Going Wordpress

*Sigh*

Much as I like to maintain this blog, it's a bit taxing already (for now at least) to update 2 blogs.

So now I am officially turning over the crown from Blogspot to Wordpress....

This is my other (and more updated) blog.

Life. Love. Us.

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Going Gaga Over Heroes

I know, I know, I'm a late-bloomer, but I am now going gaga over Heroes the series! It all started when the Heroes trailers were shown in the C/S Channel. I got intrigued, but still wasn't enough for me to watch it. However, I was able to do so when the replay was ran a few days ago.

To my pleasant surprise, my Dad has the full Season 1 DVD, and so I started to watch it with my brother in my parents' house. Dang! I became hooked with it! I practically begged my Dad to lend me the DVD (my sister was against it hahaha she wanted to watch it too). When I got home, I watched a couple more eposiodes before I finally decided (reluctantly) to get some sleep.

Anyway, tonight I'll be watching the next episodes and hopefully I will enough will again to stop and get some rest. Hehehehe.

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26 Weeks!

This is me at 26 weeks!



Still not "plumped-up" though...

Anyway, baby Eanna is fiercely moving inside my belly, especially when I'm about to sleep. Of course, this stops me from sleeping, because I couldn't wait till I feel the next movement... it's just so nice feeling my baby move! There was one time when my tummy was "rippling" and all, and I couldn't help but laugh and talk to little Eah!

According to BabyCenter.com

Your baby now weighs a little under 2 pounds and measures about 14 inches, from head to heel. The nerve pathways in her ears are developing, which means her response to sounds is growing more consistent. Her lungs are developing now, too, as she continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid — good practice for when she's born and takes that first breath of air. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

It also says something about my backpains too, of which I have been experiencing for a couple of weeks now...

If your back seems a little achy lately, you can thank pregnancy hormones (which are loosening up your joints and ligaments) and your shifting center of gravity. Walking, standing, or sitting for long periods, bending and lifting can all put a strain on your back. A warm bath — or cool compress — might bring relief. Or you may want to schedule a prenatal massage by a trained therapist. Use a pregnancy wedge when sleeping, to support your back and abdomen. Try to maintain good posture, which will help reduce the strain on your back, and always take care when bending and lifting. If you experience severe pain or numbness in any area of your body, call your practitioner.

Anyway, that's all for now. Hope that this weekend will be a fruitful and blessed one!

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Speedy vs. Neverfull

Late at night my aunt texted me and asked me if I already bought the LV Speedy. Turns out, she has heard of this new LV bag called Neverfull and thought I might want to get this instead.

(Kinda looks the same as the Batignolles)



(Reversed)

And I think... I'll get the Neverfull! Since my Aunt is getting herself the GM size , I told her to get one for me too (probably the smaller size, MM or PM). Yipee!

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Mexican Dinner

Last night I had a craving for mexican food (thanks to Boy Meets Grill episode on Lamb tacos), and so I gathered whatever is in the pantry and came up with the following:

• Grilled Spiced Sirloin (instead of the apricot-basted Lamb loin) as the meat for the soft tacos
• Tomato Salsa
• Guacamole

Here's what I did:

Grilled Spiced Sirloin
I invented this hahaha but was inspired of course by the episodes I watched from FoodTV, as well as recipes of Nigella lawson

Meat: 1 block (1/4 kilo, 1 1/2 inches thick) of sirloin steak
Spice Rub:
- Chili Powder (lotsa this!)
- Cumin
- Cayenne Pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- Salt and pepper to taste
*Sorry I don't have the exact measurements, but this really depends on your taste!

Grill the meat about 5-7 minutes on each side, depending on preferred done-ness. Let it stand for 10-15 minutes for the juices to go back to the meat, before thinly slicing it. Make sure each slice has a crispy portion. Yum-yum...

Salsa

Ingredients:
- 1 large tomato, cubed
- Chopped fresh coriander
- Chilies or chili powder (if desired)
- EVOO (drizzle until the tomatoes look luscious, maybe around 1-2 tbsp)
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- S&P to taste

Just mix them all together!

Guacamole
Loooove this!

Ingredients:
- 1 large ripe avocado, meat is cubed (diamond-shaped)
- Chopped fresh coriander
- Chilies or chili powder (preferred to have this!)
- Juice of 1 lime
- Cracked pepper (I just added this hehehe)

Again, just mix them together, making sure that the avocados are not mashed. Chunky for me is better. Hehehehe.

Anyway, my other condiments were:
- Sour cream
- Tortillas (heat them a little if they came from the ref)
- Prepared Salsa(not really needed, but since I have it on hand, I took it out as well)
- Shredded lettuce
- Cheese
- Nachos

Drinks: Apple juice (huhuhu... no margarita or sangria for me)



Gash... I ate two big soft tacos, and my helper was laughing when I said... "I don't want anymore, I'm soooo full...." Hahahaha!

Last night's dinner was really something, and I plan to do this again, but with the company of my friends and of course, my husband...

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Trip to LV

Last night while waiting for my friend in Greenbelt, I decided to take little Eannah (ergo, me) for a stroll in Greenbelt for. Of course, we had to take a little peak in the LV boutique and lo and behold... I saw the LV sandals I drooled over, with my shoe size on display!


Don't they look good on me feet? :P

I'm still thinking about it, but there are two concerns: 1) price (huhuhu I have to save for our little Eah's sake) 2) can only be worn after birth.

Aside from this, I'm already buying my bag. I'm still thinking though on whether to get a Speedy 30, Speedy 35, or the Trouville Bag....


This really looked good, plus there are compartments inside, unlike the speedy!

*Sigh* I guess I'll just get the Speedy 30, because it would really be a total splurge if I have another LV purchase for myself... (Think about Baby Eah) Which goes to this....

Since I'm more concerned in providing for our little Eah (tehehehehe excuses), I asked about diaper bags... and LV has in its Mini Lin line!


Doesn't it look nice?

When the attendant told me about this bag, I felt a small kick from our little girl... Hehehehehe! I told my husband about this little incident, and all he could say was... "Nge!" Hahahaha, little Van in the making eh?

But then again, a PhP100k diaper bag is admittedly too much (for us at least). Even if we buy this in Sweden, it would still cost more than PhP70k. That's already one huge christening celebration for our little angel. Again, a wishlist for her I guess, and it's up to her Papa anyway (which I'm sure he'd say... she won't even use it when she grows up!)

There goes our trip to LV. Didn't buy anything, but I'm still happy as clam for my little window shopping.

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Say Hello To...

Little Eannah!

Well… not yet 100% sure but most probably our little angel is a girl!

Last night, I was really anxious to know our baby’s gender, and so I took a 2-minute walk going to the nearest hospital and had an ultrasound. it was a long wait, since we were told to be there before 8 pm (we were there around 7:30), but the sonologist (middle-aged, slightly conservative man) was there at around 8:30! While waiting, I was talking to our baby, to show herself to Mama hahaha. Anyway, it was really a suspenseful moment, but i was pelased with the way the sonologist handled our session (compared to the last one in Polymedic). He was very thorough indeed! At first he said that it’s not 100% sure but it looks like the baby is a girl (”may guhit“). He then proceeded to measure the baby. He showed me the baby’s head, arms, legs, back, chest, number of fingers, etc… While looking at the monitor, he mentioned again… it really is early but looks like a girl. Towards the end of the session, he took another look and said… “Sa palagay ko talaga babae.” He told me to look at the monitor and pointed to the baby’s organ. It’s a little oblong-ish and has this fine line in the middle. Heheheh, there you go!



I asked about the baby’s nose (vain vain!) and when he showed me the profile, it’s not really clear, but he joked that he couldn’t see the nose, it’s a little flat! What’s prominent is that the lips are pouting, and her chin is defined (for me it looked really delicate). Our little angel was very active, and our last glimpse of her was she putting her little hand in her mouth, as if to thumbsuck! How cute is that!

Anyway, it seems that our baby is on the big side hahaha. based from what ir ead in the internet, at 23 weeks, the baby should be around 450 grams. Little Eannah is around 661 grams. Hehehe. No wonder Mommy is still thin while the tummy is bulging… All goes to our baby girl!

The sonologist suggested that to be sure, I should have another U/S at 7 months. Again he repeated that baby is most likely a girl… Hello baby Eannah Alessandra!

If ever our baby turns out to be a boy… well… it’s ok! Our baby is the biggest blessing given to us so far, so why choose right?

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23 Weeks

Time flies so fast... I am now on my 23rd week of pregnancy! I have read somewhere that this is the time when my baby will feel my mood swings as well as hear what I hear (and say).... Hmm this means I should all the more be on the happy side always, and careful on the things I say! Plus, I should continue speaking to my baby, especially at night and when I wake up. Oooh I can't wait to see our baby!

Also, the back aches I usually experience early in the morning are now slowly fading away, so these past days I have been sleeping quite well. Thank goodness!

Anyway, as a habit, this is me today....



Yesterday, I was checking out baby stuff like crazy! It felt funny but it also felt really good. My friend Liv actually wondered when I told her I haven't bought anything in preparation for our baby, so later I will check out the baby stores before I meet up with my friends for dinner. Hmm... I should do that, you know to check out the cost of each items.

Here's one of the items in my wishlist for my little cherub...


Baby Blanket by Burberry

Or this...



But they cost some really mean $$$ you know! Hahahaha! And I'm sure our baby's Papa will say... "uh-oh... this is not a good start" Hahahaha!

Anyway, this is all for now regarding baby stuff. My OB appointment tomorrow was cancelled, so I gues I'll be getting more news about our baby next week. Hopefully she'll tell me that we can now determine our little angel's gender! Yipee!

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5th Month of Bliss

Today marks our fifth month as a married couple. Early this morning, I felt this strong feeling of sorely mssing my husband. How I wish he’s here so we could celebrate our special day, together with our little baby in my tum-tum (who is also on the 5th month). This made me so sad, thinking that it really is a big sacrifice getting married and yet being oceans apart (do I hear a song? hehehehe). But then I realized that I should look at it in a different persepctive, that rather think about our situation as a sacrifice, we should be grateful that my husband’s career is on full speed ahead. Hmmm… Am I beginning to be influenced by the “teachings” of The Secret? Tehehehe…

This aside, I finally received our wedding video (draft only, and I need to give him my comments and things to be changed) from Archie Paungan, our photographer/videographer. *Sigh* Our wedding was really a wonderful event for us. Of course, I cried in some parts (ok in most parts), as I felt again the feelings I had at that time. It’s just now that I noticed that when my Dad was giving his speech, my dear Enrique was holding back his tears (ok, pa-simple wiping his tears). Plus our “raunchy” long kiss. Hahahaha! I could really see some action going on. Yaiks! (But of course, kilig factor pa rin hahahaha)

So now maybe I should just focus on the positive side of things… My husband loves me very much, we have our baby on the way, our careers are doing good, and well… we do have a wonderful life. Thank you Lord for all the blessings You have given us.

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Of 22 Weeks and Back Aches

Today marks the 22nd week of my pregnancy, which means I am little more than halfway trhough my pregnancy! Just the thought of it really makes me excited, as each week draws me nearer to seeing, touching, and smelling my baby! Of course, I still don't know the gender (seriously, I am sooo tempted to have an ultrasound tomorrow!), but it's ok, mama Van can wait right? Once I know though, it would be doubly exciting... Rafael or Eannah? We'll find out really really soon!



22 weeks and counting!

Anyway, on to more serious stuff... For some time now I have been experiencing terrible backaches that wake me up in the wee hours of the morning. The worst I have experienced so far was at 4 a.m. this morning; I almost cried in pain! Well, actually I was crying a bit already. I tried to reposition myself, but to no avail. Since that time I was unable to sleep... Huhuhu.

So today I did a little reseach on pregnancy and back aches, and this was what I have gathered from About.com:


Why Your Back Hurts

When you are pregnant your body produces a variety of hormones. One of these hormones is called Relaxin. Sounds like something really soothing and helpful, which it is, for birth. Relaxin causes the ligaments and the pelvis to soften to allow the baby out through the pelvis. This is also why pregnant women "waddle."

In addition the pelvis relaxing for the upcoming event of birth, your uterus is growing and this does two things:
• Changes your center of gravity
• Relaxing uterine ligaments cause additional strain to be placed on the spine and your surrounding muscles
• Your overstretched abdominal muscles are also not equipped to handle the entire weight of the uterus so your spine and back muscles will bear this extra burden as well.

To ease the back pains, the following should be done:

• Utilize good posture
• Use proper lifting techniques
• Pelvic rocking
• Massage
• Sleep with pillows supporting your legs and back
• Wear flat heeled shoes that offer good support
• Heat (bath, shower, pad, sock)
• Swimming
• Don't move in a jerky fashion
• Stretch daily

Well.. I have done these things, but still my back aches. Probably it's worsened by the fact that I am thin, thus my body is not used to the extra weight/pressure in my abdominal area. Oh well... I wills till continue doing the above, and will consult my OB regarding this. At least I only experience this when I sleep. I hope though that my body will get used to the changes and my back pains will be lessened a bit.

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21 Weeks!

I should've posted this last week, but I forgot hehehe...

This is me at 21 weeks!



Some said that my tummy is bigger than it should be. I guess it just looks bigger because of the clothes I wear or because my tummy is the only one growing while I still look thin. My officemates joked that from behind, I don't look pregnant at all. Then when I face forward, it's the same ol' me but with a bulging tum-tum.

Anyway, tomorrow I'll be 22 weeks, and month-wise, officially 5 months pregnant. Oooohh I can't wait to know my baby's gender!!! I'm really stopping myself from having another ultrasound this middle of May. Will our baby be a Rafael or an Eannah? We'll see really really soon!

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Birthday Mama

Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday happy birthday.......

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.... ME!

Tehehehe, I'm just trying to cheer myself up so that this day will be a day full of blessing and happiness.

My day started with a wakeup call from my beloved husband. We talked a good hour and I felt both very happy that he called, at the same time sad because he's not by my side to celebrate my special day. He trie to console me though by telling me that I'm not alone on this day because I have our little bundle of joy inside my tum-tum. That really is a good thought. He also believes that while he sang the brthday song, our little baby was dancing... *Sigh* I can just imagine our baby doing that inside, now that really put a huge smile on my face.

I also received greetings from his whole family, and was really happy that they remembered. My mom-in-law actually gave me her present last Sunday when I stopped by their house. These were pambahay clothes, and I tried one already... so comfy and looks refreshing!

Anyway, while driving to the office, I received a phone call and the person told me there are flowers from me but they don't know how to go to our office... Geesh, what a surprise noh? Of course I knew who gave them... When I got to the office all my officemates greeted me (actually, they did yesterday when I received flowers from them). After a while, I received a dozen red long-stemmed roses from... who else... my beloved husband! *Sigh* He never failed to send me flowers for my birthday and for our anniversary.

My family greeted me also, and when my Mom called, she asked me what my plans were. i told her we will push through with our lunch on Saturday by the poolside. She asked what I will do tonight and told her nothing, I'll just stay home alone (Paawa effect ba?). She laughed and told me to just go their house and have dinner there, she'll ask our cook to prepare some food. Of course I gladly said yes!

Anyway, that's all for now. Later I will treat all my officemates for merienda cena here at the office.

I hope that the rest of the day will be a wonderful day. I thank the Lord for this day and for all the blessings He has given and will give our little (and growing) family. Thank you Lord for the wonderful and good life.

Happy 29th Birthday to Me!

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The Secret... or Is It?

After watching Spiderman 3, my friends and I decided to just walk around Greenbelt to burn whatever we ate during lunch. We happened to pass by a bookstore and I saw the book "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrnes. This book actually got me intrigued when I read about it in Chuvaness' blog, so I got myself a copy (expensive though) and read it when I got back home.



I have only read around 40% of the book, but so far what I have gathered from these pages are the following:

- The Law of Attraction is perfect, and whatever you ask for and believe you will get it, then you will receive it.

- The more grateful you are about something, the more you will attract that something to you.

- Good thoughts bring about good tidings, whereas bad thoughts bring about, well, bad stuff.

- You can get and be what you want as long as you focus your thoughts (good ones) on your wants.

Well... I think this "secret" advocated by the book is not really an astounding find for optimistic people (like me). I mean, there are actually a couple of people who have never read the book, nor the books of the authors mentioned by Ms. Byrnes, and still one of their mantras is "if you want something to happen, claim it." Another is that if you just change your perspective in life, then changes are bound to happen. Of course, this may shed new light to some pessimists, enabling them to shift to new "frequencies," but what will one think if he eventually fails (and he might quote the book "getting one dollar is the same as getting a million dollars"). Does this mean that it's the person's fault, that he didn't think enough good thoughts?

Maybe i am more inclined to the saying "things happen for a reason," but anyway, there is actually no harm in asking what you want, believing that you can get what you want, and then receive (and be grateful) once you get what you want. So I should give it a try:

ASK: Enrique will be here in time for my delivery
BELIEVE: He will be home on time!
RECEIVE: We'll see later on....(and if this happens, I would really be grateful)

Other good reviews are from here:
- E-pinions
- Amazon Readers Reviews (especially from Old School)

So, is it worth reading? Maybe.

Is it life-changing? Hmmm... maybe to some.

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Spider-boy

Since last weekend I was very anxious and excited that I will be watching Spiderman 3 when it opens in theaters this Labor Day. My friend was able to get us tickets (morning only, the later time slots were all full!), and while en route to Greenbelt, I was thinking... yeah the trailer's nice and most likely this will be the last Spidey so it must be good...



Well... it turned out to be below my expectations... I don't know, there was something in the movie I can't quite fully explain, but it really paled in comparison to the previous Spidey films. One nice touch was the little "tribute" to Saturday Night Fever, but still, I got pretty bored in some parts of the movie.

Oh well... now I'm looking forward to another big movie this May...



Goodbye Tobey... hello my Orly! :P

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Weekend Getaway

Summer Sunshine
Last weekend was our company outing, which was held in Eagle's Point Batangas. Good thing that I have decided to join the outing, as it was really a blast!

What's in my bag:
1. My juicy terry dress (bought this ages ago and proved to be a wise investment!)
2. iPod (dang, still obsessed with it!)
3. String bikini (yup, one hot momma ahead! hahahaha!)
4. Yellow dress (bought in SM Dept. Store... fabulous find!)
5. Oversize Shades (can't leave without)
6. Olay moisturizer
7. Sunblock (nah... I don't want to get tanned)
8. Phyto Protective Sun Veil (gotta care for the hair)
9. Pringles Cheez-ums (I gotta have this while traveling!)
10. Bottled Water

And of course, the essentials... undies, slippers, vitamins, etc...

The trip was a bitch though, due to horrendous traffic. However, it was in the end worth it. When we arrived at the place, we had a 20-minute boat trip to go to Sepoc island, where our main activities were held.


Waiting for the boat


Two brave preggers!

The food was good (really fresh fish!), the cheering competition was awesome (our team won!), and the extra challenge competition was really enjoying (our team won! we were the overall champion!).


Preggy Chearleaders


TEAM YELLOW!

That afternoon we went back to the main resort and we went swimming until the breeze got cold (hehehehe). It was really brave of me to swim in the "man-made beach" where there were baby sharks. I didn't try to get close to them though!

Dinner was then served, again the meals were really good. The awarding ceremony commenced, and our team (yellow) was officially announced the overall winner. Yipee!!!

Bad Mama
Hehehe... after the ceremonies our singing session began. I enjoyed it too much that I went back to my room around 1:30 am!


Tin Grins


Singing girls

While trying to fall asleep, i really felt guilty so I just talked to my baby and said it will never happen again. And I promise not to drink soda anymore.

I woke up late the next day, and decided not to take a swim. It was too hot, I didn't want to get burned.

Time to Relax
I went home really exhausted and my shoulders were really aching from a long trip, so I opted to have a home-service massage (prenatal package). The massage was really a relief for me, so when the session was done, i just ate dinner and had a good night's sleep.

Overall, the weekend was really a good one. The only thing thatw as missing was Enrique... *Sigh* Guess I can't have it all, but I still thank the lord for the wonderful getaway I had.

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I Tagged Myself

I got this from Jen’s blog and like her, I tagged myself :-)

Four Jobs I’ve Had:

1. Financial Analyst
2. Marketing Executive
3. Market Analyst
4. Crew Manager

Four Movies I’ve Watched Over and Over:

1. Clueless
2. How To Los A Guy In 10 Days
3. Mean Girls
4. Breakfast At Tiffany's

Four Places I Have Lived In:

1. Sta. Cruz, Manila
2. Boac, Marinduqe
3. Mandaluyong
4. Bo. Capitolyo, Pasig

Four TV Shows I Like to Watch:

1. CSI
2. CSI: Miami
3. CSI: NY
4. Rounin (teheheheh)

Four Places I Have Been on Vacation:

1. California
2. Canada
3. Boracay
4. Marinduque

Four of my Favorite Foods:

1. Sushi
2. Oysters
3. Steak
4. Salad

Four Places I Would Rather be Right Now:

1. Our bedroom with Enrique
2. France
3. Boracay
4. Cruise

Go tag yourself too!

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'Tis the Season to be Pregnant

Fashion-wise at least!

I am so loving the trends this "season"... trapeze dresses, baby dolls, loose shirts, leggings, skinnies, etc...

When my little bump showed weeks ago, I realized that it's time to buy some preggy clothes, and so I headed off to the mall. I literally went gaga over the goodies! From high-end shops to the bargain stores, dang, they're all over!


Zara Trends



Salvatorre Ferragamo. Photo from Style.com

I promised myself before that I wouldn't buy too much preggy clothes, but then what the heck... yes, I'm pregnant, but clothes now are just charming! Now I can say that I have my cake and I can eat it too. Hehehehe.

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LV Miroir Bag and Chuvaness

Last night my Tita and I were talking about bags, and she told me to check out this site by Chuvaness which talks about bags, fashion etc. Her friend texted her and told her that she (my tita) was "featured" in the blog.

Of course, I had to take a look right?

After reading almost all of the entries (still currently reading it, this blog is a smash!) I finally found the post featuring her (or shall I say her LV Miroir Bag)!


Photo and feature from Chuvaness

Well, I'm not really surprised because she's got a humongous collection of LV bags, which honestly I classify as To Die For!

Anyway, all for now... gotta go back to reading the Chuvaness blog!

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What Pin-up Girl Are You?

Is this for real?

What Pin Up girl are you?

meoww, you're the sex kitten. One pose and you're on fire! No wonder you have all the men drooling over you ;)
Take this quiz!








Quizilla
Join

Make A Quiz More Quizzes Grab Code

Hahahaha...

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Seeing Red

Contrary to what I have previously posted, I gave way to "luxury" and bought a brand new iPod... the Red limited edition!

I went to 4 different stores just to look for the limited edition. However, all didn't have stock, as they said that since it's a limited edition, they only order if there were any orders from customers. And it takes around 3 weeks for delivery. 3 weeks, I can hardly wait!!! On the 4th store, since there was no red iPod, I decided to just buy the green one. Still I was very excited, and got really disappointed when the store said that they don't accept AIG cards for the 0% installment plan. I grudgingly left the store. My brother tried to console me by saying that it's not meant to be. Sigh. So we went to Shangrila Mall and had dinner. Of course, i was still feeling sad about the whole iPod thing. After dinner, we strolled a little and my Dad told me to check out this store and maybe they sell iPods. Lo and behold! The first thing I saw upon entering the store was the red iPod I've been looking for! As expected, it's more expensive than the regular colors, but still, I was too excited I didn't care.

So now I'm tinkering with my latest gadget and so far I'm really happy with it. Yipee!

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Kicking (But not screaming)

For the past weeks I've been anticipating to feel my baby's first movements, and so when i finally felt one tiny bump, I was really ecstatic! Never had I thought that feeling one's baby's movements will really be a milestone for me. It's just so wonderful to think that a tiny human being is inside me, growing by the day. God's work and creation is just so awesome and "magical." Now I really can't wait till I actually feel my baby's movements in my arms. *Sigh*

These days, I could feel more movements of my baby. There are moments when I'm busy at work when suddenly I will feel this little jerk, and it just puts a smile to my face. There was one night where in I was just laying flat in my bed, and I could feel my baby furiously moving! I can't help but laugh and tell him/her, "you're so active! momma and papa loves you!" (Yes, I do talk to my baby, and we pray together hehehehe) So now I make it a habit that I would spend some considerable time feeling my baby move. And geesh, it really is a wonderful feeling.

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BlogThings: What Tarot Card Are You?

Haha!

For some reason I had this urgent desire to check out new tests from blogthings... here's one!

You Are The Magician

You are powerful and wise - beyond what anyone can see. Deeply complex, you have the resources to connect to the spiritual and material world. You posses the knowledge to manipulate your life and the lives around you. You also have a great healing power, should you choose to use it. Your fortune: You have unhidden powers that you have yet to tap into. Soon, you will better understand how to use your intellect and intuition. Believe it or now, you will discover how you can manipulate yourself and others for good. You are at the beginning of a path of spiritual enlightenment.

What Tarot Card Are You?

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iObsession

I've been meaning to buy an iPod for the longest time, but for some reason I couldn't do it. Guilty perhaps, coz I've been spending so much already? Mild arguments had risen between Enrique and I because of my obssession to get myself one (he's like... "Do we really need one?"), which was also one of the reasons why I felt discouraged in buying one.

But now... *Sigh* I don't know...

Summer is here, ergo outings and family trips, ergo long travels, ergo... need for iPod? Hehehehe.

If ever, I would just scrimp on it by just buying this lovely little piece.



Instead of *sigh* this...



Geesh... what will I get first... iPod, new bag, or (gasp) jewelry? I know, I know, I've always had this saying (which I gladly share to my friends) "When in doubt, BUY!" but why is it that eversince I got married (and during the wedding preparation process), I've been hesitating to buy high-ticket items?

Is it because I'm now thinking not only of myself but also of my husband and future baby? It's even so weird that I feel compelled to inform, or rather, ask permission from my husband if I could buy some expensive stuff. Example, I've asked him if I could buy a new bag, and it took him a long time (and much persuasion from me) before he said YES. Probably he just did in order for me to stop bugging him. Now, I revived my persuasion tactics when it comes to the iPod... No reply yet though, and it seems that when he replies to my emails, he seems to block out sentences containing "I want" hahahaha.

Anyway, back to my iObssession... this just keeps getting larger! Now I'm thinking, "What if I just wait for the iPhone or the (gasp) LV phone? the Mac Notebook also looks smashing!" Hehehehe. Never ending wants, not necessarily needs.

Oh well, I have a week to think about my buy-me list. Last question though... is it coz I'm pregnant??? Hahaha.

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The Shirt-Dress

I just remembered this rather hilarious incident when I was in the Zara fitting room with my sister...

Tall girl wearing teeny shorts walks inside one of the cubicles to fit this nice long shirt...

Girl goes out of the cubicle wearing the shirt sans any shorts (as if the shirt was a dress) ...

Girl checks herself out in the mirror, fidgets a little, and tells her friend... "Hmm... it's too short."

Girl goes inside the cubicle to change...

Sister and I look at each other in amazement and blurted at the same time...

"IT'S COZ IT'S A SHIRT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Wahahahahahahahahahaha!


PS: It really is just a friggin shirt, not a shirt-dress. Tehehehe.

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Loong Weekend

Last weekend was the longest weekend I had (except for the time when I was on leave due to our honeymoon hehehe), mainly because of the following:

a) Holy Week
b) Araw ng Kagitingan
c) Asthma


Holy Week
The Holy days for me officially started Wednesday after lunch, as our office decided that we will only have a half day. Though the working week was only 2 1/2 days, I felt so drained that I had to take a rest immediately, so I just stayed at home with my sister, baby Aden, and our two helpers. On Maundy thursday, my family picked us up to go to 7 churches for the Visita Iglesia, and had dinner at Tempura Grill. Good Friday was also spent at home. Originally I was suppsoed to go with my family to visit the Church for the Stations of the Cross. However, I felt so drained and decided to just stay at home and say my prayers. The next time I left the house was on Easter Sunday, when our family had lunch in this lovely Chinese restaurant in Crowne Plaza. We then went to hear Mass, do some window shopping in Powerplant, then had dinner in Cafe Mediterranean.


Araw ng Kagitingan
I didn't feel that well last monday, so even though going to the grocery was very much needed, I again decided to just stay at home and cocoon myself.


Asthma Attack
Last Tuesday I skipped going to work as I woke up feeling really terrible, with heavy colds, sore throat, and really aching body. Fortunately I didn't have any fever, but I was beginning to sense that an asthma attack will follow later on. My prediction was correct, as the next day, I did have an asthma attack. I went to the hospital (after bringing Aden to the parlor just across the street for a long overdue haircut) and had myself checked up.

The doctor told me that since I am really asthmatic, I should expect that my attacks will be more frequent during my pregnancy. Of course this would pose a risk to our baby, but I just thought to myself that I really can't do anything about it, except to pray always and do my best to take care of myself and our baby. Two main factors why my immune system is weak are stress and lack of sleep. Stress, probably attributed to work. Lck of sleep, most likely attributed to the fact that Aden snores and cries at night and I get awakened by it. My doc suggested that I should not let Aden sleep beside me. This emans that my he and my sister might go back home. This of coruse saddened me so until now I haven't decided what to do. I'm quite sure that I will feel this huge hole if I don't see my bratty yet adorable nephew. *Sigh* The good news is that I gained 3 lbs. since last month, so now I'm up to 104 lbs. My doc told me that since we didn't achieve the desired weight for me during the first 3 months (I didn't gain at all!), I should continue eating whatever I want, double up on milk for calcium and meat intake for protein. Sweets, not that much. As long as I eat healthy food, that should be fine.

My OB also suggested that I should undergo an ultrasound in order to have a fetal survey, determine (if possible) the gender of our baby, and check if the cyst in my ovary is gone. The latter is very much needed because should the cyst still be there, I may be forced to undergo an operation which might put our baby at risk (premature labor).

Ultrasound Results
"Single, live intrauterine pregnancy, in breech presentation, 18 weeks 2 days by average AOG, with good cardiac and somatic activities.

Placenta is anterior, grade 1

Normohydramnios

Left ovarian cyst seen previously is no longer visualized in this scan."

In short, so far everything's good! The fetal survey was also good, no abnormalities so far. What's important though is that my cyst is gone!

Now regarding the gender of the baby....

I joked that my baby might be prude, because the sex organ cannot be seen. Why? The baby's legs are closed. Hahahaha. The face wasn't seen as well because of the babe's position. I only saw the pompie (butt) and the head's crown. I got a little disappointed with the new sonologist becasue I felt that she as hurrying the session. She didn't wait that much to see if the baby will move in roder for us to see the face or the gender, nor showed me that much. I was all the more disappointed when the printouts were given to me, and I couldn;t even determine where my baby is in the shot! Grrr! But anyway, I will just do another ultrasound next month, either in a cheaper clinic or same hospital but with the old sonologist.

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Pregnancy Updates, Shoes, and Terrible Twos

Hmm... so many updates for the week eh?

Pregnancy Updates
Anyway, to start off, I'm on my 18th week today and boy my tummy is growing bigger! It's just so amazing how a woman's body can accommodate another (tiny and growing) human being.

My little bulge is now becoming very noticeable indeed! This was taken after me cooking for dinner (which partly explains my greasy face hahaha) just this week. I was so excited that I sent this picture to Enrique. He replied with a mix of happiness and sadness. Happy because he knows I'm doing fine and our baby is growing. Sad because... sigh... he's not around to witness it all.

Anyway, next week I'm off to to my doctor again to have my monthly checkup. I will also be having my ultrasound, to check if the cyst in my left ovary is already gone, and more importantly, to check our baby's gender (if possible). Yipee! So, at elast we'll know whether our baby will be a little Eannah Alessandra or a little Rafael Enrique!


Shoes
I've been hoarding so many sandals lately, and still was unable to stop buying especially if the shoes look like these:


I just L-O-V-E these zebra print slip-ons! Can I justify my hoarding with this... "I need to buy comfy shoes because my present ones are not suitable for the pregnant me?" Hehehehehe.

Terrible Twos
Sigh... My nephew Aden is temporarily staying in our house (together with my sister and yaya) and much as I loveeeee him to death, I sometimes cannot help but think of just throwing him out of the window! He has been acting really bratty eversince he came to our house, probably because he suddenly realized he could be king there! You know, the crying, the whining, the irritating stuff he makes (e.g. banging his toys just for kicks, or maybe coz he knows we get sooo irritated), etc. So this is what having kids aged 2 is all about, ergo the phrase "terrible two's." I still love him to death though, and couldn't help but smother him with kisses especially when he's sound asleep (whew!). But of course, there are moments when he is truly a sweetheart. Take for example this picture...

For some reason, whenever I point my phone at him to take a picture, he just poses like this! Hehehehe. What a cutie. But of course, I can't wait till our own baby is born. Hopefully he/she will be as adorable (but less bratty) as our little baby as of the moment.

Enrique Updates
Currently my husband is in Sweden and have just recovered from a mild flu. He has been enjoying the cold weather tbut then of course, springtime came and so the warmer days. It's so good that he has his own email address onboard his vessel, so our communication is non-stop. He even has an email for our housemate, just to remind her of some house chores and rules (like looking at the peephole first before opening the door). Hehehe. I miss my husband, but I guess we have to live with this kind of arrangement for a couple more years (5 years to be exact, I hope).


Anyway, that's all for now. because of the Lenten Season, it's gonna be a very long weekend, but our days will be full: Visita Iglesia, Way of the Cross, Seven Last Words, etc. And of course, a grand celebration for Easter.

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Woman In Love

Is this normal? It has been a couple of days now but I'm still feeling this sudden burst of overwhelming feeling of being in love with my husband. Maybe the "I miss him so very much" plays a big part, but I don't know. I just can't shake him off my head, and sheesh, this huge feeling of infatuation and all. I can't fully explain it, but dang, I am so in love with my husband!

Redundant I know, but it is really surprising, especially when I remember the times, specifically during our wedding preparations, when we almost everyday argued about major or flimsy things. At that time I really thought our love for each other greatly lessened, and that sooner or later one of us will just give it all up. But after getting married, things seemed to change so much that it is as if we have started anew and the love between us became more intense. Sure, there was a time after our wedding when we argued about something major, which made me think that it will be downhill from then on. Yet, our bond just grew stronger. Then the baby news. This further strengthened our bond. I thought this "being in love" is at its maximum when we were still in the boyfriend-girlfriend stage. I was wrong. I couldn't be more in love than now.

Oh I don’t know. Maybe I'm just blabbing again. But you see, it is really a great feeling. Going crazy about someone, and knowing that that person is crazy in love with you too. Thank goodness I am married to this man.

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Gender Issues

As soon as people knew that I was pregnant, they started guessing whether our baby would be a girl or a boy. Of course, it's too early to say what gender, but the curious me wanted to know the likelihood. My friends told me to refer to the Chinese calendar on baby's gender, which depended on the age of the mother when she conceived, as well as the month of conception.

I checked out this site and the prediction was...



GIRL!!!


This was what people had to say:


Enrique: BOY

Everybody else: GIRL

Oh well, as long as our baby is healthy, that's the most important thing, right?

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Remembering Lolo

Since my grandfather died last Friday early early morn, I am still in denial that he is no longer with us. However, I just keep on remembering what the priest said in his homily... Tony is coming home. Yes, my grandfather was a good man, and he will remembered as such. If there is an MRT going to heaven, he would have freely been given a pass to go straight to his home.

I just felt a little sad when my Grandma uttered the words... "It's going to be a lonely life". I have seen how she has taken cared of my Lolo, and how much I wanted to be like her in that aspect. She has loved (and still does) my Grandpa so much.

I remember the time when he was rushed to the ER last year and was in the ICU. I cried so hard when I visited him. But he told me... "Don't cry Vannie, I'll be alright." And for a time after, he was indeed alright. I felt all the more sad because of what Enrique and I have decided during the Christmas holidays. Being newly weds, we opted to just spend our Christmas eve together in our little pad, even if in my family the tradition was to spend Christmas and New year's eve in our grandparents' house. In those two instances my grandma asked why we weren't there, but of course she understood. How I wished that I spent those times in their place. *Cry* But then again, I was relieved that at least Enrique and I were there to celebrate his birthday last February. My office had an affair, but of course much as they told me to go, I told them I will go to my Grandpa's birthday bash. The last time both of us saw him was during lunch sometime mid-February. He was still strong and joked around... *Cry*

Again, my Lolo was a very good man of God. And like what I said, he will remembered for being that person.

Anyway, while I was driving on my way to the office, I couldn't shake off the thought that this will happen to us as well. I suddenly felt depressed because I am sure I don't want to be left behind by Enrique. I think I wouldn't survive a day without him. *Sigh*. But that is something that every person must be prepared for, the time when the person you love most will come back home.

But for now, I will sorely miss my Lolo.

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14 Weeks Plus More

It's been really a while since I last blogged and quite a few things have happened already...


LOOK AT ME!

Hehehe... I'm still not used to me having this little bump. But I'm loving it!

My food intake somehow normalized, but still not up to par with my old eating habits. I had my upper braces back on, but I was able to adjust to it immediately, so my eating isn't affected.


The Sweetest Dream Will Never Do

It's been more than a week since Enrique went onboard his vessel to work, and up until now I'm still not used to him being away. I was really happy though to receive a long email from him, with a really long list of reminders. Hehehe, so very my husband.

I miss him so much, it really aches. Last night I kept on wishing that I should have held him longer than I did when we sleep, because I miss everything about him. I'm not even sure if he will be able to go home in time for my delivery, but I'm still praying really hard that his request would be granted. Any which way, I'm trying my best to prepare myself for that.

One relief though is that last February we have hired a Yaya to be with me. Sheesh, it seems though that the spirit of Enrique is with him because of her reminders and all. I think prior to him being away, he trained our yaya and fed her all his reminders. Hehehe.

Anyway, that's all for now. I'm just trying to keep things light or else I'd be depressed again, which of course is bad for our baby!

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Getting Sick at 9 Weeks

I have tried to be really careful with my health, avoiding all the don'ts and doing almost all the do's and well, trying to be the best mother in the making. But my "asthma" cycle seemed to be very arrogant, and so I had my first (this year) asthma attack last week. It was a mild one, but it led to a more serious illness... upper respiratory viral infection.

What made matters worse was that I became so upset that I was sick, and became very emotional that I cried so hard when i learned that my temperature rose to around 39C. I read somewhere that a pregnant lady should keep her temperature lower than 103F (so around 39.4C), so this made me really angry with myself. Enrique, my Mother in law, and my Mom tried to calm me down, but to no avail. I was feeling so low to the point that I told Enrique not to blame me if ever something happens to the baby. Of course, this made Enrique so upset with me.

Yet my dear husband has helped me far more than I told him. He has helped me physically and emotionally in those moments when I was in despair. He religiously prepares for my water and snacks in case I wake up at 3 am and tell him... "water"... "hungry"... He wakes me up with a smile on his face, telling me that I will get well soon. And even now that I am no longer sick, he still does everything for me. I really shudder the thought of him leaving in a week's time.

*Sigh* Can't do anything about that anymore.

But now at least I feel better. Still sleepy and MEGA-lazy, but at least ill-free (for now). No vomitting episodes, just really picky with food, and a tiny eater.

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First Glimpse

Our baby, 8 weeks old....



Changes
The early two weeks were a bit taxing as I was slowly adjusting to my pregnant body. I hardly ate, and had feelings of vomoting (but never actually vomitted). But at the middle of the 7th week, I noticed that the "morning sickness" was slowly fading, and that I was beginning to eat more than the past weeks. The doctor said that maybe I have already adapted to the changes in my body. I hope this will continue and that I will no longer suffer those dreaded morning sicknesses.

Up until now though, I easily get tired. Though in the morning i feel ok, it is towards night time that my batteries are really drained. I do hope this will improve. I just keep telling baby that we love him/her and that we can't wait to see him/her.

Ultrasound
I couldn't help but cry upon seeing the first glimpse of our baby. S/he's there! And the heart! It was beating so fast it looked so cute. Then we heard the heartbeat. Wow.

So this is what it feels like being a mother to be. I can't wait. I love our baby.

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6 Weeks!

I went to my OB last Friday, and the doc confirmed that I was six weeks pregnant! Enrique and I were very excited to hear this news. Our excitement however turned to anxiety when my doctor told me that I have a cyst in my ovary (where the egg came from) and it's a possible dermoid (which of course has to be removed). Although it was too early to do so, I had an ultrasound, and fortunately it confirmed that the cyst was physiological. Whew! Anyway, the gestation sac was visible, but the baby wasn't visible yet... too early perhaps.

It really is a blessing for us to have conceived a child considering that I had a history of having a cyst in my ovary, I have a retroverted uterus, and that sh/he is a honeymoon baby...

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On Married Life and Honeymoon Baby...

I'm too excited to make a post today... but here goes...

Married Life....
All I can say is that I'm so happy right now and our married life is fun! I couldn't ask for anything more and that I feel so blessed to have a wonderful and blessed life for both Enrique and I. It's so wonderful to wake up each morning seeing the man you love, to start the day together, to end the day together, to sleep and most especially to pray together. I hope this will remain always....

Honeymoon Baby...
Yup! I'm expecting! I tested positive today! I told Enrique the good news and he's so happy that he's now a father-to-be. I'm partly excited and partly scared, but this is a blessing for both of us.

That's all for now, but this day, aside from it marking our first month as husband and wife, is truly one of the most memorable moments of my life... our life...

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