10.30.2013

Sky high




Traveling with young children will either bring the best or worst out of a parent. I was not at my best behavior when I traveled with my almost 2 year old and 7.5 week old baby. Derrick is the sweetest and most helpful husband but I still found ways to raise my voice (swallowing the humility pill here and admitting my crankiness).

Low on sleep, waking up at 4:30a, no coffee yet, we were dropped off at the airport by my FIL to travel 792 miles.

My kids actually did pretty amazing. I was not given a hassle for traveling with frozen breast milk. My pump free in style which fits on the palm of my hand, looking suspiciously like an object that starts with a "B" cruised through the xray screening without problems. I was most impressed with my baby boy. Sebastian, while being held by Derrick, fell asleep while we were going through security! really!!!

Isabel had a mini tantrum after going through the metal detector. This was at 6am so I understand her moodiness. I called it a mini because she did not have her full blown crying tantrum. She did slide down from the stroller (she wasn't strapped yet) and whined. She was such a big girl walking down the plane -- all the way to the back! All 32 rows down. (why do families get placed at the back? oh yeah because kids cry!)

anyway, she needed tons and tons of encourgement while walking down the aisle. I could not pick her up because I have the baby bag, the drinks and the diaper clutch (we did not have time to stuff it back in the baby bag oops). She received compliments from the passengers: "Oh she's so cute." " look how adorable she is." One man said: "I don't blame her" when I whispered, "awesome job Isabel, go all the way down the back row"

As soon as the hum of the engines started, the two babies passed out sleeping. Lucky parents, we are! all 2.5 hours of sky high time, our Isabel and Sebastian were asleep. Sebastian woke up once to feed but went back to sleep again. He loved being cuddled by his mummy! we also got lucky that we did not have a third person at the back (who would have been the unlucky person to sit next to the D-crew! bless his/her heart!) so Isabel was able to sit on her OWN Seat!. how cool.





Isabel did not stop exploring her world. She truly enjoyed her first day of her mini vacation. She touched and pushed every single button in the hotel room. She turned on the TV and the alarm clock radio within minutes of us stepping inside the room. They gave us two Full size beds so Isabel had her own bed. She happily jumped up to one full size bed (I let her pick which one she wanted). She picked the one closest to the TV. Smart girl. She picked up the phone and started talking. She pushed all the buttons of the safe {!!!} and opened every single drawer in the room. I just love her curiosity. She reminded me to stay curious and exploring.







^^yep. Caught in the act Isabel!^^

Stay tuned for more Picts of our big D trip. {warning: more iPhone pix to come... And they're mostly underexposed, overexposed and selfies}

I'm in need of a nice camera.
And a tutorial for pic tap go from my sister.

10.29.2013

Saints and meals 10.30.13





Truncated week//


Wednesday: Lemon garlic shrimp, variation of this recipe. Less spicy for the kids and Derrick. Less butter too.


Thursday: Happy Halloween
Steak peppers



Friday: Happy All Saints day
Creamy coconut soup I'm going to add tofu.


Saturday: Happy All Souls' Day
left overs


Sunday: Sebastian's baptism

my share:
Pork menudo
Pull out Bread, recipe from a friend.


Rest of the menu:
My mom's share: chicken wings, veges (squash, okra, eggplant sauté)
My MIL: chicken adobo and pancit


Dessert: Derrick wants ice cream cake







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  • 10.25.2013

    A Friday of milestones {7qt}

    1. First day
    Can you believe this is my first day alone ALL day with all three kids? Lucky me. Truly. Not sarcastic here.

    I've had all three alone for a couple of hours after school or when Derrick is running quick errands. But not all three for an entire day.

    There were a lot of moments that I used for my cause for sainthood. This vocation of motherhood can definitely test your patience. With all the whining and crying, I kept my patience, kept my voice down and tried to stay away from the path to hell, with a lot of "Jesus, help me." And not the use of his name in vain like jeez. It's truly a prayer. And a call for help!

    We are surviving this day. It's no perfect day by all means. We left for our errands an hour than expected. We ate lunch at 2pm. Isabel only napped for 30 minutes. Daniel did not nap at all. No wonder there's a lot of whining.



    Kids are injury-free. They are clean and fed. The family room is a mess. Dinner is served. It's all good.


    2. Bastian's hat
    His contact dermatitis is so much better. I diligently placed aquaphor on his face, neck and chest after every diaper change. That was a good reminder for me to apply the skin protectant cream.

    What we are battling right now is cradle cap or seborrheic dermatitis. Oh I hate seb derm! All that white dead skin cells stuff! Looks like a very, very bad case of dandruff. Look up from his sweet, handsome face and you'll see his "white awful looking cap"

    3. First library trip
    Again, another milestone. I took all three to the library today. I'm so proud of them. They behaved well and listened and followed my instructions.

    While kids played on the computer, Sebastian nursed (which helped our second errand). Then we might have overdone it with the books we checked out. I had 8 cookbooks plus 18 avengers, dora, spiderman, race cars, alphabet and other assortment of kids books.




    ^^big brother helping Isabel get Dora back on the screen^^

    4. First bullseye trip
    This was our second errand. I deserve a sticker that says: I survived target with three kids, driving the huge cart with the 2 front-facing seats. My plan was to place Sebastian's car seat in the cart, have Isabel ride in the toddler seat and Daniel walk next to me or hang on the side of the cart. Wellllllllll..... I know by now and have accepted that my plan is not God's plan or my kids' plans. Daniel said he can't eat his goldfish while walking. So he pointed at the huge cart and I, being such a good mom (uh-uh!) agreed.

    That huge cart scared a lot of shoppers. Nobody wanted to share the aisles with us!
    Bonus points: I didn't topple over any cans of tomato soup. Just in case you're wondering.

    Derrick said I should have taken a picture of the huge cart with my three little piggies. Oh well, I didn't.


    5. Ok moving on... Enough about today.
    Let's talk about Isabel. My cutie pa-tootie is 23 months old today. (This is the shortest, quickest take ever! Because I wrote all about her here!)

    6. First cavity/fall break/salon haircut
    Daniel deserves a quick take if Isabel had a post all about her!

    You got it already just from that header. Daniel had his first cavity filled (boo!). He is enjoying (I hope!) his first fall break. He had his first hair cut from my hair lady. I gave up with the kiddie haircut place near us. They've messed up his hair too many times.... And I'm a scaredy cat to learn to cut his hair.

    7. Countdown begins
    I go back to work in a week and a half....... Just when I think I'm getting the hang of things being a stay at home momma, changing diapers all day, feeding kids, cooking. It's about to change.

    Nuff said. I'm gonna miss this sweet face.




    Prayers, please, that the transition for all will be smooth and peaceful.



    Linking up this week with Cari @ Clan Donaldson. Safe travels, Jennifer!




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    10.23.2013

    I love this city {five faves}

    5 things i like about Indy

    1. Big city, small town feel
    The Indianapolis metro area has a million people but it sure does not feel that way. It's pretty easy to get to places. The loop or interstate makes the north side accessible from the south side in 30 minutes. If you drive the loop it will take you an hour from the north side, down the east side then south side then west side back to the north side.

    Since it's the Midwest, the people are also friendly.



    2. Colts
    It's not news that I'm a big colts fan. The last home game against the broncos was pretty awesome. Peyton manning came back to Lucas oil stadium to play for the first time since he was let go. I almost cried when they showed him thanking the crowd. The tribute gave me goosebumps, seeing the highlight passes he made to Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne.


    3. Children's museum
    Indianapolis has the largest children's museum in the country. There's 5 levels of fun. There's a new plays cape for babies and kids up to 5. The annual haunted house is the current special exhibit.

    We got the family membership. My FIL brings the kids often enough that we got our money's worth already.




    ^^the dinosphere, the boys' favorite^^


    ^^we've got performers in the house^^

    4. Downtown Indianapolis
    There's bike trails and paths on major streets especially downtown. There are cultural trails that tourists and Hoosiers who work downtown could enjoy.
    If you're at a convention in downtown indy, be sure to visit Historic St. John church. There's restaurants within walking distance and a mall if you'd like to take a break and window shop.

    5. Family-friendly
    Indianapolis is a good place to raise a family. I like our parish. I like our church. I like our neighborhood. Within a few miles of our house, there's at least two parks that we frequent. This is true for a lot of Midwestern cities. So I guess this is not something special about Indy.

    We might not have the best sushi but we have decent Japanese restaurants. My kids like udon noodles while I enjoy my nigiri. We have a few favorite restaurants that we alternate visiting. The best boba in the city can be found here. It's fresh and yummy.

    Indy is no Paris, NYC or LA. But it sure is home.

    I'm linking up with Hallie for my five faves this week.




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    10.22.2013

    Girl talk {All about Isabel}

    My little girl is a month away from her 2nd year birthday. Her vocabulary has exploded so much in the past few months. Derrick and I understand 90% of what she says. The remaining 10% is annoying for her because we can't understand her. But pretty much our conversations go smoothly. When they don't, there's crying, whining, the full works.

    She still signs a few things. Mainly milk, more and all done. When we see a dog, she sticks out her tongue and pant. When we talk about cats or see them on her books, she touches her cheeks and signs the whiskers. It's definitely cute.

    The transition of becoming an ATE {big sister} has gone well. In fact, both Isabel and Daniel love and adore Sebastian. Sebastian receives smotherings of kisses from the older two.

    Isabel is still a baby. She clings more to me and Derrick. every now and then, she would asked to be picked up or cuddle with me. She cries more for attention. Once I pick her up, she stops instantly and is back to her happy self. A little bump on her leg and she cries. I give her a little kiss on the boo-boo and she is all smiles.

    Some of our conversations with her:

    Denk u, mummy. {my favorite. Especially when I serve her dinner or hand her her milk. She's polite and sweet}

    Going down the stairs: dareful

    Wowa, wowo {Lola, Lolo}

    That's kut! (Cute)

    Me: I point at her or her picture. Who's this?
    She answers: Iyabel

    Me: do you want rice, Isabel?
    I: Wice and doy toss {rice and soy Sauce}

    While grocery shopping, I left her and her dad to go check out the next aisle. I hear her: mummy, Wer ah u?

    After I finished a workout video, she said: good job, mummy. Out! {work out}

    She calls pumpkin: button (well,it sounds like button)

    She calls her brothers: Yaniel & Bastian.

    She is such a blessing. She is a girly girl. She is a natural when posing for the camera. I share with her my craziness for dressing up and taking pictures.








    Linking up with onelittlemomma for whatkidswore.

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    10.21.2013

    Saints & meals 10.21.13





    Sunday: 29th Sunday in ordinary time 10.20
    St. Maria Bertilla Boscardin
    ...the young nun seemed to find her true vocation: nursing very ill and disturbed children. Later, when the hospital was taken over by the military in World War I, Sister Maria Bertilla fearlessly cared for patients amidst the threat of constant air raids and bombings.

    Meal: after Mass meal at our favorite boba place


    Monday:
    Meal: Broccoli cheese soup


    Tuesday: 10.22
    Bl. Pope JP II
    He will be canonized on April 27, 2014 {Divine Mercy Sunday}.

    Meal: Mediterranean shrimp tortellini


    Wednesday:
    St. John Capistrano
    Patron saint of judges

    Meal: salmon baked in foil


    Thursday: 10.24
    St. Anthony Claret
    He spent 10 years giving popular missions and retreats, always placing great emphasis on the Eucharist and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Her rosary, it was said, was never out of his hand. At 42, beginning with five young priests, he founded a religious institute of missionaries, known today as the Claretians.

    Meal: Balsamic roast beef, crock pot paleo recipe


    Friday:
    St. Antônio de Sant’Anna Galvão
    In São Paulo Brazil, he served as preacher, confessor and porter.

    Meal: left overs, day out with my children


    Saturday:
    Meal: Lighter crunchy coconut chicken fingers


    Saints of the day via americancatholic.org


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    10.20.2013

    Colts blue, zebra print, ox blood red suede {Co-hosting wiws}

    Hi y'all! I'm so honored to co-host what I wore Sunday linkup.
    Please head over to fine linen and purple and see my post!
    Don't forget to link up your Sunday best!







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    10.19.2013

    Dress like your toddler

    Oh yes, I did.
    Who inspired who? Wanna guess?


    Me: let's take a pict, Isabel.
    Isabel: runs straight to the picket fence



    ^^uh-uh, let's stand like so^^
    Isabel is a natural.
    I'm learning tons from her.



    Isabel: momma, shoo, shoo.
    Me: yeah let's show our leopard booties...

    Matchy, matchy.

    Toddler ~
    Cardi: Gymboree, gift
    Jeggings: target
    Booties: zulily

    Toddler wanna-be ~
    Zip up: the north face
    Skinnies: old navy
    Leopard suede booties: Mia soho limited

    Linking up with the pleated poppy and onelittlemomma.




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    10.18.2013

    Praising, cooking, co-hosting {7 quick takes}

    1. Praise God!
    This week, I've got a lot to praise The Lord for!
    ~the government shutdown is over
    ~ my future is already bright! but it just got even brighter (thank you for the prayers!)


    2. Kitchen crazy
    I'm truly embracing this maternity leave. I've tried tons of new recipes from here, here and here. A lot are keepers for when I go back to work. Because (a) they're fast (b) they're yummy!

    Sharing a few here:
    Baked coconut shrimp
    Bang bang shrimp per hubs, which is orange peel shrimp
    Creamy Cajun chicken pasta

    You'll see these on my future menu. I'd like to try:
    Broccoli cheese soup, Mediterranean shrimp tortellini, Lemon garlic shrimp, Chicken mushroom pasta skillet, creamy coconut soup.


    3. Children's museum
    We went to the children's museum for a fun afternoon. It was a spontaneous decision.
    Thanks {again} to my sister for lending me her Instagram photos.

    ^^Top left: kissing Peyton manning. I welcome him back to this Sunday's football game indianapolis colts vs Denver broncos^^

    ^^ top right: love my sister's caption. Club toddler^^
    ^^bottom right: there she is. My beautiful sister 22 weeks pregnant and glowing!^^
    ^^bottom left: eating porridge with the 3 bears^^


    4. Neonatal acne turned eczema vs heat rash
    My cute peanut who is 6 weeks old has very sensitive skin. What started as few pimples here and there on his face, became confluent red cheeks. It looks baadddd... I feel awful. Is it my diet? Do I have to eliminate dairy on my diet? No yogurt, no ice cream, no cheese, no creamy pasta sauces??? Aaaahhhh.

    Here I am diagnosing my child. His rash looks dry like eczema. But it doesn't bother him. So I don't think it's that itchy. It also looks like a heat rash. Tiny bumps on his face, cheeks, neck and chest.

    I'm using aquaphor for moisturizer on his face. But it seemed to have gotten worse after 2-3 applications. Per my pediatrician's recs, I am trying hydrocortisone 0.5% on his chest. I've only used two applications. He is just 6 weeks old and I don't want to overdo the steroid cream.

    ^^Look at his face... It's taken over by the rash :( ^^

    **update**
    I brought Sebastian to his pediatrician. She agreed with me. The rash on his face looks like contact dermatitis/eczema. The distribution of the rash is consistent with contact dermatitis. He has such sensitive skin. More sensitive than my other two.

    She said no need to eliminate dairy or whatever right now. If the rash is all over his body, then it makes sense that it's an allergen from breastmilk. But the distribution looks like it's due to what he is in contact with.

    Some recommendations from our pediatrician:
    ~ water is best for cleaning his face especially when milk drips down his chin and neck. Cetaphil cleanser ok to use.
    ~ may continue hydrocortisone 0.5% on chest (but for the record, it's not making much difference on his chest). I'll try at least once a day and see if the inflammation clears or improves.
    ~ we have been using dye free fragrance free detergent when washing his clothes. We don't use any fabric softener or dryer sheets. We Might want to use same dye free and fragrance free detergent when washing our shirts. Something is irritating his face. Could be our shirts when we are holding him. His right cheek is worse than the left. That's the side rubbing on my shirt when I carry him. I'm right handed so I carry him on my left side while I use my right hand to do whatever.
    ~ same thing for our sheets or blankets or whatever may come in contact with his face. We need to use the dye free fragrance free detergent.
    ~ may want to bathe him 2-3x per week to clear out all irritants. I bathe him once a week because it dries his skin too much. The acne actually started after his once a week bathing. I may increase it to 2-3x and see. If too drying on his skin, then back off.
    ~ ok to keep using aquaphor on his face to keep the moisture on his skin

    Im a postpartum mom... And acting like one. I'm glad I have his pediatrician who can think objectively versus a worry wart mummy like me.

    I love this comment from his pediatrician (she said this when I brought Daniel as a baby) ~~~ you're not his doctor. You're his mom.

    So there you go, she gained my trust at that point. I'm their mom so I can worry all I want. The diagnosing can stay with the pediatrician!

    **do you guys have any recommendations for eczema or contact dermatitis?**


    5. Toddler space
    My toddler and I need space. I salute all moms who stay at home, and are with their kids 24/7. I'm being honest here. I need a break from my toddler. We were fine all week last week... But this week, I'm starting to see that my patience is not as awesome as last week. Im so grateful that my FIL babysits my kids every now and then. Because absence makes the heart grow fonder, eh?

    I love my girl. She is cute and sweet.
    But we do need space.

    ^^she insisted on bringing her baby and her baby's car seat to Starbucks^^
    She didn't carry it to the car or to the coffee shop. I did it. I pushed Sebastian's stroller, while holding my toddler's hand, and this very pink car seat on my other hand. I needed coffee pretty bad that morning..... And we needed to get out of the house.


    6. Wiws
    I am co-hosting for the first time! {happy dance!}
    Thanks Kendra and Emily for letting me co-host what I wear Sunday link up this coming weekend.

    Be sure to link up y'all and check out the lovely bloggers and their outfits this Sunday!


    7. Operation blue
    Instead of ending with "picture I'm sharing" for my last take, I'm gonna end with a happy blue Friday take. We have appointments all day today and I'm gonna be wearing jersey in support of the Indianapolis colts!

    ^^via @colts IG^^

    Happy blue Friday! Head over to Jennifer Fulwiler @ conversion diary for more 7 quick takes.


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  • 10.17.2013

    Creamy goodness

    Glad hubs chose the pasta dish for tonight's dinner. {see what I planned for tonight}

    I wish you can smell this. The garlic.... The shallot..... The tomatoes.... They smell so good!



    Then the dish got even better.
    Oh yeah, cream added.



    ^^here's the end result. Another winner in our house^^

    For the recipe, head here.




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    10.15.2013

    Derrick's wise words


    Me: Hun, look they're looking for a pediatrician in GA. With easy access to the coast. Signing bonus of 90,000 and base salary of 185,000. Must be the only pediatrician in that area.
    Derrick: 90,000 bonus? You can get your prada bag.
    Me: I can get 3 prada bags. {thinking I was being generous already leaving rest untouched and saved}
    Derrick: yeah just 3 prada bags {with a smirk}
    Me: and???
    Derrick: because they're so expensive you can only get 3!
    Oh.....





    Still talking about purses:
    Me: there's a Gucci purse worth 24,000. I don't know what it's made of.... An entire crocodile maybe!
    D: yup, a baby crocodile.
    Me: nooooooo!!!






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    10.14.2013

    Weekly menu 10.14.13

    Happy first day of work week to all! Not to hubs, lucky man. He's off. It's Columbus Day. There he goes... Bye, run your errands now!

    Time to link up with organization junkie. Here's what I have planned:
    Sunday: day at my mom's. My sis and her family are in town! Yay!

    Monday: pork BBQ Filipino marinade. This meal was planned for last week but we had so much left overs. there was no need to make it Saturday.

    Tuesday: **update** because of a rainy day, I'm making the soup for lunch: Quick creamy tomato soup with crusty bread. **update.. again** the soup I made is a combo of above and this recipe. I used crushed tomatoes instead of fresh and the rest of the recipe, I pretty much followed Jenna's.

    Thanks to a mom from church we found this French bread from Costco! It's yummy without any preservatives.


    And this for dinner:
    Baked coconut shrimp. Since I saw this posted on six sisters stuff, I couldn't wait to try it. It looks yummy! I'll try this dipping sauce from Bobby Deen.

    Wednesday: Crockpot Asian ribs
    This recipe is a winner to my family and friends. Try it!

    Thursday: lemon brown sugar chicken.

    Friday: left overs or most likely dinner with my family. My sister and her fam are leaving the next day.

    Saturday: Creamy Cajun chicken pasta


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    10.13.2013

    Skater skirt {wiws}

    Happy Sunday dear friends!

    We had such nice weather in Indy. Temps went up to the high 70s. It was the first {and maybe the last} time I wore my first ever skater skirt. Unless I wear it with some tights and ankle booties? Would it look good? Would i look like a teenybopper?



    Ootd: skirt ~ jcrew factory | top ~ LOFT | croco pumps ~ nine west


    Sharing what my little princess wore to Mass. Thanks to our dear friends for such cute presents!

    ^^janie and Jack jumper and long sleeved top. Her fave boots from target ^^

    ^^she looks like an English peasant girl (?)^^


    For our visit to my mom's, she wore this other present.


    ^^she ended up changing her shoes^^

    Hello kitty Tutu dress ~ present via kohls | pumps ~ her mum's (same as above)

    Linking up with FL&P for what I wore Sunday, and the pleated poppy.


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    10.12.2013

    Pumpkin patch

    Derrick's favorite season is autumn. His faves include: The changing colors, apple cider, trips to the pumpkin patch, our wedding anniversary..... All about FALL.

    I love autumn for the same reasons... Plus the scarves, the layering looks,chance to wear my boots without the snow.

    My TK had a field trip last week to the pumpkin patch. I tagged along and brought his sibs and his cousin and Lola. Here's not-so-few Picts.



    ^^thanks to another TK mom we had a group pict... Minus my TK though^^




    There's barely any pumpkins left. And these are the "tiny pumpkins" for lil ones^^


    ^^aaawwhh, my little girl joined kuya D and N. She's ready for school^^





    ^^while waiting for Daniel to ride the bus back to school, I took pix of N and I.... Nice poses, my dearies!^^


    ^^hey don't forget me - Bastian!^^



    ^^and my big TK, leaving with his class^^




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