Five lessons that I have learned when I knew I was pregnant.

Hello everyone!:) I've been in the mood to talk about my pregnancy, because I have been blessed to nurture a child inside my body. I know that there are a lot of first time soon-to-be moms (just like me!) who are clueless of pregnancy. I've seen some of my friends got pregnant and gave birth, but I honestly do not know a lot when it's my time. So this post might help other ladies out there. (Please bear with me, I'm not an expert, I just based these things on my own personal experience.=P)

Here's a list of the 5 most important lessons that kept me going.

1. Do not entertain the thought of "miscarriage."
I was told that during the first trimester, there is a high risk of the big "M" word. But never ever think of that! I was a paranoid myself that I keep on thinking, what if?
I found out that I was pregnant when I am approaching my 4th week of pregnancy. Having said this, my ob told me that we cannot see the baby's heartbeat yet. It's too early. I had my first ultrasound and I just saw a tiny seed inside my ovary. No heartbeat, just sac. So I think, this might be a blighted ovum, or an ectopic pregnancy, and the list goes on. This is just wrong. Think of nothing but happy thoughts! I must admit that I still got nervous the day of the ultrasound where we get to see our munch's heartbeat the first time. And seeing that little pea's heart beating gave us so much joy!

2. Never as in NEVER Google!
Curious of anything? Google may not be your best friend this time. For it can tell you the best about your current slate, but it can also break you and feel paranoid about everything that is happening in your life. Guilty as charged, I used to google every single thing about pregnancy. What if this is just a huge joke that fate is giving us? I kept on googling about every single detail that MIGHT go wrong. And as expected, it made me a worrywart. I've read that people experienced this, felt that. My husband told me, "what happened to them may not happen to you." And he's right. I'm approaching my 9th week now and despite all the nausea and food cravings, I am really thankful that the baby is safe and healthy! :)

3. Put the baby on top of your priority list.
I am a certified "lakwachera". As in I always go out. I meet my friends after work. I stay up until the wee hours of the day just to have coffee and talk about anything. I'm not a drinker, but I love having late night coffee sessions with friends. I am also into junk foods. As in I can eat Potato Corner BBQ fries every day! Giga! (with extra powder please!) Need I say more? I don't mind the calories, for as long as it's delicious. But now, it's a different story. I am no longer concerned about myself, suddenly, everything is for the baby. I stay at home more often. There was this weekend that I have to rest the whole day in bed because I had cramps. I sleep at 10. I eat fish, vegetables and fruits. And most importantly, I am trying my very best to get rid of Potato Corner, because it is not good for the baby. My world had a 360 degrees shift, for someone who used to think about herself, into someone who is now trying her best to give nothing but the best for the baby. After all, the baby is more important than me, yes?

4. Pray. (harder.)
I've always been a devotee of the black Nazarene. But I am guilty that I often skip Sunday masses because I'm too lazy to go. (Sorry God.) But since I found out that I am pregnant, I have been a prayer warrior. Since I am into googling everything about pregnancy, might as well use my above average stalking skills to look for a prayer for pregnant women. So I'm sharing the prayer that I pray every morning and every night for a safe pregnancy. :)

Prayer for a Safe Pregnancy

This life you have given us
is so tiny, fragile, and vulnerable,
safe in the womb of flesh and hope,
yet subject to danger and death.
O God of love, creator of life,
hear our prayer.
We want this baby so much.
Please grant this child of ours
a full term of nurture,
the joy and mystery of life,
and the blessing of your love.
Grant us the fulfillment of our dreams,
a baby to cherish and protect,
a child to teach and guide,
a blessing to our family.
Amen.

5. Enjoy every step of being pregnant.
Given a chance to conceive is indeed a blessing. Never ever forget that not everyone is privileged enough to bear a child (I know it, I have PCOS!). It was not easy for us to conceive and now that it's finally happening, I should be nothing else but grateful that God granted our wish. I have been experiencing nausea and not stop wee hours peeing, but I consider myself blessed beyond measure. A loving husband and a baby on its way? I have nothing more to ask for. :)

Have a safe and wonderful pregnancy to all the expectant mothers out there! xx


much love,

Preggo diaries.

Howdy! After my worries and paranoia during the time that I haven't seen nor heard our munchkin's heartbeat, finally I had my "legit" ultrasound last Tuesday and nothing seeing our baby's heartbeat the first time felt surreal. Sometimes I still can't believe that there's a baby inside my tummy! It's something like I have been very blessed to have this munch.

Our original plan is to announce my pregnancy after my first trimester but blame it on the low eq, I have already announced it after my ultrasound.

I am overwhelmed with the people who liked and congratulated us! I can't remember any picture that I've posted with 380++ number of likes! 

Okay, just a short story about my ultrasound last Tuesday.

Our schedule for a transv should be Wednesday, but John will be having his job interview so we moved it to Tuesday. If I will base it on my last US, I should be six weeks three days but based on munchkin's size, the baby is 7 weeks 2 days old now! :) As what I've said in the post, John's reaction was epic, really epic. He almost cried, and wanted to hug me in the ultrasound bed, but of course he can't. He held my hand and looked at me and the rest was history. (Imagine the romantic scene while this is all happening. haha) Thank God that the baby's heartbeat is normal. And according to the sonologist, everything is perfectly normal.

So yes, I am officially pregnant. I'm claiming it. And I am asking everyone to help me pray for the safety of our munchkin. Believe me, I had been nauseous and hungry lately but I'm not complaining. Anything for the baby... Kakayanin sir! :)

So my dear readers, please help me pray for our little baby. I'll appreciate it a lot. :)

much love,

Wedding day make up.

Hello! Lately, I'm in the process of getting rid of negative thoughts and avoiding not-so-good reads online. Having been exposed to the internet all day, this is kinda hard to do. But I'm trying to practice "mind over matter" so I decided to read blogs about wedding preps.

I know it's been a year since I got hitched. I'm over with our suppliers' reviews and the like. But the best thing about a wedding for brides (or at least for me) is the way we will look like before saying I do. Who doesn't want to look at your best on that very special day of your life? So let's talk about make up today. (I decided

Short history:
We're on a limited budget back then because we'll be having 300 guests. So we tried our best to look for bang-for-the-buck suppliers, without compromising the quality of their work of course. Eds Go is really not our first choice. I've been eyeing this HMUA before her. I even had my trial make up with her and I am stunned by the way I looked! (Stunned talaga? Ganda-gandahan lang?) So looked for my photos during make up trials and I will okray myself.

HMUA No.1. This is how I looked like during my first make up trial. I must say that I had this "I'm so pretty" feeling with the HMUA, not to mention that she's a college schoolmate. Ang flawless ko kaya dyan! I was really hoping that I can book her for our wedding but there's one minor major problem that we have... Budget! She's out of our budget. So my husband said we should try looking for other MUAs and decide later.

HMUA No.2. I also considered her to be my HMUA. Only that there are some pictures that my face looks cakey. Parang makapal tignan yung foundation. But then when we tried taking pictures in his husband's studio, I looked like that. Okay naman diba?:) And the HMUA is also nice. Super friendly. 

HMUA 3. Okay this one, epic fail for me. I can even remember how my husband told me to remove my make up and wash my face. Para daw akong sinuntok! Good thing this is for free because the trial is done during a bridal fair. I actually felt that the HMUA is using fake MAC cosmetics. So yes, I didn't consider her.

Eds Go. This is my trial with Eds last 2012. She didn't have a portfolio back then, but my husband loved the way I looked! According to my husband "fresh and blooming" daw! Since she's still new to the industry back then, she's affordable, and pasok sa budget! She started joining bridal fairs and my husband is really kuripot so we booked Eds during one of her first bridal fairs..(para may discount!)

Engagement Shoot.
I was hoping to get Eds for our prenup, but it will be a bit costly for us so I booked for a former schoolmate. (We had our prenup in our house in Bulacan and she's from Bulacan as well.) I booked Glacey Loiz. I will try to look for more close up pictures. :)

 Wedding day.
The most special day of our lives. So we booked Eds Go and I am extremely satisfied with the results!

So that's how I looked like on my wedding day. The photobooth picture was taken after the event and my make up still looks good! To my surprise, my friends have noticed that Iya Villania had the same look as mine during her wedding last February. (I got married 1-4-14.) A lot of people told me I looked like her during my wedding and to me, it's a compliment of course!:)

So, just a piece of advice to all the bride to be girls out there: Never ever compromise your make up artist. He/she will make or break you on your day. I am pretty sure that despite your limited budget (just like me) you will find a decent make up artist that will suit your taste. Don't just settle for someone because she/he is a friend, or a referral from a friend. At the end of the day, you'll decide who will make you your most beautiful self. 

Happy preps!

much love,

Nuestro Padre Hesus Nazareno.

As I have been mentioning in this blog, I have been a devotee for I think five years up to now. A broken heart led me to do the weekly "panata". Every Friday, I go to Quiapo to hear mass, or do a novena, for nine consecutive weeks. I can vividly remember my first wish, my first prayer. Black Nazarene, please mend my broken heart. During my first visit, it felt kinda weird seeing devotees raising their hands with their eyes closed while praying. But weeks after, I am doing the same thing. 

The Black Nazarene never let me down. Everything that I asked from Him, He gave me. He even gave me more than what I asked for. God is so good that after a tremendous past, he gave me my husband. And then I asked longer years for my sick inang before, and He gave me two more years to spend with her. And then just recently, I asked for a miracle and then again, he granted my wish. 

Today is the feast of the Black Nazarene. I am feeling guilty that I am not there to attend a mass, but I know He understand why I cannot come. I just can't help but to be very vocal about how blessed I am to be a devotee. I completely understand why everyone is trying their best to experience the black Nazarene. 

much love,

Happy First! :)

This is probably one of my favorite wedding pictures of ours. My husband is such a funny soul (obvious naman diba) and the camera captured this moment. A year ago, I got married to my best friend. It was indeed a memorable date... 1.4.14. Our wedding was two years in the making, we got engaged July 18, 2012 (his birthday) and got married on the first Saturday of 2014. And last Sunday marks the first year of our marriage. 

Looking back, our year had been a tough one. I've decided to let go of our life in the city and go back to Bulacan to help in my parents' business. (That is a huge sacrifice in my husband's part, as his work is in Manila) It was indeed one of the toughest decisions that we have made as a new married couple. We looked for a small room in Bulacan and stayed there. It is a mutual decision not to stay in my parents' house. We are both raised to be independent. Also, we had our ups and downs as a newly-wed. But because of that, I have learned how to compromise and accept John's strengths and weaknesses. In the same manner, he learned how to handle me in my worst slate. (I am the most topakin person ever!) As early as now, I realized that God gave me a very patient and loving husband, I know he will always give the best that he can for me and our future kids.

The day wasn't really how I planned it to be. Because of some priorities, we decided to stay in our humble home the whole day because I need some rest. So I just slept the whole day. When I felt better that night, we decided to watch a movie and ate dinner somewhere.

I'm so happy with what my husband gave me, a carrier charm and a bouquet of beautiful flowers!:) Thank you hubby, you really know what I love!

And to cap the night, we had dinner at Manam. We went to Fairview Terraces because he got curious of the place. I can't walk that much so after the dinner and the movie, we went home. It was indeed the simplest anniversary that we had since we became bf-gf, but I am beyond blessed that God gave us our number 1 wish this year. He promised me that when I get better, we will celebrate somewhere else. :) Still, I am really happy spending my life with my weirdo. I couldn't imagine it the other way around anyway. :)

much love,

Positive!

Disclaimer: I have posted this for a day early this month but decided to keep it a secret (somehow) because I haven't seen the baby's heartbeat yet. But since it's official, I am posting it again.. for good. :)

If you have been reading my blog, it's not a secret that we're ttc (trying to conceive) since mid last year. Our original plan is to try after a year of being married, but because I have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), it will be harder for me to conceive.(Harder but not impossible!) We decided to try mid last year, but then after two months of not getting my AF (aunt flow), we decided to see my OB. She prescribed me with clomiphene, to help me to ovulate. Come two cycles, my follicles are not that big to rupture and produce an egg. We've spent money to buy meds, co check ups and ultrasounds. I am starting to feel bad about my condition. Being a lurker online, I came across this Dra. Aguilar who specializes in infertility.

Last November, I finally had the chance to visit her. We even got lost only to find out that she is no longer having her clinic in Taft. Never give up. We walked until someone told us she is now having her clinic in PGH, and that is where we began. I even begged for a slot because according to her secretary, she's in a hurry. Thank God she allowed us! She asked us to undergo some tests. (and when I say some, I mean a lot of injections) She even asked my husband to undergo sperm analysis, just to be sure that everything is fine with his repro system. Fortunately, his count is above average. (Yabang!) My tests are normal, I have PCOS, except for my cholesterol test. I'm not fat but I am high in cholesterol, which is understandable (at least for me), because I always eat oily foods. (Potato Corner.) So she prescribed Xenical three times a day. She also prescribed Clomid, 3x a day. But because Clomid is expensive, I opted to drink Fertyl, as this costs half the price of Clomid. But then I've met a friend in an online group who told me that I should take Clomid instead. She took the cheaper ones during her work up and she also got smaller follicles. And so I decided to take Clomid. Every time I buy meds, I keep my eyes closed because everyday I spent almost 800 pesos! But my motivation is my little bundle of joy so go!

I went back to Dra. Aguilar last December 13 to monitor if there are mature follicles. And to my surprise... there is! I saw how big the follicle is, and I can't believe that the meds worked!! She asked me when was our last contact and I said it was yesterday. She kept on saying, thank God! And she said the follicle might rupture anytime so we need to BD (baby dance) for three consecutive days.

Come December 29. I feel so down, because I'm having cramps, and I know AF will come. I called my husband telling how frustrated I am. He said God will give us a baby in His perfect time. And then I remember, I still have the take 1 pregnancy test in my table drawer! So I brought that home and decided to take the test the morning after. Hubby is in Tagaytay that time for some church activities so I bravely took the test alone. To my surprise... I saw two lines!! I immediately called my husband, my hands shaking, since I might be hallucinating. I've sent him a picture of the test, and he also said it's positive! So I told my family, some close friends and relatives about it and as expected they're really happy!

But then my curiosity did not end there. I've read some articles online about chemical pregnancy, embryotic pregnancy and other nega things about early pregnancy. I felt so paranoid, that I took four pregnancy tests just to be sure that the test would still be positive.

So those are four clear two-lined tests.

And I told my husband I can't keep calm until I'm sure that I am really having a baby. So yesterday I went back to Dra. Aguilar for my first ultrasound. We arrived at 11 AM, and I've waited for her until 3 PM. Patience is a virtue, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will see a healthy baby forming inside me. And thank the good Lord for this.

Yes, confirmed, I am 4 weeks and 3 days pregnant!:) If we will base it on my LMP, I should be 5 weeks ++, but because I have irregular period, it can vary. At least now I feel a bit relieved, that the baby is safe (according to my OB), and that our baby is normal so far. I still have to go back to her next week or next next week so we can finally see the baby's heartbeat. I can't wait!

Honestly, I still have some worries now, since I still can't see the baby's heartbeat. But I am praying hard that the baby will be perfectly healthy and normal. :) I still haven't formally announced in my facebook account that we are expecting, because my plan is to tell everyone after my first trimester. But I think my readers deserve to know so I've posted it here first. :) 

Please help me pray for our little bundle of joy. :)

with faith and optimism,

Prayers and Positive thoughts.

First of all.. Happy New Year to everyone! :) I can only wish that 2015 will be such an amazing year for all of us! A lot of things are happening and I am feeling a roller coaster of emotions lately. Well, this is the first time that I celebrated the holidays with two families (John and mine) and it could've been better! We celebrated Christmas eve with John's family and we welcomed 2015 in our humble home with my family.

There are just some MAJOR things that I have discovered lately. Unfortunately, I cannot reveal them yet since a lot of things might happen along the way. I am feeling excited, nervous and paranoid of my condition now. And yes, ayokong ma-jinx! I can't wait to share the news to the whole world, but I just have to be sure. My plan is to post it on Sunday (our first year anniversary) but my husband said I should wait until everything is final already. :(


Please help me pray and wish me luck.