I'm a Mommy

It's official. I am now a mommy. I am someone's mother. Wow, it all sounds so surreal to me. Nine months went by just like that, and here we are. I will write about my birth story when we have settled nicely. In the meantime, here are some photos of our daughter (seriously surreal!) :)

Pouting already at 2 days old, hahaha!

Isn't she lovely?

Yummy and pretty Estrel's cake from Ninang Kat and Ninong Christian :)

Aaaaaahhhhh my heart!!!!! So much love!

My husband and I with our little miracle ♥︎

I also want to take this opportunity to honor my husband for the amazing love and support he has showered me with from the day we found out about my pregnancy until the day I gave birth. I really could not have done this without him. 

Thank You Lord for the gift of our daughter Emilia. We are now a family of three :) Praise God!

31 weeks

...and looking like I just swallowed a whole watermelon, hahaha! I've been waddling like a penguin, but the truth is, this is the sexiest and most beautiful I've ever felt (my husband telling me EVERYDAY that pregnancy makes me look glowing accounts for a lot of it, haha). The way this pregnancy is going is too good to be true. Everyday I thank God for this journey that I am loving every single second of.

We went for a 4D scan last week and we're thrilled to see our baby in a more detailed image! 

The sonographer said she could have captured better stills if Emilia wasn't positioned so cozily in my uterine wall. But I'm pretty pleased with what we got - and judging from these images, our little girl looks a lot like her Daddy :) 

So thankful to have scored cheap Singapore Airlines tickets. 17 more days until E and I fly back home! It feels so surreal having to prepare to GIVE BIRTH. I cannot believe that I am THISCLOSE to living my greatest dream - to be a mother. I cannot say this enough: THANK YOU LORD! 

Final Stretch

Let me start this post by announcing that we are having a baby GIRL! We found out on Week 20 during the Fetal Anomaly scan. When the ultrasound lady said "It's a girl", my heart did flips, and I was speechless. E and I grinned at each other and it just felt...right.

We are absolutely thrilled and blessed and so, so thankful! Not just that we get to have a daughter, but that she is healthy, growing, and kicking away at my bladder all the livelong day. As you may have probably guessed, I have started daydreaming about cute little shoes and picturing my husband having tea parties with stuffed animals. Aaaaaahhhh, my heart :)

It has been over 3 months since my last post, and now I am entering the 3rd trimester of my pregnancy. I often ask myself HOW DID THIS HAPPEN SO FAST?! I cannot wait to meet my baby, but at the same time, I do not want this pregnancy to end because I've been at the receiving end of so much love and kindness from people around me (friends and strangers alike) since I got pregnant. (Also, admittedly, I am worried about how I'd handle labor pains considering that I have very low pain threshold - but that's another story)

Me and my 6 and a half months baby bump :) Pic taken on Valentine's Day at Haji Lane

I am so thankful that I am having a fairly smooth pregnancy so far. A lot of people can't believe that I did not have any morning sickness at all. From the start of my pregnancy until now, I am happy to report that I am able to do things and move around as per normal. Well, probably just a little slower in walking now, because my baby is getting heavier by the day. Everything's right on track so far, I do not need to take any special medication, and I'm gaining a healthy amount of weight (actually much lesser than expected - which is a surprise to me because I am not cutting down on my food intake). I have not encountered any kind of intolerable pain, just leg cramps in the middle of the night when I was on Week 22 -- which was easily dissipated by my husband's massages and by doing ankle stretches throughout the day.

I am so thankful for being able to experience the kind of pregnancy that I actually ENJOY. Like what I told my husband, I do adore every minute of being pregnant. One time when I was about to fall asleep on my desk at work, my baby kicked me and jolted me awake. This baby has impeccable timing, and she's not yet even born! Haha. I love not ever having to feel alone because this ninja baby has her way of reminding me that she's here inside my tummy. I love how during story time, she'll kick upon hearing her Dad's voice. She's going to be such a Daddy's girl, I'm sure of it :)

I am so thankful that I have lots of mommy friends who are very generous in giving not only advices, but also unused/pre-loved baby stuff. My sister who just gave birth last December promised to share with me everything she knows about how to care for a newborn baby. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and I am glad I have the best tribe I could ever ask for.

I am so thankful that my husband purposely immersed himself in this pregnancy. He prepares healthy meals for me, massages my feet and back, carries things for me, and has really extended his patience with me (hello, wild mood swings!). Basically, he makes everything easier and more convenient for me as much as possible. He says it's the least he can do since it's HIS child I am carrying after all ;-)

I couldn't be more amazed and in awe of how blessed this pregnancy has been! Whenever I start to panic or stress over how unprepared and inadequate I feel I am, I will keep in mind that God has been preparing me for this even before the slightest hint of having a baby crossed my mind. My baby and I are blessed beyond words, and for that, I am very, VERY thankful.

Why Daddy Will Be Your Favorite

As difficult as it is for me to concede defeat in anything (of which my husband has become painfully aware over the years, haha), I reluctantly admitted today that our future child is going to like his/her Daddy more than me. Happy Birthday to my amazing husband.

Why Daddy will be your favorite:

1. He gets giddy whenever we talk about you in a way I’ve never seen him get giddy about anything before. He already talks about the things he want to teach you, places he want to bring you to, games he want to play with you — and you aren’t even here yet!

2. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him. Stress doesn’t phase him. He doesn’t yell. He never lets negative emotions or insecurities get the best of him. His priorities are 100% sorted out, and you’re at the top of the list.

3. He is just plain fun. He’s just plain funny. He’s going to have you laughing even when you think you should be embarrassed by him. He’s going to make you laugh whether you want to or not. I have lots of personal experience with this one.

4. He provides for us. He works hard, he’s good at what he does, and he’s generous with his money. He’ll buy you that extra scoop of ice cream whenever you want it, and will most likely start saving up for your college education even before you learn how to talk. I feel so confident that you will not be deprived of anything due to lack of finances, and someday when you’re old enough, you’ll appreciate this just as much as I do.

5. He won’t hold his breath at any chance of you hurting yourself. He’ll let you do crazy things that I would probably never let you do, and he won’t flap his hands screeching, “be careful be careful be careful!!!” like I probably will. But I will dress you better, keep in mind!

6. He’s a man of God who is wholeheartedly after what God is after. He prays for you everyday already and absolutely cannot wait to teach you the reason why we pray someday.

7. He will happily buy you the toys that you want, being a toy lover himself. This will probably be an issue someday, because I’m a books-over-toys kind of mom. I’m sure this will be reason enough for you to think that your Dad is the coolest guy on earth. And honestly, I wouldn’t disagree with you.

8. He has a wide collection of Walt Disney movies and is already excited to watch them with you. He’s also already very excited to read stories to you while doing all the voices and actions. He’s a very animated storyteller, which makes him an awesome one. Secretly, this kind of stuff is the reason why he’s MY favorite too.

Why you’ll still love Mommy a lot:

1. I picked him for us :)

To our little darling

Dear Baby,

Once you've arrived and life becomes busier than ever, I promise to remember these moments.

When I first found out about you. Seeing you for the first time, even though you were only the size of a peanut. The first time I felt you flutter. All the times you've kept me company during a long day at work, each morning in bed before the alarm rings, or whenever I'm feeling just a little bit lonely. The way you've planted yourself into every minute of my day, reminding me that you're there. The peace you've brought to my crazy mind. The way you've already filled me with so much more love than I ever imagined possible.

I promise to be thankful for you every day. To always count my blessings. To learn each and every little thing about you. To cherish each of those first days, weeks, months. To take each moment as it comes and strive for joy, not perfection.

I promise to remember that story-time can sometimes be the best part of the day, that imagination is sometimes a little more important than real life. I promise to teach you to read, to sing, to color inside (and sometimes outside) the lines. I promise to be there for each new moment in your new life. I promise you will always feel safe, loved, and needed.

When you arrive, my life will be forever changed. I wonder what the rest of the journey to your birth will be like. I wonder what sort of toes you'll have, what your cry will sound like, what it will feel like to kiss your forehead, whether you will have your Daddy's eyes or mine.

And I absolutely, completely and entirely can't wait to meet you.

Love,
Mommy

New Rules

Since the day we found out that I'm pregnant, my husband has been super protective of me, to the point of being OA (Hahaha! Peace, my love!!!) -- but adorably so! I totally understand where he's coming from. We have prayed for this baby for a long time, and of course, my husband wants to make sure that we are both doing everything that we can to have a happy, safe, and healthy pregnancy.

Last month, just a week after we found out about my pregnancy, we had a problem with our kitchen drainage which caused leakage on our kitchen floor. I found this note in the middle of the night when I got up to pee. My sweet husband just had to remind me to be cautious in walking to the bathroom. On a separate note, I was delighted to see his cursive handwriting for the first time. Hehehehe :)

And so, here are the new rules imposed by my husband, the soon-to-be strict Dad :)

1. When going to the bathroom, always bring my phone with me. (Because, you know, just in case I slip or see a cockroach, I can call him for help. No need to scream for the whole neighborhood to hear.)
2. When using the stairs, always hold on to the hand rail -- even if it's probably full of germs and bacteria. Which brings me to the next point...
3. Spray isopropyl alcohol all over my hands after holding on to hand rails.
4. Use a mask in crowded places so I won't catch any kind of virus. 
5. When alighting from the MRT, don't join the crowd in rushing into the escalator. Wait until the crowd subsides. 

I think my husband is so cute for being so strict like this. When he knows I'm on my way home, he'd ask for a selfie just to make sure that I have my mask on while on the bus or train. The past couple of months made me appreciate my husband even more. I feel so blessed and thankful for having such a loving, caring, and protective partner in life. If his actions now are any indication of the kind of father he will become, then I can confidently say that our kids are very lucky. THANK YOU LORD!

SG50

My second home, Singapore, is celebrating its 50th year of independence today. I had to strike off the word 'second' in the first sentence as Singapore has become more than just a 'second' home to me -- it is my home -- for now, at least. Don't get me wrong, I am not abandoning my beloved home country. The Philippines is still and will always home to me as well. I guess I am fortunate enough to have two wonderful places that I can call 'home'.

To Singapore, the place I consider God's 'Promised Land' to me -- I have so many things to thank you for. I came here for better career opportunities, but you gave me much, much more than that. In this place I found my lifelong friends, the love of my life, and... myself. More importantly, it is in this beautiful place where I really found God and built a relationship with Him. This is where I took my faith to the next level.

Thank you, Singapore. Only God knows how many more years will I spend living here. I will always, ALWAYS be thankful. Oh Singapore, you will definitely be in my heart for as long as I live.