We came back from Vegas on Tuesday at 1am. The traffic along Hwys 15 and 58 were terrible!

So, what did we do while in Vegas? On Saturday morning, we went to Red Rock Canyon in Nevada. In the afternoon, we walked along the strip and watched freebie shows. On Sunday, we went to Mt. Zion National Park in Utah. In the evening, we let the kids loose at Circus Circus' children's play area. On our way home on Monday, we dropped by Hoover Dam. Productive and pretty tiring I'd say... ;)

Kail enjoyed playing with my friend's kids (ages 11, 7, 5). The way they treated each other were like siblings. Even up to this day, Kail would do a roll-call - ate? uya (for kuya)? tita? My friend L said her kids also miss Kail a lot and have been bugging her when they'd be able to see my little guy again. Cute!

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I have been very open about our journey through Infertility in the past. It took us 2 years to finally conceive. Hubz and I were both in tears when the pregnancy test came positive. I had tears in my eyes when I saw Kail and held him in my arms for the very first time. Now that I'm pregnant again, we are excited but not so much like the first. This time, there's a little bit of apprehension mixed in. Would we be able to handle raising a toddler andan infant at the same time? How would Kail react to a new addition in the family? Will he feel jealous if our attention is suddenly divided in two? But this video made me realize that we are so blessed to have been given another chance to become parents. There are couples who have been longing and are still waiting for this miracle to happen. We know the feeling - we've been there before.

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There was a thread on one of my e-groups about living with in-laws and though I didn't get the chance to sharemy point of view, I thought I'd post my two cents on my blog.

There is a reason why leaving one's parents to be one with the spouse is biblical. I firmly believe that couples should be given the chance to work their marriage out and live on their own. Having in laws or parents in the same household complicates matters and might even rock the marriage in the end. I should know because I grew up living with my paternal grandparents and siblings. There would often be disagreements between my mom and my dad, between my mom and my dad's siblings, between my mom and the grandparents. That might have caused (in part) the break-up in their marriage. It was then that I vowed to myself that I wouldn't put myself in the same situation when I have a family of my own.

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I'd like to blog about my son's new pediatrician. With Kail's former pediatrician, the wait time is unbelievable and when we're finally seen, she would check on him as fast as she could. I feel that she can't wait to get us out the door! When Kail developed horrible rashes on his face and skin, she kept giving him creams to help withthe itching, but it doesn't make those rashes go away. I have asked over and over for a specialist referral but she would shrug my concerns off. Only after 7 or 8 months did she finally cave in and gave us a referral to an allergist. Kail was diagnosed as allergic to eggs and nuts!!!!

If she didn't take her sweet little time on thereferral, we would've immediately known and I would've stopped giving him anything that has eggs on it (bread,cakes, etc). When I was breastfeeding, I would've refrained from taking in anything with eggs. If only those things happened, the rashes might've been controlled and my poor little Kail didn't have to suffer.

So, after years of looking for a realiable pediatrician, a friend finally recommended Dr. M who holds clinics in Vallejo, Benicia, and Fairfield. She's heaven-sent! She doesn't make us wait any longer than 10 minutes. She's always very attentive to what we tell her, and she's good at pacifying our concerns and making our worries go away. She takes time to look and examine Kail when sick. She would even give us tips on raising a toddler like discliplining him. I just can't imagine why it took us this long to find her!!!

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Happy weekend everyone! Stay dry if you're in NorCal!

LV fanatics, have you seen this??? ;)

I got the result of my glucose tolerance testing a couple of weeks ago and I was told I tested positive for gestational diabetes! This was a surprise because I didn't have one with Kail. I guess age may have a lot to do with this since I'm turning 35 this year! I have friends who didn't have one on their previous pregnancies but was tested positive on their recent ones. Tomorrow I have an appointment with a nutritionist for the prescribed diet. I also have to prick myself a few times a day to check my blood sugar. Bummer! All those sweet stuff I ate during the holidays finally caught up on me!

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I need a new cellphone. My treo 600 isn't bluetooth capable so soon, I wouldn't be able to use it while driving.Here are the phones I'm eyeing:

The Blackberry Curve 8310:
The Palm Treo 750:

The Apple iPhone:
We visited The Apple Store last weekend and I heart the iPhone! My only concern is the price.

So what do you think bloggers, if you were in my shoes, which would you choose?

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I am surprised to find myself actually working on fulfilling my goals (others call them resolutions) for the year. I won't divulge them yet until I've completed them so as not to jinx a good start. Wish me luck to be able to complete one of them before I give birth, and the other one before my birthday in September... ;)

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We're off to Vegas on Friday with some friends. I am in need of this break because I've been stressed thin on our Feb. 22 install. Yes, I am taking off before we go into Production for a much-needed respite. But no, we're not going to Vegas to gamble. I just think that we needed to get away as a family before I give birth in May, otherwise, we may not be able to go at all. Besides, we have our timeshare week expiring this year so we might as well use them since we're paying for a very expensive maintenance fee anyway.

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I got tagged by Gem! I'd post the reply when we get back. Sorry Gem - things have just been pretty hectic!

'Til my next sari-saring post, possibly when we get back from Vegas!

Sari-Saring Post

I sat in for my 3-hour glucose test today. I was there as early as 7:15am, told the pinay phlebotomist/receptionist that I was there for the glucose test, hoping she'll give me the drink and I can start counting the hours. She instead told me I have to wait until she calls my name, and then I have to give her my doctor's request, and only then will she be able to give me the drink. Well, it took 45 minutes for the manager (thankfully) to call my name. I told the manager I was there 45 minutes earlier and she confronted the pinay why I wasn't given the drink right then and there. She said she needed to know if I fasted, to which I told her I did. To think that there was a sign to let the folks at the front know if we're in for glucose test or other timed tests!

An hour later, you'd think she learned her lesson (she was reprimanded by the manager by the way). I had to remind her that I'm due for my second blood draw (the first was prior to drinking the solution). She asked my name and insisted that I'm not due for another 10 minutes more! I debated that I saw the manager write the time on my paper (9:02, 10:02, 11:02). Yun pala, there were 2 of us there for the same test, with the same name - what a coincidence right?! Haay naku, the last time I ate was 6:30 last night so at 9am, I was so, so hungry, with another 2 hours to go. Muntik ko na kaya siyang kagatin sa inis!

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For the second day in a row, Kail was harboring a fever at wee hours in the morning, then the fever will be gone by morning. Father and son are also hacking by now, and when Kail starts a coughing fit, he'd throw up. My poor baby... I hope he'd feel better soon!

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What's up with the weather? I have had to scrape ice on my windshield twice this week. This morning, the newscaster warned motorists to drive safely along Hwy 29 as there's ice on the road! This is California, for Pete's sake... we're supposed to enjoy a snow-free weather!

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I have been seriously thinking whether I'll undergo another C-Section or go through VBAC (Vaginal Birth afterC-Section) this time around. Hubz wasn't around when I gave birth to Kail and I figured maybe he'll appreciate the chance to be my labor coach this time around. But do I really want to subject myself to all that pain? My next consideration is the recovery period. Since I would have an infant and a toddler to care for, it'll probably be easier if I opt for VBAC with a shorter recovery period.

One advantage I can think of regarding C-section would be a longer leave period. I can only have 6 weeks off for a normal delivery while there's an allotted 8 weeks maternity leave for CS. I could use the extra two weeks to bond with my two boys! ;)

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We watched Spiderman last weekend and Kail was enthralled. He kept saying "Miman" even in his sleep! He also loved watching the DVD over and over again.

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Have you ever seen these boudoir shots? I wish this was introduced back when I was a size 0, and back when I had the nerve to bare it all without feeling like a pig! I would've immediately booked myself a session then. Haay sayang... I wonder if I'll be able to get back to my ninety-something lb., size 0, a waistline of 23 self? I probably have to live at the gym and exercise nonstop to achieve this. Unless of course, I become a suki of Drs. Calayan or Belo?! ;)

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Happy weekend everyone! Sorry for the hodge podge of posts. Hope the weather in your side of the world is so much better! To all those in Northern California, it'll rain again through the weekend so stay dry people!

Remembering the Past

We met with the hubz' cousin on Sunday at Gerry's Grill in Union City. It was funny to see the two of them bonding as if they've only seen each other recently when truth of the matter is, they haven't seen each other for the past 20 years or so!

The conversation drifted to our first few years in the US. To most people back home, they think that life overseas is heaven when in fact, it isn't. This is why a lot of people would give anything to be able to get that seemingly elusive tourist visa.

Life in the US hadn't been easy for an immigrant like me. I left my comfort zone in exchange for a life of uncertainty here - all because I wanted to give my future children better lives. I was hired directly from Manila. I was one of those Y2K programmers they brought over to help with the conversion. I had no relatives close by - I relied heavily on my friends' kindness. My first apartment didn't have a decent furniture, everything was bought from the thrift store. I was sleeping in a sleeping bag. I walked a lot (because I didn't have a car) and took public transportation. On days when I had to work late, I would sleep on my cubicle. I worked long hours even on weekends. It was tough being the "kid" in your group (I was only 24 then) and I felt that I had to prove myself so they would take me seriously.

I wasn't born with a golden (even silver) spoon in my mouth so everything I have now, I worked hard and prayed harder for. My perseverance and hardwork did pay off, and thankfully, my husband and children wouldn't experience walking home uphill (I used to live in Daly City) on a cold and rainy winter night. They wouldn't have to sleep in a sleeping bag, and sit on the floor. They wouldn't have to run after a bus because they were at the stop a few seconds late. They wouldn't have to slave away because their greencards are in progress and one bad move and they'll be shipped home. They wouldn't have to go to a laundromat to get their laundry done because the washer and drier in the apartment complex is broken.

Ah, the things you endure for the people you love! I hope that someday my kids will realize how blessed they are. I hope that they would learn to appreciate and value all that they have because behind every penny is someone's blood, sweat, and tears.

It's back to work yesterday after the 3-day Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. I got the chance to clean our bedroom, scrub the bathroom, do loads of laundry, complete my ironing, take care of Kail. On Sunday, we took Kail to the Oakland Zoo which he enjoyed very much. At a tender age of two, we have seen his love for animals. At the zoo, he never failed to amaze us when he was able to name most of them - from elephant, to zebra (which he calls horsie), to girraffe, to the pig, and a lot others. He also enjoyed taking the sky ride with his dad.

It was a wee bit cold when we were there so the next day, I have sore throat and I began coughing. I guess I wasn't bundled up properly. It definitely was a sunny day, though the temperature was in the 50s. Now I'm hacking again.

Kail and I had a funny conversation yesterday while he was watching his Baby Einstein DVD:

Mommy: Kail, that's a driveway

Kail: Car

Mommy: No Kail, it's a driveway for the car

Kail: No mommy, CAR! (pointing at the car easing in to the driveway).

Oh well, Kail won this debate of course.

The holidays have come and gone. And then, while busily counting down for Kail's second birthday on Jan. 4, the little boy got hit by a virus. He was harboring a 102.9 degree fever on his birthday - very clingy and oh-so-irritable. Poor guy! At about the same time last year, he was also sick, and has just gotten out of the hospital in Manila.

We did nothing fancy on his birthday. I was hoping we could go to Disneyland but good thing we didn't book anything. The Bay Area was pounded by a winter storm which left a lot of households in the dark (thankfully, not ours though). Kail was down with a nasty combination of fever, cough, colds. He was up and about almost all night because he couldn't breathe properly. He's a little better - no more fever, but he passed the virus on to me. So, I have clogged nose, sore throat, and I'm barking like a dog. I couldn't take any medicine because I'm pregnant so I'm relying mostly on good ol' natural remedies like gargling with warm water and salt (and sometimes with cayenne pepper instead of salt), eating lots of oranges, drinking tons of liquids, and trying to stay warm.

Hubz, on the other hand has been spared. Perhaps because his antibodies are imported from the Philippines... ;)

Hopefully we'd be well soon and the weather will finally clear up. We're still hoping we could take Kail somewhere for his birthday.

Have a blessed 2008 everyone!