Meth Lab

No, I am not a meth addict. Neither is M nor baby Santi. But our home sure does look like a meth lab from the outside because my windows are all covered in foil. You see?

But the outcome is this...
The curtains weren't good enough for Santi. He would still get aroused by the sunlight seeping through them during the day. First, I added layers and layers of cloth and even my own clothes on top of the curtains but then mosquitoes loved hiding underneath all of this so... foil it is!

OK, you are totally weirded out now but don't get me wrong. I haven't gone cuckoo. Of course I love the sun and the energy it brings me and my baby. When it isn't nap time, I do open the windows and let the sun shine :)

Santi's New Ride

Introducing Santi's new ride...

The Maclaren Sport Quest!

M and I took the plunge in purchasing our not-so-little boy a stroller. He already weighs more than 20 pounds now and as much as I'd like to sling him all day when we are out, my back gives up on me after a few hours. Yes, yes he was not into the old one before
but for some reason when we placed him in this one he didn't complain at all. We thought, 'maybe he knows how much it's worth!' or 'he must be thinking THIS IS MORE LIKE IT!' But, not until he got hungry for my boob. Of course I'd pick him up, sling and nurse.

Day 1 with stroller at the Podium mall: Strolled around for about 20 minutes. Baby got hungry. After feeding, I still let sleep in the sling until he woke up. Then back into the nice stroller.

Day 2 in Mega Mall: I attempted to place him in the stroller while he was asleep and he actually slept in it (with a little fuss in the beginning but when I started moving the thing he gave in and slept again). Total time spent in stroller: 30 mins.

It's hit or miss still though because awhile ago when we were at the grocery- Hopeful me wanted to do some grocery shopping using the spankin' new stroller BUT after about 5 minutes in it, he decided to shriek. Thinking he was hungry, I slung him, injected my boob but after sucking for a minute he refused. Then I returned him in the stroller but after a few minutes again, some shrieking. And so the cycle began for another 3 rounds until I gave up and just slung him until he finally slept on me. People were staring at this mom slinging her baby with grocery goods in the stroller.

The P11,500 stroller... a grocery cart.

Baby Rituals

Santi's interesting daily rituals--

2 baths daily.

One in the morning after his first poo (which is usually an explosive one) and one at night or late afternoon before he sleeps.

Before each bath: I heat the water and while waiting for it, I massage him with lavender oil while singing a nursery ryhme or a lullabye (whichever lyrics I can remember at the moment). I do this to get his full attention so that he doesn't attempt to turn or start to fuss. Then, I carefully remove all clothing and carry him over with me to the bathroom to check the temp of the water. I add bath salt to the heated water. Again, I sing while giving him a bath. (Usually it's YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE - he really does love that song!)

After bath:
I quickly put on his nappy and clothes because I have about 2 minutes before he starts fussing. He still is ok when I dry him in the hooded towel, put on his nappy BUT each time I put the onesie or shirt he starts to cry. No fail. (I think he gets bored, wanting me to get on with the rest of the ritual) Think me in a baby marathon: dress him, get on the ball, start bouncing, offer my breast and feed him. Hurray if he feeds in peace.

If he has trouble napping, I give him a dose of his chamomile drops (which I learned not to use all the time because he ends up with liquid poop. Yes, it relaxes even the digestive tract according to Dr. Crickette) Another option is the blue chamomile gel which I rub on his temples. I have had experiences where he fusses, I apply the miracle gel and he naps after a few minutes without much effort. I also massage his tummy with the famous aceite manzanilla at night.

When he is already napping/sleeping I put a cloth beside him with one or two drops of lavender essential oil to make his dreams sweeter (ha! it's so that he can nap/sleep longer)

Those are his requirements. If I miss any of those, I feel guilty...like I'm a bad mum. If I don't get to massage him before his bath, I feel bad. I think 'oh, poor baby is so tensed because mum didn't get to massage him'! If he misses his night bath (because he is in deep sleep already and I wouldn't dare wake him up), I feel awful that my baby is not clean at that moment. How sticky he must feel with all that dried up sweat on him still. Yuck.

There are lots of other more things I feel bad about doing or not doing but I'll save that topic when I have nothing to write about.

So...do you and your baby have rituals too? Share them here :)

Turning 25

I am officially an adult. My, oh, my. I just celebrated my 25th birthday last Sept. 16... my very first birthday as a mum. All my other birthdays (in recent years) were spent with single, crazy friends getting really drunk and wasted on alcohol at clubs, bars or hotel rooms. Nope, that was not the scene this year.

This time around, we celebrated with mostly family and a few friends (who happens to have babies too) at the Diamond Hotel's 3-bedroom Hospitality Suite. Very wholesome, I tell you.

Here are photos before the party:

The SuiteOne of the adjoining rooms

During the party:
One of the birthday cakesBenny grabs Santi's toys

The trio: Sab, ME, DengThe celebrant bouncing on the life saver ball

After the party:

My butt naked Santipants loving the tub

Happy 25th birthday to mummy me! I received the best gift EVER this year...I was given a baby boy. I give credit to my own mum, who gave birth to me 25 years ago. I have joined you in this sorority of motherhood. I am now fully responsible for another human being (yikes!). I will shape his actions, values and worldview. Brace yourself Santiago, you're in for the ride of your life. Mummy will show you things others only dream of. We're in this lifetime together!

Sleeping Potion

Viola! Here is Santi's sleeping potion. Chamomilla drops (P100) from ISIP Center. His pedia, Dr. Crickette Palanca-Chen, advised me to give him 2 drops every 4 hours until he gets his rhythm of sleep. (I sooo love that fact that she practices homeopathy!) True enough, he naps/sleeps more. Well, I still do 'the works' (ball bouncing while nursing, no distracting lights or sound) to get him to sleep but at least he gets more than 12 hours of sleep a day now. About 14-15 hours of natural drug-induced sleep. Phew!

Oh, take my word...it really does make you snooze! I've tried it, 5 drops for adults.... you start becoming woozy after as if on valiums :P

My dear son is a baby junkie!

ISIP Center Rockwell, Makati
Tel No. 8958421

Dr. Crickette Palanca-Chen
LP Medical Plaza, Makati
by appointment 0927-9877079

Breast is Best

The Adiri Natural Nurser beats the Avent bottle in this new boob-like design. They claim to mimic to breastfeeding like no other bottle, reduce air digestion and gas to relieve colic and promote safer feeding with high quality safe materials.

Of course, curious me, already ordered 2 of these high design bottles at $12 each from my aunt who will be coming home for vacation soon. I want to test it on Santi. He has not been using the Avent bottles because I never leave him (except for the 2 events I posted about before) and he does not seem to have a nipple right for his sucking preference. The 1 hole nip for newborns frustrate him whereas the 2-hole nips choke him. And there are no in-betweens. Gr.

The breast is STILL the best!

No Way

I don't believe this!

This is Kim Raver posing nude for a Vaseline print ad. I know, I know, I am just jealous she doesn't have any stretch marks. I had (and still have) tons! Hmph!

The magic of Photoshop!

Beachy Preggy Weggy

An old friend of mine from high school is now 4 months pregnant. She informed me of the exciting news - she finally felt her first baby movement!

ME: Did it feel like a flutter?
N: Yeah!
ME: That was it! Doesn't it feel so great to know that there is something alive inside of you?
N: Yeah, it was pretty exciting!
ME: I remember feeling Santi for the first time so clearly. Cherish your pregnancy because if I would change one thing about mine - I would be more patient. I wanted Santi out asap! Now, I want him back in! Hahaha

That friend of mine is a beautiful beach bum / surfer girl. I know that her baby will be a beach babe as well. I am sure of it. I can't wait to find out the gender next month! If she is carrying a girl, I will definitely urge Santi to go for her when they grow up!

Here is my own collection of preggy beachy shots.

For a Marie Claire shootMontemarAnilao

Clearly, I was trying to make a statement - "Girls, it is OK to flaunt your bump in a bikini!" Do not be so insecure about people seeing your stretch marks. They'll be camouflaged anyway by the nice tan. Ooh sun-kissed preggy bellies. I like how that sounds...

Parental Birthdays

Happy Birthday to my parents RE and NE!

My Dad just turned 55 while my Mum turned 52. Their birthdays are 6 days apart. Yes, both are Virgos but are like opposite poles. Perhaps their Chinese signs (snake and monkey) is the reason for that?

In this family, we love to celebrate with food, glorious food. For my Dad's birthday we headed to Emperor's Restaurant on Wilson St. Greenhills.

My siblings with my parents

The food in Emperor's was not as good as we remember it to be. Only the roasted duck remains to be worthy.

For my Mum's birthday, we went to Kaya Express at the Power Plant Mall. Kaya has been my Korean restaurant pick for years. I even celebrated my birthday there once because I just love their Spinach, Kimchi and Japchae.

Here's Mum holding a box of Diamond Hotel's Macarons

Dad, Mum, Gino, M and Santipooperpunch

Kaya never fails to deliver the same quality food I have always known.

Cheers to my parents who have stuck it out through all these years. You both have inspired me to prioritize family above all things. (Now that I have my own to keep) I am and forever will be grateful for your love, guidance and support. Santipoo is lucky to have the best grandparents in the whole world!

Happy 4 Months!

There are times that I (still) can't believe that I gave birth to this bundle of joy 4 months ago. It's been 4 months?! Why does time fly with babies? (And not when you are at work, not that I work right now) I wish he'd stay a baby longer. In a blink of an eye, he won't be so needy anymore. High need no more. There are still so many things I want to do with him, to him, and tell him....sigh!

These are the days of our lives, Santi. I am savoring every moment with you because each second that passes is lost forever. If I could buy time, I would.

Bye Bye Hair

It's been days since I cut my hair cut but was delaying blogging about it because I am not too pleased with the outcome.

I wanted the very trendy and famous Victoria Beckham hair....

But ended up looking like a butch!


And to think I had it done in Basement Salon! I could've gone to Bench Fix for the correct cut, even costing me much less (and I am so sure that they all know who Victoria Beckham is; the girl who did me, didn't).

Yes, I know I can go for another cut elsewhere but I'm still not over this disaster. (I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! Didn't I mention I ALWAYS end up regretting drastic hair cuts?!)

Oh well never mind. I couldn't take care of my hair anyway. At least this saves me time, shampoo & conditioner, and no more hair-pulling from Santipoo!

Munch On This

I'm going nuts over nuts! I found these in Rustan's grocery at the Powerplant mall. A little bit of sweet, a little bit of salty. It's the munchies for health wannabes. Low calories, gluten free and vegan friendly too. Grab a pack (about P50+) and eat when you're watching TV, surfing the net, or even when bored. (Do you also eat when you're bored?)

For the less conscious muncher, I found this delicious treat in SM Sta Mesa grocery.


Yes, M&M's did it again. Shrek's ogre-sized peanut butter flavored m&m's is so good I finished one pack (P36) in one go while nursing Santi to sleep. Yeah, I was bored lying in bed so I asked M to fetch me a pack so I could do something while he nurses.

I also discovered really good chocolate peanut butter bars just today! Kitchen's Best by Roselyn (917-9276248) have the best. Not too sweet like Reese's cups tend to be. (but I eat them anyway) I would have posted a photo here but then night has fallen and I don't want to use flash, it would make the bars look less yummy. By tomorrow naman, they'd be all gone. If you want to try them though, check out Powerplant's Baker's Dozen Fair at the concourse level all weekends of this month.

Happy Munches!

The Nose Knows

Last week I was able to attend a Basic Aromatherapy workshop conducted by a certified aromatherapist, at the Rockwell Club. She went to school in the U.S. to study aromatherapy extensively and travels around the world to acquire the best oils for her business. What a life!

We started with smelling each of the scents (as seen above with those strips of paper). Then, she discussed their long list of healing properties. In the end, we were able to concoct our own blend of massage oil. I made an uber relaxing lavender-chamomile combination. Love it! (Santi's pediatrician also recommended that I use chamomile to calm his over alert mind)

Noteworthy scents:

Lavender - Balancing, calming, treats insomnia; topically, helps heal wounds, burns
Eucalyptus - Invigorating & cooling; when inhaled, relieves respiratory congestion; topically, relieves muscle soreness
Peppermint - Refreshing & cooling, topically, relieves headache
Ylang Ylang - Serves as a relaxing antidepressant
Rosemary - Mentally stimulating; topically, helps treat muscle aches

I am hooked on pure essential oils now! (not that I wasn't into aromatherapy before) I've always had a thing for scented candles/soaps, burners, incense, etc. I even have a collection of massage oils on my bedside for late night rubs by me or M (mostly by me :P) Among my favorites are Lavender with Jojoba Arometherapy Oil (which I use for Santi's daily massages), and Virgin Coconut Oil for that beachy feel.

The aromatherapist explained that there are many fake oils out in the market. So, be wary of cheap ones! These are probably made out of synthetic scents. It makes sense though as I've researched it takes 163lbs of orange blossoms just to produce an ounce of Neroli oil and 55,000 Jasmine flowers to produce just 1 oz of highly concentrated Jasmine absolute.

And here is a photo of my mum with dear little Santi all giddy from the stimulating oils he got to smell.