Happy birthday bro C!

It's my one and only brother's birthday today. At dahil hindi nya alam na may blog ako, pwede ko sya igisa dito bwahaha! Joke lang. Syempre ito'y isang pagbibigay pugay.

Eversince, love namin ang isa't-isa. Sarap nga sakalin ihug nyan eh. When we were kids, aso't pusa lang naman ang peg namin.

Me and C at 2 years and 5 months, respectively

But when we grew older, we began to rely on each other. We knew our similarities, differences and learned to live harmoniously. I guess when we really mature, that's when we get to appreciate what we have and realize those as blessings.

We have the same taste in music and

Anong kalokohan tong pinaggagawa namin?!

clothes...

We depend on each other. He used to be my driver, chaperone, bodyguard during my high school and college days.

Facundo, paki suot ang sapatos ko at ihatid mo nga ako sa party

I owe to his hardwork the full restoration of my first car, which made it to the 2011 Manila International Auto Show:

Sa sobrang love nya kay R, wala syang ibang ginawa kundi alaskahin at paiyakin ang one and only pamangkin nya. Gigil na gigil lang naman sya dito.

But what really touched me was when Papa got sick (his first cancer diagnosis in 2009, which is now back this 2013). He showed just how much he cares. He brings Papa to his check-ups. Nagbabantay sya lagi sa hospital pagna-confine si Papa. Siya rin ang nagpapakain dito (lately he's the only one who can convince my dad to eat). Thanks bro for the times I couldn't be there. Thanks for taking care of Mama and Papa.

My wish for him someday is that he finds the love of his life (someone who truly deserves him at hindi sya sasaktan) and have a family of his own like mine. And sana talaga Papa gets to witness that too (I believe he will, prayers lang).

I love you bro! Kaya natin 'to!

Facetime

Thank You God for bringing my hubby safe to the land of Gangnam, thanks for technology, and thanks for Facetime!

Yes nakarating naman po si Daddy A ng maluwalhati sa Seoul. The hype here is not much evident pala there. Sabi nung mga taga dun, ganun daw talaga lagi ang NoKor, puro laway lang. Well I still hope and pray hindi sila seryoso this time.

Anyway, at least we were able to have family time, through Facetime:

Enjoy si R. Puro siya "Daddy, daddy! Si Pororo, bili Pororo".
Me: Tama na yan anak, di tuloy kami makapagchikahan ni Daddy. Uhm Daddy A ung sakin ung mga nude na lipstick lang or eyebrow pencil/eyeliner ha.

Anyway, I'm really happy to know they're safe. At least panatag na ko ng slight. Please continue to pray too for their safety ha. Sana talaga wag topakin ang NoKor.

Pwede na ba pamalit ang mga to sa mga K-Pop heartthrobs?

I'm in my third trimester already!

How time really flies, it seems just like October last year, when we came back from our Hong Kong trip and realized I was a few days late. I said, "nah, must be stress again", besides I didn't want to be disappointed with another negative test (we've been trying for another baby for a couple of months already).

After another week I finally gave in and tried a home pregnancy test kit :)

I thought the second line was kind of faint, so I waited a few more days and took another :) :)

Then came the first check-up at 6 weeks, plus the regular blood tests, orange glucose test and TVS at 7 weeks:

I was so thrilled to see my baby's heart flickering. Then on my next check-up, I heard it beating fast (like galloping horses) through the doppler. I felt my own heart leap for joy.

Aside from the morning whole day sickness, here's what I went through in the first trimester:

1. I had elevated blood pressure and very high blood sugar levels. I was put on a strict diet (low sugar, low sodium, low fat - in short walang lasa).
2. I also had subchrionic bleeding (but it was less than what I had with R). My OB prescribed Progesterone and not to tire myself. Despite not tiring myself I just felt sooo sleepy and fatigue throughout the first trimester.
3. I had really bad heartburn (with R I only had this when I ate spicy foods)
4. Food cravings: strawberries, Indian mangoes w/ bagoong alamang, balut, and more into meats (steaks, burgers) 
5. Food aversions: I couldn’t take the scent of pizza (Pizza Hut, Shakey’s, Greenwich) but the cheapipay pizzas I could take in. Also I didn't like fruit shakes and milk.

Then came the golden months of the second trimester wherein everything just lightened up. My appetite increased, I regained my strength and loved going out again. But what I really looked forward to in the second trimester were these:

1. Feeling baby's first movements. I felt some thumping (probably hiccups) around 16 weeks, which according to my OB was just right for the second pregnancy (our tummy ligaments are already loose and stretched).
2. Knowing the baby's gender. More about that in this post. 

And now I enter the third trimester, just a couple of months from my due date. I'm feeling quite slow and lethargic nowadays, maybe because I'm getting quite heavy. Basically, I'm like this:

Image from the web

Just a few more check ups and a few more pounds to gain. But most important of all, I'm so excited to experience a wonderful miracle all over again:

R is featured in Mommy Fleur's blog!

Guess who's been featured in Mommy Fleur's This Kid is It today?

She sure can strut her stuff right? Manang-mana sa nanay =)

Thanks Mommy Fleur!

Land of Gangnam style, Jang Geum, Geum Jan Di, and Jun Pyo

In two days my dear hubby, Daddy A, will be flying to the beautiful land of South Korea for a 5-day faculty development and educational trip. Yep, I know what all of you are thinking:

I tried to convince him in so many ways:

Me: Wag ka na tumuloy please! Tandaan mo may asawa ka na buntis at may anak ka pang maliit. Wala bang travel advisory or ban?! I don't care kahit kaltasan ka sa sweldo para sa ticket na bayad na, wag ka lang umalis pleeease....

Daddy A: Wala namang travel ban Mahal. Na-brief na rin kami ng travel agency kahapon about safety and to dos there. Sila daw bahala magrepatriate samin kung sakaling magka-tension. Tsaka sinabi nila samin maganda daw dun at safe. Mura daw ang mga stuffed toys dun. Diba paborito ni R si Pororo? Bilhan ko sya dun. Tapos ung Face Shop daw laging sale dun. Ano bang gusto mo bilhin ko sayo?

Me: Ah ok. Safe naman pala. Lista ko mga pabili ko ha. Ayus!

Honestly bukod sa hindi naman siguro i-risk ng University ung safety nila dun, it's my hubby's first time there. I wouldn't want to deprive him of seeing another beautiful country. Kung may sponsored trip din ung firm namin sa ganung place, gorabelles lang din ako for sure.

Although I'm such a praning person, I want my loved ones to experience beautiful places, capture sights and wonders cause that's the way to truly appreciate and live life to the fullest. I know someday R would go on fieldtrips, camping etc. I hope I would have enough courage to allow her to go through all of those despite negative news we've been hearing left and right. Because I myself was allowed by my parents to experience those and they are now stored in my memory bank.

So to dear hubby, magdadasal nalang ako ng taimtim for world peace, pababaunan kita ng madaming call cards, ung laptop for Skype, contact ng Philippine Embassy dun and of course our camera. Please capture the beautiful sights there and create lots of memories. I-post ko yan dito sa blog ko =) Sana nga makita mo lahat sila:

Image from the web

Image from the web

Image from the web