little by little...

i gained a staggering 47 lbs during the 9 months that i was pregnant with my daughter, michelle. early in the pregnancy, i told myself i would only allow myself to gain a maximum of 35 lbs but obviously, that didn't happen. =) but now, i am proud to say that i have lost 27 lbs since giving birth and on the path to losing the 20 additional pounds that i have gained. i am confident i will lose the weight by january, thanks to the south beach diet and exercise. =)

love immeasurable

The thought of my suffering and homelessness
is bitter beyond words.
I will never forget this awful time,
as I grieve over my loss.
Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!”

The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
to those who search for him.
So it is good to wait quietly
for salvation from the Lord.
And it is good for people to submit at an early age
to the yoke of his discipline:

Let them sit alone in silence
beneath the Lord’s demands.
Let them lie face down in the dust,
for there may be hope at last.
Let them turn the other cheek to those who strike them
and accept the insults of their enemies.

For no one is abandoned
by the Lord forever.
Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion
because of the greatness of his unfailing love.
For he does not enjoy hurting people
or causing them sorrow.

Lamentations 3:19-33

tidbits...

it's been a long time since i actually wrote something in my blog. motherhood has been keeping me busy. but here's an update on what i've been up to.

michelle got her first set of shots yesterday. my baby girl was so brave, sandali lang sya umiyak after 3 needles pricked her skin. =( she's running a slight fever right now and cries more than usual because her skin is sore around the area where she was vaccinated. she's still eating fine and we're giving her baby tylenol.

paul went to his 2nd interview at cypress yesterday also. i was waiting for him for 3 hours...namuti na ung mata ko kakahintay!!! i was just listening to christian talk radio the whole time and praying to the Lord...thanking Him for all that He has given us and i apologized sincerely for not being able to spend more time in praise and prayer. we are so lucky that we have a Savior who doesn't change, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. i'm blessed to have developed this personal relationship with Him...He is truly my source of strength. to everyone out there reading my blog (to the 3 people who actually read my blog hehe), i encourage you to read the bible and get to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. better is one day with the Lord, than thousands elsewhere.

job prospects...i'm asking for prayers from my prayerful friends to pray for me and paul sa aming job prospects. the Lord said in His word that He will make us the head and not the tail...i hold Him true to His word. ngayon palang, we already thank the Lord for whatever lies in store for us in our careers. we are confident that whatever happens, it is the Lord's will for our lives.

weightloss...should we even talk about this?!?!?!? hehehe i have successfully lost 5 lbs! (booooo!) yeah super baba! but i'm working hard to lose as much as i can. i tried on my wedding gown the other night and it doesn't fit!!! i'm at least 1 dress size bigger so i have to work really hard and fit into it by second or third week of december. if not, it's either i get the gown fixed (maggie sottero style) or buy a new dress. (gastos nanaman!!!)

wedding...well, i have a florist now and i'm waiting for them to send me the quote for the wedding ceremony. i'm working on the wedding invitations and will try to get them all done by saturday to be sent out on monday. i'm looking for a hairstylist and make up artist to help me look like a blushing bride on that day. madge lejano's booked for my wedding so i can't hire her. does anyone know any magicians...i mean, beauticians that can help me look beautiful on that day? suggestions please!!!

grandma...i just received a text message from my brother that my mom's mom is in the hospital. doctor's will give an update on her health tomorrow. please help me pray for her. she's one kind of a woman, my grandmother. kakaiba!!! but we love her...without her, my wonderful mom wouldn't be here!

so far yan lang muna. i'm going to work out right now...here is what i do when i work out...i do 30-mins of pilates, 30 mins of aerobic workout, 30 minutes jogging, 20 minutes light weights, and 10 minutes abdominal work. kaya nyo yon!?!?!?! i so hate working out...really, i hate it! i don't use the word hate because it's such a strong word, but i do hate it! but i have to. really have to!

oh, to all you ladies who also want to lose weight...oprah claims her doctor has a new 'diet' that can help people lose at least 1 dress size in 10 days. watch oprah today 11/02 at 4 pm on ABC. i know i'm watching!!! =)

my sweetheart's growing so fast!!!

hindi na sya bulinggit ngayon =)

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. =)