Sex Selection Procedure: Yay or Nay?

Charlie Sheen and wife Brooke Mueller are expecting twin boys, thanks in part to a fertility procedure called "sperm spinning". It's basically a sex selection procedure wherein X spermies are separated from the Y spermies and only the preferred sex-carrying spermies are inseminated in the mother to boost the chances of conceiving the preferred sex.

Not really sure i'm excited ove this procedure. I understand medical interventions that hope to ensure only the healthiest babies survive, but preferring a gender over another seems superficial for me. Aside from the fact that we're supposedly living in a time where men and women are equal, having a boy doesn't exactly ensure he will want to grow up a man. He could choose to be bi, gay or transsexual in time, so why focus energies on something like this?

And it's not that I don't understand the longing for a specific sex. I've always known i'd be okay without having a son, but I know i'll pine for a daughter. Mainly because i'm a woman. And well, maybe because I want to forge a better mother-daughter relationship with a child of mine than the one I had with my own mother. And come on, girls are a lot more fun to dress up and accessorize!

But I was blessed with a son for a firstborn. And even if all three kids I want will be sons, I don't think i'd ever really want to tamper with perfection, which is what nature thought to bless me with.

An Exasperated Mom... Sometimes

One hour before we went home from my in-laws, three people were already shrieking and telling my son that he's stressing them, namely: hubs, mother-in-law and sis-in-law. Me, I was grinning for having them worry over my son instead of me for a change. Of course, they were also tripping on things in their rush to avert accidents for my son (falling off steps and chairs, slipping while running, knocking his head on a wall and putting everything in his mouth, to name a few).

He also likes using chairs and bar stools as sort of stilts or steps.

And he's taken to plucking the hangings from our Christmas tree and chewing on them. And walking off a bed without minding the edge (which he used to do, but it seems its more fun seeing if anything will catch his fall).

He does all these things, most times... which leaves me exasperated sometimes. Sometimes, I find I have the grace to actually find it cute or feel sentimental (awww, he'd only be one year old for a short time!). Sometimes, others are already stressed over him for me (my Mom, for example, gets reduced to a shrieking, nervous wreck when they converge in one place).

I've already thought of a more apt adjective for my son... better than saying he's a handful or he's spirited. I've forgotten the word though.

I just hope I don't ever forget this time though... and never crush his spirit.

Preggy Naomi Watts Riding Second

(Image and story source: Babyrazzi)

I can see this preggy lady is wearing a helmet but is this even safe? And really legal in the US (because Philippine laws aren't as strict and as implemented anyway)?

And I know it may be just my prejudice (and lack of knowledge) against bikes that's talking but shouldn't pregnant women desist from riding bikes when they're pregnant? A bike leaves you so defenseless in road accidents, it's like inviting trauma to your unborn child!

Tsk, tsk. Very irresponsible of her, if you ask me.

Home for those in my Heart

Hubs has attended a Pag-Ibig talk regarding home loans. So we're now contemplating on really looking at properties and studying mortgage quotes and what-not.

Anyway, i've always dreamed of a big house. Not a grand one, mind you, but a big one. With a big yard. And not because I want (or that am eager) to tend to a garden, but because i've always envisioned MY kids to be playing in our own yard.

The dream has always been me on a porch watching over kids at play in a yard. Now it actually sounds like a tall order, given that kids in the city play with gaming consoles and in arcades, but then again, i've also vowed to banish any child of mine to a childhood lived outdoors. I just think playing where the sun actually sees you should be an integral part of all childhoods.

So I know i'll have a yard someday.

And a home.

But if truth be told, my silent wish would always be, for my spouse and kids to think that home is where Mommy is.

Cried Last Night

I'm sure many moms have one or two similar experiences. My son was being uber exuberant again and was carrying a big ball in front of him when he tripped. He fell forward and the ball he was carrying made him bounce backwards.

It was all slow motion for me, watching him fall backwards from where I was lying down. I heard the thud of head on floor even before it happened. In my mind, I was sure I would see blood. Or that my son would be unconscious.

I insisted that it was his hardest fall ever (and my son has this habit of falling and bumping his head, no matter how closely we watch him) but my husband assures me it wasn't.

Still, for a moment there, I thought something seriously wrong has happened... that it might evenb result in a loss.

I cried.

I'm now very, very scared and traumatized.

Parking and Carports

Am sure, many harassed moms have wished for carports everywhere to be a little more protected from the elements, and that there's some magical way somehow for parking to never be a problem ever again.

Especially when one is carting a baby, a stroller and a baby bag (heaven knows all the little things one must have handy end up weighing a ton all the time!). Oftentimes, when I go out, I end up realizing that I haven't got an extra hand for my shopping at all. So I either leave the baby behind or end up making more trips with the baby in tow. Grocery shopping become three-afternoon affairs.

Yikes.

So yes, I am among those many parents who find parking more of a hassle now that I have a baby. Few garages and parking areas are close enough, cool enough, or close enough.

Archiving is a Mom Thing

Moms can be anal about archiving, documenting and backing up files. I am more so. Just the thought of losing all or any of the pictures we've taken of my son absolutely terrifies me.

So I always make sure I back up all files. And I don't delete any pictures yet in our compact flash cards, or SD cards or micro sd (from phones) until I make sure i've saved them in at least three places (a desktop, a laptop and our MyBook). Talk about obsessive-compulsive behavior.

I am lazy about a lot of things but never about backing up pics. It's already a blessing that they're all digital files now so I need not keep boxes of pictures and negatives. I hope someday to digiscrap some of them, and that my son will appreciate that he had a lot of pictures growing up. It could, at least, remind him how much he was loved ever since.

I just hope other Moms are as OC :)

House Bill for Workplace Breastfeeding

There is currently a House Bill that encourages breastfeeding at the workplace. If passed into law, it will offer tax deductions to companies that encourage and support breastfeeding (maybe through breastfeeding timeouts or stations?).

I really hope this will be passed into law. Companies don't even have to provide breastfeeding stations readily, but just a change in attitude, making breastfeeding normal and common and ideal will do more than enough to further the cause of lactivists. Besides, a breastfeeding station is just a nice-to-have. What's really more important is that women can flash or pump without being teased, heckled or oggled at, or scolded for using up electricity and extra water (and maybe fridge space).

I shall really pray for this one. The melamine issue should be reason enough for politicians to jump on this great bandwagon idea for a change.

Belated Sentimentality

I couldn't sleep last night. And for the first time in our lives, I willingly put my son on my chest, hoping it will result in a more restful sleep for him (because he has colds and there was too much excitement lately in his life).

Other parents might be confused as to why that's a first for me. Basically, I have a claustrophobic thing against anyone 'hindering' my movement so letting my son sleep on my chest IS a big deal. But I knew sleep wouldn't come anyway, not while tears were sometimes falling from my eyes while caressing his back.

My son turned a year old last October 07 but we only celebrated his birthday yesterday. So it was only last night that it sank, how a year has already flown, how i've been literally caring for a person for twelve months now, and how my baby is fast becoming a little boy.

So I mourned a little.

And rejoiced a little.

And was relieved that I managed somehow.

Some Advocates Are So Hilarious (or weird)

PETA is supposedly pressuring Ben and Jerry's to start using human breastmilk for their ice cream to alleviate cow suffering. And Heather Mills has signed on with them.

Can you say, major ewww?

Breastfeeding your own babies is one thing... and a really important thing at that... and breast milk supplied to people with cancer and sick babies, why not? Heck, even Marcos' daily intake of this liquid gold isn't bizarre, but PETA's new cause certainly is.

Obviously, they really don't expect the ice cream giant to switch. Not only would the production costs quadruple, the administrative side of managing hormonal women (and breastfeeding Moms still are!) will be a nightmare!

So it's a laugh, really, but what is the point of trying to make a point by going the ludicrous way?

Mean Mom

When my son refuses to heed my "NO" and especially when he acts as if we're playing (and this usually involves him and an electric fan or sockets or the TV or PC), I put him in his pen and let him cry.

Of course, since there are toys in the pen, he sometimes ends up playing but it's usually only a matter of minutes before he realizes his space and movement has been limited. So almost always, he ends up crying and I let him be.

For a while.

And though I pick him up, hold him, pat his back and wipe his face and brow... though I tell him I love him and give him kisses, I keep on scolding him.

They say consistency is the key. I should remember that, because sometimes I just lightly slap his hands while giving a stern "NO" and wagging my finger. Maybe the timeout in the pen will work better (but what if the pen isn't around to restrain him?).

Or maybe I shouldn't be so impatient. After all, kids will test your "No" evey step of the way. That's how they learn to depend on you too.

Sigh.

Post-Partum Weight Loss

Before working on losing weight post-partum, mommies should keep in mind that they have to recover first from the pregnancy and the delivery (especially if it was a C-section, which is still a major surgery). Hormone levels will be crashing down so even the best diet pills might not work as efficiently since your chemical makeup is still normalizing.

One other thing mommies have to remember is that they'd easily lose between ten to twenty pounds just from the delivery. The baby, after all, weighed several pounds not to mention the amniotic fluids. And then, because you'll be adjusting to late nights and really losing sleep, you'd lose more weight!

Plus, breastfeeding is a mother's friend in terms of losing weight fast.

So if you didn't gain so much weight to start with, you may not even need to have a diet and exercise regimen. I lost forty pounds and more effortlessly in the first six months after I delivered, so I even went back to my pre-wedding weight. Alas, when the baby started eating solids and thus didn't nurse as much, I started gaining back the weight.

But really, recover first from all the difficulties pregnancy and an addition to the family put you through. Do not stress yourself over weight loss.

Just don't binge on unhealthy food though.

A Mother Cramming

A sick mother can be pretty useless sometimes. But since this is the week before my son's party, I had to grit my teeth and brave heat and humidity and rain to finish all my errands.

I went back to Chocolate Lover yesterday for last-minute additional supplies (because SIL intended to pipe icing on the cupcakes and I couldn't let her shoulder the ingredients when she's doing most of the baking) and was annoyed that they have increased their prices on the ingredients I wanted.

I also went to Divisoria to buy cheap plastic loot bags because it wasn't working out with the brown paper bag idea I originally wanted.

And then I had a great allergic rhinitis attack last night... and all alone with my son all day today while groggy with the meds. Hopefully, I can be productive tomorrow and on Friday.

Needless to say, the candies I was going to give away melted some... so am not sure if I can still use them or they'd be too sticky to repackage.

Sheesh.

Gift Wishlist

Ahehe.

Invited friends have been asking me what to get Yakee for his birthday, and usually I tell them to just get him clothes since I haven't bought any for him lately.

But I also would't mind educational toys and instructional materials. Or learning videos. Or books to be read to him.

But the most I'd appreciate is invited people to come... but not to bring extra unwanted/unknown guests with them (especially without telling me first). Oh, and RSVPs will be really appreciated but its not usually the case with people I know. Howell.

My Mom is Hotter than Your Mom

Or so says a shirt that am thinking of buying for Yakee :D

But you know, no matter how Multiply has brought shopping to a new level, it also just makes me realize all the more how i'm just not a shopaholic. I am an impulsive buyer at times but my son has lots of toys and clothes because so many people are showering him with them, not because Mommy cannot go home without buying a new one.

Missing My Music

I lent my mp4 player to my sis before when she went to the US and she went back here without the charger and cables. Since then, I have not had the chance to play DJ for myself.

Now i'm currently considering media players and ipods again. I feel I can afford an hour or two of personal music time without fearing that my son will cry and I won't hear it. I couldn't really play music out loud before because it disturbs my son's sleep (instead of lulling him and keeping him asleep) and that has gotten to be a habit.

But now... i'm missing the heartbreak songs and oldies that are dear to my heart. And my son already knows other ways to catch my attention. So maybe this Mommy can ask for a new media player? A 30 gb Creative Zen wouldn't be bad but I also actually don't like anything bulky anymore.

Oh wait... my cellphone can play mp3s. Maybe I should start with that first and not just use it for texting and calling. Hehe.

TMI but Funny

Chef Jamie Oliver confessed that he wet an adult diaper and froze it, and then wore it (but cut a hole for his peen) while making love to increase the chances of having a boy after hearing that it's all about temperature.

This is the first time I heard of it and I find it really funny... but I guess it couldn't hurt to try it, if you really want a boy. Buy maybe somebody should have told him first about him and the wifey adding more salt to their diet first (or maybe he's already heard that!). And yes, I believe that one is an old wives' tale while the frozen diaper thingie isn't.

Now, I guess I should check if over there in Alaska, there are indeed more boys born than girls. Hehe.

Family Dinners Saves Kids

It was on Readers Digest that I first read of the study (and its results) made on family dinners (and conversations at the dinner table) and its effect on children development. Basically, the finding was that family dinners keep communication lines open and saves kids from delinquency and depression.

Imagine being able to save your kid from ever going into an alcohol rehab, or succumbing to peer pressure that lands him in serious trouble, or being able to give him reasons to say YES to education and a bright future. Imagine not ever having to send the child you raised to a drug treatment center. All by just having dinner with him/them most nights of the week. All by just bonding and gabbing over food. All by just getting them to pitch in with the food preparation and cooking.

Certainly not too much to ask, that is, unless you're dirt poor and having something to eat is already a huge challenge, what more the luxury of having time to sit down and bond.