watch out for the choppers!

upon the advice of our pedia, we started giving aren solids on his 6th month. dry cereal mixed with water was mostly what we gave him.

but our choppers did not come out until the week before he turned 9 months! so adorable little white teeth peeking out from his lower gums. :)

he's a little late, i know... (but a little advanced in other milestones, i should say... ) made eating soft biscuits easier for him. we can now think that it's safer to give him more varied solids such as mashed vegetables and fruits.

i'm so excited for the other teeth to appear! more excited to give him other solids too.

the 7-month-old turista

It was an almost last minute decision... which I’m so glad we did.

It was my and my mom’s first international flight. It was Aren’s first everything :) Six days in Singapore! Too much for a 7-month-old baby? Think again :)

Aren logs:

Day 1: September 4

I had to "read" the safety instructions on the plane

Arrival area, Budget Terminal, Changi Airport

First dinner; Bedok Market

Day 2: September 5

Mommy, takpan ba ang mga mukha namin para lang makita yung sign? :)

















With white tigers and giraffes

With lions! Tatay, relatives ni Simba? :)

Day 3: September 6

Nice view from tatay's condo room. Singapore is so clean and orderly!

Merlion Station, Sentosa


Family pic at a nice beach in Sentosa

Underwater world. I was still inside my mommy's tummy when we went to Manila Ocean Park.


Too bad we were not able to get good shots of the dolphin show and Songs of the Sea.



Day 4: September 7

Marina Square

Nice lights

The real Merlion

Day 5: September 8

My first swimming (Tatay's condo)

Orchard stretch of malls

Day 6: September 9

Wonder why it's called Giant? ;) (We were actually entering Ikea which was right across it)

Shuttle bus waiting in front of Courts Megastore

At the airport, waiting for check-in time for flight back to Manila

Lola Pining and company were waiting for us at NAIA. We had no idea of the rains here in Manila. I fell asleep in the car on the way home.

Nades' PS: I'm sure not all of these will stick with Aren's memory, but at least there are photos that will show him in the future that he spent six days in Singapore when he was seven months old.

first award!

thanks chell! so sorry for the delayed acknowledgment... i know you were still a soon-to-be mom when you gave me this award, and now you are a real mom! (as if there are fake moms! hehe) congratulations! and may i add, you truly deserve this award.

as the title says, this is my first award! thank you, all! *waves to fans* ;) i'm so honored. :)

shake hands!

Aren’s newest trick! (c/o Lola Nits) It was fun seeing him do this! :) Just make sure that anyone who wants to try this with him should wash their hands first! :)

I’m sooooo proud of my baby… At 7 months, Aren...

- has gained weight from 6.5 lbs. to 10.3 kgs. (almost as heavy as an LPG tank, tatay says)
- has stopped breastfeeding but has increased his formula intake from 2oz to 6oz. (P800 every 6 days huhuhu)
- has outgrown nightly colic. (no moooooooooooore crying bouts!)
- developed and shrunk his inborn hydrocele. (buti nalang, diba lolo? *wink*)
- has turned from very dark-skinned to fairer than his mommy. (haaayyy buti nalang talaga!)
- sleeps through the night and wakes up for a bottle only once (yey for mommy!)
- has outgrown two bassinets and one crib. (Two to go!)
- has graduated from newborn, to small, to medium diapers! (EQ Dry is the brand for us!)
- has attended a swimming party and a Jollibee birthday (with a photo with no less than the bee himself!)
- has increased his vitamins from .3 to .6 ml. (no more natural protection from mommy)
- has started eating cereals. (and a bit of papaya and banana palang... scared pa si lola bigyan sya ng other foods)
- has grown used to the camera. (nice poses for tatay, baby!)
- has developed on-off face rashes, flaky dry skin at his back, and minor colds. (Allergies my dear)
- has learned the all-fours position, and mastered sitting unsupported (and flip through both positions in a matter of seconds!)
- can also stand on two legs just being supported on the hands (but of course for a few seconds only)
- can laugh at the slightest funny face or sound (and even slap whoever is carrying him!)
- can hold his bottle by himself (and finish 6oz in 5minutes!)
- can grasp big toys (and put them in his mouth!)
- has had his first bleeding incident (via a toy cutting through his gums, and mommy went crazy with panic!)
- has had his first fall from the bed (c/o lola nits hehe, but no broken bones or bukol whatsoever, don’t worry!)
- has started babbling (with different volumes and tones at that!)
- has learned to appreciate new sounds and sights. (so many sights to see ba, baby?)
- has had a passport photo taken (very behaved!)
- has visited Lolo Roger at Loyola twice. (although the first time, it rained!)
- turns around when he is called by name. (Aren that is, not Ardelio Endrino though)
- can turn moving parts of his toys with his little fingers. (so cute hand skill!)
- has developed an attachment to a stuffed toy and a pillow (Simba was tatay’s gift to me!)
- has his own ATM card, c/o Ninang Christy (laman nalang ang kulang, tatay!)
- has his own insurance/trust fund (yearly ang hulog tatay ha!)
- has “blown” 7 month-birthday candles (and defaced his 6th month cake!)

Here's looking forward to more milestones!

best tatay in the world

i hope this is one of those instances when a picture is worth a thousand words, as the cliche goes.

i recall the time that i told you that i hope aren gets to inherit your nose (*wink!*), your athleticism, and your visual artistry. but above all, my daily wish for aren is that he grows up to be a brave boy, like tatay! i can never tell you enough that i am so proud of you! making a decision like that, and more importantly, standing by it.

you have certainly outdone yourself since the first week after aren's birth. all your apprehensions have turned into excitement for the day that you can get to play chase with him. when i see you carrying our little angel, my heart is at peace knowing that he will always be safe even without me, that he can also create a bond just as special with his tatay.

(i hope that doesn't count as a thousand words... rats...)

we hope your first fathers' day was a memorable one!

a reflection on my 1st 3 months as a mom

thanks to ninang sen, aren has had his first publication at 3 months old: a short feature in our parish newsletter. the easter issue showcased different parishioners and their stories about new life, loves, beginnings, and the like.

writing the article helped me sit back and reflect on my three months of experiences as a first-time mother. i have the honor to reprint our segment:

"I had a fairly pleasant pregnancy, I was surrounded and taken care of by people who loved me. However, an unexpected development caused me to give birth three weeks early. With God’s grace, my labor was only three hours short, and my delivery was normal. What I was most thankful about was the fact that the baby did not have to be put in intensive care.

A few days after Aren was born, I was able to confirm the idea that no amount of books, magazines, or baby items can prepare a first-time mom for a newborn. When my son and I would have quiet time alone, I would feel an overwhelming emotion about his presence. It was like God was speaking to me through him, and I would always acknowledge that Aren is God’s blessing to me and my husband.

Aren has already celebrated two “month birthdays” with our families who dote on him. This Easter will be special for us because he will be baptized on that day. We chose Easter Sunday because it is symbolic of God’s love by renewing mankind by giving us His Son Jesus again. As parents, we promise to show Aren the same love that God showed us when he blessed us with our little angel. We will do our best to raise him with Church teachings, and to always walk the path of the Lord."

as mentioned above, aren was baptized on easter sunday (april 12, 2009) at the up parish of the holy sacrifice. i put some of my "event planning" skills to the test for this occasion. i hope it was memorable for our guests just as it was fun for us organizing it!


1) did not cry after the buhos (yey!); 2) with the ninongs and ninangs

we also decided to celebrate his 3rd month birthday during the reception. our families and friends came to show their love for our little angel.


3) the setup at up hotel; 4) a party staple-- cake! (from chocolate kiss)

the newly-baptized birthday baby, all grown up... (though a bit cranky because he cannot seem to finish his 4oz of milk because of all the interruptions!)

three is a magic number

when i became pregnant, rands emailed to me the mp3 file of the song three is a magic number... i've never heard of it before, and when i listened to it, it was fun and at the same time touching.

three was a significant number in my birthing story. taking off from my last post, i was lucky because i was the only one in the labor room when we arrived. i was immediately asked to lie down, and the resident conducted my first internal exam at 12:15am (i can see the wall clock from my bed); i was still 3cm. the contractions were becoming more intense then, and i asked the interns if the aircons were turned off, because i was sweating profusely! i swore to myself that i would not cause the same 'scandal' of screaming in pain as my sister did during her labor (hehe, peace!), so i quietly endured it by just distorting my face and body. i did this in between the questions the interns asked me about my pregnancy, personal data, medical history, family background, and i remember the most absurd question i answered was "ano pong tinapos nyo?" (napasagot talaga ako ng mataray na mataray na "ano???" "course po nung college." i thought, anong significance nun sa nangyayari sakin ngayon???)

at 1am, my 2nd ie showed that i was still 3cm. the resident offered a painkiller that can also put me to sleep, so i accepted it, but she said it will not work anymore "pag sinisiksik na ng baby yung ulo nya sa buto mo." i must have dozed off in a few minutes because the next time i woke up, the resident was conducting another ie at 2am, which showed that i was 7cm already. this time the contractions were making me squeal a bit already, and squirm a lot. i was already crumpling into my fist the top of the bedsheet over my head!

at 3am when the resident told me that she will be conducting another ie, i desperately asked, "na naman?" honestly, masakit kasi sya talaga, no joke. the resident was also apologetic but she said they had no choice. to my relief, the moment had come! very calmly, she said, "table na 'to." to me, it seemed like forever for them to lift me to the stretcher and wheel me to the delivery room.

my view from the bed was like how i saw it in grey's anatomy or er, the bright circular lights, tiled walls, interns with heads wearing shower caps. i did not have the chance to see their instruments anymore, but what i noticed was that there was no pain anymore! as in! on hindsight, i thought i was just too excited about the birth to notice the pain, but my sister later told me that it was gone because the baby's head was past the pelvic bone already (which made sense). the residents were giving me final instructions in pushing. i was so proud of myself when i heard them say, "very good."

a short while later, i heard my ob's voice, and saw him at my feet. "sige ne, ire." i pushed. "good. sige hiwaan nyo na yan." he was giving instructions to the interns to conduct episiotomy. then that was the last i remembered...

i opened my eyes. i was in a dark and quiet room. i realized that i was back in the same labor room i was in a few hours ago. i was wondering why. then an intern approached my bed, "kukunin lang po ang bp." i was so disoriented that my first question to him was, "tapos na?" i thought that it was only a few minutes after i last heard my ob. but when the intern said, "opo," i looked at the clock and saw that it was already 430am! but i was so groggy i couldn't keep my eyes open.

later still, another intern checked my bp. i asked her, "miss, kumusta yung baby?" "ay mam, sa nicu (what they called the nursery in our hospital) po ang baby." it was 5am. another intern checked my bp 30 minutes later, and i asked her, "miss naincubator ba yung baby?" "mam hindi po namin alam eh, sa nicu po yun." i thought, for heaven's sakes, was it so hard to make a call to the nicu to be able to answer a mother's concern?? but i still felt sleepy.

i woke up to loud voices and bright morning sunshine. it was already 730am. they prepared to move me to my room on the 3rd floor. when i was transfered to the bed, my mom was there to greet me. "hi, ma. naincubator ba yung baby?" i was so concerned because he was just 37 weeks and 3 days. "ay hindi ko alam, sige puntahan ko." when she left me alone in the room, my sister called. she said she called rands about the good news. we chatted until three residents came in to check on me.

i checked my cellphone, and i saw tatay rands' message, "i love you! THANK YOU GOD! see you hon and baby!!!! at 5:53am. (when my sister called him, he booked the next available flight, and surprised me at the hospital on friday morning) then i started texting all my relatives and friends about the good news. my mom came in a few minutes later with even better news... the baby did not need the incubator! i was so thankful!
my whole labor was three hours (in the labor room, that is...not counting the supposed labor i was having the whole day at home). baby aren was born at 3:30am. i loved referring to him as my "3cm baby" (see previous blog). as rands said, the song three is a magic number would be applicable to us in february. (we had no idea it would be advanced by three weeks... flashback january 14, wednesday 8pm, while i was watching csi in my room on the 2nd floor at home: he called me on the cell and asked me "kumusta ka?" which he didn't do every call. so i answered him with the very simple and straightforward "kung hindi tonight, tomorrow." to which he replied, "talaga?" i was right all along!)

aren is now three months old. rands and i are now a family. three is a magic number. :)

flashback: january 6 - 14, 2009

It was the 2nd day into the work week of the new year. I was praning because I learned that a faculty in school was expecting a normal delivery but had a last minute cs. I was praning because I thought that I gained a lot of weight over the holidays, and that I might have cs too. So I thought of visiting my “other” ob at healthway after office.

“36 weeks ka na noh? IE kita.” “Po??” “Para sure lang.” It was my first experience of internal exam ever, and a very memorable one at that...”Oh my, 3cm ka na.” “Hindi nga po?” then i got scared. Very calmly she advised me to see my real OB that same night, and take a taxi home. I was very surprised because I wasn’t feeling any symptom of pre-term labor at all! In fact, my holidays were so busy that my relatives were worried for me: Enchanted Kingdom, Christmas parties, birthday parties, our 1st wedding anniversary celebration, Rands coming home, Manila Ocean Park. On my way home, that was when I realized that it must be precisely why my cervix has started dilating already!

The following day, my visit to my OB confirmed my dilatation. I was tested positive for UTI, which was the most probable cause, according to them, so I had to treat it with antibiotics. I was also given medicine to prevent my uterus from contracting because I was only 36 weeks and three days, too early for baby to survive normally. Once I reached my 37th week, it would be safer. Needless to say, I was advised to bedrest. And so it was all so suddenly that I left my tasks at the office, and that I started on an indefinite sick leave.

Our sala would be my bedroom for the next 7 days. My mom would even get my clothes and things for me from the 2nd floor, just so I could literally lie down again after eating or going to the bathroom. I was again praning to strain my bowels or laugh out loud, lest I want my baby to come out already. I even missed the chance to personally shop for my baby’s stuff; my sister did it for me a day into my bedrest ordeal.

January 14, Wednesday, when I woke up in the morning, I thought I had to go to the bathroom, but not quite.. Then I remembered what my cousin said, that the same sensation was already signalling her first stage labor for her last baby. I did not tell my mom that I was feeling this every three or four hours throughout the day. I was even able to watch TV in my room upstairs (yes, I dared!) that night, and I started wearing my watch at around 9pm so I can time my contractions. I continued to watch TV downstairs, and settled in my sofa after the evening news.

I struggled to find a comfortable position, and when I shifted, whooosssh! My water bag broke! It felt like I peed a lot in my shorts. I looked at the clock: 11:45pm. I woke my mom up, then she started to panic! She got dressed, she brought me down some clothes, and she brought down the bags too. While I got dressed, she woke my dad up, and she got a taxi.

The hospital was just 5 minutes away from the house, but the trip seemed to last for hours! I was just quietly enduring the contractions, and my parents were also quiet in the taxi. Finally we reached UDMC at 12 midnight.