Reese's under the sea party at three

Given that Reese is an only child, I feel guilty not holding a birthday party for him. Adding the fact that my parents and my husband's parents live on both ends of the Metro, we held two simple parties last year and I felt like we could have made it better with one bigger party. So that's what we did this year and given that he is such a water baby, I wanted the theme to be under the sea. Here's a round down of supplies and other stuff we used for the party.

Jellyfish and Backdrop Decor: DIY, Labor of Love with my sisters

Technically, I only spent about 200php for all the materials for the backdrop but it was so laborious and time consuming!! The jellyfish took the most time, as we spent about three weekends, 4 hours each, just twisting the tentacles for the bodies and completing multiple cartoon marathons in the process. We were able to make 12 in total. 

Jellyfish: The body is a half moon colored paper while the tentacles are crepe paper. Cant find the tutorial we used, but basically, you have to cut the crepe paper into 2-inch thick strands, twist it every inch or so and the length and number of tentacles per jellyfish depends on you. 

"Waves" : They're cut out japanese paper though we made them way too early so some were crumpled on the day but still, I think they were nice :)

Credits to kara'spartyideas.com where we got the inspiration :) 

Please check out the full post on:
http://karaspartyideas.com/2013/08/under-the-sea-water-party.html/under-the-sea-12

Name and # 3: I cut out the letters from carton and used 1-inch colored paper squares. It looked okay but they were freakin' heavy for the curtain and after a few minutes, the last "E" kept falling, so note to self, think of something else.

Thingies:

Star Balloons: 80php/dozen, Divisoria (No sticks, not blown)

We have a suki stall in 168 mall, somewhere between Sta Elena and Soler wing, on the 2nd floor, though I'm bad with directions I cant exactly tell you where it is. Hahahaha. Anyway, that shop has two stalls facing each other and they have most party supplies you can think of- from this type of balloons, to other shapes, to paper lanterns, to lootbag items, to baptism souvenirs so I suggest you check it out if you're hosting a party and looking for multiple supplies.

We used supposed choco sticks to prop the balloons and my son loved them so much, he broke about 2 balloons even before the birthday from too much playing. Hehehehe

Brownies Tower:

Divisoria- 12php candle, 35php pack of plates, 35 peso pack of toothpicks and liners

Cafe Mary Grace: 300 for 16 pieces of brownies

Goldilocks: 207 for 25-pc brownie pack

Tower: Bought in 2015 in Dapitan Arcade, 600

Not bad for 800 php, right?

Story: I didnt want to avail the usual fondant cake as the cheapest ones are 1k and up, only to serve as display on the event. I originally wanted donuts but they proved trickier to arrange so we ended up with brownies.

* I cut a 9 piece square from the Mary Grace brownies to serve as the "main cake" and stuck 

toothpicks and the candle to it

* I transferred the Goldilocks brownies to the liners to give them an oomph....and hubby's cousin

even asked me where I ordered them. Hahahahaha

*Later on, we ran out of liners and I cut the paper plates to make them smaller and used them to hold the brownies.

Pencil Case Lootbags

Pencil Case: 72/dozen, Divisoria(Juan Luna St)

Key Chain: 36/dozen, Divisoria(Juan Luna St)

Stickers: 40/pack, National Bookstore

Assorted Candies and Choco: Grocery

Total Cost per pencil case: about 30 php

Story: I was appalled at the prices of lootbags, some as expensive as 20 php(so I need to spend about 50php for the contents to do justice to a 20php paper bag????), and some though at 2php each, looked like glorified sando bags(bit snotty but just being honest). Good thing I came across these pencil cases and asked hubby to make monograms- one side sea animals and one side reese at 3 and filled them with candies. :)

so cute!!!

Including the pool, I spent about 10k plus a few things that my mom, sister and my sister-in-law shouldered, so we spent about 13k, and seeing Reese so happy made it worth it... though it might take time for me to consider hosting another party like this.. hahahaha

If Reese is happy, Mama's happy too! :)

Bye and till the next post!

My son after GBS

I am writing this post more for parents whose children have/had Guillain-Barré syndrome, or GBS for short. Since this disease is rare and information is scarce, I know how hard it is to find first hand information out there. I also know that there are some who post in forums and search engine sites but if you're like me who doesn't fancy reading exchanges through forums, then this post is for you.

To give you an overview, here are my boys details:

>He had his MMR booster/vaccination on June 13, 2014. He was 1.1 years old at that time

(After that, I cannot remember exact dates but here's what happened)

>He developed cough and flu like symptoms on June 16 after we went swimming in the river

>We did self-medication of anti-biotics on June 22 due to on-off fever of 38-39 degrees

>His fever stopped but his physical condition got worse after that and by June 26, he was much much weaker and couldnt stand up

>The first pedia misdiagnosed it as dehydration and we started on fluids on June 26 but since he wasnt getting better, we brought him to another doctor on June 30

>He was confined on June 30 and diagnosed with GBS on July 1

>We started with IV IG on the night of July 2 and stopped on July 6

>He was discharged on July 8 and did Physical Rehabilitation until September 2014(3 months)

>He was able to walk again in October 2014

The first day he was able to walk again ^_^

Here are info that I still remember from our hospitalization

> My son vomitted on the last night of the IV IG procedure. Doctors said it is not a normal response to the IG so they deemed it safe to continue the intake. He also vomitted the day after that and though the doctors think it might be caused by overfeeding, I think it was due to high blood pressure because at that time, my son's bp was ranging from 110-120/80, pretty high numbers for a toddler. IV IG causes high blood pressure since its basically concentrated form of blood/anti-bodies.

> Doctors told us that he will be able to walk approximately 6 months to a year after he was discharged though he was able to do it in 3 months. They say that GBS progresses more quickly in younger patients but the good side is, since their bodies have not been exposed to "damage" from unhealthy food, alcohol, etc., they also recover more quickly, which was the case for him since he had it so young. We take this as a big blessing from God because I have watched videos of GBS patients in hospitals who were bedridden for MONTHS.

Life Two Years after GBS

Now, our son is up and about and people who never knew his illness wouldnt know that he had to face such a condition. However, we believe that his body has not "fully recovered" from the trauma of the disease because

1. In those 3 months that he was unable to walk, we view it as a recuperating process, meaning that when he was able to walk in October, he was back to his old self in June. Thus, we technically lost about 6 months in development since he was not able to move forward for 4 months and because he was still recuperating as time went by, his over all development only continued a few months after he was able to walk again. Thus, when I look at my boy who is 2 years and 11 months old, I believe his over-all development is closer to that of a 2 year and 6 month old boy, given that he was able to catch up a bit from the delay. His peers are much taller than him and are able to talk more. However, I believe the situation also enabled him to develop his socio-emotional skills better- because he understands sharing, time outs, saying sorry and remorse, as well as pretend play(which I normally saw in 3 and 4 year olds when I was a teacher).

2. It is hard to look for scientific evidence for it but I think trauma caused him to be delayed in speech and other areas of development. I am constantly looking for mothers' accounts that say that after a traumatic experience, their child seemed unwilling to try to talk. GBS was traumatic for our son in 2 accounts- he understands the medical staff's work and fears all of them from doctors to nurses to medical technician and he remembers the experience of being unable to walk during and after the sickness. At present, our son would only talk a few words- family members, a few animals, food he likes and for the rest, rely on gestures to express himself.

Such a water baby! A video at the beach of informal speech practice

3. Be wary of some doctors, because not all are genuinely interested to help you. 

Given the rarity of the disease, curiosity and technicality gets the better of some doctors, and to date we experienced 4 doctors. 1) During our hospitalization, we encountered a doctor who rated my son's physical movement as 0(I believe on a scale of 1/5) and it was really really upsetting, seeing my son exert effort to move his legs. 2) A different one, a resident(who I believe has not encountered a pediatric GBS case before) asked me over and over again information about his history, information she would been able to see on the chart.

Afterwards, it was extra hard to find pediatricians that we trust and believe can cure our son's sickness unrelated to GBS. 3) One profusely argued with me about the connection of vaccines and the syndrome. 4) Another treated my son like a fragile glass and concluded that he is ultra-sensitive and thus prohibited from getting sunlight, eating chocolates and doing anything else that might be dangerous or cause allergies. She even advised us to lessen salt in our dishes, which as far-fetched as it may sound, seem to come from her desire for me to lose weight given that I'm overweight and had nothing to do with my son. It took a while of trials and errors before we were able to find the perfect fit, a doctor that we trusted to truly be able to cure him for other diseases and illnesses. 

I'll end this note by saying that experiencing GBS was one of the hardest yet meaningful experiences my husband and I had as parents. It's one of those things that you wish came with a manual but at the same time brought out the best in us, and show us that other than what we have previously done, we are capable of more love as parents. 

If there are other things you wish to discuss or simply want to talk to somebody about the experience, feel free to drop me a line!

Cheers!

Independence & letting our children go

Last night, Reese slept on a bed on his own. Technically, his "bed" was right next to ours, he still climbed to ours when he asked for milk but from any perspective, he slept by himself.

Excited about this new arrangement!

The pretend play started a few days back, when he would get a mat(meant for the sofa), lie on it and close his eyes. Last night, however, hubby prodded and prodded him but the boy simply smiled at us, showing that he really means to sleep there. Worried that it might be too cold and hard for him, we created a space for him with all his pillows. He was so happy and when I tried to overdo it by adding a comforter, he said "Hindi", meaning "no, the mat and the pillows are enough".

Last night was a gentle reminder that I aim to be a parent that allows my son to experience things, far from my teenage years of lying my way through "firsts", because my mom wouldn't let me experience them if I asked permission. Lying to watch a concert for the first time. Lying about an out of town because I was travelling with my boyfriend. It was quite a blow as an adult, a woman with a job who still feels the need to lie to her mother for fear of being reprimanded. It was a reminder that unlike what I did to my mom, I prefer to know my son's decisions because in the end, I'd wish to know where he is even if I think the activity is too dangerous, far away,  or expensive- because it is part of letting them make their own mistakes.

  It was an eye opener, a gentle reminder that our children are not our own. Parents are here to guide them, raise them and educate them, but we have to let them go, let them be the individuals that they are meant to be, regardless if  we are ready to do so or not.

Nag-pose pa talaga!

I got teary eyed because my boy is still stuck at one word sentences( his age is expected to be able to carry 2-3 word sentences at a time), and here he is, wanting to sleep by himself. Today, it's about the bed and a few months from now, it might be something else. That's the thing with being a mom. The concern changes but the feeling doesn't- a mother will always care. It never gets easier-it's just an ever morphing ride of caring about something else that affects your child

So today, I lock away the mom who wants to protect her child from every little thing and prod the one who's willing to let her son be independent.

Under The Sea Party @ Three

The stage mother is back!!! Hehehe. Our darling Reese will turn three in May, and of course, three months into the date, ze stage mother (aka: ME), had a Eureka moment and decided that the theme will be, yes, UNDER THE SEA.

Our boy is such a water baby that at this point, he only had two ways to look post swimming:

1) You're-the-meanest-parent-ever-for-asking-me-to-stop-swimming 

(IF we ask him to stop swimming at the right time)

OR

2) I-don't-feel-cold-I'm-still-okay-don't-mind-me 

(IF we wait for that wrinkly-palm moment when his teeth start to chatter from the cold)

Hence, it was suppah easy to pick this theme because it fits our boy annnndd and goes along the usual shades of blue. Why Blue? Because even if I am gender-sensitive and all, most products for boys(from clothes to party favors to rash gards, almost every freakin' thing) are blue, so this makes my life hella easier.

Since this is a party in the making, can't show you my own pics yet, but here's a mix of pics I found online if you're interested in the same theme.

I can just see myself rockin' those fish cut outs! The original picture came from 
http://karaspartyideas.com/2013/08/under-the-sea-water-party.html

Such Cute Food Toppers! 

I'm not completely sold on the sand-pail thing but I like the contrast of blue and orange

It won't be complete without the personalized lootbags!!!

Not an octopus but a starfish, perhaps? Hehehe

Might replace that big annoying figurine of Spongebob but other than that, this looks perfect!
(Goldilocks)

I'll be back with updates on the toppers and all once I'm done and a thought bubble comes along. Ciao!!!

Gullain-Barre Syndrome and your role as parents

And the blogging backlog continues! :P

I was all set on writing an entry about all things mushy about our recent ordeal six months ago but I realized that it aint gonna help anybody but myself. Writing about mushy things would help me vent out the emotional pain I experienced while Reese was in a hospital. Meanwhile, writing about our experience on the actual disease could and might help others, so here I am, telling you about it.

I wouldn't go all technical about the disease because you can read that elsewhere from people who are more qualified to tell you about it but here are our personal notes about things that we(hubby and I) think might have played a part or symptoms regarding his disease.

1. Medical staff just refuse to give babies vaccines when they are sick but they fail to highlight that vaccines can actual make them prone to be sick.

GBS usually stems from cough and in Reese's case, we believe he had a cough because he had immunization two days before we went swimming, and the combination of the two contributed to him being sick. Sure, you can say that the fault remains with us in allowing him to swim (which we believe caused his cough) but still, I think the vaccine made his immune system weaker. So the questions linger in my mind: What if we waited in giving him the vaccine? What if we didnt let him swim too long? For now these are all what ifs, but to those of you who are only about to have their children's immunization, it can spell a world of difference.

2. Doctors are brilliant people but they are people nonetheless, so they can make mistakes and their mistakes can be graver given the nature of their work.

Reese's pedia diagnosed him to be dehydrated and we couldn't blame him- his lips were dry and chapped, he didnt have energy, his face was drooping. He recommended for Reese to do oral rehydration without requesting for a test confirming his electrolyte level. We followed his recommendation for three days and when Reese didnt improve, we were advised to go to a different hospital. Nonetheless, always be vigilant about the doctor's course of action and dont hesitate to ask if you feel like something is not right.

3. Do not second guess your instinct as a parent. Do what you feel is best for your child.
From the time that Reese's symptoms started to get worse, Arnold and I couldnt decide on what to do-whether to bring him to the doctor immediately, to wait out a few days, to self medicate and so on. After that, we promised to each other that we would never second guess again and bring him to the hospital once symptoms to any sort of disease become evident. Their symptoms worsen very quickly but in the same they also recover very fast so the best way is to diagnose diseases early so they can be addressed as soon as possible.

Like I have said time and again, Reese having had GBS was the hardest ordeal we had to go through and we wish that in as much as we can(given our limited resources), we can share our experience to ensure that fewer and fewer people will deal with this disease. We are happy to say that Reese has surpassed the doctor's projections that he will be able to walk again within 6 months-1 year after his hospitalization, because he was able to do it in four months. 

He lost a lot of weight then but he is literally back on his feet and bubblier than ever :)

I hope these bits of info help you. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have concerns/questions.. God Bless us all!

Aligaga- Day In, Day out. Repeat

Reese was sick for more than two weeks- from cough to GBS to physical therapy and without thinking twice, I would tell you that it has been the hardest since our parenting days began. Before I started this entry, I thought I had my thoughts collected but as I went along, I found myself lost for words. 

Remembering how sick he was at this point breaks my heart </3

Because that's the thing with parenting. Some say and you tell yourself as well that it gets easier as they age but it doesnt. I remember my mom quoting an officemate, who complained that her son asked her mommy to buy milk for her apo. Mom's officemate complained that she thought her problems would end after her son got married but my mom just laughed and said "Buti kung hindi mo na anak yun kapag nagasawa na."- Short of saying that parenting concerns change as they age but it's parenting nonetheless.

When Reese was newborn, the hardest thing was waking up every two hours to feed him and I told myself that it'll be better when he gets older. When he got older, he liked playing at around 2 or 3 am and watch music videos so still, the sleep was elusive. When he turned 5 months, he slept soundly through the night but he would roll over a lot, so Arnold and I had to sleep in an L-formation so he wouldn't fall off the bed. When we moved to our new home, he quickly learned how to go down the bed by himself so we had to wake up when he did because he's walk towards plugs and appliances in a jiffy.

See, that's how crazy parenting is. It's a double bladed sword in the sense that it's the thing that brings me the most joy and yet it's the thing that can hurt the most. It's inevitable when you love something so purely, when you love somebody beyond the way you love yourself.

Somehow, most days, it's the hardest to find that sweet spot of loving your child just enough so that they know it without causing him or myself damage. Every morning, I struggle to leave because it's when we bond the most, but at the same time, I don't want be late for work. I have to manage our finances well but every car and musical toy and pajama set and comfy shirt seem for Reese seem to wink at me. These are everyday choices as parents and most days, I have to keep "personal score" to make sure that I'm not leaning too much towards one side.

So yes, I'm usually aligaga, still trying to figure out how to be a good parent and balancing it between cooking meals and being a wife and work and part time jobs and mountaineering and family stuff. I hope that you, my dear reader is doing just fine doing more or less the same thing. Until the next post!