I originally wanted to write about something happy for my first blog post of 2015. I planned to share my goals and aspirations for myself and my family, yet on the first day of the New Year, the unexpected happened – we had to rush Ethan to the hospital.
After our New Year celebration, Ethan wouldn’t stop coughing – it was really bad. His breathing was labored and we could hear him wheezing. Though I knew how he must have felt being an asthma sufferer myself, I could not imagine how much more difficult it was for an 18 month old to struggle to breathe. We tried nebulizing several times but it was no good. Convinced that his condition was only getting worse, we rushed him to the Emergency Room of Asian Hospital and Medical Center. The ER doctor tried giving him a stronger dose of nebules, but he did not improve at all. When his pediatrician arrived, we were advised to admit him because he needed medication that could only be delivered intravenously. It was so painful so see him crying while they were attaching the IV, I had to help hold him down and he was giving me this look which was asking me to make them stop. Ugh, I don’t want to remember that anymore.
Christmas is a few weeks away and I’m nowhere near done with my gift shopping. One thing I notice during this time of the year is that I’m always busy carefully listing and buying gifts for family and friends, but whenever someone asks me what I want for Christmas, my mind goes blank! I could never answer promptly because I really don’t give it much thought. Imagine how difficult it is for my husband to buy me a gift.
This year, I decided to sit down and list the things I want for Christmas. Sure, I won’t be able to buy all of them, but at least now I clearly know what I want and I can just save up for the others next year.
I can’t believe it’s been weeks since I last blogged. I miss the blog so much, I felt like a stranger when I logged on to my dashboard. I was caught up in a spiral of endless responsibilities at home and deadlines at work, but in all the chaos I always managed to make time for my husband and Ethan.
My parents traveled out of the country and were gone for more than two weeks, and since they don’t like leaving the house to the help alone they asked me to stay over to manage the expenses and make sure the house was in one piece when they got back. I brought Ethan along and although it was nice having my mom’s helpers around I still missed our house, doing my own chores, cooking and cleaning. Who would’ve thought mamimiss ko yun?
Their trip was amazing – they went to Mexico, Canada, with a side trip to New York and New Jersey. It really was a business trip for my dad but he always brings my mom to these events. They got to visit Xenotes in Cancun and as part of the tour they had to ride the zip line, swim, jump off a 20 foot cliff and rapel down a cave! Whaaaat?! That doesn’t sound like my parents at all, but yeah they’ve got pictures to prove it. They also got to experience first day of snow in Canada. My mom, being a stay-at-home mom, has always wanted to go places and see the world, and I’m glad my dad is able to make that happen. The best thing about their trip was of course the pasalubong!
Bracelets and a coin purse from MexicoWashi tapes from Canada
They also bought Ethan lots of new shirts from the outlet stores, and they got big sizes so that they could still fit him next year.
My uncle in Canada also gave us my cousins’ old books. I was so thrilled because I’ve been meaning to build up a book collection for Ethan!
While my parents were on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, I was struggling at home to meet our monthly quota at work – October was our most challenging month. Though the first few weeks were extremely difficult, it eventually got better. However, we were still two bookings short of our goal. TWO BOOKINGS! It was a bit frustrating, so as soon as November arrived I worked my a$* off so I could book a lot as early as possible and increase our chances of meeting the month’s goal. You might be wondering what I’m actually trying to ‘book’, let’s just say it’s real estate related. It’s pretty tough, but I’m always trying my best.
My washified hard drive – an attempt to relieve stress while working.
But enough about me.. what about Ethan? He’s still as precious as ever. He’s learning new things almost everyday, he’s one happy kid! Here’s a list of things he’s been up to:
He is perfecting his ” bye-bye” routine. Quick story. One morning I was randomly singing “Do You Want To Build A Snowman”, and when I got to “…do you want to build a snowman? It doesn’t have to be a snowmaaaa—-“, Ethan suddenly blurted out “BYYYYEEE BYYYEEEE!!!!!”. I did not teach him that. Though it was a funny coincidence, I am saddened by the fact that he does not want to build a snowman with me. LOL.
He learned how to stack blocks. He has this set of blocks that he’s been ignoring for the longest time, he’s always focused on anything and everything with wheels. I decided to sit down and show him how to stack the blocks, which side went where and how to keep the stack steady. I was glad that he took interest in this activity. In two days, he managed to stack all the blocks on his own. Proud mommy moment. What’s funny though is that he always stacks a random toy at the top of the pile of blocks – like a cherry on a sundae. Adorable.
He is now brave enough to go out the door. Before, he would just stare at us when we’d go out to throw the trash or do laundry. Now, he follows us outside – barefoot – and heads for the gate. And yes, he knows how to open the gate.
He is obsessed with Peppa Pig. Obsessed! It’s our fault though, because when we discovered the show my husband and I downloaded some episodes and got hooked ourselves. Yes, we were amused by the daily life of Peppa Pig and her friends and family. She’s a cheeky little pig. When he hears Peppa singing he’s all kilig and sometimes he even claps his hands! I now know all the lyrics to the songs Peppa and her friends sing, even the Bing Bong Song.
He knows the sound ducks make – all thanks to Peppa Pig! There are some episodes where ducks make an appearance on the show, and when they do, all they say is “Quack quack quack” (Silly me, what else are they supposed to say?). One morning while I was bathing Ethan, I remembered that I got a rubber duck from the freebies at the Fun Ranch Halloween Party. I handed it to him and he inspected it for a few seconds, then said “Kak kak kak!”. At first I thought it was plain gibberish. As he kept repeating the words “Kak kak kak”, I finally realized he was trying to say “Quack quack quack”! Too cute!
I also noticed how he tries to copy dances he sees on TV, like when he’s watching Hi5. When I see him doing this I immediately dance along with him to encourage him to continue what he’s doing. Sometimes, when we’re at my parent’s house, I’d ask him to dance by clapping a beat and saying the word “dance”, and he usually responds with either a cute baby dance or he just turns around in circles until he’s dizzy.
Whew! This has turned into a really long post. I sure missed this. I have so much more stories to tell you! They’ll have to wait though for another day. Dirty diapers are calling! A big shout out my fellow bloggers at Mommy Bloggers Philippines, I miss you mommies!
After Ethan hit one, he has become more active than ever. I don’t call him my Little Troublemaker for nothing! Being the explorer that he is, he loves climbing, running around and crawling into tiny spaces. Keeping up with him isn’t easy, especially during diaper changes! As soon as I remove his diaper, he takes off and refuses to be pinned down to be changed. Luckily, my mom bought us a pack of Huggies Dry Pants one day for us to try, and I have to say, changing diapers has become a breeze! Feet in, pants up and we’re good to go! No more chasing and struggling during diaper changes – and the best part is – he stay’s dry and comfy all throughout playtime.
PHOTO CREDIT
As a Huggies Dry Pants convert, I was so excited to find out that Huggies and Nuffnang will be holding a contest for a chance to win a year-long supply of Huggies Dry Pants!
You read that right – a YEAR-LONG supply!
Alright! Pants up, moms and dads! All you have to do is upload a 15 second Instagram video of your baby dancing to the Huggies Dry Pants Jingle and blog about the contest, including mechanics and prizes in your post. It’s that easy! Don’t forget to like and tag Huggies Philippines and Nuffnang!
It’s that simple and fun to get a chance to win your baby a year’s stash of Huggies Dry Pants. I’ll be joining too and I can’t wait to share our video to you guys, it’s coming real soon! I simply can’t pass up the chance to save big on diapers, can I? The overnight hotel accommodation and spa gift certificates are also tempting. The husband and I need a treat, too!
Your videos must be posted on or before October 31, and winners will be announced on November 4.
Don’t miss this chance to win these awesome prizes! Join now and let’s show everyone how our babies can groove in their Huggies Dry Pants! Good luck!
As an asthmatic, I try my best to keep the house free of dust. No matter how hard I try though, dust is everywhere. My asthma is not easily triggered by dust though, but there are days when I my lungs go haywire and I’m stuck with my nebulizer for days.
When I found out that Ethan was exhibiting signs of skin asthma, his pediatrician set my expectations that there is a likely chance that he will have asthma, too. I was so bummed, because I knew he got it from me. So now I need to keep the house extra free from dust, for myself and for Ethan.
One of the most annoying things around the house that easily attracts dust is the electric fan. You know what I mean – when the blades and the back frame of the fan are full of dust and you can barely feel any air at all. I admit that I sometimes, or rather often, I put off cleaning the fan – because I hate it. You have to disassemble the frame, clean everything and put it all together again. It not the most fun chore in the world.
While I was at Blogapalooza 2014, a particular booth caught my attention because of this contraption.
