Posts from — September 2007

I have been sifting through Erin’s cabinet lately and I was reminded of the pile of clothes that she has yet to wear. And since she is fast growing up to be a big girl, I might as well let her wear some of them even if we’re not going out. It would be a shame to put all these unworn but brand new clothes away. And to prove that these garments were really worn, I took photos of the little girl as evidence. Take a look-see!

It is so difficult to take a picture of her these days because she’s constantly moving. In other words, super likot! I get to click around forty shots to get about five really good shots of her. Thank God for digital cameras!

I reckon you’ll be seeing more of Erin’s fashion parade in the coming days. It’s just so fun dressing her up!

Yesterday, I received this letter from a fellow egroup member. It was about her friends’ newborn baby who was diagnosed to have Ondine’s Curse (or in technical terms Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome). Anyway, read on.

I am writing in behalf of my friends Joan & Carlo. They are former w@wies.

Joan gave birth to a baby girl last August 14 at Asian Hospital via CS. Her name is Hannah Ysabelle. When she was born, her lungs were full of mucus and she was diagnosed with pneumonia. Her pneumonia was treated already, but she still had difficulty breathing, she has to use a ventilator so she can breathe.

After some more tests, the doctors eventually found out that she has Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome. It is also known as Ondine’s Curse. In simple terms, nalilimutan nya huminga (she forgets to breathe). When Hannah is awake she’s having a hard time breathing, and when she’s asleep she’s not breathing at all. This disease is a lifelong disease and has no cure. And Hannah might be the first case in the Philippines .

So that Hannah can breathe, she has an intubator (tube inserted through her mouth) till last week. She had an operation called tracheostomy wherein an incision was made on her neck so that the tube can pass through there instead of through the mouth. When she was in the intubator, another tube is inserted through her mouth for her milk. Now that there’s no more tube on her mouth, she can now drink using a bottle.

After Hannah’s operation has healed, Joan and Carlo will be transferring her to Las Pinas Doctors Hospital anytime this week. Because in Asian, their daily expenses is around 20k/day, in LPDH its aound 6k/day. She has to stay in the hospital because she has to use a ventilator. A home ventilator for newborns in the Philippines costs around P1.5M.

Now, their bill in Asian Hospital is more than half a million already. This still excludes the payment for the CS (which was paid already), and the doctors PF (Hannah has 8 doctors).

With all the bills they have to pay, and other expenses that will come in the future, Joan and Carlo are now asking for donations. They’ve wiped out all their savings. They’ve written letters to institutions asking for help/assistance. They also requested if they can put tin cans in stores wherein people can put donations. If ever you see those tin cans around, please give a little bit of help.

Please also include them in your prayers. They really need all the help they can get.

It is heartwrenching! I am a mom myself and for some reason, whenever I see or hear babies suffering like this, I feel like crying. Maybe it is because I always put myself in their parents’ shoes as we have a little girl of our own as well. In other words, it is so easy to relate!

Another e-group member suggested that the parents should put up a website or blog especially for this so that other people may know about it and that they can ask for more donations. I think that is an excellent idea. But at this point, I think a third party must organize that as the parents are so busy taking care of Hannah. J naman suggested approaching the TV stations and have their case featured on air. I know lots of similar cases have done this and have been successful at raising funds. Also, it is good way of checking if all is legal and true and is not just one of those scams.

Okay, if you want to help this couple out, just go to their friend’s blog for more information. You can also help spread the word about baby Hannah by posting her case in your blog.

I’m back! Well, I haven’t really gone anywhere far. I’ve just been terribly busy lately that I have in a way neglected posting on our personal blogs.

So what, pray tell, am I focusing my attention on these past few weeks? I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I have been mentioning the phrase ‘the project’ occasionally in my earlier entries. Alright, the project is this. Both J and I (yes, it’s a partnership!) have been setting it up in between chores, work and caring for Erin. It’s barely a month old so it’s still pretty much a work in progress. And speaking of work, you could say that this is my ‘job’ for the moment and that now, I am officially a working stay-at-home mom.

Want to help me out with this project? If you know of anyone who will benefit from it, please do tell them about it. Also, I am very open to any comments or suggestions that you may have about the site. Don’t be shy to let me know of your thoughts.

Alright, I’m off to work. (naks!) You all have a great day ahead!

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Pahabol:
I haven’t been bloghopping much as you all know, but I stumbled into this really hilarious post in one of my rare hops. It definitely made my day! :D

I saw this meme over at Gloria’s blog. I thought it was fun so I decided to give it a spin myself.

Here’s what you need to do:
Go to www.google.com, write your name and the word “needs” in the text box and click the Goggle Search button. Just for fun, see what comes out of your search.

• Leah needs to shed the pounds and the sooner the better. (Uh, I don’t think so!)
• Leah needs healing. (I desperately need to go to a spa!)
• Leah needs a job topic. (Actually, I need lots for my project.)
• Leah needs more training before she becomes the big star that she is GOING TO BE. (Pang-showbiz pala ako! )
• Leah needs to raise more than $4000 to cover the cost of her trip. (Yeah, and we need it soon!)
• Leah needs to change her lifestyle by incorporating regular involvement in physical activity. (I really do need a change of lifestyle. *sigh* )
• Leah needs to watch herself on TV after she makes the rounds of the talk shows. (See, pang-showbiz nga ako! )
• Leah needs to apply herself more. (Err, I don’t exactly know where…)
• Leah needs to dream. (I agree! But how, when I’m usually sleep-deprived?)
• Leah needs a house now. (… of our own. Need I say more?)
• Leah needs more sleep than she gets and can be a handful if she’s tired. (‘Nuff said!)

I enjoyed doing the meme so much I googled J’s needs as well.

J needs…

• your votes again for most attractive man of the month.
• an adoptive parent who will be patient with him.
• a family that will provide structure
• to put the personal s**t or feelings aside
• support and encouragement to be successful
• as much freedom as possible so he can continue to explore and push his own boundaries

Hmm, google’s got some pretty hardcore and personal stuff there for J. Not as much fun as mine was.

Alright, your turn. Let me know if you did the meme and posted the results in your blog so that I can hop over to your site and see what you’ve come up with. Good luck!