Zamboanga Crisis

     I cannot understand what goes on in the minds of terrorists. Why do they continually use violence to get what they want? When a member of their own family accidentally gets killed, they react as if they have never killed an innocent civilian. They simply do not have any respect to other human beings. Their mindset is selfish and futile.

     Watching the news about what is happening in Zamboanga angers me. It pains me to see innocent civilians young and old running away from their homes to seek refuge. It enrages me to see that they have used citizens of that beautiful city as human shields and did not even spare toddlers. Don’t they want a peaceful life? Why do they blame everything on our government? Yes, our government is not perfect but I believe the current administration is far less corrupt than the previous one. And I believe that they are doing their best to solve the many, many problems of our country. Six years is not enough to fix corruption in the Philippines. A six year term is simply too short for an honest leader but sadly too long for a corrupt one.

     I wish terrorists would have an open mind and realize that using violence to get what they want will only get them nowhere. I wish they would have a lot of conscience and see that they are hurting innocent families. Children losing their parents, parents losing their child, businesses falling apart and all the unnecessary killings only paralyze our country. I wish they would have the heart to love our country and respect one another’s religious beliefs. I am not really aware of the root cause of their hate as I seldom watch the news. But one thing I know, whatever they are fighting for, it does not justify them using innocent victims as their shields. It does not justify them disrupting the lives of the people of Zamboanga City. It does not justify the pain, the hardship, the loss, the terror our fellow Filipinos are experiencing right now because of what the MNLF are doing.

     Please pray for Zamboanga City. Pray for Mindanao. Pray for the Philippines. 

Blessings

The message during worship service yesterday was all about “Blessings”. Our speaker talked about us receiving blessings everyday and we should learn to see that blessings come in so many forms. Most of the things that bother us are actually blessings. When we wake up on a Monday morning and feel lazy getting up for work, that is a blessing because it means we have a job. Most people do not have one. When we complain that we have a lot of dishes to wash, that is a blessing because it means we have food that caused our dishes to be dirty. When we have noisy children in the house and we could not rest, that is a blessing because one day, those noises will fade because all children grow up and will eventually have their own lives to live. When our parents discipline us, that is a blessing because that means they love us. Orphans wish they have parents to love them. Everyday is a blessing. We just have to open our eyes and see that inspite of all the chaos, God is always with us.

I want to share the lyrics of a beautiful song sung by Laura Story. The song speaks about blessings in disguise. Hope you’ll have the time to listen to this beautiful song. Have a great week aheadJ

"Blessings"

Lyrics to a song by Laura Story

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not,
This is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

Baby Scare

     I felt really horrible yesterday. I go home every lunch break to nurse my little one and my new routine since mixed feeding is that after feeding, my baby falls asleep and I leave him in the middle of the bed with pillows around him and I would prepare his formula for his afternoon feeding. I want to be the only one preparing his milk to make sure that it is sanitized.  I would be gone only for a few minutes. Yesterday, while I was preparing his milk, I heard him cry and his nanny immediately rushed to our room to comfort him. I thought he just woke up from his sleep and cried because no one was around. I knew something was not right because his cry was louder than usual. I ran to our room and asked his nanny if he fell and she said yes. She found my son lying sideways on the floor. I felt like a terrible mom for leaving him alone.  I should have realized that my son is already 7 months old and pillows will no longer protect him from his movements.

     I immediately asked opinions from friends who are in the medical field. All of them said that if there are no danger signs, my baby is fine. Danger signs are vomiting, nosebleed, no energy, always sleeping, and non-stop crying. I should also observe his behaviour for 24 hours. Thank God that my son do not have the danger signs. As soon as I carried him yesterday, he stopped crying and started smiling. While I was at work, I kept in touch with his nanny to monitor his behaviour. I am really grateful that he is ok. I promised myself that this will be the last time he will fall off the bed. I would never leave him alone again on the bed. 

Happy Holidays

     Ho! Ho! Ho! from the Philippines. Exactly on September 1, I officially heard my first Christmas Carol being played on television. This is one of the reasons why it is more fun in the Philippines. Where else can you see Christmas decorations being put up and being sold as early as September? It has been this way in our country for years and it may seem silly celebrating Christmas four months early, I actually like it. Hearing Christmas carols throws me back my childhood years. It helps me look forward to the many holidays of December. Also, most people seem happier during the yuletide season. Maybe because it’s a time for all kinds of reunions.  It is one of those occasions where friends and families take the time to gather together and just enjoy the bond . And I guess because 13^th month pay and bonuses are given during this timeJ Advance Happy Holidays EveryoneJ

Mixed Feeding

My baby is seven months today and he officially had his first formula. After six months of breastfeeding and pumping, my milk stash finally caught up and I have no choice but to supplement with formula. I am happy that I reached my goal of giving him only breastmilk for six months. My original goal was actually only three months because I had to consider going back to work. I was not expecting I could stretch it to six months. For that, I am gratefulJ

I bought the small can of NAN HA2 for my baby. Most mommies I know are using S-26 but I have read somewhere that S-26 contains a lot of sugar. I am hoping that my baby will not have any bad reactions to my chosen formula.

I am not yet ready to give up breastfeeding. I love our breastfeeding sessions because it’s a special kind of bonding between mother and child. I think I have to start eating more clam soup once again to increase my milk supply and hopefully I may not have to supplement with formulaJ

A Day at the Beach

We finally took our 6-month old to the beach for the first time. We left the house around 5:30 in the morning and our baby knew that we were going out because he was squealing with delight. The cross to the other island took only about ten minutes. Our baby was curiously looking around and I bet he was wondering why there’s so much water around him.

We arrived at Paradise Island around 6:15 AM and there were only few customers because it was still early. We wanted to be early to avoid the crowd and of course to be able to enjoy the beach with fewer people and the sun still skin friendly. We fed baby first before taking him to the beach.

The first time our baby’s feet touched the water, he seemed a little frightened and he clung to me like he was afraid of falling. But when we slowly submerged him and his body started to adapt the cold water, he seemed comfortable yet still curious. After a while, he started to kick in the water: a sign that he’s enjoying himself.

After his swim, we washed him with fresh water and put on fresh clothes. It took only seconds before he fell peacefully into dreamland.

I am excited to take him again to the beachJ

Another Long Weekend

Happy Friday bloggers. At last, the last long weekend of August is coming. Our country celebrates National Heroes Day on August 25. Since the said date falls on a Sunday, our President declared 26^th a special non-working holiday. My family is planning to go either to the beach or a mountain resort since my dad will be turning 21 on the 27^th. My husband and I will treat him for his birthday. I know that they will have a good time whether it’s going to be the beach or mountain resort because our almost 7 month old son is coming along. This trip will be my son’s first outdoor activity. I am hoping it would be the beach because he can interact with water. I have noticed that he likes taking a bath. I am really excited to see my son squeal with delight.