LOOKIN' SHARP

Enzo in his tux. Haha! It's such a cute onesie and we just HAD to let him wear it at a wedding. Everyone loved it! And isn't he just so dashing? :D

BACK TO WORK

Yesterday was a holiday here so it's back to work for Ruther today. He's still a bit bummed about it but I'm quite sure he had fun yesterday because he got his new iPhone 4. I'm not one to question his taste in gadgets. When something new is out, he's sure to know about it.

This means, I'll be using his old iPhone for myself and Nikki will have my current cellphone. This is great because at times when we're out and the boys are home, it's so hard to know how they are without having to call landline. So now that we've got an extra cellphone, Nikki will start using it. Hopefully, he'll postpone using it to call girls until a few years.

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Today was laundry day. Since the helper here at home went back to her provincial home for the holidays, I had to take over some of the chores. And I had to do the laundry today because the mountain of clothes was just too much.

I remember when "doing the laundry" meant going to the nearby river with a metal basin (that looked like a huge beercap - gosh! wish I had a photo of that), a bar of soap and this flat wooden paddle. The paddle would be used as a surface for washing the clothes and the labandera would rub the soap onto the clothes more efficiently using this paddle because the river edge would be all uneven and pebbly. The paddle is also used to whack the clothes to get rid of dirt and grime in those clothes that couldn't be washed by hand like heavy tapestries or jeans.

Today though, the washing machine helps a whole lot. So when I say I'm going to do the laundry, it doesn't hold that much terror and tediousness as those days when we had to do it by hand. All I have to do is just put the clothes in the washing machine, pour in the soap and then all I gotta do is hang them.

Nice. :D

ENZO'S FIRST CHRISTMAS

Christmas has passed. Can't believe it's over, just like that. After all the festivities, the food, the presents, the smiles and the photographs, another year is coming to a close. Can't believe it.

I guess part of my disbelief is the fact that Enzo is growing so fast and I want to hold on to his babyhood as much as I could. I want to treasure and remember every moment. I could barely remember Nikki and Ethan as babies without their photos so I guess it's understandable that I would feel like this with Enzo. I just hope I won't regret not having kids after this...

.....

A Merry Christmas to all!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

A very happy holidays to all! I hope that the year has been good to each and everyone of you. Mine wasn't the best but having Enzo in our lives was definitely the highlight for our family. I can't believe how quickly time flies and how much the boys have grown. I just hope that I'm giving them the best parenting I could ever give. I love my family so much!

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Enzo spent most of his first Christmas asleep. I don't blame him. If I didn't follow tradition, I would be sleeping as well. My sister got him this cute outfit for the Christmas photo but by the time we were going to take pictures, his jumper got all drooly. Hahaha! I mean, Enzo is cute but I couldn't have drooly clothes in the photo!! So we changed him into nice shorts and he looked a whole lot better. Can't wait to see them all!! I would have to wait because my darling husband is still fast asleep. :D

.....

We spoke with my mom, dad and brother through Skype a few hours before midnight. It was wonderful getting to speak to them. They loved the card Nikki made for them during art class. We didn't get to talk for a long time but they did get to see Enzo. I guess that was enough to make their night. :D

ONE MORE TO GO...

We attended the wedding this morning and we have one more to go.

It was exhausting but I appreciated the time with the family. I'm sure the boys won't agree but still, I loved that we went to Tagaytay together. The ceremony was especially early, 8am. That meant I had to wake up at 5am just to make sure we weren't going to be late. It seemed as though I just shut my eyes when the alarm sounded. I felt so tired and sleepy yet. Had to snooze. And so I got up at 540 and had to rush Ruther and the boys so we could leave before 7am.

We were a bit late but getting there was so nice. It was like a roadtrip of sorts. Anyway, we got to the church without a problem and then headed to the reception which is at a restaurant not too far from the church. It had a very nice view of Taal Volcano.

We didn't take too long at the reception because Ruther had work in the afternoon. We thought that he would be able to bring us home first then head for the office but it was traffic at the Filinvest exit and if Ruther took us home he would be so late. So we decided to just pass the time at the office. I didn't mind because I knew the boys would be too tired to do anything except sleep. We got home pretty late because Ruther had a meeting and now, I'm pooped!

Hopefully, tomorrow won't be as stressful. G'night!

OUR ENZO

GROWING... GROWING...

Our baby is now 3 months old!! Waaah! I don't want him to grow up!

Enzo is growing so fast, he looks a lot different from when we took him home from the hospital. He looked so small then. Now, it looks like he just suddenly sprouted. He's chubbier, more active, more curious and LOUD!

Yesterday, we were at the mall and I was in line at the cashier and I could hear him shrieking a few feet away. Not crying at all, but just shrieking, like "Get on with it, Mom! I wanna get out of here! shriek. It was crazy! I told Ruther, "Oh my goodness, we have a shrieking baby". So now, he shrieks when he has poop, he shrieks when he's happy, he shrieks when he's bored, he shrieks when he's sleepy and he shrieks when he's mad.

Oh, I hope this isn't a permanent thing...

.....

The dress I bought on sale last Saturday needs a bit of tweaking. I mean, it fits me, but it doesn't fit me that well. Well, around the chest area is the problem. I would need to do some altering on my own since it would be too late to bring the dress to the seamstress. I hope it won't look tacky.

I still don't know what to wear for tomorrow's wedding. The ceremony will be at 8am and it might be chilly then (with the venue being in Tagaytay) but I'm sure at around 10, it will become too warm for a long-sleeved blouse. I'm just making mountains out of molehills, I know. But I don't want to get sick! Already today, my throat is itchy and I'm starting to cough a little. It would be even harder for me to get sick now because Mama's helper will be going home for the holidays. No. Absolutely cannot get sick now. Gotta take my vitamin C and nip this cold in the bud!

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I have no idea how to make Ethan eat more. He's just so thin now it's worrying me to no end. We try to encourage him to eat and try new food but he's always, "no, thank you". AARGH!!! What do I do?

.....

With Christmas approaching, I feel as though I have a lot of things to do. Have to think of what to prepare for Noche Buena (midnight Christmas meal), tidy up the rooms in the house, schedule chores (because the helper will be away) and all that. I don't even have Ruther's present yet! Sigh... How did this Christmas get so out of control?

PRESENTS

Ruther wants the iPhone 4. Not necessarily for Christmas, but to own.

I can't get that for him. There is a lot of frustration on my part when it's time to buy presents, especially for Ruther. Because I'm a stay-at-home mom and don't earn anything, it's annoying that I can't buy gifts using my money. Because in a way, it's Ruther's money that we're spending because he earned it. When I buy presents for him, it still feels like he's buying his own presents because I use his money to buy his presents. Get it?

So yeah, it's veeery frustrating.

And I can't get him the iPhone 4 for sure. Where will I get that kind of money? So, most of the time, I just let him get what he truly wants to have/own for birthdays or holidays because what's the use? I'm just buying him presents using his money, right? Sigh...

Wish I was earning my own darn money...

.....

This week we're going to attend 2 weddings. On Wednesday, Ruther's officemate will be getting married and on Thursday, it'll be his cousin.

During both occasions, we'll have no choice but to bring Enzo because no one is available to babysit. Plus, the fact that I'm breastfeeding and that Enzo is very particular about it will make separating us very difficult. We won't be bringing Nikki and Ethan on Wednesday because the location of the wedding is in Tagaytay, a city a few hours away from Manila and since Ethan is still recovering, it would be better for him to be with Nikki and stay at home. On Thursday though, we could bring them because we're sure that kids are welcome at the wedding and besides, it's family. It'll be so great to see everyone!

I'll be wearing my dress (bought yesterday) for the wedding on Thursday. Will be wearing another dress for the wedding in Tagaytay. Do you realize that it's hard to pick a dress when you have breastfeeding in mind? And a formal dress at that. Hopefully, everyone will have a fun time. That's the most important thing, I suppose. :D

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

Today, Ruther and I went to the mall for some groceries and buying the remaining presents for Christmas. You will not believe the people in the mall these days. It's like there's no more tomorrow. Now that this is the last weekend before Christmas, it seems as though everyone's doing their last-minute shopping! It's absolutely crazy! The crowd, I mean, not the shopping.

Anyway, in the midst of all the jostling and inching and noise and Christmas music, I found a very lovely dress that only cost me P200 (approx. US$4.52)! I plan on wearing it to a wedding this Thursday. I was so worried about what I was going to wear for ages and suddenly, I spotted the dress and knew I wanted it. So we bought it and it fitted me nicely. I got some strappy sandals to go with it which cost only P230. Nice huh. A great outfit plus shoes for less than P500. So happy.

Anyway, we continued with our shopping and then headed home. When I had the chance, I checked the tag and underneath the current price, I saw that the dress previously cost P1,199.75 (approx. US$27.12). Cool! It was like P1,000 less!! What a great find! Can't wait to wear it on Thursday!

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We were not able to buy the presents today so we're going to do that tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll be able to get everything then because the mall-goers and shoppers are just everywhere!! So unbelievably crazy! Whenever I would hear over the PA "We would like to request the companion of a lost boy...", it gives me chills because I don't want that happening to me!! It'd be a nightmare! I remember nearly losing Ethan at SM Mall of Asia and I just get cold all over. Never. Ever. Happening. Again.

Anyway, hoping our shopping tomorrow will go smoothly. Still dunno what to get for Ruther though...

SURPRISINGLY COLD

Last year at around this time, it didn't feel like it was December at all. It was warm and hot and uncomfortable. This time though, especially in the early mornings, it would get quite cool, much to my boys' delight.

I remember years ago, when we would wake up for school, there would sometimes be a bit of fog outside the house and we would need to wear jackets. It was a nice way to start the morning. This time, it's not really jacket weather and there definitely is no more fog, but at least we still feel a bit of the chill at dawn.

Sometimes, I wish I could show my boys a glimpse of the past just so they would know how much things have changed in 2 decades. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a time machine?

.....

We're trying to come up with plans for the holidays. I want my boys to have some fun after all the sickness and the coughing and the puking, so we might try Enchanted Kingdom (that's an amusement park) or maybe Manila Ocean Park for their colorful water show. I think the boys would like either one. We also want to watch this circus show on the 27th but we haven't gotten tickets yet. Hopefully they aren't all out.

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I look sooo FAT right now, it's hideous!! I can't believe I've gotten this big in just a few months! I'm finding it harder and harder losing weight these days. Oh and those people saying breastfeeding will make you lose weight? Not true. At least in MY experience.

Now I'm doing Wii Fit. Well I did a few days ago until right until the time Nikki got sick and then I had to stop. And then Ethan's sick. So I had to put it off for a few more days. Now that everyone's on the road to recovery, I just might start Wii Fitting tomorrow. Can't wait! I know I have a lot of fat to burn.

Sigh.

ALL SET FOR CHRISTMAS?

We have yet to buy presents for Ruther, my brother and the boys and then that's it. Our Christmas shopping is complete.

I guess with Enzo arriving late in the year, Christmas shopping was pushed back a bit this year. Nevertheless, most of the presents are under our tree now. Ruther and I will be going out this weekend for the rest of the presents and after that, I could put gift shopping out of my head.

.....

These past weeks have been so stressful. Nikki was sick and vomited a lot and I was so worried we would have to bring him to the hospital. My sister suggested a CBC to rule out dengue fever and thank goodness it wasn't. I had to nurse him slowly because of the vomiting. He would drink sips of water and a spoonful of food every hour. It was so stressful! But good thing he got better. He's still a bit weak and lost a lot of weight but I'm just glad he's well now. He got so lethargic it was really worrisome. And now that he's better, Ethan is the one sick. He's coughing now and has a bit of fever. Because of this, I asked them to temporarily sleep in the family room for now. Nikki doesn't mind but Ethan still has some issues about it. Sigh. I just hope everyone will be A-OK by Christmas. It doesn't help at all that Nikki and Ethan needs antibiotics. Such a nightmare! Three doses everyday! Argh! Good thing Ethan no longer fights me when I try to give him his meds. Before, we would need to restrain him just so he would drink his medicine! Sigh. Why do we have to do this to our kids?

Anyway, my only hope is that Ethan gets all better soon. He's not coughing as much now but he's gotten sooo thin, I just want him to start eating already. He's very picky with his food and won't eat rice at all! It's soooo frustrating! I really don't know what to do about it any more. Even Ruther has been getting so irritated but I tell him not to force Ethan or he'd hate eating completely. Sigh. Why oh why oh why oh why...

Enzo is doing very well with breastmilk. He's gotten chubby and round I call him "chipmunk" because of his cute cheeks! Hope he stays healthy always.

Anyway, I hope after Ethan recovers, I would be done with sickness and fever and vomiting.

Sigh.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Well, I gave birth! Last September 20. His name is Dylan Mackenzie and he's turning 3 months on the 20th... I know... I should have blogged sooner but you have NO idea about the busy-ness around here. It's just got completely out of hand! And I only have 3 kids!! I always wonder how the Duggers do it...

Anyway, here's a photo of our little tyke:

Enzo at 1 month. He's got lots of hair!


Now that I have three boys to take care of (not including Ruther), it's just been so crazy! I have had to adjust again, plus, homeschooling certainly did not make things easier. Also, I decided to try breastfeeding this time because I didn't get to do that with Nikki and Ethan. Once I got past the first month of pain (and I mean P>A>I>N), we're now breastfeeding nicely. I guess I had to give it a go with Enzo being our last baby...

It's wonderful having a baby again. I stare at Enzo all day and still can't get enough of him. It's like he just suddenly appeared out of nowhere! I just love him to bits.

The boys are all over him too. I'm happy to report that there is no rivalry whatsoever among my sons. Which is very reassuring.

After I gave birth, I had to slow it down because of my operation (had myself ligated) and of course, from delivery. Good thing I gave birth normally but the pain was just ... indescribable. Not to scare you childless women, but that's how it went. My sister was with me in the delivery room (Ruther couldn't get in because he wasn't a doctor) and she videoed me screaming my head off during the last seconds before Enzo popped right out. Now my mom thinks I've scarred her for life. Well, I was in pain!! What was I to do? Moan quietly? Sheesh!

During his second day home, Enzo surprised us because he was trying to hold his head up already! Whoa! He was quite active in my tummy but we didn't think he would be this physical! Anyway, I'm over lamenting about having a girl. I guess it would have been nice but Enzo is such a joy that I no longer linger over baby girl clothes at the mall. He's a wonderful addition to our family. And Ruther is quite happy as well.

More updates soon!