traveling tips

while i was stressing out how to bring a travel humidifier on the plane, i came across this article.

http://www.trekaroo.com/traveltips/tip/baby-travel-intro-to-flying

i started reading and found myself nodding in agreement and mentally taking notes of the author's tips.
i keep clicking the related articles, and i can't stop reading. i NEED to know how to survive traveling halfway across the globe without losing my sanity, without fighting with hubby je, without having a meltdown (either mommy's or pistoy's).

of course every baby is different, so we are sort of modifying some of the tips. like regarding the pack and play yard. we know that pistoy will adapt just fine, but we also know our son loves things that are familiar, and his temperament is just that. when he doesn't see something familiar, he freaks out. so against the author's advise to leave the yard, we are bringing it with us. pistoy is allowed 1 checked-in luggage, and i think he earned it to himself to have his own bed for his own comfort once we're in pinas.

i still haven't found a way to bring a portable humidifier. there are lots of small, travel/portable humidifiers, but they need a power outlet to function. if all else fails, at least i've added the saline spray on my to-bring list. but i am still hoping i can find a way to bring that humidifier on board. maybe a battery pack that has an outlet?

bakit wala pang nakakaimbento ng travel humidifier na battery operated?!

on a separate note, i bought a backpack diaper bag online. i got a Hats Off from work, worth $250, for all the work and drama in my latest project. pikit-mata kong binili yung travel backpack, the reviews were awesome,a nd it's the perfect backpack for oc-oc parents like me and je. lots of zippers, compartments, etc. i'm not very happy with most diaper bags in the market, where they have a huge open-space in the bag, and when you throw little things in there, they get lost at the bottom. i don't imagine we'll be using this backpack a lot, but for this trip alone, i think it's gonna be worth it. =)

ok, i better get back to work. i've been here for 2 hours now, and all i've done is check my email. =P

jollibee, here we come! =)

first trip preps (and anxieties)

nagsisimula na kami mag-impake nila papa, para malaman namin kung may mga kailangan pa kaming bilhin for our trip to pinas. so far, halos tapos na ang pasalubong-shopping. we got 3 luggages packed and ready to go. wala nang bukasan yon, natimbang na namin nang sakto. hehe!

so far, napapanaginipan ko na yung trip namin with pistoy. i dreamt na naiwan daw namin yung formula ni pistoy. kaloka! *lol* now i'm laughing because that's a dream. but if it happens in real life, that would be a nightmare!

i have to make a checklist of things to pack for pistoy. it is kind of complicated (at least in my head) because we are staying in NY for 2 days.

so far, i have this list for our hand-carried luggage. lahat ng nasa hand-carried, yun yung gagamitin namin sa NY, at sa trip to pinas:

- 2 jackets (1 light, 1 for winter weather aka snow)
- 3 pants (1 light, 2 for winter weather)
- pajamas (2 overall, 2 long-sleeves)
- 5 long-sleeves onesies
- 5 short-sleeve onesies
- 3 thick socks
- 1 skull cap
- 3 blankets
- 8 bibs (Lord, sana hindi nagngingipin si pistoy around the time ng trip namin!)
- 24 size4 diapers (size 5 na kaya sya in a few weeks? di pa naman siguro)
- 1 can formula
- formula dispenser
- 10 bottles (use the no-spill nipples)
- spare no-spill nipples
- 1 gallon distilled water (gawd, i have to call the airline what their policy is about this)
- bottle cleaner brush (and soap)?
- 3 types of snacks (his fave cheddar puffs, cinnamon apple puffs, and a new flavor ?)
or maybe i should bring some apple sauce na rin, dunno kung meron nung sugarfree version sa plane. 
- toys (sophie, wag kang maiiwan please!)
- books (pat the bunny and good night moon, and a new one probably)
- movie player + charger (this is particularly making me want to buy an iPad or something similar)
- teether (1 ring, 1 old pacifier)
- pillow
- neck pillow
- 1 towel (pang-ligo sa NY?)
- 6 face towels
- mittens
- scarf
- travel size aquaphor baby wash
- travel size aquaphor ointment
- hydrocortizone ointment
- travel size lotion
- toothbrush and toothpaste
- saline spray
- snot sucker
- manzanilla
- tylenol
- mylicon
- eucalyptus
- hand sanitizer
- spoon
- meal bib
- play yard crib
- baby bjorn carrier
- umbrella stroller
- thermos bottle
- thermal bag

gawd, andami pala! i wonder kung alin lang dito ang dadalhin namin kung wala kaming stopover sa NY? *sigh*

but still, i'm excited sa trip namin! sana talaga hindi naman sumakit ang tenga ni pistoy sa plane. nakaka-awa pag hindi narelieve yung pressure sa tenga nya. =(

pistoy and the 7 dwarves

or 7 "teethS". =)

yes, may tumutubo na namang ngipin si pistoy. so far meron syang 4 sa itaas, and 2.5 sa ibaba. 0.5 pa lang kasi di pa lumalabas talaga eh.

i'm starting to believe na talagang nilalagnat ang mga bata pag nagngingipin. yung lagnat ni pistoy for a few days, those days were just 1-2 days before namin naramdaman yung ngipin nyang nagbe-break out sa gums.

ngayon medyo fussy na naman sya, at soooobrang laway! i think baka lalabas na rin yung partner ni 0.5 anytime soon.

on a different note, nakakaloko itong si pistoy! pag inaalis na yung buckle ng car seat nya, umiikot at tumatayo na! one time nauntog na sya sa kisame ng van, sa sobrang harot! that reminds me, kailangan na naming palitan yung car seat nya. lampas na sya sa limit ng height (29 inches limit) at sobrang lapit na sa limit ng weight (22 lbs max). i'm thinking of switching him to a forward-facing car seat na. kaya lang pag antok sya, di sya makakatulog kasi naka-upo na talaga yon. i think we might need a convertible muna.

11 months na si pistoy! ang bilis ng panahon! =) 1 month na lang, toddler na sya!

and that reminds me kailangan ko nang magplan for his 1st bday celeb dito sa US. sa pinas kasi si mama na halos ang bahala. dito ako lang. tapos yung sa NY, kakain lang sa labas ang angkan namin, since we won't have time to prepare dahil 1 day lang kami don.=)

so excited for the trip to pinas! =)

sorting my priorities

the past 3 weeks, or 4?, sobrang busy sa trabaho. i get in between 7 to 8 am, and leave the office around 6 or 7 pm. ilang beses na rin akong pumasok ng weekends. may project kami na high-priority and sobrang visible sa upper management. aggressive timeline, working with 3rd party clients, and totally different from our business model. it was given to me, i am still totally clueless why, dahil kung aggressive ang deadline, i would imagine na they would give the project to someone more knowledgeable sa kailangang gawin. but no. i had to learn socket programming, xml serializer and de-serializer, printer hardware configurations, and then develop, test, deliver something that they expect to blow the minds of the customers.

i know this is just one project, but i definitely started thinking about my priorities in life. do i really want this kind of lifestyle, running after deadline, leaving for the office while jecobie is still asleep, coming home to spend 1-2 hours with him and then put him to bed for the night? i admit that i feel like i missed jecobie's 10th month altogether. i spent more time away from him, and it wasn't fun. sa sobrang stress, nagkasakit ako. tumaas ang blood pressure ko, (and as of this writing, di pa rin bumababa) and i'm just burning out. there was a point when i got home, i played with pistoy a bit, and when i sat down to chat with hubby je, i just broke down. so tired.

it's a good thing papa norbie is here. he is definitely a life saver. pistoy loves him too! pero kahit na papa ko ang nag-aalaga, nahihiya pa rin ako sa kanya for leaving jecobie with him for almost the entire day.

is this worth it? i know we'd be able to survive on hubby je's salary alone. siguro kailangang bawasan ang luho, but we will thrive.

if things don't get better by next year (after i come back from vacation), i will definitely sit down with my boss and tell him what's on my mind.

pero kahit na hell ang past weeks ko sa office (and it ain't over yet! but things have slowed down an itsy-bitsy bit), coming home is such a joy! the moment jecobie sees me, his face lights up! =) he breaks into a smile, and pag naglalaro sya, iiwan nya talaga ang toys nya para magpakarga sa akin. =) no matter how stressed i am, pistoy never fails to make me smile. salamat sa Diyos nandito ang anak ko, kundi nabaliw na siguro ako sa sobrang stress. it's true na kahit pagod ka na, pag nakita mo ang anak mo, you get the bonus life line and instant spinach to get you going.

jecobie is the best thing that happened in my life. this will be the last time i am letting work get in the way of play time. =)

10 months!

jecobie turned 10 months today. ang bilis ng panahon!

he's starting to copy stuff na nakikita nya sa amin. and sometimes, he repeats them on cue.

like his fake gigil. hehe! he would shake his head from side to side, with eyebrows slightly raised, and his lips split in a funny grin, when you call out "gigil gigil!".

just this morning, we taught him how to do "kuyakoy". now he makes kuyakoy when we sing the "kuyakoy theme". =P (kuyakoy, kuyakoy, kuyakoy nang kuyakoy!)

he would slam any surface 3 times, when you call out "palo, palo, palo!"

he also waves bye-bye on cue. but only when you are in outdoorsy clothes! pag naka-pambahay lang kami, he won't budge. he would just look at you as if to say "talaga, lalabas kang nakaganyan lang?!' *lol* a couple of weeks ago, he stopped waving bye-bye to us. probably because he noticed that when he waves bye-bye, it takes hours before he sees us again. kaya ngayon, kahit magtatapon lang ng basura si je, nagba-bye-bye sya. para di maassociate ni pistoy to really leaving yung pag-wave. recently nagba-bye-bye na ulet sya. =)

also, for a few days now, tinuturuan namin sya ng open-close sa kamay. hindi nya pa macontrol yung kamay nya. =P kanina habang hinehele ni papa si jecobie, aba, nagpa-praktis ang anak ko! he would "open" his hand, and stare at it. then you can see his face, concentrating, willing his fingers to "close" into a fist. he could do 2 fingers (thumb and index), then he would "open" his hands again, and repeat the process. hehehe! there are times when he would get stuck at "open", and he would shake his hands as if to say he's starting over again. *lol* before he finally went to bed, he managed to ball his hand into a fist, and he won't "open" it again! sa isip-isip nya siguro, baka di ko na magawa ulet ito!

it was funny, it seems like he was reviewing the "tricks" we were teaching him. needless to say, ang "papa jake" ay tuwang tuwa sa apo nya. =)

(snot) sucker!

thank you to the inventor of this neat little gadget!

jecobie caught a cold last thursday.

thursday afternoon, we went to the park and he went on the swing. it was a little windy, but still not cold. it was the perfect weather. after a couple of hours at the park, pistoy is still in such good mood, so we thought we'd go to red lobster for dinner. he was wearing short sleeved onesies, and i brought along his shorts just in case.

i should've listened to my momma instinct telling me that the place is a little too cold for pistoy.when we got in, he sat on the high chair, ate his biscuits, and was having a good time. but his hands felt a little cold to my touch. so sinuotan namin ng shorts. he seemed fine then.

paguwi ng bahay, nakatulog agad sya, siguro sa pagod at antok.

but come midnight, gumising sya at barado ang ilong. it was downhill from there. =( hindi kami nakatulog halos buong madaling araw iyak sya ng iyak. we did the saline drops plus nose frida thing. nababawasan naman yung sipon nya, pero parang di pa rin enough. at super struggle sya. ayaw nya sa lahat yung pinagtutulungan sya at yung hinahawakan yung kamay nya to pin him down. kaya iyak sya nang iyak. nababawasan yung sipon nya, pero dahil sa iyak, lalo syang sinisipon! =( i think nagugutom na rin sya, pero dahil barado ang ilong, di sya makadede nang maayos. he was getting frustrated na.

it went on like this for a couple more hours. after that, we tried a different approach. after patakan ulet ang ilong nya ng saline drops, i did one looooong suck with the nose frida gadget, at ayun! sumama na halos lahat ng sipon nya. malapot ng konti yung consistency. i did the other side, ganon din, one loooong suck. sobra ang iyak nya! it's like taking his breath away siguro. pero after that, nakadede na ulet sya, and eventually nakatulog.

i called in sick on friday and stayed with pistoy and papa at home. exactly 10 minutes after i sent my email that morning, something broke in our codes. so during breaks in taking care of pistoy, i am researching the problem. i was able to fix the issue at around 4pm (thank you Lord, di mo talaga ako pinababayaan!), but it was one of those days when i wish i don't have to work so i can focus more on jecobie. =(

anyway, the entire friday, suck ako ng suck ng sipon nya. poor little thing. medyo nangangalumata pa sya. hindi ako sanay na makita syang magsakit. first time nyang nagkasakit (aside from sinat nung 2nd shot ng vaccinations nya). hindi naman sya nawalan ng gana kumain, at naglalaro pa rin sya as usual. pero may times na naiirita sya kasi di sya makakain nang maayos. may times din na nakanganga sya para makahinga. ilang beses syang bumahing at lumabas ang sipon. may 1 time na sa force ng bahing nya, napunta sa bibig yung sipon at kinain pa nya. hahaha! sabi ko "yuck pistoy!" tapos ngumiti lang sa akin ang mokong with sipon dripping down his chin. =P

it's saturday now, i think he is getting a bit better. nagkaron sya ng ubo ngayon, and if it's the same as when i get a cold, sign yon na it is getting better na nga. may sipon pa rin sya, mas malapot na ngayon than usual. so before sucking, laging may saline drops muna na primer.

malaking tulong talaga yung nose frida. i can't imagine using yung bulb syringe to suck all the snot i've sucked out of him. especially yung malapot na sipon. even with the nose frida, sometimes it takes 2 long sucks to get it out. tama nga ang recommendation ni momma janey to get this gadget. it made life a lot easier. ngayon pag mukhang barado ang ilong ni pistoy, saline drops + nose frida snot sucker. mas ok pa yun kesa sa bulb syringe kasi it doesn't go all the way into the nose, and it's easier to maneuver it around.

i think i'll get another one of these just in case may masira or mawalang parts itong gamit namin. it has made snot sucking a little fun.

with lolo norbie in da hauz!

pistoy started cruising na (for real) sa sofa! he used to be able to hold on and take tentative steps pero he "dives" forward at times and mostly relies on me to catch him. recently, he puts one foot forward (or sideward, dahil patagilid nya mag-cruise), stabilizes himself, then steps the other foot. hindi na rin sya nakatingkayad ngayon.

of course, papa norbie claims it's because he's been "training" pistoy. hehehe! in part, i think it did help that jecobie gets his walking exercise everyday. while i do some chores, papa and pistoy are training sa sala. we arranged the mats to be his "catwalk". hehehe! papa is very patient. and very makulit. sometimes i feel like jecobie grunts to make him shut up. *lol*

and he spoils the hell out of pistoy! konting ingit lang, kinakarga na. kailangan ko pang takutin si papa na baka madelay ang paglalakad ni pistoy pag lagi nyang karga. di nya kasi mapigil na di buhatin! siguro dahil nung iniwan nila, karga ang gusto ni pistoy. ngayon di na masyado.

jecobie also gets his morning stroll now. i don't think they go everyday, but definitely more often than before. that reminds me, we better get an umbrella stroller. the bulky one is just a pain in the neck to load and unload when we're making several stops. (adds to "to-buy" list)

we're taking advantage of the good weather here. besides the morning stroll, hubby je also takes pistoy for walks in the afternoon, around their office's compound, usually before i pick him up. i'm sure je will miss those when we start leaving pistoy with papa norbie on MWFs. =)

speaking of leaving pistoy with papa, i'm still a little worried kasi that will be the first time na maiiwan si pistoy na pareho kaming wala ni je. i think a week or two more should do the trick. kailangan pa mahuli ni papa yung quirks ni pistoy when it comes to sleeping. also, i need to get papa a reliable phone. the magicjack one is just not un-techy friendly. hindi alam i-troubleshoot ni papa pag walang dialtone. i have to get him a local sim card and just keep reloading it. also, i need to make sure his roaming phone works para pag emergency from pinas naman. (gawd, adds to "to-do" list)

life is TOTALLY easier with papa around. =)

swaddling

i forgot to blog that during pistoy's 9 month checkup, he experienced a blast from the past. =P

as usual, pinahubad lahat ng damit nya except for the diapers. eh medyo malamig sa observation room, so we thought we'd wrap him with a blanket muna. mr.co-creator swaddled him and the look on his face!!! he was smiling widely, obviously enjoying being snug! =)

we thought that was just one time, so je and i tried it again last night. he was smiling widely again! he probably remembered how secure and warm and snug it feels. he was just in heaven! =P

we also sang to him our "burrito" song, and he was laughing like crazy! *lol*

i don't know if it was jecobie who missed the swaddling thing, or the parents. =P when we "graduated" from swaddling, he just kept growing. i already miss jecobie's infancy. =)

9-month check-up

bumisita kami sa pedia ni pistoy yesterday for his 9-month checkup.

weight-wise, he's on the 25th percentile.
height-wise, he's on the 75th percentile.
laki-ng-ulo-wise, nasa 90th percentile si pistoy! *lol*

so now i have a new nickname for him: "pistoy palito". hehe!

the rest of the check up stats were good, doc is very happy that he's a healthy baby *knock on wood*. pistoy  also got his first flu shot. sandali lang umiyak, then ok na sya. di pa nga lumalabas yung nurse, back to ngatngat na siya  dun sa pang-push down ng dila eh. =P we're going back after a month to get the second shot. i dunno, they give it in 2 shots for babies daw eh.

that reminds me, the rest of the household needs to get the flu shots na rin. mr.co-creator and i have a voucher for free shots, so we only need to pay for papa's. siguro hindi kami sabay-sabay magpapaturok, para kung magka-reaction man kaming lahat, may mag-aalaga pa rin kay pistoy. baka kami muna ni papa, then si je later on.

jecobie was prescribed with a medication for skin eczema. nagkakasugat minsan yung alak-alakan nya, at yung sa harap ng siko. we've been using Aquaphor on it, pero preventive lang ata yon eh. so the new medication (which we still need to pick up from the pharmacy) will start the healing process. we need to continue using the hypoallergenic bath soap and shampoo, and continue using lotion on his skin. sus naman anak, bakit sa tatay ka pa nagmana ng balat, napaka-sensitive!

i thought may test si pistoy sa pedia nya, kung nakaka-upo, tayo or crawl na sya. pero tinanong lang kami if he's doing those already.i'm glad she didn't ask how we're doing with the sippy cup, dahil we completely abandoned that for now. hehe!

so pistoy palito is top-heavy. we better watch him closely when he's cruising. baka mag-topple over pag yumuko. hehe! =P

regressed

i jinxed it. i posted that pistoy slept through the night for 2 nights.

we're off the ferber thing, OFFICIALLY. i think those 2 nights were flukes. i'm saying this kasi last night (or this morning) at 3am, nagising si pistoy, crying. he was looking for his bottle. nung una sinupsop nya yung tubig, but he cried after that. eh i promised myself i will not let him cry out of hunger na ulet, kaya binigyan ko ng 5 oz formula. the look in his eyes, parang sobrang thankful nya na hindi ko sya ginutom this time. halos maiyak ako. hahahah!

then nakatulog until 7am. i guess talagang 4-hour periods ang tulog ni pistoy. anyway, he seemed to be happier when he woke up nung 7am. nakangiti na agad and he didn't even fuss. tumayo pa nga sa crib at sinunggaban yung monitor cam eh. kinarga ko sandali and tawa na sya. i think he can sense na something was happening nung past few days, and ngayong we attended to his needs right away, he knows things are back to "normal". napaka-perceptive talaga ng mga babies!

i regret even trying that ferber thing. i will never EVER do that again. EVER. if the parents who do that are afraid that their kids will become too dependent, then by all means, i'd like pistoy to be dependent on us for as long as he wants to be. di naman tayo finerber ng mga magulang natin, and we turn out fine. eventually, pistoy will outgrow feeding at night. i don't care if it takes years. sobrang nagsisisi talaga ako. i think even if it would have worked, magsisisi pa rin ako. dahil ang kapalit ng pagtulog nya nang tuloy-tuloy when he is not ready to do that yet, is yung feeling nya na at one point, we neglected his needs. hay.

maybe for some parents, this could work. i have a few officemates who swear this worked for them. but maybe not for me, not for pistoy. or maybe, just not yet.

the main thing to remember when you do this is you should not have any doubts that you want your kid to undergo the painful transition. you have to have the resolve that you will not feel guilty. when we were undergoing the stress of it all, there were nagging thoughts na what if we were breaking something in him? they say babies are resilient, that's true. but it still depends on the babies, as all babies are different. i think with pistoy, he was so used to being so attached to us that he was greatly affected by the sudden shift in routine.nobody can say that just because your baby smiled at you in the morning, that everything is fine. maybe it is, maybe it's not. but personally, i just don't want to push pistoy into sleeping through the night when he is not ready for it. i know that the time will come. maybe months, years. but i don't think he will be a 10 year old boy who will wake up at 3am to eat.


good luck to those who will try it. and to those who won't, it's ok. i'd like to look at the brighter side of things. if pistoy will feed at night, it's a potential bonding moment for us. i'm not worried about cavities. by the time he's got permanent teeth, he would be sleeping through the night FOR SURE! =P

ferberized (so far)

until 5 days ago (so far), pistoy usually wakes up every 3-4 hours to feed. he was what experts call the "trained night feeder". there's nothing wrong with that, except that it means less continuous sleeping time for both parents and baby. pistoy needs to be able to "fast" while asleep. if he can do that, his quality of sleep *might* improve.

so we decided to do ferberize him, the progressive waiting method. the first time i heard of that was in a movie, Meet the Fockers. i thought that was ridiculous. but when it is printed on a book, and discussed by sleep-deprived parents, it seems like a very good thing to try. basically, when the baby starts crying, you have to hold your ground. don't carry, rock or feed him back to sleep. just let him know you are there, but don't do anything extra. then you leave the room. he will cry again, but wait for 1 minute before going back to console him again. every time he cries when you leave the room, you wait a longer period before returning to console him.

knowing pistoy, we tried to customize it a bit. we didn't carry, rock or feed him, but we did stroke his back, his head, hold his hands, and we gave him water. the number of minutes also varied (but still progressive), and we didn't leave the room. we just go back to our bed, where he couldn't see us.


1st night, he slept, woke up ng madaling araw and cried for an hour, nonstop.

2nd night, he slept, woke up ng madaling araw and cried for 30 minutes nonstop.

3rd night, he slept, woke up several times nung madaling araw and cried at intervals, 10, 15 and 30 minutes nonstop spread through the night.

4th night, he cried for 1.5 hours nonstop BEFORE going to bed, but slept continuously from 11pm-7am

5th night, he cried for 30 minutes nonstop BEFORE going to bed, nasuka (had to change him, and for a good measure dahil nasuka naman sya, mommy and daddy hugged him for a few minutes before putting him back to his crib), fussed for 10 minutes, then slept, and continuously slept from 9:45pm-6am. he woke up at 6am very hungry. fed him 5 oz of milk, then he went back to sleep.

sounds easy, right? no.

1st night, je was knocked out by fatigue and probably alcohol. he had 2 shots of vodka, trying to steel himself for the ordeal. he steeled himself alright. hindi sya magising. so i kind of dealt with it myself. ginising ko lang si je para marinig din ni pistoy yung boses nya. it was tough, but i was kind of expecting it dahil first night nga. i kept the room dim so i won't have to see pistoy's face. i could see his eyes glistening with tears though, and it broke my heart. are we doing the right thing? what is wrong with waking up every 3-4 hours to feed him anyway?

2nd night, je learned from his mistake and decided to "face the music". it wasn't as bad as the 1st night, but jecobie's voice was still hoarse from all the crying the past night. =( he would cry so loud that he ends up coughing from all the strain on his throat. so many times i wanted to pick him up and soothe him. he would pull our hands towards him, and sort of do the "karga mo ko" gesture. his eyes were pleading with us, and his face was just showing confusion why we're not picking him up. God, i hope this all ends soon!

3rd night, i wasn't sure if i wanted to continue with it. jecobie's cries seem to be stronger, although the time is shorter. i was expecting this would be the last night.i was very hopeful because they said babies usually take 3 nights to adjust. by this time, i was soooo tired from the previous nights' lack of sleep, and from the day's usual work that needs to be done.

4th night, while he was crying trying to go to sleep, i was already emailing my mom-friends asking for help. i was emotionally, physically and psychologically drained. why am i doing this to my son? what did he do to deserve this treatment from the people he trusted would care and look after him? i didn't have an answer. i was praying that we are not "breaking" anything in him. what if it leaves emotional scars kay pistoy? we still don't know if it did. but that night, je and i decided that we will wait 2 more nights. if pistoy wakes up crying, that will be the last night he will wake up crying. but jecobie slept through the night.

on the 5th night
there were so many variables that we had to improvise our decision a bit. since he was probably too full when he went to bed, kaya siguro sya iyak nang iyak. after nya kasi sumuka, ok na sya. he even smiled and played with us a bit nung pinapalitan ko ng damit at pinupunasan. this is The Night. if he cries, it's off.

after putting him to bed, he was only fussing (not crying!) for 10 minutes, then fell asleep. he slept through the night too.

i can't emphasize hard enough the pain and agony of hearing your child cry. especially since i know his cries were because he was hungry or wants to be held. we were on the point-of-no-return on the 4th night, but i was in pieces by then. je and i had looong discussions on what we should do next. i'm the one who is weak in my resolve to push through. my instincts tell me this should not go on if pistoy won't sleep through the night on the 4th night. but he did sleep through the night.

tonight is the 6th night, but Ferber already left our home. if jecobie sleeps through the night tonight, good. if not, i will attend to his needs right away, and cherish the moments when i am still his hero at 1am, 4am, whenever, when i walk into the room with a bottle of warm milk in hand. i can sleep some other time. for now, my child needs me.

8th month updates

gapang
pistoy kind of officially tried crawling last aug.30 in the morning. =P kind of, dahil di namin alam kung gapang nga ba yon. hahaha! dadapa sya, pull himself to crawling position (nakaluhod at nakatukod ang kamay), then lunge himself forward. then from there, he would do army crawl, or roll, to get to where he wants to go. in a matter of seconds, naikot na nya halos yung buong kama. =P he was doing the army crawl for a while, pero di ko naman pinapansin kasi ang bagal naman ng usad nya. pero lately ang bilis na!

he still doesn't look very comfy crawling. mas natutuwa pa sya pag ginagabayan namin sya sa paglalakad. in my evil-mom mind, i was hoping he would skip crawling altogether. hahaha! =P

a-da!
this is pistoy's fave expression. ano ka ba anak, koreano ka ba?! *lol* when he's really into something, he would blurt out "a-daaaa!". hindi namin alam kung gusto ba nyang sabihin is "dada", or "tada", or "hotdog". it's a far cry, but i guess when you watch mickey mouse clubhouse a lot, everything sounds like "hotdog". =P he used to babble a lot nung 7 months sya, medyo nabawasan ngayon. i wonder if it's because medyo nabawasan din ang chatter namin. dati kasi kausap ko sya buong trip from je's office to bahay. ngayon nanonood na sya ng baby Einstein vids. uh-oh! =P

pulling himself up
he can do this really fast now! nakakatakot na syang iwan sa lapag mag-isa. one time, may kinuha lang sandali si je, so iniwan nyang nakaupo sa padded mat sa sala. pagbalik nya nakatayo na at nakahawak sa sofa! =P he's starting to experiment na tumayo while twisting his body. dati nakakatayo lang sya pag directly nasa harap nya yung kakapitan nya. ngayon kahit sa tagiliran lang nya, he tries it.

finger food
jecobie is now starting to pick finger food off his food tray and bring it to his mouth. yehey!!! mukhang kaliwete ang anak ko. he can control his fingers on his left hand better. pag sa right, he ends up "palming" the food kaya di nya maisubo nang maayos. hehe! i bought some of the grain puffs by gerber, and he loves those! may veggie dip thingy din, parang snacku. pero medyo malaki kasi kaya i assist him with those. hahawakan ko, tapos kakagat lang sya, which he loves doing! with gusto talaga na "haaam!", sabay kagat. hehe! pag sya lang mag-isa ang kakain, isusubo nang buo! i also got him some of the yougurt bites. parang yung mga freeze dried chuva. mas malaway sya pag yun ang kinakain, dunno why. siguro dahil medyo maasim?

i'm a little worried about jecobie eating more textured food. for the longest time kasi nasa stage 2 pureed food sya. i introduced stage 2.5, which is pureed with a little more texture, may konting chunks. when i fed him the pears and green beans one, sumuka sya. =( akala ata nya lulunukin lang lahat.

my theory is that pag sa spoon galing ang food, akala nya lunok lang. pag sinusubuan namin sya ng tinapay or biscuits or mga butil ng kanin (kamay lang), ngumunguya naman. same with his finger foods. when i fed him the pureed with chunks (shempre using a spoon), he didn't chew kaya nasuka sya nung tintry nyang lunukin yung chunks. =( pero ang exception, pag pinapakain ko sya  ng baked potatoes, nginunguya nya yon kahit galing sa spoon. i'm confused. =P

i can't wait for papa to get here. that will allow me some time to prepare homecooked meals. by the time papa gets here, 9 months na si pistoy. sakto, kasi yun sana ang target ko to start him on real table food. right now, jecobie is only eating solids once a day pag MWF (pumapasok kasi sila ni je sa office, ang hirap magpakain pag nandun sila), and twice a day on other days. i'm not so worried dahil he's still getting his nutrition from formula naman. malakas pa rin dumede. hehe!

up, up, up!

mabaliw-baliw kami ni je kagabi!!! pistoy is starting to pull himself up from sitting to standing position! =)

inuupo namin sya sa kama, tapos lalagyan namin ng 3 pillows sa harap nya. he will lean foward, grab the topmost pillow, and pull himself up! he did it several times last night, before we even thought of taking videos!

i'll probably post the vid on fb later. i can't stop thinking about it, nakakatuwa! =)

the UBPE

i just have to take note of this here. i told myself i won't blog about the UBPE (Ultimate Best Parent Ever) on pistoy's blog, but i think this warrants an exclusion so i won't be like this to other parents.

the Ultimate Best Parent Ever, is a rare breed of parents. they are never wrong, they are always right, and is the ultimate measure of success on being a parent and in raising a child.

i've blogged about it on my other personal blog. i know i just need to take it out of my system, else, baka may masabi talaga ako. so i think gumana naman. or maybe not. it's just that there hasn't been chances na mag-krus ang landas namin ni UBPE since i blogged about my rants.

na-confirm ko na last saturday.

we were happily mingling with people, and pistoy was his cheerful self, smiling and laughing and babbling a lot. then came the UBPE, carrying his kid. unang salita na lumabas sa bibig nya, "gumagapang na ba?". when we told him no, his reaction was "WHHHHAAAATTTT???!", in a tone that sounded as if i just confessed i killed Rizal. uminit na ang tenga ko then. but i didn't say anything. i didn't smile either, i just diverted my attention to the cup of water that i was drinking then. it was suddenly more interesting than being in a room full of people, with the UBPE making me feel like my child is missing a lot in life because he's not crawling at 7 months.


a few more minutes ang lumipas, narinig ko naman sya asking je "bakit lagi syang naka-bib?". it's something similar to one of his past questions to je, "bakit lagi kang may dalang lampin?" (which we used as pistoy's burp and drool cloths). gusto ko sanang sumagot na para hindi mapunta sa leeg at dibdib nya yung laway, kasi nagkakarashes si pistoy. but then i decided not to respond. baka sabihan pa ko ni UBPE na "bakit nagkakarashes, pinupunasan nyo ba ang laway? you should do this, do that!". hehehe!


anyway, so the night progressed, i was totally trying to stay away from UBPE, or else i'll blurt out a retort that will reflect how pissed off i am.

later on, i overheard him talking about kid's milestones. he kept on talking about how he was told that babies should not be allowed to stand before they crawl, how he was informed that all babies should crawl or they won't learn how to walk. i almost swallowed my tongue in my effort to hold it back. who the fuck told you that all babies should crawl? yan ba ang sinasabi ng pedia nyo? sayang binabayad nyo, lumipat na kayo ng pedia, gago yung doktor ng anak mo. at anong wag patayuin ang bata pag di pa gumagapang. honestly?!

i wanted to ask what's the repercussion pag hindi nagcrawl ang bata. what do they miss? how will they "suffer" later in life? i honestly want to know, because my mama told me i skipped crawling. i want to ask UBPE, "ikaw ba nag-crawl? eh bakit ganyan ka?".

i've said this before, and i am saying it again. i feel very protective of my family. i don't like people who makes me or my husband feel like we're incompetent parents, when we know pistoy is thriving well, and is actually enjoying being with us, being taken care of by us. he may be delayed in certain milestones, but every baby is different. as long as he meets the milestones within the period he's supposed to, that's fine by me. my kid doesn't have to be an overachiever at 7 months of age.

and most especially, i don't like people who put down my son, just because he's not crawling at 7 months. if he skips crawling all together, i'll throw a party and ask everyone to come in black. we will mourn that he skipped crawling. "too bad my son won't crawl, now he won't be accepted in Harvard if he wants to attend college there"... all because hindi sya nag-crawl. =P

bull. all parts of it.

dr.brown's to nuby

we started switching pistoy to the regular, no-special-anything chuva Nuby bottles. he was using Dr.Brown's since birth, and we've spent countless hours cleaning those vents. we've had enough! je initiated the "project", probably because he's primarily doing the bottles. hehe!

as of this writing, wala pa namang problema kay pistoy. we're so happy that he didn't mind switching bottles. initially we were worried kasi iba ang nipples nung regular bottle, pero ok lang naman sa kanya. nagiging problem lang is may vacuum. so we're still getting the hang of loosening the collar a bit para air could flow in kahit papano. yung Nuby lang ang walang extra parts. the other brands still have a little extra something to clean. wala na bang regular no-frills bottles ngayon? lahat gusto may vent chuva. they should do something about it, kung gagawin nilang standard yung may vent, i-built-in nila yung parts para walang extra linisan. =P

speaking of design ng bottles, now that we switched to a regular bottle, na-realize namin yung mga features ng Dr.Brown's bottles na taken for granted namin dati. like yung shape ng takip, tumatayo kasi yung sa Dr.Brown's, at madaling tanggalin. yung sa Nuby hindi kasi rounded at walang groves. then yung calibration ng ounces/ml. and yung groves sa collar para mas madaling buksan at di madulas. little things na you don't realize are there pero malaking tulong pala. =)

other than that, wala namang dramatic change. kabagin pa rin si pistoy, which is already a given kahit nung  Dr.Brown's pa ang gamit nya. marunong na syang mag-strain to pass gas, so pag matindi ang kabag nya, kailangan lang ng konting tulong ng manzanilla at mylicon, and he's ok na ulet.

i better knock on wood, i don't want to jinx anything! =P

weaning

i started the process of weaning a few weeks(?) ago. the first few days were unintentional. busy lang talaga sa work, at sa bahay. and well, i kind of chose getting some sleep over pumping sa madaling araw. tinatry kong gumising na lang pag umiiyak si pistoy.

mahirap din pala mag-wean. nung nagta-try akong irevive yung milk supply ko nung first few months ni pistoy, every 3-4 hours ang pump ko. meron pang times na every 2 hours (nung naka-leave pa ko). then naging every 4 hours na talaga, then 5, then 6. then may mga times na nagiging 8, 10, 12. last week, naging every 18 hours na lang. as of this writing, once a day na lang ako nagpa-pump.

it's not an easy decision. nandon yung guilt. naging part na rin ng daily routine ko yung pagpa-pump for almost 8 months now. feeling ko pag tumigil ako, what am i gonna do with all the extra time? *lol* but seriously, i feel like i'm being selfish. pistoy could've gotten much more benefits pag nagtuloy ako eh. feeling ko inuna ko yung sarili ko when i decided to stop.

on pistoy's part naman, parang ok naman na sya. dati alternate ang breastmilk at formula feeding nya. then we switched to just 3 breastmilk feedings a day. then ngayon 2 feedings na lang. 2 seems to be the magic number. pag 1 feeding lang sya, parang constipated. pag 3 feedings, malambot pupu nya. i'm a little worried na pag wala na talaga syang breastmilk na maiinom, baka constipated na sya araw-araw. sana masanay na syang uminom ng tubig. on the brighter side of things, he loves pureed prunes. so at least may sort of emergency back up plan kami.

the adventure has been great! =) pistoy latched without any problems from the beginning, and i think that encouraged me more than i'd noticed then. at kung di nagkaproblema si pistoy sa formula, baka nagpa-easy-easy ako sa breastfeeding. i'm also happy that i have friends who supported me all the way. those who gave useful advice, those who gave their own accounts of struggle, and those who offered words of encouragement and sympathy. iba-iba man ang outcome ng mga breastfeeding adventures namin, i feel one with them, na hindi lang ako ang na-frustrate at one point, na hindi lang ako ang pinanghinaan ng loob.and now that i am weaning, na hindi lang ako ang naguilty. =)

goodbye cup B na ba? damn, i'm gonna miss you.

pinaiyak ako ni pistoy

a few weeks ago, pinaiyak ako ni pistoy. =P

pinakain ko sya ng solids one afternoon. it's more than his usual serving, pero di naman sya umayaw, so i thought baka kaya na nya yung ganon karami. after an hour, umiiyak na at parang antok na. usually, we give him a bottle. so dede naman sya. after matapos ang dede. tumagilid na sya, pupuwesto na sa pagtulog.

then sumuka. at sumuka ulet! projectile talagang suka, at ang dami! inupo ko sya sa crib, then sumuka ulet! and again! sobrang naglawa ng suka nya yung crib, at basang-basa sya sa dibdib, sa braso, sa legs, sa paa.

i felt bad. dapat di ko na siya pinadede. or dapat di ko pinaubos yung pagkain sa kanya. so pinunasan na namin sya, take two sa bed time routine.

hinehele sya ni je when i apologized to pistoy. tapos nag-group hug kaming 3. my head was lower than pistoy's, then biglang nirest nya yung ulo nya sa ulo ko! awwww. naiiyak na ko!

tapos je urged him to give me a kiss, para sign na pinatawad na nya ko. pistoy usually turns away the first time, tapos gusto nya kami muna ang ki-kiss then saka sya nagrereturn ng kiss. pero this time, pistoy obliged agad! didn't turn his head, hinayaan nyang lumapat yung lips nya sa pisngi ko. naiyak na talaga ako! =P

hay. babies are so trusting and forgiving and loving. sana lahat na lang ng tao sa mundo babies. =P

7 going 8

i can't believe it's been almost a month since my last update. naalala ko lang na malapit na mag-8 months si pistoy, so magpopost muna ako ng milestones nya. beauty of blogs, pwede na rin parang diary ng development ni jecobie. hehe!

upo
officially, nakaka-upo na sya na di natutumba. he also lunges forward to reach for his toys. minsan nasosobrahan nang bwelo, lalampas at tutumba. hehe! minsan pag masyadong malayo ang ni-reach nya, di sya makabalik so dadapa na lang. =P he can't sit from lying position, pero once i-upo mo sya, ayos na. hehe!

tayo
just last week (?), tinayo namin sya sa crib nya. humawak naman ang mokong. hehe! ngayon dinadala ko na sya sa crib para tumayo pag magsi-cr ako (sorry TMI), and he likes it. masyado pang mahigpit ang hawak nya sa rail, and di pa nya nadidiscover ang purpose ng thumbs nya, kaya pag nakakabitaw, tumutumba. juskolord, concussion na itech!

ngipin
finally lumabas na talaga ang 2 front lower teeth nya. pag tinu-tutblas ko sya sa gabi (with moist na bimpo), kinakagat na ko. =P thank God di naman sya nagtae or nilagnat. i know sinasabi nila na walang kinalaman sa pagngingipin yon, pero kahit na. hehehe! naging cranky lang sya sobra, at nagigising minsan sa madaling araw pag masakit.

mr. personality
lumalabas na rin ang personality ni pistoy. chillax lang sya for the most part of the day. iiyak lang pag gutom, antok or may masakit. pag bugnot na sya, like inip na sa laro or something, arteng-iyak lang ginagawa nya. wag lang sobrang papabayaan nang matagal ang arteng-iyak dahil may potensyal na maging totoong iyak. =P

he smiles a lot, at parang ang babaw lang ng kaligayahan. siguro basta animated ang boses, matatawa na sya. hehe! nakikipag-"eat bulaga" na. nakikipag-"habulan". at mahilig mag-tumba ng stacked toy blocks nya. i read somewhere na nothing is more interesting sa mga kids than a tall stack of blocks waiting to be toppled. i guess it applies to pistoy nga rin. =)

in a week's time, 8 months na si pistoy. nagiging sobrang mobile na sya ngayon. sana makapunta na si papa dito soon para di na confined sa office nila je si pistoy. i'm pretty sure malapit na syang mabato don eh. 

birthday party preps

my mama is officially harassing me to get the ball rolling for pistoy's first bday party. she went as far as asking around for a venue na. =P next on her list, contact jollibee if they cater off-site. a mom-friend told me they do, but my mama, being the oc-oc that she is, wants to know details how to go about it.

she suggested the Fun Ranch at Tiendesitas. *gawd, i don't even know if i spelled that correct* i went online and it looks like a heaven for kids and kids-at-heart! now the big question is... MAGKANO! i sent them a note asking about rates and packages. something tells me that the place alone will cost an arm and a leg. of course, mama will use the "first bday ng first anak mo yan!" argument to make me spend way over my budget. hehehe! speaking of budget, ano nga ba ang budget namin? in the first place, meron ba? *lol*

just sending that email to the venue folks made me feel all giddy inside! =) excited na ko sa party ni pistoy! ano buzzz, 7 months pa lang sya bukas! hehehe!

pistoy da lakwatsero

in a few days, 7 months na ang pistoy! ang bilis talaga!

sitting
since our 6-month check-up, i've sort of obsessed into training jecobie to sit on his own. medyo may development na. =) he can sit without support now, but only for a few seconds to a minute siguro. ayaw nyang mag-tripod, he constantly tries to balance himself lang. hehe! you can see him sort of wiggle on his butt dahil tinatry nyang labanan yung pagtumba nya. then after a while, tutumba na talaga sya. either nao-over-compensate nya sa pagbalance, or may activity sya kaya nao-off-balance sya. or, talagang malaki lang ang ulo nya and he tips over because of it. hehehe!

crawling
on this one, i'm not worried as much dahil may mga bata daw talagang nag-i-skip ng crawling. the funny thing is, jecobie has his version of crawling. hihiga sya, plant his feet, lift his hips up, and slide his upper body upwards. *lol* akala mo caterpillar na lumalakad. hahaha! needless to say, lalong malalagas ang kakapirasong buhok nya dahil sa friction, but he seems to like it as his mode of getting around the bed. when he needs to steer a bit to the left or right, dadapa sya then hihiga ulet at some angle. i dunno how to describe it, i dunno how he does it! but somehow, nakakapunta sya sa kaliwa or kanan nya without crawling. di na talaga pwedeng iwan sa kama mag-isa!

walker
hindi na pala recommended ng pedia ang walkers? they list possible accidents sa stairs, sa coffee table edges, etc. but i still got pistoy one anyway. hehehe! kagabi inassemble ni daddy je, mukha namang sturdy. at first, nilapit lang namin si pistoy dun sa parang activity chuva ng walker, para ma-familiarize sya ng konti at di matakot. nung nagsimula na syang maglaro, we figured it's time to let him try it. nung simula, tumatalon sya, akala nya ata jumperoo! *lol* tapos nung one instance na na-push nya yung lapag, umabante sya ng konti. then he got the hang of it agad! mr.co-creator, the cabron, and i were so excited we forgot to take a video of the first time. when pistoy was "tip-toeing" across the floor, nataranta kami sa paghanap ng camera. haha!

he absolutely loves it! medyo nawala nga yung antok nya eh. pero eventually, nabugnot na, so enough for the day. needless to say, mas excited ata ang mommy kesa sa baby. nakakatuwa na makita syang nage-enjoy sa new gear nya. hehe! di pa sya makaliko, but i think that'll come with experience as he spends time on it.

lumiliit na ang bahay namin sa dami ng gamit ni pistoy! =P ganito pala talaga pag may anak ka na, sila na ang hari ng household. hehe!

ngipin
mukhang malapit na lumabas ang ngipin ni pistoy. parang may grove sa gums nya sa ibaba, tapos may maliit na dot na puti na kong nakikita. extra malaway at gigil na gigil sa toys nya lately ang pistoy. sana wag naman syang masyadong mahirapan sa pagngingipin.or should i say, wag naman sana kaming masyadong mahirapan pag sa pagngingipin nya. =P

sweet little thing

i was reading an article from baby center about loveys and how babies use them in preparation to become independent. something stirred inside me and i felt kinda happy-sad. =) it's still a long way before he becomes independent, but it just made me realize that time really is flying by fast.

jecobie is at that stage na parang "we think" natututo na syang maglambing. he's always alert, keeping his head upright most of the time pag karga mo sya. pero recently, he rests his head on your chest or shoulders, kahit di sya inaantok. parang, wala lang, he probably just likes it like that. for me and mr. co-creator, it feels like our little one's way of making lambing.it's like our little reward for attending to his needs.

malapit na syang magkangipin. and for me, that's the start na talagang magiging bata na sya.

last sunday, we had dinner at cody's, and i fed pistoy small bits of bread. he ate it. and although it was fun watching him do it, naisip ko rin na once he graduates from pureed food, we have to watch what we eat na, kasi he will eat the same stuff na rin. table food = big boy.

pistoy already weighs twice his birth weight. i can't carry him in craddle position anymore. although one time while i was playing with him, i carried him in that position and he just stared at me, probably feels familiar to him. he's outgrown most of the clothes we got from the baby showers, and he's wearing clothes that used to be on the "still too big for him" pile. that pile is only just a few onesies now.

maybe i'm just feeling a bit sentimental. i can't wait to see him grow, but at the same time, i want to keep him little. we're enjoying every second with him right now, and i don't ever want to forget how this feels.

tito ninong

last saturday, june 18, ang aga naming gumising nila pistoy. he dressed up without any complaints. got strapped in sa car seat without any complaints. it's almost too good to be true. =P

then we headed to the airport. today is the day The Cabron meets The Pistoy. hehe!

got in the airport on schedule, parked, punta sa waiting area, checked the flight status.. arrived na. je and i decided to put pistoy sa baby carrier so he could better "sight-see" hehe! habang kinakabit namin sya, a wave of passengers exited the tram, and there my bro was, in a tshirt, jeans, rubber shoes... carrying a thermal handbag and a backpack.

paglapit nya kay pistoy, nanlaki ang mga mata ni jecobie. "who the hell are you?" is probably on his mind. hehe! di naman umiyak, pero tingin sya nang tingin kay eibron. probably thinking, "kaboses ni papa norbie, pero nasan na yung bigote, tsaka bakit may buhok?" *lol*

uwi muna kami, may mga frozen food items kasi na kailangang alisin sa bagahe. pagdating ng bahay, kinarga ni eibron si jecobie, sama agad! ngumiti pa for picture. =P

good to know na in good terms agad ang hari at ang bagong boy.

the best parent ever

i came across this funny blog while looking for parenting stuff to read. check it out, sarcasm a-plenty! =P

i thought i was gonna get some good advise, but i guess a good laugh is as good as one. hehehe! some of the stuff do make sense though, surprisingly! =P

http://bestparentever.com/

enjoy mommas and daddas! =)

half year!

(belated) happy 6 months pistoy! =) i can't believe it's been 6 months! we kinda lose track of days, dahil we seem to be living on day-to-day basis lang talaga. or maybe this is what happens when you lack sleep, the days seem to run into each other. =P

i dunno how we manage to survive... with both je and i working full time, pistoy not being in daycare, not having help at home. at times, it comes to a point when we have to choose among sleeping, eating, tidying up the house, pumping (in my case), and taking care of personal stuff. it's been two months since na-mow ang lawn, since na-vacuum or na-carwash ang mga kotse. clean laundry remains in the hamper until the next laundry day (and the dirty ones are at the corner of the room, ON THE FLOOR!). i've mastered maneuvering the vacuum cleaner around the house with pistoy (all 17 lbs 5 oz of him) hanging in front of me, on the baby carrier.if my mama could only see me now, i'm pretty sure she'll be proud. *lol*

i've never been so efficient at work. coming in as early as 7am, pumping at least twice at work, leaving at 3:30pm, and get things done. =P no more lunch out for me, except on thursdays... when je is off, at home with pistoy... when i don't need to leave on the dot. it's a new corporate life for me, being a clockwatcher. i've never been one since i started working.

don't get me wrong, i'm not complaining. not one bit. =) i just want to journal this journey, so when things go rough, i know at one point in my life, i was able to get through it alive. =)

AND, pistoy's smiles and laughs more than makes up for everything. nakikipaglaro na sya ngayon. tumatawa sa "eat, bulaga!", but not sa "peek-a-boo!". *lol* pinoy na pinoy talaga, hehe!

when he wakes up in the morning at wala kami ni je sa tabi nya (normal wake up, meaning walang kabag, hindi masakit ang tyan), nakahiga lang sya, checking out the room. he stays like that for around 20 minutes, then saka lang magpaparamdam. pag nagising sya at nakita nya agad kami, he would smile right away. he gives a broader smile (with kumpas ng kamay, padyak ng paa) pag binati mo syang "good morning, handsome!". =P

some updates:

last set of shots
jecobie had his last set of shots last june 9, thursday. he cried the "no-sound cry" during the ordeal, but was already quiet even before the nurse left the room. i had to go to work that day, but thankfully, je had the day off. he watched over pistoy, and hindi naman daw nilagnat. the only time he had a slight fever was nung 2nd shots nya. so that's done! the next set of vaccines is after 6 months pa daw ulet.

milestone delay
medyo pinagalitan kami ng pedia kasi di pa umuupo si pistoy at 6 months. =P we were advised to work on that one, at may homework si jecobie na dapat nakaka-upo na sya on his own, nakaka-crawl, and is actively moving about by 9 months.

medyo nagworry ako about this, kasi i know we haven't been able to give pistoy the same amount of exercise as when mama and papa were here. =( pag nagreready si je sa umaga, either nakahiga si pistoy while watching tv, or nasa jumperoo. sa office nila, nakahiga lang si pistoy while playing with his toys, or nasa swing. it's only when i pick him up after work na nakaka-exercise talaga sya.

my mudra friends told me it's too early to worry, dahil kaka-6 months pa lang naman daw ni pistoy. i just have that nagging feeling na "are we doing enough?". ayokong madelay siya sa milestones dahil sa kagagawan namin eh.

lately, inuupo namin sya sa bumbo, pero he always leans forward. tinutuwid pa namin sya lagi, until mainis. hehehe! nasa isang butt cheek lang kasi ang weight nya pag naka-lean forward, baka magka-problem sa likod  ang pistoy.

pag nasa mat naman, inuupo namin sya between our legs and put toys in front of him to keep him busy. he leans a little sa thigh namin for support, and maglalaro naman. after a few minutes, maglulupasay na. he wants to either lie down or stand up. pag nakatayo sya, walang problema. he won't even complain kahit pagod na sya, mapapansin mo lang na nagba-buckle na madalas yung legs nya, pagod na.

at madaya ang mokong sa pag-turn, he will "turn" full force from the lying position, pero babawiin with his shoulders. =P he ends up half-turning: yung lower body nya nakadapa, yung upper nakatagilid lang. minsan di nya nababawi agad, he ends up na nakadapa talaga, and you can see the suprised look on his face. *lol*

solids
since he turned 6 months na, we try to feed him solids regularly, once a day, sa dinner time. nung 4-5 months kasi, every other day lang, and walang definite time. only when it's convenient. hehe!

speaking of convenience, we're trying the pre-packed baby food ngayon. we're trying the gerber and beech nut purees. so far, ok kay pistoy yung carrots at squash. next is peas, or green beans. i still want to prepare homecooked food for him, but at this point, the pre-packed food will do. pinipili namin yung flavors na ang ingredients ay yung vegetable at water lang. meron kasing iba na may halo eh. and we'll probably try fruits after namin ma-establish kay pistoy yung lasa ng veggies.

hopefully, pag nandito na si eibron, that will free up some of our time, and makakapag-prepare na ko ng food ni pistoy. so far, yung potatos at carrots pa lang ang naluluto ko for him. potatoes, approved. carrots, well, he's no bugs bunny about it. =P

kalahating taon na ang lumipas, ang bilis! mama is already starting to bug me about pistoy's 1st bday party sa pinas. maybe we should get the ball rolling na nga. lalo na kung pupunta ulet sila dito before the year ends, kailangan ayos na yung major stuff, like venue and food. that reminds me, kailangan ko na magpaalam ng bakasyon para sa december! =P

so looking forward to the next 6 months! =)

from a (new) mom's heart, on mother's day

last year, mother's day, was when i first stared at those pink lines.

a year after, i am staring into my son's eyes, and i feel the love and gratitude overflow in my heart.

jecobie will forever be the little boy who stole my heart with his little hands, little feet, little fingers, little toes, little nose, little chubby cheeks, little smizing eyes, little everything. he could grow big and tall and strong, grow up bigger than his dad.. but in my heart, he will always be the little pistoy who loves staring at trees, who loves chewing on his caterpillar toy, who smiles the sweetest smile every morning when i greet him "good morning, handsome!".

i love you pistoy. i will be here for you until i breathe my last breath, and later.

5 month mark

pistoy reached his 5-month-mark last week pa. i've been updating my fb account with vids of him, as requested by lola-mama ayet. marami nang kalokohan itong anak ko!

mama
recently, tinuturuan namin syang magsabi ng "mama", "dada", at "dede". so far, may mga incidences na nasasabi nya yung "mama". often pag umiiyak at may gusto. awwwww. =) i know hindi pa nya talaga meant na sabihin yon, but it still melts my heart. hehe!

kiss and embrace
lately rin, bumabalik na yung pag-kiss-kiss nya. as usual, nakanganga pa rin. hahaha! but it's a start, di nya na ulet iniiwas yung mukha nya. pag ayaw nyang mag-kiss, kami muna nagki-kiss. then after that, ki-kiss na rin sya. gusto sya ang unang sinusuyo! hehe! tinuturuan siya ni je mag-embrace. so far, kailangan mo pang i-guide yung arms nya.

first real food
last weekend, we tried to give him real/prepared food: boiled and mashed potatoes. ayaw nya! nung una, gutom na siguro masyado kaya he wants food fast. second, di ko alam bakit ayaw nya. pero kahapon, he ate it! dinagdagan ko ng breastmilk, siguro mas thick yung first 2 tries kaya di nya nagustuhan.i hope i didn't mess up his appetite for non-sweet food dahil pinatikim ko sya ng ice cream dati.

shudder
naulit yung shudder nya, but this time left arm lang. same scenario, kumakain and ready to doze off. nakita ni je, and ivi-video sana namin kaya lang natapos na. so that is definitely the first on our list pagbisita sa pedia in 2 weeks.

tummy time
i dunno what's with pistoy, pero ayaw na nya ng tummy time. he'd rather stay on his back and play kesa dumapa. i'm kinda starting to worry this will be a problem pag gusto na nyang mag-explore. at pano sya mag-co-crawl, pano sya tatayo mag-isa? i might be worrying too early, but i just want to take note of it too. at ayaw nya rin umupo, aside from the bumbo seat. uupo sya sandali, tapos iiyak, tapos he will arch his back and kick, para bumaligtad. i might have his pedia check kung may strain ba sa hip bones nya, or sa butt, or sa likod, kung bakit ayaw nyang umupo. he loves standing up though. pag tinatayo namin sya, diretsong-diretso ang legs nya. tumatagal na rin sya sa jumperoo, and i think he's actually enjoying it. =P ano ka ba anak, gusto mo bang maging security guard, laging nakatayo? =P

strangers(?)
naninibago pa rin sya sa mga in-laws ko, pero at least nakikipag-usap na minsan. ayaw nya lang ng malakas na boses. kaya yung mga bro ni je na mahinahon magsalita, dun sya sumasama at tumatawa. hehe!

nakakabaliw itong si pistoy! just the daily interaction with him, parang laging may bago syang gagawin. he would either say or do something na parang "hirit" at a perfect timing, natatawa na lang kami ni je eh. =)

joys of mommahood. =)

infant shudder syndrome

i had a scare yesterday afternoon when pistoy started shaking while he's feeding.

dumedede sya and he's almost ready to doze off, when i noticed him shaking/shivering. hinawakan ko naman yung kamay at paa nya, mainit naman. hinawakan ko yung leeg at ulo nya to check his temp, normal naman din sa touch. hindi naman sya violent shake, and he didn't seem bothered by it, but it's disturbing to see.

i thought if hindi titigil in a minute, i'll drive him to the ER na. pero it stopped on its own after a few seconds. i checked his temp, 36 C, normal naman. i told je about it last night. i wasn't very worried after it happened kasi pistoy seemed fine, as if it didn't happen. but when je mentioned neurological issues, nagworry ako why i didn't do anything even after it stopped.
 
nagtingin-tingin ako sa internet, and found this on YT. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5erLHDX1h8
this is exactly how pistoy looked like. apparently, it's called the infant shudder syndrome.


i may sound like a bad mom, but i want to wait and see muna, before we run to the doctors. i don't want to put pistoy through unnecessary tests, kung wala namang treatment necessary. i just know the culture of fear ng doctors dito eh. they would rather have you tested for every single little thing, kesa may madiagnose sayo later and they get sued.


so pistoy is under observation right now. i'll mention it to his pedia na rin, just to be sure.

yearning for lolo-papa and lola-mama

last night, at around 7pm, jecobie had another one of those crying spells. wala namang masakit sa kanya, kaka-dede pa lang, kapapalit ng diaper, wala namang kabag. di ko na talaga alam kung anong gusto nya.

je brought him sa kuwarto nila mama. hiniga sa kama nila. then nilabas ang huling sandata namin... tshirt na sinuot ni mama at papa. =) as soon as nilapag ni je sa magkabilang side ni pistoy yung 2 damit, sinubsob ni pistoy yung mukha nya sa mga tshirts, salitan. tapos instantly din tumahimik! then nalasing na sya sa antok, pero ayaw nyang bitawan yung mga damit. tapos inaamoy-amoy pa rin nya. =(

it was heartbreaking to watch. =( you can see the eagerness in him to be with papa and mama. he misses them so much!

sa sobrang awa ko kay pistoy, naiyak na lang ako. after a few more minutes, i composed myself, lied down beside jecobie, at pareho kaming nakatulog.

when will it get better for him?

nakausap ko si mama later that night, at pati si mama naiyak din. sobrang attached kasi ni pistoy kina mama't papa eh. i won't be suprised kung sa isip ni pistoy, sila ang parents nya. kasi sila ang mas matagal kasama nung last month before they left. pumapasok na kasi kami ni je non. tapos yung mga oras pa na kasama sila, mga waking hours ni pistoy.

hay jecobie. konting intay pa, nagrerenew na ng visa ang lolo't lola. =)

breaking the routine

it's ONLY been 12 days since mama and papa flew out of FL. pero it already felt like a month!

je and i were juggling taking care of pistoy, working, taking care of the house, and all the other miscellaneous that comes with it. of course pistoy comes first, it goes without saying. kaya pansin din namin ni je yung epekto sa trabaho namin at sa bahay. it doesn't help that pistoy is a high need baby. hehe! ayan, hindi na "iyakin", "high need" na.

MWF, kasama ni je si pistoy sa office nila. pumapasok ako around 7am, so i could leave by 3:30pm, drive to je's office, pick up pistoy, go home, take care of him until umuwi si je. it sounds simple enough, right?

one of the casualties of this set up is my pumping sessions. minsan 6 hours lumilipas bago ako magpump, minsan pag di ako magising sa madaling araw, 8 hours.  pag sa office, 5 hours na yung pinakamatagal, and that's usually because may gumagamit ng medical lounge, or may meeting akong sunud-sunod. ang hirap i-timing. i'm surprised i still have some milk ngayon. it's like an unintentional weaning. hopefully di naman mabigla si pistoy pag biglang nawalan ako ng supply. sa ngayon, alternate syang 3 ounces ng formula and breastmilk.

before umalis sila mama, andami kong naka-stock na gatas kasi i can pump when i need to dahil may magbabantay kay pistoy. ngayon ibang istorya na. and the worst part is, ayaw na nyang mag-latch sa akin. naiinip na sya. =( i can still latch him on pag sa gabi or madaling-araw, pag lasing pa sya sa antok. pero sa umaga, ayaw na nya. one time na na-plugged duct ako, madaling araw na narelieve ni pistoy. ang pakunsuwelo ko na lang is hindi pa rin nya nakakalimutan pano mag-latch. hehe!

other than the pumping sessions, sleep ang isa pang bawas ngayon. dati kasi nakaka-nap ako kahit gising si pistoy. ngayon kahit tulog si pistoy, we still have lots of stuff to do kaya by the time tapos na lahat ng gawain, pagising na ang hari.

oh well. we chose this setting, so we'll really try to make it work. if push comes to shove, there's the daycare, there's my bro (until august), my lola (that will take a lot of pagsisipsip), and some relatives from NY. =)

stressed

i dunno if i'm just being paranoid or not... pero ever since umuwi sila mama't papa, parang mas tahimik na si pistoy ngayon. hindi sya masyadong dumadaldal lately. pati pupu nya, nadelay ng 1 araw. usually he moves once a day. nitong monday-tuesday, "pinilit" lang namin yung pupu nya by giving him more breastmilk nung tuesday, kaya by tuesday night, napupu na sya at constipated pa. =(

i think pistoy is undergoing a lot of stress right now. first off, wala sila mama't papa. then secondly, we took him sa in-laws ko nung saturday at maraming bumuhat sa kanya. siguro dapat nandun lang kami sa tabi nya kahit iba ang may buhat. kasi for him, strangers pa rin yung mga tito nya eh. then third, na-stress siguro sa change ng environment kasi sumasama na sya kay je sa office.

i dunno how i could help him. sobrang established na kasi ng routine nya everyday, tapos parang lahat yon nabago. napansin ko lang na mas masayahin sya kahapon, kasi nasa bahay lang kami. can babies develop a routine that's only for MWF, then another routine for TThSSu? help!

the only thing we try to keep consistent, is yung sleeping routine nya. punas, palit ng damit at diaper, manzanilla, swaddle, dede. also, siguro habang medyo nag-a-adjust pa sya, we're gonna try to be home by his bedtime. mukhang na-shock yung system nya nung saturday dahil inabot sya ng antok sa ibang bahay. one at a time nga naman sana ang  pag-adjust sa kanya. lahat naman naaaral nya eh. like yung car seat, ngayon di na sya sobrang nagwawala. pag nakahinto na lang. hehe!

hay pistoy. i'm so sorry you have to undergo this kind of stress. if mommy or daddy is just staying at home with you, you can follow your daily routine talaga. *sigh* i sure hope it gets better.

epic cry

i've never heard pistoy cry as hard as he did today (tonight, actually).

yesterday, mama and papa left for NY na. the first 24 hours without them at home is pretty much smooth sailing. pistoy slept well last night, woke up sa usual oras, behaved sa pagligo, had a long nap nung tanghali, behaved pa nga sya sa simbahan eh. umiyak lang sandali nung nag-stop by kami sa aldi's to buy fruits.

we thought ok naman sya sa adjustment na wala sila mama't papa. nung umaga, he was sort of looking around for them, pero di naman sya umiyak at naghanap. 

punta kami sa mom-in-law ko. got there at around 8pm na ata, tulog si pistoy non. nagising sya, nanood ng fishies sa aquarium, then binuhat ng mga tito nya. then at around 9pm, he started crying. nung una, akala namin dahil gutom, so pinadede. akala basa ang diaper, so pinalitan. then akala inaantok, so hinele. then akala namin dahil masakit ang tyan sa kabag, so nag-manzanilla na, and for a good measure, pinainom na rin namin ng mylicon. to try to pacify him, pina-direct feeding ko sa akin. tumahimik sandali, then iyak ulet. as a sort of last resort, i called mama sa NY and put jecobie on the other end.

tumahimik din sya, this time mas matagal ng konti. at parang nagkukuwento pa. then after a while, iyak ulet!

when we're running out of options, nilabas ni je ng bahay. tumahimik si pistoy. then sumuka. i called mama again, and she suggested na ipasok namin sa kotse para familiar surroundings ni pistoy. so nilagay ni je sa car seat, umiyak ng konti, pero tahimik na for the most part. by the time nasa kotse na kami and pulling out of the parking lot, nakatulala lang sya.

after a few more minutes, nakatulog na sya. ikaw ba naman ang umiyak ng full force, with matching scream pa talaga, for almost 30 minutes ata yon... di ka ba mapapagod non? =P

anyway, we don't know kung anong nangyari talaga. definitely hindi sya gutom, hindi basa ang diaper, walang masakit. naisip namin, baka stressed lang si pistoy kasi nga first time na hindi niya nakita sila mama't papa. tapos bed time na nya, nasa ibang bahay pa rin sya.

on our way home, tumawag ako kay mama to report na tumahan na si pistoy at pauwi na kami. then i cried. naaawa ako kay pistoy, sanay syang maraming nag-aalaga sa kanya, then biglang kaming 2 na lang ni je. *sigh*

4th month updates

we got pistoy a jumperoo! he looooves it! di pa nya masyadong abot yung lapag, pero pag naka-tingkayad, abot nya. di pa sya nagtatagal don, siguro 10 mins max lang tapos gusto na nyang umalis. parang pagod na. hehe!

he had the shots last April 8 friday morning, sandali lang umiyak, at hindi kasing grabe nung first time. pero nagkasinat sya until saturday night. =( sobrang tamlay nga nya nung friday eh. di masyadong pumapadyak or nagsasalita, at medyo watery yung mata. =( binigyan namin ng Tempra from pinas. ngayon ok na ulet, makulit na. hehe!

we tried to start him on solids nung saturday, pero siguro dahil nga may sinat, wala sya sa mood. inupo namin sa high chair na bigay ng MIL ko, biglang umiyak! natakot ata. we tried again this morning, but he was also grumpy. then we tried again around noon, ok na sya. he took 2 baby spoonful of oatmeal cereal. nasarapan ata sya kasi ngumangasab eh. hehe!

uminom na syang tubig. water ang binigay namin after ng gamot, ininom naman. hehe! max of 2 ounces a day lang daw sabi ng pedia nya eh.binigyan ulet namin sya kanina nung kumain sya ng oatmeal cereal, and he seems to like it. sana nga masanay sa tubig. we don't plan on giving him juices kasi eh. unless siguro freshly squeezed, pag around 8 months na sya. nakakatakot lang kasi bigyan ng kung anu-ano si pistoy, kasi sensitive yung sikmura nya. kung mana sa akin, malamang acidic.

what else... uhmm, dumadapa na sya on his own, at madalas! pag nagigising sya sa madaling araw around 5am, gusto nyang pwesto is yung halos nakadapa na. parang bata na matulog si pistoy, nakatagilid. hehe!

another thing, nagtatry na syang gumapang! pero yung mukha nya ang tinutukod nya. hehehe! from dapa position, iaangat nya yung pwet nya, then kick. he will move forward a bit, pero yung face nya sumasadsad sa kama. *lol* one time he tried it several times, ang pula ng mukha nya afterwards.

at aba, ang batang ito, marunong nang tumawa at tumili! ang tipid pa rin nya sa tawa, pero may tunog na ngayon. =) sa tili naman, ewan kung saan nya natutunan yon, pero pag hindi nya agad nakuha ang gusto nya habang umiiyak, aba titili na! needless to say, i think na-exercise ang vocal cords nya sa pag-iyak nya nung ilang days old pa lang sya. hehehe!

muni-muni

i'm at work right now, pero naiisip ko si pistoy. kamusta na kaya sya?

there's one moment that keeps replaying in my head... nung one time na pauwi ako, and i'm driving the van into the driveway. nakatayo si papa sa bandang pintuan, karga si pistoy. then when pistoy saw me get off the van, nagpapadyak sya at nakangiti-nganga, with arms wide open as if to say "welcome home mommy!". =)

i wish pistoy will stay this small for a little longer. as mr.co-creator once said, he is so perfect right now. ang sarap nyang kalaro, sarap kargahin, sarap makipagkulitan. kahit iyakin sya minsan (ok, mas madalas than minsan, hehe!), still, he is sooo adorable. his pout will melt your heart. and it's like we want to take away all discomfort from him right away. hay pistoy. you got us hooked on you! =)

milestones

it's almost 2 weeks since i last posted. that means, medyo nag-pick up na ulet yung trabaho ko. hehe! anyway, just to take note of some of pistoy's latest milestones:

march 26 was the first time na dumapa si pistoy. bubuwelo nang pagkalakas-lakas, sabay igkas ng likod, turn, ayun! dati nagagawa nya pa lang is tatagilid. tapos tatamarin nang ituloy. narealize nya ata na pag inipon nya ang lakas nya, mas malayo maiikot nya. hehe!

nasa pack and play sya, dun sa bassinet level. tapos bigla na lang dumapa! he tried it several more times. naaliw din siguro sya kasi we were cheering him on. after maka-ilang dapa, napagod na. hehehe!

march 27 naman ang first laugh ni pistoy! may tunog na! napakatipid pa rin, pero nakakatawa at nakakatuwa yung mga facial expression nya at huni. we were surprised by the first time, di kami ready! si papa lang ang kalaro nya. naghuhugas ako ng bote, si mama naman nagiinternet ata, at si je naman ay tulog. biglang humagikgik! nagulat pa ko, akala ko kung sino eh. hehehe! ginising ko talaga si je so he'd witness it din. buti na lang inulit ni pistoy! mas maraming tawa yung first time, itong second parang pahirapan eh.

march 28: first day of our dry run pag umuwi na sila mama. =( pinayagan ako ng bossing ko na mag-work from home pag tuesdays. si je naman, will request for thursdays siguro. so MWF lang ang pa-praktisin namin. i woke up at 4am (pistoy decided he will pupu at that time, *sigh*), got ready by 5:30am. out of the door by 6:30am. nasa office na ko at 6:59am. hehe! then pumasok si je, kasama si pistoy. at around 4pm, umalis na kong trabaho to pick up pistoy from je's office. maulan, kaya inabot ako ng almost 1 hour to get there. pagdating ko don, si don pistoy ay sitting pretty sa bouncy chair ng anak ni eric (je's business partner). pinadede muna namin ni je, pinatulog, bago sinakay sa van.

pauwi, kami lang din ni pistoy. buti na lang tulog lang sya all throughout. nagising sya when were were about 5 blocks away from home, kasi may dumaan na ambulansya sa tabi mismo namin. hehehe! nagising ang mokong, nanglalaki ang mga mata. hehehe! sakto, pagdating sa bahay gising na sya at good mood naman.

grabe, dry run pa lang ito! pano pa pag totoo na? =P si je ang balagong, kasi sa kanya lang nagpapahele si pistoy eh. tapos sya ang nagbabantay sa office, so parang wala syang break. hehehe! good job mr.co-creator. now, who said na tapos na ang part mo almost a year ago? =P

"tulo-laway, lakwatsero" i mean "intsik beho"

laging napagkakamalang 8 months old si pistoy! he's close to 15 lbs now, and is around 25 inches since the last time we took measurements.

last sunday sa mass, sobrang daldal ni pistoy sa simbahan. sumasagot siya sa pari. at kung kelan naman tahimik, saka sya humuhuni. *lol* kahit na i-shush namin sya ni je, di pa nya naiintindihan yon. siguro nga akala nya nakikipag-usap pa kami eh, kaya lalo syang nagrereact. on the brighter side, at least "coo"s nya ang naririnig, hindi iyak.

last saturday, naglakwatsa kami nila mama't papa with pistoy. punta kami sa winn-dixie para mag-grocery. tapos punta kami sa target to shop. then punta kaming panera bread to have merienda. sort of himala, kasi nakapag-dine-in kami at di pa umiiyak si pistoy nung natapos kaming kumain nila mama. needless to say, we took turns sa pagkarga at pagkain. =P after panera bread, punta pa kaming walmart to pick something up.

nakakatawa si pistoy! nung papasok sa walmart, nakita nya yung big letters na sign: nanlalaki ang mga mata at nakanganga pa! *lol* sayang wala kaming dalang cam. sana ganon pa rin reaction nya next time. hehe!

tahimik lang naman sya. patingin-tingin lang. umiikot ang mga mata. lingon nang lingon, kaliwa't kanan. pero naiinip sya sa stroller. gusto nya karga habang lumilibot. sobrang usisero kasi eh, gusto nya nakikita nya lahat. pag stroller nga naman, mas maraming kisame syang nakikita. hehe!

then nung sunday, nagsimba nga kami. afterwards, punta kami sa mall. siguro na-overstimulate sya after an hour, or baka naptime nya na kasi, pero iyak na sya nang iyak. umuwi tuloy kaming maaga. i almost forgot, 1 hour na nga pala sya sa mass, kaya baka yun na yung threshold nya. pansin ko lang parang 1-2 hours lang sya sa lakwatsa, tapos dapat nap or pahinga muna bago lumarga ulet.

kiss
sana matutunan na ni pistoy ang pag-kiss. tinuturuan kasi nila mama eh. sinasabing "kiss", tapos ilalapit namin yung pisngi namin sa kanya. di naman sya umiiwas, medyo nagle-lean forward pa nga sya eh. tapos nganganga! *lol* kaya ang kiss nya, may kasamang laway and/or lungad. hehe!

speaking of laway, naglalaway na si pistoy. di namin alam kung dahil ba yon sa fist-sucking nya, or talagang malaway na ang mga 3-month-old. minsan tuloy nasasamid sya mag-isa. hehehe!

nakakaloko itong si pistoy, mahilig makipag-usap! =)

tre luna

happy 3rd month pistoy!

for the first time, on time ako sa pagpost ng milestone nya. kasi nasa office na ko ngayon, di na ko magugulo sa pagba-blog. hehe!

ang bilis ng panahon. parang kelan lang, ni hindi masupport ni pistoy yung ulo nya. ngayon pag dinapa mo sya, naka-taas na yung upper body nya. steady na ang ulo nya, di na masyadong magewang. hehe! pag nakahiga sya sa unan, kaya na nyang dumapa, pero pag nasa flat, medyo hirap pa sya.

marunong na syang tumili. alam nya na pag may kasamang tili ang iyak nya, mas mabilis kaming kumilos. lokong bata. hehe!

marunong na rin magpa-bubble ng laway. or maybe that's just a coincidence, pero he sure likes doing that! hehe! ilang beses nyang ginawa kaninang umaga bago ako pumasok sa trabaho. =P

big boy na si pistoy, ayaw na nya yung pagpapa-burp namin sa kanya na naka-upo sa lap. gusto nya nakatayo na sya at iniipit ang tyan sa dibdib namin. sa madaling araw nga, minsan kauupo nya lang sa lap (lasing pa kasi sa antok kaya di pa nya alam na yun yung position nya), nagbu-burp na eh. di na kailangang tapikin yung likod.

tama nga ang mga mudra friends ko. it does get better in time. mahirap lang pala talaga alagaan ang newborn up to around 2 months. pero even before tumuntong si pistoy ng 3rd month, medyo ok-ok na sya. lalo na ngayon, parang natututo na syang libanging yung sarili nya. medyo tinatry na nyang ipacify yung sarili nya.

speaking of pacify, ayaw ni pistoy ng pacifier. =P minsan sinusubukan nya muna yung tsupon kung dede ba talaga or pacifier lang. dinidilaan nya yung dulo. pag walang tumulo, itutulak nya with his dila. pero pag meron, sige, supsop! hehe!

nagsisimula nang mag-fist suck si pistoy. you can see him struggling to put his entire fist sa bibig nya. hehe! tinuturuan nga namin ng thumb lang eh, pero di pa nya magawa. maybe i'd wish na di nya talaga matutunan para walang iwe-wean. oh that reminds me, i better take a vid of that. pati nung pa-bubble ng laway nya. hehe!

almost 1 week na kong balik-trabaho. and it doesn't get any easier tuwing iniiwan ko si pistoy. just this morning. he's got his puppy eye look habang karga ni papa sa bandang pinto, watching me drive off to work. it's heartbreaking. =( his round eyes wandering to look at the trees. and then stared at the van's brake lights nung paalis na ko. medyo nakabuka pa yung bibig nya, inosenteng-inosente ang dating. hay pistoy. why do you have to be so adorable? =)

happy 3rd anak! please don't grow up too fast. mommy's not ready yet. =)

pistoy's fault

yesterday was my first day at work.

nagpaalam ako kay pistoy. kinarga ko sya, niyakap ng mahigpit, inamoy-amoy. tapos kinakausap ko pa sya kung gusto nyang sumama sa akin sa work. tapos nung binababa ko na sya sa higaan nya, bigla syang umiyak! parang alam nyang iiwan ko sya. =( tapos nag-babble pa ng "ma", habang nakasibi at nakatingin sa akin. yown, iyak ang lola nyo. =P

mr.co-creator warned me about it the night before, pero parang naisip ko parang OA naman siguro yon para maiyak ako. until it happened to me.

kanina ang second day ko, ok na ko. tulog si pistoy nung umalis ako kaya nag-kiss lang ako sabay sibat agad. baka magising pa, maiyak na naman ako eh.

hindi pa sya humahabol nang lagay na to, hirap na hirap na kong iwan sya for 8-9 hours. hay.

tinatawanan ako ni hubby je. kung asarin daw namin si mama for crying, dahil mahihiwalay kami for months or possibly years... pero ako 8-9 hours lang umiyak na. tinalo ko pa daw si mama. humphf!

my fave family picture

one day, kinarga ni je si pistoy sa carrier. nagrequest magpa-picture. then we remembered the tshirt given to me by my parents for my bday.

paglabas ng tshirt, sakto, pareho ng kulay yung suot ng baby sa tshirt ko at ni pistoy! then we pistoy's white cap. and papa lent his at-least-30-year-old Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses.

and this, is my fave family pic of us so far:

gigil factor

i've missed blogging pistoy's development. so far, medyo status quo naman sya.

• 14 lbs na sya, with 1.5 weeks to go before he turns 3 months old. 
• nasa 24 inches na sya ngayon.
• he's sort of hiyang na sa enfamil prosobee (soy). "sort of" kasi di ko alam kung pwede na sya on formula alone. parang nako-constipate pa sya eh. or basta parang hirap sa jebs, pag mas marami syang naiinom na formula than breastmilk.
• i'm still pumping for breastmilk. it also serves as laxative kay pistoy. =P
• nakakakita na talaga sya. hehe!
• at medyo madaldal na. 

pagkagising nya sa umaga, kung maganda ang gising, makikipagkwentuhan na yan sa akin. ngingiti, tatawa (nang walang tunog, pero todo-nganga, hehe!), at mumble na nang mumble. magtatanong ako, tapos magpo-pause ako. sasagot naman sya... "uuuh!", "nga", "aingk!". madami na syang sounds. marunong na rin syang sumigaw. minsan pag parang bored na sya, ang lakas ng "ngah!" nya. hehe! isa pang natutunan nya, ang tumili. juskolord. pag umiiyak sya, and he's not getting results fast enough, hahaluan nya ng tili ang iyak nya. kakaloka! =P

despite pistoy's pagiging iyakin (actually, nabawasan na sya, dramatically!), i find myself hugging him tighter most of the time. nakakagigil! hehe!

it's true. little bundle of joy. ok, maybe not so little. =)

tutblash

taken last feb 6. since then, dumadalas na ang pag-"huni" ni jecobie. nakikipag-usap na, as mama and papa puts it. =)

ps. hay, ayaw ng blogspot mag-upload ng .mov... oh well, here's the link to my FB video page. =)
http://www.facebook.com/kambeng#!/video/video.php?v=492978592034&comments

first immuno shots

today marks pistoy's second month, and with the second month, bakunahan na. =P


this morning, he had a well-baby check-up, then sinabay na rin ang bakuna nya.

first was the rotavirus oral vaccine. umiiyak na si pistoy habang ina-administer sa kanya yung gamot. pero yung iyak nya is yung bearable na iyak pa.

then he got the DTaP, polio and hib vaccines through turok. hawak ko sya sa kamay at braso, si je naman hawak ang katawan at paa niya. we pinned him down habang tinuturukan. =( as soon as tumusok yung unang needle, he wailed! then second turok, then third. =( yung iyak nya, yung walang tunog. i blew on his face 3-4 times ata during the entire ordeal, bago nagkaron ng tunog yung iyak nya. =( ang itim ni pistoy, ang pula, at tumulo ang luha. =( it was heartbreaking to watch. =(

after lagyan ng band-aid yung last na turok nya. he quieted down a bit. karga sya ni je, pacifying him. then within a few minutes, nakatulog na.

hay. feeling ko ako ang tinusok ng 100 needles nang sabay-sabay when i saw his face nung umiiyak. =(

anyway, we (je was only slightly leaning towards it) initially planned on spacing out the shots. like 1 shot per visit. pero for the first dosage, i thought let's go ahead and get everything (3 shots) in 1 visit. should we decide to space it out for the second and third dosages (on 4th and 6th months respectively), we could do so naman daw.

i have my reservations kasi sa vaccine schedule na sabay-sabay eh. i know the link to autism was not proven, but i don't want to increase the risk for pistoy. i dunno, are we doing the right thing? my gut tells me to space out the shots. pero pag nakikita ko si pistoy na nahihirapan or nasasaktan, i just wanna get it over with sa isang beses every 2 months.

ipagdadasal ko na lang na sana pistoy will grow healthy naman. sana unfounded ang fears ko.

at sana wag ma-trauma si pistoy sa doc's office. =( rather, sana wag kaming ma-trauma sa doc's office pag binabakunahan si pistoy.

negative and positive

bumalik na ang results ng poop test ni pistoy... negative sya sa allergy. food or milk allergy, wala. natest din for blood yung pupu nya, negative din. talagang gassy at iyakin lang ang anak ko. =P

ang hirap pala pag high maintenance ang baby. gusto ni jecobie laging karga. ehem! sana mabasa to ni mr. co-creator na nagsanay kay pistoy na karga lagi! =P

sa mga times na ok sya (for example: bagong ligo, bagong poop, or both), ngumingiti na ang mokong. hehehe! sumasagot na rin. pag kinakausap namin, sumasagot ng "oh", "huh", "mmma", or "ang-kuh". hehehe! andami na nyang sounds! fave namin sa bahay yung "hawh" or "hayyyk" nya pag humihikab. minsan yung "ang-kuh" ang kasama. hehehe! at dahil binibili ang ngiti ni pistoy, pag ngumingiti sya, nagsisigawan kami sa bahay. *lol*

i just realized i've been sort of obsessing over the formula and breastfeeding adventures namin ni pistoy, na i haven't blogged about the cute little things. =)


pag jumejebs si pistoy, hinuhugasan namin sya ng wetpu, unless pag madaling araw (magigising kasi diwa nya pag nabasa). gustong-gusto nya yung hinuhugasan. marinig nya pa lang yung exhaust ng bathroom, or yung tubig sa gripo, tumatahimik na sya at nakikiramdam. =D

ganon din sya sa pagligo. nung first time, di sya umiyak. nung second, third and fourth(?), umiyak sya. we figured baka nalalamigan. kaya ngayon, tinataasan namin ang temp sa bahay bago sya maligo. so far, di na sya umiiyak. he seems to like taking a bath. umiiyak pa nga pag binibihisan eh. we give pistoy a bath every other day na.

hmmm, what else. ang hirap nyang gupitan ng kuko! minsan matalim for his skin, pero wala pa namang magugupit talaga. so tyagaan sa pag-file. tinatry na naming alisin yung mittens nya para mas makapag-explore sya eh. sa gabi, kinakabit namin kasi ang lamig ng kamay nya pag natutulog nang walang mittens.

needless to say, we're positive na baliw na baliw kay pistoy ang lolo-papa norbie at lola-mama ayet nya. =D mas madalas pa silang on-duty kesa sa amin ni je. now i understand kung bakit ganon na lang ang kulit nila sa amin na mag-apo na. =D

hunt for the new pedia

i've had it with the office staff ng current pedia ni pistoy.

they were supposed to run tests on pistoy's stool to check for food/milk allergy, pero it wasn't until after 2 days na tumawag sila sa akin to tell me na masyadong na-soak sa diaper yung poopoo ni pistoy. huwat?! after 2 days nyo lang ba binuksan yung diaper na dinala kong mainit-init pa sa office nyo?! WTF?!

right after i hung up, i dialed another number and scheduled a pedia visit with another office.

gusto namin yung pedia ni pistoy ngayon, pero i can't stand their office. sa una pa lang, hindi na maganda ang impression namin sa waiting area nila. halos magkadikit ang sick child waiting area sa well child. tapos nung second visit, nasilip namin ang restroom nila and ang dumi-dumi, parang mall restroom na hindi nilinis. =P then itong palpak ng staff nila. as much as we want our pedia, we wanna look for other alternatives.

sana yung imi-meet namin sa feb 2 mas ok lahat.

pistoy's binyag checklist

i feel so productive the past few days. =P

i finalized the souvenir teddy bear jars and ordered them na.
i finalized the baptism invites and ordered them na.
i finalized the personalized M&Ms and ordered them na.
i reserved the place for the reception venue na.
we finalized the tarp and bro is getting it printed na.
we finalized the list of ninongs and ninangs and informed them na.
we finalized the guest list na.

what else...
on feb 3, we're attending the baptism classes sa parish.
we need to print some labels for the other souvenirs.

once the ordered items arrive, we're gonna be busy. 
- address and distribute/mail the invites.
- label the rosary souvenirs.
- pack the M&Ms into the teddy bear jars.


this blog is actually more of a checklist for me. =P ganito ata talaga pag nagbuntis, nagiging makakalimutin. =P

Jecobie's Baptism

Seraphic Dots Slate Baptism Invitation

Create personalized greeting cards and invitations by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

last frontier... not

we thought alimentum was the last resort in pistoy's hunt for the elusive "hiyang" formula. hindi pala.

we called his pedia to ask for his stool to be tested for food or milk allergy. we thought we need to know that first before we could switch to alimentum. it turns out, pwede naman palang mag-switch agad, hindi lang agad inadvise ng pedia namin. bukod sa mahal, nakakataba pala ang alimentum (or other formulas na pre-digested ang proteins). nabasa ko lang sa kaka-research.

so we switched to alimentum. first feeding, si je ang nakasaksi sa pagtunganga ni pistoy as if pinapakiramdaman sa tyan nya yung bagong lasa. second feeding, medyo ok-ok naman sya. then pinasa ko na si pistoy kay mama ayet while i catch some Zs. third feeding, namimilipit si pistoy, ire nang ire. parang ganon ang nangyari sa kanya sa Gerber Good Start (their standard formula).

so balik breast milk muna si pistoy the next 24 hours after ng 3rd feeding. buti na lang inipon namin yung pumped breastmilk ko.

after the 24 hour "purga" period, we introduced Enfamil Prosobee kay pistoy. so far, parang pareho ang effect sa kanya as with the Similac Isomil.

which leads me to believe na baka hindi sya ok sa cow's milk-based na formula. similac advance, sensitive and alimentum were all cow's milk-based. yung alimentum, kahit pa pre-digested ang protein, cow's milk-based pa rin.

binabantayan pa rin namin ang reaction ni pistoy sa enfamil soy. nag-ga-grunt pa rin sya, umiire. but at least, hindi naman sya namimilipit.

as with my breastmilk naman, so far so good. i'm still on strict (bland) diet to rule out yung proteins na napapasa ko. hay. andami kong di pwedeng kainin. i'm on an even stricter diet than when i was preggo.

first (recorded) "smile"

this short clip was taken last January 18. i was able to solicit a smile from pistoy a couple (?) of days bago ito, pero di namin na-video. may quota ata itong anak ko ng 1 smile-on-cue per day eh. hehehe!

jecobie, lola-mama ayet, lolo-papa norbie and i were just chillin' at home.tapos nilalaro ko si jecobie habang karga ni mama. bigla kong napatawa si pistoy! so takbo ako to get the cam, tapos nilalaro ko ulet. ayaw nang tumawa. asus!

si mama naman nag-try, at eto ang success story nya. hehehe!

pacifiers anyone?

i'm looking for a good pacifier for pistoy. he is using the Dr.Brown's bottles, so i thought i'd look for the Dr.Brown's pacifiers as well. unfortunately, then only have one type (ata, didn't find anything else online eh), the orthodontic type with a round top and flat bottom.

the one pistoy is currently using resembles the nipples on his bottles.

babycenter didn't mention any preference sa 2 types. and i think pistoy is over the hump of nipple confusion dahil alam na nya kung papano mag-latch sa akin.

the thing is, minsan kahit busog na sya, gusto lang nyang mag-suck, or gusto nyang may nakasalpak sa bibig nya. i don't want him to be dependent sa pacifier. pero if it will help him soothe himself at times, then i'm all up for it. question now is... how do i choose a pacifier? =P

lakwatsero

when i read somewhere na gusto ng mga babies sa kotse, nagtaka ako kung bakit. now i understand.

pistoy likes going out. pag nasa kotse sya, strapped in sa car seat, nalilibang nya ang sarili nya kahit di pa sya nakakakita masyado. the thing is, pag humihinto ang sasakyan, nabubugnot sya. tuwing may stoplight tuloy, we're all wishing na wag mag-red. or mag-green na agad soon. one time naiwan ang mag-ama at mag-lolo sa kotse while may binili kami sa grocery store ni mama. je had to drive around the parking lot to pacify him without taking him out of the car seat. tumatahimik daw pag umaandar.

uh-oh. i think we have a lakwatsero in the family. we gotta make sure laging may gasolina ang P-Mobile. =P

ps. reminds me of the mickeyD commercial: