Dear Peanut,

As your father already told you in a previous post, I am a major control freak and a germaphobe that I put isopropyl alcohol on everything.

That’s probably the fault of your LolaMommy, who brought us up with the same fear of germs, actually more on the fear of the effect of germs on contact. I remember she would scold us if we don’t wipe restaurant utensils with tissue or douse them with hot water first before using them. And she still does this! That’s how paranoid we are.

I’ve read several articles online about how to prepare for a newborn’s arrival. Apart from the breathing techniques, packing the hospital bag, and prenatal classes, it’s also important to prepare one’s home for the arrival of a new baby. And just like what our very cool and very practical OB, Dr.JMF, told us, it’s best to invest in cleaning services for our home. And that’s what we did last weekend.

Following the air conditioner cleaning last Saturday, the team from ThermoDry EcoSteam Sanitizing Services (TDES) did a great job sanitizing and germ-proofing our home the following day.

The scheduled time was 8 o’clock in the morning. Quite early yes. The original schedule was actually on October 15 but we wanted the house cleaned and sanitized before the 10th for peace of mind. So I asked the owner, Judy, if we can have it on October 8 instead and the only slot available is at 8 o'clock in the morning. We grabbed it.

The TDES team arrived ahead of schedule last Sunday. When I asked them what time they arrived at the condo, they said they were already at the parking lot at 7:09 am. I was surprised and deeply humbled. I mean, they could have gone straight to the lobby and ask the receptionist to call us up so they could start but they let us sleep a little longer before going up. It’s the little things that make for excellent customer service, really.

They started cleaning before 8:00 am, after explaining to us the tasks on the job order. It took them less than 4 hours to thoroughly clean, sanitize, and germ-proof a 60-sqm condo unit with balcony.

We had all the curtains and mattresses eco-steam cleaned, including your crib, portabed (portable bed), and stroller. As a first-time, expecting mother, I am even more paranoid about chemicals in cleaning products. What’s good about TDES is that they use organic, food grade cleaning solutions so it’s safe for babies, even pets. I actually asked if they can spritz some on SC’s face, hahaha.

Eco-steaming your crib.

I haven’t really tried many cleaning services because SC and I do the cleaning ourselves, but we were impressed by the top-of-line cleaning equipment they use. But the best part is that they were able to clean, sanitize, and germ-proof the hard-to-reach places such as that part with the door hinges (the dust gets trapped and the dried dust gets musty sometimes) and the corner grout in the bathroom, all of which I can’t reach anymore because of my big belly. They inform you every time they use a new cleaning solution and a new equipment. They also offered a lot of tips for better cleaning.

Refreshing our bed for your arrival. <3

Sanitizing and getting our home in order is no easy task. We’ve been at it for a month now. In the past few years, SC and I have become some sort of semi-minimalist. We don’t like to hoard things. Heck, we don’t even have TV at home because we both think it kills productivity.

We don’t even have too much food in our fridge (that's why your grandparents also worry if we're eating homecooked meals at all, hahaha), just enough food for the week (and also because the grandparents give us a lot of free food). We also have this first-in, first-out protocol. Unlike your LolaMommy's fridge in our Pasig Home, you can see everything in our small fridge because we try to finish what we have before buying new stock. I don't know if that's minimalist living but that's one of the best practices we've adopted when we got married.

And I’ve always been a control freak but, and I don’t know how and when it started, SC is even more of a control freak now. He’s in charge of the floors and he would get all stressed out if the floors are not clean before we call it a day. PRAISE THE LORD! Finally! Hindi sya nagsimula na ganyan!

A clean, nice-smelling home is always a treat after a long day. Getting the TDES team to work on our new home is one of the best investments we’ve made so far in preparation for your arrival.

Anytime now, Peanut. We are ready for you. <3

P.S. So it really takes a village to raise (and prepare for the arrival of) a child.

Love,

Update (as of March 29, 2018): Changed my codename from Queen Bitch (QB) to Tiger Mom (TM).