will you be my godparent?

The baptism of the newest addition to our family is less than two weeks away. Many of the things that need to be done have already been taken cared of, and this includes asking our friends and relatives to be Sharice’s godparents.

Although we had asked most of them verbally weeks before I delivered, I wanted to send them something to make the request more formal. I didn’t want anything extravagant; I just wanted it to be simple, but with a special message. So I searched the internet for ideas, and came up with this:

my first grade teacher

After almost thirty years, I got the chance to see my grade school teacher from Papua New Guinea…right here in Dubai!

As most of you may know, I was born in PNG and I spent my elementary school years there. Rabaul International Primary School was where I studied Grade 1 and 2, and I remember liking both of my class advisers.  Mrs. Clayton (as how we called her then) was really, very nice; I don't recall her ever shouting at me or my classmates, considering majority of them were boys.

I'm the really small girl on the extreme right of the front row

how we obtained mama’s residence visa

Finally, Mama is a legal resident of the UAE! Contrary to what I expected, and considering the bad luck we usually have with these matters, we didn’t have a difficult time to process it…although, it did take us a while. In June, aside from checking the internet for information on the procedures on how to sponsor a parent, I also asked our company PRO what the requirements were. They were a lot, and the entire process would take some time!

affected, concerned…connected

I’ve noticed that on several particular occasions, Sharice has a difficult time sleeping…even though she’s been fed and burped, and her nappy is dry. Those times, nothing is wrong with her. The only reason why she can’t have a good sleep is because she’s uneasy; and she’s uneasy because it seems she’s affected and concerned. Here’s a few instances that happened so you'll understand:

published: how we prepared caila for her new sibling

Last month, Mother, Baby & Child Magazine posted the following question on their facebook page: What is the best way to tell your child that he/she is about to have a new sibling? The question was timely because hubby and I had been preparing Caila for her little sister’s arrival, so I sent my answer which was based on experience, some tips of which I got from N@W. And early this month, I received an e-mail from the magazine’s Chief Editor saying that their October issue included my contribution. I was excited of course! For the first time, something I wrote had been published in a credible magazine that’s read by so many parents here in the UAE! Usually, there’s a mother’s view and a specialist’s view that answers their monthly question, but I noticed that this time, there was only a mother’s view (mine)…which, I would like to believe, most probably meant that what hubby and I had been doing were the right things to do. Wow!

sharice's arrival

Although I was due to deliver on the 25th of September, Sophie Patrice decided to come out on our family date, just like her sister. However, because I started having a bloody show on the 24th (just like what happened on the morning I gave birth to Caila) we thought she would come out then. We thought the same thing on the morning of the 25th when the blood that came out was bright red, but when we went to the hospital, the doctor said I was just 1 cm dilated. As much as we all wanted me to deliver normally, since there was no sign that I would give birth on the 25th and I couldn't be induced (because I had a c-section before), Dr. Iliana said that there was no choice but to deliver via c-section again. Of course I asked to schedule it for the 27th to which she immediately made the arrangements.

hello, sharice!