Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Best Mom Award

Ai from Poland sent me this uber nice award ~ Best Mom. I love it Ai. Thank you so much!



Rules:
1. Show the award in your post.
2. Pick a picture you have with your kiddo/s.
3. Post should include your best experience as a Mom.
4. Nominate other bloggers out there that you consider the best mom, like yourself.

I've always wanted to be a wife and a mom and ever since I gave birth to Zoe, my life has never been the same before. It has been happier and so fulfilling. I only wish that God thinks that I am faring well in my role as a mother and wife. But I know that as long as I trust in Him and I try to forget myself each day, I'll be able to a good mother to my children.



Here's Zoe when she was a few months old...


And here's Zoe now (pic taken last week) >> pardon my big face (baby #2 on the way)...


Passing this on to all my mommy blogger friends!

Monday, February 23, 2009

Feeding Time

mommy moments


I just can't resist not joining Mommy Moments again. Here's my entry, Chris...

We started feeding Zoe with solid foods when she turned 6 months. As a first-time mom, I just had to document "the" moment.



Thursday, February 19, 2009

Back

...after 2 days of rest. Honestly, I could just stay at home for some more days (or even forever!) but just had to do what I had to do, which is to go back to work. I really enjoyed being with Zoe for two whole days. She is the best (and the loveliest and funniest) child to be around when someone's sick. She cheered me up and made me feel so cared for. :-)

Monday, February 16, 2009

Preggy Updates

Some updates on the pregnancy (at 10weeks):

1. I gained less than 2 pounds this month.
2. I'm just having minimal dizzy spells (thank God) but now have colds (oh no!).
3. Cravings so far: buco ice cream, laing, indian mangoes, pork bbq, and the latest --- sinigang!!!
4. I'm still wearing regular clothes but had taken out some of my maternity clothes already for future use.
5. My lower back aches every end of the day.
6. I'm having the worse pimple outbreak!
7. I have to try to be more jolly at home (F. makes me so mad sometimes...errr...all the time).
8. I'm making my baby names' list as early as now (scratched out a few names already).

More updates next time!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Pre-Valentine's Date

Hunny and I had an advance Valentine's date last Tuesday at CPK in Shangri-La Mall. It was color-coding day and we decided to just meet half-way (he from Q.C. while me from Makati) and eat somewhere special.

We ended up in a cozy corner of the restaurant. Sorry, I forgot to bring the digital camera -- Hunny painstakingly took these pics using his phone cam.



Original Caesar Salad for starters:


Fettucine with garlic cream sauce:


Pepperoni pizza:




Bottomless lemon iced tea (which, would you believe, cost us 105 each -- ang mahal pala):



Anyway, I really enjoyed our pre-Valentine's date. Love you hun.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Our Lady of Lourdes

Today, the Church commemorates the 151st anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes to Bernadette Soubirous. I just couldn't let the day pass without a short commentary about my gratitude and devotion to Our Lady.


I was fortunate enough to visit the apparition site of Our Lady of Lourdes in France some years ago. I wrote her a long letter then to express my thanks and requests for the health and safety of my family. I handed the letter to the people who were volunteering there and it was safely tucked in one of the creases of the grotto. And as a tradition, I also splashed my face and body with the water from the spring of Lourdes and asked God to heal me from any infirmities (and to make my pimples disappear --- and He did!).

The number of sick people of different races who were there in Lourdes to ask for God's healing is really overwhelming. I remember joining the huge candlelight procession wherein the rosary was prayed in some many languages. It was a great experience and what good it did for my soul. The next day, my friends and I woke up very early in the morning to attend the mass that was held right underneath the grotto. It was freezing cold that morning. I still vividly remember feeling my face so cold but my heart was sort of burning with love and devotion for Our Lord. You could feel and almost touch the faith of the people around you because it was so real. I really cried out of happiness after that mass.

Anyway, to end, let me share to you a prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes.

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF LOURDES

O Immaculate Virgin Mary,
Mother of Mercy,
you are the refuge of sinners,
the health of the sick,
and the comfort of the afflicted.
You know my wants,
my troubles, my sufferings.
By your appearance at the Grotto of Lourdes
you made it a privileged sanctuary
where your favors are given to people
streaming to it from the whole world.
Over the years countless sufferers
have obtained the cure for their infirmities -
whether of soul, mind, or body.
Therefore I come to you
with limitless confidence
to implore your motherly intercession.
Obtain, O loving Mother,
the grant of my requests.
Through gratitude for Your favors,
I will endeavor to imitate Your virtues,
that I may one day share in Your glory.

Amen.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Oh Baby!

Lookie here! Our second baby's very first picture! Baby#2 looks as if he/she's waving! Can you see?


Heartbeat - ok!
Length - ok!
Everything - ok!

That's all I needed to hear from the doctor, really. :-)

Monday, February 9, 2009

Tita Zoe

Yes, you read it right. Zoe is a Tita! Errr...which makes hubby a Lolo and me a Lola (oh gosh!). But really, Zoe has a "nephew" (who is 4 years old) because one of her 1st cousins (hubby's niece) has a son already.

Anyway, we were there in my SIL's house in Bulacan last weekend for a visit.

Here's a pretty shot of Zoe riding her pamangkin Robbie's electric car-car:



Zoe and Robbie racing...


Tita Zoe and Robbie - all smiles!

Before we left, Robbie hugged his Tita Zoe and Zoe obviously felt awkward and didn't know what to do (all this is new to her). Robbie also gamely sang "You are so Beautiful" to Zoe (although the lyrics are pretty much all "bulol"). It was cute anyway!

I hope they grow up to be good friends.

Friday, February 6, 2009

This Morning...

...we were greeted by heavy traffic...


...and a big, big rainbow!


It was a cute combination. :-)

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Cheers

This song, the theme song of the 80's tv show Cheers, came playing from my husband's Ipod yesterday on our way home from Makati. He sang to me the song with feelings pa ha (yes you did Hunny!) which sent me laughing and smiling. I've never heard this song before so I was curious (obviously, my husband and I have like different tv & music genres-- but I don't mind). I asked him about what the gist of the song was. He said that the song is there make you feel better when you're feeling down. He even repeated the line "And your husband wants to be a girl" which made us laugh. Immediately, I thought of BB Gandanghari when I heard this line. Hahaha!



Where Everybody Knows Your Name
by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo - Cheers Lyrics

Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go

Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows
Your name.

You wanna go where people know,
people are all the same,
You wanna go where everybody knows
your name.

Making your way in the world today
Takes everything you've got;
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?

All those night when you've got no lights,
The check is in the mail;
And your little angel
Hung the cat up by it's tail;
And your third fiance didn't show;

Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;
You want to be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same;
You want to be where everybody knows your name.

Roll out of bed, Mr. Coffee's dead;
The morning's looking bright;
And your shrink ran off to Europe,
And didn't even write;
And your husband wants to be a girl;

Be glad there's one place in the world
Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;
You want to go where people know,
People are all the same;
You want to go where everybody knows your name.

Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;
Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came...

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Why I Don't Like Riding the MRT

I used to like riding the MRT trains before. But now, I don't. Why? Because it has failed me too many times already.

Sometimes, you can get stuck in the station for more than 30 minutes because the trains are just SOOOO FULL.

Sometimes, the trains break down in the middle of the rush hour and no trains pass for like 25-30 minute intervals.

Other times, you hear of sad incidents of people losing their cellphones and wallets inside the train. Just today, the man speaking the background was warning the pick-pockets inside the station - "Humanda kayo sa sa akin. Pagka-nahuli namin kayo, hindi lang kayo bugbog-sarado, ihuhulog din namin kayo sa tracks. Pasensyahan lang tayo." How scary is that!??

Many times, you get pushed, pulled and dragged inside and going in and out of the train.

And although, they have already implemented a section for the elderly, children and female, it doesn't mean that the people who ride it are more courteous than the rest of the other non-segmented passengers. For a pregnant lady like me, I feel that you can't like just announce to the people to be extra careful around you because you're pregnant. I don't think anybody would even care.

Monday, February 2, 2009

The Other Night...

...I dreamt of my mother.

I admit that I seldom dream about her ever since she was gone. But when I do, my dreams seem to be very vivid, very real.

In this particular dream, I saw myself with some relatives and friends. As I had really had been planning, in my dream, I had organized a small intimate party to remember my mother's birthday. My tito and tita from the States were there plus our next-door neighbors. I also saw Zoe holding hands with a smaller girl in a cute dress (which is I think supposed to be our baby#2). Suddenly, as the party was about to start, I hear from the folks that my very own Nanay was there standing infront of our house. So I rushed to embrace her as the other people looked on. I hugged her tightly and kissed her many times on the cheek. She was wearing her brown and flesh blouse and pants set. She didn't say anything. She just stood her as I kept saying "I love you Nanay" and "Don't let go!".

In my mind, I thought that if I let go of my embrace, she will disappear. I was feeling her energy slowly fading and that she was drifting away. Then suddenly, I wake up. It was morning.

The next day (February 1) was her birthday. She would have been 62 years old. We woke up early that day to go to mass. We offered mass for her soul as well as for my grandparents and uncle whose birthdays also fall in the month of February. After mass, we headed to the cemetery to visit her. Silently, I said 'hello', 'happy birthday' and 'thank you'. You see, the last time we visited her was on Christmas Day. Hubby and I particularly asked her to intercede so that we will have another baby soon. She answered our prayer by New Year's. Galing noh?


We prepared a simple lunch that day. We had spaghetti, fried chicken, grilled bangus, lumpiang shanghai, and barbeque. My tito (my mother's brother) and his family plus other close friends of my parents arrived to celebrate with us. Of course, my Tatay was there too. It was great to remember her that way.

By the way, here is the yummy cake which we ordered from Estrel's. I asked them to put violet and pink flowers on the cake (since my Nanay's name is Violeta and violet is her birthstone color).


In the afternoon, I was particularly touched because I got a call from Mrs. Picadizzo, a co-teacher of my mother. She said that she just wanted to greet my mother happy birthday. With her was one of the 'alagas' of my Nanay in the school where they used to teach. This boy (nicknamed Erap) also talked to me on the phone and told me that he wished he could go visit my Nanay's grave that day. He added that for him, my Nanay is the best teacher ever and that he is sure that my Nanay is very happy with God because she was very mabait to him and to many people. I said thank you to both of them for remembering even if my Nanay has been gone for almost 4years already. Grabe talaga my Nanay. She's really something.

Happy birthday dear Nanay! I love you. I hope I make you proud.
 
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