Mine

Hubby randomly asked me the other day if he had given me a Christmas gift last year. I know, so weird, right?  Thing is, he has this habit of letting me choose & buy what I want -- he just needs to know the price tag first.  He could never surprise me with something because he's always afraid I might not like what he picks out for me. Besides, he's left the "surprise deals" to me as I'm the one good at pulling them off.

I seriously do not know what came over him to ask me about the Christmas pressie. I could only guess that he probably realized that among the 3 of us, I was the only one who did not open any gift on Christmas eve. I sorta wasn't expecting a gift anyway 'cos he just bought me a pair of south sea pearl earrings a couple of weeks before Christmas.  He said that didn't count 'cos that was my long overdue "push gift".  I considered that my cue to find a nice gift for myself.

I know I already have enough bags in my closet, but it wouldn't hurt to wish for another bag to add to my collection. Anyway, the bag I wanted is a practical choice -- not a designer so it's much affordable, and can also double as a weekend Mommy bag. I've been searching high & low for this bag, only to find out that it's just under my nose.

Apparently, Longchamp released the Le Pliage Eiffel Tower bags as part of their S/S 2010 Collection in all their stores worldwide. As soon as I learned of this, I phoned Longchamp in Dubai Mall straight away, and was happy to hear that they still have a handful of stocks. So we trooped to the mall yesterday afternoon and bought this at a price you'll never believe:

Since it will be my weekend bag, I snagged the long/large tote. It was the husband who picked out the color, of course :)

Thank you, habibi! I love it! Mwah!

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.