Expecting the Stork
Indeed! It was more than confirmed! Our little family of three is expecting a fourth member soon!
I was three weeks delayed when I decided to do the home pregnancy test. I was confused to see the result, few minutes after I dropped the urine sample on its pee hole, one line turned faint red (two lines mean positive). I immediately went out the house and find the nearest pharmacy to buy a new pack, just to corroborate the result. Several more minutes, the outcome: the other line was still blurred, but one thing is for sure, there are certainly two lines on that strip.
It was a blissful initial response, a new baby is a blessing. I chat with Honey, and told him about the good news. He called me right away and he was like laughing, crying, and kinda shouting, (didn't know how the heck he did that, though, LOL!). He's been wanting to have an addition to our family.
However, the next moment was a bit scary. FYI, I still have the IUD in me that is supposedly good for five years, there is only 1% risk for me to be pregnant. I was only using it for almost two years until I found out about the pregnancy. An Intrauterine Device (IUD) is a small object that is inserted through the cervix and placed in the uterus to prevent pregnancy. They affect the movements of eggs and sperm to prevent fertilization. They also change the lining of the uterus and prevent implantation. So if I got pregnant while the IUD is in place, the fertilized egg might have settled in fallopian tube since it prevent the egg and sperm to fertilize inside the uterus, which if happened is an ectopic pregnancy. We also learned that the risks of miscarriage, and/or pre-term delivery are also there while this device is still inside me or if carry away.
We sought the help of an experienced, one of the top ob-gynecologists in St. Lukes, Dr. Elsi Badillo-Pascua. She had me sonographed, and GOD is so good, the fertilized egg is inside the uterus, so the risk of ectopic pregnancy was immediately eliminated. It just so happened that the IUD was dislodged that causes my gestation. She then opted to keep the IUD inside to prevent further complications. It will just come out together with the baby. She relayed that she have had several same cases in the past, and they were all had a healthy and sound pregnancies even if the IUD was still in.
She also made clear that the danger of miscarriage/pre-term delivery are always there in any kind of pregnancies. She said that as long as me and my partner remain non-promiscuous and pure, the risks of infection is not feasibly high. I felt appeased after that conversation.
What did I learn from this? Hmmm... Internet as a research source is not really something you can hold on to. I mean, horrible stories I've read, who have had the same plight with mine, and the frightful experiences, only made me feel more miserable. Until I've talked with the specialist, and found out that mine is no lesser different from the normal pregnancy.
All I have to do is to enjoy this new life in me, though I wasn't expecting it to come this soon (that is why I chose the 5 year old IUD, hahaha), just the same this angel is a blessing we welcome with all our hearts. And most of all, the joy this new baby is giving my husband as early as now, is immeasurable, he is in the cloud nine up to now, hahaha.
We are expecting the stork to visit next year of May. So, welcome aboard sweety! I hope you will enjoy your stay on Mom's womb. I'm just so happy that we did not lose you! Love yah!
Title: A Collectors Tray for Babies - Garden ThemeCreated by Meryl Bartho © 2005 Meryl Bartho
33-Month Old!
You're so adorable and so lovable.Happy 33rd Month Sweety!
Postage Stamp AlphaCreated by Marcee J. DuggarDirty/Clean signsCreated by ElisabethBaby (toddler) Word ArtCreated by Tina Chambers
Something Happened
Something surprising, unforeseen, impetuous, yet ineludible just happened.
I hope everything would be okay.
I pray everything would be okay.
Thy will be done.
HIS will be done.
Friends For Life
It feels great to reminisce our good old laughs after a long while, I've missed you guys, hope we find time to see each other again!!!
CottageArts.net Digital Graphics Download made for Legacy Magazine by Michelle Shefveland
Boracay Regency vs. Fridays
The following fundamentals were the things I considered upon choosing
Boracay Regency and
Fridays.
1. Triple "A" rating from DOT
2. Beachfront
3. Room with Verandah
4. Room with Bath Tub
5. Swimming Pool Amenities
6. Beachbeds
7. and most importantly; with Internet
And since we stayed on these two sanctuaries, and were pleased by the service of one over the other, we therefore culled to make an assessment.
BORACAY REGENCY
STAY: 3days/2nights
What we like:
-- The service is excellent, staff are very polite, they treat you as VIP. Liza the babysitter is also soft-spoken and courteous.
-- Exemplary facilities, since the deluxe rooms, where we stayed were newly builty.
-- Sophisticated swimming pool. Kiddie pool for Jett, slide, circular shower bar that gives a rain-like impression, and most of all, jacuzzi for relaxing.
-- It is clean everywhere.
-- My personal favorite, are the fishponds. They give a calming feeling.
-- Food are the best!
What we did not like:
-- Nothing. I only have praises and good words for Boracay Regency. In fact, they exceeded our expectations. We should have spent our fourth night here.
FRIDAYS
Stay: 1day/1night
What we like:
-- Without batting an eyelash, the Premier Room is magnificent, and undisputably first-class.
-- Very private. Since situated in station one, you won't see much locals straying around nor offering you to buy something.
-- It was cool to welcome us with shell necklaces and welcome drink.
-- The sand are powdery fine and shining white.
-- Masseuse is excellently trained.
What we did not like:
Okay, here I go ...
-- First, I wasn't happy that they put us in the topmost room, considering we have a 2.5yo little tyke with us. So we have to battle like 30-40 steps just to reach our room, great isn't it? Well, of course I understand that Premier rooms are on the highest, but there are rooms on a lower-level, that could have lessen our gravity effort. Well, we were too tired and hungry then to object, we just shrug-off. But I won't miss mentioning it here, duh?!!
-- Since Premier Rooms are also newly built, the stairs going up there, are still rough, meaning, they are done yet. There are no available side handrails to hold on, coz like I said, it wasn't finish, and take note also that the steps are steep. And since we have a hyper kid who is use in hopping on the stairs, I then prevented him to do that and continuously reminding him to "be extra careful" when using that stair, coz he might hurt his skin or worst fall.
-- There is an ongoing construction just beside our room, a new hotel is improvising. And since we are on the topmost part and very near them, we became an instant boob-tube. The construction workers are watching every move we make, so we make sure to always close the windows of the room facing them. And obviously, construction is tantamount to "noise", so you could just imagine.
-- The room is like a modern nipa hut. When we moved to Fridays', I was suffering a hang-over from our night out. When the roomboy turned-on the air-con, I smell the nipa right away, and my gosh, I felt more dizzy. I was so thankful that the moment we went back from the beach on sundown, the smell is no longer there.
-- There were two bathrobes for adults, so I called the frontdesk if they also have a robe for my son, they told me none. So okay, we have clothes to press, I then again asked the frontdesk if they have an iron, they answered that they have an ironing service for a cost. I was dumbfounded, coz we travel a lot, and been to many hotels. And an iron sometimes with ironing board, and bathrobes not only for parents but for kids are being offered by some hotels. And why can't we not enjoy those small conveniences in Fridays, for asmuch as the penny we shell-out to them???!!! Heck, a $144 for a night stay, is I think, more than enough for an iron and a robe!
-- Me and my husband were trying to straighten up the reclined beachbed, we then asked a crew in uniform. "Natataas ba to?" (Can you straight this thing up?), he then replied with "Oo" (Yes) with a blank face, and fixed it. Did we hear him wrong? He omitted or forgotten to address us cordially as "Mam" and "Sir"? I was pissed-off that when that guy was walking away, I loud-voiced to my husband "Wala man lang Sir or Mam noh?" (No Sir or Mam?). My husband was also running mad. You know why? We despise ill-services! We paid to be served, and not otherwise!
-- We ordered a pizza for lunch. On dinner, I phoned the room service to re-heat the pizza. And then somebody came to get the pizza. I then re-phoned them to make an order, but the pizza was still in theirs. And then our orders arrived with the heated pizza. Thereupon, the room boy asked me "Wala na po ba kayong iuutos? Para isang bagsakan na lang?" (Are you gonna ask me no more? Just to do it one shot.) Great! Is he trying to tell me that he is getting tired to mount that 30-40steps high stair? And was asked him to go up and down twice? Are they not aware that the food we just ordered are 10x costly against the regular price? And 100x ladder steps are definitely included in what we paid! Hmp!
-- They do have LAN port, in fact several ports, about 5, but do they have a LAN cable to access the internet? None! Asked them why, the room are newly built and internet wasn't available yet for customer's use. Nice noh?! I confronted them, why then did you offer this room for occupancy? She told me, there are wifi access in beachfronts and restaurant. Hello??? Are we not on the highest floor and with a kid, to easily go up and down? We ended up not to using the net.
-- And to wrap it up, on our last day, the morning before we left, cable channels were totally cut-off, so nothing to watch on the television. To our dismay, Fridays fell short our expectations. I sent-forth all our dissatisfactions to one of the receptionists, and she felt sorry about the whole stuff, yet still, the damage has been done, and they certainly gave us no reason to go back.
We enjoyed Boracay so much, in fact that is one momentous, mind-blowing journey we had. Despite of all the pleasant and unpleasant, we still want to gaze that this trip was well-worth the expense.
My two cents worth!
Happy 81st Bday to my Father!
Celebration held in Antipolo, my brother's place in Mia Alta Subdivision
Click here for the photos. Album Cover PagesCreated by Elisabeth
My New Fragrance
I chose
Leau ParKenzo as my latest scent in-use. Whenever I buy a perfume, I make sure to check the in-thing smells in the market thru newspapers and magazines. Well, I don't wanna left behind, coz you know, a 50ml bottle of aroma will take me forever to unfill, like 6-months, hahaha! So, if found out that I'm nearing to an empty perfume vial, I'll take note of whatever faddy scent I read, and check it in the mall whenever possible.
But of course, the cheapest place to buy your fragrance is none other than Duty Free Shops. But we bought mine in Rustans,
sayang nga.
Leau ParKenzo is eau de toilette, meaning it has 4-8% aromatic essence and 10-18% oil. I love its super sweet odor, and if spray in the body, its sensual smell gets in to you, and you will feel like you're oozing sexy, hahaha!
Kung baga, amoy pa lang, ulam na! (wink!)
An Escape to Boracay (Late Post)
Setting foot for the first time, in our countries' most bragged world famous White Sand Beach,
Boracay, is an enthralling if not exhilarating moment for the three of us, me, my husband, and our son, who also happen to feast his first ever beach and sand experience. Well, we've been to
Ko Samui Beach in Thailand, few years back when, but Jett was still a baby then, like 4-month-old, so we less enjoyed the water.
And since it was a turning point of our family life, remarking our initial visit, plus our first beach experience, and bonding moment for my two boys (Jett & Honey), I certainly planned it the grand way.
My shorter short list toss-up between
Boracay Regency and
Fridays. I was so undecided coz I both love these two after logging in to their websites and the reviews I've read about them. What I did was, I booked 3days/2nights to Boracay Regency, and 1day/1night to Fridays (I'll make another post of the distinctness of these two hotels).
Let me share our daily activities:
First Day Aug.22 - We left Manila in a cat-and-dog weather. I was so apprehensive that the rain may spoil our vacation. We chose the earliest flight of Cebu Pacific, 8:40am, to make room for more time of enjoyment. I only turned comforted, as the plane arrived Kalibo, and welcomed us with a not sunshiny but at least clear sky. We travel another nearly 2hours by land, in a tourist bus together with locals and foreign visitors, going to Caticlan. Then from Caticlan, we transferred in a boat for another 20mins to Boracay island itself. We were in Boracay Regency at exactly 12noon.
We ordered a room service, ate our lunch, and abruptly changed to our swimming wear, and hit the beach. Whoah! It was a picturesque sight, that absolutely gave pleasure and treasure to my eyesight. It is an undisputable fascinating view. Few more seconds and we were splurging ourselves in the water. Jett was really having fun. When the rain was bit showing, we decided to move to the inviting swimming pool of the hotel. We fall-off the the swimming slide one by one. Funny, coz would you imagine, it was hubby's first time to slide his ass to the pool, hahaha! On Jett turns, one released him from the top, and the other one is waiting on the bottom. We also tried the jacuzzi, it was so cool! We cap the day with our dinner in Prince Hendrick Restaurant with mouth-watering international cuisine, the culprit why I think I gained a few pounds, after I left Bora, hahaha!
Second Day Aug 23 - This is my personal favorite day amongst the four. The sun was so up leaning to our favor. We started the day with a hearty breakfast, again in Prince Hendrick. And then we arranged for a boating activity for P1,200 with a local guy. We went first sailing, and snorkeling in the middle of the sea. We used goggles provided by our banceros. Men! The underwater is an aquarium-like view. Jett even dipped himself in the sea, but only in the boat stairs and katig. He wasn't scared. We then visited the private Island Cove. Here was a cave, where you can see the fish playing in your feet, and a crystal clear green water. And then there is the Puka Beach. We stopped in this island for a while and swim. The sand is no lesser white in Boracay, they look fabulous. And on our way back, we passed through an island, shaped like crocodile that is obviously called the Crocodile Island, haha! It was one exciting activity.
At night, as Jett turned shut-eye. We didn't allow ourselves to miss the chance of exploring the island. We hired the babysitting service of the hotel at 11pm. Me and hubby took a leisurely walk in the vicinity, and check the night life haven of Boracay. We found ourselves ordering a Cali and Margarita on the rocks for me, and Jack Daniels in Chocolate Shake for hubby in The Hobbits House Bar (the waiters and waitresses are midgets) in D'Mall. Our pulutan is Crispy Pata, haha! We even smoke (which we haven't done for ages), talk, and giggle about our stories, just like the old times. We really indulge ourselves for this night out coz this may not happen again in the future, and besides, we're in Boracay!
Third Day Aug 24 - I woke up with a hang-over. I don't know, maybe because It's been a while since I tasted a Margarita, or, because I mixed drinking Margarita and Cali. My head was spinning. We were scheduled that day to move to Fridays situated in Station 3 (Boracay Regency is Station 2), 7minutes away from Regency, a van fetched us.
Fridays is a totally different place from Boracay Regency. The sand is so fine and so white. They welcomed us with a sea shell necklace, and a drink. My head was still spinning, but we still manage to swim in the beach. The day was so good, the sky was bright, and in between the shifting of the day and the night, we chanced upon seeing the charming view of sun setting. It was more than romantic!
And finally, my most awaited aromatheraphy massage in the beach. It was planned since I was aware that they offer this service in their website. Honey and Jett went back to our room so I can feel that time for myself (thanks Honey for taking in-charge of Jett). I laze around the massage bed, and the masseuse did the rest. It was so cozy, and the masseuse is so graceful, that I almost fell to dreamland. I cannot say any further, but it was so perfect! And, presto! My headache was gone like a spell casted away. That night, was one of the most dreamy nights I ever had.
Last Day Aug. 25 - The last day of the fairytale. No more further activities since we were leaving on half-day. It was the moment to pose some shots, and strike those smiles. We travelled another 2hours to Kalibo, and had our lunch to one of the native restaurants in front of Kalibo Airport. Many expats were also there. Our flight back home was 4:20pm.
This vacation was really an amusement of a kind. It was a binding experience for the three of us, especially with my husband and my son, who do not spend much time together because of his job. We feel more recharged and unwinded. I am now looking forward for our next getaway. We will surely be going back to Boracay someday. Our Boracay Escapade proved to show, that "Nothing Really Beats the First!"
Missing His Dad
We just arrived from my in-laws' house in Caloocan yesterday. Last Saturday was another bitter send-off. We sent Honey to the airport at noon, together with my brother-in-law who drove the car and my mother-in-law.
Heck! Send-offs have been a loathing plight for me for the past years, yet it is an inexorable truth, that Honey has to go for our living. In fact, I should be gratified that he has a good job providing for our wellness, just the same, can't help to be in despair.
This time, I feel more for our son, Jett. As he saw his Dad, waving goodbye and walking away from us, and Jett was staring from the open window car, I just told him that "It is okay, Daddy will just buy you chickenjoy, he will be back soon". And he never cried.
But when we arrived home, he started looking for his Dad. Several times in just a few hours his Dad left, he kept on asking me, "Where Daddy?". I answered him, "Daddy is inside the airplane." And then, he went to the bathroom, he was mindless even if the room was dark, he was finding his Dad. He checked the back doors, he still can't find his Dad, he went downstairs, still no traces of Daddy, and finally, ask me to open the main door so he can look for his Dad outside the house.
It is heart-wrenching when I explained to him, "Daddy has to be away for a while. Daddy is working so we can buy your toy cars, chickenjoy, new dress, and new shoes." I hope my son is old enough to understand the concept of earning and spending, sigh.
Yesterday morning, when he woke up he peeked if his Dad was sleeping beside me. "Where Daddy?", I replied, "Daddy is working".
This morning, he no longer ask for Daddy. Though once in a while he remembers to ask, but this time he already knew the answer, and ended up answering his own question, "working".
Last Day Fun
Sigh and sob, two short weeks had passed. Honey's vacation has come to its tail, he gonna leave tomorrow noon, flying back to Bangladesh. He will be away for another month or two. Well, what can I do? Nothing. Rather, wait, hope and pray hard that his next projects will permit us to go with him. Sigh! I'm sure Jett will be sad again, he surely gonna miss his Dad, his playmate and kakampi against his Mom's parental limit.
Well, we are making the most out of less than a day with him. We're currently in SM San Lazaro. I'm here in Netopia, Honey, Jett and Kim (niece) are in Storyland.
Till here! Have a safe trip Honey, we love, and we'll miss you!!! See you!
cuddled @ 8:12 AM
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