ESCIE'S WORLD

Ready, Get Set, Go for Breastfeeding!

2011-08-17T11:58:00.007+08:00

"Welcome to the Milk Mama Diaries Carnival (August). For this month, we join the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action in it's "Talk to Me!" theme where participants will share personal experiences, insights or recommendations in communicating breastfeeding intentions and goals to their support system. Please scroll down to the end of this post and check out the other carnival participants."

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Breastfeeding is nature's precious gift to our babies but it is sad to think that according to UNICEF data only 34% of Filipino mothers exclusively breastfeeding their babies for six months. Lack of information and campaign drive for breastfeeding is the main issue why we have a low statistics.

Many soon to be mothers and mothers want to breastfeed but they don't make plans to breastfeed. They didn't realize that 80% of the work is done during pregnancy and 20% is the practical aspect after giving birth.

So, I'll be sharing how I gear up for breastfeeding.

1. Elucidate your Goal - the moment you knew you are pregnant decide to breastfeed your baby. Be firm with your decision. Our belief and attitude towards breastfeeding are formed from people around us. Allow breastfeeding moms influence you. Understand the importance of breastfeeding. Read/listen to their stories, ask questions and don't be afraid.

I like to quote Ms Rebecca Chin, President of Breastfeeding Mother's Support Group here in Singapore "Breastfeed like it's your responsibility and you don't have a choice, this way you won't be tempted to supplement".

And include your husband/partner in every planning and decision that you will make because he will play a very important role in your decision. He's your moral, emotional and physical support when you start your journey.

2. Equip yourself with knowledge - in our modern day society information is everywhere. Research online, read books, join breastfeeding class and workshop and seminar.

Breastfeeding book

Aside from yourself, share this knowledge to your husband/partner, immediate families, nanny or to anyone that will help you on breastfeeding. Find a support group who are also breastfeeding advocate.

3. Plan your birth - Take responsibility on your birthing choices.
Talk to your OB and discuss with him/her your birth plan and breastfeeding plan so they can consider rooming in your baby after giving birth.

According to Lamaze International, Mothers who room-in with their newborns produce more milk. Mothers who hold their newborns skin-to-skin also produce more milk.

And the most exciting part,

4. Build your breastfeeding nest

Must haves: nursing bras, nursing wear, nursing pads for leaking milk.

Optional: nursing pillows, breast pump, breast pump accessories, nursing mother's tea/food supplement and parenting paraphernalia like sling, carriers, co-sleepers and wrap.

Nursing pillow

Avent breast pump and accessories

My husband Rudy and I managed to prepare and equip ourselves for our son Rylee yet I just breastfed him for 18 days (My 18 days experience as a Nursing Mom).

I may stop breastfeeding at this moment but up to now I'm still adding knowledge about breastfeeding. I'm actively reading and participating every breastfeeding campaign. I love reading q&a discussion on my N@W e-group and other forums because I'm learning from their personal experiences. Someday soon I might use it :)

After our breastfeeding session

And lastly to be successful in breastfeeding, you must ENJOY and CHERISH the bonding moment with your most precious little one.

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You may also read other entries for this month :)

DaintyMom's Creating a Pro-Breastfeeding Culture in the Family (Facebook and Twitter: @Dainty_Mom)
Wifely Steps' On Breastfeeding: Say It, Claim It, Get Support! (Facebook and Twitter: @macaronigirl)
Truly Rich Mom's How To Get Others to Support You in Breastfeeding (Facebook and Twitter: @tinasrodriguez)
EthanMama's My Best Breastfeeding Support System - My Husband (Twitter: @ethanmama)
Raising Baby Lia's A Shoutout to my Breastfeeding Buddies
Jen CC Tan's I'm Breastfeeding, and That's That! (Facebook and Twitter: @next9baby)
Project Blog by Kate's Talk and Make it Happen (Facebook and Twitter: @kate_demetrio)
My Mommy Kwentos' How I Recruited my Top Breastfeeding Buddies (Facebook)
Apples & Dumplings Communicating and First Time Breastfeeders (Twitter: @apple_dumplings)
I'm a Newbie Wife's How I Taught My Family to Breastfeed
TouringKitty's Communication Through Breastfeeding (Twitter: @Touringkitty)
Mec as Mom's Pre-Natal Pediatric Consultations Are Necessary
Escie's World's Ready, Get Set, Go! for Breastfeeding (Twitter: @Escielicious)
Nanaystrip's BreasTALK : Text, Retweet, Share your Knowledge and Experiences (Twitter: @bunsonimaestro)
Superwomom's A-S-Ks (on breastfeeding questions, help, support)
Go Help Yourself's “6 persuasion tips for breastfeeding moms and advocates”
Legally Mom's Breastfeeding Talk Between Me and My Formula Fed Daughter (Facebook and Twitter: @legallymomPH
Handy Mommy's Couple's Communication and Decision: Key to Successful Breastfeeding
Chronicles of a Nursing Mom's Effective Communication Bucket List (Facebook and Twitter: @mamababylove)

Goodbye Chip

2011-08-12T16:05:00.000+08:00

Brave little fighter

Hero "Chip" Abrera

June 19, 2011-August 11, 2011

Please offer a minute of prayer.

You fought a great battle little brave fighter.

I'm so proud of you. You will be miss. I love you.

Christmas in August

2011-08-08T23:51:00.000+08:00

Nawies are having an exciting project and we call it "Project Fairy Godmother". The objective is to try to make one nawie wish come true. What I really like most is that you can be a fairy godmother and a Cinderella at the same time. :) It means you can also make a wish :)

I'm so excited. I can feel the Christmas spirit in the air. God is so good :)

Kudos to Ms. Benz Co-Rana for her brilliant idea. May God bless you a hundred fold.

Let's chip in for Chip

2011-08-01T11:08:00.001+08:00

Let's chip in for Chip | Help 1-month old baby Hero Chip get the heart operation he needs to save his life.

I woke up very early today (9:30 am) since I came home around 6am from my night job. Since I can't sleep, i just browse my FB and came across with si KV's post about this "fighter". As you all know my son Rylee passed away because of heart issue and after reading Chip's story I was really amazed with this little fighter. He's not only fighting for his life but also for his family. I can bet that his mom have a great faith above :)

So to know much more about Chip, check out his site.

Please help us this child.

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Hi. Meet Hero “Chip” Abrera.

He was born on June 19, 2011. He shares the same birthday as the Philippine national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal (hence the name). He’s barely a month old, but hopefully, someday, he’ll grow up to live up to his name.

A very promising start. Hero “Chip”, however, has a congenital heart condition. He has ventricular septal defect, or VSD. He has, literally, a hole in his heart. Specifically, a hole in the muscular wall (septum) that divides the left and right lower chambers (ventricles) of his heart.

This means that his heart gets overloaded due to the abnormal flow of blood. This puts a lot of strain on his infant heart, which pounds abnormally hard on his chest. It strains his lungs as well, which causes him to labor for breath.

If left untreated, his VSD can cause permanent damage to his lungs, or make his heart fail all of a sudden. Hero’s heart needs to be mended as soon as possible to prevent any further damage. But the cost of a heart surgery — PhP500,000++ or more than half a million (roughly USD $11,700) not counting the hospitalization and medicine expenses — is way too high for his young, twenty-something parents to shoulder.
Update: Chip’s official diagnosis is “large sub-pulmonic VSD .6 and an interrupted aortic arch”. Procedure to be done is open heart total repair surgery for little Chip. It is the interrupted aortic arch that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
To complicate matters, he was also born with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, a genetic disorder that makes him sensitive to certain food, drugs and other substances. These can include drugs that are used to cope with VSD and his mother’s breastmilk. He needs to be under a special diet. (If you notice that he has yellow skin and eyes, that’s jaundice resulting from this disorder.)
Hero “Chip” is being sustained by medications and care by competent medical staff in the Philippine Heart Center, but the surgery needs to be performed as soon as possible. Time is of the essence.

Hero “Chip” needs your help. Be Hero’s hero, and chip in for his heart surgery.

Can’t donate funds? Here are other ways you can help:

Rylee's 3rd month birthday celebration

2011-07-28T23:32:00.000+08:00

Rylee just turned 3months yesterday and I believe he's celebrating it with a blast in heaven together with all the angels. Since we can't be there to party, my husband and I together with our family decided to have a monthly celebration for our beloved little one :)

our little altar for Angel Rylee

Rylee's balloon from Daddy :)

with his yummy birthday cake

Happy Birthday Rylee pot-pot

with his lovable Mom and Dad

Mama La and Tita Ninang Sha


Rylee got some company [Tito JR, Tito Chan, Tito Edgar, Dad and Tito Royce]

1st time to celebrate my birthday in Singapore

My 18 days experience as a Nursing Mom

2011-07-22T20:16:00.148+08:00

"Welcome to the Milk Mama Diaries Carnival (July). For this month, we join the National Nutrition Council - Department of Health in celebrating Nutrition Month with the theme "Isulong ang Breastfeeding - Tama, Sapat at EKsklusibo!" Participants will share their experiences in promoting breastfeeding or their tips on how breastfeeding should be promoted. Please scroll down to the end of this post and check out the other carnival participants."

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I've been reading many blogs regarding nawie mommies sharing their experiences in breastfeeding and joining the DOH campaign. While reading their stories it came to my mind why not share my 18days journey with my Rylee.

During my pregnancy, Rudy and I made an agreement that I will do my very best to breastfeed our son. So i equip myself on reading post from our nawie group. I even sent some personal queries to other mommies and they kindly response to it. I read and research online. I made Rudy promise that if I feel on giving up he should not allow me and he should be firm with it (even if I'll cry to death). Even the hospital we chose supports breastfeeding. The first item that we bought for our son was an Avent Electric single pump.

Came April 27, 2011. The best day of my life. God gave me a beautiful gift, my Rylee. The first time I experienced to breastfed Rylee. I thought it was easy since he sucked very well during our first time, maybe because I'm on anesthesia that time :)

Rylee and Mommy's first meeting.

our very first breastfeeding session

As the anesthesia subsides, "painful" reality sunk in. It was painful as i remembered it when I nursed him in the recovery room but I promise myself that I will never give-up and I will do my best to give him the very best that I can offer. The first 24 hours was indeed challenging. I need to nurse him every 2 hours, there are times that I cannot understand why he keeps on crying and it tears me that my mom keeps on telling me that he's hungry and my milk supply was not enough, that we should give him formula. I keep on telling or yelling at her that I will not give him formula and the hospital will not allow it. True enough the hospital nurses, my OB and Rylee's pedia explained the policy to my mom and taught me how to nurse properly. My OB explained that even I'm just giving a drop of milk to Rylee it was enough for him. Still my mom insist on giving formula and the resident pedia gave us a prescription to buy a box of S-26 and Wilkins water and we introduce cup feeding while waiting for my milk to come out. I felt i was betrayed by my own mom and loser at the same time and she explained that when I was a baby I was formula fed although it was mixed since she also breastfed me for about 3 months. But after a heart-to-heart talk with my mom and explained my side why I really wanted to do it she understand and supported my/our decision on breastfeeding.

So we cupfed and breastfed Rylee at the same time. Every 2 hours i need to nurse him for 30mins then after that the nurse will give him 20ml S26 formula milk, he's so cute and he's a natural for using cup. The hospital didn't want to introduce the bottle to avoid nipple confusion.

cup-feeding session of Rylee at SLMC

It was easy being at the hospital since we can get all the professional help we needed. After 4 days at the hospital the real journey began... Rudy and I decided to stop giving formula milk to Rylee but instead to continue breastfeeding him, my sister Yna who's a nurse by profession gave us advise on how i can properly fed my son. It wasn't easy specially when i experienced breast engorgement. That's the time that I wanted to give up. I was crying since my milk doesn't want to come out. Rylee was wailing and I felt tortured since I can't give him milk. I told Rudy to give Rylee a cup of formula milk but he insisted that I should pursue on breastfeeding him. I was crying and begging him to help Rylee to stop him from wailing and crying coz i'm hurting while seeing him that way. My sister Yna took Rylee away and gave him to my Mother-in-law. Rudy and Yna started to massage me and let me calm down. after that they gave me a breast massage and viola the first drop of milk came out. Tears of happiness were flowing in my eyes. My husband was also happy and took Rylee immediately from my MIL so I can feed him. My son sucked and I felt he was happy and comfortable. To help my milk supply I started taking malunggay capsules (3caps per meal), drinking lots of water (specially during feeding time) and eating healthy food. After Rylee finished his session I will pumped both of my breast to properly drained all excess milk. Then I noticed that my milk was increasing as days goes by.

Last milk I pumped for my Rylee [May 15, 2011 at 1:12pm]. I managed to send this picture to his Dad to tell him that I have enough milk supply for his son.

It was indeed a great and priceless 18days breastfeeding journey that Rylee and I had shared because on his 19day he passed away [The battle of my 19days old son, Rylee ]

I may not be a breastfeeding mom right now but I'm encouraging every pregnant mom and moms to try and experience this wonderful journey. It wasn't easy though butwith proper help, support and guidance from family and friends you can do it. Most of the breastfeeding moms I met were very kind in sharing their experiences and information. Internet is also a best tool in researching and preparing oneself for breastfeeding. I thank God that he gave me the chance to provide "food" to my son and to have a special bonding moment that I will treasure forever. I have priceless memories that no one can take away from me and every time I read mommies about their breastfeeding story, I remember my Rylee. I remember our times together. Our wonderful journey.

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Mec - http://www.mecasmom.com/2011/07/taking-breastfeeding-further.html
Jenny Ong - http://fabnaima.blogspot.com/2011/07/more-on-breastfeeding-promotion-plus.html
Benz - http://mimmabenz.com/2011/07/20/milk-mama-diaries-3/
Erlaine - http://mommyerl.blogspot.com/2011/07/breastfeeding-promoting-it-even-if-i.html
Pittipat - http://imperfectlycreated.blogspot.com/2011/07/on-promoting-breastfeeding.html

Other entries that I got from sis Mec
Formula feeder from the US - http://fearlessformulafeeder.blogspot.com/2011/07/breastfeeding-promotion-tips-from.html (very illuminating the comments as well)

Doctor Mom from UK - http://goodenoughmummy.typepad.com/good_enough_mum/2011/07/breastfeeding-promotion.html

Night job!!!

2011-07-21T03:35:00.000+08:00

Nakakapagod na din magnight job activity. No time to have quality moments with my husband and my family.
But yesterday was really special to me. On my way home sobrang antok at pagod na talaga ako and I ask my son to watch over me while I sleep. Everyday we always light 3 candles. Ang nakakatuwa dito mula nung sinindihan ni Sha ung mga candles ng 7:30am di un namatay hangang nagising ako ng 11:30am eh maliit lang na kandila un. Tumagal pa un hangang 2:30 ng hapon. I believe my son is really watching over me. Di ko man cya physically kasama he's always besides me.

And I encounter this message on web:

I know for certain that we never lose the people we love, even to death. They continue to participate in every act, thought and decision we make. Their love leaves an indelible imprint in our memories. We find comfort in knowing that our lives have been enriched by having shared their love.

Leo Buscaglia

Mommy's letter to Rylee pot

2011-07-16T18:15:00.000+08:00

Dear Rylee,

It's been 2 months since you said good-bye to Mommy. But the feeling is still the same. Parang kahapon lang nangyari. Don't get me wrong son, i know you are happy now in heaven. It's just that I miss you dearly. Lahat na ng bagay sa buhay namin dito sa Singapore bumalik na sa normal pero ung feelings ko abnormal pa din. I tried looking at your pictures dun sa NICU pero ung sakit ng mga pangyayari nandun pa din. Sa mga oras na sinusulat ko ito iyak ako ng iyak. Kailangan gawin ito ni mommy kasi nahihirapan ako ikimkim sa loob. I'm trying to be normal, to act normal son but it's hard. Sobrang masakit talaga. I'm praying to God to embrace me right now. siguro kaya din ako ganito kasi nakabasa ako ng mga sulat ng mga mommies na umalis din ung mga anak nila kasi nga tinawag na ni Jesus.

Sometimes anak I don't want to be alone. Kasi naalala kita. Alam mo di naman takot si Mommy na bumuhat ng mga babies, di din ako takot na tumingin. Alam mo i admire babies and kids and I'm so happy for their parents. Di naman naiingit si mommy sa kanila kasi may Rylee ako. Saka ikaw lang ung gusto ko buhatin at yakapin. Ikaw ung gusto ko halikan, ikaw ung gusto kong yakap. Gusto kita marinig na umiyak. Akala ni mommy ready na cya to have Ryle Miguel pero ayoko maging unfair sa kapatid mo. Ayoko dumating ung time na hawak ko si Ryle pero iniisip kita at guilty ako or worried ako na may mangyayari din sa kanya. Kaya ko ito ginagawa kasi gusto talaga ni mommy mag-grieve ng tama.

2months son.. It's been 2 months pero i'm still sad for your lost. But don't worry ginagawa ni Mommy lahat para maging ok. Nasa process kasi ung acceptance based dun sa mga binabasa ko and I believe this is part of my acceptance. Di naman kasi ganun kadali na kalimutan ang katulad mo na gwapo, mabait at malambing na bata.

Naalala mo pagfeeding time na natin pinapatutog natin ung baby einstein na songs mo galing kay Tito Seph. Di ko na ulit napatutog un. Pero in time mapapatutog ko din un. So far medyo nahimasmasan na ako. I'm thinking clearly na.

Ikaw talaga Rylee you have ways to make me smile. Nakakatuwa ka na pagtingin ko sa laptop ni Daddy nakita ko ang napakagandang smile mo at napawi lahat ng lungkot ko. Like what I've said before, Mommy can't promise na i won't cry but I can promise you that I will move on and I will be strong and brave like you. If you will find me crying again it's because I really really miss you.

Hay malamang busy ka na naman sa mga trabaho mo sa heaven pero sana anak dadalawin mo ng madalas si Mommy at Daddy. Alam mo ba na binigyan ka ni Nanay La mo ng madaming lobo nung birthday nya? Si Papa Lo mo naman namimiss ka na din Buchugg.

Sana no pwede kita dalawin dyan kahit sandali makita at mayakap ko lang kayo ni Angel :) but It's not yet my time kaya papakabait kami ni Daddy para siguradong sa heaven kami pupunta :)
Sa ngayon nagbabasa pa din si mommy ng mga tips on pregnancy, baby related materials para ready si Mommy sa pagdating ni Ryle Miguel sa buhay natin.

I really really miss you my Rylee pot. I love you forever.

Love you forever,
Mommy

Surprise baby shower from my Core family

2011-07-12T09:21:00.000+08:00

Days before my D-day, I got a message from Ate Janine for a meet-up at GB3 to pick-up the baby basket that I borrowed. Then she ask me if we can have a dinner at Jollibee but I asked her if it's ok to eat at Insal shop. San ka nakakita na ung buntis tinangihan sa gustong kainan. hehehe. As we approach Jollibee GB1 i saw some familiar faces and yes the made my dream came true -- A Jollibee party!!!! Side note, since I was a kid I really wanted to have this, yet due to some financial issues hehehe (dami kaya namin nag-aaral :p) it's not possible.

To all my Core peeps family, thank you for your love, kindness, care and support. You know that I love you guys.

Maternity Photoshoot

2011-07-12T08:15:00.000+08:00

My pre-delivery gift (Maternity photopackage from The Stork Studio) from my hubby Rudy.

All photos are by Stanley Ong.

It was a great experience. I'm excited for my next maternity photoshoot. This time with my hubby Rudy :)
and it's a non-negotiable. :p

Rylee's different faces (inside my Tummy)

2011-07-12T07:55:00.000+08:00

As part of my "moving-on" process, I'm sharing some happy moments with our dear Rylee.

Rylee at 23weeks and 1 day. Taken last December 2010 at In my Womb, Glorietta.

I remebered that Rudy and I were both excited after seeing him inside my tummy. He's so adorable and I can't believe that God is so good for choosing me to be his mom.

Rylee,

Everyday I miss you son. Daddy and Mommy keeps on talking about you. We can never forget you.
Always remember that we LOVE you so much and we will always be here together. Thank you for all the memories you've shared. Alam mo yun ang laging topic ng story namin ni Daddy. Paulit-ulit and we smile or laugh as we remembered all those precious time.

I know and I believe that you are guiding us. I know you are happy now. Mommy and Daddy are also happy. There are just some times that we terribly miss you. Your cries, your smile, your touch, your smell.
Like now, I miss you that's why I'm writing you a letter again. I'm here in JW site to do some "baby-sitting job" yet I can't concentrate because I was thinking about you.

Son, we will love you forever. I'm truly excited seeing you once again. I'm excited when the time when God will finally call me. But for the meantime, you will be guiding mommy and daddy on our daily things. And i will always light a candle for you.

I love you forever my Rylee pot.

My battle on moving on

2011-07-12T07:28:00.000+08:00

Shared my story to my N@w family last 29th June 2011
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It's been more than a month since my little Rylee said good bye to our world. My husband and our family are still in process of healing. I re-read all your email responses and i can't also believe that i have that kind of faith.

Shempre before I made u all cry because of what happen to Rylee but let me share with you all how my little angel help me and his daddy cope up in our everyday living. I still owe you guys a lot during our difficult times and i believe i should also let you know how iam :)

Nakakapanuod na ng sine, nakakatawa na, nakakapagbasa ng mga books at e-books, nakikisagot na sa mga emails natin. That's my life for the past month na wala sa tabi ko physically si Rylee. I was basically living one day at a time not like before na laging nasa isip ko makaipon, makabili ng ganito/ganyan. dumating sa point na everything is useless na wala akong gana magwork ganun din ang asawa ko.

Totoo ung sabi nyo that Rylee will be watching me and he's always with me kasi nararamdaman ko specially paglungkot na lungkot ako. Nagtanong din ako kung bakit nya ako iniwan, masama ba akong mommy kaya cya umalis? My son gave all the answers to my question. One morning, i was crying so hard habang tulog si Rudy after watching his video. I decided to open the TV, ayun lipat lipat hangang makarating ako sa palabas na Tom and Jerry kung saan hinahabol nila ung duckling, eh ung duckling langoy lang ng langoy tapos dinala sa pond then bumalik ung duckling sa bahay nina tom kasama ung apat pa na duckling tapos ngswim ng nagswim. Eh di ba mdalas sa tom and jerry sila lang naghahabulan pero dito may kasama sila. Wala akong naririnig at naiintindihan sa palabas nakatitig lang ako. After nun bigla na lang pumasok sa isip ko "Mommy kaya ako umalis kasi i promise the other angels na babalik ako kasi ako ung leader nila" pero wala akong iniisip. I told Rudy about it and he said di ba nagtanong ka kung bakit cya umalis.

My second question to Rylee if Uno and him is the same. Our god parent invited us sa isang healing service sa may sanctuario. It was a great night, i'm still crying but able to praise God. Nung time na un nagdadasal kami ni Rudy together i was holding his hand nung tiningnan ko ung mga mata nya parang mata ni Rylee na kumikindat pagpinapatulog ko ang nasabi ko sa sarili ko naku nagkita yata mag-ama ko. After he prayed, he told me na nagkita sila ni Rylee and he's a big boy na about 2-3 yrs old. He was wearing a white gown at takbo ng takbo kaso may little na cyang pak-pak then Rudy saw a man in white clothes hinila daw ni Rylee un and the man carried him. Rudy told Rylee that he will still be waiting in the white fence and his son just smiled at him. We believe that the person carried him was Jesus (sis my husband is not sleeping he was praying that time). Thanks to the book shared by sis Lea ni Ryan na Heaven is Real where i can imagine my little Rylee in heaven. After the great service, pagsakay ko ng sasakyan I just told my husband "alam mo hun, isa na lang di pa nasasagot sa akin ni Rylee kung cya at si Uno ay iisa" that was my statement. Along edsa nagtanong si Rudy ng oras and both of us looked at the info in the car. It was "27 C 11:11" ayun kinilabutan na kami kasi nagulat kami sa nakalagay bkit?? 27 was rylee's b-day, pag-inadd nyo ung apat na one ay magiging 4. Lalabas April 27, so what's the catch?! Uno's edd should be January 1, 2011 "11:11" ayun kinilabutan na kami, Rudy said "alam mo ang lakas mo sa anak mo bilis ng sagot nya" i remembered some din told us during the wake na baka si Uno din cya na bumalik. Ganun din ang sinabi sa akin ni Mommy Benz nung nagkita kami. Rylee make a way para masagot nya ko.

Shempre nagtatanong na din ako nilulubos ko na, i asked him again bakit 19days lang bkit hindi forever? Itong tanong ko na ang matagal bago nasagot. June 16, nagising ako para hanapin ung ultrasound ni Uno. Ayun Rylee answered my question again. Ung laki kasi ni Uno based sa U/S is 8weeks ++ but based dun sa EDD it should be 10weeks++ (forgot the exact days) pero nung binilang ko ung difference it was exactly 19days. I was crying hard again at hinanap ko ung letter/email na nagawa ko nung time ni Uno na ni-share ko sa naw. Mag-isa pala ako all those times. Mula nung ma-operahan, hangang makauwi sa bahay since kailangan magwork ni Rudy. Mag-isa lang pala akong nagluksa nun kasi ang kasama ko lang ung laptop, TV at cellphone. 19days kasi un pala ung pinagkait sa akin that time wla akong kamalay-malay na wala na cyang buhay sa sinapupunan ko. Rylee was born healthy. 9/9 agpar score nya yet he died of cardiac arrest same with my Uno who lost his heartbeat without my knowledge within those 19days.

It was truly God's gift. Pwedeng nakita ni Uno kung gaano ako kalungkot that's why He asked Jesus na makasama ako sa loob ng 19days na feeling ko trinaidor ako nung nawala si Uno. Pero when Buchugg came inayos nya ang lahat. Never nangyari na nag-isa ako. Mula sa labor room kasama ko ang buong family ko hangang sa nawala cya di ako nag-isa. Nung nagluluksa kami Jesus touched you guys to comfort me and di nyo pinagdamot ung time, prayers, candles nyo sa amin. Now i understand why God didn't allow me to deliver him normally kasi kung normal delivery wala kaming maraming pictures kasi kailangan katabi ko si Daddy para mag-push. :) now i have lots of good memories. Everytime i tell this story lagi nilang sinasabi napaka-spoiled ko na Mommy. I guess they are right. I keep asking my son for answers and he will make it a way pata sagutin ako.

Rainbow story.
Nung time na pinapaayos namin ung bubong ng sementeryo ni Rylee bigla kong nasabi habang katabi ko si Rudy sa sasakyan "anak, bigyan mo naman ng rainbow c mommy kasi i feel sad today. Pero ayaw ko ng drawing ng rainbow ha (kasi along the way makakakita ka ng rainbow drawing dahil un ang logo ng calumpit)" natawa si Rudy sa request ko. I waited the whole day sa cementery kaso wala talaga tapos biglang umulan ng 4:30 sabi ko ayan baka lumabas na pero wala talaga. So ayun di na ako umaasa kasi naman impossible diba. Habang pauwi na kmi sa Hagonoy bigla akong napasigaw at napapreno si Rudy (buti walang sasakyan sa likod) coz i saw my rainbow. Yes sisses, Rylee gave me my rainbow alam ko na kinulit nya na naman si Jesus for that kahit si Rudy di makapaniwala sabi nya ang lakas ko sa anak ko.

Everytime i remember that rainbow it's also a reminder kung gaano kabait ang Diyos na despite sa sakit nanararamdaman ko he always assures na he will never abandon us. Iam a spoiled mommy to my husband and to my son. I'm missing him everyday. I'm still longing for him. Di ko alam at di ko mapapramis na di na ako ulit iiyak kasi umiiyak na naman ako. All i can promise him is that mommy will be strong and i will be moving on. Sa ngayon may bagong project na kami ni Rudy. On friday babalik na kami sa Sg. Di ko man dala physically si Rylee, i have all the good memories na buhay na buhay sa isip at puso ko.

Sabi ko sa inyo super long read cya. Gusto ko lang po na malaman nyo na I'm ok :) i'm living one day at a time and i'm really excited to have a child soon. Alam ko malapit na. Rudy, rylee and i keep on praying sa pagdating ng kapatid nya. Kung di lang ako CS pwede na sana ulit hehe.

Thank you for reading. I hope i was able to share again a little part of me. My Rylee pot (uno pot) helped me finished this email.

Rylee pot always remember that i love you forever son :) and i'm crying again ;)

Escie (and Rudy Sebastian)
October 17, 2009
Rys Rylee Joachim (my loving Uno/Buchugg)
April 27, 2011 - May 16, 2011

The battle of my 19day old son, Rylee

2011-07-05T17:48:00.000+08:00

I wrote this last May 18, 2011 at 9:27 AM, 2 days after Rylee made his goodbye. I made this letter/email to my fellow N@wies to share my pain after losing a child whom I love so much.

To my naw family, thank you for your love and prayers for Rylee, for me and my husband and our family.

=======================================================================
Hello Nawies,

First, I would like to thank you all for the prayers and love you shared for my son, Rylee, to my husband Rudy and to our family.

Di ko na maiisa-isa kayo but I'm really greatful po sa mga messages nyo. Minsan nalulungkot ako isipin kasi lagi ang nasashare ko dito eh ung pagkawala ng mga anak ko.

I'm trying to be sane, sa ngayon kailangan ko ito gawin para mailabas ung sakit na nararamdaman ko. Basag na basag ako ngayon. Kami ng asawa ko. Ang bilis-bilis ng mga pangayayari at ngayon ako ang nakatingin sa anak ko na payapa na nakahimlay.

What really happened to Rylee? Last Sunday morning napapahirapan nya ako magdede cya sa akin. Eh malakas cya magsuck at typical around 10-15mins cya magdede. Nung morning na un tinatangihan nya ako pero alam ko gutom na cya. I tried to express my milk para madede nya sa bote, he tried pero konti lang. Nung napayapa ko cya from crying dumede na cya sa akin pero sandali na lang hangang sa makatulog cya. Around 10:30 nagising na naman. Laro-laro muna bago paliguan. No signs of anything at dumede sa akin ng marami hangang nakatulog.

2pm: ito na, iba ang gising nya aburido cya. so i thought gugutom lang cya. I tried to feed him kaso ayaw nya talaga. tapos iba na ung iyak nya bilang cyang namutla at nanlamig. Nung hinipo ung tyan matigas so akala colic na naman kaso iba talaga ung pakiramdam ko. walang liguan pinack namin gamit nya at pumunta kaagad sa st. luke's. Wala kaming driver so taxi lang. Sa taxi iba na ung iyak nya alam mong nahihirapan cya. I tried talking and holding his hand na sinasabi ko na konting tiis anak, malapit na tau sa hospital. I love you rylee habang yakap cya ni mama. Pagdating namin sa ER inasikaso naman cya. Mabilis ung pangyayari nakuhanan na cya ng blood test, x-ray etc. Awang-awa na ako kay Rylee sa mga inilalagay sa kanya. Unang diagnosis baka sepsis kasi nga may mga cases daw na nagmamanifest after birth. Dinala kami ng wheel chair papuntang ICU. Wala akong kamalayan na during those times eh 50/50 na si Rylee. I'm just hugging him and telling him that I love him so much. I'm so sorry for the pain. Paulit-ulit un. Pagdating sa NICU kinuha cya kaagad ng mga doctor at inilabas ako. Ayaw ako kausapin ng mga doctor at nurses kasi tanong ako ng tanong kung kamusta cya after one hour i think dun ako nilabas ng doctor at kinausap, ask ng history saka kung may symptoms akong nakita sa anak ko so ako kwento. Then inamin nya sa akin na nirevived nya si Rylee dahil nga nawala ung tibok ng puso nya. Hay para akong binagsakan ng kung ano sa puso. dun din sinabi na nagpatawag ng cardiologist at surgeon to check ung heart at liver/intestine nya. Sa totoo lang pilit ko inaabsorb ang lahat pero di ko na maintindihan. Around 5pm dumating ung surgeon initial diagnosis nya ung Hisprung diseases na sinasabing may di nadevelop na ugat sa akin na nagdudugtog sa large intestine at anus. Operation lang daw ang pwedeng gawin dun. Kaso macoconfirmed lang un once Rylee got stable para makakuha ng bagong X-ray. The doctor tried na pa-pupu si Rylee and in 1 hr nakapupu cya 3 times sobrang saya ko nun kasi na-ruled out ung Hisprung disease.

Habang nasa loob kami ng NICU sobrang bilis ng oras. The nurses sedate my son, ung reason masyado cyang malikot at natatangal ung mga apparatus na nakakabit sa kanya. while giving the antibiotics na pinapasok sa may kamay nya si Rylee alam kong umiiyak kaso dahil may respirator walang sound na maririnig. I'm holding his hand at parang nagsusumbong na "mommy masakit" ang sabi ko na lang. Rylee sorry for the pain son. Kaso kailangan mo yan. Mommy is here. mommy will never leave you. Mommy loves you so much. At nakikinig si Rylee na sinasabing ok mommy I will. Eh ang liit-liit nya. Kung ako nga nilalagyan ng antibiotics nung pinanganak ko cya eh sobrang nasasaktan paano pa ung anak ko na maliiit diba. He got stable for a few hours. Di ko nga alam kung matatwag ba talagang stability un kasi nga may nakakabit na apparatus sa kanya.

Around 11pm umakyat ako sa chapel sa may 5th floor. I prayed to Jesus and I told him na hindi ko isususko si Rylee, Sabi ko nga binalato ko na sayo si Uno. Usapan natin diba na kapag nagtuloy-tuloy ung pregnancy ko at nailabas ko c Buchugg akin na ito. Bakit ngayon binabawi mo. I'm asking for a miracle kasi pinatatagtag ko ung faith ko. Honestly while praying ung subconcious ko nakakakita ako ng ambagan, lamay, casket. Kaya lalo akong naging matigas na Lord di ko isususko si Rylee.

Nakabalik ako ng 3rd floor sa NICU ng quarter to 11. Bigla akong tinawag ng nurse kasi medyo stable na daw si Rylee. Pero namali pala ng twag ang nurse. Dun ko nakita na nirerevived si Rylee. Nung mjga oras na un di ko alam mararamadam ko. Bumagsak ako sa sahig at hirap na hirap ko tingnan si Rylee. He's fighting for his life. Nung nakita ko cya sa ganung kalagayan ang nasabi ko na lang "Lord, I surrender. I humbly surrender my son" I'm just asking na tulungan mo cya na kayanin hangang pagdating ng daddy nya. Di kasi ganun kadali na makita na hirap na hirap ung anak mo. God gave me my 1st miracle. Pero ung 12-2:15am namin ang mga nakakatakot na sandali. Nagcacrash talaga ung puso ni Rylee pro lumalaban cya. itong mga oras na ito dito nangyari ung 3 beses na cardiac arrest nya. Sabi nung attending doctor lumalaban cya kaso mahina na talaga ung puso ni Rylee. Ung mga oras na un nasa labas lang ako ng NICU kasama ko ung kapatid ko. Traumatic na cya kasi ung mga allert sound ng mga makina ung tunog nung hangin ang sabi ko na lang di pa ba tapos? Yna tingnan mo kung tapos na. nilakasan ko ung loob ko na tingnan kaso ganun pa din. Sabi ko kay Rylee di iiyak si mommy kasi matapang ung anak ko. di na ako umiiyak nung mga oras na un. 2am, kinausap na ako ni Dr Janet Go na they tried to revieved him for more than 45mins pero ayun nga nahihirapan na cya kaya pinapasok na kami at inamin na nya na anytime pwede na bumigay si Rylee. I hold my son's hands and telling him that im really really sorry for he pain. That im so proud of him coz he's a fighter. I told him how much mommy and daddy loves him. I keep on kissing his feet and his hand at paulit-ulit ko na sinasabi na mahal na mahal ko cya. Sabi ko anak alam kong lumalaban ka para mahinatay mo si Daddy pero alam kong pagod na pagod ka na din ako na magsasabi kay daddy kung paano ka lumaban kung paano mo siya hinintay. Then I ask the doctor kung may priest, nakatawag sila ng pastor at nabigyan ng annointing of the sick si Rylee. Akala ko at baptism ay iisa, kinausap ko ung pastor sinabi ko na di pa nabibinyagan si Rylee pot ko. Habang pababa ang signs nya I asked for my 2nd miracle, nakiusap ako na anak isang hiling na lang ni mommy kung di mo na mahihintay si daddy please mabinyagan ka lang. and I got my miracle, Huminga si Rylee sa sarili nya nakita ko kasi sa moniotor nya pababa na mga signs nya. Pero dun sa hiniling ko sa kanya huminga siya ulit at lumaban. After nung baptism nya sabi ko anak thank you. Thank you for loving me. for being with me. You may now rest in peace. I love you. Mommy and daddy loves you so much and he had his last breath. It was a peaceful death. Everyone around me was crying even the doctors and nurses. Ako isiningaw ko lang ung name nya ng malakas na malakas at sinabi kong mahal na mahal ko cya. Pero di ako umiyak sa harap nya kasi nga fighter ang anak ko. Binigyan kami ni Rylee ng oras to cuddle him, but i cuddle him arround 1-2mins ang bigat nya kasi. di kasi un ung Rylee na kalaro ko at painadede ko. Ayaw ko maalala ung gnung kalagayan yan. Gusto ko happy memeories lang. I kissed him and hugged him telling him how much I love him, then I gave him back to the doctors at lumabas ako ng NICU.

Iyakan lang ang nangyari sa loob ng room na binigay sa amin ng mga nurses. around 3:30am nakiusap ako sa BF ng kapatid ko nasasama ako sa pagsundo kay Rudy sa airport. Kailangan ako ang magsabi sa kanya. I gave them instructions na wala muna silang pagsasabihan hangang di dumadating si Rudy. Sa pagpunta namin sa airport dala ko ung huling damit na ginamit nya ung celtics na green saka ung swaddle. Ang tagal ng oras dumating ang plane ni Rudy ng 5am. Nung nakita ko cya I just embraced him at dun ako umiyak ng umiyak. Dun ko nalaman na pagod na pagod na pala ako. Na kailanagan ko na umiyak at natutuwa ako na kasama ko na si Rudy. Sabi ko kay Rudy wag na wag nya ako iiwanan. Ang sakit ibalita sa asawa mo na wala na ung anak nya. Ikinuwento ko kung paano lumaban si Rylee para hintayin cya, even his doctor tried para lang magkita sila. Kaso pagod na si Rylee. rudy told me na nagparadam sa kanya si Rylee kasi sa airplane bigla nyang naamoy ung pupu ni Rylee at may umiyak na bata. Kinabahan cya nun. Nung tinignan nya ang oras 2:10am. sabi ko un ang oras na namatay si Rylee. Isa din sa pinakamasakit sa akin eh ung pagkikita nila ni Rylee sa may morgue kasi malamig na si Rylee nun. we keep on kissing him lalo ang asawa ko. Nung nailabas namin si Rylee from morgue para iuwi dito sa Hagonoy si Rudy ang sumakay dun sa service ng funeral ako sa isang sasakyan kasi baka bumigay ako. Sinabi ni Rudy na karga nya si Rylee mula paglabas ng parking ng St. Luke's hangang makauwi kami ng bahay nila. Kinakausap nya si Rylee pot ko kasi nga naalog baka masaktan.

Ung totoo di ko alam kung paano tatapusin itong email na ito. Kasi hangang ngayon di pa din ako makapaniwala na wala na sa amin si Rylee pot ko. Never kasi kami nakakita ng signs na may problema o may nararamdaman cya. I was there almost all the time. Aalis man ako nandun sina Mama at Papa para bantayan cya. Can i just close this with my message to my son Rylee.

Dearest Rylee pot,

I love you. I love you forever. Mommy love \s you so much. Son, thank you for coming into my life. Ikaw ang pinakamagandang regalo na natangap ko sa buhay ko. Kayo ng daddy mo ang pinakamagandang pangyayari sa buhay ko. Sa totoo lang nasasakatan talaga si mommy ngayon pero Mommy needs to be strong. Kung makikita mo man ako na umiiyak it's because kailangan ko ito gawin para mailabas ko ung sakit pero alam mo naman na ipinagkatiwala na kita kay Jesus. Anak, sa ngayon di ko alam, kami ng daddy mo kung san ulit magsisimula. di namin alam kung san kami pupunta. Ang mga lolo't lola pati mga tita at tito umikot ang mundo sau. In God's time maiintindihan namin ung dahilan.

Salamat anak at pinaranas mo sa akin maging ina. Mahal na mahal kita anak. Rest in peace my Rylee pot isasama natin si rubber ducky sa pagalis mo. Please anak tell Jesus to help me and daddy to move on to be sane. Till we meet again son. I love you forever. Mommy and Daddy loves you so much. I'm so proud of you my son. I love you. I love you. I love you. di na kita ulit mayayakap. Madaya ka di na natin nagawa ung surprise father's gift kay daddy. But i now happy ka na dyan. Laro na kayo nina Jesus. Ikamusta mo kami kay Angel at Uno. Wag kayo mag-aaway ha. Pagnagutom wag masyadong malakas ang iyak ha. I love you. I love you forever.
Love you son, Mommy Escie and Daddy Rudy.
--
Rudy and Escie Sebastian
October 17, 2009
Rys Rylee Joachim (Buchugg)
April 27, 2011 - May 16, 2011

Jurong East, Singapore

1st pre-natal photoshoot :)

2010-10-06T15:00:00.002+08:00

Buchugg is 9weeks and 5days in this photoshoot :)

Tummy size 83cm

Photo by: Daddy Rudy Sebastian

I love you Buchugg!!!

And they call him DOS :)

2010-09-30T17:26:00.000+08:00

Last week we had a video chat with my Mother-in-Law and wooow they are very excited for our baby. They are planning to renovate (i believe right now the renovation was on process) Rudy's room to be our room and Buchugg's nursery room every time we visit Philippines.

Funny it seems, we named our baby before Uno coz he's EDD should be Jan 1, 2011 and he's the first grandson of both families. After we lost him God gave us another Uno and his dad fondly called him Buchugg but his grand parents called him DOS.

I didn't bother to correct them I'm just happy that our new blessing have lots of pet names. Whatever he may be called we're just lucky to know that everyone is excited for his arrival and he is love.

Second attempt :)

2010-09-22T15:54:00.002+08:00

We never expected that our Phuket Escapade will be the reason for me to conceive since our previous doctor advise us for four months rest and fasting (hehehe) but God has a different plan for us and we are very thankful for our new blessing - Buchugg :)

Pregnancy test... POSITIVE :p

5 weeks and 3 days

8 weeks and 4 days

Buchugg meets his Dad :)

2010-09-21T14:55:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday (18th September 2010) Buchugg finally met his Daddy Rudy and I was so happy with the outcome. Hindi nakakasama si Rudy sa check-up ko since mauubos na ung leave nya kaya I ensure na ung next check-up after his graduation bilang embryo eh available ang Daddy nya. We heared his heart beat 175bpm as per OB kaya sobrang happy at unti-unti nang nabubuo ung head, hands and feet nya.

Rudy, like other dad was so excited and at the same time so proud of his baby. Kaya kahit nahihirapan ako sa paglilihi ok lang basta nakikita ko cyang masaya. He's very supportive and very patience sa mga mood swings at paguutos ko although madalas nakikita ko din na napapagod na cya. He still smile and kiss me ;)

Hormones... i want to kill you.. having mood swings is very hard. sa lahat na lang ng bagay sensitive ka. Mula sa maamoy, kakainin at taong titingnan. May times din na emotional ka. Matakaw o walang gana kumain. Kahit ito ung hirap na narararanasan ko I'm always looking forward na maramdaman cya at least alam kong ok na ok c buchugg sa tummy ko.. Nakakatakot kasi pag sa umaga di ako susuka feeling ko may masamang nangyayari.. So ngayon doble ingat ang ginagawa ko..

Buchugg, i hope u're having a great time inside my tummy. We are really excited to see u soon.. Sa ngayon stay ka muna dyan and promise me that u'll be good inside. Si Mommy naman will do her very best to take care of you and your Daddy.. BTW, Tita Charm and Tita Janice were also pregnant so madami ka nang playmates and soon makikilala mo na din ang favorite kong si Tabby pero wag kang magseselos kasi ikaw ang pinakafavorite at love na love ko.. I'm thankful to God for having you and your daddy in my life. I really can't wait to see you and to hug you.. Ayan anak naiiyak na ako.. I love you so much :)

Buchugg

2010-09-17T12:24:00.001+08:00

After two months of hiding I finally told our families about BUCHUGG. Yes you read it right I'm pregnant again. I'm 8weeks and 3days as of this writing. His Daddy Rudy called him Buchugg coz if I'm hungry I'm like a monster yet after feeding me I'm tame as an angel hahaha.. The whole family were happy yet quite scared because of what happenend last time I got pregnant. But God will never abandon us :)

This day also we are celebrating our 11 months of marriage. We have been a lot in this eleven months.. Having and surrenderring Uno last June 8.. Moving on and accepting the changes of our lives.. Travelling again to different country and our latest gift from God is having Buchugg..

Tomorrow, Daddy Rudy will join us on our check-up.. I heared his heartbeat last Septemeber 6 with my Baby ko Daniel.. This is the first time that Rudy will hear it and his really really excited..

Rainy and lazy wednesday!!!

2010-09-15T12:54:00.000+08:00

I don't feel like working. I feel so heavy right now. Hay.. I'm sleepy too..

Pre-anniversary wedding gift :)

2010-09-13T16:31:00.000+08:00

Got my pre-anniversary wedding gift from my hubby koy Rudy last September 8, 2010.. It's been part of my wishlist since my last year's bday but due to budget constraint I made a compromise deal with him that we will save for this gadget..

I'll be using this to document my day-to-day life as a wife :)

I'm back!!!

2010-09-13T16:27:00.000+08:00

After several months hibernating I'm back to blog :) I have lots of stories to tell but I don't know where to start. From this day I'll be documenting my journey as a mommy wanna be..

Stay tune :)

Caricatures

2009-05-25T17:39:00.000+08:00

Just sharing our cutie caricature made by Joseph...

I'll be using this in our DIY projects.. Yebah!!!

Thanks so much Seph (and Angela)..

(

CROCS SALE!!!

2009-05-23T14:35:00.000+08:00

It's Crocs sale once again!!! Let's invade again the EXPO Singapore!!!

416th Catholic Engaged Encounter

2009-05-22T11:04:00.000+08:00

416th Catholic Engaged Encounter

ME House Ponggol, Singapore

Last May 15-17, 2009, Rudy and I found ourselves discussing and being certain about our future. To tell you honestly, I’m having doubts and apprehension in getting married. Please don’t get me wrong. I truly love Rudy and I’m happy to be with him. But pressures, stress, dreams to be fulfilled are some of the factors that made me feel this way. But I believe God chooses both of us to be in this catholic renewal to finally answer my/our questions and give me/us peace of mind. And yes we both made it. We finished our course and got our certificate.

Just to give you an overview in this seminar, we learned that getting married is way different in falling in love. We should decide and stick with our decision. Boy, its not easy to decide for just 3 days (although we been together close to 9 years, including the courtship and being together). But through God’s grace, love and guidance we decided and agree to get married and to start our family. But after all marriage should not be base only on love. It should be base on our faith to God, faith to our partner and faith to our love for one another. In this time, I got the chance not really to focus on the wedding details and preparation (motif, bridal gown, cake, reception venue, menu, church etc… We only got less than 150 days to prepare as of this writing) but to be focus on our decision to love and let God be the center of our journey as a couple. I also got the chance to speak with Rudy with an open heart and open mind; to be honest and to share with him everything, in joy and in pain. We thought by just getting married it’s only being together and frankly we thought we are also prepared (hehehe) . So we are really thankful for this kind of seminar. It’s really helpful.

BTW, you can check this site for more information - http://www.catholic.org.sg/ceespore
And please note that this seminar is open to any kind of race and religion

For Philippine Chapter please check this link – http://www.weddingsatwork.com/feature_catholicencounter.shtml

We are so lucky and privileged to be with some of our kababayan couples (and a w@wie member also, yippee) –sila na ang prayer partner couple namin :)
Jose Mari and Maria Christina
Siegfriedo and Eleonor
William and Rhea
Ronilo and Esthertina

For my final words, prepare your marriage in a different way. Take this chance :) and I guarantee you this is really, really a great experience.

Ciao,
Escie Santos

Updates... Updates... Updates...

2009-05-13T14:08:00.000+08:00

This is a long due post... Since I'm really really busy with lots of things (hmmmm ano nga ba kinabibishan ko?!!!) here in Sg..

So let's start the wedpreps update... We (again) take a long-weekend vacation in Philippines, since the world is celebrating LABOR DAY we also want to be part of it.. Its better to celebrate it in your own land with family and friends around.. Para mas meaningful..

Day 1 - April 27, 2009

We went soooo early at Changi Airport (April 28 flight namin), since Rudy and I are not a morning people we decided to sleep at the airport (630am flight namin) and not to take the plus 50% extra of the taxi fare during morning.. Hmmm infairness cozy naman sa airport at walang pakialam ang mga tao kung trip nyo magtulog dun hehehe.. Un lang medyo masakit sa likod :)

Departure - Manila, 10:30AM
Arrived safely at NAIA.. BTW, I'm with our co-w@wiesg couple Tonio and Janice during the flight... They are also doing their wedpreps..

First stop, shempre sa house muna namin. My mom served asado and chopsuey for our lunch (wahhhh I really miss her and her cooking).. After our great lunch, its time to take out all the pasalubong for my family..

Suppliers list of the day
1. Joel Bautista - Rudy's Barong

2. Joy San Gabriel - Wedding cake

with Ate Clarice (OTD)

3. Kaye Cunanan - Caterer

*************************************************************

1:30PM - Meeting with JoelBaustista

I had several email excahanges with him since last year. His office is cozy and inviting.. He himself is also nice and honest. What I really like about him is his kwentos and experiences kaya di ko din napansin ang oras..
He gave us some advise for our wedding, nakakatuwa nga kasi its reality :) So habang sinusukatan nya si Rudy kwentuhan pa din kami to the maxxxxx..
Oh before I forgot, we got his service because of 2008 w@w auction.. Great find talaga kasi he will be using a Pina Jusi for Rudy's barong..

3:00PM - Meeting with Joy San Gabriel and Clarice Avinante

Ate Clarice accompanied us in Ms. Joy's kitchen/shop.. Sa may hagdan palang amuy na amoy na ung mga cakes.. at nakakatakam talaga :)
The kitchen is clean. At that time, Ms. Joy is baking a wedding cake for a wedding. Then some of her staff are baking.. She entertain us and she's really approachable..

Ms. Joy prepared 5 different cakes for us namely AMARETTO, CARROT, BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE, 2 variant of chocolate cake that I forgot the names. Everything are tempting. I first tasted the blueberry chessecake (since I'm a chessecake lover), well it was definitely the best cheesecake I tasted (walang stir!!!)..

Carrot cake and amaretto are also superb.. In the end, Rudy and I decided to take the amaretto, carrot and chessecakes (mango, strawberry, blueberry and oreo) for our wedding cake. Kasi nga lahat un nagustuhan namin..

6:00PM - Food tasting with Kaye Cunanan at their mega beautiful mansion..

I really can't believe that Kaye is so young. A yuppie. She invited us in her humble mansion.. She's super duper nice, cool and sexy.. (Di ba asteeeeeg pagapapakilala ko sa kanya).. We just didn't expect na ganon kabata ung magiging caterer namin..

Since K is also a w@w favorite and her style is unique and not so traditional which is a big factor sa amin ni Rudy(bawas gastos sa event stylist).. Pero kailangan din ung taste nung food, both of us really love to cook and eat kaya medyo meticulous tayo pagdating dito.. I spend some time researching in w@w database about her menu list..

She prepared a complete meal for our dinner...
Cocktails - Hoisin chicken wrap and Blinis with smoked salmon and dill

Soup - Squash Soup

Salad - Barbecued Chicken Salad

Pasta - Baked penne pasta with tomato and creamy pesto

Dinner - Grilled red snapper with mango salsa and coconut cream

Dinner - Roasted rosemary chicken with stuffing

Dinner - Barbecued baby back ribs and grilled corn with parsley butter

Dinner - Carrot rice

Dessert - Panna cotta with kiwi

Beverages - Water and Raspberry iced tea

Top favorite dishes:
Cocktails - Hoisin chicken wrap (really yummy, presentation plus 5)

Salad - Barbecued chicken salad (my personal favorite kaso di ito pwede sa nagdidiet)

Dinner - Grilled snapper with mango salsa and coconut cream (another personal favorite)
- Barbecued baby back ribs and grilled corn with parsley butter (favorite ni Rudy)

- Carrot Rice (we all loved it!)

Dessert - panna cotta with Kiwi (the main reason with we fell in love with K's dishes.. Just a little info we tasted this dessert in 2007 bridal fair at Megamall kaso that time di pa kami ready hehehe)

Overall experience, we had a great dinner (as side from free cya).. All the prepared dishes are great..
The best part mas ok na ung price ng per head namin at saka may free dessert buffet and we can set-up a bar :)

Can't wait for our next food tasting and occular inspection with them..

April 29 was indeed a very fruitful day for our wedding preps.. It was tiring yet fun..

Batuting turned 1

2009-05-13T13:51:00.000+08:00

Its been a year since Rudy (formally) proposed.. It happend May 12 of last year inside the Bus 240 from Jurong Point..

As far as I can rememeber, its magical hehehe... It's an unexplainable feeling and you cannot react immediately hehehe basta your just HAPPY and SMILING..

for the rest of the story click this link ----> http://www.mywedding.com/rudylovesescie/custom3.html

Taken that night...
Since, its Batuting's birthday (yah, we named it batuting hehehe)... Rudy gave me some flowers last night.. Oh diba ang sweet.. Thanks chamuymoy!!!

Boooooooks..

2009-04-06T16:37:00.000+08:00

Pocket series books accompany me as I travel from our flat to my office at Kembangan..
Taking the SMRT train for a 45minutes ride is really boring.. And I need to take it everyday. So, to make myself occupied for 45 minutes I always have a book with me...

The Confessions of A Shopaholic

I got this book when Rudy and I went to Malaysia for Ayana’s baptismal. Since we always bring something back I decided to check some books in Kinokuniya in KL..
Kinokuniya Bookstore is also the same as National bookstore but the major difference is you can read any book for the whole day (as long as the store is still open) and no one minds you.

Since, we are rushing (as always hehehe).. Rudy bought me the confession.. He told me that I’ll be needing that.. hehehe..

His friends are still strolling around the KLCC Mall.. I went to Starbucks to buy some hot caramel macchiato.. and start reading my book…

MACCHIATO + BOOK = This is LIFE!!!!

Well, the book isn’t bad enough.. Actually, I enjoyed every page of it.. There are moments that I can really relate to Rebecca.. But I’m not an impulsive buyer (ok, sometimes.. specially if there’s a sale hehehe)..

Aside from this book, I also got some Sophie Kinsella’s series like… Shopaholic takes Manhattan, Shopaholic takes Abroad (these books were bought by my hubby to be as a peace offering) and my recent book - The Undomesticated Goddess.. The Shopaholic and Sister & The Shopaholic and Baby are both sold-out here in Singapore..

Last March 29, 2009 we got the chance to watch the movie in GV Jurong Point Mall in Boon Lay. I missed this movie twice. In KL and in Manila..

To check all the latest from Sophie Kinsella, here's her link: http://www.randomhouse.com/bantamdell/kinsella/

TO BE CONTINUE.... (to follow, the TWILIGHT SERIES... still on-going)

Bridal gown details..

2009-04-03T12:57:00.000+08:00

As early as last year I was scouting for my perfect dress. I don’t want to splurge too much on it. Sabi ko I’ll be wearing it once.. Yah, once in your life..
I shared this with my fellow w@wies. I posted it last March 24, 2009… And I got lots of comments and responses from them. I was thrilled, happy and at last contented..

Here it goes…

Hi W@wies,

Its now my time to share my wedding gown since kayo din ang kinukulit ko para dito.. I never dreamt of being a Veluz nor a Cecilo bride.. Why?! I cannot afford it/them.. (O sige kaya naman kaso lang being practical feeling ko masyado nang sobra na isusuot ko lang cya ng isang araw)..I posts several times for bridal gown inquiries.. everytime na may nagshare ng gown designs nila naeenvy talaga ko :( kasi we started (serious) planning last August of 2008 from then on lagi na ko nagscout ng designer kaso laging ang mahal ng quote. Even yung kaibigan ni Rudy nung High school mahal din ako quote sa amin..

Don’t get me wrong ladies (and bros).. I remember nagopen pa ng forum/group chat sina Sis Nieva, Sis Julie para lang convince ako na kunin si Tita Cecil kaso namamahalan talaga ko hehehe.. Eh teka bakit si Veluz?! Eh magkapresyo lang kaya (wait ito na ung story hehehe)..Si Sis Zigrid decided na maging Veluz bride so I helped her na kulitin si Ms. V, since libre naman overseas call ditto sa opis at madalas idle naman ako, ako na nagprisinta na kulitin si Ms. V.. Sabi ko magpapasketch na din ako para may remembrance na nadesignan ako ng isang sikat hehehe..Madalas ko na kinukulit si Ms. V para sa sketches ni Zigrid saka ung sa akin (ang panget naman na ung kay Zigrid lang ikulit ko diba hahaha)..

So nung nakuha ko na ung sketch napawow talaga ko.. Send ko kaagad kay Rudy and nagustuhan nya :) Shempre after nun kinulit ko na sa presyo.. At ayun correct nga nalaglag ako sa upuan ko hahaha.. habang kausap ko si Ms. Veluz sabi ko na di ko kakayanin so nagthank you na ko.. saka natulungan ko na si sis Zigrid kasi go na go cya..

Ung quotation pinadala k okay Rudy, expected ko na sasabihin nya “Hun di pasok sa budget, hanap tayo ng iba”.. kaso iba ung tanong nya?! Gusto mo ung gown?! So medyo naiiyak na ko na sabi ko hindi kasi mahal.. Sabi nya usap kami sa bahay..So ito na, nasa bahay na kami.. He asked me kung gusto ko?! Sabi ko kung di iisipin ung presyo oo kasi maganda un..

Then inamin ni Rudy na ung gown na ginawa ni Ms. Veluz eh ung gown na napanaginipan nya na suot-suot ko.. So nagulat ako.. Tapos pinaalala nya sa akin ung pictures from RW na dating-dati pa na gusto nyang style ng gown ko kasi deadma ako at gusto ko nga spaghetti..Ung balak kong designs di talaga sinunod ni Ms. V kasi nga nakakatanda although maganda naman talaga.. Nung gabi na yun sinabi nya na kahit magkano ung presyo un ang isusuot ko..

Last March 21, 2009 at 11:00 am nameet na namin si Ms. Veluz (nandun cya sa party kaso ewan ko ba nashy talaga ko).. She’s very nice and accommodating.. And how can we forget the tequila story na nagpaiyak sa akin.. She’s very natural and I’m glad na di supplier nakuha naming kundi kaibigan.. hehehe..

Ito po ung link sa gown ko (medyo Malabo po ha) –http://www.mywedding.com/rudylovesescie/photo_182307_12909196.html

Maraming salamat sa pagbasa pasencya na po at napahaba :)Thank you po sa mga co-w@wies ko Sis Em (Seph), Sis Cielo, Sis Leslee, Sis Irene, Sis Ginapie, Sis Agie, Sis Charm, Sis Angela, Sis Julie, Sis Zigrid, Sis Janice, Sis Sheila, Sis Lorna, Sis Rissa, Sis Janine, Sis Krisel, Sis Kendz, (kung may nakalimutan po ako sorry sorry sorry...) Salamat po sa pagtyaga na kulitin ko kayo Note: medyo on-going po ang pagupdate ko sa wedsite.. please bear with me :)Thanks po.. God bless

Escie bossing ni Rudy
17th October 2009

Barasoain Church/The Cabanas

=====================================================================================

My Gown inspiration...

Back details.. almost the same with Claudine Barretto's wedding dress by Randy Ortiz

I requested Ms. Veluz to get only the lower part. I asked her that I wanted a spaghetti strap. But she said "its nakakatanda, dahil mukha akong Grade 4... Neneng.. Nene..
"So what more can I say?! I just leave it to her.. BTW, she's the expert..

=====================================================================================

Here are the details of my wedding gown based from Ms. Veluz Reyes...

Long gown in Japanese Organdy, Shantung and Gina Lining. Tulle bodice with lace and beadwork drapings.Sculpted back detail with fabric flowers, shredded lace and organic beading. Skirt drapes at the center back revealing an all over lace panel. Beadwork of cut beads, pearls, flat sequins and Swarovskis accentuating the lace. Extended chapel length train.

Flowers.. Bouquet..

2009-04-03T12:32:00.000+08:00

As I remember I got so sad/upset regarding this matter. I inquired to April and Karen Yu and they told me that they already have a commitment for an out-of-town event. It’s a relative wedding. :(

I even post this issue to w@w.. For others they might think I’m so mababaw (uy conio) but I really wanted to have beautiful flowers during my wedding. I’m willing to splurge on it.
Thankfully my co-w@wies gave me assurance and comforted me during this process (hahaha ang drama noh.. well try to plan a wedding and you will understand where I’m coming from)

What do I wanted for a bridal bouquet?! Something unique. I don’t want roses and tulips. I’m not fond of it. When I check Cheska Garcia’s wedding pictures I got so intrigued with her bridal bouquet. It was very unique. All blue. But I don’t have any idea what kind of flowers are they. I tried to contact and inquire to Tropical blooms (based from the website, tropical blooms was Cheska’s event stylist) but I didn’t get a response. Since I’m targeting to finish and finalize my suppliers this month end I don’t want to wait any longer.

Then, I remembered Sunday Cabagay of KaBLOOMs. I inquired last year and honestly he was our first choice. But since April&Karen got positive track record in the forum I decided to get them but they are not available.

We are scheduled to have a vacation in Philippines (It was unplanned vacation, Rudy&I just filed SL for this hehehe). We wanted to be part of W@W Ten-ten-te-10 party. We arrived last March 29, 2009. And proceed with our schedule. I met Sunday Cabagay at Starbucks Shangri-La with our mothers. He came on time (as in ako ung sumira sa usapan because natraffic kami at naligaw) ..

Well.. Well Well.. We are so impressed with the Japanese lanterns with crystals from Agie and Ejhaye’s wedding. And then he showed me lots of pictures from his previous wedding. So, that night Rudy and I decided to hire him as our wedding stylist for the church, entourage flowers and reception ceiling.
We got a great package and he worked out based from our budget. (o diba san ka pa)..

For my bridal bouquet, he will be using blue hyacinth, blue lisianthus and yellow freesias combinations. (na ngayon ko lang nakilala at narinig.. sampaguita at santan kasi popular sa amin hehehe)

How it all started...

2009-04-03T03:29:00.000+08:00

I admit, I’m not a good blogger..I think I’m the worst blogger in the whole world.. Then why am I doing this?! I just want to document every single detail of our wedding preps, moments of being single and the pressure of being a bride to be.. To share it with my fellow w@wies, friends, our family and my future kids..

What do I want to share?!!! Hmmmm let me think…Aha! I want to share my frustrations (on planning our wedding, our lives), triumphs (in getting the supplier/s I love hahaha), happiness, how Rudy and I handle everything being away from Philippines.. I simply want to share the different side of Escie being Rudy’s fiancée..

Wow nice intro, isn’t it?!!

Ito na ung totoong Escie (hahaha dumugo ilong ko dun)..

Planning a wedding overseas is sooooo damn stressful. You really don’t know when and where to start.. When and where did I start? Ah I remember, Rudy proposed to me last October 17, 2007 in Redemptorist Church, Baclaran.. I asked him if I can start immediately the wedding preps.. I was soooo very really (o sobra na talaga ha) excited and we both realized that it was sooo expensive to get married hahaha.. We attended several Wedding Expo and Bridal Fairs in Megamall. Sadly, We cannot afford any supplier that time.. Why?! We are both bread winners and family always comes first.

Luckily, Ate Janine Pascual-Ramos, a friend/officemate of mine from Smart Communications introduced me to the jungle of w@w.. The ever famous WeddingsAtWork.. She was planning her wedding without her husband by her side… since Kuya Wilson is a seaman.. But when she gave me a brief overview about W@W, I was excited particularly how they budgeted everything for more than 200 guests.. And they got the one of the bests (if not the best) in the wedding industry (e.g. Redefine Weddings & An Event to Remember).. Because of her I decided immediately to get them eventhough I haven't met them personally :)

I joined W@W last November of 2007.. What can I say I did progress a lot.. from being a lurker to semi-lurker, then I started asking questions, answering questions, commenting, giving hopes to fellow w@wies and viola I’m now a super duper active member.. I gained friends and I don’t feel all alone in this dilemma hehehe.. And to prove it I got W@W TAGs…

We continue our wedding preparations here in Singapore. To tell you frankly we started serious scouting for suppliers last August 2008. And the very first supplier that we booked was Redefine weddings by Jayson and Jo Anne Arquiza. We met them here at Eunos, Singapore. After I felt the rapport between Rudy and Kuya Jayson&Ate Jo Anne, I decided immediately to book them. Then the rest was history.. Before the end of this month (March 2009), After 7 months of searching I was able to finally complete our POWER HOUSE TEAM...

I'm so proud also that 5 out 10 suppliers from our Power House Team were nominated in the prestigious 2008 SOTY Award. They are K by Cunanan Catering, Redefine Weddings by Jayson & Jo Anne Arquiza, Atty. Raymond P. Fortun, An Event to Remember by Clarice Avinante & Party Pics Live by Nadia Deocadiz. Atty. Raymond Fortun and Redefine Weddings made it to TOP 5.. My congratulations to Mr. Cecilio Abad for winning.. He really deserve it. I want to thank all of my co-w@wies for sharing their comments, rants, appreciation, experiences and everything. I don’t have any idea before but now lots and lots of ideas are flowing from the posts that helped us a lot to finish this task. Who said planning overseas is very hard?! For me its easy like 1, 2, 3 hehehe, not really.. Everything went easy because I have my co-w@wies.. My co-smartees (also w@wies).. My sister, Sha-sha..

I will be forever thankful to each w@wies, especially to Mr. John and Benz Rana for creating this wonderful group.. I will not meet all of our suppliers without this group. Congratulation also for the W@W Ten-Ten-Te-10!!!