Archives for January 2011

sick of being sick

01.30.2011 by // 1 Comment

A few months into my pregnancy I was sick nearly every single day + whenever I had breakfast, which around that time was comprised of a glass of ice cold Anmum + several pieces of Fita, I almost always threw it up instantly. To make matters worse, the very infamous morning sickness turned out to be a “whole day sickness”, as I’d get sick any time of the day: after eating my lunch, whenever the queue builds up at work, when I smelled something my nose doesn’t like much (I remember smelling a whiff of this guy’s perfume at work + oh boy, every single pregnant woman in the room just started cursing + making a beeline to the loo, it was really that nasty!), Jared’s dad’s perfume, my roommate’s perfume (which I get to smell every morning!), + the smog coming from passenger jeepneys especially!

I nearly do not want to take in anything so as not to throw up after! I have experimented on eating various types of food, too, thinking I’d find a formula to alleviate, if not eliminate, my morning sickness altogether. + here’s what I’ve gathered from magazines + books on pregnancy I’ve read:

Prevent those hunger pangs which could trigger morning sickness by having ready-to-eat snacks in your bag wherever you go, you might consider packing some raisins + biscuits in your bag at all times
To avoid being sick, refrain from eating too much fatty + oily food
Ginger can work wonders to soothe morning sickness
If you you feel sick almost all the time, go to your OB + ask her to prescribe you with something (yes, there is a pill you can take to stop the sickness altogether)

My morning sickness abated a few months further into my pregnancy + boy was I so relieved. But to my disappointment, it was back a couple of months before I gave birth. Oh well, I guess it is just really one of those things we need to deal with while we are pregnant, but, compared to other pregnancy-related peculiarities, this is really something I can do without

image from https://megsamommy.com/

mum's thoughts: my pledge to read the printed page

01.30.2011 by // 3 Comments

“How my life has been brought to undiscovered lands, and how much richer it gets – all from words printed on a page…. How a book can have 560 pages, but in only three pages change the reader’s life.”

^{– Emoke B’Racz, Writing in Malaprop’s Newsletter}

The first most vivid memory I had about reading is when I was in the first grade pouring over my Filipino textbook + it dawned on me that I finally learned how to read. I can vaguely remember parts of mum-teaching-me-how-to-read episodes. It was then that I discovered the art of reading + I never stopped.

In grade school, I’d finish most of my textbooks (mainly the languages ones, English, Reading, Literature + Filipino) way ahead of the rest of the class. I’d be reading stories upon stories (yes, even those that are not yet assigned to be read) + all I had to do is re-read them the time my teacher assigned it as a homework for the next school day. In fourth grade, there were only too few textbooks around + we don’t get to bring a copy home, so I’d read some of them during my break or spare time. I also read the old textbooks in school (the ones labeled “Ministry of Education,” which were phased out after the fall of the Marcos regime).

I read about a gazillion stories, I think.

During my high school days, the love for paperbacks + romance novels sprung. I was one of those who’d put a paperback inside a lecture’s notebook + pretend I’m listening to the teacher as she discussed It was also around this time that I discovered Shakespeare + his lovely poetic proses that I was thrilled to read (think Romeo + Juliet, Merchant of Venice, among others). I also discovered Jonathan Livingston Seagull + his amazing adventure + the Little Prince + his lovely planet, too!

I’ve been everywhere, thanks to my books. I’ve been to Paris, to Rome, to Vatican, to the Caribbean, to the streets of Manhattan + London + through the magical walls of Hogwarts School. + whenever I open a printed page, I was taken back to when I was a little girl with my very first new book. I simply love the scent of new books. I revel in them, turning the pages one by one. Browsing through the book before getting down to read it.

I simply revere books. Strictly no dog ears + back in the days, I’d painstakingly cover my books, yes including the books I borrowed from friends. That’s why most of my friends like it when I borrowed their books, since I cover them all before I return them.

Reading is something I’d like to leave my son, just like how my father ingrained the habit in us. I guess it was one of the best legacies he’s given us + when it is my time I’d like to do the same.

Did I tell you that I pledge to read the printed page (see the lovely black + white graphics up there). The dawn of modern technology gave birth to the 21st century style of reading, via e-readers like Kindle + iPad, but they would simply fail in comparison with the adventure + the feeling of browsing through the printed page.

Which do you prefer, the printed or the digital page?

Love + Light,

flipflops are heart

01.30.2011 by // Leave a Comment

My love affair with flipflops began when I got pregnant with Jared. I always felt hot that I make it a point to wear the most comfortable clothes + enclosing my feet in shoes for more than 4 hours on end became very uncomfortable. I find flipflops-wearing most convenient and welcoming to my growing feet, which, in the later part of my pregnancy started swelling because of edema. Around that time it was nearly impossible to entrap them into cramping shoes + I was almost on flipflops 24/7.

My flipflops became my regular companion wherever I go: to work, to scour for baby stuffs in department stores or supermarkets or tiangges or whenever I go to the next food trip or the next adventure along with about a dozen other pregnant women like me. Too bad my first pair gave out on me after more than a year of abuse. I actually got the sturdiest pair around, only the thin stripes broke after way too many usages. I nearly do not have the heart to throw it away after I bought a new pair, so it now sits on the shoe stand gathering dust, while I find ways to recycle or reuse them

my little fuzzy eater

01.29.2011 by mumwrites // Leave a Comment

feeding jared has never been a problem, well, not until he started eating solids that is!

when he was a little, tiny (err, he was never really tiny) baby, feeding him is easy-peasy. a 2-once bottle of milk will be gone by a minute and a half you’d wonder where it went. when he turned 6 months and had his first taste of baby food, my problem started!

uncomfortable with the alien texture in his mouth, he would either choke on it, throw it all up and the food will either end up on the floor, or on mummy’s clothes and face or worse, left lonely, untasted and untouched! sometimes feeding him can be quite frustrating, a dramatic episode off a soap opera, or plain and simple traumatic! who would not be traumatized seeing your baby’s eyes bulge and redden as he choke on the food you lovingly prepared for him? it was sure one reason for mum to have a bad day.

i’ve consulted with his pedia and scan parenting magazines and online articles on tips on how to whet his appetite, i even consulted with other mum friends for advice and even give him appetite-enhancing baby vitamin hoping his love of food will develop.

so far, here’s what i’ve done:

* vary his food each meal so he will be accustomed to different kinds of taste and texture
* make sure i tag him along when the family eats so he’ll get the hang of it and probably be enticed to eat too
* introduce different varieties of food to him like fruits, vegetables, yogurt, and breads
* i even ordered these lovely pocoyo plate and bowl online thinking he will be inspired to eat knowing how much he adores pocoyo (am now thinking of buying these lovely terramoto ceramic blue polka dot dinnerware, maybe it would be inviting enough for him to finish his soup or veggies)
* am brushing up on my cooking skills so i can prepare delicious meals for the little man, so far i’ve managed to cook ground beef with veggies and tomato sauce, some vegetable dishes because i want jared to be a healthy eater when he grows up. come to think of it maybe i must beef up the kitchen as well just to be prepared for the growing feeding need of my growing baby. maybe i should get that stove with propane grilling with bronze burners or that #5 rubber stopper wine bottle (err, on second thought, i probably won’t be needing this one yet!)
* i make it a point to always serve his favorite, like i noticed he enjoys eating and he does eat a lot when he has soup, and he simply love yogurt and yogurt drink so i make sure i give him those regularly

so far it has been an on-and-off ball game, he would enjoy one meal and he can finish a bowl, then he will find the next one uninteresting, just a spoon and he is done. i am discovering new ways and means to improve his solid food eating habits, he will be 17 months tomorrow, he ought to be consuming more solids and slowly weaning on milk, right?

any ideas mummies?