Dec 8, 2011
School hunt
And so my mommy life is full of hunt...yaya hunt, good food hunt, bargain hunt..and one of the biggest yet is our school hunt.
I'm telling you being in a foreign country is challenging especially if their educational system is not supportive of using the English language. I don't get it especially for Math & Science because I believe that at the minimum is universal so a person can easily adapt when these 2 subjects are in English. My friends are asking me how it is in the Philippines and I told them school's medium is in English. So you don't necessarily have to send your kids so fancy and big league primary school to ensure they have the good foundation.
Anyway my hunt so far has led me to this:
1. We are targeting to send her to a private school. However, most private schools are shifting their curriculum to International Curriculum with "international school fees" of course and you cannot simply move around your kid as it can either be a British, Australian or American curriculum and each would be so different from each other. Ryan & I can't believe why we have to send Iaree to an overly expensive school at this stage whereas kids would be expected to be studying the same foundation. Some would argue that the quality would be there but I tell you I have been sent to a private school - Primary & Secondary and 2 things I can tell you. a) It was a big environment adjustment for me to be sent to a public University, one that paid off but was still a big shift nonetheless b)I was always in the top 25% of the batch population but I have seen so far 5 batch mates belonging to the lower percentage who are now doctors and great entrepreneurs. The primary & secondary education despite the "label" they had didn't stop them from succeeding in life.
2. Back-up plan is not to move the whole family back the Phils (at least not yet). Chinese school or local Malaysian school maybe if they will accept foreigners. I'm just having hesitation on the educational style in Chinese schools especially on the homework and writing part. The language part I'm perfectly okay with it but to torture kids with tons and tons of homework and repeated writing activity which the writing part I asked my Chinese educated friends they never used anyway. Now the local Malaysian school I have yet to find out if they would accept us. Maybe if that's the last resort I will just get language tutor for Iaree. Feel sad about that part though as she can't even speak Tagalog and here she would learn to speak BM.
Oh well!Wish us luck it's 2 years away and I'm glad I have already started doing my research.
Dec 6, 2011
My guilty pleasure
My guilty pleasure that is not shopping or food related (just thought I should make that clear first) is to be complimented sincerely -- "Wow you are a mom??!" "You really have 2 kids?" "You just gave birth?" and to get the same compliment 3x in the same day is wow I must really be looking good today. Hahahaha..I'm so vain!
I told Ryan when we were only married for a few years my personal goal is to look like a hip young mom. Alright of course I will not always be young but I really want to look cool and act my age nicely. Just like lola...she was sooo elegantly beautiful. Let us not forget that if I don't dress up nicely and I am with Iaree in expensive play areas other Filipino maids approaches me to ask "Alaga mo?" (in english, is that the kid you take care of?) or..."Chinese amo mo?" (seeing my daughter looking like Chinese they would assume that I work for Chinese family and taking care of this pretty Chinese girl) hahaha...So I hope you would pardon me for my guilty pleasure for looking good once in a while and basking on the compliments.
Oh and a new addition the the list -- Ryan and I attended his colleague's wedding. An office mate who didn't make it saw our photos and was teasing Ryan "Hey who's that babe you were with on Choo's wedding? Does your wife know about this?" It didn't register to him immediately that it was actually his wife his office mate was referring to. LOL!
So there...I don't care I'm guilty as charged for vanity! Hahaha.
Nov 24, 2011
The Ipad2 reward system
There's no turning back our 4 yr old daughter is a gadget junkie. With kids nowadays who isn't?
It all started when this little 6 month old baby witness her mom & dad working from home...she had her own portable DVD for travel purposes then so on & so forth. With the Ipad2 we decided to make it a bit different and let her use it when she behaved well during the day. Strictly imposed no use rule if she misbehaved. So far it seems to be working for her so aside from the educational benefits - we try to make her read more complicated words beyond the CVC method & entertainment purpose it brings - she loooves playing games related to cooking & dressing up it helps that we get to use it to discipline her.
It all started when this little 6 month old baby witness her mom & dad working from home...she had her own portable DVD for travel purposes then so on & so forth. With the Ipad2 we decided to make it a bit different and let her use it when she behaved well during the day. Strictly imposed no use rule if she misbehaved. So far it seems to be working for her so aside from the educational benefits - we try to make her read more complicated words beyond the CVC method & entertainment purpose it brings - she loooves playing games related to cooking & dressing up it helps that we get to use it to discipline her.
Sep 8, 2011
Back to work - New Role! New Life!
If there is one thing I know I am good at that is studying.
I love a lot of things in learning new stuff, being creative and having the chance to express yourself. Well I am hopeful this is what this new role will bring me.
Buh-bye overly dramatic and stressful recruitment delivery work!
Hello to my unrealized dream career!
Way back when I started in HR there are 2 things I absolutely love -
1) Recruitment: for giving me a chance to find that perfect match (company & new employee), being able to network, learning a lot from people (both my hiring managers & candidates)
2) Training: the positive energy it brings, the things I learn and again the networking
To focus on recruitment was an obvious choice and easy path however the mundane unnecessary issues I was facing (before I went for maternity leave) coupled with lack of incentive for me sucked the joy out of my love for it. I never had much opportunity in training and on the 3rd year of my progressing career in the Phil I was told that I have to start from the bottom again to shift to this path. So I took my masters instead hoping one day I will be able to either teach or move to clinical psychology. My life obviously had different twists and turns back then but now is my chance to start over and pursue it this time. I know later the work load will increase but as long as the passion and the joy of the job is there then no work will ever be that terrible you'd want to spit it out of your system.
So here's to my new path!New life having 2 kids this time and hopefully hopefully on a personal aspect...lesser stress at home courtesy of my mom and her incessant nagging of our maid.Wish me luck!
I love a lot of things in learning new stuff, being creative and having the chance to express yourself. Well I am hopeful this is what this new role will bring me.
Buh-bye overly dramatic and stressful recruitment delivery work!
Hello to my unrealized dream career!
Way back when I started in HR there are 2 things I absolutely love -
1) Recruitment: for giving me a chance to find that perfect match (company & new employee), being able to network, learning a lot from people (both my hiring managers & candidates)
2) Training: the positive energy it brings, the things I learn and again the networking
To focus on recruitment was an obvious choice and easy path however the mundane unnecessary issues I was facing (before I went for maternity leave) coupled with lack of incentive for me sucked the joy out of my love for it. I never had much opportunity in training and on the 3rd year of my progressing career in the Phil I was told that I have to start from the bottom again to shift to this path. So I took my masters instead hoping one day I will be able to either teach or move to clinical psychology. My life obviously had different twists and turns back then but now is my chance to start over and pursue it this time. I know later the work load will increase but as long as the passion and the joy of the job is there then no work will ever be that terrible you'd want to spit it out of your system.
So here's to my new path!New life having 2 kids this time and hopefully hopefully on a personal aspect...lesser stress at home courtesy of my mom and her incessant nagging of our maid.Wish me luck!
Jul 15, 2011
GIFT
Birthing gift, anniversary gift, Christmas Gift, 2012 Birthday Gift, Valentines Gift all in one courtesy of Mr. Ryan.
Jul 6, 2011
Baby Liezl - The birthing story
Monday - June 27, 2011
My gynecologist Dr. Yap has ordered me to rest this week. Work was really crazy and it was only a few days back that they finally decided that yes I can hand over to my colleague. Frankly I can't believe that I have reached this point that I still did not have a replacement. I can't even make an announcement to the hiring managers that I liaise with as there were no definite plans. Despite the flexibility my boss gave me to work from home occasionally, it still did not alleviate how stressful things in the office are. In fact Ryan commented that I'm far worst working from home since I hardly get up and do not go for breaks compare to going to the office where I have to walk to the mall to get my lunch and ladies room is far from where I sit. Add to this fact that I am driving my family crazy with my volatile temper.
Anyway it was Monday and the stubborn me declared that I will still go to work (blatantly ignoring doctors orders) however when I stepped into the shower I was bleeding a bid. Contractions? I got so used to it that I hardly feel it. I called my doctor's HP and she told me it's a "show" (I had to look it up in BabyCenter after the call to find out what she meant) and she said wait for the contactions it can either be today or a few days more.
So I obviously stayed at home and continued to file for my medical leave.
Night came and nothing. No regular contractions..yes the pain was there especially at night but it doesn't progress.
Tuesday..Wednesday..Thursday...waiting mode. I was still bleeding but not profusely or alarming nor were the contractions. However doing nothing at home really helped a lot. I was not that uptight anymore and I can feel the excitement building that Baby Liezl is about to come out.
Friday - July 1, 2011
After that 4 days rest at home it was time to see my doctor. We dropped Iaree off to school and on the way to doctor's clinic I was feeling the frequent and more intense contractions. Hmmm..again I am so used to it that while in the waiting lounge of the clinic Ryan & I was browsing the Transformer's movie sched. It was only 9:45 AM and we are targeting the 11AM show, Ryan was about to click the buy online button but I said lets see what the doctor says first. I was getting hungry so we decided to grab breakfast before seeing Dr.Yap since she was still with a patient. When we returned to the clinic few minutes after her door was open and we hardly stepped in her private room she was already questioning me "What are you still doing here???!!" I replied..."err..we are here to pick you up and take you to the hospital"
"Aiyoo go now I'll see you in the hospital before lunch" She touched my tummy and said "You are havin contractions??!!" I replied "Ummm..I think so since 9:15 this morning" Then she shooed us away..I even attempted to ask her "So is it really now like now NOW? Because we wanted to go see a movie first" Hahaha of course she did not let us anymore and she even bragged that she was going with her twins and hubby on Saturday to watch it too.
So Ryan and I decided that we still have time anyway let's go back to the house to get the SLR. Not only were we planning to watch a movie that day, we needed to go and buy a replacement point and shoot cam as ours got broken few weeks back...so if this is really happening now we have no choice but to bring the SLR.
15 mins away from the hospital Ryan got a call on his mobile. It was Dr. Yap!She was looking for us and apparently she's at the labor room and I wasn't there. Hahahaha she wanted to scold me but at least she was relieved that we weren't too stubborn to watch a movie instead of heading to the hospital. At least we are on the way there now. LOL.
PANTAI MEDICAL HOSPITAL:
My oh my the parking lot was packed. Because we were so embarrassed that Dr. Yap was already there I got off and walked myself to the labor room. I even went to the wrong floor where the maternity wards were located and the lady guard even asked what I was doing there -I told here I'm giving birth today.
Once I was settled in the bed Dr. Yap casually walked and informed me "I will break your water bag okay?" then she turned to the nurses "if her contractions do not intensify or not that consistent put a drip on her". Nanay ko!I heard that drip can be painful talaga...before she went for her lunch I was inquiring about the epidural because the pain wasn't too much I thought maybe this time I don't need one. But she told me and Ryan the pain level would be the same so go for the epidural knowing my pain threshold last time. Hehehe..
Ryan went to the car to get the tripod and other stuff. While he was away they made me order my lunch, dinner and breakfast for the next day. When he got back they have delivered my lunch..at this point the pain was beginning to getting into me it was around 12:45 PM. I told Ryan not to starve himself and grab something to eat or he can have my lunch. I don't have the appetite to eat anymore. To distract myself from the more frequent pain of contractions I logged in to FB but cant stay online long enough as it's getting more and more painful. The nurses asked me if I already want my epidural but I still wanted to wait out for a bit. I wonder for what do I like to wait for (I was also like this with Iaree's birth) realistically speaking the pain is unbearable for me. I told them to call the doctor maybe around 1:15 PM ish..we have agreed to this time because they advised that some doctors go back to their homes after lunch so while they are here and haven't gone for lunch yet better catch them.
I tried not to visualize how big the epidural needle is luckily my pain was still bearable so I was still mobile. However it was nerve-racking to hear the Anesthesiologist scolding and I mean really scolding the nurses for preparing the wrong whatever. I only got the part that the epidural will take longer to have an effect on me because of this mistake. In my mind I tried to see the humor in the doctor's angry lecture to the nurses but really?!
After a while the pain started unfortunately 30 mins has passed and the epidural doesn't seem to be helping. This was the agonizing pain here. So they said to wait for a while..after 15 mins more it wasn't doing it for me. My contractions were spiking up to 70-80 and it was crazy. When I came in it was 30-40. I lost track when it was they put the drip to increase the contractions but I guess that's what made matters worst. Seriously it was so pain free during Iaree's labor. I was screaming and crying due to pain and I was under epidural. Then I was also having problems with my right leg which was so numb. I was so uncomfortable. The nurses received instructions to increase my epidural dosage. After a few minutes that didn't help!! They refilled the epidural with more and that somehow helped. That was around 3 PM I guess because everything was happening so fast they checked me twice and I was already 7-8 cm dilated so they have called Dr. Yap back in.
Before 4PM Dr. Yap was prepping me for the delivery. She also declared that it was her birthday that day that's why she was dressed so nicely and I am making her deliver my baby. Hahaha. We also had a Filipino nurse helping us. Dr. Yap was giving me last minute tutorials (in reference to my lack of pushing skills last time). It seemed pretty effective but was not enough. After a few tries (and I was getting really tired) she asked if I needed some help. I said 2 more pushes if I really can't go for the forcep.
They were really very encouraging and they said I was doing good but I still needed help. Good thing I asked for it because there was also another reason I can't bring her out by merely pushing...the cord was tied to Liezl's neck 2 times. So this time they did not give Ryan the option to cut the cord as they had to do it quickly. I am so grateful nothing bad happened to Liezl. As Dr. Yap explained later it was because my umbilical cord was so long that it didn't harm her.
Finally Allysa Rielle was out at 4:15 PM, July 1, 2011. Ryan later came back and told me she weighed 3.59 KG when we were expecting a 3.1 KG baby. It was a painful but rewarding ordeal and I was so happy to have our new baby in my arms. The very very excited ate was getting anxious why she was not allowed to go inside the delivery room but a few hours after she was rewarded with a pretty bundle of playmate wrapped in a pink blanket.
My gynecologist Dr. Yap has ordered me to rest this week. Work was really crazy and it was only a few days back that they finally decided that yes I can hand over to my colleague. Frankly I can't believe that I have reached this point that I still did not have a replacement. I can't even make an announcement to the hiring managers that I liaise with as there were no definite plans. Despite the flexibility my boss gave me to work from home occasionally, it still did not alleviate how stressful things in the office are. In fact Ryan commented that I'm far worst working from home since I hardly get up and do not go for breaks compare to going to the office where I have to walk to the mall to get my lunch and ladies room is far from where I sit. Add to this fact that I am driving my family crazy with my volatile temper.
Anyway it was Monday and the stubborn me declared that I will still go to work (blatantly ignoring doctors orders) however when I stepped into the shower I was bleeding a bid. Contractions? I got so used to it that I hardly feel it. I called my doctor's HP and she told me it's a "show" (I had to look it up in BabyCenter after the call to find out what she meant) and she said wait for the contactions it can either be today or a few days more.
So I obviously stayed at home and continued to file for my medical leave.
Night came and nothing. No regular contractions..yes the pain was there especially at night but it doesn't progress.
Tuesday..Wednesday..Thursday...waiting mode. I was still bleeding but not profusely or alarming nor were the contractions. However doing nothing at home really helped a lot. I was not that uptight anymore and I can feel the excitement building that Baby Liezl is about to come out.
Friday - July 1, 2011
After that 4 days rest at home it was time to see my doctor. We dropped Iaree off to school and on the way to doctor's clinic I was feeling the frequent and more intense contractions. Hmmm..again I am so used to it that while in the waiting lounge of the clinic Ryan & I was browsing the Transformer's movie sched. It was only 9:45 AM and we are targeting the 11AM show, Ryan was about to click the buy online button but I said lets see what the doctor says first. I was getting hungry so we decided to grab breakfast before seeing Dr.Yap since she was still with a patient. When we returned to the clinic few minutes after her door was open and we hardly stepped in her private room she was already questioning me "What are you still doing here???!!" I replied..."err..we are here to pick you up and take you to the hospital"
"Aiyoo go now I'll see you in the hospital before lunch" She touched my tummy and said "You are havin contractions??!!" I replied "Ummm..I think so since 9:15 this morning" Then she shooed us away..I even attempted to ask her "So is it really now like now NOW? Because we wanted to go see a movie first" Hahaha of course she did not let us anymore and she even bragged that she was going with her twins and hubby on Saturday to watch it too.
So Ryan and I decided that we still have time anyway let's go back to the house to get the SLR. Not only were we planning to watch a movie that day, we needed to go and buy a replacement point and shoot cam as ours got broken few weeks back...so if this is really happening now we have no choice but to bring the SLR.
15 mins away from the hospital Ryan got a call on his mobile. It was Dr. Yap!She was looking for us and apparently she's at the labor room and I wasn't there. Hahahaha she wanted to scold me but at least she was relieved that we weren't too stubborn to watch a movie instead of heading to the hospital. At least we are on the way there now. LOL.
PANTAI MEDICAL HOSPITAL:
My oh my the parking lot was packed. Because we were so embarrassed that Dr. Yap was already there I got off and walked myself to the labor room. I even went to the wrong floor where the maternity wards were located and the lady guard even asked what I was doing there -I told here I'm giving birth today.
Once I was settled in the bed Dr. Yap casually walked and informed me "I will break your water bag okay?" then she turned to the nurses "if her contractions do not intensify or not that consistent put a drip on her". Nanay ko!I heard that drip can be painful talaga...before she went for her lunch I was inquiring about the epidural because the pain wasn't too much I thought maybe this time I don't need one. But she told me and Ryan the pain level would be the same so go for the epidural knowing my pain threshold last time. Hehehe..
Ryan went to the car to get the tripod and other stuff. While he was away they made me order my lunch, dinner and breakfast for the next day. When he got back they have delivered my lunch..at this point the pain was beginning to getting into me it was around 12:45 PM. I told Ryan not to starve himself and grab something to eat or he can have my lunch. I don't have the appetite to eat anymore. To distract myself from the more frequent pain of contractions I logged in to FB but cant stay online long enough as it's getting more and more painful. The nurses asked me if I already want my epidural but I still wanted to wait out for a bit. I wonder for what do I like to wait for (I was also like this with Iaree's birth) realistically speaking the pain is unbearable for me. I told them to call the doctor maybe around 1:15 PM ish..we have agreed to this time because they advised that some doctors go back to their homes after lunch so while they are here and haven't gone for lunch yet better catch them.
I tried not to visualize how big the epidural needle is luckily my pain was still bearable so I was still mobile. However it was nerve-racking to hear the Anesthesiologist scolding and I mean really scolding the nurses for preparing the wrong whatever. I only got the part that the epidural will take longer to have an effect on me because of this mistake. In my mind I tried to see the humor in the doctor's angry lecture to the nurses but really?!
After a while the pain started unfortunately 30 mins has passed and the epidural doesn't seem to be helping. This was the agonizing pain here. So they said to wait for a while..after 15 mins more it wasn't doing it for me. My contractions were spiking up to 70-80 and it was crazy. When I came in it was 30-40. I lost track when it was they put the drip to increase the contractions but I guess that's what made matters worst. Seriously it was so pain free during Iaree's labor. I was screaming and crying due to pain and I was under epidural. Then I was also having problems with my right leg which was so numb. I was so uncomfortable. The nurses received instructions to increase my epidural dosage. After a few minutes that didn't help!! They refilled the epidural with more and that somehow helped. That was around 3 PM I guess because everything was happening so fast they checked me twice and I was already 7-8 cm dilated so they have called Dr. Yap back in.
Before 4PM Dr. Yap was prepping me for the delivery. She also declared that it was her birthday that day that's why she was dressed so nicely and I am making her deliver my baby. Hahaha. We also had a Filipino nurse helping us. Dr. Yap was giving me last minute tutorials (in reference to my lack of pushing skills last time). It seemed pretty effective but was not enough. After a few tries (and I was getting really tired) she asked if I needed some help. I said 2 more pushes if I really can't go for the forcep.
They were really very encouraging and they said I was doing good but I still needed help. Good thing I asked for it because there was also another reason I can't bring her out by merely pushing...the cord was tied to Liezl's neck 2 times. So this time they did not give Ryan the option to cut the cord as they had to do it quickly. I am so grateful nothing bad happened to Liezl. As Dr. Yap explained later it was because my umbilical cord was so long that it didn't harm her.
Finally Allysa Rielle was out at 4:15 PM, July 1, 2011. Ryan later came back and told me she weighed 3.59 KG when we were expecting a 3.1 KG baby. It was a painful but rewarding ordeal and I was so happy to have our new baby in my arms. The very very excited ate was getting anxious why she was not allowed to go inside the delivery room but a few hours after she was rewarded with a pretty bundle of playmate wrapped in a pink blanket.
Jun 29, 2011
Baby Liezl - My Birthing Story (Part 2)
Monday - June 27, 2011
My gynecologist Dr. Yap has ordered me to rest this week. Work was really crazy and it was only a few days back that they finally decided that yes I can hand over to my colleague. Frankly I can't believe that I have reached this point that I still did not have a replacement. I can't even make an announcement to the hiring managers that I liaise with as there were no definite plans. Despite the flexibility my boss gave me to work from home occassionaly, it still did not alleviate how stressful things in the office are. In fact Ryan commented that I'm far worst working from home since I hardly get up and do not go for breaks compare to going to the office where I have to walk to the mall to get my lunch and ladies room is far from where I sit. Add to this fact that I am driving my family crazy with my volatile temper.
Anyway it was Monday and the stubborn me declared that I will still go to work (blatantly ignoring doctors orders) however when I stepped into the shower I was bleeding a bid. Contractions? I got so used to it that I hardly feel it. I called my doctor's HP and she told me it's a "show" (I had to look it up in BabyCenter after the call to find out what she meant) and she said wait for the contactions it can either be today or a few days more.
So I obviously stayed at home and continued to file for my medical leave.
Night came and nothing. No regular contractions..yes the pain was there especially at night but it doesn't progress.
Tuesday..Wednesday..Thursday...waiting mode. I was still bleeding but not profusely or alarming nor were the contractions. However doing nothing at home really helped a lot. I was not that uptight anymore and I can feel the excitement building that Baby Liezl is about to come out.
Friday - July 1, 2011
After that 4 days rest at home it was time to see my doctor. We dropped Iaree off to school and on the way to doctor's clinic I was feeling the frequent and more intense contractions. Hmmm..again I am so used to it that while in the waiting lounge of the clinic Ryan & I was browsing the Transformer's movie sched. It was only 9:45 AM and we are targetting the 11AM show, Ryan was about to click the buy online button but I said lets see what the doctor says first. I was getting hungry so we decided to grab breakfast first since Dr. Yap was still with a patient. When we returned to the clinic few minutes after her door was open and we hardly stepped in her private room she was already questioning me "What are you still doing here???!!" I replied..."err..we are here to pick you up and take you to the hospital"
"Aiyoo go now I'll see you in the hospital before lunch" She touched my tummy and said "You are havin contractions??!!" I replied "Ummm..I think so since 9:15 this morning" Then she shooed us away..I even attempted to ask her "So is it really now like now NOW? Because we wanted to go see a movie first" Hahaha of course she did not let us anymore and she even bragged that she was going with her twins and hubby on Saturday to watch it too.
So Ryan and I decided that we still have time anyway let's go back to the house to get the DSLR. Not only were we planning to watch a movie that day, we needed to go and buy a replacement point and shoot cam as ours got broken few weeks back...so if this is really happening now we have no choice but to bring the SLR.
15 mins away from the hospital Ryan got a call on his mobile. It was Dr. Yap!She was looking for us and apparently she's at the labor room and I wasn't there. Hahahaha she wanted to scold me but at least she was relieved that we weren't too stubborn to watch a movie instead of heading to the hospital. At least we are on the way there now. LOL.
PANTAI MEDICAL HOSPITAL:
My oh my the parking lot was packed. Because we were so embarrassed that Dr. Yap was already there I got off and walked myself to the labor room. I even went to the wrong floor where the maternity wards were located and the lady guard even asked what I was doing there -I told here I'm giving birth today.
Once I was settled in the bed Dr. Yap casually walked and informed me "I will break your water bag okay?" then she turned to the nurses "if her contractions do not intensify or not that consistent put a drip on her". Nanay ko!I heard that drip can be painful talaga...before she went for her lunch I was inquiring about the epidural because the wasn't too much I thought maybe this time I don't need one. But she told me and Ryan the pain level would be the same so go for the epidural knowing my pain threshold last time. Hehehe..
Ryan went to the car to get the tripod and other stuff. While he was away they made me order my lunch, dinner and breakfast for the next day. When he got back they have delivered my lunch..at this point the pain was beginning to getting into me it was around 12:45 PM. I told Ryan not to starve himself and grab something to eat or he can have my lunch. I don't have the appetite to eat anymore. To distract myself from the more frequent pain of contractions I logged in to FB but cant stay online long enough as it's getting more and more painful. The nurses asked me if I already want my epidural but I still wanted to wait out for a bit. I wonder for what do I like to wait for (I was also like this with Iaree's birth) realistically speaking the pain is unbearable for me. I told them to call the doctor maybe around 1:15 PM ish..we have agreed to this time because they advised that some doctors go back to their homes after lunch so while they are here and haven't gone for lunch yet better catch them.
I tried not to visualize how big the epidural needle is luckily my pain was still bearable so I was still mobile. However it was nerve-racking to hear the Anesthesiologist scolding and I mean really scolding the nurses for preparing the wrong whatever. I only got the part that the epidural will take longer to have an effect on me because of this mistake. In my mind I tried to see the humor in the doctor's angry lecture to the nurses but really?!
After a while the pain started unfortunately 30 mins has passed and the epidural doesn't seem to be helping. This was the agonizing pain here. So they said to wait for a while..after 15 mins more it wasn't doing it for me. My contractions were spiking up to 70-80 and it was crazy. When I came in it was 30-40. I lost track when it was they put the drip to increase the contractions but I guess that's what made matters worst. Seriously it was so pain free during Iaree's labor. I was screaming and crying due to pain and I was under epidural. Then I was also having problems with my right leg which was so numb. I was so uncomfortable. The nurses received instructions to increase my epidural dosage. After a few minutes that didn't help!! They refilled the epidural with more and that somehow helped. That was around 3 PM I guess because everything was happening so fast they checked me twice and I was already 7-8 cm dilated so they have called Dr. Yap back in.
Before 4PM Dr. Yap was prepping me for the delivery. She also declared that it was her birthday that day that's why she was dressed so nicely and I am making her deliver my baby. Hahaha. We also had a Filipino nurse helping us. Dr. Yap was giving me last minute tutorials (in reference to my lack of pushing skills last time). It seemed pretty effective but was not enough. After a few tries (and I was getting really tired) she asked if I needed some help. I said 2 more pushes if I really can't go for the forcep.
They were really very encouraging and they said I was doing good but I still needed help. Good thing I asked for it because there was also another reason I can't bring her out by merely pushing...the cord was tied to Liezl's neck 2 times. So this time they did not give Ryan the option to cut the cord as they had to do it quickly. I am so grateful nothing bad happened to Liezl. As Dr. Yap explained later it was because my umbilical cord was so long that it didn't harm her.
Finally Allysa Rielle was out at 4:15 PM, July 1, 2011. Ryan later came back and told me she weighed 3.59 KG when we were expecting a 3.1 KG baby. It was a painful but rewarding ordeal and I was so happy to have our new baby in my arms.
When mama brought in our very new "Ate" Iaree she can hardly contain her excitement and was so disappointed that the baby was still being bathed and napping it's taking like forever to see her. When our Liezl arrived it was truly a heart-melting moment for the sisters to finally meet. Iaree started to gently pat her cheek what would soon become (almost) pangigigil. LOL. Iaree didn't want mama to take her back home to sleep comfortably fearing that "what if the baby looks for her Ate and I'm not around?" no!I'm staying here with her.
And our new journey as a family begins with plenty of love and excitement for our 2 beautiful daughters.
My gynecologist Dr. Yap has ordered me to rest this week. Work was really crazy and it was only a few days back that they finally decided that yes I can hand over to my colleague. Frankly I can't believe that I have reached this point that I still did not have a replacement. I can't even make an announcement to the hiring managers that I liaise with as there were no definite plans. Despite the flexibility my boss gave me to work from home occassionaly, it still did not alleviate how stressful things in the office are. In fact Ryan commented that I'm far worst working from home since I hardly get up and do not go for breaks compare to going to the office where I have to walk to the mall to get my lunch and ladies room is far from where I sit. Add to this fact that I am driving my family crazy with my volatile temper.
Anyway it was Monday and the stubborn me declared that I will still go to work (blatantly ignoring doctors orders) however when I stepped into the shower I was bleeding a bid. Contractions? I got so used to it that I hardly feel it. I called my doctor's HP and she told me it's a "show" (I had to look it up in BabyCenter after the call to find out what she meant) and she said wait for the contactions it can either be today or a few days more.
So I obviously stayed at home and continued to file for my medical leave.
Night came and nothing. No regular contractions..yes the pain was there especially at night but it doesn't progress.
Tuesday..Wednesday..Thursday...waiting mode. I was still bleeding but not profusely or alarming nor were the contractions. However doing nothing at home really helped a lot. I was not that uptight anymore and I can feel the excitement building that Baby Liezl is about to come out.
Friday - July 1, 2011
After that 4 days rest at home it was time to see my doctor. We dropped Iaree off to school and on the way to doctor's clinic I was feeling the frequent and more intense contractions. Hmmm..again I am so used to it that while in the waiting lounge of the clinic Ryan & I was browsing the Transformer's movie sched. It was only 9:45 AM and we are targetting the 11AM show, Ryan was about to click the buy online button but I said lets see what the doctor says first. I was getting hungry so we decided to grab breakfast first since Dr. Yap was still with a patient. When we returned to the clinic few minutes after her door was open and we hardly stepped in her private room she was already questioning me "What are you still doing here???!!" I replied..."err..we are here to pick you up and take you to the hospital"
"Aiyoo go now I'll see you in the hospital before lunch" She touched my tummy and said "You are havin contractions??!!" I replied "Ummm..I think so since 9:15 this morning" Then she shooed us away..I even attempted to ask her "So is it really now like now NOW? Because we wanted to go see a movie first" Hahaha of course she did not let us anymore and she even bragged that she was going with her twins and hubby on Saturday to watch it too.
So Ryan and I decided that we still have time anyway let's go back to the house to get the DSLR. Not only were we planning to watch a movie that day, we needed to go and buy a replacement point and shoot cam as ours got broken few weeks back...so if this is really happening now we have no choice but to bring the SLR.
15 mins away from the hospital Ryan got a call on his mobile. It was Dr. Yap!She was looking for us and apparently she's at the labor room and I wasn't there. Hahahaha she wanted to scold me but at least she was relieved that we weren't too stubborn to watch a movie instead of heading to the hospital. At least we are on the way there now. LOL.
PANTAI MEDICAL HOSPITAL:
My oh my the parking lot was packed. Because we were so embarrassed that Dr. Yap was already there I got off and walked myself to the labor room. I even went to the wrong floor where the maternity wards were located and the lady guard even asked what I was doing there -I told here I'm giving birth today.
Once I was settled in the bed Dr. Yap casually walked and informed me "I will break your water bag okay?" then she turned to the nurses "if her contractions do not intensify or not that consistent put a drip on her". Nanay ko!I heard that drip can be painful talaga...before she went for her lunch I was inquiring about the epidural because the wasn't too much I thought maybe this time I don't need one. But she told me and Ryan the pain level would be the same so go for the epidural knowing my pain threshold last time. Hehehe..
Ryan went to the car to get the tripod and other stuff. While he was away they made me order my lunch, dinner and breakfast for the next day. When he got back they have delivered my lunch..at this point the pain was beginning to getting into me it was around 12:45 PM. I told Ryan not to starve himself and grab something to eat or he can have my lunch. I don't have the appetite to eat anymore. To distract myself from the more frequent pain of contractions I logged in to FB but cant stay online long enough as it's getting more and more painful. The nurses asked me if I already want my epidural but I still wanted to wait out for a bit. I wonder for what do I like to wait for (I was also like this with Iaree's birth) realistically speaking the pain is unbearable for me. I told them to call the doctor maybe around 1:15 PM ish..we have agreed to this time because they advised that some doctors go back to their homes after lunch so while they are here and haven't gone for lunch yet better catch them.
I tried not to visualize how big the epidural needle is luckily my pain was still bearable so I was still mobile. However it was nerve-racking to hear the Anesthesiologist scolding and I mean really scolding the nurses for preparing the wrong whatever. I only got the part that the epidural will take longer to have an effect on me because of this mistake. In my mind I tried to see the humor in the doctor's angry lecture to the nurses but really?!
After a while the pain started unfortunately 30 mins has passed and the epidural doesn't seem to be helping. This was the agonizing pain here. So they said to wait for a while..after 15 mins more it wasn't doing it for me. My contractions were spiking up to 70-80 and it was crazy. When I came in it was 30-40. I lost track when it was they put the drip to increase the contractions but I guess that's what made matters worst. Seriously it was so pain free during Iaree's labor. I was screaming and crying due to pain and I was under epidural. Then I was also having problems with my right leg which was so numb. I was so uncomfortable. The nurses received instructions to increase my epidural dosage. After a few minutes that didn't help!! They refilled the epidural with more and that somehow helped. That was around 3 PM I guess because everything was happening so fast they checked me twice and I was already 7-8 cm dilated so they have called Dr. Yap back in.
Before 4PM Dr. Yap was prepping me for the delivery. She also declared that it was her birthday that day that's why she was dressed so nicely and I am making her deliver my baby. Hahaha. We also had a Filipino nurse helping us. Dr. Yap was giving me last minute tutorials (in reference to my lack of pushing skills last time). It seemed pretty effective but was not enough. After a few tries (and I was getting really tired) she asked if I needed some help. I said 2 more pushes if I really can't go for the forcep.
They were really very encouraging and they said I was doing good but I still needed help. Good thing I asked for it because there was also another reason I can't bring her out by merely pushing...the cord was tied to Liezl's neck 2 times. So this time they did not give Ryan the option to cut the cord as they had to do it quickly. I am so grateful nothing bad happened to Liezl. As Dr. Yap explained later it was because my umbilical cord was so long that it didn't harm her.
Finally Allysa Rielle was out at 4:15 PM, July 1, 2011. Ryan later came back and told me she weighed 3.59 KG when we were expecting a 3.1 KG baby. It was a painful but rewarding ordeal and I was so happy to have our new baby in my arms.
When mama brought in our very new "Ate" Iaree she can hardly contain her excitement and was so disappointed that the baby was still being bathed and napping it's taking like forever to see her. When our Liezl arrived it was truly a heart-melting moment for the sisters to finally meet. Iaree started to gently pat her cheek what would soon become (almost) pangigigil. LOL. Iaree didn't want mama to take her back home to sleep comfortably fearing that "what if the baby looks for her Ate and I'm not around?" no!I'm staying here with her.
And our new journey as a family begins with plenty of love and excitement for our 2 beautiful daughters.
Jun 28, 2011
Baby Liezl - my second pregnancy story (Part 1)
We've been wanting to have a second baby so the age gap of Iaree and her sibling will be just right. We wanted Iaree to be big enough to be independent and understand things. Financially speaking we were really aiming for the regularization from my company as it was promised to me a year back(this is for better maternity coverage) however there seemed to be no clarity on this so we gave it a go.
We got the good news that I am expecting November 2010! It was such a delight for all of us and Iaree was the 1st we told..she was so excited she thought the baby will come out instantly from the time we told her. From then on she learned about the word "ATE" and refused to be the "baby Iaree" we fondly call her. She became very protective of me & my tummy. Always volunteering to take care of me when I am throwing up or simply not feeling well. We can't be more proud of her really. This made me & Ryan all the more excited with our new addition.
The pregnancy was a bit tougher I threw up more often and can't take food as much as when I was pregnant with Iaree. I had to avoid a lot of fruits..unlike with Iaree I can take almost anything. Then in the middle I also got soooo sick that I had to take antibiotics. I never had to with Iaree so I was soo scared. With a toddler in tow, a hectic job & feelings like this it was a whole new experience for me that wasn't so welcoming I was starting to think did I age that much to be pregnant again?
Completed the 5th month and the "morning sickness" came less to a point I thought it was gone. But I spoke too soon..I did have it less often but up to the 7th month I was still throwing up and having nauseous bouts.
Imagine my delight for food after the 7th month not to mention the work stress level kept on increasing...with no career progression or regularization in sight. I always had food on my table and I eat desserts like crazy after lunch breaks. Hahahaha. Just between my 34-36 week of pregnancy I gained about 3-4 KG and Baby Liezl from 2.8 something became 3.1!!!!So doctor said..okay baby's ready to come out anytime..hahahaa. I was put on diet just to be sure. First week of diet, weight maintained but the baby still gained. Second & 3rd week of diet I was losing weight the baby's was constant. Or so we thought...then contractions I had...
I think I started having contractions 35th week. I read somewhere it can be stress contractions too. Must be due to work. Hmp! We have sent mixed signals to our bosses especially for Ryan who is working in the faraway land of Cyberjaya where it's not practical to bring the car everyday. He's at the mercy of the bus schedule so he had to inform his boss every time there's a possibility of me delivering. People were always waiting for baby to come out that after a few weeks the questions that Ryan & I are both getting were - "you're still here?" or "baby is not out yet?" because despite the early warnings signs the baby just felt cozy inside my tummy and stayed on. And Ryan really made me diet and walk ok. We park at the other side of 1 Utama mall and my office is at the other far end (for my friends in the Phil - imagine Greenbelt 5 to SM). He used to pick me up at the lobby of our office but not this time.
There was this Friday on my 37-38 week of pregnancy that we really thought this is it. The contractions were 10 mins apart and very very painful. We decided to go to the hospital but in the car the contractions were gone. Ryan said just try to walk it out in the hospital. But even after an hour of walking around the contractions didn't return as painful or as frequent. Besides if I do deliver that night I am so tired from all the walking.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of the story. Birthing time!
Feb 14, 2011
The "list"
As teenagers, we would come up with an ideal picture of a future boyfriend/girlfriend and maybe eventually a spouse. Inspired with the celebrity crushes and for my case the heroes in the romance novels that I was reading. Some experts say we even start this earlier in childhood where all the fairy tales have a "and they lived happily ever ever" ending.
The "list" or criteria never changed for me over the time as I grew up. Typical handsome, intelligent, nice and well-to-do guy. Some of my friend's list even tend to be more specific and longer...hehehe. But there were also times that I was so blinded when I meet someone that I don't even bother with the criteria or lists. Just with the feeling it gives me to have that "shower of attention". In retrospect after crying a bucket of tears too) "ooohhh we didn't even have a proper intelligent conversation or we don't even like the same things, etc".
So while some "settle" and some stick to the list doesn't all the time translate to finding "the one". It's not exactly something that predicts success rate in marriage either. I just got into this chain of thought because of the arranged marriage that some cultures still adhere to and some people have to suffer to comply to the rules of society.
Proud to say though, as hubby and I both agree, with God's will we really met each other at the right time and place. Had it been otherwise we don't think we'd hit it off. Which will be too bad because he had so many qualities that were not even on my "imaginary list". (no I really don't have one my close friends can confirm that) I am lucky to be blessed to be offered with more than I can expect - good & bad (hehe just kiddin' sweetie). So for my partner in life, bestfriend and guy who scraps the whole list thing...Thank God I found you.HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!
The "list" or criteria never changed for me over the time as I grew up. Typical handsome, intelligent, nice and well-to-do guy. Some of my friend's list even tend to be more specific and longer...hehehe. But there were also times that I was so blinded when I meet someone that I don't even bother with the criteria or lists. Just with the feeling it gives me to have that "shower of attention". In retrospect after crying a bucket of tears too) "ooohhh we didn't even have a proper intelligent conversation or we don't even like the same things, etc".
So while some "settle" and some stick to the list doesn't all the time translate to finding "the one". It's not exactly something that predicts success rate in marriage either. I just got into this chain of thought because of the arranged marriage that some cultures still adhere to and some people have to suffer to comply to the rules of society.
Proud to say though, as hubby and I both agree, with God's will we really met each other at the right time and place. Had it been otherwise we don't think we'd hit it off. Which will be too bad because he had so many qualities that were not even on my "imaginary list". (no I really don't have one my close friends can confirm that) I am lucky to be blessed to be offered with more than I can expect - good & bad (hehe just kiddin' sweetie). So for my partner in life, bestfriend and guy who scraps the whole list thing...Thank God I found you.HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!
Jan 31, 2011
Fun birthday!2011
It was a fun and relaxing birthday.
Hubby & I filed for a leave and the whole family went to Genting Highlands. This time around we stayed overnight. It was sooooo cold and as usual Iaree enjoyed the rides. It's nice to visit the place on a weekday when the queue is not so long so you do not get bored of waiting until the excitement simply dies. In just a few hours we have completed all the indoor rides. :)
Lovely weather except that such weather means the outdoor theme park is closed. I was not aware the location of our hotel was beside the closed outdoor theme park where it's sooo cold & chilly for you to reach the hotel itself. Brrr...
The next day, my mom had a few tantrums which was hard to figure out what she wants at first and making me feel she doesn't want to be there. In the end I think whatever she does she just don't want to do it alone (even if it means with my daughter). At first so she wont be bored we told her we'll buy tickets for her so she can go ride with Iaree though she agreed she wasn't too happy about going and was having high pitched irritated tone in her voice when asking questions so ok maybe she wants to go around I thought and doesn't want to be stuck with Iaree. When we let Iaree go for the rides herself (minus the ones she need companion) Ryan & I were watching over her so did mama then I thought she wanted to go around so I told her we'll watch over Iaree and she go where she wants. But no she also stuck around not sitting unless we sit or not checking out stores unless I do. Oh well minor glitch and normal mama tantrum.
We were supposed to stay for another night but with our situation that only Iaree is having activities and we are all watching her doesn't look like something else to do on a 3rd day. So we just thought we'll reserve that for later maybe when we have guests or we are so bored or feeling hot at home. We only drove by the way because a lot of bus drivers were on leave and the bus schedule is so limited. It wasn't so bad (hahaha says the passenger) I mean the travel took about an hour or less although cost wise with the petrol, toll fees & cable car return tickets it's more cost efficient to take the bus (which is at RM 9.60 / per person / way) cable car cost (RM 5 / per person / way) so go figure.
After lunch Iaree was so tired we decided to head back home. Since I can't cook a meal once we got home (all food are still frozen - very good excuse to dine out) we headed off to Betty's Midwest kitchen for an all-american dinner which we really enjoyed. We had a great family time :)
Down side Sunday I was having fever and was throwing up. If my manager's/client will not be on long leaves starting Tuesday I will not force myself to come to work today.
Hubby & I filed for a leave and the whole family went to Genting Highlands. This time around we stayed overnight. It was sooooo cold and as usual Iaree enjoyed the rides. It's nice to visit the place on a weekday when the queue is not so long so you do not get bored of waiting until the excitement simply dies. In just a few hours we have completed all the indoor rides. :)
Lovely weather except that such weather means the outdoor theme park is closed. I was not aware the location of our hotel was beside the closed outdoor theme park where it's sooo cold & chilly for you to reach the hotel itself. Brrr...
The next day, my mom had a few tantrums which was hard to figure out what she wants at first and making me feel she doesn't want to be there. In the end I think whatever she does she just don't want to do it alone (even if it means with my daughter). At first so she wont be bored we told her we'll buy tickets for her so she can go ride with Iaree though she agreed she wasn't too happy about going and was having high pitched irritated tone in her voice when asking questions so ok maybe she wants to go around I thought and doesn't want to be stuck with Iaree. When we let Iaree go for the rides herself (minus the ones she need companion) Ryan & I were watching over her so did mama then I thought she wanted to go around so I told her we'll watch over Iaree and she go where she wants. But no she also stuck around not sitting unless we sit or not checking out stores unless I do. Oh well minor glitch and normal mama tantrum.
We were supposed to stay for another night but with our situation that only Iaree is having activities and we are all watching her doesn't look like something else to do on a 3rd day. So we just thought we'll reserve that for later maybe when we have guests or we are so bored or feeling hot at home. We only drove by the way because a lot of bus drivers were on leave and the bus schedule is so limited. It wasn't so bad (hahaha says the passenger) I mean the travel took about an hour or less although cost wise with the petrol, toll fees & cable car return tickets it's more cost efficient to take the bus (which is at RM 9.60 / per person / way) cable car cost (RM 5 / per person / way) so go figure.
After lunch Iaree was so tired we decided to head back home. Since I can't cook a meal once we got home (all food are still frozen - very good excuse to dine out) we headed off to Betty's Midwest kitchen for an all-american dinner which we really enjoyed. We had a great family time :)
Down side Sunday I was having fever and was throwing up. If my manager's/client will not be on long leaves starting Tuesday I will not force myself to come to work today.
Jan 21, 2011
Iaree's surprising little ways
I have always been moved that at the peak of my "morning-noon & night sickness" Iaree is such a caring little girl. Every time she sees that I am not feeling well she will stay beside me and say "Mommy I will take care of you and the baby". There was a time I called at home and when I spoke to her she immediately said "Mommy are you feeling better now?".
Yesterday I was just being lazy to open up her still unpacked toys (from our move) and she wants me to open it. So I told her we need to clean up first then I left her...waah few minutes later she was calling out to me "Mommy I already cleaned up!" And cleaned up she did, there were no toys on the floor and the toys are properly put back to where they belong if there's enough space. So this weekend I hope to buy more cabinets for her other displaced toys so she can arrange it accordingly and so we can easily classify the baby safe toys from not and keep them for a while when the baby starts crawling and eating everything.
She had been sleeping with lola for 2 days now because daddy is so sick. Daddy was supposed to sleep out of the room but because we are night-time potty training Iaree difficult for me to carry her briskly to the toilet in the mid hours of the night. It's actually daddy & mommy having separation anxiety on this. The 1st night I keep waking up and hearing daddy's horrible coughing I decided against getting her from lola's room. So I resorted to hugging the pooh stuff toy :(. Then last night Ryan was protesting against letting her sleep with lola again whereas Iaree nicely said good night to us without any qualms.
Iaree is indeed growing up fast but we are proud parents of a smart, caring, sweet & sensitive girl who just have the right amount of stubbornness and kakulitan right for her age.
Yesterday I was just being lazy to open up her still unpacked toys (from our move) and she wants me to open it. So I told her we need to clean up first then I left her...waah few minutes later she was calling out to me "Mommy I already cleaned up!" And cleaned up she did, there were no toys on the floor and the toys are properly put back to where they belong if there's enough space. So this weekend I hope to buy more cabinets for her other displaced toys so she can arrange it accordingly and so we can easily classify the baby safe toys from not and keep them for a while when the baby starts crawling and eating everything.
She had been sleeping with lola for 2 days now because daddy is so sick. Daddy was supposed to sleep out of the room but because we are night-time potty training Iaree difficult for me to carry her briskly to the toilet in the mid hours of the night. It's actually daddy & mommy having separation anxiety on this. The 1st night I keep waking up and hearing daddy's horrible coughing I decided against getting her from lola's room. So I resorted to hugging the pooh stuff toy :(. Then last night Ryan was protesting against letting her sleep with lola again whereas Iaree nicely said good night to us without any qualms.
Iaree is indeed growing up fast but we are proud parents of a smart, caring, sweet & sensitive girl who just have the right amount of stubbornness and kakulitan right for her age.
Jan 18, 2011
Lazy
Feeling so lazy lately...can I blame the hormones for this?
Hahahaha.
So many pending for our personal stuff: Iaree's transport services, the yaya/helper, insurance applications...
Even feeling lazy to plan a trip for my birthday.
Hahahaha.
So many pending for our personal stuff: Iaree's transport services, the yaya/helper, insurance applications...
Even feeling lazy to plan a trip for my birthday.
Jan 17, 2011
Yaya hunt..errr..bringing yaya over to Malaysia
Well although the advantage for us is we have quite a few number of applicants eager to work abroad buttttttt the POEA requirement is a torture!!!
When we came here in 2006 expats like us can process our own helpers directly in the immigration and they will have a legal working visa. Now thanks to Philippine requirements unless the helper have a POEA membership. POEA membership which by the way cannot be simply be applied on your own but should be via agency who charges hundreds & hundreds of peso good enough for down-payment for a more worthy investment. Then POEA wonders why there are many illegal workers??!!!
Here we are ordinary citizens who are working for a living and just need someone to take care of our children. We are providing a good and legal employment to other Filipinos who are also aiming for a better future for their families and yet they don't acknowledge that. I mean the POEA can be all protective and stuff but as we are OFW's ourselves they should at least consider that we cannot simply afford the outrageous agency fees (which by the way requires us to get an agency in the Philippines and an agency in Malaysia).
So frustrated..I hope I find out how to solve this or else I would have to think of alternative ways for child care :( which I really hope not to especially we are in a foreign land. And we really do prefer a Filipino maid who we can easily communicate with.
When we came here in 2006 expats like us can process our own helpers directly in the immigration and they will have a legal working visa. Now thanks to Philippine requirements unless the helper have a POEA membership. POEA membership which by the way cannot be simply be applied on your own but should be via agency who charges hundreds & hundreds of peso good enough for down-payment for a more worthy investment. Then POEA wonders why there are many illegal workers??!!!
Here we are ordinary citizens who are working for a living and just need someone to take care of our children. We are providing a good and legal employment to other Filipinos who are also aiming for a better future for their families and yet they don't acknowledge that. I mean the POEA can be all protective and stuff but as we are OFW's ourselves they should at least consider that we cannot simply afford the outrageous agency fees (which by the way requires us to get an agency in the Philippines and an agency in Malaysia).
So frustrated..I hope I find out how to solve this or else I would have to think of alternative ways for child care :( which I really hope not to especially we are in a foreign land. And we really do prefer a Filipino maid who we can easily communicate with.
Jan 14, 2011
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