Memorial Day Brunch and Dinner

Hubby and I were taking advantage of the holiday. We want to catch up on sleep so we woke up late. Hubby prepared the pancake while I prepared the omelet for our brunch. It was an unexpected celebration coz we weren't planning of what to cook but I was able to come up with something in the last minute for dinner. hehe We had asparagus, 3 layer beef casserole, ham and for dessert the shell salad. ^_^

Claira at 2 months

Yeah, she was exactly 2 months old yesterday. And because of that we can now bring her outside but still with caution as what her Pedia suggest. Well, our goal is to avoid Claira to be sick so we follow what her Pedia told us. Claira's appointment yesterday includes the vaccine... 3 shots and one orally. It was the first time that Claira cried so loud and hard. Hubby and I tried to comfort her but she continue screaming coz of the pain. She was feeling a little better after I nurse her so hubby and I decided to go to the store. She was doing okay while we're in the store and in the car but when we started eating dinner at home she started crying and screaming again. I guess she was still in pain. She fell asleep 30 minutes after we gave her the pain reliever. Yesterday we were giving her the pain reliever every 4 hours so she won't be in pain and she can sleep. She's doing okay today but I tried not to leave her alone even if she's asleep so she won't be mad that nobody's around if she wakes up. The Doctor said that Claira will be grouchy for 3 days so it's just right to spoil her in that 3 days then life will go back to normal again. :)

Here she is last night after taking the pain reliever.

And this is her this morning. :)

3 Layer Beef Casserole

This recipe is not from the food network show. I got this recipe from watching the "Little People Big World" when one of the kids cooked this. I wasn't so sure of what the recipe is, I'm just guessing of what the ingredients are base on what I saw. The first try was a success and since then I've been cooking this recipe once a week for dinner. It's really yummy and I crave for this every weekend. haha

Beef and Pasta Soup

I got this recipe at the food network show but without the beef. I only added the ground beef coz hubby like to have meat for his meal. I also added asparagus coz we have some in the fridge. The result is... YUM YUM! This soup is much better than the soup I had at one of the restaurants here. But of course I'm using the lean meat so this soup is not greasy. ^_^

Cooking...

That's my new hobby this month... cooking and learning how to cook like the chef's of food network shows. haha Well, I've been watching the cooking shows again because that's one thing I can do while I'm breastfeeding Claira. In the past it's easy for me to blog while holding Claira but now she's heavy and grow so fast that's why I prefer to watch TV than blogging if I'm holding her.

Honestly, I have a lot of cookbooks from different cuisines but I am more tempted to try cooking what I saw at the cooking show on TV especially if the chef or somebody who eat the food says it's delicious. It actually made me drooling just by watching those shows. hehe So now if I have enough time to cook the new recipes, I cook. I'll post pics of the recipes that I tried ... later. :)

Super Busy...

I guess you noticed that I haven't been posting something in this blog for a few days and that's because I'm super duper busy lately. Claira likes to be fed every hour or two and I'm lucky if she'll be able to sleep longer which means I can rest a little longer or can do something that needs to be done. I never thought a stay at home mom is more difficult than working 8 hours outside the house. According to my husband's co-worker, when he had their first baby he complained to his wife that he has no life anymore from working 8 hours in the office and working at home helping his wife in taking care of their baby. I told hubby one time that it's not hubby who doesn't have a life, it's me. Why? Because hubby can go to work without bringing the baby which means he doesn't need to think if the baby needs to be fed, change diaper, burp, and so on. A stay at home mom like me have to deal of what the baby needs or demands not to mention the house chores that's also waiting for my attention. In short, sometimes you don't have time for yourself. Many times when I feel hungry and about to eat, my baby also wants to be fed and you really have to feed her or she'll be crying out loud or scream. Sometimes I go crazy from multi-tasking like washing the clothes, drying, folding dry clothes while waiting for the other clothes to dry, cook, wash dishes, change diaper, clean the kitchen, clean bathroom and powder room, throw garbage, get the mails, read magazine, pay bills, vacuum carpet, eat when I have the chance, water my lemongrass, and so on coz I want to do many things while Claira is in bed entertaining herself or asleep. It's really an endless task everyday and as much as possible, I want to accomplish something in one day. There are times when I just go back and forth and don't know what to do next coz there are so many things to do at home. Well, that is if you don't want to have a messy/clutter home. Sometimes when I go to one room to get something or put something, I notice that there's a chore that I haven't finish yet so I'll finish it and after that I go to another part of the room to get something or check Claira and again notice that there's another chore that I haven't finish. Yeah, I am that busy having unfinish chores here and there. And when Claira is awake, she also wants my attention. She like it when I talk to her, sing, dance or just hold her. Well, that's the reality of being a mom without a helper. You have to do everything on your own coz no one's going to do it for you except your partner. Having a baby will make your life super busy. But it makes me happy when she smile and coo at me. Tiring but rewarding.

Baby fat

I like the Baby Phat brand but not the baby fat. Grrrr I took my summer clothes that I hide in the closet and the result is disappointing after fitting some of them. The pants (jeans) didn't fit well and the tops are tight. Though I can still wear some of the tops but if I sit down, my bulging tummy is very obvious and it doesn't look good at all. Hubby keep on reminding me that it takes 9 months or so before my body goes back to my prepregnancy shape coz that's what the instructor of our parenting class told us. I just can't wait to wear jeans again. (sigh)

Baby Acne?

I was wondering about Claira's face because she got some sort of pimples on her face and neck. I was thinking that maybe it's because of the milk coz she spits up everyday and I also thought that maybe it's because of her fingernails coz I didn't put mittens on her hands anymore so she can see her fingers and start exploring on how to use them. Well, that's what I thought but I'm not sure if I'm right so before calling Claira's Pedia I search online about it and got the answer I need. The pimples on Claira's face is called Baby Acne and it tends to occur at about the same age as the baby's peak gas production and fussiness. The acne will be most prominent when she's hot or fussy (increased blood flow to the skin), or when her skin is irritated. If her skin comes into contact with cloth laundered in harsh detergents, or becomes wet from saliva or milk that she has spit up, the condition may appear worse for several days. Cleaning her face once a day with water, and perhaps a mild baby soap is what I can do. Oils and lotions do not help, and may aggravate the condition. If the acne is severe or lasts beyond 6 months then a pediatrician may prescribe a mild medicine to help. But as what I read, there is no need to treat it. We'll see of what Claira's Pedia will say on her next appointment.

Sunshine for baby

Claira is still a little bit yellow so she needs to be exposed to the sun everyday if possible. Too bad, the weather here lately is not that good. We even have 2 tornado watch this week and yesterday we had a tornado warning. It's been raining lately and the sun is hiding from the clouds. Every time I take Claira outside, the sun will only show up for a few minutes then gone... show up again then gone so I get tired of playing with Mr. Sun. I hope Claira's jaundice will soon be gone totally.

Mother's Day Treat

Well, I wasn't planning to celebrate the Mother's day since Claira is still not allowed to go out in public according to her Pediatrician. So I was thinking that maybe buying an ice cream cake would be a good treat for me but then our freezer is almost full and it will melt if we only put it in the fridge. I'm thinking to postpone buying the cake, maybe if the freezer is ready. haha I treat myself though by going out shopping for 3 1/2 hours while hubby stayed at home to take care of Claira. I had a hard time looking for the right size of jeans coz my tummy need some more work out. I found one but not perfectly fit. Oh well, I hope my prepregnancy shape will go back to normal someday so I can wear my old jeans again. Anyways, I bought the not so perfect jeans and 5 tops. I went to Walgreens to get my medicine, bought some chocolates and sodas then went to Target and Bed Bath and Beyond to buy something. When I arrive home, I saw hubby and Claira in the Living room. Hubby said that Claira was crying for 2 hours. He thinks she's having a stomach ache. She also spit up after he fed her with the formula. Claira only stop crying a minute before I arrive home after hubby fed her with water that she spit up again. I was thinking that maybe she's looking for me or she wants the breastmilk. After 2 hours, Claira cried again so I fed her with breastmilk, burp her and she fall asleep. So that's my mother's day. ^_^

House Hunting

Hubby and I were house hunting before Claira was born. That's me in the first picture with a big tummy. hehe I think the picture was taken 1 week before my due date. After Claira was born, hubby and I still think about the model house that we like coz I like the big kitchen and hubby like the nice porch plus the family room is so spacious.

Me and the model house. toink!

The front view of the model house.

The spacious kitchen with the kitchen island, stainless steel appliances and granite countertop.

The family room with the Asian ladies who also like the model house.

And the porch that hubby love. :)

More awards...

As usual, my dear blogging buddy Lynn never forget to share the awards that she received. Thank you for these two sis, I really felt like I won from a competition. haha The blogger award really looks real. Soooo nice! :)

" WHY I LOVE BLOGGING?"

Well, because of my blog my family, friends and relatives in the Philippines and around the world knows what's going on about me. So thru blogging, I don't need to tell each and everyone of them of how I'm doing coz they can read my blog whenever they have the time to check. Another thing why I love blogging is meeting individuals from around the world and earning at the same time. Isn't it cool? But I guess you notice that I'm not blogging for moolah lately but still I love to blog so my family and friends will also be updated about my new life. Naks!

Here are the rules for this meaningful award:

The aims of this award:

* As a dedication for those who love blogging activity and love to encourage friendships through blogging.

* To seek the reasons why we all love blogging!

* Put the award in one post as soon as you receive it

* Don’t forget to mention the person who gives you the award.

* Answer the award’s question by writing the reason why you love blogging.

* Tag and distribute the award to as many people as you like.

* Don’t forget to notify the award receivers and put their links in your post.

Now I want to share these to those who doesn't have these awards yet. ^_^

Birthday Treat

Yeah, a birthday treat from Ilocana last Thursday night. The girls (my lady friends) and I headed to our fave chinese restaurant for dinner then went to Target afterwards. Thanks again Ilocana for the free dinner! haha

Here we are at the Chinese restaurant enjoying the seafoods. hehe

Smile baby... smile! ^_^

It feels so good when you see your little one smiling at you but that didn't happen until lately. Claira normally smiles when she's asleep, she even laugh, cry and frown. As a mom, you'll start to wonder if your baby is growing or developing right. So I tried to talk to her if she's awake and slowly she started to respond. I've been reading a book about babies and also surf the internet about baby's development month to month so I know what to expect every month. I think Claira is on the right track according to what I read. In some way she's advance like the rolling over. In the month to month development of a baby, the baby will start rolling over by month 4 but Claira started to roll over when she's exactly one month old. Hubby's co-worker was surprised coz his co-worker's baby started to roll over when his baby was already 8 months old. Then I noticed that Claira is so attentive when I sing to her, dance and snap my fingers. It seems that she like to imitate me coz she'll spit the pacifier and concentrate looking at me and my fingers. Then she start moving her shoulders and her hand as if she's dancing and tried snapping her little fingers too. haha She now smile back at me also. It's fun to watch her trying to imitate what I'm doing. Even if I don't have enough sleep, her smile made me smile too. :)

Here she is, trying to talk to me while I'm playing with her.

Awards from Lynn

Awards... awards! I love receiving awards especially if it comes from a dear friend. (wink) Thanks a lot Lynn for these two. I am so honored to receive these. ^_^





Rules:
1. Take your award here.
2. Put the logo on your post.
3. Link the person who awarded you.
4. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
5. Add links to those blogs on yours.
6. Leave a messages for your nominees on their blog.

Now I want to share these to my blogging buddies who also deserve these awards. Ilocana, Pinaymama, Elaine, Twerlyn, Sheng, Pinaywahm and Cecile.

Circles and Squares

I received coupons from Huggies brand just this week with great information and activities for baby. I remember in our parenting class that babies are interested in black and white colors during the first months but I keep on forgetting that I have to print out black and white shapes from the internet for Claira. Now that I have the letter from Huggies, I put it beside the laptop so I won't forget it coz I also want to sign up in their website for more coupons and maybe (fingers crossed) for a free 1 year supply of diapers "if I win". haha

Ok, back to my topic the circles and squares. Though I was still sleepy, I thought that I better do something before I forget it again. So I search photos of black and white images at photobucket.com and found a few. I print them out right away and put them on the wall near the changing table so while I change her diaper, she can entertain herself by looking at the black and white circles and squares. You can see in the picture how interested she was in them coz she's staring at the pictures for so long which put her to sleep.

1 Month and 2 Days Old

Time flies really fast now that we have a baby. I think that's because we're busy everyday. And because of that, I forgot to take a picture of our little one when she was exactly 1 month old. We do have a video of her when she's exactly 1 month old having tummy time in her crib and we were surprised that Claira roll over by herself. We didn't have a photo of it coz hubby was using the camera to video taped Claira's tummy time and I was in the kitchen cleaning. Oh well, but as what others said that it's better late than never. So here are 2 pics of her when she's 1 month and 2 days old. I took this picture after hubby left for work so we're still in bed. hehe