Wednesday Happy Thoughts

My very first time to join. Thanks Mich.

Happiness is...

1. Weekend in San Remigio with the family.
2. Learning were having another boy.
3. Earning enough from blogging to buy some wants.
4. Finally found time to sort out Ozzy's old stuff and decided what to keep and what to sell.
5. Not super stressful week for me work-wise.
6. Yummy cakes from 3 of my cousins who were in a baking class. As in super yummy I'm afraid I will finish them all.
7. Oz recognizing most of the letters in the Alphabet and points to letter when were reading (he confuses B & D - something I struggled with too when I was young).

To know how this started and credits of the header, click here.

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Choose To Be

The beauty about living in the present is the wealth of information, new technologies and medicines that aid the people live more comfortably and beautifully. Since there are many diet supplements and pills coming out, many are being careful and going only for natural appetite suppressant as their aide in losing weight. Many find there's no need for invasive surgery like liposuction and tummy tuck especially with many other alternatives being offered in the market. Prevention is the key and that is what most people are doing. I guess if you really plan to lose weight, a change in lifestyle, food intake and some exercise should take part in your daily life. Everybody has a choice to be healthy.

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Baby#2 Update: Week 22

Oh yes, it's another boy for us! Although we were hoping for a girl, hubby was right all along. It was a boy. Statistics-wise it was obviously going to be a boy since hubby's side of the family is dominated by boys and we know its the man that carries the chromosomes that determine the baby's gender lol.

But that's okay, a baby is a blessing - I am excited as well as happy that I don't have to buy a lot of new sets of baby clothes.

This scan of baby#2 was taken last week when I was in my 21st week.

Baby’s Development (Pregnancy Hut)

The baby is gaining weight during this period. The baby weighs approximately about 430 to 450 grams or one pound or 12.25 ounce. The crown to heel or rump length is about 27 cms or 11 inches approximately. The baby resembles a newborn child at this stage, only difference is that it is much thinner as there isn’t much development of baby fat yet. Though the baby is steadily gaining weight, the skin still has a wrinkled appearance. The baby’s body is undergoing continuous growth and development. All organs in the baby’s body are developing at a rapid rate. The liver of the baby has started production of various enzymes that are required for breaking down of billirubin. The billirubin is produced as a result of the breaking down of red blood cells. The fetal red blood cells have a shorter life span and so there is more production of billirubin in a fetus. The billirubin from fetal blood goes into the placenta and then passes into mother’s blood. The mother’s liver gets rid of the fetal billirubin. The pancreas of the baby is developing and growing at a steady rate.

The baby shows distinct lips and eyes at 22 weeks pregnant stage. The iris or the colored part of the eye is still lacking pigment. The eyelids and eyebrows are well formed. The tooth buds are formed and can be seen lying under the gum line. At this stage of 22 weeks pregnancy, the baby’s brain is developing very rapidly. The sensory systems of the baby are also developing very fast during this period. The brain has developed a good network of neurons by now, and baby is learning about the sense of touch. The baby may start exploring its face by stroking and start moving legs and arms to touch and feel. In the case of a female fetus, the ovaries and primitive ova or egg cells have developed well. The female fetus will also have a completely formed uterus by now.

What my baby looks like!
(image source: baby center)

When I had the ultrasound last week the baby was wide awake. I could see him opening and closing his mouth. I could even see his eyes was open. It was so cool to watch and it was a normal sonogram so when we have the 4D scan in a few weeks I am sure it would be much clearer. The baby was busy playing with his umbilical cord. I could feel the tugging and kicking and I can't help but be amazed how amazing life is.

Right now I am 105lbs with 34" waist :P Lol. The rate I'm going I'd be 130lbs when I give birth.

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Careful.

One can never be too careful with the help these days. That's why I am glad the 3 that we have right now (Cook, Maid, Nanny) are a blessing because they get along and they don't have "sticky fingers". I recently found out that my mother had lost not 1 but 2 diamond rings in the past. Although she is not entirely sure if she dropped it but according to her it may have been gotten by some household help. Shucks.

That's why for those parent's or household looking for help, make sure to have them checked with the NBI first and also do some medical checkup for diseases like Pneumonia or TB before hiring.

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Going Green

As usual, Monday's a downer. My weekend was great; spent the whole time in the beach soaking up the remainder of summer with my family. Anyway, brought my handy dandy eco-friendly shoulder bag and it was very useful for storage of the many random things needed when in a vacation. I also use it whenever I go grocery shopping so that I don't have to need new plastic containers.

Green shopping is all the rage now and I am very pro-green since I want my kids and grand kids to enjoy Mother Earth as much as they can.

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It's a BOY

I could not help myself. I was not able to resist. I just had to know. I was wishing for a girl; but gut feel was saying something else and I hoped I was wrong. But I was not.....

We're super excited just the same. ♥

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Manic Monday #168

Late! I know..but I feel as though its a Monday. Too many boring things to do so little time.

If you could completely redecorate any room in your house at no expense to you, what room would you choose?
::: The living room. I feel like there's so much potential for the room with its huge space and all, it would be fun to be able to redecorate it :::

Which hour of the day do you feel goes the slowest?
::: Between 3PM to 5PM. I am super sleepy and waiting for 5PM so I can get out from work already :::

If your birthday could be in a different month of the year, when would you have it?
::: Boy this is hard; but I'd say 1st week of December for 2 reasons. The first, so that I will be slightly younger than hubby this way and then second, I feel December is the time of giving to many will remember to give me gifts! Ha! :::

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Join us.

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Go Bingo!

I was tempted to go inside the local mall's Bingo Hall - but I was in a hurry that time so I was not able to. Anyway; I will just keep that in mind and maybe go some other day (maybe with my grandparents!) because I enjoy that game so much.

Anyway, I had no idea that the game - bingo was such a big thing in the U.K. They even have this awesome website that monitors the major UK online bingo operators and then ranks them based on players, jackpots etc. Bingoport, the site I was talking about provides members with free bingo. As long as its all for fun and in moderation - I am all for good clean game of chance. Who knows I might hit the jackpot and win. If you're into it so much try reading articles like the review for Gala Bingo to get a feel on online bingo promotions and some big bonuses. Check them out!

I can imagine now what I'd do with the money. Of course, without sounding cliche I'd give something to charity as thanksgiving then invest my money on a good property. Then when there's extra I'd travel!

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Onesie

I am looking for onesie's that have the numbers 1-12 in it ... I wonder where I can score some locally. I found a few choices but they are from the US so shipping may take a long time, may be lost or may cost me more.

So anyone who has an idea where DO let me know.

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Why Monitor?

We are a generation of plastic users. Credit cards, debit cards and such. Although admittedly it has been a very very useful tool if used with care and attention however if not used responsibly and sensibly it can lead to a deep mess. Of course no mess is impossible clean with the proper tools and discipline. It is important to monitoring your credit so that you know exactly how much you owe and how much you can afford. Personally I think aside from the advantage of knowing exactly how much you can afford, monitoring your credit can also help you keep track of your spending and if those are actually YOUR expenses. With a complete and up to date credit report one can continually monitor any movement and doubtful transactions you may have in your card. Try getting a freecreditreport in Credit Nexus and be amazed at their 3 in 1 Credit Report that gives you a complete overview of your credit history rating.

As for me, I am happy with my singular credit card with a measly credit limit. Knowing myself, I can easily get tempted by sales and cute baby stuff so its better if I carry cash. That way when I am out of cash I am forced not to spend because I am too lazy to withdraw some cash in the ATM.

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Baby#2 Update: Week 21

See the big picture

Let's see .. I am already 104 lbs right this very moment. I weighed myself right before I wrote this so that means I gain 1 lb. a week which is average. However, I know that I should stop eating those sinfully yummy chocolates in the chiller or else I might balloon in no time. I started walking last night. My goal was to walk for about an hour but I stopped by 30 minutes because my legs hurt and I felt totally tired already.

I will try for 1 hour again tonight right after work, before dinner so that I won't be feeling so heavy. I've begun nesting, obsessing on cleaning out our room and making sure everything is in place. I cleaned out my closet and Ozzy's closet to make room for the 2nd baby's stuff. I realized that its better to let go of the things/clothes/bags/accessories/shoes than keep them thinking I'll use them *soon* because who I am kidding? I won't use them so better give them or sell them to make room for other things.

Other safe exercises for pregnant women include swimming, yoga, aqua natal classes, pilates, dance and low impact aerobics. But remember ladies to clear this first with you're OB.

Baby’s Development (from Pregnancy Hut)

• The baby’s blood circulation is functioning quite well by now. The umbilical cord continues to thicken in size and grow in length as blood travels with considerable force through the body to the baby. The baby will become larger in the second trimester and the placenta is now almost equal in size to the baby.
  
• The baby’s crown to rump length will be around 7.2 inches and the baby will weigh around 10.5 ounces. In this week the baby’s digestive system matures and grows and the intestines contract and relax. The baby practices swallowing the amniotic fluid to further mature the digestive system.
  
• Many babies start hiccupping which is quite funny as the mothers experience small repetitive movements in the abdomen. The eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed and the fingernails also fully cover the fingertips.
  
• A baby is said to hear your conversations and can hear you talking, reading or singing at this stage. It is found that newborns suck more vigorously when you read them a story that they have heard frequently while they were in the womb. Many people read epics, classics and spiritual books which are said to have a positive effect on the baby as well as chant sacred mantras or play soothing music to relax the baby. You can communicate with your baby and develop a bond with him/her from this stage.

Since Ozzy begs "read book! read book!" almost always; I am sure the little one enjoys the reading time as well. It's like I am hitting 2 birds with 1 stone.

Note: You can watch my baby in action in my tummy here.

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He Should.

There are 3 agents right now trying to convince me to get life insurance. If not for me - for my boy or Hubby. I already have a term life-insurance and when I talked to Josh about his own he said he'll look into it once he gets here. I told him he better get it now that he's young because he can avail for a much cheaper and affordable life insurance. I got mine when I was 22y/o and it was very affordable, me being single then and completely healthy.

As for an Educational Plan for the little one's we will have to pass up on that. There are too many horror stories right now about pre-need companies declaring bankruptcy that we can't take the chance. Its better to just save up or invest the money somewhere else.

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Friendship Chain Award

Blogging has allowed me to make friends all around the world and I love it - thanks Anne of Mary Anne's Musings for this Friendship Chain Award.

~~Begin Copy~~

This is the easy way and the fastest way to :

1. Make your Authority Technorati explode.
2. Increase your Google Page Rank.
3. Get more traffic to your blog.
4. Makes more new friends.

Rules :
1. Start copy from “Begin Copy” until “End Copy” to your blog.
2. Put your own blog name and link.
3. Tag your friends as much as you can.

1. Picturing of Life 2. Juliana’s Site 3. Hazel-My Life, My Hope, My Future.4. Jeanne-The Callalily Space5.My Family is my Life 6. The Simple Life of a Baghag 7. On A Wonderful Day Like Today 8. House Everything 9. The Creativity in Me 10. Travel and Photography 11. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 12. You Are My Sunshine 13.Song to Remember 14. Super Blog 15. Philiippine Tv Marathon 16.Simply Blue 17. Breaking the Boundaries 18. Top Five 19. A Simple Life 20. Simple Happy Life 21. My Life's Adventure 22. Mary Anne's Musing 23. Kidd Designs 24. NEXT

~~End Copy~~

I am tagging ALL those in my blogroll. Keep the ball rolling.

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S-O-S

Image Source: Team Sugar

I woke up last night with my whole body in pain! I made a mistake of falling asleep on my back. For a 21-week pregnant lady that is a no-no because it will cause problems in circulation as a result with your abdomen resting on your intestines and major blood vessels (the aorta and vena cava). The best position to sleep in is Sleep-On-Side (SOS) where it will improve the amount of blood and nutrients that reach the placenta and your baby. As a tip; keep your legs and knees bent and a pillow between your legs too.

I know all these. It's pretty obvious too because that's the only position comfortable during this time however, this is not the first night I wake up on my back! Tsk. Tsk. That's why I've been having backaches lately. Gosh, been feeling really heavy - and I have 4 more months to go! Woah. I think I will need to read about the best diet pills around after the pregnancy.

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What Kind of Kid Were You?

You Were an Outgoing Kid

When you were a kid, you had no problem expressing yourself. There's a good chance you started talking early - and never stopped! You had a lot of friends, and unlike most kids, you weren't shy around adults. You were well adjusted and confident. You enjoyed speaking up and participating.

What Kind of Kid Were You?

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Baby Things

The great thing about a second baby is that parent's have fewer items to buy (i.e crib, playpen, pushchairs, etc) because chances are you have invested in a good one during the first pregnancy. Right? Exactly my sentiments. I am glad to at least have a bit of savings on that area. I only have few pricey items in my list for baby#2.

However, there are items on the list that a parent can either scrimp or splurge to add a few more savings here and there. For example, you can splurge on larger items like baby furniture because they are essentials and then you can always sell them after. Also splurge on good quality feeding bottle and nipples because you use that everyday. A good bottle sterilizer was a great help for me too so you can splurge on that. Items that can be scrimped on are everyday baby clothes, onesies and certain toys. Chances are the baby would grow out of these items before you can even finish paying off your credit card bills!

Anyway; when purchasing for pushchairs, I heard so much about quinny from babythings4u.co.uk. They have so many choices for every parent's needs. Some would like an all terrain pushchair, others would prefer a pram or an all-in-on system. A quinny buzz for example is known for its excellent automatic folding system. It has an adjustable handle, seat and it is said to be very user-friendly.

This cutie is a model called quinny zapp orient which is sleek and has a 3-D folding system. I like it because its compact; perfect especially if you just bring it to the mall or when your commuting where there are lots of small spaces. I wish I had this one for Ozzy when we went to Hongkong and Singapore because it would be very easy to bring along. The one I have for him is okay. It served its purpose too but this one would have been better it only weighs less than 9kgs.

I have a lot of window shopping to do before actually purchasing items for baby #2 but I am very happy that now I am not going in there blind unlike the first baby. I only relied on other's advise and ended up having too many things that were completely unecessary.

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Baby#2 Update: Week 20

Right smack in the middle of my pregnancy and my most famous words for this week, "Ouch, that really hurts!". Yup that's right, my little bean is apparently not afraid to kick me in the bladder, ribs and anywhere else it can get its little legs into. Its funny too how the baby would be moving more whenever I am eating and right after meals. I hope unlike the baby's Kuya Ozzy it will be easier to feed.

Anyway....info about my 20th week from Pregnancy Hut.

Baby’s Development

• In the last four weeks the baby has grown quite a bit and its weight is almost four times more. The baby is big enough for you to feel the fluttering or quickening movements on a regular basis by now. From the baby’s movements you can tell whether the baby is awake or asleep by now.
  
• The baby weighs about 300 gm or 11 ounces and is 25-28cm or 6.5 inches in length.
  
• The baby now starts practicing breathing even though the lungs are not mature or strong enough to breathe enough air to allow the baby to survive outside the womb.
  
• By now the baby is covered with fine hair on the entire body called as lanugo and the hair on the scalp is also growing quite fast.
  
• The baby can enjoy all uterine sounds by now as the ears are fully operational by now.
  
• If you are having a baby girl her uterus begins to develop now. The rest of the organs and structures are ready and the baby will henceforth experience a period of simple growth.
  
• The baby is covered in a white substance called vernix caseosa which protects the baby’s skin from getting irritated when immersed in the amniotic fluid and helps the baby while passing through the birth canal smoothly during delivery.
  
• The baby has begun to produce meconium which is a dark green sticky substance consisting of cell loss and amniotic fluid which has been swallowed along with digestive secretions.

As for me I am quite comfortable and adjusting to the added weight already. We even plan to go on a weekend trip to Manila by the 1st week of June. Because I am still on my 6th month then my OB said it is perfectly safe; and frankly the best time to travel rather than 1st trimester or 3rd trimester.

Addtl Notes: I am 103 lbs and the tummy's circumference is still 33" ^_^

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Driving When Pregnant

I did a little research about driving while pregnant because hubby asked me about it once. He wanted to make sure that it was still safe for me to drive. I told him I guess it is. I wear the seat belt always, I am a careful driver (I'd like to think so) and there is ample space in the driver's seat for me and the 20 week old tummy. According to those I read in yahoo answers and stuff it is okay to drive until the very end of the pregnancy as long as the pregnant woman is comfortable.

For now, I am still comfortable so I don't see the need to stop driving. Besides, I think I use the car only once or twice(max) a week. Then I don't drive for much too long seeing Cebu's small and the mall is like 3 minutes away from our house.

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How To Go About Debt Elimination

Friends ask me always how I do it, how do I manage the expenses when I have a toddler and a baby on the way. I guess there's no secret really - I just stick to the budget and purchase our needs rather than wants. Who would want a huge debt hanging over their heads all the time? No one right?

So, how can one achieve debt elimination? Simple. The answer lies in YOU and your desire to be debt free. Once you've made an conscious effort on your part to work on your credit card woes then everything else will follow. It is our personal responsibility to take charge and win over debt. Take for example Dave Ramsey's advice; according to him its all about controlling, reducing and thus eventually eliminating debt. You can be stubborn and keep on buying your wants and whims but in the long run do you really need all those 20 new pairs of Jimmy Choos? I didn't think so. It's all about priority and control. While dining out and malling is fun it can increase expenses without us even realizing it. So, on the weekends spend time watching DVD's and cooking at home than going out.

Anyway, from all the reading that I have done on debt elimination, I've come across the term, debtor's rights and found out that creditor's and debtor's alike have specific and clearly defined rights like the debtor has the right to know his credit score and the right to know what is in his file. Knowing your rights is important so read more about it if your in the process of debt elimination through 3rd party debt collectors.

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Baby#2 Update: Week 19

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

It's a weird feeling. I feel like the baby is growing too fast. It seems like yesterday when I found out I was expecting. Now I am in the middle of my 5th month! Then at the same time, I can't wait to finally have the baby in my arms.


Anyway, according to Baby Center, my baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

I weigh approximately 102lbs still and my tummy's circumference is increased an inch now at 33 inches. The baby's kicks are pronounced and people around the house has started to feel it too. Just too bad the hubby is not here to experience the 2nd pregnancy with me and Ozzy.

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Snippets from a Scatterbrain.

Shucks, the baby's kicks are getting stronger everyday. Mostly during times when I am hungry. Lol. It is so strong that I get a sudden jolt and sudden need to pee. I talk to the baby at times telling it to stay away from the bladder though. I hope it listens. The baby is actually kicking and moving around right now.

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My ankles are pretty bloated. I should lay off the salt. I tried. But then because of that I shifted to eating sweets instead. Tsk tsk. I know. I will force myself to drink ANMUM regularly too.

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Oh yeah - why is it when you're pregnant you seem to be so scatterbrained? I forget things, names and things to do unless I write them down.

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I seem to can't stop eating squash seeds and fish crackers. ♥

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