Being Fulltime Mother and Homemaker

When Percy and I got married, I never thought of becoming a fulltime mom. BUT.. when we were blessed with our baby Annika, everything’s change. I wanted to see my baby grow, be beside her everytime, and witness and watch her milestones. Plus, I’m a breastfeeding mom so it’s hard for me to be far from my baby. In order to take care of our baby girl, I resigned from work with the blessing of my husband.

The responsibility of being a fulltime homemaker and a mother is no joke, it’s hard, very hard.. harder than anything I have ever done in my life. 😋 My plate is now overflowing with things to do, from the moment I opened my eyes until I fell asleep. I wore so many crowns of responsiblities and multi tasking is always the key. My day-to-day task is composed of cooking/preparing our food, washing the clothes, bathing my baby, cleaning and planning of ways to tidy up our house and most of all taking care of Annika. Now I understand why my mother works (at home) non-stop as if the tasks never ends.. since I am wearing the same shoes as hers. I’m a certified OC mom. I don’t want mess and I want everything in it’s proper places. And having a toddler at home is a challenge, toys and mess are everywherand and so I also works non stop. 😂

Image from Google

I sometimes feel depressed and exhausted, working for more than eight hours a day, where is sleep deprived, and still has a long list of things to do, especially when Annika keeps bothering me while I am busy doing something. That’s the time when a monster mommy in me always comes out. Haha! I got mad, I’m guilty of that. But I know, she just wanted someone to play with.😊

With prayers, motivation from hubby, and humility, I began to realize that motherhood is really about sacrifice. The labor of love is more important more than anything else. I may not enjoy a hot cup of coffee, rarely enjoy a shower and I may not have enough me time, but I do ensure that food is ready during mealtimes, that they have neat clothes to wear, and that their love tank is always full. Having the opportunity to be with my family 24/7 is truly a blessing. No matter how tired I was from working at home, with just the unlimited hugs and kisses from hubby and baby, all is well. 😊 

So yes, this is the crazy path of a fulltime mom. 😁


Very Blessed, 

Annika Turns Two

Last November 23, our little Annika turns two, and it makes me go happily senti. She used to be a little baby; but now, she's very active and tall and strong! :) How time flies. Thank You Lord for this very precious gift.. one of the best gift You’ve given to us.

Hmm, how do I describe my two-year old Annika? One word immediately comes to mind - madaldal! :) We could say her language skills are relatively advanced. Her vocabulary is wide for her age, the words she says and understands are too many to count. She can recite and read the full alphabet and numbers 1 to 15. She knows colors and shapes, too! :)

Our baby is also very polite, she says "please" and "thank you" and "sorry" most of the time, during appropriate moments. She knows how to pray, and talk on the phone (as if she’s talking to someone.)

Annika loves to sing, too! And she's quick to memorize lyrics. She already knows how to sing most of her nursery rhymes. Besides that, her current favorite song is the Tagalog classic Bahay Kubo.

She also loves to dance too! Once she heard an upbeat music, she will definitely dance on her feet. Mana sa Mama-La (my mom in law). 😁

Haaaay my baby... thinking about how much Annika has grown makes us very happy and proud. She's smart and always cheerful, just like what we've always prayed for her to be.(though sometimes masungit 😜)

Happy second birthday, Annika! :)  Daddy and Mommy will always be here for you, guiding you and keeping you safe. We love you to the moon and back, to infinity and beyond, forever and ever! :)

Thankful,

Annika's Blessed 1st Birthday Party

Few weeks from now, our Little Princess is turning two already! Waaahhhh..Time flies really fast! 😭😫 BIG THANKS to God for all the guidance and support throughout the past two years.. for all the provisions, and for giving me enough strength to take care my little family. Thank You Lord for everything! 😊

Anyway, this busy mommy here wasn’t able to post my Little Princess’ 1st Birthday Party last year, but since it’s already our birth month, better post it late than never, as the saying goes. Lol! 😂😜 

But honestly, I would like to share this not to brag or anything, but because this celebration is a testimony of God's goodness to our little family. This party was way beyond our budget that time. 2 months prior to this event, I resigned from my work, so our only source of income was Percy's salary. But God who is and always been our constant Great Provider (since our wedding day) never failed to show us His goodness and provisions and supply all our needs. He sent us people who helped us with our expenses for this event. Percy's Lolo and my mother in law gave us enough money to paid for everything without us asking for help from them. They just really love and want the best for their beautiful granddaughter. Sheila, Percy's sister, paid for our photobooth. Percy's friend, Jamin, also gave us his free photography service and my sister Con helped me with the designs and lay outs of our DIY's. Our hearts are so overjoyed, this is one of the many miracles God made in our lives. Thank You Lord for the life of these people You used. 

So let me take this chance to share with you the highlights of her birthday bash!

Our little baby is so sweet and bubbly. What could be a more fitting theme than Candyland, right? For a day, our #Annikadorable became a #CandylandPrincess! 😊

The beautiful and colorful set up inside Kowloon House, West Avenue

DIY candies, towel cupcake, chocolate brand (instead of table numbers) and Annika’s photo with her special request as table centerprieces.

Sweet treats for everyone! This pretty dessert set up was one of our DIY’s too! 😊

A closer look to my DIY Chocolate Tower Cake! 

Cupcakes with our DIY personalized toppers. They’re yummy as the look! 

We also prepared a coloring activity for the kids so that they won’t get bored before the program started

The party giveaways.. My DIY candy lootbags! 

Our entertainment package which consists of Party Clown/Host, Party Magician, and Bubble Show

Our Photobooth which serves as souvenirs for the guests

Our little family 😊

And that's it, our Annikadorable's birthday bash! Special thanks to our suppliers who were all easy to work with! 😊

Kowloon House, West Avenue - Though it’s a common venue for parties and events, we chose Kowloon because the place is accessible to both commuters and those who have cars. Most of our guests are from QC, and we also considered my family which will be coming from Bulacan. The food was great plus the venue we got is huge enough for the number of guests we have.

Genie & Pj Event Management - styling, face paint and entertainment package. Two thumbs up! Getting them to take care of everything in the program was one of our best decisions. I didn't have to prepare for anything except for the game prizes. Sulit na sulit! 😊

StatPhotobooth - Thank you, StatPhobooth! From our wedding, to Annika’s Dedication, and now Annika’s 1st Birthday. It was a pleasure working with their team. No headache at all. 😊

Jamin Lim Photography - FREE photo coverage. A huge thanks to Jamin Lim for accommodating us since Annika’s Dedication and for giving as your free service, we love the shots! 😊

And of course, a never ending Thanks and Praises to God who always helps us in everything.

Very Blessed,

My Breastfeeding Journey

Since August is dubbed as National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, let me take this time (and blog space) to share with you my breastfeeding story/journey...

Ever since I was little, I always knew I wanted to breastfeed my babies. I can still clearly remember my mom breastfeeding my younger sisters and my sister in law breastfeeding my nephews so to me, it was a no-brainer. I didn't even buy a bottle or sterilizer or breast pump before I had Annika. I assumed it was something that would come naturally to every woman... Haha! How wrong I was! Little did I know that the road would be difficult, bumpy and excruciatingly painful at times. When I was pregnant, I never had a chance to ask my mom about breastfeeding nor attending breastfeeding class. I just relied on an online community on Facebook known as Breastfeeding Pinays. I've been a silent reader of that group, always reading posts, gathering information.

After I gave birth via CS, my baby was immediately made to latch to my breast. She did not feed straightaway. I think she was too tired and dazed with the whole birthing thing that she’d rather rest than eat. Lol! :) Annika didn't end up in the nursery and no feeding bottle has ever touched her little lips. We were together from the delivery room, to recovery room up to our suite room. Whether or not she got milk from me that very first time, I had no idea. I never saw milk coming out. But I always made her latch for her to get the colostrum.  As what I read before, for the first few days after baby's birth, our body will produce colostrum, a nutrient-rich "pre-milk". Colostrum contains many protective properties, including antibacterial and immune-system-boosting substances that aren't available in infant formula. For more details about the definition and importance of Colostrum visit La Leche League International. It usually takes 3 days before the actual milk comes out. Milk will come out eventually because the baby will be the one to stimulate it. All mothers apparently have the ability to produce milk; you just have to commit to nursing altogether. I just continue on nursing. Whenever Annika would cry, I would just offer her my breast and she’d latch, then after an hour or so, she would fall asleep. I knew she was getting something. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have stopped crying when she’s hungry.

The first few days, I suffered from cracked & bleeding nipples, it hurts a lot and I would scream, shake, squeeze Percy’s hand and cry when she latched on. And since we're not using bottle, every other hour I fed her alternately on each breast. And the struggles continues.. Three days after I gave birth, Annika became as yellowish as squash, her skin, eyes, gums even her tongue. At first, doctors thought it was jaundice and ABO incompatibility (Percy's blood A+ and my bloods O are not compatible). We were advised that we need to admit her on NICU. Percy and I were so afraid and as first time parents; we really don't know what to do. Since my mother in law was working on Philippine Children's Medical Center (PCMC), a specialized hospital for children, we decided to transfer Annika from QMMC to PCMC. Upon our arrival there, she was admitted directly to NICU. My mom in law took care of everything while I and Percy went home since I have reports that I need to send to my supervisor and also to get some things and take a bath. Maybe we take so long at home because we are paged many times at NICU according to my MIL, Annika might be hungry then. By the time we were at the hospital, visiting hours was already cut off. Good thing PCMC as well as their doctors is pro-breastfeeding so they fed her breastmilk (thru medicine droppers) from their milk bank. Still no feeding bottle has ever touched her little lips! It was a loooonnnnggggg night for us since that was the first time that Annika was not with us. Even though we were too far from her, it’s as if I can hear her cry.

Afternoon of the next day, she was released from NICU and we were transferred from a private room. After some tests done to her, it was discovered that a certain bacteria grew in her blood. She suffered a lot, from blood transfusion to daily shots of antibiotics to phototherapy. It was truly heartbreaking. We were not allowed yet to direct latch her so I needed to pump for her to have milk. It is not advisable to pump if it is less than 6 weeks, but for special cases like us, it is exempted. Since I we don't have breast pump, we borrowed pump from their milk bank. Praise God, my milk supply was already steady and strong and I was able to get 6oz of milk at one pumping session. We feed her every 1-2 hours still thru medicine dropper and by the time we were allowed to feed her directly on me, my baby already got so used to dropper-feeding that she didn’t want to feed directly from me or she find it hard to latch on me. They say it’s called nipple confusion. According to Baby Center, “a baby is said to have nipple confusion when he finds it difficult to latch on and breastfeed because he’s previously had a dummy or a bottle teat to suck on… sucking on a dummy or a teat will feel quite different from sucking at your breast.” I was crying a river that time, but I never give up. I kept on trying to help her latch and Praise God after a few hours of trying she made it. And I promise to myself and to Percy that even if my nipples got sore, crack and bleed, even if its hard, even if it hurts, I will never ever complain and I will never ever stop breastfeeding her. I keep going, and after about two weeks we finally got it right, my nipples healed and suddenly I LOVED it. :)

I wish I had prepared myself more on nursing the baby, but then I just learned along the way. I guess maternal instincts just kicked in! Breastfeeding takes a strong will, an open mind, and a ton of commitment. You have to prepare your mind and body into becoming this nourishing vessel for your child. You and your child learn together as you develop a routine. Breastfeeding, as it turns out, is also a special bonding moment between mother and child.

It's also important to get a support group while breastfeeding, because sometimes you'd want to give up because of the stress and sore nipples to boot! Or in my case, I am happy to have a very supportive husband. We were in this together from the very beginning. He even bought me a reliable breast pump, so that I can store milk before going back to work, and pump milk at office too.

When I got back to work, I had about 30-40 oz milk stash in the freezer. Annika was bottle fed during that time, but Praise God she never experienced nipple confusion. I still direct latch her at night and in the morning before I left for work. When her appetite grew bigger, my stash was all used up. I needed to pump milk every 2-3 hours in the office. Good thing my company and my bosses are mommy-friendly. They allow me to pump milk on my scheduled time. The milk I produce for the day is for tomorrow's feeding. But eventually, office work deemed tiresome for me, which I already stated in my previous post. I resigned from my work because I was committed to nursing my daughter fulltime!

I never would've thought I'd have much success breastfeeding my baby. I'm happy I "stuck to the program!" Because of breastfeeding, Annika is rarely sick - even when I, Percy or my sister is sick, she remains strong and protected. I will continue breastfeeding her as long as I produce milk, or when she has naturally weaned. Annika is now 21 months and we're still happily nursing! :)

Proud Breastfeeding Mommy

Blessed,

Hello Again Blog World!

I'm Baaacccckkkk!!! :)

I'm sure you're wondering why I've been on hiatus for the longest time! Maybe because I was too preoccupied with "life" in general, Haha! After more than a year, I finally resurrected my blog! Yey! :)

One of my goals now is to blog more! I know it’s been such a challenge especially since I’m a hands-on mom / fulltime mom. Yes, I'm a fulltime mom now / stay-at-home mom! I already resigned from work October last year. Choosing to be a fulltime mom is a mutual decision between Percy and me. Let me tell our story...

When I got back to work 2 months after I gave birth (February 2016), my youngest sister used to take care of Annika. But when she was hired for work (May 2016), we were not able to find a helper, so we have no option but to go home to my family in Bulacan so that my mother can take care of Annika while I'm working.. and that's the hardest part for me, and for Percy. Why? Percy needs to stay here in Manila because of his work, and I need to commute everyday from Bulacan to Quezon City since I am breastfeeding Annika.

We both sacrifice for the sake of our daughter. Him longing for us and I conquering the hassle and difficulty of travelling for 2 hours or more especially at night. I also used to pump at work and it's quite a hassle and it's definitely exhausting. I always brought with me a big bag pack for my things and my electric pump, plus a cooler where I store my stash. I'd pumped every 2-3 hours around the clock to maintain my supply, and I am so blessed my office and bosses are very mommy-friendly. But there are times when I could not pumped on time due to work, but Praise God, my supply was not affected and we are so blessed with an abundance of milk, even though I'm not eating food with malunggay nor drinking malunggay capsules, and until now I'm still breastfeeding Annika! Praise God! :)

Back to my story, I left home before 6am and will arrive at 8pm at night. On time pa ko umuwi niyan, I left at the office at exactly 5:30pm! Travelling at night consumes a lot of time, and I always went home Annika is already sleeping. And before I lie down beside her, I will pump again for additional stash. On the other hand, Percy can only be with us during weekends. I know it's very hard for him having us in that situation because he misses Annika a lot. And for 6 months, we were like that, and I swear, it's NEVER been easy, it’s like he’s working and living abroad. Haha!

To make the long story short, we have decided that I better resign from my work and be with my family. I quit my job because I was determined to nurse and take care of my daughter full time. We knew that we will lose my monthly salary, and will affect our expenses but God has always been faithful to us. We never lack. He always provides for us until now. Thank You Lord! You really are our Great Provider! :)

Motherhood became my passion now. I believe it is a career all by itself – a 24/7 shift, multitasking job – that requires hard work and a whole lot of spunk! We've had no helper ever since so I've been extra busy around the house. I was able to manage a household and take care of my family by myself. It's never easy but it's worth it!

Me and my little family enjoying quality time together

Cheers,

Babies Meet Up

It's been a long time since we got a chance to have a fellowship, especially now that we're all married and have our own babies plus DK (Doc Karen) was now residing in Isabela. But whenever there's a chance, we tried to make sure to bond with each other.

Last April 3, DK and her family went here in Manila and we took this chance to have a get together, now with our babies, the second generation of PG's. :)

The beautiful mommies

The stage dads! :)

YP now stands for "Young Parents" Haha! :)

Nice meeting you baby Lucas! Happy to see you again mommy DK and daddy Roger! We missed you so much!! It is a happy bonding indeed, though the time was too short cause we need to go home early because Annika and Kuya Jaymes were both sleepy na. Hehe!

This would not be the last, hoping to have more fellowship soon.. As the bible says in Hebrews 10:25, "Let us not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Blessed,

Solaire Resort and Casino Staycation

It was a Heart’s Day celebration when hubby and I decided to have a family day out and book a stay at Solaire Resort and Casino. It was also our first staycation with our dear Annika. I checked online and was able to find the cheapest rate for a Deluxe Room and we are so blessed to find one. 

Solaire is a five-star hotel with an 18,500 sqm casino area and 500 luxurious rooms. What I like with Solaire is that they have a free shuttle service from Mall of Asia (and other areas), but we chose to have a grab car since we have a baby with us to avoid hassle on commuting.

When we arrived at the hotel, there was a scanner at the entrance to check the bags. Checking-in in this hotel was a breeze. The staff is very friendly and treats you like a V.I.P. 

This is the hallway.

 

When we entered the room, these things greeted us: A welcome message and a box of sweets.

The room was indeed large and you can choose either a King Bed or 2 Double Beds with fluppy duvets! :)

There is also a big flatscreen tv adjacent to the bed.

The coffee maker and mini ref were hidden inside this closet. There is also a deposit box inside the cabinet, bedroom slippers and hangers. Internet connection was fast. :)

Another thing to love was the spacious marble bathroom with the twin vanity sinks and L’Occitane toiletries. The tub was really of good size too. Not all hotels have a bathtub, so we really appreciate that Solaire has it.

 They put a lot of details into design - the grandeur lobby, restaurants and hallways.

The other side of the hotel.

When in Solaire, a must-visit is their beautiful L-shaped outdoor pool where you can catch a glimpse of Manila’s famous sunset. In this area, there are also private cabanas with jacuzzis which you can rent for your parties.

Need to walk through this bridge to get to the pool area.

One word: WOW! The most beautiful swimming pool I've ever seen.

As usual, we do photoshoots around the pool area. Hehe! :) We we'rent able to swim since I don't want Annika to swim yet to public pools.

Checked out and what a lovely stay it was. Solaire trumps the competition in terms of room size, design and amenities. I know that there many other world-class hotels in Manila in the near horizon but until the next best one appears, the rooms at Solaire come highly-recommended for a truly five-star experience. 

Cheers,