Week 20: Belly Shot + Filipino Music

I think my skin is already stretched to its limit. It has become so big and so heavy that I get tired so easily in our weekly mall walk. But I like it, though some people still haven't noticed that I'm quite big in the tummy part. Or my face still doesn't show any signs of being pregnant unlike other soon-to-be moms.

Everybody has been asking me if it's a girl or a boy. I am just as excited as every mom in the world but we still have to wait for a couple of weeks so that we can see clearly in 3d/4d ultrasound our baby's gender and at the same time get a good shot of his/her face.

I just talked to my SIL and brother in YM a few hours, as promised they showed me their gift to our baby.

A whole set of Avent bottles in different sizes! Wow, that's a lot! Thank you so much Kuya Jop and Ate Darlene!

+ + +

One of the best Filipino rock band of all time is Eraserheads. They're like The Beatles of Pinoy music. I grew up listening to their music but was too young to get a copy of their records. You can always listen to their music through the radio and watch their videos in MTV and TV shows. I was lucky enough that our eldest sister and her husband brought us in one of their gigs. But K-kun is more into them than I am. I think E-heads is one of the bands that influenced him and his then classmates to form a band while they were still in high school. He's really good for a self-taught musician. He even won the Best Guitarist award in the Battle of the Bands held in our University.

Anyway, their lead vocalist Ely Buendia left the band in 2002 and the band later on disbanded. Six years after the controversial issue about the band's breakup, their having a one in a lifetime reunion concert! Rumors started late July with lots of pointless drama from the DOH and now it's real! Tickets started selling Wednesday evening despite fact that the new promoters announced that they will be sold on Thursday (today.) It's so hard to get into the online ticketing so we have to wait for today to get ours in one of the authorized outlets that handles the ticketing of the concert. It's so crazy! Every fan is in panic mode, as in long lines as soon as the store opened and each fan would buy 10-20 tickets at a time! Expected attendees: 35,0000! That's a lot! And the news mentioned that the stage set-up is like the one that Michael Jackson had when he held his concert here. Whoa! That's a first for a Filipino rock band.

To know more about the rave, visit Philmusic.com. And to the fans who haven't bought their tickets yet, there are only 7,000 slots available for Patron and 22,000 for General Admission so grab those Patron tickets now. And to the fans who we're able to get through Marcus' VIP list, you're so lucky and be thankful that he gave us the chance to be nearer to the band! Too bad, we are not one of you.

Week 20: Baby Cartoon

This is so funny!

I woke up early this morning feeling hungry. So I woke K-kun because I'm craving for some pandesal. And not only that, we also had some cheddar cheese and fried eggs, so good! No coffee for me so I forced myself to finish 500mL of water in one sitting. After filling ourselves with the breakfast, K-kun and I lied down in the bed for a while. It's really seldom for us to wake up early for breakfast so I'm on lazy mode as usual so we just had some bonding moments with my baby/tummy.

K-kun felt our baby move! It's always like that, we're talking when we would feel baby move. It seems like he/she would like to join the conversation. My baby is already so active! We fell back into sleep while feeling our baby move, haha!

Support Reproductive Health Bill into Law

The Reproductive Health Advocacy Network (RHAN) recently launched a signature campaign to gather support for the immediate passage of the Reproductive Health Bill into law. As a person who grew up with four siblings and with only a father to support our finances, I know very well the importance of this bill. I used to think what would it be like if there's just four (I am the fourth child by the way) of us, I think life would be a bit easier. But there's this other side of me telling me that it's pure selfishness on my part because I am no longer the youngest, that I was being immature. Apparently not. I think I made a bit of a sense.

It's not a crime to plan your family future. Everybody has the right to be informed of what would be best to her and her family's health. To have better alternatives and have an informed decision.

Please sign the petition: Declaration of Support for the Immediate Passage of the Reproductive Bill into Law

To: Philippine Congress

We are seriously disturbed that more than 10 Filipino women die every day due to pregnancy and childbirth-related complications. The big majority of those who die are poor women at the prime of their lives.

We are alarmed that 29 out of 1,000 infants die due to various sickness and illnesses that are preventable and curable.

We are troubled that 4.9 million Filipino youth, aged 15-27 are sexually active but programs that would ensure their safety and help them become more responsible in dealing with their sexuality and relationships are severely lacking. Especially worrisome is the fact that 1 out of 5 female teenagers get pregnant before they reach their 20th birthday.

These are just a few of the problems in the midst of the ongoing economic crisis, escalating poverty, and the ever-increasing prices of basic commodities and services. Moreover, the Philippine population grows unabated with almost 2 million individuals added every year. Researches consistently show that poverty is more prevalent among big families compared to smaller ones.

The acute lack of services and information regarding reproductive health:

* results in the untimely death of women and children;
* is the reason why our youth are largely unprepared to deal with matters pertaining to their sexuality and relationships; and
* exacerbates the effects of economic crisis and poverty on millions of ordinary Filipinos, especially those with big families.

We believe that Filipinos, particularly the poor, urgently need access to information and services that will address their reproductive health needs.

We believe that a rights-based, comprehensive, and responsive reproductive health law will help empower Filipinos to achieve a better quality of life.

We firmly believe that the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill into law will help actualize people’s, especially women’s rights to make informed decisions.

Therefore, we call on our legislators to pass the Reproductive Health Bill into law now.

Baby Wishlist (Updated 8/23/2008)

Shiloh's Blanket - Not really named after Angelina Jolie's first born but it became famous when Shiloh was seen with a crocheted blanket while strolling with her mom and dad. It is said to improve the baby's visual stimulation, obviously because of the alternating colors. But I don't need to shed $85 just for this blanket, I can actually make one for my baby, but that's after I give birth to him/her. If only I could find affordable organic cotton yarns here (it's been my frustration since I started crocheting.)

Also check the first batch of my Baby Wishlist.

Walk in the park

On a bright Tuesday morning, K-kun and I attended the New Family Planning seminar in our municipality. For those who live here in the Philippines, you probably have the idea why a couple would attend this kind of seminar. *wink* The seminar ended early than scheduled so we decided to just go home and rest. As usual, we would always pass by Marikina Riverbanks so we decided to take a short stroll and loved the flowers that welcomed us on our way down to the riverbank.

It's been raining for the past days so the river looks muddy. But the weather today is just perfect. And we even spotted an insect playing amongst the flowers. Or is that a bee? Anyway, these shots were taken using K-kun's Sony Ericsson cellphone because I'm too lazy to bring our DSLR.

On a side note, I'm back to using R2D2 now because Joanne is running on Windows Vista and the freaking OS hanged on me for a couple of times now so I'll have to ask K-kun to change the stupid OS to Windows XP.

New Member of the Family

We've got a new laptop!


I've been using Joanne (the laptop's name) for the past days and I'm getting so addicted to it. I still love R2D2 (K-kun's PC) though. But just so you know, we're not rich to be able to buy an extra computer in our household and yet haven't yet bought all the baby stuff. Actually there's a long story behind Joanne's arrival in this house. But I'll try to keep it short...

K-kun's father will be retiring this month and as part of his retirement plans, he would like to start a computer renting shop since K-kun is one of the best computer troubleshooters I've ever met (I'm not being biased here, K-kun learned the ins and outs of computer hardware on his own and he graduated with a major in Business Management while my brother is the best computer guy that I know and he graduated Computer Engineering without even owning a personal computer, beat that!) that would be the most practical idea. Plus his first brother have a Diploma in Computer Technology. Anyway, his kick-ass PC for a couple of years now is actually perfect for a server so his parents decided that they will just get his PC in exchange buying us a new laptop. Of course, K-kun made sure that it could be an alternative for our current system. Well, you know laptops are still very limited so I will sure miss R2D2, his wide screen LCD and the cable TV, yup, we can actually watch cable TV on his PC. I asked him if we can still do that with the laptop, he said we can't. :(

But at least, I can surf the net while in bed or even in the backyard. And I can still abuse R2D2 until they finalize the shop. Go Wi-Fi!

Crochet Bolero Sighting

It's payday today so naturally there's a long line in every ATMs out there. K-kun and I were one of those peeps waiting for our chance to withdraw his (K-kun's) hard earned salary. And I immediately noticed the woman standing before us. She's wearing an ecru crocheted bolero! I pointed it out to K-kun but the woman noticed that I was looking at her back and you know what she did? She got hold of her bag and put it in front of her! She must have thought that we're trying to rob her.

Geez! How could I, for the life of me, a pregnant woman who stands 5'0" and very much in my right mind rob her inside a mall, with security guards everywhere, and surrounded with tens of people waiting for their chance to withdraw their money from the ATMs!

We may look like one of those poor college students who wear band shirts, jeans and Vans slip-ons but we're definitely not running out of money. It's just amazing how someone can assume of what a person is by the way he/she looks.

I can forget those petty assumptions but I still can't and won't forget her bolero. I can definitely make one, I hope. Hahaha!

Blog Action Day 2008




Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.


Baby Wishlist

Argh!

K-kun and I went to the mall today for my weekly walking exercise and of course the first place that we always visit first is the Infant Section. I love those cute baby clothes! They're so tiny and the colors are really lovely. I can imagine my baby wearing those outfits. Since it's still too early to determine the gender of our child, buying baby items this early would be such a waste. Plus there are still discount sales to be expected in very the near future. Believe me, people here in the Philippines would start buying Christmas gifts as soon as the start of -ber months. And I will be one of those starting this year, hahah!

For now, I'll start a list of the things that I want to have for my baby and hopefully be able to cross-out these items in the near future. Yoohoo, Fairy God Mothers!

Diaper Bag - A must have for every mommy. This fashionable bag is made by Baby Couture. It's made of polyester and comes with a changing mat and removable dry bag. Of course the inside lining is water resistant and filled with pockets to organize your baby stuff inside. Most of all it doesn't look like a diaper bag at all so I can still use as a regular bag.


Baby Slings - For someone who doesn't have a personal car (we have a family van though,) bringing baby strollers can be really difficult. And I found this great alternative to carry my baby with less bulk. It's like a baby carrier but my baby will be closer to me. I can also breastfeed with the baby sling or do things with my both hands free (surfing the net,crocheting, reading.) It's also a bonding moment with me and the baby. This one is locally made, woohoo!

Boppy Pillow - Something to help me while breastfeeding or daddy while bottle feeding our little one. I just learned that these pillows are super expensive but luckily I saw a local brand that gives the same features for only 20% of the amount of the Boppy Pillow. :D
Cloth Diapers - I already saw one locally made. But we're still looking for an alternative, if there's any. It's cheaper because it's washable and reusable plus environment friendly. Also a great way to prevent baby from having diaper rash.

BPA Free and Anti-Colic Feeding Bottles - Just in case I can't produce enough milk for my baby, these will be the preferred bottles for baby. BFree bottles are proven safe for babies (Click here for the research report: Toxic Baby Bottles) and I've heard a lot of good reviews from mommies regarding Avent Anti-Colic feeding bottles and also heard about Dr. Brown's Natural Flow that also help reduce colic. But I won't be buying these bottles till next year because my sister-in-law already promised the feeding bottles for my baby, to be sent to us from Singapore. Yay!

Baby Wishlist (Updated 8/23/2008)

There are still a lot of items that I would like put here but I'm still researching which are the best options for us. I'll update this as soon as I find the right product for us. Also feel free to make suggestions. The more mommies suggesting a great product, the more I'd like to try that for my baby. Pardon the ignorance of the first time mom. ;P

Food, pregnancy and pregorexia

I have nothing against people who are trying to get thin or stay in shape, especially if they are doing it the healthy way. Eating salads over red meat is not a big deal at all. In fact, I envy those who find satisfaction in eating healthy greens, but that's just not me. Just for the record, I grew up eating processed meat, pork chops and fried chicken. The only vegetables that are registered in my food vocabulary are very limited, my favorites are kangkong (swamp cabbage,) carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and some squash, cabbage and lettuces. Despite being a meat eater, I didn't gain that much weight at all. I remember weighing 30-40 kg. when I was in high school till early college. And I was actually one of those who are being envied for being thin while I envy others for having their clothes fit them perfectly. Till college days, the clothes that can only fit me are those tees sold in pre-teens section.

The only time that I gained enough weight to fit into those office shirts and slacks was when I started working and never thought that eating a lot of food can actually relieve stress, which was really, really bad for ones health. So I have a friend who introduced me to eating healthy, she eats red meat occasionally, but most of her diet consists of salads, cooked veggies, white meat and wheat bread! As shameful as it may seem, I actually learned about wheat bread when I was 22 years old! Seriously! And it's my choice of bread ever since. It's very filling, very healthy and most of all taste good even on its own. I learned to skip on those fatty strip in pork chops then later on learned to buy leaner meat. Plus my father is not allowed to eat any fatty food because of his high blood pressure so we started to get really, really conscious of the food that we're eating. I realized later on that the last time I had my dose of potato chips were years ago.

Now that I'm pregnant, I became very, very choosy with the food that I like to eat. I love anything with lettuce, salads, tacos and burgers are my best friends for the past months. I don't like to eat rice and terribly miss my father's dishes. I visit his home once a month and always demanded to cook my favorite meat dishes, mostly tomato based sauces. Being on my second trimester, the feeling of being hungry every few hours is just normal. I would grab two packs of biscuit or a cup of cold cocoa drink would be enough to satisfy my growing tummy. Hopefully this time, I have gained enough weight for me and for my baby.

I just can't wait for my tummy to grow bigger. It actually gives me satisfaction just by looking at my tummy after each meal. And I love wearing shirts that can show off my tummy. Yup, I am one proud soon-to-be mom!

Speaking of pregnancy and eating, I was channel surfing a couple of days ago and was shocked to learn that there is such a thing as Pregorexia. Basically, this applies to pregnant women who stays thin during pregnancy and doesn't appear to be pregnant at all. This is the said show that I've seen.

And for the article: Plague of the Pregorexics

18 weeks - Bad Belly Shots

Finally, some belly shots, not good but the point is I just want to show my new tummy size. Sorry for the blurred image, it's in Auto mode and on self-timer.

My not so big tummy with my 18 week old baby inside. <3

Busy Stork

Did you notice?

It seems that most of my friends are jumping into the motherhood bandwagon. I have an officemate who gave birth last month, a college friend due this month, I'm on my 17th week and recently learned that two of my other officemates are also pregnant. I'm so excited to think that after giving birth, we could have a reunion with our babies!

That's not all. Did you notice the recent Blogger Buzz? Well, if you didn't, here's a screen shot for you.

There are babies everywhere. So cute and so lovely!

16 going 17

K-kun and I went to my monthly check-up with my OB yesterday. No gain weight still but my OB assured me that I will soon gain weight since I am reaching my second trimester. We also heard our baby's heartbeat with a Fetal Doppler. I can't wait for my tummy to grow big and hear our little sunshine's heartbeat with a stethoscope or with a pre-natal heart monitoring system (if our budget will allow us for that small luxury.)

We have also tried going baby boutiques now and scout for things that we would like to buy for our first baby. Of course nothing expensive. As we all know babies grow fast and expensive clothing which can only be worn once or twice is not a good idea.

I, on the other hand have been looking for jobs that can be done in the comfort of my own room. And at the same time hoping I could still retain the same job after giving birth to our child. I have started working on an online job now but doesn't really pay well and definitely not something that one could depend on as a source of income. Well, it could pass for an extra income. So I'm still looking for something that can be really beneficial for K-kun and I. Any ideas?

And just because I really don't like a picture-less post, here's something I got from Polyvore. I really wish I could get my hands on these especially the cute tank top! But I already have the Moleskine. So maybe just the tank top and the Emily Strange pick earrings.