#ThankYouBaby, really.

Whenever my little punk princess watches Sofia the First on Disney Junior and Sofia's mom, Queen Miranda's on a scene, she has this amusing habit of comparing me to her. She'd always say, "Nanay, look at Queen Miranda, she's so beautiful... like you!" or "Awww, Queen Miranda is so nice. Can you be nice like her?" Oops. I guess she thinks I'm like Rapunzel's evil pseudo mom in Tangled. Don't you think? That happens only whenever she forgets she's five and will act as if she's a rebellious teenager. So the inevitable tragedy will also happen, the other side of me, a green smashing Avenger will eventually come out. Before you think I haze my child like a sorority neophyte, let me tell you that I love using flowery words when I write. Keep calm and read on.

On SIDS, Safe Sleep and Halo® SleepSack®

When I was 7 months pregnant with LB, I was hospitalized because she wanted to come out already. We mothers know it's a critical stage. Yes, she can make it but it would definitely be a risk. What made it so hard for me then was when my OB-GYN told me she couldn't make it if she'd be out too soon. Her lungs were not fully developed yet. And that she was underweight. Her honesty almost killed me when she told me she will eventually die. So of course, I didn't want that to happen. By God's grace and my OB's amazing medical expertise, LB was brought into this world two days after her scheduled arrival. 

LB in her 500-peso bill pose.

So when I brought her home, I made sure no dirt could ever touch her. My siblings were required to wash their hands (their whole body if possible) before touching my baby. I made sure she had enough ventilation as there were times she had difficulty breathing. I made her wore comfortable clothes that an infant must wear. There were nights that I never slept because I just stared at her and checked if she was still breathing. I was paranoid like that. I also researched on morbid baby stuff. You know, the dreadful things that could happen to an innocent little angel. I stumbled on a write-up about SIDS in a Smart Parenting magazine I bought then. It scared the sh*t out of me because babies born with low weight are most likely to experience it. I thought that it could come into our lives like a thief in the night.

Joys of Fatherhood

R shared this video on Facebook yesterday and I watched it over and over again. The baby cried for 50 seconds but guess what stopped her? The preview's such a spoiler. Still, you have to watch it. Cuteness overload. ♥♥♥

P.S. My husband tagged me in a comment that said "nakakamiss". Aba, does he miss Sophia being a baby or does he want a new baby? Can you tell him to come home first so we could open the "baby factory"?! LOL 

3rd Babypalooza Bazaar

Hey mommas and poppas who have been here on my blog since Babypalooza Bazaar 1, it's their 3rd wave already! Yes, same thing --- pre-loved and brand-new baby items. But this time, more and more sellers have signed up, and it will only happen on ONE DAY. So make sure you're early to catch the biggest worms --- er --- best strollers and stuff parents like us would love to see on super discounted amount.

The good thing about Babypalooza is they have what they call as Babypalooza Vendor Protection Program or VPP. This is to ensure that no two vendors of brand new items will be selling the exact same thing. It also has Special Function Areas that will be designated for the following: breastfeeding & diaper changing area, children’s play zone and the Daddy Lounge. Isn't that awesome? Here's more to love about this bazaar --- FREE parking and entrance! ♥

I'll be posting the giveaway sponsored by My Study Partner's Play and Learn Center for Toddlers around July 25th so kindly stay tuned. ♔

For more info:

Website: www.babypalooza.com.ph

Facebook: www.babypalooza.com.ph

Ford Philippines Baby Shower

Blogging has brought me many things --- freebies, a bit of fame, confidence, something to do, getting invited to events, etc. But there's this one thing I really like most about blogging --- gaining friends. 

I was very fortunate that Kim of Mom on Duty, whom I have featured in A Mom's Life on its 7th episode, invited me to one of the well-organized events I have ever attended; not that I have attended a lot. But yes --- it was an intimate lunch with fellow mommies.

Back to Basics with Johnson's Baby

Alright, I know I have used different brands for LB's skin as mentioned here & here, but truly, I am a Johnson's Baby fan. Ever since. I'm sure there are a lot of moms who will disagree. Kesyo masyado daw matapang ang Johnson's products and if compared sa brands na gamit nila, eh hindi ito ganun ka-gentle. Oo naman, hindi naman ako makikipagtalo. But you know what, ang mahalia jackson ng ilan sa soshal brands eh. As in ilang bottles na ng Johnson's ang katumbas ng isang bote ng brand nila. Well, if I have the money and the means to buy those brands, why not noh. Kasi I tried na din naman once, and super nagustuhan ko. But whenever bet ko ng bumili at nai-prepare ko na ang budget for that, hala ka, biglang may darating na biglaang gastusin. Example, naubusan kami ng GAS! Eh jusme, they are of the same price na. So ayun, magreresort ako sa kung anong meron sa Mercury Drug or suking supermarket. And that is Johnson's nga. Our trusted brand with an affordable price.

Review: Lactation Cookies by Crumbs & Grubs

It was more than a month ago when I received a package from the owner of Crumbs and Grubs, mommy Jeanne Marfal. No, I'm not feeding my 4-year-old Little Bebeng through my breast, but I just wanted to try their products & she sent me the cookies. I might not get the best of the other products (brownies & other breads from its sister company) if it will be shipped to me so she advised me to meet her instead. We have already scheduled a meet-up but we both got busy with some personal things that it ended up her shipping a pack of cookies to me. That was a little after I had my dramatic ectopic pregnancy. 

Self-Theories on Why Ectopic Pregnancy Happened to Me

When something good happens to you, you rejoice and happiness is just everywhere! Have you noticed that? But when it's something bad, you question. You sulk in and wonder why of all people, that one bad thing happened to you. It is so human, isn't it? When I knew I had a miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy, I asked why. I contemplated on why it happened to me. I thought I was at my healthiest. I thought nothing could go wrong. Most of the good people around me said God has a purpose on why He let me experience this phase. These good people also told me that He let me had the pain because He knows I can endure it, because He knows I'm strong. And well, some people even said (I don't know if it's with empathy) that the operation was like giving birth through ceasarian section. Yes, it was actually almost the same, except that a Fallopian tube and an appendix were taken out from me and not a baby I could cuddle with after. I agree that there must be something reasonable about all of these. I am a logical person. I don't just sit in with the idea that something occurs out of nothing. So I asked my OB what caused the ectopic pregnancy. She said, in a matter-of-factly statement: "it just happens, Denise". My battle mode self was not on at that moment that I didn't inquire for a more detailed information. 

Photo courtesy of University of Maryland Medical Center

A week after the very cinematic operation I had, I still wonder what caused those lazy egg and sperm cells to form outside my uterus. My mom, a no-nonsense woman, told me that R's sperm cell and my egg cell were too lazy to go inside the uterus and initially decided to relax themselves in the Fallopian tube, thus having what they called a tubal pregnancy. She actually has a point. Being the ever curious cat that I am, I went to my cyber bestfriend, Google. I stumbled upon a million links to my question "what causes ectopic pregnancy?" I scanned all the possible answers and eventually led me to some fruitful but practical explanations. I gathered the causes from different websites, which I deem related to me. First thing that shocked me was from ehealthMD, it says there that "it's important to remember that in most cases of ectopic pregnancy, the cause is unknown. However, several factors can raise your risk for an ectopic pregnancy"; one of the four factors the website mentioned is SMOKING.