my name is...my name is...

I guess, aside from being pregnant for 9 months and giving birth, one of the ultimate challenges of being a parent is to make sure you have a very good name for your little one. 
It's something that you and your partner should think about a lot, since your kid will be stuck with his name, well for the rest of his life.  You don't want him to hate you for coming up with a really ridiculous name.
Here are some guidelines that you can follow when picking names for your baby:
1.  Know the baby's gender. It will be easier to think of names once you know if you are having a boy or a girl.  It will filter your choices.  If you   choose not to know the baby's sex, proceed to tip number 2.
2.  It will be cool to name your baby after your parents, or a friend -- but remember it is your baby, it doesn't matter if it will please your relatives, but if you don't like it, then it won't probably feel right.
3. Try to say it out loud.  Does it sound nice? Melodious? Harsh?
4. If you still cannot decide -- try to have a "name that baby" party -- invite relatives, close friends to your baby shower and let them help you on picking out your baby's name, aside from all the fun you will have, you will also have the time to bond with the special people you know before you get busy with your tiny one.
5. Lastly, if you can't think of a name right away, wait until you give birth and until you have your baby in your arms, look into his eyes and then you'd know what to call him.

31 weeks of pure love.

I can't wait to see you.  Me and Dada are full of excitement and so much happiness knowing that it'll be weeks now till we see your little hands and feet, your pink little lips, your eyes, your ears.  I knew about you last March 27, 2012 -- and now we are a few weeks away.  I know that being a mother is not going to be easy, but who cares.  I know that this is something that I want to do for the rest of my life, and with your Daddy beside me, helping me out, I know it will be like a walk in the park.  Your Daddy loves you very much, he loves us both.  He is the perfect daddy, you know.  He'll make us healthy breakfast, just like today.  So when you go out, you can say thank you to him personally by giving him a sweet kiss and a tight hug.

We love you so much baby, see you soon.

30 weeks and counting.

   This is it, the final 2 months or less until I can see you, your Daddy calls you "Peanut", he buys you all the stuff that you need and it seems endless, I am really excited about seeing you, but I guess he is more excited, as early as now he thinks of songs that he will sing to you when he puts you to sleep, his favorite movies which are all funny by the way, he even wants you to take "taekwondo" as a sport, and he wants you to be a doctor when you grow up.  He even wants to teach you his "old school" jokes and tricks.  You are very lucky you know, you are loved and you will be surrounded by more love once you are out of mommy's tummy.

He kisses us every night, before we go to sleep.  He touches my tummy and calls you "Peanut" and everytime he does, you would give me a tiny kick.  You are a kicker!  He would cook and would feed us really good, he is a very good father.  I think he will spoil you.

We both love you, and finally on October we will see you, your tiny little hands and feet, your face, your eyes, your lips, your nose, we are so thrilled to touch you and kiss you and finally hold you.

Reality Show Turned Circus.

I don’t mean to be mean but that’s all I can be when I see something like this. I’m not saying she looks disgusting because I wanna put her down. But I’m also not gonna say she looks great because SHE DOESN’T! This is not even in the same zip code as “She looks okay.” She looks anything but okay.
People say she’s just trying to express herself.  Say what?

If you really want to “express yourself”, you’re not supposed to end up looking like a troll or a demon doll rejected from the factory, or in this case, The Bride Of Chuckie. You’re not supposed to look like shit!!!
I’ve nothing against trying to be different, getting a new look, expressing yourself, and all those cliches . But seriously, if you’re going to “express yourself” you will still have to think if you’re doing it right. Self-expression doesn’t have to mean completely changing the way you dress and how you do your hair. Self-expression isn’t just a physical thing.

If it doesn’t work for you, why force it? If it’s getting too much negative attention then maybe it’s time you think it out - maybe there’s something wrong, maybe its not really working, maybe you really are trying too hard.

You can go ahead saying “I don’t give a shit what people think I freakin love my new look” but if you’re a celebrity or a public figure, you are put under a microscope for the rest of the world to see and you’re going to get criticized and judged for everything you do.

You can’t say you still don’t care. When all you hear everyday are people’s rude comments about your fat face, your disgusting taste in fashion, your horrible hairstyle, and other things about you they don’t really know about, it will get on your nerves one way or another. Who gets hurt at the end of the day? Not them. It’s you and your self-esteem damaged.

I’m not trying to say we have to always consider what society thinks of the way we express ourselves. Okay, fine, fuck what they all think! But the point is, we are expressing ourselves because we want the world to see who we really are, what we’re all about, and all the awesome things we are capable of. If done right, self-expression would never end up in humiliation and scrutiny like this. There are so many other ways you can be yourself without looking horrible and stupid and creepy - unless that’s exactly the message you are trying to send.

A FRIENDLY ADVICE: Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Express yourself in a way that will make you feel comfortable, confident, and unique. There is no need to overdo it. It’s actually pretty easy if it comes naturally.

Kalderetang Batangas

Some great chefs can cook really good "caldereta" but my own chef Redd Agustin cannot top my own version of "Kalderetang Batangas", while some put carrots and potatoes and tomato sauce and tomato sauce, I like to keep my version simple but delicious.

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 Buto-buto ( you can use ribs if you want).  I use bones because it gives out more flavour.
*  onions (3 whole minced)
* garlic (1 bulb minced)
* Reno Liver Spread (Large)
* 1/2 butter (diced)
* 1/2 cheese (shredded)
* chili (siling pula) (minced)
* meat cubes
* salt and pepper to taste
* cooking oil
* water

How to cook:

1. Saute onions and garlic in oil, once golden brown put the "buto-buto" and 1/4 of the butter, put 3 cups of water, cover and let it simmer.  Put more water if desired to simmer the meat.

2. Once the meat is tender, put meat cubes or meat granules, liver spread and cheese.  Make sure that you stir the dish continuously to avoid burning, continue cooking under low heat.

3.. Lastly put what's left in the butter, salt and pepper to taste, if you wish to add more water to create more sauce, please do.  Add the chili and simmer for 5 more minutes or until fully cooked. 

4. Serve with plain rice.

5. Enjoy!

Hospital Checklist for First Time Mommies

Creating your checklist and the things you need to bring to the hospital when you deliver can be a little bit stressful, especially if you need to travel far long and you are not sure if you forget something, once you are on your way to the hospital, there is no time for turning back.  I am a first time mom and I am very excited about everything, but first things first, create your hospital checklist, this includes the stuff you need to bring for your baby, for yourself, for daddy and of course your birth plan.  I wish to share mine just in-case you are still fuzzed on what you need to bring:

 

The list that I have for my new born might depend on every mother who is going to deliver, just make sure that you bring extra for each to make sure that you have enough, some OB-GYNE will provide you their own checklist and it's up to you if you want to put more or less.  I suggest more :)

 

Other delivering moms rather prefer black underwear because of stains, but I'd rather use my granny panties since I will dispose of them after giving birth and buy a new set of nice, sexy underwear once I'm back to shape.  The hospital will provide their own pillows, towels and robe, however it is nice to feel that you have something that is more familiar to your senses.

And lastly,

Let us not forget the list for Daddy, especially that he is the reason why I have this checklist,

he tends to forget things. :)

Now as for your birthplan, this is something that you need to discuss with your attending doctor and your partner, things when giving birth can be unexpected however it is still safe to have a plan that you can stick with when its time.  If you don't have an idea yet on how to put your birth plan together, click the link below and use it as a guide for your birth plan.my birth-plan

For delivering moms, we can do this!