* Ate is going to be an older sister! And we strongly feel it is a baby brother coming! Woohoo! It came as a surprise! We had planned to conceive our next child in 2011 considering Ate’s condition. And by planning, we remained faithful to the natural family planning which is “Church approved.” Breastfeeding full-time and no idea of ovulation time, we also took precautions. But one miscalculated fertile night, God decided for us that His plan is much better, His timing is perfect. Feeling nauseous for 2 days, we took the home pregnancy test and prayed our rosary before looking at the result together. Mama: “I don’t know what to ask for from the Lord. Positive or negative result.” Papa: “Then don’t ask for anything. Just welcome what He decides.” … Waaaah! Positive! We laughed together and congratulated Ate for she is now a big sister. We stuck to positive thoughts: Likelihood of lissencephaly or any brain malformation is nil. An age gap of 1.5 years would be good so Ate has a companion and best friend as she grows up. Baby sibling will be kind hearted, patient and learn a lot from older sister. Ate will again have a taste of colostrum from Mama. Baby brother learns to share colostrum! Hahaha! Baby brother will do cord banking giving Ate the option to do stemcell therapy. So all is good. We trust the Lord will equip us to raise well the children He decided to give us. As the days pass, we are more excited about our new baby! Ate too!
* Then the low blow after a high… Ate was diagnosed with very poor vision with an estimated grade of 800, which means, as the doctor explains, she can see only within 6 inches. Corrective lenses are recommended but we did not avail of any them because the smallest pair of eye glasses was too big for her. Shattered dreams and more tears came. But knowing we were pregnant, we tried not to get depression in our lives because being sad just doesn’t do us any good right now.
* Ate applies for a Philippine passport and gets it within 5 hours she steps in the DFA! We had some help and went through the courtesy lane. We presented her medical records and showed that we were confirmed participants in the special therapy in Singapore happening in 2 weeks! And she got them on her first birthday June 15, 2010
* Ate celebrated her 1st birthday in her Oma and Wowo’s garden with a few friends and relatives. Lola baked her famous chocolate rich oh-so-yummy chocolate cake and Oma’s cook prepared her best-selling homemade cheese macaroni and addicting corn dogs! It was a great simple party just like how our parties used to be back in our grade school days when character themes, food booths and professional party hosts were not basic requirements for birthday parties. Thank you to those who gave Ate gifts that would help fund her therapy in Singapore.
* Ate flew to Singapore on mommy’s lap! Gave mom an easy time by sleeping soundly throughout the whole plane ride. Stayed with her 7 month old friend Chloe Santiago in Singapore. Thank you Tito Sonny and Tita Ira for letting us stay with you and having baby friendly equipment (like sterilizers, steamers, baby tubs) to lend while we were there!
* In Singapore, ABR assessment was not so good – as expected. We realized things about Ate’s musculoskeletal system that needs a lot of help. Things we take for granted, like breathing, does not come easy for Ate. Breathing with the correct expansion of the ribs actually strengthens the fascia (this tissue layer we never took up in biology class but just as or even more important than the muscles in our body). Ate’s ribs are not developing normally and affect her ability to even do the simple thing of sitting down and bearing her own weight. This is just one of her assessments. The trained ABR therapists are positive and very encouraging that all these can change if we diligently apply the therapy technique they taught us. We must do at least 3 hours a day until the next visit. We opted to do everything manually since we did not have enough funds to rent the machine. The machine would log in at least an additional 8 hours a day since the machine can work on Ate overnight. We target to rent the machine in the next Singapore visit this November 2010.
* Ate is in search of a qualified nanny/caregiver who can do the ABR therapy at home. Mama still does it now, but as her tummy gets big, she would have great difficulty. Any referrals?
* Ate loves organic food. We notice how she prefers them over non-organic produce. She is picky with her food and went wild with delight when Mama added a pinch of salt in her veggies. Poor little girl has been eating bland food. Although if it’s organic, she loves it! Going gluten free, casein free, soy free and preservative free on her diet is getting more difficult! Mama is now challenged on what to prepare for Ate’s meals!
* Breastmilk donations have been coming in. But still need more to come. Mama ran low on milk because her body couldn’t handle it. At least Ate made it to one whole year of pure breastmilk from Mama. Now taking Darifree as milk substitute. And having donated breastmilk in between. Thank you to all those who donated! And for those who have breastmilk to spare, please let us know! We will pick it up! Ate cannot take regular infant formula and cannot take milk from animals since this aggravates her seizures.
* Seizures still present but getting milder and milder. No prescription drugs and only homeopathic remedies for seizure control. A much better option for Ate.
hey! good to hear about anya's progress...sayang di tayo nagkita when i got home! kami lang ni kath...maybe next time! :))
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