preggy prep #2

It’s been a while since I last shopped for Miguel. Not that I have lost interest in shopping for baby stuff (na-uh!), in fact, during the recent weekends that I had been to the malls, it had taken all my effort to ignore the waving red tags at the stores. I am saving (what’s left of) my money for more shopping in Singapore and eventually when I get home. I don’t think it’s a good idea to spend a week in Singapore without money as I already see myself drooling over all the baby items available in the malls and I am counting on SM to complete most of the remaining items on my list.

I still have no idea though whether the regular items at the manila malls are cheaper than the items on sale here, but I’m hoping they are as I’ve already set my mind on buying the rest of the stuff in manila.

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Shopping list! I have searched the net, asked the preggy sister, read some books about pregnancy. I have with me several shopping lists already but I have never been faithful to this list. I tend to buy on impulse while there are certain things I can’t seem to decide whether or not to buy. I need to get back on track!

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Good thing this is my last week at work so I have the rest of next week to fix everything before I fly home, and that includes:

compile photos and documents
pack pre-preggy clothes
pack things i need to bring home
secure a certificate of good moral conduct from CID
see my OB for routine check-up on Nov 18
get another OB sched on (hopefully) Nov 23 for a med cert
secure copies of all my medical records
do some research on “birthing plan” (what it is, what it contains, do I need one?)
update my resume (mwahahahaha!!)

When I get home I bet I will have a lot more things to do. We’ve decided on Asian Hospital already since my MIL’s recommended OB is a resident doctor there but apparently it is not listed in Allianz’ accredited hospitals (sigh!). We’ve double-checked with Allianz and they said we just need to have them fill up a treatment guarantee form and they will directly deal with the hospital regarding billing. We pray we could fix this soon as it would mean ‘no cash-out’ from our side come delivery day (at least that part that is covered by insurance). Otherwise, we will go for either Makati Med or St. Lukes.

crossroads

We never had second thoughts when we decided I would give birth and raise the baby in the Philippines.  There were quite a number of considerations before coming to this decision, though, and we felt it was best for all of us if I come home and for Nico to eventually follow.  After spending a good amount of time here, we felt like this isn’t the place to start a family—at least not for us.  As I ponder further how our time, our days are spent, I realized this is really just a place for work.  I couldn’t seem to make a ‘life’ out of the daily routine we follow—wake up, go to work, come home and sleep, same thing the next day…and on weekends—do the housework, probably pass the time in the mall, and before you know it, time to go to work again.  We tend to miss the happenings where families and relatives are concerned.  With this environment, I couldn’t imagine how we will be able to raise our baby if we choose to stay.  Or is it just me?   

The other side of the story is that I happen to know some people who seem to have made Dubai their home-those who opted to bring their families here.  And when I realize there are these people who are happy they settled here, I wonder if I am making the right choice–especially recently when new work opportunities are presenting themselves again.  Just a few weeks ago I received interview invitation from two headhunters which I both turned down since I am already working for IBM.  I just promised to send an updated resume which I failed to do.  Yesterday, one of them phoned in again asking whether I am still working and if I want to consider another company.  I thought to myself, this must be a better offer as I have already previously indicated my current and expected salary.  This made me think once again whether there is any possibility that the right choice is to extend our stay here.  But this single question leads to thousand others.  Who will take care of Miguel when we’re both working?  How will we manage working and spending quality time with him?  Should we get a better place? A car? If we are to live here with Miguel we need to have a comfortable place.   

Should I even be rethinking our decision or am I just enticed by the single factor which seems at times to have more weight than all others—job opportunity?