purpled sky

Xian's birth

2012-02-07T16:21:00.003+08:00

I was on my 38th week of gestation and couldn't imagine waking up the next day still pregnant. I gained 40 lbs in this pregnancy, way overweight. Good thing I'm healthy and the baby's healthy, complications should be rare. I was already getting more and more impatient. On my 35th week, I noticed reduced fetal movement. I drove myself up to the hospital emergency room for a non-stress test. This,

2011

2012-01-04T16:41:00.001+08:00

Before 2011 started, I mentally listed down the things I want accomplished before the year ends. To wit: 1. Get pregnant, have a baby, hopefully a boy this time. Oh yes, this was planned. 2. Learn how to drive because if and when I get pregnant, I don't want to go through the unmentionable experience of riding a smelly cab when my hormones are all spiked and morning sickness was a bitch. I want

Whoever said parenting is easy?

2011-11-22T10:17:00.001+08:00

Somewhere along the line, I may have lost the connection. From a very short meeting with her teacher, I learned that Xofi had hit two of her classmates in two different occasions. When teacher called for her attention, she'd stick her tongue out and cross her arms in defiance. She also learned to purse her lips and roll her eyes for additional emotional effect. That very day, the moment I came

Much ado about a name

2011-11-09T16:00:00.000+08:00

And rightly so. The name that we'd give our son will stay with him for the rest of his life. It's just right that we spend most of our time thinking about it. With Xofia, I already knew the moment I learned that we're having a girl. Xofia Enia are modern and shortened versions of my grandmothers' names. With this second baby, it wasn't as easy. Even if I passed the naming responsibility/burden on

To delete or store in a CD

2011-10-20T22:26:00.000+08:00

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The little girl is now a big sister

2011-10-14T15:43:00.003+08:00

Our little girl turned 4 last August July. My, oh my, how time flies! While she's enjoying her milestones and looking forward to being an Ate (older sister), I am bursting at the hems and look like about to pop. Though I still have another 8 weeks before my due date, I can't help thinking how big I've gotten. I don't wanna be giving birth to a 9-pounder, oh, help me God! Our little Ate,

Personalized items for the season

2011-10-10T09:28:00.000+08:00

My internet life has somehow came to a standstill along the way, except for tweeting and an occasional facebook pages-hopping/stalking. Work and the offline life are two major factors. Sometimes largely laziness. Lately though, I've started online shopping like I've never done before. I've done transactions over the internet, and to my surprise, I found it to be very convenient and suits my

The TV Verdict

2011-09-27T15:26:00.000+08:00

I am not a TV person. Never was, and never will be. I detest this medium. This box that silently sneaks up on people's subconscious and shape their minds and beliefs. This medium that quietly makes you "want" something you don't really need. This stupid box that feeds you all these kinds of information and never pausing to give you time to think for yourself. I hate channel surfing and wasting

CAS results: Everything looks OK

2011-09-07T18:52:00.000+08:00

After the not-at-all-pleasant experience with All About Women in SM, my hopes of getting a Congenital Anomaly Scanning done is still there. Peace of mind can't be bought. During my daughter's Intramurals opening in their Talamban campus, we stopped by Dra. Canoy's clinic to get a nod on the CAS. She agreed that because Xofia had ASD, my pregnancy is high-risk. Though there's very little we can do

Tomato-Based Pinoy Beef Stew

2011-09-02T10:50:00.000+08:00

I used to shun beef in my cooking. Mainly because I don't have the patience to wait for an hour or so just to cook the meat to a tender. Also because I can't find a good beef meat provider, until after Rustan's opened in Ayala and S&R. The price of beef cuts is also a minor drawback. During this pregnancy, I don't know why but I've been craving beef mostly so the price concern flew off the door

Are doctors perpetually late?

2011-08-24T08:59:00.001+08:00

We decided to have our Congenital Anomaly Scanning done in All About Women in SM Cebu. Because we thought it's convenient, heck the clinic is in the mall, what's more convenient than that? We thought wrong. At 22 weeks, my initial worry has peaked. I'm not sure if I'm just naturally paranoid, but being a mother of a kid with congenital heart defect, I wanted all bases covered while the

Racism and kids these days

2011-08-19T11:01:00.001+08:00

Xofia has never been judgmental based on appearances of people. When we had our vacation in Pearl Farm last summer, Xofia was particularly fond of this male African guest, they even had pictures taken together. Imagine our surprise when she said she'd never want to live in Africa because the people there are dark and have frizzy hair! Their current lesson in school is about the seven

Beef Shank Caldereta

2011-08-18T13:39:00.000+08:00

We have a favorite place that me and my lunchmates at work frequent to to have our fill of the sinful beef pochero, Cebu style. Cebu style, because the Manila pochero is cooked and seasoned differently than what we're used to here in Cebu. I think the closest thing of the Cebu pochero is the bulalo from Luzon. We went there for lunch yesterday all the while thinking that I'll be having pochero

Where have I been?!

2011-08-15T10:37:00.000+08:00

February 8. That's how long ago I wrote something for this blog. I wasn't pregnant then. And a gazillion of things have happened since. I got pregnant. We learned about it on the first week of April. We've been planning to get pregnant since late last year. We already learned it's gonna be a boy, whoop! We're scheduled for a Congenital Anomaly Scanning on the 23rd. Hope everything will be well

The blessing of all blessings

2011-02-08T11:01:00.001+08:00

I was talking to Xofi on the phone yesterday and when she told me she made wee-wee on Ate Myrna's bed. I asked why, and she answered "Because I was sleeping!" Really, who knows what you do when you're sleeping? And then she promised to not do it again and that she was sorry. Everytime she does that, I can just so easily forgive and forget. Heck, make wee-wee again on anybody's bed, I won't hold

Pork and Eggplant in Oyster Sauce

2011-01-16T10:52:00.005+08:00

I got a DM from J that she was looking for my Pork and Eggplant recipe and did not find it here. I didn't know I don't have it here until she told me. Drats haha! So anyway, J, here it is: 1 slab (about 1/4 kg) pork belly juice of 3 kalamansi black pepper 3 eggplant, sliced thinly, 5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed 1 bulb onions, sliced 2 red plump tomatoes, sliced in wedges oyster sauce 1

I'm driving! Well, learning...

2011-01-10T18:00:00.004+08:00

For this year, the major house renovation has to take a backseat. I guess we'll just wait until our ceiling collapses on us, by then we won't have a choice. Of course, I'm hoping that the ceiling will understand the financial difficulty and waits until we really do have the budget.Barring that, I'd have to occupy myself with simpler things but with greater impact on the nearer future, granting

Still loading...

2011-01-03T14:22:00.001+08:00

While waiting for the new year fireworks magic of Marco Polo, everybody's wondering why the countdown hasn't started yet, and where are the fireworks already? Xofi answered matter-of-factly, "the fireworks is still loading." Everybody within earshot had a good laugh with that one.Yesterday, when asked why she hasn't made poopoop yet, she said, "the poopoop is still loading!"Today, I totally

Xofi and Classical Music and why I'm missing all those Wonderful Shows

2010-08-11T11:19:00.001+08:00

Of course, I wanted Xofi to like THE ARTS, but, can I have my movietime back?Xofia has gone to liking classical music like I've never seen her into something before. It all started with me burning a collection of classical masters which she'd listen to in wide-eyed wonder. This made me stop playing the music because, hey, my intention is for her to sleep through it, not stimulate her into

The Price of Children

2010-07-08T09:19:00.003+08:00

Close friends and family are privy of the things we go through in Xofia's first 3 years. When recalling, I just laugh at the thought of how it's getting us closer to bankruptcy than we've ever been. Reading the forwarded message below made me realize even more how priceless having Xofia is in our lives. She's about to turn 3 in a few days. And even with just those 3 years, she has filled our

My endless battle with househelp staffing

2010-07-06T08:27:00.002+08:00

I have right now a gay househelp. I don't have issues of him being gay, I have issues of him meddling affairs and creating fictional stories just to rouse the humdrum of daily househelp life. The house is too small for two drama queens. I am the crowned drama queen, so by gosh, he has to realize that and move over. I intend to let him go soonest. I just need to find a replacement.The nanny, I

Birthday week

2010-05-31T15:54:00.001+08:00

So I turned a year older last week. No fireworks, really. I preferred it without the frills of celebrating by throwing a party. The help did cook pancit bam-i. That's about it.Then we had to bring Xofi back to the doc because she was feverish when she woke up. I've been observing her closely since she caught the colds. As per history, colds always develop into cough, and cough bacteria will then

Finally, Xofia's eating!

2010-03-24T09:50:00.001+08:00

Adik sa itlog. This was what her nanny described Xofia.I noticed she eats the yellow part, but only when it's cooked soft. And because I don't want her feeding on eggs from laying mash-eating hens, I instructed the help to buy organic (bisaya) eggs from the wet market.Yes, they're smaller and more expensive, but a very small price to pay if it's the only thing she eats. She doesn't eat

Yep, still alive!

2010-02-09T17:57:00.000+08:00

And so you wonder, what the H is happening to the blog author? That is, if you still visit me here. Like always, work gets in the way. I got so so sooo busy and stressed that I had to have a body massage. For the first time ever. Because I have done every possible way of de-stressing but to no avail. See, I never had a body massage in my life because I am ticklish I was afraid I'd drive the

Mommies can be princesses, too!

2009-11-21T08:58:00.002+08:00

And so it was a movie date night with hubby and I was so into being a girly girl that I pulled out this frilly, flowing, green skirt I was only able to wear once going to Bora. I paired it with a sexy red top, with yeah, frills around the neckline--what's a girly top without frills?!. You get the picture? Frilly, flowing, long skirt paired with sleeveless, frilly, red top.I went to the living