to eat is something with curry. But since Pia is the adventurer when it comes to food, I let myself be pushed.

And now I am back ordering the same menu.

Chelo Kebab (Php 199.00)


with a tall glass of refreshing strawberry shake.
This shake cost Php 60.00, isn't cheap? I love the taste of it, just the right amount of sugar and strawberry.

Let me tell you more about the main course. I am not a fan of spicy foods but since this menu come with chili and another condiments, you are in control of the taste.

Another trick is the grilled tomatoes plus another dip of eggplant and mayo.

And you know why it is even more intriguing?

They serve it hiding in the rice.


Friday, August 7, 2009

Breastfeeding Station

I just cannot think of a title for this blag! This is again a non-related topic but i cannot help my self but vent this out.

There are some people who are insensitive and inconsiderate. As Pia and I went for a walk in the mall, we encountered not one but two of them. And they are a couple mind you. The woman is a mother. Who’s suppose to understand the need of a fellow mom. The guy of course was a father who should be ashamed of himself.

As a breastpumping mom, I always bring my avent manual breastpump everytime I went out just to be sure that I will still be able to express milk every 3 hours to maintain my supply. Though sometimes this is a hassle for me, when I think of how my bella will benefit from it…all the more I am excited. Especially when I see how many ounces I produce.

Anyway, doing my usual thing, this day is a more exciting one because instead of using the comfort room, this will be my first time to use the breastfeeding station of SM Megamall located at the Ground Floor near Food court, just behind Greenwich area.


Pia and I went inside surprised to find a few people. One, was a lady breastfeeding her child. Then from the look of it, a family. A dad, a mom, her child and a yaya. This irritates me in an instant. I thought this place is exclusively for breastfeeding mothers?!! Why on earth will a man be inside this area?! And you know what he was doing? He was actually using his laptop.

Poor mother who was feeding her child. I know the feeling. It is really awkward doing this in public much more with a man present. We stand there for a while hoping the guy will excuse himself but he never bother. The wife was even more annoying because she was not doing anything at all! Why would she allow her husband to be inside? So thoughtless people! Finally, after several minutes, I decided to pump in one of the CR. The management should put a sign outside the door “exclusively for breastfeeding moms!” I don’t blame them for this incident, I’m sure, they didn’t think some people will have the nerve to stay in this area where they have no business whatsoever.

Hope the next time I went there, I will not come across people like these again.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Breastfeeding Nanay wishlist

We always wanted what’s best for our babies. Through extensive research, I was able to gather a lot of information on Breastmilk. I actually never thought of this while pregnant but chancing upon the benefits of breastfeeding I became an advocate. But to be able to reach my goal in providing may gorgeous little girl all the benefits that she needs, I must have these items, especially now that I will get back to work anytime soon. Though expensive, I am sure the payback will be big time!

This Avent BPA on-the-go breastpump (P4350) and will be convenient for me once I get back to work. I already have a manual breastpump at home that I brought from Megamall with eyes closed. Aside from the fact that it is not BPA free, it was more expensive than online buying. If I did have a choice, I shouldn’t have brought it, but cash is not available at the moment so I need to use my credit card. Once I get back to work, I will buy a new one which is BPA free.

I have already have few pegion bottles at home, unfortunately those were the standard-size bottles and my Avent breastpump only fits wide mouth bottles so it is really a hassle for me to transfer milk every time I pump. So this BPA free bottles (P2500) are must have for me and my baby. The set has 2-4 oz bottles, 2-9 oz bottles 1 bottle brush and 1 milk formula dispenser

I also plan to buy extra avent BPA free storage bottles (P1500)

And these sealing dics (P undisclosed).




My few MEGS friends and I went for coffee to update each other. I just learned how little I produce breastmilk. My other friend were able to pump 12 bottles a day in one session when she was still nursing her first baby. That made me sad. I thought I was already producing enough. Now, I am determined to use every means possible to increase my supply. Though, i still want to have this lansinoh storage bags (P380) for future use.

Prices may vary and availability should be check from time to time. All the above items are available from a multiply seller (http://shopfortots.multiply.com/


This victoria fridge-to-go can fit an air tight lock and lock container with my breastpump inside with 6 bottles for my expressed milk. This is suitable for an 8-hour job with no available refrigerator and can last up to nine hours sorround cooling. For a hassle free shopping, you may visit http://fridgetogo.multiply.com/


Going to the mall is the thing of the pass. With the high technology, shopping is just one click away. Selling and buying online are “IN” thing. Though, one must be carefully in dealing with all these online sellers.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

A Relaksasi Day

I’ve been wanting a massage for the longest time. I never had a chance to have it while in Dubai…Aside from the fact that it will be luxury to have such a treat, it’s not as available anywhere as it is here in Manila. As far as I remember, the last time i had a relaxing 1 hour shiatsu was last year, May 2008, after i got married and before we fly back to Dubai to work again.

When I went home last March, I still did not get any chance for a pregnancy massage which by the way has many benefits for then pregnant like me. ” Pregnancy massage has been found to reduce stress, decrease swelling in the arms and legs and relieve aches and pains in the muscles and joints.” – About.com. Sadness. Anyway, so much for my whining. As I am now a mother to a gorgeous little girl.

My first few weeks of taking care of my daughter was a riot. As a first time mom, it was hard to adjust to motherhood especially when my husband is working abroad and I am a SAHM (Stay-At-Home-Mom) at the moment. I feel at lost then, because my baby is breastfed, there are sleepless nights until now but then this is not an issue to me as I intend to breastfeed her for as long as my supply will allow. Our room was also a mess, everything was disorganized, and I can’t seem to recover. Now, I got use to my routine and i can say that I can move on to my next priorities. My child still and WORK.

But before anything else. I need to recharge my energy and relax my mind and body. Massage came to my mind.

Finally, the long wait is over as we had our relaxing 1-hour massage. We chance upon Relaksasi located in the 5th floor, Building A of SM Megamall. First, this spa is convenient for me since they have a branch in my favorite mall. Also, the reception itself has a nice ambiance that would entice stressed individuals like us.

For a traditional holistic theraphy, we chose to try a different type of Massage which is the Hilot (P750). As what wa explained to us, this is like shiatsu but strokes are different as this one concentrates on removing “lamig” in our body. This type of massage is more expensive than Swedish (P550), Shiatsu (P550), Combination of the two (P550), Thai (P695) and Tuina Massage (P600) but cheaper that Balinese (P850), Ayuverda (P850). We have yet to try several of the others.

Their place were maze like, you might end up at lost if no one will assist from the staff. After we have decided on what service we want, We were asked to choose a in-house cold or hot tea which was serve after the massage. Pia chose the cold one and I had the hot tea which was by the way, refreshing and a real nice one. Not your ordinary tea.

We were headed to our nice room, with soft, tranquil music and change our clothes to their towels and robe. Our things was placed on their lockers for safe keeping. We went to 15-minute sauna and headed to their bathroom for a quick bath in preparation for the main event. I love the eucalyptus smell of their shampoo and liquid soap.

The one hour break was very relaxing and peaceful. It soothe my aching muscles and relax my mind even for a short period of time. It definitely renewed my spirit and recharge my energy that I need for my 2-month old baby. It was one of the treats that you would want to have regularly.

By our next visit, we plan to have a Javanese lulur massage salt and oil (P950) and maybe…just maybe a pedicure too.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

One Thing I Hate About Me

OVERLY SENSITIVE. It’s so easy to hurt my feelings. I just cry for no reason and I hate that. I hate it because it makes me feel vulnerable


Monday, June 29, 2009

Breastmilk vs Formula

I have a lot to blag! But unfortunately I don’t have the luxury of time right now. I just keep a mental note of it all. I’ll start of with the most recent event and back tracked. Today is first day that my precious little Bella had her formula milk, S 26 gold. As advised by her pediatrician, to finally get rid of the yellowish thingy on her skin… Jaundice in medical term. It is actually a common condition in newborns which refers to the yellow color of the skin and whites of the eyes caused by excess belirubin of red blood cells.


Hers was a mild one but we want to make sure that everything is alright…or else I’ll go panicky again…Paranoid, as what Far-ouT always tells me. Any thing unfamiliar sound from Bella, alarmed me. Anyway, it should have started yesterday or day before, I believe. But I kept on postponing it. I even asked her pedia, if we can go on with just letting her stay in the sun in the morning. But well, pedia knows best than mothers in some ways. Who can blame me for overreacting? Since day 1 we have that bonding moment and it’s hard to let go. I am afraid that drinking formula milk might cause Bella to refuse my breastmilk that would really break my heart as I intend to breastfed her until we are both ready to let go. Even if I go back to work, I swear to be patient to breast pump and store my milk.

I even tell bella when she’s feeding not to like the milk too much because breastmilk is still best for her. Since she can’t drink milk from me, I use my manual pump to take out the milk. I store it in the fridge for future use. When I have time to read, I search the net for some helpful tips and I found this blog, http://milkstation.blogspot.com/2008/07/stash-or-trash-milk-storage-guidelines.html. It's very informative and I was able to get important information with her own experiences. Tomorrow is the last day for Bella’s formula milk drinking and my breastmilk will resume at around six in the evening. I would know by then which milk she prefers. Hopefully she will still choose her Nanay’s milk because Bella will definitely break Nanay’s heart if she will go for the alternative. If she only knows that no other milk can replace Nanay's breastmilk. And I wouldn't trade for anything the bonding and the eyes that stare at me whenever she's close to my heart. Shucks! I’m a breastmilk advocate??!





Yes, indeed.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Itinerary

Today is our Bella's 14th day. I am still a busy mom taking care of our precious little girl. She wakes up every 2-3 hours for her feeding and then sleep most of the time. But come evening, she sometimes cries a lot and i can't help myself and give her milk which ruins her feeding time and vomit some milk. This pratice also prevents me from going out as I don't want her to rely on bottles that may stop her from breastfeeding (Selfish me). As much as possible, we'll try to breastfeed her for as long as my milk will allow. There was this one time, that I went out to see the church we were considering for the christening, i got so paranoid thinking that she's crying and looking for me. . Luckily, she slept well that night and woke up only when were already on the way back. But I was still guilty for leaving her, I fed her more that what was allowed that made her vomit.

15th June 2009. Baby Bella's first trip outside. Her first taxi ride. Her first check up. First nailcut, which were done by Nanay's OB - Dra. Cayetano and her Pedia, Dra. Larraga. Talked about professional nailcutters. It was also her first visit to delifrance, while tatay and nanay were having mirienda. After her trip to St. Luke's, she also went to tatay's house to visit her Lolo, Lola and Titos. Around 9PM, Bella call it a day and went home to Nanay's house.

16th June 2009. As I was saying, it was hard to leave Bella at home since she still depend on breastfeeding. But we need also to organize her upcoming baptism. With the help of her Ninang Pia, Bella had her first lakwatsa on a rainy day. First, she went to church, Christ the King, where her baptism was going to be held on 28th June. Visited the house of Ninang Macel to get some stuff and ate lunch, then she also went to Iko's bakeshop, where we bought a sample of her cupcake , eats some bread and drink coffee. And Tatay was really galante that day, so he treated us to Pansiteria San Jacinto. Talked about Food trips!

Friday, June 12, 2009

The Lumens

Joseph Ian Lumen
March 24, 1978


Ma. Aleina Dequiña-Lumen
January 6, 1980

Ma. Isabella Jian D. Lumen
June 4, 2009






Wednesday, June 10, 2009

My birthing story

June 4, 2009. The day our little precious one was born. I can’t explain how I made it through. We were expecting her to come out around the second week of June as my date was due on the 11th of June. But, I kept on talking to my baby when she was still in my womb to wait for her tatay to come home before her grand entrance to the world. And as if she understood. Far-out arrived June 2. I was scheduled for a check up on the 3rd. My OB was telling me that my cervix was high and she still couldn’t reach it. I was planned for another ultrasound on 10th June just in case.

The night of the 3rd, I kept on waking up for some slight pains but shrugged it off. Morning of the 4th, the pain became a little intense but still tolerable for me. I decided to go to the mall to buy some few more things for Bella. We were thinking that it was just a false alarm and the best thing to do was the walk it off.
We ate at Jollibee for breakfast and had lunch at Mann Hann. But the pain was becoming unbearable already around 4PM. Less than a minute contraction and around 10 minute interval. My mind was telling me that it is just false alarm since we just had our check up yesterday and no sign of early delivery.

Far-ouT and I decided to go home around 4:30 PM already as I was really in pain. There was also some brownish discharge. When we got home, the pain was stronger, I also vomited and with another whitish, sticky discharge. Then my mom decided to take me to the hospital. If its false alarm, so be it. We also texted our OB, which at that time was operating on someone, that we are on the way to the hospital.

We arrived around 6:30 PM. We went straight to the delivery room. They IEd me and I was already 5cm. We, including my OB, were all surprised at this development as we were not expecting it this early. When my OB arrived, I was at 8cm. and they were already getting ready for my operation. I was normal delivery but on twilight (I don't know how it is called). Good thing though, I don’t want to elaborate further on how my Doctor explained my not so poised reaction on my delivery. Can you blame me? Finally, at 8:35 PM.

Our baby bella has finally arrived.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Baptism: Church in mind

I was just browsing the net for something to do...to keep my mind off counting the days of the arrival of Far-ouT! Flight details as follows:


Flight: Emirates Airline EK 0334
Departing At 09:45 AM Terminal 3
Arriving At 10:35 PM International 1

Hoping and praying for a safe flight home!


Then something just struck my mind...Bella is coming out too! And I haven't finalize the details yet of her baptism...which we need to do before Far-ouT's going back to Dubai. I am on my panic mode now. I was even talking to my daughter to come out early as soon as Tatay is here and now, I felt guilty not attending the preparation of her christening. MY BAD!!!

I went through my overstuffed USB and was able to open all the details that I gathered from previous researches. I was trying to open this USB for months and now all it need was a mode of panic and viola! There it is...
Ok, so I want to do this one at a time...Let's start with the church. I want a special baptism for our first child. We want it solemn and intimate. It will be less of a hassle to our baby, to us and to our invited guests if the ceremony will be exclusively for us. No hustle and bustle of other people.

Note that one of the things to consider in my next quest for preparing a special occasion is BUDGET. My previous project was a disaster when it comes to budgeting, though, I didn't regret the money we spent. It was still not a practical thing now that we have added a little precious one to our growing family.

So here are some of the churches that I am considering:

Santuario de San Antonio
McKinley road, Forbes Park, Makati
Contact Number: 8438830-31
Requirements: Referral Letter from your parish where you live, copy of child's birth certificate
Fee: Special baptism rites cost P3,000
Baptism Schedule: 1:30PM, 2:15PM, 3:00PM, 3:45PM

This is our priority. Hopefully will be able to get a slot for 28th June. Since this church is located in Makati. We planned to reserve once baby bella is out in the open.

Another church that I am considering is

Christ the King
Contact Number: 6330280
Baptism schedule: Saturdays and Sundays 10:00A.M. and 4:00P.M.
Fee: for the first 2 pairs of godparents P200.00 and any additional is P30 per godparent.
"If you want solo saturdays and sundays also, 9:00 or 11:00 A.M (i dont have idea on what time sa hapon) it cost naman P3,200.00. P2,200 if bringing own priest
You need to be there 30 mins before the baptism. just bring a photocopy and original birth cert, marriage cert and list of your godparents. You don't need to block the date if you will get the 10:00 and 4:00 baptism. Just be there on that day. But if you want solo please reserve your chosen day. Maganda yung katabi ng chapel sa baba. i suggest yun ang pa-reserve nyo if you want solo. They also have venue there para hindi na kyo malayo. Parents to provide candles for the sponsors."(information provided by a fellow N@wies)

Very nice indeed. However, this is way too far from Makati. But if SSA will not be available on our target date, this is next in line.

Other churches that I am eyeing are Sanctuario de San Jose (where we got married), Don Bosco (8945932) and National Shrine of the Sacred Heart (8956331). Once Far-ouT is here, we can schedule a day to scout these places...

Our budget for church: P3000.