Playpen

Since Simone is getting really active, we simply can't put her anywhere, lest we end up with an injured baby. and so we decided to bring down her crib which is originally set up at our room.

we had it covered with one of our comforters although i wished we had this memory foam mattress where we can just put it on her crib and since it's waterproof, we don't have to worry anything about leaking diapers and all.

Now, she's playing with her toys on her playpen and i hope she gets to love it more so we don't have to carry often. haha.

The one with the second year

Yey! Simon and I are two years married already...and where did the time go??? everything, started from the time we got married was really a fast forward event of our lives. it's like the book just keeps on turning its pages and we can't seem to notice how time literally flies away. but everything's good. on our second year, we have been blessed with a baby whom we love so much. and she's more than what we hoped for and even dreamt of.

Simon and I, for the past eleven years that we've known and loved each other, I can say that only little has changed. we still laugh at our craziest and corniest jokes, we still can make each other laugh with the same jokes told a hundred times, haha. he's still the same guy i met years back. He still makes me happy and more. the only difference i think is how we have become matured in situations that we are faced right now. no matter how overwhelming family life and parenthood is, we know that everything will work out just fine. and i can say that he is a very good father and husband. i really thank God for him.

of course, we had a little celebration of our own. we wanted to go and check in to a hotel or at least have a dinner there but since the traffic did'nt permit us to go to a far venue to celebrate, what better way to do it is to go to where he proposed...eastwood city! yey! we both love that place. we ate for the first time at Il Pirata. nice ambience, good food, (although a little over-priced on their homemade pasta) and had a good laugh talking to him. what's good about us is that no matter where we go or what we do, we can easily turn and light up a night...and that's how it was. :)

we capped the evening with a kind gesture by donating to Cribs foundation where a big chirstmas tree is hang at the center of eastwood and you can give donation and your wish and hang it on the tree. of course, we got one for simone too! hehe.

I love you beh and looking forwards for more years to come! as always, pictures coming right up!

Hospital

Just the day after Christmas and we have a family member in the hospital. Skokie had to be rushed to the hospital since she has'nt gone better from her bad cough these past few days and we really thought she'd need drug rehabs or some medical procedure. I was a bit surprised when I found out about it and I felt sad not being able to be with her.

I really hope she'd get thinner already.

The one with a lot to say

I have so many stories I'd wanted to share but I'll start first with the latest event and try to go and rewind the days that passed by.

First off, congratulations to Christian and Mercy for their wedding! Finally, tapos na kayo! wahoo!!! and all i can say is that you two deserve each other and yes, your love has surpassed the challenges of time. Every wedding makes my heart glad and seeing a bride march is always a teary-eyed moment for me. Here are some few things that made their wedding memorable(for me at least):

1. i looove the wedding vow of mercy, and i quote: "being with you for 12 years does not make me proud but it humbled me thinking that our love surpassed the test of time, individual differences, different needs and wants..." parang awww...

2. i love their first kiss song, "Your kiss is on my lips"

3. love the unity sand part in the ceremony.

4. love Richard Poon and Jay Durias who sang at the reception! IDOL!

of course, there will never be a perfect wedding but nontheless, what's important is how the couple had a lot of fun and how everything will be alright as long as they're enjoying the most important day of their lives. so even if there were 5 tables without guests, their wedding was still the best! Congratulations and God bless you!

pictures soon!

New look

After designing the house for the christmas season, I looked at our living room and noticed that the only thing that seems to be off hand is our sofa set. It's really worn out because of Ross' chewing the edges of the sofa and since it's not real leather, the upholstery is really thin already that even simone can poke on it.

So, I tried to look at the furniture stores and see what might fit into our budget, if there is any. Unfortunately, I was'nt able to find something that's nice for our apartment. Everything is either leather or the color does'nt seem to fit. Oh well, we will put that as our next project and hopefully we'll get to buy one soon.

The one with restless as always

Oh my! It's the holidays once more and we are BUSY once again!!! I cannot believe that despite my 'employment status', Simon and I still have a hectic schedule. we juggle studio events vis-a-vis my marketing research thing vis-a-vis my wedding coordinating venture vis-a-vis mommy roles and a businessmom. whoa! di ko na alam uunahin ko. bwahaha. and i think this is the first time that we did'nt christmas shop together coz simon has to work til late at night and during weekends, i want to rest naman and i dont want to go shopping along with millions of people who are also doing their shopping on weekends. hahaha. that's the benefit of someone who has more control of her time. :)

And of course, my new venture and a dream finally come true...wedding coordination! Actually, i'am in two groups right now. The first one is with my college friends and we're doing my barkada's wedding on january 7. The other one naman is with a close friend of mine and my first wedding with their team was yesterday. I had so much fun! And by fun means feet sored and veins popping out fun but wedding bliss fun kind of thing. Ewan ko ba?! sabi nga nila after three or four weddings, di na ganito to. hahaha. pero i always get emotional on bridal marches. di ko nga kilala yung client, naiiyak ako e. hahaha.

oh well, more stories soon. sorry, installment muna.

Education

Education has always been a priority to our family. We are not all required to get into the honor roll when we were students but it will always make our parents proud if we excel in our studies.

And now that I'm a mother, I wanted simone to get the best education we can offer for her. And I saw a private student loan in the internet but i think investing on an educational plan is a more practical way to do it or might as well invest on bonds and other money-making plans right now.

We might not give her wealth, but at least her education will bring her to a variety of opportunities.

The one with the birthday preps again

I'm officially back with preparing for Simone's birthday. Just as i thought, my world literally stopped for baby justin and christmas rush. haha. nonetheless, here are pictures of the venue we are getting for her birthday.


with drapes and all, nice diba?!


Blue Wave Activity Center, Marikina city.


sample caterer set-up of Gerry's grill

pictures were taken from the birthday party of roden's baby, kaye. they got gerry's grill as caterer, we're getting super bowl for simone's party instead. :) i instantly fell in love with the drapes and thought that disneyland will fit with the place. id just have to rent out table cloths, runners and cover for chairs to make it more elegant. i'm so excited to be back on preparing for her birthday esp. now that souvenirs for loot bags are everywhere, love to shop for it! hahaha.

so far, here are my accomplishments:

theme: disneyland (thanks jody for the inspiration!)
cake: emily uy
photo: edwin beger
video: jill ramos or lanlan navarro (both great friends and good video people)

that's it muna. more updates soon!

Parties

My sister in law told me that the theme of their christmas party this year is all about vegas. of course, it calls for glamorous, elegant and fabulous designs since vegas is a place of the elites and the socialites (casino-wise). And as she was telling more stories about the party and how successful it was, i just can't help but feel that a nice stay at a Las Vegas hotel would of course tell me what it will actually feel to stay there and how to rub elbows with people who make it on the society world.

Of course, I'm not really dreaming it would happen someday but it's a nice thought to start with.

The one with suddenly

Suddenly, i felt like these pictures made my baby look she's not a baby anymore. haayy... ang bilis-bilis tlaga ng panahon.


diba, parang dalawang dalaga lang kme?!


coffee date with daddy at UCC


wearing at the Podium

Insured

Growing up. i never appreciated insurances simply because im not the kind who gets sick, my mom and dad before had company benefits which shouldered our medical needs. but when i got married and it's my own family we're talking about, you'd really make sure that you have everything covered including insurances. I got life insurance quotes from my mom and my dad-in-law and also got pension plans. We're still contemplating on what to get, but we're sure we're getting something for simone's future.

The one with welcome home

Justin came home from the hospital exactly a week after he was born. and here are some pictures of our mini-welcome home party. we had party hats, a couple of balloons, a cake, buffalo wings and pasta! hehe.

Projects

Christmas season has always been a busy time of the year for me. And as restless as I'am, I'm up for a research project that includes a business performance management review of the industry. I'm not disclosing the subject of the research but I'm just happy that we are almost done with the research and that I'm sure we can submit them before the due date. I'm assigned to do all the marketing analysis and strategies while my other groupmates help me with it along some data gathering as part of the project.

I really hope our clients will be satisfied with our report.

The one with the little boy

Justin Daniel, my pamangkin, is growing up so fast. He sleeps most of the time because of his medication, but when he's awake, he is so mabait and he just stares at everyone around him. we really feel that he is a hearththrob in the making. hahaha. and his mom is just as strict that she imagines not letting justin dates other girls except for her. hahaha.

i know i left you hanging with my previous post about justin but the family decides not to file any complaint anymore. what's more important is the baby is well and that everything will be okay now. more stories soon!

Movies

Simon and I have always been movie addicts. When we were going out, movie houses are always in our itinerary. Now that we're married, we stay at home, buy DVDs and watch them until we doze off to sleep. And part of our couch potato treats are comfort foods. I'd always wish there are popcorn machines that you can buy at a cheap price so we can easily make them whenever we want to and eat as much as we want to.

The one with panic shopping

Every year, I always tell myself that I'd do my christmas shopping early so i don't have to do panic buying. and every year i always end up being in a hurry to buy gifts for godkids, families and friends. haaay! i went to richwell today and bought a lot of toys for our inaanaks. hopefully, tapos na yun. para friends and families naman. ordering stuff from my sis in law and some items that im selling come in handy rin naman for other gifts. haha.

On computers

We have to redo our computer set-up last week since our new househelp arrived already and she sleeps early. we had to buy a used cisco router just so we can re-channel our cables and switches to accommodate use of internet even on late hours. we are pretty much heavy internet users and we are always up even at the wee hours surfing and maximizing our monthly fee for it. and i think it was very much useful since spending for it took us a lesser cost compared to buying a new one.

The one with Justin Daniel

Let me share to you our story on my SIL's baby Justin Daniel and God's power.

Last December 3 at around 2am, my SIL jane called me up and told me she had a pink discharge. I told her to call her OB and told her to go to the hospital already. After a few hours, doctor asked them to go home again...it was a false alarm. We headed to our original plans come morning and decided to have a quick lunch before we go to places and let her walk so baby Justin would come down. While having lunch, she's been having contractions with 5 minutes apart. We then rushed to the hospital already together with my baby Simone, and my other SIL jenny. we found out that she's 4cm already. When we got her clothes in the pre-labor room, we bid goodbye and i let simone touch her belly to say bye to Justin. hehe.

Jenny and I got them a room, and waited for hours. Oliver came at around 5pm and Simon at around 8pm. we stayed in the room and at around 1145pm, the doctor told us to go to the delivery room already. We were all excited to see baby Justin. at past 12mn, Justin has'nt arrived yet so we knew Popsy Tony and Justin won't be celebrating the same birthdays. At 1240 am, the OB talked to Oliver and said that Justin had to be revived. His heartbeat was 30 compared to 120/min. He did'nt cry also. Upon hearing that, our world suddenly stopped turning. We felt our hearts tugged and broken into pieces. We immediately prayed until we felt ourselves crying and asking God to heal Justin and work in his little life. We prayed and prayed and did'nt stop until we know that he is okay. Jane, on the other hand, is in the Recovery room already...clueless of what has happened. After an hour, the pedia talked to Oliver and said that there would be tests to do on Justin so they'd find out what's wrong with him and what really happened. His hemoglobin dropped from 150 to 90 and pedia is wondering where the lost blood is. He is in respirator and could not breathe on his own. After a day, he had seizures and doctors are doing some tests to find out about it.

The following day, Justin Daniel had progress, and the day after that. He is slowly being removed from his respirator and just today, he is not in his incubator anymore. He only had a light on him and no respirator at all. He is a strong baby and we have a good God.

More stories to come. We love you baby Justin Daniel and we are excited to see you on Monday!

Justin Daniel Tan Maano
Born: December 4, 2007
Weight: 7 lbs.

Accessories

I love costume jewelry since I started collecting them back in college. And when I was preparing for our wedding, i started to make some to sell to my friends and officemates. I'd make some pieces as soon as i come home from work and sell them once i finish a dozen pieces. I love beads and stones. And i really think it made me more creative since it became my outlet from stress of work. It gave me more room to express myself and I hope to develop it more specially if i want to take some lessons in bead-making.

The one with tagged by pheng

Thanks pheng for the tag! sarap mag bloghop!


Limadang.com
RamblingMoo.com
blogginginmypyjamas
StylewithPassion
Chinneeq
Dora-zooropazoo
Babyshern
HiPnCooLMoMMa
Rachel’s Soulful Thoughts
When Silence Speaks
My Love. My life. My everything.
Our Journey as a Family
Mother’s Horizon
Momma Stuff
We are Family
Our Journey to Life
In This Game of Life
Life. Love. Family. Work. Travel.
We are Family

nice! i'll tag mai ni paul and jacq ni bong!

New sheets

I can feel Christmas air already and I'm so giddily excited about it. Have'nt started to christmas shop "officially" but no worries, I can squeeze it in my time while doing other income-generating activities. haha.

Anyway, back to the Christmas feel. It started to get really cold specially last saturday and it was the perfect time to use the new comforter my mom gave us. The simple white color matches our contemporary bedroom furniture, and although it did'nt come in a set, it's still so comfortable.

The one with six?!

It was sudden but I felt like we were just both waiting for the "right" time. After nine months, i'd have to let go of our yaya. Well, I wont go into details anymore but we need one soon! Well, simone is an easy baby naman and since she's nine months old already, taking care of her is pretty much easier now compared when she was younger and more fragile. haha.

So, if you know anyone who can work for us, please let me know.

Okay, more of Simone now...would you believe she has six teeth already?! as in! in a matter of a month, she has grown 6 teeth already. 4 have torn the gums already and two are on its process. man! ang bilis naman ata ngayon. haha. we think that's the reason why she had a slight fever the other day, more of dental reasons and not her allergic rhinitis. (i hope)

Here are some of her developments now.
1. She's 31 inches already and 8.9 kilos! man, my back is killing me already. hehe.
2. She loves Barney, we watch it everyday and she really watches everytime i play the video. as in she smiles and laughs when she sees barney and when she hears the wrap-up theme song, she really smiles as if wanting to sing with barney.
3. She adores Jollibee! She first recognized Jollibee when she was just 8 months. at such a young age, i cannot recall any other babies who are like that and of course im proud of my baby but at the same time im amaze of how jollibee can really attract kids and even babies! How a big red smiling bee can light up a child's face. and whenever we pass by any jollibee branch, we'd have to stop and look at jollibee and hold its hand as if shaking its hand. my goodness, jollibee is like a shrine to kids! there was never a time that we did'nt have other kids waiting for us to be finished with our jollibee visit so they could hold its hand and have a picture taken. grabe! i'am sooo amazed. one of the best marketing strategies i know!
4. She does the bye-bye, clapping, (8 mos) and make faces to people and imitate other people's facial actions. :)
5. She's less "nangingilala" now
6. She sits up with very minimal support. when sitting with back supported like on a sofa, effortless yun.
7. She stands straight with our hands on her underarms
8. She walks really fast when "ginagabay" and faster when in her walker.
9. She recognizes an airplane and knows where to look for it, and also a bird.
10. Sometimes in the morning, as soon as she wakes up, we can hear her babbling or should i say trying to sing. may tono kasi e. kakatuwa.
11. She still loves to go out, be it in a mall, in front of the house, or kahit saan. she's super gala!
12. We both love baby sling wearing! i now wear her with a hip carry. katuwa. i still get different reactions from strangers but i'm used to it. :)
13. Of course, she still loves the camera
14. She now knows how to pick her nose! eewww!
15. She gets irritated when her hair gets messed up by wind esp. when she's sleepy na.

oh well, so much for my baby's developments! looking forward to more days with you simone! we love you!

Surveys

I'm currently doing a market research now on fragrance preferences of women, specially those ranging from 20 to 35 years old. With my business partners, I have met with them a couple of times already when they proposed the said concept to me. I was caught with excitement and interest on it since the concept was really unique and with great potential. And we are now conducting surveys to make sure that we are on the right track.

The one with on fire

I'm on my blogging fire tonight! I was able to tuck simone to sleep early so I had more time to do some blogging. hehehe. so wazzup?! today was supposed to be our first day at our bangkok trip but since we're pretty much busy (please remind me again never to book on nearing holiday dates) we decided to rebook our much-awaited trip on february next year, after simone's first birthday. we thought it was a better schedule since it's kinda celebrating our 10th anniversary as a couple (from bf-gf time) and simone just turned one by then. :)

So, speaking of simone turning one, I have yet to really decide on the venue. my goodness, i have already booked a photographer and her cake, but we still don't have a venue for her birthday. so please help me on this one...here are my choices

1. CVJ clubhouse
Pros: people we've invited to her dedication already knew the place so finding it may not be an issue anymore; love the ballroom. it's perfect for her theme; i can get tiffany chairs if there are no other functions on the day.

Cons: it's on the 3rd floor; menu starts at 330/head which is a little pricey; i get the "wala na bang iba feeling?" hahaha. here's a pic


nice diba?!

2. North greenhills
Pros: actually, not really sure if this is the one near robinson's galleria, but just the same i'll check it out next week. 5k only, same price as that of cvj; location is more accessible to guests.

Cons: hmm, have'nt seen it yet so no comment muna.

3. Valle verde clubhouses
Pros: location
Cons: hmm, pricey! need for sponsors and bad trip!

4. St. Ignatius clubhouse
Pros: 4k for residents, and 5k for non-residents; no need for sponsors; ganda entrance; nice and spatious
Cons: mejo kakaligaw yung one-way ng subdivision; hmm, poor lighting (white lights lang) although dali lang naman ayusin yun.

i've pencil booked st. ignatius and cvj already so i have to decide next week before they cancel my pencil booking. so there, and let the venue hunt begins!

The one with moments with daddy

As the old saying goes, "if you can't beat them (her), join them (her)!"


love seeing them together, it's like simone is a mini-me but a little Simon at the same time.

The one with Ronald

Her first birthday party was a Mc Donald party of Theone (arianne and art's bunso) at Makati Cinema square. she had fun although since the party was at 6pm and we were late, she was sleep on the latter part of the program.


enjoying the party with daddy!


my UST friends


before we even say goodbye to Ronald...picture muna!

The one with celebrating 9 months

Yes, I've carried her for a little more than nine months and after nine months since she came to our lives, here she is now, more than what we hoped and prayed for.


At Max's, she has learned her "bye-bye" sign already. cuteness!


feeling comfy on her high chair


candid shot i got from them...well, since my baby is a photo addict, she still looked. haha.


"me, a princess?!?!?!" bought wands and crowns at richwell sale, i can use them for simone's bday and now she's practicing. although forgive her not so smiling attitude, she just came from colds and slight fever.

love you Francesca Simone!

The one with SM Taytay

Went to the new mall last Nov. 18 (sunday) ng mabinyagan naman ang bagong mall ng rizal. hahaha. in fairness, i love the interior and the stores. very sosyal. it consists of two buildings, one for the stores and the other one for cinema and other recreation thingy. it was another gimmick night for simone since we just came to the mall so simon can at least say he had a weekend to spend since he was so busy he can't even enjoy his weekends with us.


christmas colors pala kme with baby on my sling...really love it!


mommy and baby moment...at the department store. hahaha.


"pa-order!" while waiting for our order at pizza hut

Computer intruder

I was shocked to find early this week that my ads in the site had adult photos which were not supposed to be posted at all. I was supposed to cancel the ads and erase it from my blog but it was gone the following day. I wish I had a popup blocker that could easily detect any spam or destroy pop-up advertising that are not needed at all.

The one with fruits of my labor

Eight pounds...the fruits of my labor, the gain of my pain! hahaha. I weighed in the other night and found out that I already shed 8 lbs in a month. Not bad! I was scared to even try to weigh coz I might be disappointed of finding out if I did'nt lose a pound. Good thing, I lost naman kahit papano. And I'm back with eating veggies which hopefully would make me do it for two more months.

~0~
Simone is 9 months already! She had her regular check-up last Nov. 21 and had her measles shot. She has three teeth already with one more coming out. She can do her "bye-bye" sign already which we confuse with her "close-open" sign. haha. she makes faces and she adores Jollibee so much, and Barney also.

To celebrate, we went to eat out at Max's and she had her first Starbucks experience when I met up with my former officemates. haha. cute baby! laboy talaga!

Of course, the traditional cake will never be forgotten. although a little late this time since we joined it with our monthsary, she still had her cake. we had a Dexter's chocolate chip cake which was not that good by the way. haha.

~0~
I love surprises...and Simon knows this. Last night, he surprised me with this...


Proteus Cycle Magnetic Bike (he got the silver one for me)

I'm sooo touched! see, I'm really trying to be serious on this trimming down and he's very supportive to buy me this! super shocked talaga ako. actually, he claims that this is my monthsary/christmas/new year gift already. hahaha. he told me he was supposed to enroll me in a gym but he hesitated since he knew that I might not have enough "push" to go to the gym regularly. hehe. love you beh and thanks!

~0~
Simone had a return of the comeback allergic rhinitis the other day. huhuhu. and a slight fever came along with it last night. For two nights, I had half-wide awake sleeps since simone was kinda clingy and needy when she's sleeping. now, she's more okay. she has less colds, and no fever already. thank God.

Concert tickets

We love watching concerts and it's too bad we missed the Beyonce concert since we were'nt able to plan it very well. See, we've spent already for our much-awaited Bangkok trip and we hope we'd be able to fly this month, but since our schedules would'nt allow it, we'd have to rebook it and it means additional charges. Not seeing Beyonce was the same feeling we had when we were'nt able to get Hannah Montana tickets. Oh well, I'm sure there'll be a next time for everything.

The one with the Rule of 8

Thanks Maybelle for the tag! napaisip tuloy ako ng random facts about myself. haha.

THE RULES

* write 8 facts about yourself

* in the 8 facts, you share 8 things that your readers don't know about you. at the end, you tag as much other bloggers to keep the fun going. each blogger must post these rules first

* each blogger starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves

* at the end of the post, a blogger needs to choose as much people to get tagged and list their names.

* don't forget to leave them a comment telling them that they're tagged and to read your blog

8 random facts about jacque:

1. I have a complete collection of FRIENDS VCD. I love it so much that I still watch it everyday, to the point that I already know the script. The addiction that comes along with it is a purchase of a collector's item of Friends book. haha. That is why all my posts start with "The one with..."

2. I'am into dieting now. It's one month already and 90% of what I eat compose of vegetables and fruits. I really need to trim down. It's a surprise that I was able to go thry the 21-day formation of habit that they say. But sadly, I'm starting to get bored with eating just salad. hehe. need my support system!

3. I'm a BS Psych graduate but working background is purely in Marketing. did'nt even get a chance to practice Psychology.

4. I never thought I'd resign from a fulfilling work to be with my baby more. And I never regret my decision. It's one of the best decisions I've made. Although, honestly, I don't know if this is permanent. As of now, we're looking at this set-up until Simone is a year old.

5. If I have the money, I'd love to travel and explore other countries.

6. I love cheesecakes!!! Always a fan!

7. I'm a lefty at handwriting but was right-handed when I was five years old. My aunt taught me to write on my left and I loved it more. haha.

8. I was elected Muse when I was in Grade 5 and my competitor was no less than Ara Mina who was Hazel Reyes then. hahaha. Im not pretty but you know how it is when you were younger when everything is barkada system so since i've lot of friends...I won! hahaha.

there, im tagging pinky, and jacq!

Online shopping

Been contemplating for a while whether to do some online shopping for some of our christmast gifts or not. Some of the items are just so hard to resist since they are all discounted at very nice rates. And now that I can't easily go out since I'm always with my baby, I find it more practical to do some of this online.

I'm thinking of getting gap coupons for our dads. At least, they'll be the one to check which ones will fit. For our mommies, was thinking of giving them old navy coupons since they've recently launched nice mommy shirts that will go well with them

I'll think of the other items next. In the meantime, I might have to purchase this already.

Enjoying her ride

I just have to post this coz she really looks nice in her walker. she loves it so much, she walks fast already. and we can easily put her there while we do some household chores. here are some cutie pics! pardon her hairdo, she just got out of the bed there.




showing off her "just came out tooth"


"mommy, this is my mataray look!"

Specific budget

Just when we have started planning this birthday, Simon already gave me a very specific budget for the special occasion. I need to make it feasible. Even when we were preparing for our wedding, I never used the word tight budget. It's always specific or practical. It's because I know we are blessed to be able to celebrate her birthday with needed resources, we just have to practically allot something that will not make it look like it's her debut already. hahaha. so, there, a simple birthday will do.

so, simon opened a checking account where we can put our savings for Simone's birthday and just issue checks when we pay suppliers. That way, I don't have carry cash all the time and be tempted to buy unnecessary items for her. haha. typical me.

The one with here we go again

And so the birthday preparations has started. I've met with Emily last Thursday to discuss Simone's cake. We got excited. This time we'll do cupcakes with different princess-themed designs. We'll have cupcakes with shoes, gowns, disney princesses, and castles as designs. I asked her to use solid colors, the darker ones and not the babyish kind. hehe. i want it to be really colorful and use the colors of the disney princesses gowns. :) sooo excited. she asked me about the venue...i had nothing to answer. hahaha. i think at the back of my mind, i have CVJ to book just in case I dont find something i like (read: budget)

~0~
As part of my surfing for simone's birthday needs, I found these nice-to-haves items for her birthday, which I hope to find in Divi when i go shopping. :)


cake plates..nice noh?!


mylar balloons which im sure id have to order somewhere.


love this! im sure I can DIY this. :)


loot chests??? whoa!

there, more ideas to come. oh i really hope i'd get to do some of these. hehe. but first, i gave myself next week to book the venue so we can start working on the invitations already. DIY syempre! :)

all for you baby...

Information overload

I could'nt believe it that my 1G external hard drive was already full. I was in a meeting last monday and was supposed to transfer a file for our reference. Was surprised to see that she can't save it to my drive since no space is available. It's either 1G is just a small memory already or we really have a lot of files. Aside from that, Simon has one too with 50G memory. I might just transfer some of my files to his.

With all the projects we have at hand, I need this all the time.

The one with Aliya's dedication

Last saturday, Nov. 10 was Simone's first time to attend a dedication and our first time to host one. haha. caught there by surprise but all for Aliya, it was nothing. We usually host weddings or church events, but first time for a child dedication. Welcome to the christian world aliya!


Cora neighbors, Unit J before, Unit A, and Unit C!


the Lam sisters...pati si belle may baby na rin?! ang laki agad!


Pastor Ed Bacani officiating the ceremony

Office room

We had to declutter the other room to give room for our computer set-up and Simon's keyboard set-up, so when we had to do rush projects, we can work simultaneously and not wait for each other's turn. So what we did was bought an HDMI splitter so we can connect both out cables there and be able to work together. It was pretty pricey but we thought it was the only practical thing to do, and we're right.

The one with Lan-Lan's wedding

Last sunday, Nov. 11 was the wedding of a good friend Lan-lan. See, he's been a close friend since we were teens and specially with the Tans, he's more like an adopted son to them. So seeing him marrying last sunday was pretty emotional for all of us. We were happy that he's settling down to a lady whom he's been with for a long time already. And I got emotional coz when I looked at him that day, he was really tense and nervous. But when he saw his bride, it's as i f everything was okay already, like he was waiting for her to come and be by his side. It was precious, i could'nt help it. Jasper, the bride, is a dear friend too. One thing I love about weddings is how the couple, amidst the program and the guests around them, can act as if they're the only two people in the world. they don't really care nor worry, just to be with each other is the only thing they wanted. haayy... here are a couple of pictures.


The whole Tan family


nakalimutan kong mag-inhale dito ha. hahaha

The one with the same gown???

Hahaha...I just have to post about this since this is my first time to wear an entourage gown twice. First time when I was 6.5months pregnant and second was just last sunday. Thanks to my ever-reliable MIL, she had to redo the gown and alter it twice to fit my size. naks! feeling payat na. haha.


first time to wear the gown..grabe, soo preggy!


siguro naman may difference noh?! hahaha. kasi kung wala, im gonna die! drama!

The one with a tag

This one came from Rhea. thanks rhea, nakalikot ko rin wallet ko and realized how much trash i have inside it. hahaha.


A worn out Mango wallet i bought from my friend


some of the pics inside and a Starbucks planner promo

What's inside:
Cards (for security purposes, didnt post it na lang..hehe, feeling!)
~ Old and new company IDs, ATM card, 2 credit cards (1 active and 1 display purpose lang), driver's license, Shell fleet card, Insurance card of me and Simon's, SM Advantage card, Laking National Card, Sta. Lucia Discount Card, RCBC promo card
~ lots and lots of receipts
~ lots of calling cards from clients
~ Starbucks promo card for planner 2008
~ Bank transaction slips
~ NBI clearance receipts

literally no cash inside...hahaha...just coins! Alms, alms, alms, spare me a piece of bread... bwahaha

It's your turn hot mommas, I'm tagging Lea, Mec, and Cathy.

Christmas feel

Since it's starting to get colder now and we can enjoy longer nights, I decided to check out some clothes for the season. I went to my haven clothes shop so we can have nice outfits for Christmas. I saw this nice North Face jacket and thought of buying it for Simon. It's a good buy since it's almost 80% off from the prices you see at their shops, although I did'nt buy it since the material is really thick and best only for really winter places.

Might try again on other shops this weekend. Happy christmas shopping!

The one with two front teeth

Took this pic just this morning. Her two front teeth are really out and her upper incising tooth is also coming out...all at the same time! whoa! and I'm proud of my baby coz she did'nt get sick. She got a little cranky specially when her gums are really swollen but only when she's sleeping did she get cranky. When she's up, she does'nt care at all. haha.


Congrats Simone!

The one with almost a month now

I'm on my third week of eating just leaves. hahaha. but i'm so happy people are noticing the results. i have'nt checked my scale yet, but just the same i can feel that i lost weight. Bulges at my back kinda thinned, I have more waist now and I feel like my face got a little smaller. When my friends whom i have'nt seen for a while finally see me, they noticed that I'm back to my pre-preg weight daw and that no one will ever think that I have a daughter. naks! how i wish di lang sila mangungutang sa ken at totoo lahat yun. hahaha.

But whether true or not, I'm just happy that I've accomplished something great. Being able to discipline myself for almost a month is something Im proud of. I really like to eat but now, I'm really decided to get serious with slimming down. haha. so for those interested to know my regimen, here it is.

Breakfast:
1 hard-boiled egg
salad all you want (lettuce, cucumber, grated carrots, lots of cheese, kernel corn and caesar dressing)
*if you dont have hard-boiled egg, you can try bread or crackers.
coffee

Lunch:
Cereal
Salad

Dinner
Salad

yes...walang kamatayang salad it is. haha. but if i'm really getting bored with what i eat, i just drink iced tea or eat something else...except for rice or anything sweet. no junk food, iced tea na ang pinaka-sweet ko.

Every Sunday...it's my rest day. i can eat anything i want as much as i want to. but apparently, i dont eat much pa rin, tama lang. but if i want ice cream or cake, this is the best time to indulge. hehe.

i'm not saying that im slim na ha, i just lost weight and maybe you might want to try it. :)

The one with panic mode

It's only four months until Simone's first birthday and I'm kinda in a panic mode already...but still manageable. Simon and I have decided to work on a Disney Princesses theme so we'd easily get the paraphernalia we need, we can use a lot of elements like cinderella, snow white, ariel and more. I got pretty much excited when we came up with the theme. I was choosing between that and Sesame Street actually but we love the Disney princess more. (although i love elmo!)

Anyway, so far, here are what's on my mind. With a very, very limited budget, I hope i can execute everything according to plan.
~ I was thinking of having a crown-shaped invitation or a wand-shaped one with fur on its sides. The front part will show the details and map at the back. OR I can also do a scroll-type invite but I don't think it's fun to do or colorful at least. haha.
~ Was also planning on going to Divi to sort some items for the party.
~ I also dream to have treasured chests for loot bags, instead of the usual bags. or bags shaped like chests. haha. my goodness, how will i be able to do all these?
~ Then, I like every table to be thematic, more like Cinderella table with bits and pieces of the elements (shoes, pumpkin, prince, etc) or Ariel table (little mermaid theme)
~ OR have corresponding areas for every disney princess. But I dont think I can do this. haha.
~ Cake of course will be done by emily uy.
~ i like drapes, red carpet, and crowns for the kids
~ i like them to do their own crowns, for the craft part. and they'd get to wear it during picture-taking or the whole event if they want to
~ theme songs of disney princesses "Someday my prince will come", "A whole new world", "Part of your world", etc. with some parts where simon will mix simone's babbling with it, as if she's singing the song. (just like the music mix he did. haha)
~ motiff, pink and purple is nice. :) but it's not yet final. parang dull tingnan e.

Oh well, so much so for my dream birthday party. But I hope I'd get to execute some of it. Wish me luck!

The one with leggings

She's a big girl na...this outfit was given to her by her grannies, momsy and popsy. haha. the blouse is soo nice with all the bling-blings on it and they bought her a nice pair of leggings (which is a little big pa but nice) and i matched it with her clear kikay sandals (which i've been wishing there's one my size)


"don't you wish you had the same sandals as well?!" soo nice!


nakabakat ang diaper, hehe. love her smiles!


i hope she got my feet...

~o~
Simone at her 8 months has been pretty amazing. To keep myself on-track, here are some of her developments:
~ Two weeks ago, she learned to clap! so cute! grabe! at first, she does'nt get to meet her hands at times but she knows the concept already. she claps when she's happy and when we show her to do so. But sometimes, she does'nt clap even if you do it in front of her. she has her own timing. swerte na lang if matyempuhan mo, haha. thus, it was difficult to video it. but i've managed to do one. unfortunately, i cant upload it in my PC. :(
~ i'm assuming she's also getting the baby sign language i've been teaching her. the catch is, im the only one doing it to her so she does'nt know how to sign it yet. It's the sign "more". and im not pressuring her to do it since i know she has a lot to learn pa from her surroundings.
~ She knows Jollibee already! Just the other day, Nov. 6, and she was on her yaya's lap, we stopped at Shell along c5 beside jollibee resto. while gassing up, my yaya and i noticed she was smiling at someone or something. then we looked back and saw the big Jollibee sign! hahaha. it was sooo cool! she giggled and shouted as if excited to see jollibee. We knew she was looking at jollibee coz i tried to drove around and really saw that she was staring at jollibee. haha. i think it's because of the tv ads and when we hear the theme song, we dance around her, so she got to know jollibee early. But she knows ronald as well. :-)
~ Two of our friends already told us that simone has this "nakakaloko smile". more like a "pilya smile".
~ She gets more active as days pass... as in!

Decorations

Just a while ago, I bought some stuff for Simone and just when I was about to pay, I saw a pile of Christmas decors just before the counter and ended up buying some for the house. They are so nice yet cheap.

I bought one silver christmas tree that I can hang on the door, two feather-style silver and white wreath that i can hang on the bedroom doors just beside the wall sconce. I think it will give more warmth in the hallway, better yet a nicer feel of Christmas at home.

I'am really excited for the holidays!

The one with the 22nd month

Last Oct. 22nd, we celebrated our 22nd month! yey, we are so happy that we are nearing our 2nd anniversary and that so much has happened this year. We are blessed with an 8-month old daughter who is now teething so much that she would always, always drool or put things in her mouth. haha. Simon is blessed with a work he loves dearly, we are blessed with a music studio that we've put up with. God is giving us projects for the business. And I'am blessed to be a mother, a wife and a business mom. Everything is good.

We had dinner at Cafe Mediterranean at Robinson's Galleria and we enjoyed the gyro plates we ordered and the salad, yummy! After that, we watched "Apat Dapat" hahaha...i know, but the story is different from other comedy films you've seen and the execution of the cast should really be recognized. they are all good, although you can't really help that filipino comedy films are sometimes corny, if not slapstick.

Happy monthsary Beh!

General cleaning

Yesterday, we had the luxury of time to clean the whole apartment, from our room to the living room. I realized just how much we have of so many things and how little our apartment is that we don't know where to put other things anymore. We don't have a garage but would'nt it be nice to have a garage storage that can accommodate Simon's tools and all other things that are car-related. We only store the tools on boxes and we pile them up and store them on a cabinet. I labeled every box so we'd know where we'd look for whatever we need.

I just wish we have a bigger place...or should I just wish that I can let go of the things that are less valuable anymore so we'd have more space?

The one with missing it?

I happened to browse on Mec's blog regarding her updates on Yakee and all since she's not online that often anymore. And there I read how she had postpartum blues and how she was simply overwhelmed with all the events taking place.

And as i was reading on, I can't help but miss the younger months of Simone, when she used to be just as fragile and as babyish as yakee. She was so clingy to me that I can't even enjoy a nice long bath coz I myself dont want to 'leave' her. haha. true! and when all she can do before was shift her side sleeping position from left to right or barely lift her head.

Somehow I miss those days, I don't miss the sleepless nights but I miss the time that all she does is sleep, feeds from me, sleep again, cry, pee and poo. haha. now, she's still a baby of course. but she's more active now, she tries to tell us what she wants and tries to get the things she likes. She's trying to be more independent now and the endless exploring of things around her is boundless.

Oh well, I may never go back to her younger days but I'am so looking forward to more of her...

Shopping for myself...nah!

Yesterday, we had some time to spare for a little date. It's Simon's parents anniversary and we had our tripping in the afternoon. We left Simone for a while with them so we can buy some things at the mall. When we were about to park, just out of the blue, Simon gave me shopping money! haha, so happy! All for my whatever things I'd like to buy.

But then again, I really can't help but buy baby clothes for Simone...at least two. And buy some things that she needs. Haha. So it ended up with me buying one shirt and the rest for Simone. I don't know if I'm being too 'mommyish' that I always put her first, but I'm happy and I always take care of myself so no worries, I'm still one pretty-looking mom. haha. forgive the boost!

The one with pictures, pictures

I promised to upload some more pics...so here are bits and pieces...


move over Gretchen Barretto... (plains and prints original models)


her first time to sit on her booster chair (we forgot to tie it up on a chair and just laid it down on the floor. haha.)


giddily excited on her glider!


may candid pang nalalaman ha


where i belong...hahaha. bright lights kami lahat. a pic taken from our 22nd monthsary. :)

The one with hunting

As per my previous posts, we are currently sort of hunting for the right property for us. Just maybe, we can afford already to acquire one, we're open for what they can offer. And so, after the endless texts and constant invitation of our realtor, we decided to take a peek on the different properties that we might be interested on. We will go with a tripping tomorrow after church and I hope we'd get some ideas and great deals.

Survey anyone???

If you have the time to spare to answer my Fragrance survey, please do so! haha. I'm doing some marketing consultancy on the side for a group and this survey is a part of the business plan. thanks so much! you can send an email to dec_22_05@yahoo.com or just leave me a note so i can email the survey. It's a one-pager form, so no worries. thanks again!

On investment

Of course, investing on one's future is very important and I'd have to give birth first before I finally saw the importance of investing for your family. Investments comes in many forms and one of these is an insurance. My family works for several companies that caters to insurance and we are thinking what to get for Simone. We were thinking of a life insurance no exam policy but we don't have an idea of how to go about it. We are also thinking of just investing on funds or something that may equal the benefits of an insurance. we'll see. God provides.

The one with the iceberg

And the iceberg has finally come out. haha. her gums were already torn from teething and a whitish thing which of course is her tooth is starting to come out already! We found out last October 19. happy! we were all betting when it will totally come out. Simon bet Oct. 28, I'am for Nov. 5 while her yaya is Nov. 6. haha. She's starting to bite already. haha. and she's not cranky at daytime, only in the evening that she's a little needy. maybe she can feel her gums swollen or something. Go for it baby and congratulations!

~ o ~

When Simone turned 7 months last month, I think she started to show most of her developments at this time and up to now. We are amazed of her developments that I can't seem to track all of them. She now uses her walker which was a gift to her by her grannies (pictures to follow), of course we still "gabay" her as we want her not to get used so much with the walker. She has mastered "appear!" already and Eat Bulaga where she puts her face on a pillow to hide her face and lifts her face up when we say Bulaga! haha. she also now responds to one-task command and recognizes when we say 'no'. she also loooves hair product commercials, haha! (ironic, she does'nt have much hair e) she also responds when we talk to her or when we sing to her, as in sagutan ha. haha. she also responds to both her names, chesca and simone which is nice, at least, whichever people want it, she knows it's her. Simon tested it by calling her pokwang in between chesca and simone and she did'nt respond. haha. She also reaches for things that we hide, she knows where to look for it already.

When we are in front of our mirror (we clipped one picture of me and Simon there), we'd always ask "Where's mommy? Where's daddy?" and she'd instantly looked at the picture. galing!

She can also sit down by herself, although not too long since we don't want to pressure her with doing it. She's more of the standing up and the walking type of baby. She crawls also but she learned the walking and the standing up faster. We still hold her though to support her but people are amazed when they see her walking. too early daw for her age. hehe.

we are so proud of her, she's really growing up really fast. We love you baby!


told you, she can smile like a model!


see??? i can sit down!


balance, balance (forgive the quality of the pics...bad)


"im tired with sitting down...i need to eat...ahhh! my foot!


you like some, mom?


my best trainer...