Being a victim of the recent flood, I just can't help but be worrisome whenever a new typhoon is said to approach the country's area of responsibility again. People say that if it happened before, then it can happen again.

I really don't understand how all this came to be. I think what we need is for everybody to really make the effort to take care of the environment. In particular, we all have to practice proper waste management in our households. Plus, the government has to employ the best means to collect the community's garbage and to recycle it. They can use a good Waste Management Software to implement a good waste management plan. When this is done, then we can be assured that waste will become less a threat to our environment.

Luigi turned 1 month last October 8. We just cooked pancit, sopas and fried chicken for dinner. Simple but yummy! To top everything, my sister who flew in from Iloilo that day was thoughtful enough to bring us a white chololate cherry cake from JD.

I really miss blogging. As you may have noticed, I rarely get to post anything here at my site nor have I had a chance to bloghop to my favorite sites and online friends' sites. Sometimes, I even think that I should review the terms and conditions of my website agreement because I realize that it's only a month from now that my domain contract will expire and I might not be able to access my website or something just like what happened to my friend. I'm actually looking into this great site on website hosting to study the options I have in case I want to change my webhost next year. It's better to be cautious than sorry, right?

Anyway, there are actually so many things I want to journalize here. First, I've been trying to compose my birthing story for Luigi plus my breastfeeding adventures but never seem to have enough time to finish it. Then there's Zoe's 3rd birthday party celebration. Next comes my story on the storm Ondoy and our nasty experience. After that, I got sick and weak for one whole week. Then came Luigi's baptismal ceremony and party during which my sister arrived from Iloilo to be with us. Lastly, I want to talk about my annual retreat and some of the bright ideas I received from God. :-)

Now, I only wish that I had a faster internet connection so that I could share more pictures and post more stories without the hassle of long lag hours waiting for the pictures or the pages to load on the screen. I also have been researching on website hosting features and its benefits now and I want to get it over and done with before the baby cries for milk again. Well, see you all later!

Just want to share a pic from Luigi's baptismal ceremony last Saturday, October 10, 2009 held at Sta. Maria della Strada Parish in Quezon City.

I was just looking out the window and see so many of my neighbor's Office Furniture being hauled out of their house. I feel so bad because all of these nice furniture were damaged by the flood. You see, my friend had a home office and when the flood came last week, all of their stuff: furniture, appliances, clothes, shoes ~ practically everything ~ were either destroyed or damaged by the flood.

I particularly feel so bad that my friend's office table, cabinets and chairs were all washed out by muddy and dirty waters of the flood. Their whole family almost went hysterical after they saw the damage done to their house and properties. I feel so sad for them. What's worse even their food supplies were also consumed by the flood. It was such a humbling experience and I hope and pray that this will never ever happen again.

We're gearing up for Luigi's upcoming christening next month.

So far, I've managed to make a sample invitation (designed lifted from the net) for our guests and family.

How do you like it?

Done with the antibiotics, that is...

Luigi was found to have some infection in his blood because of the meconium he inhaled/took in while still in utero. Thus, he needed to have antibiotics injected via IV for seven super long days. I am so grateful lang na the pedia removed na the heplock on his left hand yesterday. Finally, his hand is now free! So kawawa to see him with a heplock strapped on his tiny hand.

Now, we are off to the lab for his CBC and CRP blood test. Hopefully, everything is now normal.

It was my daughter's birthday last week and since I was indisposed to leave the house to bring her somewhere special or to prepare a big bash for her, I have been thinking of making up for my shortcoming by looking for some girls' dresses online for her.

It's really a great thing to be able to shop for clothes for my daughter without having to leave the house. For starters, I have been constantly visiting Shopwiki for help on where to start looking for casual clothes, dresses and sleepwear for Zoe. The pages not only gives me leads on the best places to make an online purchase but also suggests the latest styles and trends for young girls. Shopwiki even shares info about the general sizes for certain age brackets. This is a big help for mommies like me who are clueless on what size would fit my 3-year old daughter.

Anyway, we are planning the baptism of Zoe's baby brother for October. I hope that by then, I will be able to make a purchase for my daughter so that she will look fabulous too on that special day.

I'm getting a bit impatient already because when we went to the doctor yesterday, my cervix is still closed and I only have up to Wednesday next week for labor to set in. I told the doctor that we're willing to WAIT some more days until we finally decide to make a go for CS or not. A lot of things can still happen within the next 7 days, you know. I could still give birth via NSD, if God will really permit it.

So, what do I need to do? Well, I'll say: pray, wait, walk (and walk some more), maybe keep my mind busy by checking some stuff on the internet like how to get a term life insurance quote, read, and when the right time comes, give birth.

Yes, as one of Zoe's favorite Spongebob episode script goes, "We're waiting, we're waiting, we're waiting..." for our gift (baby boy) to arrive. We have been waiting for so long and it seems like forever. So far, I don't feel any regular contractions yet and I think my cervix is still closed. It seems that the baby doesn't want to go out yet since I still have to have some kind of closure at work (I've avoided turning over some of my tasks for some reason). Until then, I think, I remain to be pregnant...Hahaha.

Anyway, the baby clothes have been washed already, the hospital papers are ready, our bags are packed and my mind is set to give birth. I've been having vivid dreams already of giving birth which I think signals my innate anticipation to see the baby soon. The only real question is when the baby will come.

Meantime, I plan to keep on walking and make myself busy with the other stuff that needs to be prepared. It's my husband's last week at work so I also plan on being with him by also taking my maternity leave already by next week (that is, if they don't rush me to the hospital within this week). And while on leave, I don't think I'll have much of a chance to surf the net or update this blog. Maybe it will take me a few weeks of adjustment or so. That is why I'm also taking advantage now of looking for an online seller of wonderful anniversary gifts for our upcoming anniversary in October. I read from www.bestoftime.com that they offer lovely Rolex watches that I'm sure my husband will love to have. If only I could afford to buy to now...otherwise, it also might have to wait.

I was alone last night at the waiting area outside my doctor's clinic when it suddenly hit me: I FEEL LIKE I AM MY OWN MOTHER. I found myself sitting there, my hands on top of my belly with fingers intertwined against each other. Yes, it very much felt like I was my mother for I have seen her many times sit that way with the same kind of posture and gesture of the hands.

Unconsciously, there are so many other mannerisms and words I've blurted out that seem to be so similar to how my mother would act and speak. Sometimes, I find myself humming to my little girl at night and then stop suddenly because it seemed as if I was hearing my mother's humming, instead of my own voice. Other times, I would unintentionally say "Tatay" referring to my husband (I don't know if he ever noticed this). But you see, I never call my husband "Tatay" because he has always been "Hunny or Dad" to me and Zoe. It's my mother who would devotedly call my father as "Tatay", not "Benjie", not "Dad". I know, it's crazy.

These are just bits and pieces of the many things that I think I may have "inherited" from my mother. Because of these, I am reminded of her and feel mighty happy that she is mother. I just wish that I had more of her better traits: her simplicity, her order, her generosity, her love for God. If only I could be a little bit more like her and exude even a small bit of her great virtues.

Maybe I'm feeling all of these because she wants her spirit to be felt too. Maybe she wants me to feel that she's still there for me to accompany me in this pregnancy and new stage of motherhood. Or maybe it's simply because I missing her. So much.

As I have been blogging here a few weeks ago, my husband has finally decided to resign from his current job. We thought it would be a very difficult decision but, somehow, God paved the way for him/us to see clearly the right thing to do. Therefore, in the end, resigning did not mean a lose-lose situation but more of a win-win situation for us and for our family.

We realize now that there is more to life than working for that company. There are endless possibilities around that can offer better compensation and a better life for us. Similar to the case of people who want to advance in their jobs, some stop awhile to study, review and get certifications such as becoming a CMAS, my husband now has his hands full learning and re-learning how to nurture his skills further in order to do a more specialized job in the future. And with His help, things are bound to look up.

Sometimes, when you come across a similar crossroad in your life, the tendency really is to panic and lose your trust in the One above. But you know what, I have realized for myself that you do not control your life. It is God who controls it and you only have to pray to him for guidance and direction so that the decisions you make in your life are in consonance with what He wants you to do. And there is only one direction He wants you to take all the time: the right direction. You have to have it clearly in your mind and heart that you always have to do what is right amidst the hardships, even the calumnies and false accusations. And when you do that, God will always be on your side. That's how it works really and I have no doubt that He is and always be on our side as long as it is to Him that we are loyal to and not to any human being who shows even the highest authority here on earth.

Lately, I've been excited over collecting stuffs I need for the birth of the new baby. I also find myself scouring through our cabinets, wanting to put things in order as much as I could. On the internet, I've also grown very excited looking at furniture such as Platform Beds which we need for the room of the kids. Many people call it the nesting instinct for pregnant and soon-to-give-birth mothers like me.

Mysteriously, there seems to be a sudden surge of energy that many pregnant women feel some weeks before they give birth. Some say that this happens in preparation for upcoming labor. I have been reading up on birthing materials and find that many of the things that I have tendency to do and to feel are pretty normal for someone in my stage of pregnancy. I sometimes feel impatient waiting for the baby to come and at the same time, I also want to cherish this pregnancy very much. So where do I put myself really? Can someone tell me?