My Cryer Nephew

My nephew is a cryer.

And now that my brother sometimes leaves him with us, I get how he must have frustrated my brother and sister-in-law. Because when he starts crying, he refuses to stop. And it's not just your typical crying either. He wails and screams, the kind that grates on your nerves and makes you want to stuff a pillow on his face just to have some peace. I swear, it will make anyone reading proactiv reviews because it's stressful listening to him.

He's just like the neighbor's kids all those years ago. Sigh.

Well, partly I think it's because he's a really sensitive child. When he's upset, he's upset and it takes him a long time to bounce back. Partly I think he has trained his parents to give in to him finally if he cries long enough.

And I am far from the enabler parent.

Anyway, he cried when he was left with us this afternoon. Normally,my cousin gives in and takes him out but as she was busy with Facebook, and I don't hang outside, we just let him cry in our arms. We'd sometimes talk to him in a soothing voice but generally just really let him cry and braced ourselves to go deaf by the end of the day.

Fortunately, he got tired after 45 minutes of wailing. Then he started playing as if he wasn't crying like crazy for almost an hour. Peace was had at last! Hopefully it gets better over time till he's down to just a minute of all those drama.

I love him but really, he has to outgrow the crying!

Same and Different

People have started asking if my pregnancy's the same as before.

In a way, it's the same. We weren't expecting it. We found out about it real early. There's the sensisitivity to smells and dizziness and exhaustion and insomnia. And I spotted both times.

Hopefully, i'd stop spotting soon.

But there are minute differences. Hubs pointed out that before, I just didn't have any appetite. Now, I have particular aversions. I can't tolerate the smell of chocolate drinks, sweetened milk, covered food and chicken. I can't eat champorado, which was the only thing that had 'taste' for me before. I can't eat sotanghon soup.

Oh and I do have cravings. Bagoong. Salt. I think I ate bad this week, bicol express and binagoongan and indian mangoes with some soy sauce, aside from tomatoes with soy sauce. Hello bloat! Argh.

And I ate two cheese floss breads from Dough Joe.

Not sure if i'm going to lose weight or gain much. Yikes. Not that am about to go clicking when I see "click here to lose weight fast" anywhere.

Another same thing is the allergic rhinitis episode during the pregnancy. And the most I could be given is Salinase for my nose. Sigh.

I think I was wrong now in only listing 7 Most Annoying Things While Being Pregnant.

Bullying in America, Bullying Here

A friend in the States is contemplating homeschooling because news of bullying in her country (with at least three kids committing suicide last March).

Even parents in the country have been reporting bullying on their kids. A friend even changed schools three times because her youngest was being bullied. And that is one of the reasons, and one of the rewards, of homeschooling.

But I really don't want to homeschool because I want my kids to avoid bullying. I want to homeschool because I want to mold his character as best I could so they'd grow up productive members of the society. And homeschooled kids do not exist in a vacuum. Bullying can still happen within the community, in sports meets, even maybe in family reunions.

And how do you avoid raising door mats or bullies? Where is that fine line?

Parents are typically scared most of their kids being bullied. So plans of enrolling their kids in self-defense classes are always a top strategy. But it's just as easy to raise an empowered child who is soooo empowered, he drives others crazy as well.

What even struck me the most about the news is how bullying has changed. Bullies have ganged up, gone subtle and logged online. It will really be harder for parents to detect these things because not only do we not have the energy to go through every site they go to, it would also be wrong. I mean, there's supervision and there's disrespect of their privacy.

How do you teach your child to come to you for help?
How do you teach your child to not attract bullies?
How do you teach your child to learn, even from other people's mistakes?
How do you teach your smart, beautiful child that she is not more important or special than others? That she doesn't have any entitlements?
How do you teach your child where to draw the line? That what's fun or harmless for him may really be hurtful to others?
How do you teach a child to handle peer pressure and lynch mob mentality?
How do you ensure that your child will have friends?
How do you teach your child to react better to adversities?
How? How? How?

*~*

Please also read the interview of Susan Klebold, the mother of the Columbine 'killer.'

Because it would indeed be wrong to always assume both bullies and bullied kids were not loved, or loved enough. There isn't just one victim when such tragedies happen.

Overweight Preggo

I was an overweight preggo before and I am more so now. But since I can't exactly concern myself with any weight loss product available for the next three years or so, I am just hoping that breastfeeding will do it for me again. Lose about forty pounds, that is.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Who knows how much i'd gain for this pregnancy. A part of me wishes I wouldnt gain any more but that would be unhealthy for my growing baby. It's just that I know this pregnancy's weigt gain will be harder to shake off and easier to gain back since I am older now. That's metabolism and age for you.

Hopefully, I will have the presence of mind not to stress eat when I get my appetite back. And start exercising asap just because I like exercising. It's really imperative I stay healthy because i'd be trying to keep up with two kids now.

Heaven help me.

My Strong, Strong Man

In a way, I am one proud Momma that my son does not need any hgh supplement at all, to build muscles. In his average frame, he seems to have lots of them.

Allow me to backtrack a little.

Spending the weekend with the in-laws subjected us again to the usual comments over his frame. They think he's thin.

And yet our son can hold onto the handles of great glass doors and brace himself up. Such is his upper body strength. He can also dance for hours and support himself on one foot already. He can carry and push heavy things, much to our dismay, and he really can land on you with force. He can also slap and kick and hurt you.

My son doesn't seem to have baby fats anymore but he has baby muscles. Hehe. I just know he's going to grow up a really strong man so i really hope I could get him into good sports classes.

Coincidence?

Okay, here's the truth and nothing but the truth so help me heaven.

January of 2007, I was twenty pounds heavier than when I got married. So when my in-laws were raving about these slimming pills they get from Binondo, I asked for a box and tried it especially since they said there wouldn't be any sojourns to the CR like with other slimming products.

So I started taking it, noticed a decrease in appetite, and that was that. Then my period did not come so I stopped taking it. Just to be careful. Then it ocurred to me to take a pregnancy test a few days after. I was pregant.

I discussed the possible effects of those slimming pills (can't even name it because it was all in Chinese) with my OB and made sure I ate and did healthy all throughout the pregnancy.

*~*

Fast forward to last February. I was 150+ pounds, almost the weight I was when I was 9 months pregnant. I officially weaned Yakee on Valentines Day. I also got my period then. I thought it was the perfect time to consume the Slenda box I got from a blogger event. So I started taking them. It said to pop a pill before meals but I wasn't very judicious about that.

Then March 14 came and went without me getting my period. I stopped taking Slenda then. Just to be careful, you know. I tested positive in March 30.

*~*

It could still be coincidence but two times of attempting to lose weight chemically and two pregnancies... that's pretty weird right? I sometimes kid hubs that we might have had multiples if I tried the quick trim fast cleanse, hehe.

And of course I worry if the Slenda pills would have side effects to the baby, and if they're in any way contributing to the nausea and all. But at least Slenda is supposedly made from natural ingredients, ingredients that I know (well, I don't know what Banaba is, but am sure my grandma knew about it). And I am working closely with doctors.

Maybe there's something in slimming pills that somehow help prep me up for pregnancy. Hmmm...

*~*

Oh and am not telling women out there to start taking slimming pills for pregnancy ha! I am just relating my story.

Here I Go Again

Around ten minutes after confirming that I am pregnant, I was sobbing in the dark while telling my husband of my sadness over having to say goodbye to the reality of only Yakee being there. Because right now, there is already someone else.

But I was also surprised at the rush of emotion for my son. I didn't know I will love him more, or my husband more, just because I found out we're expanding by one.

And there came again the old fears and concerns. And the hassle of having to deal with fluctuating hormones and the idea of breastfeeding again (when I have just weaned my son a month ago). Where to get the money? Where to get the energy? I certainly don't look forward to sleepless nights because I still remember too well how bad they were, or how badly I took them.

And yet there is also that inner peace brought about by the fact that we were blessed. And again, I am a really special person because I am the guardian of somebody so dependent on me for his/her survival. What a privilege to be chosen for this kind of responsibility.

Here I go again.

Here we go again.

I am sure I will be elated half the time, and gnashing teeth half the time.

There really isn't a dull moment in motherhood.

*~*

Chinese calendar says it's a girl :D I will do my best not to pin my hopes on that, haha.