2021

MORE 

This was supposed to be my word for the year. We had our yearly meeting at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Vertis North where we talked and scribbled our plans for the year. More tahi, more clients, more time with family, more time to pray and read the bible etc. 

3 months past and I couldnt feel that MORE is appropriate for us this year, for me it just dont fit. Then just today this word came and somehow I think it suits us just right.

SURRENDER

We live in a very uncertain time. COVID cases has reached to 7,999 in a day. There are 6 cases inside the subdivision. You don't know who's infected and who is safe. No one can claim he is safe. NO ONE IS SAFE!

Looking at 2021 yes we still need to do lots of the plans that we wrote down but this uncertainties limits our movement. Because of these, I felt this word fits us better.

To surrender means to cease resistance, to submit to authority. 

To surrender means to let go of your inhibitions and to open your heart.

To surrender means to acknowledge him in all our plans.

To surrender doesnt mean to live life meaninglessly or aimlessly. 

To surrender means giving it your all - trusting the one who gave you life that all these will work out for good. 

PS I attached a video I made. It has verses on it. Yes it is pretty fast. I made it that way so you wont choose. You just let chances to choose one for you. Get ready to SCREENSHOT, hopefully the one you landed on may mean something for you and encourage you. 

Euan's Day July 13 2020

 

July 10 Friday night I was tossing And turning on the bed my tummy couldn’t seem to know which position is ok. Sleeping was really hard to do. 

July 11 I started drinking primrose every after meal start of my 38th week I was hoping to give birth on that day but alas baby’s not ready 

July 12 Sunday. 5pm early contractions were felt so i had my dinner early and took a bath just in case it’s time. 7pm I started tracking contractions thru an app Intervals are still long as in more than 10 min and duration was short. I went up already to pack things again just in case. 

8pm i prepped Caleb, he was really hesitant because it’s nighttime and he wont have company. 9pm when contractions are 5 minutes apart i texted OB. 

10pm we went to graman 11pm graman for rapid test me and Alvin Contractions are getting longer and more painful no pain meds were given just yet until negative result of covid (this ia brutal! Why wait? Magbabayad naman kami. Help muna!) 

11:30 negative sa covid and was admitted. Went up to room 202 Inside the room I was IE'd and I was 7cm dilated. They wheeled me to the operating/delivery room around 12:30 - pain was stronger like a lot lot stronger.

The doctors haven’t arrived yet I was told not to push. When the team arrived Euan was ready. PAIN like no other especially while he was crowning. Baby was out 1:45am July 13, 2020 Monday. 

He’s big - 3.77kg big! He cried sooo loud his dad heard him from outside the DR! They took him to bathe and pedia wants to monitor his sugar level because he is a big so he stayed at the nursery for an hour or two. 

Wait there’s more... Usually after that OB will do episiotomy and mommy is out of the room. But this time I need to stay for another procedure- tubal ligation. The anesthesiologists arrived with her kit and explained what will happen albeit groggy na ko. Numb from waist down, the whole team took charge again of my body and started the ligation. I dozed off a bit and when I woke up I can even hear them chatting about a movie “Through Night and Day” and made mental note to watch it with Alvin coz I already downloaded it from Netflix in preparation for this delivery (thought labor would be loong and kala ko tolerable pain na kayang manood oh well yabang lang). I know they were stitching but I couldnt feel a thing. I was wheeled back to our room around 2am. Baby is still in the nursery  the nurse said they will feed him first (formula I know but I couldnt argue anymore I'm groggy) before taking to the room. Apparently when baby is heavy they still to check if blood sugar is normal. I still couldn’t feel my legs and was sleepy so it was actually a relief that the nurses were looking at Euan while me and alvin rest for a bit. CHILLS! I had them when I had my lap chole so I kinda knew it was because of my anesthesia. Alvin embraced me and covered me with blankets. Past 2 pregnancies - no catheter, now I have one down there plus an IV on my arm which means very very limited movement. When anesthesia wore off I felt pain not down there but on my sides. Turns out I am not prepared for ligation pain. So this is how it feels, I messaged my family and close friends and told them why they didn’t tell me it was going to be that painful. I couldn’t get out of bed because it pains to move. Couldn’t even turn because the pain was inside. Feels like some parts bumps into each other when I turn and pain shoots up every time. I try to move albeit painful just so I won’t get back sores (not enough though kasi fast forward I still had back sores). When the baby was roomed in, his dad wore his Super man cape and went on reserve battery mode - No dinner no sleep. He fed Euan, burped him, cleaned the bottles (brought only 2pcs because I’m prepped to feed my baby), changed diapers, ran errands, paid bills, fed me and so many other things. 

No other people, no visitation and only 1 family is allowed inside, if we were to get more help they need to undergo covid test too. It was only him from Sunday night till Tuesday afternoon. I wanted to help him badly so I tried to stand up Monday afternoon, well I was able to stand mga 5 seconds then I sat again and eventually went back to lying position due to nausea. He told me to just try the next day and continued doing all the tasks alone. Next day, pain was still there but no more IV and catheter. I was also told to move more. I was so scared of moving coz my sides hurt a lot but I knew I needed to move. Around 10am I was able to stand up and sat at the sofa to feed Euan. Billing came before lunch time and we knew we can go home that day after the doctor’s visit. But our doctor couldn’t make the rounds for that day and we were just given prescription online (part of new norms) and we went home by 4pm. 

Paulo the designated driver of the van fetched us with Caleb and Thea, and Nanay D to welcome Euan! Kuya Caleb was super duper excited to see the baby he had prayed for. 

Dear Euan, 

You came as a surprise and we were all happy and excited to finally see you. You were a figure of hope for all of us during this pandemic lockdown and quarantine phase. You were born during a scary time but your presence just made our lives brighter. We thank Jesus for your life. We celebrate each day with you. You are 8 months now and how big you've grown. We promise to take care of you, to guide and love you. To hold you when you need to and let go when you are ready. 

Euan, I love you forever and always.

Mama

2020 A very special year!

My 2020 WORD For the Year is BLESSINGS! Who would have thought God would literally bless us with an incredible gift this year! We are expecting. I was on the ultrasound room for my whole abdomen UTZ because my tummy is acting up again, I really thought something is wrong 'again' with my digestive system. The sonologist told me we're gonna have a baby and I was like "huwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaat????" Seriously, I asked him to check it again! He might be mistaken, I was confident he was! But lo, I really was preggo and mind you am on my 3rd month, the abdominal pain I was complaining has not been due to any stone or digestive organ but my reporductive organ at work.

Why was I confident I am not pregnant? I had my injectables on AUgust and November last 2019. Studies show that they have 98% accuracy, that means we are within the 2%! So there guys, we are expecting a baby BOY! We had a gender reveal because our Kuya Caleb, the most excited kuya ever, wanted us to bring home a balloon placed inside a box so he would know the gender when he opens it. Btw, he was the one who prayed for it, he wanted to be a kuya and he wanted to have a baby brother. To our bunso, thank Kuya Caleb ha. He was super duper excited to see and play with you. You are a gift, you are the ultimate 2020 Blessing!

Come March, Philippines went under MECQ because of the Coronavirus Pandemic. It affects the person's respiratory system and this virus can be transferred even when the carrier is asymptomatic. Google it and you'll see how scary and this virus affected most of us and even the world. Here in Pinas a month long community quaratine was ordered by the President last March 15 and should have had ended APril 14, but because the cases kept rising they decided to extend it until APril 30, they extended it again till May 15 and the latest was till May 31st. Another extension will make the economy suffer terribly that's why I dont think there'd be another Enhanced COmmuntiy Quarantine, but there will still be quarantines all over the country until a vaccine is available.

You can all google what happened to earth, to Asia, to our economy, to the Philippines, to Bulacan (google GOvernor Fernando Subic ECQ) but there'd be no feed about the REgalado household during the quarantine. Check my FB post re quarantine. I was active for a month posting some pics of us doing homeschool, baking, cooking and arts but when our kasambahay left (her child got sick) I couldnt update it any longer. I was pretty tired with all the house work cleaning,washing dishes, washing clothes, folding clothes, cooking, everything! I am 8 months pregnant right now, tomorrow I will be able to go out for the first time and go to Malolos for my check up, the last one was February and I'm giving birth in a few weeks I really need to see my OB. (will try to tell more about it ECQ at Regalado household next time)


Shoppee is life since I couldnt go out to buy things for the baby I just ordered most of them online. It would have been more fun going and looking at those baby things before buying them but oh well this will suffice.Today I washed some of it, felt so praning I might give birth anytime I need to pack my go bags asap.

Our baby will be named Baby E_ _ _! Kid 1 name is ALthea Kid 2 is VINce siguro naman pwede na ako naman sa 3rd. Promise di naman Emmanuel :D basta E ang umpisa.

We celebrated our 12th anniversary last May 18, over sugpo, cake ( I ordered from Jen) and grape juice (no wine for this mama). The sugpo was the bomb hangsarap :D Will definitely add that to my go to recipe for special occassions.

Till next time, it's 8:40 and it's bedtime in our little home. Keep safe everyone.

2019

Oh and just like that it's already December 2019. 3 weeks shy before 2020 arrives.

My 2019 Word for the Year is Connect! And this year, I've done many connections and reconnections. We were back at our home church at Gatbuca Calumpit after years of growing at CCF. We still love the church but we figured it's high time to go back  and reconnect to our home church plus Caleb is more at ease at the Sunday School here because the classmates were constant and well most of them were relatives or a friend of a friend and everyone  (almost) calls me Tita Em. We also started attending the LifeClass and connected to new and old churchmates in the YMO class.

This year, Me and Alvin turned 40! Fairmont it is for his birthday but just the two of us because he was super stressed those times when his visa to UK hasn't arrived yet. And he just wanted to destress for a little while and spend some time alone with me too. After the staycation, we had a boodle fight here in the house using his new white table (that we stained with soy sauce!!!). Days after his birthday, his Visa came. Just in time for his London trip :) It was like the Lord was telling him that He the Lord is in control. To not to worry. That this 40th year, Alvin needs to know who is in control. Months past after his 40th and the same lesson keeps on resurfacing. I am thankful that my husband knows who holds his hand and I hope he knows too that I am always here to pray and support him however tough the situations may be.

I welcomed my 40th year at Hotel Kimberly, Tagaytay. It was a sweet hotel, with a cool playground,  super cold swimming pools, there were ponies, peacock, ducks, rabbits too. I was with the whold fam with Nanay Dolores. When we arrive home I had a surprise dinner with the Mariano's at Shakeys, there was a video presentation with my closest friends and family. I felt different being 40, I think it is a age when life gives you more responsibilities yet less time. It is a time also that you choose to do less of the not so important things to focus on the things that really matter. Before I turned 40, I had been struggling because I find myself with too many lost opportunities. Being a CPA, I thought maybe at age 40 I will be like an officer of a company or I will own a business - a big one or someone who can influence many or just someone who gets a big pay check. But you see I may not be an officer of a company but I am the COO of our household, I may not yet own a big business but I am starting one and by God's grace one day it will be big and it will be a blessing to many, I may not get my own big pay check but I can always get my husbands atm hahaha. If my 20year old self will see me now, I think she'll tell me this is really really different than what she thought it would be but she will look forward to adulting and becoming me because it was 20 years well spent with loads of love, of laughter and of life. Life with not just great things but with challenges here and there. I thank God, He has brought me this far. My younger self wouldnt have thought she is this tough. So yeah, cheers to more years of blessings and love. 

This year, we transferred Thea to a public school. At first, it was challenging to make her come to school but now when we tell her we are going to Teacher she gets up and go. She's now back at Habilities taking OT twice a week. We still have ABA 4 hours a week. Thea now can do laundry, fold clothes, fix the bed and fold the blankets,  fix the table. She likes the color gray, she likes her 3/4 PJ's, loves ferrero, likes baking cookies, still loves paint and painting herself.  Dear Thea, Mommy loves you a lot. I will always be here for you. I will look forward to that day that we will talk about anything we like and love and hate :D 

Caleb turned 7 this year! We had a fun fun pool party with some friends and family, those who went are with kids that Caleb knows. The bubble show made it extra fun! Dear Caleb, oh how you've grown. Almost all your teeth are permanent, you weigh like 30ish kg and that's big! You still think Mama is the most beautiful girl of all, I showed you picture of Bella Padilla and Bea Alonzo I said they were beautiful and you said you're more prettier! My mama heart melted! Yesterday, we were eating m&m's and you said you don't want to eat anymore, you said so because you think I want some more :) You still need to learn a lot of things but I know in my heart you are a good good boy with a very kind heart. 

Few days to go before Christmas! I still need to finish my Sunlife validation, my BIR requirements, wrapping gifts and buying some more, organizing family and friends get together. Hoping I won't get too bombarded with all the busy-ness of this season. I pray that we can all find time to reflect why Christmas came about. The sacrifice and the love. Been reading one chapter a day of the book of Luke. It has 24 chapters. That way when I get to Christmas day, I know very well who this Christ we are celebrating. 

I don't know if I'll be able to write again, let me greet you in advance "Merry Chirstmas and Happy New Year!"

Next year's Word is Blessing! Looking forward to more blesings from above and being a blessing to many more! Cheers!