Can You Bear Some More?

Our city government has yet started on a new concreting of road project last week. And yes, constructions (or concreting) such as this causes heavy traffic and burden to motorists and commuters. Everyone I know from our place rants about this new project, not that we are anti-progress but because we think that it is illogical to dig almost 50m length of road when all you have to fix is less than 10m long. But who are we to judge, we didn’t see the project plan, we are not construction engineers, there is nothing we can do but to endure month long (just 1 month please) of traffic jam.

 

But aside from the longer travel time, my main concern is the burden mi esposo has to withstand in driving. I can feel his exhaustion every time his dealing with jams like this. One time he even said he would teach me to drive once we acquired an automatic vehicle. As much as I would like to give him the credit for being the sole family driver, I didn’t argue and just agreed because I know it’s his way of telling me to help him.

 

But then again, it will surely be not at this time. I am yet to learn how to drive, pass the actual driving test and the written exam, I hope the dmvcheatsheets drivers test is applicable in the Philipines so I can review and surely pass the exam and get my driver’s license. And most importantly we need to acquire an automatic vehicle first, which I think will take longer than getting my license or even the concreting of our city’s main road.

Relationship that Lasts

My new PC was installed at my work station today, FINALLY, I have to emphasize the word because it took more than a year before our unserviceable units are replaced (I work in a government organization what do you expect?). I can say it’s worth the wait because according to the IT expert (who happened to be mi esposo) who installed our new PCs, ours has the best specifications so far. It has a DVD rom and multiple card reader slots – which was not available with the previous PC purchases. Our PCs also comes with 19” LCD monitor, optical mouse plus a 1:1 PC – printer ratio. It’s an HP Compaq with Windows 7 OS and i5 processor.

 

Those are the specs I heard he told my officemates a while ago. Honestly, I’m clueless about this. Ever since we got together, especially now that we work under one agency, I left all the technical stuffs to him, not that I’m not interested but more of my way of submitting to him. I just want to give him the spotlight and the proper self-worth he deserves. I don’t want to be a know-it-all kind of wife and wants to make him feel that I’m dependent with him on some aspect.

 

I believe that in every relationship you have to give your better-half a sense of pride for themselves. That you must make them feel you need them as much as you show you love them. In that way, it will help you live a healthy and lasting relationship.

 

Can I just say, I need my PC badly. Hope we’ll have a lasting relationship too.

The Next Big Fighter

I just want to share this cutie clip I videoed this morning. I was doing my office routine early on when this little one was unstoppably making a scene inside my tummy. I thought it was funny so I decided to capture it without disturbing him but I think he read my mind and stopped for a while until he regained his confidence and gamely showed his stunts in front of the camera again. Although it was some kind of a discomfort for me feeling that eeky movements inside I gladly tolerated him knowing that it a sign of his good health. I don’t have any idea on what he was doing, is he doing his morning exercise?, Is he too big thus pushing my organs away from him?, or is he training to be the next Manny Pacquiao?

 

 

 

Accomplishment Report

August 2012 is a blessing to working parents, like us, and our kiddos. This year, we had 2 consecutive long weekends, which meant longer time to relax and spend together. But unlike most families there, mi familia decided to spend those 2 weekends inside the premises of our home, its more relaxing and convenient for the family members, no one needs to drive and no one needs to plan, budget and pack (of course the latter would surely be me), we just made sure to stock-up a lot of good movies and munchies that could go along with it. Mi esposo and I also thought it’s the best time to finish our longtime house-chore backlog, he to fix the cable reception inside bebe’s room while I to declutter our marital room. But 7 days of no work was not enough for me to… even start on it (I’ll try next weekend again..hehe). On the other hand, mi esposo was able to fix the cable reception while lying, hmmm that’s a little unfair, but finishing his task with no sweat gave him a lot of sweet moments with his bebe. Aren't they so sweet?

               

But our greatest achievement over the weekend was being able to try the most talked about doughnut in town. It was not an easy grab, for we lined for almost 2 hours just to get our precious 1 dozen. The doughnut was worth the sacrifice though, but I hope its patrons will not recourse to that tough challenge again, soon.

Thank You in Advance

I am still undecided whether to shower the arrival of bebe dos or not. Budget is one consideration (although nowadays, you do not need to spend on ink cartridges for the printing of invitations because you have the option to send it online or via text) but I think the bigger factor is the stress. Having a party, especially if the venue is your own home is so strenuous. It demands a lot of cleaning, decorating, cooking and after party cleaning. I am sure hosting a party will affect dos’ tranquil moment just like what happened to uno before.

To give you a clearer picture, my 40th week of pregnancy will fall on the 2nd week of November, but since I gave birth with uno via caesarean section, my OB advised me to schedule my delivery by the end of October (around my 38th week) to avoid labor. I still do not conform to her ideal date yet because I want to devote my full attention to uno on her birthday which will fall on the 2nd of November. I promised my OB I will not labor until I reached my preferred date. I know it’s an empty promise, I can never be “that” sure unless I help myself to relax and to be worry free.

Or unless someone will organize and worry for the party for me, why not?! I would gladly grace. =)

Hitting 2 Brains with 1 Book

I am hesitant whether I am giving mi bebe dos with proper nourishment he needs for his developing brain. I am aware that as early as his embryo stage he is already picking-up and learning almost everything that I feed him. That is why it is important to talk to him often, read educational materials and let him listen to soothing music as much as possible to boost his intelligence. But I am guilty of not doing it frequently. You see, I have bebe uno who is so demanding (and clingy) of my attention. The only time I can devote for dos is when I’m in the office - that is every break time – which he also shares with my lunch and power nap.      

But my hesitation was removed early this morning when I had a chit-chat with 1 of the parishioners of St. Jude Parish as I do my usual Thursday ritual. She guessed bebe dos' sex and proclaimed herself to be a fortuneteller, I was about to ask more prophesy when she laughed, of course she’s just joking, how could I? But she gave useful advice, she told me to prepare dos’ future profession as early as now. She told me if I want him to be a doctor I should tell him the parts of the body, if I want him to be a lawyer or president I should read him simple materials related to it. And it doesn’t have to be directed to him, I can say it out loud.

What a relief. Every night, I read books to uno, I review her with the parts of the body, I teach her to pray, we sing, we dance and we count ‘til 10, we mimic animal sounds and we identify colors, shapes and things. I didn’t know that as I teach uno, dos learns as well. Now he has lot of career options in the future.      

Confession of a Beaten Wife

My 4 years of marriage gave me the freedom of experimenting in the kitchen. I used to cook for my maiden family once in a while but am limited to the usual dishes because 1) I am lazy; 2) I don’t control the pantry and 3) I am not compelled. Now that I claim the opposite of those 3 (not sure of the #1 though) I have to do better. I scout for good recipes and tryout new dishes. I simply enjoy being in the kitchen and receiving compliments during meal from my only patron. But it seems a traitor is silently taking over my throne. Nowadays, I noticed his eagerness to learn the dishes I prepare. He would standby in the kitchen to watch me cook, he would even tell me to teach him the procedures because he wants to do it on his own. I should’ve not trusted that spy.

Yesterday, he came up with a very delish meal. It’s his own mind you, no recipe book, no coaching. Just pure love and hunger I guess? lol He cooked crab meat with shrimp in chili-garlic sauce, something I never dared to cook. It was the best! I forgot about my status and instantly gave him the throne together with the crown and the scepter. I’m dethroned by no less than mi own esposo!

Enough drama queen. lol I must confess I loved to be “beaten” like that.

"Japorms" of a Preggy

I miss dressing-up.  After almost 3 months of using the same old loose dresses, over- now undersized shirts in leggings and flats, I’ve come to get tired of it. I miss the days were putting a cloth-on has limitless option, I miss the days were I can dress according to my mood, my sense and my jive. I know my baby bump must not and should not be a hindrance in dressing, that even pregnant women can still be fashionable if not fabuloso. But I’m frugal, I don’t want to accumulate things that will only be deemed useful for less than 9 months so I don’t buy as much as others do. Actually, I only bought 1 piece during my 1^st pregnancy which I used only for the baby shower. I guess I can only do so because I’m lucky to have in-laws who get pregnant ahead of me and are willing to hand-down their sentimental collections - that applies with my 2 pregnancies. Don’t get me wrong, this boredom is not brought about by the cloth per se (I do not care if it’s 2nd hand as long as it provides comfort) but by the drawback of dressing in my present condition.      

But today, wash day Friday, I surprised everybody with my ensemble. I’m wearing a shirt (brought before I got pregnant), running shoes and how do you know – a denim pants! My officemates were amazed that a big bellied me can still afford to be in denim (it’s a maternity denim actually, one of those hand me down items). Now this is what “japorms” is all about. My skinny jean and stilleto can wait.

As Happy as She Can Be

Today is my mama’s birthday. It’s been a sibling’s tradition to chip in a more or less equal amount for her birthday present. What funny though is that our gifts are most likely what we want to have for the house rather than what mama really want or need for personal consumption, since it’s a gift she doesn’t have a choice but to accept it whole heartedly. haha But I think she appreciates very gift nonetheless, I think she acknowledges the fact that the house really needs that specific item, that’s why. It was always like that since I was in HS, I remember our 1st collaborated gift was a punch bowl, we really like to have a punch bowl ready in our kitchen, that time we just borrow our neighbor’s when the need arise, so ate and I decided to get it “for her”. As our buying capacity improves our gifts for her improve with it.

But this year mama outsmarts us and requested for a gas range before we even realize what the house needs. Ate and I (yes we always decide. ;-)) gave a nod and presented our own specifications. She wants it to have a rotisserie while I want spacious burners plus you cannot get a range without the hood so put them all together and my kuya gets a heart attack. Lol Unfortunately, he cannot argue further it’s for mama after all and it’s divided by 3, our little bro will shoulder the installation, fair enough.

It’s just a little something as compared to her huge contribution to our wellbeing. We just want to make mama happy.

Kitchen Make-Over

Our family decided to renovate my parental home to make new space for the kitchen. We thought that the existing does not serve its purpose well as designed. This time, we didn’t consult an architect, my brother and I just collaborated to come up with a suitable design to meet our (cooking) needs and the budget too. Of course the lesser labor force involved, the lesser cost it will take. But since we didn’t hire an architect (together with his whole entourage of workers), we are faced with the “who will work for us?” dilemma. Getting a reliable construction worker is so hard to find these days, especially in our side of town. How I wish there is something like installitdirect which will take care of this project just like in US where they have install-it-direct san diego synthetic turf, but I can only hope.

So far, my brother contacted a laborer to do the roofing, he is due to report today and start on the roofing, while the mason and his helper are due to report tomorrow. I hope they are true to their words because this renovation needs to hit its finishing stage before typhoon Helen makes a landfall this week.

As I said, I can only hope for the better. I promise to try-test this new kitchen as soon as it’s completed. Better start scouting for new recipes now.

Sex vs Gender

I remember an interesting comment thread on my Facebook wall some 2 years ago. I was just conceiving mi bebe then when a HS friend (A) asked me what my baby’s sex is. Fellow HS classmate (M) commented and said “sex talaga, pwede naman gender ah”. Of course everybody in the thread knows there was pun intended, A is openly gay and M, as I assume, intends to make a good laugh out of it. A could have been the laughing stock among us teaser friends, but he immediately responded before anyone could even hit the comment button, with intellect he said something like this: “Sex is the appropriate term, you know why? Because sex states the biological difference and gender is the social orientation”. I was stunned, I automatically consulted Wikipedia to verify and yes, "Sex is annotated as different from gender in the Oxford English Dictionary where it says sex "tends now to refer to biological differences, while . . . [gender] often refers to cultural or social ones" (underline supplied). In other words, sex is to male or female while gender is to masculine or feminine.

To be honest, I didn’t know there was such a distinction, I thought gender is just a civil way to say it (I guess M thought the same too), apparently, sex is politically and grammatically proper. Ooops, I forgot to tell that A was our batch salutatorian and a BS Bio graduate, he should have known better.

Oh well, all I wanted to say is... our bebe dos is a boy!

Mi Bebe @ 21

How time flies. Today mi bebe is already 21 months old. Every day, she demonstrates new progress which amazes, surprises, annoys, entertains, irritates, makes us laugh and make us proud. Some of her advancements include:

• She calls herself by her name. Recalls and calls familiar people by their names.
• She communicates better. She can say more words and understands a lot more.
• She responds to simple errands/instructions. She can throw trash in the bin, picks-up or get something when told, turn-on or off appliances (especially TV and electric fan) and wipes her face when needs to.
• She’s familiar with her routine. She brushes her teeth after meal, combs her hair and apply lotion every bath, knows where to seat and how to behave inside the car and gives us our indoor sleepers.
• She shows affection and concern. She taps someone’s chest when she hears them cough or choke, she calls everybody when its mealtime, she ask me to put rice on every plate even her yaya’s and hands me my pre-natal vitamins every after meal.
• She’s a drama queen. She plays pretend a lot, she cradles her baby doll to sleep, she shams her cry to get something and she holds the phone as if talking to someone most of the time.