Day 113: A Birthday Prelude

Our bunsoy will be turning two years old in a couple of days. Since this is her first time to celebrate in Cebu, the family thought of giving her an advanced "day out" treat at SM Cebu.

We entered through the Northwing entrance and it was clear that little CeeJae was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the mall. Her eyes widened and she seemed a bit afraid to explore. When asked, "Do you like it here?" she moved her head side to side in negation while she would nod in the affirmative when asked, "Do you want to go to Gaisano-Butuan?" Hay, my little promdi-girl!!!

We thought she'd be interested in the SM Storyland Train ride but she got kind of scared when it passed by. What caught her attention were the little tikes cars for rent going around the mall. 

She got very excited getting into the driver seat of her very own "pick-up truck". Atchie Caitlin had to content herself at the backseat while Kuya Jarred was tasked to push them around the mall.

A couple of hours making rounds in the mall capped with a simple snack at McDonald's made her day. When we passed by the entryway of Northwing, she suddenly pointed to it and said, "Go home, Mom...tired, miss Lola". When asked if she enjoyed her day, she gave a resounding, "Yes!!!"

It was just a simple day out with the whole family and yet through the eyes of a toddler, it was a magical and amazing day. This is one of the reasons why I love promdi life and exposing my kids to it. A trip to SM is already something very special when it's just an ordinary thing to most city-bred children.

Day 43: Her Father's Daughter

For the past several weeks, I would let my youngest daughter tag along whenever I attended the BCBP Joint Breakfast. I noticed that she has already learned the usual mechanics upon entering the breakfast venue. She'll be the one to hold on to the meal ticket and would also get her Dad's name tag for her to wear.  CeeJae likes to be the one to choose which meal to eat too and gladly hands over the ticket to the server after making her choice. 

The BCBP breakfast is one she eats with gusto, especially when there's an egg cooked sunny-side-up and ripe banana for dessert. 

Here you will see how proudly she wears her Dad's name tag...and with that look on her face, she's truly her father's daughter.

Day 302: Hide & Seek

Little CeeJae loves to play hide and seek and she uses varied ways to enjoy the game. This time around, it was the sofa edge that served as her haven, showing off her head and face every time I would click the shutter. These are the simple joys of a young precocious toddler I call "my baby princess". 

Day 215: Our Little Explorer

CeeJae is a daredevil! 

Not even 1.5 years old yet, she's not afraid to try many stunts or stretch her physical abilities. One of the things that fascinate her is going up and down a flight of stairs. For some reason, height does not scare her...with her, it's quite the opposite - it challenges her.

For now, she has discovered her unique way of  going down the steps...with a firm grasp on the rail, she slides down each step by sitting on each one until she reaches the bottom.

A few months from now I know she'll learn to go down the stairs the upright way but in the meantime, I'll leave my little daredevil to her own tricks.

Day 161: Good to the last drop

My adorable CeeJae has been wowing us with her developmental milestones ever since she was born so it wasn't a surprise to me when she  grasped the juice pack on the table and sipped away. 

What did surprise me was how she managed to sip the whole tetra pack dry since my two older kids would usually leave some liquid at the bottom portion of the container. It seems that CeeJae had tremendous sucking power and really enjoyed her drink up to the last drop.

Day 137: Shaolin Girl

Compared to her two older siblings, CeeJae was born with a thin patch of hair and sported it until she turned 1. In contrast, Jarred and Cailie had thick and long hair by their first birthday. To remedy this, we decided to have her head fully shaved off to enable faster growth of her hair. Taking after her Kuya Jarred, we discovered that CeeJae has a perfectly-round head which makes her look like a little Shaolin master.

Day 56: Toothy Smile

I see utter joy whenever I look at this picture.  Those twinkling eyes give it away...

It has been a battle to finally reveal this million-dollar toothy smile...what with numerous days of fever and irritability coupled with loss of appetite.  Oh but what worthy sacrifice to see these first two pearly whites emerge in a sweet smile...

I'm just glad you got your groove back, little angel.  Just happy that you are once more looking at food with gusto.  And I am blessed to see you smile like this...Happy 10th Month Anniversary, CeeJae girl!!! 

Day 23: Guessing Game

When I started this 365 project I had to look for photo organizing/editing software I could use so I could add text to my photos and make it easier for me to look for photos in my hard disk.  Right now, I'm making use of two programs...one is an online photo editing software at www.picnik.com and the other is a free downloadable software called Picasa.  Picasa is the one I used to make the collage here.  

When I  was organizing my photos, I was amazed at the face recognition feature wherein it grouped together the pictures by person.  While skimming through the person albums, I discovered some photos of my kids jumbled up...those of Jarred's went to Cailie's, CeeJae's went to Jarred's...it dawned on me that the software would group the pics into a person's album based on the likeness...so it meant that at one point in their lives, my 3 children actually looked alike.  Aha!!!  Why not make a collage of 3 photos showing all three of them at relatively the same age.  So, the finished product is what you see here. Jarred, Cailie and CeeJae at about 8 months old. Can you try and figure out which is which? What similar facial features do they all share?

Day 12: Memories of Pregnancy and CS Delivery

A friend was asking some advice on how to prepare for a CS delivery.  She's due to give birth this week and her baby is still in a breech position so a Caesarean section is inevitable.  It'll be her first so she is kind of apprehensive about the procedure.

Having delivered all three of my children via CS, I'd like to think I'm quite qualified to give my thoughts about the procedure.

My worst experience with the operation was the very first one, only because it was an emergency CS and I wasn't prepared for it, physically, mentally and emotionally.  I was a newbie and didn't know what to do right after the operation.  Indeed, the recovery was slow and painful.  With my succeeding two deliveries, I made sure I read up on how to prep myself on all three aspects: physical, mental and emotional.  True enough, the last two procedures went by like a breeze.  I was able to pull myself up quickly and recovery was record fast.  I also had an advantage since I really decided to do complete breastfeeding for both my girls which I wasn't able to do with my son.

Here are some tips I can share to make a CS operation less daunting and scary and to ensure a smooth and quick recovery:

1. Don't be afraid to ask your OB details about the procedure.  He/She should be able to allay your anxiety or fear.

2. Make sure you get a very good abdominal binder.  It will be your best friend in making sure your stitches heal well and getting you back to your pre-pregnancy figure. (refer to the picture above for a visual)

3. Follow the NPO (non per orem) instruction of your OB strictly.  No liquid or solid intake at least 12 hours prior to your CS. This will ensure you of a shorter "suffering" and allow you to take in liquids or solid food shortly after your operation.  I went on a fiber-filled diet for the whole week prior to my CS schedule to ensure I didn't suffer constipation after the procedure.  CS and constipation = not a good mix

4. Follow the instructions of your Anesthesiologist during the insertion of your spinal or epidural.  Your obedience will reward you of an almost pain-free procedure.

5. Do not attempt to speak within 12 hours after your operation to prevent "kabag".

6. Try your best to move sideways within 6 hours after operation; elevate your bed in varying degrees within 12 hours after operation; sit up within 12-18 hours; and walk within 24-36 hours after the CS.

7. If at all possible, try to breastfeed your baby as soon as you feel you are up to it.  It will help a lot in the healing process. *** With my 3rd baby, I was breastfeeding 3 hours after the operation.

8. You can take full showers already provided your OB used a waterproof seal on your stitches.  If not, you have to take extra precaution not to get the scar area wet when you take a shower or bath.  

9. During your recovery, do not attempt to carry more than the weight of your baby for at least 6 months postpartum.

10. Refrain from going up and down stairs and exerting too much effort for at least two months after your operation.