Happy Birthday to My Big Love!

Exactly 1 year ago, on your 31st birthday,  a little person we have today announced her presence in our lives at 4 weeks.

Today, she is officially with us at almost 4 months and has changed us so much.

Happy birthday to the most practical, responsible man, the funniest husband, the most handsome (in my eyes), the sweetest Dad, Liane's first love and my last. You are God's gift to us and I thank Him everyday for the day he allowed our paths to cross.

I pray that you will always have good health, wisdom in your decisions, find joy even in times of despair and struggle, meaning and fulfillment in the things that you do;

May you always find strength and inspiration to do good like you always do and may the Lord always bless the work of your hands, because God knows how hard you try.

Things may not always be easy, but know and be assured that Liane and I are always behind you, beside you, supporting you all the way. 

We love you Daddy! To the world you may be one man, but to us, you are THE MAN! Happy Birthday!:)

Canyon Cove Wednesdate

Today is a milestone for our family. Since we had Liane in April, I have not been out of the house for more than 3 hours (I go now to the gym to attend aerobics classes, or to catch the occassional movie with hubby) because I worry that she might not feed well from the bottle or I always take her with me.

Raymond and I went on a Wednesdate at Canyon Cove with two other couple friends who also are his highschool friends. We had a great time. 

The beach was beautiful, the swimming pool was nice; it was one fine day. It rained a bit and we had a dip in the sea and talked a little, then transferred to the pool. The pool was warm, it was actually the temperature Liane would have enjoyed. I thought of her the whole time since we left to do some grocery shopping in the morning after our morning booger battle and babath routine. 

I actually also relaxed a little when I called to check on Bubbah how she was and she was just quiet and sleepy mostly. The took the bottle with out fuss (again, Avent Natural is pure love!).

Here's a 3month, 2wks and 4days milestone!-- she held the bottle for the first time :) thanks to Ate Ailyn who took it and is just as kilig! (her Yaya)

So we enjoyed the day, I pumped a couple of 8 ounces by the beach, got to wear my bikini, am sunkissed and came home to a tummy sleeping little bug.

8:10PM Almost an hour later she was at the dead end of her crib, so I adjusted her and she flipped from her tummy to her back and gummy-smiled at me! Oh my heart melted. I pick her up and put her on my chest and we have been this way for the last 20mins. Sleep-feeding. 

8:30PM Placed her in her in her crib. She is such a happy, peaceful baby. Thank you Jesus!

Early Mornings with Bubbahroo

5:00AM While the whole house is asleep, Bubbah's gurgles, giggles and coos nudge my sleepy self to rouse and change her diaper. From there, I massage her legs, feet, arms, hands, head and face-- she really likes it. Her dimples and gummy smiles is like morning coffee, it jumpstarts me.

I check her finger and toenails, they need clipping. So we continue our morning "talk" and prayers in front of the window at the dining room where we sunbathe her daily and we listen to Hillsongs and Lincoln Brewster and some of Daddy Raymond's music-- yep, he did send me CD's of his singing as "harana" when he pursued me. :)

We finish cutting her nails, I clip them when she is awake because she sleeps on her tummy and its quite hard to clip them while she sleeps on me (although I have tried it successfully). 

6:00AM We then proceed with repeatedly suctioning her nose with a nasal aspirator to get the daily "cobwebs" from her nose-- booger battle! Today only took 2 suctions each nostril, and she got knocked out! (One of the rare times she sleeps on her back.)

It's rainy today. The gentle drip dopping is soothing as we wait for Mr. Sun to warmly shine, and Ate Inday (Liane's yaya) to wake up. Moments like this are precious.

Good morning Mommies!:) 

Tummy Sleeping

Does anybody elses baby tummy sleeps? 

I find Liane sleeps longer and better, is more settled and is not easy to startle on her belly than when she is on her back. We started flipping her when she was 2 days old and it has been her preferred and only sleeping position since. The perfect head shape is a bonus!

Bubbah Tummy Sleeping @ 0-6wks

Tummy sleeping @ 8-13wks

I was worried about the SIDS risk although I understand it is reduced as the baby becomes older. 

Bubbah has always been advance in her milestones, she could turn her head from side to side at 2 days old, would sometimes flip from tummy to back at 6 weeks with a lot of effort from her end an to our surprise the next time we check her, could support her head, neck and chest at 8 weeks and  flips from her back to her tummy and back again seamlessly and  "army crawls" at 12 weeks.

I'd love to know your thoughts on tummy sleeping vs the back 2 sleep campaign? Would you risk it?

Sunday Family Love!

It's the first Sunday of August!

Oh how time flies. 

Happy World Breastfeeding Month to all Mommies & Babies out there!

So today, as is every Sunday is family day. Today was quite productive. I and Gie, my lovely sister-in-love and Ate Karen and her son, Shawn went to the oval to attend some early morning Aerobics at 6am (will post photos); came home a couple of hours later to a well fed Bubbahroo, (thanks to Avent Natural and all the love from Auntie Rachel and good and loyal house help/Yaya) to give her a bath at 8am everyday. I look forward to this routine everyday and have seen Liane's transformation from hating the water, to tolerating the water... And now, she really loves the water! There's this water song I made up and sing her to that calms her down which goes "the water is my friend... Is my friend, is my friend..." 

We play for a little bit and she gets fussy, scratches her head, pulls her hair and ears... She's sleepy. She does for a bit and is awakened twice by her wet Bamboo Dappies. I use cloth diapers for

her during the day when we are at home.

We get ready to go to Alabang for lunch and church. The sleepy girl didn't like it when I turned her from her back to front so I could change her into going out clothes. After placing Mamypoko on her and changing her outfit, I pack her stuff with the Bubbah gurgling in the background quietly observing and I am quite sure she knew we were going out. Afterwards, I let her sleep a little bit on me and then placed her back in her crib so I could finish getting ready.

Sleeping on Mommy after I got her ready

Mommy's turn to get ready! Excited to eat out :)

Daddy finally comes home, gets ready in a flash and I take out our handy dandy SaYa Versatek and flip her from her tummy to her back. She sees me and smiles, she knows I am about to wear her.

We go to Alabang, had lunch, she has no complaints, even slept a bit and woke up hungry, fed her a bit but the buzzing and busy environment stimulates her attention too much that even though she is sleepy, she tries to fight it.

Still sleepy on her SaYa from being awoken from the car ride :) 

Mommy's lunch hahaha :) that's 10 shrimp tempura's

BubbahROO's lunch hehehe!

We went to church at Victory Alabang; really awesome powerful message about David and his perception on his obstacles. Our little girl was quiet the whole time, observant; and kept looking around and making friends.

Victory Alabang

A-B-C-D. Alert, Behave & Calm with Daddy :)

Really sleepy baby during the end of service final praise song. No fuss :)

After that we came home and got knocked down in the car. We were so tired but felt so so fruitful!

Booby Access: Breastfeeding in PUBLIC!

"Breast is best"...

"All you need is a boob & a baby"...

These are breastfeeding cliche we often hear from mommies and grannies who have successfully done it.
In reality, it's not as easy as you think. Boob access in public makes mommies self conscious!

Of course, this varies from every mom's personal preference and thank heavens there are now breastfeeding stations in malls.

Like I said, I personally prefer to direct breastfeed on the go, so I don't have to worry about warming milk or sterilizing bottles. After a little practice and a lot of getting used to, Bubbahroo and I and our trusty Bloom (nursing cover) have mastered the art of public breastfeeding "undercover".

"Undercover" w/ Bloom Nursing Cover-- lunch at Ate Blo's birthday.

We've done it while walking at the grocery... At a children's party... In church, at the gym... In Starbucks, at the hospital, waiting for our turn. Everywhere. Sure, some people will be looking... Some people stare, and some people pretend to hide curious glances. But I'd like to think they're just wondering what's under the cover.

Mommy--You also have to be creative. Plan your outfit. Make sure it's "accessible". 

1. When I am out with Liane, I make sure to wear something with a deep V neckline (this is not only convenient but also makes your cleavage more defined! Haha.) or buttoned down, or zip down.

2. A breastfeeding bra with good support & easy access.

3. I got myself a nursing bib as cover. There's also a boncho- a breastfeeding poncho. It's up to you! :)

It's available in many colors, designs and prints online & in department stores.

Photos, to follow! 

SAYA Versatek: The Benefits of Babywearing

When Bubbahroo turned 6 weeks, she kind of got heavy. I did not have a stroller yet and I really liked to take her everywhere because I worry leaving her for long periods at home; she didn't like feeding from the bottle.

So I researched a good baby carrier that is also reasonably priced. We mommies should get a PHD on Google! I found SAYA Versatek among the various baby carriers, pouches, slings and harnesses, I chose it because:

2 SAYA Loops for the Lead Sling & Support Sling :)

SAYA Carry Guide

SAYA Carry Guide

1. It looked really simple to use

2. It claims to evenly distribute baby's weight on mommy's shoulders so we don't strain; one size fits baby until toddler 35lbs

3. The benefits of babywearing really rung a bell in my mommy instinct. 

- regulates baby's heart rate, so she is calmer

- humanizes baby quicker

- if used properly, it supports baby's neck, spine and the base of her back

It was available in funky colors, too! When my package arrived, I was so excited to try it. I expected Bubbah to fuss a little because it did say in the package that it needs getting used to-- with balance, etc. 

Surprisingly, (or not) my baby is a natural. She liked being tucked under my chin on "kiss height" and almost always slept on the carrier. Our favorite carry at first and until today was and is the "Yakap" or "Hug" for newborns onwards where her legs were tucked in the carrier. We have transitioned now to Yakap with her feet out, spread like froggy legs. She also likes the kangaroo carry where she faces the world when we go for walks. 

The longest she stayed in it, in the Yakap carry was almost 5 hours. We went walking in Nuvali, she liked the breeze and the exciting activity around... And then fell asleep while her Mummah and Auntie G talked for hours in Starbucks. She wouldn't have awoken had she not gotten hungry! 

It's good for mommy, too!

Walking around wearing your baby is empowering and a good exercise.