full time mommy

Being a full time mom is no joke. 8 hours of sleep is a thing of the past. Siesta is an alien word. Now i could fix myself in less than 10 minutes. Going to the bathroom requires lots of skills especially when there's no one to look for your baby - either you do it in a minute or take the baby with u. Mommy also needs to watch out for leaking breast everytime I drink something hot. That and a lot more.

But all these are compensated with a singe smile from one little girl whose picture I cant upload right now. (haaay pang-asar no)

Thank You Thank You Lord =)

I had this in my draft folder for more than a month now. This is meant to be a thanksgiving entry. Today is January 7 but I'll post this anyway.

This year had been a year of transformation. From girlfriend to wife. From singlehood to mommyhood! I just want to thank you God for all the wonderful things You have been showering me since day one. Life has been more meaningful this year.

I am deeply grateful Lord for my husband. If being loved so much could kill, I should have been dead by now =) Really Lord, I didnt know then why you brought me to pain last 07 Independence Day but now I know that You surely are in control and You have plans for me. Alvin could only be the bestest friend and husband for me. Thank you thank you Lord.

For the food on our table, good job for me and vhin, money for the rent, health of my family, wonderful new friends I met and the new lessons I learned this year Lord, Salamat po. Everyday is beautiful because of You.

I wont be able to enumerate everything that God has given me, but one thing I am deeply deeply grateful. Thank you Lord for this beautiful girl whose smile always melts mommy's heart. I couldnt explain how happy I am for having her.

Thea, mommy and daddy are thankful for having you

And this is one of the songs I sing for my baby. Reminds me to be thankful every single day for every single thing be it good or bad, sickness or health.

Salamat sayo o Panginoon ko
Sa lahat ng nangyari sa araw na ito
Lungkot man o ligaya
Sa sakit at ginhawa
Sa bawat oras ay kasama kita

Dalangin ko sanay Iyong pakinggan
Na sa pagtulog akoy bantayan
At sa aking paggising
lagi kong iisipin

Munti kong panalangin ay iyong dinggin
Munti kong panalagiy dinggin

be strong nyemnyem

those were the exact words daddy vhin left me when he was about to leave for brunei. and true that i really have to be strong, for being a mommy requires great love, patience and strength.

when hubby left, i started crying buckets. i miss his skill in changing thea's diapers, i miss him spoiling mommy nyemnyem, i just missed him sobra sobra na di ko mapigilang umiyak ng imiyak. being at my inlaws house make me miss him more.

maybe it was post partum, maybe not. a note to daddies, mommies need extra care too.

(note: nyemnyem is typing with 1 hand, im carrying althea with the other)

Mommy notes

I havent been online for some time but journalizing is my second nature and here are my mommy notes before and after giving birth. See my excitement, happiness and pain in my journey towards being a true blue mommy!

October 29, 2008

Any moment everything will change. I will be a mommy in less than 24 hours and nyemnyem is super excited. Cant help but daydream of baby althea and the wonderful feeling of having her around with her daddy.
I was in the hospital this morning to check if the brown spots in my undies are normal. Found out I was in my early stage of labor. 2-3cm per Doc Robles. This should progress, doc says, in 24 hours and if not I shall check her again tomorrow to find out if there's something wrong.
Good thing althea is still ok. I am having contractions every so often but not as painful as what was described to me. So I think baby is still waiting for daddy before her grand show.

November 1, 2008

3rd day. Being a new mom is a fab experience. I knew all along the toil of having a baby entails but i figured i wasnt really ready. Well, who does?(Ang hirap kaya maglabor ng ilang oras tapos iire ng walang kasing lakas, hahaha).
i had a fever this afternoon. Milk supply came out faster than althea's demand. Thus, the culprit of the high temp. I drank panadol, started pumping breast and rested. Mommy nyemnyem was ok in a few hours. My stitches are not as painful as before. Thank you Lord! !
We have to commend daddy vhin for all the effort! he changes Thea's diapers and (would u believe) mine too! he even cleanses my wound, burps bay and kept track of my medicines. He and thea are my angels. i love them both so dearly.

November 6, 2008

Happy 1st week Thea!
Yes me and daddy vhin did greet her at 12:10 this morning.
Thea, me and dadda are super happy to have you. Mwaaah.

November 8, 2008

Daddy vhin will leave in 3 hours to work at Brunei. Nyem is super sad to see him go but life has to bring him ther for my and baby thea's future. i have to be strong too coz I know hubby is sad as much as i do or even worse coz he has to leave his two babies here in the philippines.

November 9, 2008

Nyemnyem after dark. Althea is usually awake at 2am till 4am, making me zombielike. But its ok, its part of being a mom. Next May, I shall embrace mother's day to the max. A note to daddy vhin, anniv and mom's day un, isip ka na ng gift ko. hehehe

Today, November 11, 2008

At last, I was able to connect after 10 years!
Will update u again next time. Althea owns my time and she needs it right now. Will write again soon. Mwaaaah.
Meanwhile enjoy her pics at my friendster. Will upload more next time. =*

sick mommy :'(

Un nga. I am sick since friday, huhuhu. I have this bad cold. Hopefully baby is ok kahit i sneezed often. Buti, this morning I have been feeling better. No more teary eyes and running nose. Thanks for Nanay E and Nanay A's caring hands =) mwaah mwaaah. U should have seen my room last night, parang fruit stand ung table.

rushes

October 16, 2008
Twas little "pogi" Kiel's bday! Happy birthday Kielzee! Tita NyemNyem loves you.
Nanay A and Nanay E
We went to SM Pampanga on Kiel's birthday. I was looking for a tray which Nanay asked me to buy for baby Althea, Gail asked me who's Nanay I was referring. So I told her i was referring to Nanay Dolores. Then she said, in a matter of fact tone, I should always distinguish which Nanay. Then she said, dapat Nanay A kasi Alvin tapos Nanay E kasi Emma. Oo nga naman!!!
First Ultrasound Due Date prevails
The first trimester's ultrasound Due Date has much more bearing than the subsequent ultrasound expected delivery date. Which in my case is last week of October. that's Oct 28 to Nov 1. Huwaaat???
False Alarm a Many
Sobrang daming false alarm moments. For now we all just have to wait for her grand show. hehe.

Un na muna, antok na ko. Besides they might see me and scold me for logging in the internet at late night. Sick mommy pa naman ang drama ng lola mo hehehe. baka di na ibili ng fruits si bunso. =P

Nyt nyt everyone.

Hala Sige Lakad!

Im due 22nd of the month. On my 37 1/2 weeks Doc. Carol, my O.B., advised me not to travel far as I may give birth anytime. So i have been on leave since October 6 coz it wouldnt be good if I work at Fort Boni and would have to travel north to give birth at Malolos. So bum I was since last week, not really hehe, I was busy preparing Althea's little things and boy was it a chore.
Baby's hospital bag - check
Mommy's hospital bag - check
Thea's cabinet - check
Baby bottle - sterilized, check
Mommy birthing ready - not sure =P

Monday, my 39th week visit to clinic, O.B. told me she'll be out of town on Sunday, 19th, and on the last week of October. Huwaaat, additional pressure to give birth agad. So come tuesday, I was up at 5:30 walking from San Marcos to La Residencia then back to San Marcos. I was accompanied by my hyper mother in law, who btw is a jogger. Imagine her pace then compare to mine, I didnt try to keep up her pace baka manganak ako sa daan hehehe. We walked and walked until around 7am. When we arrived back to San Marcos, Tatay Fred said - "Ang bilis nyo naman?". Huwaaat??!??

This morning, (I am back here in Calumpit) I woke up at 5:30am. I walked again but not as far as yesterday. Me and Nanay walked to buy pandesal, made a round to one block then off home we go. Naguilty naman ako dahil 10 min lang un, so after eating pandesal, I walked again to buy newspaper and took the long way coming back to our house.

Its all up to Althea. Maybe she still enjoys swimming in there. Until she comes my status will be "Hala Sige Lakad' mode.

Butterfly Award =)

Thanks galore to Chiefor this award =D

Once accepted, the rules would be as follows:
1. Put the logo on your blog;
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you;
3. Nominate 10 other blogs;
4. Add links to those blog on yours;
5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs;

OMG. can I nominate the one who nominate me?
Here are the sites i frequent:
1) Chie tops the list
2) Bunz
3) Markeventhough he doesnt update his site much
4 & 5) Ala Paredes and Bianca Gonzalez hehe as if they know me =P

5 things i heart about DIVI!!!

The first time I stepped foot at Divi, i am so scared. A probinsyana girl, getting out of a Baliaug bus has heard so many holdaper and snatcher stories from her sisters and parents. But as I get used to my Bulacan to Divi rides, I began to love the place and the fab things in it.

When nyemnyem got preggo, hubby has never permit her to go to Divi until last Saturday! His parents fetched me from my boarding house to take me home but I asked them if we could meet my sissies shopping at Divi before going home here in Calumpit.

So there I was in one of my favorite shopping places, syempre hindi ba ko magshoshop? I was able to grab a few toys for inaanaks and some trinkets for friends. Ang saya saya! Bongang bonga talaga ang divi lalo na pag malapit na pasko! I was really hoping to finish shopping before althea comes coz i'll be busy taking care of her pag andito na sya. Nway di ko man napamili lahat Saturday turned out to be super fun.

Here are 5 things i heart about Divi:

1) great finds! supah dami dito from trinkets to big stuff di mawawalan sa divi!
2) bargains! its fun to haggle with tinderas especially when u know how much you ought to get those fab finds.
3) the maze! from tutuban to divi mall, recto to ylaya, a non-pro would get lost if unaccompanied by a professional divi person.
4) people! you'll meet variety of people here. too many characters and culture to handle. you never know who you are talking to or what they do believe in so you better be cautious everytime.
5) food! daming sarap and murang food dito. seasonal fruits are the best, mangga in march are supah cheap sarap pa! ngayon apples abound Divi.

Tara shopping na! hehe, para namang papayagan ako no! (pwede pabili na lang ng bumblebee sa divi mall) =D

good morning! office na po!

Every single office day, I will open my mail and find a cute letter from my husband to tell me he is in the office already. And everyday the routine was like that, I will open his mail before anyone elses mail. I will then send a reply and tell him I have already eaten my breakfast.

But sometimes, the subject line would be different and I just couldnt help but smile or even laugh and just thank God for a wonderful husband I have in him. Here's some of the subject lines I am referring:
To my gorgeous wife (hahaha, who wouldnt smile huh?)
Super lapit na (he'll be coming home a day after)
Pwede pa habol sa next baby (eto natawa talaga ko, di pa naman ako nanganganak next baby na agad?)
And there's this no subject line mail, to see hundreds of i love u in it =)

good morning! office na po!

Those were the lines I suppose I will get until me and alvin move together to a home of our own. When is that, is still something cooking. Hopefully next year.

Love you Vhin <3

Milk Scare

Now that I am about to be a mom, this China Milk Scandal has been bugging me lately. How come they put melamine in those milk just to increase the protein content? What the???

CNN news here

Now what??? Even Cadbury are recalling their chocolates? Hala! news here

Althea will definitely has to be breastfed. Haaay sana lang madali lang un. hahah!

numb3rs

September 18, 2008

I.Christmas is my favorite holiday! Not only because of the festive mood during this season but most especially because Christ was born on that day hundred of years ago to save us.
Last night, I watched 24 Oras and guess what? Mel said its 99 days before Christmas! Yey Yey! Christmas 08 would mean lots of 1st for me! My first Christmas as Vhin's wife, First year since he proposed to me on the eve of Christmas and we will be celebrating the HOLYday with our little girl for the first time. Yipee.

So cheers to all of us its 98 days before Christmas day! Cant wait.

II. If the ultrasound EDD is correct, Althea will finally see the world (or should I say the world would finally see her) 36 days from now. Well, it also means that I will be in the delivery room pushing (hehe) but I dont mind. Ask me again next month.

III. Nyemnyem will only be reporting to office for 10 days. After that she'll be busy preparing for birthing and nesting for her baby =D She'd probably rest lang and enjoy the remaining days of preggyhood!

IV. Now if you add 98 and 36 then subtract 10 you'll get 124. Do you know what that means? (Bible said count the days so "count I did".) 124 is a significant number for me and vhin because it is the number of days since we got married =) It's been 4 months and boy was it a bliss. Extra extra happy si nyemnyem =D

Happy monthsary Vhin! Iloveyou <3

althea's 4D

hello everyone, i am althea m. regalado! and i will capture your world in a while. just give me some more time to add extra fats in my mommy's tummy and you'll see me in no time.

if you cant view the video here pls click here

"Colon D"

:D

Let me share with you my colon D experiences this past week. (this is a long entry)

What a birthday week!!! I had a grand time celebrating my birthday with my family, friends and most especially my husband! Woohoo!

Let the kwento begin:

Thursday night, me with nanay dolores, tatay fred, kuya lito went to NAIA. Pushing a cart full of "apollos" (hehe) and clad in blue is my husband in his usual colon D smile! Twas past 10 already and we are all tired na from a days work that we headed home agad. Wla ng kain kain, hehe. Btw, glad we have a car na, we dont have to rent for a ride again nor do we have to check in a hotel. San Marcos we were around 11:30. They drunk a little coffee (I am restricted), then headed to our separate rooms. Super happy to share the room again with him, it has been a month and a half.

Next day was a friday night out with his Brunei buddies and their wifies. T'is to celebrate Carl's bday which will be on the 5th of Sept. We sort of celebrate mine too coz my birthday falls shorter than his. Nway, there's this mouth watering mango bravo from contis. Nyem ate most of the mango, them the rest of the cake. We had super fun singing at Music 21. A nice place to enjoy with friends, they have super cool selection - artist list and title list, they even have most requested and most recent songs. We were having so much fun until buntis felt sleepy na past 11pm. Buti na lang nakacheck in kami sa City Garden, di namin dala ung car kasi coding tapos we have appointment pa next day 8am sa clinic. Nway that's the next topic.

Saturday, is 3D-4D ultrasound day at Fort Med Makati. Me and hubby were super excited to see althea for the first time. While on the waiting area, nyemnyem was praying that Althea is ok. When the nurse called "Emma Regalado", Vhin's face beamed! He usually does everytime he hears that, hehe! (Love u daddy =*)

So there we were at the radiology section to meet our little girl. We are happy to tell you that our baby is ok. And I couldnt miss telling that her mommy's genes were prominent in her big cheeks, lips, chin and nose. A colon D experience to the max. You should have seen her daddy's face while he was watching Althea on the monitor (real time). I told the nurse we better capture his face too. Sobrang kodak moment talaga un. Di mo na makikita ung mata nya kasi ngiting ngiti ang asawa ko!!! Hahaha.

Afternoon was shopping spree. We have to buy those things me and ate lala failed to buy coz they were too bulky to carry. On our list were: sterilizer, baby bag, bath tub, nappies, little bed and drawer. We were able to buy all of them except for the drawer. We were both donning colon Ds on our faces until nyemnyem felt tired na and hungry =P Our sundo arrived at 5pm and we were San Marcos bound again around 6:30pm.

Sunday is my day! Woke up early to attend church, then proceed to a bounty lunch at calumpit, a site visit to La Residencia and Metropolis, a fond chika time with sissies and cousins, a yummy merienda at calumpit, a needed siesta at san marcos. After dinner we went to SM Pampanga for our date. This is my first bday as Mrs.Regalado and I was with him all day, all night! Greatest gift ever, precious time and lots of love.

Here's my 2008 bday texter: Evelyn, Inets, Noyeen, nanay, globe (hehe), victor joel, tita myr, ate mai, ruby, roseline, vi, ate leng, 09178634245, Chie, Mon, jan tiu, ms.baby, jecai and joy. Thanks thanks! mwaaaah mwaaaah.

Monday is snooze day! hahaha. Super inet sa labas so I was literally locked inside our room at 18 degrees room temperature. Then it rained in the afternoon - kaya pala ganung kainit!

Btw, my body is unusually vulnerable when Vhin is around, peace daddy! I dont know if its just me or my system knows na he's here kaya nag-iinarte. Monday i felt pain in my upper abdomen, i have been feeling this for quite some time but only occasionally but that monday was different. The pain was continuous and a little stronger than usual.

That night i told hubby about it, next day we were in the clinic already. Doctor said baby is ok and she's big at 33 weeks (what can u expect that's 26 lbs gained in there sweetheart!). What I was experiencing daw was baby pushing my internal organs and since she's big the pressure is much stronger. She told me "hinay hinay na sa pagpapalaki ha". Awwwww, my half rice will be cut again in half making it quarters eeeek. I will shift to a new vitamin too.

Hubby should have left Monday night but opted to stay a bit and chance the RBA flight last Tuesday. Buti na lang, the plane was big enough to carry all of them. We're now back to texting, mailing and calling overseas but its fine. Having to be with him for 5 days is a great gift already.

What a week. Nyem wouldnt trade these colon D experiences!

figure it out

I have been busy figuring out our company's revised financial model which we are preparing for a certain cannot-yet-be-divulged purpose. It has been taking all my time and cant even open my computer when i arrive home as I am super tired na.

Had been shopping for baby's things. I knew right away that I wont be able to figure out what's best for my baby so I took Ate La along. Alas, she knew everything that I have to gather as if she memorized it from the heart. Well, after raising 3 kulet kiddos she better be =P

Since, as Ive said, Ive been busy with work lately I failed to figure out baby's nursery. For the longest time I have been fixing my mind that we will move to La Residencia on October just in time for baby popping out. Then what ifs came... what if Althea comes out before we move, what if we Alvin hasnt been able to get his leave from office, what if the house is not ready by October? Nyay, I havent figured that out yet. All the while, I felt that nesting would be pretty smooth. HELP.

Last, i will be busy tom till monday! yey yey! Figure out why...

I will celebrate my birthday with Vhin, Ayiy! How sweet huh? We'll fetch him at the airport tonight. Case you need to know, I will turn my cellphone off till Sunday (so you could greet me on my day), no work allowed till monday night. Btw, there'd be no chocolate for pasalubong so please dont ask for one. Hahaha. Saka na after 10 weeks.

I saw a rainbow again this morning. Twas an early birthday greeting from above. God has been giving me this wonderful sight before, during or after my birthday since 2006 (see previous blogs)! Rainbows have always been a reminder of His love and faithfulness to me and my whole family. Seeing one during my birthday week has never failed to make me happy! Such love, such joy, such peace that only He could bring.

I figure out just now that i just have to rely on Him in everything.

All things work together for good for those who love the Lord. Amen!

shopping galore!

CUTIES! The most appropriate word that fits when I think and daydream about the stuff we bought yesterday at SM Pampanga. Me, ate La and Kiel had fun shopping little things for my baby girl. I was so overwhelmed by the things in our cart that I didnt realized my watch is not working properly and its almost 2pm already and we havent had lunch yet. All the while I thought it was 12pm, my watch is 2 hours late my golly geez. No wonder Kiel was upset na. Buti na lang i brought the PSP, but PSP wont keep tantrums from coming when your stomach is empty.

As much as I want to share the pics of Althea's first wardrobe, bottles and other small things, I cant at the moment because I havent had the chance to take photos. Super busy mommy is still working and had to go to Manila pa. But I guarantee you all that they are super super cute! We still need loads of stuff for baby Althea,we just made sure that the essential things for the first days of our baby is ready. That way, if ever she pops out earlier than expected we're not off guard.

Please pray for Althea's health. Thanks thanks.(From her super excited Mom.)

a dino-mon afternoon

the first thing that come to mind when i saw these dinosaurs were my pamangkins with Simon on top of the list. Simon is very fond of dinos he even knows their name by heart. Well, kahit na medyo talo na ngayon ang dino dahil sa transformers nya i knew he would love to see all these too along with the rest of the kulets!

Dinosaurs at Fort Bonifacio near Zong! Come and see them with your kids.
i look small compared to this giant

despedida lunch for monster mon

the section that he will soon leave

wacky mommy

mommy notes

Nung nagtanong ako pano ba mafifeel ko pag manganganak na?

Sabi ni ate leng:
Una may lalabas na mainit na tubig. Alam mo ung feeling ng dysmenorrhea? Ganun times 3 or more. (Nyaiy, scary)

Sabi ni ate La:
Mafifeel mo na lang magcocontract. Una 30 minutes interval tapos pa-ikli ng paikli. Sabi ni tita minnie pumunta daw ako sa hospital pag may blood stain na sa panty ko.

Sabi ni Chie:
Basta sabi ng OB ko, takbo ako sa hospital pag: 1. may tumulo, hindi lang basta nabasa si panty, basta tumutulo talaga. 2. may blood 3. brown discharge pero may kasabay na regular contractions.

Minsan nafi-feel ko na masakit yung tiyan ko (parang napu-poop)pero pag nagbanyo ka wala naman. tapos mamaya, mawawala na. sabi tita ko, ganun daw start ng labor. malamang daw nagsta-start na ako mag-false labor. practice na ng katawan ko.

28 weeks na ang lola nyo! Unang linggo ko to sa third and final trimester ko. Sandali na lang to mga bading!!! Ayyyyy sobrang excited na anxious na ewan ako ngayon.

At least, allowed na magshopping di ba? Yey yey! Hmmm, wala pa pala ko list. Patulong naman. =P

Better yet, i'll come up with a list and post it here next time. Para mapili nyo na kung alin ang gusto nyong ibigay kay baby. hehehe. Ehem ehem, hi Ninong Mark!

baby baby baby

My baby girl, yes my baby is a girl, rocks my world now. Her silly moves inside my tummy make my day whole. If for some reason she misses kicking and moving as expected, nyem nyem worries and wonders if baby is still ok.

Just this morning I had this little pain in my left tummy. Blame it on the bed which lacks full support to my burgeoning body. My pillows are my comfort but getting out of bed is a little bit harder now. Around 9am i saw brown spots in my undies. That's the reason why nyem was alarmed kanina and was asking baby to move for mommy. I need to know if she's alright in there. She didnt move as much so mommy began to worry. I went to the clinic but there's no one who knew how to operate the gadgets since the sonologist only comes every wednesday.

So I went up to my cubicle, calmed myself, prayed to God for baby's safety and asked baby to move. To my relief, baby started moving as I read her father's text message.

Baby misses Daddy. Mommy misses her dad too. We will still have to check baby's condition tomorrow (wednesday). I will also have to take the glucose challenge test tom too, to check if I have gestational diabetes. Please pray that the result will be negative.

BTW, big thanks to our baby's first dress given by my boss ruby. Her niece wasnt able to use it since she was an A++ baby. Rianna is too big to fit in that dress, meant for Nyem's baby daw talaga un. Surely, baby will be very pretty once she wears that na, around March pa siguro. Dressing up our little princess is really something to look forward! =D

Baby has her first diaper too care of "Havin a Baby". I bought a blouse on sale recently, to my surprise they are giving away diapers. Yey! Nyem is always super happy everytime she receives something for baby. Makes me more excited! =)

Baby baby baby! 3 more months dadda!

8 Marriage Ruts

my husband found this link =

http://lifestyle.msn.com/relationships/articletkt.aspx?cp-documentid=8518886>1=32001

i am sharing this to you now hoping that it will remind us not to do these little things that might ruin our relationship with our partners. Read on.

8 Marriage Ruts: Are You In One?
Whether you've been married for three months or three years, here's how to get out of routines that hurt your relationship.
By The Nest Editors

Rut #1: Watching TV During Dinner
Why it's bad: Having dinner together offers valuable face time with your partner. Turning on the tube competes for attention and cuts in on your time to catch up and connect after so many hours spent apart.
How to stop: Set aside 30 to 45 minutes of one-on-one talk time with the TV off every night. This shows your spouse that when you're not at work, you're devoted to your home and family. During this time, ignore your phone and leave the BlackBerry in another room. You'll feel closer within days.
Rut #2: Going Too Long Without Sex
Why it's bad: If the amount of sex you're used to having starts to slide, your body and brain can get used to the decreased intimacy, causing you to go even longer without wanting that closeness.
How to stop: Don't wait until you feel like doing it. Initiate sex when you're open to doing it, rather than when you have the desire. This will jump-start your feelings so you'll crave it more often.
Rut #3: Going a Whole Workday Without Talking to Your Sweetheart
Why it's bad: You'll start growing apart emotionally after subconsciously feeling like the other person doesn't think about you (and your needs) during the day.
How to stop: Initiate daily contact by sending a quick "How's your day?" email. And make the effort to do something nice every day (pick up his fave dessert, call from the store to see if she needs something). It shows forethought and consideration for your partner's needs.
Rut #4: Tuning Each Other Out
Why it's bad: You're disengaging from each other.
How to stop: Make an effort to do small things such as kissing before saying good-bye, making eye contact when talking, and complimenting each other frequently throughout the week. Does he not seem to hear you talking during certain times (ahem, when ESPN is on)? Don't try to make conversation while the TV is on. If it's important, press mute; otherwise, save conversations for dinner or your bedroom, where you're less likely to be interrupted.
Rut #5: Not Fighting
Why it's bad: Disagreements are good in a marriage because you're expressing your individuality. Talking about issues when they first happen makes them easier to fix than if you wait until after they've festered.
How to stop: Bring up what's on your mind in a way that shows your admiration and respect for each other's thoughts and feelings. Like, "It hurts my feelings when ______. I was hoping we could figure out a new way to handle the situation together." This will set the tone of the conversation as loving and calm, but you both have to compromise to keep it that way
Rut #6: Going out More with Friends Than with Your Spouse
Why it's bad: It sends the message that your friends are more worthy of your time.
How to stop: Schedule nights out with your crew a few times a month, but make sure to let your partner know in advance. It's important to have these friendships as long as they don't make your married time sparse. And it's always best that these friends are people your partner knows and trusts, so there's less reason to worry.
Rut #7: Being Too Close
Why it's bad: As much as you think burping, scratching, picking, or farting is funny or cute, it can backfire and cross the line. It may be a reflection of your closeness, but there should be a limit. Otherwise, you're leaving your partner with a very unsexy image of you.
How to stop: Start a new rule. If you wouldn't do it in front of your work friends, don't do it in front of your honey. To get your mate to refrain, say: "I know we're close, and we can share everything, but I'd really appreciate it if you'd leave the room, or leave me out, when you do that. It's not very sexy, and I don't want anything that makes you less sexy to me."
Rut #8: Sharing Too Much with Your Parents or In-laws
Why it's bad: This shows a lack of loyalty to your spouse. Your parents shouldn't have any information that your spouse doesn't have. And they shouldn't know anything he wouldn't want them to know.
How to stop: Be loyal to your spouse even when she's not present. If you wouldn't say something in front of her, don't say it at all. You would want the same in return.

retupmoc dnah thgir

!PU MOTTOB TFEL OT THGIR MORF DAER DNA YOJNE
.eheheh
?ereh rettop yrrah saw

?huh egnarts
.nwod og senil eht retne sserp i emityreve dna
.tfel eht fo daetsni edis thgir eht ot og srettel eht
!deneppah tahw kool dna demmaj retupmoc ym
!ih

a song for dada and baby =)

i see beautiful days with you

click to hear the song via you tube

I see beautiful days with you
I feel beautiful ways of loving you
You’ve touched my heart so deeply
And I can’t thank God enough
For all the beautiful days with you
I feel beautiful ways of loving you
Everything is just so wonderful
Every little thing is just so beautiful
When I spend it with you

You came along
In an unexpected time
It was so divine
Knowing you are mine
It feels so right
When I look into your eyes
I never knew that love
Could make me feel this way
I can’t wait for the day
When I can truly say

[repeat refrain]

You
Woh, oh woh
You

With you I felt fine
So right

I’ve sang so many songs in stages
With thousands of them watching me
But you’re here with me now
And I sing this song to you
To you, baby
Just for you
Just for you

daddy, i am really happy to have spent those 4 days with you! see u again in August

friends please don't ask for chocolates, walang dalang pasalubong ang asawa ko bawal daw kasi sa buntis un.
well, at least i have a new PSP to keep me busy! i wonder where i could use the skype so i could talk to my husband for free. patulong naman mark!

sorry for the inconvenience

the puzzle of the new template
i am now fixing my blog. thanks to mark for giving me a link to a whole new set of template, my blog almost got lost in space. hehe, peace Mark!
I pasted the new template and when I refreshed it, no blog could be found. Hehe. So i got into fixing the template again and here's the i-am-me-nyem's new look.

random pre and post wedding pictures

May 16, 2008 8pm @Las Ninas del Carmen Tree House my super girl friends gave me a shower party. Though twas raining a bit,Bagyong Cosme on its way, me and my gorgeous friends shared wonderful time.<

clockwise: neng, udette,ellen, nin, me, aunee, inets
we had a great time playing games, reading ate lala's hilarious yet touching open letter and nyemnyem received gifts and pieces of advice from everyone.twas a blast! thank u thank u!

night before the wedding my pretty sister and her kids prepared the giveaways. extra thanks to udette and her boyfriend aran for picking the cupcakes at SM Pampanga =)

May 18 around 2pm lawrence palma made up my sistah, cousin and udette and syemps pwede bang hindi pagandahin si mother dear?<

kulet magpopose!

May 24, Mariano family with the new kid on the block went to ninewaves to have a dip in the pool courtesy of ate Mai!<

sarap ba magswim?tatay and nanay
me and the new member of the mariano clan

June 27, 2008 me and my baby had a fun time watching Gary V. live at glorietta. We danced, sang and shout! hahaha, Mommy had fun! supah fun!<

me and my kuya. do we look alike? Gary was super pleasant not only because he is promoting his album but because he is genuinely cool. You'd feel naman if the person u are talking to is plastic, but with him you'd see the sparkle in his eyes annd find sincerity. When i told him i like "Better than I" song, he looked into my eye (yeah he did) and smiled, a huge smile that is. He said he finds it very common when people admire his "Only Hope" rendition or other popular songs but find it rare for people to appreciate "Better than I". I said I've watched Joseph the dreamer and that there is something about the... "message" we said in unison.

July 4, 2008, Tagaytay CIty with officemates for our Planning session cum videokehan cum pasyal

beautiful flowers in tagaytay

beautiful ladies in Tagaytay

Halfway There!

Hi Friends! We are on the halfway mark of 2008 - congratulations!

July is fast approaching. We hardly realize the closure of the first half of the year. Now the second half is near and unfolding. Have u ever thought how the January to June were for you? Were u able to accomplish the goals you've set? How was your new years resolution?

hahaha serious?

Okay let's shift mood and let me talk about myself. hehehe. Nyemnyem had accomplish some part of my to do list esp the Love part hehehe. click here for my to do list 08

Let me start with School - Nyemnyem is on leave this term, its because I am pursuing a Family career as of the moment =). Treasury Operations and Derivatives and Options Pricing classes went well. I got 4 on my classcards for both subjects, can u believe it? However, I failed to learn the Portfolio Management on my own. Its just too tiring to self study something halfheartedly. Besides I have lots of things in mind that time, first on the list was the wedding.

For Family, Church, Finances and Office sections lots of the to do is still in progress. I was too biased and concentrated in the Love part that I failed to do much for the said sections. =D Well at least I have attended the Microsoft Excel 07 training for 'Office', have gone to outings for 'Family', have reimbursed my tuition fees for 'Finances' and have gone to church regularly when I am in calumpit. Franchising seminar and desktop publishing training will have to make way for the cooking class I am planning to attend.

Then there's the "Love section". The only part Ive aced for the 6 months, hehehe. Ive gotten to know Vhin better, Ive said "I DO" last May 18 and lastly I am now on the halfway mark of pregnancy! Geez, be really careful for what u wish for it just might come true. Read my answer in the question: What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? here read the 6th Q&A

we're preggers

Nyemnyem is super excited to take this path because i have a great husband to accompany me on my journey, wonderful family to make life easy and a marvelous God who never forgets His promises.

Thank you to everyone who has made the first half of my 2008 extraordinary!

To the one I Miss

At times, I get preoccupied with routine things I do,
And somehow fail to let you know how much I think of you.

But, Dear, if you could read my heart,then you would surely see
With every day that passes by you mean still more to me!

I love u Dad. I miss u.

Happy Monthsary! Love u

Davao Escapade - May 2008

Day after the wedding, May 19, me and hubby went to Davao City to rest for a while and spend 3 days away from the stress the wedding brought us. Some call it "honeymoon".

Our trip was scheduled at 12:05 in the afternoon but delayed to 1:00 and further delayed to around 2pm. Upon arrival to Davao City, we were greeted with smiles by locals and were fetched by Kuya ___, Ate ___'s brother in law. We were grateful that we have connections in Davao coz taxis for tourist might cost us huge amount. He then took us to a port where a banca will take us to our ultimate destination "The Pearl Farm Resort". Kuya still have work that day so he has to leave us at the reception area. I was tired na from the long ride and wanted to just lie on bed and sleep but sad news came to us once more when the receptionist told us that the banca just left and the next one will come at 6pm, we were there at 4:15 the banca left at 4pm. The plane got delayed then we failed to ride the banca leading us to the room where we could rest. What a fortune huh? But through all these we have remained calm, why bother eh we have each other naman. Besides the main agenda is to destress ayt? Well we got some nyemnyem's hungry tummy problem, but were solved by ordering a meal at the port's medyo pricey cafeteria.

So at 6:45pm we arrived at the island! So glad. Yey yey! Nyemnyem who gets tired easily, slept upon reaching our bed. But before that, we had our pictorial first
with the swan shaped towel adorned with flowers in our bed! What a welcome treat. The room is cozy and nice! The perfect room to relax!

So snooze it was for me, (to my hubby's disappointment hehe), till 11pm when my tummy calls for food. Buti na lang tinotolerate ni duds ang tummy calls ko siguro gutom na din sya. So before midnight we were munching our adobo, yum yum!

May 20 was spent eating (as i never get tired of eating), roaming the place (which we found super quiet and relaxing, hopping to the nearby Malipano Island to again unwind and last swimming! Pearl Farm is best for couples who want to stay away from their busy routine, it is for people who doesnt need live bands to cradle them at night.

Btw, after lunch we went up to our room to rest a little. To our surprise our room was clean, bedsheets in place and a little turtle shaped towel was on our bed to welcome us back. Funny thing was all our clothes which were scattered all over the room were now neatly placed beside our bed. Hahaha, dyahe sa room service kasi pati panty and brief inayos nya hahaha! Oh well, that's their task and besides di naman namin alam na mag-ruroom service pala sila. Buti na lang our valuables were kept in the locker!

We have to bid bye bye to the island on May 21st. We will have to catch our plane due to depart at 4pm. Kuya once again fetched us and there in the back seat was a box of suha for our pasalubong and consumption. Gustong gusto ko na sya kainin sa kotse pa lang, ang bango kasi. Pero syemps shy girl ang lola mo di muna kumain.

So we were at the airport at around 1:30pm just in time for our 2:20pm flight back to manila. To our dismay, though we were not surprised, Cebu Pacific plane got delayed again for an hour. hahaha. So there at Davao Airport we lounged and almost fell asleep. Nyemnyem enjoyed the cashew nuts we bought at the airport, yummy!

We landed in Manila grounds around 5pm and arrived in San Marcos at 7pm. Three days spent alone with my hubby, I could not ask for more!

back to work!

I am now here in the office. My third day actually after a long hiatus to wherever my feet and my hubby takes me. Well My leave started May 12 and ended June 13. Havent seen my desk and valen for a month. I didnt miss 'em though. Hehe!

I was having so much fun being a new wife that I really was hoping vacation could last longer. But days pass by equally to all of us and nyemnyem is back to work. I did not have a hard time going back, my boss is too kind to give me a hard time!

Have written this entry to say thank you to all my officemates and friends for their love and support. Mwaaah mwaaah. Thank You all big time!

unbelievably happy!

hi there! its been a while since my last post. and yes it has been a bliss! a wonderful bliss has dawned on me and nyemnyem is unbelievably happy. Why? There are lots of reasons for my happiness. Let me start making kwento about May 18, 2008. Syempre with lots of pictures!

May 18, 2008 12pm
The day is full of excitement. HMUA got lost, my bouquet is not the way i wanted it to be, some souvenir melted and tantrums of little boys. But booboos here and there were not able to succeed in ruining my day. Why fuss if everybody you love is there to celebrate your wedding day with you!

Oh and the pictorial, I didnt know modeling is a hard task. Mahirap palang umismile ng smile sa camera! By 4pm I thought my jaws are locking. Hehehe. But when I saw my groom, my handsome groom, waiting for me I just cant help but grin. I am so so happy!

During the ceremony, I let go of m bouquet and hold my hubby's hand instead. Mas masaya kaya na may kaholding hand kesa maghawak ng mabigat na bouquet. Btw, i eventually like the bouquet because it look great sa pictures. Hehehe. Besides, May and Anne were hardworking enough to make it look like the picture I gave them.

Mahirap nga lang talaga kumuha ng wild flowers na gusto ko. Hehehe. We were thrilled to see our friends attending to us during the rights. Ate lala is super gorgeous, so were the rest of the bridesmaids. The kids are so charming I wanted to hug each of them but we were so busy. Tropang kap friends were great, support to the max ang mga pare and mare! Girmy friends were fab that day, huge thanks guys!

Nways, the ceremony lasted for an hour, me thinks. Twas the pictorial after the ceremony that made it 2 hours long. The wacky ones are my favorite. Look at the cute little kids, aren't they fun to look at?

Around 6pm we were at Las Ninas and people were already hungry. Pica picas were not served but nyemnyem cares not. Si hubby ang super concerned, he wanted the caterer to serve the maki's to the guest. Oh well, there was no perfect wedding anyways and ours is no exception.

At the end of the day, it was our relationship blessed by the church which truly matters. A start of a new journey together has just begun. And yes, nyemnyem is unbelievably happy!

just so you know

A close friend who has been telling other common friends that the reason me and alvin are together is because of "tuksuhan".
How pathetic. Just so you can be the "bida" of the story you have to make that statement? Now your cousin told me you told them our love story, I bet your a superhero in that version eh?
Sure we are friends alright but that doesnt mean you can tell anyone our story much so a twisted version.
Did you happen to know that we were dating without you knowing it? Did it ever occur to you that we are both in Manila and we can meet without anyone bullying us to be an item?

From the very start I made it clear to Alvin that no one from our barkada would know that he is courting me. You know why? Because I dont want to be pressured, I want to have a relationship with a guy I know I love and not because other thinks he's the right one for me.

Alvin didnt want the guys know about us going out either so that if things do not go out as he wished it wouldnt be too hard for him.
There wasnt even "US" when he left for Brunei. Him leaving made me realize he is important to me and only when he came back did we agree to have a relationship. Did you get that, we agreed because we feel special for each other and not because the Tropa (and most especially you) teased us.
Enough said.
So there.

Koreanism

I had a fun time meeting with la salle friends last night, Leah, Aera & Sha. I gave the invitations and am happy to see them again after our last class (around april).

Aera our Korean classmate made kwento of her own wedding last year January 18. She said she hasnt attend any Filipino wedding yet. She said, in a korean wedding, guests are not allowed to wear white. The only one who could wear a white dress is the bride.

koreanism #2, guests give their share for the wedding expenses upon arrival, in return the usher will give them their food stubs!!! Friends of their parents do contribute for the wedding of their children. It is an unwritten agreement a tradition of sorts between families to help the newlyweds start their new life together. Sometimes the contribution is so substantial that the couple could actually use it for their first two years!!! Imagine that, Filipino friends =)Gawin natin to sa mga anak natin! Instead of bugging them with our own list of guest, we should help them out paying the bill and even setting up fund for their future!

koreanism #3, the bride doesnt need to change name after the wedding. they will continually use their father's name! ayos no? In aera's case it's pretty much like she used her husband's coz they both have the same last name "Lee".

koreanism #4, nowadays, the marrying age for women in korea is 26-28. well, using their own age reckoning. While I am 28 in my westernized age, my korean age would be 30! Duh, I am definitely old.

The 100th day anniversary (named baek-il (백일), literally, a hundred days) and the first anniversary of birth (named dol (돌)), call for large celebrations, and Koreans celebrate their birthdays, even though every Korean gains one year on New Year's Day. Because the first year comes at birth and the second on New Year's Day, a child born, for example, on December 29 will reach two years of age on January 1st, when they are only three days old in western reckoning.

In other words, upon birth you will turn 1 year old. Meaning August 31,1979 I am already 1 year old. COme new year,everybody will add anothe year to their age. Meaning Jan 1, 1980, I am 2 years old na! So now 30 years old na ko Korean way.

haaaay, madami pang kwento pero di ko na matandaan lahat, so for other koreanisms click here

being young!

tips for mommies to be and for tita's like me:
"don't leave your celphone at your children / niece / nephew's room"
let us enumerate why:
1) they will download ninja turtle, pokemon or power ranger games.
2) they will make fun of all the pictures in your gallery. kids are the worst critic.
3) they will play with your camera.


pero dahil love ko ang mga kulits na to ok lang!

"who wants to be gail's next patient?"

playtime by doctor gail carlos. patient: galen ezekiel carlos 4 years old Gamot 1st monami 2nd Lash 3rd How How Vitamins

My Philippines Today April 23, 2008

Issue on rice shortage still a big problem. Rice now costs 33 - 50 pesos per kilo.

Doctors and nurses of Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) will be sued for the surgery scandal footage uploaded in the net, you tube to be specific. For some reason, the medical practitioners did not follow the usual ethics of privacy. Hence they should be sued.

Jet Li and Jackie Chan's movie is now showing! Kaso i only watch funny movies when I'm alone. Kung Rush Hour 4 un pwede pa!

I love Philippine Star's caricature about marijuana losing ground due to silk worms. The picture shows 2 "groge" worms in a marijuana leaf.

others:
I love burger king! I told u before that they have this free all-day WIFI and movie evry 2-4pm, now they added another cool service, "MASSAGE". Wahaha, but customers aren't yet ready to ask for this service, me thinks. Unless they want to be the center of attention. yan n lang muna. ciao.

april

yazmien turned 1 last april 3!
napakacute na bata. madaldal saka mahilig gumapang sa salas namin. favorite line "yari ka" waaaaah ang cute cute!
me and jollibee
si nyemnyem at ang isa pa nyang boyfriend. hehehe. ang arte ni jollibee pinapungay pa nya mata nya nyan. classmate ni patricia nung highschool ung mascot kaya super game magpakuha ng picture.
huwat? duhat?
this yummy harvest was taken from our backyard duhat tree. medyo nagsawa na nga lang kami kaya ung second harvest hindi na masyado pinagkaguluhan ng mariano kids hehehe. dami yan at dadami pa din come may and june!

Finally

It's my finals week in my last term at DLSU. I've finished the diploma courses and I wont be continuing the masters degree (me thinks). The subjects I took amazes me. There was this Developmental theory in Financial Engineering, Calculus for finance, Econometrice, Controllership, Risk management in banking industry, treasury operations, and derivatives and options pricing. We finished the TreasOpt finals last tuesday, the derivatives final exam this friday makes me nervous. I still dont know how to derive the Black Scholes model. On the other hand it is good to know that it is almost over. Whatever happens on Friday, school will still be over! yadada! Haaaay Finals, finally!

I have other things to be busy about after this week. May is fast approaching and loads of preps still on its way to finality. Anyway, major ones have been booked. Hopefully by next week things will be clearer, details will torture me once May comes. Any suggestions? Smooth or rough the preparations may be, we will still tie the knot. Finally =)

Rushes about preparations:

Invitation will be out on April 23, QP promised they will be out by then. I love our invites, cute and medyo classy pero not that expensive. Cant wait to have them!

Wedding dress will arrive on April 27. Hopefully she'd be able to make the dress as lovely as the one printed in the magazine. Sana sana.

althea, amanda, allesandra

just three of the baby names i like. actually leading na si althea, kasi i named the giraffe stuffed toy na bigay ni duds from his first flight back to manila.

let's just wait and see =)

our wedding wedsite

click here

happiness

Busy pero Happy!

Call me WonderWoman, Superwoman or Darna if you want it local! But I sure am Super nowadays. A juggler of loads to the max. I couldnt even figure out how to manage the tasks I have in my hands at the moment. But I am happy. Busy pero happy.

Yun nga busy ako saka na kwento ok? mwaaah.

Am I born in March?

My birthday is on August pa but I kept on receiving great gifts since March 1!
haaaay, happpy happy happy. Can you feel it? Excited na ko!



Our wedding is moved to May 18, 2008, to support our various plans. Haha, front lang un! Gusto lang talaga ng asawa ko makasal agad, =P (love u dad) Sabi nga ni shawy, bakit ko pa daw papatagalin. Ang bruhang babae sa May 3 ang wedding & bridesmaid pa ko!!! High school classmate din nya un! Magkaputol talaga kami ng pusod ng girlaloo na un!

Kuya Edwin (H2B's brother) & Ate Rebecca (kuya's wife) who came home from Aus paid a visit to our abode last Saturday! And boy was I thrilled to meet both of them. Bubbly and warm. When it was time for them to leave Kuya hugged me pa, as if welcoming me to their family. i love them! My pasalubong? A Sunflower - Elizabeth Arden perfume set! Haay cant ask for more =)

Since the wedding is this May na, makakasama na si Udette sa entourage. Siguro naman di pa sya pupuntang Australia by then no? =P

There is an additional reader of this blog. Now I have 6 million readers =P Dati 5 million lang hahaha. Welcome chie! She's almost 4 months pregnant. She looks fab, Preggylicious!
click to her&her chubby's site

us in Bacong Negros Oriental

My pimples are subsiding. hehehe. nagsubside na yan sa lagay na yan! walang kokontra =D

I have booked the make up artist! yey yey! haaay thank you naman available ang lola!

Wedding Announcer is almost ready. =P other's still work in progress.

I love march! H2B will be here on holy week! Short visit lang but its ok, at least i'll see him na! Yey. Birthday nya din nun! Extra happy!

wedding preparation

ok ok, so i am guilty alryt.

march is fast approaching and i am still dilly dallying about our wedding preps. my usual reason is "october pa naman un" matagal pa. haaaay, when will we be able to start. most probably we'll start the "real" preps when he comes home on the holy week and will stay for two weeks.

caterers, flowers, venue, gown, souvenirs and cake, we won't have any prob sa church coz no one will get married on that date except me else i'll ask them to move it. hahahah!

nways, lets just hope that things turn out ok.

for now petiks na muna. =P ( i know i'll regret this big time come october, hehehe!)

The Jologs guide to Brunei and Malaysia

Haha. What else do Jologs like me do when they visit a country. Hehehe. TAKE PICTURES. and take lots of them! here are just glimpses of our adventures and misadventures to this Malay country.
Btw, i sure look like Malay. They were talking to me in their native language, lah!

passport ready as we enter Miri Malaysia

Gong Xi Fat Chai - Miri Malaysia (rest day ni inday)

Eto naman ang sosyal na palasyo sa brunei. at golden columns in Empire Hotel

one billionth barrel monument in seria

so there i went to brunei to visit my H2B to celebrate the chinese new year. heheh. hinid naman new year lang, yun kasi ung day na wala silang pasok so i went there Wednesday morning! actually i started blogging this out last friday when i was under house arrest coz h2b has to go to work. but its alryt sandali lan naman un sa office after 4 hours kita ko n ulit ang asawa ko.

so wednesday 7:05am flight to brunei, 9am plane touched down brunei and there in the arrival area was my husband waiting for his wife! ehehe.

thursday is miri, malaysia day! weird lang kasi the bridge approaching the boarder has a sign that says "use at your own risk". duh ano un? di nila sure kung makakalampas ka ng buhay dun sa bridge? weird.

friday is work day so i was under house arrest. which is ok lang kasi i was able to fix our wedding annoucer, which is the main reason why we went there - to talk about the wedding and fix things. nways, di ko muna sasabihin ang web address kasi di pa tapos. and i was able to prepare the house for our pre-valentine date. sync naman pala kami kasi he wanted to have a date too. he even brought flowers. nakalmutan daw nya bumili ng candles. eh ako may dala ko candles from manila pa! so friday night was valentines date night!

saturday to sunday nman are one billionth barrel monument, soon lee and empire outing day. heartbreaking ung time n malapit na ko umalis. ung feeling na ayaw ko na lumipad pabalik ng manila but i have to. (wala munang detalye kwentuhan n lang tayo okies?)

so monday morning 1:30am plane touched down manila and were long distance lovers again. we'll wait for another month till we see each other. well, at least we saw each other and we had our 5 days together! yipee!

so cheers to all bruneiyukis like moi!

our community children's party last december

as i was browsing pictures on my camera, i saw these community party pictures and realized i havent written or posted anything about it. so here are some pictures =) hope we'll party again on december. mwaaah mwaaah.

d' kids - kagat labi dance

played tissue mummy and who else should i get para hindi bias ang laro kundi si etot and enan a.k.a. as Kam & Bal!!! i dont know who won, di ko madistinguish

pinoy henyo with ate la & inets, my MOH and BM