When weight gain does matter....

I am happy to say that I have been breastfeeding Laureen for 3 months now! Though I must admit, breastfeeding is not a "walk in the park" task for me. The fact that I must always be available for feeding even outside the home makes it more difficult and challenging. I have to think twice of what clothes to wear if we're going out because it has to be convenient for breastfeeding, means lesser wardrobe choices :) Don't get me wrong as I am not ranting :) Maybe I just miss the times when I can be very carefree. Oh, the sacrifices of being a mom!

We had her checked with her pedia today and had her vaccinated. She only gained 1/2 a kilo since last month and though it is still within the acceptable range, it might be a concern if she won't gain at least 1 kilo next month. This would mean that my milk supply is low and that we have to increase her formula intake.

Overall, Laureen is thriving really well and all is well with her health. Meanwhile, she has to re-learn drinking in the bottle since she often refuses it.

Andrea Laureen

We are happy to share with you another God's beautiful blessing to us -- Andrea Laureen!

I gave birth to another bundle of joy (this time, a baby girl) last Monday, 06 April 2009 at the Paranaque Doctor's Hospital thru C-section. Laureen came out at exactly 9:10pm weighing 2.65kls and a length of 48in.

Another Milestone: Sitting on his own

A few more days to go and Inigo will turn 6 months old. One of his milestones now is his ability to sit on his own from his crawl position.



Our little tyke is getting busy by himself. Awww, he seems to grow up real fast!

Inigo's Baptism Day

Having a new baby in the family is very fulfilling and exciting. Of course, to moms like me who loves to organize family gatherings and parties, baptisms and birthdays and other baby occasions are ways to "show-off" ideas and actually making it happen.

Just like organizing and planning our wedding, I had so much fun and stress at the same time planning for our Inigo's baptism. I only had 3-weeks to organize the event and yet, I am happy with how the day went.

Here's how my planning went:

1. Inform your church. Before, members of the Catholic church can choose which church they want their children baptised until recently, a memo was released ordering the strict implementation that baptism should be held where your parish is. For example, if you live in Alabang, you can only have your child baptised in the parish of Alabang.

2. Pick your baptism date. Most of the catholic churches administers baptism every sunday but you have an option to have a special or private baptism at your preferred day and time. For us, we opted to participate in the mass baptism because the priest is not available to administer the baptism on feb23 hence choosing feb24 mass baptism schedule.

3. Determine your guests and Godparents. This will determine your budget when it comes to food and other stuffs like giveaways/souvenirs. We had apprixmately 150 guests so that's where we based our budget.

4. Look for reception venue and caterer. This is the next logical thing to do after accomplishing 1,2 and 3 tasks. It would be better if the reception venue is near the church so as to save guests time and effort going to the place. As for the catering service, look for one who is reputable in delivering good, tasty, and yummy food as this will only be your guests' concern since usually, there is no program involved in a baptism reception unlike in weddings and birthdays.

5. Shop for the stuffs. Next is shopping for baby's christening clothes and other baby needs such as white hanky, white cap or bonnet, etc. Also, scout for stuffs needed in decorating the reception venue like, balloons, table centerpieces, cakes, tarpaulin, giveaways/souvenirs, etc. Better if you incorporate a theme which will help you decide and give idea on how to decorate your venue. Inigo had the Little Prince theme. The colors are yellow and royal blue. We put in his tarpaulin the little prince character and so in the invitations. We had cupcakes as giveaway to kids which had a crown as the topper.

6. Distribute invitations. A week before the event is the ideal time to distribute invitations so that guests don't forget the date (most of the time, guests forget the event if invites are given too early) and at the same time, give them ample time to look for a perfect present for your little one. Baby registries are now available in selected baby shops which you would want to take advantage of. We have registered in Rustan's and MaxiStores. This is also the perfect time to inform your chosen godparents that they are indeed chosen.

7. Attend your seminar. The catholic church requires that parents and two godparents attend a seminar or a lecture prior to the event. Usually this happens on the day of the baptism, an hour before the event.

8. Enjoy the event and celebrate the christianity of your child. As parents, we should not forget to celebrate the real essence of baptism which is welcoming our child to the world of christianity. Let us remember that our responsibility of bringing up our child in our faith only starts in the day they were baptised.

I and Daddy Ian are truly praying that our Inigo will grow up to be God-fearing and has faith in the Lord.

8 Random Things About my Inigo

Thanks Issa for this tag!

For the past almost 2 months of his life, Inigo never fails to surprise us with even the littlest thing he does! These are just 8 things he does that really make our day:

1. He giggles even while sleeping.
2. He pouts his lips every after feeding which looks like he wants to give everyone a kiss!
3. He can open his one eye while the other one is closed. Haha!
4. He replies with a sounding "cooo.." if someone talks to him.
5. He cries so loud if in a few a minutes you failed to give him his milk if he's already hungry. (Talk about a demanding child, eh?)
6. He has so many facial expressions that sometimes you can't guess if he is smiling or crying. hehehe..
7. He finishes 4oz of milk every feeding and sometimes asks for more.
8. He makes a sound with his tounge which sounds like he is a disappointed big fellow!

Now I'm tagging all n@wie bloggers on my link list! Enjoy motherhood!

Burp, burp, baby..

I have never imagined that burping a baby can be very challenging and difficult at the same time. Inigo likes to bottle and breastfeed a lot and burping time is quite a task for me and daddy Ian. Darn we find it difficult to have him burp after he makes almost 3 ounces of bottle milk all the way down! Mind you, it doesn't count the amount he takes from my breasts!

We have been researching in the internet on ways and means of solving our dilemma but it seems that we still can not find our match. Inigo still takes time before he gets his burp and more often than not, he usually spits up and hiccups before he gets the magic word - "burp". What's making us more worried is that we see in his facial expressions that he is feeling a lot of difficulty if he doesn't get to burp and finds it hard to sleep, settle down on his crib and calm.

So to those mommies and daddies who can share their style and strategy of burping their babies, we would looovveee to hear your suggestions. *sigh