The Waiting Game

Well, it's more or less two weeks before my due date. . . and as the title of this post states we're doing the waiting game. :) The past two weeks I had a deadline with Misyon which kept me occupied and therefore no time to really brood over Therese's coming. Now that that deadline is behind me, I have time on my hands to think about it.

I did share with our midwife my anxiety -- since I'm not very good when it comes to handling physical pain but she did reassure me that I need to focus on the belief that I can do this. That was reassuring. I'm praying to Mama Mary to be my guide during labor and eventual delivery. We pray for a safe delivery for Therese as well -- no complications and whatnot.

So what do I do while I play this waiting game? Well, there's still a lot of fixing up to do here at home. We've already put together a little cabinet and drawer for her which contains the clothes she would need for the first few months. The rest of the stuff that were passed on to us or given are in clear boxes and labeled accordingly. It is good indeed to have lots of relatives who are willing to pass on baby clothes and the like. It truly helps in cutting back costs. The baby shower gifts have also been a big help. We have most of what we need -- bassinet, diaper disposal can, even diapers for newborns! We've also put together the bag we will be bringing to the hospital with us.

I think Therese will make her appearance more or less on schedule. I'm due October 4. I'm praying she comes on October 3 -- which is St Therese of Lisieux's Feast Day. Keep us in your prayers. Anyway, enough meandering -- time to go and fix up stuff so that while waiting I'm still productive after all. :)

A Weekend of Surprises :)

Yup, my Saturday and Sunday was full of surprises. First was Saturday...

It started out as an ordinary lazy Saturday. We had time to sleep in and had breakfast at around 10:30 or so. We decided to do some cleaning up (swiffering -- that's when you use a swiffer in lieu of a broom and a mop since a swiffer is basically a broom and mop in one. One of the new inventions that I've discovered here in the US. Our swiffer even has a mini-vacuum built in) and putting the house in order (sort of). I'm really glad we did (although as Junby later on said, I should have been more suspicious when he became quite amendable to cleaning house) since turns out a whole battalion (or so it seemed to me at the time) was about to descend upon our humble abode. We were waiting for Kate, one of our single friends in BCBP to arrive since she had asked to have lunch with us that day. Unbeknowest to me, it was all part of an elaborate plan to surprise me with a baby shower. When I heard a knock on the door, I went to answer it, thinking I'd see Kate standing at the threshold. To my surprise, she was indeed standing there but along with a lot of other people, all of whom had food and boxes all wrapped up. They trooped into the house, laid all the food on the available surfaces and the party began!

I didn't have to prepare a thing except cook up a batch of rice since that was the one thing they all forgot to bring. I had a great time, and we had a lot of food left-over for dinner and even the rest of the week. They even had games prepared complete with prizes! Ang galing talaga! Our big thanks to Kate, Lau, Hannah, Ate Edith and the rest of the gang for all the preparations. I truly felt loved and baby Therese surely thanks you as well for all the love you've showered upon us all. Here are some pictures from that party:

A diaper cake. Yup, made of real diapers. First time I've seen one :) Thanks to Hannah, Lau and their roommate for making this. :)

My husband who is the co-conspirator for the surprise party. See how much I love him? :)

One of the many games Kate had prepared for the party. That's Ate Edith trying her best to transfer cotton balls onto another bowl blindfolded. :)
Gift opening time! Thanks to everyone for all your gifts. Therese will indeed not want for anything. :)

Ito ang mga salarin! Kain uli. Napagod sa games and gift opening. At ang dami pang food natira. From left: me, Lau, Hannah, Ate Edith and Kate (the head conspirator). Thanks to all of you :) Truly Junby and I with Therese am blessed to have you as our friends and community brothers and sisters!

Ok. I thought that was the end of it. I was wrong. Sunday was still around the corner and this time, it was Junby's family's turn -- particularly our Ninang Liklik and the head honcho for this operation is Karen, Junby's cousin on his mother's side. :) Thanks girl for the love and all the effort you put into the party! :)

I'll continue the narrative sometime tomorrow. I need to get to work na. :)

A post ... finally!

Hi folks!

I know I have been remiss in blogging the past weeks. I have several valid reasons for not doing so but the past week or so, its more or less due to my own laziness which has crept in. The first valid reason was because we lost internet connection at home and had to wait for it to be installed. Along with the internet connection, we got a landline and cable TV and that is another reason why I haven't blogged. I get sucked into the TV! That's why I've resolved not to open the TV until I'm done with specific 'to do' stuff :)

Anyway, I've finally mustered up enough energy to actually blog a little. Maybe I can get back into the groove of blogging after this :) I've finally attended a Breastfeeding class offered by our medical provider, Kaiser. It was very informative. We had baby dolls to practice the different holds there are to nurse a baby. I just hope I can actually breastfeed Therese. Junby and I are inclined to try it since breastfeeding does have a lot of advantages for both mother and child. Karen, Junby's cousin also suggested I not leave the hospital until I get the help I need in terms of getting the baby to breastfeed since its harder to get the help once we get home.

Also, Junby and I have finally had our pictorial two weeks ago. The photos were done by Ryan, Junby's cousin, who does photos for events like weddings and such. You can check out his work at his website: www.247Media.org

Here are some of my favorite shots from the pictorials. And yes, I have gained a lot but I'm looking to lose the extra pounds when I've given birth and all. :) The rest of the pictures are found here.



Well, that's all for now. Will think of other things to blog about next time. Tomorrow will be another prenatal visit and on friday an express childbirth preparation class. Express since we're doing this at a late time in my pregnancy already :) Continue to keep us in your prayers especially for a safe and normal delivery. Thanks everyone and God bless!

The 'glow' of pregnancy

The title is quite deceiving. I just wanted to have something that might place in a more favorable light, how I look now. I did promise to upload recent pictures of myself but I'm shy so I'm just sharing the pictures I gave to Junby for Father's Day. Yup, even if baby Therese (that's the name we are thinking of giving our little girl) isn't out of the womb yet, her very existence makes Junby a Father and me a mother (grabe, as in -- kinda surreal pa rin even if I get kicks now and again which somehow 'drive home' the point).

Urged by Junby's cousin, Karen, I had screwed up the courage to have a formal portrait done at Picture People. Karen had coupons allowing us to have our pictures done and you can choose one for free, out of all the shots. It was all hush-hush since we wanted to surprise Junby for Father's Day. I ended up borrowing a dress Karen had just purchased for the pictorial. The shots came out pretty decent but it took me a while to get over my shyness at having myself photographed by a complete stranger. Though he was good at making me feel at ease and Karen's presence and wisecracks kept me from feeling too self-conscious. These photos show me at five months or so. I'm now on my 28th week or starting into my 6th month so I have definitely gained weight and my tummy is now more pronounced. I have yet to schedule another appointment. Maybe this time with Junby in the picture. . . .

So for all those wondering how I look pregnant, feast your eyes on these (hehehe) . . . .





Ang galing talaga ni Lord, noh? It still blows us away that we are given the chance to create life with Him. We have helped him create a new soul that will, one day sing praises to Him who is worthy of all praise! Please contiinue to keep us in your prayers, most especially for Therese, that she might continue to grow in mind, body and spirit and be delivered safely when the time comes. Thank you! More next time. . . .

A peek into my womb :)

Hi folks! Here is the first look at our baby. . . I think Junby's penchant for anime might be find expression in our kid...what do you think? When I first saw this I was amazed. There really is a live, human being inside of me. Amazing. . . Ang galing ni Jesus!

Good Friday thoughts...

Today, the whole of Christendom celebrates Good Friday. The day that turned the world upside down, when God who became man, seemingly suffered the bitterest of defeat. I don't have much to share being quite listless the whole day. It could be because I'm still more or less experiencing fatigue brought about by my pregnancy. (I find myself getting irritated with myself for being so weak). It's quite humbling actually to realize that for all that I pride myself at being quite energetic, these past months have proven that I'm not quite as invincible as I thought myself to be.

I'm looking forward to the end of my first trimester. This week is my 12th week and most books I've been reading have said after the first trimester, things will start to look up -- lessening of fatigue, disappearance of nausea (yessss!) and being able to eat more or less normally.

I guess I'm also listless because tomorrow Junby and I are flying to Manila. He's flying back to the US on Easter Sunday and I'm seeing him off. I'm going to miss him definitely but I won't make it more difficult for him by crying and asking him not to leave me (sounds like a line from a movie... :p ). He's having a hard time as it is. Its the least I can do to put on a brave face and take things as they are. Lesson I learned from my Mama. :)

All in all though, its been a blessing that he has been able to spend so much time with me after the wedding. Also another blessing is his new work which allowed him some extra weeks here rather than go back to the US by February. So, I may be in the midst of my own little Good Friday but I can join my private sorrow with Jesus' and hope to see an Easter morning soon. :)

A quick pick-me upper

I know I haven't blogged much lately :) You could say the effects of pregnancy make blogging something that isn't top priority. Been going through the classic symptoms of the first trimester, including "morning" sickness. I placed that in quotation marks since going to the bathroom and 'worshiping the porcelain god', according to my husband, isn't limited to mornings. I won't bore you with all the details :)

Anyway, taking a break from working on our website, Misyon online, I decided to surf for some videos to brighten up my day. I found this. This is my favorite scene from the movie Raise Your Voice featuring Hillary Duff. The main character played by Hillary lost her desire to sing when her brother died in a car accident while she, the passenger, survived. The lyrics of the song help me now to remember that with everything considered, I can survive the next couple of weeks before my first trimester ends. Hehe. Enjoy!