One happy Mommy! :")

hats off to all moms out there :)

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 13:18:28 +0800

hats off to all moms out there :)

Is This My Little Angel? A Tale of Two Mothers by Brian Kessler

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:22:00 +0800

“You’re not my real brother.”

“Good!” I’d shout back, “I don’t wanna be your stupid brother.”

Ever since I was three years old I knew I was adopted. My parents were unable to have children of their own so they adopted me. As soon as they got me home from the hospital the pressure was off and my mother got pregnant with my younger brother. Over the course of the next ten years she gave birth to a total of five children—two girls and three boys.

Any family photo speaks volumes of the differences between us. I always stood out like a sore thumb. I spent my life surrounded by people that, while all unique in their own right, were very similar. They had each others’ laughs, ears, noses, eyes, toes, in varying combinations. Sometimes I felt that all I had were my differences. That being said, I love all my siblings dearly, and the “You’re not my real brother” confrontations were few and far between. But I watched how they interacted with one another, how they had this deep connection. One that I—literally and figuratively—could not relate to.

When I was nineteen, I asked my dad if he had any information on my adoption. He reached into a drawer and pulled out my original birth certificate. He handed it to me the way one might hand a valet the keys to a new car. I thanked him and went upstairs. Now, as a father myself, I have a deeper understanding of that interaction and how difficult that must have been for him.

It turns out that my name was supposed to be “John Thomas” which is British slang for “penis.” So, I’m glad that didn’t pan out.

There at the bottom of the form was my mother’s name. I immediately grabbed the phone book and found ten or so numbers with her last name, but none with her first. So I ventured out to do some detective work.

One of the few advantages to living in Salt Lake City is that there is an enormous genealogical library there. Upon my arrival a carousel of microfilm immediately caught my eye. I walked up, spun it around and grabbed some microfilm containing state census reports from 1968. Anyone who’s had the experience of using one of those old microfilm readers knows that when you turn the crank—it flies. Hundreds of documents blurred by, accompanied by a smell similar to when you first turn the furnace on after a long summer. When I stopped—there it was—Margaret, the youngest of seven. Above her I saw a name that I had recognized from the phonebook earlier: Ferris.

In hindsight this event was amazing. I was in that building for no more than fifteen minutes. I drove home like it was just this everyday thing that happens.

There were two Ferrises in the phonebook. I picked one and dialed.

“Hello?” A woman’s voice answers.

“My name is Brian. I’m nineteen years old and . . . ”

“Is this my little angel?” She interrupted.

“Ummm . . . yes . . . ” I said, fighting back tears.

“We’ve been waiting for you to call.” She said.

It was my grandmother. She invited me to come over, informing me that we would call my mother from there, as she would be very excited to hear from me.

I was surprised when my mom offered to come with me. She was very supportive throughout the entire process, and my respect for her grew immensely that day. We drove to their house, just a few short miles from the house where I had lived since the age of three.

We met my grandmother, grandfather, and an aunt or three. It was surreal. My grandmother dialed her daughter’s number on the speakerphone.

“Hello.” A woman’s voice answered.

“Hi, my name is Brian, I’m nineteen and . . . ”

“Is this my son?” She said.

“Yes.” I replied, instantly in tears.

“I’ve been waiting for you to call. There’s someone here that wants to talk to you.”

“Hey baby!” Chimed a raspy girl’s voice.

“What’s up?” I replied.

“It’s your sister. I’m so happy we finally found you!”

They had me on the next flight out, and the following few weeks were probably the most intense of my life. To experience that blood bond—that love—for the first time as an adult was remarkable. Finally I understood that bond that my adopted siblings had with one another.

Really it’s about more than blood. It’s about love. It’s about the varying contexts of love that help us define it; evolving our understanding of what love is; an understanding that continues to evolve to this day.

Speaking of this day. I appreciate both of my mothers, and all the amazing mothers in my life this Mother’s Day. And every day.

*originally published on Positively Positive, May 13, 2012

Christian's one beautiful baby boy; a gift from God :")

Fri, 11 May 2012 13:19:01 +0800

Christian's one beautiful baby boy; a gift from God :")

gilmeripeach: Time Tested Beauty Tips :)

Fri, 11 May 2012 13:17:13 +0800

gilmeripeach:

Time Tested Beauty Tips :)

Ezekiel's Miracle :")

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:36:41 +0800

Ezekiel's Miracle :")

Interview With A First-Time Father-To-Be

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 10:39:10 +0800

Interview With A First-Time Father-To-Be:

Awww! From a Dad’s point-of-view :”) :))

The importance of prenatal check-up :)Also, it’s March...

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:17:00 +0800

The importance of prenatal check-up :)

Also, it’s March now, so Happy International Women’s Month! Cheers! ;)

Step up for Down!

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:15:03 +0800

Step up for Down!

Baby's Developmental Milestones: Months 7 to 12

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:43:54 +0800

Baby's Developmental Milestones: Months 7 to 12

Valentine’s Date with Baby :)

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:40:20 +0800

Valentine’s Date with Baby :)

true! :))

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:20:52 +0800

true! :))

6 Phrases to Use for a Succesful Relationship...

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:18:13 +0800

6 Phrases to Use for a Succesful Relationship [BLOG]

“Thank you“‘s should be on top of the list! When was the last time we said “Thank you” or show our appreciation to the ones we love. :) Happy heart’s day! :)

*I got 13 likes and the author even replied! :”) *blush*

What a surprise! :)

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 00:22:20 +0800

Lucky and I have been together for 7 years. Like other couples, we’ve been through a lot of ups and downs.

Our 7th year was full of drastic and dramatic changes:

*My mom died a couple of months before my sister and I are about to graduate thus we struggled just to graduate on time
*We lost our home for we can’t pay the bills and transferred to an aunt’s house, applied to a callcenter job (but barely managed to finish a three month contract since I’m not used to staying awake at night)
*Have had a lot of fights with him for he’s at school at day while i was asleep and I was at the office at night while it’s time for him to sleep. He was the most dependent person I know thus, he kind of looked for another person’s comfort and attention. (Insert the 7-year itch article here)
*I lost a lot of weight due to the stress at work, the unhealthy lifestyle of callcenter agents and due to lovelife problems.

At first, I thought (and so I’ve believed since my monthly visit was delayed) that it was irregular and or my tummy’s getting a bit bigger since I’ve also had some excretory problems. But when I started feeling something’s moving on inside my belly, I didn’t hesitate to have a visit at the OB-gyne department.

Nurse: Ano pong gusto nyo ipa-check? OB po ba or Gyne?
Me: OB po. Buntis kasi ata ako.
Nurse: Nag-pregnancy test na po ba sila? Kasi parang hindi naman kayo buntis. Baka nakalunok lang ho kayo ng Pakwan.

LOL :)

And so, I’ve had my first IE (Internal Exam). It was a bit weird (for someone’s- by someone I meant an intern when what I expected was a doctor- going to insert a cold and hard tool inside) and painful. The doctor advised that I might need to verify via Ultrasound for she believes I’m on my 4th month. I was surprised and afraid at the same time. I haven’t had any clue of being pregnant for I didn’t experience any pregnancy symptoms like morning sickness, food craving et al). What am I supposed to do? What should I tell my dad and sister? (Who were still on the grieving process of losing our mom and our youngest sister three years prior). And, my boyfriend and I were supposed to break up due to infidelity issues but we somehow managed to forgive and forget (Now, it got me thinking that if we broke up then I’ve discovered that I was pregnant what things could be like for the both of us). And since, the ultrasound fees were quite high, we decided to just re-schedule our appointment. I am only 22.

The story’s continuation on the next post :)

Baby's developmental milestones: Months 1-6

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:32:22 +0800

Baby's developmental milestones: Months 1-6

One happy mommy deserves a very relaxing full body massage...

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:07:00 +0800

One happy mommy deserves a very relaxing full body massage :)

It’s been a couple of months since I felt uneasy due to back pains. It could be because of breastfeeding, stress or something. It was really hard for me because I can’t even carry my baby long enough and I eventually stopped breastfeeding. I started researching online for clues on how to get rid of the worsening back pains. I discovered that regular exercise is extremely important for preventing back problems. It has been months since I’ve had my last strenous workout, of course I can’t exercise enough since I’m pregnant and I still can’t after giving birth for when you’ve undergone a caesarian operation, you must wait for one to three years for your body to fully recover.

Resting for a day or two might also help but I went for a maternity leave for almost 2months and I still don’t feel any difference since I busied myself taking care of the baby. I also tried sleeping with my back fully rested. I also used pain relief patches like salon pas and chili plaster although I was aware that using such often could also take a toll on me.

Over-the-counter drugs like pain relievers can also be an option but I don’t want to take any chances since I’ve had enough of those after having my c-section. A friend also advised that I might wanna try chiropractor or osteopathfor it can relieve acute back pain, and if continued on a regular basis, may even prevent the onset of chronic back pain. The only negative thing about it is that the fee is quite pricey. I still can’t afford it since we need to save money for the baby’s needs.

So to make the story short, I opted for a weekly or even twice a week full body massage. Some benefits of a body massage include:

Office workers massaged regularly were more alert, performed better and were less stressed than those who weren’t massaged.
Massage therapy decreased the effects of anxiety, tension, depression and pain
Abdominal surgery (like what I had) recovered more quickly

After countless massage therapies (I even went to a hilot once or twice a week), my backpains were gone. I now have more time to take care of my baby and my hubby! Hooray :)

-anchors-: Submitted by: http://walkwithkimmie.tumblr.com/

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:43:22 +0800

-anchors-:

Submitted by: http://walkwithkimmie.tumblr.com/

To the doctor and back! The three months that followed consisted...

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:04:05 +0800

To the doctor and back!

The three months that followed consisted of weekly visits to the doctor- countless IEs, lab exams and drug prescriptions. I was lucky enough that I can still walk normally since mothers who are on the same trimester like me have a difficulty in walking. I was also lucky enough that I got a job as a writer, they even accepted me even if I’d be applying for a maternity leave a couple of months later.

The doctor found out that I have an infection. It was financially difficult since the antibiotics was quite pricey and I had to go through weekly lab exams to verify that I was free of the infection. It was beside the fact that I should be taking enough vitamins (multivatims and iron supplement) and milk (Anmum Materna chocolate is the best!) everyday.

My husband and I walks a few meters daily so I won’t be having difficulty in giving birth. I also took care of my body by applying anti-stretch mark lotions, using feminine wash and applying creams to avoid early morning muscle cramps.

I also took the opportunity of applying for a maternity reimbursement at SSS. Luckily, I passed the minimum requirements although I’d be waiting 2 months before getting the reimbursement. I was informed that if you’ll be having a normal delivery, you could get as much as 15 thousand and 20 if caesarian. Since I need to get the requirements from my previous job, I also asked for my backpay. Yehey! I really needed the money :)

To prepare myself for the dreaded labor( sorry for the term but I don’t think I can handle the pain :( ), I watched proper breathing techniques on YouTube because they said that to control the pain you must focus on your breathing. I also asked my mother friends what giving birth was like. I even tried pushing every night before going to sleep.

What I liked the most about being pregnant is that all the people around you is taking care of you and gives you everything you need and want! :P What I craved most during these times was Goldilocks’ EggPie! Yummy! I can even finish a whole pie in one sitting!

It’s been three days since Wacky started coughing. It kept...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:56:00 +0800

It’s been three days since Wacky started coughing. It kept him from having a sound sleep since he also has a hard time breathing thru his nose. We immediately went to UST to have him checked. The doctor advised that babies are not supposed to be drinking cough syrups. Instead, she advised that I should just use a nasal aspirator and salinase. A mother, who’s also having her son checked, comforted me that it would only take a week for my baby to feel better. Three to four days later, Wacky’s back on his active self again. Yehay! :)

*The photo came from “Me, Myself and Eileen”’s blog :)

Hooray for all the gifts from our family and friends :) Thank...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:44:10 +0800

Hooray for all the gifts from our family and friends :) Thank you! ;)

A christening is the joyous beginning of a lifetime of loving...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:40:31 +0800

A christening is the joyous beginning of a lifetime of loving and serving the Lord.

Welcome to the Christian World Geann Joaquin Demasu-ay :”)