Our family of five has been having a streak of random days lately. Days spent doing random things not because we just feel like it but because whatever we had planned out did not quite work out. Sounds exciting, but when you're supposed to be getting things done and end up with nothing, it's no fun. Like the other week, we made plans of going to the National Museum to take advantage of the free entrance. We headed there and was greeted by a very long queu of people waiting to get inside. We stood in line for five minutes then decided to just come back another day even if we have to pay because Read More
By the Hospital Bed
Last week was a tough time for our family. It was Saturday, 2am when we we had to rush Summer to the ER because of an alarmingly high fever. She undertook some tests which, later on, revealed that she had dengue. She had to be admitted right away and when I heard those words, all I could really say was "okay." The next few hours seemed to have progressed so swiftly. Next thing I knew, it was 7am, Summer had an IV on her and I was cuddling her to sleep in a cold hospital bed. Turns out, there's no aggressive way to defeat dengue. There's no cure for it. So we spent the time trying to get Read More
Our Jo
Exactly three weeks ago, on October 16 at 4:44 am, I gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl. She wasn't expected to arrive for another week or two but she decided to come early! And I'm pretty glad she did because she turned out to be quite a big one! The biggest of my three, she weighed just a little over 7lbs and was 51cm long. If she had waited a few more weeks, I probably would have had a much more difficult time giving birth. But she did come and it was such a pleasant surprise! Kayo and I named her Frances Josephine. Kayo has always wanted to name one of his kids after a Read More
On Decluttering and Preparing the Perfect Nest
This is my third pregnancy and I recently noticed that every time I reach the middle of my second trimester and all throughout the third, it's like I'm on "clean-up, fix-all turbo mode". I don't know if the hormones has something to do with it or if it even has any direct connection to my physical state, but it happens every time. All of a sudden, I'm turning over every nook and cranny of our house, getting rid of unwanted things, rearranging photos and art, repairing broken belongings, and right now, I'm even sewing and potting plants! I remember the night before my first child, Summer, was Read More
Father’s Day Surprise
Summer and Emma surprised their Papa last Sunday by making him a set of colorful posters for Father's day. I took care of all the cutting and writing but they did the rest. It's amazing what they can come up with when you give them crayons, markers, cut out shapes, strips of washi tape and the freedom to do whatever they want. Summer filled the posters with drawings of monsters, balloons and ten (sometimes twelve!) legged spiders, while Emma did her very best by drawing wild, scratchy lines. It was a colorful and playful mess that certainly made their Papa proud and happy! Read More
Celebrating New Year at Home
It's 1:30 AM and I write this post in our bedroom, lying in bed beside my two baby girls who are both down with fever. The fireworks have died down outside and Kayo and I just finished having some homemade churros. Summer and Emma getting sick wasn't part of the plan but we did plan on a very quiet and simple new year's eve celebration in the comforts of our own home. It may not be as comfortable as I would like it to be, especially for my two feverish girls, but I choose to be thankful because I get to cross this bridge from old to new, end to beginning, with my favorite people in the world. Read More
Bedtime Prayers
The past week, Summer has ben waking up in the middle of the night having had bad dreams. I could tell because she would be crying and shaking, clinging tight to me and not wanting to go back to bed. This happened three nights within the last week and started when one rainy night, it thundered so loud, even I got a little scared. Kayo and I did what we could to comfort her but it would take some time before she could calm down. It was difficult because her loud cries would wake Emma and put her in a foul mood too. We would sing to Summer, pray aloud for her and just stay up with her until she Read More
Summer Paints
Every time Summer sees me painting, she gets excited and urgently asks for her "pepper (paper), bash (brush) and cowers (colours)." I used to let her use my very old watercolor set until her Ninang gave her an Art Attack kiddie set for her birthday last month. She loves it. She enjoys using the paint brush like Mommy and -- as expected of a two year old -- loves getting the paint all over her body. At first, I was hesitant about letting her play with paint at such a young age because of Summer's mess-making capabilities, with which I am ever so familiar. But then I realized, it's what she sees Read More
Summer’s First: A Rubber Ducky Party
I’ve always loved children and even as a teenager, I already dreamed of throwing my own kids party. So imagine my delight when I finally had my own kid! A few months before Summer’s actual birthday I started planning and “pinning” ideas. Since our bubbly baby girl recently acquired a huge liking for Sesame Street and has always enjoyed taking baths, her Papa and I decided on a Rubber Ducky theme. I searched for other Rubber Ducky themed children’s parties online for more ideas and also made a list of things Summer liked and would enjoy to see at her party such as balloons and bubbles. Here Read More
Animal Artwork for Summer
When I was pregnant with Summer, I started working on these cute animal illustrations to put on the wall next to her crib. However, I gave birth before I could even finish them. So a few days ago I decided to pick up where I left off and complete what I have started to make for my baby girl. Aren’t they adorable? Can’t wait to place them on her wall! Read More