35 weeks

A Mother's Fear

I'm super worried. Worried like I can't sleep and I can't focus. The thought of Eve being infected with her ex-nanny's leprosy disease makes me scared to death.

I actually felt betrayed when Eve's nanny didn't tell us about her disease after being diagnosed. It was only when I got to see her medication that she told us about her illness. She cried as she apologized for not telling us sooner.

I was crying last night while my daughter was asleep. I found myself staring at Eve for almost an hour...praying hard. Asking God to spare my daughter from the disease. "What ifs" clouded my mind. "What if her nanny really infected my daughter?"...What if the symptoms will show later in her life, like when she's already 10 or 11?" A lot of questions... I even thought of consulting a specialist just to answer my queries about the illness and to appease my anxiety.

For now, I lay everything to God. I'm praying for strength and wisdom to face whatever challenge there is for us. I'm hoping and praying that God would keep my daughter away from harm and sickness.

iLove Surveys!

I'm so fond of surveys, whatever the topic may be. I took a random survey from dneero and I actually learned a lot from it. I guess being curious with things makes me hone my skills in research.

Clenched!

Negative people really annoy me. Their negativity is like a leech that clenches onto any surface with a tight unremovable grip. Oh, well! I'm a big believer of karma. What goes around, comes around. I'll just let it go and let God handle it.

Nanny needs help

And so I have to get this off my chest quickly before it eats my sanity...

This week, our nanny came back and I was really relieved. She left two weeks ago because she said she’s been suffering from muscle numbness, blotchy skin, fever and itchiness from every part of her body. I was heartbroken when she had to leave us for she was the only nanny I ever trusted that much with taking care of my toddler.

Thank God we survived two weeks without a household help. It was tough, but we managed. There was this one time when she dropped by the house to visit us (I was in the office then). My hubby called me after nanny’s visit and he pitied our nanny’s condition. My hubby said, Janine look red and swollen from all over. She looked really sickly. After hearing what my hubby has to say with Janine’s appearance, I consulted a few doctors whom I know. They all recommended to let her take a CBC test. I quickly texted Janine and insisted she take the blood test. She said, her father wouldn’t allow. Maybe because he knows every test, every doctor’s appointment would mean "money down". Heck, I was really annoyed with her father’s attitude. I told nanny to tell her father not to worry about the expenses.

After a week, nanny told us she’s ready to get back to work. My hubby gladly said yes. She then told us what the doctor said about their consultation. Nanny has the symptoms of someone with leprosy. I’ve gone speechless upon hearing it. First thought that came to me was the safety of my daughter and my unborn baby. What if they contract the disease? How can I prevent my daughter from getting near her nanny?

But then, I also thought how difficult Janine’s condition is. She needs our help.

She asked if we can allow her to take the day off on Friday so she can go to the doctor for her second checkup. We agreed that she would update us on what the doctor will advise her. We also told her not to hesitate to ask for help from us for we would surely be glad to be of assistance.

Kind, trustworthy and patient nannies are hard to find. There isn’t a perfect one, though. I’m just grateful God sent someone like Janine who I know loves my daughter so much. She had been a great help for us for the last 2 years. I’m a working mom and without her assistance, I may have lost my normal mental state. What we are experiencing right now may have been too much for me to digest yet.

I pray to God for her healing. I pray for good doctors and people that may also be of help in Janine's health improvement.

Getting ready for Halloween Costumes

Since I’ll be giving birth in September and would tremendously be busy until October, I might as well plan on what to get for Eve’s kiddie Halloween outfit. I admit, I’m such a worry-wart! Halloween is 3 months away and yet I’m already planning it for my lil’ kid.

I’m a super fan of making costumes for my little daughter. I remember making a cake costume for Eve’s Halloween costume in 2008. I made a 2-layer cake costume using an insulating foam, pink creep paper, cardboard, empty toilet paper roll and masking tape. My Eve is so cute in it she still used the cake costume during her 2nd birthday last November 30, 2008. Too bad I wasn’t able to back up the photo!

Now that I’m a working mom, I don’t have enough time to make homemade halloween costumes for my kiddo. In 2009, I bought a witch’s costume for her but I wasn’t satisfied with her look. It seemed to plain for me.
Luckily, shopping online is super convenient for me. I found Costume Couldron’s creative, unique and stylish line of Halloween costumes for kids of all ages.

I personally like the Monster Bride Costume

The costume looks sophisticated and very European. Of course, I'd want my kid to stand out that's why I may opt to buy the stylish look of Monster Bride.

I’d also love to see Eve in a Clubhouse Minnie Mouse Costume.

The pink dress is really attractive with its big bold white polka dots, puff sleeves and white collar. It even includes the headband! Eve will surely look super sweet in this costume.

Now, I can’t wait for Halloween to come! Might as well get a sexy halloween costume for me! To know how many days left before Halloween, click here. For other cute and unique costumes, you may visit Costume Couldron's website or they're facebook account.

Your Family's Safety: Carnapping Incidents on the Rise

Last night's news regarding recurring carnapping incidents along EDSA surely gave me shivers and tremendous fear for my family's safety.

Based from news reports, the victims came from the airport and on their way home, the hijackers bumps their car from the rear. The subtle collision is intended to prompt the passenger/victim to alight from their vehicles. Apparently, the criminals start tailing their victims from the airport. Most of the hijacked vehicles were SUV's.

Sharing with you the news article on Car thieves strike again, this time on Edsa from Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The news affects me big time because most of my relatives especially my dad flies in and out of the country for like 4 times a year. Early this quarter, he wanted to buy an Isuzu Montero but I just convinced him to delay the purchase. Call me a freak but I fear for my parents' life so bad. Speaking of family safety, my husband and I invested in a zapper where we bring wherever we go. Our zapper is very handy and carries just enough electricity to make an attacker unconscious.

Likewise, I do hope the government would approve and implement the GPS tracking devices in vehicles. I heard that LTFRB has this project last year but it wasn't successful.

Home-Made Chicken Nuggets

As someone who’s still a rookie in the kitchen, I have been researching on how and what to prepare for a kid’s meal or a snack. I’m not a big fan of fast food but I know with a little creativity, I can make nutritious and mouth-watering recipes for my Evee.

I was thinking of making chicken nuggets minus the preservatives and oil from deep-frying. So I bought everything I need to make my little foodie experimentation. On my basket were:

Chicken fillet (cut into strips), calamansi, flour, cornstarch, iodized salt, pepper, Magic Sarap, eggs, fresh milk and corn oil

Using calamansi, salt, pepper and Magic Sarap, I seasoned the chicken fillet and kept it inside the ref overnight. I also prepared the batter which included flour, cornstarch, egg, fresh milk and a dash of salt. I may have taken experimentation by heart for as you may have noticed there are no measurements for the ingredients so it’s basically a trial and error thing.

I woke up early the next day to combine the meat and the batter for frying. I cooked fried rice, egg, dilis and chicken nuggets for breakfast. I also sliced 3 sweet potatoes so she can have something to munch on for her morning snack while watching her favorite Nickelodeon show “Team Umizumi”. I also had to rush for work that morning so I ate quickly (with hubby and Evee still in the middle of eating), took a shower and got dressed. Eve’s empty plate and loud burp is enough to make me feel like an Iron Chef Mommy!

Oh and by the way, she’s requesting for French fries. Might as well run to the grocery to get some large potatoes for tonight’s homemade crunchy fries!

Avent and Tommee Tippee:Product Primer Review

I’m on my second pregnancy right now and I’ve started to research for baby stuff to buy. I’m planning to exclusively breastfeed my baby and thought it should be the basis for the things on my shopping list.

Breast Pump
First, I’m going to need a trusty breastpump. With my first child, I didn’t bother to buy a pump since I said I’m not going to use it. Turns out, even if you nurse directly from your breasts, you’re really going to need a breastpump to express excess milk especially when baby is asleep or is still full. I suffered from engorged and aching breasts because I don’t have a pump. Good thing my SIL gave me her own breastpump. As for the brand, I think its from Bebe and it tortured me like hell! Its like squeezing an unriped lemon.

Just last week, I already received the Avent ISIS BPA-free Manual Breast Pump I bought from an online seller for like 90% off. I joined a forum for Pinoy parents and I’ve read great reviews of the product from experienced moms. Since I plan to continue on breastfeeding after my maternity leave, I’m hoping to make the most out of my Avent Breast Pump. I also bought a spare pump from Chicco for which I have yet to try. I’ll be writing a separate review for the breastpump once I use it.

Avent vs. Tommee Tippee
I would also need to invest on bottles and milk storage for my breastfeeding needs. Top two things I look for in bottles are: it should be BPA-free and anti-colic. I will be transferring my precious breastmilk in these bottles so they should also be safe when stored in a freezer or ref. I researched on various brands and came down to two choices: the BPA-free line of Avent bottles and the hard to find Tommee Tippee.

I already bought 5 BPA-free bottles from Avent (comes with a free bottle brush) and 2 Tommee Tippee bottles from their Closer to Nature line. I’m glad both brands were made in England. Compared to Avent, TT is hard to find here in the Philippines. I purchased my TT bottles at SM MOA when I went there last week for a work-related affair (to think that I reside 2 hours from that mall). I wanted to test both products first to see what suits my baby best.

Tommee Tippee Closure to Nature’s claim: Their uniquely shaped bottles are designed to help infants’ seamless transition between breast and bottle feeding. Suitable for working moms who want to continue giving breastmilk to their babies. The nipples are lifelike, soft, flexible and has a built-in valve to reduce air intake.
I will soon be posting my review for these two brands as soon as my newborn and I use it.

Morning Bliss

Mornings for me are sacred. It’s the time of the day when you get to wait and watch your little angel slowly open up her eyes. It’s when you get to feel the warm snuggle of your still asleep hubby. It’s when you get to thank the Lord for another day, another week.

Since I live just 10 minutes away from my workplace, I have the luxury of getting the most out of my morning free time with Eve and Gab. Wakey time for the three of us means playtime before breakfast, cuddle cadoodles and kiss squeezes (picture Eve between me and Gab as we both kiss her on the cheek until she feels squeezed). I love how Eve smiles whenever she sees her dad and I hug or kiss. I simply get the vibes that she feels secure with the sight of her parents show their affection in a "wholesome", kid-friendly way.

After maybe 20-30 minutes of kulitan, we go downstairs for a hearty breakfast. Eve is the life of our mealtimes. She always manages to make us laugh with her innocent remarks and responses.

One time, she was at the living room and I had to call her and shout from the dining area as I’m about to get late. She immediately said, "Mom, don’t shoouut!" Then i said, "ok little girl, no more shouting for mommy. I’m sorry!" Whenever I remember this scene, it never fails to make me smile. She’s really growing up....so fast.

Oh, how I love mornings!!!