Getting Cassie Her Philippine Passport

Proud Baby! 

On August 27, 2015 we went to DFA to get Cassie her passport and exactly 5 weeks from the filing we got Cassie's passport in the mail!  This is an info-blog based from our experience and I hope this helps. 

I was told by a friend that in order to get an NSO for a newborn (which is one of the requirements to file for a passport) one has to wait for at least 6 months. For whatever reasons that I do not know, this information I got from her kept me in a bind because DFA itself has delays in processing and releasing passports. We are looking forward to an international trip in November. 

Around the third week of August, I kindly asked my mom to process Cassie's NSO and claim her Baptismal Certificate on my behalf since I had to work. It all went well and I was so surprised that my mom was able to get Cassie's NSO in just one day. I really didn't expect that. I cant give you any info on the NSO process but she just presented Cassie's photocopy of Registered Live Birth together with my Authorization Letter and photocopy of IDs and she was good to go. 

This link  gives you the documents that you  need bring to the  DFA. I'd suggest that you compile all the needed requirements in one envelop for a smoother transaction.  

My mom suggested that we get an agency to process Cassie's passport; she might have thought that doing so will expedite or override the processing time frame (which we're really scared if we can make it). She said her friend can do it for 2500. I think it is a ridiculous idea because no 1, all the agency really does is submit your requirements and you still have to go through  the line and go through all the process. There is in fact no difference and you pay them around 1000 pesos for.... nothing.  We just paid 1050 for Cassie's passport and a small fee for LBC to mail the passport to us instead of going back to the office after 6 to 7 weeks. 

We counted the weeks of  possible waiting time and if you follow the 3 additional weeks,
we would've gotten Cassie's passport on the third week of October

We refuse to go through the agency and went there ourselves knowing that MINORS or BABIES obviously will be prioritized. And we were. It was my first time to visit the new DFA office and it was really good I was impressed! It is clean, it looks honorable, it is organized except for one thing, their express lane wasn't the most efficient lane at all. While we were waiting in line, I could see that the normal lane moved faster than the priority lane. What a joke! 

Daddy has to hold her still for the picture taking while Mama kept her focus
on the camera by letting her look at it. She is too cute! She is all blue! aha!

But really, I was happy that we didn't have to pay extra though it took us about 3 hours which is way longer that I expected.  BOO! I was happy to see Cassie being photographed for her first ever ID and passport! She looked so adorable that she won the heart of the DFA Officer who took her picture.

October 1, 2015. While she was eating her dinner a mail came in!! Cassie is officially flying to Hongkong! 

I guess she realized what it was??

She's checking her very first mail.

Managing my Budget

If I was born rich, I wouldn't have to budget. My blog for today is about budgeting. Let me define BUDGET. The simplest definition is-- an estimate of income and expenditure for a set period of time. Modesty aside, Tony and I have a good flow of income every month. BUT we still have money shortages, no savings and it feels like I am so poor.

One night, my cousin visited me for a Financial talk. It feels awkward talking about personal things with her but when she bid herself goodbye that night, I went to bed feeling better because I learned something new about SAVINGS. Do not get me wrong, I can eat at restaurants, buy the stuff that I want. I am living a comfortable life. I worked my whole life after I graduated college, lo and behold I am as broke as I was before.  What happened?

I love budgeting. I list down my expenses to make sure I know where my money is going and I am also hoping that  I can save. For a time, my savings worked. I opened a savings account but it wasn't enough because eventually, I had to pull it out. It didn't multiply coz I was merely saving and it neither helped me secure my future.

I will share a few bullets of my bad practices that prevented me from effective saving.

• I spend more than I earn.
• I dont stick to my budget.
• I look back to my expenses instead of looking ahead.

Right now, I have found a  system that's so far is the best. It worked for me and I couldn't be more thankful to my cousin Ate Ana for sharing this to me!

• Write down your expenses and projected budget.
• Once you get your pay, withdraw all your money.
• Allocate funds for each expenses and put it in an envelope. Eg. if my budget envelope for GAS  is 2000, I have to make sure my gas will last until the next payday. Otherwise, I will have to ride the PUJ.  
• One of my envelope should read as  FORCED SAVINGS. 

Right now, Tony and I am planning on investing on Life Insurance and Educational Plan for Cassie. This is on the works since we're also planning on maybe going to the US to work and live. I just hope and pray that with God's guidance and mercy, He will help us by giving us hints on which path is best for us. 

I hope this short blog will help. I would love to see you truly save too!! 

Dinner After A Long Work Week

I’ve been wanting to cook PORK STEAMED RICE again ala dimsum style of course. When I was in SG and according to some friends, STEAMED RICE abroad equals to plain rice here in the PI, isn’t that sad. This aint my first time to cook the dish and I can’t remember the last time I cooked steamed rice so I kinda forgot how it’s done. Thanks to the power of internet. Gone were the days that the only option is to go to the dimsum restaurant to satisfy my cravings. I mean to be honest, the thing I cook at home isn’t exactly the same when it comes to taste but I’m assured that mine doesn’t have MSG on it and that makes it a whole lot better than those at Dimsum restaurants.

Anyways, to be a bit trivial  DIMSUM means  a Chinese dish of small steamed or fried savory dumplings containing various fillings, served as a snack or main course.

                         

                                

Baby Shower #waitingforCassidy

I am blessed with a loving family, so imagine the delight when everybody found out that I was pregnant! She would’ve been the first granddaughter, the first niece and basically now that everyone’s grown up, she would’ve been the first baby in the family!

I believe that baby showers weren't a trend before, I mean locally. And since, it isn't really a tradition, I read through articles online because I liked the idea of having a baby shower. I’d love to organize one someday for a close friend. Anyways, I found out that baby showers are usually organize by someone not related to family to avoid giving the impression that the mother or family is asking for gifts.  But when I was preggo, I openly told my sister that I want a “surprise” baby shower. (hahaha) Oh well, she happily complied. My boyfriend was quite supportive to this endeavor and though I know that I wanted one, I was still surprised with what they came up.

It was an ordinary day for me when the boyfriend asked me if we can drop by The Henry Hotel coz he wanted to let me see their rooms for the baby shower party that we’re planning. He asked receptionist if we can check their rooms and the receptionist casually said that they didn't have the room type that we wanted to check out but instead she offered to let us see a bigger room. She walked us into the room and poof! When she opened the door, everyone was there-- with party hats, balloons and party poppers! 

     Future Daddy Tony checking out the beautiful cake made by my Tita Neng.

       My family which was equally excited as we were!

          With good friends who showed up to surprise me.

                GAMES GAMES GAMES!

HOW I TRAINED CASSIE TO SLEEP

Getting uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep was a distant memory when I first had Cassie. When one  becomes a new mom, she would do anything in exchange for a  good night sleep. I, for instance became a little sad about this reality. Im sure babies are all ohh and awww because they are cute but the first few weeks with Cassie isn't a walk in the park and I'm sure I am not alone in this.  I read just about every stuff I could find online about pregnancy but in pure heedlessness, I  shove off articles about what to do after giving birth! Nobody cared to welcome me in this whole sleep deprivation party but Cassie!  

I am no expert but I happen to put an end to it by training Cassie on how to sleep through the night. I love girl empowerment and I appreciate it when an ex colleague of mine at work messaged me on Facebook. She shared how she trained her baby to sleep through the night. I will share the tips because, who wants to look like a zombie? 

It is important to note that babies come out of this world without any idea of how a day and night works and most of the time, they are wide awake during the night. C'mon, be honest. You don't want to play and cuddle a baby when you are dead-tired and sleepy! Do not fret though, babies also come out very much eager to learn and absorb a gazillion of things. They are born to be smart, so take advantage! They are the best student you could ever dream of. They will definitely commit to memory! Mom, you have to train her the difference between day and night. You have to magnify every activity that is appropriate for the day and the night.

TIP 1. Communicate. Because Cassie has a yaya, I talked to everyone at home about my plan. You adults should be in sync in attaining a specific goal-- BABY HAS  SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT, right? Communicate and verbalize what you want and how it will be done. To better reinforce what I want for Cassie and for everyone to follow, I list down the activities or things appropriate during the day and the night. I created a column on what to do during the day with Cassie and what NOT to do during the night. I pasted it on the wall of our bedroom where everyone can see it and be guided by it. 

TIP 2. Consistency. They say that it takes about 21 days to make a habit. Well, for starters, like babies perhaps -- it only takes atleast 7 days! I remember Cassie doing great as early as 4th day of taining! So mom, do not break it, keep the ball running, be patient and go through it day by day and night after night. All of your hard work will payoff and the fruit of your  labor is.. umm a sweet sleep in the night!

TIP 3. The Module. So what do you train your baby? All you have to do is establish activities for her. And because I didn't have any idea on what to do when Cassie would start being on active mode at 2 AM I disturb her whenever she sleeps during the day and I realize that I am doing it all wrong. She wouldn't be disturbed anyway.  She used to sleep straight for 14 hours during the day. I was completely strung out of this idea but I realized that it is normal for babies to sleep like a... baby?! They have to keep up and grow so its normal for them to have longer sleeps on their first month so I let her be. Going back, you don't have to destroy her "me" time during the day, little angel can still sleep whenever she pleases but all you have to do is to turn on a soft music, make the room as bright as possible and most importantly do not whisper when talking. Talk with your normal volume but of course do not shout as it will startle your baby. What I especially do is have her sleep in the living room and I play movies with moderate volume. She can still sleep peacefully though but she was getting the hang of it that daytime means everyone is awake and it is bright. All you have to do is emphasize these activities so that the baby would associate noise and bright lights to DAY.

Cont...
When the night comes, set a specific time every night for a "bath". Cassie's "punas" time is at 8 pm. I am all for this and this isn't harmful to babies unless you do not use lukewarm water. With all the activities during the day-- the sweat, people kissing the baby, the spilled milk, baby's saliva and diaper changes, the baby would most likely feel uncomfortable, sticky and might be fussy during the night. It makes alot of sense to do this! After bath,we would play a little and  during the sleep time around past 8pm, I turn off all lights. Do not worry, they wont have any idea about ghosts so its ok to make the room pitch black or you can have a little lamp so that you can see how your baby is doing. Keep the room silent and ditch those soft lullaby music and most importantly, say your goodnight with a gentle kiss and DO NOT TALK TO HER. You have to create an environment that is very opposite of the day so that the baby can tell the difference and can associate the night for sleeping. When I first started this, Cassie of course would still wake up at dawn but I dont talk to her, I hushed her to sleep and i would even carry her but I do not talk to her until she falls asleep. What I did before when she starts waking up was to talk to her, put on some videos on my fone to have her watch nursery rhymes, I didnt know Im doing it all wrong. 

Like what I said, I am no expert on this and I am just sharing my experience. I am not quite sure if  there is a best time to start this DAY VS NIGHT Training to babies but I started training Cassie a little after she turned one month. At that time, I cannot wait for another month of not having a good sleep so I decided to start it right away. This decision helped me alot knowing that I had to go back to work after Cassie turns 2 months! With my understanding, perseverance, patience and faith to God, I can now sleep through the night. Cassie proved me that babies are real smart. Cassie is happy, Momma is happy!

                                        Let her sleep for when she wakes, 
                                                   she will move mountains!