Ianna Chloe

Belated Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Kung Hei Fat Choi everyone!

So sorry to have neglected my blog :( I was busy giving birth to another little person hehe. I usually update through FB. As soon as I come back to work, I resolve to be more active again *fingers crossed hehe*

Anyway, I gave birth to Ianna Chloe last December 29 (yes, again same birthday as her Papa and Kuya Ethan). It's going to be a triple celebration na every year pohon :) I was 4cm dilated on my Dec 28th checkup and given that I had GBS (group B strep) infection around my 7th month, we had to ensure that I was loaded with antibiotics during labor in order to protect Ianna. So, we couldn't risk an emergency situation, and SO, we decided to induce na.

We now have a little girl to take care of, not that the Kuya needs less care. The 2nd time is more a challenging because Kuya loves being noisy so mahirap pag nagna-nap ang little girl. But I especially love those sweet moments when kuya kisses the little girl and simply says, "ang bango ng baby smell mo" or "Ianna, anong gusto mo?" or just this morning when he was showing his picture books to Ianna and read to her. I'm glad I get to be part of these moments.

About the little boy, he's now on Level 4A (3 levels up in 6 months), started out as a non-reader but now, he can read na talaga. I find him at times reading his books, like the Cat in the Hat. He finished his achievement test (to move from 5A to 4A) in 5 minutes! Cool!

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We are expecting some changes this year. I won't talk about it yet, saka na lang once things are on the go and we get something definite na. But it's definitely a big change, something that excites me and yet gives me some jitters at the same time.

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We're going home to Davao before my ML ends so Im definitely looking forward to that. But going back to work, not so much especially when Ethan tells me not to go back to work na daw kasi love nya ako (his way of saying he misses me).

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Guess that's all for now, the baby girl is waking up, ready to recharge and go on USB mode again :)

almost 36 and making decisions...

weeks into my second pregnancy, that is :)

almost a week shy before Tips can say "Hello, world" pohon. ayan na naman ang feeling ng paghihintay, ng pag-iisip kung paano ko malalaman na parating na siya, kung kelan nya talaga type lumabas. Gusto nya bang kasabay si Jesus, or sina papa at kuya, or hihintayin nya ba ang bagong taon?

kayo na ni Lord ang bahala, anak, kung kelan ka talaga naka-schedule na lumabas. basta, sigurado ako kahit anong petsa pa yan, matatandaan ko ang bawat pangyayari gaya nung kay Kuya Ethan mo. at kahit anong petsa pa yan, magiging special sya sa akin, kasi special ka sa akin. sabi nga ni Kuya Ethan, "kasi love kita".

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napanood ko ang Our Idiot Brother last week. kinopya lang daw ni A sa isang kasamahan, hindi alam kung ano ang kwento. buti na lang at pinanood ko. nakaaantig ng puso ung movie. simple lang naman ang hinahatid nyang message - giving others the benefit of the doubt.

ung tipong, hindi mo pauunahin ung skepticism. ung hindi mo iniisip na may ulterior motive or masamang hangarin ung isang tao kung kaya ginagawa nya ang isang bagay. ung magmahal just because.

maaaring napaka-naive na pananaw pero parang ang gaan siguro sa pakiramdam na hindi ka nag-iisip lagi ng 1, 3, 5 times ahead kung ano kaya ang plano ng taong ito at ganito ang hinihingi sa akin. ung tipong tanggapin mo lang kung anong sinabi nya, malay mo, totoo naman pala.

ganun ang pananaw ng character ni Paul Rudd (ang idiot brother), naive na nagpapakatotoo sa nararamdaman. kaso dahil hindi nga sanay ang mga kapatid nya (na panay babae) sa ganung pananaw, pag nagkakabulgaran - napupunta sa away, sa galit.

andami kasing "rules" sa society kung ano at alin lang ang pwedeng sabihin.

napag-iisip ako. hindi ko alam kung may konek pero itong last week lang, napunta ako sa isang sitwasyon na kelangan kong sabihin kung ano ang sa tingin kong dapat. masasabi ko lang, mahirap kung may tao kang sinu-supervise sa trabaho.

ang laki ng responsibilidad mo para sa kanila. at ako pa, personality ko na na kapag binigyan mo ako ng responsibilidad, sineseryoso ko un. lalo na kung may taong involved. lalo na kung malaki ang implikasyon nun sa kanyang kinabukasan.

OA ba? ganun ako e, karir kung karir.

so ganun na nga. may nababasa lang kasi ako sa patutunguhan nung mga usapan kaya kelangan kong magsalita at ipaglaban ang sa tingin ko ay dapat. magalang pa rin naman ang pagkakasabi ko, hindi naman ako nambaboy o nang-alipusta. sana lang tumagos sa utak nung kausap ko ung punto ko at hindi sa ego nya (at baka sa akin ang balik nun hehehe. di bale, basta nagawa ko naman ang tingin kong dapat - no regrets at all!).

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"Follow your bliss" - Joseph Campbell (1904-1987)

So, it turns out, I just had to switch to the new blogger interface and voila! my previous post was published...poor tech-challenged me. LOL.

November is almost over, which means...ML for me, birthdays for my mag-ama, Christmas and New Year, of course! The most wonderful time of the year for me :)

About a month ago, I was a bit panicked that we didn't have our supplies ready for Tips. It was just the paranoid in me worrying that I might give birth prematurely. I'm glad to say that now, I'm a bit more prepared...I've bought supplies that Tips and I would need while in the hospital, her lampin and clothes are already washed and ironed, we've bought pillows for her na rin. Only thing left for me to prepare for is knowing when to give birth! Yes, you read it right...even if this is my second time, I do not know how to tell if I'm going to give birth because, as you would recall, Ethan was induced. So, I come in still a bit unprepared :)

On the name game, we have something in mind for her second name but not yet entirely decided :P (But most probably, it is final - gulo, no?)

I have a lot of projects in mind...and several projects still pending. I would really want to work on my projects when I get home from work but sometimes, the lower back pains and difficulty in finding a suitable sitting (or lying) position gets the better of me.

Not to mention that the little boy is getting a little bit more clingy. Always wanting to be by my side "Hug muna tayo, mama" "Office ka ba? Ayoko. Kasi love kita" "I have a flower for you, mama" very sweet, and so hard to resist.

He's in Level 5A in Kumon (reading) now and knows how to read (I don't doubt it anymore LOL). Lately, he loves to watch Strawberry Shortcake (in Cartoon Network), I know parang pang-girl pero siguro attractive ung colors. He loves to draw and color (can finish his Copy the Color books in one night) which we encourage, but is very lazy to practice writing (which Albert tries really patiently to remind him - surrender kasi muna ako, naninigas tummy ko hahaha).

I have 3 weeks to go before my maternity leave starts, and I am SO looking forward to it and the coming year. We have scheduled a longer stay in Davao, and some other development that I'd rather talk about if it has become more definite...mahirap na, baka mausog (wag naman sana).

And yeah, Christmas shopping...almost done. Mga boys na lang...hirap kasing mag-isip ng gifts for boys lalo na if they seem to have what they need na (or we can't afford to give them what they want LOL).

So, I guess I'll have to cut this...till my next update.

p.s. I passed my second OGTT (yahoo!). My OB says maybe it's just the way it is (to date, I have not yet returned to my pre-pregnancy weight, I'm off by 1 pound). In total, I have gained 7 lbs lang! But Tips is of the proper size naman according to the ultrasound result. Salamat sa Diyos.

Baby Names

Wrote this last September but for some reason, I couldn't publish it. Some tech issue here at work. Anyway, I really hope this works today...

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We are again in the process of selecting a name for our little one :)

I like the name Ianna. And would like to have Karmelle as her second name but A doesn't like Karmelle daw. So I'm also thinking of Kathlyn (which A also likes) but my mother doesn't hahaha. Ang hirap mamili! But I think we're quite definite with the Ianna (which means God is gracious).

Now, why I and K? May kwento yan. Our initials are A & C (skipped B), then we have Ethan Gregory (skipped D then F). So to follow the pattern, I will skip H and J hehe.

I also like the name Sofia pero marami na rin ang Sofia :P (well, much like Ethan hehe)...Danielle would also be nice then mama comments, parang ung sa horror daw. I almost scratched my head then a light bulb went *ping* and I told her, "Ano ka ba, Damien un mama." Hahaha she was thinking about The Omen.

So, I'm still stuck. Maybe you have something in mind...what name that starts with K would sound nice with Ianna?

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Meanwhile, mama will be going home to Davao on Sunday. Back to the old routine na naman ako. Meron na naman kaming kasama sa bahay, but still needs constant reminders on her chores. And I don't feel like leaving her alone with Ethan while we're in the office. Mabait naman ung bata kaso hindi ako masyadong confident na kakayanin nya.

So, magpapasama ulit kami sa mama ni A.

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Christmas is almost here. Have you started your Christmas shopping? Ako, medyo. At least meron na akong 2 na na-cross out sa list ko :P hope we can take time pa to buy stuff before my tummy gets too heavy (kaso syempre, kelangang may budget hehe).

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I guess this is all for now. Ethan is becoming very precocious, trying to exert his independence to the point of really trying my patience sometimes. So I need a longer rope :P Nevertheless, he's still my beloved little boy who's very affectionate and brings a smile to my face. He brought home a flower for me last Sunday after his visit at our neighbor's house (nagpaalam namang kukuha ng bulaklak, don't worry hehe).

And he's such a parrot...a funny parrot! Never ending talks and imagines being part of some faraway place with his favorite cartoon characters as his playmates. He loves watching Nick Jr especially Team Umizoomi...then doodles on his drawing pad, or plays with Connect the Dots.

He's also starting to do phonetic reading, recognizing 2-3 letter words such as Go, And, The, Up, Zoo, An, It, Is, In, On, Off, etc. It's amazing :)

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I'd like to end this post with a short prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord for always providing for us, thank you for your grace and blessings. Thank you for keeping us healthy and safe. Amen.

Yes, Tips is a girl :) so quota na. hehehe.

I had my ultrasound yesterday, with A, Ethan and my mama. Kaya sabay-sabay naming nalaman na girl si tips :) sabi ni kuya Ethan, ibang Tips na lang daw. hahaha, as if ganun kadali.

She's due around A&Ethan's birthday, so pag nagkataon...1 big celebration na silang 3 pohon *tipid*

I'm excited kasi makakabili na ng girlie clothes, maayusan na ng clips pohon - ginawang doll.

I also gained 3 lbs since my last check up. A little bit short than the target of 4lbs but at least I gained weight. I lost 8lbs in between my first and 3rd month checkups. Then gained only 1.5lbs on my 4th, so my doctor asked required me to gain at least 4lbs! And had me check my blood sugar (OGTT) because low gain weight is one sign of high blood glucose level.

I'll get my result this afternoon and I'm crossing my fingers and praying that my blood sugar level is normal...I don't want to go into insulin injections, please!

Hmm...what other news? Mama is around and will be staying for one month, yey! Ethan is almost done with this Level 7A in Kumon (Reading) and it's really amazing how he is able to read familiar words (ung mga paulit-ulit) like "is, in, the, and, ox, on, zoo". He can also comprehend how to read two letter words. Although sometimes, he spells "off" as F-O-O daw. hehehe.

He also knows the letter sounds, that's why he knows that the item pictured is "water" and not "milk" because of the first letter of the word :)

There is one other news pero pohon na lang pag medyo mas may linaw na :)

Finally, 110 days to go, Christmas na! So excited...