body after baby

weight:
it has been a little over 3 weeks since i gave birth to michelle jean. i have lost 20 lbs. but have such a looooong way to go that i am beginning to resent the fact that i allowed myself to gain so much weight while i was pregnant. i didn't "let my self go" too much (i think). i still had a little bit of discipline and self-control back then (i think)...(i probably thought wrong, but too late for that now hehe)...but i guess i should have known that i gain weight just thinking about and looking at food...it sucks i gained so much weight...but still do not regret a single ounce of ice cream i ate during the last 9 months...i blame the weight gain on other food, like rice for example! =)

i probably shouldn't be working out just yet but knowing how stubborn my body fat is, if i don't start this early, i wouldn't be able to shed all of the weight by january. i have been eating waaaaaaaay less and i have been walking on the treadmill six days a week, for 1.5 miles (speed of 3 mph), plus lifting light weights and post-natal abdominal work. doctors suggest starting a weightloss program 6 weeks after having a baby, longer if you've had a c-section. i started working out about a week and half after giving birth (talk about stubborn, huh? tigas ng ulo grabe). i'm not over-exerting myself, just really determined to regain my old self and fit into my old clothes--funds now go towards michelle's needs and not a whole new wardrobe =).

my face looks skinnier...but i don't think i can say the same for the rest of my body. i step on the scale with dread each time and see very little change (like half a pound less since the last time i checked). but i look in the mirror and i do notice a difference, enough to keep me motivated but still not big enough! =) i hear some encouraging words from my husband paul and my bestfriend chel. i say some because i don't hear a lot from them (magparinig daw ba?), but maybe i don't hear a lot because they haven't seen a big enough change to comment on. oh well! chel, christel, and cham (the 3 c's, half of the six speck) are running laps at jef almost everyday...they keep me motivated as well (don't want to be left behind!!!!).

stretch marks:
i think this issue deserves a whole other blog but im too lazy to create a new one...plus the fact that this is also a 'body after baby' issue so it must be discussed in the same blog no matter how long the blog gets.

before i got pregnant, i admit to having a few stretch marks here and there. i've struggled with weight since becoming a teenager so it's just natural that i have them but they were hardly noticeable. during the last nine months, i have slathered palmer's cocoa butter all over my body in order to avoid getting any more stretch marks. from month 1 to 8, i have been successful...but then came the 9th month and (gasp!) STRETCH MARKS!! =( there's not a whole lot of them (just below the belly button...sa puson), but i haven't met a stretch mark that i liked so, MUST GET RID OF THEM!

i searched all over the internet and read a lot about retin-a being effective in making stretch marks that are less than a year old appear less visible. retin-a is available only by prescription here in the states and costs $57 for a 20 gram tube (ang mahal). buti nalang, paul's former co-worker was going here from the philippines so i asked paul to ask his other friend to get retin a for me (thanks maanne!). the price for the same 20 gram tube, P500...that's ten bucks! imagine, we sell retin a here for almost 6 times more! talk about ripping american's off!

anyway, i've been using retin a on the stretch marks and have seen a big difference. the stretch marks are less visible now. still a long way to go but the results are very encouraging! johnson and johnson (retin a's parent company) should pay me for this free advertisement hehehe. i really want to get rid of the stretch marks that i have discussed with paul about having them lasered off if the retin a doesn't work and he says i should if i want to. (need to ask his permission first since he will be paying for it hehe). hopefully, we wont have to spend $$$ for the laser.

so there it goes... my two 'body after baby' issues. hopefully, i become successful in ridding myself of both. after all, they go hand in hand... if i lose weight and get rid of the stretch marks, maybe i'll be able to confidently step into a bikini like i haven't had a baby. shaaaacks!!! AMBISYOSA!!!! =D

happy anniversary!!!

happy anniversary to me and my husband! =) today we celebrated our first year wedding anniversary by having dinner at brindisi at the belden place. it was a cool nite, perfect for sitting outdoors which we did. i've been to the belden place before...it's a small alley between kearny and montgomery street. the alley is a row of restaurants. it was a somewhat busy night for a thursday, i guess people are out to enjoy the beautiful weather san francisco's having.

but on to our dinner...

we had the cannellini bean soup and the ahi tuna for starters. the soup was creamy and the diced up cuttlefish added texture to the soup. i'm not a fan of beans but canellini beans were mild and not overpowering, very tasty. the ahi tuna was rolled into balls then deep fried and dipped in marinara sauce.

for the main course, i had the mixed seafood skewers over couscous while paul had the blackened risotto with shellfish. i like paul's dish better than mine. it was one of the best risotto's i've ever had. i told paul, 'parang babalik-balikan ko tong risotto na 'to.' hehehe

dessert was ice cream! yey!!! paul's was actually gelato and mine, i think was gelato also but sandwiched between puff pastry and covered in semisweet chocolate. *sigh* i was in ice cream/chocolate heaven.

plus!!!!!!!! to celebrate not only our anniversary, but my giving birth to michelle....i had two glasses of chardonnay! yey! hehehe i haven't had wine in 9 months and so tonight, i had some. well, more than some. =) actually, paul and i each had a glass. i finished mine before his was even half gone. (did someone say thirsty?!) and since he doesn't want to turn bright red (paul's allergic to alcohol, or just has low tolerance), i finished the rest of his chard...*sigh* i was in wine heaven. hehe and no, i'm not drunk. i know how to pace myself. the almost two glasses of wine was drank in a span of 2 hours so the effects were very minimal if none at all.

during dinner, paul and i talked about michelle and how much she has captured our hearts. we talked about wanting the best for our daughter and wondered how some parents are not able to put their children's needs on top of their priority list. we are thankful and blessed that our daughter is well loved by our family and friends.

paul and i thank the Lord for bringing us together...for giving us a beautiful daughter to complete our family. we pray that the Lord keeps us strong and continue to bind us together in His love.

2 weeks of sleepless nights

2 weeks of sleepless nights...i now have dark circles around my eyes and my eyes are bloodshot. *sigh* but when i look at mj's beautiful face, i just smile. what can a mom do, right?

life has changed a lot. no more late nights for paul and me. mj has total command of our time. but paul and i will make an exception on the thursday, our 1st wedding anniversary. =) thursday night will be about 'us'. we will go out to dinner at brindisi cucina di mare at the belden place. we haven't told my parents that they will be the designated babysitters again on thursday, hopefully ninang chel will assist. =)

love at first sight

on sept 3rd, at 10:42 am, i gave birth to my beautiful baby girl, michelle jean.

as soon as i stared into her angelic little face, i knew i was in love with her forever.

it's hard to explain what giving birth was like. it was a very physical, emotional, and spiritual moment for me. i prayed through each contraction and asked the Lord to give me the strength to go through the delivery, to be with us at that very moment. i was so blessed that i had the support of my husband paul, my parents, and my best friend, chel. it was an emotional ride for all of us and as soon as michelle was born, tears fell from our eyes. it's amazing how such a small baby can rock our world and change our lives. when she was placed on top of my chest, i could feel the warmth of her body and i am sure she could feel the warmth of my love for her as well.

mj is now 5 days old. paul and i have had 5 days of very limited sleep but immeasurable amounts of joy. as each day passes, we will try to mold mj to be the best person she can be, she, in turn, molds us to be the best parents we can be, too. mj is our legacy. the three of us pray together, that the Lord will strengthen our family and we thank the Lord for bringing the 3 of us together.

maternity leave

today was my last day at work (for the time being) and the start of my maternity leave. i am so glad i no longer have to work next week and just take it easy while i wait for the baby. my stomach has ballooned to an incredible size and i can't even believe i weigh this much!!! but i'm happy. =) paul's here, my baby is due soon and we can all spend time together as a brand new family. =)

i go back to work on december 8th. so i have a full 13 weeks to concentrate on being a mom and housewife. i've always wanted to be a housewife. that's how i've always imagined myself once i have a family. but it's different now. the ideal would still be that i stay home and take care of my family, but we want to be able to provide the best for our baby (without spoiling her!) so maybe i'll work for several more years, save up, and then decide. we would like to send her to a really good school, get the best education, save for college...give her all that we can through God's marvelous grace, ofcourse.

paul got his first 'american' guitar today. =) by 'american' i mean, his first guitar purchase here in the states. he's playing right now as i write this blog. it's really nice to hear him play again. the guitar is his first love so i know how important it is for him to have a guitar when he gets here. we didn't buy an expensive guitar (he said he'll buy an 'nice' electric guitar at some point, but not soon)...we bought a takamine acoustic guitar from the guitar center...i think we got a pretty good deal and paul's happy with how the guitar sounds. i'm happy he's happy. =) he hasn't been spending too much time playing his 'ran online' video game. hehehe i'd rather he improve on his musical talent and have mj hear him play than see him sit infront of the computer and play video games. (i'm obviously not into video games hehehe).

back to pregnancy...i am now 38 weeks pregnant. am i scared? not really. just a little worried about the pain. i just tell myself that millions of women have gone through the ordeal of child birth and have survived so i will, too. the Lord will be with me as i deliver mj within the next couple of weeks. He will be my source of strength...and also, with the love and support that i'm getting from paul, may parents and my closest friends, i shouldn't be scared. =)