putting Joaqui to sleep

If there is one "bisyo" that our son Joaqui has up to now, it is the need to sing him a lullabye before he goes to sleep. He also loves to be rocked and cradled. Well this is not a hard thing to do if he does not weigh 12.5 kg at 15 months (we were told by his pediatrician that he weighs as much as a 2-1/2-year-old). Anyway, when he was still a baby and up to now, there is one song that never fails to put him to sleep and that is the song "You" by the Carpenters. Mommy is the only one who sings this song for Joaqui and it has sort of become our theme song. After putting him to sleep, I would carefully watch him and dream all sort of things about him.

You are the one who makes me happy

When everything else turns to grey

Yours is the voice that wakes me mornings

and sends me out into the day

You are the crowd that sits quiet

Listening to me

and all of the mad sense I make

You are one of a few things worth remembering

and since it's all true

How can anyone mean more to me than you

Sorry if sometimes I look past you

There's no one beyond your eyes

Inside my head, the wheels are turning

and sometimes I'm not so wise

You are my heart and my soul, my inspiration

Just like the old love song goes

You are one of a few things worth remembering

and since it's all true

How can anyone mean more to me than you

Awards, Awards

These awards are from my dearest friend Dada. Thanks, Da...these are firsts for me.

Tagged: LONGEST LINE

This was a tag by Bless to make the longest line.

Abie - Journey to Life
Abie - MyPlanetPurple
Farah - changing lanes
Bela
Kaptyurd by Howell
Aggie
Apols
Apple
Thea
Jacqui
Jane
Jody
Joey
Joy
Kelly
Leah
Mich
Pat
Peachy
Vien
Nick
Bless - Magical Beginning...Fairytale Ending
Jengki - JengSpeaks

Morong Star Beach Resort

Me and my kulangot friends went to Bataan last weekend to go to the beach. I was browsing the internet for a nice resort and came across Morong Star Beach Resort. It is located in Panibatuhan Morong, Bataan and their website has some nice pictures of their hotel rooms, cottages and swimming pool. Their rates also were quite reasonable so we decided to check it out. It is quite big but it looked much nicer on their website. Their adult swimming pool is just okay, but their kiddie pool is wonderful with kiddie slides and waterfalls effect. Joaqui and Monique had a fun time swimming. Their open cottages were also okay (at a rate of 1200 for day swimming, good for 8-10 persons). Since we were not staying overnight, we did not checked their rooms at all.

The sand along their beachfront was not white sand but it was very fine. The beach water was clear and the floor beneath the water was not rough. You could actually go swimming barefoot. I think Joaqui enjoyed the beach more than the kiddie pool because the water was not cold and not too salty.

I was disappointed with their shower rooms and comfort rooms though. The faucets were not working well and there was poor lighting. There were no countertops to put your things or racks to hang your clothes. I have also noticed that on the way to the resort, there were not much signboards placed along the road, so we had to stop and ask for directions.

Overall it was a fun experience, especially for the kids. If you're on a budget and would like to relax and swim in Bataan, Morong Star is worth checking out.

8 facts about myself

This is a tag from Joey.
In the 8 facts about yourself, you share 8 things that your readers don’t know about you. Then at the end you tag at least 8 other bloggers to keep the fun going. Here are the rules.
RULES:* Each blogger must post these rules first.* Each blogger starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.* Bloggers that are tagged need to write on their own blog about their eight things and postthese rules.* At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.* Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
1. My favorite food is chicken. Kahit anong luto, basta chicken.
2. I like the smell of gas, yung paper na bagong xeroxed and floorwax--Yes, adik ako.
3. I don't drink coffee.
4. I'm a shopaholic, chocoholic and workaholic--Yes, adik talaga ko.
5. When I'm depressed or frustrated or angry, I vent out by cleaning the whole house and throwing away stuff I don't use.
6. I doodle when I'm thinking.
7. My favorite sleep position is lying on my stomach.
8. My favorite cartoon character is Garfield.

MannaFromHeaven
Lena
Teacher’ Corner
Juliana Pinay Wahm
Roselle’s Sweet Escape
Roselle’s Blog
Life In The Blogger Lane
My Precious
My Voyage
Berryblitz - Berry Blog
Happy
Joey M.D.
The Working Mom
Online Raket
JengSpeaks

I'm not tagging anyone in particular. Feel free to tag yourself to keep the tag rolling. ; )

I'm tagged....

To Dada, this is my attempt to show off my pc.

She has no name and until now I can't think of one for her. My desktop PC is probably 3 years old and she has been my 2nd PC after purchasing a second hand before her. We never had a PC at home until I was working already. She was a dream come true for me, and has provided many opportunities for me to communicate, browse the internet to my heart's content and opened doors for more transcription jobs. I am very particular with my desktop icons because almost all of them are what I use for work. From the picture above, the taskbar is always full of different programs which help me in my profession as a medical transcriptionist.

My wallpaper has always been a picture of my family because it inspires me to do better and achieve my goals. I also have a small crucifix attached to my screen protector, to remind me that all knowledge and talent comes from Him and that technology can be used for His greater glory.

I am also very protective of her. I do not use her for games or for viewing DVDs, etc. I am very careful of the websites that I visit and even though I have a laptop (which at first amused me), I just can't seem to be as comfortable as using this PC in editing and transcribing. I can't elaborate much on browsers or other programs as I am clueless on that ; ) In my line of work, a good sound card matters to me, along with a soft-touch keyboard for easy typing and a dependable OS. So far, my PC has been apt to the tasks required to complete the everyday challenges of my job and do blogging on the side, edit pictures, do digital scrapbooking, etc., etc.

Thanks Da for this tag. Somehow it made me look at my PC in a more meaningful light. She may be sometimes overlooked but definitely not forgotten.

Linky Love Tag

Rules:Cut and paste the following starting here. I have randomly selected 5 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You will have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes we hope it will be a long list!)It’s real easy! Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially! The benefits of Viral Linking:- One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode!- Increase your Google PageRank fast- Attract large volume of new traffic to your site- Build your community- Make new friends!The Strategist Notebook, Link Addiction, Ardour of the Heart, When Life Becomes a Book, The Malaysian Life, Yogatta.com, What goes under the sun,Roshidan’s Cyber Station, Sasha says, Arts of Physics, And the legend lives, My View, My Life, A Simple Life, Juliana RW, The Callalily Space, Petra Summer in Blue, Confessions of an Army Wife Bless’ Sanctuary Happy Life, http://bless519.bravejournal.com/, La Place de Cherie, Chez Francine, Le bric a brac de Cherie, Little Peanut, Pea in a Pod, The Creative In Me, Me and Mine, Pinay Mommy, Expressions from the Heart, TeacherJulie, Sweetbites by Bang, Paul, Toni and Lance - Bridging the Distance, Our Growing Family, The Uncensored life of me, My Untamed World, Something Purple, A Detour, Something Purple, Wifespeaks, Changing Lanes,Bits and Pieces , Life Together Starts , A Housewife%sq243%s Journal, Joey M.D., The Working Mom, Online Raket, Idle in Makati, JengSpeaks

I'm now tagging Leah, Heidi, Lizette, Bless, and Dada.

Joaqui lingo

Now that Joaqui is 14 months, it is amazing as how all those syllables in his head are trying to figure out a language. His babbling is more complex and his speech is showing intonational patterns. According to http://www.babycenter.com/, at 14 months, a toddler understands many more words that she can say. At this stage, we are amazed on how fast his vocabulary is developing. Here is a list of Joaqui lingo so far:

1. Daddy

2. Bah (ball)

3.Fah-wer (flower)

4.Duck

5.Dog

6.Spash (splash)

7.Dede (he would say this repeatedly if he wants his milk)

8.Ken (chicken)

9.Toto (this can mean tito, puto, naruto,pluto the dog--we just have to figure out which one)

10.Neyning (raining)

11.Pen (open)

12.Lolo (he calls old men lol0)

13.Tata (bata)

14.Ho-ho (this was a Christmas ornament we had with words HOHOHO)

15.Tanta (Santa)

16.Bibi (TV)

17.Star

18.Yum-yum

19.Lo (hello, with his hand on his ear)

20.Fish

21.Car

22.Bus

23.Bubbah (bubbles)

24.Baba (if he wants to go down and walk)

25.Mommy (he just said this today...awww...)

26.Ming-ming (he means "cat")

27.Boohn (balloon)

28. Krin (ice cream)

29.Pee-pee (coffee if we point to a mug)

30.Papa (paypay or fan)

31.Dai-per (diaper)

Also one of the first things that Joaqui learned are animal sounds:

Baah for sheep

Aw-Aw for dog

Myow for cat

Kak for frog (kokak) and duck (quack)

Kukuk for chicken

He can also point to some of his body parts:

Eyes

Nose

Teeth

Hair

Tummy (big tummy)

I do not mean to brag with this list, but as parents Jeff and I are really proud of what our baby can say now. Oh, and let me not forget this one (which mommy taught..hehehe). When he is asked, "Anong problema ni Joaqui?" He would answer with such conviction, "Wala, Wala." ; )

employment status

Today I am officially a work-at-home mom. With our company going into transition, I decided to be an independent contractor for the same medical transcription company. It was quite a difficult decision to make, as this means I am not entitled to company benefits, paid leaves, 13th month pay, etc. , but I will be paid on a per line rate basis. I also have to resign as a senior medical editor and team leader to be able to work from home. Thinking of it, I really wanted to work homebased ever since we had Joaqui. It was hard saying goodbye to him every single day as I would come home late and he is already sleeping. I would always miss his laughter and giggles when I'm in the office. Last week I was anxious and yet excited at the same time. I was really not sure if this would work out for us, but I am determined to make this work. I love what I do and at the same time I also want to be at home to take care of my family, and this is an opportunity for me to do both. I know that there are adjustments to be made and I will just have to unleash my prowess of being a work-at-home mom on a day to day basis.