Baby Things for Our First Born

One of the things I looked forward to when I became pregnant was shopping for the baby. But since I was hospitalized several times, my shopping budget was slashed. Come to think of it, bibi and I would still be budget conscious whatever situation we may be in because that’s in our nature :)

Here are some of the cost management schemes we did:

1. Second hand items – we asked our family/closest friends if they have baby things which their babies/toddlers are not using anymore and if they would like to sell it. I think it is a win-win situation – instant spring cleaning for our family/friends, savings for us! A generous friend of mine even just gave us a few of her baby’s things stocked in her mom’s house which she left when she and her family migrated abroad. Lucky me!

2. Canvass: online vs mall shops – I blogged before that there are items which are cheaper online. Since I have lots of free time as I am on bedrest, I compare online prices vs the mall’s. Aside from my limited shopping trips, I rely on bibi to do the canvassing in malls which I think he enjoys as long as I give him a list. He is happy to help me on this as canvassing is one of his forms of relaxation. My basis for saying so is that he himself maintains an excel file of prices of grocery items we usually buy from different supermarkets (SM and Puregold). Since his place of work is near these supermarkets, he plans his grocery accordingly with maximum savings in mind. Weird? I don’t think so. Nerdy? Kinda :D I would have loved to go to Divisoria for our baby’s things but bibi is not fond of the place because it is out of the way and going there is more of a hassle to him (traffic, parking, security, crowds, definitely not wheelchair friendly, etc). Naku, pagkapanganak ko, Divi here I come!

3. Maximize “saving tools” – I am referring to discount/membership cards, vouchers and credit card points. So far, we have the SM Advantage card and discount voucher booklet, Baby Company Mom card, A-card (Ayala) and gift certificates bought with credit card points. But there is one thing that bibi will not take advantage of – 3 day sales. No amount of discounts will make him go through crowds and endure long lines. Ako kaya? Can’t wait to try it!

4. Baby showers and Wish lists – good friends of mine wanted to throw me a baby shower. Who am I to refuse :p? And they even requested for a wishlist. It is a common advice for parents to buy stuff after the baby shower to avoid multiple items. As for the wish list, this really makes gift giving easier (I myself ask for this if I am the gift giver). I made my list flexible – generic items and specific items with links to pictures for easy reference. Everything in my wish list are things we haven’t bought yet and included items which I just want for the baby and placed at the bottom of our list of things to buy – who doesn’t want cute stuff for the baby? Lucky me again because my friends were very generous – they gifted me with the big ticket items – crib, infant feeding starter set, sterilizer and baby bouncer!

Baby things can really be costly. But we also have our weak moments when we splurge on items especially if the above do not apply. After all, we are new parents and we only want the best for our first born – we just try our best to be practical about it, a trait which we would like to pass on to our little buting :D

Preggy Memories

Only two nights from now, the little miracle inside me will reveal herself to the world. How time flies! Thinking of this makes me reminisce the months that have passed. Before the anesthesia affects my memory, let me list down some of the things I want to remember about my pregnancy:

1. I did not suffer much from morning sickness. I had a few bouts of nausea which thankfully didn't last long.

2. I did not have weird food cravings but I had a phase wherein I hated chicken, especially chicken fried in olive oil. Even the word chicken makes me uncomfortable. Another food that earned my distaste is canned corned beef. As in yuck! My disgust with chicken eventually disappeared in my 2nd trimester. The same cannot be said for the canned corned beef. Let see after I give birth.

3. I always wake up at around 2am and 4am to pee. Most of the time during the 1st and 2nd trimesters, I would not able to go back to sleep until bibi's cel alarm ring at 530am. I would play Hang Man on my cel then eventually got addicted to solitaire in my pda. Nowadays, it's either I sleep late or if I wake up for my 1st bathroom ritual, I will be able to sleep after the 2nd one. I also added the occasional drafting of blog posts as one of my wee morning activities (actually, this post was drafted two weeks ago during one of those sleepless nights).

4. Pillows! Prior to being pregnant, I only use 1 pillow. Sometimes, I was even more comfortable with a rolled up towel. But now, I cannot sleep without my 8 pillows! Makati Med was my sponsor for the 6 pillows.

5. Bibi has been spoiling me even before except when it comes to junk food. Bibi is a health conscious person that is why junk food is banned from the house particularly chips, ice cream and chocolates (except when these are given by friends :D). When I became pregnant, I just text him and he will try his best to drop by the grocery, no question asked! But since he has trained me well, I only request 1 type of junk food and it takes me at least a week to finish it. Note that he only buys the small packages (pede na!). Paano na kaya after I give birth? Mmm…

The above are just a few of the memories I have of my preggy days...The past 9 months has been a roller coaster adventure for us but everything is worth it. Two more sleeps to go and bibi and I will again embark on a different trip…parenthood!

Online Shopping: ManilaBaby Shop

Ay, may na-adik sa online shopping!  Last na ito before the big day-grabe, 6 days na lang as I type this. Kanina lang 1 week to go pa based sa countdown ticker ko.  Actually, past midnight na kasi.  Bakit naman nagpupuyat si buntis?  Wala pa kasi si bibi, galing badminton at naaya na mag-Mercato sa The Fort.  Pinayagan ko na kasi bilang na ang mga araw na pede siyang umuwi ng late, wala na ring food sa bahay (meron naman pero puro leftovers na) tsaka gusto kong makatikim ng food galing dun.  Eh since di ako makatulog ng wala si bibi (aside from the fact na natulog lang ako maghapon at waiting for the food din), eto blogging blogging muna.


Ang haba ng intro, off-topic pa hehe :)


Back to the topic, eto ang nabili ko online, sa ManilaBaby Shop (thanks Doc Lei of Caleb's Closet Ecostore for the referral!)

Taffy Diaper Clutch 

- Wala kasi kaming makita nito sa malls.  Eh kyut pa siya :)

Nursing Cover

- Meron nito sa SM pero doble presyo nito dun!

Di naman obvious na mahilig ako sa orange.  Wala lang, trip ko lang mag-orange :) 


As I said, last na itong online shopping - for the meantime hehe. We'll see lang kung kelan mauulit kasi super busy na kami tiyak by next weekend...dito na kasi si buting!

Online Shopping: Human Nature

I've always wanted to try Human Nature organic products but these were not easily available/accessible before - you can only buy these at bazaars, from dealers, online, or at their store in QC which is too far from where we live/work. Now, these are being sold in Rustan's Supermarket and Beauty Bar but these places are still out of the way for us. Since I now have online purchasing power, I tried ordering online. Their website has definitely changed for the better from the last time I surfed it almost a year ago. Big improvement was made on the site's online shopping feature - it's so easy to use! After a few clicks and 1 day of waiting, my package arrived!

delivered in a very sturdy box (there is a Php50 delivery charge though)

shampoo and  hand sanitizer  for me, baby care products for buting

Hopefully, these will work well on us! 

Online Shopping: Caleb's Closet Ecostore

Another online purchase from Caleb's Closet Ecostore.  Can't wait to try these out!

Bamboo Dappy Cloth Diaper

Messy Bessy Organic Laundry Detergent

Messy Bessy Aloe & Green Tea Hand Wash

Photo Collage Experiment

Kakatuwang tignan yung mga photo collages ng mga babies na nakikita ko sa FB. Kaya need ko ng mag-aral paano gumawa nun habang wala pa si buting para pag nandito na siya, yakang-yaka ko na at share na lang ng share :) Di naman ako masyado excited na ipost sa world wide web ang bebe ko no?

Naghanap ako ng libreng software sa internet. Eto ang mga nasubukan ko:

1. http://www.photovisi.com/

- No need to download. Walang nga lang undo. Kahit na nagamit mo na yung mga pix e kailangan mo ulit i-upload kung gusto mo ulit gamitin yung mga pix. Hassle. Pedeng di ko lang nae-explore pa yung site pero ibig sabihin, di siya user-friendly. Tsaka yung gallery niya, connected sa FB account eh, di ako sure kung automatic siyang ma-share sa FB. Gusto ko may control ako dun sa collage na gusto kong i-share. Automatic pa yung orientation ng pix – landscape or portrait na minsan nacro-crop ng di maayos ang picture. Need pa i-upload ng paulit-ulit para tumama sa appropriate na orientation. Pag ok na yung collage, pede namang i-send sa e-mail yung finished product para ma-save sa local drive. 

2. http://www.photocollage.net

- No need to download din. Ok sana siya yun lang, pag na-save na yung collage, nagiging blurry yung pix. Tsaka pag nag-add ka na ng text, di mo na mae-edit yung text pati positions ng pix.

3. http://www.shapecollage.com

- You need to download the software. Not user friendly and not much freedom when editing. 

4. http://www.postermywall.com

- No need to download but you need to like them on FB to download the collage for free. Backgrounds are limited to what is available in their site unlike the first 2 wherein you can upload your personal pix for the background.

5. http://www.kizoa.com

- No need to download pero wala dapat “elements” from the site na gagamitin kundi di mo sya ma-download. Yung background dapat own pic at wag gumamit kahit insert text tool kundi, di mo na ma-download, unless bilhin yung software. Ok na rin siya para iayos ang pix na collage ang dating tapos edit na lang sa paint.

6. http://www.smilebox.com

- Eto na ang winner for me. Napagod na rin akong mag-trial and error ng mga nahihit ko sa Google na collage makers. Tinanong ko na yung dati kong officemate kung anong gamit niya sa mga collage na nakapost sa FB niya. Ito, there is a need to download the software and you have to be connected to the internet to use it. Di lang siya collage maker, pede ring gumawa ng slideshows, invitations, greetings, scrapbooks and photo albums pero yung collage lang ang sinubukan ko. I-save mo lang yung ginawa mo as "projects" para makuha mo yung jpeg copy and tadaa! may collage na :) Yung default folder kung saan sinasave yung mga "projects" ay sa Users/Documents (Windows Vista). Yehey, this is it, pansit!

Plus One...

As a result of last Saturday's OB check-up, we finalized my CS sched to fall on June 1 instead of the original May 25.

Dear Little Buting: The Lower the Weight, the Longer the Wait

5/12/12

Dear Little Buting,

Based on today's ultrasound, you are underweight for your gestational age-falling in the 5th percentile. Looking back at your weight history, your February 4 ultrasound showed that your gestational weight was at the 97th percentile-you were big! This prompted our OB to have me checked if I have gestational diabetes, which fortunately, came out negative.  In your March 24 ultrasound, you were at the 60th percentile and our OB was happy about it.  Come May 12, your weight fell at the 5th percentile!  It was then I realized the recent change in my eating habits.  Nanay is at fault because lately, I am not eating regularly my am & pm snacks for you, even if you are reminding me by squirming a lot come snack time. I don't eat a lot at meal times because I easily get full - nanay drinks a lot of water during meals making me feel full immediately. I preferred sleeping over eating as well. OB advised for nanay to eat more protein and instead of finally seeing you on May 25, the CS sched was moved to June 1 so your development can be maximized without labor risk.  

Anak, nanay is very sorry and I promise to improve my eating habits to prepare you for your big day…

Mall Shopping: Personal Bladeless Fan

We usually buy stuff at SM since “they’ve got it all”, very convenient to go to and our credit card offers 2% rebates for items bought in department stores. When I discovered SM Baby Company Mom card in one of the mommy blogs I have been following - can’t remember which one : ( , this made us buy almost all of our baby’s things at SM.  The Mom card is one cool card to have since it has rebates (Php4 per every Php200 of Baby Company item bought/P1 for every Php200 for non-BC) and promos exclusive to members.  


One promo we took advantage of was this cute personal bladeless fan with colorful lights flashing in its tummy, originally priced at Php799.75 but Mom card holders can buy it at Php499.75 for a minimum single-receipt purchase worth Php500 of any BC products.  I am not totally convinced if we got a good bargain (I’m sure mura ito sa Divi pero kelan pa ko makakapunta?!) and if it will last long but the impulsive nanay really want one-now! I think the offer is until May 31.  I’ve read before how other mommies rave about their bladeless fans and how their babies love to play with it but those were the expensive ones.  I’m happy with this one and hopefully, buting will like it too :)

Kudos to Mommy Bloggers

Lagi akong nagbabasa ng mommy blogs pag naka-online ako. Naglagay pa nga ako ng blogroll sa blog ko para madaling ma-check kung may bagong posts for efficiency lalo na ang dami kong sinusundang blogs. Kaya ako hooked sa kanila kasi ang mga posts nila ay tungkol sa mga experiences nila involving their babies. Very helpful lalo na at malapit na ang arrival ni little buting. It also serves as my support group. Dahil bedrest ako, ang hirap makipag-chat kasi matagal akong mapapaupo na usually nagko-cause ng contractions. Eh pag napasarap pa naman ang kwentuhan, mahirap na turnigil, daldal ko pa naman. Tsaka karamihan sa mga friends ko, nagwo-work. Wala naman akong masyadong kausap sa bahay kasi dadalawa lang kami ni yaya at nasa office si bibi. With mommy bloggers, may instant kakwehtuhan ako (kahit one-way lang).

Dahil malapit na ang Mother’s Day, I would like to pay tribute to my favorite mommy bloggers:

1. Moowa of Momo Bear Bear at Yumi Bear Bear – siya ang nag-inspire sa akin na mag-start ng blog in 2004. Wifi siya ni hub, both good friends namin ni bibi since college. Ngayon, sa kanya ako madalas magtanong ng tips lalo na mayroon na silang boy and girl toddlers na super cute, well behaved at smart pa!

2. Frances of Topaz Mommy - ito ang unang mommy blog na sinundan ko before I got pregnant. Ang galing kasi nyang magsulat. Syempre, editor-in-chief kaya siya ng OK magazine :) Tsaka naging classmate ko rin siya nung highschool at dati pa man, magaling na talaga siya. Very entertaining and enlightening ang mga posts niya kaya masarap basahin, para kang nagbabasa ng magazine :)

3. Fleur of Mommy Fleur – kakaaliw ang blog ni Mommy Fleur! Kung magazine yung Mommy Topaz, comics naman ang Mommy Fleur. Light and funny ang mga posts niya at di pwedeng hindi matawa lalo na sa sitcom posts pero meron ding malalim na minsan nakakaiyak. Toddler na kasi yung daughter niya, si Anika, kya nagbaback read ako para malaman ko experiences niya with a baby girl. May mga madamdaming posts din noon, talagang experiences of a new mom. Knowing what to expect really helps me kasi may feeling ako minsan na nao-overwhelm ako. Hindi pala ako nag-iisa. Lalo na nung bumalik siya sa work. I can imagine myself in the same scenarios na kinukwento niya pag bumalik ako sa work kaya I’m prepping myself din sa mga ganung sitwasyon. Siya rin ang nag-inspire sa akin na magkaroon ng outfit of the day pics pero feeling ko, kaya ko lang yun habang buntis ako. Pero after kong manganak, malabo ng may outfit of the day pics ako. Baka si buting na lang :)

4. Marsy of Planetmarsy – ang cute-cute kasi ni baby Lia! Ang tiyaga ni Mommy Marsy na mag-take ng videos ng mga milestones ng baby niya kaya excited din ako na gawin yun kay buting :) Lalo na girl din si buting, marami akong natututunan sa mga experiences ni Mommy Marsy with baby Lia. Another working mom, nai-inspire ako kasi kung nakakaya nilang mag-work with a baby, kakayanin ko rin. Di talaga ako tipong pang-work at home mom kasi. Ang sweet din ni Mommy Marsy kasi ini-mail ko siya with a pedia question, di lang siya mabilis niyang sumagot, heartfelt din ang kanyang messages sa akin :)

5. Helene of MrsMommyHolic – na-hook naman ako dito kasi you’ll know kung saan ang mga baby friendly places na pwedeng puntahan and I learn a lot on how to travel with a baby and a toddler. Ang dami pang pictures kaya para na rin akong akong nakapasyal :)

Marami pang akong sinusundang mommy blogs pero hahaba na masyado ang post na ito. To all mommy bloggers, continue sharing your experiences kasi very helpful talaga, especially to new moms like me. Kudos and happy Mother’s Day!

What to Expect

In 2007, I resigned from my very demanding job and transferred to what I thought would be a manageable one while still doing what I love (plus better compensation!). Di naman ako nagkamali. At super bait pa ng boss ko! We both came from the same auditing firm and I know her by reputation – masungit at terror daw. But when we met for the interview, di ko ma-sense yung sungit. My impression was strict siya and straight to the point. Ok naman sa akin yun kasi ayaw ko ng emotional boss. It turned out, strict when it comes to work, kaaliw pag outside work. Alam niya at the start na I wanted to have a baby and she was very supportive of it. 

In 2008, out of the blue – wala namang okasyon, binigyan niya ako ng book – What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Tuwang-tuwa ako kasi naririnig ko lang yung book na yun. Sabi niya, mahirap daw kasing makakakita nun kaya nung may nakita siya, binili niya agad for me. Sweet di ba? It took me almost 4 years bago ko talaga siya basahin ng page by page dahil hinintay ko muna si buting. Very informative talaga and helpful ang book. 

Kaya nung nakita ko naman online ang What to Expect – the First Year, ay, parang gusto kong bilhin! Yun lang, di ako nakakalabas to look for the book. In terms of budget, dulong-dulo siya ng listahan. Buti na lang, I have a good friend, now based in Canada with her family, who is very generous. Pinakuha niya sa amin from her nanay yung ginamit ng baby niya na car seat (na ang ganda at sosy pa!), pati baby books, pinakuha niya na rin sa amin. At nung makita ko yung What to Expect – the First Year, muntik na kong tumalon sa tuwa, bawal nga lang :) Buti na lang di ko pa kinukulit si bibi na ibili ako (although nung nabanggit ko yung book before, sabi niya ok lang daw na isama sa mga bibilhin). Kumpleto yung books niya ng What to Expect (When You’re Expecting, the First Year and Eating Well). 

Ngayon, cramming ako na basahin yung First Year kasi super lapit na ng CS sched ko! Nasa breastfeeding part na ako at talagang ok yung book – instructional kasi. I even used my favorite stuff toy, si Hobbes, para mas mag-stick sa akin yung mga techniques. Ang cute niya no? Ipapamana ko yan kay buting :)

Hanggang dito na lang muna at magababasa pa ako :)

Outfit of the Day Pics

May 3 - after church

May 6 - after church

Dito na magwawakas ang mga outfit of the day photo-ops ko dahil mukhang na-exhaust ko na lahat ng loose clothes ko. :) Hehe, oo na, dami kong loose clothes dahil... Pero in fairness, mga a few months before kami mag-start ng treatment, I lost a total of 15 pounds in one year - less rice, bawas fast food at regular playing of wii :) Everything's possible for the baby!

Online Shopping Newbie

Dahil sa aking scary moment ng third week of April, kinareer ko na pag-aralan ang online shopping. Di talaga kasi ako nago-online shopping kasi:

1. Traditional shopper ako – sarap kasing mamasyal sa mall.

2. Baka ma-hack ang credit card.

3. Di ko feel umorder from online sellers abroad kasi ang laki ng shipping fee, parang di sulit.

4. Di ako sure kung reliable ang mga local online sellers.

5. Di ako sure sa quality ng products kasi di ko actually nakikita or nahahawakan yung item.

Pero dahil sa mga mommy blogs, na-encourage akong mag-try dahil karamihan sa kanila, nago-online shop at ok naman sila. Napansin ko rin, minsan, mas mura sa online compared sa mall. Eto ang aking guide which helped me feel comfortable with online shopping:

1. To check if the local online seller is reliable, look for reviews by bloogers :)
Parang ok din mag-shop sa Multiply kasi step by step siya tsaka pwede mong i-filter yung trusted sellers.

2. Apply for an online shopping credit card (BDO has this) or have a supplementary credit card with the lowest credit limit possible.
We chose the latter kasi ala naman kaming BDO account at Citibank loyalist kami – don’t want to maintain too many cards. And we took advantage of Citibank’s ongoing promo na free for life ang supplementary cards. Tipid sa annual fees!

3. Try to check if the online item is available in malls so you can check the actual item as well as compare prices if savings is a priority over convenience.
Baka kasi maganda lang sa picture. Tsaka pag di free shipping, baka mapamahal ka pa. Sa case namin, we take into account yung rebate features ng credit card (Citibank Cash Back), rebate sa SM mom card, at discounts pag pwedeng gamitin ang A-Card sa Ayala Malls.

4. Exercise self-restraint when shopping online.
Ang dami kasing cute baby items online kaya magpigil pigil. Just copy the link or add to favorites then sleep it over…pagmunimunihang maigi at baka unnecessary gastos lang siya. Yes, obvious na super cost/budget conscious kami ni bibi and we like to compute – mathematician si bibi, accountant naman ako :)

At ang aking first online purchase: Charlie Banana Cloth Diaper from Caleb's Closet Echostore! Ang ending: tagumpay! May comment lang ako dun sa courier pero syempre, labas na ang Caleb Store dun.  

Hmm, what to buy next? :)

bought this during the site's promo sale

cute!