more readings for Baby D

finally, these bestsellers are here!

a million thanks to my SIL, Karen who bought the books from Fully Booked & Powerbooks, and my cousin, Sarj, who carried them all the way from Manila to Dubai, these children’s classic books have finally made their way to our little boy’s cupboard. after careful thought and consultation from highschool friend and now a pediatrician, Krista, we’ve picked this first batch of titles for our little rascal:

- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- Little Cloud by Eric Carle
- Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney & Anita Jeram
- The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.

there are still a few books in our list which we’ll buy them the next coming months. for now, we will read these to our little kiddo so he can easily identify Mommy and Daddy’s voices when he comes out.

we’re now 25 weeks and getting more and more excited by the day!

the spell

if there’s a spell any pregnant woman would fear happening to her, i guess that’s the dizzy spell – especially when she’s alone!

last Friday, i had my dose of dizziness while we were out doing our favorite errand – grocery shopping. i am so thankful i was with the husband when it happened. it was morning, around 11:00 am, and we were already at the cashier when i suddenly felt weird. the room suddenly looked dark, and when i blinked, it went back to normal only to get dark again after 2 seconds. my initial reaction was “oh no!”, and tried to hold on to the counter. Ryan was busy putting the items to the conveyor belt and didn’t hear me speak, until i finally said in a weak voice, “nahihilo ako!” i dunno what went over my head because instead of holding on to Ryan, my instinct told me to go for the corner glass windows and lean towards them for support until i slowly slid down. Ryan was quick to catch me, asking me repeatedly if i was ok (obviously i wasn’t, but maybe he just didn’t know what to say because he was stunned, too). he said that the moment he saw me, i looked white as a ghost. my lips were so pale na parang uminom ng suka.

the Indian cashier was very kind and gave his seat for me, while another Indian helper in the store got me a bottle of water (a 1.5 liter at that!). i caused a quite a stir, and i am just so thankful there were kind souls that morning who helped me & Ryan.

good thing i didn’t pass out completely ‘cos i could’ve hurt the baby. just the thought of it got me pretty scared. Ryan told me that it’s his ultimate fear, too - that something like that would happen to me while he’s away or not physically with me. he told me that his Mama experienced that in the past, but his Papa wasn’t around. he remembers that story very well that’s why as much as possible, he never leaves me alone.

according to the book, “What To Expect…”, this is quite normal during pregnancy. the cause of dizziness and faintness was either due to the slow bloodflow from the baby back to my body or that my blood sugar was low. i just hope it doesn’t happen again. i promise i will make sure that i will never go out all by myself while pregnant as it may strike me anytime.

the perfect realtor

my cousin recently travelled to Texas for a flight, and lucky for her, her husband was able to join her for the trip. she told me how much they liked Texas, and wished that they could move there someday. she's particularly interested in Austin because it's more relaxed and laidback there. that's the kind of place she'd want to retire to, she told me. and her husband couldn't agree more! from the looks of it, they obviously fell in love with the place!

good thing i stumbled upon Austin Realtors! as soon as i saw their site, i immediately told my cousin and encouraged her to have a look and see. this realtor is best for them as they can communicate easily with the realtor when they finally decide to jump in and migrate. the website is straightforward and transparent. unlike other realtors in the market, theirs is more focused on the client. they have an impressive customer service and excellent quality of work all the time. the testimonials from their clients are proof to that.

another great thing about Austin Realtors is that they can also help with the relocation. talk about plus features! for my cousin and her husband, moving will be then quite easy. just the kind of thing you’d ever want from a professional realtor.

my guy

i’ve always been fascinated by Hollywood’s glitz and glamour. there’s always something about the actors and actresses whenever they strut their way in the red carpet, especially on awards nights. they’re all so well made up, prim and fashionable-looking!

however, i’m not the type who would simply dwell on the actors’ looks and features. i also take into consideration their performances on both the small and big screens.

one actor i admire the most is Patrick Dempsey. his charm is unbelievably remarkable even at his age. apart from his good looks, he can also act and portray various characters, which i love. a lot of his fans, like me, think he is the best in his league. he should seriously win in the BoB Awards!

for that to happen, he would probably to say to his loyal fans like me to nominate or vote for him. so on behalf of Patrick, “please nominate me in the Best of the Best Awards.”

bulletin board – not!

this blog is not a public sounding board. this is my personal blog, and only i myself can use this to vent out. if someone has any issues with anybody, especially if that “anybody” is not even my friend to begin with, then please spare my little space in this blogging world.

to my blogosphere friends, i’m so sorry i had to take out my chat box from my page. someone made some nasty comments about a person i know (read: acquaintance only NOT friend) that was uncalled for. i don’t understand why that person used my blog to write spiteful things about a person when i’m not even associated to the person he/she is throwing foul accusations at. and even if i am, that does not give him/her the right to post such profanities and comments in my blog. i am extremely cautious about being involved in sticky situations, especially related to family matters, so if the person who posted such profane comments is reading this, please do your thing elsewhere. this is a wholesome blog, and i intend to keep it that way.

playing for fun

i guess it’s true what they say about women having the stoke of luck when they are expecting. so far, i have been very fortunate in winning some nice stuff since i got pregnant that i was wondering if i’d be as lucky in casinos, as well.

if i were based in the US, i’d probably find myself sitting in front of my laptop busy with online casinos the whole day. why not, when i know i’d be having fun and at the same time stand a chance of winning some extra money on the side. and besides, online casinos are pretty much safe and secure, not to mention fun and exciting, too. oh, the adrenaline rush it can give you! it will give a bored pregnant woman something to do on her spare time other than cleaning and reading and watching TV.

on top of it all, the security and support that online casinos give is excellent – just like when you are in an actual casino. in case i encounter any problem or get stuck on something, they have their friendly customer support that i can contact immediately. of course that is very important, most especially if i’m on a winning streak already.

the dome

...that is my belly.

with my bulging tummy, i can no longer see my feet.

at 24 weeks and 1xx lbs, i am getting heavier (and bigger) by the day. my feet aren’t swollen yet, but standing too long has become a pain already. the other night while cooking and doing the dishes, the heels of my feet felt so sore that i had a difficult time getting some sleep. i tried to prop my feet to a firm pillow, which unfortunately did not work. thank goodness when i woke up the following morning, the pain was gone!

check up went well, too, last Saturday. i went to see a male doctor this time. he’s ok – a warm and friendly type of doctor, and Ryan agreed with me. i was asked to take the Glucose Screening Test to see whether i have gestational diabetes or not. thankfully, the results came back stating that my glucose tolerance is normal *yey!*

on my next visit, my new OB will do an ultrasound to see how the baby’s progressing. i don’t have to pay any extra charge for that as he will do the scan himself. we’re so excited to have a glimpse of our little boy again!

last Friday, we also started moving the baby items we’ve accumulated to the drawer which we’re going to use for his stuff. i was so surprised at how much we’ve gotten already as the two drawers were already filled with things, with the bottom one containing the boppy pillow that took so much space. and to think we haven’t started shopping for clothes yet. ayayay!

my panadero

Ryan has been craving for some warm Pinoy buns for weeks already, and yesterday, he decided to put an end to his misery. yes, my husband finally branched out of his cookies and cakes delights and tried out baking breads for the first time.

i saw how much effort he has put in to make this first attempt a success - from mixing the ingredients to kneading the dough. it was like watching a “Batibot” episode of how pan de sals are made. and i have to say that the Ryan’s pan de sals were really good & tasty for a first try.

the buns were prepared in time for afternoon merienda. when Ryan took them out of the oven, the aroma filled the kitchen so we opted to have our merienda there. we had butter, Chiz Whiz Pimiento and peanut butter as spreads. nothing truly beats freshly baked bread, especially when it’s home made! so fresh & yummy!

help on web hosting

i’ve long been considering getting a web hosting service, but haven’t found the time to focus on it and do so. truth be told, i’m not really good when it comes to anything techie related, so if there’s any help that comes my way, i do grab the opportunity and take it with open arms. people like me, who are in a way a sort of a luddite, are usually intimidated by technical terms and other jargons that sound too deep.

thankfully, there are sites that can help out people like me. if you are one of those who need help or advise on web hosting matters or searching for a new web hosting service, then Web Hosting Geeks is the perfect site for you. they have a good list of web hosting sites, with features and reviews that you can refer to. and they have the sites that offer free domains, too! quite handy and easy to navigate through, without the daunting feel. it’s pretty straightforward, i must say, especially for beginners. i am going to try it when we finally get our internet connection hooked and see how they can help me with my wee space on the web.

our new bonding activity

while savoring my me-time last Thursday evening after work, i found myself picking up this book from Magrudy’s:



this compilation of Boy Stories jumpstarted my reading out loud sessions with Baby D. apart from this, i have asked my SIL, K to get us some really nice reads for the baby, which my cousins will bring here towards end of the month. they were supposed to arrive weeks ago, but since my other cousin still has basketball try-outs lined up, they decided to postpone their trip. i’m itching to get my hands on those books, which i am eager to read to our darling baby.

i was so pleased to have found something quite entertaining to do to bond with our little rascal who’s safely nestled in my tummy. i’ve read in books and forums that he can now keenly hear voices around him, as well as other reverberating sounds. i want Baby D to recognize my voice and Ryan’s easily, so i thought reading would be a wonderful activity for us before going to bed. and we pray through this he inherits our love for books, too.

me at 23 weeks

as requested by my sister, i am posting a pic of myself entering the 6th month of my pregnancy.


compared to the earlier weeks of my pregnancy, i now look a lot like a 5-month going on 6 pregnant woman. i started showing early, and when i came back from my holiday, people commented that i am bigger than average and suggested i could be carrying twins. i suppose the reason was because i was chubby when i conceived and i didn’t shed those extra pounds until after i crossed my 1st trimester. now people tell me i look just about right. a friend even said i suddenly look ‘compact’ and tiny. to be honest, i don’t really care about my size – whether i balloon into something more humungous than what i already am or shrink into a Hollywood size who’s expecting. all that matters to me is baby’s health and how he’s growing in my tummy. speaking of baby, he’s more active these days and has started kicking above my navel, which means he is now moving more vigorously than ever. he has started responding to music, and to the food i eat. he likes bananas like Mommy!

there are changes in my body, too that i noticed recently. my armpits have darkened as expected, and a few stretch marks have made its way to my girls. so far, there’s no sight yet of the unsightly red marks across my tummy, which now itches more recurrently. even so, i’m still religiously slathering my concerned body parts with Mustela 9 Months Maternity Stretch Marks Intensive Action to soften my skin and prevent further stretch marks. but i’ve already accepted the fact that it’s possible for me to have a few lines. i guess it’s truly a mother’s badge and no one can escape from it, unless you are very, very lucky!

so, what do i crave for these days? that’s pretty easy. i like fresh OJ & buttered croissant. i like my Strawberry Banana Smoothie too, but hubby’s trying to make me avoid it because of the sugar. i still get my daily (or at least every other day) fix of banana courtesy of the office (although some days i bring my own stash just in case there’s none in the pantry). i cannot start my day without having breakfast, but not as heavy as i used to have. i pretty much indulge on rice during lunch only. for fluids, i like drinking loads of water aside from OJ, which is good. it helps keep my skin hydrated, although the downside is my constant need to pee during daytime.

i’ve also noticed that i’m more energetic now than in my last 3 months. i can still do household chores that do not require a lot of bending or exertion of too much force. i like working in the kitchen, which we are now fixing after the bed & bathrooms. it’s a lot of work cleaning and disinfecting them (even after they’ve been cleaned by the hired maids). i can’t push myself that much to finish it all in one day, but i’m meaning to finish everything this weekend. we need to stock up on food, as well because i’m itching to go back to cooking. i miss eating “lutong bahay”.

now that my tummy is bigger and rounder, my maternity clothes bought from Manila could barely fit me anymore. i now need to get a couple more dresses to wear and a few tops to use till my 9th month. i am heavily relying on my maternity leggings from Nine Months, which i use underneath my now super short dresses. good thing i bought two pairs. my flats are still my bestfriends these days, though there are times i wear my other pairs with kitten heels that are about an inch high if i’m in the mood to dress up. i’ve stopped wearing make up since February because i’ve become very lazy to do so. besides, i’m loving my skin right now – super clear and fresh looking (thanks to the miracle liquid - H20!). i hope it remains that way forever! hahaha!

i’ve also caught the cold virus which made me drowsy the last couple of days. but i’m getting better now thanks to soups and fluids. i hope i don’t get sick ever again because getting some sleep has been a pain. i am excited to enter the 3rd and final trimester because i can’t wait to see our baby. for now, i’ll just be patient and wait for time to pass by, with prayers that all continues to go well.

and she said yes

my Mom was in a very good mood when i spoke to her over the phone the other day. at last, she finally committed she’s coming to town in time for my giving birth. she will take a long leave from work and will be staying with us for a couple of months before the nanny she recommends flies in. we felt so assured now as we have been worrying so much about having a reliable help to look after me and the baby. and childcare has also been sorted so that’s one major thing taken out of our list *hooray!!*

i have been convincing my Dad to come over even for a week or two to stay with us while my Mom is here. he couldn’t promise though because they have so many projects lined up right now, and he is saving all his holidays for his vacation on December in time for our planned baptism of Baby D. it’s a long shot, but i really hope he can make it. anyway, it’s still months away and plans can still change, right?

he’s got the beat

while willing ourselves to sleep the other night, hubby tinkered with his celfone and started playing music he’s stored in there in the last year. he played music of all sorts, and before you know it, i was already humming to the tunes (so much for trying to sleep, huh!).

he asked whether baby could hear whatever music’s playing and i said yes. that was his cue to put his celfone next to my belly to see if baby’s going to react. none of the songs he played made Baby D budge…except for one. a rave song by The Porn Kings got him stirring so wildly in my tummy that hubby even suggested he’s probably partying already in my hotel uterus. we experimented by playing other songs, but felt no movements. when hubby played the song again, he started moving about along with the beat.

i hope my son doesn’t come out to be a party person at a very young age :) he’s supposed to enjoy listening to Vivaldi, Mozart and Beethoven music, but for some reason, he likes the more upbeat tunes. i hope that isn’t a bad thing. nonetheless, we like it that he reacts to music now these days – whatever kind he prefers.

a rare lunch out

guess who i had lunch with yesterday?

had the pleasure of Luke, Jimmy & DJ Mike’s company over lunch at Hediard for a buffet meal courtesy of the Pinoys in our company. my colleagues, M & G watched their concert last Saturday night and invited them over to the centre to have lunch yesterday before their rehearsals.

the guys were all very down to earth and quite chatty, especially Luke. we finished so quickly because they had to go back to check-in the other hotel where they are performing last night. i wish i could watch at least one of their shows till the 7th April, but i don’t think i can considering how late the show will start (10:00 pm).

the winning bid

last February, i've made a mistake of ordering non-BPA free Dr. Brown’s Bottles from Baby Supermall. i should’ve waited till the end of March because they just released the BPA-free bottles. anyway, since i didn’t know what to do with the items, i decided to sell all 3 starter kits to www.souq.com, an online shop here in the UAE that works similarly to ebay. i managed to sell them all in less than a week’s time at a slightly lower price than what i paid for in total, including shipping fees.

while i was in the store, i curiously browsed through the new baby items being sold, and found myself bidding for this cute outfit for our little munchkin for only AED 180 (USD 48):

imagine my delight when i received the sms that i won the auction *hooray!*

i wish i’d be on a roll ‘till i give birth so that i’d continue winning even on small things like this. it feels great because i’m never lucky with draws or raffles, and i’m just pleased that i’m now experiencing this kind of joy. i hope this luck won’t rub off anytime soon.

copping out

yes, i am copping out from anything related to shifting or cleaning apartments! i don’t plan on doing the entire thing all over again in the next 5 years! i’m so beat i couldn’t keep my eyes open because all my body wants to do is sleep and get some proper rest.

i’m hiring a maids’ services on Saturday because i don’t think i can even manage to pick up a broom and sweep our floors. husband was doubly tired - totally unfair for me to delegate him more tasks after the four-day move. we were lucky on some things, but unlucky on others. let me tell you more about them in detail:

lucky strikes:
- Home Centre is on sale so we bought a few pieces of new furniture at 25% off the original price. we bought a new bed frame, a new mattress, a pair of bedside tables, a dining table and a bigger shoe rack. huge savings!
- bought the items we needed from Ikea and scheduled them for delivery on Saturday (yes, there were stocks of those items what we wanted!). we needed to get a new TV rack for the bigger LCD (we don’t want it mounted), a coffee table and a changing table and cabinet for the baby.
- we were able to immediately sell our old furniture and window A/Cs. the items were sold so quickly we didn’t have time to stress ourselves on what to do with them given the time constraint we have in handing over the keys to the old landlord.
- got our deposit back from SEWA after 24 hours of disconnecting the power and water connection.
- the movers were prompt last Friday so we were able to move our big stuff in 2 hours time. the amount we paid was very minimal, considering the work they’ve done.
- had our internet disconnected from our old flat with no fees.

the downs:
- Home Centre invoiced and delivered the wrong mattress to us! we spoke with them last night and pushed our case. after a heated confrontation, they’ve agreed to change the mattress provided that the mattress we’re returning isn’t stained or damaged.
- Ryan didn’t want the side tables i picked for the living room so we’re on the lookout again. hay! so tired na!
- we couldn’t find speaker stands for our rear speakers. i wonder why they don’t sell that much options here in the UAE.
- happy as we were that old furniture were nicked that easily, we were also sad because it left us having no bed to sleep on for 2 nights. we made do with a picnic mat (banig), bubble wraps and duvet as our cushion.
- had to file an emergency leave for two days because of the glitch with SEWA. we had to go to their branch last Sunday to disconnect the power and water. then we had to come back to their head office twice last Monday because their system was down and they couldn’t release the deposit to me without seeing the autographs of their 3 signatories, which i personally had to deal with because the account was under my name.
- the movers scratched and dented my beloved washing machine, which was a gift from our good friend, K.
- applied for internet connection for the new flat, but was told that since the building is brand new, no lines are available yet for them to connect to. O.M.G!! this is a disaster!!
- oh, and did i forget to mention that it rained on all those 4 days? *bummer!*

i am just so relieved that the move is now over. all we need to do is organize our stuff and keep our flat spic and span and we’re all set to welcome guests. we plan on holding a housewarming party on May and have the flat blessed by Father Zachy, but we’ll see how it goes first. it’s not easy to move around lately as i now have a growing balloon of a tummy, and i can’t have the husband do everything as he’s had several asthma attacks during the move.

oh, heavens help us!