The Significance of Number 3

HI Mare,

One of the most significant things that happened to me this year was when you went home to Papa God last April 3, 2013. You "graduated" from your fight with breast cancer.

And to top it off, why was the number 3 so significant? Here's why.

1) You were born November 3, 1979.
2) You went home to Papa God last April 3, 2013.
3) You were 33 years old.
4) The truck that was used to put stones and soil on top of your  coffin was Truck Number 3.
5) You were the third of 3 three siblings.

Oh well Mare, up to know you still make us think.=)

How is heaven Mare? I'm sure you're watching over us all the time. I think about you every time I have quiet moments.  I especially like those "what would Cathy do in this scenario" scenes.

Thank you mare for keeping me safe every time I go home. Tag team talaga kayo ni Papa God.

I love you Mare. I miss you. Paramdam ka naman in my dreams, I have a LOOOTTT of kwento. Showbiz and other stuff.

See you in my dreams Mare.

It's Been A While

No posts in 2013. Time to revive my experiences.

Let's see. 2012 was a roller coaster ride. 2013 is a year full of changes. New work, new friends, new lease on life. Happy. Very happy.

Jeremy is in big school. Justin is learning to talk, a mile a minute.

Thank you to Eden for reminding me that writing is cathartic.

Until the next post.

Angels and Children

Today is the birthday of a friend's child. The little one, now an angel, was born in 2010, and lived for 6 days. I always become teary-eyed when I read her birthday messages to her angel. Probably because children, especially babies, are supposed to outlive their parents, not the other way around.

Having reflected on that, I cherish each moment with my little ones. The family went to Manila Zoo last week and we had a blast! From an adult's eyes, Manila Zoo was not well kept, was old, smelly, and scary. But from a child's eyes, it is paradise.

My children had fun running around the zoo, touching the animals, sweating, and getting their bodies dirty on the playground. I admire how delighted they are in experiencing new things. I found paradise in Manila Zoo too, because I saw it through a child's eyes.

To My Beautiful Kumare

HI Mare!

I learned that you had cancer the other day. At 32. And our kids are just starting to understand Barbies and boys.  I just had to write this as I do not know how to deal with this. How I wish I could tell you that I know how you feel, but I don't.  I do know how you feel when you're thinking what would happen to your family.

As  mothers, our only wish is to be immortal for our family.  I told you before that when we were single, we could run across Espana St. with cars zipping left and right, without a care in the world. Now that we have kids, I can't even cross the other road to ride a tricycle for fear that a kalesa would run me over.

So here's what we're going to do:

1) We are  going to fight this. 'Nuff said.

2) We are going to laugh our hearts out until we cry. 

3) We are going to take care of each other.

4)  We will go through with this together.  -- I'm not sure if my office will accept a bald girl, but I think a semi-kal, or a Halle Berry hairdo will do. That way we can wear colorful scarves together.

Our group has been together for almost 20 years. What's another 70 years, right?

This way, when you're cured, we can laugh over this experience with our pustisos falling over our wine glasses, and our great grand children laughing in the background.

I love you Mare.

Isis

Got Milk?

Welcome to the Milk Mama Diaries Carnival (December). For this month, we want to honor breastfeeding for having enriched our lives and blessed us, maybe even empowered us, in a way that only breastfeeding can. Please scroll down to the end of this post and check out the other carnival participants.

I was the quintessential party girl when I was single. I used to spend my weekends partying, having the time of my life -- basically doing everything for ME, ME, ME.

My life changed when I got married. It again changed when I had babies. It changed some more when I breastfed -- both my kids -- aged 4 and 1.

I have learned to look forward to changes in my life. As a mommy, I needed to adapt to these changes and treat them as learnings so I can impart them to my kids. As Maricel Laxa said in her Kris TV guesting, we have "seasons" in our lives. The current season in my life is about family. This includes parenting, babywearing and breastfeeding.

So what have been the gifts that I got from breastfeeding?

1) More money for ME things. --- Nursing clothes, international breastfeeding conferences, my beloved slings, and my Starbucks Mocha Frapuccino. Heck, I save about 8-10K a month just breastfeeding!

2) Bragging rights that I am the first face my kids see when they wake up in the morning, and the last face that they see before going to bed.

3) A relationship that is built on love, trust and respect from my family.

4) Heart to heart talks with my kids. Even if it's the most mundane of conversations from my four year old, and spit and babbles from my younger son.

Lastly,

5) PRIDE. I have nourished my kids from milk from my breasts.


Do take the time to check out all the posts in this month's carnival:

Shaps- <a href="http://bouncingbear.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/beyond-being-thin/">Beyond Being Thin</a>
Gretchen - <a href="http://www.eleora113.com/2011/12/12-useful-breastfeeding-gifts-for.html#!/2011/12/12-useful-breastfeeding-gifts-for.html">Breastfeeding Gifts for Christmas</a>
Carol - <a href="http://thelazymama.net/2011/12/13/the-gift-of-miracle/">The Gift of Miracle</a>
Jenny O.- <a href="http://www.chroniclesofanursingmom.com/2011/12/gifts-of-breastfeeding.html">The Gifts of Breastfeeding</a>
Anne - <a href="http://diapersandstethoscope.blogspot.com/2011/12/gift-of-breastfeeding.html">The Gift of Breastfeeding</a>
Nats - <a href="http://mymommykuwentos.blogspot.com/2011/12/we-wish-you-merry-nursing.html">We Wish You Merry Nursing</a>
Jenny R. - <a href="http://mymommyology.com/2011/12/12/if-the-magi-were-queens/">If the Magi Were Queens</a>
Em - <a href="http://touringkitty.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/the-breast-gift/">The "Breast" Gift</a>
Isis- <a href="http://thenewadventuresofanoldmommy.blogspot.com/2011/12/got-milk.html">Got Milk?</a>
Armi - <a href="http://thenewadventuresofanoldmommy.blogspot.com/2011/12/got-milk.html">Breastfeeding Gifts</a>
Liv - <a href="http://tinkerputt.lcoreph.com/2011/12/my-breastfeeding-journey.html">My Breastfeeding Journey</a>
Laya - <a href="http://www.mommyluscious.com/2011/12/time-in-a-drop-of-milk.html">Time in a Drop of Milk</a>
Mec - <a href="http://www.mecasmom.com/2011/12/gift-of-changed-man.html">The Gift of a Changed Man</a>

You Can Handcarry Breastmilk in Hongkong International Airport!

My sister and I went to Hongkong for a breastfeeding conference. Without our kids.  For about 36 hours. And that merited never-ending goodbyes, and buckets of tears from us mommies.

We pumped, and we pumped, and we pumped. We pumped on Cebu Pacific --- kudos to Cebu Pacific FAs for voluntarily moving us to the second row so we can pump to our heart's content. Oh, and I had a lola on the other aisle who was really interested in what we were doing under our nursing bibs. I was close to saying, Lola, it's ok to look!  We pumped on the hotel and on the conference itself. We had a great pumping experience, until we got to HKIA, Manila bound.

We pumped a combined 60 ounces of mik in those 36 hours. Whew! AND THE SECURITY OFFICERS WANTED US TO CHECK IN OUR BREASTMILK.

It's a good thing Jul had her laptop. We researched and found this document

http://www.cad.gov.hk/english/faq.html#LAG

Breastmilk is exempted from the 100ml liquid limit. This means that for any liquid exceeding the 100ml liquid limit,  you have to check in that liquid. You can check the link for details. 

For the love of me, I cannot imagine the temperature of that place where they check in the baggages! What's sad is that a mother who took an earlier flight checked in her breastmilk. =(

So how did we do it?

1) Jul's charms.  She was explaining to the security officer about breastmilk, yadda yadda, yadda. And the security officer seems to be a guy who is still enjoying singledom. I, on the other hand, was ready to KILL. Heck, that milk that you are refusing came from my boobs!

2) When's Jul's charms seem to be wavering, we resorted to mimes. We showed the breastmilk. That got his attention. 

3) We showed the link. We said that the document came from the Hongkong government. The officer mentioned that if the child is with us, we can handcarry the milk. If the child is not with us, then the milk needed to be checked in.  We graciously  The officer realized his mistake when we pointed out that we will not be bringing breastmilk in the first place when we have our kids with us as they will feed from us directly. With that argument, it was all systems go.

It pays to have two very persistent pumping mothers to protect that liquid gold.

Ian, The Master French Kisser

Ian. Daddy. The progenator -- one half of the dynamic duo who produced the little rascals Jeremy and Justin. My husband and my life. The man whose booming voice and laugh elicits fear from his children. The one who secretly reads my stash of YES magazines. Master kisser (sige na nga). Pearl Jam junkie and camera whore. Since he works in a school, he feels that he graduated college only a year ago.

He is the person I would love to lose teeth with when we get older, and balder.