getting - to - know - you - co-bloggers

Haze, I know, this is long over due..but better late than never, right?

1. What time did you get up this morning? Woke up at 5am, bébé was calling asking for her milk. Got up at 8:30am to join papa frenchguy for breakfast.

2. Are you a morning person or night owl? A night owl

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? That dates back before bébé, I can't even remember what was it hehe..

4. What is your favorite TV show? Les Infos..and then, kahit na ano. I'm not really a TV addict..

5. What did you have for breakfast? Café au lait, tartines and my vitamines..

6. What is your middle name? Moselina

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Filipino, French, Italian, Spanish...

8. What foods do you dislike? Errr..I like everything e..

9. Favorite day of the week? Weekends!

10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Nothing in particular

11.What is your favorite sandwich? I don't like sandwiches...I eat sandwiches when I have no choice.

12. What characteristics do you despise? jealous, insensitive, mayabang, crab mentality, those who cannot feel happy for others, those who never stop comparing themselves to others..

13. What do you do most often when you are bored? I read, I go out, I surf the net, I watch TV...but actually, right now, I don't have much time to be bored, bébé's keeping me busy hehe..

14. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Philippines of course. On top of my list is Nepal, just want to have a peek of Mt Everest..

15. Favorite brand of clothing? I was with Levi's, Marithé et François Girbaud, Kamiseta and Giordano when I was in the Philippines...can't afford na yata ako ngayon hehe..

16. Where were you born? Zambales

17. What is your best childhood memory? When I had my first wristwatch from my pocket money.

18. Do you have pets? Nada....

19. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone? That bébé could sleep 6 straight hours at night! (she even slept 8 hours once but her pediatrician told me to wake her up, her system is not as robust as ours pa nga naman).

20. What did you want to be when you were little? A teacher, like my parents.

21. Different jobs you have had in your life? I worked in the newest power plant of NAPOCOR before joining the company (in the Philippines) where I'm working right now.

22. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Depends on which angle you look at it..

Breastfeeding...

Motherhood is not as easy as we imagine, especially when we are far from our motherland, thus far from the culture and tradition we know, far from the caring presence of our parents and siblings, far from the comforting words of our friends... Unsolicited advices are just everywhere, advices which I filtered with vigilance. They are either contradicting from one person to another, or simply not compatible with my beliefs and culture.

I stayed 6 days in the maternity clinic, not because I or bébé had complications or problems, it's because breastfeeding wasn't well established yet. The first 3 days, my colustrum which should nourrish bébé was, hélas, not enough. Bébé, who was big at birth needed more than I could offer. I was obliged to give her milk complements. My breastmilk started to flow 4 days after the birth of bébé, when breastfeeding was close to impossible. I was aching everywhere due to fatigue - physically, morally and psychologically - breastfeeding became a veritable ordeal. I nevertheless continued breastfeeding. It was a choice I made which I will pursue no matter what the cost. I just wanted the best for my bébé.

On the 5th day, I finally slipped on my normal clothes and dressed up bébé, both excited and enthusiastic to find our very own place. Frenchguy was there early in the morning to drive us back. Bad news, they won't allow us to go. Cause: breastfeeding!

Fed up as I was, I finally decided to try breastpumps, thinking that they will finally allow us to go. Of course, I was dreaming. I again stayed one more day for them to teach me how to feed my bébé, criticizing me of my choice of pumping my milk. No matter how I explain that it would be temporary, just the time for my breast to heal, they nevertheless enjoyed the time talking to me like experts, treating me like a moron, traumatizing my still weak morale, adding to my already-high level of anguish.

Never had I appreciated home... but wait, my ordeal isn't complete yet.

Last week, my excited inlaws drived all the way from their region to see bébé. My relationship with them is very smooth, I could even consider myself as spoiled brat as they do everything to please me - especially in cuisine!

Hélas, my MIL's unsolicited advices just suffocated me! To my surprise, she is a die-hard fan of bottlefeeding! In fact, it was the time when Europe relanced their industries when she had babies. Bottlefeeding was of course prioritized during that time to enhance consumption, to the detriment of breastfeeding!

Imagine her watching me feeding my bébé, taking note of the time, telling bébé to speed up, asking me how I could measure the quantity, telling me I could switch to bottlefeeding, recounting to me her experience, almost blaming breatsfeeding each time bébé cries... I was stressed out! After 3 days of total torture, I talked to frenchguy about the moral harassment I've been experiencing. He talked to her maman and that end up my ordeal. She of course doesn't want any harm, she just wanted to help out, to share her experience, to participate in her own way... but no, thanks!

Breastfeeding is a challenge. It's a choice. It's a sacred moment between a mother and her child, a moment of satisfaction. I'm glad I continued with my choice inspite of the discouraging encouragement of some. It's a moment when I see my bébé change before my eyes, a moment of innocent smiles, a moment of communication... I love this moment!

My bébé at 2 weeks old...

Bébé's here!!!

It was the 8th of November, 6 hours and 3 consecutive painful pushes after they confined me in the delivery room when Bébé announced her much-awaited arrival into this chaotic world. A mix of unexplained emotions - a sense of completeness, happiness, responsibility... - the lack of words just translated to tears. Yes, we're parents now.

A healthy and very tonic bébé just joined us - 3.9 kg and 54 cm, she yells particularly loud keeping us awake till the wee hours. She has my eyes and hair and frenchguy's lips and nose. She also has a somewhat natural tan.

Newbie parents as we are, organization at home still means chaos. We're learning the ins and outs of parenthood little by little, trying to know each other better, trying to adapt with bébé's needs. So far, so good.

Bébé has been monopolizing my time lately and loving it! I won't say goodbye to blogging but my presence in the blogging world will surely be limited. Thanks for all those who prayed for me and wished me well. Bébé and I are doing great!

PS: Tata Bokskie, père Noël est passé très tôt chez nous et il m'a dit de t'envoyer un gros bisous ;). Mwaaah!

Nanny Blues

Frenchguy woke me up this morning with a bad news. I have actually asked him to call up the French Embassy in Manila to get the requirements for a long stay / au pair visa for my sister. We've long entertained this idea at the first stage of pregnancy but with the feedbacks that we received from fellow bloggers and friends (like Philippine Government banning the issuance of this kind of visa), our optimism on this matter just died a natural death. We therefore looked seriously on other options.

We had our application for a crèche municipale (municipal nursery) registered since August but we had no feedback from them yet. The said crèche municipal is just four blocks away from our residence, open from 7am to 7pm, just the perfect comfort that we need. We tried to follow up our application a month ago just to learn that it's not a matter of an equitable 'waiting list' but evaluations are based on the age of the baby (whether they have an available slot for that age or not), the program we will adapt (part time or full time), and the financial status of the parents. Knowing how French Government works, I know that we are far from being the priority on the list. It's just raging to add that frenchguy had been paying taxes for xx years now, I've been giving xx% of my salary for taxes, we are considered middle class citizens and yet, we cannot even access to a minimum aide from the government!

With this, plan B was of course hastily considered. A good friend of ours recommended her nanny to us with whom we finally gave our word of engagement. Reliability is of course an important factor for us. We will not leave our much-awaited bébé to just somebody we don't know, right? The inconvenience of this option is that, the residence of the nanny is 15 - 20 more minutes drive between our house and our workplace.

Now, we go to plan C. Filipina as I am, I would of course prefer somebody I know, preferably from my family to look after my bébé. She'll have french lessons and leave the bébé at a halte-garderie during those times (sort of nursery but accepts part-time guard only). With the nature of my job wherein business travels play an essential part, I would be serene to leave my bébé in good hands. After using my convincing prowess to my sister, we finally started the processing here...till we get the bad news this morning.

I guess frenchguy and I should have 'You and Me Against the World' as a themesong. We cannot rely on French Government, and now Philippine Government just put a barrier on one solution we've been counting on to. Life is hard!

Bébé Update

Inside that big tummy is a 4.3 kg bouncing bébé. Induced labor programmed on Tuesday. Pray for me guys.