the catch up post, part 2

January is over and I have yet to wrap up my catch up posts! Seriously, someone stop the clock!

December 27

We made our way back to San Pablo City. Ziv threw up the morning of our departure from Calapan but I thought it was just one of those episodes. I didn't worry about it and pushed through with our travel plans. Ziv did well during the trip back. He didn't throw up while we were at the fast craft.
 

Daddy picked us up at the Batangas Pier. We had lunch at the Tree House Restaurant before making our way to San Pablo City. When we were almost home, Ziv threw up again. That's when I started to be concerned, but not so much to stop us from going to the mall. Ziv threw up again before going to bed that night.

December 28

Ziv playing with Lolo and his gift; with the Martinez family

Tita Thet and family came by to see us. It was just a quick visit though because we had to travel to Sta. Rosa to meet up with Ninang George, and later, Dada's friends. Ziv threw up that morning but he wasn't showing signs of illness, plus he was able to keep down some breast milk, so we decided to push through with our plans.

With Ninang George and Dada's friends

When we got to Nuvali at Sta. Rosa, we met with Ninang George first. We had lunch at Conti's. Before our food came though, Ziv had a major, major blowout. The poop was loose and he got it all over his butt, lower back and thighs. Poor thing. Ze hubby and I were overwhelmed and got in a frenzy while changing Ziv I didn't notice I got some poop on my dress! Anyway, we got it done eventually. I had to wash the changing mat and all of Ziv's clothing. We didn't lose our appetites though and ate our lunch with gusto.

After that, we said goodbye to Ninang George then went to Italianni's to have lunch part 2/meryenda with ze hubby's friends. While there, I fed Ziv a jar of Gerber then 150ml of breast milk. I was relieved when he didn't throw up. From Italianni's, we walked to Serenitiea for more chika. 

We were able to go home that evening without any puking episodes so I thought maybe now that he pooped, the worst is over. But when it was time for bed, Ziv threw up again.

December 29

I can't remember if we were able to sleep the previous night but when Ziv woke up in the morning, he was weak and cranky. He wasn't able to keep anything down that I started using a huge bath towel as a bib while he was feeding. I decided to take him to the pediatrician later that morning.

We went to Dra. Oro, who was my and my siblings' pediatrician. When she saw Ziv she said to just take him to the hospital and have him hooked up to an IV as he was already dehydrated. 

We went home to pack some things then went to the San Pablo Medical Center ER. The attendant was able to check Ziv but Daddy and ze hubby found out that there were no private rooms available. If we wanted to have Ziv confined, we'd have to stay in a ward. I balked at the idea so I we checked out the Community Hospital. Same thing, no private rooms available. We moved on to the Doctors' Hospital. Same story, but they said we can get wait listed then just transfer to a private room in the afternoon. I almost signed up but when I checked the ward, I changed my mind. I told them we'd just go home and call later to see if we can get a private room.

On our way home, we stopped by the Community Hospital ER again. Fortunately, someone checked out early and a room was available! We were relieved! But when the doctor checked Ziv, he said we can just monitor him at home and instead of hooking him up to an IV, we can just give him Pedialyte. He also prescribed medicine for diarrhea and fever, just in case Ziv gets them and an anti-bacterial. So before heading back, we stopped by the pharmacy and got all those.

Ziv was super tired so I put him to bed when we got home. The doctor advised to limit his milk and food intake and just give him Pedialyte. I did exactly that. However, when Ziv woke up, he was starved. I gave him a few ounces of milk but it wasn't enough. He complained! I gave him Pedialyte instead. So glad there's a fruit flavored version of this. He gulped it like there was no tomorrow!

We didn't have much rest that evening as Ziv kept waking up out of hunger. But good thing though, he wasn't throwing up anymore! Yey!

The following morning, Ziv woke up hungry, but in a better condition than the previous day. After 24 hours of zero vomiting, I felt it was safe to feed him milk again. I didn't give him a full feeding though just to be safe, but that evening, he was taking and keeping his normal milk feeds in. I was so happy Ziv was okay again!

December 30. Ziv was making faces again!

This episode scared me! It was the first time Ziv got sick and it had to happen in the Philippines! I wasn't worried about the competence of the doctors but the sight of the facilities made me uneasy. They were old and seemed outdated. And the ward? My goodness. I don't know about the other hospitals  but the four-bedder at Doctors' Hospital was cramped. Baka lalo pang magkasakit ang anak ko dun! I'm really thankful Ziv was able to recover without need for hospitalization. It would've been so stressful.

December 31

We had New Year's Eve dinner at my Tita Gina's home but we had to leave early because Ziv was already super sleepy. I also snoozed for a bit and woke up in time for the fireworks. 

January 1

Heard mass with Daddy, visited mommy then had lunch at home.

Just happy to be with my family.

the catch up post, part 1

I've been a delinquent blogger. More than a month has passed since my last entry! The holidays and the weeks after that were pretty hectic and I haven't had the time to go online and do much writing. It would be such a chore to write about the undocumented five weeks so I'd just use photos.

December 19

Christmas came early for Ziv! Since we were bound for Manila on the 21st, we made Ziv open his presents on the 19th. He got super cool toys from his Singapore aunts and uncles--a learning walker from Ninang Nell, a walker/ride-on from Tito Erwin and Tita Khay and a so, so fun ball popper from Tito Gerald and Tita Rina. For his first Christmas, I and ze hubby decided to give Ziv the classic book, Guess How Much I Love You.

December 21

Travel day to Manila. We left home around noon then arrived in NAIA early evening. Ziv didn't sleep during the flight, except for a couple minutes before landing, so we had to keep him entertained. Good thing we flew via Singapore Airlines; the screen, Puss and Boots, and Elmo came in handy. From the airport, my dad and brother picked us up and then we made our way to San Pablo City.

Ziv playing right before boarding; Sophie travelled with us!

December 22

We left San Pablo City around 5am to travel to Calapan City, ze hubby's hometown. My dad drove us to the Batangas City Pier where we'll be boarding the fast craft to Oriental Mindoro. Ze hubby misread the ticket and thought the fast craft was leaving at 6am, when the actual departure time was 6:30. We thought for a minute it would leave without us but luckily, we made the terminal with just enough time to check in and have our luggages inspected.

It was Ziv's first time to travel by water; Bonding with Lolo Eddie and Lola Lagring

Ziv did well during the journey. When we arrived at the Calapan City Port, Lola Lagring and Auntie Nol were already waiting for us.

We spent most our days in Calapan eating, lounging, sleeping and eating, while Ziv played when he wasn't napping or tormenting Andrew, the house cat. Tita Kim, ze hubby's close friend visited us while we were there too!

Ziv going after Andrew; Ziv with Tita Kim

Ziv also spent time with Lola Emy and Ate Nikki who lived right next door, as well as Kuya MJ, who visited with his Lola Nelly.

Ziv playing with Ate Nikki; Ziv thoroughly entertained by Kuya MJ

December 25

The previous day, ze hubby got hit by a stomach bug. The poor thing had a fever, diarrhea and was throwing up. He wasn't able to eat the sumptuous noche buena mama prepared, which included crispy pata and pancit, but he stayed up for the exchanging of gifts. 

Fortunately, ze hubby recovered and felt well, like nothing happened, on Christmas morning. We had a nice breakfast, Ziv opened his presents and then we went to church.

That afternoon, the Chavez family reunion, which mama and papa were hosting, took place. There were lots of food, fun games, a raffle, gift distribution and a bit of entertainment too. We had a blast!

Ziv opening presents on his first Christmas morning; Ziv receiving pamasko from Lola Maring

Ziv got to meet most of his lolos and lolas, aunts and uncles and cousins from his paternal grandmother's side.

The Chavez clan

He won't remember any of them, but we'll make sure he'll get the chance to meet them again when he's older.

Ziv fell asleep during the reunion; With Lolo Eddie, Lola Lagring and Tita Apple

This reunion happens every year after all.

the annual family photo

One of the traditions I grew up with is the annual family photo. Each year, usually when Christmas was near, we would have our photo taken so we could send it out to friends and relatives overseas. We usually just set up the timer on a camera or ask someone to take the photo for us at home. There was one time though when we went to an actual Kodak studio to have our photo taken. I have that picture with me here.

The Kodak family photo

The annual family photo tradition is something I'd like to continue now that I have my own family. I wanted to have ours professionally done this year since it's Ziv's first Christmas, but I just found the packages here too expensive. Besides, there were a lot of things we had to consider such as Ziv's nap time, his anxiety towards strangers, the weather, the location, the attire--too stressful!

So I just took out my trusty tripod, mounted my EOS and whipped out my shutter remote control. We couldn't be bothered with the logistics of shooting somewhere that required a commute so we had the photo shoot at our estate's park. Same place where we shot Ziv's Halloween photos.

It was the last weekend of November and it rained the previous night. The sky was gray but I was thankful it didn't rain. I tried to get plenty of shots before Ziv (and ze hubby) got cranky.

The Mateo Family, 2011

Luckily, I managed to get a couple of shots good enough for our holiday cards, and that I even got a few shots of Ziv smiling. It was almost his nap time when we packed up.

I'm happy with the way our photos turned out, and they didn't cost a cent.

diptych #12: Ziv's first Christmas ornament

It's Ziv's first Christmas and I don't only want to make lots of memories but I want to keep them for him as well. He's only nine months old and I'm sure he wouldn't even remember what we did. I'm planning to take plenty of photos so when he's older, he'll be able to look at them while I tell him the story of his first Christmas.

But aside from that, I wanted to have something to commemorate this milestone by. I scoured Etsy, Amazon and Ebay and found lots of really nice first Christmas ornaments but they were quite pricey and had to be shipped from the US. So I turned to Pinterest hoping I would find something I could do myself.

At first I thought about doing a clay ornament but realized that would be messy and time-consuming. Plus I'd have to buy paint to make it more festive. I searched some more and found, this, this and this. I figured that making a time capsule ornament would be easiest to do. I just had to look for a glass ball I can fill.

So last weekend, we dropped by Spotlight at Plaza Singapura. That store has everything--bed covers, curtains, bathroom accessories, textiles, decorative items, toys and craft materials. We walked around and didn't stop until we found fill-able glass ornaments. It wasn't easy and I almost gave up because Ziv was fussing already. Luckily, I found them at the aisle closest to the other exit. It was a pack of six 60mm glass baubles with removable tops and was priced $6. 

After that, I picked up a spool of red ribbon which cost $1.49. When I was at the cashier, I was expecting to pay around $7 but the amount that showed up at the register was only $4.49! Turned out all Christmas ornaments were half price. That made me really happy.

Today, I filled up one of the baubles and here's the finished ornament:

I put Ziv's Halloween photo inside since we don't have a Christmas photo yet. Once we have that then I'll change or maybe add it in. I also put Ziv's foot and hand prints plus a couple of notes saying it's Ziv's first Christmas and that he will be spending it at Lolo Eddie and Lola Lagring's home in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro. When we've had the actual celebration, I'd add more notes so when Ziv's grown up, he can read all about his first Christmas, plus see how tiny his foot and hand were!

Christmas, soon

Writing on greeting cards while listening to Christmas songs. Is there any other way to do it?

It's December! Just 23 days to go before Christmas and 19 days before we fly back home. Ze hubby and I have celebrated the past three Christmases here in Singapore but this year we're going to his hometown of Calapan City in Oriental Mindoro province. They're hosting this year's reunion of my mother-in-law's side of the family. It's going to be interesting, especially since it's the first time we'd be bringing Ziv to such a huge gathering.

After three years of spending the holidays quietly here, I'm not quite looking forward to all the chaos associated with Christmas in the Philippines especially the horrible traffic. I hope we don't get stuck on a road somewhere! What I'm excited about though are the family get-togethers, meet-ups with friends and the food! Oh the puto bumbong, the bibingka, the fiesta fare--all of them! I'm pretty sure I'll pack on some (or a lot) more pounds.

Anyway. Back to greeting-card-writing. Hope to send these ASAP!

what are you thankful for?

Source: whatinspires.me via Liz on Pinterest

It's Thanksgiving Day in America and while our families and friends on that side of the world are feasting on huge turkeys, it's just an ordinary day here in Asia. But that doesn't mean we can't reflect on the things we're thankful for. Gratitude is a good practice, not only on specific days of the year, but every single day.

So here are some of the things, big and small, that I'm thankful for, in no particular order:

• My husband, who is such an awesome provider and a wonderful father

• My son, who gives us joy every moment of every day

• The roof on our heads, even if it's tiny and messy and rented, it still gives us a cozy place to be a family

• Food on the table more than three times a day

• My family. Always.

• My Lola's health. She's 85 and counting!

• Friends who got my back.

• Technology, which allows us to keep in touch with family and friends.

• The aparment's washing machine, which shakes violently each time it's on spin mode. Still better than handwashing.

• Our tumble dryer. No need to hang clothes!

• My Medela Pump in Style. Without it, Ziv wouldn't still be drinking breast milk.

• Dr. Marc Weissbluth and his book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. Without it, Ziv might not be sleeping as well as he does.

• My Canon EOS 450D. Yes, it may be considered ancient by now but still it allows me to record moments of my life.

• My DELL Inspiron 1525. It may be old and not a Mac but it does its job well.

• The Internet. Can't live without it.

• Disposable diapers. I just don't want to add cloth diapers to my wash load.

What about you? What are you thankful for?

Ziv's first Halloween

Ziv's first Halloween consisted mainly of a photo shoot with him wearing a monkey costume. That's it. 

Ze hubby and I didn't grow up celebrating Halloween. We knew of the holiday but when we were young, we didn't wear costumes or go trick or treating. When we were older, we never went to Halloween parties neither.

There are a couple of trick or treating events here in Singapore but I thought Ziv was too young. He doesn't even have teeth yet! Maybe when he's a toddler we'll take him to one of those so he can have fun wearing a costume of his choice and get lots of sweets (not that he'll be allowed to eat them). Maybe we'll start that tradition. 

In the meantime, photos would have to do. 

I'm glad he was such a breeze to shoot despite the heat that day. The costume, although sleeveless, was quite hot because it was made of faux fur and not designed for tropical weather. Ze hubby got it from the US on his last trip. It was on sale at eBay. We didn't want to spend a fortune on something Ziv will only wear once. 

Oh, by the way, that plush pepper-looking banana was part of his dada's costume once. Just can't remember if it was for Halloween or Christmas though.

hello 2011!

Reden and I celebrated the coming of the new year at the Conrad Centennial Singapore. We  thought it would be a nice change from our usual celebration here at our apartment in Upper East Coast. 

We checked in at around lunch time on New Year's Eve then had a delicious seafood lunch at the Manhattan Fish Market at Marina Square. After that we went back to the hotel and took a nap. We woke up to the pitter patter of raindrops on our room's windows and figured it would be nice to have afternoon tea at the Executive Lounge, where there was an extensive selection of snacks and beverages.

Around 6PM we started to get ready for our 8PM dinner at Golden Peony. We had our clothes pressed earlier that afternoon and they were delivered right on time. At around past 7PM, we checked out the hors d'oeuvres served at the Executive Lounge but unfortunately, they already ran out of food! Reden just had a glass of wine, while I sampled a piece of dimsum. I didn't want to be too full for our 5-course dinner!

At 8PM, we went to Golden Peony, where we were promptly lead to our table. I think it was our first time to have a semi-formal date like this and it was really nice. The environment was relaxed and the place wasn't intimidating. We had a great time chatting in between courses, which were all delicious! 

Since we were in the city, we thought we could walk close to where the fireworks will be displayed, but we were too full after our dinner and just too lazy to do anything! So we just turned on the TV and watched from there. 

It was a memorable new year's eve celebration and I hope we can do it again! 

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Scrapbook page credits: Background papers, metal clips and alpha from Citrus Blitz kit from scrapbooks etc.

the post-Christmas post

The Christmas celebrations are done and now we're counting down to the new year. All that's left is the chicken macaroni salad, a few slices of ham steak and a few servings of kare-kare. 

Here's a summary of our holiday in photos:

We also attended the Christmas Eve mass at Holy Family Church. Father Pat said, the most important gift we can give others this Christmas (and always, I think) is ourselves. I agree. Sometimes we get caught up in the consumerism that we forget what the season really means.

***

The first Sunday after Christmas was the Feast Day of the Holy Family. Listening to the mass readings and Archbishop Chia's homily made me feel grateful for the family I have. I appreciate the way Mommy and Daddy raised us and I'll keep their parenting techniques in mind when I raise my own kids. I'm also grateful for my in-laws because if they hadn't raised my dear Reden the way they did, I don't think we'll be half as good a man as he is now. 

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Scrapbook page credits: Red background paper from Charming Christmas kit by Shannon Jackson and crumpled stitched stars from Christmas Time kit by Marie Stones, both at Free Digital Scrapbooking.