Long Weekends are LOVE!

The long weekend almost came out a surprise.  Only was aware of it with less than a month to go, by then it was too late to plan something.  Plus, it is monsoon and typhoon season.  My cousin and I did plan to do something over the weekend - but it was not a concrete plan.  More of like lets-plan-something-if-we're-not-lazy-to-go-out.



Our weekend munchies

  So we spent Saturday holed up at home.  Watched movies, played PSP, filed out application forms, cleaned up my files. 




Photocredit: http://www.thinkhero.com/

And then after hearing mass on Sunday, we watched Cars 2 on Sunday.  My little boy was so excited to watch, but when we were watching, he lost interest.  The plot was too adult, I think.  Cars (the first movie) was a whole lot better.

Biking with my family at Nuvali

Thankfully, the rain finally let up last Monday.  So we were able to go out of the house and bike around Nuvali.  The little one was able to keep up with us, and biked with us for about 3k.

Now the long weekend is winding down.  But until night rolls in, I'm going to savour every minute.

All the talk about breastfeeding

Picture from http://www.breastfeedingproblems.org/to-breastfeed-or-not-to-breastfeedthat-is-the-question/

I’ve been reading about breastfeeding from a few blogs, such as Toni of Wifely Steps. It made it take a look back at my attempts in breastfeeding my little one, some five years ago. Getting pregnant at 28 for the first time isn’t really high risk yet. But unfortunately, I didn’t have an easy pregnancy. The first 3 months flew by like a breeze, I didn’t suffer any morning sickness at all, in fact, I didn’t think I was pregnant. I had polycystic ovaries then, so I wasn’t alarmed when I didn’t have my period for 3 months.

But then the 5th month rolled in and I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and hypertension. I went to see the doctor every week for ultrasounds and other tests. And then I was advised to best rest with long hospital admissions until the 8th month. I had to take a leave from work and delivered my little boy a month pre-mature. Good thing my doctors were really cautious. My little boy has healthy thankfully, but he was on IV the first 2 days. I only got to see him on the second day at the nursery.

Before I gave birth, I was keen on breastfeeding him. Reading and hearing of all the benefits of breastfeeding made me decide to do it, plus it’s very economical. I bought a breast pump and prepared bottles to keep the milk for when I needed to get back to work.

So I gave birth and the first time we tried to breastfeed, he couldn’t latch properly but thankfully he got the colostrums. The nurses at the hospital were very supportive, so every 2-3 hours or so, I went back to the nursery and tried. He only was able breastfeed so quickly. When we got home, we had to mix formula and breastfeeding, as my milk supply wasn’t enough for him. In between trying to breastfeed, I pumped milk. Sadly after a few days, my milk just dried up  I tried all kinds of ways to increase milk supply – my mom cooked me soup every day, I had malunggay too.

I couldn’t breastfeed. Regrettably, my son wasn’t breastfed. Fortunately though, he’s been a healthy kid. Save for a few bouts of flu, coughs and colds. My pedia said that we shouldn’t worry a lot since there are a million kids of flu viruses, and we might encounter a couple of hundreds. If and when we are blessed with another baby, I will still try breastfeeding. Maybe my milk supply would be better then.

Random for a Friday

So it's rather been an interesting few weeks.  And my thoughts are kinda scattered lately, so I'll just put in random thoughts in bullet points.

• It was my son, K, first time to have first quarter exams.  And I was the nervous wreck!  I prepared sample quizzes and pushed him to study harder... hard enough that my husband, D, asked me to stop several times.  I just want him to excel, and I worry about his Filipino.  By the last day, I calmed down a bit since it's Math and it helped that K always told me the exams were easy.  Let's wait for the report card then. haha
• Bills keep piling up.  The thing is, money isn't always enough.  But we are spending for investments and savings.  It's just hard to scrimp, and want that bag or that IPad! :D
• Finding the right school for your kid is very hard.  And applying for that school is so competitive!
• September is my birthday month.  This is the year we try to get pregnant for the second time.  Hopefully, I'll be healthy enough.  More trips to the doctors.  Again.
• October is the month we'll know if our lives will change next school year.  Anticipation is so nerve wracking!

I take this Friday with a lot of things in mind, as we ease into the weekend.  Hope your weekend will be well spent!

Dude, share the road!

I've been biking since April of 2010.  And I do enjoy it thoroughly, specially if I biked through a hilly road and I get there in one piece! :D Can't avoid passing through major roads in our area, there are really no other roads to use. 

I find that most Filipino drivers - cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles - don't know how to treat bikers on the road.  After all these near-death experiences, I though I'd share a couple of tips to drivers when they see bikers.  You might be able to save life or limb, or both.

1.  Don't honk your horns before passing by a biker.  Most bikers are aware of their surroundings.  We know if there's a car behind us - we hear you even before we see you.  There's really no need to honk your horns, dude.  Seriously.  Horns are quite loud you know, we could loose our hearing.
2.  If you overtake a biker, please give him/her, at least 1.5 meters distance.  Hello, we are balancing on a two-wheel thing, if we get distracted, we could so easily loose our balance and heaven forbid, you might run over us!
3.  Make bikers cross first.  When you're in an intersection and the biker is going straight, you'll be turning, make the bikers cross first.  Again, we're balancing on a two-wheel thing, a little consideration for us.
4.  When you're in a narrow road with a biker, slow down, better yet, wait for your turn.  Would you miss a life altering event if you just slowed  down for a bit?  Don't overtake a biker in a narrow road and again, don't honk your horn!

The above tips are not difficult to follow.  These are all I have for now... if I think of more, I'll post it here again.

Again, DUDE, SHARE THE ROAD!

Not a millionaire

I never wanted to become a millionaire when I was a kid.  But I've always wanted a comfortable life, for me and for my loved ones.  A life where I could send my kid to the best school I can afford.  Take vacations when there's time for it, to see and experience the world.  To be able to afford celebrations when there's something to celebrate.  To have a comfortable house we all could fit in and call a home.  To have healthy food on the table.  To be able to work because we want to, not because we need to.  To quit a job because we don't enjoy it anymore, without worrying about how to pay the bills.

I never craved for wealth, as much as others I know do.  I wished though that money is easy to earn and always more than enough to pay bills and spend on retirement.  But sadly, there are days when it's just too difficult to get up, dress up and get to work.  When it's so much of a hassle to get on that tricycle, van or taxi to go to work.  When work load is overwhelmingly piling up.  And really, just hard. 

But then you do, you have to.  The minute you hear your son say "Good Morning", and you know that you want to give him the best of what you can give and send him to the best school you can afford.  The second you see your husband, who you want to grow old with and spend many happy, long vacations with.  You get up.  Because you love them. 

And so off we go to work.

Cabin fever

I haven't been out of the house for more than 30 mins since Wednesday.  Yesterday, I stayed put since it was raining non-stop.  Later in the afternoon, our gasul was empty.  I needed to got out, but opted to ask the yayas to use charcoal.  And it worked, we had hot food on the dinner table :)

This morning, I was contemplating about going to Makati but then saw the cloudy sky.  I ended up staying home and remembered it was Game 5!  I did do a 30-minute walk/run around the village, just to move a little.  And then worked, watched Game 5, cheered for both teams and then worked again.

But now, I absolutely must go out.  To get money to have our gasul delivered and buy milk too for my little one.  Perhaps get a Yellow Cab pizza as well.  Who knows. *grin*

I'm actually fine with this kind of life.  Work, play with my little one, call a friend, blog, watch tv - all inside the comforts of our home.  I don't get cabin fever much, as long as I have everything that I need within reach.  In fact, last Sunday, we went out to Festival Mall in Alabang, there were too many people!  I literrally got dizzy with all the moving, shoving and walking in the crowd.  Don't get me wrong, I love malls, but only when they're not full to the brim.  I don't like crowds much apparently.

So, now, I must go out.  The promise of pizza is the only thing that makes me want to go.  *grin*

Pambahay

A cousin posted this pic on Facebook.  It was taken when we were about 2-3 years old.  It was 4 of us cousins, 3 girls on the first row all in sandos and underwears.  It's how I always remembered us dressed at home, sandos and underwears - until I went into Grade 1. 

Taken probably in 1979 or 1980, in front of our grandparents house