Category Archives: beginnings

Happy New Year 2014!!!

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Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!!

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The year that was has some heartaches for me, where friendships are concerned, from the first month and right to the last month. But the inner struggles somehow gained me wisdom – that the friendships were blessings right at the time that they should be in my life. That probably the friendships weren’t meant to last. That I should be thankful that at some point in my life, I had their friendships and that those friendships blessed me (and hopefully them too). That probably, we have to move on, to be better persons. Someday our paths may cross again; and who knows those friendships might yet be rekindled. But until then, I would just have to be thankful for the time we’ve been together – be it in laughter and tears, joy and sorrow. And with these experiences, I am yet reminded again to cherish and nurture the relationships I have now.

And yes there are lots to be thankful for too! Me going back to work (and be being able to wholly take care of Yui for eight months! What career mom wouldn’t be thankful for that? It’s like getting the best of both worlds), Yui going to daycare, Yui celebrating her first year in the Philippines, Hubs’ overseas business trips and safe arrivals, us finding our perfect place paving the way for yet new beginnings, good health for us and our loved ones, good food to enjoy with love ones, and so much more other blessings besides. I welcome the new year with a grateful heart, Lord. 🙂

Now, the new year! The new year has lots of exciting NEWs for us. And with this is our fervent prayer that our decisions be guided by Him and that it be according to His plans for us and that these NEWs will see us with more love and laughter. We’re excited to receive the blessings you have in store for us this year, Lord! 🙂

baby diaries: hai

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Your Dad and I have been wondering for some time, baby, on what would be your first word apart from Addy/Daad/Dy and Mom-ma. Would it be Japanese, English, or to stretch things out, Filipino or Visaya? For simple instructions so far, you can already understand either Japanese or English as you are equally exposed to both languages.

The first time we heard your Addy (around the time you were eight months old), it was just so cute! Yes, you said Addy/Daad/Dy first before saying Mom-ma. And oh how proud and happy your Dad was. But when you finally said Mom-ma at 13 months, your Mom-ma almost couldn’t contain the joy and pleasure it brings. Thank you.

Then henceforth we waited further on the other first word – Japanese? English? The wait didn’t take long. And it was to your Dad that you first said it. Earlier this week, your Dad was teaching you yet again about giving and taking. And in one of those sessions, right after Dad said “choudai Yui”, you said “ha~~i” while giving the toy to Daddy. Then you said it again yesterday.

So there we have it. It’s Japanese then. 🙂 🙂

Dreams do come true

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and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true…

Even when somehow the tone of the rest of the song is sad, I just love this line. And I think of the many dreams I dared to dream which really came true…

My close friends have tagged me a hopeless romantic when we were much younger. I usually keep to myself the dreams I truly hold dear. But there are times that bubbles of those secret dreams surface and I share it with friends. And there are also times when my closest friends and I would have a “dream session”, sessions wherein we share those cherished dreams.

There’s this one dream. A dream that there’d come a day when I wake up and look straight into the eyes of the one I love (who loves me as dearly!) who has lovingly watched me while I was asleep.

I shared this with friends (who reminded me i was such a hopeless romantic) and then I grew up; almost forgetting about the dream; almost convinced I wouldn’t meet my one true north.

And then I met Hubs. And then one morning, I just woke up with his face close to mine, face alit with love for me, watching me sleep. Only, I gave a tiny shriek – so surprised to see someone looking at me really close so early in the morning. Haha! And then I remembered I wished for it. So I settled back with a big smile on my face. And even when my face got bloated with pregnancy (when my confidence with my appearance got thinner as I got fatter), Hubs still does that thing that I wished for many years ago. There were mornings when I’d wake up with a (love) note right beside my head, suggesting to me Hubs was staring at me while I was sleeping.

God is good. And God has better plans than what you had in mind.

Now that I sleep facing my left (hubs is on my right whilst Yui is on my left), it is our daughter’s face that I wake up to in the mornings. There were mornings that her face is just inches from mine, softly cooing, careful in her own way to not wake me up. Face that’s sometimes full of curiosity, with a ready smile the moment she sees me awake.

I dreamt and prayed for one. It was granted. With an added great bonus. This little one who seems to think the best place in the world is right beside Mom. When we enter her room in the daycare, Yui has a big smile for everyone that you could almost see her hand waving, beauty queen style. Teachers told me how charming and friendly and active Yui is at daycare – I could see samples of this whenever I drop and pick her up at daycare. But after a day of learning and making friends and playing, rather than play with her toys and leaf through her books, she would urge me to just lie down and cuddle and talk (blabber) or tickle and hug and kiss. Yui’s head teacher told me Yui is the most energetic and active in her class (even when she’s the youngest!). Yet this energetic and active little lady is content (and requests so!) to just lie down and cuddle with Mommy at the end of the day while we wait for Daddy to come home.

God is good and we are really thankful.

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Yui on one of our cuddle up times. Love.

rise and shine!

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Where usually we get only advertisements or health tidbits on the inner top cover of yogurt packaging, I got this last night.

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You’d be surprised how it could help, at times; especially since it’s a first after hundreds that you’ve had.

eating right, early on

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Whenever I prepare the ingredients for Yui’s food, there’s only one phrase I have in mind – only the choicest of ingredients. So I was really thrilled when I saw this “baby leaf” package in the store. Only the choicest of leaves for our baby. With ten different salad greens.

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Each leaf is already quite small actually but I still cut them off in halves before steaming to avoid Yui’s choking on them. I steam a batch, store and get a portion to match with a serving of another batch of dish that I made. One example, this minced pork-tomato-potato-onion-natto dish.

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Yep, there’s natto on it – that sticky, stinky but very healthy fermented beans. The first time I served natto to Yui, she had it with tofu and rice cereal.

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Did she like it? Just look at that smile.

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Now, I really wasn’t a healthy eater. But buying all this healthy stuff for Yui makes me think of making healthy dishes for Hubs and me as well. So even if we’re not babies, I also had the baby leaf for us adults.

I added in tomatoes, bacon, cottage cheese topped with onion dressing.

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I sometimes vary our salad and put in boiled eggs and yellow bell pepper instead. Still with cottage cheese and onion dressing.

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Last weekend, I decided to let Yui taste ampalaya/goya/bitter melon. As I wasn’t sure how Yui would like it, I added the ampalaya/goya/bitter melon in this asparagus-minced beef-tomato-string beans-cottage cheese-bean sprouts dish, all of which Yui had before in different mixes.

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When Yui tasted it, her eyebrows were at first furrowed. But as she chewed on, a smile slowly crept on her face until it became this.

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And since of course I only use up a portion of the vegetables I buy for Yui’s food, Dad and Mom had the remaining vegetables. I decided to have a goya champloo.

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We had a superstition on the Philippines – that if you cook ampalaya/goya/bitter melon and it doesn’t taste bitter at all, you will have kind in-laws. Now, I’m really blessed with the kindest in-laws. Suffice it to say that my goya champloo absolutely didn’t taste bitter. 🙂

I’m not a medical professional so what I know about health and nutrition I only got from our doctor, books and Internet. But having had read extensively thus far, I am quite sad and surprised that some doctors in the Philippines still advise that milk is still enough to provide nutrition for toddlers. Toddlers and preschoolers definitely need more than milk for optimum growth. Let’s do our best Moms and Dads!