The day after my Hootin' Baby Shower, our church also held a baby shower for us and celebrated my sister-in-law Andrea's birthday.
We weren't able to take much photos. Most of the photos were of baby Marco, hehehe.
C practicing how to hold a baby :D
Tita Alex and Marco
Marco fell asleep while Tito Roy was carrying him!
One of the games was to guess my waistline, hahaha. The new moms were spot on!
Moms and dads gave us all kinds of advice. Our pastor, before giving us advice, confessed that he also wants to have his own grandchild soon, hahaha. Being part of a small church community makes everyone closer to each other and I'm glad that we're part of one because it's much easier to raise a child if surrounded by supportive people (and I don't want to have post-partum depression!!!!).
Thank you so much tita Ina for hosting and to everyone who was there. The presence of children made the shower extra fun, hehehe. Thank you also to those who weren't able to attend but left gifts :)
Last week, my best friends Kitsie and Leslie (who were also my maids of honor) hosted my baby shower. It was their first time to host a baby shower and they did great with the decors, games, and program <3
It was owl-themed
My mother-in-law prepared most of the yummy food. Thank you Mama Luchie! Thank you also to my mom, our ninang Amar, Kitsie, and Les for contributing other food and desserts. :)
My parents and mom-in-law gave touching speeches which includes useful tips, fond (and funny) memories, and lullabies. (Photos by Chappy)
Instaxmax galore! (Will have these scanned someday, promise!)
A big thank you to those who came and for your gifts (the baby stuff ones and the wise advice for us): Papa, Mama and tito Jessie, RA2K, Avic, Mama Luchie and the Callanta siblings (and Nan, the Callanta-to-be!), ninang Amar and tito Ruben Torres, Tin and Roj, Jowill, Miks, and our fellow buntis-couple, Biya! And of course, my lovely hostesses! Gosh, I claim the pregnancy card if I forgot anyone!
Yes, E's a SHE ;p
We feel really blessed that we have very supportive family and friends that would never hesitate to help us and to give advice or just panic with us when they don't know what to do either :p I feel the love <3
The house and my brain are in mild chaos right now because we're gonna have a baby soon! One of my to-do is to move our important paper documents from a make-shift filing case made out of a carton box and recycled envelopes to a more proper container (for now).
Since I have yet to make proper labels, I just removed each envelope content into a folder and included the envelope in the folder for the meantime. I'm glad I checked each envelope carefully because I found this in one of the envelopes:
Five thousand pesos in cash. I immediately messaged C if he put it in but he doesn't remember. I can't remember anything either. We concluded the same thing: it's from God! Maybe it's His baby shower gift to us or this amount will be needed soon.
There's a reason why I found it and only He knows what it is for.
I'm two days away from my 36th week and it feels like I'm always carrying a bowling bowl on my tummy. I'm enjoying it while it lasts because almost all my mommy friends say they miss feeling pregnant so I want to make the most out of it. Feeling my baby kick my arm away from my tummy can be annoyingly cute, actually.
Being pregnant is such a joy and pleasure if you erase all the discomforts (bloating, backaches, etc.) you'll have for the next 40 weeks, especially during the third trimester. I have the following lifesavers to thank for because they have lessened my pains and aches for the past months :
Prenatal Yoga - I've been going to Yoga Manila for prenatal yoga since my second trimester and it has helped a lot not only because of the different poses and breathing methods we do but also because our teacher, Nature (she's the one in the photo above!), is very supportive and gives a lot of helpful advice.
Shea butter - My very first tub of shea butter was from Tree Hut and was given to me by mom. Since we don't know where it's available here in Manila I got the one from Vanilla & Co. instead. So far, no stretch marks for me! And I hope it will stay that way...
Karmakamet Room Perfume Spray in Siamese Lemongrass - Again, from my mom. Our room smells like a spa whenever I spray it. Sometimes I play soothing music and sit or lie down with my eyes closed after spraying this. Ta-da! Cheap spa!
Mothercare Multipurpose Pillow - It's more flexible than a regular pillow and it's portable enough for travelling. I can even sit on it or use it as a neck pillow.
Massages! - I've tried a lot of different types of wooden massagers and the one above is the winner. I use the TP massage ball for my wrists and hands because I often lose circulation in those areas. But these two are nothing compared to my husband's massaging skills <3
I hope this list helps other pregnant ladies and soon-to-be pregnant ladies. What else might help pregnant women to soothe aches and pains? I've been wanting to do acupuncture again but I haven't had the chance to lately.
Husbands, this is also a good list of things to get for your pregnant wives :)
I've thought of myself as someone who's very particular with pens. I'm not loyal to any specific brand or model but I do know how which type of pens make my handwriting look nice. Sometimes I'd prefer gel pens or fine-tipped pens or colorful pens or whatever I feel like using. I could spend 15 minutes or more choosing which pen to buy to the amusement of my friends and to my husband's annoyance. My default pens right now are the Panda Super Ballpen - has a grip, nice ink flow, and dirt cheap (only around 5 pesos) and the Pilot Hi-tecpoint V5 grip for writing on my planner.
Anyway, my calligraphy nib broke and I wanted to replace it right away while I still have both of my hands available and time to practice. While searching for sources, I stumbled upon this blog. And I think it changed my life.
Aside from making great art and calligraphy, she also collects fountain pens. She knows fountain pens well and she describes the technical specifications of each pen like she's talking about some gadget Apple just released. Come to think of it, pens are actually gadgets! And most of us can't live without it and the model we use often reflects our personalities. I found myself browsing through the blog for almost an hour and I think I won't see pens, inks, and papers the same way again.
Here's a video of her work. Amazing. I didn't know I could love Sweet Disposition even more.
The last out-of-the-country trip we had was in Singapore last March. I was already pregnant then but it was just starting to sink in. In fact, I attended a pole fitness workshop before going to the airport!
Our itinerary basically revolved around food, Universal Studios, Wicked, and the Toy Museum. See evidence below:
he loves me enough to ride the rollercoasters with me even though he hates them
AUGH
dream come true :)
toy museum
Tintin and Snowy
Yellow Submarine!
And here's a video C made of our trip. I love that he does likes doing videos because I'm really bad at documenting events. I always end up taking pictures of inanimate objects hehe.
Since Saturday I've been binging on arts and crafts activities because I needed to counter all the left-brain stuff I've been doing lately including a failed attempt at finishing a Finance course in Coursera (more on that next time).
Watercolor Crafternoon
Alessa taught us the basics of using watercolor, fed us yummy food care of Pino, and even live-streamed the first half of the ADMU-DLSU basketball game. Even though the place was packed, the vibe was laid-back and everyone was so into experimenting with their watercolor sets.
Rubbercut Printing
I went to CraftMnl in The Collective on a quiet Sunday afternoon to learn rubbercut printing from Fara Manuel. It took me quite a while to finish engraving my design but I was really happy how it turned out. I only noticed that my wrists were in pain after 2 hours! I'm planning to frame one of the prints and display it at home.
Calligraphy Date
My friend Alex graciously offered to teach me calligraphy when I told her the class I wanted to attend was already full. She even brought supplies including my own nib! Thank you again for teaching me and for the company, Alex :) I promise I'll practice regularly!
Pimping up my earphones (work in progress)
I don't like my earphones getting all tangled up in my bag so I'm always in the look out for nice cord organizers. So when I saw this on Pinterest, I had to do it. It's not yet done because I only do it while watching TV or while my husband is playing with his PS3. I think I've had that yarn for more than 5 years!
Watched a documentary about Helvetica
Most of us take typography for granted but it can influence how your work is perceived. For example, you wouldn't use Comic Sans when you are presenting in front of a roomful of bankers unless you don't want to be taken seriously. Helvetica is perhaps the most used typeface in the whole world and this documentary showed why it is such an appealing font.
Oh, and look at what my wonderful husband gave me!
I've been eyeing this for a long time and C probably sensed my desperation so one night he came home with these. <3
I think my arts and crafts week isn't done yet. My dad and I already scheduled an art supplies shopping date this weekend. He IS the artist in this family so he can help me out with picking some stuff. Yay!
