Blood Screening

How did my morning go?

First, I didnt wake up on time for my morning exercise which is okay because I can do it when I get home from work later. I had half of the grilled cheese sandwich my MIL prepared for breakfast then did my morning rituals. I woke Gin up at exactly 7AM because we had to leave the house before 8 for PGH to have our blood screening. After getting ready, Gin was going to heat up the car already but guess what? It didnt want to start. At that point I didnt want to get superstitious and all but I couldnt help it. I was thinking to myself "is this a sign that we cant have a baby?" I actually was tearing up. But I had to be strong and just brush off that thought. No negative vibe is allowed! Finally, the mechanic of Gins brother arrived and fixed the problem of the car. Phew!!! We were able to leave the house a little past 8 which was still okay.

Anyway, hubby and I had to go to PGH for our blood screening because we both have to be cleared of the following before we can undergo LIT:

For Gin:
CBC
HIV
HbsAg
Anti HCV
Malarial Smear
VDRL
Anti Hbs

For me:
HbsAg
Anti Hbs

For Gins blood screening, PGH has a package that costs P1,200. This includes everything except for Anti Hbs which costs only P165. As for mine, the HbsAg costs P150 and the Anti Hbs costs P165. Their rates are not bad at all compared to the rates of Asian Hospital. When we inquired with Asian as to how much the blood screening is going to cost --- it reached P8k! Can you believe the big difference? Good thing my Immunologist recommended PGH.

We might get the results by Friday. Hopefully, the results will turn out okay so that we can proceed with the treatment already.

So I guess, having our blood screening was really meant to happen today despite the obstacles with the car this morning. Thank you Lord!!! :-)

Do's and Dont's to a Childless Couple

Something I got from Ivy...

* Don't ask a childless person when they are going to have a child. They may be going through the process of trying to conceive but have not yet achieved success. Asking them only reminds them of their problem. They need no extra reminders.

* Don't relate stories of your fertility to them. Hearing "my husband just has to look at me and I get pregnant" is very annoying. While well-meaning, the statement is insensitive.

* Don't give advice such as "just relax," "you are trying too hard" or "take a cruise." All of these very common comments imply that the couple has control of their fertility. Most of the time, these couples have absolutely no control over their fertility. Implying control leads to feelings of failure and guilt when this advice doesn't work.

* Don't offer advice such as sexual timing, position, herbal medications or other totally unproven therapies. There are literally hundreds of old-wife's-tails that, when followed, can drive an infertile patient nearly crazy. Their physician will have covered those natural aspects of their care that may maximize their chances for conception. Once again, please to not imply that they have a sense of control.

* Don't express your derogatory personal opinions regarding insemination procedures, test-tube babies or adoption. Sometimes, these are their only hope for having a child. These are your opinions and uninvited advice is rarely neither desired nor constructive. You are absolutely entitled to your opinion, simply keep it your own. If they ask for your advice, then feel free to state your opinions, but do so in a kind and considerate manner.


* Don't place blame by accusing the couple of exercising too much, eating the wrong foods or drinking alcohol. These couples may already be blaming themselves. Their physician will have already covered the medical and reproductive consequences of obesity, smoking, alcohol and recreation drugs. Support them in the cessation of these activities and minimize the guilt associated with their consumption. The guilt rarely leads to cessation but often moves the individual to increased consumption.

What You Can Say and Do...


* Do provide couples with plenty of emotional support by saying "It must be difficult to go through this" and "I'm here to listen if you need to talk."

* Do remember that men can be just as emotional about the problem, sometimes even more so. They may feel their masculinity is at risk.

* Do understand the couple's need for privacy.

* Do try to understand that if they are your employees, frequent doctor's appointments may be necessary during business hours. Please try to accommodate them as much as possible. Not doing so may also be construed as a form of discrimination and place you at legal risk.

* Do understand why they may not make it to a baby shower or a holiday event. These frequent events can become overwhelming for an infertile couple.

* Do tell the infertile couple that there is hope.

its all about you & me tag

I was tagged by Gracie - thanks thanks! :-)

RULES:

1. add your blog/s to the list. feel free to add all your other blogs. it’s okay if you only post these questions in one blog as long as you answer them.
2. get back to ME {refers to YEN} and i’ll add your blogs to the master’s list here! yup, another linking thingy but this one has 15 questions and you get to enjoy answering them too!
3. tag as many friends online you know. but you don’t need to be tagged in order to join.

QUESTIONS:

1. when you buy a greeting card, are the words or the picture more important to you?- BOTH

2. what’s your favorite kind of cake?- strawberry or mango cheescake or even just the cake by Contis or Red Ribbon --- YUMMY!!!

3. do you ever make gifts for people, if so what, or do you buy them?- well not really make but i try as much as possible that each gift is fit to the personality of the person

4. what’s your favorite holiday?- XMAS!!!

5. are you going on holiday this year? if so, where?- might go to the US --- business plus pleasure. long overdue honeymoon.

6. what was the best party you’ve ever been to?- bday parties of my friends

7. if you are married, describe your wedding. If not, what would your ideal wedding be like?- every inch of our wedding was very well thought of. as my friend described it simple yet you could feel all the love and happiness in the room.

8. what’s the most romantic thing that’s ever happened to you?- i cant really name one. but simply being alone with my hubby is romantic --- wink! wink!

9. what’s your favorite girl’s name?- Nicole

10. what’s your favorite boy’s name?- hmmm...Enzo or Santino

11. which celebrity would you like a dream date with?- same as Gracie --- its got to be Justin Timberlake.

12. which female celebrity do you find beautiful?- catherine zeta jones and gretchen barreto

13. which male celebrity do you think is attractive?- chad michael murray

14. what is your best character trait?- i am very easy to get along with. not a difficult person to please.

15. what is your worst habit?- worrying too much

I am tagging Tracy, Jan and Joy

Te list:
1. Me and Mine
2.Creative In Me
3.Little Peanut
4. Pea in a Pod
5. Sugar Magnolias
6.Me,Myself+2
7.FunFierceFabulous
8. Supermodel Wannabe
9. A Reality Bite
10. My Life Right Before Your Very Eyes
11. YOUR BLOG HERE

At Work

I am tired. Not tired of what I am doing...just generally tired.

For the past few days or should I say weeks have been very busy for me. I have noticed that I am looking forward even more to the weekends. If you are part of my YM list...my status usually would be LOOKING FORWARD TO THE WEEKEND even before this busy-ness of mine started. But do not get me wrong here, I really enjoy what I am doing and I love my job but I guess its just the work load that I have now because of this event I am putting up. Though I am also excited at the same time because this is something big and new for our team. So I have been really focused on putting things in order for it to be a success. I am OC like that! :-P

Because of this event, I might or I will be sent to the US by the company because the event will be held there which makes it more exciting! I told hubby that he should go with me already and make this our long overdue honeymoon --- 100x exciting! Hehehe!

Anyway, I need to get back to work. Just wanted to de-focus for a few minutes. :-)

My Sunday Afternoon

My Sunday afternoon.

Its exactly 2:40PM and we were supposed to hear mass this morning but Gin and his dad didnt wake up early. I prefer hearing mass in the morning so that we have the whole afternoon to do whatever. So to kill time, what did I do? I fixed my closet, made our bed, arranged my clothes, surfed the net and now writing this blog.

I asked our dirver to set up the Glider which Gin hasnt used for a looong time. Why did I have it set up? Because I really need to lose weight. My weight now --- its depressing already. Not only that, I need exercise --- this is for health reasons. I just want to start being active again and not feel so lumpy all the time and maybe it will reduce the back pains I feel every now and then. After mass later, I will get on that Glider and burn those fats away. Hehehe!!! I have to stop postponing this and start exercising now!!!

What else happened in the past few hours? Hmmmm...Gin gave Chase a bath. Finally!!! But you know, Chase doesnt smell like a dog even if he hasnt take a bath for like a week. He doesnt have the stinky smell. I think its because of the dog food. We give him table food once in a while but I dont want him to get used it. Anyway, what else, what else? Do I sound bored? hehehe... Well, Gin is busy playing with his PSP. I am starting to hate that darn thing. Sometimes I wish I didnt get that toy for him. Are your hubbys addicted to their PSP's too? Gin would sleep at 3 or even 4am just playing PSP. Oh well! Boys will be boys!!! :-P

Am I still making sense with what I am writing here? I hope so...

I guess thats it for me. Will start getting ready for mass. :-)

Ten Random Things About Me

I was tagged by Joy. Thanks girl! :-)

The rules are:

1. Each blogger starts with ten random facts/habits about themselves.
2. Bloggers that are tagged need to write on their own blog about their ten things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 10 people to get tagged and list the ten random things about themselves.Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Here are the ten random things about me:

1. I have to be in bed by 10pm or even earlier.
2. I learned to drive on my own --- with the help of my friends and family driver. This was when I was in 1st year college.
3. I am the youngest in the family.
4. Gin and I were bf and gf for four years.
5. I love dogs!
6. My office is in Makati and I live in Pque.
7. I have three handsone nephews.
8. I like getting massages.
9. I am more of a home buddy --- i dont like going out that much!
10. I love SM and Landmark...hehe! :-)

I am tagging Jan and Tracy.

Its our baby's 1st bday!

Yes you got that right! We have a baby and its his 1st bday today! Who is this baby I am talking about? Its our doggy Chase --- a male Wirehaired Dachshund. May 21 is not really his real bday. Since we just adopted him from my nephew and he didn't know the exact date he was born. All he could tell us was that he was born in May. So Gin and I decided to set his bday on the 21st of this month. Why 21? Because we got married December 21. Hehehe!

Chase has played a significant or should I say is playing a significant role in my life and same with Gin. He's not only our pet, he's already part of the family. We treat him like our kid. Believe me when I say that he is one spoiled Dachshund! I am pretty sure all the dog lovers out there don't see their pet dogs as just pets but like us, they are already family. Given the present situation with regards to having a baby, with Chase around its like we already have our own little angel --- in this case it has lots of fur.

I remember Chase was just about 2 months old when we first got him. He was so little but already playful. From day one he was used to sleeping in our room. At first we would layer old towels on the floor and thats where he would usually sleep but as he got older he'd sleep with us on the bed. Now that he is a year old, he has tripled in size and has become more affectionate but still playful or is it super kulit?

Dogs can be like humans too. You can see if they feel bad or when they are happy. For instance, whenever Gin and I get into an arguement and I end up crying, I would see Chase looking at me then a little later he would approach me and start licking my face. Its as if he knows that I am sad.

Having Chase is one of our simplest joys in life. Gin and I miss him whenever we are away. Even if we are both are just at work. When he's sick we super worry. Just like regular parents. What more if we really have our own baby? Gin would even ask me, "paano yan pag may baby na tayo? saan na si chase?" I just told Gin, we will figure it out when we get there.

All I can say is --- I love having Chase around and it was a good move to adopt him from my nephew.

Happy Bday Chasey boy! :-)