TGIF

Thank God it’s Friday. It is indeed my favorite day of the week because it finally gives me weekend. I guess all working gals look forward to weekends for it allows us to unwind from our work.

There are many ways to unwind. One may go to the beach, watch movies, go shopping, pig out, or some just simply stay home and enjoy the company of family. Personally, I enjoy spending time with family especially now that I have my own.

Our Saturdays are usually hectic as we go to my in-laws to visit. We enjoy spending time with them however sometimes, my hubby and I wish that we could just spend the whole Saturday at home playing with our little one. We don’t have to wake up early to get ready and go out. Our Monday to Friday is so busy: waking up early, preparing breakfast, pumping, taking a bath and in my case still have to breastfeed before leaving for work and pacifying baby when he starts to cry in the morning.  Having a once a month “lazy” Saturday seems like a piece of heaven. 

Have a great weekend everyone:)

Baby Body Carrier

There are a lot of Baby Carriers in the market. I can only give reviews for two of them because they are the only ones I have tried. The “Ring Sling” Baby Carrier and the “Mei Tai” Baby Carrier.

Ring Sling: By the name itself, this kind of baby carrier consists of a long rectangular cloth that has two rings sewn on one end of the cloth. The rings are placed on one side of the shoulder and the cloth is wrapped around the opposite hip and the end is threaded through the rings to create a buckle effect.  A pocket is then created where the baby is placed. The sling can be adjusted by pulling more fabric through the rings to loosen or tighten it.

Mei Tai: This style of carrier is Asian inspired. There are no rings or buckles involved. The Mei Tai is all cloth with a rectangular panel with long shoulder and waist straps. The straps are padded which gives the wearer comfort. Adjustment is easy because you just tie the straps according to your size. Baby can be worn face front, hip-carry and at the back.

When I tried the ring sling, my baby was fussy and I had a hard time putting him in and adjusting the sling. I felt very uncomfortable using the ring sling. My shoulders also hurt because there was no cushion on my shoulder and most of the weight is on one side of the shoulders only.  I wanted to use the ring sling because it can help me nurse in public discreetly while walking hands free. However, after a few attempts, I just gave up and searched for other baby carriers in the market.

I found the Mei Tai baby carrier and decided to try it out. I found it much easier to use compared with the ring sling. I would just tie the rectangular panel to my waist and put my baby. I then lift the panel over my baby and cross the shoulder straps to my back and tie it. It is also easy to adjust. It is also more comfortable because the shoulder straps are padded and the weight of the baby is evenly distributed to both my shoulders. One negative thing about it is that the straps are too long and I usually need an assistant to hold the straps for me to avoid touching the floor. My baby is so comfortable in the carrier. I can go anywhere and have him near me hands free. It’s hard to nurse in it though because his head is above my breasts unlike the ring sling where in the baby can be carried in the cradle position. With the Mei Tai, the baby can be only carried three ways: face-front carry, hip-carry and back carry. The ring slings have more positions in carrying the baby.

I prefer the Mei Tai baby carrier because it is easier to use especially for first time moms like me who is not used to baby wearing.

Asking for Things

Just wanted to share this.

Asking for Things

author unknown

I asked for health

that I might do greater things,

I was given infirmity,

that I might do better things...

I asked for riches

that I might be happy,

I was given poverty

that I might be wise...

I asked for power

that I might have the praise of men,

I was given weakness

that I might feel the need of God...

I asked for all things

that I might enjoy life,

I was given life

that I might enjoy all things...

I got nothing that I asked for –

but everything that I hoped for

almost despite myself,

my unspoken prayers were answered.

I am among all men,

most richly blessed.

                                                                               

Spicy Tuna Spaghetti

    I discovered another experimented recipe that I love. I am a “tomato” fan. Any food cooked with tomatoes are always welcome in my palate. One of the tomato based recipes that I love is Italian Spaghetti and I usually use canned stewed tomatoes.

     One day, my husband bought lots of red tomatoes from the market because they were sold at a lower price. I decided to make my tomato sauce from scratch. I chopped the garlic, onion and tomatoes into small chunks and sautéed them. I let the tomatoes simmer for about thirty minutes before I put the hot and spicy tuna chunks. I chose spicy tuna to give the recipe a kick. I added salt and pepper to taste.

    When the sauce was done, I immediately put the pasta and cheese. It is best to add the cheese while the sauce is still hot for the cheese to melt. Yummy. My husband loved the recipe. When tomatoes are cheap again, I will definitely make this recipe again.

Bottle Drying Rack

      I started giving my son expressed milk through bottle when I started working. I would pump morning, lunch and evening to store milk for him to use the next day. Washing and sterilizing my breast pump and his bottles have become part of my daily routine. I actually enjoy doing it because I love to make sure that his bottles are squeaky clean to avoid unnecessary illness.

     After washing the bottles and my breast pump, I have to air dry them. I found the “Bottle Drying Rack” very helpful. I just place the bottles on the rack and I would just leave them there to dry. I can do other things while waiting for them to dry up. I just make sure that the surroundings are clean and no one would be sweeping the floor to avoid dust clinging on the bottles.

     I would definitely recommend this product.

Son

Celebrating my birthday with three month old baby is surreal. I cannot explain the happiness that I feel. I did not have any party but it was ok. Waking up and seeing my son smile is more than enough for me. He is so far my happiest gift:) 

Get your dog a sombrero

Taho Everyday

     “Taho” is a common snack in the Philippines and it is made of silken tofu. It is served with brown sugar syrup and sago (tapioca pearls).

      Taho is a very healthy snack mainly because tofu is made out of soybean and has high content of protein. It has been said that soybeans are a good source of complete protein. It is much better than protein from animal-based foods because it contains lesser fat. Some benefits of eating taho include reducing the risk of colon cancer and heart disease.

One of the things that I look forward to in going to the office is the “Taho” vendor. He comes in everyday at around 9:30 AM. Majority of my officemates also enjoy eating taho for their morning snacks. It is refreshing to know that our everyday morning snack not only benefits our taste buds but also our health.  

Master's in Business Administration

I started taking up my Master’s Degree last October 2008. Finally, after four years, I am done. Yesterday, my partner and I have successfully defended our case. There were only minor changes in our paper. The changes and comments were minimal and I can confidently say that I will be marching this coming October.

I should have graduated in 2011 but because of factors such as workload, marriage and pregnancy,  there were semesters that I was not able to enroll. I am so happy that I have finished what I started. For a while, I thought I would not graduate because making a Case Study is not that easy. I am blessed to have a partner that really wanted to graduate so she was the one who pushed me to continue.

I can now add the title MBA to my nameJ

Breast Pump Reviews

When I was still pregnant, I made up my mind to exclusively breastfeed my baby for at least six months. It would be best if I can go further than six months. A week before returning to work, I pumped double time to save up enough breast milk as my back up just in case my milk supply would not increase. It worried because I could only pump around two ounces and I would pump one hour straight. Then I could only pump around 1 ounce after that. I have been advised to pump while nursing my baby. Since I was using the Evenflo Single  electric pump, it was hard for me to do both. The electric pump has a force control that I need to adjust and it’s hard to adjust it using only one hand.

 My sister in law gave me an Avent Isis Manual Pump. Using the manual pump, it was easier to pump and nurse at the same time. It made a huge difference in my output. I could pump about 2 ounces every time I pump and nurse at the same time. Sometimes, it took only 20 minutes to get the two ounces.  Unlike the electric pump that I was using, I could only get two ounces in the morning for an hour of pumping.

 My brother then gave me another manual pump. This time, it was the Medela Harmony Manual Pump. My milk output using the Medela Manual Pump was the same as the Avent Manual Pump. However, the Medela was more discreet when you pump because it did not make any noise unlike the Avent. Also, there were lesser parts to clean with the Medela Manual Pump.

 My baby is already three months old and so far, he is still breastfed and given my expressed milk when I’m at work. On the average, I could pump about eight to ten ounces per day and my baby consumes about ten to twelve ounces per day when I’m at work. I go home every lunch to breastfeed my baby. I am hopeful that I will be able to give him only breast milk for at least six months.

I would recommend using the Medela Manual Pump if you  want to pump and nurse at the same time. 

Back toWork

     When I was on bed rest for about two months, I could not wait to go back to work. I was bored watching television all day. I could not read books because it was hard to carry any object with an IV attached to my hand. Being inserted with an IV is very painful. Sometimes, the nurses would improperly insert the needle and they have to find another vein so they can insert it again. It was unfortunate that the IV must be transferred to a different vein every three days or else it would be prone to infection.  I deeply missed my daily routine including office work.

     Yet, when I gave birth, I wanted to freeze time. I wanted to stretch my maternity leave just to spend more time with my son. It is true what they say, no matter how tired you are, seeing your own child smile and respond makes you forget your tiredness. My son just turned three months and it’s amazing to see him slowly fill up. Aside from his physical development, it brings me so much joy seeing him learning how to grab things, turning his head, laughing and other normal developments we see in an infant. My husband could not wait for him to grow older but I want to prolong his infancy. I want to cherish and remember every “baby” moments that we have. Children grow old fast and as parents, we have to enjoy as much as we can in every phase our child will go into.

Blessing in Disguise

 I consider my almost one month stint in the hospital during my pregnancy until delivery a great blessing. Although my condition gave me and my family a fright because I might lose the child I was carrying, I believe it led us closer to God. My husband was supposed to go to Manila to be trained for a new employer  two days after  I was admitted to the hospital. His training will be for 2 months and after that, he will be assigned in Cagayan de Oro which is a 5-6 hour drive from where we live. He decided to cancel his new employment for he could not leave me in my condition. It was very risky because he already resigned from his current job. We just put our trust in God that HE will find a way. God is really so good because after a week of my stay in the hospital, another employer hired him for a sales position and his assignment is in our hometown and a vehicle is also provided for him. After that great news, a friend of my mom gave us financial assistance for our hospital bill. We both got teary eyed because we realized that God was with us the whole time.

       Giving birth via cesarean delivery was a scary experience for me.  I was awake the whole time and I could feel the tugging and pulling in my stomach area. But when I heard the first cry of my baby, it was all worth it. The many needles and internal exams that I went through during my hospital stay was negligible to the joy that I felt seeing my baby for the first time. He was so tiny when he came out yet all the nurses and doctors exclaimed on how loud his cry was. I was so grateful that my baby was normal.

       Sometimes, questionable things occur in our lives. We just have to give our full trust in the Lord because our ways are not His ways. God’s ways are always way better than ours. I would have preferred a normal pregnancy and delivery yet if I got my wish, my husband would be in Cagayan de Oro right now and we would only be seeing each other once or twice a month. God sees what we do not see and He knows what we do not know. It is better to trust our lives with the expert. After all, He is our creator.