The one with 14 months

Yup, we still celebrate it. This time, I just bought a chocolate caramel cake from Red Ribbon and cooked all-meat spaghetti for simone, err, simon. haha. he specifically requested that i cook the ala-jollibee pasta that he likes and i'm glad that they all loved it. Here are some pictures



At 14 months, Simone's mini-milestones are the following:
~ she starts to doodle using pentel pens, ballpens, or crayons. She's manifesting signs of being a lefty but still ambidextrous. either way, we're fine with it. i'am a lefty and i'm proud of it. haha.
~ she appreciates coloring even if she just tries to put color on every page and outside the lines and images. haha.
~ she walks with one-hand assistance. she can walk alone for about 10 steps then will sit and then crawl. haha.
~ she has mastered identifying things such as dog, cat, ice cream, jacket, princess, monkey, lion, orange, fish, and many more. so basically, the flash cards and the ABC book are really effective on her.
~ she answers to questions, "sinong maganda?" and taps herself. she still wittily answers her famous "opo" word.
~ she appreciates the routine i've set around the house so she knows when it's nap time, when she'll eat, when she'll go out and stroll, etc.
~ she still wakes up at night, to drink one bottle of milk, from which i dont wait for her to finish it anymore. Or sometimes wakes up to just play...in the middle of the night. haha. talking about changing sleeping pattern huh?
~ she signs "No" when she does'nt want things and throw her arms when she objects on something.
~ she can say "mommy", "dada", "ate", "mawnin" for good morning, "awaw" for dog, "nyeh" for nyeh!, "hedyo" for hello, "hi"
~ she follows commands in phrases like "raise your hands", touch your tummy, etc.
~ she has added her ears and mouth and tummy to parts of her body that she can identify
~ she still throws tantrums once in a while.
~ she still is quiet sometimes in public, the need to develop her social skills.
~ sometimes, she does'nt do the "tricks" that she knows already before other family members and simon and i are left feeling like we're just making everything up. haha.

We love you Francesca Simone!

The one with still clueless

I still don't know what to give Simon for his birthday. Waaah! I have yet to go out tomorrow and check out what I can buy for him. And I still don't have an idea how we'd go about celebrating it. nyahaha, talking about being prepared huh? It's just that we're saving up for a lot of things but I know I have to at least prepare something for him. Maybe a hot lingerie gift will do? hahaha.

Oh and it's my dad's birthday today! we went to my parents' house, had an early dinner. i was so full. The pasta is good, chicken is yummy, ice cream's the best and the cake of course. I felt my ears clapping when my mom told me that she was trying to imitate the pasta i prepared for simone's 14th month birthday. aaawww... she said it was so yummy, she just have to try how to cook it as well. It's music to my ears. hehe, i'm a certified pasta cook! :) my seafood pesto is also to die for, according to my mom-in-law. and may i quote her exact words, "jacque, the pasta is perfect! can you teach jenny (my SIL) how to cook it?" wow, orchestra to my ears. hahaha.

Oh i still don't have anything for simon. haha, please help! ;)

The one with another wish list

Been dying to have a new hairdo for months. I don't want to cut my hair short coz I feel like it does'nt fit me now that I still have a lot to lose, plus wearing my hair up during bad hair days is one of my surviving kits. haha. I want to have it permed but the budget does'nt permit me. I want to have bangs but I'm not sure if i can maintain it, and i have to have it done at a very good salon, lest disaster it will be.

The one with clueless

Four days to go 'til Simon's 28th birthday and I still don't know how we'd celebrate it. Good thing though that it's his rest day from work so we'll definitely have the whole day together. After simone's party, we really decided we won't be throwing or treating families and friends this year since we spent for simone's already. But now that his birthday is nearing, I can feel that he wants to still celebrate it. He keeps on saying that we'll just sleep it off but I know he wants more. haha. we don't celebrate big parties from the start, we're okay with dining out and gifts, but that's the problem....the budget for buying a gift for him. waaah! I'm really confused. A big part of me really wants to buy him one of his wish lists but a part of me tells me not to touch our funds anymore. Forced savings! I'm torn. Birthdays are important to his family, as i've observed it and I just don't want him to give this answer when he's asked how his birthday was: "wala lang, tinulog ko lang" ***sigh***

~0~
On a lighter note, we will be attending Joaquin's party tomorrow and I'm sure it will be a blast! We're just so excited. We're sad we were not able to attend andie's but im sure it was a blast too! happy birthdays to the babies! Tomorrow evening, we'll have dinner at the Fermin's to celebrate my dad's birthday on monday. My elder brother can't make it on monday so we're moving the celebration tomorrow just so we're complete. hehe.

~0~
Simone went to her first summer outing today with the Tan Family. We had it on a private resort in Antipolo. It was super duper fun. Separate post on that and pictures of course.

The one with the husband tag

And because I so love tags, I immediately took this tag from my SIL mercy and answered the questions right away. haha. Thanks sis, i enjoyed it. Beh, hope you're reading this! :)


How long did you date? since 1998, yikes! 10 years already...those were the days...


How old is he? He'll turn 28 in a couple of days!


Who eats more? Meals, he eats more. When it comes to junk food and sweets, I eat more. haha.

Who said “I love you” first? Of course, he did.

Who is taller? Hubby by close to three inches

Who sings better? Nyeh, i don't have to take a debate on that, no contest, he sings way better.

Who is smarter? And I'm pretty sure he won't disagree on this, of course, I'm smarter! It's always the woman who's smarter. nyahaha.

Whose temper is worse? Definitely his, i think it runs in their genes. haha.

Who does the laundry? Our yaya. hehe. but when we did'nt have a househelp, we do the laundry together or we bring our laundry to the laundry wash store together. haha.

Who does the dishes? Me. I love washing dishes.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Fronting the bed, I sleep on the right side, near to the wall. But since we had simone, she sleeps on my side of the bed and I sleep in the middle with simon at the far left, close to the end of the bed. haha.

Who pays the bills? I do but with his money, bwahaha.

Who cooks dinner? I do.

Who drives when you are together? Most of the time, he does but when we're in a hurry, he lets me drive. haha. according to him, i'm a better driver than he is. My man is really adorable! where else can you find a guy who'd admit that?! muah!

Who is more stubborn? hmmm, that's a tough one. I'd want to say he is but I think I'm the more stubborn one. See, I'm stubborn enough not to even accept the fact that i'am.

Who kissed who first? I did, on the right cheek after he gave me a birthday gift.

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? He! I'm just stubborn enough to admit mistakes and even if you tell me what's wrong with me, I have the ability to turn the table on my favor. My husband's the only one who can "control" me and make me admit my mistakes. nyahaha, talking about what they usually say, "nakahanap ka rin ng katapat mo"


Whose parents do you see the most? Hmm, same lang. our parents live near us, easy for them to see us and vice versa.


Who proposed? He did! Dec. 25, 2004 at Eastwood, libis. i never thought he'd do it because he was anti-proposal kind of guy. I don't know what made him do it since i did'nt even give him a hint or so. haha, God works in wonderful ways! It was a simple but very meaningful night. :) heck, his proposal even made it to a book published last year. hehe.

Who is more sensitive? I'd have to say I'am. naks.

Who has more friends? Before it used to be me, but we ended up having the same sets of friends. He became a barkada to my barkadas and vice versa :)

Who has more siblings? He does.

Who wears the pants in the family? He does. He earns more, family decisions are done together but we see to it that when it comes to disciplining our child, he should take control. I like how they were raised, the typical paternal family type. :)

Wow, I enjoyed this. Go make your husbands proud mga sisses Mec, Mai, Wella, and Joanne.

The one with the kind of blogger i'am

You Are a Life Blogger!

Your blog is the story of your life - a living diary. If it happens, you blog it. And make it as entertaining as possible.

What Kind of Blogger Are You?

Got this from Mai, thanks sis! Yes, I'm a life blogger. The intention of wanting to have an online journal (since I'm not good with keeping an actual diary notebook thing), i find blogging my way of life. Somehow, I felt like I can connect with others by simply sharing what I go through in life and I hope that in one way or another, I get to inspire someone. :) When I blog, I just think out loud and write about it, the reason for some typo errors or mishaps here and there, haha. I really don't review my entries, I just write and write...Anyway, that's why it's called blogging...i don't see the point if you don't write the way you talk and you use words that can only be understood by Webster or Merriam. nyahaha. Or the super structured type that i feel like im reading an encyclopedia. hahaha, see?! i'm thinking out loud. well, it's just my opinion. (actually, more like sour-graping defense mechanism because i'm not that good of a writer. bwahaha)

The one with a movie rating and not

After such a long time, I have'nt gone to a moviehouse again. So what better way to celebrate our monthsary but with a much-awaited film by two of our most favorite martial arts actors con comedians. haha. I sooo love Jet Li and Jacky Chan!

~ I love how their roles are equally divided in terms of exposure, martial arts scenes and casting. I never felt like Jet Li's role is more important that Jacky's. Producer and writer were good.

~ I love the fighting scene of the two actors! Man, i think it was a 10-minute scene and i reminisced the Drunken Master days while watching Jacky Chan's moves. He was so good.

~ I also love the fighting scene with the white-haired b/witch. The fight against an all-white orchid background was just amazing. Love how the contrast of bloom and war was depicted.

~ I love the american guy whom i forgot the name of. haha. He reminds me of Karate Kid.

~ I also love the sparrow girl. reminds me of kim chiu (tama ba spelling?). haha.

All in all, it was a great film. will definitely include it in our collection! (original ha, not pirated! haha)

~0~

~ I have lots of "to do" things lined up today but before I leave the house, my SIL asked me to edit her multiply site. So for your sweet bite needs, please check her site! Yeah, this is a shameless plug again. haha.

~ Surprisingly, I've already packed our things for the family outing. Excited eeh?? actually, it's more of an unpacked baggage from the galera trip that was shortened. haha. i did'nt put back the boardshorts and other swimwears that were not used during the galera trip, so I'll just have to pack for simone's things later.

~ I received a text message from the online job I applied for a couple of days ago. I was'nt able to call back and will try to call today. I'll let you know how it goes, I'm not disclosing it just yet since it's not yet final but I hope I'd get it. It's a different online job and I'm kinda excited about. :)

The one with breaking up

When I opened my yahoo account, found this really interesting. Might want to take the survey as well...hehe. Those were the days...bwahaha. at least now, I don't have to think of this. :)

The one with forever moms

My mom and Simone at the hospital (o diba, naka-headband pa?!haha)

I just have to give credits to our moms who have been so supportive and helpful during our kabangagan last week. My mom who has helped me attend to simone. She visited us everyday, staying at the hospital almost the whole day. She said she cannot stand staying at home, she wanted to be with simone always. My mom in law who went to the hospital last sunday and called practically everyday to check on simone and would text me every now and then to get updates. We're blessed to have moms who are "forever moms", from which they still treat their apos as if their own. The care and the love is just so overwhelming. I guess you can't take it out of any mom. Once you're a mother, you will always have the instinct to take care of people and of things, make sure that everything is okay and that everyone is good.

Kudos to forever moms!

Oh and Happy monthsary beh! love you! excited nako sa date natin tomorrow! yahoo, day off! haha.

The one with this and that

This post is just a rundown of what sorts...

~ Yesterday was Simone's 14th month birthday! Yey! I cooked my ever all-meat spaghetti as requested by simon and bought an ice cream and a small choco cake at Red Ribbon. Usually, Simone's bedtime is at 8pm but last night, but last night, she really waited for her dad to come home before she slept. Luckily, was able to take some shots of them. cuteness! will upload soon. haha.

~ After a week from the hospital, today is her first time to play at her playroom again. She was so happy!

~ I notice Simone is fond of books which makes me a proud mom! When her toys and books are laid before her, she gets her books first before anything else. She turns the pages and points at things that she can identify. cute!

~ Yesterday, I had to go to the mall to run errands and pay our life insurance quotes at the bank. I did'nt have a car since Simon used it to work and although the SM mall is just a walking distance from our village, I still rode a jeepney. After I hopped in and paid, five seconds late and i wailed stop already. The other passengers were looking at me, as if judging me and giving me the "can't you walk?!" look. haha. don't blame me, i was carrying two bags for goodness' sake. hahaha. But i still felt a little guilty specially that the TV ads are telling me to walk in order to help prevent global warming. haha, the conscientious in me.

~ In one of my egroups, a popular topic thread that I got interested in is the Waldorf education. I know our godparents (Ninong Super and Ninang Tetess) are using that method on their child and it seems to be effective. I don't know if we can do it since we are TV addicts but the method is really interesting. And it's really a child-curriculum based method. they teach through music (which is very important to us), crafts and arts (which is very important to me), and movements. Have to research more about it though and the discipline i'm sure will not stop at the child but will be extended to the parents more. hmmm,

~ This weekend is our family outing at Antipolo and we're excited. On sunday, we will attend Joaquin's birthday bash! Too bad, I really think we won't be able to attend Andie's party on saturday but at least we'll see each other on joaquin's. Yey!

~ One more thing I'm looking forward to our family photo session next month with Nap. i texted Rhea and asked her if they can quote a photo session for us as a family. Venue is at UP diliman. They gave it for free, we'll just take them out at Chocolate Kiss after! Yahoo! Super looking forward to it. Come to think of it, we don't have decent family pictures. Paging hubby, please buy me a DSLR already. hahaha. I've been taking a lot of pictures lately to prove to him that I need a more decent camera soon and that I deserve one. He just smiled and said, "I'll save up for it." Remember the wish list I did months back, I really hope I can enroll myself to a photography lesson (anyone who's willing to train me? for free? bwahaha) but how can i do so if i don't have a nice camera to practice with?! i hope my hubby's reading this now. nyahaha. too much for dreams...

Oh well, that's just about it. will give more updates soon. tata!

The one with tagged by Abi

I got two tags from Abi (so loving these stuffs!) and here's the first one.

Rule of Fours

4 jobs i have had:
Recruitment Staff at Andersen Consulting, Inc. (2 months)
Customer Relations Staff at Univet
Executive Assistant / Brand Assistant at Univet
Brand Associate at Univet

4 movies i watched over and over:
Never Been Kissed
Notting Hill
Spider-Man (because of my hubby)
Friends (can we consider this?)

4 places i have lived: (haha, can't live beyond my comfort zone)
Pasig city
Cainta, Rizal
Taytay, Rizal

4 shows i watch:
24
Heroes
Forensic Files
American Idol (nyehehe)

4 people who email me:
N@w
my college friends
simon
lina from jobstreet (haha)

4 favorite things to eat:
Chickenjoy!!!
Pizza
Spaghetti
Ice cream

4 places i would rather be:
hmmm, anywhere basta with family

4 things i look forward to this year:
be able to look for a house that we could call ours!
growing business for our studio and start my own business!
simone to finally walk on her own!
lose weight! (bwahaha)

And now I'm tagging Rhea, Con, Pinky, and Sheryll. Enjoy!

The one with safety first

Now that I have "more" time to blog and think of what transpired over the past few days, Simon and I could'nt help but laugh that we actually rode a banca just to go home faster. Actually, the laughter meant scared at the time we were actually on a banca. I mean, I know it's safe because most of the residents use that as their means of transportation but you can never rule out the possibility of you know what i mean. There's just got to be a way that we can secure a travel insurance for all of us. hahaha. I'm so paranoid. And having experienced that, I also asked myself how we have to travel with Simone tagging along. Let's say, we want to go to China to visit Jason and Naan, will Simone be able to adjust to the climate? Will she not be sick? Do we have to secure our medical plans before we travel? Waah! I have'nt tried travelling her to long trips but I'm securing a passport for her. One way or another, i have to bring her along with us before she turns two coz she won't be free from flight accommodations after that. hahaha, the wise-spender in us.

So if you are parents who love to travel with your kids, please share your tips and suggestions on how to safety travel them. :)

The one with back in the loop

So now that Simone is A-ok, I'm now back to my reality world and I had a lot of catching up to do. Goodness gracious! We have three pending projects for our clients and they are waiting for us to submit our proposals. I have so many bills to settle and they were all due at the time we were at the hospital. I have yet to "general clean" our house and simone's playroom just so we can be sure that everything's spic and span again. I have to catch up with my blog ads as well! Now tell me, where does the word "Stay-At-Home" fit in what I do?! hahaha.

But I praise God that He confirmed our decision for me not to go back to the corporate world...just yet. I miss working in an office but at the time that simone turned one and we started discussing the option of me going back to work, God gave us more projects and it meant a more stable source of income for us. I'm not saying that I'm just after the "stable" compensation of an employee, but I'm just so glad that He provides and that we don't have to take the harder route of being away from my daughter. He's just sooo great! It's like the corporate world is just out there, I can always go back if i want to. naks! haha.

But of course, there will always be the concerns of timing and budgeting. Budgeting is really hard when your resources don't come on a regular 15th and 30th of the month. But looking at the positive side of it, it makes you do a "forced savings" which you can appreciate more. To tighten your belt when you need to and prioritize the things that you only need. It's better this way. :) My husband's work pay does not add up to a 6-digit salary, it's just enough to make us go by and meet the ends of our ropes. That's why God is just so good that He never fails to provide...just in time.


Hahaha...did i just throw a melancholic mood?! forgive me but i hope you were inspired somehow. God bless and I'm glad I'm back in the loop again! Happy blogging!

The one with amazement

The Starbucks of Medical City has been an instant comforter during our stay there. And just as I was standing and choosing which coffee I have'nt tried yet during our stay(haha), someone from my peripheral called me by my maiden name. "Hey, Jacqueline Fermin...oopps, hindi na pala Fermin, Tan na pala." And when I looked at her, it was my college classmate/seatmate. Back in college, we were only one seat apart and coming from a block section, we literally sat next to each other for four years. And it amazes me how despite the time and of aging process, she has'nt changed a bit. She's the same, old jolly classmate that i know. Her hair did'nt change at all. And her voice is the same deep voice that i knew of her. She still does the "give me five" sign after every phrase that she says (promise!she never fails to do that) and I love her for that. For crying out loud, she still does'nt have a boyfriend yet(since birth!).

But what truly amazes me is that she may not have changed physically but she truly has changed in terms of her profession and passion in life. She is now a doctor. Seeing her in white uniform with her embroidered name and the department she is specializing on, man! I could'nt be more proud for her. She was talking about a colon cleanse that she had to do for a patient and how her life has totally been drawn to the walls of the hospital. Listening to her as she talks about her stories made me happy because as far as i remember, that's all that she has wanted from the start, to become a doctor. And I'm just so proud that she is now.

Oh and if you're wondering what my course was in college, it's BS Psychology, a pre-med. Why I did'nt decide to pursue medicine?! nah! I just wanted to wear white in college. haha.

The one with sample scrap

Alright, I know I cannot even call this a digiscrap coz I'am only a mere mortal when it comes to digiscrapping! But since I wanted to learn, here's a sample of something I did (haha, i can't even type the word digiscrap!) to all my digiscrap sisses, please don't laugh okay?

I have yet to install photoshop here at our desktop. haha. here's another one i did, o diba?! ang lakas ng loob mag post ng isa pang LO. nyahaha.

The realizations of parenthood

A friend of mine, whenever I talked about parenting and how hard it sometimes is, she'd immediately quote the phrase, "The pains of parenthood". I know there'd be pains, forever adjustments and the like, but I think realizations are more apt for how we go about parenting our child. Because it will always be a mixture of joy and sadness, hopes and frustrations, wishes and regrets, it will always be two-sided and the realizations that come along every experience will always be there, whether good or bad.

And be that as it may, let me share with you some realizations I had during the past few days.

~ I realized that no matter how you say that you'd be strong for your baby, the parent is always the first to cry. And hiding your true feelings so your baby won't get affected is the worst part of it all.

~ I realized that parents tend to blame themselves for situations like this, but come to think of it, you cannot blame yourself for something that you don't want to happen and something that you can't control.

~ I realized that no matter how much we guard and be protective of our child, we can never do so. That's why, prayers and faith are the only ones who can protect them.

~ I realized that it was hard enough to be in an island while learning that your baby is sick, much harder to go home. The trip that took us 4 hours back felt like forever.

~ I realized that even if i think my baby is strong and healthy, she can and will eventually be sick.

~ I realized that only Simon and I can decide solely what's good for our baby. No doctor of any high regards can stick a needle through her vein without our knowledge. And I'm so proud that our instincts told us right. Roseola infantum does'nt need any IV and we thank God for giving us the wisdom.

~ I realized that babies, as fragile as they seem are, are stronger than we think. Simone could'nt care less when she feels well, she'd always smile and show to mommy that she's feeling well. I can feel that she's drinking her milk, water and medicines without force coz she knows that she has to get well so mommy and daddy won't have to worry. She is a strong little girl.

The realizations of parenthood...

The one with credits

Thank you to Wella ni Nikky for improving my blogger header! Thank you so much sis, super ganda kasi ang payat ko pa rito! hahaha. and ang nice ng colors, very pleasing to the eyes. muah!

thank you, thank you. now, i'm sooo proud of my blog's new look! haha.

All wrinkled up

Last week's experience took a toll on me, spiritually, mentally, and physically. I know that there will always be a first time for everything, but I just really hate medical emergencies. I only wanted to go to hospitals if I'm visiting a friend who just gave birth or if I would have to give birth. The thought of someone sick makes me sick even more, specially if it's your baby we're talking about.

I was so tired and all messed up. I'd go out of the hospital room to buy some stuff and realized that I have'nt combed my hair. My face never had a taste of my Bare Escentuals kit for days. Haha, even the best anti wrinkle cream can never be effective on me. I was really serious for the past days and can only think about my baby. Of course, who would not?! And I just thank God that it's all over.

God has His reasons and we just clinged on to Him. That's the only thing that we could do. So even if it was a very overwhelming experience, we learned so much from it and we could'nt stop thanking Him for He keeps on ironing the wrinkled parts of our lives.

The one with back home

We are finally home! the five-day stay at the hospital took like forever for us. We praise and thank God that we are finally Home, Sweet, Home! It was really a test of our faith, strength, patience and love. And God witnessed to us again. He, indeed, is the great healer.

Last friday, April 11, was our first day at Puerto Galera. We were there as part of Jason and Naan's despedida con Jill's birthday celeb con summer getaway. And just as we were having coffee by the beach, i got a call from my sister-in-law. they are bringing simone to the hospital. waah, tears just fell and i can't stop crying already. it was more like, "why am i here and why am i not with my baby?" and "how is she now? she needs me" kind of thing. my SIL and i were constantly communicating. she was with my mom who called her to ask for a ride. her temperature was 38 deg and she was asked to go home that same night. i don't think i was able to sleep as we were impatiently waiting for the first trip to the pier the following morning which was 6am.

We got the first trip of the banca and despite the fears of having to ride a banca over that of a ferry was something we did'nt mind already. I'am just desperate to be with my daughter and if i have to swim it, i would. but thank God that I dont have to, im not much of a great swimmer. haha. we went home after lunch and immediately changed to pambahay so i could hug her already. she was hot, very hot actually. she smiled when she saw us and her eyes twinkled but you can see that she's not feeling well. she was so clingy that i could'nt put her down. the whole day, her fever did'nt go down from 38 deg, even with the paracetamol on her. So at 6pm, we decided to bring her back to the hospital.

At the hospital, they found out that she was 40 deg hot. oh man! i was trying to look relaxed before her so she can't feel the panicky mom inside me. the attending nurse did'nt even interview us anymore, we were literally rushed to the ER for assistance. they took blood sample, (urine exam was done already the night before) and they immediately gave sponge bath. simone was so cranky, the sight of people in white made her cry so we were the ones who gave her the bath. her fever has'nt gone down. they were asking if they can put IV already and admit her to the hospital. Simon and I felt strongly against it (IV) at that time. we felt that it was not needed, his dad also agreed with us. my mom was kinda okay with it because she wanted simone to get better quickly. When the nurse pricked her finger for blood sample and a little gauze pad and bandage was put on her finger to stop bleeding, she was so furious on the bandage and she kept on removing it. When my mom saw how fussy simone was with the bandage, she agreed with the no-IV as well. haha.

We made a deal with the resident doctor. we requested first for a suppository so she can poop and heat can come out from her body. she has'nt pooped in 2 days so we thought that she's constipated and that might have added into the fever. after the suppository, she pooped one big time! it was dark greenish and really liquid already. after the big poop, she became tired and slept. then, we prayed hard. My FIL, my mom, Simon and I were crying at the cubicle while I was carrying simone and we were praying for her. I cried coz it was my first time as a mom to see your child with her unusual tiresome face, which looked like you can only buy her smile. And it made me feel helpless because i literally cannot do anything to ease her pain, from which i also don't know what kind of pain she has. I was blaming myself for having to leave her and for wanting to have time of our own. I was asking God to heal her immediately so she does'nt have to be in pain. After our prayer, we asked the nurse to check her temperature. it went down to 39 deg, thank God. After a while, it went down to 38 deg. we asked the resident doctor that simone will be admitted but we will observe her fever for a day and if it does'nt make any progress then we will agree with the IV.

It was an on and off fever. For two days, I would wake up in the middle of the night and feel her forehead, then request the nurse to get her temperature from which I'd feel sad after coz fever came back. she'd be fever free for 10 hours or so then fever would come back again. Those two days were really a bumpy ride. I was literally a floating head and I could'nt think straight because of the paranoia striking. And eventually, I surrendered and decided to stop thinking about negative thoughts and worst case scenarios. Simon and I prayed and we lifted everything to God. I know that we will get through this and that Simone will be a healthy baby again.

The following day Wednesday, we were advised by the pedia that simone should'nt get a fever or else, a blood test will be done again to check what's really going on with her. Her last fever was 6am that day and rashes started to come out on her forehead. It was a suspected roseola but dengue can't still be ruled out. That's why she should'nt have fever again so they can rule out dengue already. I literally stayed up the whole night to watch over her. I stayed by her side while Simon slept at the not-so-long bench in the room. He could'nt sleep straight also, he'd wake up once in a while and check on us and ask me if her temp got high. I'd smile and tell him my countdown. "beh, 5 more hours to go and she's 24 hours fever-free!" I was literally like that. We prayed and prayed over her and we know that God will answer our prayers.

6am came and she's fever-free! Praise God! the doctor came at 8am and she confirmed that it's roseola infantum. bad roseola! we started packing up and preparing the docs needed for her check out and the medicard documents and all. her pedia came at around 11am. we were all dressed up and packed up. when he told us that we can go home already, I gave him the "isn't it obvious doc?! look" hahaha. we were so excited to go home!

Upon reaching the house, the minute simone saw her toys, she screamed and smiled over her toys. she was so excited to play in her playpen again, excited to see her stuffed friends and watch her barney videos over and over. I'm just so glad to see her so active again. Her pedia told me that she will "slowly" regain her energy. When we went home, it was like i switched her on and she's back to being my makulit simone.

I love you baby and we are so proud of you that you are so strong!

We are HOME!

We are finally back home! We thank God for, once again, proving His love for us. He is indeed the greatest healer of all! Will share our kwento soon, I'm still composing the kwento. haha.

God bless to all of you!

Bear with me!

Hahaha, I just can't take the old look of my blog since i never changed its design ever. I wanted a cleaner look, one that's more neutral and pleasing to the reading eyes. However, I still can't get the header picture to be smaller than it is now. (as in way smaller sana, haha) I myself get shocked everytime i open the page. haha.

Will try to improve the picture and the pixels of the pics. But somehow, it gives a more rustic look, don't you think? Bear with the reconstruction of site. Thank you!

The one with an invitation

Actually, this is more like a shameless plug once again coz I saw our picture at Ging Lorenzo's invitation on their promo. hehe. We're the mommy-daughter on the bottom most picture. Promise, I have'nt combed my hair yet there, i hope you guys did'nt notice it. haha.

Oh and I hope we can join the shoot!

The one with house repair again

The water pipe switch (the heck, i don't even know what it's called?!) broke again and good thing, the mommy vein in me bought two drums when we moved in here and we we filled those with water, for emergency purposes. The plumber went to our house the following day and replaced the switch and repaired the kitchen faucet as well.

Hmmm, i know this is just a petty house repair but it really makes us think if getting this house is a good buy. I mean, it really is although according to the mortgage lenders that we talked to, there are a few things that we have to consider first and should we decide after doing those, then maybe it will be a better decision then.

After all, finances will always be a major, if not the only, concern here. haha.

The one with thanks ging!

Thanks again to simone's birthday photographer, Ging Lorenzo for wonderful shots and for writing something nice about the party. check it out here! our families and friends really love her shots, and we can't get enough of them

here are some of her chosen pictures. enjoy! i also love the ferrari shot. really nice!

The one with the ride along

Well, this is not the typical ride-along that cops have...


It's a ride-along the panda bear! haha.


she's just so happy, you must see the video! and mind you, her eyes are only fixed on riding the panda bear, not the giraffe, not the pig, just the panda...cuteness!


"mommy, i want to ride again!"

The one with any progress

Now that I blogged about having to get slimmer as one, if not the only, resolution i have for this year, I really think I should get serious about this one again. I got into a green diet for more than a month and i loved the results. Although, when the holidays came, how to lose weight has been a battle that was never fought over. It was more like a white flag on top of my head telling all the sweets and the chocolates to back off, but they never did...and so i surrendered to them. haha.

I love eating, and having a husband who loves the same thing does'nt add up to me wanting to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Believe me, I may have the discipline but when people have started noticing how much weight i lost, I started to get back to my old self and enjoy the joy of eating.

So please, if you have any suggestions or any diet trick that could help me, I badly need it now. It's summer and for the love of God, I need to tuck those belly bumps!

The one with 20 questions

I just love tags! Thanks Joanne for this, have'nt done this for quite some time now. :)

Here are the rules: Remove one (1) question from below, and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag eight (8) people in your list. List them out at the end of this post.

1. At what age do/did you wish to marry? I've always wanted to get married at age 25, just like my mom, and i did marry at that age. :)

2. What color do you like most? earth colors

3. Have you ever shoplifted? Nope

4. Where is the place that you want to go the most? If it's abroad, Europe interests me. If it's local, Batanes and Palawan are on my list.

5. Which part of you that you hate the most? Hmm, i think it's the people-pleaser thing.

6. When you encounter a sad moment, what would you do? Pray and think the positive side of it. there will always be one you know.

7. What are you afraid to lose the most? Simon and Simone; and one of my family members. just the thought of it is unbearable.

8. If you win $1 million, what would you do? Let's just say i got in legal terms, I'd put more than 10% of it to tithes, put half of it to church cause, buy a house and lot, a dream house, invest on funds and a business then travel, travel, travel. :)

9. What do you loved the most last year (2007)? We were blessed with a beautiful angel named Francesca Simone...the best year and more good years to come. :)

10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you: religious blogger, love her stories, a good wife

11. How do you cope with boredom? I never get bored. haha.

12. Till now, what is the moment that you regret the most? that i scrimped on my maternity pictorial, haha. seriously, i wished i breastfed simone longer (6 months only)

13. Which type of person do you hate the most? one with so much pride

14. What is your ambition? To be able to do what God wills for my life, every step of the way, I hope I'll please Him. naks!

15. If you had one wish what would you wish for? Peace on earth (beauty queen answer!)

16. How did you celebrate new year? with the Fermins and the Tans (it's a tradition already)

17. Name your body part that hubby tells you he adores. My dashing smile and charms. haha.

18. It is already 2008, do you have a new year’s resolution? To be slimmer and get back to my pre-pregnancy weight.

19. What do you look forward to in 2008? Growth for our businesses, Simone's more toddler developments and being able to travel abroad with Simon and Simone.

20. If your life is a song, what title best fit it?

Now, I'm tagging Mercy, Con, Rhea, Lissa, Mec, Wella, Mai and Sheryll.

The one with the practical me

Ever since i resigned from being an employee of a "not-so-8-to-5" job (try 7 to 7 job), i've resolved to finding more ways to earn and be as "stable" as i was. One thing I learned from being self-employed is that employment does not dictate stability of life. In the long run, it will always be establishing yourself that will get you to places. And while I'm at it, I've ventured into some interesting resources that i can start with.

I've always been a blogger ever since simon and i started preparing for our wedding and i know for a fact that blogging will always be a part of my internet life. and taking an advice from one of my mentors, i tried to monetize my blogging by applying my blog in blog advertising. What best way to do it but to get paid for blogging. I did'nt have hestitations as i see this as an opportunity to widen my blogging skills and i see it as a fulfillment, to be actually being able to get paid for blogging. I had thoughts of the possibility of turning my blog into a buy and sell commodity but then again, I saw it the other way around. Being able to do blog ads is something that not all bloggers can do, it's something that you can use to maximize what you have and extend yourself to the blogosphere world.

Smorty.com allows advertisers to see how you promote their products and services and by doing such, a blogger gets paid. It's that easy. You have the freedom to choose the topics you think you can blog about and get paid for blogging about it. it's not like you're limiting yourself to just advertising. It's simply talking about other interesting things that can be helpful to those who visit your site. And that's what I love most about it. You not only talk about your personal woos and coos, but you get to talk about things outside your own world and the most fun part of it all is that you get paid for blogging it.

So, share your blog to the world...it's a chance you can't resist.

The one with something cookin' up

Yaya Maru is cooking nilagang baka as of this moment, as requested by my husband who jokingly noticed that we have'nt had beef at home ever since we got married. well, it's an exaggeration but come to think of it, you can actually count on your fingers how many times i served beef at home. The main reason...we don't have a pressure cooker. haha. and i find beef really expensive compared to chicken, fish or pork. But the submissive wife in me told me while i was at the grocery to buy beef for him. haha. after two long hours of boiling the beef...heck, we're still boiling it. :)

Anyhow, what's cooking with the little tans?! we're pretty much busy with our friends leaving the country, thus, preparing for some getaways with them before they leave. sheila and jake will leave tomorrow and we will give them a ride to the airport. i hope i can come with them. i just can't leave simone. friday, we're off to Puerto Galera with our opposwim friends. hmmm, i'll be leaving simone with my mom but i still have'nt told them about our plans. hahaha. i'm gonna miss my little princess. it's just that it will be really hard for the whole group if we're gonna bring a baby since it's just galera. haha, not that i'm under-estimating the place but if it were boracay or thailand or hongkong, then by all means, i'd sling her the whole time. Sorry baby, Mommy and Daddy will miss you.

There's always a first time

I have'nt updated you guys lately on simone's developments, sorry. but here's her first time to ride the kiddie food cart of SM grocery. i went to the grocery today with her. i love doing groceries alone, that's a trivia, but of course, simone will always be an exception to every rule. haha.


"mommy, i know how to drive now..."

she has always been a fan of cars. yeah, she like balls and cars over dolls. haha. she has this ferrari toy car that we got from Shell before and she loves to play with that. and when i put her on the kiddie cart a while ago, i was stunned when she was navigating the wheel and using the "key" to "start" the engine. and she loooved it! haha. i immediately called simon and was ecstatic to tell him the news. haay, she's really a big girl na. :)

The one with just about anything

And just like any other blogger, I love answering these kind of surveys. and i hope you'd get to share some of your answers too. :)

Spring Vacation

Now that spring break is up, well they call it spring break in the US, we call it summer vacation here in Manila! and before any of us get too excited on white sands and sun tans, let me share to you how i associate, or at least think of what a summer vacation is all about. enjoy! feel free to answer the survey for yourself. don't worry, it's not a psychological exam. haha.

The one with just had to

I just had to go to a facial center and have my face cleaned. Man, i absolutely cannot remember the last time i had my face cleaned. My goodness, im not sure if it's because it's ages ago or one of the effects of anesthesia on me. haha.

Anyway, when i lied down on one of their semi-looking hospital bed, the lady who attended to me asked after she touched and looked my face if it was my first time. hahaha. i really did'nt know if i was to laugh or if i should be insulted by the question. It just meant that i have so many blackheads already and all other dirt and blemishes that she thought i have'nt had my first facial. i used to do it regularly but when i got pregnant, i was not allowed to. after giving birth, i was so busy i forgot to take care of the vain me. hehe. but everything was good, i felt really light and clean after the facial. it was a good one and i really think i deserved it. I may not be in need of the best acne treatment but my face can really need a good pampering now.

The one with everyone's leaving

Haayy...i don't know what's going on but everyone's seems to be leaving the country, migrating here and there. parang napapaisip tuloy kme if we want to give it a shot.

Jason and Naan - will fly off to China on May 1. Jason has been given a very good break at Behringer and he'll be working there while Naan looks for something that she can do or make as a business. We're totally happy and excited for them pero syempre the feeling of missing them sucks. just the thought of it makes me feel sad already. see, we're childhood friends and by childhood, i mean, wearing just panties and going out to play on broad daylight. and we've never been separated ever since (by continent). but as jill has told me, maybe the distance will tend us to see each other more often. we're planning to save up so we all can go to china and have a vacation there. yey! finally, i can bring simon to hk disneyland. we'll pray for it pa.

Jake and Shiela - will fly off to US on April 8. They are simon's college friends whom i've become close with as well and they're trying out US as they establish a family and look for work there. They've been granted tourist visas only but hopefully, if jake will find a good employer, then work permit will follow. Jake's family lives there already. I love how organized and focused they are with their life. They seem to know what they want from life and how to get it. and we're inspired to do just the same for our family, plan and plan. and of course, lift everything up to God as you plan your life ahead.

The Girons - this is a great shock to me and our church congregation will miss them big time. joel and jez are part of the music team, they are the dancing twins, much like the same level of the maneuvers. and not seeing them dance during praise and worship is something that i'll miss. ninong jun and ninang babes are our godparents on our wedding. they are just a funny, cool couple and we look up to them in terms of how well they've established a close relationship to their kids. as in parang barkada lang. one time, they all went to church with the same outfit na camouflage pants. haha, cool. their destination, migrating to the US.

To all our friends, we will all miss you and we will always pray for you. So because of this, our opposwim friends are going to puerto galera next week for jason and naan's despedida and an all-day swimming with CCP friends at club manila east on sunday for jake and shiela's. :)