Week 33: How Will Two Kids Raise Two Babies?

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Husband and I had a fun time opening presents from the baby shower, even though we still haven’t figured out how to use half the stuff we got! We have a little less than a month to get the nursery together now (I know, we’re crammers like that), but my oh my, exciting times ahead! :)

On another note, what I love most about these photos* is my husband’s wacky face. Haha! Sometimes I wonder if he’s fully aware that he’s going to be a father soon. I think he forgets sometimes.

I guess we can tell now which one of us will be the babies’ favorite. Haynakuuu! :)

*Photo is an animated GIF, it might take a while to load.

Our baby shower, part 1: Showered with lots of love.. & calories!

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It all began with my husband wanting to throw me a surprise baby shower with our church family, except that he couldn’t handle the pressure of the preparations so he ended up spilling the beans to me himself. I love that he tried, really, but I was glad that he told me because I didn’t want a surprise! If anything, I wanted to be able to pick what we’re going to wear (LOL) and be part of the preparations.

Everything turned out well, after all. :)

So I did as much as I could—designing invites, giveaways and stickers; ordering paper straws; browsing Pinterest for ideas; hand-lettering labels, you know, stuff I can do within the confines of my laptop and desk. But my involvement was little compared to my dear fairy godmothers‘ labor of love.

I don’t know how to pull off throwing a party without Mae. She did a great job organizing the whole thing—making sure that we get the items in my wish list, inviting loved ones and friends, putting the program together, and filling the venue with pinterest-inspired paper pompoms, cupcake labels, japanese lanterns, and buntings. Hands down! It was the prettiest baby shower ever.

Fresh (of Josiahs’ Catering), who once did magic on our wedding day, got carried away once again and made a little desert heaven out of our little party. There were too many deserts—cupcakes, macarons, eclairs, meringues, cream puffs—I wasn’t even able to taste everything! That is, besides the fact that my husband was watching out my sugar and calorie intake, LOL.

Ivy helped with souvenir print outs and setting up my baby registry while she’s doing her own wedding preps.

I have the awesomest friends.  Continue reading “Our baby shower, part 1: Showered with lots of love.. & calories!” →

Week 32: Probably The Only Time I’m Giving Pregnancy Tips

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And I’m not about to tell you what to eat, what to do when your feet are swollen, or what’s the best sleeping position with a huge watermelon-sized tummy. There are gazillions of websites for those tips already (try Baby Center & What to Expect), and surely they know more than I do.

What I’ve been meaning to share is something that is both biblical and practical, and something that’s truly worked for me: First, that you wait until you’re married to get pregnant, and second, that you marry someone who will take care of you in the course of pregnancy (and beyond!) and will take responsibility for your future babies as much as you do.

aug13

Photos are from my 26th week, we have not taken maternity shots in a while. 

You see, pregnancy brings about a gazillion of changes in your body, emotions, personality, schedule, and in everything that you are. To start with, pregnancy makes you cranky, and crave for all sorts of food, and pretty much tired all the time. There are days when you feel ugly, and your body will undergo physical changes that are not exactly.. pretty. And then you find yourself crying even more than usual, not just because of the pains but because of hormones as well.

When your baby bump is bigger, you have to be literally pulled out of bed in the mornings (or in the wee hours of the night) because you can’t get up by yourself anymore. You feel pain everywhere, pains that don’t exactly have medical cure, so you need a massage in lieu of pain killers.. or, when the massage does not work, a comfort hug that reminds you that you’re not going through this alone.

Through all these, you need someone patient enough to be around, to support you, and to lovingly be at your beck and call.

And I know it must sound like I’m telling you to get a private caregiver, lol, but mostly what I’m saying is.. aside from the fact that sex and pregnancy are designed by God to be within the bounds of marriage, pregnancy is team effort. It’s hard and challenging, but it becomes so much easier when done as a team.

I salute single mothers out there who’s done pregnancy on their own.. but for you who still have a choice, I’m saying, don’t screw up the timeline, friend. Engagement, wedding, marriage, pregnancy, motherhood—each one is a beautiful phase to savor and enjoy, one phase at a time.

So get married first, and go through pregnancy with your husband. You will definitely need lots of help, lots of love, & lots of attention! ;)

Week 30: Through Good and Bad Days

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I’ve been going through a lot of rough days lately. I wake up and go through the day with all sorts of pain in literally all parts of my body, and I have to endure looong trips from home to work and back each day. Sometimes I can’t point exactly where the pain is coming from anymore; all I know is, sleeping, walking, standing up and even breathing takes a lot more effort now than ever.

Plus my baby bump is HUGE! The photos above were taken about a month ago, so I’ve grown significantly bigger since then. To illustrate how big my bump is, last week during my pre-natal checkup, two other pregnant mommies were in the waiting room with me. After some small talk, I learned that they were already in their 9th month of pregnancy.. and yet, my 30-week old tummy was still bigger than theirs. It’s heavy, and it’s no joke having to carry around additional 40 pounds of placenta, amniotic fluid, and two actively kicking babies, while balancing them with my short, chubby legs.

But God sends angels to help me through each day—strangers who willingly give up their seats for me in crowded trains, churchmates and colleagues who thoughtfully bring me cookies and pastries, godmothers who hand-me-down maternity dresses, family and friends who volunteer to drive and run errands for us, prayer warriors everywhere.

And then there’s my husband who tells me I’m beautiful even when all I feel is fat and ugly, who holds my hand through a contraction or a cramp, and listens intently when I rant about the challenges of my day, and makes room in our budget for occasional shopping sprees when I’m feeling sad about not having anything to wear anymore, and picks me up from work everyday without fail.

And then there’s these two little angels who nudge me from within—fetal movements that, to me, translate to “We love you, Mommy!“, or “We’re okay Mommy, don’t worry about us!“, or “You’re not alone Mommy, we’re here.”

I’m surrounded by love everyday.

Sure, there may be moments of weakness.. days when I wish for this phase to be over and done with already; or moments when I feel sad about not being able to wear heels; or times when I get scared about going under the knife. But mostly there is just pure joy, and sheer excitement, and childlike wonder, and a lot of marveling at how intricately God creates life and how He takes care of His children.

This pregnancy is doing me good. I want to remember this time of my life forever.

*Word art by Paislee Press, thank you.