The Highlights of 2017

As with any other year, 2017 was a roller coaster ride. There were great things and not so great things that happened the entire year. But, I would like to focus on the good experiences that 2017 has brought us.

I must say that this year is full of surprises. First quarter of the year, my favorite cousin turned 40. I led the organizing for her surprise birthday celebration to which everybody, thankfully, were cooperative. This is the first time that I edited a video greeting and I am so glad the output turned out fine. We also achieved our goal to make her cry, haha!

We also went back to Kidzania last September with some of my cousins and Johan's cousins. It is always a fun trip whenever we go to Kidzania and I am sure this is going to be an annual thing for us. Hopefully next time the smaller cousins can join us as well.

Johan turned 7 this year and I planned a small surprise birthday celebration for him. We booked the Nicayeren Resort in Batangas that we went to last summer and invited our immediate families to help us surprise Johan. See my post here.

My Papa is a huge fan of Engelbert Humperdinck that when he found out that his idol will be having a concert at the arena close to home, he posted a Facebook status.

After he posted that, my sisters and I immediately checked online if we can afford the tickets, haha! Good thing that the venue near my parents' house did not cost too much, we were able to secure an SVIP ticket for Papa and surprised him the next day when he drove us to Taytay.

Work wise, this is the first time that our team went out of the office to celebrate Christmas. We gathered contributions and asked for pledges so we can have a raffle of some sort. We received a lot of pledges that everybody went home with something! Me and my friend, Fem, also organized a few games to everybody's delight. Seeing everybody having a good time, laughing and thanking us makes all the effort worth it. Credits to my officemates Amiel and Fem for their effort in picking up and buying the raffle prizes and thank you to the whole team for joining the games and for their monetary contribution as well. Next year ulit, guys?

As 2017 is coming to a close, this is also the first time that our family had a staycation on  Christmas Eve. We were able to get discounted vouchers for an overnight stay at Exchange Regency in Ortigas and were lucky enough that we were able to book a room for December 24. My cousin's family sent me a message telling me they will also be staying around Ortigas but their hotel room does not have the same perks as ours at Exchange Regency. My cousin's exact words, "Pwede ba kaming makisaing?" Hahaha! To which I replied, "Bakit makikisaing pa eh di dun na kayo sa amin maki-Noche Buena!". And they did! It was the most fun Christmas Eve ever!

Finally, to cap off the year, my cousins and I together with our husbands and kids trooped to the SM Mall of Asia Arena to watch Disney on Ice: Everyone's Story. I've always wanted to bring the kids here and I'm glad that we get to watch the show with the rest of their cousins. The kids had so much fun! Well, I speak for myself, but I can't help but sing along to the Frozen songs and the Disney Princesses theme songs!

2017 was a great year. Here's to looking forward to what 2018 has to offer! Happy New Year, everyone!!

My Life with Boys

It's 2017, 3 years since my last post. Saying that life has been busy is an understatement! Life has been more than busy since 2014 - it's been tiring, hectic, tiring again. But beyond the tired there is also happiness and love.

Before I gave birth to Jeron, my constant fear was will I have enough love for two boys. I felt then that I have given Johan all the love there is to give that I don't have any left for a second child. Oh how mistaken I was! As soon as Jeron came it felt as if my heart has expanded to double it's size and I have more than enough love for my boys. How amazing a human heart really is!

Being a mom of two has been busy add to that the fact that I have a full time day job. As soon as I arrive home, my boys, both excited to see me, will be all over me. Johan will be talking nonstop about how his day went while Jeron will just be too clingy and won't let me out of his sight. Believe me, I used to want this much attention when I was younger but there are days when I dream to have a quiet moment of rest after a day at the office. 

That is the reason why it took me a long time to blog again. I've been busy -  with motherhood, with work, with life. But Jeron is turning three in October, he has started learning to play with his Kuya which gives me a little more time of solitude. Right now, they're both nursing a fever, I have just sprayed the room with disinfectant and we are in the living room watching Disney Jr. 

So maybe this is the continuation of my blogging life. Hopefully. :)

Our Second Little Miracle - Jeron Miguel

I have been very vocal about this being a difficult pregnancy. It has been an almost nine months of bedrest for me, numerous preterm contractions and subchorionic hemorrhage. I took all of those quite easily - when my doctor advised me to be on bedrest during the second trimester and told me that it would last until I give birth, I was pretty much okay with it. Anything for the baby.

Then come August 30, a routine ultrasound showed that my amniotic fluid is high and my doctor diagnosed it to be Polyhydroamnios. I was asked to do a Fasting Blood Sugar test to determine if my glucose level is high causing the amniotic fluid to be excessive. The test yielded a negative result. My glucose is within the normal limits. 

On September 13, we came back to the hospital and did another ultrasound. That was the day that I literally broke down in front of my doctor, my firstborn and my husband. The ultrasound result showed that the baby had a minimal edema on both the head and the abdomen. I was very scared for the baby and the first thing that entered my mind was my baby might have Hydrocephalus. I cried at my doctor's clinic, I cried when I saw my cousin, I cried in the car while talking to my sister on the phone, I cried when we arrived home. It was a very scary thought and I cannot accept it.

I only told a few relatives and few trusted friends about the result. I posted prayers and motivational quotes on Instagram and Facebook without explaining fully what we were going through at the time. My husband and I rarely talked about it at home, I guess we were both scared. I asked prayers from friends and family, my husband gave up smoking as his own sacrifice for the baby's health.

I was scheduled to undergo a Congenital Anomaly Scan to really determine the condition of the baby. On the day of the scan, the Perinatologist decided to do a Biophysical Profile Score instead as it was already far along in my pregnancy and the Congenital Anomaly Scan won't be as beneficial as when it is done at 20 weeks.

The first thing that the Perinatologist told us was that the edema on both the head and abdomen was less pronounced. We all breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that but the next question that my doctor asked me almost gave me a nervous breakdown, "Do you have a history of Down Syndrome?". The ultrasound showed the baby having a thickened tissue around the nape area and according to the doctors this is one of the symptoms of Down Syndrome.

I was once again scared for the baby. I started reading through forums about Down Syndrome and searched for support groups when I realized that I am already acting as if my baby has Down Syndrome when it was not diagnosed yet. I changed my way of thinking, I tried to keep a positive attitude, claiming that my son will not have Down Syndrome and that he will be born in the best of health. I prayed a lot. Family and friends prayed with me.

I was asked to return for another ultrasound to check if the thickened tissue on the nape of the baby worsened or lessened. The Perinatologist didn't see the same thickness on the nape area, my son's face looked normal on the ultrasound, the edema on the head and abdomen looked like just fat. But still, she could not rule out Down Syndrome until the baby is born. So she advised us to stop researching, stop stressing out, keep praying and just wait until the birth of the baby. And that's what we all did.

On October 18, the supposed final check up before I give birth via scheduled CS on the 24th, I was hooked up to a machine to monitor possible contractions. It turned out that I was already having contractions and they are pretty close. My doctor then decided that I will be delivering our second child that day. I asked if my husband can go inside the operating room with me, I was thinking what if the baby has Down Syndrome, I don't know how I will react. I need somebody there for support. Unfortunately, family is still not allowed inside the operating room. So it was just me, my doctor, an array of other medical practitioners and my prayers who went inside the operating room.

Little did I know that my family already arrived at the delivery room's waiting area, all ready to offer their support should we face our fears regarding the baby's condition. They are all there ready to welcome our second son.

At 12:50 in the afternoon of October 18, I delivered our second son, Jeron Miguel. All of our prayers were answered! He did not have any congenital condition, his head and his abdomen are both okay, he is a healthy young boy! 

Thank you to the doctors and nurses of the Metropolitan Medical Center for the superb job of taking care of me and Jeron during our stay, our deepest gratitude to my OB-Gyne, Dra. Eva Macababbad for being the dedicated and great doctor that she is but most especially for being a friend during the times that we were all worried about Jeron's condition and finally, thank you to everyone who prayed for our family to be strong, to keep the faith and to keep on believing. Prayers do move mountains and truly there is nothing impossible with God.

Thoughts on a Baby Girl

I'm on the 27th week with our second baby and it's been anything but a walk in the park. Being on bedrest almost since the beginning is something that I did not expect. I even sent a message to my doctor when she first advised me to stay in bed, "Bedrest, meaning?". I guess I was in denial that I will be tied to the bed the entire pregnancy.

On my 23rd week, we found out that we're having another baby boy. I prepped myself for weeks. I wanted a baby girl but I told myself that it's okay if we will be given another boy. But when we were told of the gender, I had to ask again in disbelief, "What? It's a boy?".

Am I disappointed? Maybe just a bit. I just thought how nice it is to dress up a baby girl and how much cheaper their clothes and shoes are compared to boys'. But, when I am reminded of how sweet Johan is to me, how he constantly hugs me and kisses me and tells me I'm his bestfriend, there is no doubt that I welcome this new baby boy with all my heart.

I've been told by family and friends to try again to have a baby girl after I give birth. But after going through this difficult, complicated and nerve-wracking pregnancy, I don't think I would be physically and emotionally prepared to go through it again. The risks are high that I don't think it's worth giving it another try.

But then there are times when I wonder, "Will I regret not having a baby girl? Am I being selfish for not allowing my husband experience the joys of having a daddy's little girl?".

For now, the answer is no. I am decided that this will be my last pregnancy. I don't want to go through everything all over again. There are factors to consider - my age, my health, our financial capacity, who will take care of the kids when I return to working, what if we tried and it turns out to be another boy instead of a girl, do we keep trying?

I guess we will have to wait and see but as of now I only want to reach full term, deliver a healthy baby boy and prepare myself for more mess, more trucks and balls and cars, more ninja moves, more power rangers dialogue and more hugs, kisses and I love yous from another little man.

Celebrating Five-Thirteen in Canyon Cove Beach Club

First off, five-thirteen means five years of married life and thirteen years of being together. We celebrated the day by going to the beach and we were all very excited as it was also Johan's first beach trip.

I bought a Metrodeal voucher priced at PhP 2,999 back in January and booked a room for our anniversary. I corresponded with the resort only through email and everything went smoothly from the day of the booking until the day that we arrived at the resort.

Upon arriving, I was glad that we were allowed to go up to our room even if we arrived an hour earlier from check-in time. My room requirements: a king-sized bed, an unobstructed view of the sea and a bathtub. All were available except for the bathtub which is really okay. The room is huge! It can fit more than four people!

I love almost everything about the room: the huge bed, the daybed, the private balcony, the clean bathroom. What only needs improvement is the air-conditioning which is only set to 20 degrees and it's not really installed in a good spot making the bed area not properly ventilated.Overall, the room is pretty nice.

Johan immediately declared the daybed as his own space, set up camp and stayed there the whole time. We rested a bit, waited for the sun not to be at its harshest and then we went down to explore the place.

Add caption

Looking out into the horizon

Johan announced that he was making sand angels!

Johan had so much fun at the beach! He even liked it better than the pool and won't leave until it got dark. When we finally coaxed him to move to the pool, we only stayed a while in the warm pool water until he saw the playground and pulled me out of the water.

When it was beginning to get dark, we carried the boy back to our room to bathe and rest for a bit while we wait for dinner time. Our voucher did not include any meals and our original plan was to get out of the resort for dinner and just eat in one of the fastfood chains located in a nearby town. But, given that the resort only allow guests access to the pool until nine in the evening, we decided to just stay and have dinner at the resort.

Wrong move. The price of the food at the resort is UNBELIEVABLE! The food concessionaires were Max's Restaurant and this BBQ place. We don't want to eat at Max's anymore so we chose to have barbecues for dinner. Imagine paying more than 500 pesos for the following: three tiny sticks of BBQ, 2 sticks of regular sized hotdogs, two cups of rice and two sodas in can. It is expensive!!

Nevertheless, I didn't let that dampen our spirits as we still have a night and half a day to stay at the resort. We finished our dinner, swam a little in the pool then Johan and I went up to the lobby to go online and post a few photos. Wi-fi is only available at the lobby which is both good and bad, good for those who wanted to have quality time with the family inside their rooms and at the beach or pool and bad for those social media addicts who cannot last a day without going online. I guess I am both in one way or another. Hehe! We left the husband at the pool as he wanted to do a few lapses without Johan constantly calling him while I and the kid went up to our room earlier so I could put him to bed.

Bagsak agad sa sobrang pagod

The next day, we got up early so we could make use of what little time we have at the resort. The boy was still so eager to go to the beach so as soon as we brushed our teeth, off we go!

Johan looking out the window to see if it's morning already

Ready to go to the beach!

Photo ops first while we still have the pool all to ourselves

The beach was very calm that morning

The only photo we have of the three of us in the pool

We only stayed for two hours in the water as the sun became too hot by 9AM. We went up to our room, ate the sandwiches and noodles that I was able to sneak into the resort, lounged on the bed and waited for check out.

Canyon Cove really is a nice resort. I only wish that they make the pool hours longer than just until nine in the evening and it wouldn't hurt to have more food concessionaires to choose from or at least make the cost of food cheaper so guests wouldn't have to sneak in food or go out of the resort to dine somewhere else.

We will definitely go back!

Canyon Cove Resort

Far East Road, Piloto Wawa

Nasugbu, Batangas

Philippines

Phone Number: +632.908.1111