You know it's time to lose weight...

...when somebody asks you when you're due when in fact, you've already given birth more than two months ago. YIKES

That happened to me the other day. I don't know if the person was just absent-minded or was set to ruin my day.

At any rate, I forgive her...but I have yet to forgive myself.

Trick or Treat at Kindermusik

For the culminating event for Zoe's Our Time class and also in line with the Halloween celebrations, they were asked to come in their favorite costume.

We got Zoe a Little Red Riding Hood outfit from SM and boy did she look so cute on it! :-)

Here are some pictures.

Little Red Riding Hood Zoe:


During class with T. Jeannie:


Handing out of the certificates:


Goodbye-time:

After a couple of Our Time classes, Zoe is now ready to join the Imagine That classes next semester. I'm sure it will be a lot of fun!

Kidz Kraze Loots

We were one of the early birds to the first day of the Richwell Toy Sale in Libis. Okay sana but the line to the cashier was super duper long...I was so tired to the max! Pero ganun ata talaga ang sacrifice para sa mga gustong makatipid. But I swear, I won't ever fall in line like that ever again.

Anyways, here are some of my loots (among other things I bought for my kids).

Leapfrog Disney Princess Laptop (Zoe loves it!)



Pads for the "milking cow" me.


For baby Luigi.

For Luigi (again) -- This was a major purchase kaya despite skimping on other stuff, our total cost was super laki pa rin.

Back to Work

"Mommy, hwag ka pasok sa office! Hindi na! Dito ka na lang house."

That's what Zoe said to me upon waking up and seeing me already in my black office suit this morning. Hay. Really it breaks my heart to leave them at home while I go very early to work and not return until the evening.

I had replied by saying, "Mommy has to go to the office today, Sweetheart".

"Sa ___ (says name of my office)? Well, okay. Ako, wowork din dito na lang sa house." (By this she means she will play with her new laptop which I got from the Richwell sale --- found in my next entry).

Oh well, that's the life of a working mom. This is the life I choose to live so I better just make the most of it.

Which Side Are You On?

My hubby and I have been on our toes watching the first two games of the World Series. This year, the championship is between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies. While the Phillies are the defending champions, we are still happily rooting for the Yankees. We've come to love this team even with its ups and downs in the last few years. I like them so much that I was so tempted to name our new baby "Derek" (after Derek Jeter) instead of Luigi. Hahaha.

The current standing is tied to 1-1. After two games held at the new Yankees Stadium, the whole pack is flying to Philadelphia this weekend for game number 3. We're keeping our fingers crossed that the Yankees will win. Meantime, I'm doing a torrents search for some online baseball games that could keep me entertained while waiting for Saturday night's game.

How things are now...

Hi guys!

How are things with you? For me, things have been mostly the same day in, day out. It's made up of constantly breastfeeding Luigi, chasing around Zoe, reading, praying, taking a bath, eating. That's it. I seldom get the chance to go out of the house especially since the car is out of order. Neither do I get "me time" but I feel din that it's not a loss for me (you can just imagine how my hair is now --- totally not presentable!). For many, I don't really seem to get anything much done. But I swear --- I could go on like this forever! I just want to cherish these days with the babies. I know that I won't be able to repeat this experience once I go back to work again. This kind of bonding is so priceless.

Sunny Days

Just a snap shot of the kiddies with our reliable Ate Cat.

Mornings are definitely sunnier with them around!

A Glimpse of Ondoy

It's so hard to post pics here lately because of my slow internet connection...

So these are the only pics I can come up with at the moment regarding the recent tragedy called ONDOY.

The first one is taken infront of our house on Sept. 26, 2009, the day of the flood. The water rose up to 8 feet deep outside in the street. It may not look so deep from here but you see, our house is already more than 7 feet elevated from the street.

This second pic is taken almost from the same place/angle, but this time, the water has now subsided and our neighbors are beginning their clean-up efforts.

Crazy, huh?

Dear Lord, may this never happen again.

Sobrang Busy

Hi! Just wanted to drop a line or two here because I've been missing blogging. I've been so busy kasi with family life that I almost never get to do other things, much less go online.

Anyway, this week was so packed. After Ondoy, I literally had 'binat' and was feverish for days. My husband had to rush me to Cardinal Santos one time because my fever just keeps coming back. Anyway, they put me on a round of antibiotics to clear the infection that I seemed to have. And then, amidst this, we still decided to push through with Luigi's baptism last October 10 (with the reception held at home). It was a small and intimate party, both intentionally and unintentionally. Meaning, we only invited half of the number we invited compared to Zoe's baptism but then maybe because of the lack of time to invite and the hangover from Ondoy, only half of the invited were able to come. Anyway, at least nakaraos na. Then come Monday, I had to go to my scheduled annual retreat. It was my fist time to really be out of the house that long (I'm so not used to it anymore). I had to pump milk in-between the activities, hahaha. Sure, it was sort of distracting since I really ought to be continually praying. But who says you can't pray while expressing milk? It's weird but actually doable. :-)

So now, I'm back at home. I just love being with the kiddies and my sweetheart that I think I can stay like this forever...

After the Storm

Hi guys! I'm back from the dead. Hahaha.

Maybe some of you are already wondering whether we're okay or not since it been well reported in the news that our area has been one of the hardest hit by the storm Ondoy. Well, it's true. Actually, our village is no longer a stranger to flash floods when rains comes. However, this last time was different. I've never seen anything like it - no flood as high as this one. Thank God for parents who constructed a house that is "ridiculously elevated" that we only experienced ankle-deep flood inside the main level of the house. But you see, to put things in perspective, the ankle-deep flood inside our house already translates to about 8 feet-deep water outside which means that a normal person would have to swim through the muddy and dirty water already if he has to evacuate to a safer place.

Anyway, with the four days of flood, what suffered the most damage is our car which was left in the garage and which was fully submerged in the floodwater for days. Since nobody expected the water to rise that high, we had no choice but to surrender and just leave the car (and everything inside it) as it is. Losing the car is way better than losing a whole house, right? Besides, our family and our next-door neighbors who stayed with us are all safe. With that in mind, I think we are still very blessed. At any rate, we can always look at used cars if we save enough money to buy another car in the future. Meantime, my husband is uber-busy dismantling the car now and drying it up properly. Hopefully, in time, the car will work again.

P.S. I'll post some pics in my next entry!

Adjusting

Hi everyone!

Luigi is now more than 2 weeks old and we're both adjusting well so far. His cheeks are getting chubby now and his body is already getting filled up with some fat. I'm proud to be a breastfeeding mom (for the very first time) and happy that the baby is benefittng a lot from it.

I wish I could show you more pics but I've got no time for that just now. Life is quite a blur these days, ya know. However, it still feels good even as we practically just let the days pass spent mainly taking care of the baby boy and the "super makulit" Ate.

I'll be back with more kwento! Stay dry and safe amidst the stormy weather.

P.S. Naku, please pray that the rains would stop na so that the flood wouldn't rise and reach the inside of our car which is parked in the garage!!! Whaaaa!!!!

He's Finally Here!

No words can express our happiness...



Welcome JOSE LUIGI D. PINEDA! Born September 8, 2009 at 7:09 a.m., 5.5lbs via RCS at Cardinal Santos Medical Center, San Juan City.

Prayers on Sept. 8

Hi everyone!!! Just making a quick post now before we leave for the hospital this afternoon. Was at the doctor's clinic this morning and she finally gave me the "sentence". At 39 weeeks and 6 days, she wants me to undergo CS tomorrow, Sept. 08 (Mama Mary's birthday), at 6:30 a.m. It seems that my cervix just won't open and so...I need to be opened up to delivery the baby via caesarean section.

Pls. pls. pray for me because I'm honestly so scared of undergoing another operation: the needles, the incisions, the wound, etc. etc. However, I want to be positive and think that this is all a part of my being a mother. I prayed so much for a VBAC but maybe God has other plans for me and baby boy. As long as the baby is healthy and good, I am willing to undergo the pain all for him.

Hopefully, I'll do very well. Will try to be up and about as soon as I can. It'll be Zoe's 3rd birthday on Wednesday, Sept. 09. Given that, I'll have to make advance preparations so that the little girl won't feel so left out since her daddy and I will be in the hospital that day. Maybe the official party will just follow this weekend (once I can stand on my own already!).

Pls. keep me and my whole family in mind tomorrow and the following days. Will keep you all posted! Thanks in advance!!!

Still Here...

...and still preggy.

Sorry to have been sort of neglecting this little space of mine in the net. I've been so busy with so many things: getting ready to go on leave (turn-overs are so much pressure), preparing the house and the baby stuff, and most importantly, getting ready to give birth.

This pregnancy has had its many twists and turns and I don't think it will end until THE DAY. Just went to the doc yesterday (I'm now at full-term at 37 weeks) but my cervix is as it is: VERY CLOSED (sigh). Plus, my amniotic fluid is becoming less and less just like my first pregnancy. And so, we continue to pray for a safe delivery (however it will be) and a healthy and happy baby. Pls. pray with us!!!!

Thanks!

A Mini Reunion

My cousins and I had a short get-together last Friday night to bid Jay Anne, Mike and Basty farewell as they were leaving for the States to stay there for good.

It was so much fun chatting and eating with them. For sure, without Jay Anne's family during our usual family holiday celebrations, there will be sort of a hole in our hearts. They will be sorely missed!

Here are some pictures:

Getting bigger and bigger by the day...


Basty with my cousin Jojie:



Zoe with Aila:

To Jay - hope you come home to Manila once in a while! We will miss you and everyone else!