Our Little Man is Three!

Last week was a very busy day for me at home and at work. I'll just give you an idea of what happened on the past few days since I'm not yet done with my pending blog posts including my birthday post for Xian.We had a very slow internet connection.  Anong sinabi ni Pong Pagong. Ay grabe. I'm just using my phone for the past few days to connect to the internet that's why I'm planning to change our internet service provider at home soon.

>> Xian is not feeling well a day before his birthday. He had a slight fever. So we had an impromptu visit to his pedia.  Thinking that it's UTI, the doctor asked for urinalysis. Good thing that the result is normal. Ordinary fever lang  daw because of the weather. That's also the time I asked for vitamins replacement for Xian since his previous vitamins doesn't have any effects on him. Pansin ko lang. So he just prescribed new ones before we finally go home. Good thing that Xian's feeling better already on his actual birthday.We just had a simple celebration (day out) meant really for our little man to enjoy the day his way.

>> Since I'm working in a school, part of our activities where our presence is needed the most is the Graduation Day. Happy moments for students and parents which made me  remember my very own 2004 Grad Day. Saya na nakakamiss!

>> Then after Graduation, the next day we had our 2 days out of town trip at Matabungkay for our Employees' Day. Then the following day, back to work again.

>> family gathering,household errands etc.

So many things to do so little time!

So here's my better late than never birthday greetings for the little man.

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Date: March 25, 2012


Dear Xian, 

Happy Birthday, Baby!

3 years ago,God gave us the most precious gift and we will be eternally grateful to Him for giving you to us.

Time flies so fast and you're not so little anymore.it is with you that we have first experienced the joys,the pains and the fears that comes with parenthood.Everything with you is a first that we will forever cherish and remember.We're hoping and praying that you'll grow up to the kind of man we want you to be and in the future, we'll be contented knowing we have showered you enough love for you to share.

Happy happy birthday anak,we love you to infinity and beyond! ♥

birthday boy na bagong gising!

Love always,

Mommy and Daddy

Sunday @ Kiddy's Arts Town

Before we bought Xian's birthday gift at the mall last week, we had our lunch first at Red Ribbon then after that we brought him at Kiddy's Arts Town kiosk near the bakeshop.

Kiddy's Arts Town located in most malls offers arts and crafts that kids (even kids at heart like me!) can enjoy. Everytime we go to the mall we always see their little kiosk and as much as I want Xian to try and experience it that time, he's hesitant  to try it. Probably because most of the kids he saw there are older than him and they're so engrossed with what they're doing. Feeling nya di pa sya belong.hihi.

But last Sunday was different,tinanong ko sya if he wanted to try it and he willingly nod. So go kami.

Xian chose the fish pattern (Php 180) from the wide variety of choices. The chosen design was put in an aluminum plate.Then the staff provided Xian with cute apron and a small tray with rubber colored paints in squeezable tubes. They also provided toothpicks, cotton buds and tissues to clean up edges and wipe colors beyond the outline.

 Xian doing his masterpiece.

According to him, the reason kung bakit pink ang eyes ni fish is because of mommy and blue allover because of him and daddy.


After the little man finished his painting we give the pattern to the staff and she put it in the microwave oven for few minutes until the rubber paints dry up.

while waiting.

Presenting the final artwork! (of course with a little help from mommy.tee hee!)

It's absolutely a good and relaxing activity. We will definitely go back next time! :P

Pimp My Ride

The little man got his early birthday gift last Sunday.Because his happiness is also our ultimate happiness, here's what we've got for him this year:

Power Wheels Lightning McQueen car

I asked him what's the name of his car.I suggested "Macky" short for McQueen. Kaso panget daw yun.Cars2 na lang daw.haha! Anak naman, ayoko sana basagin trip mo pero pangalan ba yun? No matter how I insist  and suggest cute names, he always ends up with "Cars2". Maybe because that's his favorite McQueen movie of all time. haaay whatever,anak!

O sya pagbigyan na,after all sa kanya naman yun ba't ba ko nangengelam eh sa yun ang type ng bagets! ^-^

The features are really nice, even the husband agreed that the price is worth it.

 

 I noticed that the little man became so OC with his new ride that after he used it, he will immediately wipe the surface and park the car on its proper place in the corner of our living room (This weekend pa namin plan i-try sa outdoor.Sorry baby, KJ ang mommy.haha!). May instance pa nga na gusto nya i-wash ang car (just like what they do with Azul as one of their favorite daddy-son bonding moment). I just told him that daddy's car is different from baby's car. It also became his instant tambayan even when he's watching his favorite cartoons. 

He really love his car and the first time he knew about it as our birthday gift, his eyes instantly gleams with so much happiness. Ayun,deadmaru na ang blue bike nya.

I'm sure this is one of the most memorable gift he received from us for the past three years - his first car that he can actually drive around. Karera daw sila ni daddy paguwi, pero sya daw ang panalo kase magdi-drift daw sya.haha! haaaay anak, big boy ka na talaga.

Advance Happy birthday Xian naming mahal, we are really happy that you like our gift because to us, you are God's most precious gift.


Love always,
Mommy and Daddy

Xian @ SP Magazine March Issue

Since it's Xian's birthday week already, here's the little man on the latest issue of Smart Parenting Magazine Kiddie Greets together with the other Mighty March celebrants!:)

can you spot Xian? ^-^

Don't forget to buy the March issue with Chesca Garcia-Kramer with her pretty daughters Kendra and Scarlett on the cover. For my Xian, he loved the National Geographic Little Kids magazine that comes with it.

To know more about what's in store for you with this issue, click here.

Thank you so much Smart Parenting for my birthday boy's early greetings,may online na meron pa sa print. You made us really happy! 'Til next year! :P

Sisters and Coffee

It's hard to be responsible adult and sensible all the time.  How good it is to have a sister whose heart is as young as your own.  ~ Pam Brown

I report to work last Monday after my almost 1 week leave. After that busy day at work, I met up with my sister Sol before she goes to Laguna (where she's working). She's Xian's spoiler no wonder she's the little man's most favorite tita ninang.hehe. We only see each other during weekends and whenever she's off from her work. Just like the last time when she accompanied me on my hospital moments. I mentioned in my posts before that since I grew up with my lola, Sol and I we're like twins no wonder she seldom calls me ate. I'm just 1year, 11months and 24 days older than her kase. But we're really close to the truest form of being sisters. Same thing with my other sibs. That's one of the perks of having a big family. Pero dahil siguro magkasunod kami,mas close talaga kaming dalawa. To her, I'm Johan. Minsan Joanna. Pag badtrip na yan,Johanus. Kung siraan na din lang ng pangalan, para saken sya naman si Marsola (Marisol is her real name). Pero kay Xian, she's Ninang Asol.period.hahaha!

She's my maabilidad sister. We're both born under the zodiac sign of Virgo, that's why we have the same personality but compare to me, there are a lot  more things she's  really interested with like traveling and photography. She also loves to read novels. Yung makakapal talaga ha. She goes hiking with her friends every once in a while. She loves to discover new things. Between us, she's really the adventurous one. She loves to talk on just about anything,kahit politics updated sya. Tanungin mo nga sya kung ano ng updates sa impeachment trial ni CJ Corona,alam nya eh.hahaha! Kung ako introvert, sya extrovert. Kung ako kuntento na sa galang malapit, sya mas feel na malayo. Kung ako friendly (ehem) sya friendlier. Pwede ding friendliest.

She had been to different places here in the Philippines and had her first trip out of the country last year para lang maglamyerda. Kung may Jack-of-All-Trades, she's the Jill-of-All-Trades. She's simply amazing (I can't think of any other adjective na kaya sagad na yun!)

Kfine,Kaw na talaga sis.Boypren na lang kulang sayo.hahaha.
 

Anyway, dako na tayo sa coffee part, enough na sa sisters. chos! This is  sort of Part 2 of "our celebration" after our Shakey's lunch last Wednesday after my minor operation.We're supposed to go to The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf but ended up at Figaro. You know naman us girls,pabago-bago ng isip at nangunguna na kami dun.

So here's the best way to end my semi-stressful Monday, a date with my twin sis.

 our favorite frost (Blackberry Mocha and Chocolate Light)

Arrabbiata (again) for me. I had the tendency to order the same food again and again hangga't di ako nagsasawa.lol.

Pesto for sissie.

multi-tasking.lol.

 big little sister and little big sister!

After our date, hinatid pa nya ko sa sakayan before having our separate ways to make sure na safe ako.Sweet! If I know gusto lang nya paramdam saken na engot talaga ako tumawid sa kalsada.hehehe.Then when I got home,after I checked my fb, nakapag-status na kagad si dear sister sa fb nya:

"Behind every good conversation is a substantial amount of coffee together with the best sister in the world who pays for it"

Naks.Yun pala ang nakalimutan ko i-mention, bolera din yan.hahaha!

Hopefully mabasa nya 'to kase over-over na puri ko. I think I also deserve a libre after this! lol.

I love you sis,alammonayan! Mwah!

Daddy Allan's Birthday = Xian's Happy Day

The husband celebrated his 29^th Birthday last Friday, and according to him the best birthday gift for Him is knowing that I’m in good health after what I’ve gone through. Sweet naman ni birthday boy, kaya ayun di ko na sya ibinili gift.chos lang!

Daddy's Birthday Cake

Gift for the birthday boy na di obvious kung san nabili.

The last time I made blueberry cheesecake, Allan liked it. So I really planned to make another one for his birthday, but since I’m taking extra careful in using my left hand nowadays because of my surgical operation few days ago (left-handed pa naman ako) cancel na muna ang plano, I’ll reserve it sa birthday ni Xian. So I opted to  buy Red Ribbon’s Dedication Cake instead.

That day, since I’m still on leave first thing in the morning nag-Skype kami after he woke up.agad na! Since the time difference is 7 hours, he's already up at 3 AM before he goes to work that day so we still have 3 hours of online kwentuhan. Xian kept on shouting “happy birthday daddy! I love you.” kaya naman di mapigilan ni Allan mangiti ng ear to ear. Feeling ko nga iiyak na eh,haha. As usual kung anu-ano lang topic namin which made me miss the husband more.

After our online family date, since Allan will be preparing to go to work na so we said our temporary goodbye online. We had our lunch at home courtesy of the best chicken inasal in town,syempre pa Mang Inasal.hahaha! Ganyan talaga pag tinamad na magluto. After lunch, Xian and I together with Inay went to Lipa to attend the mass kaso wala namang misa ng 2 pm ano, so we just stayed inside the church for 20 minutes and have our prayers and lit candles for our special intentions. 

for our little family.

Gusto daw nya ng photo op kay Mama Mary.

After that, we went to the mall for Xian’s dose of playtime and spend the next couple of hours there.

As usual, carousel ride first then playtime at Active Fun then after magsawa, we went at Timezone and he tried all the rides. Itinerary na yun ng bagets whenever we’re at the mall. And he really knows how to describe kung ano feel nya sakyan.

“Mommy I like dun sa funny car”

So I accompanied him to one of the car rides there, only to find out na hindi daw yun. Then he pulled me towards another ride across the room with an educational screen that kept on saying “funny car.. funny car..” and then the little man told me “Ayan,this one.funny car!” So yun pala yun. 

The "funny car" he's talking about.

I had an hour time out from this super kulit toddler sa Active Fun,since he’s busy playing with other kids and I don’t have to worry since it’s safe inside naman and there are attendants who always monitor the kids. While waiting, I just enjoyed the free wi-fi at the mall.

After nya magsawa, we just bought some new loots for Xian then dropped by to Red Ribbon again to buy spaghetti and empanada before we finally head home. Something that we can share to relatives, since di nga ko nakapagluto.

The yummy spaghetti

I'm looking for the empanada pic in my cam pero di ko na makita yung shot, I think alam ko na kung sino ang culprit na batang makulit!

It was a simple celebration of the hubby's birthday. He said that we really made his birthday happy and memorable despite the distance. 

Belated Happy Birthday Daddy love, Xian and I loves you to infinity and beyond!♥

Before I forgot, Xian already opened your gift. He claimed his right of being  "The Little Allan" and your partner in crime while you're away.hihi.

 

 

Facing the Biggest Scare of My Life (Part 2)

I noticed that all of my March posts are about what I’ve gone through for the past few days that I was missing in action here in my blog. So here’s the continuation of my previous post and finally the last installment. Woohoo! I’ll be back to regular programming after this post.

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So I chose to have my check up few days before dear hubby’s birthday. Feeling ko I gained a lot of courage that time. All I was thinking are pure positive thoughts. I do not entertain nega vibes. Naka-set na ko sa mood na yun and ayokong mawala na naman sa focus.

March 6. I woke up early to prepare to go to the hospital. Our initial plan is that my sister will accompany me but the moment Xian saw us and noticed that I’m not wearing my office uniform (meaning: may lakad ako at hindi sa work ang punta ko) it alarmed the little man, he insisted to go with us. So we also accompanied Inay. In short, para lang kami mamamasyal that time.

Before heading to Mary Mediatrix Medical Center, we dropped by to Redemptorist Church first and in my mind, I put everything in His hands although I know that God knows what’s really on my mind and heart that I will do everything just to be with Xian and Allan.

At the hospital, we went first to my OB. Few minutes before my turn, I’m thinking that hopefully the findings will be fibroadenoma. Keri ko pa yun. Ok lang for me to undergo minor surgery to take the lump out, wag lang talaga breast cancer. I’m willing to face all of my fears now more than ever for the sake of my two boys. While waiting Xian entertain us with his antics to the delight of those people near us.

After few minutes of waiting na di naman nakakainip because the area is wi-fi zone,my turn came. I really like Dra. Diga, the OB who checked me. She’s really one of the best in her field, pretty and smart at the same time. After a series of background and health check and the usual palpation of the breasts, she’s very cool lang about it and although she confirmed that I really have a lump on my left breast she didn’t dropped any alarming words naman so I assumed that everything is under control which lessen my anxiousness, then after a couple of minutes with her she referred me to a surgeon, Dr. Marquino which I am already familiar with since I always cover him during my med rep days a couple of years ago.

So we went to his clinic at the ground floor of that same building, after the surgeon checked the lump with the help of his attendant. His initial reaction is “medyo malaki na nga sya, about 2-3 cm. Kelan mo sya balak ipatanggal?” I instantly answered with “bukas na po” and then as fast as that he said “ok,set kita ng 12noon ha.it’s just a minor surgical procedure, out-patient lang.makakauwi ka na din the same day”

 I was like, wow! So ganun lang pala kadali yun. Then he asked me to have my sonography (ultrasound) and asked me to process my HMO, since I’m under Medicard. After spending the whole day at the hospital with a super kulit toddler in tow, I’m ready for tomorrow!

March 7. I came at 11 AM with my sister and the procedure started 15 minutes before 12:00N. I’m not feeling nervous, sakto lang. Probably because gusto ko na talaga matapos once and for all.

They do the usual OR procedure (hair cap and gown, skin test, checking of vital signs, and everything) since the last time I had an OR experience was when I gave birth to Xian through cesarean section. The next thing I knew I was already on the operating table. Feeling ko that time manganganak lang ulit ako except that hindi baby,kundi lump ang ineexpect namin na matanggal. Weird. The nurse even said few minutes before the operation “mam first time nyo ma-OR?” To which I promptly answered with “hindi,second time na” Pero in fairness, the three female nurses who assisted my surgeon are all friendly and approachable. Then I later on found out that one of them is an alumna of the school where I work.

They just gave me a local anesthesia since it’s just a minor operation. I was awake during the whole duration and I hear all the casual stuffs they are talking about. They really make me feel at ease. The operation took only 15-20 minutes. Ganun kabilis. Dr. Marquino said “ok, almost done. You can go home later” I am being sutured already and bandaged. I was given a slew of pain killers and other medicines to take for seven days.

After that we proceed to the recovery room and there, I rest for 2 hours before they finally allowed me to go out. After settling the hospital bill, my sister and I had our late lunch at Shakey’s “to celebrate” before we finally head home.

And then after a few days, I finally got the final step which is the pathological results and the very good news of all… the biopsy showed the lump to be Fibroadenoma, like what I expected! I felt so relieved as I walked out the hospital. I could not be thankful enough to God, to my boys - Allan and Xian and my whole family and to everyone including you, yes you who knew about this little secret of mine. Praise God!

I have a lot of realizations from this experience after this breast cancer scare, that health is really wealth for us moms. That I can really conquer my fear pala for the sake of my family. Sometimes,ok lang naman maging paranoid.wag lang yung sobra! Haha.

Life is really great.

On a serious note, I may not have had cancer but I know there are a lot of people who are suffering from breast cancer. Let us include them and their family in our prayers to stay strong for their family.

photo source: image from Google