Looking for a Friend?

Internet has been a gateway to those searching for love for the past 10 years. I’ve seen a lot of people meet online, become good friends and later fall in love. In fact, some of my close friends right now are people that I met either in a forum or chat room. I even met me last boyfriend through the Internet and our relationship lasted for about three years. It’s so easy to find someone in the Internet for the sole reason that you can totally re-invent yourself. You are more carefree, confident and less afraid of the rejection. So instead of judging each other based on first impressions, you talk freely about yourselves and become friends. When the time comes that you need to meet, all awkwardness is gone because you already developed a special connection.

If you want to try your luck in finding the right one through the Internet or just simple looking for a friend, FriendFinder is worth checking out. It is one of the leading personals network for dating, romance and fun. Membership is free and the signup process is very easy. There’s a quick search, which allows you to specify your preferences from gender to age to location. What’s cool is that each singles have their own blog where they post their daily thoughts and experiences. I just love reading other people’s journal because you can learn so much based on how they write and think.

I was young once too, but not this crazy!

It's so sad to see young celebrities waste their lives. There's so much in store for them that I can't find any reason why they need to get drunk or get high all the time. We've all read about how Lindsay Lohan wrecked her car while driving under the influence of alcohol. And don't let me start about Britney Spears. Her passing out in several bars and shaving her head bald, drawing a 666 on her forehead are just so degrading. To think that kids look up to them.

I read though, that these celebrities received addiction treatment and are behaving properly for the last couple of weeks. I hope it will last because they are so young and that they should enjoy their fame while they can.

Are you a control freak>

You Are 68% Control Freak

You are a pretty major control freak, though you may not know it. While your confidence is inspiring, your bossy ways tend to scare people off.

Are You A Control Freak?

Okay, so I'm a control freak. Shoot me! I want everything to be in order, even other people's lives especially if they are around me all the time, lol.

I just love these quizzes.

Dreams are my reality

Okay, I have a confession to make. I daydream, a lot. If we were talking and you see me nodding with a stoic face, it means that at the moment, I am dreaming of cars, appliances, travels and my favorite, beautiful houses. To feed my dreams, I have to supply myself with tons of visuals. I window shop, read magazines, watch commercials and of course, browse the Internet.

I found another real estate website today. Just for the fun of it, I tried their search to see if I can find the house of my dreams. To make it realistic, I looked for houses under $500,000. Not that I can afford that amount, but that's the lowest value that the search function offers.

So I found this.


With a kitchen like this:


And a living room like this:


"It has 5 Bedrooms & 4 baths on full basement with open kitchen, 2 story wall of windows, huge master w/ fire place & gigantic closet w/ island in middle."

Amazing isn't it? To think I was just dreaming of an LCD TV on my last post. Well, I did say it was just a dream house right?

Let me note that down on my wishlist.

Wish List

Saw this last Sunday at SM Makati.



The LCD TV is so slim! I can already picture it in our living room. Our soon-to-be condo is not that big so we need to do what we can to maximize the space.

We want it soooo bad. The price is just too much, Php60,000 for a TV set? We're not rich! But I so love it that it's starting to occupy my dreams. I hope the price will go down dramatically next year when we start buying appliances.

Taking Care of Your Skin

I cannot stress enough how important it is to take care of our skin. We need to do this not only for our husbands but to also make us (mommies and wives) feel good about ourselves. Skincare products are everywhere but not all of them are suitable for sensitive skin. It's always best to try out a product first before you plunge in and buy a whole set. The American Academy of Dermatologists states that preservatives such as parabens can cause irritation and have also been linked to breast cancer.


If you do have a sensitive skin, you can check out Arouge's line of facial skincare products. Arouge products are specifically designed for both dry and sensitive skin and only uses naturally extracted ingredients. Their products don’t have antibacterial ingredients, fragrances and solvents because these can dry and irritate your skin.

New Project

I need to design a web site and a logo for our new hosting web site.

This is the theme.



Sweet!

Need a Branson Getaway?

Ever been to Branson, Missouri? It's the live entertainment capital of the world! You can visit the museums (The Titanic, Hollywood Wax Museum); spend the day at the kart track, miniature golf courses and water parks or even shop 'till you drop! If you need help on planning a trip to Branson, go to BransonGetaways.com to see the available vacation packages and getaway specials that they offer. They can assist you in finding a hotel, customizing your vacation and purchasing tickets to over 70 shows and attractions. Your perfect vacation can be put together in as little as 30 minutes notice.

Sandy's Library

Here are some photos of my little bookworm.





And this, is her library.

There are more books scattered around the house because she wants to read wherever she is.

New Toys

Sandy doesn't want to play with her toys lately. She wants to use all my stuff, from laptop to digital camera to cellphone and even my make-up. I guess she's figured out that hers are just made of plastic and doesn't really work. I found her this morning drawing in her barney notebook using my ballpoint pens. She knows how to open my pens so I need to make sure that I never leave anything around the house. I bought her tons of fat crayons but she rarely uses them. Perhaps I should start playing with her toys just to renew her interest.

Joy Needs

Got this from Chikai.

Instruction: Go to www.google.com, write your name and the word “needs” in the google and click the Goggle Search button. Just for fun, see what comes out of your search.

Joy needs tragedy
Joy Needs a Nanny
Joy Needs Prayer
Joy needs to take a lesson and step to the back of the line
Joy needs to prove that she comes first
Joy needs jokes
Joy needs to make bail and get out of jail.
Joy needs to realize her mistake

I also tried “wants” and “likes”

Joy wants eternity
Joy likes to spend time with her family
Joy likes to tell her raspberries to “grow” and talk to her food

They all sound like me! Well, except for the jail bit.

Have a break! Go tag yourself!

Losing weight the healthy way

Hubby has gained a lot ever since we got married that it's already affecting his self-confidence. He's always tired at work that food is his only solace when he gets home. I think he can use some help from myfitnesspal.com. This site offers free calorie counter and has a huge database of food selections. You can find a healthier substitute by browsing their list so you won't feel like you're depriving yourself. They also have an online food diary to make it easier for you to track what you eat and log the amount of calories you take everyday. You can learn a lot from their discussion forums by reading other people's experiences and tips on how they lose weight. The site is 100% free so there's no need to pay anything for using their weight management tools.

Surprise!

This is what Sherwin bought me for my birthday.




It's one of my favorite books, Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair (Bilingual Edition-Spanish/English) by Pablo Neruda.

It even has a note that says "To my darling wife, Here. Now. In one of the moments that make our forever. Love, Sherwin."

Isn't that sweet?

New Product In the Making

Our company will be launching a new hosting service in a couple of months. We will start phase I by doing a market research to study our would-be competitors. We need to know who will be our potential clients so we can figure out the features that we will offer. I'm so excited about this project that I'm already thinking about how the web site should look like. This is the stage where everyone can pitch in and put their creative ideas on the table. I can't wait to hear about my colleague's thoughts on our team meeting next week.

A different kind of learning

I am very impressed on how SCORE! Can make a difference on their students. They have lots of programs to help kids progress in school or just simply have fun learning. An Innovative Tutor takes an active, hands-on approach which will help the kids develop positive attitude towards learning. They focus on what the kids can do and enhance it to their advantage. With customized curriculums, a child can learn in his own pace thus instilling confidence making them want to learn more.



This post is sponsored by SCORE!

Rock-a-bye-baby

It's so hard to put Sandy to sleep. Ever since Sandy's baby cousin came, she wanted to be carried all the time. She used to fall asleep just by nursing, which is already a bad habit as it is. Now, she will say, "how about put sandy to sleep?", meaning it's about time we rock her while singing "Today" or "Moon River". It's hard because she's so heavy and long! And she has this habit of fighting her sleepiness, as if she might miss something important if she closes her eyes.

Ahhh, the joys of motherhood :) By the way, she knows the lyrics to today, moon river and other baby songs like rock a bye baby, twinkle twinkle, 1 2 buckle my shoe, i love you (barney) and many more. We're really amazed at how she can sing these songs without any difficulty.

Golf Balls

Looking to buy some more golf balls? Head to usegolfballdeals.com to buy quality used golf balls. Each product has it's own ball grading so you'd know if what you're buying is worth the price. For example, Grade AAA means that it is in "lightly used" condition and ranging from unnoticeable to very minor imperfections. Grade AA, on the other hand, have a slight blemish but still in very good condition. It is considered as the best value and very suitable for play at any level. To make it easier, the selections of used golf balls can be browsed by brands, by functions or by ball grades.

Have Fun!

Are you looking for the perfect spot to spend your holidays or just lie back and enjoy a weekend getaway with the family? Florida is just the perfect place for both tourist and vacationers. It boasts of several popular attractions such as Disney World, Universtal Studios, Sea World and Islands of Adventure. If you love the water just like me, their sandy beaches are also just an hour drive away. You can treat the kids and have fun under the sun. Don’t forget to log in to moremouse.com and see if you can check in at vacation home Orlando. They have lots of vacation rentals, which will definitely make your vacation stress-free.

British music rules!

Tourdates.Co.Uk, a new music web site has recently launched an unsigned chart with free music downloads. This site offers access to gig listings and latest events of your favorite signed and unsigned band. Their site is very easy to use but you need to be a member, which is free, to get access to videos, mp3s and other cool features. As a member, you can download up to 612 MP3s for free, post reviews on an artist and bookmark your selected events, favorite artists, playlists and music. They have a wide selection of genre and if you're a music lover, tourdates.co.uk will definitely rock your world.

Read about their press release
tourdates.Co.UK, Britains fastest growing new music website, has launched a chart for unsigned bands.

The site allows new bands to upload promotional tracks, announce gig dates and create profiles to promote themselves alongside major artists such as the Artic Monkeys and The Twang.

Tourdates Jarrod Robinson says, there are some fantastic unsigned bands in the UK and we wanted them to know how much our community likes their music, an unsigned chart seemed the perfect answer.

Chart results are announced on the site at 19:00 every sunday, the sametime as the No1 single of the week is announced on BBC's radio 1.

The balance

I had a product training with my client last week. I woke up at 6am after sleeping at 1am just so I can prepare and rehearse my script. Since Sandy is such a light sleeper, I’ve decided to do the training downstairs. I asked the new yaya to watch Sandy, went down with my laptop and checked if my Internet connection is stable. I also got an email from the client telling me that he’s waiting for my call. Just when I’m about to ring him, I heard the little girl cry. I panicked, the new yaya can’t handle Sandy yet and I know she’s looking for my milk. I had to choose quickly. All my training docs were open, laptop already connected and company phone all set to dial. I didn’t care, though. I suddenly find myself in the bedroom, nursing Sandy to sleep, thinking how bad it will look if I delay the training for 30 minutes or so. Very unprofessional, I know. But Sandy comes first.

Who wants hollywood gossip?

I love celebrity gossip! In fact, my day won't be complete if I don't browse through my favorite gossip websites. I found a new site today that offers the hottest and latest celebrity rumors. What I like about this site is that they have a huge list of celebrity profiles. You can also vote on the gossip or leave comments but you need to be a member to do this. The membership is free and when you sign up, you get 100 points instantly. These points can be used in exchange of a magazine subscription for free. You can also earn points by referring a friend. If they sign up, you receive another 50 bonus points per friend and if that friend refers someone else, you get 20 points.

Gone Dry

There's so much stuff to do this week. My mom is going to participate in a bridal fair to showcase her bridal gowns on the 26th. She asked me to design some business cards for her but no matter what I do, I just can't think of any design right now. It's too bad that my creative juice decided to get AWOL this week. We'll probably need about 100 pcs per design IF I can come up with a design at all. Let's just hope, for my mom's sake, that tomorrow will be a creative day. Her logo is ready and all I need to do is add some swirls and curves as a background. Well, what do you know, I already have an idea after all.

That Weekend

Hello online friends! How was your weekend? I hope you had fun!

We spent Father’s day at home because one, Sherwin was down with the flu and two, it was just too exhausting to go out anymore. Hubby (although sick) and I went to buy some groceries in the afternoon (SM was jam-packed) and some yummy take-outs to make the day special, at least. After the quick trip to SM, I scheduled a home massage for him. Sandy wished him a “Happy (with lots of giggle) Papa’s Day” and behaved the whole day. I feel bad that we didn’t get to visit my father though. I’m sure he understands. I’ll just have to make it up to him another time.

Our house is in chaos right now. My sister-in-law just gave birth to my lovely niece, Chloe Morgan last Thursday. Pictures to be posted soon. We spend most of our time going to their room to cheer and encourage the new mommy to breastfeed. I know I sound like a broken record whenever I say, “ganyan talaga, dadami din yan” but it’s the least I can do. Sandy’s latest favorite thing to do is hanging out outside their bedroom, waiting for me to let her know that Chloe’s awake. She just loves her baby cousin and she’s always kissing her feet and small hands. However, she says, “remove, baby Chloe” whenever she sees me carrying the new baby.

Quick Business Loans

Before we got married, Sherwin and I used to talk about setting up our own business. Since we both love food and he's very good at cooking, we planned of putting up a small cafe at the back of our office building. We weren't able to pursue it due to lack of capital and the long process that goes with borrowing from the bank. I totally forgot about this dream of ours until I came across this site who offers business loans for restaurants and retailers. ARF (Advance Restaurant Finance) is a licensed finance company and specializes in business with less than perfect credit. Your payments remain fixed during the term of your loan so you'll get to keep more of your profits. The loan process is very quick. All they ask is you fill out a short credit application and fax your recent bank statement and most recent three months' credit card statements. You will get the capital that you need in five business days without the hassle of preparing tons of documents.

Living on your own

Sherwin and I rented a condo unit for 2 years and now living with my mom-in-law for almost three years. We can't live with her mom forever though so we looked for a place that we can call our own. We're lucky to have found a very nice and relatively cheap two-bedroom condominium unit near my mother-in-law's house last year. It's still on a pre-selling stage that's why it's cheap. After making the necessary research, we made a down payment and we're now only waiting for 8 months before we can move in.

You'd think after making the down that I would stop look for more properties, right? Wrong. Browsing through real estate websites is my second favorite past time, with furniture window-shopping being the first. There's just so much to choose from these days. House and lots are way too expensive especially if it’s near the city. Which is why condominiums, with its location and affordability, are now getting popular. Condominiums have now evolved into many shapes. There are resort-type condos (that's what they call ours), luxurious condo hotels, low-rise, high-rise, family condos, etc. It's a good thing condos have become affordable or else, we might end up just renting (again) or buying a house in an isolated, inaccessible area.

Combine your loans into one

Are you having problems paying your education loans? Why not try Fundamental's student loan consolidation? By consolidating with Fundamental, you can combine all your eligible loans into one easy payment with a fixed interest rate. The amount that you pay monthly will be locked so it won't change even if the interest rates increase. This one single payment simplifies record keeping and can also reduce your monthly payments up to 50% more depending on your loan balance and the length of the payback period. The application process is easy and you don't need to pay anything.

Last Night

All the baby books say that a 20-month-old toddler should have about 12-14 hrs of sleep daily. If that was a test, Sandy would be failing miserably. She slept a total of 6 hrs last night. We turned off the lights at 10pm and her Papa went to the other room to watch TV so the little one can go to sleep. She couldn’t, though. There was a photo of Sherwin’s dad in our room and she kept on saying “scared, lolo cesar!”. After about 30 minutes of being tugged and pulled by Sandy, I turned on the lights and got up to put the photo outside our room. When she saw the picture, she just smiled and said, “Hi, Lolo Cesar!” which made me wonder if she was really scared at all. So I placed the picture outside and went back to our room hoping that the absence of the photo will put her at ease. Once inside, she embraced me again while saying, “who’s that? who’s that?”. (awooooo) Being a scary cat that I am, I assumed she was seeing something scary to the point that I’m already planning of ways to cure her “third eye”. I’m being silly, I know! But I was sleepy and tired and all I can hear is Sandy’s scared voice and the way her sharp nails are digging into my skin. I turned on the lights for the nth time and decided to tell her Papa about the “problem”. Her lola and tito heard about it and went to our room to play with her a bit so she can forget whatever it is that was bothering her. Bad idea! She got so hyper and excited that she couldn’t sleep anymore. To cut the story short, we all slept around 12:40AM. The only good thing about last night is that Sandy fell asleep in her Papa’s arms. It was one of those very rare nights that she didn’t fall asleep nursing. I guess her Papa’s rendition of “Yesterday” by the Beatles was enough.

Get Free Help

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This post is sponsored by 1-800-No-Drugs.com

A tag from Aggie

Yourself: blog addict, sucker for chic lit ebooks, sleep-deprived and breastfeeding for 21 months.

Your Partner: highly principled, passionate in everything

Your Hair: long and shiny

Your Mother: bread winner, fighter, young at heart

Your Father: hard outside, super softie inside

Your Favorite Item: anything mobile, pda, laptop so I can browse the net anywhere

Your Dream Last Night: hot hot men from Grey's Anatomy lol

Your Favorite Drink: mango martini

Your Dream Car: isuzu trooper for the whole family

Dream Home: 4 bedroom house with a huge garden

The Room You Are In: bedroom

Your Fear: parents getting old and sick and inability to take care of them

Where You Want to be in Ten Years: living comfortably somewhere cold

Who You Hung Out With Last Night: sandy and hubby

You’re Not: rich!

One of Your Wish List Items: nokia n95

The Last Thing You Did: blogging

You Are Wearing: shorts and t-shirt

Your Favorite Weather: summer

Your Favorite Book: Time Traveler's wife, about a boy, griffin and sabine trilogy, the alchemist, catcher in the rye, einstein's dream

Last Thing You Ate: nilagang pork

Your Life: is surprisingly good

Your Mood: excited

Your Best Friend: lives too far

What Are You Thinking About Right Now: as always, my super long to-do list

Your Car: none

What Are You Doing At The Moment: trying to work

Relationship Status: deliriously happy

The CRM Software You'll Ever Need

We all hear about customer relationship management all the time but do you really know what it is? CRM helps an organization utilize every opportunity to provide the highest level of customer satisfaction. This includes but not limited to customer support, marketing analysis and quality assurance. There are several crm softwares available that can help companies address critical business issues. One of them is Aimpromote.com, a leading international provider of marketing integration and automation tools. They offer superior crm software with all the features a company will ever need at a very low price. For only $33 per user, your company can have access to several lead management features, detailed campaign performance and ROI reports, automated sales force and more. They offer a full featured 14-day free trial so you can see for yourself how AIMpromote can make your company successful.

She's Back!

It’s been awhile since I posted some photos of the little girl. Wala na kasi akong ma-post na decent photo! Matindi na likot ni Sandy, to think that she hasn’t reached the terrible-two stage yet. I’m finding it harder everyday to take her picture. She will not sit still for more than two seconds. She’s always running and jumping. She’d rather take the pictures herself or check her shots on the camera’s LCD.

Anyway, here are some photos taken last month. Muy guapa!

Short hair pa din!

More photos later!

Little Bookworm

Have you heard about Score Summer Camps? If you're looking for the best summer learning experience, this is the best place to go. They have fun and exciting programs to keep your children catch up or even get ahead in school. A friend that I met online will be enrolling her 4 year old daughter in their 'Learn to Read' program to prepare her when she enters Pre-Kindergarten next year. It's an early learner program that will help your child develop reading strategies and comprehension skills. She said her daughter, Molly, just loves to read since she was 3 months old.

Molly is so like my daughter. My Sandy loves reading as well that she has her own collection of books in her small library.

A teeny weeny rant

First, they asked me to fire two people. Then, they told me to manage the team. Then, they wanted me to hire new employees. While managing the team and looking for applicants, I need to design web sites, skin portals, draw artworks and convert table-less layouts.

Now, they want me to train clients whose timezones are so different than mine.

I should be paid $1000 more.

Spyware Attacks

Spywares, don't you just hate them? I download videos, photos and music all the time so I'm not immune to spyware attacks. We always take our chances whenever we click the button 'Yes' when downloading. Some of them are just annoying like pop ups and browser hijacking but some of them poses real threat. Security experts reported that spywares are now becoming more sophisticated that new strategies are needed to fight it. I have tried several spy sweepers that can remove the spyware but after a month or so, I will notice that the problem is back. I want to be able to download and browse websites without having to worry about my computer's security. Six years worth of work and photos are stored in my computer so I have to make sure that it's fully protected.

I've read about Webroot Spy Sweeper and would like to try it myself. Webroot Spy Sweeper is the most award-winning antispyware software and delivers the most advanced spyware detection that can find and completely destroy malicious lurking. With continuous monitoring and regular FREE Defense Updates, my computer will be protected from the latest threats. Spy Sweeper uses a risk assessment test, which gives a brief description of each threat, what it does and how dangerous it is. That way, users like us will be able to decide if we want to keep or remove the unwanted programs.

Here are some more of the facts why Spy Sweeper is an excellent solution for all your spyware needs: real-time smart shields, multiple user protection, updated spyware news and information and free customer support. I also liked the fact that I can choose a quick, full or custom sweep. This is helpful if I need an immediate solution so I can get on with my work.

Help them help you

I know we all have our own list of rules for our house help to follow. However, I noticed that some employers tend to forget the needs of their helpers because they are either too busy to notice or just inconsiderate. I’m encouraging everyone to take care of your helpers especially your yayas because they are the ones who are caring for your child while you’re gone. Remember, they are earning about 1/20 of your income and the small things that you give them will go a long way. This also applies to not-so-rich households so there’s no reason why you can’t provide some of the items below.

Plan your groceries wisely. If your food is different from the helpers, at least make sure that their supply is enough for one day. If you’re going away for let’s say, a week, leave them enough cash for their food and other emergencies. Snacks are not mandatory but it would be nice to provide it as well. We all know how hard it is to work on an empty stomach right?

Provide a comfortable sleeping place. They get tired too, you know. I know someone who just puts a thick blanket on the floor and uses a towel for her pillow. A banig, blanket and one pillow will do. Make sure that their electric fans are working. They are sometimes afraid to ask so it is our responsibility to check if they are doing well. If they are not fully rested, then they will find it hard to work properly or worse, fall asleep while looking after your baby.

If they’re sick or have body odor/bad breath or have lice, give them medications to cure whatever it is that needs to be cured. They don’t have extra money to buy these things so be generous on this kind of stuff. You wouldn’t want a yaya with kuto to play with your kids, would you?

If you have extra money, why not give them little trinkets just to show how much you appreciate them? And if you can afford it, how about buying their kids some new clothes and school supplies? It doesn’t cost much but the rewards are so great. They will see how much you care for them and in return, will look after your home and kids as if it’s their own.

———
You must be thinking, what if they become too comfortable? Well, that’s when we should remind them about the house rules. We need to be strict yet fair.

Pingo Phone Cards

Have you heard about Pingo? It's a prepaid calling card service that lets you save a lot of money with their amazing low rates and freebies. In fact, just by signing up, you can get $5 USD in FREE calls and receive up to 4 hours of free International calls. You can also use Pingo to make an international call from your mobile phone which can save you as much as 90% and works with any phone carrier.

Pingo cheap calling cards are very easy to use and won't require you to purchase any equipment or change phone carriers. It allows auto-recharge, provide you your own PIN and toll-free access number and easy online access to your billing and call history.

I like their affiliate program as well, which pays $15 for new customers that you refer. You will keep on earning even after their first purchase. You will receive a commission for the next 6 months whenever they recharge their cards.

So if you're still looking for a Discount Long Distance Card or the best cheap prepaid phone card, sign up now with Pingo and get your $5 USD in free calling. Their Pingo RateWatcher™ is always on the look out for the lowest rates so they can help you save on your long distance calls.

Still kicking

I know I said I’m giving up pumping but I just don’t have the strength to do it. I’m allowing Sandy another two months and hopefully, she will be ready to take formula by the time we stop. The good news is my supply is getting stronger! Sandy, who used to hate the sight of my pump, is now the one who “forces” me to pump. While she’s feeding, I will hold the pump near my legs, close enough that she will notice it on her own. When she sees the pump, she will say, “Mama, pump!” then she’ll hold the pump and put it on my other breast. If she’s not in the mood and starting to push the pump away, I’ll just say, “Oh no! Mommy has no more milk. I think we need to check if we still have milk?”. She’ll smile then position the pump herself and wait patiently until the milk comes out. As soon as she sees the milk, she’ll give me a smug smile and say, “See?” then go back to nursing.

Isn’t that great?

Who wants to be a millionaire?

Check out this Las Vegas Luxury Condos. I wonder if we'll ever get to visit? I always hear about Trump Tower (where else but from Mr. Trump himself) and how it's the best and most successful real estate project in Las Vegas. It also boasts of unparallel first class service and facilities. However, what I'd like to purchase, if ever I hit the LOTTO jackpot is a 3-bedroom unit at Allure Las Vegas. I can just picture their private balconies, granite counters, Italian cabinetry and stainless steel appliances. It's the kind of stuff that dreams are made of.

Another Phrase

Sandy and I were looking at her baby pictures last night.

Papa: Who’s that? Is that Ate Gabby? (Ate Gabby is her cousin and current favorite)
Sandy: Baby Sandy!
Papa: Sandy, you say “no, that’s baby sandy”.
Sandy: (thinking)
Sandy: Don’t think so!

Hahaha. How cute!

Sandy: Papa Sherwin! Papa Sherwin!
Papa: Don’t say Sherwin, just say Papa.
Mama: Yes, say Papa only.
Sandy: Not Daddy. Papa only (her Papa told her not to call him Daddy before)

It just shows that she really do understand what we’re talking about and not just repeating what we’re saying.

Sandy loves to hang out inside our bathroom now. While I was typing at my computer, I saw her move slowly towards the bathroom. Once inside, she noticed that the lights were off so she stood in the middle thinking of something to do. All of a sudden, she shouted “Mommy! There baby inside!! Mommy! There baby inside!!”

What a delightful little girl.

TV and Sleeping

Sandy woke up at exactly 10:45 AM today. She has been sleeping really late for the last couple of weeks, which drives me nuts. I know we should be strict on our bedtime routines. It’s so hard, though. The TV is the only thing that Sherwin and I look forward to after a long tiring day. We actually watch TV at a very low volume that we sometimes find it hard to understand the show anymore. It’s because even if the little girl is sleepy, she will still turn her head towards the TV when she hears any of her favorite commercials.

Hayayayyy. I’ve started reading the ‘Baby Book’ again by Dr. Sears. I’m hoping she will start to sleep on her own by the time she reached her 2nd birthday. That means no dede, no tugging and pulling of my nipple and no waking up in the middle of the night.

Hah! I doubt it.

To pump or not to pump

My darling daughter has a history of milk allergy so she still drinks breastmilk at 20 months. If I want to work undisturbed or leave the house for more than five hours, I need to have at least two 4 ozs of milk ready for her. Hence the need for constant pumping and storing of breastmilk everyday. However, as much as I want to give her pure breastmilk, I find pumping very stressful especially now that she’s older. My milk supply is about to run dry that I can only express milk while she’s feeding on the other side. There are times when she wants to do the pumping but most of the times, she freaks out when she sees it near my breast. I’ve also started hating the sight of my pump because of the pressure (to store) and the need to come up with several excuses for Sandy why we need to do it.

I’ve been planning to give her formula ever since she turned 15 months but I’m still unsure if her milk allergy is really gone. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts to pump yesterday, I’ve decided to not to do it anymore. I want to be free of my pump. I’m sick of worrying whether I have enough milk stored for the week or if it will keep frozen after a 2-hour power interruption. I just want to lie down, relax and think of nothing while Sandy’s nursing.

I’m having second thoughts though, now that I’ve finished writing about it. Will she be able to take formula when I’m away?