A Walk Through Life

I woke up a few hours earlier than I intentionally planned today. No, let me correct that. A few minutes before 4AM today, someone woke me up because she needed to attend to the call of nature. I checked our watch and it's still an hour before I would have wakened up to the sound of the alarm clock. Anyway, I love the sound of my daughter waking me up for an urgent need to pee better than that annoying alarm clock. And I also love it that even at an unusually early hour of the day, she had remembered what I told her before that she should tell us any time she feels like going to the bathroom to answer the call of nature. In fact, I am so glad that we never had to put so much effort with potty training. It was like she just realized one day she didn't want to wear diapers anymore or that she thinks she's old enough to wear one. I also realized just how quickly the time has gone by just seeing her getting back to sleep today. Ah, she is getting bigger and taller! Now, I alrea...

Because there are less words to say today, I should let the photo speak for itself. :-) If only I can always capture all moments like this one in photographs, I would!

At her very young age of one year and two months, I think somehow my toddler already knows how to pay attention. So, in many of our walks in the mooonlit night, I kept asking Dipdip this question, " Where's the star? " and then I would also teach her the answer " Star! (pointing my finger up in the sky)". I was amazed because each time I would ask her that question, I would instantly get an answer from her by pointing her finger up in the sky. So, this is why I got scared hehehe... fast forward...

o Woohooo... I'm so happy today. I just received the book " blogging from home " by Janette Toral . This is part of the prize I've received from winning third place in the Make A Wish Blog Contest. After two years of blogging, I thought I already learned a lot but I guess I still have a lot to learn especially on the aspect of monetizing blogs.This book is packed with a lot of ideas and information - all the good stuff! Thanks, Janette Toral! You are truly an inspiration to us women, especially the mothers, who are blogging from home!

Does anybody know how to interpret what my one year old princess is actually talking about here? I can't seem to transcribe her words more clearly. For those who can give an interesting interpretation, I'm giving 100 EC credits. Is that a good deal? :-) I am really amazed at how interested she is in communicating to us even though her words don't make any sense just yet. Oh, what a milestone!

Last weekend, I didn't have time to post about Mother's Day celebration. We spent the weekend at our in-laws' place and so we got to celebrate Mother's Day with them. We felt really special that day. It was my first time to taste Tanduay Ice which tasted like a lady's drink. It was good but I only had two shots of it. What's a little sad about the celebration though was that someone (not a relative) mishandled the box of cake that we bought for mother-in-law. He carried the box of cake like it was just a luggage. Somehow, his intention to help carry our stuff from the car didn't do the cake any justice. I felt a little bad about it because we took the time to go to the mall to buy the cake only to get messed up like that. Anyway, I took the picture from afar and it still looked like a cake after all. :-) I'm really blessed to have a wonderful mother-in-law who treats me like her own daughter as well.  Oh, how I love all my in-laws! a cake for mothe...

It's been a year ago since I've written about coming home with Baby Pauline (Dip-Dip) from the hospital. This time, I'd like to do a little recap with DipDip's one year milestone. Newborn It was March 26, 2009 when I delivered Dip-Dip via Caesarian, it wasn't a planned Caesarian. It was a decision we both had to make at the eleventh hour to ensure that she will be safely delivered into this world. I guess Dipdip pretty much liked it inside my womb that she didn't want to come out. And of course, it also had something to do with my safety as well. It's funny because some friends would blame it on my age (referring to me as "old") because I had Pauline at the age of 32 years old. But what can I do - I only got married just a few days before I would turn 31, ya know. Well, anyway, we were so happy that the Lord has answered our prayers to bless us with a child. She was 6.8 lbs (3.1 kgs) when I delivered her. Not bad! First Month This was a pic...

My walk through life blog presents... Dipdip at eleven months old! This only means one thing -- One more month and she'll turn a year old! :-) Yes, she just turned eleven months and she's such a talker! Only that the right words won't come out from her mouth just yet. Watch this video only if you want to see it. Thanks! :-)

When dipdip's teeth started to appear, which started somewhere between her sixth and seventh month, we have already started putting a little fluoride on her teeth and gums. This was the pediatrician's instruction. We were worried at first because she doesn't know how to spit it out but we were told that it's okay for her to swallow some fluoride as long as it is just a little amount. We've been planning to really let her brush her teeth because each time she sees us brushing our teeth, she gets so amused and looked really excited to have the same experience. Last night, she ate a lot of fish and we didn't like the smell of her mouth after taking her dinner. So, we decided it's time to let her use the new toothbrush that's meant for her age. By the way, we only used just a really, really, really tiny amount of the toothpaste because she's not learning how to spit it out just yet and we have also learned that too much fluoride on a child can cause fl...

I thought I should post this video of dipdip where she happily walked away from her mom to be with the nannies who usually take their walks every afternoon. This was the same day we took the many faces of my baby . I was surprised to see my daughter, now at 10 months, walking away from me because she loves to stroll with her friends. Oh my, she's really walking now! I never thought it would be this early but oh well, there might be other babies who walked earlier than she did. I just thought I wanted to "baby" her, you know--where you just simply cuddle her and all. Now, she wouldn't usually want to be carried because she likes to walk !!! And I was like thinking of postponing her to grow up faster hahaha just kidding. Anyway, so here's that short video of my daughter walking away from me. :-)

We are just so amazed to see Dipdip starting to walk confidently and bravely, although these are just small steps yet. She has practised this walking exercise inside her crib turned playpen less than a month ago. Now she will not even appreciate the walker that we bought her. She wants to try and take the steps without anyone holding her. Well, isn't she adorable in this video? I'm not in the video here since I took the shot by the window upstairs while she and her Ate Virgie (the nanny) are out to get fresh air.

It's been awhile since I've posted more updates about Dipdip, our dear little princess. She is now 8 months old! She's a cheerful little darling, much like her own mother. The house would only turn like a library when she's asleep but when she's awake, be prepared for her noisy chants and screams :-). Her two front teeth is showing now and she can already stand up when she holds on to something like the sides of her crib turned playpen. I'm so happy to have witnessed all of this as her mom.

Despite the not-so-good weather today, we brought Dipdip to her pediatrician. It's her last shot of the 6-in-1 vaccine. I can't help but brag about my daughter, she's so brave. She didn't let out a loud cry. She was only teary-eyed because the one holding her leg (the pedia's personal assistant) was not familiar to her anymore but she already smiled when she saw her mom (ahem!) beside the assistant. Just like her previous shots, her pedia was amazed because she has endured all the pain coming from the needle that pricked her skin. She would just give a surprise look on her face and look at her doctor. After that, it was like nothing has happened. I guess she was already used to the needle when she was just a newborn. She had a couple of shots after I delivered her via Caesarian because she had a little infection when she was inside my womb. Her last vaccine (Measles) will not be due until she reaches nine months. Incidentally, it's her sixth month today. Tim...

My in-laws predicted that my daughter will skip the crawling stage and that it won't be long until she would learn how to sit, stand and walk by herself. Well, I noticed that one too everytime I would let her play longer on the crib or in our bed. Her attempts were not to crawl but to sit. Yesterday, she almost succeeded sitting on her own but it would probably take a little more energy to do that because of her weight. LOL. I took a video of her but I'll just place some snapshots of it here. I already envisioned myself sweating from chasing after her the moment she learns how to run. It looks like she has almost outgrown her crib and I find it too small for a playpen. LOL. I guess it's time to discuss with her father about getting something safer for her age and built.

Lately, our little angel has been experiencing some discomfort because of her swelling gums. I don’t know when a tooth or two will show up completely but I can already see something white through her lower gums. I feel sad for her. If only I have the power to take away all the pain she’s feeling, I would gladly take her place. Despite all the discomfort, over all, she’s still a cheerful baby. I’m proud to say that she’s generally a happy baby. Not cranky. She would still smile at me as if trying to assure me that she can handle everything. Every time she’s feeling some discomfort and pain, I would just carry her and sing her some songs and she would just pinch my flabby (ouch!) arms and then she would seem to be okay. I love it when she looks and smiles at me. After that, I would already hear her saying something. Yeah, I can’t wait till I would hear her say “Mama”. As for now, I just hope she can get through her teething with less and less pain.

Update update update! It's been eleven days since I've been at home with my daughter. I pretty much haven't done anything except for those few small writing opportunities. Oh, you have no idea how MUCH I missed bonding with my daughter! You see, she's almost on her sixth month and I enjoy every knowing look and smile she throws at me. I enjoy every minute of playtime with Dipdip that it's just so hard to do anything else. Hehehe. Anyway, beginning today, I'm gonna try harder and get more online work. I still have so much time, though. Procrastinator me! :)

A week after I received my retrenchment notice, I had another talk with the big boss. He offered me a new project that could somehow delay my retrenchment for another two months or more. It was so kind of him to have re-considered me for another project but I guess my mind was already set that I will be home after August 31st, after having signed all the papers. Add to that, the circumstances leading to the termination of Dipdip's nanny seemed to be in favor of my plan to stay at home with Dipdip. Without burning any bridges, I told him I'm gonna try and make this home-based thing work but when all else fails, I would surely like to come back like a prodigal daughter, if I'm still welcome. Else, it'd then be the time to look elsewhere. I knew he understood because he respected my decision. In fact, I will never forget when he told me this, " Babies are only young once ." And he's most definitely right! As Dipdip's mom, I want to be near her, to look a...

dipdip and dad's hand Dipdip is now three months old! Wowww, look at how time flies. She used to be too small and fragile to hold, now she's grown taller and bigger each time. Thankfully, she's safe from sore eyes. Before she even turned 3 months, she's already squealing and giggling, and makes a lot of noises as if trying to speak out. I'm one happy and amused mother. Dipdip's usually in a happy mood but I guess, in this picture, this is not one of those usual times. And oh, Sorry, I haven't lost that much weight yet :) More updates soon. I've written thrice in a row already and it's almost twelve midnight, Cinderella would be mad if I would also leave my glass slipper behind. LOL. Tomorrow, I'd definitely go blog hopping. Promise.

At 2 months+, dipdip has found a new habit of feeding on her fist. She’s like eating fried chicken. She started to do that from the time that she no longer wore any mittens. I don’t know if all babies do this at a certain stage but it’s a habit that I don’t want to tolerate. I know that it wouldn’t be long until she would find thumb sucking even more enjoyable than her fist. I sure hope though she’d skip this stage.

"At work, you think of the children you have left at home. At home, you think of the work you've left unfinished. Such a struggle is unleashed within yourself. Your heart is rent." -- Golda Meir Ever since I got back from work, I couldn't help but think about my daughter back home. Yes, it's separation anxiety. I know all working mothers go through this and it's only a matter of time till they can adjust to the situation, but, I don't know how long it would take for me, I just felt so bad about leaving my daughter behind to the care of a nanny when I should be the one attending to her. Why bear a child and leave her behind ? I thought if my daughter could only complain, she would probably ask me that. Mama and papa needs to work baby, so we can afford raising you and sending you to school someday. It's called a mother's sacrifice. It's painful having to leave your child to somebody else, especially when that somebody is not even your relative. ...