background

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Happy Birthday To Me

Well, it's not really my actual birthday, it's my bone marrow's 1st birthday. LOL. If you're new to my blog, I had a bone marrow transplant (I had Aplastic Anemia and Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria) on May 24, 2011 at City of Hope in Duarte, CA. I can't believe it has been a year. My blood counts have been normal and I haven't had a transfusion since June 4, 2011. I'm glad those days are over with. I can't imagine getting transfusions every week, like I used to. That is why I'm so grateful to my donor, he really did save my life. Because of God and because of my donor, I'm alive and enjoying life with family and friends. I love my life. I appreciate everything and I don't take anything for granted, because I know how it feels to not be able to walk, I know how it feels to not be able to breathe, I know how it feels to be poked with a needle at least six times a week, I know how it feels to be disabled. I've learned so much from my experience and I'm glad that I'm here and able to share my story with family and friends. God is good, all the time. He always has a reason for everything that happens in our lives. God is much bigger than we are, if we just give everything to the Lord, He will take care of everything for us. When we surrender to God, joy and peace can be ours. 

Jeremiah 29:11-14 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. 

Here I am, one year after chemo and transplant. My hair is getting longer. It's super curly, so I flat iron my bangs. My mom treated me out to dinner at Cheesecake Factory for my first birthday. Now, I have two birthdays. I feel so special =)


Happy 1st birthday to my bone marrow. May you live long and thrive!




Monday, May 21, 2012

So Sick

So sick and tired of being sick and tired! Argh! We're all sick at home. Raul has abdominal issues, I have been nauseated and vomiting, and Danica has Roseola. Roseola... I have never even heard of it until today, when we took her to the Doctor's. I googled it and yup, that's exactly what she has. On top of it, she won't put weight on her right foot and the doctor doesn't have an explanation for it. A chest x-ray was done and it didn't show any signs of fracture or anything. I hate seeing her in pain. I hate seeing Raul in pain either. I'd rather be the one suffering, because I know I'm strong and I can handle anything. Please include us in your prayers. God is good and faithful, He will heal us.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Words

My little 15 month is quite the talker. Here is a list of words she can already say: Dada, Daddy, Mom-mom, Mommy, grow, amen, hello, buh-buh (bye bye), wawa (water), banana, ball, yeah, woof woof, dog... that's all I can think of for now. I should have really kept a journal, because she started babbling at 3 months. Well, it's not too late to jot words down. I ordered a journal on Amazon.com, but it hasn't arrived yet. This blog post will do until then.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

At the Park

We love taking Danica to the park. There's a park near Raul's work and when we can, we take Danica so she can walk around and just enjoy the park. She loves watching the other children in the playground. A little boy even came up to her and gave her a hug. Uh-oh... what's that all about? Haha, just kidding... they're just kids. At this age, it's cute. But when she gets older, I don't know how I'll feel about her having male friends. Gotta keep an eye on this girl. Haha! Here are some pictures from the park:



It  was kinda windy yesterday:


Here she is with Daddy:



Do you prefer color or black and white?


Hope everyone is having a great day. Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend =)


Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Today

She discovered the knobs on the dishwasher machine... uh-oh! Here's a reflection from the dishwasher:


I love this face that she makes when my camera flash goes off: 


She's crying because she left her balloon in the house and she wants me to open the door:


Playing peek-a-boo with me:



Monday, May 7, 2012

My Girl Loves Balloons

I'm double posting today. Hehe! I've noticed that all kids love balloons. I haven't met a kid who doesn't. Danica goes crazy when she sees them. Raul bought her 2 balloons at the Ontario Mills mall yesterday. The first one was one of those dogs with legs (so they're not really floating, because the legs are kind of weighing it down... do you know what I'm talking about?). But she didn't really like it, so we spent another $4 on a Hello Kitty balloon. From the second she got it, she never let it go. This morning, she was holding her balloon with one hand and with the other, she was playing and reading her books. She's too funny. I love her so much!

I love taking pictures of every detail, including her curly hair, cute dress and oh those mary jane shoes.


Sometimes, I like to use Photoshop and turn pictures into black and white.


I also like taking pictures of her asleep.





Anniversary Dinner

Last Tuesday, May 1st, Raul and I celebrated our 2nd year wedding anniversary. It's so cool how things worked out for us. On May 1st, 2001, he asked me to be his girlfriend, I said, "yes." Eight years later, he asked me to be his wife. Of course I said, "yes." We got married on our ninth year together... May 1st, 2010 (which ended up being a Saturday... how perfect!). I thought it was pretty neat that we got married on the same date we started dating. So, we have one anniversary date. Yippee!

Anyway, last Tuesday for our anniversary, we had dinner at Roy's Hawaiian Fusion in Woodland Hills. The food was amazing. I loved everything we got. For appetizer, we got the Lobster California Roll. Raul had Lobster and Steak, while I had the Misoyaki Butterfish. The butterfish was a bit salty, but the texture was just perfect. We also got drinks, I got a virgin drink since I'm not allowed to have alcohol due to my meds. But the best part was dessert. Before I forget, I wanted to share that Danica got a free meal and dessert. We had a total of 3 desserts, but we only ordered one. What we paid for was the Chocolate Souffle, then we got a "Happy Anniversary" dessert, and Danica got ice cream on a chocolate mold. Of course, I didn't give it to her because she's too young. I don't want to introduce her to sweets yet, because I know she will like it. Haha! I'm very careful with what I feed her, too. She mostly eats chicken (white meat, preferably), veggies, eggs, fruits and dairies.

Alright, that's all for now. Happy anniversary, hun (if you're reading this)! I know you will. Can't wait for our New York trip! We'll have so much fun! Love you =)


P.S. - I'm almost a year post Bone Marrow Transplant. My hair is so curly, especially on the back. I flat ironed my bangs. Hehe. I can't wait until it gets longer. Cheers!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Easter Photos

Hello, everyone! Just wanted to share some photos from Easter (I know I'm super late, but better late than never!). Anyway, Danica got this blue dress as a gift on her birthday. I believe the brand is "Faded Glory" ...but  I'm not too sure (I'll double check tomorrow). And my blue dress was from Marshalls. It came with the skinny belt, too. Not bad for $19.99. I just love the blue with the pink flowers, plus it matches Danica's dress... and I love that! So, here are some photos taken by my sister. If you're in the Los Angeles area and would like your photos taken, please check out her portfolio: http://vivientutaanphotography.com She takes ahhhhhhmazing photos (and I'm not just saying that because she's my sister!). I really do love her work and I know that you will, too =)

Matching dresses:





With Daddy:


Holding on to her Easter eggs:




Hope you love the pictures! Have a good night =)