Dade is now a Christian

Last December 14, our beloved son Dade, in the presence of our close family & friends, was finally baptized and became part of God’s family.

The ceremony took place at the Santuario de San Antonio Parish in Makati, and celebration thereafter was held at the Santuario de San Antonio Social Hall within the church compound. It was a beautiful Monday afternoon – sunny day, light traffic, and everyone was in good spirits.

We were so happy because even if the event fell on a weekday -- the first day of the workweek at that – a lot of our kith and kins still came. All our preparations were worth it!

Sharing with you some pictures of our son’s special day:

For more snaps, please feel free to drop by here.

Sick As A Dog

I hate to say this, but I've been sick since the year started. What a way to start the new decade!

I know that my body has succumbed to the stresses it went through while we were on holiday in Manila. Add the fact that people around us were sick, as well. A day before we flew out of the Philippines, I caught the flu bug so I was literally sick on the plane. Thankfully, I didn't have a fever, or else I would've been bumped off the flight. And good thing my son was cooperative because he slept on the bassinet without the need for much prodding. I barfed at the aircraft's toilet because my cough was just intolerable (sorry -- TMI!), and I nursed a headache since we took off (my drama moment added to my misery -- more on that later).

When we reached Dubai, I knew I'd be so sick I won't be able to report for work come Sunday. My throat was scratchy and my eyes welled up with tears. I had to see a doctor the day I was supposed to go back to work, and was advised to stay at home for another day to get some rest. I was prescribed medicines which were not lactation-friendly despite my request so I refused to take them for fear that I might pass them on to Dade thru nursing. I reported for work on the week's hump day, Tuesday, which is our midweek in this side of the world. I thought I was ok until I experienced the same symptoms early Monday morning. I went on sick leave again this time doubly worried as Dade seemed to have picked up the virus from me :( We had to bring him to Welcare Hospital's ER because his fever wasn't going below 38 degrees.

Thankfully, he's a breastfed baby because his temperature went back to normal in less than 24 hours. He still has colds, and sneezes every now and then, but he seems fine. Thanks to these handy items, we were able to monitor his temp, and help suck out the mucous from his system:

Braun Thermoscan Ear Thermometer

Nosefrida Nasal Aspirator -- a treasured find from The Soft Landing

My son is now better but the Mommy isn't. I came to work today hoping to catch up on my pending work but was told to go home as I didn't sound good. I was coughing like every 10 minutes and was looking so terribly sick. Feeling embarrassed, I decided to ask permission from my boss to take the rest of the day off.  Realizing that I am not going to get better overnight, I also applied for additional two days off which leaves me the rest of the week, including the adjacent weekend, to rest and get well.

So yes, poor little me is still sick but is very much hoping to get back to my true form real soon. I am solely relying on natural remedies, and getting ample sleep to make me feel better.  Please cough & colds, go away and leave me alone!

Breast Is Best

...and I am firmly sticking to that!

After Dade's check up with that pedia from Makati Med, I blindly followed her advice & succumbed to giving my son formula milk for fear that he is not getting enough nourishment *yep, big mistake!*  However, I decided to cut it off after having spoken to a lactation consultant (and after more or less 10 ounces of formula fed to my son - ouch!). I lost confidence in myself for a while but slowly regained it after a pep talk with the lactation consultant and after seeing Dade gain weight again. I swear, breastfeeding is really tough! Unless you're absolutely focused and dedicated to nursing, you'll never succeed. It takes a lot of willpower and bullheadedness to achieve your goal, which, unfortunately is not as easy as it seems.

Whenever I pray, I ask God for milk for my son. Yes, I pray for myself to produce enough milk for my little boy. It helps me loosen up & avoid getting stressed about my supply of milk.  Hubby is more supportive than before, and his encouraging words now help me get through each passing day. We are also happy that we have found a very good pedia for our son who supports me with my breastfeeding, and who also gives me & the hubby encouragement in raising our baby.

Things are falling in the right places now, and I cannot be happier!

What's In A Name?

Dade was finally baptized last Monday, 14th December. It was a pleasant afternoon - perfect for baby's naming day :)

Ever wondered why we named our son Dade and why his full name is such? I'll tell you why.

When I was still pregnant, as soon as we confirmed the gender of our baby, Ryan and I started thinking of names to call him. I initially wanted a Spanish sounding name to go well with our last name but the husband didn't approve of it. he wanted a Western sounding name, and so he got his wish. I searched for possible names in the internet, hoping to stumble upon a nice name for our son.

Then one day, Ryan suggested the name Dade. He's liked that name ever since he heard it from that 1995 movie "Hackers" (remember Angelina Jolie with her first husband, Jonny Lee Miller?) Dade Murphy a.k.a Crash Override/Zero Cool is the protagonist in the movie and his character was that of a computer whiz. I know he's so keen about that name because he uses that when he saves his PSP games.

And so I sought for names that would make "Dade" a possible nickname. Thanks to the internet, I got the perfect names for Dade - Daniel Jayden Erix, whose etymology are as follows:

Daniel - (dan-yel) Hebrew origin meaning "God is my judge". This name is also from one of the beloved bible stories, Daniel and the Lions' Den. Coincidentally, Daniel is the name of my maternal great grandfather.
Jayden - (jay-den) Hebrew origin meaning "Jehovah has heard". I personally love this name because of what it means. Dade is an answered prayer, and this name fits him perfectly.
Erix - (e-rix) Derived from the Old Norse name, Eric, which means "forever ruler". This was from Ryan's second name that I have requested to add to our first born's name.

Our son would probably not like us in the future for his lengthy name (especially when he starts writing it) but I hope someday, he would learn to appreciate it.

Still Alive

Been very busy since we arrived here in Manila last Friday, 4th December. Pardon me if i'll write in bullets because I have no time to gather my thoughts properly.

• Dade was well-behaved in the plane. Didn't fuss a lot, except when he was hungry. But sleeping was a challenge as he didn't want to stay put in the bassinet. He ended up sleeping in Ryan's arms for most part of the trip.
• Baptism preps are still underway. Been very, very busy contacting suppliers, meeting up with them, and coordinating everything in just a week's time. A few more days, and our REAL holiday will finally begin!
• Still have to shop for the right shoes for me to use for the baptism. I found the appropriate dress to wear - thanks to K & Company - they do have my size! :) I still need to find a pair of shoes to wear though.
  
• Gotta have Ryan's khakis altered.  He still has to have his black trousers tailored in time for the wedding we're to attend on the 21st!  Thanks to good 'ole Divi, I was able to get him a ready-to-wear barong tagalog.
• We're staying at my in-laws in Paranaque so it's convenient for us to get to places we need to go to. And thank heavens we have internet connection so I am still able to catch up with friends through the net.
  
• It's my maternal grandma's 88th birthday this coming Saturday. We're all so excited! My son will finally meet his other lolos, lolas, aunts, uncles & cousins from my side of the family.
• I am having problems with lactation. Since we arrived here in Manila, my son has been losing weight. It's so frustrating! We're now supplementing, and it's driving me nuts! I desperately want to exclusively breastfeed him but we're facing the challenge of low milk supply. I'm taking fenugreek and drinking Mother's Milk Tea to boost my supply. I'm contacting a lactation consultant to help me, too. It tears my heart when my son cries because he's bitin with his milk. I don't wanna give up BF!  If any of you have any suggestions, I'm open to them. I acknowledge the fact that i do need help.
  

I'll be posting pics of the baptism here next week. Bear with me and my post. I will try to write something more cohesive next week.

How about you guys, what have you been up to lately? Busy with Christmas shopping?