The waiting game

We've finally been able to have our room repainted and we're just waiting for the carpenter to make some changes on the dresser and we should be fine. Our room looks way much better and I can't wait to give birth! The little bean is more active than ever and it's the first time that I would literally jump off my seat when he kicks real hard! Definitely, no two pregnancies are the same. Rocco on the other hand is getting bigger by the day and has been a little more clingy than usual. There are times when I feel so guilty because I could not carry him and run after him as I used to. It's also one of the reasons why I cannot wait to give birth.

In the meantime, I am savoring every moment and time alone with my first born. I'm already thinking about how our daily routine will change once the baby comes. I hope we will not have so much difficulty adjusting (cross fingers).

Project anti- mosquito

For some strange reason, the mosquitoes and other insects seem to love feasting on Rocco. It's something that he got from his Dad. Not sure if their blood is sweet or anything, but they often sport bites while I don't get any, even if we are all together. You can call them "kilabot ng mga lamok."

I get so stressed out whenever Rocco has bites. When he is bitten, it swells like hell and at one point it got so infected that it turned into a boil! I had to see his pedia when he got that because it was my first time to encounter such. But hubby was telling me, when he was a kid, he often had those - iwww! Sa lahat naman ng mamamana. Buti nalang lalaki si Rocco. If not, I would be doubly stressed worrying about the marks if he were a girl! Having said that I have been on constant look out for the most effective and safe
Mosquito and insect repellants and ointment. So far, I'm liking the ff:

1) Messy Bessy insect repellant- This retails anywhere between P330- P400, depending on where you buy them. What I like about it is the light smell and of course, it's environmentally friendly. I hate oily products and those that have an overpowering (citronella) smell. I spray this on Rocco's clothes at least every four hours and I literally spray this everywhere - under the bed, blanket, or any dark area in the room. So far so good (crossing my fingers).

2)Home Life Citronella wax - We have several of these in the house strategically placed where the mosquitoes are. We also place these under the bed in our bedroom.

3) Baygon anti dengue mat - This comes in a kit which is less that P60. The kit contains 5 mats and a device where you place the mat and plug in an electricity outlet. This is good for 8 hours. We use this at night.

4) Dermocure ointment - My husband buys this at the Chinese drugstore and is super effective in making the bites subside. I believe it costs P300.

We also have the ultraviolet light, but it's not effective in killing mosquitoes!

So far I'm quite satisfied with the 4 things/ devices. Here's hoping that the mosquitoes stay away from us!

Tiny Toms

I chanced upon Toms some two years ago and have loved it ever since! I have sensitive feet so I really am always on the lookout for shoes and sandals that are good to my feet. What I also like about Toms is that for every pair of Toms that you buy, you know that you will also be helping someone. That's why they call it One for One - one person buys and another one is helped.

I decided to buy Rocco his very first pair of Toms because he is so into walking and running. It is now his most "sulit" shoes to date. It's so comfy and easy to use. Just slip it on and he's ready to go. I love it because it's so light. He literally uses it every single day!

Rocco and Mommy's Toms

Maternity fashion peg

For some women, they love being being pregnant. They say that it's that time when you have an excuse of wearing body hugging clothes and showing off your growing tummy and not feel guilty. However, for me it's the other way around. I don't feel my best and I feel like I'm such a BIG whale!
There is this old saying that when a woman loathes dressing up during her pregnancy, it's a boy. This being my second, I am inclined to believe that it's true (baby number 2 is another boy!). However, lately I am having this urge to dress up and celebrate my pregnancy - or at least I am trying to. I have been inspired by these pregnant women to strive to dress better. I love the blazer and red jeans combo the best. I both have these but they no longer fit me. Too bad. Now those two are on my shopping list, again! But hey the aim here is to look good an feel good- haha excuses!

Toddler dilemma: dealing with a semi-picky eater

I never thought the day would come when my son would be picky with his food. It was not difficult to feed him anything until he turned 19 months this month. Suddenly, he would refuse to eat his meals, specifically his lunch. With breakfast I don't have any struggles making him eat even if he just drank milk. Lunch time is a hit or miss thing which stresses me out. Dinner time is a little less stressful because most of the time he will eat. I noticed though that if I give him fruits, biscuit, bread or anything sweet he'd eat it. However, I don't want to make it a habit to just give in and not feed him real food. I'm pretty cautious of the food that he eats. I don't want him to get used to eating too much sweets and junk food. So right now, I'm still experimenting on what will and will not work. Spaghetti bolognese is so far his favorite, and he"ll eat it anytime. But that can't be his meal every single day. So now, I have started looking for recipes online for picky eaters to add variety and to lessen my stress.

I sure hope that his is just a phase and he"ll get his groove back. Any tips you can share?

Mommy bakes: Oreo cheesecake

For the longest time I have been dying to try this cheesecake recipe that I found in the net. I compared it to the other recipes I found and it seemed that Chantal's New York Cheesecake had a lot of positive feedback and was rated 4.5 stars. I just substituted the crust with Oreo and added Oreo bits to the batter since I had a pound of crushed Oreos waiting to be used. I baked it for an hour and left it in the oven for around 2 hours and had it cooled at room temperature for 5 hours.

The verdict? It was good. So good! I think I gained a few pounds eating it for 3 days (hahaha)! Though the next time I need to lower down the temp to around 325F (against 350F) and line the pan with aluminum foil since the sides were a little toasted. I will also use low fat cream cheese and Splenda to make it less fattening next time. I forgot to mention that I totally forgot to grease the pan! Lazy me! I was lucky that the cake did not stick to the pan when I transferred it to a plate and there were very few cracks.

This will definitely be a recipe I will keep and will surely keep making.

I finally found THE one

Yes, I have finally found the milk for me! I have never been a fan of drinking milk even when I was pregnant with Rocco. The milk that I have tried just tasted awful. It's actually the same reaction that I got from some of my friends who (had to) drank those brands. So when my sister in law told me about the milk she is drinking, I had to give it a try. Thank God for Nestle's MOM and ME milk! It's the first maternal milk that did not make me feel like vomiting😊