In My Mind

The past 9 months was like a roller coaster ride. Monthly check - ups with the gynecologist, not to mention the weekly check - ups on the 9th month, watchful diet consisting of mostly fruits and vegetables, milk and prenatal vitamins, and my daily exercise ( walking ). Both my CNM (certified nurse midwife) and doctor told me time and again that I am in the low risk pregnancy and about to give birth normally. Recently I've given birth to a healthy baby girl named Janna Gillyn.

Dec. 05 is an unforgettable date. This is supposedly the debut of my niece. Around 1:00 p.m. I had spotting, my sister-in-law told me it is time to go to the hospital. My husband and I rushed to the hospital which is barely 2 minutes drive. After the usual routine the nurse informed me I am only 3 cm dilated and have to go home. Around 8:00 p.m. the pain worsens so we called and informed the hospital, the thing is, this time there's no vacant room available so we have no choice but to go to the main Kaiser Hospital which is an hour drive from home. The pain was unexplainable. I was squeezing my sister-in-law's hands so hard with every contraction, I could almost feel it breaking. Around 10:00 p.m. the contractions came every 5 minutes and I was 5 cm dilated. Actual labor lasted more than 2 hours.I was given Epidural and somehow the pain subsided and I could only feel pressure now. I tried pushing so hard and i was wondering why the baby won't come out. it was then when the attending physician informed me the baby was faced up instead of face down. If I tried pushing longer it would cause fetal distressed so they need to do a caesarean delivery. At that time I was exhausted and more concern with the baby so I said do whatever is best. They transferred me to OR and at 2:56 a.m. of Dec. 06, I've given birth to a healthy baby girl. My husband was with me all the time and witnessed it all.

I guess, it made him appreciate motherhood in general. Elderly were right. You have repay your own parents once you become a parent yourself. Being a mom myself now made me quits with what I owe my own mom. My husband and I are starting with the journey of parenthood and sleepless nights is just the beginning.

Posted by jaren at 2:27 PM 0 comments  

Pregnancy is one of the best thing that can ever happen to a woman. That's exactly what I feel. I feel euphoric and relieved that I am not sterile ( my husband and I was trying for years to conceive). With pregnancy comes a series of symptoms and effects. I was lucky I never felt morning sickness and my clinician told me based on my battery of tests that I am at the level of low risk pregnancy. The thing is...I am suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome. I encountered the word during my college days, but never imagined it to befall me.

Carpal tunnel happens when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. The median nerve controls sensations to the palm side of the thumb and fingers (although not the little finger), as well as impulses to some small muscles in the hand that allow the fingers and thumb to move. The carpal tunnel - a narrow, rigid passageway of ligament and bones at the base of the hand - houses the median nerve and tendons. Sometimes, thickening from irritated tendons or other swelling narrows the tunnel and causes the median nerve to be compressed. The result may be pain, weakness, or numbness in the hand and wrist, radiating up the arm.

Women could suffer carpal tunnel than man because women has smaller carpal tunnel. A lot of factors contribute to carpal tunnel. Some of these are hypothyroidism, work stress, rheumatoid arthritis or like my case, due to water retention because of pregnancy.

I started feeling pain and numbness down from my fingers up to my arms when I was in my 4th month of pregnancy. I couldn't sleep straight at night. I tend to woke up and shake my hands because of intense pain, and numbness. The pain would start from my fingers especially ny middle and ring fingers and would radiate to my elbow part. At times I cry. At first I dismissed what I'm feeling from my mind and say it'll go away. 2 weeks later, I eventually got an appointment with our primary physician and after some questions and tests he gave me a wrist support to wear during bedtime. That's a relief, I'm telling you. And more good news, he added it'll eventually disappear after I give birth. The bad news, I'm one of those few who suffer this during pregnancy. By the way, both hands are affected. And every time I wear those wrist support, My brother in law thinks I'm going to combat.

I slept better at night after that. I'm on my 7th month now, and recently, I noticed pain below my thumb that wasn't there before. I guess, It is due to more water retention and am praying it won't worsen.

Pregnancy certainly has it's ups and downs but the ups outweighs the downs. Simply looking forward to the birth of our "Janna" makes it all worthwhile.

Posted by jaren at 7:51 PM 1 comments  

Labels: carpal tunnel syndrome, pregnancy

I was out for a while. The reason was, my life turned a 360 degrees turn from my so called comfort zone. Since the arrival of my sister-in-law and her 5 children from the Phils. last June, things weren't the same anymore. I found myself dropping and picking 5 kids from different schools with about 15 minutes interval in between. What more my sis-in-law had a bout with depression.Everyone in the family tried everything to help her out. It can be stressing you know. So, in a way, my husband and I became the " substitute parents" so to speak. I had to juggle the time, add to the fact that I, myself attend classes in the morning. Things were up to my throat, but I missed blogging a lot. And I almost forgot to mention I'm in my 2nd trimester of pregnancy.
I guess, others have the same predicament as I have, or worst. One thing I realized though, never lose the sense of ME TIME...A time for oneself even for a brief 5 mins. to Taking time to smell the flowers, admiring a scenery,shopping, reading, talking to friends...the list is endless. It's one way of coping with stress and keeping the sanity intact. The highlight of all is looking forward to the birth of our daughter on December. This makes it all bearable. After all, life will never be complete without it's ups and downs.

Posted by jaren at 9:43 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Blogging, Family, Stress

Posted by jaren at 12:39 PM 1 comments  

Weeks ago my husband and I were ecstatic knowing we're going to have a baby soon. Members of the family are so observant of my actions. Kinda protective. Don't carry this, don't eat this because it's bad for you and the baby, just rest and eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, etc. I'm overwhelmed with all the attentions. Not that I'm complaining. =)

Before, I've heard from friends and relatives that when you're pregnant, you tend to feel lazy. I thought that was exaggeration. Well, maybe, there's some truth in it. I have finished all the chores I've planned to do for the day, BUT...only in my mind.My mind's so willing but my body isn't. I even don't take a bath for 2-3 days in a row. When prior to pregnancy I can't let the day passed without taking a bath. Funny. And the food cravings..wow! It shifts to a 360 degrees turn. One moment I want some Burrito, the next eggpie, and on other times pasta, meat, and soda. I don't drink soda except when there's no choice, but now..the smell alone seems so appetizing. My weird cravings though is the smell of my husband. I can't seem to have enough especially his after work smell. hahaha! Then, it was the exact opposite. And a lot more. I love taking afternoon naps now. Maybe, it's the hormones working.

I feel luckier than the other though, I'm going 11 weeks on the way, but I never felt sick the others. I felt nauseous one time or the other, but not that worst as vomiting, and can't digest food. I thank God for that.

It will still be months away before the baby comes and I still a have a lot to learn and experience, it will be another journey. A journey we welcome the most.

Posted by jaren at 2:15 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Family, pregnancy

Last friday night mama who passed away 3 years ago, came in my thought. Maybe, because mother's day was approaching. I felt the ache of missing her badly. That week also, it was confirmed I'm pregnant. It was also the reason why I'm emotional on that certain night. My husband and I are very happy of the good news and I was wondering what my mom's reaction would be if she's alive. I can feel her spirit that night. Watching over us and smiling as if assuring me everything will be okay. I cried for I know, there's no substitute for a mother's warmth and comfort when a child is in pain and the thought she won't be there to guide me when I give birth and raise my own child and my baby won't know his grandmother personally. It is heartbreaking, right? And a mother's wisdom is priceless. For sure, I'll feed him with stories about his grandmom and how good a person she was.That way, the memories will stay. And I can perfectly recall how excited she was of being a grandmother in the future. Unfortunately, she didn't experience it.

We offered prayers for her last mother's day, we can't visit her because we're thousand miles way. But I know, wherever we go she's still there guiding us along the way.

We love you so much ma! And we missed you so bad.

Posted by jaren at 2:59 PM 2 comments  

Labels: Family, mother

I mentioned earlier that my husband is a shopaholic. The very reason why he accumulated stuffs that he didn't even bother to use or wear.He is a newbie, and I can't help him either. All I know is browse through online store and that's it. Through surfing one can really compare what works better and user friendly. And when we stumble upon this ecommerce articles he became interested of how to be an online merchant.

It gives him a clear idea of how to start it up like a pro without the hassle. He has a sense of security because of its secure ecommerce software. A compelling place to start business with. And the buyer will have a great time shopping online with their shopping cart even for first timers. I will definitely help him with this one because i like this idea of having this business, having a store of my own, where a shopper became a merchant.

The enthusiasm indeed is contagious.

Posted by jaren at 9:08 PM 0 comments  

Labels: shopping

Women in general, simply love to shop. It's a way of releasing stress or plainly enjoying it. And you can rarely see a man who is addicted to it right? And mind you, MY HUSBAND is one of those you can call who has shopaholic syndrome.. There's no weekend that passes by without spending on clothes, gadgets and electronics and whatever he fancies on that certain moment. He won't buy one but pairs only to stock it up in the closet and give it away to relatives or friends.

Posted by jaren at 1:23 PM 0 comments  

Labels: shopping

The past days has been slow for me. I'm in a new country for barely two months. Doesn't know my way around, no friends except for the family and a few acquaintances introduced by family.

I feel like I'm a bird lost and a one in a cage at that. Anxious to spread my wings and curious to the things around. In a way, I'm leading a monotonous life.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my life playing the role of a housewife. But wouldn't you think it'll be better if I land a job or go back to school? I want to help my husband (not that he can't feed me, he takes care of me good and we live comfortably)...who doesn't welcome the extra bucks right? And you know, typical of a Filipino abroad, aside from helping out my immediate family, I also want to help those less fortunate relatives in any way I can

Actually, I started applying online, unfortunately nobody has called yet =(. I haven't have my own car yet, so I have to contend myself with the online stuffs. And I'm about to get my behind the wheel exam on the 1st week of May.

My routine on weekdays are, prepare stuffs for my husband, prepare his food ( I'm glad my mother in law helps me in this area), eat, walk, do household chores, watch tv, do laundry once every two weeks. And every now and then, mom and I go to the nearest mall. On some nights after my hubby came from work he lets me practice driving around.

And on weekends, my husband and I go to malls, eat, takes to noticed the simple joys in life and spend quality time with each other . Bring mom to her senior citizen club and visit my sis -in -law afterwards.

We're leading a typical simple life. You don't have to have everything in order to be happy. It's enough to have wonderful people around who shows love and encouragement. If you feel lost, look back and immersed yourself in the support of people who matters and you will eventually find your bearing.

Posted by jaren at 5:29 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Family, Personal

Posted by jaren at 6:45 PM 21 comments  

Labels: exotic food, fetus, soup

I have a friend who sometime in his life earn more than we could ever earn. He thought it has no end. They spends extravagantly on things not necessary. Whatever his children and wife wants they get it easily without much ado.And the thing is they just keep on renting a house. I could not imagine why they never buy their own house, and I never asked. He never saved money. He owned every credit card there ever was. He loaned and loaned if ever there was a chance. Until recently, he found out he could not cope with the payments and interest of some of his credit cards. Thus, he felt he was doomed, he had bad credit credit cards.

With more foreclosures everywhere, their family considered to buy a house, and this is the best time to own one. But when they checked, lenders won't approve them because of bad credit loans.

He was desperate, until he heard about bad credit loans. Suddenly he felt a new energy bursting from within. He can have the second chance he needed. It is so unique, it caters to different people with different needs and payments could be done at their own pace. This way, the borrower could slowly but steadily stand on their feet again and have the chance to redevelop their future.

Right now, this acquaintance of mine has changed. He now thinks of the future instead of today. Think of the others who will be given the second chance.

Posted by jaren at 10:01 AM 1 comments  

Labels: Money

A small touching story mainly for professionals. ..

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.
SON: "Daddy, may I ask you a
question?"
DAD: "Yeah sure, what it is?" replied the man.
SON: "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?" the man said angrily.
SON: "I just want to know.. Please tell me, how
Much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "If you must know, I make $20.00 an hour."
SON: "Oh," the little boy replied, with his head down.
SON: "Daddy, may I please borrow $10.00 ?"
The father was furious, "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march
yourself straight to your room and go to bed.
Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behaviour."
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.
The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?
After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down,and started to think:
Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.
"Are you asleep, son?" He asked.
"No daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy. "I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier" said the man." It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $10.00 you asked for."
The little boy sat straight up, smiling. "Oh, thank you daddy!" He yelled.
Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his
money, and then looked up at his father. "Why do you want more money if you already have some?" the father grumbled. "Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied. "Daddy, I have $20.00 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you." The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

It's just a short reminder to all of you working So hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time With those who really matter to us, those close to Our hearts. Do remember to share that $20.00 worth of your Time with someone you love. If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to have time for our family.

Posted by jaren at 10:57 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Family

Posted by jaren at 6:20 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Aswang, Capiz, filipino

Posted by jaren at 3:56 PM 1 comments  

Labels: dogs, Family

When I was younger and still in the Philippines. We all loved imported things, imported food, just almost anything as long as it is imported. And what I've noticed then which I could say up to the present, people think if you're working abroad, particularly here in the US of A, you've got tons of it. As if you're lying in a bed of money...

What they don't really know is, their love ones work themselves to death, to earn every single cent they could ever find, to send back home. They sacrificed a lot, they don't even splurge on clothes lest of all food. Double jobs and if they could only work 24/7 they will do just that. There's no time for recreation. Sleeping is even a luxury in itself that Pinoys working abroad could hardly afford for the buck that would be earn.

And here comes the love ones back home, spend all they can and act like it has no ending. I'm not saying everybody is doing it, but SOME of them. Be it the wife, husband, children, parents, siblings, etc. They spend it on almost anything, latest gadgets, cars, parties and gimmicks, dining in expensive resto and some on gambling. No savings, no investments, nothing. They became lazy. And ohhh so love to brag about their imported things.

That's the irony of it, the OFW won't buy things unless it's ON SALE. Would rather stay at home than be tempted on things and waste the hard earned bucks. And will only eat inexpensive, processed, artery clogging food in order to save.

Then, they wake up one day. All of it vanished in thin air. OFW comes home, older, no savings because they send every penny back home and was thinking the extra money was safe in the bank. Voila! They're back to their old life. Electricity was cut,food scarce, and heavy in debt.

Would you want that to happen to you?

Posted by jaren at 8:26 PM 3 comments  

Labels: Family, filipino, ofw

I took a written exam for class C driver's license last Monday at DMV in Escondido. I read the driver's handbook a bit but that was more than a week ago. I kind of taken it for granted. I was confident. I say, it's only chicken because back in the Philippines I can drive. And they say, when you can drive in the Philippines, you can drive anywhere in the world. Come examination day, I had a hard time. I underestimated the test. For once, they have tricky questions add to the fact that I haven't reviewed the handbook. The result?...What else but 14 errors out of 36 items. That is bad or what? The passing score is 6 errors or less for first time applicant.

I vowed to myself, I'll study the handbook harder. Otherwise, it'll get me nowhere and another payment if you failed the test the 3rd time. Much prepared now I retake the exam this morning. I PASSED! 3 errors only ! =)

Driving here in the USA is very different from the Philippines. I had the opportunity to drive for a short distance after receiving my temporary license. I feel like a novice driver. You just can't simply make a turn and cut if you want to. I had a hard time adjusting. And who say driving here is easy =) . Maybe in due time, I'll get adjusted and knows every turn in the neighborhood.

Every country has it's own driving rules and regulation. Always obey the rules, read handbooks and study.that is the caveat.

Posted by jaren at 5:53 PM 1 comments  

Labels: DMV, driving, written exam

This is how a child view her mom accdg. to age..=)


4 YEARS OF AGE My Mommy can do anything!
8 YEARS OF AGE My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!
12 YEARS OF AGE My Mother doesn ' t really know quite everything.
14 YEARS OF AGE Naturally, Mother doesn ' t know that, either!
16 YEARS OF AGE Mother? She ' s hopelessly old-fashioned.
18 YEARS OF AGE That old woman? She ' s way out of date!
25 YEARS OF AGE Well, she might know a little bit about it.
35 YEARS OF AGE Before we decide, let ' s get Mom ' s opinion.
45 YEARS OF AGE Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?
65 YEARS OF AGE Wish I could talk it over with Mom. . .

Posted by jaren at 10:16 AM 1 comments  

Labels: Family, mother

Posted by jaren at 9:42 PM 7 comments  

Labels: Family, mother

A 72-year-old, petite, well-poised and
proud man, who is fully dressed each
morning by eight o'clock, with his hair
fashionably combed and shaved perfectly,
even though he is legally blind, moved
to a nursing home today.

His wife of 70 years recently passed
away, making the move necessary.
After many hours of waiting patiently in
the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled
sweetly when told his room was ready.
As he maneuvered his walker to the
elevator, I provided a visual
description of his tiny room, including
the eyelet sheets that had been hung on
his window.
'I love it,' he stated with the
enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having
just been presented with a new puppy.
'Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room,
just wait.'

'That doesn't have anything to do with
it,' he replied. 'Happiness is something
you decide on ahead of time. Whether I
like my room or not doesn't depend on
how the furniture is arranged. It's how
I arrange my mind. I already decided to
love it. 'It's a decision I make every
morning when I wake up. I have a choice;
I can spend the day in bed recounting
the difficulty I have with the parts of
my body that no longer work, or get out
of bed and be thankful for the ones that
do. Each day is a gift, and as long as
my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day
and all the happy memories I've stored
away. Just for this time in my life.
Old age is like a bank account. You
withdraw from what you've put in. So, my
advice to you would be to deposit a lot
of happiness in the bank account of
memories!
Thank you for your part in filling my
Memory bank. I am still depositing.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Posted by jaren at 3:04 PM 0 comments  

Labels: advice, happiness

Posted by jaren at 5:11 AM 0 comments  

Labels: meme

Angels by definition means:

• A Guardian Angel is a divine or semi-divine being who is able to work with humanity for a number of purposes.

• An Angel is celestial being that acts as an intermediary between heaven and earth.

• An angel is a kind and lovable person; one who manifests goodness, purity, and selflessness.

Posted by jaren at 7:06 AM 7 comments  

Labels: angels, religious

Received this in my email one time. Sharing is loving, so, I'm sharing it with you.

Posted by jaren at 3:00 AM 2 comments  

Labels: filipino, humor

Little Johnny and Jane are playing in the garden when they start having an argument about whether boys are better than girls.

After a while Johnny stands up and pulls down his shorts saying, "Boys are better than girls 'cause you haven't got one of these!" Jane looks at him in astonishment as she knows that she hasn't got one of those between her legs. She bursts out crying and rushes inside to her mother. A little while later she comes back out with a big smile on her face.

"My mum says girls are better than boys," she says.

"No they're not," says Johnny pulling down his shorts, "You haven't got one of these!"

Jane looks at him, then raises her skirt, pulls down her panties and says, "My mum says that as long as I've got one of these, I can have as many of those as I want!"

Posted by jaren at 12:14 AM 0 comments  

Labels: humor

• One night, my aunt made some mango juice. His 5 year old son came in the kitchen and ask for a glass of the mango juice. He told me, "Ate, have some it's sooo delicious....even though it has no taste".
• My 4 year old nephew-in-law and I were watching pictures from my cellphone. We stumble upon my mom's picture and asked me who she is. I told him," she's my mom,your lola baby". "where is she now" he asked me back. "In heaven", I said. He paused for a while and look at me earnestly and said " Why are you still here and not in heaven?".
  

Posted by jaren at 4:36 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Family, humor

I was in Manila last week. I can't help noticing the urinals for men put by the MMDA on certain areas especially in the Municipality of Parañaque. The good side of it is, men won't just pee anywhere they like when the urged comes because of these urinals. The downside is...it STINKS!!! The urine has no proper outlet or drainage thus the foul smell.I bet people passing by especially tourists can't help but grimace with annoyance. I just can't imagine who is the brain of these pink urinal.Just take a look at the picture. What do u say? Only in the Philippines ehhh?=)

Posted by jaren at 11:13 PM 0 comments  

Labels: urinals

What amazing gifts the new year
brings! An entire
year's worth of wonderful
opportunities, given to us
one sunrise at a time. Many of the
moments ahead will
be marvelously disguised as ordinary
days, but each one
of us has the chance to make something
extraordinary
out of them.

Each new day is a blank page in the
diary of your life.
The secret of success is in turning
that diary into the
best story you possibly can. Have
pages on understanding
and tales of overcoming hardships.
Fill your story with
enthusiasm, adventure, learning, and
laughter. And make
each chapter reflect time doing these
things:


Follow your dreams. Work hard. Be
kind. Do what you
can to make the door open on a day
that is filled with
inspiration in some special way.
Remember: Goodness
will be rewarded. Smiles will pay you
back. Have fun.
Find strength. Be truthful. Have
faith. Don't focus on
anything you lack.


Realize that people are the treasures
in life, and
happiness is the real wealth. Have a
diary that
describes how you're doing your best,
and... the rest will take care of
itself.
- by Douglas Pagels

Posted by jaren at 6:25 PM 2 comments  

Labels: new year, resolution