Wednesday, November 23, 2011

holiday cheer







i love tinyprints! :)

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

happy 333!

k celebrates his 33rd birthday on the same week kirsten celebrates her 3rd month. so why not a joint 333 celebration? :)



we invited both sides of the family and some friends to celebrate with us, and celebrate we did! we ordered lots of seafood!







pancit for long life :)



the celebrants



k's turtle pie cake from the purple oven



kirsten's mango delight cake and tiramisu from secret recipe





kirsten fell asleep despite the really loud karaoke machine (they cannot adjustthe volume , fixed na daw e duh!)



the guests (apologies for some blurred photos, di ko makuha ang tamang setting ng camera)















i love carrying her like so



k's best buds



happy 333 to the 2 greatest loves of my life! :)

mixed feeding

on 16 nov, i called kirsten's pedia to recommend a milk formula brand just in case we run out of expressed milk at home. on my way home that day, i bought a can of Nan Pro 1.



i was praying and hoping that day would not come. i hoped and prayed that my milk supply will increase overnight. but unfortunately, on 21 nov, we ran out. and a had no choice but to prepare a bottle of milk using Nan Pro 1 for kirsten.

sigh.

when i got home, i still caught up with a feeding kirsten with the formula (on the bed, lying flat!!!! i had to really scold her!!!!). she was drinking like a pro, up to the last drop and even cried when i took away the bottle so she can feed directly from me. i had to hold back my tears. i do not want to get overly dramatic, but i really want to breastfeed exclusively for at least 6 months. i want just absolutely the best things for my daughter - the best doctor, the best environment, the best clothes and toys, the best food (and that is breastmilk). she's developing well per her pedia, not at all chubby but tall (she's long!). ;)



but i am not giving up. i'd like to think that this emergancy stash of milk formula is just that, for emergency purposes only. i continue to pump milk at the office. i have started to take fenugreek, malunggay capsules and powder to hopefully increase my milk supply. i gave a instructions to prepare formula only if there's no longer breastmilk in the fridge. and so far, kirsten drinks 4oz of formula in the late afternoon only. when i get home, she feeds from me. and i pump milk in between, kahit madaling araw.

anything for you sweetie. absolutely anything. :)

Monday, November 21, 2011

KC @ 3 months



you are the love of our lives, sweetie!

pacquiao-marquez III



k and i used to watch pacquiao's fights at off the grill but this time, we didn't want to be too far away from kirsten. we trooped to shakey's around the corner to watch this fight. actually, my sister m and i walked lang about 3mins. so just in case kirsten needs us, we're a stone's throw away. :)



the fight started rather late (almost 1pm), and i captured dad's moods while waiting. :)











tale of the tape



let's get ready to rumble!!!



super exciting!



round after round, i thought pacquiao was too hesitant to throw anything at marquez who is known for being a counter puncher. in the end, i honestly thought marquez won. all throughout the fight, he was the aggressor. we were all surprised when they announced pacman as the winner. marquez was visibly upset and walked out of the ring without before an interview. well, the judges know better. it was a lackluster performance by pacman (in my own humble opinion. his earlier fights were all spectacular!), but a win is a win. will there be a pacquiao-marquez IV (in mexico)? we'll have to wait and see. :)

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

the challenge of exclusively breastfeeding

the supply can't seem to keep up with the demand! sigh! :(


source: google

the milk i express at the office (thank goodness for the meeting room next to me and the expression room at the 4th floor!) is just enough for kirsten's next day supply. sometimes they text me at 4pm that milk's gone, e i get home around 6pm pa. haaaayyy! what can i do, the most i can express is 2oz at a time, multiplied by 4x at the office. i can't really pump milk at home when she's awake, and usually she doesn't leave enough milk for me to express haha! i really don't want to mix feed just yet, sana until her 6th month e exclusively breastfed pa sya. :(

i should really consider taking supplements na cguro to increase my supply. good luck!!!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

suppliers' rating - baptism

*will update this post as soon as photos from the photog arrives*

kirsten cecille was baptized on a bright and sunny sunday morning (it was raining for several days) - we had a choice to have it on a saturday but we thought traffic will be more manageable during a sunday. and people's schedules are usually free on that day so that means more attendance hehe but sad that it fell on the first sunday of the bar exams, and there were heavy rains in some parts of the metro. we had like 2 tables vacant (take note: those are confirmed seats $@%#&!)! good thing that some of those who did not confirm came.

church: mary the queen parish in san juan (we got married here so i really preferred having the baptism there. we considered the archbishop palace [villa san miguel]).
rating: HIGHLY SATISFACTORY
comments: MTQ has several requirements: marriage certificate, baptismal certificate of one godparent, and attendance to a seminar held every tuesday at 8pm or saturday at 2pm. i know, if you want a breezy baptism, you may think twice to have it there kasi dami hinihingi. but you will appreciate it after. you see, MTQ takes its sacraments seriously. during the seminar, you will realize it's refreshing to be lectured upon on the importance of baptism, the responsibilities of both parents and godparents, and the do's/dont's during baptism day. re baptismal certificate of one godparent, they want to make sure that at least one godparent is catholic. :)
on-the-day: we started on time (MTQ is very strict on this!). this was a group baptism, and the third baby was late talagang di hinintay. when they came in 25 minutes after parang galit si father (i think he was american) hehe but he blessed them just the same. the MTQ baptistry is beautiful, and the rites solemn. i will have my next 2 or 3 children (hehe) baptized there. :) ate noemi (7229711/) was, as usual,very nice and accommodating.



venue of the lunch reception: roofdeck, prestige tower along emerald avenue (now f. ortigas jr. road), ortigas center, pasig city
rating: HIGHLY SATISFACTORY
comments: our contact person, salou jalandoni (9106361/09228147341), is very easy to deal with. lahat pwede haha! and it's a good thing that there was no event after us. imagine, the slot we have is 10am to 2pm. do you want to know what time we finished? past 7pm! k and his friends stayed pa to drink and make kwento. me and the baby left at 6pm. they offer free parking for the first 30 cars.



caterer: chow unlimited (in-house catering of prestige tower)
rating: SATISFACTORY
comments: the food was OK for me. i had guests telling me the food was good. the package we got includes boneless garlic chicken, fish with tartar dip, vegetable pastel, baked macaroni, buko pandan, overflowing iced tea. we brought our own lechon, wine, beer. table and buffet set up was nice (i chose 2 shades of pink); food was overflowing; waiters and servers were very prompt and accommodating.

invitations: great concepts
rating: SATISFACTORY
comments: i was pressed for time with the invites and i saw their ad on sulit.com. shelley (09228307435) was very prompt in replying to my emails/text messages (they are based in rizal yata) and the revisions were done real fast. i just expected a heavier kind of cardstock paper and a bigger invite hehe but the design was great!



venue set up/balloons: valbuena party shop (color theme is white and shades of pink!)
rating: HIGHLY SATISFACTORY
comments: the set up was not a priority. i had quotes from yanple and partyboosters for the same package but they were a bit expensive. i found leslie (09166046754) in sulit.com. matagal lang magreply sa text but they delivered really well! the place turned out really colorful and the color combination was bright and cheery!
package inclusions: 50 balloonderitas, 2 5ft pillars, 2 3ft pillars, transpo charge, free flower bundles







band: kelly badon project
rating: HIGHLY SATISFACTORY
comments: kelly (09174485380) used to play with side a until about a year ago, now he has his own group. they sound really great! the guests sang and danced to their music; my sisters-in-law and some kids sang with them. i was not keen into getting a band talaga kasi magastos, but good thing k insisted. they really upped the mood of the party. sabi ng ibang guests, ano to wedding ulit?? haha!



sound system: nat nat
rating: HIGHLY SATISFACTORY
comments: they were hired though kelly as he did not have a sound system with him. nat nat (09175147686) asked for breakfast as he and his team was to set up at 8am daw. we gave them an allowance na lang of Php500 for 5 people. i dunno what time sila nagset up but they worked well and even had a lighting set up. the music they played before and after the band sets and during the program were current. ganda pa ng tunog. sulit!

cake and mini cupcakes: c is for cupcakes
rating: HIGHLY SATISFACTORY
comments: jeng mendoza (09175768093) is easy to deal with. she responds to emails and text messages promptly. the lady bug cake was lovely! i can't get over how pretty it was to eat haha! kuhang-kuha nyo yung pink lady bug theme ko (the birth announcement has a lady bug theme. the baptism invite has none, ayoko kasi may character sa invite parang di formal). the minicuppies were OK. the book cake was OK. they tasted great (chocolate)! both the cakes tasted better after a few days (denser, yummier).











minicakes: kraze kitch
rating: HIGHLY SATISFACTORY
comments: i have been ordering cakes and cupcakes from cat del rosario (09178373941) since my baby shower. these minicakes were given to the godparents (10 pairs!). i love the taste, same as her choco moist cupcakes parang may. days after i would get messages from the ninongs and ninangs how yummy these were. yung lady bug nga lang nawawala yung sungay nya hehehe! but i still give them a thumbs up on the design, taste and easy transaction!



photographer: jo lim photography
rating: PENDING
comments: jo lim (09228220013) is easy to work with. she responded promptly to my emails and text messages. she came to MTQ early and was very polite in asking us to pose haha! she even waits for the other photographers (those who brought cameras with them hehe) to finish clicking away before she takes the photos. she would also ask me what details i like to capture (i sent her a list of details i want taken). we're very excited with the photos! i think it will take a week or so (or a month) as she minimally edits all photos para ready for print na and more edits on 25 choice photos. can't wait!

videographer: june villareal of matchbox photobooth
rating: PENDING
comments: not a priority. k insisted we get one and i booked the cheapest one i could find online. i found mel (09053849641) on sulit.com (my new bestfriend haha!), medyo matagal magreply sa text messages but he pulled through. he sent june on the day, early as requested.

tarpaulins: printing c/o my sister-in-law; layout c/o another sister-in-law
rating: HIGHLY SATISFACTORY
comments: i knew what i wanted, so i asked my sister-in-law in the province to lay out the photos and design. my other sister-in-law volunteered to get them printed from her supplier, neph (09228078256).





photobooth: photobooth on scene (POS)
rating: SATISFACTORY
comments: 3hour unlimited prints package, i got this deal through cashcashpinoy. we had a minor issue re inclusion of the background tarp. the deal said customized tarp, and POS clarified that this is a standard POS backdrop and different from a personalized tarp which is what a client ideally prefers. ayun, i sent a few emails ranting about how they did not clarify enough, no answer. tinamad nako mang-away. contact person is mark panopio (09165082858) but the one emailing me is pije. they discounted the personalized tarp so i got it from them na rin. they arrived late at the venue (after set up, they started at 11:45 am, dapat 11am start na sila). but then tuloy-tuloy naman ang photobooth ops, di na sila nagbreak time which is indicated in the contract (1hr dapat or 2 30min breaks). i guess they ate during. the 2 assistants were very accommodating ang easy to talk to. the prints were very nice!





baptism and reception dress: periwinkle at the shangrila mall
shoes and socks: rustan's
rating: HIGHLY SATISFACTORY
comments: MTQ advised that the little one be dressed in white. good thing di pa ako nakabili kay mang rey casedo (09228705693), the barong supplier from our wedding. he had these beautiful pina baptismal gowns. i thought maybe the material will not please the baby, i.e., makati. i don't want kirsten to be uncomfortable, babies get fussy and cry at the slightest thing. wawa naman. so we got her these comfortable white and pink dressed from periwinkle. the white one is a bit big pa for her but still ok.





wines: S&R
rating: HIGHLY SATISFACTORY
comments: some guests are wine drinkers so we got 20 bottles from S&R.
peso rating: i don't know, k bought e. :)

LCD projector: EJM Blitz
rating: HIGHLY SATISFACTORY
comments: i think i found them through sulit na rin. communication via email and text messages. edric (09224832751) arrived early, set up was OK, the avps were shown without a hitch.

crew meals: chow unlimited
rating: NOT APPLICABLE (i saw the styro boxes lang)
comments: i called salou for this, she said their crew meals consist of rice, 2 pieces chicken, drinks. i ordered 15 meals.

lechon: federico's native lechon
rating: HIGHLY SATISFACTORY
comments: found them through sulit. aileen (09232392149) said she will send a lechon with 25 kilos cooked weight, and dinuguan. i did not see the whole lechon, but the taste was great even a day after! the dinuguan was good too! dami rin namin nauwi despite the fact na pinulutan na ng mga boys!

beer: san miguel delivery 632BEER
ratingL HIGHLY SATISFACTORY
comments: winter from the hotline is very accommodating and patient in explaining/calculating the different beer prices. delivery is on time.
peso power: san mig lite is Php27/bottle; pilsen is Php552/case i think! they require a deposit of Php1.50/bottle if wala kang empty bottles and another deposit on the case, i forgot how much

we are very happy with how this day turned out - kirsten is now a member of God's family! and at the lunch reception, all the suppliers came through. k and i are still talking about how much meaningful the baptismal rites was and how much fun we had at the lunch party. sulit na naman ang preps! :)