The one with 15 and 29

These are the number of months we celebrated this month. Simone turned 15 months already! Praise God! And we are happily married for 29 months! Still in a bliss! I'm just thankful for blessing me with my wonderful babies. yeah, simon will forever be a baby. haha.

here she is now...(photos from sheryll)





Before turning 15 months, here are highlights of her milestones: (one happy mom i'am)
~ she does the action of "twinkle, twinkle little star" by open-close her hands
~ she does the action of "itik, itik" hahaha. promise!
~ she can climb the stairs, about 3 steps...alone! waah!
~ she can climb the sofa and sit on it...alone! more waah!
~ she walks faster and with more confidence now.
~ she's the same height as our dining table. what?!
~ she still loves mommy's routine around the house
~ she loves colors and tries to color barney with her lines outside the images. ;)
~ she loves to doodle on her dora notebook, with pentel pen inks all over her shirt.
~ she can change a DVD specially if she does'nt like the one playing. (promise, she can really do this!)
~ she has added these words in her vocabulary: says barney with "yarni"; mommy with "ma-me"; daddy with "da-dhe"; tan with "nan" (answers when asked what's your surname?)
~ she still refers to all animals as "aw-aw" but she can differentiate an elephant, dog, cat, giraffe, and even a rat (aka mickey mouse)
~ she can never sleep without her no-pillowcase-pillow. and she does'nt want it with a case on, she'll always remove when i try to put one.
~ we don't boil her water anymore! hehe.
~ she's as ticklish as ever
~ she loves to open cabinets
~ she can now shoot the shapes inside the toy house. i don't know how to call that toy though. but she can only do so with the heart shape and the round one. haha.

can't believe that seven months to go, she'll turn two already. waah! we love you simone!

Happy monthsary beh and thank you for the router! haha. we celebrated our special day with a dinner despedida of the Girons at Somethin' Fishy in Eastwood. We will surely miss this family. Thank you for being our godparents.

The one with boys only

The husband had a date with his dad and his only brother. As far as i can remember, that's their first boys night out. haha. My father-in-law surprised them with a shopping money. Shocked to the bones, both of them did'nt know what to do with the gift. Chris immediately asked simon to pool their money so they can buy an acoustic guitar. The big man said no because he wanted them to buy something that they don't usually buy or what we call the "vanity stuff". He wanted them to buy a designer jewelry or a watch maybe. They strolled and could'nt find any. my husband even called me and asked if he can by his PSP already. I told him, whichever dad wants you to buy, that's what you'd buy. Anyway, that's his money. Just do what he asks. haha, good daughter-in-law.

They ended up buying clothes. haha. Their family continues to amaze me and I really pray and hope that simon and i will be the kind of parents that our parents are to us.

Haha. Got four tags of this. Thanks Mec, Benson, Jammy and Karla.

RULES:

Each blogger starts with ten random facts/habits about themselves. Bloggers that are tagged need to write on their own blog about their ten things and post these rules.
At the end of your blog, you need to choose 10 people to get tagged and list their breads. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged,and to read your blog.

Ten Random Facts about Jacque:
1. I'm a lefty. Used to be ambidextrous but chose to be lefty after a while. hehe
2. I'm a certified Choco mucho addict. I'm currently on my withdrawal phase due to the addiction i was involved with. hehe.
3. I love Friends series. It's been years since their last episode and I never fail to watch one almost everyday. hey, i've memorized their lines for goodness' sake.
4. I'm a work-at-home mom. I never realized I'd be one but it's one of the wisest decisions i've made.
5. I love accessories, so i make them. the kuripot in me. hehe
6. I love DIYs. whenever i see something i like, i analyze how it's being made and if i can do it.
7. I'm lazy with beauty regimen. was never a fan. i know i'd regret it in the future, so i'd have to stick to one good regimen soon
8. I want to do so many things like take photography lessons, learn digiscrapping, establish my own business, etc., etc. restless huh?
9. I love to sing, not the professional type, for church purposes only.
10. I'm a born-again Christian. :)

I'm not tagging anyone anymore coz everyone seems to have done this already. haha.

The one with busy saturday

Why does everything have to happen on May 17?! what's with the date?! I looked at my planner and saw that i have at least four important events, and i don't know which one to attend to.

First off, my parents are arriving from Vietnam! Yey, we so miss them. They went to Vietnam two weeks ago for a mission trip. Ah yeah, did i mention that they're missionaries? I'm so proud of them. They've always wanted to go on missions but the budget did'nt allow them to until now. And I'm happy to see them that they've fulfilled their calling. I just wish i had the money to send them to their other mission trips. So anyway, I wanted to be the one to drive for them. Plus, I also wanted simone to see an airplane up close since she loves airplanes. Weird though, my does'nt text me their ETA details, she does'nt want me to drive that far and get tired. so technically, i can tick this off my plans for the day but i don't want to, so i'm figuring out how to get their ETA details. hehe.

Second, the Adobe Photoshop seminar that costs P300 only. so cheap, it's a very good price. But since it an 8-hour seminar, i did'nt register anymore. tsk, tsk.

Third, the Mom expo in rockwell. I already registered last month and i'm so looking forward to the topics and mommy stuff that i can check out. I plan to drop by with my parents before we head home. I just hope they still have the energy for it.

Fourth, we have to attend a silver wedding anniversary. Simon needs to be there at 3pm. Yikes!

So tell me, how will i suppose to schedule saturday? hmmm, busy, busy as a bee.

The one with finally a day off!

Yey, I finally had the day off. For the longest time, I always thought that my running errands or simply going out to meet clients or go to the grocery store can also be considered "time to myself". Until i realized thru a friend's advice that a "day off" is a time to just relax, go out and not worry on bills to pay, things that are needed to be bought for home and certainly taking care of my baby. I never had one, believe me. Not that i'm complaining, it's just that i think that i deserve to have one. Being a SAHM/WAHM, it is much more difficult to draw the line of self-relaxation vs. homemaking/taking care of your child. Because to yourself, you don't consider taking care of your child a work, neither a burden that you have to unload and get over with. It's a role that you play each waking day.

But one way or another, it will take a toll on you, physically and mentally, if you don't have an outlet or you don't prioritize your self-needs anymore. I had a bit of emotion burst last mothers' day when i suddenly felt tired from the busy schedule we had and came evening, i still had to cook for some visitors who came. I mean, I thought it was a day for all mothers, why did i feel so restless and exhausted? What's worst was that I was looking forward to a dinner out with my family and because the visitors overstayed, we just ate at home. Don't get me wrong, I already got my sweet kisses, hugs, and greetings from my two babies (simon and simone) and i felt special that day, it's just that i was kinda looking forward to a little unwinding outside home. haha. I told simon about what i was feeling the following day, after i filtered my emotions and took away some irrationality out of it. ;) and he perfectly understood me and even told me, "that's the reason why i always tell you to get a massage, and you always refuse to getting one. beh, you deserve it."

And just the other day (wednesday), we went out for a date. yihee. a real one. i mean, not the fancy type, but the usual dates that we used to have. i was sooo happy. we went to our favorite hang out, eastwood. he took me shopping, ate out, and watched a movie. (Iron Man is good!) I felt so happy, he saw it in my eyes. And when we got home, while giggling and laughing about the fun evening that we just had, i kissed him and hugged him tight, and then i thanked him for always understanding me and for a wonderful time.

Yes, I finally had my day-off! (haha, i sound like a sosi yaya, bwahaha)

The one with mother's day

It's my second time! Simone and I woke up late for our 8am mass service. Simon went ahead since he was assigned to play for the praise and worship. My alarm did'nt work (or it did but we had a good sleep that we did'nt notice it?) and it took us an hour to prepare. we got to the church at 9am and ashamed as i was, i did'nt finish the service to be on-time for simone's first tv shoot at 10am. forgive me, i planned on going to the afternoon service but was'nt able to do so either. heck, that's another story.

Anyway, after the service, we went to Lissa's house already and we were greeted by Izzo, Lissa's first son. We had some chat about the recently held dedication and how much we were ranting on the venue's airconditioning and raving on the choco fondue set and her give-aways, which by the way are so cute. :) The crew of the TV show came at around 11am. We introduced ourselves and had some chit chat before starting with the shoot. naks, i feel like we're real actors. haha.

Simone and i were assigned to do the "travelling with your child" and "child-proofing your home". It was not easy to "act" since one scene would require me to repeat what i did at least three times. The reason, they have to get different angles of the same scene. So if the scene required that i had to pack simone's things for travelling, i had to do it three times, exactly the same way i did it the first time. no more, no less. there were times when i'll be packing diapers first when in fact it should be the last. haha. it was the hardest packing i had to do. The next scene was easier excluding the fact that simone never used a car seat so when she was asked to sit on one, she did'nt like it and gave her tantrum look. We all had a hard time there, but the walking-to-the-van scene was so much easier. I wanted that also since I want national TV to see that my baby's walking already. It's such a wonder to see small feet and legs walking around, much more on TV. haha.

The last scene was something that I think can be improved, had they told me to bring simone's toys over. The scene required that simone will be playing with her toys while i childproof our home. Lissa found a way to find a toy for her but she had to internalize if she likes the toy or not. Before she liked it, the shoot has ended. haha.

That's how we celebrated mother's day...being a stage mom. haha.

PS The show and segment to which the shoot will be used will not be disclosed yet until they've shown it on TV. Reason? Wala lang. haha.

The one with the balloons

Okay, it was not as easy as i thought it was. I think my fingers numbed from the pain of tying balloons. To think that I only provided less than 200 balloons and I even made the flower balloons the night before to save me from tying more balloons. But I still had fun. I have'nt had the seminar yet and I just surfed thru the internet and read some books to get some ideas as to how to decorate. I just wish i had enough budget to buy more balloons. It's a little costly, mind you but I hope I did some justice. Lissa approached me after the dedication and thanked me for a good job. So what do you think? honestly, you can tell me.

Disclaimer: The number of balloons used were limited since i had a limited budget as well. haha.


thank you sheryll for the pics! :)

Who would have thought?!

All along, I thought she looks more like her dad, bwahaha...now we're even.

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Geneology - Family history sites

thanks sheryll for sharing this! cool!

Customer service

The one with emoticon

I was'nt able to finish my endless to do list this week, i feel like the list just keeps on getting longer. haha. Promise beh, I'll start on our portfolio next week. totoo nato. ;)

anyway, i remembered i wanted to post these pictures ever since concon sent these thru YM. simone is really a big girl na. pics were taken by their photographer during joaquin's (aka pork chop) birthday bash. congrats again con for throwing such a great party!


haay, she's not a baby anymore...


camera addict talaga si simone. i remember nap ni rhea was telling me, "talagang tumitingin sya sa camera pag picture noh?" hehe.


okay, si daddy naman...haha.

yeah, maybe it's because mother's day is nearing, the reason for my sudden emoticon burst. i was browsing her album while we were in her playroom. can't help talaga pero she has grown so much already. i mean, not that im overacting or anything, but you know the feeling na one year has passed already and so much changes have taken place in the life of someone you call your own. yun lang, it's just overwhelming. :)

okay, so much so for that, im posting one pic of some n@wie friends. meet them here in flesh. haha.


From L-R: Rhea with Andie, Tin with Andie, Mec with Yakee, Me, Con, and Jen

The one with it finally struck me

I know I've been contemplating about how hard it is to lose weight and I had my turning point when I weighed in on my mom's scale and saw that I gained *too-toot* pounds! what the?! I was trying to be surprised but I guess if there's someone I can blame, it would only have to be....the inventors of Choco Mucho! haha. I'm a confessed choco mucho addict. Unfortunately, I really have to stop this addiction, lest I'll get diabetes. Simon noticed that I don't buy choco mucho boxes anymore (yes, you read it right, i buy in boxes, not on retail) and i told him that i'm on my withdrawal phase so it would help if we don't talk about it. hahaha. I need a drug rehab for this.

~0~
I'm getting busy planning on how to decorate Renzo's dedication venue tomorrow. I'm excited and I hope Lissa and Wowie will love it. It will be my first time to do balloon decorating tomorrow. I still don't have any experience, as i need to enroll myself yet, but i'm practicing and i hope i'd give justice to it. wish me luck! i'll post pictures soon. I don't know, after Simone's party, i can't stop thinking of the balloons and how nice it is to know and learn the craft. it might be a good business venture too, who knows? haha.

The one with 11 people

Name 11 people you can think of right off the top of your head. Don’t read the questions underneath until you write the names of all the 11 people. This is a lot funnier if you actually randomly list the names first. No cheating.

The Eleven:

1. Simon
2. Jill
3. Jannet
4. Naan
5. Jon
6. Jason
7. Concon
8. Mec
9. Chell
10. Jane
11. Achie

The Questions:

1. How did you meet # 4? Naan is a childhood friend. We've known each other since we were playing out in the sun with just shirt and panties on. haha.

2. What would you do without #5? Then Jill will be lonely, Jon is Jill's husband and one of my good friends.

3. What would you do if #7 and #10 were going out? I'd say it will be fun, I'm sure they'll do shopping, so i'll join them probably. :)

4. Who’s #6’s best friend? Hmm, Naan, her wife. :)

5. Have you ever eaten around #1? Everyday. :)

6. Do you miss #2? Super! Jill is in the US now for a family reunion and hope she gets back soon so the group can meet up again.

7. Who is #11 dating? James, her Korean boyfriend. :)

8. What do you think of #3? We miss her so much. We have'nt been going out for a while already. I know she's busy but i hope she'll make time for us. hehe, possessive friend i know.

9. What do you think of #9? Chell, or Mercy, is my sister-in-law. She and Chris are newlyweds and I hope they'd be blessed with a baby soon. can't wait!

10. Who does #1 like? Of course, ang nag-iisang ako! haha

11. Would you marry #8? Mec would instantly dump me. haha.

Hehe. Got tired going up and down to check on the names i wrote for whatever number. haha. I'm tagging anyone who'd like to answer this. :) thanks karla!

The one with step by step

I know she's just taking her time.

But the mommy in me patiently practices her walking skills and strolling skills everyday. She can actually walk alone, but she has to see me on the other end of where's she's going so she'd have a goal, moreso a finish line. haha. I'm just happy to see her walking more than the usual steps without me forcing her to do so. She just stood up and started walking while I was singing to her. Congratulations Simone! I know you can do it baby!

I remember I had this same dilemma with Simone being a vegetarian. At one, we started introducing table food to her but she really did'nt like it and would only eat specially-prepared veggies and rice for her. I was fine with it since I knew it was a healthy diet but every meal, I patiently introduce to her different kinds of food and now, even if we still prepare food for her, she starts to eat pasta, fruit shakes from a straw (cool!) and "taste test" some of the meals i cook. It's a step-by-step process you know. haha.

Anyhow, it's Renzo's dedication on Saturday (Renzo is the son of my officemate Lissa) and I promised her that I'd help her out with her venue decors. I still don't have enough skills on balloon decors, so i just decided to practice and practice on the set-up i'm working on for Renzo. I do hope Lissa and Wowie will like it. Good thing, the venue (same as simone's party venue) has curtains so i can easily pin and hang the decors. I'll keep you posted with pics soon. Oh, did I mention that it's balloon-decorating I'm talking about?! haha.

The one with the winner!

I just have to post this entry as I myself got teary-eyed after reading this. I was'nt able to read the other entries for the contest but Mec won and no wonder, super touching. Happy mother's day to all the moms and the moms-to-be as well... Cheers!

The best thing about being a mom
By Mec Arevalo

The best thing about being a Mom is not having someone to buy toys and clothes for, someone to plan birthdays for, someone to puree vegetables for. It's not having someone to smile at you as he first learns to walk, or having people commend you for having a cute, beautiful, well-behaved baby.

It's not about having your fertility unchallenged. It's not about having someone to strengthen a marriage. It's not about dreaming dreams and making plans with your husband for.

It's not about going up on a stage to pin a medal on a bright child. Or having someone tell you "I love you" and know that you mean the world to her. And certainly, losing weight from breastfeeding and the late nights is not always something an exhausted mother would appreciate. And would any parent honestly tell you to look forward to adolescence?

So what is the best thing about being a Mom then?

It's the front-row seat to a person's becoming, that's the best thing. Imagine a person, the greatest miracle in the world by virtue of what's in him and what choices he'll make, and you will know him first... know him best. Because you were there from the minute his heart started beating, and your heart will skip a thousand beats for him, for every threshold crossed, for every whimper in the night, for every proud moment. You will know his first memories for him, you will know the first songs in his heart... and all this, you will remind him when he forgets. Because you won't, not ever really, even when your mind and body gets weak.

You will watch a person become, and hopefully influenced and inspired well by you. The front-row seat will allow you opportunities for giving feedback, for giving guidance, but it will also remind you everyday that this is not your show, not your song, not your book that is unfolding. The greatest privilege, the most beautiful reward is just that... that you will be there when a person is born, and hopefully, till he grows up to be a witness to the same circle of life.

To Francesca Simone, it's a privilege knowing you. I'll always stay at the front-row seat.

The Mom you're meant to be

The Mom You're Meant to be
by Cheri Fuller

This is the book I've been reading for a while now. It's actually a short-read one but for some reasons, I don't want to finish reading it and i keep on coming back to read the chapters i just read. It's a very practical book, very different from what i usually take out of my small library. And what's good about it is that it quotes Bible verses from which the author used as her guiding principles on how to be the mom that we are all meant to be.

And since mothers' day falls this month, I'd like to dedicate this month into sharing bits and pieces of the book. Every now and then, I will try to post and share important things to ponder. These are all practical tips, and application of which may depend on the age of your kids, but i'm sure it will still be as helpful.

CHAPTER ONE: THROW AWAY THE COOKIE CUTTER

There is no such thing as a perfect parent. God was and is the only perfect parent. And that being the case, there is no such thing as a perfect child either. We, as mothers, may have unintentionally or intentionally set standards on our child's developments, thus, the occurrence of “false expectations” and gaps between the parent and the child. More important than tracking if your child has reached his milestone at a specific phase or not is the term “goodness of fit” or “attunement”. More important than children having “ideal” characteristics – such as adaptability and compliance—that make them easy to deal with is the “fit” that grows between parent and child.

I often hear the words “never compare your child to others” as no two kids are alike, not even twins. But I myself cannot stop from asking about my friends with kids the same age as my daughter's. It's not because I want to compare but because I want to check if what my baby is going through is a normal phase. But there are different children's intelligence types and learning styles. If we, the parents, could master this, we will understand, accept and enjoy our child more. We will better understand what their gifts are, what their wants and needs are and approach them in ways that they will comprehend.

There are different learning styles for every child. To help us discover what it is for your own child, try this simple exercise.

Imagine you're reading aloud from a book with the repeated refrain “and the rabbit went hop, hop, hop” Does your child:

· Come up close, perhaps insisting on being on your lap, to see the pictures? This is a sign of a visual learner.
· Mimic the words of the refrain or interrupt to talk about the story? This is a sign of an auditory learner.
· Move around and do what the refrain says – hop, hop, hop? This is a sign of a kinesthetic learner.

Simone came up close to see the pictures. She is a visual learner. She loves flash cards and books with lots of pictures in it. Here's another interesting exercise:

DIFFERENT KINDS OF SMART

· The Musical Child is always singing a song (usually, right on pitch) or moving to a beat. He easily remembers a tone, melody or rhythm.
· The People Smart Child is a social butterfly, loves being with a group playing and taking the lead, and has great communication skills
· The Body Smart Child has extra energy and loves sports. She remembers songs with body movements the best.
· The Spatially Smart Child can look at directions in a LEGO set and put the whole project together. He enjoys drawings, solving puzzles and mazes, and designing things.
· The Math Smart Child is always sorting, classifying, sequencing objects and analyzing things.
· The Verbally Smart Child loves word play, telling stories and listening to books being read. She has an uncanny memory for words.

I have not yet experienced some of the instances that can help me identify which smart child is my baby but I can see that she's leaning more on the verbally smart one, the body smart one, and the musical child. She taps her fingers to music, she loves it when someone reads to her, and she remembers dance steps of “tak-tak mo” and “kagat labi” and does it everytime she hears them. (titles of novelty songs played in GMA's eat Bulaga)

There, hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Will post more insights soon. Motherhood rocks!

The Best thing about being a mom

Motherhood knows no boundaries...that's the best thing about being a mom.

Motherhood opens a woman's heart to love someone more than she can ever imagine, it gives strength to hurdles she thinks she cannot handle, and it gives her wisdom to follow the instincts of life. Yes, these are some of the most important lessons motherhood has taught me.

Being a mom is not just about changing diapers and waking up in the middle of the night, it's a nurturing experience. It's about the decision that I made to quit a very fulfilling job in order to spend more quality time with my child and watch her milestones unfold right before my eyes.

The best thing about being a mom...
...is learning that you can actually be selfless for your child, no matter how brat you once were.
...is being able to draw more strength than you actually need in order to show your your child when she's sick that she has to get well
...is getting a hug from your child. It assures you that you're doing the right thing.
...is seeing your child's smiles and giggles when you make silly jokes. You brighten up someone's day.
...is knowing and appreciating what my mother went through to raise me up and that I will try with all that I can to do the same for my own child.
...is seeing a part of you on your child.

I don't intend to be a perfect mom, because there will never be one. But every waking day, I offer my child to God and let Him take control of my life and direct me on how to be the best mom that i can be.
~0~
Official entry for Ging Lorenzo's contest.

The one with the birthday boy

Simon was awakened by Simone's tapping his back and then kissing him on his cheek while mommy singing the happy birthday song. We're all happy because we have the whole day to ourselves, yey! I gave him my gift, it's a polo from Memo and he liked it. He feels like he owns one of Dingdong Dantes' oufits. haha. (read: just the outfit, he will never look like Dingdong Dantes) But it really looks good on him. I like buying clothes for him, I feel like I have a mannequin to dress up. :)

Anyway, we went out that afternoon and the usual, eat out and stroll at the mall. He wanted to buy a gift for himself and he got excited because he got an approval from me. haha. unfortunately, the ipod case that he was looking for and the video cards that he wanted ran out of stock. too bad, everything that he wanted that day, he did'nt get and my approval only last for a day. hahaha. nah, im just kidding. he can always buy those whenever he wants to, he just have to ask me first. haha, i'm the budget officer, what can i do?!

And then we went to Time Zone which we really enjoyed. Simone rode on a car that only goes sideways. She did'nt like it that much though. We played hoops and took the Van Gogh's workroom which turned out really nice. Then, we bought some stuff for simone, bought lots of fruit shakes and took simone for a really long walk. she loves to walk, albeit one hand assistance. I know she'll soon walk by herself. We capped it off with dinner and a DVD movie at home. It's a simple celebration but still a meaningful one. And may i quote my husband's kilig statement: "anywhere with you guys is a happy place"

Happy birthday simon! we love you so much! and thank you for being my bestfriend. :)

The one with weight gain

I know I gained weight again. Hay, it's so hard not to eat sweets coz I have a sweet tooth. I looove chocolates, cakes, ice cream and anything sweet. And I'm kinda feeling the bulges again. Since I stopped eating my greens, I started going back to my usual diet and believe me, it's not a good one. Having a husband who loves to eat does'nt help a bit. I have to eat with him and do you know the feeling of eating with someone who eats as if it's his last time? haha. that's how my husband is. He really eats to his heart's content and that's good. I mean, you really have to enjoy your food and lucky for him that he has a faster metabolism, all his fats just go right to his hands and feet. haha. unfortunately, i don't have that skill.

I chanced upon this site on weight-loss. It's a personal blog actually and everything is based on his experiences. Maybe, I'd read more and i hope it would help me. It's been quite a while already and my being a drama queen of not being able to lose weight is not a good sign anymore because I myself don't have the discipline. I'm a certified Choco Mucho addict and if i don't stop eating that, I'd get diabetes. I lost the drive to lose weight a couple of months back when I lost some and thought that it's enough. I should have worked harder. And the excuse of "just gave birth" is sooo not acceptable already! haha, for goodness' sake, my baby is now a toddler, I ran out of excuses already. Hmm, maybe I should say, I need the energy to run after her, that's why i eat more now?! hahaha. My friends who gave birth later than I did are all sexy again! Waah! hahaha. They inspire me. Hopefully, the inspiration will lead to determination and then some action. haha.

The one with the summer outing

We went to a private resort in antipolo, Marabella resort. It's quite new and since the place is nearer to us rather than going to batangas or laguna, we knew this is a better choice for the Tan Family.

It's Simone's first time to swim...officially. haha. I put tons of baby oil on her. I was kinda scared coz she just came out of her roseola and the paranoid in me is telling me that she has to recover still. Nah, I don't think so. My baby's really strong, no sign of any need for recovery. haha. although, she did'nt like the water at first. i think because it was 9am the water was still cold. when we tried the second time, she like it na. yey!





see, she did'nt like it at first...hahaha. pero nakatingin pa rin sa camera. :)


wow, floating galore na ito! hahaha.

she stayed sa water for almost an hour and her hands are all wrinkled already. she enjoyed it. did you notice the change of swimwears? hahaha. we brought three actually, she was able to wear the two 2-pc. swimsuits. nice! buti pa sya.


here are more pictures!

The one with go natural

As I was being my couch potato again, I happened to surf on one of Boy and Kris' episodes and it was something about natural beauty treatments. Things that we can actually buy from a market and that we use for cooking can also be used as part of our beauty regimen. These are some of the things i remembered:
~ Brown sugar and coconut oil can be mixed together and used as a body scrub
~ Honey and calamansi can be mixed together and used as a facial cream. It's a good natural acne treatment too.
~ Coconut oil can be used for hot oil. Just cook the coconut meat and squeeze the meat to get the oil. Apply on hair and massage hair for ten minutes. Put shower cap to cover hair. Rinse thouroughly with water ONLY.
~ Calamansi is a very good underarm, elbow and knee whitening regimen.

There, it does'nt need to be expensive to get beautiful. Now, I just need to find the willingness to do these, I'am so lazy on these things. haha

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. :)