The one with the life ahead

One of the forms of our security is an insurance and now that we have a baby, it is very important that we secure our lives in order to secure hers as well. A way to do that is to get a term life insurance which guarantees to protect our family in the most unexpected moments. We need assurances, nothing can ever be permanent in this life and by applying an insurance, it is good to know that we are using our money to a good worth and cause.

To get a good deal for your insurance, compare those who give you offers and compute the better deal. Look for the offer which can cover the most number of benefits for you and your family. Both our parents work for insurance companies and according to them, it makes them feel good to help people realize the need for it, it's as if they're helping them to secure their lives. Of course, we offer everything to God and one way to do that is to put our hard-earned money in the best place it should ever be.

The one with decluttering

Ever since Simon and I got married, our trips to the mall will always include window shopping of home furniture. We are not interior designers and we definitely don't have the space to execute the dream house we've wanted -- as of now. But looking at the different kinds and styles of furnitures inspire us to work harder and better to achieve the dream home we've always wanted.

I just semi-decluttered our things to give way for Simone's new things and to prepare myself for the garage sale we just did last weekend. man! we have a lot of not-so-important things in the house that a garage sale is the only solution to it.(so i can have a reason to replace my old stuff)

Here are some things we wanted to have if we have the extra bucks: We love to have a new king-size bed, a bath tub, and a house with a roof top where we can have parties and 2 Lazy Boys just for us. hahaha, yeah right?!

oh well, by faith, i know we can have that dream home someday...

The one with a vacation

Now that i've decided to move forward with my life and take the plunge of the more 'domesticated' life i've always wanted, i made a list of what i dream about a more laid-back life, and one of them is a New York Bed and Breakfast. I have'nt been to New York and knowing that amidst the hustles and bustles of the city life, there is still a part of the city where tourists can see stunning mountains, and quiet lakes. Two of the featured bed and breakfasts i read are in Woodstock New York and Saratoga New York. I'm sure the list of activities you can do there is endless and it will be a very exciting experience should...I just hope we have the budget to make it a reality.

The one with a triple celebration

Three special dates on our lives - 20th, my first birthday as a mom (28 btw); 21st, Simone's 6th month birthday and 22nd, our 1 year and 8th monthsary. haha, yeah we still celebrate that, why not?!

anyway, we were supposed to just check in since it's a long vacation. but since we also wanted our families to be there with us to celebrate the triple treat,we invited them to join us at Richmonde Hotel. nope, we're not that rich to pay for their hotel meals. what we did, we got a big room, 2br suite and prepared pasta and a viand good for 20+ people. my family, simon's and our bestest friends. we arrived at 3pm but we were able to check in at 5pm :( although, they gave us a temporary room since we were with simone, she might want to rest first. true enough, as soon as we entered the wash-up room, simone rolled and rolled in the bed. as if it were hers. hahaha. kakatuwa talaga! and she was all-smiles coz she was so happy staying in a hotel. my baby, royalty fits her. hahaha.

anyway, visitors came it at 530pm...and we had a food trip! my SIL brought tacos and salad, my friends brought desserts, my mom brought afritada as the main viand and I of course, prepared the bestseller dish of the day. haha. i cooked two kinds of pasta. seafood pesto and sun-dried tomato pasta! yummy! promise, they loved it. and it was my first time to cook such. madali lang pala. hahaha.

after eating, simon showed them the AVP he made... Simone's first months. nakaktuwa as all of them were like "awww", and "aaahhh". hahaha. tuwang-tuwa kay simone. she has always been the center of attention since she was born and she loves it. mana sa ken, papansin. hehe.

they left at around 10pm. my mom, yaya tin, and SIL skokie stayed for the night. syempre, kami ni simon stayed on the bigger room. Simone and mom stayed on the other room. in the morning, they woke us up at around 6am with donuts and candles lit up and bday song sang for me. :) after that, we slept again. hahaha.

we had breakfast around 8am. i wore simone on a sling which she loved. kakatuwa! then, we went for a swim, had a steam and sauna bath after. sarap, this is Life! hahaha.

we went home around 3pm and watched pa a last full show of Rush Hour 3. man, i cant stand last full shows anymore. i think i slept for like 3 times during the movie. bwehehe. well, the movie was not that good as well.

here are some pictures...


i love my sling!


close-up family pic


Breakfast on a sling


daddy and daughter look-alike


the blue family in an elevator

The one with Simone at 5 months

She has unique and 'nintelligible' syllables already. when she cries, she goes like this, "aaahhh hooooo mummmmuuumaaaamamama" or "ahh hooo bababababa" we dont know if we can't count it as 'real' syllables already pero nakakaaliw lang. she now crawls forward, hahaha. dati kasi paatras lang e. she rolls endlessly and cries when she can't roll anymore coz she has reached the other side of the bed. haha. she's getting to look more and more like her dad. she always, always eats her hand, or lampin, or her dress, or whatever she can get hold on to. pag matagal na, we will take it off her mouth na kasi baka naman mamaga na gums nya. we let her thumbsuck or handsuck naman kasi we know she's exploring parts of her body so it's a good sign, but not overdo it. she touches her pipay for reasons we dont know, we assume she's exploring pa rin. when she's not wearing socks, she rubs her feet together, a sign of her foot fettish she got from her dad. hay naku, another one to crumple the bed sheet. the other night lang, nakita ko si simone rubbing her feet sa towel! oh no! manang-mana sa daddy! simon kasi. just to get a good sleep, would always, take off part of his bed sheet and rubs his feet sa mattress covering the foam which is a little magaspang. haaayyy... mana-mana lang yan.

here are some of her pictures. :)


she looks like a big girl na diba?!


one morning, we just cant get out of bed...


simone sitting down...see how her foot is rubbed on my pants?!


all-gums smile


sarap humiga kay daddy...

The one with one more month

In my previous post, I was supposed to have my exit interview with our GM. I talked to him last week with the intention to gracefully leave the company. He was honest enough to tell me everything and to ask me to give my new position a try. For one month, we will see if everything will work better.

Honestly, I had a mix of emotions about the decision of accepting it. I respect my boss and I did it because he's my boss. so much so, he's like a dad to me. BUT, my mind was really set on doing the things id love to do. at the back of my mind, i was thinking the plans i set and the goals i want to achieve, provided that i'am not employed anymore. On the other hand, I was happy not to leave my friends, have a stable job, and get to enjoy the benefits it offers.

I will still pray for everything and hopefully, everything will be alright and will be according to God's will.

The one with a first gimmick

Last friday, Simon had a concert which he directed. it's a concert of Larrie Ilaga, a Papuri singer-friend. the concert was held at Greenhills Christian Fellowship. the only regret i had was not inviting our friends to watch it. ang ganda eh and inspirational, sayang. ewan ko ba?! di namin naisip pareho e. na-realize ko na lang 30 minutes before the show. haaayyy..anyway, it was a blast. his bandmates were good and larrie's performance was great. the lower part of the auditorium was filled up. and the highlight of it all was when Jungee Marcelo, a known figure in music industry and mentor of Larrie Ilagan, approached them and commended their performance. ang asawa ko, kilig na kilig. haha. he even asked for simon's number. umikot tuloy brief nya! hahaha. and having been recognized by jungee made his night. thanks to God for his talent.

Saturday, Simone went to Shangri-la for the first time. we had our baby shower for yakee and here are some of our pictures...


group pic with joaquin on the side...sleeping as usual


all-smile si mommy


naks! kamusta naman ang candid?! thanks jojo for the shot!


baby book for yakee, from the Tans


Tita Mec with the babies, Simone, Joaquin and Yakee

The one with not giving up, just moving on

Last week, I made a major decision in my career life. I decided not to sign up anymore for the company i was working for. We were offered an early retirement package with the promise that we will all be rehired, but with a slightly different package. but then, i don't want to be rehired. i want to explore other opportunities na pwede for me. parang i think i've maxed out myself already in my current job that i want to do something else. believe me, if this is the quarterlife crisis they're talking about...im definitely getting some. hehehe. but it's not a crisis, it's more of an adventure.

we've prayed for it and simon and i talked about it already. we have peace thinking about it and soo looking forward for things to come. i get to spend time with simone more, i'll be able to do the things that i've always wanted to do and find out where i will best excel. plus, i can always go back to work whenever i want to. im glad my husband and my family support me with this. finally, i'm out of my comfort zone and i know God has better plans for me and im excited to know what those are.

will kwento in details soon. in the meantime, i'll have the exit interviews muna with the bosses. haha, di pa pala ako nagpapaalam! hehehe

The one with Simone at 5 months

She just turned 5 months last Saturday. she was sleeping the whole time of celebration. hehe.

at five months, simone can now socialize more. she can sit na sa sofa pero basta nakasandal ha. hehe. she always, always makes dapa and crawl. hehe. she still does'nt have much hair, hahaha. she talks to people already (using her own language...ehehe) and she has this "tili" factor pag natutuwa and pag nakikipag-usap. super lakas ha in fairness.

she reaches for her bottles already when feeding time. when it's time for milk, she looks at the bottle and smiles and reaches for it. she can hold her bottle firmly, although at times, she plays with it kaya we still help her a little. kakatuwa, she really grasps things na and pag nagpapatawa, she laughs endlessly na. as in, the kind na pang-matanda. hahaha.

haaayyy...pictures to follow. promise!

The one with pains of a working parent

These are the words of my colleague while we were exchanging gtalk mails. He had a hard time leaving his daughter at home while he goes to office for work today, that’s after four whole days of not seeing his 10-month old baby because of our conference in Boracay held last week.

I had a more serious need for damage control! We went ahead of the whole group since we were the organizing committee. I kept on excusing myself for the “advance party” coz I really wanted to be left behind so I can have more time for my baby. Unfortunately, they needed all the help they can get. I joined them and went there last Wednesday. As soon as I brought her to her grandparents and got back to my seat in the car, I cried whilst driving. Simon kept asking me if I’m feeling ill or if there’s a problem. I just told him that I miss Simone already. I cannot believe it! As in, I already miss her and cannot actually imagine how it would be not being with her for five freaking days!

I know she’ll be alright, I know she will be well taken cared of and she will get everything that she needs. It just pains to accept the fact that because of my work, I’d have to leave her behind.

Every night, whenever I looked at her pictures, I cried. Overacting to some, pero that’s how I felt and I can’t force myself to get over it and feel fine about it coz I simply don’t. Pero come Sunday, I was sooo excited to go home and see her. When I landed manila, I had a mixed emotion of fear and excitement. Fear that Simone might not remember me na and excitement to see her again. That fear ended when I saw her finally and she smiled at me after a few minutes. She just woke up so I knew she was still half asleep when she first saw me, thus, the blank stare. Haha.

But man, she really grew up! It’s as if I did’nt see her for a year. She’s sooo big already, and she has a different cry now. She shouts whenever she wants to say something and extends her hands when she wants to be carried. She’s loving the “habulan” game already.

Haaayyy…if I can only stay at home and take care of Simone…super dream ko yun right now…to be able to be a hands-on mom to my baby. The pains of a working parent nga naman!

I want to be there when she utters her first word, when she attempts to do her first clap and when she tries to crawl and walk. I want to be the first to witness everything! when her lola tells stories of her development that i wasn't able to witness first, i just smile and feel happy that she's doing so much progress. pero at the back of my mind, i always wish na that was me in their position, telling stories of how she's growing up. haaayyy...

The one with information overload

I got hooked with reading books on parenting. currently, im reading "What to expect the first year" and "You and your child". The former is informative but the "What to expect when you're expecting" was more useful to me than this one. Eto kasi is a case-to-case basis so i just choose the ones applicable to me and simone. the latter naman was bought by simon and it's up to five years of age. okay din pero masyado summarized.

and yesterday, i just bought 2 more books, "Idiot's guide to baby sign language" and "How to have a smarter baby". information overload!!! the sign language intrigued me and super interested me to try it on simone. i hope we get to do effective sign languages soon. oh and the book is very entertaining. as in! i can't seem to put it down...while driving! yikes! the other one, have'nt opened yet pero pocketbook style sya and got good feedbacks on the book so i bought it.

will let you know more soon about these two books and i'll share any information that maybe useful to parents like me.

The one with just before she turned 5 months

I'd like to show some pics of Simone when she turned 4 months. At four months, she showed a lot of developments. This is the time she was able to balance her head well, she learned to make dapa and attempted to crawl, thus, the Arthro move. She developed a different cry, one that's really loud and kakaawa. She makes "hikbi" after crying and akala mo kawawang-kawawa. hehe. she has given attention to her gym already, unlike when she was just 3 months where she did'nt give any attention with it. now, she's really grabbing and reaching for the objects, she can also turn the wheels and stare at the mirror nung gym nya. basta, sulit na now yung gym nya. thanks to her ninong! hehe. when carried upfront, she likes to stand kahit hindi pa nya kaya. she loves it when i wear her esp. the kangaroo carry. kakatuwa!

she also responds to you when you call her name and shouts when talking to you. she loves to laugh with the peek-a-boo game or eat bulaga game and gives a smile as part of her response when you make lambing to her and she gets tickled. she also does a lot of her things with her lips now. the other day lang, (july 13) she can tuck them na, make a lipstick move (the one where you fold your lips), and can create sounds using her lips. nag-gugumming na cguro kasi that's why. she imitates people around her by watching the way our lips move. like for example, she attempts to do the "muah" thing by making a "tsup" sound. cute!

she'll turn five months on saturday. we plan to take her to camera shake to get really nice shots before we have her ears pierced. haaayyy...i can't wait to see more of her in the coming months. thank you Lord. :D


a mom and daughter moment


dimples kung dimples! sana hindi mawala when she grows up.


"big girl nako eh" (pardon us, we just love her in yellow kaya lagi nya suot to)


one of her firsts...


super cute pic!


she's a natural, ain't she?! and mind you, pose talaga yan...not the candid one na natyempuhan lang...hahaha.

The one with the Arthro move

Last weekend, we are so happy Simone is making so much progress. Dumadapa na sya and nag-aattempt gumapang. the thing is, paatras ang gapang nya. hahaha. thus, the Arthro move! as in, ang cute tingnan na super trying hard talaga sya to crawl pero instead of pushing her legs, yung arms nya yung nagdadala kaya paatras. nyahaha.

She also drools na and loves to put her hands in her mouth, pati lampin nya nilalagay nya sa mouth nya. pag tinanggal mo, magagalit and iiyak. must be the gums. nagbabadya na ang mga ngipin nya. hehe.

The other night, around 230 am, nagising ako coz she was crying and would want to drink milk. taka ko, she does'nt want my milk. when i held her, medyo mainit sya. when we checked her temp, goodness 37.8. shocking asia! naloka kme! may sinat si simone. can you believe nagkakasakit din pala baby ko?! hehe. so binigyan ko sya ng tempra (oops, not unilab brand lagot!) and observe namin in the morning. super ayaw magpababa nun kaya napuyat naman ako kasi mas okay na yung tulog sya kesa di sya makatulog. her eyes were watery and parang may sipon din. when she woke up in the morning, ganun pa din. so we went to her pedia. pag dating sa pedia nya, wala na! pati sipon, wala na rin. pero her doctor still advised her to give biogesic paracetamol in case mag-sinat ulit. whew! viral daw eh and the sinat might have been triggered by the sipon. kaya nung naagapan, wala na rin ang sinat. i observed her the whole day yesterday kaya nag-leave ako bigla. syempre, kahit gano naman ako ka-busy sa office, mas important pa rin sa ken baby ko.

the fever must also be caused by her hand-sucking and lampin sucking. kaya her pedia advised us to buy teething biscuits for her. my baby, magbibiscuits na?! wow!!! ang saya!!! hehe. kaya im trying to look for the gerber biscuits that she mentioned. ayaw nya pag-teether si simone eh kasi the plastic material might not be safe for babies. hmmm....

yun lang, first time sya nagkasakit and i glad it was just overnight. praise God!

The one with mag-ama

Here's one of her latest pictures together with her dad. of course, the ever mommy took this picture and you know what made her smile? "Deal or No Deal!" hahaha. as in everytime sasabihin ko yun, lagi tumatawa. i think it's with how i say it, not on the exact words talaga...as if naman naiintindihan nya ang Deal or No Deal?! hahaha.


sayang lang nga, walang shirt ang daddy! haha. pero can you see her gretchen baretto birthmark?! cute noh!? she has everything i wanted, dimples on both cheeks, cleft chin, and the tweetie de leon dimples (di lang ata halata dyan kasi lo-res pic)

here's another one just before she turned 4 months. dami may gusto nito coz terno sila naka-red. hehehe.


Simon holding the wondering red cow...

The one with 2nd trimester

Simone has entered her second trimester already. At 4 months, she's close to 15lbs, and height is 73cm. duringher last check-up, her pedia told us that she's growing more in height rather than weight now, but she still gained weight, mas obvious lang yung sa height kaya mukha rin syang pumayat. hehe.

at four months, when nakadapa, she can lift her head at 90 deg. and turn from one side to the other. she can support her body with her arms. when lying down, she loves to kick and bend her legs in a semi "indian seat" position, meeting both soles of feet. kaya feeling namin malapit na umabot yung feet nya sa mouth nya. hahaha.

she always holds her two hands together, as in pag nagdedede, pag tulog, laging prim and proper na magkahawak ang kamay, parang nagpe-pray. haha. she always watches us when we eat and everytime she sees us, parang nagtatakam. according to the book What to expect the first year, it's an initial sign that she will soon would want to eat solid foods na. awwww, my baby eating solids na. hahaha. siguro not in another 2 months pa.

i still breastfeed specially at night. since she sleeps beside us, it's easy for me to breastfeed her. i just lift my shirt when it's time and we can both sleep na rin agad after feeding.

she looovveeesss to smile and make pa-cute specially in the morning. super pa-cute talaga! hindi sya yung paggising iyak, sya as in didilat lang ng eyes then smile na kung sinong kausap nya. she loves to talk even if we can't understand her. as in, dami nya ng sounds na alam.

haaayyy...the gift of God talaga, ang galing! pictures to follow promise!!!

The one with OMG!

Oh My Gosh!!! i cannot believe it!!! after 2 months of no blogging coz i forgot my password (blame it on the anesthesia), i finally got back here!!! yahoo!!! i just signed up under the google account! im soooo happy!!!

super namiss ko blogging. i've tried multiply already. well, di naman sila totally magka-level ng blog so i'll still go there and update! yahoo!!!

i'am super back and would love to share pictures of our baby simone and our adventures on parenting...wohoo!!!

The one with playpen set for sale

My mom in law is making these 100% cotton playpen mattress and bolters and pillows for very reasonable prices. Please feel free to leave a message or text me at 0920-051-8513 for orders. :D

For only P700.00 (original market price is P1,000.00++ in baby stores), playpen mattress of standard size, 2 pcs. bolsters and 1 pc. pillow. Comes in different colors, 100% cotton, washable.


Packed in a bag with handle


Comes in different colors...blue, white, pink, yellow, cream, etc.

The one with a month and a half

isn't she cute?! she already knows how to look at the camera and pose. :D


my OB and everyone loves this pic...parang ang laki-laki na daw nya at hindi one month old. hahaha. she loves to sleep with one hand on her face.


o diba?! spaghetti strap ang lola mo! bwahaha...kikay!


her eyes says it all...theyre so expressive. :D


can you believe she looked like this when she was just 3 days? tapos ngayon, big girl na sya!


at one month...i hope you can see how cute her dress is on her. she looks small beside us but she's not. hahaha.

at one and a half month, our baby simone has made so much progress. she's over 12 lbs already and 58 cm. she created a different cry already, one that's louder and more defined. simon said he thinks simone and i have the same voice quality and pitch. hehe. her eyes are just so expressive. she loves to sleep on anyone's chest with one hand on her face. she does'nt look like a fragile baby anymore, that im sure. we just love her dearly. we celebrated her one month with a cake and spaghetti! and her lola (simon's mom) made her a cute sunday dress that we fit into her on that day...ang cute sobra!!!

for more pictures, check out http://simonjacque.multiply.com

The one with a birthing story

We have waited for this moment to come and she has finally arrived. At 38 weeks, I gave birth to Francesca Simone last Feb. 21 at 9:32 p.m. at The Medical City. She weighed 7.6 lbs and measured 51cm. She’s big for a girl, that’s what the doctors told us. And with this special moment of our lives, I’d like to share with you how much we were blessed with the miracle of life.

Feb. 21 at 4:00 in the morning, I felt a certain kind of discharge. For weeks, I’ve been feeling mild contractions and since we’ve been waiting since Feb. 14 for my labor to start, we are pretty much anticipating every moment that this might be it. I’ve had several sleepless nights and uncomfortable contractions, back pains sometimes but no leg cramps. I was advised to walk as much as I can so the baby would go down and position herself. The irony of it is that I was confined last Christmas due to a slight opening of the cervix and now, I’d have to push her down more through walking. She does’nt wanna go out anymore. Hahaha. After much malling and strolling, I saw a brown-colored discharge that early morning. I read somewhere that it might be a false labor since it had to be light pink or red discharge. I observed my contractions and told Simon at 6:30 a.m. that I think I wanna go to the hospital. I called my OB and described to her everything. She advised me to take a bath, eat breakfast and go directly to the hospital. Of course, since it will take a while before I get to have a good bath again, I indulged myself to good shower that lasted for almost an hour. Hahaha. After that, we checked if everything is in the car, baby bag, daddy bag and mommy bag. Actually, at the back of our minds, we were still thinking that it might be a false labor and that doctor might still advise us to go home. I think that’s the main reason why we were so relaxed. Hehe.

At that time, I was feeling really uncomfortable. I’d feel contractions and I felt really hot. As in kakaligo ko lang, tagaktak na pawis ko. We hit the road at around 8:30 am, with neighbor Abi saying good luck to me. Haha. If you think we headed straight to the hospital, we did’nt. We passed by the studio to check on things. Hahaha. True! I even went up three floors to check the music studio and listen to simon as he talked to his mom and gave all bilins. You see, we’re not superheroes. We just wanted to do everything at the same time. Hahaha. Investing in a business and having a baby. Mind you, it’s not a piece of cake but we enjoyed it. Para rin siguro hindi kme mainip waiting for baby simone, we took the time to prepare the studio. At ang nakakatawa pa dun, we schedule the soft opening of the studio on Feb. 22 (our anniversary as boyfriend and girlfriend) so syempre, ang anak ko gusto talaga ng grand entrance kaya sinabayan nya. Gusto nya lagi special occasions eh, just like last Christmas when I was confined. At the center of our busy schedules and Christmas rush, she wanted to get attention as well. Hahha. Manang-mana sa mommy!

We arrived at the hospital at 11:30 a.m. I felt comfortable despite the mild contractions. We headed directly to the pre-labor room and when I told the doctors that Dr. Fuentes advised me to go there, they were expecting us na pala. Yikes! My OB headed to her clinic agad after our call. Hehehe. When resident doctor checked on me, I was 2-3cm still. Actually, its barely 3cm. My OB phoned me and asked me if I wanted to go home and walk muna or stay na sa hospital to go into labor already. Syempre, naisip ko na mapapraning din me if we go home and wait for the painful contractions to come so I told her that we’d stay in the hospital. I asked her when’s the expected date of delivery. The latest if Feb. 22. I was given something for enema, changed outfit and surrendered all my things to Simon. Simon, on the other hand, had to get a room for us. Before he got a room, he went to the pre-labor room first to check on me and say goodbye temporarily. We knew that we won’t be able to see each other for a while kaya we kissed each other and said our ‘I love you’s’. After that, I was groomed for the labor room na.

At 12:30 p.m., I was in the Labor room. No hubbies were allowed to go inside. That’s why I really wanted to get the Lamaze room as soon as im into active labor already. In the labor room, im not allowed to eat or drink anything. Pero my OB gave me milk lang to last for the whole day at least. Sana pala marami na ko kinain nung breakfast. Hahaha. Anyway, at around 1:30 p.m., I was advised by resident doctor that they rupture my membranes so we can speed up contractions and dilation. Just before they rupture my membranes, I felt a really big discharge. I asked the nurse to check on it and saw that my water bag already broke with some bloody show. Hehe. Parang alam na alam ng baby ko kung kelan sya sisingit ano?! After that, I started to feel real good contractions. They’re getting stronger and stronger. I kept on praying that there’d be good progress sa pag-dilate ko. After an hour and a half, I was 4cm already. I told doctor that I wanted to be transferred already to the Lamaze room. I wanted to see Simon already. The contractions are getting stronger and I wanted Simon to be there beside me. After 30 minutes, I saw him na in the Lamaze room. He was in a blue suit provided by the hospital. Maganda yung Lamaze room. There’s always a doctor beside me to check my contractions and blood pressure. There’s TV, celfones are allowed and other gadgets. Hahaha. I still remember Simon taking pictures of the room and pati ako kinukunan while on labor. Kainis. There was a time when he was just beside me holding my hand while I go into another contraction. Every contraction, I just closed my eyes and prayed, thinking that the pain is one step nearer into seeing my baby. When I turned 5cm, I asked the doctor for the painless already. Akala ko kaya ko yung pain. Hindi rin pala. Hahaha. With the anesthesia, ditto ako pinaka-praning to be honest. As in, I kept on praying for God to touch the hands of my anesthesiologist. I heard not-so-good stories about improper injection of anesthesia and either the mom suffers or the child. Syempre, God is in control of everything kaya I just kept on praying that time. My supposed anesthesiologist was Dr. Uson. Unfortunately, he was caught in traffic that time and aother anesthesiologist did all the work. She’s a blessing. I forgot to get her name sa sobrang kaba ko nun pero she was sooo good. I got all the moral support I needed from her. She explained to me everything and she’s like an instant friend. Yung tipong I felt her concern and sincerity that time. There were two nurses who assisted her. They held my legs to make sure I won’t move a bit. Simon was by my other side the whole time, holding my hand and just looking at me to make me feel comfortable. The only thing that hurt was the local anesthesia. After that, effortless na yung epidural, which is a little cold when injected. Hehe. After 15 minutes, I felt numb in my legs, wala nako masyado maramdaman and that’s anesthesia taking place. Every contraction na, wala na me nararamdaman. This was the time daw that I can take a rest before the delivery.

After an hour or so, I felt another batch of discharge on me. Alam ko marami sya. For every contraction, there’s a blood clot that would go out as well. My OB got alarmed as there was so much blood coming out of me. She informed me that if the bleeding does not stop, she’d have to open me up. I was 5cm at that time and my contractions are turning really good already, with close intervals and becoming stronger each time. Resident doctors and my OB asked me if my sonologist mentioned something about low-lying placenta. As far as I can remember, the sonologist in Medical City informed me that my placenta was normal when I had my last ultrasound last December, the time I was confined. I don’t know what happened but it turned out that I have a low-lying placenta. For every contraction, my baby would come down but placenta would block my baby’s way. Normally, baby should come out first, then the placenta. In my case, it was baby and placenta racing to go out. Syempre, I don’t want to stress my baby so much but I still requested my OB to observe me for another hour or two. I was not conditioned to have a C-section delivery kasi I was being groomed for a normal delivery. Plus, I know the pain of a C-section delivery. I don’t wanna go through that coz I want to take care of my baby myself and be able to carry her as much as I can.

After two hours, there was no bleeding. The resident doctor was happy and I turned 6cm already. But after another hour, another batch of blood clots came out. This time it was really, really disturbing for my OB and the doctors there. When my OB saw me at 9:00 pm, she said that she’d have to open me up already. I don’t look good already as a lot of blood has come out. Namumutla na daw ako and if we insist on normal delivery, my baby might be stressed also and suffer during delivery. I looked at Simon. We stared at each other as we were not prepared for an operation. I’d have to internalize the fact that I will be opened up. Naisip ko na lang ang baby ko and said to myself na I’ve waited so long for this moment to finally see her and kiss her. Kahit anong mangyari sa ken basta walang masama mangyari kay baby, okay lang sa akin. And so we agreed for the operation. We prayed and I told Simon to just keep on praying during the operation. We stared at each other for a long time and tears just fell. They were not tears of fear or sadness or disappointment. It was tears of love --- love that let us know that everything will be alright, and the love that we have for our baby.

At 9:15 p.m., I was brought to the operating room. There were like 10 people inside, I don’t know which ones were doctors and nurses. Pero everyone was so relaxed. The temperature inside was just right. I was feeling a little nervouse having to lie down the operating bed with everyone around me. I could hear the instruments being prepared. I was totally awake the whole time. It was good daw, according to my OB, that Im awake. They were all talking to me to make me feel relaxed. I have one doctor just above my head, my anesthesiologist on my right, and Simon on my left. Yes, he was also there inside the operating room. I’m glad that my doctor allowed him to go inside. There was a cover so I wont be able to see what’s happening. Eh the thing is, I was able to still see the operation going on since the light on the ceiling created a reflection of everything that was happening. Hehehe. I was not scared pero the feeling that I’d have to stretch my arms, as if being crucified, is uncomfortable.

I cant feel anything from below my chest downwards. As in nada. Then, my OB informed me that they will start na. I was looking at Simon the whole time. I told my anesthesiologist to not leave my side. She just held my hand the whole time, she was really an instant friend. I’d hear words of encouragement from her and the doctor above my head. Hehehe. I’d always ask Simon what was happening, but I can actually see the reflection in the ceiling. I saw them cutting me, from which after a few minutes, I felt pressure in my tummy, as if they were punching me and pushing my tummy to let the baby come down. And they were really pushing my tummy. Simon would tell me that it’s almost over. I can hear all the personnel talking to each other as if the baby is really nearing to her delivery. 9:31 p.m., Simon was advised by another nurse to ready his camera for pictures and video. And that’s the time I knew that the time is nearing. At 9:32 p.m., I heard my OB announced the most precious phrase, “Baby OUT!” waaahhh!!! Just after a few seconds, I heard a big baby cry. That’s my baby! And I just felt myself crying, as in tears just flowed. Sobrang I can’t describe the feeling. I felt super blessed that it was real…I already have a child. As in, God has blessed us with the opportunity to raise a person, a person that will become His child. Ibang klase yung feeling eh. Until now, everytime I’d remember her first cry, ibang klase yung joy that comes along with it. My anesthesiologist congratulated me for a job well done.

Simon had to go and see the baby being cleaned up, just to make sure that everything’s okay and to take pictures as well, while I was being stitched back. When baby was all tidy na, a doctor brought her to my left boob to let her suck a little and to create that bond. We had some picture-taking, our first family picture, mother and daughter and daddy and daughter. So cool! I was up and awake the whole time. Yun nga lang, nag picture-taking, di man lang ako nakapag-powder. Eh ang puti kaya ng anak ko, kaya kakahiya tumabi sa kanya. Hahaha. She’s sooo precious! She looks like an angel, so red and white.

After I’ve been stitched up, I was brought to the recovery room and stayed there for two hours. I remembered asking the nurse or doctor there (can’t remember actually) where my baby is and if my husband can go to the recovery room. At around 1:30 in the morning, I was already brought to our room. Room 506. I saw Simon there with my mom. There were visitors who came already while I was still at labor. Hehe. Hindi naman sila masyado excited. Pero happy kami and they joined my family to pray for my safe delivery. I was so happy to see Simon coz it was almost 3 hours that we have’nt seen each other. My mom told me not to talk yet coz of the stitches.

Having to be operated
It was not easy to be operated. For one, I was not set to deliver Simone via C–section. I’ve always prayed that for a normal delivery and I thought all along that everything will turn out the way we expected it to. When Dr. Fuentes told me that she’s had to open me up, I felt a little sad. I looked at Simon and then I thought, my baby’s safety is far more important than what I wanted so I agreed to be operated.

I can’t stand for the first day. I only slept almost the whole day to regain my strength. I was not able to see baby Simone for one day since I could’nt even walk or stand up. Simon brought pictures of her when they saw her during viewing time. She was soooo cute! Hahaha.

Second day, at around 4am, I tried to get up and asked Simon to bring me to the nursery room so I could breastfeed her already. I was brought there thru a wheelchair. When the nurse saw me, she asked if I could walk straight. Given that it was the first time that I walked after the operation, I was, admittedly, a little groggy and could not stand straight. She suggested that I see the baby after a few hours after I practice walking around. Heck, when we left the nursery, Simon saw me crying. Hahaha. Kasi naman, it’s as if I was neglected to see my own child. Super nalungkot talaga me. Simon told me not to worry coz I’ll see her in a few hours. Kainis talaga yung nurse na yun! Hahaha.

The next time I tried to see my baby, I succeeded. I was so excited, I was able to walk from the nursery door to the breastfeeding room. When she was brought to me, she was still sleeping. She’s sooo beautiful, I could’nt believe that we are her parents. She’s maputi and she blushes everytime she makes ‘inat’. She has perfect fingers which she got from her dad, perfect nose which she got from me, perfect lips and chin which she got from her dad. She also has a birthmark at her right arm which she got from our side, my mom and my brother have the same birthmark as well. From the Tan side, she got the trademark index toe that all Simon’s siblings have. Super nakakatuwa that she’s a little of everybody kaya everyone is so happy that they share something with baby Simone.

I was talking to her while she was breastfeeding on me. I kept on telling her I love her and that she was all worth the pain and more. It was a mom-daughter moment for me. Having to see her and hold her for the first time paved the way to motherhood. Yes, I’am a mom already. We are parents. We have been given a chance to raise a person to become a child of God and follow God’s will in her life. We’ve been given a privilege that not everyone is being blessed upon. We are thankful that she is healthy and that she is everything we have prayed for and much, much more.

At the hospital
I pretty much recovered on the second day. I was advised to walk around so everything inside will return to its normal place. Hehe. I was asked to count my farts, to lie down on my side, either left or right. I had three different kinds of whatever stuck on me thru needles: the blood transfusion, dextrose and pain reliever. On the second day, the one pack of blood was emptied and thank God, tinanggal na sya agad. Feeling ko kasi super may sakit ako seeing blood flow to get inside of me. My hemoglobin dropped from 120 to 80 kasi. I still had a catheter pero it was also removed the second day so I could walk to the bathroom for comfort needs. It was one of the hardest thing to do—having to sit on the toilet bowl. The stitch kasi is so low (bikini cut) that it would hurt everytime I bent. Simon would assist me and would change my maternity pads and clean myself. Sobrang it was a proof of our love. He really took care of my every need.

to be continued...this post is really long na. :D

The one with a piece of heaven

Thank you Lord for giving us a piece of heaven in her. She's Francesca Simone Fermin Tan. Born last February 21, 2007 at 9:32 in the evening via C-section. She weighed 7 lbs and 6 oz and measured 51 cm. She's big for a girl!

We have so many blessings to share with you but we will start with this first.




our first family picture


so syempre, itabi ba daw sa ken...walang pasabi, sana nakapag-powder muna. hehehe. ang puti nya kasi eh. :D

soon to post...our birthing kwento!!! please wait for it. thanks.