I miss

I miss blogging.. and posting pics... and so many other stuffs. But my time is consumed by taking care of a baby. I am still pretty much as hands on as I can be sometimes with my mama and ate lorna's help. No yaya exclusively for him, its still us changing his nappy, putting him to sleep, sterilizing his bottles, feeding him, preparing his food, giving him baths, etc, etc. Save for leaving him sometimes for date nights and some gimiks, we're still together, glued at the hip. Also, I love playing around with my nieces so we usually just spend weekends at home with my family.

During the week, when we're in Novaliches, we have so much errands to run and sleep to catch up on. I have barely seen my high school friends. We are so busy... I'm trying to make the most of this vacation by spending time with my family and introducing Eli to his cousins.

Just a while ago, before leaving for Novaliches, Abby was trying to get me to leave Eli with her. She kept on pleading and then demanding I leave Eli with her. FYI, Abby is my 2 year old niece. When we're in Mandaluyong, Eli and Abby are both up early because they want spend so much time playing with each other. It makes my heart swell to see him interact with his cousins, but also sad because I know in a few months time, he will have only me to play with. That's why I really want to make the most of this vacation by letting Eli spend time with his cousins.. I don't want him to grow up not close to his "girls".. which is a sad fate for most of those relatives who grew up in another country.

Since we also started feeding him solids, more time is needed to be at home. It consumes a lot of our time. I have to wait for him to ne ready to eat (not sleepy, not full but not too hungry either), then feed him, then bathe him. Right after bathing him he gets really sleep and wants to nurse right away. That takes up a lot of time. Now we're going to try to feed him twice a day, so I can just imagine how much time that will consume.

Haaaaayyyy.... sometimes I miss not having to make my movements in accordance to a baby's needs and demands. I miss being my own boss, moving at my own pace, doing my own thing.. going to places wherever I want to go to, without thinking if it's safe or alright for a baby... or going out without hurrying home because of worry that my baby might need me or something.

But when I look at that sweet face, when I hear him call me "Mam Mam, Mom Mom"... when I see him start to get excited whenever he hears my voice or whenever I enter the room.. when I see him not want anyone to carry him but me whenever he's sleepy, tired, hungry or just plain "sweet"... I realize I would not want to change anything in my life. I would never not want to not have Eli in my life.

Honestly, I still sometimes mourn my old life, especially when I have bouts of doubts about being too young and not ready, but I can't really say that I want that life back again when I have something much more meaningful, a different kind of joy now.

High - Low

We have been waiting for Eli to laugh. We knew it could happen anytime now. Last Sunday, July 19, he first rolled over. He's been doing so ever since. He even slept last night like an adult -- on his side.

This morning, while I introduced to him Lai-lai, his stuffed bulldog that Ton and I bought waaaay before he was born, he had another milestone. He LAUGHED!!! And it was music to my ears. Luckily, I was recording him on video, although it was pretty shakey and out of focus sometimes becaus I was only holding the camera with one had while I held Lai-lai with the other hand.

Then at 6 pm, my ate emailed me that my Uncle Nengneng has passed away. He was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver just last April. I found out just this May because Papa and the others didn't want Mama to find out yet then, or else she might get restless here (she was here then). Uncle Nengneng was the husband of my Mama's sister, Auntie During.

It's so sad because he was one of those people who you just never thought would get sick. He was strong as a Carabao with no vices. He's a farmer and kagawad in our province. Aside from being my uncle, he was a kabarkada to my parents waaay back on their high school.

It's sooo sad... it was so sudden and unexpected. But my Papa told me yesterday that we know he is in a good place now. He told them so himself. He has seen Jesus and it was a happy place where he's going. All the pain and suffering of the past few months would now pass. It's too bad we can't be with our family to grieve and mourn the loss of a member of our family. I was hoping Eli would get to meet him at least.

So I ask you to pray with me and my family for the soul of a good man, a good father, a good husband, a good grandfather, a good uncle, my Uncle Nengneng, Ernesto Valencia.

Sorry

I just found out I can import my old blogger blogs here. Which is why I probably flooded people's inboxes. Sorry!

Happy Fathers Day!

Today we celebrate Father's Day! Happy Dad's day to my Papa of course who to this day still continues to spoil me... and to my dear husband who is the best new dad in the whole wide world! Eli and I love you so much!

Thank you for taking care of our son when I am too tired and sleepy. Thank you for taking care of our meals while I'm feeding Eli. Thank you for doing the laundry because I cannot leave Eli alone. Thank you for putting him to sleep every night. Thank you for changing his nappies whenever you are home. Thank you for making bath time his favorite time of the day. Thank you for carrying him whenever he gets cranky especially when we're at the mall. Thank you for working so hard to provide for us. Thank you for cleaning and sterilizing his pump and bottles whenever we are to go out. Thank you for taking care of us without complaining even though I know you are tired and sleepy from working.

Thank you for a whole lot more than words can say. We are very lucky to have you Daddy Bae! It's too bad the gift you wanted is out of stock. Don't worry, we'll get it someday! We love you so much!!!

Later we eat!

Waiting for Stuffs

I hate waiting... right now I'm waiting for so many things. Here are the stuffs I'm waiting for:

1. Eli's CCTB - CCTB is Canada Child Tax Benefit... in short, milk money from the government. They screwed up my application saying I'm not qualified since I do not meet the citizenship/residency requirements. This is crap since I am a permanent resident. Turns out, they don't have my records up to date. So I had to mail them some paperworks proving my residency and asking they update their records. It's taking so long. I filed this last April and it's almost June!

2. Amazon.ca order - we ordered a book, The Happiest Baby on the Block, and some CDs and DVDs for Eli. I cannot wait to read that book! I wanna learn new techniques! Problem with Amazon is that they just leave the mail on your doorstep. I'm always worrying about people stealing my mail.

3. Eli's passport - We sent this in first week of May after receiving his birth certificate and having his picture taken. Today, it got sent back to us due to incomplete requirements. Turns out, I forgot to sign it. I am such a dummy. Now we resent it and it cost us $14 for Expresspost. Darnit! All because of me.

4. My Longchamp bag - when Magnums.net had a mother's day sale, I asked DH to buy me a bag as a gift. I received an email saying they shipped it out last wednesday but I still haven't received it. It's coming from the US so it's gonna take some time.

5. September - we will be going home this September until March 2010! We won't be here for the Olympics. Phew! I can't imagine how many people will be around. Thank goodness no winter for us! So excited!

6. To win the lottery - I'm still waiting!

One Year Later

I haven't been updating this blog for a looong time. I have been updating my multiply site since. I decided to keep this blog after all.

One year ago, as I see my last entry, it was a mother's day greeting. Who would have thought that a year later, I will be celebrating mother's day myself! Yes, I am now a mother to a very beautiful sweet 8 week old baby boy.

So that is basically what I kept busy with last year. More things to come. I will try to keep this site, as a journal to my baby adventures. As I have always said, I keep this blog as a memory keeper.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mothers Day to all moms out there! Especially to my mama because she raised the most wonderful, beautiful, and simply the best daughter in the world! Hehehe! Happy Mother's Day Ma, I love you! and to my Ate Joy also for raising the most beautiful, cutest, sweetest, and smartest nieces in the whole wide world in the Philippines and in Canada too! And to Ate Lorn for raising me.. and to mommy Aida for raising the most handsomest, the most smartest, and the most sexiest man alive in the universe---Ton!

So I was thinking, today is mother's day, but what about us who don't have kids yet but are married? There is Valentine's day for sure, but that's for everyone in love, husbands and wives, boyfriend girlfriend, etc. So I said to Ton, how come there's no WIVES Day? So now until we have kids, I'm declaring every mother's day, WIVES Day for me and all wives out there who don't have kids!

Take time to appreciate us who do the laundry, clean the dishes, cook the food, clean the house, and for others, at the same time hold jobs! And of course, we still have in our uterus the eggs that would someday be your babies! So we're like "potential mothers" like potential energy.

Of course, to be fair, we shall also celebrate HUSBANDS Day on Father's Day until we have our own kids.

Oscahs

The Oscars last night was probably the most boring ever. I'm still glad they pushed a show despite the Writer Strike just recently concluded but it was really apparent that the show was not well prepared.

I usually watch all nominees or at least most of them, before the big show. SInce 1999, when American Beauty won I have seen all the winning movies beforehand. Except for Crash, which I still don't want to see, and this year's No Country For Old Men. Now I wanna watch No country for Old Men! It seems a lot like Fargo, Coen Brothers duh... I wish they put Steve Buschemi in the movie though. He's crazy!

Anyway, I love movies as you might know already. I started being an Oscar devotee the year Schindler's List won, 1994 (The show was actually 1995). I've been watching the show before, but I was so young and don't remember much except for Dances With Wolves year because my sister was in love with Kevin Costner then. My fave winners since 1994-2007? I gotta say I really liked The Departed, American Beauty, and Million Dollar Baby. I love some other nominated movies, most noteworthy were Fargo, Shawshank Redemption, Jerry Maguire, Brokeback Mountain (although I haven't seen it in full, I like how it was the most remembered movie that year and Crash really bored me), The Insider, La Vita e Bella, Mystic River, Little Miss Sunshine, and LA Confidential.

Most looked good, and I like how at the E! Red Carpet, somebody said that if Angelina shows up, she would be gatecrashing because she was not invited! Hahaha! I loved seeing Miley Cyrus, Penelope was stunning as usual, Cameron, Jennifer Garner, etc.

What was up with Ellen Page's dress eh? Oh and Jennifer Hudson, never liked that bitch! OOOOH! And the freakiest moment of all? When Gary Bussey got all crazy on Ryan Seacrest and kissed Jen Garner on the neck! WTF?! That was too funny!

Oh and the Oscar snubs man! What the heck was that not recognizing Brad Renfro?! He was in really good movies, some even Academy awards recognized! And the whole snub with Whoopi and Steve Martin as hosts.... wtf! i'm actually watching The View right now and it Whoopi cried and it was just not right, because as they said, she's the first woman host, multiple times, and really she and Steve Martin were actually my fave hosts. Jon Stewart was too snarky for my taste, and he didn't have any special talents (no song dance numbers, no costumes, etc!) Too boring and dry for me. He hosted the show a couple of years ago when Crash won, he was better that year IMO, still I did not like that year because of the winner.

I did like the best baby award bit though between Cate, alba, and Nicole. And the winner was Bitchjolie!

Also it was so boooooring... no Jack Black, John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell funnies this time! Amy Adams was the only musical number I enjoyed! More than enjoyed! I love her!

I wish Viggo won though because I really liked his performance in Eastern Promises! Really man! I dunno, I haven't seen There Will be Blood anyway so we'll see.... but then he's Daniel Day Lewis and he's got to be good in it.

I read this from Yahoo, written by Sandy Cohen (heehee, Mr. cohen of the OC??), an AP Entertainment writer.

Some backstage stuff:

Renee Zellweger had slung her silver Christian Louboutins over her shoulder when Johnny Depp ran into her.

"I like your shoes," Depp said.

"Thanks man," Zellweger replied. "I used to like the shoes."

On Amy Adams:

Later, she met her "Charlie Wilson's War" co-star Tom Hanks in the wings of the Kodak. Hanks complimented Adams on her outfit and her performance of "Happy Working Song."

"I'm so relieved," she said.

Hanks said that as he watched her he thought, "Wow, they make her do it all by herself."

"No costume, no anything," she replied. "It's like, 'Sell it, girl.'"

Tom Hanks:

TOM TOUCH-UP: Tom Hanks got a bit of powder from a makeup artist in the view of backstage photographers.

"Boys, get a picture of this. It's so masculine," he said, adding in nasally voice: "Oh look, Hanks is getting his face powdered at the Academy Awards. He stormed Normandy Beach in 'Saving Private Ryan.'"

Tarot Card

You are The Tower

Ambition, fighting, war, courage. Destruction, danger, fall, ruin.

The Tower represents war, destruction, but also spiritual renewal. Plans are disrupted. Your views and ideas will change as a result.

The Tower is a card about war, a war between the structures of lies and the lightning flash of truth. The Tower stands for "false concepts and institutions that we take for real." You have been shaken up; blinded by a shocking revelation. It sometimes takes that to see a truth that one refuses to see. Or to bring down beliefs that are so well constructed. What's most important to remember is that the tearing down of this structure, however painful, makes room for something new to be built.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

New Year's Goals

So I have decided to write goals for the new year, some are easily attainable, some are laughable.

1. Go home to the Philippines for a vacation
2. Find a new job, one that I will not loathe going to everyday like I do now
3. Get pregnant on the 2nd quarter of the year
4. Buy more dresses
5. Learn how to cook a few dishes
6. Only go shopping once every three months (Philippine vacation not counted)
7. Get rid of some of my bags (give to ate and jemi and mama)
8. Buy an LV Madeleine PM from my own money (and not Ton's) for my 25th birthday

photo from eluxury.com

9. Don't ask Ton for gifts exceeding $400.
10. Start saving for Mama's airplane tickets (of course I need her if I give birth)
11. Get those really nice Chanel flats this summer (oh gawd! ill be swimming in debt!)
12. Quit coffee. Hot Chocolate is so much better.
13. Go down to 100 pounds again before I get pregnant
14. Find a cheap cheap desk and get rid of this monstrosity I'm using right now
15. Streamline my closet
16. Continue growing my hair ala Rachel season 6-7
17. Go back to the gym
18. Shred unnecessary paper junk mail
19. Take care of my skin na
20. Wear makeup a bit