shifting

Mateo's sleeping hours have been so erratic lately. Just when Ramil and I would think that finally, he has adjusted to a more decent schedule, he'd go change again as if saying 'that's what you think!'. There are days when he would almost sleep through the night, waking up only 2-3 times just to feed. However, there are days (like these past few crappy days) when he would wake up around 1-2 am and refuse to sleep until almost lunch time! We would do everything, feed him, talk to him, play with him, rock him, sing to him, etc. during the wee hours of the morning. The results are headaches from lack of sleep for both Ramil and me. I am hopeful that Mateo's constantly changing schedule right now is just an adjustment until he finally figures out that we're not happy being awake at 3am. Oh well, just a cute smile from our baby is enough to make us smile with him, headache and all ;)

power up

I plan to start some kind of exercise regimen soon (if I find the time for it). I still need to lose a few pounds to be able to go back to my pre-pregnancy weight and since I'm breastfeeding, diet is a no-no. Hence, the need to take exercise seriously. Checking out Usana Health Sciences products should be on my list. They make award winning nutritional supplements that I'm sure a fitness buff (?!) like me would be able to use :) Their products include protein drinks, bars and antioxidant bars and used by Olympic athletes. The nutritional supplements are the #1 rated in North America. To those gym addicts out there, Order your products, get more info here!

philippine blog awards

Blogging has definitely reached a different status.

If you feel that your blog deserves the kudos, visit the site. Nomination is until February 28 only. You may nominate your own blog or one of your favorite blogs. There will be winners for different categories. Hmm, it's time for a lot of bloghopping! :)

days of our lives

There was a time when I got hooked watching Days of our Lives. It used to be shown on Studio 23 late at night and it was my companion on insomnia nights. The plot of soaps like these can get really complicated, missing one episode could sometimes make you feel like you've missed a whole season. Soap's section on Days of our Lives would be really helpful for diehard fans of the soap. The site contains daily updates for those who have missed one or two episodes. It even has features on the soap's cast. Fans can also discuss anything about their favorite show through the message boards and forums. For those who are so hooked on the show and couldn't wait for the next episodes, they also have a section on spoilers. I've tried reading through the updates and I could hardly recognize the soap I used to watch. It seems that I would need to do a lot of updating and I found the site for it.

mother and child

With the enormous amount of time Mateo and I spend together everyday, our bond grows stronger with it. Not to mention my patience. It still gets very difficult a lot of times but Mateo has been more adorable lately. He has been 'interacting' more and I find myself easier to melt with small smiles and looks from him. I am only starting to appreciate and enjoy being a mommy. And I am sure it will only get better.

guessing game

There is a guessing game going on right now within the circle of posties. There will be big news coming up from the PayPerPost camp in the next few weeks and the community is filled with buzz over what this biggie would be. I hope it means bigger pay-out opportunities! We definitely would appreciate the extra money. Or hopefully, the chance for blogs that don't have higher Google PageRanks to get opportunities with higher pay-out.

Blogs will be generating a lot of buzz over this new thing at PayPerPost. It might also have something to do with the segmentation thing that has both pleased and irked posties. Several issues regarding segmentation has been raised by a lot of people. It seems that the conditions for taking an opportunity can be very specific now. Advertisers can dictate the specific blogs and bloggers they would be willing to pay for their opportunity. The big news might have something to do with this big issue.

It could also be that PayPerPost launching another feature. Right now, they have the Referral and Review My Post features. They might be adding another way for posties to generate traffic to their blogs and to the PayPerPost site.

I can't wait for this big announcement. Now that PayPerPost has affected my blog life bigtime, I can hardly wait for changes or new things they are cooking up.

a prize

We felt like celebrating. So even though we didn't really plan on buying Mateo his stroller this soon, we decided to buy him one anyway. It gives us freedom to take him places. Something we would like to do now that we know our baby is perfectly healthy! I originally wanted to buy the big kind of stroller for him, a reversible one. Ramil wanted an umbroller though, for its portability. He won. I don't mind though, it's such a pleasure to push Mateo around in his stroller, it's so light and maneuverable.

the ultimate gift

Ramil and I haven't watched a movie (in the mall/cinema) since almost two years ago. Yup, that long. Blame it on DVD's and our efforts to 'save' more. We've missed a lot of really good movies though we get to watch them eventually on DVD. I am waiting for the move The Ultimate Gift to come out. The message of the movie reminds me so much of the 'Pay it Forward'. It is based on the book with the same name and has sold 4 million copies already. Maybe I should try to read the book first. The message of the book and movie is 'The only way you can truly get more out of life for yourself is to give part of yourself away'. The message is very timely and noble. It has even inspired over $5 million dollars of donations to charity and a teen philanthropy initiative called Show of Hands. The movie is no lightweight also. Produced by 20th Century Fox, it stars Little Miss Sunshine's Abigail Breslin, James Garner, Ali Hillis, Drew Fuller, and Brian Dennehy. The movie is scheduled to be released on March 9. Check out the official site about the movie and the movement it inspired. You can even catch a glimpse of it here. Heartfelt, values-oriented movie such as these don't come often. So maybe Ramil and I will be ending our movie hiatus soon.

we passed!

I would like to begin this post by saying thank you to all those who included our family, especially Mateo, in their prayers. We truly feel blessed.

Finally, Mateo had his VCUG last Saturday. The pedia-urologist didn't find any reflux of the urine to the kidneys nor any posterior valves. Basically, any reason for our baby's UTI that needs serious attention was eliminated. YIPEE!!! All the hassle (not to mention the extra expense) was worth it after learning that there is nothing wrong with Mateo's urinary tract. The possible reasons now for his UTI could be his immature bladder and/or an uncircumcised penis.

The case with the immature bladder is nothing to be too concerned about. According to the report, it is appropriate for his age. It just means that his bladder doesn't fully function well yet. It takes a while before it would release his urine, sometimes up to the point where it is already almost full. This is very much similar to adults trying to hold their urine inside (a reason for UTI). As Mateo grows up and he gets more control of his bladder, we should be able to train him to urinate frequently.

With his uncircumcised penis, his foreskin might be accumulating germs that causes infection to go up his ureter. He is recommended for circumcision which we will have done in the next few weeks. These two factors might both be the reasons for the UTI. Mateo also has to be on antibiotics indefinitely to prevent any infection from recurring. His pedia doesn't want to risk another UTI for fear that his kidneys might be compromised next time.

The VCUG, as expected, has caused a lot of cries and wails from our baby. He has also be irritable after it, maybe his penis was still sore from the catheter. Hopefully, the worst is over now.

'Mommy, what are they going to do to me?'

'I'm not scared, mommy.'

The smallest one there in an oversized hospital gown.

getting ahead

Ramil has taken advantage of Payday Cash Advance Loans several times. These would be times when we would be needing some extra money such as now. It definitely beats taking out a loan somewhere else. It lets you borrow money without the burden of debt because you know that you have money to pay for it. You just take it from your money from the next payday. Most employers offer their employees this cash advance loans to give them an avenue to go to whenever they have a financial need.

co-sleeping

Ever since we brought home Mateo, we've been getting unsolicited advice from a lot of people to just let Mateo sleep with us in bed during the nights. Mateo has this playpen/crib which my mama brought as a Christmas gift and we were adamant that he sleep there.

I have a variety of reasons for not wanting him to sleep with us. One, I wanted Ramil and me to maintain our 'couplehood'. It's enough that Mateo has arrived and made it a threesome. I don't want us to lose our identity as a couple just because we have a son already. As I've told Ramil several times, before we are a mommy and a daddy, we are husband and wife. I don't want us to be limited to being parents, we are still a couple. Secretly though, I think people are just scared I would get pregnant again. LOL. Nothing to fear in that department though, I wouldn't want another baby right now.

Another reason for wanting Mateo to have his own sleeping space would be our sleeping habits. Ramil and I both move a lot when we're sleeping. I don't want any of us accidentally hitting our son with an arm or a leg.

Since last week though, Mateo has been sleeping on our bed. It was more convenient for us to check on him when he started getting fevers if he's just lying beside us. We haven't moved him back to his playpen though even though he hasn't had any fever since Sunday. We found it easier to wake up in the middle of the night and not have to get up to tend to Mateo. We're giving him a deadline though, when he gets better sleeping at night, he's moving back.

undercover

I had an officemate before who would play games the whole day in his cubicle. He would do so little work in a day and yet he would get to so many levels in whatever game he's playing. Aside from this, he would also sometimes sleep during work hours. He did everything so smoothly, the bosses almost never had any clue. Good thing we didn't have any internet access then, he surely would have found other things to do besides work. It would be a good idea for companies to invest in a spy software. They would be able to monitor the computer activities their employees have been doing. Parents would definitely appreciate this also so that they know what their kids are doing with the computer. I think I would like one also, my brother is fond of using our laptop without our knowledge. Hehe!

little buddha

All the members of our family have different names for Mateo. My sister would call him oompa loompa. My mama would call him Teo. Ramil's parents would call him Mat. And recently, my papa called him buddha. I can see why.

cool widget

I'm thinking of adding a cool widget there on my sidebar. Box.net Widget is a flash player that streams podcasts, music, photos, videos, and any other type of file. An all-in-one widget! It would definitely save a lot of sidebar space. What's another great thing is that they are offering unlimited bandwidth with it and they host up to 1 GB of files for free! I think it's definitely worth checking out.

squished

This is how Mateo looks whenever he is lying in his tummy. His cheeks are so fat that they get squished so much. I love kissing those chubby cheeks. Just waiting for a few more weeks to start biting them, hehe!

birding

A few years ago, I got introduced to birding. Lest anybody gets any ideas, it's also called bird watching. Ramil invited me then to join him and some of his students go walking in the hills of Antipolo and try to identify birds. We saw a lot of different kinds of birds and I was amazed that such birds still survive in a place very near the city. We even went to Subic the summer following that to do more birding and we saw even more birds. We almost got so hooked on it that we could identify some birds by their calls (or sounds). Ramil and I even considered buying really good leica binoculars to make our birding more enjoyable. It can be so frustrating to see a bird from a distance and not have a binocular on hand. Plus we can use the binoculars for star-gazing, another nerdy thing Ramil and I enjoy doing.

a smile

Our baby has started smiling for real these past few days. Whenever we talk to him when he is in a good mood (i.e. just woke up), he would easily give us that open-mouthed smile. He's still very tentative though, it seems that he is still testing his new skill. I've tried numerous times to catch a good one on cam to no avail until yesterday. I was able to catch a bit of the end of it.

ang cute ng baby ko!

going wireless

We are currently using a LAN cables at home and in school. I have been bugging people to switch to a wireless connection. Ever since I've discovered Wifi, I couldn't understand why people would still use the cumbersome LAN cables to maintain a network. In school, it is a definite advantage for Ramil and me because we can connect to the network even if we're not in the offices. We can go online with our laptop while inside the classroom. We can even go online while making a presentation/lecture to the class and be able to share it with them through a projector. I've been scouting around data centre for wireless routers and such. I am on a mission to persuade the tech people in school to go wireless permanently. It's the now thing and it looks like it's here to stay.

my fave cookie is me!

You Are a Chocolate Chip Cookie

Traditional and conservative, most people find you comforting. You're friendly and easy to get to know. This makes you very popular - without even trying!

What Kind of Cookie Are You?

let there be light

Ever since we had Mateo, we have lights on our house for 24 hours. We never turn off our bedroom lights because he would wake up many times in the middle of the night. I've always liked a well-lighted house, we even leave at least two lights turned on outside our house every night to ward off bad characters. I think I got this from my mom who has a thing for these fancy looking lights. Even the Bathroom lights at my parents' house are hanging. I have to admit that they add character and ambiance to a house. I've looked at designs of different kinds of lights online. I was surprised with the numerous designs! You could really match the design to whatever mood you are aiming for. I must remember to look at these designs again someday soon, when Ramil and I are building our own house already ;)

bored

...with my hair. I haven't had a change of hairstyle since, um, 3 year ago (I think). Wow, this is really long for me. I used to change hairstyles as much as thrice in a year. I plan to do something about it especially now when I can't even comb my hair because I'm holding Mateo most of the time. I guess this means a wash-and-wear style is up for me.

extra money matters

My earnings from Payperpost are slowly trickling into my Paypal account. Ever since I've explored this site that lets users earn a bunch of money using their blogs, I've made more posts than ever. It has made my hope to become a stay-at-home mom a reality. I've only started writing paid posts last January 11. As of today, just a little over a month after I've started, I've been earned a total of $192.83 (that's around PhP 9300!). Out of this amount, I've been paid a total of $52.50 (around PhP 4200) already. I have yet to earn $89.35, the total amount for my unapproved posts. The money is a big help to our small family right now, our earning powers having been reduced after I gave birth. This would definitely compensate for some of our lost income. So the money is not so extra after all because they will go to bill payments, hehe! Add the expenses of Mateo's health condition lately, and we would just about make it until the next payday. I plan to withdraw some money from my Paypal account before the week ends to pay for Mateo's scheduled VCUG on Saturday, which costs almost PhP 6000. I'm expecting to earn a lot more from this, however. So hopefully, my Paypal account will be receiving bigger payments in the next few months with all the opportunities I've been taking from Payperpost. So for those interested in trying it out or if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or to send me an email ;)

VCUG

It feels better to be educated on health matters. Since our baby will be undergoing a test this Saturday, I've decided to look up on the procedure to help ease my mind.

A VCUG or Voiding Cystourethrogram is an x-ray exam that allows doctors to visualize a child's bladder and ability to empty his/her bladder. A catheter will need to be placed into the child's bladder through the urethra and a special iodinated contrast liquid that shows up well on x-rays will be introduced through the catheter in order to fill the bladder. As the bladder is filling, the radiologist will take x-ray pictures with a special camera called a fluoroscope. Once the bladder is full, the catheter will be removed and your child will need to urinate into a special bowl or towel so that the x-ray pictures can again be taken.

I don't think the procedure is scary at all except for the part where Mateo will be catheterized. A catheter has been inserted into him already last Sunday actually, when they took a urine sample from him for his urine culture. Watching our son crying while the doctor was inserting the catheter (I refused to look while Ramil intently looked on) broke our hearts. I wanted to cry with Mateo even as his wails turned into whimpers. A parent will be asked to accompany the child during the VCUG. I asked Ramil if he wanted to be the one to go with Mateo instead. He refused. Hehe. Mainly because I might be more effective in trying to calm him down when he gets too agitated. I'm dreading it now. I will be subjected again to parental torture.

cosmetic fix

I've always wondered what kind of cosmetic treatments I would go for if ever I have the money for it. One thing that I sure would want to have is a laser hair removal. It sure eliminates the hassle of waxing or plucking or shaving. Imagine, no more underarm hairs or leg hairs! And the procedure is relatively safe, it doesn't have any side effects and doesn't cause damage to the skin. Not to mention that it doesn't hurt at all! Someday, when I have money to throw away, I would have this for myself ;)

prayer brigade

It's been almost 2 days since I wrote anything here. Not usual for me considering all the paid posts I've been doing. No dollars earned for almost 2 days also, LOL! Concerns about Mateo's health has kept me from our laptop since my last post. It looks like we're going to need a lot of prayers to rule out anything serious.

What we've thought of as the common cold is not the reason for Mateo's fever. Even though we've managed to convince ourselves that we were the culprit, we found another one when we got his urinalysis result last Sunday. We dropped by the laboratory before going to his pediatrician's house for a check-up last Sunday and upon getting the paper, we already knew he has UTI. According to his pedia, he's going to need a work up because it's important to treat it right away and to know the cause of the infection (whenever it concerns babies) as soon as possible. Delaying it would be putting his immature kidneys at risk. She referred us to a pedia-urologist in UST Hospital.

The strategy was to eliminate the most serious scenario first - that his kidneys are not ok (maybe a blockage or something). The urologist did an ultrasound on him and found his kidneys to be perfectly fine (thank you Lord!). Next on the list would be a problem in his urinary tract. They scheduled Mateo for a VCUG, Voiding Cystourethrography, on Saturday to find out if anything in his bladder behavior and capacity can explain the UTI. Any structural problem (e.g. a kink in any of his urinary valves, etc.) that prevents him from totally emptying his bladder may mean an operation to correct it. Here is our cue to make a plea for anyone reading this to include our baby in their prayers. We are desperately hoping nothing of the sort that would spell operation for him would be crossed out of the list. If Mateo is cleared after the VCUG, it may just be due to an ascending infection. He might be recommended for a circumcision if the infection recurs. Best scenario for us would be that the infection is just a one-time thing for Mateo due to an ascending infection.

With regards to clearing him from the UTI itself, antibiotics has been prescribed for him. A urine culture was requested to try out other antibiotics if the bacteria causing his infection is nonreactive to the one prescribed to him.

How I wish he got the cold from us instead. But it seems that despite being exposed to our virus for weeks, he didn't get it after all. Mateo has been proving to us how resilient he is and we are ready to hold and comfort him as we help him get through this.

online coupons

My Paypal account is slowly increasing its account balance, thanks to all the online earning opportunities I have. I have thought of using these dollars for online purchases also. I've scouted around for possible purchases and it seems that online coupons would bring me additional discounts and savings. I'm currently looking at BabyCenter coupons for anything I could buy for our little one. It's great to be able to shop while at home. Although I miss the malls. Hehe!

pilay and hilot

Mateo had fever again last night :( We gave him Tempra and fortunately, this slowly brought his temperature down. No more fever since then. My mama expressed concern that Mateo might have 'pilay' since he gets the fever only at night. She told me to bring Mateo to a 'hilot'. Ramil's mama on the otherhand, mentioned something about a 'tawas'. Unfortunately, Ramil and I are skeptical about anything that doesn't have any medical or scientific basis. We are going to bring Mateo for a check-up with his pedia tonight. I hope we would finally be able to shed some light into this mysterious on-off fever.

diverse music tastes

When I got pregnant, Ramil and I have started playing classical music for our then unborn baby. We were never big fans of classical music but we do appreciate it. However, after weeks of non-stop classical music, Ramil got fed up and said that the baby needs a more diverse collection of music. Although classical music can boast of claims to increased intellectual development, we have since been freer in what music we would listen to. Now that Mateo is with us, we still don't limit ourselves to Mozart and Chopin. Ramil would sometimes play the guitar and sing for him. We let him listen to rock, hip hop, grunge, metal, jazz, country, etc. Whatever music is available. Hopefully with this kind of exposure, he would learn to appreciate music from Hard Rock Artists to classical pianists. With the unbridled access to different kinds of music that the internet offers, we hope Mateo grows up to be a musical person.

choices

Just a month after giving birth, an opportunity to go back to the corporate world has just presented itself to me. Surprisingly, I found myself thinking about it. Not really seriously thinking about it but it's been playing in my mind lately.

I have long decided that I would temporarily stop working once I gave birth. Right now, my employer at the school where I am a teacher, is aware of this. They're keeping their doors open to me, whether I prefer full-time or part-time, for next school year. So I could almost give myself a knock on the head when I considered going back to corporate. The only reason I could think of for considering it would be financial ones. It's true that Mateo's presence in my life has made me want to devote my time and efforts to him but at the same time, it has made me want to give him the best even if it means doing something that's not in the least bit fulfilling for me.

I have consulted Ramil on this and it means a lot to me that he would let me pursue whatever it is that I would want, with the gentle reminder that Mateo needs to be taken care of really well. He even expressed his willingness to stay home instead if I want to go back to work. Everything is on a temporary basis right now. We've made no decisions yet only to take things as they come, coupled with prayers that we would be led in the right direction.

Some people have brought up the idea of getting a yaya so I could still work. I have nothing against working moms, I'm sure the fact that they work does not in any way lessen their worth as moms. But I have always been the type to put all my efforts and energy to something I have set my sights on, including being a mama to Mateo. I want to have a say in everything about him, even the most trivial things as when to change his diapers. I don't want to have to put the blame on somebody else if something happens to him. Being a stay at home mom, I would have no one else to blame but myself. I would like to be the director in each and every stimulus that affects our son. So that when he grows up to be a lousy kid, again, I have nobody else to blame and when he grows up to be a great kid, I know I can be proud of bringing him up that way. I don't want to go home and have my baby prefer a yaya over me.

I know in a way how it feels to have to work and not be with your baby. I've sensed it with Ramil. During the first few weeks that he went back to work, I know he felt sad having to leave the house every morning. He also had this paranoia (as I prefer to call it) that Mateo somehow doesn't like him anymore.

Being parents is never easy. I have so much more appreciation for my parents now especially since they haven't really stopped looking after Ramil and me. Up to now, their solid support is very much felt and we know they will always be there for us whether we need them or not. I can only hope that Ramil and I do as good as a job with Mateo.

got a date?

Valentine's Day has just ended. I'm sure a lot of people had dates and all. Some people get together using the internet and a 100% free online dating site would surely be helpful. The site aims to help people find the relationships that matter and wants to spread free love to the world. There are a lot of dating sites but this one doesn't compromise your financial security. No need for credit cards or anything like that. It's free so I guess to those dateless people out there wanting to meet someone special for future Valentine's Day and other special occasions, you've got nothing to lose! ;)

baby's development at 4 weeks

As Mateo just turned a month old, I want to take note of his development so far. The following is taken from BabyCenter's article on a 4-week-old's development:

Playtime
Playing with your newborn is a perfect way to gently guide him into his new — and unfamiliar — world. Mobiles with high-contrast patterns and books with photos of babies' faces will captivate him.

A play gym full of compelling toys to look at, swipe at, and listen to will give your baby practice with arm, hand, and finger coordination skills — and make lying down more interesting! You can even lie down on the floor next to your baby and join in the fun.

Although your baby can grab with gusto now, he doesn't yet have the hand-eye coordination to reach for an object you pass in front of him. That skill will develop at about 4 months of age. In the meantime, you'll have to place toys in his hand — your pinky may be an unexpected favorite.
Mateo loves to touch things now. He can also lift his head for several seconds at a very high angle already. He likes to look around him even when he is lying on his tummy.

Exploring Extremities
At birth, your baby had no idea that his arms and legs were attached to him. That's all changing now as he starts exploring his body. The parts he's discovering first are his hands and feet.

Encourage his interest by holding his arms above his head and asking "How big is baby?" or by reciting "This Little Piggy" and counting his toes. Try moving his hands in front of his face so he can see and feel them at the same time.

Babies have trouble regulating their body temperature, and their circulation isn't perfect just yet. Keep in mind that some of your baby's body heat escapes through his hands and feet. Make sure little toes and fingers are covered on cold days, particularly when the two of you go outside.
Again, Mateo has been developing his hands really well. He can sometimes 'hold' his bottle. Well, sometimes his hands are positioned in such a way as if he's holding his bottle. He also makes a lot of 'arte' movements with his hands, LOL.

Baby talk
Your baby may gurgle, coo, grunt, and hum to express his feelings. A few babies also begin squealing and laughing. Be sure to coo and gurgle back, and talk to your baby face to face. He'll enjoy holding your gaze now.

If you have things to do, your baby will still enjoy hearing your voice from across the room. And don't feel silly about talking Motherese or baby talk — babies are particularly attuned to this high-pitched, drawn-out way of communicating that can actually teach your baby about the structure and function of language.

Narrate your day to your baby. He'll enjoy your conversation and may even start to chime in with his own comments.
Our baby also loves to make sounds already. Even when he is feeding. Hehe!

I am glad to note that Mateo seems to be developing well. I can't wait what the next few weeks would bring.

comfort and style

When I was doing corporate work, I would often find myself with a sore back, shoulders, or neck. Blame it on not so comfortable Office Furniture. Aside from the fact that these kinds of furnitures are difficult to find in stylish designs, they can be very uncomfortable. Nowadays though, there are more designs to choose from. New designers now also take into consideration the number of hours these furnitures will be used. The fact that a person may use them for 8 hours or more straight should bring comfort up in their list of priorities. With these kinds of furnitures, comfort and style are definite musts.

star drama presents...

These were taken when Mateo was just 2 weeks old. While looking through his pictures, I noticed how quickly a baby's face can change. Now that his face is so fat, it's harder to determine where he got his features.

fashionable men

Ramil and I were never the type to go corporate. We both abhorred wearig business attires when we were in the corporate world. It doesn't prevent me from appreciating nice, fashionable, business attires though I've always preferred the cool, casual look. I know more women who finds being fashionable easy, it's a lot more difficult with men. That's why I admire men who can look fashionable, stylish, and manly at the same time. Those who don't know spat about men and fashion could try Belisi's Sharp by Design Blog, a site that offers straight-forward fashion and lifestyle tips for men, with featured insights from designers, stylists, and fashion experts. Being stylish and fashionable doesn't mean being gay ;)

usog

Aside from the fact that Mateo has been fighting a bad cold/cough (he's doing a good job, I might add), he seems to be suffering from usog. Now I can just imagine some raised eyebrows while reading this. I myself was not a believer of usog until Ramil and I got together. That's when I learned that Ramil is very prone to it. I don't really have any logical and scientific explanation for it but the fact that Ramil experiences it often was enough to make me believe in it somewhat.

My mama visited us last night to look in on her first apo. She has always been worried about Mateo since only Ramil and I are taking care of him. I don't think she trusts us enough, LOL. There was a lot of attention showered on Mateo. I think he also enjoyed conversing with a different person for a change. Hehe! But that night, he was at his crankiest and fussiest EVER. He seems to prefer being held in a position that brings the most discomfort to the person holding him. He didn't even sleep for an hour straight. Ramil and I would take turns trying to make him sleep and when he has finally fallen asleep, he would wake up with irritation after only 30 minutes. That's how our night went. In effect, we barely had ANY sleep. So do I believe in usog? I should have asked my mama to press her finger with a hint of her saliva on it to Mateo's tummy.

review my post

Some of you may have noticed the little blue button that say 'Get Paid To Review My Post' at the end of each of the sponsored posts here in my blog, a great way to earn more money and build blog traffic. Yup, it's another money-generating scheme from Payperpost. The idea is great actually, the Review My Post program pays the blogger every time someone signs up and reviews a post on the blog. It will not only earn money for the blogger but it will also increase traffic and interest to the blog. Which in turn would increase the blog's Google PageRank (higher PageRank means more opportunities). So a postie who does not feel like writing anything about any site, product, or service, he or she may choose to write about another posties' post. I haven't really tried reviewing another's post. My participation so far in the program has been to append those little blue buttons at the end of every PPP post I write. I am thinking of participating more fully by doing a review though it means reading through several posties' blogs. Unfortunately, this takes much more effort than just grabbing an opportunity from the PPP site. But by reviewing, two people would actually be earning, the reviewer and the reviewee. Two people can actually just keep on reviewing each others post. Hehe. I must find time to try this out one of these days.

the culprit

...is me.

It seems that Mateo's fever is caused by a viral infection, he now appears to cough from time to time. I've been fighting off a cough since before I gave birth. I've been successful in removing it from my system though it has recurred these past week. Unfortunately, Mateo might have gotten it from me. Damn. Ramil and I now resorted to wearing masks whenever one of us is carrying Mateo. And I've asked him to take a shower first when he comes home from work/school before going near our baby. We're also loading ourselves with vitamin C and drinking lots of fluids. Only thing we can't do anything about is our lack of sleep which also lowers our resistance to such viral infections. As for Mateo, we just continue feeding him and he's going to smell like milk, saliva, and sweat for the next few days because my mama told us not to give him any baths in the mean time. I hope we get to fight off this virus from our household in the soonest possible time.

big bucks

I'm seeing a lot of potential in my venture into earning while blogging thing, it's so easy to make money blogging. Payperpost has been making a lot of improvements in their system and giving out a lot of big earning opportunities. This is my favorite 'earning while blogging' sites. The users are allowed access to a list of opportunites they could choose from. The blogger has a choice of topics or advertisers he/she would like to write about. At the same time, advertisers may specify the type of blogs they would like to see their ads in. Some advertisers only want high traffic blogs for example.

Lately, a good blogger with a high traffic blog could earn as much as $1000 in one post! I was shocked when I saw the pay-out for this opportunity. I've been seeing a lot of opportunities with big pay-outs the past few days. The smallest pay-out for an opportunity is usually $5. Not bad for writing 50-200 words about a certain site or product.

There are other sites very much like Payperpost (PPP) but PPP users (or what they call posties) have a much bigger earning capacity. PPP charges 35% service fee compared to others that charges 100% markup. Which means PPP takes less of the actual expense charged to advertisers. Also, with PPP, disclosure is required from bloggers. Hence, you may view my disclosure policy by clicking on the button on my sidebar.

muscles

feverish?

These were taken yesterday, right before we found out that Mateo's temperature was 38.6. We wouldn't have guessed that he was nursing a fever already. Notice the 'muscles'. During our ER trip, we also got to know his weight, a whopping 4.9 kg! Wootwoot! His weight when he was just 11 days old was 3.6 kg which means in a little over 2 weeks, he gained more than 1 kg. Hmmm, I'm wondering if too much weight cain can cause fevers? LOL.

mint