family dates: gary v. concert, "up" movie, and dora show

it was three saturdays ago when the whole family went to smex to watch the concert of mr. pure energy gary valenciano. the event was sponsored by pilipinas shell and jude was lucky enough to be given four free tickets.

 

 

our initial plan was the concert would only be a date between me and jude but the daddy made a last-minute decision to bring along the little boy. i had apprehensions with this decision as i imagined the concert venue filled with unruly crowd and iñigo getting bored since there’s nothing to be seen in the concert but song and dance numbers. but everything was only in my imagination as the concert was so organized and iñigo was so entertained by the show.

 

 

iñigo danced along to one of gary v.'s songs

 

the concert even turned out a very special treat for us as aside from the free concert foods and freebies also abound in the concert. we even brought home a souvenir cd of gary v. and packed meals from italiannis and tgi friday’s! =P

 

 

the happy and BUSOG family =D

 

sidekwento: iñigo asked me before the start of the show on when jollibee will appear on the stage. duh! it’s because he heard me wrong when i told him that we’re going to watch gary v… sounds like jollibee. nyahaha!

 

one of my souvenir shots of gary v.

 

***

we’re taking every opportunity now for family dates as we’re sure that we will be homebound again in the coming months so when the movie “up” opened two weeks ago we were one of the first moviegoers to see it. guess who requested… err, nangulit for us to see this movie? yup, it’s the little boy. and guess who plead that we leave the movie house when oversized canines appeared in the screen? hehe. but of course we didn’t leave… i just told iñigo to put his arms around me and close his eyes when he doesn’t like what he sees in the movie. the tricks worked. the movie is so good and funny to be left unfinished. the daddy and the mommy had a good time watching it.

 

***

i thought we will not be able to watch it but then, we did! and the mommy was as happy as iñigo when i received a text message from the concierge of glorietta mall that we won two stubs for the dora show's the big piñata. i made sure we were there (atrium of glorietta 5) early last saturday so we can have seats in the front rows.

the dora fan of course was delighted to see her with boots, the map and sniper on stage. too bad we can't stay longer for the free picture-taking as i got a call from our neighbor in cabuyao that our house there was ransacked and we have to be there immediately. =(

 

 

the lamaze classes and other preps

it's my terrible birthing experience with iñigo, which pushed me to enroll in a lamaze/childbirth class for this pregnancy. as much as possible, i want myself and baby TL to be free from any drugs during the delivery as i blame the epidural anesthesia i had for the low apgar score of iñigo after he came out from me. well... i'm thinking iñigo must also be too groggy from the drugs as i was that time. i'm also leading my family now into a chemical and drug-free lifestyle as much as we can so it's a good idea to start it from birth, right?

 

aside from my desire for natural birth, i also want to avoid the other mistakes that have had happened in my first and one of the biggest mistakes i made by the way was letting iñigo grow big (he’s almost an eight-pounder) while he’s still inside my tummy. with my slim frame, it was a miracle that i was able to deliver him via normal procedure.

 

so for six saturday mornings, jude and i diligently attended the lamaze classes under ms. rome kanapi in santuario de san jose parish center in south forbes, makati, while iñigo was left home with my cousin.

 

the fee is quite pricey as we shelled out php 4,000 for the entire program but that’s nothing with all the practical information and tips we learned from the classes such as prenatal exercises, breathing techniques, preparation of childbirth plan and other details regarding childbirth, which i find very empowering not only for the mothers-to-be but more for the fathers-to-be as it could help them in coming up with an informed decision concerning their partners in any unlikely event... and not just depend on what the doctors will say, you know...

 

but more than the knowledge acquired, what i appreciate more about lamaze is it really  encouraged the guys to get involved in the childbirth experience of their partners—from the   labor stage up to post-partum. the men were made aware of what we feel  and fear.

 

 

 

jude trying out one of the floor exercises taught to us by ms. kanapi

 

 

***

aside from preparing ourselves for the delivery day, we have also readied now baby tl’s things such as his crib, clothing, feeding bottles, diapers, etc. i started to shop for his new clothes (as there are also hand-me-downs from his kuya iñigo… can’t help me not to recycle as most still look new) on the day i found out his gender. talk about being excited and shopaholic, haha.

 

 baby TL's nook in our flat

 

one of the first stores we raided is the export overruns store of baby clothings in #48 zodiac st. bel-air, makati city. it's where i bought some of the onesies, frogsuits, and towels. i was happy with my loots especially with one of the frogsuits as i thought i bought it cheap but got disappointed later on when i shopped in landmark and the same towels were selling at a lesser price, hmpf!

 

 

***

aside from all those i mentioned, we are also preparing the big brother-to-be we have in the house, i.e. kuya iñigo, for the the coming of baby TL as i know it would require a major adjustment for him since he’s used in having all our attention. we have already talked about his younger sibling as soon as the pregnancy kit turned positive and encouraged him to kiss, caress, and talk to my tummy as much as possible.

 

 

 

i'm also grateful for this book, which i bought from booksale (or diplomat?) and i have been reading this to him since last year, just one of his books collection...

 

 

i’ve already shared here that iñigo sometimes pretends he’s still a baby--even tried to climb the crib as he insisted that it’s for him--but with the help of the book, we’re able to point out the cribs are for babies only like our baby TL and that he’s the big brother in the book. =)

 

 

iñigo practicing how to carry a baby brother. we brought him with us in the last session of lamaze class... pasado na ba? =D

 

a glimpse of our 2nd baby boy

i asked jude two weeks ago if he's willing to have a 3d ultrasound of baby TL (initials for the name we already have for our second child) since it would cost him 3k and i was happy to hear his "yes!" as he reasoned out that we also had this during iñigo's time.

so last saturday all of us trooped to in my womb ultrasound center and i asked for a biophysical profiling of baby TL in 3d. i was afraid to know that he is underweight for his gestational age but to my surprise his weight is perfectly normal! =) all other parameters were also covered in the profiling and were glad that everything about this pregnancy is going smoothly--thank you, God!

we had to go back though as baby was quite shy and was hiding his face under my placenta, which made it difficult for the sonologist to capture images of him. luckily, he was already cooperating when we went back yesterday and to our heart's delight, baby TL even flashed a smile for us. =D

here are the images we brought home...

it's in the fourth image where the camera or scanner (or whatever gadget you call that) caught baby TL's smile...

compare baby TL's first pix with his kuya iñigo's who's obviously overfed while he's still inside my womb... just look at his cheek...

the 3d image of iñigo was care of makati medical center, btw.

thanks God for babies and thanks God for this new technology. =)

bidding farewell to the woman we all love

we just had to post this...

jude found his way to pasay road (cor. south super highway) to bid farewell to the former president corazon c. aquino. if not for the bad weather, iñigo and i should have joined him to pay respect to the woman who was an instrument of democracy to our country, people power and post-people power eras.

while waiting for the funeral procession...

 

at last...

 

the shuttle bus which carry the aquino family

i can say that i am a people power baby. i wasn't there when both the military and civilians camped along edsa and the marcos regime ended on february of 2006, but i was there, tagged along by my parents, on its first three anniversaries. i was only a small child that time and clueless of what was happening but still, i kept on chanting "cory! cory!" it's only in high school and most especially in college (thanks to my history professor who's obviouosly a cory-ista) that i began to appreciate the efforts made by ninoy and cory.

i wish someday iñigo and his baby brother will also come to know about the aquinos and what they fought for... and most especially the virtues they lead in life.

usapang buntis

i am already in my last leg of pregnancy, 32 weeks to be exact, but still my tummy looks smaller than it should. while i had the ideal weight gain of 25 lbs for iñigo i only gained a total of 7 lbs for this pregnancy when my weight was checked during my last prenatal check-up and that was only two and half weeks ago. i know i need a lot of catching up to do in terms of gaining weight since i only have five to seven more weeks to go till the d-day. jude also knows this very well that’s why he couldn’t complain when i ask even in the middle of the night for a take-out food.

 

i'm the one in blue shirt and black leggings. see how "slim" i am compared to the other moms who attended the childbirth/lamaze class to think that i am just few weeks behind...

***

thank goodness my glucose or blood sugar level is back to normal. i haven’t shared it here yet but i was diagnosed to have a gestational diabetes on my fourth month by my previous obstretician as i failed in my ogtt test (the test wherein i a pregnant woman has to take that yucky syrup and wait for an hour to two inside a clinic or laboratory until a sample of her blood is extracted); and it’s probably because of the strict diet that her referred endocrinologist imposed on me that’s why i didn’t gain weight for the entire second trimester!. aside from the low-fat and no-sugar diet, i also made sure it’s high-fiber as i learned from one of my readings that fiber helps a lot in regulating the insulin in our body. staples now in my weekly grocery are wheat bread, brown or red rice, and lots of veggies and fruits.

i switched to another obstretician in my fifth month and the gestational diabetes was ruled out as my other lab tests measuring also my glucose level showed very good results. i wonder if the briskwalking, i.e. walking almost everyday from our condo building to the mall, which is as far as sm makati, with a toddler in tow, helped. hahaha.

but seriously, i briskwalked and did the prenatal exercises taught to us in our lamaze class. see… am also a good girl. =)

***

i heard or read it many times but it’s now that i proved it: the best pregnancy is the first pregnancy as you only have yourself and the baby inside you to take care of for nine months.

i think having a very active preschooler inside the house is also one of the reasons why i am not gaining weight. i brought iñigo with me once in my prenatal check-up as jude had to be in the office and my ob who probably can’t believe that i stoop, squat, kneel, or whatever movement is required to keep up with the kiddo’s incessant demands or overflowing energy, said to iñigo before we left her clinic, “kaya pala hinde tumataba mommy mo e dahil sa ‘yo eh...” i just have to answer, “mismo, doc.”

***

don’t you love to be pregnant these days when maternity clothes are more fab than ever and some of the ordinary clothes were also cut for preggies to fit in, and finding them in the mall would only take you a minute? well… i do! i am happy that those striped jumpers or blouses with embroidered pictures of teddy bears which expectant moms were donning in the 80’s and 90’s are already obsolete, and i am happier that empire-cut blouses or dresses are in trend right now and because of this am not forced to buy my clothes exclusively from maternity departments or shops, except for some of my pants. actually, all of the blouses i am wearing until now were just bought from women’s boutiques and it seems i will still fit into these tops until i popped out. =)

***

  

it’s only now, and well, even in my first pregnancy, that i realized that most filipinos no longer give high regard to expectant women. sad isn’t it? i had some unfortunate incidents which proved that most filipinos now no longer care if you have that bump and need extra care or attention. one of my most unforgettable experiences was when i was still pregnant then with iñigo and i had to take the bus plying the lawton-alabang route as i was still working that time. it’s either i ended up in tears or cursing the bus driver or the conductor (or both of them!!!) as the bus would already move even if the pregnant me is just about to alight from the bus. i don’t know why i still had to remind them of the obvious that, “mama… buntis po ako!!!”

i am grateful now that i don’t need to travel everyday but still i get to experience a few disappointing moments outside my home like when i still have to queue on a long line for the entrance or a cab… never mind if i am carrying a grocery bag or has a three-year-old son with me.

but the worst treatment I have seen done to a pregnant mom, thanks god it’s not me, was when no one (even the men) offered their seats inside the bus and they pretended to be either asleep or busy chatting with their seatmates. *heavy sigh*

***

is this what they call the second-child syndrome? there were some things i did for iñigo that i no longer, or still delaying to do for this pregnancy like praying the novena to st. raymund, video-recording his movements as seen thru my tummy, and listening to classical music. but i promise to start especially with the latter this week….

but as least, am sure that this time i will have a picture of me in my ripest... =)

happy birthday, jude/daddy/love.

jude celebrated his 36th birthday yesterday, 4 august 2006. but we're already on celebration mode as early as last saturday as we dined out and celebrated in friday's as a family. the next day (that's sunday) we invited his parents, siblings, and brother-in-law for a late lunch in pvl resto in mandaluyong and had a mini-reunion in his brother-in-law's house in san juan afterwards. it was last night when we celebrated it with some of our friends in a bar along pasong tamo and inspite of the heavy rain and traffic which we braved to reach to bar we still had a nice time.

i still have to give his birthday gift but before that, i give him my and iñigo's love thru this simple poem (inspired by ninoy's poem to tita cory, hehe)...

***

i did not only fall in love with you three times... 

but everytime you showed your affection to me even when i'm in my ugliest,

and putting up with my tantrums and remained on your calmest,

and spending your hard-earned money on an expense you can't even get what is it for,

but still you did as we wished for it.

 

i did not only fall in love with you three times...

but on the times you supported me on my advocacies and listened to my opinion even how weird they may be,

and on the moments i wanted to throw our pillows on your face but you held my hands or hugged me instead,

and during the crises we went thru in our married life as i saw you fighting.

 

i did not only fall in love with you three times...

but also on the times i saw you playing with our son even when your eyes were already heavy,

and when you did the dirtiest and yuckiest in taking care of him because i don't like to do it,

not to mention those days that you decided to just stay with me and iñigo in the house though you wanted to be somewhere... climbing, biking, or be with your friends.

i will always fall in love with you love as i know no other men can replace you as a husband and father of my children.

happy birthday, again! =)

 

 

for the thomasians out there... do you know or remember this place?

almers canteen, where the sizzling steaks taste so good and the gravy is the best!

jude had heard of this canteen from me many times, and i also made sure that he will have a taste of my favorite sizzling spareribs that's why when opportunity permits, we dine out here. the last time we ate here was two weeks ago while on our way to jose abad santos in manila and i was surprised when jude asked me if i want to drop by almers... op kors!

this canteen fed me for the last four years of stay (that's college) in ust as i had no idea it exist when i was still in its high school. my college friends and i used to eat here every week or sometime, 3x a week! yes, that's how addicting their gravy is... yummy talaga! paging leah... alam ko nakakatatlong cups ka ng gravy nila... hahaha!

hope to eat in almer's more often, it not only satisfies my craving for their spareribs steak but just sitting inside this canteen brings back fond memories of my college days. =)