Ponder Her

Two weeks ago, my baby's temperature rose high and she's so hot that we had to give her paracetamol and we needed to keep wiping her with a wet washcloth followed by a dry one to prevent her temperature from rising any further. At the height of her fever, I sat her on our bed and gave her some toys. I propped myself on one elbow behind her, watching her and thinking.

I know I'm a weakling for some of the diseases that I have, and how I easily catch a cold or a cough, and feel shots of pain here and there. I was even diagnosed with a weak immune system before and weak blood vessels in my nose. I had nosebleeds almost every day while growing up. So, I was wondering if Elhaym's immune system is weak, too. In her one year and 4 months on earth, thrice she had high fever, the first one she even reached convulsion (yeah, I convulsed too when I was little, they say it's hereditary?). And then, she was hospitalized, where I vowed not to go back there. It's because I don't want her to be very sick again, and also because of the poor medical services that that particular hospital offered. It's such a bad experience, and maybe even traumatizing for Elhaym.

I noticed that Elhaym's hair has grown long, but not thick. She's a cute little curly-bottom. I still haven't given her a haircut yet since birth. I don't know when is the right time to set baby up for her first haircut. Some say, all her hair should be cut off so the new ones would be thicker, others say that even if I cut it, her natural hair type would still come out. Oh, i don't know! When should Elhaym have her first haircut? And there's this folklore that the first person to cut her hair should be intelligent, if not a genius, so baby would also be intelligent. Hm...

While, looking at the back of her head, stroking her shoulders and feeling for fever on her neck, I wished with all my heart that she would get well very soon! Suddenly, she stopped playing and she seemed to be staring ahead. I dare not disturb this moment by looking at her face, but she sure looked deep in thought from my point of view. I wonder what goes on inside the mind of a one year old... I wish she could turn around and say to me,"Mommy, did you know that...?"

It's fascinating to observe how Elhaym's vocabulary is expanding. The words taught her she could repeat almost with the same pronunciation and tone. This reminds me to be careful about what I say around her.

Right now, I thank God that she's OK. She loves to run around, turning our house upside down. She just has to open all cabinet doors and drawers, then take out the objects inside. Her doing so could give me a headache sometimes, but I prefer this to her being unwell.

Awarded and Tagged

This award is from Chris. It's my first ever award, and it comes with a tag, too! Thanks, Chris!

Here are the rules:
1. Each blogger must post these rules.
2. Each blogger starts with ten random facts/habits about themselves.
3. Bloggers that are tagged need to write ten facts about themselves. You need to choose ten people to tag and list their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and also to read your blog.

10 Random facts/habits about me.

1. I like to wear colored contact lenses. The ones I use now is colored Amethyst, the next one I'd buy would be Cinnamon or Coffee.
2. I work at a bank, but the course I graduated from is Interior Design. Nope, I don't design banks.
3. My hubby was my first and last BF.
4. I love potatoes, cooked in any way.
5. I feel so fat but I'm just too lazy to exercise.
6. When I was younger, I didn't want to get married because I'm afraid of the pain that childbirth would bring. But, look at me now! I just couldn't resist the call of being a wife and mommy.
7. I have over 200 poems, which I started to compose when I was about 10 years old.
8. As a kid, I go out of our house to look for stray kittens left by their mommies. I bring them in and care for them, I even put milk in small plastic bags then I cut of the corner for the kitten to suckle. My mom doesn't like the idea.
9. And I cry when these pets die.
10. Speaking of crying, I don't like to watch drama movies because I would cry and cry, and my hubby would just roll his eyes like I was insane.

I'm tagging Meg, Vicki... Sorry, I can't come up with ten.

Finding Kinky

One of our close friends is planning a bridal shower evening for our friend who is getting married in November. The planner told me to bring a kinky gift. Before I got married, I have received some supposedly kinky gifts like porn Cd's, KY jelly and lingerie. Is that the trend? To give kinky gifts for a bride-to-be? I guess it injects spontaneity and to induce giggles from the gals.

Here are some ideas I found at gifts(dot)com. Some are not kinky, but are very nice.

A wedding day survival kit:

















A pocket-sized sex guide:
















A wedding time capsule:



















I included the word "kinky" in my search and these popped out.

An adult loaded questions board game:









A bachelorette survival kit:





















Interesting stuff, huh?

Now, I just have to locate one in a store near me.

How about you? What is/are the kinkiest gift/s you have received?

It's Time For That List Again!

Christmas List
a tag from Meg

Material stuff:
1. Nice clothes - I plan to make designs and give them to a dressmaker to be customized. Would that cost more than buying RTW's? I wonder...
2. Different shoes for different get-ups - If only I was rich...
3. A nice belt for any outfit - Is there such a thing?

"Big" stuff:
1. Live and work abroad - Where? New Zealand, Australia, the U.S. (maybe, but with the economical crisis, I'm not so sure it's a good idea), Canada? Do you have any suggestions?
2. Have our own home with a nice garden where Elhaym could play and run and tumble. It should have a porch with a swing where I could read stories to her.
3. A baby boy - This is big stuff since having another baby entails a larger budget, from the CS delivery to the little needs. He can't very well have his sister's dresses, right?

Others:
1. Pet dogs - I miss hugging real dogs, but I have to wait until Elhaym's older and can help me take care of these dogs
2. A facial, a concealer, anti-aging creams, firming lotions
3. Be slimmer, instantly! (That's why this is a wish list.)

Super wishes:
1. Health for my family and friends.
2. True love for everyone!
3. Last, but not the least, I wish that people would have a deep and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I'm tagging little miss firefly, hearthur, mai da paypay and everyone else.

I made a wish list for last Christmas. I still haven't got all of them. What makes me think I will get all of these?

Kids Color Our World

Got kids who like to color? Looking for free printable coloring pages?
www.FreeColoringPageFun.com has more than 2500 FREE Coloring Pages
to give you with hours upon hours of free coloring page fun!

I gave my daughter crayons and she started filling up the paper with scribbles. As early as now, I can see her having an inclination for the arts. When she can color between lines, I will print pages from this site for her to color. Maybe she could color her own invitations for her 2nd birthday. That would save me a lot of work and money. He he!

Pink in November

October, the breast cancer awareness month, has come and passed and I haven't posted an entry about something that could possibly affect me.
There were times I fear having breast cancer. It took away my grandma when I was little. I barely had memories of her. I just remembered one moment in her funeral, when I wiped my tears with the hem of my skirt, after I was carried to view her coffin. They say it skips a generation, so I've always thought I would have it in time. Years passed and I would occasionally be haunted with the thought of having my breasts removed. A woman without breasts seem awkward. A few months before, I detected a lump on my left one. I was relieved to hear the doctor say that my twin peaks were just fibrocystic. But I may have to have an ultrasound, which I haven't attended to yet.
Here is my chance at posting an entry on breast cancer. I was tagged by little miss firefly.

* One in eight women or 12.6% of all women will get breast cancer in her lifetime.
* Breast cancer risk increases with age and every woman is at risk.
* Every 13 minutes a woman dies of breast cancer.
* Seventy-seven percent of women with breast cancer are over 50.
* Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women between the ages of 15 and 54, and the second cause of cancer death in women 55 to 74.
* Risks for breast cancer include a family history, atypical hyperplasia, early menstruation (before age 12), late menopause (after age 55), current use or use in the last ten years of oral contraceptives, and daily consumption of alcohol.
* Early detection of breast cancer, through monthly breast self-exam and particularly yearly mammography after age 40, offers the best chance for survival.

Facts taken from Women’s Health

PINK Sisterhood

1- Fara 2- Massy 3- N.O.Y 4- Mariuca 5- A Great Pleasure 6- LadyJava 7- Kim 8- Pink Thoughts 9- Turn-u-Off 10- Roxiticus Desperate Housewives 11- STAY AT HOME MOM 12- Fida Abbott 13- Also Mommy 14- Janice Ng 15- Juliana’s Site 16- The Painted Veil 17- Heart of Rachel 18- Mga Muni-muni 19- littlemsfirefly 20. cazzapoeia 21. YOU

Here are the rules for this meme:

1. Put the logo in your blog.

2. Add a link to the person who shared it with you.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs

4. Add your link to the list of participants below

5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

I am tagging anyone who wants to be tagged. He he!

Good news, Bad news

Firstly, the good news.

After years of its disappearance from the Philippine market, this brand of hair care has recently made a comeback with greater variety and packaged in funkier bottles. As I have raved about its awesomeness and ranted about its seemingly passing out of existence here, the country (or is it just me?) would be glad to find Herbal Essences gracing the supermarkets again. It offers choices for the buyers, too! Do you want your conditioner to be separate? You could opt for the 2-in-1 too, if you're on a budget, like me. Is your hair colored? Is it limp or too frizzy? Is it dry? Or ridden with dandruff? They have shampoos for each of those categories. Personally, I am torn between the one for flakes and the hydrating one. I can't wait to try it out!

Now, for the bad news.

I read this news on Tara's blog. Her name is Sheila Kathleen McBroom, a blogger from Anchorage, Alaska and Tara's friend, and she's been missing since Oct. 27 until now. Although she's continents away from me and I had only come to know her blog through Tara's, I feel concerned because both of us are a part of the blogosphere, so we're connected somehow. Her family is of course worried sick, her eldest daughter even wrote an entry on her blog, asking for any information. The most recent news update can be read here. I just feel the need to disseminate this. I hope to God she will be found soon!

Of Love And Laughter

Wouldn't it be nice?
If the world's full of laughter,
Laughter from the heart.

Laughing with loved ones
My heart bursts with love and joy
My world's lovelier

This picture of my daughter and me was taken by my hubby when we went to La Mesa Ecopark last Sunday. Don't you love the background? It's so green!

7 Parenting Principles

I just finished reading the book entitled God Said It, Don't Sweat It. Hop over to my multiply for the review. Neil Clark Warren, a psychotherapist and the author of this book, presented seven parenting principles that I want to share with you.

Principle #1: Your child is a separate being.
Principle #2: You have been entrusted with the sacred task of helping your children become everything they are capable of becoming.
Principle #3: Vital to your children's development is a consistent experience of being loved unconditionally.
Principle #4: Parents must carefully determine and consistently maintain limits for their children.
Principle #5: Parents must decide how to discipline their children in the most effective way.
Principle #6: Parents should help their children dream a big dream for their lives.
Principle #7: Parents must help their children develop strong character and healthy values.

Note: I got the image from Amazon.