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.

It's back

My breastmilk supply is gaining momentum. Yay! All it took was diligence. I dunno why I'm so undisciplined when it comes to scheduling my activities. I gotta be more organized.

Anyway, I realized this week that I need to give myself a pat on the back for breastfeeding exclusively for 7 months now (As a reward, I deserve more Magnolia Vanilla and Strawberry Ice Cream!!! Hahaha). How did I come to such realization???

Well, I bumped into some of my mommy friends, who got pregnant and gave birth the same time I did and when we would talk about breastfeeding, aba! ako na lang ang breastfeeding and doing it exclusively (without giving formula)! I found it a bit surprising. Didn't think that I was patient and perservering enough to be the "last one standing." Hehehe...

It's even funny how one of my officemates, who gave birth 2 months ago, uses me as her benchmark and breastfeeding "idol." She even feels pressured to match the amount of milk I pump and produce and thinks to her self that she can't match up.

To her consolation, she doesn't need to produce as much milk as I do because every baby's consumption is unique. Likewise, every breastfeeding Mom's supply depends on her baby's demand. In Filipino, kanya-kanya pacing lang yun.

... So after all my breastfeeding crisis panic mode, I'm doing well after all. Whew!

Managers are Out

All the managers in our division are out in a team building today and I feel like blogging, facebook-ing, and updating my multiply site all day! Work and mommy stuff have been keeping me away from the internet. How I wish I could blog, upload pictures everyday! Haaay...

More than a Little Game

I was feeling quite low when I came home from work yesterday. I think I am in a middle of personal crisis. To use, "I think," only means that I am in a bit of a denial stage here (har! har! har!) I've been feeling like this for more than a week now and I am getting tired of my torturing thoughts. Lagot yang mga thoughts na yan sa 'kin! I'll get rid of them soon! Hah!

Anyway, while I was harboring all these mixed feelings in my heart and mind, Polo, who was in in the middle of our bed, beside me and my husband, decided to play a game. He played with his Daddy Marvin, rolled-over, crawled all over, glanced at the tv and then stopped to get my attention in between his cute little baby activities. He kept stopping to look at me, catch my attention, stare me in the eye and then finally smiled when I would smile at him. I tell you, he did this like every 20-30 seconds for 20 minutes.

Hehehe... It felt like he knew that I was having a low day. It seemed as if he was checking up on me, making sure that I wouldn't get all caught up in my world of noisy thoughts. Ganun talaga! He wouldn't move or smile until I looked at him and smiled.

He is such a charmer, a heaven-sent angel at that!

Thank God for Polo Bebe who never fails to surprise me with simple joys that mean more than what One Million Dollars can buy.

More than Random Stuff

It's almost 3:30am and I'm still awake. I searched the net for resources I'll need for a personal Christmas project (which I will reveal within the month, hopefully...). I also catched up on Facebook (it's really addicting!).

Polo just turned 7 months last friday. Wohoo! 5 months to go and I'll probably think of giving up breastfeeding. Talking about breastfeeding... I think, Polo is in another growth spurt (if there is still such a thing for 7 month old infants). It seems that his milk demand has increased! Since, breastfeeding is a supply and demand kind of thing, my supply is yet to follow suit. I had to go on half day leave last thursday and friday morning to nurse him because the milk that I stored the day before didn't seem enough. :-S Good thing, I had the weekend to adjust.

I must admit that I may have been complacent a couple of weeks back. Thinking that I'll never run out of milk, I haven't been dedicated in taking my malunggay pills, drinking enough glasses of water and been lax in my breastpumping schedule. The down-side of it is that, it's my fault. The good-side of it is that I can still do something about it.

That's why over the weekend, I went back to taking my routine. I hope and really pray that my supply will come as expected.

+++

Polo's milestones: He started crawling last saturday. It wasn't the usual 360-degree pivoting on his stomach kind of thing. This time around, he used his feet and arms to push himself forward to get his toy. Cool! Marvin was surprised and ecstatic.

Today, he managed to balance himself in a sitting position. We've been practicing him to sit down with assistance -- our legs and tummies or pillows as support. Tonight, while I was preparing food that his Lola will give him tomorrow (homemade applesauce, yum!), Marvin positioned him on the play mat found in our sala. To everyone's astonishment, Polo sat upright for more than 20-30 minutes. Yey!

These are wonderful milestones I will keep dear in my heart. I'm taking time out now to take note of them before time watermarks them away like footprints in shifting sand.

Not be side-tracked

"See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy according to the tradition of men, according to the elemental powers of the world and not according to Christ."
Col 2

Now that Marvin and I are learning to become financially educated, smart and wise, I must not lose sight of my Christ's calling to serve and love.

Now, what is the exact details of my calling and purpose? I need to pause for a while and think it through. Seems that I have lost track of my sense of being, my mission and vision for my life. I must retrace my steps before I become totally clueless.

Before and After

The wonders of technology has allowed us to get a glimpse of babies before they are born. He is Polo's 4D Ultrasound when he was 7-8 months in my womb and his 1 day old picture.

Of course they look alike. They are one and the same person. :)

This is Polliepoe today.

Picture was taken at around 5am this morning.

Yep, he was up and about that early!

Yummy!!!

Aug 21 was a National Holiday but the Philippine government decided to move the holiday one day earlier. Polo turned 6 months on Aug 21 but since Marvin and I didn't have work on Aug 20, we decided that giving Polo's his first spoonful of solid food a day early wouldn't hurt.

And Polo's 1st solid food is... (drum roll, pls.)

Mashed Carrots!!!

I took care of the food preparation

Mashed carrots didn't do that to his hair. It's really like that.

But it made his eyes look bigger and open wider!!!

I hope it doesn't make his ears grow long and his two front teeth come out big. LOL!!!

3 weeks after... Mashed potatoes and mashed squash has been added to his menu list. Wonder what we'll let him taste next week...