Currently...

1. listening - WQXR.com classical music station while rocking my baby to sleep

2. eating - just had a banana, waiting for my husband to cook dinner

3. drinking - water during the day, hot coco in the mornings

4. wearing - blue shirt, orange sweater, gray pants

5. feeling - hungry, can't wait for dinner

6. weather - really nice, in the high 40s today

7. wanting - I really want to get my pre-pregnancy body back! But I know that's gonna take a while...

8. needing - to organize my paperwork and take down the Christmas tree

9. thinking - about all the things I have to get done by tomorrow

10. enjoying - spending time with my family and taking care of our baby.

Help! My Newborn Doesn't Sleep!

I'm having a really hard time putting Bettina to sleep by herself. She zonks out easily while on the boob and when I'm holding her, but the minute I put her down she cries and wants to be picked up. I don't think noise bothers her because she doesn't even mind when we're at parties or places with lots of people, as long as she's held she sleeps through it and her eyes stay shut.

But at night is another story, sometimes she is wide awake and will not be put down. I make sure she's really full and burped and her diaper is dry but she just doesn't want to sleep without a warm body or without her mouth on a nipple. Weird! I thought babies are supposed to sleep a lot. And the phrase "sleep like a baby" wow, so not true! Babies, I found out are really loud sleepers, at least mine is.
Anyway, we are still co-sleeping which is easier for the early morning feedings and nappy changes. Hopefully it'll get better soon. I'm basically attached to her almost all the time. I don't really want to force her to sleep by herself or cry it out. I just feel like Ferberizing your baby is so traumatic for them and a brutal thing to do. I feel much better knowing my baby feels secure and comforted.

Shooting The Baby

My husband got a 35 mm prime lens for Christmas, of course his first subject was our one month old baby...

 Bettina's growing bigger each day, getting a fuller face and even a double chin!

 The cute pink beret hat was a gift from one of our friends.

 She's also more awake now with the biggest adorable brown eyes when she looks at you. Also showing off now by lifting her head more... Her hair stood up once we took off the hat :)

Tired and sleepy from daddy taking a lot of pictures. He must really love the new lens :) We are still using our old Nikon D90 but I lost the flash a while back. Actually my husband bought a Vivitar flash a few days ago but he had to return it the next day coz it stopped working after 10 shots. You get what you pay for, I guess...

Changing Cars

We recently had to let go of our BMW 328xi coupe and exchange it for a bigger car. I was having a hard time with it coz it's too low and small and you can't really fit a baby in the back of a sports car so... My husband's not really happy letting go of this car but practicality wins.

So now we have a 2012 Honda CR-V. Looks exactly like the one in the picture below. It doesn't drive like a BMW but it's a great car so far. Definitely much more comfortable for us now that we're a growing family. We got it in the color "urban titanium metallic" which really is sorta brownish. My only requirement was safety and reliability, leather seats and bigger cargo space, so this was good enough. My husband wanted an AWD with better gas mileage. I talked him out of buying a luxury car because they're so high maintenance.
We're gonna do a long drive this weekend for camping (around 500 miles back and forth, maybe more). So relieved that we have much more space now for the things we need to bring.

Locksmith Experience

Last night our friends decided to hang out at our place after having a really long dinner at a pho place near our house. Unfortunately, a friend of mine accidentally locked her keys and her 1-year old baby boy in the car. What an agonizing 15 minutes that was waiting for a locksmith while the baby was crying strapped in his car seat! So traumatic! Finally the guy came and asked my friend where she thought her keys were. She was in panic mode at that time and didn't remember so she said, "I don't care about the keys! Just get my baby out!!!"

After a really long 10 minutes of trying to open the car through the trunk (apparently the later edition Hondas have advanced security systems that disable a car completely if someone tries to break in and steal it) the guy finally fished out the keys from my friend's bag in the front seat. Thank goodness it was a tote with no zippers! So we finally realized that was why the locksmith's first question was "Where are the car keys?" In less than a minute baby was reunited with mommy and everyone exhaled sighs of relief and tears of joy. And the locksmith charged us $180 for his services.

Lesson learned: Accidents happen so I'm gonna give my parents a set of house keys and car keys just in case since they only live a few blocks away. It's less expensive that way :)

Old Apartment Tour

I haven't had time to update my blog in a while because we moved to a bigger place and I've been busy with so many things. Anyway, I'm feeling a little sentimental even though I don't miss our old place that much, just wanted to remember it...

We used to live in this tiny one-bedroom apartment that we called home for 2 years. Very convenient location but we also had to sacrifice some things like ease of parking and the noise level. Anyway, this was the living area with a balcony overlooking New York City.
Continuing with out apartment tour... We painted our living room walls a light green color (we used Benjamin Moore paint all over our very colorful apartment). We got 14 small Malma mirrors from Ikea and just hung them over the couch to cover the blank wall. The beige sofa we got from Raymour & Flannigan. You could also spot our surround sound speakers which were a real eyesore for me but it was great sitting here watching movies...
This corner was quite useless - just an old side table from my parent's house, a lamp from Ikea, our wedding album and some other stuff.
I love this wall hanging I got from Bed, Bath & Beyond. We had a nice time one weekend assembling our wedding pictures in it and arranging everything. It says 'LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH'. My husband's recording gear and guitar are in the corner coz we didn't have anywhere else to put it. Our small entertainment center - Samsung screen and home entertainment system, Wii, and magic mike that we hardly ever use but because we're Filipino, you've gotta have one :) I just put a tray on top of an ottoman so we could put more stuff on top of it like scented candles, a plant, and a mirrored box to hold our wires and chargers.
I miss our tiny kitchen. It was small but very efficient. Got the decal on the wall from Target.
I'm glad we have a bigger sink and a nicer faucet now but I miss having a dishwasher. I have to wash dishes by hand again... I love those blue Scotch Brite sponges, those are my favorite, I stock up on them when they're on sale :) I also can't live without my trusty Brita filter for the best tasting water on earth.
On our other kitchen counter - rice cooker, bread toaster, my set of awesome Cutco knives, cooking utensils, a jar for storing oil that we're planning to reuse, bread, scented candle, some magazines for recycling. Standard kitchen stuff.
Love our dining area, got the wall hangings from The Container Store. The black looks striking against the light blue walls. We chose dark furniture for our first apartment, it's just easier to maintain. The dining set is also from Raymour & Flannigan.
My favorite room - the bathroom. It's bigger than most because it's disabled-accessible. The tabo is an eyesore, I know, but they're not big on bidets here in the States. I was going to put a little storage system on the wall above the toilet but just never gotten around to it.
Got this decal from Target also. Really miss my pink bathroom...
This was my vanity area, I had a love-hate relationship with it because I loved that everything was accessible but also hated how everything was in full view.

We had a pretty dark bedroom, lots of heavy curtains that blocked light and noise from the outside. We got the popular Malm bed frame from Ikea, I know of at lease 2 other people who have the same bed :) Sheets are DKNY and Ikea.
So that concludes our apartment tour. Will do one of our new place when we're done fixing it up.

Getting Into The Holiday Spirit

I love this season, everything gets so festive and dressed up for the holidays. Got our tree up. Same exact one as last year, didn't change a thing...

Had date night with my husband last night. Went to the city to look at the nice store displays and light shows. Here's the facade of Fendi... Ridic! Dripping with lights and crystals.
Then there's the red bow Cartier always puts up every year.
There were so many people! Did everyone decide to go to New York City last night???
Anyway, the Rockefeller Christmas tree was gorgeous and breathtaking as usual. Didn't stay long as we had to grab some dinner and catch a show...
We were there fairly early - seats were sold out. Enjoyed the Rockettes' performance - they're really amazing!

On the way home, almost every radio station played Christmas songs. I love this season :)

Cute Little Things

Went to Crate & Barrel recently, I LOVE that store... actually, any store that sells housewares I love :) Anyway, I found these cute sauce holders and condiment spoons. I'm planning to put our soy sauce and vinegar in them for sawsawan. Can't get over them, they tiny and perfect!

Also got some cute baby boy clothes for a friend's baby shower. There's so much cute baby clothes out there, I just love shopping for them coz they're so small and adorable...
Speaking of babies, isn't this the cutest baby ever?
He's so round and fat! I love fat babies :)

Sick Of Chocolate

I've been sick for a few days now because I ate this...

My husband got them last Friday and I had some, even though I know I develop allergies when I eat something sweet. I know, it sucks. Good thing I'm not really fond of sweets, just sometimes when I want a cup of hot chocolate or a slice of leche flan or cheesecake... but I'd rather have savory than sweet. I just don't like being sick.

Having A Little Fun In The Kitchen

Got these egg molds a while back, found them at a specialty kitchenware store. They are so cute and adorable - hard to use with eggs but perfect for pancakes.

Haven't gotten the hang of it yet but I will :)
Just add some butter, maple syrup and some banana slices - it'll make a pretty breakfast...

My Husband's Ugly Shoes

No amount of cajoling can convince this stubborn man that I married. He just had to have these fugly footwear brand that I've been trying to steer him away from for the longest time. But we are going camping this weekend and he really wanted to get it for camp. I gave up because if the one you love wants to get something he loves, what are you gonna do about it? I just let it go this time, hopefully he will only wear them for camp and it will get so dirty and disgusting that I would have to throw them away afterward...

I swear to add insult to injury he had to get jibbits, which are cute if, say, you were 4 years old and had crocs, but he's a grown man, it looks kinda stupid if you ask me. Gosh, it was so exasperating, we were in that store for more than an hour and he came up with a tennis ball [he plays tennis], a race car [he likes to watch F1 racing], a guitar [he plays too], etc, you get my drift. He says they're really comfortable. Honestly, I tried on a pair, they're not. My slippers from A&F were a lot softer and a lot nicer for much less money. But he seems to be really happy with this purchase so I can't stay upset at him and his fugly shoes...

I have to close off this post with something pretty. I just have to...

I wanted to get a new watch to replace my Guess Waterpro that just stopped working last week. I had a few requirements though: it needs to have a second hand, it needs to be lightweight, and it needs to be water resistant to some extent. So first we went to Swatch, I was surprised that they didn't have a lot of selection with my specifications. I did end up buying a blue one because it was the only one that I kind of liked.

So we walked around the mall some more, my husband got a few shirts and shorts from Banana Republic, then we dropped by another watch store and what do you know, I found a better watch for exactly the same price!
And it's in my favorite color too! I just had to have it so I bought it on the spot. The straps are rubberized, if you're wondering. Now my dilemma was I didn't like the Swatch watch anymore now that I had this pretty thing. So we went back to the Swatch store and I told the gay guy who sold me the watch that I found something better. He told me that sorry, the watch can only be returned for store credit or exchanged for something else. I was crestfallen. I didn't want a Swatch. So he goes to his manager and thank goodness he was so nice. He said since I just bought the watch an hour ago that he would void the transaction, he felt bad for not giving me my money back. I was so thankful and I told them so and also apologized for the inconvenience, they were really gracious about it. See, that's customer service for you.

Spinal Adjustment

I had quite a busy day today, just now unwinding and waiting for the husband to come home from work too. I made a visit to the chiropractor after work today and she adjusted my spine. I've been having some low back pain and I have mild scoliosis, add to the fact that I don't have the best posture - I slouch all the time. Anyway, that was a good visit, I'm seriously considering getting regular treatments.

I got a full body massage after that which was a little intense than I had hoped. The masseur said I had very tense shoulders, so glad I had those knots and kinks out even though deep tissue massages are not very comfortable...

Also passed by my cellphone carrier on the way home to find out if I can get the trackball of my Blackberry Bold fixed. I'm a little iffy about signing a 2-year contract just to get a new phone. Although I am really thinking about getting this beauty...

I played with the Torch before because my brother has this, it's a pretty solid phone, I'm just not sure about getting a sliding phone, just coz I've never had a sliding phone before. It's either this or the iPhone, which I think my husband prefers. We shall see.

A Cool Souvenir

While we were sending out invitations for our wedding, we thought it would be fun to also send one to the Obamas. So here's the actual invite we mailed to the White House...

And here's what we received a few days before our wedding...
This is definitely one for the scrapbooks that we'll treasure, along with thousands of other people, I'm sure... :)

Happy Anniversary To Us!

Can't believe it's already been a year since we got married. I'm so blessed to have a wonderful husband. Now, allow me to relive a little of our special day...

Dress is from David's Bridal (actually featured on the cover of Bridal Guide magazine May/June 2010 issue), his tux is from Men's Warehouse.
Me and my bridesmaids. I just let them wear whatever they wanted as long as it was long and did not show any cleavage.
A fun moment with our wedding party (I don't remember where the bible bearer was at this time).
Reception kiss. I love this pic because of the kid's expressions, so cute! Looking forward to spending many, many happy years with you, babe!

Blooming Hyacinths

Our friends got us a little gift last weekend and now they're in full bloom. They smell wonderful too!

I wish I always have fresh flowers in my home all the time, it makes me feel like I'm rich, hehe. Not to sound like a snob or anything, but I can't stand fake flowers in a vase as decoration, they look really tacky to me.

A Walk In The Park

A few flower photos while strolling yesterday...

I love these gorgeous tulips! This is my best friend's favorite flower because she married a Dutch guy :)
I think these are called grape hyacinths, pretty cool coz I can hardly find blue flowers...
Narcissus flowers - this is probably the flower from the myth where this guy falls in love with himself after seeing his reflection in a pool of water. Also where they got the term narcissistic personality disorder... interesting.
Aster lilies... so elegant!
I love flowers, they make me so happy :)

Cleaning The Fridge

Finally got a chance to clean out the refrigerator. It's a fairly simple process but it takes a lot of time so I had to enlist my husband to help me.

Here are a few tips to efficiently clean a refrigerator...

1. Empty out your fridge contents before you start cleaning.

2. Remove all the shelves and drawers so you can hand wash them in the sink.

3. Give a good scrubbing to the inside walls of your fridge. You can use baking soda and water or vinegar and water. I prefer to use less toxic cleaning agents, don't want my food to smell like bleach or chemicals.

4. Be merciless in throwing out things that need to be dumped. Better to waste food than to ruin your tummy.

5. Use a box of baking soda for odor-control.

6. Group like things together and frequently used items within easy reach.

Now you've got a clean refrigerator you can be proud of even when unwanted nosy guests drop by :)

My Material Christmas Wish List

Only 4 items on my list of things I want. Note the word want. I have a longer list of things I need that money cannot buy but they're way too personal so I'm not gonna post them here. Anyway, here it goes (I doubt I'll get the first 3 but it's called a WISH list for a reason :))...

I've been wanting an ebook reader for quite some time now, it's the perfect geek present. For sure I will not be getting this anytime soon as it is already sold out till next year. I'll just have to borrow my dad's new kindle while I wait...

I'm so in love with this special edition HP Mini designed by Tord Boontje because it's so pretty! And you know I am a sucker when it comes to pretty things, combine that with anything tech related - I won't be able to resist it! I really liked the Vivienne Tam edition of the mini too but until now, I still don't know if I need a netbook for sure. My need is clouded by my want...

One of my friends has this and it's really cool and handy for capturing all the precious moments in life that only come once... The minimalist in me really likes the fact that there are no long cords to connect this to a computer :)

And because everybody else needs one, you will never go wrong with an iTunes gift card! It is pretty much a no-brainer and greatly appreciated :)

As I said, these are all non-essential, I could totally do without. Hopefully, we all remember that Jesus is the Reason for the Season :) Happy Christmas to all!