What's Your French Name?

Your French Name is:

Antoinette Jacques

What's" Your French Name?

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

Before I went to college, I wanted to be a doctor but my father persuaded me to take Business Management. So, even though i graduated from college already, I am still curious if I took the right major... here's what I found:

You Should Get a MBA (Masters of Business Administration)

You're a self starter with a drive for success. You'd make a great entrepreneur.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

I guess my father was right!

Back to Reality

This is a picture taken by my husband at Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda.
We had a great time! I didn’t know what to expect on our vacation because it is the first time we are traveling with a baby.
Fortunately, Vince was very good. He wasn’t fussy unless hungry and sleepy. Well… he usually just sleeps without being fussy when we are outside. But when we are in our cabin/room, he’s fussy when he’s sleepy.

August 12: Departure from Cape Liberty Port, NJ
We left Cape Liberty Port, NJ at 4pm. We passed by downtown New York and the Brooklyn Bridge. I felt like a tourist! We took pictures… I mean, Joe took a lot of pictures… and that goes for the whole cruise. People were starting to notice Vince. They would say that he is very cute and very good because he wasn’t crying, just looking around. At 6pm, we went to the restaurant for dinner. Normally, you share a table with other guests, but since we had Vince, they placed us on a table that fits 4 so we didn’t share the table with anybody else. I highly doubt that someone would cruise alone :P
They placed a high chair beside me for Vince. I tried putting him there, but he is still slipping since he still can’t sit on his own. And he started feeling sleepy so I had to take him to sleep in my arms. After dinner, we went straight to our cabin to rest.

By the way, we were upgraded for free from a Regular oceanview (porthole) room to the Concierge class oceanview (picture frame window) room. Celebrity Cruise line was supposed to provide the Milk formula for Vince. But it is required that we inform them that Vince needs the formula 40 days prior to the sailing. Since we booked 2 weeks before the sailing, we had to bring our own milk. Because of this, we needed a refrigerator to store the milk. So I called the Special Services department and told them about my dilemma. I requested for a refrigerator. The lady said that it’s all taken cared of. So I thought they will just put a refrigerator in our room. A week before we left, I checked our reservations again… and LO and BEHOLD we were upgraded! YEY!!!
BENEFITS:
VIP invitations to ship events
priority embarkation, debarkation
express luggage delivery
Luxury bedding
welcome champagne
fresh fruit delivered daily
evening hors d'oeuvres
a menu of pillow options.
Plush Frette bathrobes
oversized towels
Hansgrohe massaging shower head

August 13: Day at Sea
We went to the breakfast buffet, walked around, went to the cabin, slept, had lunch buffet, went back to the cabin, slept, had dinner, went back to the cabin and slept… heheheh.. (Buhay baboy).

August 14: Hamilton, Bermuda
We docked at Hamilton at 9am. We took the bus to go to the Horseshoe Bay Beach. It had pink sand, clean beach, clear waters… ahhhhhh…. It was sooo nice.
We laid our beach mat, propped the tent for Vince and laid down under the sun. The only thing that’s missing (in my personal opinion) are the trees that provide shade if you don’t want to get a tan. Vince slept most of the time. People kept on coming over to us to look at Vince. He had a fan club! Hahahahah. They keep on saying that he is so adorable (and of course, we humbly say … thank you). We left around 1pm because it was getting too hot, and we needed to eat lunch. So we went back to the boat, dropped our stuff in our room, and then went to the lunch buffet. That night we had a formal dinner. I had a cocktail dress, Joe had a coat and Tie… and Vince had a jacket and tie. HE WAS SO CUTE!!! The other guests from the other tables, including the children were looking at Vince. I felt so conscious! The food was great!

August 15: Hamilton, Bermuda
The cruise ship stayed in Hamilton. We had breakfast buffet (by the way, there is a Pancake Nazi…he is a grumpy pancake maker but the pancakes he makes are soooo good… the best one I’ve had so far). Then we strolled around town and bought some “pasalubongs”, we ate lunch (an expensive one.. ugh) and tried the local food. I didn’t like it… Joe liked his food though. Then we went back to the ship because it was really hot. At night after dinner, we went and had coffee under the stars… which became our nightly ritual

August 16: St. George, Bermuda
The ship left the Hamilton dock around 6am and arrived at St. George around 830am. Most people would say that it is actually faster to take the bus from Hamilton to St. George than the ship because of the narrow passageway to get in to St. George. Joe actually woke up around 730am to get his breakfast then take a picture of the narrow passageway. Vince and I just stayed in the room and ordered breakfast room service. I missed the Pancake Nazi’s pancake… I made sure that we didn’t miss it everyday until we got back to New York.. hehehehe

St. George is not as populated as Hamilton. We decided to go to Shelly Bay Beach since according to the reviews, this beach is for children because of its shallow waters. We took a cab so it is easier. When we got there, Joe wasn’t so happy. All we saw were children. There were probably around 75 children there from 4 different schools. They actually conduct some of their classes outside. It was cool. The water is shallow enough, there were trees for shade, and there is a playground. It’s really perfect for children… but of course… It is not as nice as Horseshoe Bay…. So Joe wasn’t so happy. Oh well.. hehehehe I liked it because of the shade… and the nice breeze....
By noon, we went back to the ship, dropped off some of the beach stuff then went back out to do some shopping. We took some pictures of the town center. The roads were made of bricks… it’s nice. We didn’t go to the restaurant this time because we wanted to try the Sushi bar. It was ok… not bad but not good either. At night after dinner, we went and had coffee under the stars.

August 17: St. George, Bermuda
We also stayed in St. George overnight. This day, we went to a different beach. We went to St. Catherine which is 20minutes by foot or less than 5 minutes by cab. We opted to take a cab since we had Vince. St. Catherine is right across a hotel and a golf course. It was really nice. The beach is not as nice as Horseshoe bay, but better than Shelly bay. So Joe was happy. I liked it better than Horseshoe and Shelly Bay though…. Because it had more breeze and they had better facilities (snack bar, changing rooms, etc) I guess it was less hot and humid that day. We had to go back around 1pm because the ship sails back to New York at 3pm. We didn’t want to leave… but oh well.

We got back to the ship, had lunch, and then went to the roof deck to watch the ship sail away. It was nice… but we were sad because our vacation is almost over.
That night was another formal dinner night. So we dressed up again. Before dinner, we went to have our picture taken with a nice background. Too bad Vince was sleeping when we had it. After dinner, we went back to our room, changed, and went out to have coffee under the stars.

August 18: Day at Sea
Since this is a day at sea, we didn’t do much. We strolled around the ship in the morning after breakfast then we went back to our cabin. Joe went out to take more pictures while I started packing while Vince was sleeping. After dinner, we went back to our room, packed more stuff and left our luggage outside our room to be taken to the port so that we don’t have to lug them.

August 19: Arrival at Cape Liberty, NJ
We woke up around 5am (except for Vince). We took a shower, prepared and packed our stuff. I woke up Vince around 7am, changed him, then we went for our last breakfast buffet… Pancake…
By 7:30, we went back to our room, collected our stuff, went to get my greencard and have our customs form stamped, and then we waited in one of the lounges to be called for debarkation. By the time we were called, it was already 930am. My in-laws arrived around 11am (I think) and went to my cousin in-law for a visit since they live in New Jersey. We got home around 1030pm. It was a looong day. It’s a good thing that we still had Sunday to rest before going to work.

Now… I’m back to work… ugh! I miss Bermuda!!!!

The hard f'in truth...

When we started trying to be pregnant, I knew that we were going to have a hard time. So I found a message board that discusses options. One of the members gave this link to encourage women who are having a hard time getting pregnant.

It is so funny. Warning to those who may get offended by some of her words. I love to read most of her postings. For a woman who experienced the same hardships... and for parents... this is a page worth bookmarking. It is better to read this site from the very beginning to understand her current postings... just a suggestion...

madcap misadventures in infertility, pregnancy, and parenthood

or

http://www.alittlepregnant.com/alittlepregnant/

Enjoy!

Clumsy mum

I’ve been really clumsy since Friday. It is sooo bad that I feel so stupid already.
During dinner last Friday, I kept on getting up to check on Vince because we put him on his crib so we can eat properly. Unfortunately, he was already sleepy so he was being cranky. I was about to get out of the table to check on him when I hit my pinky toe on the leg of the table! OW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Grrrrrrr!!!!! It hurt and at the same time annoying!!! Then after a few minutes, I hit the table again!!! GHEEEZZZZ!!!!

After dinner, we started cleaning the table. I took the plates, spoons, forks and the knives.
While walking to the Kitchen, I started talking to Joe just doing the usual conversation. Suddenly, something fell and it hit my right foot! OWWWWW!!!! When I looked down, the steak knife fell and the tip hit my foot!!!!! Blood started flowing! Owwwww!!!! I’m usually not a cry baby when it comes to pain, but that was painful! The good thing was that the knife did not go through my foot… the bad thing is that the wound is half a centimeter but I think it was somewhat deep that it took awhile for the blood to stop. I just washed it, used cotton then placed a band-aid. I had a hard time walking because it hurt and my slippers keep on hitting the wound.

Then at midnight, Vince started crying for his midnight bottle. I went and fed him then put him back to sleep. I turned off the lights, went to the bathroom to wash my hands.
Then I started walking towards our room, when my right foot, hit the door!!!! OWWWWWW again!!!!!!!!!!!! And it was the wounded foot too!!!!! OH MAN!!!!!
The next day, I almost spilled our lunch while I was trying to take it out of the refrigerator. I kept bumping my elbow, arm, hips, here and there.

Then today, I got a cup of coffee and some milk for my cereal. I was walking towards my desk when I hit my arm as I turned a corner, that I almost dropped the hot coffee and milk!!! And that wasn’t IT! I was eating my breakfast when I dropped a spoonful of milk and cereal! Good thing I didn’t drop it on my clothes but on the table! I had to clean my table because of that. Hayh…. I hope this clumsiness stops soon!

ay yayay yayay

I forgot to mention on my previous blogs…
Vince has been rolling from back to front and vice versa the day after his doctor’s appointment. It is sooo cool!
I woke up last Friday, I checked on him on saw that he’s lying down on his tummy!!! He had 2 small side pillows but he went over it! He is such a strong baby… you can tell it by how strong he kicks and grabs your fingers :)

Because of his new found skill, we can’t leave him unsupervised except when he is on his crib or play pen. The other morning, I placed him in the middle of our bed (Queen Size) thinking that he’ll be ok right in the middle of the big bed. I told my husband to look after him because I have to do something. As soon as I left the bedside, Vince rolled over twice, one after the other! That led him almost to the edge of the bed!!!!! Good thing my husband was looking! So we put him back in his crib even if Vince doesn’t like it. We had to prepare to go to work.

He’s a handful…but I love him! Just imagine how active he would be once he knows how to walk and run!!! OH BOY!!!!!!!!!

update...

Oo nga pala...
Update on Vince' yesterday's check up:
Weight: 16lbs 7oz
Height: 24.25inches punggok daw! :( yaan mo baby... late bloomer ka lang! heheheh
He had 4 shots! wawa naman... but it is good for him.
Super iyak sha when the doctor gave the shots. Tapos I picked him up... tumigil na. Hayh... paglabas namin I had to put him on the car seat... tapos umiyak ulit.. pagbuhat ko ng car seat tumigil. Then pagdating namin sa house tulog na. :)

Vince is sick...
I took him to the doctor yesterday for his 4th month check up and for his shots that's why he's sick again. Poor guy. But he's not as cranky as the last time. He woke up this morning crying because he's hungry. After I fed him, he started playing... even if his temp is already 103 degrees! He's a tough guy! Since yesterday morning he's been sleeping without my help. I put him down on his crib to play and watch his Winnie the Pooh and Friends Mobile, and after 15 minutes he goes to sleep. I am so proud of him!!!


I haven’t really thought about this until I actually experienced it and suddenly realized that my life is stable and comfortable.
Right now, I am not thinking about what I want in life. I’m not thinking of dreams unfulfilled. Right now, I’m thinking about my son’s future. I am thinking about my husband’s health. I am thinking of other people’s future… other people’s life… not my own anymore. I am living every second of my life to live for somebody else.

I remember when I was younger, I was a typical teenager who worries about myself only. Life felt so complicated even if it was simpler then compared to my life as an adult. I went to school, came home, hung out with friends, dated… fought with my siblings. I was more worried about what “I” wanted to be, who “I” will end up with, what “I” want in life. I guess being self-centered is normal as a teenager.

There is always something happens in your life that makes it interesting. Happy, sad, irritating moments. Life is not life without these different experiences. What makes THEN different from NOW… for me… is that NOW… I already have what I’ve been wishing for my whole life… A complete family.

Cruising together...

Excited na ko!!!!!
We are going on a cruise from August 12 to August 19. We will be taking the Celebrity Cruise Line. Ship’s name is Zenith. We are going to BERMUDA! It’s the whole family’s first time (Joe, Vince and myself) to see Bermuda. (ewan ko lang kung matatandaan ni Vince.. hehehe)

At first, Joe’s intention was just for the two of us to go on vacation. But… I don’t want to leave Vince so we are taking him. The ship will be leaving from New Jersey, which is good so we don’t have to fly. It’s difficult to fly with an infant. I did a lot of research about traveling/cruising with an infant so I know what to expect during the trip. I listed down all the stuff that my son needs for this travel. Gosh! ANG DAMI!

We know that this vacation is for us to get away from the city and relax. Well... try to relax anyway. At least we won’t be going to work for a week, do not need to worry about food for a week. Hayh…
For Joe and I, this is our 5th cruise! We took the first four cruises from Royal Caribbean.

07-Nov-2004 Mariner Of The Seas 7 Night Western Caribbean Cruise
Ports of Call: Port Canaveral, Florida; Labadee, Haiti; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico; Port Canaveral, Florida

18-Apr-2004 Voyager Of The Seas 7 Night Western Caribbean Cruise
Ports of Call: Miami, Florida; Labadee, Haiti; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico; Miami, Florida

14-Sep-2003 Adventure Of The Seas 7 Night Southern Caribbean Cruise
Ports of Call: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Bridgetown, Barbados; Castries, St. Lucia; St. Johns, Antigua; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; San Juan, Puerto Rico

23-May-2003 Majesty Of The Seas 3 Night Bahamas Cruise
Ports of Call: Miami, Florida; Cococay, Bahamas; Nassau, Bahamas; Miami, Florida


I'll update you after we get back :)

Grabe nah!!!

Today’s temperature high is 104 degF. In Manila, the temp high is only 84degF!!!

ANG INIT!!!!!!

It's freakin 105 deg.F or 41 deg.C!!!!! ANG INIT!!!!!!!
I looked at Manila's high temp and it's only 83 deg.F or 28 degC! UGH!!!