Milk for My Toddler; Freebie For Mommy!

Since she turned 3, Roey's grown fast - mentally and physically. A number of her big sister's hand me down clothes will no longer fit her or rather look small/short on her. She has been a little picky when it comes to clothing (she prefers the "sporty" wear). She continue to amaze us with her wit and energy. Yes, she is really energetic even in between sick days. She is playful, curious, talkative (and loud at that), silly, ambitious at her young age and sweet. She said that she's also pretty! LOL! I must be very lucky you may say. But hey, there's more! She is also like any other toddler there is - 

Gets envious of her big sister.

Gets too picky with food and clothes.

Sometimes says no to eating and keep asking for milk instead.

Runs around the house with dirty feet.

Shouts at anyone when she's not in the mood.

Gets a little over curious (pakialamera in short!)

Does not want to let her playmates go home.

Does not want to take a bath or get out of the bathroom anymore.

Does not sleep unless Mommy goes first. huhu!

I can name few more of what I call Roey cons but even if I do, it would not change the fact that we truly and madly LOVE her. Some would say that this generation's behavior is because of their milk. Hmmm, I can't agree whole-heartedly with that. I actually breastfed her for 5 months. Now that she's 3, we chose Nido 3+ for her and glad that she liked it instantly. 

Late last year, we saw Nestle Nido 3+ in a different packaging. The 1000g pack (normally in cans) has a free canister. I immediately thought of the possible purposes of the canister once empty (my creative mind must have been awake that time!) and so we ended up buying the ones with freebies. We now have 3 canisters (we did not see this freebie offer for few weeks). The first 2 canisters already contain flour and cocoa powder! I am planning to use the new one for sugar and I am hoping to still catch up the promo next week so I'll have one for the powdered sugar, one for baking soda, one for chocolate chips, for Brown sugar, for baking powder and many more! 

In short, the best part is for Roey (the milk, of course!) and what's left is for Mommy! Hooray! I am not planning on using the canisters for their toys because it is obviously too small - I have durable plastic boxes for their toys! 

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2nd Birth Anniversary

An impromptu poem for my daughter, Roey.

I thank HIM for the miracle of life,
I thank HIM for HE knows when the time is right.
I thank HIM for bringing you to our lives,
And bring such a light and happy vibes.
May you grow up to be fulfilled and humble;
God-fearing and strong even when you stumble.

Keep that smile on your face,

Say Please and Thank You so HE will bestow you HIS grace.
May HE give you the best of health,
so much love and many good friends!

Happy 2nd Birthday my bubbly and sweet Haley!

Lots of hugs and kisses for you our little darling!
Mommy loves you and Ate Keanna a lot! Mwah!

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When The Kids Get Sick

Worrying about the kids’ health whenever they get sick makes a parent, especially a Mom, paranoid and at the same time stressed. It has an effect on almost everything including work. However, the children come first. Besides, they are the reason of that “everything”.

I have not been around for a while. I missed a lot of things and blog opportunities already. Also, I have withdrawn my first salary from Odesk already which went to the hospital bill and medicine expenses of my toddler. No, please do not get me wrong about hospital bill, she was not admitted. We just have to bring her to the emergency room for faster accommodation and quickly rule out Dengue. I am glad she did not have Dengue; it was Tonsillitis, which caused her high fever. She was already okay after low-grade fever last Thursday due to viral infection, but last Sunday was different. She became irritable and too sensitive. No one can hold her but Mommy.

I had to leave her for a while at my parents-in-laws’ care while Keanna & I looked where we can borrow a nebulizer, bought medicines and attended a birthday. Roey was okay, and was active when we left. I was just informed through a text message that she suddenly had high fever, her eyes were a bit sore, she kept sneezing, which causes tears to run down her cheeks even if she was not crying. I was already hesitant to leave her but I did not want to bring her along too. My conscience is bugging me. I should have just asked her father to buy the medicines instead. I should have stayed by her side at home. We should have not gone to the party. We went there still just as not to disappoint my elder daughter. She has had a little too many disappointments lately. Things and my decisions went wrong that day. I have learned a lesson. Roey has mild Pneumonia and a possible Primary Complex Infection. Has to take her antibiotics for 10 days and cough medicines for 5 days. She will have a repeat X-Ray after ten days to check if she really has Primary Kochi Infection. I am really hoping she does not have any. I know that it can be treated, for 6 months that is, but what is hard is having her take the medicines on a daily basis. We had to go through it with her big sister twice before.

On the other hand, when my kids show cold symptoms, I really do not give them any medications at once. Serving them with fruit juices and lots of water is what I do normally. In most cases too, I use Saline nose drops or spray so as to help thin and remove mucus and let them breathe in comfort. I do not rely on medicines instantly for anything even for myself. I always have in mind that all medications have side effects especially to children. Another reason why I do not want to go through a 6 months long medication, in case Roey has Primary Complex is the fear of accidental overdose. These medicines have too many ingredients, yet not everyone has all the symptoms and same level of illness severity. I have seen the hesitation in giving the antibiotics in the eyes of the on-duty doctor at the emergency room last Monday. My MIL accompanied me and was the one who mentioned about giving Roey antibiotics. The physician gave a bit of a sigh, signed the prescription and explained the reason why he had to give the antibiotics.

Roey is getting better now. No more fever. But still, I'm having a hard time feeding her. She became a lot more closer to barney though.

It is definitely hard when the kids get sick especially if they do not have any health insurance. Health benefits are what I liked about my previous employments. We do not have to worry about shelling out money for consultation fees and the medical expenses are reimbursable too. Oh, am I missing the regular job prior to being a freelancer? I could be, but I am not giving up yet. I know I will do good as a freelancer. I can earn the same amount of money I was earning before and afford getting my kids the health insurance they deserve. Having said that… let me go back to work. LoL!

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Mosquito Patch

Can you see that cute pup in front of her Pink tee? It's actually not an imprint but a patch. A mosquito patch to be exact. A mom here is in a bit of paranoia due to the obnoxiously spread of Dengue. I have already tried a different brand of patches before as I've posted in my previous blog. But this one's better in my opinion since it has a much subtle scent, it also comes in kid-friendly designs. Aside from the usual anti mosquito lotion, I put on a patch or two in my kids' clothing for protection of course. These patches come in cute animal designs and assorted colors. A box of 24 patches is reasonably priced at Php149.00 which is available at SM supermarkets. That's where I got it that is! 


Thank you to my friend Vangie for this photo. Happy 22nd month to our Roey as well. 

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Messy Cutie Pie in Purple

I took this photo of Roey at the Aberdeen Court last June 15 during a cousin's wedding. Ate Keanna already blogged about little Roey's Blue mess (seen in her tongue here) last week. Check it HERE. She's wearing a floral Purple dress given by my friend Irish. It is a hand-me-down, yes! I liked it a lot that I was so excited to have Roey wear it that day I learned that we are to attend a wedding. You may be wondering why she's not wearing any shoes at all...haha! I had to remove her Pink Ipanema because it's a little loose. I didn't want to lose it since it was a gift from Roey's Ninong Ryan, one of my childhood friends.

I'm joining COPS and MGR today. Click on these badges to see more entries!

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20 Months

Monday of next week, I'll soon have a 20 months old toddler. Haley has become so active and has learned a lot already. Most often, I tell myself that time really pass by so fast. Not so long ago, she was still wearing this pair of White baptismal shoes.

Not so long ago, she would easily cry or smile for reasons she can't really tell yet. Now, she can already say words though most we cannot understand yet. But for me, her mother, I know when she's hurt, I know when she is hungry, I know when she's sleepy and even when she wants to go outside. I can understand her language and I am glad I do. I wouldn't have if I'm still working. I am honestly hesitant when I resigned from IBM, it was really a tough decision to make. With all the benefits we were all enjoying, I had to think about it hundreds of times. My daughters are the reason why I had to give up working. It is true that it's quite hard that I don't earn the salary I was receiving then but I can say that the hugs, kisses, smiles, thank yous and sweetness both my daughters are giving me are enough as salary for me.

This is Roey now. Playful, and sometimes really silly. I'm glad I decided to be with her and Ate K. Advance happy 20th month my sweetie pie.

Thank you Ninang Irish for the Berry cute tee and shorts. Mwah!

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MGR#5 Fussy No More

ROEY. I was alarmed about a month ago that she came across a stage wherein she wouldn't eat rice at all. She still goes for milk of course but at her age, she needs solids to get all the needed vitamins and nutrients for growth. I've read from one of the newsletters I received that toddlers do go through the fussy eating stage.

I then remember to have heard from one of my cousins a trick which I think helped out a lot. If a child rejects the food you give, let them be but make sure that you let them sit by the table during "eating time" (whether they eat or not). Another suggestion is to just let them pick the food they want and as to how much is enough for them.

These are just few of the best to offer toddlers like Roey:

carrot sticks

cheese cubes or slices

sliced apples

congee

chicken (drumsticks or lollipops)

pancakes

potatoes

yogurt

cereals (I give the fruity & colorful ones)

I just continued to offer her the foods that (i think) she likes and now, I am more at peace. She's no fussy anymore. These photos are just few of the evidences. LoL!

And of course, this post fits for Messy Go Round. Come and join the fun and make Ate Keanna smile! See you around!

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Here Comes Baby no.2

When my elder daughter turned 5, hubby and I decided to try to get pregnant again. I had issues with hormonal imbalance because of my work in a contact center so we had to seek help from an OB Gyne. Had little trouble while preggy but glad to have given birth through normal delivery.

We were blessed with another girl after 2 years of trying. I chose the name Haley 'coz I really like the character of Bethany Joy Galeotti in One Tree Hill which I often watch when I was pregnant. Roneese is from a name listed in one of my notes when we were still choosing a name for big sister Keanna. It was originally spelled as Ronice, I just had to change how it's spelled. Hubby agreed with Roey's name since it sounds like it was derived from his name Ronald. He would even tease that Roey looks like him and big sister Keanna would always react to that. Keanna says that Ronald is always in denial that she's the female version of her Dad. I think we were able to "ready" Keanna even before Roey arrived. She was really glad to be an "Ate" (big sister) now. She would even stay inside the crib just to be with her sister.

Roey (her nickname) had to stay 5 more days at the hospital. She "overstayed" in my tummy that she already pooped inside while I was on labor. LoL! I am glad though that I was able to breastfeed her even for just 5 months. It was quite hard for me especially that I was like a pump machine even at work but I love that fulfillment. I would have loved if the milk supply lasted a little longer. How about you, what's your story when your baby arrived? Join us and share, just click on the badges below.

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MGR #1: To The Laundry Basket

Messy, right? That's not blood you're looking at though. My little Roey (Haley Roneese) was wearing this blouse yesterday and made this mess. She actually had a little arm injury. My Mother-in-law said Roey's arm was accidentally twisted as she was trying to stop the little one from running after a boy. Roey cried her heart out and couldn't move and wouldn't use her right arm after that. Ate Keanna bought a scoop of chocolate ice cream to share to her little sister for the latter to at least stop crying and forget the pain. That explains the mess on Roey's shirt and it landed the laundry basket as soon as we got home. It's dry now actually.

We brought Roey to the ER of the nearest hospital and my worried Mother in law asked the doctor for an Xray request. The results will be up later by 6pm. The attending physician looked upon the films as soon as they were out and said that we'll have to wait for the results for the exact diagnosis but so far, he didn't see anything wrong. It could have been a pulled muscle that caused the pain which requires cold compress instead and Ibufropen to ease the pain.

We were at SM Novaliches yesterday because we accompanied hubby's mom to buy a gift for our neighbor who turned 100 years old yesterday. The kids were excited since it was also day 1 of the "3 Day Sale" at SM. Well, nobody really wanted it to happen and it was an accident so there should be nothing or no one to blame.

This will serve as my entry to the new meme we have made at my daughter's BLOG . Come and grab the meme badge and join the fun!

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WW: My Mermaids

I'm joining Watery Wednesday for today and it's my first time. I have several photos in my archive to share. =) And, here goes some. My daughter Keanna loves swimming pools and the beach. So, when she asked us to enroll her in a swimming lesson almost about 3 years ago, we gave in. Yes! That's how old these first 2 photos are. Ha ha!

She still have her floaters in this photo but she was very brave to remove it and indeed learned to float and swim a bit before the lessons ended.

She was asked to jump in without floaters in this photo.

She pretends to be a mermaid at times. I'd like to let her try swimming lessons again but it's a little costly for now. She doesn't have a choice but just to enjoy bathing in the bathroom along with her sister Haley.

Our toddler is a mermaid in a pail! Her bath time wouldn't be complete without allowing her to step inside her own ocean. Good thing she still fits in! For more interesting watery posts, please click on the badge below. Happy Wednesday everyone!

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Weekend Fun

Summer has started and big sister Keanna is always in the look for something fun to do.

So I allow her to enjoy an hour or 2 a day to play her favorite games online.

She's also requesting for something she and her sister can enjoy. Due to that, I have to be creative, haha! Here are some of the activities we all enjoyed last weekend.

I made burgers for their AM snack.

My toddler enjoyed her bath time outside. Something I seldom do when it's not summer 'coz once in the pail, you'll definitely have a hard time stopping her water fun.

They both fell asleep and upon waking up, off they were for their Backyardigans or Hi5 marathon!

That goes my entry to the following memes and if you'd like to see more interesting posts and photos, just go ahead and click on each of the badges below. Have a great day everyone!

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PF: Pink for the 1st!

I've been looking forward to share this special post for Pink Fridays. TGIF! (sorry for being late!) Special, simply because this post will serve two purposes. First, to join the Friday meme and secondly, to help my friend Vanj in extending the promotion of her baking business. I've been a fan since my daughter Keanna & I tasted her very first cake. I can still clearly remember how it exuded so much deliciousness which painted sweet smiles in our lips and made my daughter show a sign of "peace". Haha! Sorry, that I guess ain't a peace sign in this photo but a request for a second slice of cake!

Me, my daughter Keanna and pretty SAM

And since I was convinced that Vanj made us want more, it was from her I ordered Roey's 1st birthday cake. Haley Roneese a.k.a Roey celebrated her 1st birthday last October (2010). Hello Kitty was our chosen theme but with Pink as the main color instead of red.

The invitation made my moi!

I took the time to create her pinkish invitation. Had fun playing with it and was quite impressed with what I've made. (good job to me on this one!)

Roey as she blew the candle and check her guests.

The celebrant wore a Pink & Off White gown especially tailored by her late GrandMama. Photos by her Godparent Erik. Thanks Ninong!

1st HK birthday cake

And the lovely cake with my daughter's HK stuffed toy on top. Vanj did a great job on the details. I was really surprised that she creatively used Pink & a little Yellow as part of the theme. She told me that it was inspired by the hair clip on Hello Kitty's left ear, haha! That hair clip happens to be owned by big sister Keanna. I lost the original bow and decided to use the clip instead. Turned out to be a good idea, right? The cake was a hit! Everyone liked how lovely it was to look at and of course, we love how it tasted too! Vanj, keep it up and more power to your biz!

So, that goes our entry to this week's Pink Friday. For more PINK entries, click the pretty badge below.

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SSS: Her Shadow, My BFF

It is my first time to participate in the Shadow Shot Sunday meme and I am hoping that my entry is good enough to be considered (grin). I decided to make this instead of just posting the photos plainly. You can leave your comments, criticisms and tips and I would highly appreciate them all. I don't have a high-end camera so these 2 photos were taken using an old point-and-shoot cam.

That's my Mom and my daughter Roey and yes, this was taken out my archive.

My Mama will always be my BFF...She may no longer be with us physically but her kind deeds and words just like her shadow will always be remembered.

I'm glad I've captured it.

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