On the Mend

Thanks again to all of you for your thoughts and prayers for my family's health! 

Marcus is home now and starting his recovery. His platelet count was up to 113 yesterday (at it's lowest point on Saturday it was only 58) and his white blood cell count is up. We still have to watch out for internal bleeding but praying that won't happen. He's still very weak and we're told it will be weeks before he's totally better but we're thankful for the improvement! 

Luke is still covered in rashes and having some vomiting or diarrhea every so often but is feeling good and his doctor has definitively ruled out dengue and says the rashes should clear up in a few days. He's a little grumpier than he usually is but otherwise is up and about and generally cheerful and happy.

And I am as big as a house and feeling pretty heavy and tired but my cold is almost gone and otherwise am ok. We'd initially been excited when my doctor said she thought I'd deliver early but now we're praying baby girl will stay put for 2 more weeks til we're all better!!

Thanks again!

Oh What a Night

What a night we just had!

My mom came and stayed with Luke so I could visit Marcus in the hospital in the late evening. I got home just as this storm hitting Palawan right now was really intensifying. Crazy wind and rain! Predictably after a while the power went out so mom and I had to do all our getting ready for bed in the dark. Thankfully the power outage didn’t last too long and I settled into bed around 10:30. The wind was howling so loudly I thought I’d never fall asleep, but I did.

Warning – only read the next part if you do not get squeamish about poop and vomit!

So I fell asleep only to be woken up an hour later by the sound of Luke gagging. I jumped out of bed and got him sitting up on my lap and rubbed his back. He eventually stopped gagging but was clutching on to me so I knew something was still bothering him. Sure enough a couple minutes later he started having massive amounts of diarrhea. I couldn’t believe how much it seemed was coming out of this poor boy. I have of course been very worried that Luke would contract amoebeasis again so I’ve kind of been waiting for this. We waited for a while then I lay him down to get him cleaned up. I changed his diaper on the diaper pad only to realize a minute later that his poop was so watery and so much that it had come up the back of his diaper and was midway up his back. I got him up and started leading him to the bathroom where he promptly started throwing up. When he was done I gave him a bath and got him in clean clothes and back in bed. Thankfully he loves waking up to find his Lola so they cuddled and got into a happier mood while I cleaned up all the nasties. Lola eventually got Luke back to sleep.

I packed up the dirty diaper and went into our living room to put the bag outside overnight, only to find a huge section of our living room floor totally wet. We’d had a leak in our roof a few months before but never got it fixed because it only let water in once and we kind of forgot about it. But the downpour last night was so strong that water had come in. So I cleaned that all up and situated a bucket and some floor mats in the area where it seems like the water comes in.

Finally went back into the room and started getting into bed only to find a portion of the bedspread and sheets by my feet damp. Sniffed it – vomit. Great. Way too exhausted to change all the sheets and it wasn’t much so I just grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol and dumped it on to disinfect. Of course after doing this the smell of alcohol was so strong that I worried it would set Luke off on a gagging and vomiting fit. Thankfully it did not.

Was just about to drift back off to sleep when the power went off again. Got up to get our solar fan on, got back into bed. Couldn’t sleep because of the howling wind and rain and soon started hearing what sounded like drops of water coming into the room. Got up again and realized that the rain was hitting our windows so hard that despite the windows being shut, water was coming in. So then had to mop all that up, put a towel against the window, dry off the books and things that had gotten wet and mop up the floor.

Throughout all this I was texting with Marcus who is unfortunately still just feeling so weak and rotten. I think he’s probably going to have to stay in the hospital a few more days.

Couldn’t go back to sleep cause I kept worrying Luke would be sick again and I kept checking to see if his fever had returned. Thankfully he didn’t have any more episodes and slept quite peacefully. This morning he has a slight fever but is in good spirits. I don’t actually think he has amoebeasis because the poop was so different from what it is like when he has the parasite. This seems more consistent with the flu/stomach bug that has plagued half my family for the last 10 days. So hopefully this too will pass.

Finally drifted off to sleep around 4:30 and was thrilled to realize at 6 am that the power was back on. Jumped up to turn on the coffee maker so our coffee could brew before any more potential power outages.

It is still raining so hard and throughout the night I kept thinking of all our clients who live in thatch roof nipa houses. I hope they fared through the night ok. We are under storm signal 2 right now and it doesn’t look like the rain and wind will die down anytime soon. Praying and hoping for the best.

Sigh. Onwards into 2013. At some point things have to get better right?

Sicky New Year

Well, it is now 2013 and my family has spent most of the last few days in bed, feeling pretty sick. First Marcus got sick on the 30^th of December, and by the 31^st I was down with a cold as well. We couldn’t even muster the energy to stay up to welcome the New Year, and went to bed around 9:30 (!)

By January 1^st poor Luke had joined us in the sicky department and has had a high fever off and on since. Marcus though was really so sick and didn’t seem to be improving, so he went to the hospital yesterday for some blood work and it turns out he has dengue fever and amoebeasis :( Poor guy, he is feeling so miserable. He was allowed to come home last night but nausea has set in and he was finding it impossible to keep water or other liquids down, so this morning we had him admitted to the hospital so he can stay hydrated intravenously. (There’s no medication for dengue, unfortunately, but it is imperative that patients remain hydrated). His white blood cell count is pretty low but hopefully after a couple days of rest and hydration his body will start fighting back.

Our next worry of course was that Luke might have dengue too. He had blood work done this morning and he does have a viral infection, but his WBC count isn’t abnormally low so we’re hoping the infection is just the flu. Will keep monitoring his health and am hoping and praying he will improve soon!

My cold isn’t so bad but of course in all this we’ve been worried that baby girl might make her appearance. I am full term now and though my due date isn’t until January 21, my doctor thinks baby girl may arrive early. I had a check up today and thankfully, am not at all dilated at this time and my doctor thinks it will be about another week before labor starts. Really hoping we can all get healthier before our little girl joins us!

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers and words of encouragement. We are hoping that 2013 can only improve from this point on!

Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas 2012 from Team Swangelista!!

Baby Boy is 2!

I can hardly believe how fast time flies. My baby boy is now 2! I still remember the day he was born and just can't believe it has already been two years. 

Unfortunately the beginning of December was really awful because my poor boy got hit really hard with amoebeasis. He was so sick and it lasted for almost two whole weeks. Thankfully the day before his birthday he finally seemed back to his old self so at least he wasn't sick on his special day.

We celebrated his actual birthday with his Lolo and Lola and later on in the day some of his friends and their parents (who are of course our good friends!). A week later we had a play-date party which was really fun. Two has been great so far!

Loving his Y-Bike from his godmother Ninang Katie

Growing up. More fun in the Philippines.

Thanksgiving

After Christmas, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and was always one of the highlights of the year when I was still living in the United States. It is a holiday focused on giving thanks, cooking up a storm, and spending time gorging yourself on delicious food with your closest friends and family. What is not to love?

Since moving to Palawan in 2009, around Thanksgiving is the time that I always miss New York City the most. I just loved the Thanksgiving days we spent there. I would spend weeks beforehand scouring different recipes for stuffing and gravy and cranberry sauce and potato dishes, and would spent the days in the lead up to Thanksgiving fighting crowds at Fairway and waiting for deliveries from Fresh Direct. Our fridge was always packed and I’d start prepping some of the dishes on Wednesday afternoon.

On Thanksgiving morning Marcus and I would have a light breakfast and get started on the turkey and all the dishes that still had to be cooked. We’d also have the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on TV, and every hour or so, we’d walk to the end of our street to 74^th and Central Park West and watch some of the floats come down the street. Then we’d go back to our cozy little apartment to the awesome smells of turkey slow roasting and other dishes at their varying stages of completion. By late afternoon friends would start coming over and since I am not a great baker, I always asked that they bring dessert, and more wine. They never disappointed and our Thanksgiving meals were always so much fun, and so yummy! We’d eat for a few hours, take a brisk walk around the block and relish the chilly air, then go back into our apartment and eat and drink some more.

Sadly, I can’t recreate our Thanksgiving feasts here in Palawan. You can actually get frozen turkeys here now but I don’t think any would fit in our tiny oven, and the idea of having the oven on for 5 or 6 hours is not an option. It is already way too hot without introducing that kind of heat into the house. I would love to make some of the other side dishes I always liked making, but unfortunately you can’t get cranberries or cornmeal or chestnuts or chocolate pecan pie on the island.

Our very first Thanksgiving day in Puerto Princesa, Marcus and I sort of forgot it was Thanksgiving and realized it as we were sitting down to dinner, which that night was a simple pizza we got for take out. The following year I resolved to do more for Thanksgiving and we actually had a lovely meal with friends at our house, with 4 local litson manoks instead of turkey, and a variety of Filipinized side dishes, like kalabasa with ginger and brown sugar instead of squash or sweet potato. My mom made a great pumpkin pie mousse sort of dessert but unfortunately it didn’t get put in the fridge when they came over and because of the heat here, it melted before we got to dessert. It was still delish as a soupy dessert though ;-) Last year our friend Tim hosted a Thanksgiving dinner at his restaurant, Blue Ginger. It was a great meal and we enjoyed it a lot. This year I was too pregnant and hot and tired to plan a feast, and Tim has unfortunately moved away so his restaurant is not an option. We’ll have dinner with my parents and then next week go to a belated Thanksgiving celebration that our friends at Aloha House are throwing. (They’re out of town this week so we’ll do Thanksgiving a week late).

Anyway, it isn’t the feast that really matters of course, but the sentiment of taking the time to gather your loved ones and give thanks for the many blessings in all of our lives. But as I think back on past Thanksgivings, I can’t help but miss NYC and think about my absolute favorite stuffing dish in the world. Highly recommend this to all of you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chestnut, Bacon, Dried Apple, and Corn Bread Stuffing

Two shortcuts — prepared chestnuts and a purchased corn bread stuffing base — add to the appeal of this recipe from chef and Aidells Sausage Company founder Bruce Aidells.

Yield: Makes 10 to 12 servings

1/2 pound thick-cut bacon slices, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips

4 cups chopped onions

3 cups chopped celery

1 cup chopped dried apples

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 1/2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage

2 7.4-ounce jars roasted whole chestnuts, coarsely broken

8 cups dried corn bread stuffing mix (from two 16-ounce packages)

1 3/4 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted

Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to large bowl. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Add onions and celery to drippings in skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Add vegetables to bacon; mix in apples, thyme, and sage, then chestnuts. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Reheat to lukewarm before continuing.)

Add corn bread stuffing mix to chestnut mixture. Mix in 1 3/4 cups broth. Drizzle with butter.

To bake stuffing in turkey:

Loosely fill main cavity and neck cavity of turkey with stuffing. Add enough broth to remaining stuffing to moisten slightly (1/4 cup to 3/4 cup, depending on amount of remaining stuffing). Generously butter baking dish. Spoon remaining stuffing into prepared dish. Cover dish with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake stuffing in dish — alongside turkey or while turkey is resting — until heated through, about 25 minutes. Uncover stuffing in dish. Bake until top of stuffing is slightly crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.

To bake stuffing in dish:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Add enough extra broth to stuffing to moisten (3/4 cup to 1 1/4 cups). Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake until heated through, about 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is slightly crisp and golden, about 20 minutes longer.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Chestnut-Bacon-Dried-Apple-and-Corn-Bread-Stuffing-107290#ixzz2Cq7dtAbK

Ouch!

Today is the first day of November and the start of a very rare 5 day weekend. The last couple of weeks have been incredibly busy and exhausting so I was really looking forward to some down time and to be able to get organized and tackle some projects I’ve wanted to start for a few months.

Well, I have certainly had some down time today! In fact I haven’t really left my bed for nearly 24 hours. Unfortunately I pulled a muscle in my inner left thigh / groin area while flying back to Puerto from Manila yesterday (I crossed my legs and bam, pain!) Last night the pain got progressively worse and this morning I couldn’t walk at all. I can’t straighten my left leg and I haven’t been able to find any relief from the pain. No matter if I am sitting, lying or standing, I am in pain. I’ve been reading up a lot on this and it seems like it is a pulled groin muscle or round ligament pain – both very common among pregnant women, especially as bellies get larger and there’s more strain on the pelvic muscles. Unfortunately it seems like most people have to just wait out giving birth before this improves. Since I still have about 2.5 months to go, I really hope this is not the case for me and that I’ll heal and improve! Bed rest today has not been fun but I am just forcing myself to rest and recuperate and am hoping and praying for the best!