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First Hair Cut

My little guy had very cute curls that were growing well over his head. We were hoping we can make him look like a surfer with those nice long waves… Well it was not until his daddy decided, it was time to get a haircut. Joshua’s very first hair cut was at 14 months old.

Little boys need their fathers to introduce something new, like one’s first barber experience. Better yet, if the barber is your dad. It makes a huge difference! First, there is that trust. Second, there is that comfort of doing this right out of your own bathroom. Third, you get instant encouragement from both mom and dad about the new look!

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The sound of the clippers and its vibration can be pretty scary. Good thing daddy was demonstrating the barber cut on his head, and it made Joshua unafraid of the clippers.

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In a couple of minutes, his head has been evened out and a good 2 -3 inches of hair has been cleared.

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A full body shower was the best way to rinse off any hair left. This was one of the perks of doing this at home! The best perk is that its done with lots of love and is absolutely FREE!!! The new look made my baby look younger and also fresher. Thank you daddy Steve!!!

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Alternative Milk

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I was trying to wean my son from breastmilk to cow’s milk, suddenly he contracted amoeba. My personal suspicion– it was triggered by lactose intolerance. Finding the right milk for him suddenly became secondary because I decided not to wean him. Breastmilk has so much antibodies that it strengthens a child who is afflicted with some kind of sickness.

In reality, Joshua even having his amoeba continued to play, continued to run around as if he was not sick at all. Of course he had the runs, but overall he seemed very well. I have to say that the breastmilk has really given him some kind of booster that makes him quite strong. Even when everyone got the virus, he too got it. But again, he just continued to play, run around, laugh and he was not difficult at all. I have to really thank God for giving me a child like that.

However, I also know that reality will set in, I have to find an alternative to breast milk. I am really planning to wean him slowly. My schedule is filling up with activities and meetings which means I am often out. I have to start finding another milk that Joshua is not allergic to. I was told to try goats milk, or soy milk. However, there are two mothers who have recommended another kind of milk. Nut based milk is their choice and specifically, the Almond milk.

So when I was in Manila, I entered Rustan’s and there was a section of Silk’s Almond Milk. What made me happy was seeing that it was NON-GMO (Genetically Modified Organism), Lactose Free, Gluten Free, and Soy-free! Wow, its calcium content is higher than cows milk, and it tastes just great! Also a box is not so bad it costs from Php 144- Php152 a box.
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A box is about 946 ml. To my son a box is good for about 7 days. You must be thinking, “how can that be? Isn’t that too little?” Remember, this is just an alternative.. It only supplements when I am unable to directly feed. But just think about it… How much is formula canned milk? Its 9 to 10 times the price of this one.

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In Sarangani, the focus of the agricultural program will be on naturally grown food which is really the kind of produce God intended for us. But today most of our food come from genetically modified sources. They are also causes of cancers and other degenerative diseases. So, going all natural is the best!

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Overall it has been such a relief to find something suitable for my son. Unfortunately this milk is not available in Gensan or Sarangani. We have to fly them in from Manila for now (until purchasers of our groceries here find it worth bringing in.)

Thank God for quality products like Silk that help moms with kids who are lactose intolerant.

ASTHMA ATTACK!

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It’s so unbelievable! I can’t believe it — my childhood asthma is back. I have been howling and barking like a hyena… and I pray I get over this hypersensitivity.

It all started in January 2014 when we were in Manila. The temperature dropped to 15 degrees celsius and that is quite cold. Our air-conditioning goes as low as 17 and this was 2 degrees lower. Obviously one was bound to get sick. It started with our nanny Jovy. We tried our best to keep her away from Joshua, but it was difficult. I had meetings and things to do that often she had to assist him.

My son did not get sick quickly. His cough developed almost 2 weeks after his nanny’s. Our pediatrician suggested that he takes ambroxol and nebulized. Later, his phlegm was getting thick and he had to be upgraded to augmentin for 7 days. After the prescribed days have passed, his cough lessened but it still has the phlegm. What came 2 weeks later, was my cough. I thought, since we co-sleep it would not be long that I would get infected with his cough.

So, like Yaya Jovy and Joshua, I too started to take medicines. I took first Guafenasin and wondered that even after taking it, I still continued to cough. No phlegm, just itchy dry cough. By the wisdom of my sweet health-conscious husband, I met with a doctor to check what was wrong with me. I gladly obeyed though my schedule recently has been filling up with meetings. What the doctor confirmed was a definite wheezing sound on my chest. It really is asthma. I could not believe my ears! I thought I outgrew that. I am back to being hypersensitive to smoke, to weather, to dust. Also the doctor says, the possibility of Joshua getting asthma is about 50%. I do hope he does not have it. I recall the bad episodes I had as a child when I felt my throat constrict and really panthing for air.

I turned to swimming and it became my sport. Not only my sport but I competed and joined even regional meets in college for swimming. It definitely helped me overcome asthma. When the doctor asked me when the last attack I had, I could not even remember. It was ages ago.

But now, this momma has to be back on the inhaler, antihistamines, and nebulizer. The great thing is, there are medicines today that are breastfeeding friendly. None of the meds I take will affect Joshua or my milk.

I also explained to the doctor, that even if Joshua is coughing, he remains active and eats alot. Its like he isnt sick. She answered me, ” its because breastmilk has antibodies so he is taking antibodies thats why he is strong”. So to my other breastfeeding mommies there, you can continue to breastfeed even if you are sick, just get meds that are breastfeeding friendly. It is still best for our babies.

Photo project

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I learned about photobooks from an online shopping site. Ok, after being a mom, I don’t have much leisure time. One of my outlets is to check things I want online. Thus, I bumped into Photobooks.

Every mom must be spending lots of time taking photos and videos of their baby. Most of these photos are just taking up disk space in our computer or in our phone. Then laziness sets in that mommy no longer prints these photos and just posts them on facebook or Instagram. Or worse, leave these in their memory cards. The only time we regret leaving these pictures there is if our computer crashes or our phone gets lost!

Photobooks makes it easy for you to safe keep these photos by printing them on nicely designed albums that looks more like a book. It gives you a really easy software to work with. You get to choose backgrounds, picture layout templates, put texts, and even stickers. Its can be real fun if you are the type who likes to make scrapbooks. This is a digital version.

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Unknown to many, even my own wedding photos were not printed into a wedding album until last year (or 7 years later). I was too lazy and did not find a good software and quality paper and printer. Well, with photobooks, it gave me ease and just simplified the process. The good thing with Photobooks is that once you have finalized your design, you submit it online and pay online! Then in about 1-2 weeks they mail your customized album straight to your home! Its easy. It is convenient.

They also do posters and they have other printing options. I’m really recommending this to moms. They are having a sale as of this time. Go check them out at http://www.photobookphilippines.com

Keep those memories!

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New Year for my Passions

After 2013…

It is still surreal that I am a mom. I recall the years of waiting, the anticipation, the disappointments, the heartbreak, the journey of faith and receiving the promise! The 7 years wait taught me so much about the faithfulness of God and how true He is to His promises.

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I’m still amazed that I have a mommy blog. I have helped friends with their blogs in the past while I stood by them as an observer and fan. Finally after Joshua, I gave birth to my own blog.

I have finally set my mind to be self-employed. I have been a sales executive for telecoms in the last 13 years. It took some guts to obey what I needed to do, and that was to take that leap of faith towards my new calling. Finally, I get to work on things that I feel passionately about which is Tourism and Investments. I have so much hopes on this new direction in my life.

It still shocks many that I am still breastfeeding over a year. Okay, it has surprised so many, and that includes myself. Never have I thought I would be breastfeeding this long. However, it has become one of the best decisions in my life. To be able to give my child the best nourishment. Even my husband is a big supporter of this, which I am thankful for. Really, if I try to compute, we have saved a whole lot of money by choosing to breastfeed! This is my other passion, to help other moms especially in their breastfeeding journey.

To sum it up, God is faithful and there is so much to be thankful for. He never fails to provide. He never fails to make his children taste and see His goodness. I feel so blessed. At such, I am also passionate about God, and helping those who are hurting know that there is God who cares, who knows, who loves them very much. He wants to give everyone the good life, the abundant life. By God’s grace I pray to continue to be involved in His Service.

All I know is the best is yet to come!

1 Corinthians 2:9
However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”[a]—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—

First International Trip!

Planning for an international trip for your baby requires some preparation. It means knowing requirements before enjoyment.

We had to get a passport first. In the Philippines, the requirements are filled out application form, nso certified birth certificate, parent’s passport, and personal appearance of both parent and baby at the department of foreign affairs. The good thing is you don’t have to queu in line when you are with an infant.

After the payment and photo, you can claim passport in 2-4 weeks.

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Next part is booking your travel! Children below 2 yrs of age has a very minimal fee to pay. Inform your travel agent your baby’s birthday. In booking accommodations, look for child-friendly hotels. Check their amenities and inclusions for children (e.g. Are they included free breakfast? Do they offer extra cot for free?) These little details can be very valuable.

Whenever we travel we have to think of what happens during travel. So this makes you assess what to bring. Be prepared to walk and carry your baby. So this means bring a stroller or a baby harness. If you want mobility without getting tired, it is really worth it to bring one of these or better even both!
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Expect to pack a whole luggage just for your baby. Bringing disposable diapers, clothes, toiletries, even medicines (like paracetamol just in case), some toys and snacks, can take up a bit of luggage space. Thats just the way it is.

Part of preparation is to check the weather for appropriate clothing. In our case Hong Kong and Macau was around 18°c -23°c when we got there. So I made sure Joshua had jackets and socks to keep him warm.

Lastly, packing good humor and positive attitude is key to enjoyment. Appreciate the family bond above the inconveniences just makes family trips abroad more fun and memorable. The bond Joshua had with his daddy during the trip was precious. I loved every moment of it. Joshua was so happy and such a great buddy to travel with.

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(part 2 to follow in the next blog)

Baby under the weather

One of the things that parents pray for is to have their children in the pink of health. When our little ones are sick, they require extra attention and care. Usually our sick babies are needy and often fussy and grouchy.

In the last 11 months, Joshua has recorded three visits to the doctor for being under the weather. First one was the strep throat and nasal drip. This happened when we were trying the “Cry It Out” method for sleep training at 5 months. We never got to sleep train completely because he scratched his throat from screaming and crying because he did not want to sleep by himself and wanted to be held. With all the crying it caused his nose to get stuffy. Since babies do not know how to blow their nose, we had to take out the phlegm by sucking it with a nasal aspirator. Also he had to take paracetamol for the first time.

The second time was when Joshua was 7 months. Everyone in the household got the flu. Joshua was over powered by the virus that he started to have fever, runny nose, and cough. This time, my baby needed to take antibiotics and nebulize. He was a good sport about that and he did not mind his medicines.

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Just recently, Joshua started getting fever for 3 nights. He was very needy and cranky. We had him checked for UTI and thank God he was cleared from that. It was something else causing the fever. We started to take antibiotics just in case the infection becomes bacterial. But after 3 nights of fever, a rash started to form on his chest then on his back. Fever was gone but the rash on his body increased. Our doctor was out of town, so the best resource a mom can have is the internet. The symptoms appeared to be like the measle-like virus called Roseola.

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Since the rash appeared on a sunday, no pediatrician had their clinics opened. My husband who happens to be a health conscious person was irritable with me. We often get stressed when sickness falls into our family. He gets stressed with the disease and the medical services. Meanwhile, my stress is not often on the disease but how my husband handles this kind of stress! Hahahaha…

When sickness befalls on us, I claim healing from God. I lay my hands and pray and believe that God has power to heal. God’s word teaches us,
James 5:13, 15 ESV

“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up…”

I have not stopped claiming God’s shield over my son’s life and health. He is the ultimate healer of any sickness. And True to God’s faithfulness we have confirmed that Joshua has the roseola, and this viral rash will just leave my son’s body naturally in 2-3 days.

When my baby is sick, all my other plans are cancelled. Despite the many things I missed out over the weekend, I do not regret missing them. I have been given the privilege and blessing to be the mother of my baby. So I take being a mom quite seriously. And only mommy can make a sick baby laugh and smile like this.
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The little jet-setter

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Since Joshua was 10 days old, he has taken plane rides with me almost every month. My little one is a frequent flyer.

We learned many things throughout our travels and I’d like to share these with my other mommy friends.

1. Always pack the essentials in your carry on bag. It is so important to have the following in the bag: 2 diapers, travel size wipes, changing pad, baby blanket, jacket, extra shirt and pants, breastfeeding cover, and a few toys. These sound bulky, but it really is not. All these can fit very well in one carry on bag. I have changed Joshua in airplane toilets for pooping up in the air. So better be prepared than sorry.

2. Breastfeed going up and going down. Our baby’s ears are subject to pressure because of the change of altitude and it needs to equalize. To relieve the pain, the moving of the jaws help equalize the ears. When breastfeeding or bottle feeding the motion of sucking allows the ears to readjust its pressure. I have become sensitive especially during the descend to feel my ears. I take it as a cue to start feeding my son. This usually is about 25-30 minutes before landing. If I dont catch it on time, I end up really stressed because Joshua would cry and it would be very hard to console. Not to mention the embarrassment and having to apologize to other passengers for bothering their flight with my crying baby. To make it easier for myself, I have prepared a pre-pumped milk in the bottle for Joshua to drink during the descend.

3. Cheap distractions. Usually the domestic flights we have taken are about 1 to 2 hours. Sometimes Joshua would sleep on the flight, and sometimes he won’t. My objective is to make him as comfortable and relaxed as possible. So, packing about 2 handy toys and a book can help. I also use the emergency instruction card as a “story book”. The bottled water is also good distraction by shaking the water inside and allowing him to play “shake the bottle”. It is also free to pack some nursery rhymes to keep baby from boredom.

4. Note the time. By 4 months, our babies have already accustomed themselves to a schedule of sleeping incorporated with eating and playtime. So it is super important to check the schedule of the flight and what your baby is doing at that time. For instance if the flight is at 12nn, make sure you packed lunch for babes who have started solids (usually 6 months and above). Always pack crackers in the bag and fruit for snack periods. Never make the mistake of starving baby from food or sleep….it is stepping on stress zone!

5. Never forget to pray! This seems like last on my list, but in reality it is what parents should do all the time. When we pray, God takes over as our pilot and He is our best travel companion. Every time we travel, we pray and lift to God the specific details of the trip. “Lord make this flight enjoyable for us, that Joshua will be comfortable and will not have tantrums or cry on the plane. Lord, we thank you that it will be a delightful trip and we ask you to make the take off, flight and landing smooth. Be with us all throughout the flight”. In my experience when I pray I have more pleasant flights than unpleasant ones.

As a newbie mom, traveling can either be stressful or be enjoyable. I think traveling will become a norm in our family and so I choose to make good memories by enjoying it with my little jet-setter.

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Swimming Time!

Ideally I was hoping to introduce swimming at 6 months… However, my husband is so afraid that Joshua might contract a disease from the swimming pools. While he was saying “don’t let him swim, it might be dirty…” I was debating in my mind that probably the chlorine will kill it and so we should not worry.

The best person to settle this issue would be the doctor. So, the pediatrician advised it will be safer if the baby has completed the following vaccines: hepatitis, rota-virus and polio. Good thing at 7 months, Joshua has completed these. It was great timing because I was joining a conference in Shangri-la Mactan, Cebu and I was bringing along Joshua. It was my intention that Joshua gets in the big pool and try swimming!

So, on the day when the conference ended, my early bird baby got his first try to jump into the big pool. I brought with me a baby rash guard (to protect his skin from the sun). I also had a baby sun block that had uv broad spectrum to protect his baby skin and face from burning. To top it all, the best gift we received from my cousin Carissa and Os was the inflatable baby floater.

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My son loved the water! He was smiling, kicking his legs and playing with the water. He loved it so much that leaving the pool was one crying session.

Since we swam without his daddy, we had to swim again this time with his dad. He was not afraid to even go under water because he was clasped in his dad’s embrace. It made me realize that as long as Joshua sees us his parents confident in the pool, he too can feel secure about swimming. It was such a joy to see our baby becoming a water lover…

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Child proofing your space

My little guy happens to be a very fit baby.. He is exclusively breastfed and very active toddler. He was only 2 months when he started the tummy crawl. In time, he rolled over and crawls better. Then suddenly, he cruises and just becomes very mobile and curious. As a mom, with these developments, I began to see the accident-prone areas in our home.

First on my list is securing Joshua from the hard floor. I had to pad the floor in Joshua’s room with rubber tiles. This way it cushions him from falls or painful rolls.
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Next, I had to address the furniture in the room. Joshua learned to get support from drawers and cabinets for him to stand up. To prevent finger accidents, I had to find several household preventive tools.

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You can buy these from the hardware store and they are stick-on locks that stops drawers and cabinets from opening.

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My son is very observant. He sees how many times in a day I plug my gadgets in electric sockets. Obviously, he would come near the sockets and tries to put his fingers to inspect it. Haaaaah! I stop him from one socket then he crawls to the next! To solve it, there are these wonderful plastic covers that can be inserted in sockets. These are just great to have!
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Another innovative invention of a mom is this screen cover for electric fans. I got this from a mom bazaar in manila. This is brilliant! It stops fingers from getting through and I super love this!

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Safety is really key with a toddler. Child-proofing your space just relieves you from worrying about the next accident. It is always better to be on the side of prevention rather than being sorry.
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