Sat-Oh-Day!

Woohoo Saturday is almost over and tomorrow is baby A's 1st birthday already, i'm really excited! But also hoping that her rashes caused by Baby Measles would be all gone by tomorrow.

Well anyways a lot of things happened today, and they are all good so I am posting away some good vibes before ending this day.

It was just last Thursday when we took baby A to the hospital but since it wasn't her Pedia who checked her up we were advised to take her back Saturday. So as soon as J arrived home, we immediately took off because baby A's Pedia is only until 11 am. Since we already knew it was just baby measles we were advised the same thing and to take baby A back if there is a recurrence of fever (hopefully not).
We finished in no time so we went straight to SM Center Las Pinas to meet up with Angelique Misa. You may ask who she is, well she is the blogger behind 

Lady With Random Thoughts. Last August I joined and luckily won her Anniversary giveaway. The prize should be shipped to me but knowing that we are both from Las Pinas we agreed to just meet up so she could personally hand me my prize. We agreed to meet up in SM Center it's just near Perpetual Help Medical Center and where Angelique lives.
We weren't able to chitchat even for a while coz she seems to be in a hurry, as soon as we saw each other, exchange of "Hi's", handed me the prize and then she said goodbye and took off. I was actually planning to have our photos taken while she is handing me the prize (arte lang hehe) and maybe have a few talk with her. But she texted me and told me she is about to take her kapatid to school, that's why (hehe). Anyway maybe you are already curious as to what the prize is right?
And here it is...

A cool Mustache Watch

Me wearing it.

So after she left since it was already lunch time, we decided to have our lunch there. We ate at Jollibee as per Kuya Tantan's request. Every time we eat at Jollibee I always order the Chicken Spaghetti Meal, but since baby A's birthday will be held at Jollibee and we chose that meal for her birthday I decided to order something else. Something I haven't tried yet, so I ordered the Jollibee Ultimate Burger Steak.

Jollibee Ultimate Burger Steak with Egg on Rice

Seriously, I don't know how to eat it. Do I have to eat the fries and the burger steak together with the rice and egg? (lol) I personally love Jollibee's burger steak and I soo love french fries, but for me this meal is kinda weird. The only thing I like about it is the burger patty is bigger compared to the regular ones and I like the garlic on top of it and that's it. For me french fries is still best eaten separately and drenched with ketchup, yum! I know better now, next time I wont order this meal anymore, instead I will just order a burger steak meal and french fries separately. (Tee hee)

After eating we went straight home because J is already sleepy. He came all over from night shift, he was even sleeping on our way home. So as soon as we went home, he slept right away so I also put the kids to sleep. I am not sleepy so I proceeded with my "Me" time, and that's going online :) This is the only time I get  uninterrupted time in front of the computer so I have to take advantage of it while they are sleeping (lol).

And guess what, as soon as I logged on to my Facebook Account I found out that I won again...yes another winning! 

My name is spelled incorrectly, but that's me! haha

It was an Anniversary giveaway hosted by a fashion blogger Jaqui Perez of  Styledom. This giveaway was hosted by different Online Shops and my prize is a Jewelry Box from the Sissy Shoppe. Yey! This is why I love joining contests :) As soon as i receive my prize I will post photos of it.

Okay so that's it for now, gotta prepare for baby A's party. Good night =)

Baby Measles: Things You Should Know!

So yesterday baby A's fever already subsided but this afternoon we took her back to the Hospital. No not because of fever but because while we were changing her diaper I noticed that there were few rashes on her torso. I immediately thought of measles, chicken pox or any of the kind. Though I am a nurse I was actually confused, you know since I graduated and passed the Nursing Licensure Exam I wasn't able to put my profession into practice (Nakaka-kalawang ng utak pag nasa bahay lang lol). So I just Googled it up based on the signs and symptoms that baby A manifested and it turns out to be Baby Measles. Although we already knew what it was, we still decided to take her to the Hospital so that this would be noted on her records. Her Pediatrician is no longer available so we went to see a different Pediatrician instead. Upon assessment, she confirmed that it's just Baby Measles. There isn't a treatment for this, the rashes usually heal after 2-3 days, though she prescribed Cetirizine an anti-histamine because the rashes could be itchy and might make her irritable.

Anyways let me just squeeze in some photos :)

Picture-picture before we left

Kuya Tantan striking a pose. 

Baby Athena's OOTD. No rashes on her face yet.

Photos were taken at the hospital while waiting for our turn.

As you can see on the photos above baby Athena's face doesn't have any rashes yet, it was still around her torso. But all through the day, the rashes continue to spread out until it reaches her face.

Photos were taken just this evening.

Poor baby A, this rashes could last for 3 days. Hopefully, by Sunday it will all be gone because that's her 1st birthday.

It's my first time to encounter this with my kid. Kuya Tantan didn't have this before. It's nothing really serious but still knowing my baby is sick makes me feel sad. Besides, since it's viral and we live in the same household it could be transmitted to Kuya Tantan and me. Good thing I am already on my third trimester so I don't have to worry about the congenital anomaly. Though it could cause infection to me and it might be transmitted to the baby, so on my next Prenatal, I should inform my OB that I was exposed to Roseola virus/Baby measles.

Alright, so I just wanna raise awareness about this disease, Here are things you should know about Baby Measles. Read on... 

Baby Measles

Roseola infantum is mostly called baby measles. It is a contagious viral baby illness, a bit like the other contagious childhood illnesses, and is often mistaken for either measles (Rubeola) or German measles (Rubella). Babies usually contract it between six months and two years (more commonly in the first year). Roseola is harmless and parents don't have to be concerned.

Symptoms 

Roseola starts quite suddenly with a high temperature which usually lasts for about three days. Strangely though, there seems to be nothing really wrong with the baby. Baby's temperature peaks to very high levels with Roseola, often tipping the mercury at 39C and 39.5C. After about three days, the fever suddenly breaks and at about the same time, a fine pink rash erupts over baby's torso and just encroaches onto the upper arms and thighs. During this time, the baby is usually very irritable and his behavior and appetite are far more likely to be disturbed than during the fever stage. All symptoms of the rash and irritability should clear within about five to seven days of the eruption of the rash 

Treatment

There is no real treatment for Roseola, but use these tips to keep the fever under con­trol: 

• Undress baby and keep only his vest and nappy on. 
• Cool the room by opening all the windows and switching on a fan. Don't put your little one in a draught though. 
• Wrap cool wet linen cloths around your baby's legs and arms, changing them every couple of minutes. 
• Place a face flannel with ice blocks on the nape of baby's neck or forehead. 
• Bath baby in tepid water - not cold. 
• Increase your baby's liquid intake. 
• Use a homoeopathic fever support treat­ment like Fever drops or the tissue salt remedy Ferrum phos during the day. This will not break his fever but will help the body deal with the underlying infection more rapidly and often prevents the need for other medicine. 
• Avoid giving small babies and children aspirin. Paracetamol-based medi­cation is safer. 
• To help baby through the itchy phase, add a pot of rooibos tea and a handful of bicarbonate of soda to his bathwater and apply a calendula-based cream to soothe the itch. Keep up baby's fluid intake but don't force him, to eat if he doesn't want to. 

The difference between Rubella, Rubeola and Roseola

Rubella (German measles)

Rubella is a highly infectious viral disease which mostly affects children, adoles­cents and young adults, and is spread by airborne droplets. It is a fairly mild disease and only a slight risk of secon­dary encephalitis exists. Your child will feel a bit under the weather for 10 days to two weeks before the rash appears. Many outbreaks are so mild as to go unnoticed. 

The tiny pinkish-red spots of Rubella look more like a patch than individual spots, and they can first be detected behind the ears and on the forehead, thereafter spreading to the rest of the body. The rash passes after two to three days. Swollen lymph glands can be de­tec­ted in the nape of the neck. A rise in temperature of up to 38¡C is common, but consult your doctor should it in­crease. Be on the lookout for signs of a headache and a stiff neck, then seek medical help immediately. 

Rubeola (Measles)

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease, mostly without serious compli­cations. The measles virus spreads by small droplets from the nose, throat or mouth of an infected person. 

Symptoms like a runny nose and coughs occur during the incubation period, which is between eight and 12 days. Your child's temperature can rise to 40C, and he might complain of a headache at this stage. Small, white spots on the inside of the cheeks, called Koplik spots, will confirm the diagnosis of measles. Your child will probably also experience sensitivity to bright light and the eyes will be painful and red. After about three days, a brownish-red rash begins behind the ears, which soon spreads to cover the face and the whole trunk.

Special Delivery: My Haul for Today

Hey there, how's your Wednesday? Mine is pretty good, everything seems to fall in to place.
Right I told you we were supposed to bring baby A back to her Pediatrician for a follow up check up? We didn't, it's because her fever already subsided this morning. She was a bit feverish the afternoon but subsided after a dose of her Paracetamol and until now she is okay, no fever. And knowing my baby is okay now makes me feel better.

But you know what made this day extra better? A Special Delivery! Maybe Kuya Guard is already curious as to why we always have parcels (since we live in a condominium all parcels are handed over to the Guards then to be handed over to our Unit).
It was almost night time when Kuya Guard came knocking on our door, first I thought he is just giving out a memo but what he handed to J(my husband) was a shiny light blue plastic package and I got excited when he read out my name! I kinda had an idea as to what the package contains, but still I was very excited. So as usual, I took a photo of the package first before I opened it up.

The Packaging 

And I was right! The other night I was tagged on Instagram that the bags will be shipped the next day.

A Checkered Satchel Bag and The Body Shop BB Cream =)

I won these awesome prizes last August from Bonjour Bella and was sponsored by Sunny Side Up. Actually I'm supposed to get the UK design satchel bag however I believe there was a mix up and this checkered bag was the one shipped to me instead. But that's not a biggy, they both look good anyways. So yey, I got a new bag! It's been a while since I bought a bag, it was way back 2011 when I was still working and have the money haha!
As for the BB Cream since I don't get to go out I wont be able to use it yet and besides I don't put on any make up when I go out. I'm the loose powder and just lipstick kind of girl and i'm good to go. But using it wont hurt me right, maybe I'm gonna give it a try!

This is why I love joining contests, getting free stuff yay! =)

Special Delivery + Athena's Visit To Her Pedia + Pig Out Day

Yes! I am able to blog again, 2 days in a row. Lucky me, J's off to work so the computer's mine! (lol)
By the way right I told you that my baby Athena got better during the dawn of Monday? Well it was only for a few hours so Monday morning we went to Perpetual Help Medical Center to visit her Pedia.

There were no laboratory exam ordered, just a physical examination since Athena doesn't show any signs and symptoms aside from fever so it could be just her body's response after she has been exposed to the pool water and in an open area. So I just have to continue her Paracetamol, Sponge bath and monitor her and if the fever doesn't subside after 2-3 days bring her back in. It was past 11am when we finished, it was already hot so we went straight to Mcdonald's it was just beside the hospital. We ordered fries and coke float for snack, then went home after. Since we just had our snack we were all full so we decided not to cook lunch anymore. We're used to eating rice every meal but since we didn't that day we ended up eating and eating, as in kung anu-ano na lang. We ate bread, there were some left over boiled bananas from breakfast and pancit canton (te he). So I just decided to cook something good for dinner, our favorite Sinigang na Hipon, yum!

Yum! I'll be making a Recipe Post for this :)

This is J's all time favorite kaya ayun nagbaon pa sya sa work hehe (he works night shift). Later that night when I left the computer on, siguro kinalikot ni Kuya Tantan na pasaway ayun na-virus po ang PC! A message is appearing asking for a payment and a code then automatically restarts tapos ganun ulit. Kaya Monday night I wasn't able to go online na except on my mobile.

I woke up early this morning for my baby's medicine, yes she's still sick :(

Tempra Paracetamol, Thermometer, Fever Patch and Towelette for Sponge bath 

I checked on the computer hoping it's ok na pero ganun pa rin. So I just ate breakfast with the kids.

Here's what I ate; Itlog na Maalat with rice and Hot choco

Right after breakfast, there came a knock on our door. Si Kuya Guard with a Special delivery for me, yey! Since I recently won in a few contests I was guessing what could this be, so I immediately opened it up. Hehe who am I to kid around, syempre I took a photo of it muna :)

The packaging. Can you guess what it is?

Tada! Godiva Products.

I won this from 

Green Home Elements one of the many bloggers who hosted a Pasko sa Agosto Giveaway. What I like about these products is that they are all Whitening and it indicated there it's best for discolorations caused by pregnancy. Nice right?

Then J arrived home ate breakfast then immediately fixed the computer, good thing he's an IT :) but it was only fixed later that day na because he slept pa.
So finally, I'm able to go online to check updates and blog. Though I can't stay online that long coz I need to attend to my baby girl coz she's still sick. Tomorrow we'll be taking her back to her pedia. I'm really hoping and praying she gets all better in no time, it's her 1st birthday na this coming Sunday, Sept. 08. The venue has been reserved na, everything's almost set oh except her dress pa pala. Hay basta all I want right now is for her to get well.
Alright enough said, i'll be hitting the sack now. Till next post. Good night!

How We Spent Our First of September

It's September! Start of the Christmas countdown and it's the birth month of my 2 baby loves, oh how time flies so fast. For the past days I've been meaning to blog, I had a lot of ideas to blog about but unfortunately a lot of things had happened which hinders me to do so. During the weekends, J's rest day so he gets to use the computer the most. I refuse to use the laptop because it's just to slow, as in sasakit lang ulo ko! So it left me with a lot of pending posts.

Well anyway to start off, I just wanna make kwento about my transition from August to September. 

I ended August with a drama. The night of August 31st right before it struck 12 midnight I was announced as 1 of the 5 winners of Avon Brassiere, so I felt really great. But just right after that, J and I had a petty fight, but throw in a pregnancy and a little bit of raging hormones even the smallest of things could be a big deal. And guess what I did, I locked the room and took the key with me. Since my in laws were sleeping in the other room J slept on the living room (te he). 

But the next morning which is the 1st of September, seems like nothing happened we were again okay, I told ya it's the hormones lol. We should have gone to the church but I actually woke up a bit late so just decided to go to the market.Then after we had lunch since it wasn't that hot we decided to go swimming, yes all of us.

Emo (hihi)

I don't know why, but Kuya Tantan is so scared, grabe maka-sigaw pag dinala sa tubig

:)

Enjoying the water with Daddy

She's lovin' it!

It was fun! Afterwards we then headed to church but left baby A with my in laws since she fell asleep. We went to Las Pinas Bamboo Organ Church, it's the closest church to where we live and the only church I know so far. I felt great that we were able to complete the mass, it's been a while since we were able to then we went home right away as soon as the mass ended.

Here's what I wore to church. A maxi dress given by my in law and yellow flats by Chelsea which I bought from SM Department Store

And the boys..

We're all in stripes and shade of blue! 

It was a great day until we found out when we arrived home that my baby Athena is sick, she has fever. I felt guilty that I even took her swimming, maybe she wasn't already feeling better and the swim made it worst.

My sick but pretty baby Athena.

So I became her nurse all night. Although with fever she's still so makulit and very active, she still has the appetite to feed and most of all I didn't have a hard time giving her medicine. She's such a brave baby girl that's why her fever subsided right away during the dawn.

Typhoon Preparedness Tips

Recently Philippines was battered by typhoon Maring, which left some of our fellow Filipinos homeless and some have lost loved ones. Some however are already starting anew and moving on after all life goes on.

Before I went MIA for a week I posted 

here about our experience during the said typhoon. It isn't the worst experience of all however, there's a lesson learned since we weren't really prepared during that time. It's rainy season once again so we could expect more episodes of raining or if worse comes to worst another typhoon. So I personally created a Guideline on the things that needs to be done during emergency situation such as typhoons. It's always best to be prepared than sorry.

Be updated!
Before and during the typhoon it's best to keep yourself updated with the latest weather report.

Food and Water:
Store adequate supply of water. At home we have 2 (5 gallon) water container we are actually planning on adding another one. Since we have a baby we also store about 2-3 (6 liters) of Wilkins water just to be safe.
As for the food, we do our grocery/market shopping bi-monthly. So aside from our 2 weeks supply of food, we have to prepare foods that could last at least a week for emergency. This foods should be non perishable and easy to prepare.
Cerelac, Gerber or any baby foods that are easy to prepare if you have a baby.

First Aid Kit
Should anything happen it's best to have this. Alcohol, Cotton, Bandage and so on.

Medication:
If you are on maintenance, taking daily vitamins/supplement store at least a month supply or more.

Emergency Kit:
If the electricity shuts down you should have candles, match/lighter, Flashlight, Emergency Light, radio to stay updated and mobile phones.
Avoid making unnecessary calls to avoid network congestion. Have extra batteries if possible.

Emergency Hotline Numbers:
Make sure to store all the Emergency Hotline numbers on your phone, have it written as a back up or try to memorize them.

Extra Clothing:
and blanket if possible. It's gonna be cold the children would need it.

All of these should be stored where they would be easily accessible. And try not to panic during emergency situations as this could lead you disoriented. You have to stay calm and focused.

Try to create an emergency/disaster plan especially if your place is prone to massive flooding and there's a need to evacuate. Try to assign task to each family members, it's best to have everyone involved with your emergency plan.

So that's what I have thought about, it's shortlisted and based on my family structure.Have I missed out on anything? Feel free to share your own tips, would love to hear them!

Be safe everyone!

Some Days Are Better Than The Other

The past 4 days had been a great challenge to all Filipinos and it was brought by typhoon Maring. It caused massive flooding in many areas including Las Pinas, where we live. It's so saddening to hear news like people getting injured, properties ruined and what's worst some got killed. My heartfelt condolence to all families affected. In times like this, our faith is being tested, we may question Him as to why this happened. Nevertheless, it's up to us how we see adversities, it could either make or break us.

Moving on, although not as worst as it is, I and my family also had an unpleasant experience during the typhoon.

It started Sunday, it was just me and the kids J went to work early. Early evening my in laws arrived brought some stuff for us. (J and his family are originally from Tondo Manila, they have 2 houses there plus an apartment and it's just a few distance walk to Divisoria). They shopped and bought some for us.

I was able to take photos of the stuff and here they are:

Winnie The Pooh and Friends Rubber Puzzle Mats

Dresses for Athena, only Php50 each

Coloring set for Kuya Tantan

Kuya Tantan got excited he already wore the clothes and started to color!

And a dress for me!

Later that night, J called and told me that it was raining hard so he might go home late. I wasn't really aware that it already started to rain, because me and the kids tend to stay indoors all day, our windows are covered with thick curtains and it's made of glass so we barely hear noises from the outside. By the way, J is commuting all the way from Mandaluyong to Las Pinas so his normal travel time is an hour and a half. But since it was raining he arrived late that night, it was around 10pm already. Glad he arrived safe and sound. So we then all went to sleep. But in the middle of the night we were awaken because the electricity went out, although it was raining it was still hot so we opened the window however the thunder's just too loud so we closed it again. Good thing the electricity went back.

Monday morning came, my in-laws left early for work but unexpectedly came back. Guess what, there's a massive flood outside. Our Unit is located on the second floor so I was able to see the situation around our place from our window.

The street surrounding the Condominium.

So J didn't go to work as well and just called in to inform about the situation. Then again the power went out but this time it's for the whole day. Most of the time we slept, got nothing to do and we only had bread for lunch. Since there's no electricity we weren't able to cook, actually we could but we don't have a lighter or a match stick. Because we're used to rely on electricity for that. We weren't prepared at all for this. But before it got dark we decided to borrow a lighter from our neighbor. We then cooked the remaining stock of meat from our ref. That's our first meal of the day it was already 5pm. The electricity went back around 8 in the evening already, good thing because the kids could sleep well.

Tuesday morning J and my in laws again weren't able to go to work. Although the flood around us already subsided, when they reached the Coastal Road they were sent back home, because some areas are still not passable. So J and her sister just went to Market it was within walking distance to buy food. We had champorado for breakfast, macaroni soup for lunch and pork tocino for dinner. 

Wednesday, it was still raining but not as hard as it was compared to the past days. No work since it's a holiday but not for J. But he was running late so he just went to work the second half and extended his shift. My in laws on the other hand were able to do some task that was left undone since they got stranded at home. As soon as they finished they went home and took Kuya Tantan with them, so it was just Me, baby Athena and my sis in law who's left at home. Where I was able to go online and do some of the things I used to do. Then when my in laws arrived they just brought home a meal for me and my sis in law. Oh what a relief, since for the past days we only had canned goods and foods that was easy to cook.

;

Max's Platter Meal

So that's what happened 4 days ago, and today so far so good. J and my in laws were able to go to work. It wasn't raining early this morning, but now it is again but not that hard. Indeed some days are better than the other, but that's okay because I'm with my family and that's what matters the most. Well right now all I'm hoping is for things to be alright. "There's a rainbow always after the rain" Can't wait to see Mr. Sun shining down on us and of course a colorful rainbow a start of new hope. 

Keep safe everyone!