Not just another day

I had a very long day today. I accompanied one of the doctors who will conduct the medical mission on Feb 19-21 to the Philippine Regulatory Commission (PRC) to renew his license. I was really exhausted and tired and stressed out. Because of that I wasn’t able to prepare myself enough for tonight’s activity. It's our mid-week service..goodness!

I was assigned to lead the praise and worship songs for the service tonight. I was exhausted and about to complain but God reminded me that He is the one who made our days. He is the one who directs and leads our daily activities. I was reminded to be thankful instead of complaining. I was reminded to tune in my spirit and just go with the flow as I lead the people to worship. Worship leading is a huge responsibility. And it will be my responsibility tonight to make the people ready for worship and for God’s message. I just thank God that although I had a very strenuous day, I was able to lead the people and prepared their hearts.

I was also thankful for the message tonight. Pastor Roland quoted the advertising campaign of Adidas: “Impossible is Nothing”. It’s about doing the impossible, God’s way.

To sum it up, I still had a wonderful day!

Twice hurts

She had another bumped! This time, on her forehead. And I can tell it was really painful...and it's painful to see her cry as well.

My poor baby fall from our bed last night. It was an accident... but still, I'm blaming my self... and Jerry (he's the one who didn't notice our baby because he's busy attending to something but they are both inside the room while I'm preparing Jaden's milk...) How can we be so careless and inattentive again? Her crying is inevitable... and I'm really, really, really sad of what happened.

I won't let this happen again.

8 months

My angel...today, you turned 8 months. Surely time fly so fast!

At 8 months....
...you already have your first tooth. Just one :D
...you can crawl fast
...you had your first bumped
...you eat a lot! almost everything...
...you added another syllable from your "tata, baba, dada"..you said "mama"!
...you smile alot and laughed and scream loud
...you know how to clap your hands and I love seeing you do that everytime
...you know how to wave us goodbye when mom and dad goes to work everyday
...you watch tv like an adult
...you have your favorite tv ad.. (shampoo and colgate commercials)
...you love music, you want it when mommy sings you to sleep
...you can hold your bottle so mommy won't get tired on your nocturnal times
...you want to play with ate ac all the time. You get along very well.

I'm really amazed....look how you progress and grow!

Enduring the aged

Have you ever experienced dealing with an elderly? Those that is really annoying? I don't want to sound mean, but I'm really irritated today with one of them. I know that's not nice. not even fair. I just can't help to let this out...it's just that today, I've got an email from the man and the email quite upset me. (I was talking about the doctor whom I'm exchanging email with since I handled my boss' and their organization's medical mission). I know by now he may be feeling that I'm beginning to be a nuisance since I kept on bugging him of the documents that we need for them to get a permit to operate here. But he can't blame me. I was just following instructions from my boss and from the government agencies. And what he's sending is not what I need. But he kept on telling me that he already send them and today he told me that I am wasting his time by keeping on telling him that they still lack documents!???

I'm doing them a favor and yet...

Oh well. Anyway, I know I must be patient, uncomplaining and understanding...

Time will come when I will also reach that age and perhaps become a nuisance to someone else as well...I just hope I won't be that kind.

For now, I'll just bear with the situation.

God Knows and Directs Everything

"I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; ...I will give
you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you
may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of
Israel....

I form the light and create darkness I make peace and create calamity; I, the
Lord, do all these things." I have made the earth And
created man on it,
It was I -- ..."

Isiah 45: 2-12

This scripture tells us that God, who created the heaven and earth, knows his creation and everything that is happening with them. Even to the people He created. This reminds me that if He knows everything, he's also aware of our needs and present situations. All we have to do is asked for his continuous help and guidance.

Getting Along With Others

This was our Pastor's topic this morning. Actually, he's on a month-long series on the Principles of Joyful Living and this is one of his topic.

It's hard to get along with others sometimes. Its true, we can't avoid conflict but there's something we can do to resolve them, as Christians. He noted that "God doesn't want us to hold grudges"...

This message touched me in a way. I know I still have some unresolved issues with some people in the past. Being a Christian that I am, I did the things that I should do to resolve it. It's hard to make the first move specially if you're the one who's been wronged, right? But I did forget my pride and try to reconcile. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. Maybe at that time, they didn't want to work things out and make up. But I have already forgiven them. I just don't know if the issues are already finished with them. I don't believe in the saying that time heals wounds.. but I hope it did. Well, I just trust that someday, if opportunity comes and God will lead our paths to cross, forgiveness and reconcilliation will take place. I don't want to hold this forever in my heart.

Baby proofing

My daughter got a bulge on her head last night. She bumped into the corner of our cabinet while Jerry and I are preparing our dinner in the kitchen. My mistake is..I didn't put her in her crib and just left her on a mattress I laid in the living room. Silly me...I didn't think that she's likely to crawl. She's starting to get very active on her crawling and will go anywhere she wants to as long as she's free to move around. I hope she'll not get into the same accident again. This reminds me to start baby proofing the house immediately...Why didn't I do that before?

Saving...Budgeting..Extra Income

I just opened a savings account for me and my daughter a while ago. This is to finally put a check mark on my goal No. 1 (see this post).

I had one before but couldn't maintain it since the branch is inaccessible for me when I got married. So I had to closed it and open a new. I guess this is the start. I've been meaning to do it way, way back but I couldn't find the time. I think that as long as I haven't had a savings account my plans for saving won't push through. I used to lay away an amount from my earning every payday and labeled it as "SAVINGS" but when a time came that I chance something and wanted to buy it or when my budget got short, I eventually take it out from where I kept it and so, nothing's left to be saved.

This is my plan every start of the year. To saved. I hope this time procrastination won't kick in. I'm really, really eager to make it happen this time. I already started the year with an organized budgeting scheme and a coin bank where I drop every loose change we have, preferably 10 and 5 peso coins. I also started listing every expenses we made everyday, up to the very last centavo. This is to monitor where our money go...I find it very useful.

With an eight-to-five job with an average income and a husband who earns a meager salary (being a nurse in a rural hospital) plus a rented house and a growing child, and the credit cards to pay off (I'm eager to pay them off and get through them)...I know saving and budgeting would be a little hard. But I'm determined.

I'm also looking into getting some source of extra income... I'm searching and looking for ideas and possibilities. And I hope I can find one.

We live simply. But we get by though...with God’s help. And with God’s help, I believe this will happen. We can do it.

Clapped

Yes... And she's proud of it! It's another milestone of her life which I'm going to add to her list on her baby book. I'm thrilled to see this list completed one day. Although it made me feel a bit sad because that would mean, she's becoming a real person and she's growing….she’s not going to be a baby forever..I know.

A self-reminder

Before 2007 ends, I need to to this these things...

1. Save..save..save!
2. Read the word and have a quiet time, alone with the Lord
3. Be more agressive and pro-active
4. Be more organized

A Mother's Love

A Mother's Love

by: Crystal M. Jhonston

A mother's love is a treasure within.

Taking chances on ones little life to make sure they are safe and sound.

A mother's love is for her child

no matter how near or far they are from each other.

A mother's love is doing everything

to make sure her child's life is safe from harm.

A mother's love is taking the risk of losing her own life

to make sure her child can live out theirs.

A mother's love is unconditional

no matter what the child does.

A mother's love is always there pure and true.

A mother's love is there forever.

Sick

My poor babe is sick.

She's got cough and colds. She got the cold since Christmas and I thought she's over with it. But because we brought her out the other night, she had it again and its worst! Her cough is already 10 days old and keeps on bothering her sleep. Her pedia gave her cough remedy but I think, it's not effective. And last night, naawa na talaga ako sa continuous coughing niya. She's crying hard and I can feel na hirap talaga siya at pinipilit ilabas ang phlegm.

Haaay..kung pwede nga lang sakin na lang ang ubo niya para she'll be comfortable na. On her last check up nung Tuesday, her pedia told me na ibalik siya once di pa gumaling ang ubo after 3 days. Now, 3 days had past and still ganun pa rin siya. Natatakot na tuloy ako....

This afternoon, we'll bring her to her pedia. I hope this time, she'll improved and get well. We're trusting the Lord that this is just a simple cough.

7 months

I don't know, maybe I'm quite overreacting. Of course I know, babies differ, but I'm a little bit anxious of Jaden's development when she was six month old. Some articles I've read said that by six months, babies should begin crawling and teething. I'm frustrated because when Jaden was at that stage she didn't show any sign. My mom told me not to be anxious. Just give her time.

This month, Jaden turned 7 month old and guess what?? The GOOD NEWS: she's cutting her first lower teeth and she's beginning to crawl.

On her crawling:
When I arrived from work last night, my mother said :''hindi nyo na pwede iwan si baby mag-isa sa kama, Mahuhulog na yan... " My mother told me in detail how she's doin' it and we we're just so excited to see it, so when we got home, I put her to bed and let her reach for her toys…and she was just – all smiles and giggles – as she push her self and grab each toy.

On her teething:
Sad to say...her gums now are swollen and I think she's having a bad time of it and we're all suffering along with her. She's fussy and cranky and it seems to keep her up at night so kami rin napupuyat. But I think she can get over with it. She's a strong girl.

Jaden, now babbles words. She started speaking syllables like "dada"and "tata" (no mama yet. But she show a strong preference for me over her daddy. She want to see me palagi even if Jerry’s holding her she would stretch her arms and reach out towards me…) She’s so madaldal and I can feel she wants to talk already. When I'm at work and I'll check on her, mother will put the receiver on her and I’ll speak with her. She'll respond now na parang nakikipag usap talaga. Nakaka-aliw.

At ang likot! She wants to grab everything she sees. She wants to be with us on the dinner table and pinapagpag ang lamesa ..:D. She wants to eat everything na mahawakan, specially my cell phone. Ginagawang teether! my goodness!

eating pandesal

My baby is growing na talaga pero wala pa ring buhok! :D

frustrated mag clip!

Highlights of 2006

January - Got my new pair of eyesglasses.
February - Occular Inspection for company outing
March - The time we knew she's a GIRL!
April - Jerry's birthday!
May - Jaden Meekaila breathed her first
June - She was diagnosed of Neonatal Siezure and was scheduled for CT Scan
July - Our free Anniversarry Cake from Alex Franko, I turned 28
August - I went back to work
September - Alyssa's Birthday, Meek is 4 months
October - My blog turned 2
November - Meek can stand with support
December - Jaden Meekaila's Dedication day!

Looking Back....

It's the new year again...and I think people now have their own sets of "New Year Resolutions". As for me, I don't usually prepare one. I prefer to have goals..those that are attainable and not impossible to achieved.

But looking back....2006 has been a great year for me. First, God gave us our daughter, Jaden.. and we also celebrated our first year wedding anniversarry. God has been very good to us. Of course, there were the ups and downs along the way, but through them, we became stronger and more mature to handle life.

This year, I know that with God as the director of our lives, we'll get by and live according to his plans.

And I have a number of things in mind...

- First, I want to save. This is a priority this year. Last year, it was a plan but I wasn't able to make it happen. This year, I'm determined to make it happen. (Reminder to self: Open a Savings Account)

- Second, Budget. I want to have a more organized, budgeting plan with regards to our expenses.

- Third, I want to be more serious on my Quiet Time. I'm guilty of procrastination. I always start the year with a Bible-Reading Plan but I never follow it. I want to be more serious on my Bible reading now and quiet time with God. I want to be more serious on my prayer time and daily communication with God.

- Fourth, I want to be more pro-active on my career. Be more serious with work. :D

The rest, I still have to reflect. For now, this is my list of priorities.