BLW Day 12: Love Love Squash

BLW (?) Day 10: To Go Food

We met and had lunch with J's Tiya and Tiyo at Johnny Chao in Resort's World. (Thanks Tiya Bebot and Tiyo German for the sumptuous meal.)

We had our pictures taken outside the Casino.

So anyway back to BLW. We were running late so Von didn't have his brunch of steamed carrots. We decided we'll have him eat with us when we get to the restaurant. We would have brought him a piece of banana as it is among the most convenient food. No need to cook. No hassle packing. Just peel and serve. But in our haste to leave the house, I forgot to pack the banana. So when we got to the restaurant, I just requested the waiter if they could spare a slice of steamed carrots. Lucky for us, they granted our request and they also provided a high chair for Von.

Von's ready to eat!

Von's ready to eat, but the carrots was still hot so we had to wait for it to cool down. Unfortunately, Von couldn't wait. He started crying. So I had to offer him my breast. He nursed for a while and then went to sleep. He wasn't able to eat it so we just asked the waiter to wrap it in plastic so we can take it home. On our way home, while we were in the cab, Von woke up and saw me eating empanada. He then started grabbing my hand and so I take it as a cue that he wanted to eat. I offered him the steamed carrots and he joyfully ate it. Since we were in the cab, I was the one who held the carrot but I didn't push the food to his mouth. He's still the one controlling by holding my hand and bringing it to his mouth. Good job Von!

Von 'munching' the carrot

So anyway, we'll be going home to Bohol this weekend and I know of a perfect to go food, bananas!

BLW Day 9: Carrot-y Diaper

When I changed Von's diapers, I saw these bright orange bits on his poop. It must have been the carrots he had for dinner last night. It goes to show then that he really is capable of feeding himself. Proof of that is the carrot-y diaper.

Today, he had steamed carrots still.

Von M enjoying the carrot sticks

BLW Day 8: Another C

I tried giving Camote for brunch. I thought he was just in a bad mood yesterday for camote. He still didn't like it. He just kept staring at it and started to cry. So I started putting back the camote into the small white bowl. He then became interested and began biting/sipping the lid of the bowl. That's when I realized that he isn't after the camote on the bowl. He wanted to drink water. He must have thought that the white bowl contained water as it is almost the same color with his cup. So for brunch, he only had water and breastmilk.

For dinner, I gave him another C. He had steamed carrots. It was a hit. He didn't eat much though since he just finished nursing.

 Von eating carrots with gusto. Must have been the bright orange color inviting him to have a bite and more.

BLW Day 7: No Hit!

The other day I sent our help to buy camote etc for our binignit / ginataang halo-halo and for Von's next feeding. The binignit was a big hit. Unfortunately, the camote was a miss for Von. He seem not to like the taste. He still tries to eat it but when the food reaches his mouth, he makes this i-don't-like-how-it-tastes expression.

No need to worry though as this might just be a phase. He's still getting used to it's taste. According to some articles I've read, you can always reintroduce 'rejected' foods as babies often change their minds and later accepts food they previously turned down.

Though he didn't enjoy eating the camote, he enjoyed mashing it with his hands. He also almost finished a cup of water (though maybe half of it went to his bib).

See that look on the 4th pic? That's the i-don't-like-the-taste look!

BLW Day 6: Banana Still

We love banana!

BLW Day 5: B is for Banana

A is for Avocado.
B is for Banana. (sayang I've already given him potato on the 3rd day)
C is for carrots?hahaha

So anyway, it's our 5th day on BLW. We both had banana. He's imitating me eat the banana. He seemed to have fun doing what I'm doing. I'm so tamad to blog today so I'll just share some pics.

BLW Day 4: Hello Banana!

Today was supposedly Potato Day but when I checked our supplies, nada. So we gave Von banana instead. (Banana is staple in our household as I am a big fan just like my Papa.)

Von enjoying the banana despite a mild fever due to his vaccination

I've often read about the 3-day rule in introducing food to babies but I guess I am the pasaway. So just to be sure, I googled if the 3-day rule is founded by science. But couldn't find any article clearly saying that one should give same food to baby for 3 days. Others may be practicing that rule, but I guess I will be an exception (LOL). Will just stick with "safe" foods and stay away from potential allergens. I might practice the 3-day rule when introducing allergen suspects.

BLW Day 3: Not-so-in-the-Mood

For brunch, Von had the last of the avocados while I had bacon. Then off we went to Medical City for his vaccines (3rd dose of 6-in-1 and pcv13).

In the course of the brief consultation, I've generally mentioned to his pedia that I'm doing BLW. She's not familiar with BLW so I explained it to her. I was a bit reluctant at first to let her know as I don't want to be faced with objections but lucky for me and Von, his pedia was very open minded. She just cautioned me about choking incidents and gave me a rundown of age appropriate foods.

OT: Von's Pedia told me to buy him picture books so after his vaccination we went straight to NBS-Shangrila and bought these affordable books.

 

When we got home, Von had his early dinner of boiled potato. I would have preferred to have it steamed as steaming retains more nutrients than boiling but the steamer is still in the box so we just settled for boiled potato.

 I think he likes the potato but he's just not in the mood to eat. Maybe because of the two (2) injections. (For BLWing mommas, we shouldn't worry though if they're eating almost nothing because their primary source of nutrients is from milk ---- in my case, breastmilk.) So anyway, right after the last click of the camera, Von started crying and for the first time wanted to be out of his chair. As of this writing, he's still comfort nursing. Wawa naman my baby.

BLW Day 2: We Both Love the Mess

If you wish to go the BLW route, be ready for the mess. With your baby just starting to get a hang of eating on his own, more often than not most of the food will be all over the floor and over his pretty face than to his mouth.

Von and I both enjoyed today. He is getting used to the taste of avocado and I am more relaxed now. I laugh while food slips through his hands and down to the floor. He makes shrieking sounds when the avocado slices ran out. His hands are steadier when drinking water from a cup (of course I am still the one holding it but he's the one controlling it). He's eaten and drank more today than yesterday. Yey!

Von's priceless expressions... the fourth one's so funny=)

Just don't mind the loud banging. It's our help chopping pork ribs for nilaga.

Ready for Solids?

Von will be turning 6 months next week. Yey! We're so excited to introduce him to solid feeding and we've decided to try Baby Led Weaning (BLW). So what is BLW? It's simply letting your baby feed himself with age appropriate foods, having him lead his way into food (what he wants to eat, how much he wants to eat). You can read more about BLW here. [*Will hopefully make a separate post on BLW]

Our little boss is ready to eat solids. He's 6 months. He can sit on his own and has good head and neck control. He seem interested every time he sees us eating.

J and I am ready to introduce solids to Von. I've been reading articles on age appropriate foods, food preparation and ways to introduce food. J assured me that he knows how to perform first aid on a choking baby (just in case). [Found this article with video: Do-First-Aid-on-a-Choking-Baby]

Von's high chair is ready. Bought this at a bargain price from cirads sulitbabyshop.

Von's waterproof bibs/aprons are ready. Bought both from Baby Luxe Co. at a discounted price (P500 off regular price of P1060) thanks to Multiply's Discount Frenzy.

 

Ikea of Sweden Klad Prickar

 

Ikea of Sweden Mala

As for the other items, will have them ready in the next few days. So I guess we're almost set. I just hope I can manage to keep a daily log of our BLW journey. 

Von M's Vaccines

Hep B (1st dose - single shot)

Date administered: January 07, 2012

Peso Power: I don't know since it was included in our hospital bill.

BCG

What is a BCG vaccine? -  BCG vaccine prevents tuberculosis or TB. BCG stands for "Bacille Calmette-Guerin".

Date administered: January 10, 2012

Peso Power: 800 (Dra. Maape -MMG-Bohol)

Infanrix Hexa (6-in-1) 

*1st dose DPT, Polio and Hib; 2nd dose Hep B
** 3rd dose DPT, Polio, Hib and Hep B

What is INFANRIX hexa used for?

INFANRIX hexa is a vaccine used to prevent six diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), hepatitis B, poliomyelitis (polio) and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). The vaccine works by causing the body to produce its own protection (antibodies) against these diseases.

*Date administered: February 18, 2012

Peso Power: 3000 (Dra. Maape- Ramiro Community Hospital, Bohol)

** Date administered: July 10, 2012
Peso Power: 3500 (Dra. Gomez- The Medical City)

Rotarix- Rotavirus Vaccine

First dose- Date administered: February 18, 2012

Peso Power: 3000 (Dra. Maape- Ramiro Community Hospital, Bohol)

Second dose- Date administered: March 27, 2012

Peso Power: 2800 (Dra. Gomez- The Medical City)

Prevenar13- PCV13 

What is it used for?

Preventing invasive pneumococcal disease (eg pneumonia, acute middle ear infections (otitis media), meningitis or blood poisoning) caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria in children aged two months to five years.

First dose- Date administered: February 27, 2012

Peso Power: 4500 (Dra. Maape- Ramiro Community Hospital, Bohol)

Second dose- Date administered: March 27, 2012

Peso Power: 4000 (Dra. Gomez- The Medical City)

Third dose- Date administered: July 10, 2012
Peso Power: 4000 (Dra. Gomez- The Medical City)

Booster Shot: Date administered: April 04, 2013
Peso Power: 4000 (Dra. Gomez- The Medical City)

Pentaxim (5-in-1)

*2nd dose DPT, Polio and Hib
Date administered: March 27, 2012
Peso Power: 2800 (Dra. Gomez- The Medical City)

Fluarix- Flu Vaccine

First dose- Date administered: August 13, 2012

Peso Power: P1200 (Dra. Gomez- The Medical City)

Second dose- Date administered: September 18, 2012

Peso Power: P1200 (Dra. Gomez- The Medical City)

Flu Shot 2013- Date administered: April 04, 2013
Peso Power: 1200 (Dra. Gomez- The Medical City)

Measles

Date administered: September 18, 2012

Peso Power: P1200 (Dra. Gomez - The Medical City)

Priorix-Tetra - MMRV

First dose- Date administered: January 15, 2013

Peso Power: P4500 (Dra. Gomez - The Medical City)

Avaxim - Hepa A

First dose- Date administered: February 28, 2013

Peso Power: P2000 (Dra. Gomez- The Medical City)

Cloth Diapering Von M

Been exclusively cloth diapering our Von M for 1.5 months now.

Why? Here are our reasons for saying goodbye to disposables and embracing cloth:

1. To save money! With disposables, you'd spend an average of P1500* per month. So that is P18000 a year. To cloth diaper your baby full time, you'll need at least 15** cloth diapers. In our case, we have now 20 CDs in rotation and we spent P8950 including taxes and shipping costs. More CDs are in transit but adding up the costs, it is still way cheaper than if we use disposables. I am planning to have at most 50 CDs, not that the baby really needs a lot but it's just the cd-addict me.lol Say I have 50 CDs and each CD cost an average of P500 (combi of Alva, Kawaii, Happy bee, Mo Dia and Baby Wizard), I'll have to spend P25000. Factor in the water consumption when we wash the CDs, say P100 a month and the monthly cost of detergent. We use Charlie's Soap. The 1.2kg tub costs P650 and if we use that on CDS alone, that will last us a year or longer. So here's a summary of the costs:

Disposable Diapers (*we use EQ Dry w/ an average of 8 changes a day--- expect a much higher figure if you're using Huggies, Pampars and other more expensive brands):

8 changes  x 30 days x 12 months x 2 years = 5760 diapers
Let's say the average cost of a diaper is P6, then in 2 years, you'd have spent P34560

Cloth Diapers (have at least 15 CDs)
50 CDs x P500 = P25000
2 tubs CS = P1300
water for 2 years = 2400
Total = P28700 in 2 years and you get to keep the diapers for the next baby or if you don't have plans to have another baby, then you can give it away or sell it to other moms.

2. Healthy for baby! No rashes since our boy used cloth. Another thing:
German scientists found that the skin temperature around baby boy's genitals was significantly higher when they wore disposable diapers as opposed to cloth. While the scientists called for more research, they suggested that prolonged use of disposable diapers in infants could be an important factor contributing to the decline of sperm production in adult males.
 
3. Green! REDUCING garbage by REUSING the diapers. And you can always RECYCLE them.

4. Cloth diapers are CUTE! See for yourself.

Von M in disposables

 Von M in Orange Happy Bee and Alva Bumble Bee

Von M in Alva Bumble Bee

Von Manuel's Baptism

Our Von Manuel was baptized last Sunday, March 4. This post is to document how I went about in preparing our son's baptism (that being a first time mom and  frustrated events planner).

1. Book the Church. - We had Von M baptized at the Birhen sa Baranggay Parish at Lindaville Subdivision. We were required to submit a photocopy of Von M's live birth certificate, cluster clearance and info sheet (name of child, parents, godparents etc) and settle the fees.
Peso Power:  3000*
*1200- PSS/ Parish Support System fee (this was supposed to be 20-100 Php a month, depends on how much you want to give for the parish but since my in-laws didn't contribute in the last 5 years, I paid P1200. The free baptism is during Saturdays, and since we wanted it to be on a Sunday we paid an additional P1000 since it falls under the Special Baptism category. Another P800 for the excess pairs of godparents.

The Church:

 

The Godparents:

2. Book the Reception Venue. - We decided to just have the reception in a restaurant since it's hassle free unlike having it at home. We chose Gerarda's as per my father's recommendation. Our reservation was for 60 people, buffet style.

The Place:

The Menu: 

Vegetable Salad

Lechon

Bam-i

 Lemon Chicken

Beef Steak

Pan Grilled Fish

Rice

Softdrinks

Dessert (Black Sambo)

 
 

 

  

 

Peso Power: P19000 (P250/pax for 60 + lechon- P4000)

3. Order the cake and some balloons. I designed my Von M's Baptism cake. I ordered from the same supplier of our wedding cake.

Ramirez Cakes & Pastries
Address: Bool-Dauis Junction Rd., Tagbilaran City
Contact Numbers: (038) 411-2818; 500-1268
Peso Power: 3090

Partycle's Alert 

Peso Power: 1000 (cake arch and buffet table centerpiece)

 

 

4. Book the photographer. We availed the service of the same photographer/videographer who documented our wedding.

Peso Power: 4000

to be or not to be...

To be or not to be circumcised, that is the question. A few days ago, a friend of mine had her son circumcised and being a new mom I'm at a loss whether to have Von M circumcised also. So I asked for J's opinion and all he said was that he was circumcised when he was yet a baby so maybe it'll also be good to have Von M circumcised now. Not fully convinced with J's reasoning, I googled articles discussing circumcision in babies. After reading this article and a few others, I decided to wait 'til our baby's old enough to take care of his circumcised penis (maybe a 4-5 year old is able).

****

Whether or Not to Circumcise

This is a decision that many parents face. There are many misconceptions and out-of-date information that parents may read. Here is a summary of the pertinent issues that you should consider when making this decision.

1. Medical benefits - THERE ARE NONE! Do not circumcise your baby because you think there are some medical benefits. A recent review by the American Academy of Pediatrics looked at all the data from the past decades to see if there truly were any medical benefits. Their conclusion - NO. There are no significant medical benefits that make circumcision worth doing. Here are a few benefits that we used to think were true, and now know are not.  
   
   • Cleanliness - although it is true, a circumcised penis does not collect any white stuff underneath the foreskin like an intact penis does, THIS IS NOT A MEDICAL BENEFIT. It is really just one less area to wash in the shower.  
   • Decreased risk of STD's - this was a myth that we now know is not true.  
   • Decreased risk of penile cancer - it used to be thought that circumcised men had a much lower chance of cancer of the penis. We now know that this benefit is much smaller than previously thought. The AAP determined that this benefit is so tiny, it is not worth circumcising for this reason.  
   • Avoiding infections in the foreskin - it is true, occasionally intact foreskins get irritated. This is easily treated with warms soaks and washing. Rarely, the irritated foreskin becomes infected. This requires antibiotics to clear up, but is easily treatable. Even if this does happen once or twice in a person's life, it is not a reason to circumcise at birth.  
   • Avoiding the need to do it later on - very rarely, someone has a problem with recurrent infections in the foreskin that need antibiotic treatment. Some of these men then need to be circumcised in an operating room under general anesthesia. This is extremely rare, however, and is not a reason to circumcise everyone at birth.  
   • Avoiding bladder infections - it used to thought that circumcised boys and men had a much lower chance of bladder infections. The AAP now knows that this benefit is very small, and is only true for the first few years of life. After that, there is no difference in the number of bladder infections. Again, not a reason to circumcise.  
   THEREFORE, IF YOU DECIDE TO CIRCUMCISE YOUR CHILD, DO NOT DO SO BECAUSE YOU THINK THERE IS ANY MEDICAL BENEFIT.
2. Religious reasons - some people choose to circumcise for religious or cultural reasons. This is a personal decision.  
3. Don't want to be teased - while this may have been true in the U.S. decades ago, the truth is that your uncircumcised kids will be in good company in the locker room when they are teenagers. Less and less people in the U.S. are now circumcising their boys.  
4. Too much trouble to take care of - some people think that an intact penis is too much trouble to pull back and clean, especially during childhood. Well, the truth is, you are not even supposed to pull back the foreskin until it naturally comes back on its own between age 3 years and adolescence. So there really isn't anything to even take care of until then.  
5. Want your boy to look like dad - the main difference that your child will notice between him and dad is the hair. He won't even notice any difference in the penis until he is old enough that you can then explain to him the difference.  

So, what are the reasons TO circumcise? Here is the list:
Religious reasons - as discussed above.

That is all. There really is no good reason to circumcise other that personal preference and religious reasons.
 
Are there any reasons NOT to circumcise? Consider these:

1. Leave nature alone - whether you believe God created men with a foreskin, or nature simply evolved this way, there must be some reason men have foreskins. Why change something that God/nature has created?  
2. Sensation and sexual pleasure - the foreskin is filled with nerves, and is therefore extremely sensitive to touch. This enhances sexual pleasure.  
3. Protects the glans (head) of the penis - the glans is another highly sensitive area. The foreskin protects the glans from constant rubbing and chaffing against clothing that can desensitize it over the years. This preserves sexual pleasure.  
4. Ethical issues - there are groups of people worldwide, including medical societies, that oppose routine circumcision because they feel it is unethical for a parent to decide to alter the penis of their child without the child's consent. Parents who are deciding whether or not to circumcise their son may wish to consider the impact this may have in the future if the child decides they wish they were not circumcised.

So, when making this decision, the first thing to ask yourself is this - "Do I have any good reason to circumcise my baby?" If your answer is for religious reasons, then follow your faith. If not, and you can't think of any other significant reason other than just "because", then consider the above information as you make your decision.

****

chocolates and colic

During my pregnancy, I was advised by my OB to refrain from sweets as they are big contributors to both mother's and child's weight gain. So after my OB advised me, I said no to chocolates. I remembered thinking that this no-to-chocolate thing will soon be over once the baby's out. The night of the 6th while I was in labor, I made a list of foods that I want to eat after giving birth (it helped me tune out the pain). After being brought back to my room from the OR, I gave the list and the money to my father. The list included pizza, cake, ice cream, chocolates, chips etc. When the food arrived, much to my dismay, I wasn't allowed to eat yet. I was not even allowed to drink water unless I pass gas. No water, no talk. I watched my family eat all the food I so wanted to eat. A couple of days after the operation, I was finally allowed a soft diet (translation: lugaw). One week after giving birth, my parents brought me some chocolates. I felt so happy to finally be able to eat chocolates after what seem to be forever. But that night, the happiness I felt was short-lived for Von M was up all night crying. Not just crying, but CRYING. A few days after that, I again ate chocolates and again Von M pulled out an all-nighter CRYING. I then suspected that the baby's CRYING was due to the chocolates I ate but then I wasn't sure since the time I ate those chocolates, I also had Coke. From then on, I avoided drinking Coke and eating chocolates. But today, I wasn't able to resist the urge to eat chocolates. No Coke this time. Eating chocolates is one of my simple pleasures but I wouldn't dare eat chocolates again while I'm breastfeeding. It isn't pleasurable at all hearing my precious Von M CRY to his heart's content. Chocolates equal a colicky* Von M. So for now, still NO to CHOCOLATES!

*Colic-a catch-all phrase for uncontrollable crying in an otherwise healthy baby (http://www.babycenter.com.ph/baby/health/colic/)

baby's finally out

The inggitera in me prompted me to finally update my blog. My friend Wena finally updated her blog after 2 months so I'm being reminded (and inspired) again to do the same.hahaha (gaya-gaya much)

After 9 long months, Von M's finally out via C-section last January 07, 2012 7: 36 A.M. at MMG Coop Hospital. He weighed 8.36 lbs.

 

Von M has brought us so much joy. But as always, there are 2 sides to every coin. While having him I have to sacrifice some things. These are some things I missed / disliked during my pregnancy:

* I gained a lot. Pre-pregnancy, I only weighed 54kg. Just before giving birth, I weighed 79.3kg.  I wasn't joking when I said that I gained a lot of weight. Imagine, 25.3kg! That is 55.66 lbs., 20 lbs more than the upper limit of the ideal weight gain of women of average weight (Pregnancy and Weight Gain).

 (This is how I looked 3 weeks pregnant)

 (This is how I looked 36 weeks pregnant)

One week after giving birth, I weighed 69 kg (I'm excited to know how much I weigh now--- 3 weeks since giving birth). My goal is to at least return to my pre-pregnancy weight.hahaha

* I disliked drinking all that milk and taking all those supplements but I had no choice. I did it for you Von M.

* I missed my fave foods and drinks (chocolates, ice cream, cakes, soft drinks, frapps etc).

* I missed ukay shopping with friends.

* I hate the sleepless nights when I'd go praning if you're still ok.

But nothing really compares to the experience of giving birth. It was exciting and at the same time scary. I was excited to finally see my son. Scared because I didn't know what would happen. (Von M, this is how it all happened):

At 2 A.M. of the 6th, I went to the CR to pee and Lo! I saw blood on my underwear. I immediately called people to bring me to the hospital as what my OB instructed me to do when there is bloody discharge (or if my water breaks or if interval of contractions is at 5-10 min). Upon arrival at the hospital (at 3 A.M.), the nurses did the usual, blood pressure, temperature etc. Then a doctor came to check the dilation of my cervix. It was only 4 cm. By 8:30 in the morning, with no labor pains yet, they then again checked my cervix' dilation. Still 4cm. By 6 in the evening, the contractions started coming and by 8:30 they again checked and I was still 6 cm dilated. From 8:30 P.M of the 6th to 2 A.M. of the 7th, the contractions became stronger and more painful. But I was advised not to push yet 'cause I was not fully dilated. By 4 A.M of the 7th, I was 8 cm dilated but the contractions somewhat stopped and weren't as painful anymore so they did a trace of my baby's heart rate thru CTG and discovered that my baby was already non-reactive. With the baby at risk, my OB scheduled me for a C-section by 6 A.M. The operation only lasted an hour yet it was scary as hell. I thought I would die. I heard the 'panic' in the OR. I heard them say I was CPD** due to a large baby yet small pelvis. Then they started pushing the baby (but it felt like they were pushing my chest just like in movies where a patient is in cardiac arrest and that made me scared as hell). Then I heard my baby cry and it made me cry. I was so happy that he's finally out and safe. Then again, I heard them say that I had uterine atony***. Though I didn't know yet what that meant, I felt that it was bad news so the happiness I felt a few moments back disappeared into thin air. I prayed really hard that I didn't want to die and leave Von M and J. I remembered thinking that if I survive this ordeal, I would never want to go through this again. And until now, I feel the same. Von M is enough for me. Maybe after a few years, I'd reconsider.

** The accurate definition of cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD) is when a baby's head or body is too large to fit through the mother’s pelvis. It is believed that true CPD is rare, but many cases of “failure to progress” during labor is given a diagnosis of CPD. When an accurate diagnosis of CPD has been made, the safest type of delivery for mother and baby is a cesarean delivery. (http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/cephalopelvicdisproportion.html)

*** Uterine atony is a condition in which the muscles of a woman's uterus lose their tone and their ability to contract after childbirth. Severe hemorrhaging and low blood pressure can result, presenting a number of additional health problems. Women who spend several hours in labor, deliver large or multiple babies, or have had several pregnancies in the past are at the highest risk of developing uterine atony. Doctors usually take several precautions to prevent the condition during labor, though complications can still occur. Treatment for uterine atony includes intravenous medications, massage techniques to stimulate contractions, and emergency surgery to stop excessive blood loss. (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-uterine-atony.htm)

 

productive weekend

I had a productive weekend (rarely happens since I got pregnant). I spent the whole Saturday shopping for Christmas gifts and some mom & baby must-haves.

Christmas gifts for the family (done wrapping Saturday night):

Bought some maternity shorts, daster (labor attire) and my going-home attire.

For Von, I bought him additional socks and wash cloths. I was supposed to buy him onesies but the available sizes were too big so instead I bought him these cute jackets:

I also bought him another set of pillows for his stay here in Bohol (his sleep essentials are in Manila coz we will be going back there after birth).

Bought this thermometer set which costs a lot. 

Sunday was spent making pillowcases for Von's pillows since I didn't like the quality of the pillowcases available in the store. I bought some cloth and did the sewing myself (hand-stitched since my Brother machine is in Manila). Here's 2 of the finished cases:

I also attended Mass in the afternoon. Yesterday was the First Sunday of Advent.

P.S. Here's a tummy pic of Von with adorable Lilah:

wonderful week

* Beauty-full date with my best friends at Abe's, Trinoma

* Marion's  3rd birthday party

*J's finally home. We spent our Saturday at home so he can rest from the long flight. We went to church to attend mass early Sunday morning and then went to Megamall for my check-up. We had our baby's gender determined. J and I am having a son.

After the check-up, we had our first date (this homecoming) at Mesa.

We had crispy boneless tilapia with four sauces

and crispy baby squid.

Then did some shopping. 

* Dinner date with J and my good friends (Wena, Banuk, Aking and Agnes) at Seafood Island, Eastwood

 We ordered crispy sisig, ensaladang talong, lechon kawali pakbet, butter garlic clams, and crispy binagoongang baboy. While J and the girls had beer, I had red iced tea.

* Since J's home, I am inspired to cook because I have someone to taste and appreciate my dishes. Last night I prepared prawns in salt and vinegar (imbentong pangalan) for dinner.

Ingredients: 

12 pcs. prawns

6-7 tbsps. Del Monte Cane Vinegar (i am a fan, that's why)

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 onion bulb, quartered

1 tsp. white sugar

2 tsps. salt

 1 tsp. black peppermill

oil

vetsin (optional)

Procedure:

1. Thoroughly wash the prawns.

2. In a pan, combine vinegar, salt, peppermill, sugar and vetsin. Mix until sugar and salt dissolves. Then add garlic and onion.

3. Pour in the prawns and cook for 7-10 minutes.

4. Add oil. Cook for another 2-3 minutes then serve.

* After last night's dinner, while J did some net surfing, I did some art. If you can call it that.hahaha This is my first 'painting'. Since I am not much of an artist (as you can see), I chose to paint 3 flowers to represent our family portrait.hurhur

This one I made after breakfast. This is supposed to be a pizza square as seen in one of my recipe book collections but I'm not sure if it looks like one.