First Aid Training Moments

These are some of the pictures during our 1st training day.

Trainor: First Aiders, line up by height!

First Aiders: Yes, Sir!

One-Man Carry: Lover's Carry

(Disclaimer: We're not lovers)

Mukhang ang lakas ko, no?

2-Man Carry: Carry by Extremeties
(2 of the smallest/light-weight members of the class decided to make me their "victim" and carry me this way across the room during their practical exam. Naks, way to go!)

2-Man Carry: Forgot what this is called. Let's call it, Prinsesang nakaupo sa tasa carry in the mean time. Hehehe. I felt like a princess.

6-Man Carry or Snow White and the 6 dwarves carry hehehe.

(Yep, again, I'm playing the "victim" here. That's what I get for being the talents female in the group...)

They are about to carry me in this picture... Yihee...

Believe it or not, I felt tired even if I usually played the "victim."

Haircut Incident

Yesterday, my husband and I decided to give our son another haircut -- his fourth. He cried his eyes and lungs out during his third time even if he had it at a haircut salon catering to babies and children. This time around, we went to the barber's shop in our neighborhood that my husband suggested because it said "kids haircut salon," too on its signage.

We thought that maybe if our son had a haircut at the same place and time his Dad is having one, then the stress and trauma will be less. We guessed wrong. :(

Polo didn't care if his Dad and Mom were both wearing the usual robe. He didn't want to wear one. Period. The friendly barber and I just wrapped a mini towel around Polo's neck.

Polo didn't care if we seated him in a child-friendly-barber's-chair-car that's situated right in front of a tv playing Barney. The car nor Barney, his friend, didn't do the trick.

Polo didn't care if I was seated on the barber's chair and carrying him all through out the haircut. Mommy's charms didn't work but from time to time, the Pizza Hut commercial and thoughts of spaghetti, pizza and chicken was able to temporarily distract him. Some times, singing fill-in-the-blanks Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Row, Row Your Boat did the trick but only momentarily...

Polo didn't even care if his father was seated in the barber's chair beside him, having his dreaded good-boy barber's cut (I say, "dreaded" because the usual barber's cut is not his dad's style. Polo's dad prefers the layered crop style of more modern haircutters). Polo just kept on crying and shouting (good thing, he wasn't physically violent).

The good old barber (who seemed like a scary stranger with a comb, a pair scissors and a razor to Polo), was skilled and patient enough to cut our little boy's thin hair. Once in a while, he tried to charm Polo but to no avail. In Polo's mind, the barber was the enemy. In Polo's one-year and seven-month's mind, all he wanted to do was get out of the shop and ride his Papa's car.

After an hour or so of torture for Polo, we all decided that his hair has been trimmed enough. Between sobs and deep breaths, Polo was comforted by his dad. We paid for the father & son haircut, said "bye" to the barbers and headed to the nearest happy place Polo knew -- Jollibee.

Polo was rewarded with a Jolly Sundae, Jolly Fries and a Jolly Meal Toy. In the happy place, it seems that the shadows of the barber shop incident have slowly melted away. Thanks to Jollibee, our little cub was sane again.

We're still on a quest to find a suitable happy-place hair salon for Polliepoe.

Thirty, Flirty and Thriving!

That's the wish the 13-year old girl in the movie Thirteen Going Thirty made on her 13th birthday that magically turned her into a 30-year old lady the next day.

Thirty, Flirty & Thriving! - Yes, I'm thirty. I've been repeating this line in my head over and over again since July. Now, whenever I repeat it in my head, I'm no longer sad that my "youthful" 20s are over but I'm more excited about being a full-pledged adult! I no longer have time to waste. I must pursue my dreams, no longer make excuses for myself and jump into adventures that will define me.

Of course, I'm not flirty. I don't intend to put my beautiful marriage on the line here just because I'm in my 3rd decade. That's not the dream that I want to pursue or jump into without excuses, nor is that the adventure that will define. Rather, I will flirt with life itself. I will be more decisive in pursuing the bucket list I have in my head (which reminds me... I have to write it down one of these days). I have to be more daring in doing or trying things that I've set aside for a long time now like being involved in a good cause, getting back in shape, climbing a mountain, painting, etc!

Thriving. Yes, I'm thriving but more than that I want to soar! I want to stop focusing on my career and start soaring 360-degrees. I want to establish good and meaningful relationships with my husband, my son, my parents, my sisters, my in-laws, my girl-friends and my friends. I want to develop my other skills -- physical, artistic, mental, etc!

I have to admit that the reality of being 30 years old has changed me:
I’m more concerned about my skin. I now have a regular skin regimen for my face.
I'm also paying more attention to my hair. I iron it out every morning.
I'm more concerned about my body. I enrolled in a gym. Have to get back in shape.
I took up First Aid and Basic Life Support with CPR Trainings (thanks to the company I work for)
I’ve also established time with girl-friends and couple-friends
I also realized that it’s not worth it chasing shadows to push career. There are more important things in life than stressing over a certain desired designation.
I'm enriching my mind with Sudoku puzzles (that I grudgingly share with my husband) and with a Reader's Digest Asia subscription.
I'm extending my imagination by reading books. I just finished "Number the Stars", a thin paperback by Lois Lowry. I'm in the middle of "The First Wives Club" and "One Voice, Please" (a book my friend Macopa) lent me.

Do Good. Be Good. Stay Good.

Reminder for the week:
"Refuse no one the good on which he has a claim when it is in your power to do it for him. Say not to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,tomorrow I will give,” when you can give at once. Plot no evil against your neighbor,against one who lives at peace with you. Quarrel not with a man without cause,with one who has done you no harm." Proverbs 3

Thanks to the book of Proverbs.

"The Scene is Safe. There is one victim lying on the floor..."

"The scene is safe. There is one victim lying on the floor. I am Margaritajelly trained in First Aid. May I help?"


That is more or less the standard opening line I'll use in emergency cases from now on. Yep, I'm a trained First Aider. I took up First Aid and Basic Life Support and CPR in a training organized by our company.

Completing the training automatically makes me a First Aid volunteer should an emergency happen within the office. Based on the code of trained First Aiders, we should not refuse aid when necessary. I didn't think that it'll be mandatory but what the heck.

I enlisted for the training and even coerced my husband to sign up, too because we're parents now. A child is depending on us for his daily subsistence, growth and safety. Therefore, we should know first aid and basic life support. Simple. Hehehe. Unfortunate for my husband, his registration was declined but mine was accepted. It's better that one of us be trained than none at all, I guess.

After the 2-day session, I learned how to assist a victim in sitting up, standing up and walking. I know how to carry a victim or transfer him from one point to another by myself, with the help of another person or with the help of a group of people. I am equipped with a Red Cross Triangular Bandage and I know how to fold it and use to bandage wounds on the head, eye, hand, arm, foot and legs. I am now knowledgeable in CPG. I just hope that I won't panic (or go on weepy-weepy mode) when "duty" calls.

Talking about weepy-weepy... I cried during our CPG practical exams. In my head, I was thinking, "I've got to do this right because in real life scenarios, the victim's life survival (and life!) will depend on me." With that thought in mind, I checked if my hands and counting were correct and remembered that I was supposed to look at the face of the victim, which was a CPG half-body dummy at that time. Upon looking at the dummy's face, I imagined what it will be like in a real emergency situation. Then, it happened! Weepy-weepy mode came crawling in.

I felt sad that the victim (then dummy) was in a life-and-death situation. I felt desparation and frustration, thinking that the victim should have been revived by now (why will it have to take more than 5 cycles of 30 compressions and 2 mouth-to-mouth resuscitations-breaths?). Little by little, my emotions took the better of me. I had to stop in the middle of my practical exam, excuse myself and went to side to cry.

Nyak! Nyak! Nyak! Teary-eyed, red-nose and blushing, my mind brought me down memory lane. I remembered the grieving I experienced during my grandfather's death. I could taste the shock and helplessness I swallowed when I had a miscarriage. It all came back to me.

After 20-30mins, I was able to shrug it all off. Yeah, I literally had to shake away those tear-jerker fluffy stuff inside of me by jumping, moving around and shaking my arms and body. (What a weirdo, you might say? What can I do, I was borne into an emotionally sensitive family.) After 20-30mins, I was taking my practical exam again. This time around, I had enough strength to push back my tears and calm my nerves.

I guess, it's better to shed all my tears now during the exams than in real life. Hopefully, when the time comes, i'll be more emotionally stable.

My Personal Mid-Year Review

Reviewing my 2008 to do list:

1. 12 scrapbook layouts for the year (or at least one per month)

-I'm way behind... :( I must look for a new hobby...

2. 54 blog entries or one entry per month

-Have a lot of catching up to do... Nyark!

3. Tapusin na ang wedding album and wedding video (Hello!!!)

-Wedding album, check! Wedding video and Portrait picture to go...

4. Print and organize our pictures in a photo album (all of them are just digital files eating up Marvin's disk space!)

-No progress here, yet...

5. Update my resume and send it out

-Done. I'm not seriously looking. Just want to know my options.

6. Read the Bible Daily

-Ummm... Needs improvement.

7. Renew my driver's license

-Check! I'm now driving our automatic car. Yahoo! It feels great. I've been driving on my own for at least 3 trips now. 1) From Makati-Pque; sunday night; thru the rain (difficulty level - almost high); 2)From our house to SM - daytime (difficulty level - low); 3)Pque-Makati-Pque (difficulty level - medium).

For this, I'd like to thank my husband for his trust in my driving capabilities, for the space he is giving me to learn, and for the "connections" he established, such that we were able to simplify my driver's renewal process.

8. Renew my passport

-Check! Check! Check! I even had my last name updated in my passport. Good girl.

9. Get a passport for Polo

- Red Flag alert blinking!!!

10. Better and deeper relationships

- Improving... :) Need to be consistent in this area.

11. Become a manager by year-end

- Still wishing for it but am thinking if it's that important...

12. Transfer house or find one of our own

- (Dead air)... I am grateful for the house that we're currently living in. I love the house. The environment and security is ideal.

13. Hire a good and worthy househelp/yaya

- Yaya is doing good. She's is often more like heaven-sent. Still praying that she'll stay for long. I thank God for her everytime I remember her and how she takes care of my son and the famly.

14. Report for work on time (God, help me)

-Slowly but surely, I'll get there. Hehehe...

15. Be on time for everything (The Lord of time, help me)

-Same status as # 14

16. Lose weight - go back to my pre-pregnancy weight of 128lbs

- Well, my APE results say that I'm overweight for my height. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. I'm enrolling in the gym this month. I will start brisk-walking-semi-jogging activities with my friends.

17. Eat right, stay healthy

- Now more conscious of what I eat. Less junk food and sweets. Hope I keep this up. Keeping my fingers crossed.

18. Develop my cooking & baking skills -- cook/bake once a month

-Zero progress... My Tita gave me and my husband a campbell's cookbook as a gift on our birthday. I'll cook something from there soon. I'll write above it in the future, well, hopefully. Hehehe...

19. Go on dates with my Husband - once a month

-So far, so good... Keep it up!

20. Go on dates with Polo - once a month

-Dates with Polo are currently with my husband and I. When he grows up, we'll have mother-son bonding time.

21. Go on dates with my mom - once a quarter

-I owe my mom, 3 dates + 1 for Q4 of this year.

22. Go on dates with my parents - once a year

-I accompanied them to a Traditional Chinese Medical Doctor yesterday... We had some bonding time while waiting for China Doctor to arrive and we had lunch together in a nearby Chinese Cafeteria. I think that counts. Maybe, I can target more than 1 for this year.

23. Go on dates with my sisters - twice a year

-To be scheduled soon. Hope my Ate's hectic sched permits a sisterhood bonding achu... chu... chu... :)

Mama Mary's Birthday

It's Mama Mary's Birthday today. I prayed to her this morning, asking her to bestow upon me the strength and goodness to be like her -- graceful, humble, sincere, and wise.

It's Mama Mary's Birthday today. The Gospel today details their family lineage. Can't help but think about our family's medical history and pray for the healing of all our generational illnesses.

It's Mama Mary's Birthday today. I'm reminded to be loving, sincere, considerate and caring.

It's Mama Mary's Birthday today. The people organizing the mass in the building near our office refused to let us in the theater to hear mass because the theater is full already. I hope my husband and I get to hear mass on time later. I'll have to file for undertime, though, but that's not a problem because it's Mama Mary's Birthday.

It's Mama Mary's Birthday today. I pray for her help and guidance as I discover motherhood. May she give me wisdom and patience.

It's Mama Mary's Birthday today. I pray for my Mom, my Mother-in-law, my sister (who's a mom, too) and all my friends and family who are moms. This entry is beginning to sound like a Mother's Day prayer. Wonder why Mother's Day and Mama Mary's Birthday didn't coincide in one day... I thank God for all of them. I pray for their children and their family. I pray for their health and well-being. May their spirits be filled with God's graces that sickness, confusion and chaos flee from their life.

It's Mama Mary's Birthday today. May all children love their mothers. May they learn deep respect and care for the ones who nursed them. May all orphaned children find comfort in the arms of Mama Mary. May all those seeking direction and love receive the warmth of Mama Mary's accepting arms.

It's Mama Mary's Birthday today. Let's all pause and pray. :)

Of spots and dots

Last week, 2 dermas confirmed that I have vitiligo. It's a skin disorder where my immune system hinders my melanin-producing cells from producing melanin or skin pigment. This, thus, results to white spots on my skin.

Most say that there is no cause nor any certain cure. Some respond to the available treatments, others don't (Hmmm... ) .It can be hereditary - 50 % of those who have it, have relatives who have it also (As far, as my parents can trace, no one has it in our family) . It can also be caused by stress (Now, I see what's potentially causing it in me...).

I read about 2 herbal remedies in the internet (which I accessed through my SMART phone using WAP -- Yep, just wanted to endorse SMART a bit). One is Anti-Vitiligo from True Herbals. 45% of those who have used it, reorder. There are also testimonials displayed on the site about people whose pigments were restored.

Interesting! Hopeful.

The other one is Dermatint... Haven't read much about it. I'll update you guys.

Before going to the 2nd Derma consultation, I went to our company clinic to have the dots on my neck (otherwise known as warts) cauterized. I was expecting our company surgeon to put anesthesia on the dots before the cautery but I was surprised and a bit dismayed to know that anesthesia is only applied on dots on the face in his clinic. Bummer!!!

Anyway, I was decided to get rid of those small but many dots on my neck so I went through with it. I faced the music but didn't appreciate the rhythm much. The treatment was torture! I felt like I was being tortured for my sins. The instrument used had a needlepoint tip that was used to prick the dots at the same time burn them. The burning felt more like an electrocution. I cringed, shivered and perspired on the chair.

I felt like Manny Pacquiao after a boxing match -- though hurt and beaten, I emerged like a champion, a hero that braved it all.

Whew! That was such an ordeal. Btw, I still learned that I have dots on my face and some flesh-colored ones left on my neck. I'll have it done elsewhere next time around.

My derma pursuit continued on... After consulting about Vitiligo, I availed of the medical facial and acne surgery treatment offered in the Derma Clinic. I know, the terms seems to technically medical. I think that it's just one of their marketing efforts to make their treatments seem scientific and serious vs the regular commercialized treatments in most Derm-Spas.

The medical facial is a facial with steam and the works. The acne surgery treatment is for the removal of even smaller dots on my face that are commonly called as white and black heads.
I had a lot of black heads on my nose and chin. Eck!

After my spots and dots sessions, I decided to call it a day and went home. Afterwards, I started the skin maintenance (or beauty) regimen recommended at the Derma Clinic. I, now, wash my face, apply toner, followed by clarifying lotion and sunblock (in the am) or pore cleanser (in the pm) on my face. Hopefully, this will keep my facial skin in good shape til the next decade or so. For my Vitiligo spots, I also brought home some breastfeeding-friendly meds (That's until I completely weaned Polo off breastfeeding. Most of the serious meds for Vitiligo can only be used when I'm no longer nursing).

Now that I'm in my thirties, I take heed to Baz Luhrmann's advice in the song "Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen" -- "If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked…."

Pah-Cuhn!

Pah-Cuhn - That's how Polo pronounces popcorn, our little family's favorite midnight snack. Be it in plain, kettle corn, butter or cheese flavor, this snack turns him up & about!

One midnight, Marvin cooked microwavable popcorn. He was shaking the container to wake me up and join him (it's not fun to eat popcorn by yourself, he thought). I woke up and munched on the popcorn as well. I think that the happy sound of our midnight munching was loud for bedtime that it woke Polo up.

Without flinching or thinking twice, he sat up and smiled at the sight and smell (!) of the popcorn. It almost seemed instinctive. He dug into the plastic container and joined in the midnight snack fun.

The other evening, we had popcorn for dessert. When the plastic container was close to being empty, Marvin told Polo that we finished the whole pack already. Polo moved towards us and was extremely delighted when Marvin brought out the microwavable popcorn pack and poured more popcorn into the plastic container. Polo said, "Waaaaaaaaaaaaw," (Polo's version of "Wow!") while marching in place and swaying left to right.

Aside from Pah-Cuhn, here are the common things that he says:

Word (Polo's pronunciation -- his own version)
Bath (Bah-t)
Feet (Fith)
Teeth (Tith)
Door (Douh)
Light (Layht)
Lola (Luh-Lah)
Lolo (Ugh-Ugh) - hehehe!
Lolo Dante (Ugh-Ugh 'Te or O'Te) - Hehehe! We often tease my dad about this.
Tita (Tah-Tah)
Tita Jaz (Tah-Jaz)
Tita Chi-Chi (Ta-Chi or 'Chi-Chi) - Chi prefers the 2nd option, of course
Comb - (Cuhm)
Brush - (Bah-sh)
Angry - ('Gree)
Yaya - (Yah-Yah)
Yaya Erlyn - (Yah-Yah Eh-Leehn or Yah Leehn)
Angel - (Nh-Gehl)
Diaper - (Purr)
Star - (Stah)
High - (Hahy)
Guard - (Gahd)
Amen - (Ey-men or 'Men)

He can also fill in the blanks of these statements:
Brush your ____ (teeth)
Comb your ____ (hair)
Change your ____ (diaper)

He can also fill in the blanks of the ff nursery rhymes:
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Itsy-Bitsy Spider
Rain, Rain Go Away

Just last Saturday (Aug 30, 2008), I discovered that he learns how to count from 1 to 10! Yey!

He also knows how to march on command

Our Polliepoe is one year, six months and 11 days old and he's learning fast.

Cool Changes

We transferred to a new house last March 15, 2008. We now reside in a 2-storey house with 4 bedrooms, 3 toilets, parking slots for 2 vehicles, a garden, a maid's room and enough space for Daddy's unused video and photography equipment and so much room for Polo to walk, run around and play in.

I love the neighborhood. It's secure, quiet and peaceful. I hear a lot of birds chirping in the morning. When I look out our window, I see the sky and our work-in-progress garden where my Mom and Dad planted flower-bearing plants. The stack of old that used to be in our room in the old house is now gone, all organized and neatly kept in our cabinets. When we step outside our room, we see a spacious living room to our left and a homey dining area and kitchen to our right. Another thing I love about the new place is that we never run out of water!!! Goodbye water shortage! Good bye water tank delivery! :) Wohoo!

Secondly, today marks my first day in the Product Marketing Team of SMART Money Activations. After around 4 years of being away from Product Marketing, I decided to go back. Thankfully, our company allowed me to jump around different teams and go back to where I started. So let's see how it goes. Hopefully, this time around, I'll stay longer. Hehehe.

"Look, Ma, No Cavities!"

Polo's teeth received a Pedia Dentist's stamp of approval last Saturday, February 2. We can now teach him to say, "Look, Ma, No Cavities!," as the cute boy in Colgate's commercial would say.



It was Polo's first dental check up. His appointment was scheduled at 1pm (which didn't turn out to be a good schedule. It's not advisable to have a dentist check a baby's set of teeth after lunch because the baby is prone to throwing up his lunch if he cries too much). Instead of having lunch, we gave him a heavy breakfast and a light snack, as instructed by the Pedontist's assistant.



The clinic was child-friendly. It had books for children and stuffed animals hanging on the dentist's chair. Even the pedia dentist and her assistant looked fun as she was wearing a scrub suit with cute colorful animals.

Dra. Eala asked for our child's name. Upon saying, "Polo," she promptly said, "Oh, just like the candy." Dentista talaga! She then gave us a short orientation, saying that I will have to sit Polo on my lap, facing me and then let him lie down with his head landing on her knees. She also said that Polo will definitely cry because this will be a new experience for him but it won't be traumatic because it won't hurt.

That's exactly what we did. Using the dental mirror, she checked crying Polo's teeth (which only took less than 5 min) and then smeared fluouride on his 6 little teeth. That's it! It was definitely quick! What followed after was what took long -- consultation. She asked us about Polo's eating habits, diet and dental hygiene. She also gave us tips and allowed us to ask questions.

That's how it went and then she charged us a sizeable amount for the whole thing. :) But we didn't mind because it will be another year til we have Polo's teeth checked up again... because his 6 little milk teeth are cavity and problem-free!

Race On!

Since November 2007, I have been planning for Polo's 1st Birthday Party. I got in touch with close to twenty establishments, asking for quotations, party packages for a children's party and stuff. Finally, last January 25, I made up my mind. National Sports Grill was our final choice. Marvin and I signed the conforme and paid the 50% down payment for the venue of Polo's 1st Birthday.

It was the best choice after all, the theme of our party is racing cars. How can it not be about cars when Polo's line of interest is anything that has four wheels and goes vrrrroooom, vrooooom! When he sees cars or vehicles on tv, on the street or sees toy cars, he'll drop everything and inspect the underchasis, the wheels and say "vrrrooom, vroooom..." with gusto! Hehehe... Sometimes, he even pretends that our tv remote control is a car. If we give him a cookie during meal time, expect that he'll say "vroooom, vroooom..." and drag the cookie like it's a car before he bites it.

Let's park Polo's fascination about cars and vehicles and go back to my party planning checklist:

Venue - NSG, 3rd Level, Greenbelt 3, Check!

Party Decor - c/o Tanunings, Check!

Party Host and Magician - c/o Tanunings, Check!

Game Prizes - bought them myself at Divisoria, Check!

Loot Bags - bought them myself at Divisoria, Check!

Invites - artsy-craftsy work in progress, THIS MUST BE RELEASED NEXT WEEK!

Signature Book - sourced out 2 supplier options, still need to compile the pictures.

Gift for Polo - Check! Marvin bought it last Sunday. He couldn't resist the urge to buy something for Polo whenever they are out together in a mall. Hope Marvin isn't tempted to open our gift for Polo before his birthday.

Audio Visual Presentation - I deligated this to Marvin. Hope he starts working on it this week.

Birthday Cake - c/o Just For Kids, the kids version of Kink Cakes. We placed our order last Sunday and paid for 50% of the cost as well. Check!

A couple of things left and the race is on to Polo's 1st Birthday Party! Well, that's until we release the invites.

Out in the market, once again

I have already accomplished my Goal # 5. I already downloaded my updated resume from Jobstreet DB and sent it out one manpower consulting firm and to 2 companies in need of product/brand/marketing managers. I'm praying that I'll find a new job before the quarter ends. :)

I have mixed emotions on this one. I'm excited to conquer new territory at the same time that I'm perplexed about the new challenges that will be set before. I am hopeful, however, that my whirlwind 7-year experience in SMART has seasoned me and chiseled me into a heavy-duty marketing person.

On the mommy side, I'm looking forward to weaning Polo from Breastmilk to Formula. February 25 will be the day. I expect that I'll feel some sense of liberation but I'm sure that I would still experience separation anxiety. Hehehe... What can I do? Breastfeeding is an experience that ties the heart of a mom to her child.

Slowly shifting from Breastfeeding to formula-feeding will also give me some room to take on new responsibilities and challenges at work. I'm ready now to stretch myself once more and strive for excellence in work and at home.

... So help me, God. Amen.

Let the Heavens Rejoice

"Let the sea and what fills it resound,the world and those who dwell in it;Let the rivers clap their hands,the mountains shout with them for joy before the LORD." Psalm 98

This is my struck for today. It is a command to rejoice and be happy. So be it. Be happy, my heart. :)

Reading the words of this psalm reminds me of my old tambourine dancing days in the BLD Youth Ministry. I miss dancing and singing for the Lord will all my might. I miss serving the Lord.

First and Foremost

Happy New Year! Here are my Goals for this year:

1. 12 scrapbook layouts for the year (or at least one per month)
2. 54 blog entries or one entry per month
3. Tapusin na ang wedding album and wedding video (Hello!!!)
4. Print and organize our pictures in a photo album (all of them are just digital files eating up Marvin's disk space!)
5. Update my resume and send it out
6. Read the Bible Daily
7. Renew my driver's license
8. Renew my passport
9. Get a passport for Polo
10. Better and deeper relationships
11. Become a manager by year-end
12. Transfer house or find one of our own
13. Hire a good and worthy househelp/yaya
14. Report for work on time (God, help me)
15. Be on time for everything (The Lord of time, help me)
16. Lose weight - go back to my pre-pregnancy weight of 128lbs
17. Eat right, stay healthy
18. Develop my cooking & baking skills -- cook/bake once a month
19. Go on dates with my Husband - once a month
20. Go on dates with Polo - once a month
21. Go on dates with my mom - once a quarter
22. Go on dates with my parents - once a year
23. Go on dates with my sisters - twice a year

Trick or Treat? Treat!

Trick or Treat was officially celebrated in our office last Oct 26. After much deliberation (or fickle-mindedness on my part!), Marvin and I finally decided to bring Polo to the office to join the festivities.

We dressed him up with the angel cum dove costume he wore at the 1st birthday costume party he went to (that was the 1st birthday party of Isabella Escano, first born of Rad & Puchette Escano). His baby attire was composed of a light blue jumpsuit (aka pajamas), a pair of white feathery wings and his white bonnet with glittery silver and baby blue adornments (which I designed myself. Ye!). Much to my surprise, our little boy blue angel bagged the best in costume award given at Marvin's floor.

Here's a picture Polo in his award winning costume. Hehehe...

Must admit that he really looks angelic most of the time (Of course, I'm subjective and biased! I'm his Mama. Hahaha)!

Wonderful Babblings

It started with "Aba aba aba aba..." that later on became "Ba ba ba ba" that morphed into "Pa pa pa pa" when he was jolly and playful and "Ma ma ma ma" whenever he was hungry, needy or crying. Now, it seems that he knows who his Papa and Mama are because he looks at us when he calls for us, depending on his needs.

That's our Polliepoe at 8 months! Whenever he calls out to Marvin during playtime, Marvin's heart cannot but dance with glee. I, on the other hand, cannot refuse the gentle but pitiful tug I feel in my heart whenever he cries out for me when he needs comfort or is just plain hungry.

We initially wanted our little boy to call us Daddy and Mommy. But Papa and Mama seems to be Polo's preference. Good choice, Polo! To me, "Papa" and "Mama" brings life and music to my heart. It even surpasses Mozart's classical masterpieces!

There you go, folks, "Papa" and "Mama" are Polo's 1st words. I'm sooo damn happy that it didn't turn out to be just any other word. :)

Steady Flow

Breastfeeding is steady now that Polo is eating solid foods 3 times a day. I pump and store 12 to 16oz of milk everyday for Polo's daily consumption. Whew! So far, so good (until he goes through another growth spurt... "Ayayay!," as the yellow dino Barney-friend BJ would say).

We're praning na to leave Polo alone on the bed. He already fell off the bed 2 times -- once during his grandparents' watch when he fell and landed on 2 pillows, and once during my watch, where even a floor rug didn't save him from scoring a bump on his forehead (tsk! tsk! tsk! negative points for me, his mommy). Good thing, Lola Annie is teaching Polo to play and sleep in his crib or playpen during the day. That means less accident hazards for Polo. Whew!

However, Marvin and I are still amateurs in getting Polo to settle down in his crib. He's used to staying on our bed whenever we're around. That's why it becomes quite a struggle for us to leave him in his crib before we go to the office in the morning.

It can be quite frustrating and sad to leave him crying in his crib. He actually doesn't really cry out loud but since he still doesn't know how to use words, crying is all he has. Funny thing nga lang is that when we're already out of his sight, ayun! He usually stops crying. Hmmm... Crying must be his way of telling us that he doesn't want us to go just yet.

It's also cool to observe how he bahaves differently during his Lola Annie's watch vs. our watch. When Lola Annie is taking care of him, he is more behaved. He doesn't cry as much when left to play in his crib or playpen. He is even amenable to sleep in his crib with Lola Annie humming to him "deep and wide," a Christian Song for Children, while patting his leg until he dozes off. Sometimes, he would even fall asleep by himself.

During our watch, he would agree to play in his crib or playpen but if he is already sleepy, he will cry and won't stop until we carry him (or I breastfeed him to sleep). We tried putting him to sleep in his crib but he would only cry, as if telling us "Eh nandyan naman kayo, bakit ninyo ako pinapatulog dito? Gusto ko katabi ko kayo..."

This only goes to show that he can differentiate us from his Lola Annie. Or maybe, we have already conditioned him to act this way. Sanayan lang kumbaga... If you ask me, I'm still glad that he knows how to be less demanding when he's with Lola Annie. Lola Annie is too old to worry much about him. :) I'm also happy that he cries whenever Marvin and I are around to take care of him because it's his little way of expressing his wanting to be near to us, which is the sweetest thing.

His Throne

Time is ticking swiftly away! Polo is now bigger than the car-seat basinette we borrowed from my sister. He used to sit there whenever we feed him but last week, it was time for him to make yet another transition.

After a month or so of surveying at the malls, Marvin and I finally decided to buy our Polliepoe a high chair. We bought him a wooden one that can be converted into a table and chair when he becomes a toddler.

The chair was relatively a new design released in the market. There are even plastic versions of it that come in Looney Tunes and other character designs. Being a fan of classic designs (and more affordable stuff! hehehe), I chose the wooden version. Marvin asked for the colored blue seat cushion.

As soon as we got home, Daddy and Marvin immediately assembled it. We were all excited to have Polo try it out (aside from the fact that we already had him test the same type of chair many times in different SM mall branches. Well, this one is different. It was his very own chair. That's until he gets another sibling. Hahaha!). So after 30minutes of assembling time (which I think even reached 1 hr in reality), we sat our baby Polo in his chair.

He was happy. With the added height of his high chair, he saw everything in the house from a new perspective, literally speaking. No longer did he see everything and everyone from an ant's point of view. Now, he was more or less mid-level (even eye level when all of us are seated).

Pictures of him to follow... :)

Time to Move...

When Polo turned 7 months and learned how to crawl and sit unassisted, he immediately became more mobile that the pillows used to keep him within his playmat area could no longer stop him. Aba! He could now climb over the pillows and push them further so as to increase his territory.

His white wooden crib, his parents' bed and his puzzle floormat are no longer safe places for him. That is why Marvin, Mommy and I decided that it was time for us to buy him a playpen. That's exactly what we did before going home last friday night.

With Polo's transition into a playpen and yet another baby furniture added to our home space, Marvin thought that it was indeed, time to keep Polo's bouncy chair and puzzle floormat. It was time to keep the bouncy chair for the next baby and the puzzle floormat for later when Polo is old enough to move out of his playpen.

Our Polliepoe is gradually growing into his own person. He is learning inch by inch that he is independent from Marvin and me. Thank God that these things happen slowly, thus, giving me time to adjust and adapt.

It was not so long ago that I thought that parenting meant teaching your baby what and how to do things. Little did I know that parenting happens the other way around. Without the baby knowing it, it is he who turns his Mom and Dad into parents.