Category: 40 Weeks

Week 27: I Stand With Arms High and Heart Abandoned

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This one is for keeps: My little family, all four of us, (my husband and I and the two little worshipers inside of me), leading worship at our church‘s Cell Leaders’ Conference. At 27 weeks.

I’ll let you in on how it’s like to lead worship with a pregnant tummy.

It’s extra-challenging, like any other task that requires you to stand for a period of time as you feel the additional weight that hangs around your belly. You have to maintain self-control whenever you feel like dancing or jumping, which can be a little frustrating when you see everyone else dancing and jumping the way you can’t do.  You have to stop in the middle of songs to catch your breath. You feel some leg cramps and back pains but you soldier on anyway.

And then you start feeling fetal movements and some kicking inside of you, and you smile at that thought that the babies are most likely enjoying the drum beats and the music, and hearing their Mommy and Daddy’s muffled voices.

And could it be they’re worshiping too? :)

So you lift your hands and sing your heart out, short of breath, tears on your cheeks, muscle pains and all, heart abandoned to this awesome God—the Giver of life, your Source of strength, your Reason for living, your babies’ Creator. And you know you’re doing exactly what you were made to do.

And that.. is one of the best feelings in the world.

Canyon Woods Batangas Baby Moon

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From our anniversary weekend. Here’s more, just because we have tons of them. :)

The resort was huge, and we had it all to ourselves! Because the place was so huge (Have I said that yet? Oh yeah.), we had to take a shuttle to go around from our cabin to the clubhouse to wherever in the vicinity we want to go.

The clubhouse. We had meals at their empty lounge, with a beautiful view of pine trees and the sky. The food can be pricey in the lounge though, so we had one of our lunches in Tagaytay proper, more or less a 30 minute drive away.

The casitas. Although the rooms and the facilities are old and a little worn out, I think it adds to the rustic and country-feel ambiance that Canyon Woods is all about.

And I just looove the floor-to-ceiling glass doors/windows!

The indoor pool. The highlight of our stay has got to be the indoor pool, which we had all to ourselves! They turn on the heater only in the weekends though, so if you’re planning to come here for the indoor pool, definitely schedule your trip on a weekend.

Say hello to my huge belly, at 26 weeks. :)

I think swimming really did me well, especially for my muscle cramps and back pains. 

The outdoor pool. It was pretty much ours during our stay, too. Although it wasn’t heated, the sunshine on our backs evened out the cold water, which made our outdoor swim a really nice experience as well.

Canyon Woods is always mistaken to be in Tagaytay, but it’s basically in Batangas already. We love it and we definitely recommend it! Like I said, we seemed to be like the only guests at the time, but they’re not under-staffed and we were taken care of really well.

A tip: Best if you go there with coupon deals, we got ours from Cashcashpinoy. ;)

I’d love to come back soon, but my tummy is getting bigger and bigger, and we’re getting closer and closer to our due date. I guess this is my last trip, at least for now.

Week 23: Found the Perfect Maternity Wedding Dress

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So we’re going to a big wedding this weekend, and last night, I found the perfect dress to wear to the occasion.

I love it! It fits me like it was tailored for me and my huge bump! I’m surprised I could still fit in a small-sized dress, by the way, when I weigh about 130 pounds by now. The length, the style, the fit, the fabric, the color—everything is just so right, even better than what I was looking for. My only worry is, I got it from Forever 21, and you know how Forever 21 mass-produces every piece of clothing they have, yeah? Well, Jasper & Darlene, the couple who’s getting married this Saturday, has about 500 guests—can you picture how huge a crowd that is? So now I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I don’t bump (pun intended) into someone, out of those 500 people, who wears the same dress as MY perfect dress. We’ll see.

In other news, we’ve moved in to the new apartment, and everything is still a mess. I reckon it will take us this whole month to get our stuff out of moving boxes and put everything in its place. I’m trying my best not to stress out about it. I’m glad that my husband and I have learned to make a home out of whatever space we have, wherever we are.

It’s around this time too, last year, when we were so busy preparing for our wedding and settling down in our first home. July 30, 2011 was the date stamped on David‘s one-way NYC-HK-MLA plane ticket, and I still remember that night in the airport, exactly a year ago, when we were reunited once and for all.

So we’re celebrating a lot of anniversaries this whole month. And we’re making the most out of our time together, just the two of us. Coz soon enough, two kiddos will be sharing our space, and our days, with us. And nothing will ever be the same again.

Oh. boy.

I mean, girls.

Week 22: When I’m with You, I Feel Old

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So I spent one Tuesday afternoon with my girlfriends, and I’ve had these photographs waiting in my drafts for days, short for words as always. But I was positive that one of my girlfriends would blog about it soon, so I thought I’d wait so I can just link it up. I was right.

Thanks, Mae, for doing the honors.

Now all I have to do is to post more photos. :D

And can I just say, in my best Carrie Bradshaw impersonation, “I died and went to cake heaven?”

My friends did this pregnant woman a favor by choosing to hang out at Conti’s that afternoon. They all ordered a slice of cake each, while I had a slice of cake PLUS a plateful of yummy beef lasagna. Pregnancy has its perks. ;)

To end, I’d like to steal her words, because I couldn’t say it any better. Sometimes, life surprises you and gives you family who are like friends, and friends who are like family. Not everyone gets to be blessed with both, but I’m just so thankful that I am.

With these girls, growing old doesn’t feel too scary after all.

Week 15: It Held You Until My Arms Could

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It’s a rainy Friday night, and I thought I’d post these sunshiney photos of me and my bump from last Sunday.

I was on my 15th week when these photos were taken, but I can seriously feel (and see) a significant change in my bump in just about.. 5 days. No, really. They’re growing fast!

My husband insists I put lotion on my tummy everyday to lessen the stretch marks, especially now. I wasn’t at all worried about the marks at first, really, until I started seeing photos of women with their post-pregnancy stretch marks from Google images (don’t try it!). I have to say, it made me.. frightened.

I really should take the lotion more seriously.

But then I found this poem written by a photographer name Cassie Fox..

Birthmarks

A mark for every breath you took, every blink, every sleepy yawn.
One for every time you sucked your thumb, waved hello, closed your eyes, and slept in the most perfect darkness.
One for every time you had the hiccups.
One for every dream you dreamed within me.

It isn’t very pretty anymore.
Some may even think it’s ugly. 

That’s okay. 

It was your home.
It held you until my arms could, 
and for that,
I will always find something beautiful in it.

..and my eyes teared up almost automatically, reading the poem, just as it would any time the hormones would strike. It dawned on me once again that lives are being formed inside of me, and what a beautiful experience it is to be used as God’s instrument to make life.

Suddenly, I’m not afraid of getting birthmarked anymore. Sure, I’d still put on some lotion (for my husband), but I won’t mind getting a remembrance from our babies’ first home.

Double Blessings

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Saturday, March 31. “God must really love us.. in a really special and weird way,” my husband said, laughing as we tried to recover from the surprise that came with our first ultrasound. One week after we tested positive for pregnancy, we confirmed that we’re not just pregnant.. we’re having twins!

To say that we were surprised is an understatement; we were, mostly, blown away. We never prayed for twins, never expected it, never crossed our minds. There haven’t been any twin pregnancies from both our lineage, at least none that we know of, or none that we can trace. And yet, here they are, growing in my womb. It’s like I could hear God’s still small voice, and see a smile on His lips, “Riz, my dear Riz, you can never predict Me. I have more surprises for you.”

So you must have seen this ultrasound print already, if you’re connected to us in Facebook. We managed to be mum about being pregnant for a few weeks, only our family and a few friends knew. But when we found out that we’re having twins, it’s just so hard to keep it to ourselves! Suddenly, my husband was announcing it in the pulpit of our church before he lead Worship, and excitedly sharing the news on Facebook. We’re overwhelmed by the response and the excitement around us, it’s a great feeling to know that friends and family are praying for us from (literally) all over the world.

I’m on my 9th week now and the morning sickness has been horrible; whoever named it “morning sickness” has no idea what he was talking about, really! This “sickness” is more like an all-day-round-a-clock sickness! I’m always sleepy, and tired, and nauseous, and bloated. They say it’s even worse when you’re carrying twins. Which explains why I have a pile of unprocessed photos and unfinished drafts, why this blog has gone quiet for the past week, and why I haven’t seen a lot of my friends like usual.

On a lighter note, a new level of respect and appreciation has been growing in my heart for mothers who have endured so much pain while the rest of us can only see the cute baby photos and pink little tutus and adorable feeding bottles. Pregnancy sure is a lot of work, and one won’t know it until she experienced it.

So my husband and I have been adjusting to pregnancy—easier on some days (like today!), more difficult on most days. But my heart rests in the assurance that all of this will be worth it when we finally hold our babies in our arms. We’re excited to have our 2nd ultra sound any time this week or next! Hopefully we’ll start hearing some tiny heartbeats too. :)

Meanwhile, on those moments I’m not feeling dizzy and sleepy, I’m actually feeling artsy!

I’m currently playing around with my not-so-new stack of art stuff—some doilies, manila tags, and washi tapes I bought before we found out we’re pregnant. I want to put together a pregnancy journal, something I can show the babies when they’re older. I can’t wait for this first trimester to be over, they say I’ll get my groove back after the first 3 months.

“Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward,” says Psalms 127:3.

Multiply that by the power of two, and that’s how blessed my husband and I feel. :)