Church Baby Shower!

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 :)

Hootin' Baby Shower!

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

My pregnancy lifesavers

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 :

source

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 :)

On Pregnancy and Beauty

I admit I'm not the best person to give beauty advice to anyone. My skin is an icky combination of oily, dry, sensitive, and acne-prone. Some products work one moment and make me breakout the next. It got worse when I got pregnant, I had rashes on my tummy and on my neck. The rashes on my tummy already disappeared but the one on my neck is still there. My OB and everyone assured me it's normal but it's still annoying.

To lessen my annoyance, I decided to simplify my toiletries and only wear make-up on special occasions (which I don't wear all the time anyway). I stopped using anti-acne treatments except for tea tree oil. I gave away my hair removal cream and decided to stick to shaving for the meantime.

When shopping for beauty products, I took note of these guidelines:

1. Products should preferably have only 10 ingredients or less
2. Avoid scary sounding ingredients (phthalates, parabens, formaldehyde, sulfates etc.)
3. Buy organic and local as much as possible

EchoStore and Sesou Nature Source are very good places to start. They often have everything you need. You can also find organic local brands in any supermarket (like the good ol' gugo shampoo) but you have to be extra vigilant.

I'd like to share what I currently use (and so far all of them works well for me) in case you get overwhelmed while shopping ;)

Hair

Finesse Clean + Simple Hypoallergenic Shampoo and Conditioner - found these in PCX Rockwell. Reasonably-priced and doesn't give me dandruff (super plus points!)

Lauat Herbal Treatment Shampoo and Leave-on Conditioner - anti-hair fall treatment. Available in any leading supermarket.

Face

Ilog Maria Glycerin Face Soap - I love how clean and refreshed I feel after using this. I love their Spearmint and Oatmeal soap as well but it's always sold out :( 

Human Nature Balancing Toner - good for oily skin

Leyende Face Canvas Moisturizer - I use this sparingly since I got pregnant. The mango-cocoa scent I once loved is too strong for me now.

VMV Armada Face Cover SPF 45 - and I quote Baz Luhrmann, "Always wear sunscreen"

Body 

Cyleina Black Pearl Supreme - one of our high school batchmates owns the company and her soaps were giveaways during our reunion. Its scent reminds me of Lush's Honey I Washed the Kids for some reason. 

All Organics Feminine Wash - for "down there" ;p

Human Nature All-Natural Deodorant - for indoor days

Dove Go Fresh Grapefruit and Lemongrass - for yoga and outdoor days 

Vanilla & Co. Pure Shea and Cocoa Whipped Buttercream in Sweet Pea - smells heavenly! I slather on a lot on my tummy and hip area to prevent stretch marks

I hope I didn't miss anything! What's your preggy beauty routine? :) 

Blood Cord Banking

screenshot a few days ago

Less than a hundred days to go until I give birth and we're slowly preparing for the arrival of our Baby Bunny (yup, that's our baby's pet name :p).

Source

One of the major decisions we have to make is to whether to collect our baby's cord blood or not. The cord blood is the blood left in the placenta and umbilical cord. It contains stem cells than can turn into different cells and could help treat cerebral palsy, sickle cell anemia, and other immune-related diseases. There is also a possibility that it can cure diabetes and other types of cancer in the future. Those who are genetic matches with our baby can also benefit from the cord blood.

So why the hesitation? First of all, it costs A LOT and it is an investment. I think the initial payment will cost around 50,000 pesos (around a thousand dollars) and 8,000 pesos for the annual storage fee every year. The stem cells from the cord blood can only be used for one treatment but will the investment be worth it? 

I'm back!

It's been more than 3 months since I last posted anything! A lot has happened even if I was just at home most of the time trying not to overheat. If I was talking to a friend I haven't chatted with for three months asked me what's new, here are the two things I'd tell him/her (without boring my friend with details):

First, we got a dog!

Her name's Arya, named after Arya Stark of Winterfell :) She's turning one this Sunday (we got her when she was 10 months old), very playful, likes tummy scratches and cuddles. She can also be very feisty, chasing dogs twice her size! I love her! 

Second, we're going to have a (human) baby!

It looks like I just ate a lot for dinner here but I'm 5 1/2 months pregnant! It took us some time to share it to others because we announced before that I was pregnant but I had a miscarriage then. I found out I had antiphospholipid syndrome or APAS which caused the miscarriage. Now, I have to take aspirin and a shot (with a needle and all) of heparin, which is a type of blood thinner every single day to make sure my immune system won't attack the baby. The first trimester was kind of difficult and I was spotting every week but now I'm kind of enjoying every moment of it :) 

Chappy has even started talking to my tummy and sometimes I get confused if he's saying I love you to me or to our baby, haha.

We still don't know whether the baby is a boy or a girl but we love our baby bunny just the same!

So there's my quick update :) What's up with you?