I Voted!

It's Election Day and an exciting time for all citizens, including me. I have mailed in my ballot a couple of weeks back. I wanted to make sure my vote will be counted. God bless America - for the freedom it stands for, and for the freedom it gives its' citizens to be heard and to make a stand. Today, history will be made. With the economic crisis on hand, it is important, more than ever, to choose wisely - to pick those who will lead America back into its seat of power.

Halloween came and went. The weather forecast said it was going to rain. True enough, it drizzled. Good thing the kids were done trick or treating. We have about two bags of candies to finish, plus those bags we weren't able to give out because we were out with the kids. They might end up in a balikbayan box to Manila for christmas.

A year ago, we were in the East Coast. On hallow's eve, we were sightseeing in downtown New York with Kail dressed up in his pumpkin sweats. He was handed a handful of candy then. Calix, on the other hand, was still in mommy's tummy so no costumes for him. This year though, theywere dressed as Mickey Mouse (a hand-me-down from Kuya J) and Dragon (which I got from Old Navy for $5). I also got them matching pajama sets to wear in bed. Hubz said I'm more excited about Halloween than the kids. I even practiced Kail to say "trick or treat" days before. Am I a stage mom in the making? ;)

My Wishlist

Christmas is 59 days away, and it's never too early to start on my christmas wishlist. Of course, with the economy being the way it is these days, they may just remain on my list.... :)

For the geek in me... the MacBook Pro!
For the bookworm in me... the Amazon Kindle!

For the mamarazzi in me... the SB-600 flash!

For the working woman/mom-on-the-go in me... the Louis Vuitton Palermo!

For the scrapbooker in me... the Cricut Personal Cutting System!

LP 30: Liwanag


Ang litratong ito ay kuha ko noong Nobyembre 1999 sa Flagstaff, Arizona. Panahon ito ng taglagas kaya halos ubos na ang dahon sa puno. Lubha akong nabighani sa ganda ng pagsikat ng araw kaya kagyat kong kinuha ang mano-mano kong camera. Isa ito sa paborito kong kuha.

Tinitingnan ko ang litratong ito tuwing nakakaranas ako ng pagsubok sa buhay. Kung susuriing mabuti ang litrato, para itong nangungusap at nagbibigay pag-asa. Para bang sinasabi niya na huwag matakot dahil pagkatapos ng dilim ay liliwanag din. Patunay na ang kasunod ng gabi ay isang bagong umaga na puno ng pag-asa. Kahit na nalalagas ang mga dahon, tutubo at babalik muli sila sa panahon ng tagsibol.

Napakabuti talaga ng Diyos! Para bang kinakausap niya tayo sa pamamagitan ng Kanyang mga likha.

Breastfeeding Challenges

I would like to think that I have done as much as I could on this area of motherhood. But, unlike other mothers out there, I simply wasn't blessed with enough milk supply for my baby. Even my lactation consultant confirmed that I have done everything to the T, but I still couldn't feed my baby full breastmilk. Even when I have succumbed to taking Reglan, a medication that supposedly increases milk supply, I couldn't extract more than 2-3 oz of milk per pumping. Is it because I had complications with my C-section? Is it because we have been plagued by seemingly endless issues and problems this time around? Or is it because, simply put, I wasn't blessed with enough milk ducts or they didn't develop fully? Is it related to my PCOS? For whatever reason, I simply cannot produce enough for my little Calix.

Since I started with the patch, I also noticed a steady decline in my milk supply, especially now that I ran out of Reglan. It has occurred to me to just stop trying and leave Calix with formula - he has no complaints anyway. But I was surprised that my husband noticed that I haven't been giving Calix breastmilk. He told me to keep pumping, and maybe I'll trigger the supply again.

You see, unlike Kail, Calix never had constipation, nor did he develop ectopic dermatitis. My husband thinks it's because he was getting more breastmilk than Kail ever did. But even with all these issues of milk supply, I am still grateful I was able to make it to the 5th month. My goal was 6 months but nature had other plans!

I truly salute all breastfeeding moms out there. This wasn't a walk in the park. I had to endure lots of sleepless nights because I had to steadily pump every 2-3 hours just to increase my supply. I am not ashamed at nursing my son in public - my only issue is that he still felt hungry after that. I just wish I had more to offer you know?

These past few days, news of financial gloom and doom have hit the headlines. You cannot help but feel depressed of it all. The world's economic giant is finally falling on its knees! The stock market has hit the fan. I dare not even look at my 401K anymore!

In the homefront, I have been doing a lot of calculations lately, doing my very best to stick within budget as even our dollars feel battered and torn in this economic chaos. We have been doing our part to save on utilities. I heard in Oprah show yesterday that unplugging unused appliances can save on electricity, so I've started doing that. We have programmed our sprinkler system to twice a week now. We maintain a list of groceries whenever we go to the store and we make sure we stick to that list. We try to go to the groceries with a full stomach so we won't be tempted to buy unnecessarily. We have avoided eating out. Every little bit counts.

Yesterday morning, as Kail moved to our bed, I realized that at the end of the day, everything that mattered to me most are in that bed - my husband and my two kids. As we are also undergoing some trying times, I am confident that everything will come to pass, and that the Lord will guide our way out. I believe that when the Lord turns our lives upside down, it is because He has something better planned.

Litratong Pinoy #27

Ito ang unang linggong lalahok ako sa "palaro" ng litratong pinoy. Ang tema ngayong linggong ito ay ang Kompyuter. Ito ang isang bagay na malapit sa aking puso dahil dito namin kinukuha ang ikinabubuhay namin. Dahil dito, nakarating ako sa Amerika upang maghanapbuhay.

Tunay na sa panahon natin ngayon, nakalulungkot isipin na hindi kumpleto ang ating mga araw kung hindi natin nagagamit ang ating mga kompyuter. Lubhang naging alipin na tayo ng makabagong teknolohiyang ito.

I've been out of circulation yet again. Calix is almost 5 months now, and is growing up so fast - right before our very eyes. He started eating solids a week ago and like his kuya, he's proving to be a big eater. Kail on the other hand, currently has ear infection so he's been coughing and sneezing, and his nose is dripping.

Here is my boys' latest photo - my favorite one. It is not always often that they get together like this - for camera's sake, so the mamarazzi in me had to take advantage... :)




Kail is a very good kuya. We can now ask him to do things for Calix - like give us diapers, give him his bottle. And he also loves hugging and kissing his baby brother. Calix, however, seem to dislike being near is kuya. Even when these two boys came from the same parents, you can see, even this early, their differences in attitude. Kail is so friendly and malambing while Calix seemed a bit distant. Calix doesn't do well with strangers unlike Kail who flashes his beautiful grin to everyone. But, differences or not, we still love them so much!