memorial day weekend

it was a relatively active memorial day weekend for me. we saw x-men on friday...my favorite of all the recent superhero movies. i prefer the first two movies over this last one but it was still a very enjoyable movie. beats the da vinci code which im glad to have seen without spending any money (thanks t!). after the movie, went to my favorite thai restaurant 'siam' at the parc 55 hotel. i was able to resist the dinner, but how can i say no to fried banana with ice cream?! i had a little bit of dessert and quite proud of myself that i didn't over-indulge hehe.

saturday was my lazy day. i had a few errands done...went to the market to buy veggies for monday's bbq and helped my parents set up the entertainment system to make the new tv fit. i admire my dad for his handy work. i thought that the old entertainment system wouldn't work for the new tv but he found a way to make it work without making it look like we were trying to save money hehe. the new tv looks great. we got hdtv yesterday too so we get several channels in high definition. amazing picture quality, but i wish we had more channels to choose from.

sunday was church of course and in the evening, gracious and t came over. gracious and i watched tristan and isolde on dvd. it was ok. james franco's really handsome. =) some of the scenes were a little too bloody for me.

monday, we went to roseville to ate tess' house. beautiful home, i must say! nice pool, basketball court....the kitchen is to die for! i told paul that's the kind of kitchen i want. hehehe they have a big, spacious indoor kitchen. and an outdoor kitchen with two huge bbq grills, 2 small refrigerators outside. it was great. i had fun. i was thinking of going swimming but became too lazy after eating all the food the we had. there was chicken, fish, pork, steak, corn, veggies, pancit, ice cream, etc. etc. yummy food.

mj's been kicking really strong lately. earlier today, when she was kicking, it was almost as if i could hear a thud when she kicked. i have another prenatal appointment tomorrow. i think they will check me for gestational diabetes-standard test for pregnant women. i don't know if i'll have another ultra sound. i'll get the 3D ultrasound for mj during my 7th or 8th month. the technology's out there, so might as well use it right? =) it's not too expensive, too. i'll have the husband pay for it. =)

running into glitches for the january church wedding in manila. chel might not be able to go. =( her brother's getting married early in january, too, and of course, family has to come first. oh well! i just hope the schedule works out for everyone. i don't want to look for someone to replace her in case she can't attend the wedding. the wedding's stressful enough as it is, i don't want to add any more worries. it wont be the same without her there because she's been to every big event in my life since we met and became friends and of course, i want my best friend there...but i can't make any demands. i shouldn't even be upset. i'm just really sad she wont be there. still hoping...still praying all will work out. =)

father's day is around the corner. what should i get my husband (nothing? hehe jk)? my dad's not into gifts so maybe i'll just take my parents to dinner or something.

still waiting for paul's papers. time's a tickin'!

happy 26th birthday to me!

yesterday, i celebrated my 26th birthday. i didn't really have any big celebration planned. im not big on birthdays so it wasn't too big of a deal for me. i just brought my mom's famous pancit palabok to church where tita irma and i were to celebrate a little bit with our church family. im really glad my parents attended and i pray that the good Lord has touched their hearts as they listened to pastor andy's message.

after church, i just went home and rested a little bit. my parents had insisted on having dinner with our relatives so i invited my aunt and my uncle and their respective families and a few of my friends and we had dinner at hon lin. i have so many friends and family who celebrate birthdays within 3 weeks of each other so it was 3 weeks of too much food! hehe i think im the last one to celebrate so that puts a temporary end to the celebration.

i would like to thank the Lord for adding another year to my life, and this time, His gift came in advance. =) i pray that He continues to bless me and my family that we may be a blessing to others. i pray for the Lord to bless my baby that she may remain strong and healthy.

i thank all my friends and family for the greetings and gifts. =) i may not have had a big big party to celebrate my birthday but i'm glad many people remembered me on my birthday. i kinda feel bad too because i am notorious for forgetting people's birthdays! so many people remembered mine so i guess i should learn my lesson and really make it a point i greet them on their birthdays. =)

thanks to my bebe, too, for his gift. since it's too expensive for me to enjoy regular spa services here in the states, he brought the spa to me. hehe (thanks beb!) thanks chel too for your gift =) im wearing it and will wear it most of the time. =) thanks to all my other friends who gave gifts, cards, notes, etc. there's too many of you to mention. luv u all! =)

i took the day off today. i still didn't get enough sleep. i fell asleep at 1 am last nite and woke up at 8 am (only 7 hours of sleep). i took chel's advice and used the earplugs so i don't wake up so easily but the earplugs fall off my ears so i don't know if it really helps.

i faxed the early appointment request for paul's visa to the u.s. embassy in manila. we pray that our request may be granted. i really need my husband by my side. it's hard not having him here to take care of me while im pregnant.

so now, what's left for me to do is lie down. i cleaned my room earlier, worked out, ran a few errands...and now, i just have to sit back and relax. i might take 3 days off around mid june. it feels good to not go to work on a monday. =)

me?? a blog addict?

or maybe im just really bored. anyway...

i want to read a new book but have no idea what to read. i should get MJ her first bible...i plan to read it to her while im still pregnant with her. i was reading the bible to her yesterday actually and she could hear my voice and she kept stirring inside. she's moving right now as i write. i noticed she moves more at night now. she used to be really active in the morning. but the last few days, she kicks a lot around 10 pm. with the entire pregnancy, it is when i feel her move and kick that i am happiest. as much as i hate the other things that go along with being pregnant, knowing and feeling MJ getting stronger everyday makes me smile. God is indeed good. =)

back to books...im curious to know what happened to that girl from harvard who got caught plagiarizing someone elses work in her novel. so young and ambitious...i hope she learned her lesson. it's sad but if she really did plagiarize (which i think she did), she shouldn't be given credit for her work and pay the price.

my co-workers bought me cake today for my bday (sunday, may 21).i was eating lunch (lumpiang sariwa) when out of nowhere i heared people singing the birthday song...i was surprised! =) it was good cake...chocolate, a little bittersweet. yum-oh!

escort si paul sa santacruzan today. hehe i wish i could be there to watch, but then again if i was there, he probably wont be part of the santacruzan hehe. when he told me he was being asked, i gave him the go signal (supportive wife?! hehe). i don't want him to miss out on things. we're so far from each other that if i keep him from having new experiences, he'd be miserable. if he's miserable, im miserable. what's important is that we trust each other and will not do anything to jeopardize our marriage.

23 weeks 05/19/06

i am 23 weeks pregnant today. a better day than yesterday.

yesterday i felt so heavy, and tired. i am having one of those infamous pregnancy mood swings also and was in no mood to talk to anyone. *sigh* the ups and downs of pregnancy. i was so upset last nite that i told paul i don't want to go through this feeling again, and he said he was fine with it (i wonder if he meant what he said). i wont know for sure until after i give birth if this is it for me. i know it will all be worth it in the end.

i weighed myself this morning and gasped at what i saw! (no, i wont mention how much i weigh). crazy crazy crazy. paul says i shouldn't worry that im gaining a lot of weight. he said, (and these were his very words)...."there will be at least one person who still thinks you're sexy no matter how big you get. that would be me!" i laughed...i hope he's serious! haha. i think he's trying to be "the supportive husband of a pregnant woman". whether he's being honest or not, it made me feel better. (thanks bebe!) with paul being so far away, it's hard for both of us to really understand and express how we both feel during the pregnancy.

the doctor gave me the letter to send to the embassy in manila to hopefully speed up the process so paul can move here asap. i am blessed to have my friends and my parents and family who have been supportive throughout my pregnancy.

chel sent me this article she read about dealing with pregnant women and she asked me if there are things that annoy me when people say something about my pregnancy or their own pregnancy stories. one of the things i don't like is when they TELL ME how long i should breastfeed my child. "breastmilk is best for baby!" they always say. my mom breastfed me for a week and i don't think i turned out too bad. i will breastfeed mj definitely, how long, that's for me to decide. i don't like to hear, "you should breastfeed for as long as you can, blah blah blah blah blah" it's my baby, my breast! (i know i sound mean!) but people! lay off on the advice unless specifically asked. every pregnancy is different, every mother is different. if i breastfeed my baby any less than they did, that doesn't mean they love their babies more than i love mine.

it annoyed me for a while, that everyone was trying to guess the sex of the baby by the shape of my belly and the way i looked. it was funny at first, but then when you see these people every week, and they tell you what they think each time they see you, it starts to get old. though i had a feeling they were right, i was hoping we'd all be wrong just so they wont do the same thing to the next pregnant woman they meet or see. but it turned out they were right and you can just tell by the smug look on their faces that they were proud of themselves. hahaha...i sound so mean, im sorry!

enough ranting...im sure there will be more to come in the next several weeks =)

i'm taking monday off again to just sleep in and rest. i still have so much vacation time that i need to use before i have the baby. i don't know where to go to take a vacation, no budget for a long vacation, and no one to go with. paul and i were hoping we will have the chance to go somewhere before the baby's born but i'll be too big to travel by the time he gets here. so all the big plans have to be postponed yet again.

baby journal entry 3 - solvang, mother's day, etc...

i get off work early today to pick up my aunt. she will be staying at the marriott so i have to check her in. then, i go to the airport to pick up the rental car (minivan) to use for our short (but sweet) roadtrip to solvang, california. it's about a 5 hour drive from san francisco so it should be too hard on me. already told them that we would need to make frequent stops so i can stretch my legs and use the bathroom.


i went to motherhood yesterday and bought a maternity belt. as soon as i put it on, i felt relief! it supports the muscles under the belly so i don't strain my back so much while im carrying all the extra weight. (no that is not me wearing the belt!)







i received my first mother's day flowers from my husband yesterday. (thanks beb!) pretty red roses...18 of them. he knows how much i love roses and i fell asleep last nite to the scent of roses filling up my room. =)

got an email from my doctor last nite regarding the letter i was requesting from her. she said she'd be more than happy to write the letter. it is for paul's visa interview in manila. he is scheduled to be interviewed on july 26...more than 2 months from now! so we're going to request for an earlier appointment for him. one way to do that is i get a note from the doctor about my medical condition (pregnancy). it might not be a medical emergency, but since this is my first pregnancy, i want my husband to be here as soon as possible. it's hard not having him here with me. i pray our request gets granted. =)

baby journal entry 2 - aching back 05/11/06

my back is hurting like crazy! on tuesday was my friend charmagne's bday and she had a bbq at home. while i told myself early that day that i wasn't going to help with the bbq, that didn't happen. i love to cook and when i see someone cooking, i love to jump in and join. well, bad idea! i guess i didn't realize how much my body has changed and that i could no longer do the same things i used to do before getting pregnant. i can no longer stand on my feet for extended periods of time...i get tired more easily now,too... things like that. i've learned my lesson. i can hardly move. when i'm up and walking, i'm ok. but i can't turn from the waist up. if i sit down, i have to slowly get up. if i'm lying down, i have to stay in one position, otherwise, i scream or wince in pain. =( got a good doze of scolding from my husband and my parents, so i have to really behave from now on. =)

first baby journal entry 05/09/06

this is my first baby-journal entry. i am not feeling too good today. The baby feels heavy, like she's pulling my belly towards the ground. It's a struggle to keep a straight posture and not give in to the weight.

MJ at 18 weeks

i haven't felt the baby move as much as she did last week. i talk to her more now. i noticed she's responding to external stimuli like loud sounds. we saw mission impossible 3 over the weekend and she was moving around a lot through out the movie. i plan on reading to her soon, too. i need to buy books to read to her though. i was at costco on saturday and was thinking of buying the chronicles of narnia...but then i thought it was more for me than for her so i didn't buy it. =)

I exercise more regularly now. 30 mins of walking to get my heart rate up a little and a little bit of weights...yes, i do still lift weights...light ones (doctor approved) and mostly when i'm sitting down so i don't strain my mid-section. i try to exercise 4 to 5 times a week. i need to do something to burn the calories (waaaaay too many calories) that i consume everyday. the doctor said it will help me through delivery as well.

today is also charmagne's birthday. (happy birthday champoo!!!) there will be a small party at home this afternoon. i think cham and her friends are going to start a bbq.

i want to lie down and rest. my back is hurting from the weight.