Family Day Sunday and Playdate Weekend at UP Sunken Garden

It was a fun, fun day last Sunday with other mommies at the UP grounds where we held our second playdate!

It was the first time Lex has ever attended a playdate. Although I'm not really sure if he was indeed present in it. The place is just SO big and for an active 13-month old, that's one huge playground where he can run into, which he did, 97% of the time!

I'm so grateful for the hours of sleep he clocked in earlier in the day. It made him very energetic at five in the afternoon.

Weekends are also the time when Mon and Lex can fully bond with each other. With these faces, I'm very certain that they had a very good time.

T H E Y  O N L Y  H A V E  E Y E S  F O R  E A C H  O T H E R

JUST LOOK AT THAT FACE!!!

This little guy has good, strong legs for a 13-month old. He literally crossed the whole Sunken walking/running on his own! 

Now let's take a look at the other kiddos. Hello, Gab! Hi, Mila!

This cutie is little Zylar who is only 1 day younger than Lex.

Adorable Mila and her equally adorable headband.

Let me tell you a bit about Mila. She's the type of baby who makes me want to have a baby girl.. stat! She's the most malambing baby girl I've ever met!

We stayed there until early evening. The kids are all huddled in a semi-circle but where's Lex? ...

... Drinking milk in Mommy's arms. :)

The kids and mommies wind down as dusk sets in.

 It was awesome spending time with you Bave, Paulline, and Que! 'Til next playdate, Mommies!

Lex looks like...?

'nuff said.

Hello, Lex!

Taking a break from watching Disney Junior. 

After three months, I am finally able to bring out my trusty camera to take Lex's picture. What a cutie!

We attended the Cirque Du Bebe fair!

For quite some time, I have been reading about baby fairs in the different mommy blogs I follow. I always find it cute when they feature their loots. Nakakatuwa lang because I discover so many different baby brands that I previously don't know about. I look forward to the day when I too, can go to a baby fair and blog about my loots. Malay natin, a reader might pick up something from it, just like how I picked up a lot of things from the blogs I read.

Last month's Cirque Du Bebe event at the Bench Tower in Bonifacio Global City gave me the perfect opportunity. It's the second baby fair I have ever attended, and the first I have gone to with Lex. We didn't stay long enough to attend the talks because Lex was getting fussy. Hehe. Besides, I didn't really need anything. I only wanted to look around and learn about new products and innovations baby brands have to offer these days.

So here are my loots!

1. Cycles Sensitive Natural Insect Repellent

Since getting sick of dengue last year, I've been extra careful of the places I go to. Kapag malamok, count me out! But one can only do so much. I mean, what if the lamok comes to you diba!? Hence, the purchase.

There are other mosquito repellent products available at the fair. Pero kilala ko na ang Cycles e. I use their laundry detergent on Lex's clothes and I am very satisfied with it. Kaya out of all the insect repellent products I saw there, I still chose Cycles.

2. Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump

This is my second breast pump. My first is a double electric pump which I use at the office everyday. Since my electric pump is heavy to lug around, I bought this as a spare for when I have to pump milk at night.

Let me just say that I love Medela! This is a fairly inexpensive pump considering that it works wonders.

3. Simple Wishes Hands Free Breast Pump Bra

I originally only have one of this since I find it soooo expensive! But it was offered at a discounted price at the fair so I took advantage and got another one. Yey!

4. Lassig Diaper Bag

Ok, this one I got out of impulse. I just find it so pretty! Since we don't have an "official" diaper bag yet the one we got as a free item when we bought the crib just didn't cut it with me... aesthetically. haha!, I bought one.

Mind you, I didn't just buy any bag I fancy. I bought it because it's not only stylish, it's functional as well! Let me walk you through.

The bag has two organized compartments and it comes with a portable changing mat where you can lay the baby during nappy changes.

It has an insulated, removable bottle holder, a zip pouch, and an additional adjustable shoulder strap.

It also has a water repellent wet pocket for soiled diapers and
three pockets for milk bottles, fitted to prevent it from tumbling around the bag.

I'm the type of person who pays attention to detail. And though it isn't a part of its functionality, I love that the brand is engraved in each of its zippers. It gives the perfect finishing touch to the already perfect bag.

And the best part is...

Oh yes! This purty, purty bag is greatly marked down to my utmost delight!

So these are my loots at the Cirque Du Bebe fair. I am so in love with all of them and I always look forward to using them each time.

Before I close this post, let me just share with you a couple of photos taken at the fair.

Here I am with Lex, who was not in the mood. Hehe.

The baby daddy who found something to enjoy besides shopping.

What about you? Any mommy loots you want to share? 

Labor & delivery: how it all happened

So I have finally given birth to our darling baby boy Alexander.

Labor

It was dawn of January 9, around 2:37, when I felt it. I was already on leave from work since Monday and though I am already feeling very mild contractions then, it was nothing like I've felt that fateful morning. I monitored the contractions for an hour and established that it was 10-15 minutes apart.

Hon, wake up!

I told Mon about my contractions and we monitored it again for another hour. By then it was already coming faster and more painful. 6-8 minutes apart. Ok, time to go to the hospital! This is it! 

By the time we got to the hospital at around 5:00, I was told that I was 4cms dilated already. That's when they decided to transfer me from the maternity unit to the labor room.

Mon was not with me during labor. In St. Luke's, there are two rooms where women can stay in during labor: the Labor Room and the High-Risk Pregnancy Unit (HRPU). They gave us a choice if we wanted to be together during labor, but the price kind of dictated it. Hahaha! You see, if I opted to stay at the HRPU, we would have shelled out around 4k more than if I choose to stay at the Labor Room. My husband was willing to stay with me at the HRPU and we can afford it too, but I just don't find it practical. So it was, "Hey, see you later, Hon! I love you!".

How my contractions felt like 

I've read that contractions and labor feel different from woman to woman. Mine felt like menstrual cramps, you know that squeezing feeling when you have your period? Only it was loads more painful! Shiz, nakakaiyak siya. It's like having dysmenorrhea x 10! You know what got me through the whole ordeal? Praying! Trust me, it works!

Funny story. During labor, a nurse approached me and asked questions about my medical history. I kept asking her to wait while my contractions subsided. As in, "Nurse, wait lang ha, masakit eh, hindi ako makasagot." Then as the contraction reaches its peak, I would tightly clutch the side bars of the hospital bed, crunch my face, grunt "Oooouuuccchhhh.", and breathe "Hoooo... hoooo...". Once the contraction was over, "Ok Nurse, game na." 

Delivery

After about an hour of active labor, they gave me a sedative, which is why I felt so groggy the rest of the time. I was awake or I think I was awake, but I felt so high. Parang on drugs lang. The next thing I remember, I'm at the delivery room and there are hordes of people in front of me counting "1, 2, 3, push!". That's when I realized that I was about to deliver the baby! As the final contractions went through, I felt a sudden whoosh and it felt like I peed in front of everyone! As it turned out, it was my water breaking. Another contraction, everyone counting "1, 2, 3, push!" in unison, and bam! The baby's out. 

I couldn't believe it! It's done and I really did it! But it honestly felt like I didn't know what was happening the whole time. I had to ask Mon, who was beside me, if I had given birth normally. Hahaha ang weird ko. What was even weirder is that I remember asking him afterwards, "Hon, when did you get here?".

Everything happened so fast. I didn't even remember if I was given an epidural. But I must have been given one, since I didn't feel a thing when they were giving me stitches down there. 

The epic moment

The very first time I saw Lex was when he was latched on to me in the delivery room. But no, the feeling wasn't epic. I had none of that "Hollywood-style wave of emotion when you meet the baby for the first time". Instead what I felt was relief. Relief that it was finally done. He's out. He's really here. Like whoa, he's really here? Is this really happening?

Our epic moment didn't come until a few days after we got home. I was breastfeeding him one night and we were alone in our room, the lights dimmed so he could go straight to sleep. As he was happily suckling at my breast, I gently touched his hand and his tiny little fingers curled into mine. I tried prying my finger off but I just can't. He has a tight grip, my little boy. And I imagine him telling me right then, "Hi, Mama! I am very happy to meet you at last." to which I replied, "Hello, Alexander! I am very happy to meet you too!" I know it sounds weird but I really think that Lex and I have an unspoken bond. At that point, my heart swelled with so much love I didn't even thought I was capable of. My heart is peaceful, content, happy, and grateful for this wonderful gift from God. And that, my friends, is when I finally felt that I am a mother.

Highlights of my Christmas vacation

1. Good food, good company, and quality conversations among family members, and

12-28-13
Pardon the blurry photo. No one brought a decent camera. Hehe.

2. Celebrating the occasion with the loves of my life, Mon and Lex.

I usually refrain from having my picture taken nowadays because I already look so swollen.
But I am so, so happy that night, I just can't not take a picture!

I honestly felt so down in the dumps these past few weeks. But being with my family made me feel so recharged and so ready to face the world again... and so ready to face motherhood! 

It's true when they say that you never know what you got 'til it's gone. Good for me, whatever I got is not really gone, thank God! But spending Christmas away from home for the very first time in all my (almost) 30 years of existence made me appreciate my family and our celebrations more. Hindi bale, babawi talaga ako next year. Promise! :)

It's A Very Merry Christmas!

Our first Christmas as husband and wife, Mon and I headed off to my hometown to celebrate the holiday with my family!

So this is the way we Abarabars celebrate Christmas. Every year, my family and immediate relatives get together for a night of dining, drinking, games, and gifts! It's a big celebration. Something that we look forward to every year.

6:00 PM
Off to mass! For the past few years, we have been attending early Christmas mass at the CSI Stadia. We don't go to the midnight mass anymore because it presents the same role play every year (tao po, tao po, tao po! pagbuksan niyo kami ng pintuan...) and it takes the mass longer to finish! Haha

7:00 PM
The mass has ended. Go in peace and celebrate the love of the Lord. After we have prayed and said our thank yous to our GoD, we head home for the PAR-TEY!!

7:30 PM
Christmas dinner time!!

Really, Mom? Yellow curtains? Really???

8:30 PM
Because we have four adorable kids growing up, we made an impromptu program with fun games and presentations. The program used to be for the kids only but now we incorporated games for adults too!

10:00 PM
And finally, it's gift-giving time!! Merry Christmas, family! :)

From our hearts to yours, we hope you had a Merry Christmas! :)