the strong baby

Mateo has this cute expression, complete with pose, that he'd do whenever we say 'strong'. It's an expression that never fails to elicit amused laughter from anyone.

He'd do this with so much effort that it really looks like he's clenching whatever muscle he has. LOL!

here comes 2008

HAPPY 2008 EVERYONE!!!

It's a new year once again. I'm not a fan of new year's resolutions because I almost always break them even before January ends. Still, I welcome change. I hope 2008 brings a lot of good changes for me and my family. I look forward to another year of living and loving :)

the bowel problem

Until now, Mateo is still having soft bowel movement but we're down to one a day now. Yipee! He had really bad diarrhea a few weeks back and it turned out that he got infected with amoebiasis. He was treated for 10 days and all is well now except that his tummy is still slowly on its way back to it normal functions.

I remember a time when he was just around six months old, he didn't have bowel movement for more than three days! I was so worried because I'd often have problems with constipation and I know how difficult it can be. That time, Mateo's pedia recommended prune juice and it worked like magic for him. As for me, after having that colon cleanse before giving birth, I haven't had any problems with constipation again. Of course, I make sure that I drink lots of water and eat lots of fruits and vegetables.

Ramil, on the otherhand, has bowel movement like clockwork - everyday, before he takes a bath. How I envy him. And how I wish Mateo acquires the same skill. LOL. According to my husband, it takes training which is why training kids to have a bowel movement once a day shouldn't be taken lightly. I was brought up by my mom who thinks that not having a bowel movement for a day or two is normal. As for Mateo, I hope he grows up with a healthy digestive and excretory system :)

a christmas tag

I grabbed a Christmas tag from Litzie.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping paper! It's one of my favorite Christmas activity. Hehe!

2. Real tree or Artificial?
As much as I would want a real tree, there's none. So we settle for an artificial one.

3. When do you put up the tree?
Ever since I was little, we put up the tree as early as October.

4. When do you take the tree down?
Usually a few days after New Year's Day.

5. Do you like egg nog?
I haven't tried it.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
I've only just remembered the gift I remember most, it was a pencil case that has a musical keyboard on top of it. I've been excited for days before Christmas because I was wishing that I'd get it.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
My mom. I've given her almost every kind of gift I could think of.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
My godchildren. Kids are so easy to buy gifts for.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
No, but I'd love one.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
We only mail 1 Christmas card every year, it's to my dad.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I really can't remember any.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Home Alone. Haha!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
For this year, Ramil and I started early December.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Yes (*guilty*). Ramil and I would sometimes receive a lot of food and gifts from students. We'd even sometimes get duplicate gifts if we have students that are siblings. Rather than letting them go to waste, we 'share' them with others :)

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
All the desserts usually served at Christmas!

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
Clear lights.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
The 'chestnuts roasting in an open fire...' song. I don't know the title.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Home. Though I would be very open to the idea of going somewhere next time :)

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer’s?
When I was still in high school yes. Unfortunately, I've forgotten some of them already.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
A star!

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Christmas Eve!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Going to the mall and traffic.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?

I like them all. I love Christmas e :)

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
I can't remember but I love them all.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Ramil and I are wishing and hoping for a DSLR. Hehe! My dad will be coming home this January and I hope he has one with him for us :)

26. Who is most likely to respond to this?
Those needing filler posts.

27. Who is least likely to respond to this?
Those who did this already.

merry christmas!

Well, the little one enjoyed it alright. I enjoyed doing most of the opening of gifts for him while he enjoyed playing with the discarded wrappers. LOL. I'm sure he'll enjoy next year more and we'll try to make it even more special than this year.

Since he's the only baby in our family, everyone's focus is on him. I'm sure he felt all the love pouring for him. I hope my baby grows up loving Christmas too! :)

one of my most favorite christmas activity

I love wrapping gifts! I'm one of those who prefers to wrap gifts even though shops often offer free gift-wrapping if you buy the item with them. I guess it helps that I don't really wrap tons of gifts every year, LOL. Since the gifts we give out are not that many, wrapping them just serves as a therapeutic activity for me. For me, it's so much more special if you think about the effort of choosing the right gift wrapper and card, then wrapping the gift a certain way. It's like putting more of yourself into the gift. I just hope the people who will be receiving our gifts will like what's inside too! :)

somebody's getting married!

My friend is getting married this Saturday!!! I'm actually part of her on-the-day coordinators and this is the second wedding for our team this month. December can really get pretty hectic with weddings. Our next wedding will be on January 2, another couple friends' wedding. The place where the wedding on Saturday will be held is really cold. I've already told Ramil that we should be ready with our sweaters or jackets. I told him to look at volcom clothing since he doesn't have a decent jacket good enough for a wedding. After the wedding, the two of us will be spending time together to celebrate our second wedding anniversary. I'm pretty excited for the coming weekends! :)

wrapping time

I'm finally done wrapping all gifts we will be giving out for Christmas. Wrapping them has always been one of my favorites things to do. Mostly because I don't have that much to wrap. LOL! Correction, I have two more gifts to wrap... our gifts for Mateo! He woke up this morning looking at the wrapped presents with big eyes. I gently told him that unfortunately, his gifts are not yet wrapped. Surprisingly, he left the pile of gifts alone. Hehe!

our second anniversary

Today is actually our 2nd wedding anniversary. Nothing much happened, Ramil went to school in the morning whereas I also went later in the afternoon. After school, we brought my dad's car to a nearby gas service station and spent more than an hour there while the mechanic changed the brake pads and aligned the wheels. So much for a wedding anniversary, huh? Nevertheless, our little one makes everyday a celebration with his antics.

Hopefully, we get to have some kind of celebration this coming weekend.

truck need

My dad's friend has been looking for some cross tread racks. When my mom first told me this, my reaction was, what's that? Well, my dad's friend has a small trucking business. They have several small trucks and a big truck for hire. He's interested in buying racks for his small trucks so that they could be more versatile in terms of the items they could transport. I realized why he asked my dad about it, it's because my dad actually installed a rack on his SUV. I can't believe they're actually excited to go rack shopping. I guess it's a boys' thing.

unmotherly

I had unmotherly days this week. Mateo got sick and was very clingy. It was the first time I really felt sick and tired of my baby. All is good now though. I don't think I would last days with resentment towards my baby. Just a few deep breaths or a few minutes alone could easily make me feel all motherly once again.

working on the go

My sister has been complaining about her laptop. It is starting to give her problems already. I've told her time and again to just buy a new one but she keeps telling me that she doesn't have the budget for it yet. She's thinking of trying some laptop rental so that she can use a more reliable laptop without the big expense of buying a new one. If all else fails, she's going to do a lot of sweet-talking to get our dad to buy her a new one. Hehe!

las vegas high

Las Vegas has always been one of the most interesting places for me. The hustle and bustle of this place draws different kinds of people. Being a lover of hotels, these are just some of the things in Vegas that appeals to me. Las Vegas hotels are some of the best hotels out there. Most of the big hotels are very luxurious and extravagant. If I get the chance to visit Las Vegas, I plan to stay in as many hotels as I can. I know it will be fun trying out the casinos in different hotels and watching the numerous shows they offer. It will certainly be a feast for the senses.

solution to weight problems

I am trying to lose weight as of now. Although I am far from being overweight, I don't feel healthy at all. There are some people who have serious weight problems. While I can still solve my weight problems with diet and exercise, some people need more than these. That's why with the increasing obesity problems among people, weight-loss surgery is getting more popular. One of the more popular ones is the Lap-band system, the only adjustable and completely reversible weight-loss surgery available in the United States. Of course, with any surgery, it is important to get the services of a credible doctor. Those who might want a conroe lap-band has a lot of options. Dr. Richard Collier is one of these doctors who specializes in the laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding procedure. As for me, I feel lucky not to need this yet. So I guess it's just a matter of preventing the need for it.

recovering from loans

About a year after I started working, I got my first credit card. I know what people say about credit cards but I was a wise spender. I would use my credit card only if I know I can pay for all my purchases once my statement arrives, thus being able to save myself from their finance charges. Soon afterwards, one credit card grew to five! My spending power increased dramatically, I was able to get 0% installment deals because my credit limit can accomodate it.

Before the wedding however, Ramil and I found ourselves spending more than what we can pay for. We were using a total of four cards (three were mine, one was his) and we couldn't pay for all of our purchases. Hehe! One of our primary goals now is to get ourselves back on track. We took out Loans to pay for our credit card balances so that we could get away from credit card companies' high interest rates. Nowadays, several companies offer a variety of loans like Personal Loans. So now Ramil and I are not using any of our cards and paying off our debts. We are planning on taking another kind of loan once we clear ourselves of our present loans. Next on our list is to get a new car and we're starting to check out several Auto Loans. I hope we get an approved auto loan soon!

caring for yourself

Being a mother has changed me a lot. One of the things that changed is how I took care of myself. Ramil and I realized that we couldn't just abuse ourselves anymore. We want to grow old and see Mateo grow up! We want to be there for him in all important events in his life. And of course, we'd like see our future grandchildren and still be able to keep up with them. I know some old people who are in care homes early in their lives and they are well-taken care of in such homes. Ramil and I, even though we'd love to grow old without needing those, realize that someday we might find ourselves in those places. We fervently hope that we'd still be together if that happens. I look forward to getting all wrinkled and still holding hands with him. Nevertheless, we know we'd still be enjoying life.

tis the wedding season

My bestfriend recently started her wedding coordination business. Well, according to her, it's not really a business per se but something that she just likes to do. Ramil and I are on her on-the-day team and we're both pretty excited to be hassling over somebody else's wedding. Aside from doing coordination, she also offers different kinds of wedding favors. I remember looking for cheap wedding favors back when Ramil and I were planning our wedding. For a one-day event that could drain a couple's savings, a few bucks saved from favors can go a long way. I'm sure a lot of couples would agree with me :)

no to weak signals

Many times, I've experienced being cut-off while talking to someone on my cellphone. The place where I work usually experience weak signals from my service provider and I usually have to look for a spot where I can get strong signals. It would have been great if I have a cell phone booster so I can have strong signals anywhere I go. It can be really crucial if you're in the middle of a very important conversation.

house hunt help

Ramil and I have plans of getting our own house, hopefully, in the next two years. We'd sometimes feel like we're wasting our money whenever we pay for rent. We might look for a good real estate agent soon to help us in our house hunt. We're pretty excited to look at some possibilities. I can't help but be excited with decorating a house of our own. I hope all our plans push through soon.