Marathon breastfeeding

I woke up to Caitlin's cries. She just detached from me and I put her back on so she could go back to sleep. I realized that I must have fallen asleep myself. The lights were already out and my husband was now on the bed with us.

Time check: 10:36 pm. Nothing unusual about it save for the fact that I went to bed with Caitlin directly feeding from me at 8:25 pm!

Suddenly, my stomach hurt and my head felt light due to hunger. She was still feeding when I also began feeling uncomfortable since I haven't freshened up for bed yet. I was still wearing my day clothes with traces of her saliva and probably rice from her dinner or even lunch.

Caitlin's been feeding from me for two straight hours. She may not be suckling the whole time, but it sure drained me and left me feeling like I skipped dinner.

When she detached, I drank lots of water to mask the hunger pangs. Sometimes, satisfying your thirst takes the pain away. I then took a quick shower and went back to bed. Unfortunately, the water that I drank wasn't enough and I needed a hot meal.

An hour later, I was back in bed and I haven't even found sleep yet when Caitlin cried again, called me out, and wanted to feed again.

It was bittersweet. Tired and sleepy, hearing her cry out, "mama, mama, mama" made me want to make everything right for her. Even if it would make me prepare another hot meal at 12 midnight.

But at least this time, she didn't stay long on me to drain me of the food that I just ate.

After she just fed, however, sleep has become elusive and what a funny, funny scene it would be for me to catch it a minute before Caitlin calls me out and feeds again.

Ah, this, too, shall pass.

If you are a breastfed child, don't ever, ever take the sacrifices your mom did for you for granted. Ever. Delivering you into this world is one story and breastfeeding you takes sacrifices to the next level.

Time check: 12:48 am. Hello, sleep. Finally.

- Mommy Smiley

No special food for her

It has been decided that whatever we eat at home, Caitlin will have to eat too. She won't get any special treatment such as a hotdog for her while we have ginataang kalabasa, for example.

It's not simple planning a weekly menu for the family and a separate dish for Caitlin would have been an added burden and expense. Besides, when Jay and I were young, we also ate whatever's on the table laid out for us. And that's also what our parents got.

The times have changed though and Jay and I have observed that some children nowadays get their special food which are usually processed and/or fried such as hotdog, bacon, chicken, pork chop or store-bought such as pizza.

Parents sometimes find themselves in a bind when, while busy preparing adult food, they forget to prepare a separate kiddie meal.


We pray that by introducing the same food that we eat to Caitlin this early, we won't have to deal with a picky eater later on. Sure, she can have fried chicken or breaded pork chop because we also eat those, but there won't be any hotdogs in the house since Jay doesn't like them. And bacon's a rarity, too. Soon, I might have to say goodbye to junkfood so that she won't get used to them.

So I'm pretty sure that in time, Caitlin will finally get to taste hotdog at a children's party and question why we don't have that at home. I hope that I can easily say, "Then why don't you stay with them if they'll have you so you can eat what they eat," and not have it backfire at me.

I trust that by that time, we have raised her well so we need not worry too much about the little stuff that we don't feed her.

On the bright side, she can have all the goodies that mommy bakes at home.

Caitlin eating ampalaya.

Jay to me: Sinubukan mo lang na pakainin siya ng ampalaya?

Me: I wanted to have ampalaya with egg for lunch so she had that, too.

Here at dinner, she had ampalaya with beef.

I craved for indian mangoes one day and gave her some. Don't let her expression fool you. She liked it!

Kangkong baby.

Eat your greens.

- Mommy Smiley

Preparing Caitlin's 1st birthday

The first fondant cake I made my daugher.

In preparation for a child's birthday, the usual steps to take, among others, are: deciding on a theme and sourcing venues, caterers, and entertainment. But for those who want to complicate life a bit, why not add enrolling in a baking class in the mix? That way, you can bake your child's first birthday cake!

I do not know why I make things more difficult as it is in preparing for Caitlin's first birthday, but I do.

I feel that there is nothing sweeter in the world than the stuff you make yourself for your child.

So I got busy and enrolled in my first class on icings, frostings, rolled fondant, and glaze. But the inspiration and real labor came when I got into themed cupcakes where we molded 3D objects using only our imagination.

I went on to practice when my baby turned 11 months on Mar. 19. I made her first cake with fondant and gum paste. For the many clothes I sewed her as well as the do-it-yourself stuff I made her, nothing almost broke me than rolling a fondant.

Playing with gum paste.

It was my first attempt at making a marshmallow fondant. I've seen how to make it from stratch into absolute smoothness a couple of times but my chef-teacher doesn't even look like she broke a sweat in doing so. I, on the other hand, almost broke my back! And I also felt guilty at the same time for being away from Caitlin as she marked her 11th month just so I can make her a cake.

But for all the time I've already spent away to attend classes and to practice at home, the least I can do is not to give up and deliver. Most importantly, it's a story about perseverance that I can pass on to Caitlin when she's old enough to understand. And by that time, I might actually make her roll a fondant so she can appreciate what hard labor really is. Just kidding!

Happy 11th month Caitlin! The countdown begins.

8:30 pm. Caitlin woke up in time to celebrate her 11th month with her daddy.

- Mommy Smiley

Blog giveaways coming soon

The years 2011 and 2012 have been very good to me. I have been blessed with my first born, met new friends, got successful at breastfeeding, and started this blog with my co-mommy Smiley.


With these and all the other blessings that I have received, I would like to share them with you - our readers. Yes! You've read that right.

I will be giving some loot for the mommies so please stay tuned for more information about them soon. 


- Mommy Raquel

Morbid nursery rhymes for children

Having a baby brings back memories of your own childhood. Back in the early 90s, my childhood was filled with many games and songs. We enjoyed our street-long patintero (that's how many kids we were back then) or hide and seek during the many bouts of brownouts, and endlessly sang the many children's songs - the Pinoy versions of course.

One day, these songs just came to me and I began singing them to Caitlin. Imagine my surprise at these lyrics: "Saksak puso tulo ang dugo, patay, buhay, umalis ka na dito!"
Or this one: "And a rickety-kity and a blue black sheep, is it true, yes or no?"

Ano daw? What?!

And we used to sing these songs to our hearts' content unmindful of what they really mean. What were our parents thinking of when they heard us back then?

Singing them now makes me wonder if I should teach them to Caitlin. They either don't make sense or they are just plain brutal.
But there are a lot of English songs and nursery rhymes with gruesome themes, too.

Check this out:

"It's raining, it's pouring
The old man is snoring
He went to bed and he bumped his head
And he couldn't get up in the morning"

They say the gloomy weather suggested the genocide committed against Irish priests while the last three lines are a swipe at Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of England.

Here's another explanation.

Still, why it became a popular children's song is a puzzle to me.
Even Rock-a-bye baby is brutal. How did the baby in the cradle get on top of the tree anyway?

Again, some marvelous explanation here.

Then there are Jack, Jill, and Humpty Dumpty who all fell down or had a great fall.

And how about The Three Blind Mice?

"Three blind mice, three blind mice
See how they run, see how they run
They all run after the farmer's wife
Who cut their tails off with a carving knife
Have you seen a sight in your life
As the three blind mice."

You wonder who makes these brutal nursery rhymes for children, and exposing them to early violence in the process. But they're already here and ever so popular. Since I do have a choice, I'll opt not to sing those to her. Besides, there are many great lullabies out there.

See, for example, Hush, little Baby.

"Hush, little baby, don't say a word
Mommy's gonna buy you a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird don't sing
Mommy's gonna buy you a diamond ring..."

Or maybe I'll pick another one that wouldn't potentially cost me a thing. =)

- Mommy Smiley

How to to get your infant a Philippine passport

Infants as young as six months old can already acquire their own passports. So when your child turns six months, add to his or her many milestones his or her very own Philippine passport.



Here's how you can do it.  

Go to the Department of Foreign Affairs' website and download the Philippine ePassport Application Form. Alternatively, you can seek the help of your trusted travel agent to do it for you.


The requirements:

1. Certificate of live birth, NSO certified (original copy)
2. Certificate of marriage, NSO certified (original copy)
3. Passport of parents
4. Application fee of Php1,200
5. Umbrella and fan (because it could get really hot)
6. Letter of your confirmed appointment


*NOTE: Make sure that you have an appointment before going to DFA office.




We got Saffron's passport the next day.




Also, have your child wear something decent because he will be photographed. Look at how I dressed up Saffron!

Saffron wore Gap onesie with long sleeves, mothercare pants, and necktie.

Saffron and I lounge at S & R while waiting for our appointment. S & R offers free parking to its customers. Thank you very much S & R! (S & R is a membership grocery. You need to be a member in order to get in. But you can always ask for a day pass. Just be sure to have your parking ticket validated.) 

Here is Saffron's passport. Cutie!

Meanwhile, if you are not in a hurry to get your child a passport, wait for the opening of DFA's consular services at SM North Edsa and SM Megamall. It may be convenient that way as there were a lot of persons inside the DFA Manila office - young and old alike, and some were even sick. Also, there's no room for you to change your little one, and for a breastfeeding mom like me, there's no alloted place where I may be able to feed Saffron. So, that's also a shout-out to DFA: consider your customers, especially those with children. Please provide the parents with a place where we can change our babies and breastfeed them when needed. Thank you.

- Mommy Raquel