Friends!

I met the most wonderful people during college and I am proud to say that we never lost touch of each other through the years. Especially now that I moved here in Manila with my husband, weekends are almost always with one or two of these super fun people.

Last friday, my bestfriend from Singapore arrived so we could shop for baby clothes in Divisoria. She is also pregnant with their first baby and we are both due on October with only 2 weeks in between, me going first. We went to Divi at 7am and we were done by 10am. We then went home to freshen up and off we went to SM San Lazaro so we could meet up with her husband's family to hand over the pasalubong from her husband.

Our college friends then threw a baby shower for the both of us at the Trader's Hotel at 6pm. It was a super fun get together, filled with endless chika and laughter. Too bad, some of our friends weren't there to celebrate with us. We went home around 11pm, tired but happy.

The next day, Saturday, May 29, the last single female in our group got married to another PLMayer who is also our classmate in college. It was a reunion of all sorts! Our group got together again, we were complete this time! We met up with other classmates from college and had a great time getting reacquainted.

We had a blast at the photo booth during the wedding reception. We didn't mind the long line as long as we get our picture taken.

I was tired at the end of the day and got the reprimanded by an angry husband the day after the event because I've been coughing all day. That's what I got from all the lakwatsa I did for the past two days and from laughing my heart out with the most wonderful people.

I am sick now but I am happy. :)

Here are some pictures from the photo booth during my friends' wedding:

Lizz Buenavetura's May Giveaway!

Know more about Lizz Buenaventura's giveaway here.

This month's contest is all about Nails, Lips, Skin and More! With this prizes, who wouldn't want to join??

At stake are the following:

1) Three bottles of Johnson & Johnson Body Care products: UV Lotion, Daily Calming Lotion, and Lasting Moisture Body Lotion-- all are full sized (200ml!)
2) GlutaMAX Lightening Lotion
3) Two boxes of GlutaMAX Glutathione whitening tablets
4) Maybelline Great Lash Mascara (in blackest black)
5) Rimmel Volume Boost Lipgloss in Innocent (my fav shade!)
6) Four mini lipglosses from Four East (red, brown, light pink, and gold)
7) Five mini nail polished from Four East (in various shades)

I only have to answer this question: "What is your favorite summer event/activity?"

My favorite would have to be our family's annual summer outing. We usually rent a private resort where we could all get together and have fun under the sun. It's great to spend time with the different generations and to see our family getting bigger with lots of kids to play with.

Look what came in the mail

Fellow n@wie, Tintin dela Cruz, has been too kind to give away some stuff of her daughter and I have been lucky to have been picked! She recently gave away 4 swaddling blankets and I got mine today. I picked the yellow one because I still do not know the gender of our little one and yellow will suit either boy or girl.  

Like Tintin said, the swaddling blanket that she gave away will serve as a trial blanket if baby wants to be swaddled. If my baby wants to then that will be the time that I'll purchase a couple or so more swaddling blankets. For the meantime, the Kiddopotamus blanket that Tintin gave me would do.

Thanks so much, Sis!

Pregnancy Update

• It feels like my tummy is stretched to its limits but I still have more weeks to go and I can't imagine how my tummy will grow anymore.
• My appetite has gone up and I think my cravings are returning. I'm currently craving for anything strawberry flavored.
• It's getting harder everyday to get up from the bed. My tummy is like the size of a watermelon and it's getting heavier each day.
• Little one is moving around a lot. Usually after dinner, before I sleep and around 4 in the morning.
• I'm sweating a lot. Probably because of the heat. (Gosh, we were at 38 degrees today here in Manila!) I'm taking two baths a day, sometimes three. 
• There were down times when I get pretty emotional and extra sensitive like when the time that hubby forgot to kiss me goodbye when he went to work. I even cried over this one. Hehe!

(Un)Special Boarding Area of the LRT Yellow Line

 If you have ridden the LRT before you must have noticed that the first door on the first coach is reserved for the senior citizens, pregnant women and people with kids in tow. It was done this way to avoid these "special" people to be squeezed like sardines along with the rest of the commuters of the LRT.

Last week, me and hubby attended a birthday party in UN Avenue. We had to ride the LRT from where we live to the venue. Going there was never a problem but the ride home was the ultimate. The special boarding area was packed with people and I do mean packed as in literally everyone is stepping on each others toes. I thought this area was meant to make the ride of the "special people" less difficult. The security guard on duty on that train still allowed people to get on even if it is obvious that there is no space to move anymore. That was the worst train ride I ever experienced!

Or so I thought. Today, I met with my mom and aunt at SM Manila and again had to ride the LRT to get there. It seems that they had revised the policy of the special boarding area and reserved the first door to senior citizens and the second door to pregnant women and those with kids. I told the LRT employee who informed me that it's a good thing they did something like this para hindi na siksikan. 

But, when I got on the train thru the second door. The people were mixed! Even the non-pregnant women were there so there was no difference at all with the volume of people. Siksikan pa din! It turned out that there was rope or whatsoever separating the commuters who got on thru the third door from the ones who got on thru the second door. 

I raised this issue with the security guard. I told him what's the use of allotting a separate area for the pregnant women if there is no division naman from the third door to the second door. Nonsense, di ba? Halo halo pa din ang mga tao and even the non-pregnant women who were seated won't even stand up to give their seats to the pregnant ones or to those with kids. It really did not help at all. Nasiksik pa din kaming mga pregnant women which shouldn't be the case given that that area was supposed to be a "Special Boarding Area".

Special boarding area that turned out to be UNspecial after all.

Great Article

I read this article from the NewlywedsAtWork message board and it made a lot of sense to me. I hope you find this article a good read, too.

Narinig mo na ba ito: "Libre lang ang mangarap."

Pag mukhang walang direksyon ang buhay mo, sasabihin nila,"wala ka man lang
kaambi-ambisyon!"
Pag andami-dami mong gustong gawin, sasabihin naman nila,"ambisyoso ka!" Ayos
ba?

May mga nagtatagumpay sa buhay, may sumisikat at nalalaos, may gumaganda ang
buhay pansamantala ngunit pagkatapos ay bumabalik sa dati at kung minsan ay mas
masahol pa.
Tignan mo yung kapitbahay mong nag Saudi o kaya'y pumunta sa Dubai at Italy o
kaya si ate sa Hongkong. Wag na tayo lumayo… Musta kaya ang buhay sa call center
sa bandang Libis o Ortigas? O kaya yung teller ng banko sa Makati . Ano ba ang
kasalukuyang sinasalamin ng buhay nila. Kaginhawaan? Kasaganahan? O kahirapan pa
din.

Marahil marami ang nangarap sa buhay. Kahit siguro yung kaibigan mong ewan,
marahil ay may pangarap din ngunit libre nga ba ito? At kung libre, bakit madami
pa din ang hindi nakakaabot sa kanilang mga pangarap. Kasya ba ang take home pay
mo? Musta ang credit card mo? Max up na yung pangatlo?!

Palagay ko hindi libre ang mangarap. Tulad na lang ng kalayaan, subukan mong
isalin sa ingles ang salitang ito – freedom. Libre nga ba ito? Kung libre ito,
bakit may Ninoy, bakit may Evelio Javier, at madami pang nagbubuwis ng buhay?
Tsk tsk. Nakakatuwa ang paggamit ng ating mga salita.

May kakilala akong nag-Saudi. Nakapag pundar ng bahay, umabot sa mahigit isang
milyon ang nahawakang pera. Tuloy tuloy na sana pero nalulong sa droga, nawala
lahat ang kabuhayan. Nangarap ba siya? Marahil. Pero somewhere along the way,
nawala ang focus niya.
Tapos si Manong Ed, istokwa, bata pa tumira na sa palengke. Sabi sa kanila,
"black sheep" ng pamilya. Di na inintindi ng magulang. Ang batang palaboy-laboy
sa palengke ng Surigao, kamuntik naging sundalo, kamuntik din nakatapos ng
engineering at nag-mekaniko. Nasaan na siya ngayon? Nag-abroad na, tangay ang
limang kaibigan at kapamilya. Saan kaya niya hinugot ang kanyang lakas upang
makaalis sa palengkeng naging kanlungan niya habang siya ay nag-iisa?

Listen, yung nanay ng friend ko at age 44, nag-nursing. Saan na siya ngayon? Nag
to-tour na. She has all the money to do just that. Ano! matanda ka na? Eto isa
pa. Yung lola ng friend ko, nag retire at age 65. Bumalik sa skul, kumuha ng
Law. Sabi ng mga apo at anak, "Matanda na kayo. Pahinga na lang kayo sa
bahay." Sagot niya, "Ubingak pay! (bata pa ako)." Nakinig ba siya? Hindi! Ayun
pumasa sa bar, lawyer na ang lola! Whew!

Ano, hihirit ka pa?

Minsan sa isang seminar, lumapit sa akin ang isang clerk, may konting luha at
lungkot sa kanyang mga mata. Sabi niya, "Labing pitong taon na akong clerk, wala
pang nangyari sa buhay ko!" Ako ay namangha at nabagabag. Anlalim nun ah! I got
scared. Sabi ko, "Anong ginawa mo? Madami namang seminar na pwedeng puntahan,
libro na puedeng basahin o kaya panibagong skills na pwedeng pag-aralan." Ang
kanyang tugon ay nakakalungkot. Sabi niya, "Busy ako sa work eh!" She was
practically imprisoned sa lamesa niya for 17 years! Kaya ang mas malalim na
tanong, "Are we busy with the right things? Does it make us grow? Does it make
us a better person? May mas magandang pupuntahan ba ang ginagawa natin sa
susunod na mga taon?"

Ang karayom, pag tinusok sa 'yo ay masakit. Mararamdaman mo ito. Kaya ang
karayom itinali ko sa isang steel rod at itinusok sa dibdib niya, at sinabing,
"Tignan mo yang isang officemate mo. Dati clerk din siya, ngayon Systems
Administrator na. Pareho kayo ng simula diba?"

The desire to dream starts from the heart, it is a daily decision to be where
you want to be. It is owning it. `Tol, wag ka umasa sa mana mo o kaya sa
gobyerno o sa Boss mo. At the end of the day, commodity ka lang. Ang buhay kasi
is buy and sell kaya dapat alamin mo ang tunay mong halaga baka na
syo-shortchange ka! Bilhin ka ng boss mo sa halagang Php10,000 tapos ibebenta ka
sa halagang Php100,000. Yan ang harap harapang prostitusyon!
Ask yourself. Masaya ka ba where you are? Ok ka na ba diyan? kumusta lineage ng
pamilya mo? Is that what you want to see in your generation? Sabi ng isang guard
sa akin noon. Junie, security guard na lolo ko. Security guard din tatay ko,
kaya security guard na din ako. Sabi ko, "Ayaw mong maging chief of
police?" But really, kung yung nagdaang henerasyon sa pamilya mo e puno ng
kakulangan, would you even dream and act to change it? O you resign to it and
say, "Eto ang kapalaran ko."
Simulan mo. Minsan masarap maging discontent. Wag mong isiping bata ka pa o
matanda ka na o may kakulangan ka. Ala akong pinag-aralan eh. Mahirap lang kami.
Wala kaming pera. O nagpapadala ka sa mga taong nagsasabing, "Sama-sama na lang
tayo dito!" This one really scares me! O nagsasabing, "Ambisyoso ka!" `Tol, at
the end of the day, di naman sila ang magpapakain ng pamilya mo eh. Try mong
utangan sila. It' not about lacking in resources, it is about resourcefulness.

I started losing friends when I realize may mga taong excess baggage sa buhay
natin. Minsan may nakilala ako, sobrang nega. Sala sa init sala sa lamig. Laging
may problemang dala. Minsang kasama ko sabi niya, "Bat di mo ako kinakausap?"
Sagot ko naman, "There is nothing good to say!" Lagi akong nagtatanong, "Is this
person going to make a good influence sa buhay ko?" Syempre, yan din ang lagi
kong tanong sa sarili ko.

Choose your friends. An eagle can not fly if he is dressed like a turkey. And
you can't go to the same school as the duck's school.

Tignan mo if they have grown in the past few years kasi may tinatawag na Law of
Association. Are they excited about life or they see it as drudgery? Are you in
survival mode or is your life accelerating? Pareho ba maxed up credit card niyo?
Do you hear more complaints than movements? Ang bakasyon ba mas
pinagpla-planuhan kaysa sa buhay? Is happy hour better than growing together?
There must be what they call the next level kasi ang buhay hindi dress
rehearsal. Kaya if you see yourself in the bar every weekend with your friends,
you better run away from them!

Start within you. Change the way you see things. Look at your life as a new
canvass. Choose the colors! Wag mo nang balikan yung nakaraan. Di mo na mababago
yun. Yung ngayon at bukas, may magagawa ka pa. Dapat may internal change muna.
You have to start with your character. Be a better person everyday. Lahat ng
gagawin mo should have an impact hindi lang sa buhay mo kundi sa mga taong nasa
paligid mo. Everyday decision yan.

Pag-align na yung character mo, pag tama yang puso mo, everything will come into
focus. Mas magaan ang buhay mo. Then yung sinasabi nilang, the whole universe
will collide to give you what you deserve will definitely happen. Remember, the
universe respond to deserved, not need, not want.

Finally, stretch yourself and your life like a rubber band. You will never know
what your potentials are until you stretch yourself hard enough it's gonna break
you. Don't let anyone live your life and drive you where they please. Like a
boss with a stick and a carrot dangling at the other end. The only person who
can tell you na hanggang diyan ka lang is yourself so the competition is not
between you and the other person. It's the devil inside you that doesn't want
you to grow.

Make a decision to change wherever you are. Don't wait for someday. Someday,
someday, someday. Remove that from your vocabulary and say NOW IS THE TIME TO
CHANGE!

Sama sama tayong mangarap. Mahal ang mangarap pero halika, I'll walk with you.
Ano, kelan tayo magsisimula?

You already know everything you need to know about success. All you have to do
is to put the remote control down, scoop that bag of chips away, get out from
the couch and do something!

Cute Hand-Stitched Bears for Souvenirs

I know it's too early to start preparing for the baby's christening. We don't even know yet if our Little One is a boy or a girl. But, I can't help myself and I tend to overthink things, make lists and plan ahead.

When I was staying at my parents house last April, my Mom and I thought we could start making the souvenirs ahead of time. By DIY-ing the favors we might save a lot of money and make the favors as personalized as possible. We thought why not make one of those mini rag dolls we usually see at the malls. Surely, there is a template somewhere over the web that is ready to be downloaded.

As I was browsing through the Martha Stewart website, I chanced upon one entry on the crafts page. Little hand-stitched bears!! These are even cuter than the mini rag dolls and what's even better is that it is really easy to make. I can make larger ones for the godparents and smaller ones for the rest of the guests. With more or less 5 more months to wait till the baby is due, I sure have a lot of time on my hands. 

So excited! I have a new project to complete, yay!

Just look at how cute these bears will turn out. With the names of the godparents hand-stitched to each of them, who wouldn't adore these?!

How to do this? Please follow this link: Hand-Stitched Bears

Wishing for a Few Things

Hubby and I thought we'll be able to know our Little One's gender last May 8 when we went to see my OB for our monthly prenatal. Dra. Eva said it would be better to wait at least for another month just to be sure. So, hopefully we'll know if we are having a boy or a girl by June 19th.

I can't wait till my friends organize a baby shower for me. I am wishing it will be scheduled in time for my also-pregnant-bestfriend Mhy's arrival on the 28th so we could have it done at the same time.

Speaking of which, Mhy asked me to create a list of things that we both need to buy for the baby. She will only be here for 3 days and will be needing to shop for maternity clothes and baby stuff. I already created a list and even searched my fave yahoo group, NewlywedsAtWork, for more tips on the essentials. 

I won't be putting the list here as it is pretty long. Instead, I am posting a few stuff that I am wishing for my baby and myself. Hopefully, our friends will get the hint for the baby shower. Hehe.

Avent Isis IQ Uno Breast Pump

Philips AVENT BPA Free Newborn Starter Set

Carter's Crib Beddings

Carter's Diaper Bag

Nursing Pillow

A set of Receiving Blankets

Bumbo Seat

That's all for now. I still need to do more online reading and research as to what else do we need. 

One Year After

On this day at 10 in the morning, we were standing before an altar committing ourselves to honor, respect and love each other for as long we live. We celebrated this commitment with our families and friends and they have been witnesses to our love for each other.

Now, one year after, not so much have changed. We are still overflowing with love for each other as we have been this same day one year ago. A love that is now extended and multiplied a hundred times over for this Little One we are now expecting. 

I know that our lives will change soon but I am praying that we continue loving each other as much we do today. 

I love you more each day and I promise to continue honoring you, respecting you and loving you for as long as I live.

Getting Ready

I'm almost 5 months pregnant and by now I already have a boxful of baby clothes given by my cousins and my sister-in-law. There are more baby clothes waiting to be handed down to me from my brother's baby. I don't really mind getting hand-me-downs since the baby will outgrow most of the clothes anyway. But, I would still buy some cute things for my baby like rompers, blankets, lots and lots of cloth diapers, some nice little outfits for going out. All that can wait, at least, until we know the baby's gender. Hopefully, we'll know by tomorrow when we visit my Gyne for our monthly prenatal check-up. "Please, please Little One, be cooperative and let Mommy and Daddy see our litte boy/girl."

For now, here are some of the baby clothes given to us:

Gunpoint Scare

I've seen it in the news, I've read it in the papers. It happen to some people, but not to those close to me. Until early this morning.

I received a text message from my husband at 3:30 am telling me he was stopped by two armed men riding a motorcycle just a few blocks away from home. They held him at gunpoint and one immediately took over my husband's motorcycle and drove away. 

I called my husband and asked him is he really is okay. He said they did not hurt him but they pointed the gun at his face every time he tried to look at their faces. He was not able to identify the two men nor the plate number of the motorcycle they were riding. Everything happened so fast and they just left him there on the streets. He was able to report the incident to the police and he was then advised to report again to the Anti-Carnapping group of the PNP.

I was not able to sleep since talking to my husband and when the sun came up, I was on my way back to Manila. I needed to make sure that he really is okay and I need to be with him. 

I may be over-reacting over the incident. Nothing really happened to my husband, he was left unharmed anyway but still... 

He could have resisted giving his motorcycle, he would have tried to look at the men's faces to identify them, one of the men could have pulled the trigger. 

I could have lost him. Our unborn child could have been unable to meet the father he could have become.

But, it did not happen. God did not allow for it to happen. And for that, I am most grateful.

Loving the Small Things

• I makes me feel good when hubby holds my hand whenever we go out, it's as if he's saying, "I know your back's hurting and I wish I could help you more but I hope this somewhat eases the pain."
• I find it amusing when my niece, Cassandra, says hi to our little one and sometimes tells the baby "bad baby, bad baby" whenever my tummy or my back is aching. Cassandra somehow gets the notion that the baby is kicking me whenever something is aching.
• I like it when some people would tell me I am a blooming mom to be. 
• I love it when out of nowhere hubby would suddenly rub my tummy, whether I'm in front of the computer and he's on his way out of the room or just when we're watching television.
• It touches me when hubby would put his ear on my tummy trying to listen to our little one's heartbeat even if I told him numerous times that he won't be able to hear it just yet, it just shows that he is eager to meet our little one.

I'm already on my 15th week and so far so good. I finally got through the "very difficult" first trimester, my appetite's gone up (a lot) and the baby's growth is normal according to my Gyne. Our next check up will be on May 8th, exactly our 1st wedding anniversary. I will be 20 weeks by then and I am hoping my Gyne would tell me it's possible to see the gender of little one during that time. That would be a great anniversary gift to hubby and me and another great reason to celebrate the day!

I'm Coming Home

Even before I submitted my resignation at work, hubby and I discussed that should I stop working we think it would be best if I stay with my parents in Laguna while I am pregnant. That is so I would have company to keep myself from getting bored because I am usually left by myself here in Manila when hubby leaves for work. 

So, I will be coming home to my parents later today and will be staying there indefinitely. Hubby will stay here in Manila because of work, it will be too much of a hassle if he goes with me in Laguna. He will just come there during the weekends to be with me. The sacrifices we have to make for the sake of this baby.

I might not be able to blog as often as I wanted to but I will still try to post once in a while. So, this is bye for now and I hope everyone will have a meaningful Holy Week ahead.

Best Decision

I am going to stop working.

For now, I know I am going to think that we won't be as secured financially as to when I was still getting a monthly salary. I know that I am going to worry about the future expenses and that our plans will be put on hold because only one of us will be working. I know that for some time I will be feeling helpless and unworthy because I won't be contributing financially nor physically because of the state of my pregnancy.

But, in the long run, I know that this is the best decision. I know that I will not regret leaving work behind for our child. I know that everything will fall into place with God' grace. 

And surely, on that day, when my eyes finally get a glimpse of our dear little one, I am going to say "It's all worth it".

I am just so grateful

I've been getting pretty stressed out lately from work, from the difficult pregnancy and daily asthma attacks. I've been weighing some things and I know I need to prioritize. Baby comes first.

I am just so blessed to have a very supportive husband to lean upon. So this is for him:

"Thank you so much for being there for me and for backing me up with every decision that I have to make. Thank you for constantly making me laugh especially during the hardest of times like when I was at the ER when I had an asthma attack last Monday. Thank you for lashing out as fierce as I do towards some people that has been bringing me even more stress than I could possibly take. Thank you for being such a great provider for me and our unborn little one. Thank you for supporting me now that I have to make a very important decision for the sake of our family. I know you will take very good care of me and our child and I am so grateful to the Lord that He has given me you. I do love you so much."

Unfavorable ER Experience

I was supposed to return to work Monday night. I got the thumbs up from my OB Gyn's reliever last Saturday. That is before I had an asthma attack come Monday morning.

I woke up at around 9am wheezing already. I puffed Seretide twice hoping that I'll feel better soon. After 30 mins to an hour, I felt very weak already. Just near to collapsing. I guess it's the heat that triggered it. 

Good thing, hubby is still at home and we immediately went to the ER of the Chinese General Hospital. I even lost consciousness on the way there.

ER stands to Emergency Room, isn't it? But, why do the nurses move so slowly while we were there? It was pretty obvious that I'm having difficulty in breathing and I appear to be very weak leaning on hubby for support. I can't even hold the water bottle that I brought with me.

Finally, we were ushered inside and I was asked to sit down to have my oxygen level monitored. The nurse even had the guts to tell me, "Idiretso mo ung daliri mo natatanggal eh." Can't you see that I can't even move an inch and you blame me for a defective machine whose finger probe is loose and was just being held with the use of a medical tape?!

I was seen by an OB-GYN, shouldn't I be seen by a Pulmonologist? 

In the end, when I was sure that my vital signs are normal and so are my baby's, I asked to be released. I don't want to be admitted to a hospital like this, I'd rather rest at home.

Before leaving, I asked the OB if I could have a medical certificate so I could have something to show to my employer. Guess who wrote the medical certificate? A pulmonologist who didn't even see me! Isn't that amazing!

Looking Ahead

Just recently, Hubby and I had a serious talk about moving. Even before we learned I was pregnant, I already told him that I do not want to raise a kid where we are currently living. The environment in this place is just not fit to raising kids.

We decided it is time to move somewhere else and we plan on doing it next year before our kid turns one. We need to save up for my delivery in October first and then we need to buy a car before Christmas so we won't have a hard time bringing the baby around. We plan to have the renovation of their Cavite house started by summer of 2011. The lower floor will be for my parents-in-law while we will be occupying the upper floor/s. 

Ever since it has been decided, I have been searching the net for home decorating ideas. Talk about getting excited! Particularly, all I have been searching for are ideas for the nursery. Look at how pretty these all are and how easy it would be because these are just wall decals or stickers.

Do you notice how everything here looks like for a girl's bedroom? Now, you know what I'm praying our little one's gender would be.

I'm super excited to decorate our home and I can't wait for next year to come. For the meantime, I'm rubbing my tummy and whispering to my little one, "Don't worry. Mommy will make sure you get the prettiest room for your first birthday".

and then a heart beats...

Today, me and hubby went to see our OB for my monthly prenatal check up. We are to check if my hematoma has cleared and see if I can go back to work full time. Unfortunately, my OB, Dr. Aleli, has undergone surgery and was unable to see me. I was seen by Dra. Aida, Dra. Aleli's reliever. 

I always feel good whenever I come and visit the Women's Wellness Center of the Metropolitan Hospital. It has a relaxing atmosphere with comfy couches and even a zen f0untain in one corner. I feel like I'm getting the best care from the friendly nurses and my trusted Gyne.

When I entered the room, Dra. Aida asked a few questions, I raised some issues of having cramps yesterday and she said we'll have another ultrasound to check the condition of my hematoma. Then, I was asked to lie down so she could measure my tummy and so we could try to listen to baby's heartbeat. 

It took her quite a while scanning my tummy using a fetal doppler and I was getting pretty anxious. Why wasn't I hearing anything? Is it supposed to be like this?

And suddenly, a heart beats...

I heard it and it was strong and it was fast. 

I found myself smiling when Dra. Aida asked me if I can hear it. I gave her a tearful yes. Really, I was pretty emotional.

I then proceeded to have my ultrasound. Right after the gel was spread on my tummy and the scanner was in place, there was my little one. Already developed, with hands and feet moving constantly. A little change in the scanner's position and there it was again. 

The heart beating. It really was beating fast and I can see it beating through my baby's chest. 

It was pretty amazing and I can't believe we have created something as beautiful as this.

We can't wait to see you, our little one.

Here is our little one at 12 weeks and 1 day

Warning Against Ultrasound

With newer technologies coming out, isn't it such a great thing that we, moms-to-be, can get a glimpse of our little ones even before they were born? I used to be so amazed with these 3d/4d ultrasound where you can see your child's features from inside your womb and I told myself I would have that when I turn 7 months pregnant and will have the photo printed out so I can compile everything in a scrapbook. Me and hubby even inquired in an ultrasound center in a mall for 4d Ultrasound packages and mind you, they are not cheap.

But what's even great is being a member of NewlywedsAtWork and getting the best advice from everyone who has been there, done that. Just today, I was browsing through the messages on the board and I came across one with the subject heading "FDA warning against non-medical use of the ultrasound". I read through the post and clicked on the link that another n@wie posted. It appears that getting the 3d/4d ultrasound is bad for your unborn child. I am sharing this article with you and hopefully you be well-informed first before actually getting that just-for-photo-ops 3d/4d Ultrasound. The article can be viewed here: 

FDA Cautions Against Ultrasound 'Keepsake' Images

This changed my mind and I decided to just get the usual 2d ultrasound to know our baby's gender when I turn 6 months and let God do the rest until that blessed day when we get to meet our baby face to face.

Oh yes, I did!

I have been so inspired with the food blog of one of my w@w sisses who is now a n@wie. I'm sorry sis, but, I'm dropping your name here. Mei and her hubby are doing an awesome job blogging about their married life in Japan thru their wedding blog A Match Made in Heaven and has truly inspired me with their food blog Cravings of the Newlyweds. I only wish I had the same talent as the both of them when it comes to cooking. But, I am trying. Desperately.

And so, last night, I did it. Oh yes, I cooked!

Nothing as fancy as those on Mei's blog but at least I'm on to a good start. I cooked Lechon Kawali and Buttered Mussels. Told you so, nothing fancy, just a quick dip in hot cooking oil and it's done. Hehe! I was happy that the Lechon Kawali turned out crisp and well cooked; the Buttered Mussels tasted good as well - I did a great job with putting in the right amount of butter, salt and a little bit of sugar, oh and yes lots of garlic. 

Here are some pics:

Buttered Mussels

Crispy Lechon Kawali

I also sliced a couple of bananas topped them with condensed milk and voila! Sweet and creamy dessert. Which is, btw, still untouched in our fridge. We were so full last night that we weren't able to have our dessert.

Oh and before I forget, just this morning, I made some French toast for breakfast. :)

I am not in the mood to cook. No, I really was not in the mood. :) Thanks to Mei and their blog for inspiring me. Hopefully, in the next days to come I'll be able to whip up some great dishes as well.

Have a great sunday, everyone!