As much as I’d want to blog frequently, clearly it’s not happening.  The kid occupies most of my time and energy. When he’s asleep, all I want to do is squeeze in some chores, catch up on photo backlogs, and in a minute the kid is awake again and the cycle continues.

I’m not complaining though, coz I love every bit of time spent with my baby and watching him growing each day makes me happy. I feel very proud of myself for being able to pull it off… being a full time (breastfeeding) mom and good at it.  I’m also very thankful to God coz Davin’s a happy baby and he’s been good ever since.  Of course, there were sleepless nights and fuzzy moments, but I haven’t had big headaches as of yet (and I surely hope he’ll stay good althroughout).

He’s been growing so fast I could hardly believe I just popped him out 2 months ago.   Sometimes I wish I could turn back the clock so I can see him being a newborn again… so little, so fragile, and so cute.  Well, he’s more lovable now coz he’s almost double his birth weight and he’s already stuffed with baby fats.  Gone are the alien-looking (or cone head) days. He looks like a baby now haha I never thought I could produce that much milk and feed a baby solely with it!  Seeing him grow that big belly makes me feel all the more accomplished. :)  He’s also started to socialize and smiles and coos a lot.  The best time to play with him would be during the mornings when he wakes up after a long rest.  We’re very fortunate he’s not a cry baby… he only cries whenever he wants to be fed.  But! Thou shall not make Davin wait for milk, or else! Well that’s Davin’s progress so far. He can not lift his head yet but he’s getting there. More practice!

Finishing this post with Davin’s recent photo… my little cutie patootie!:)

More photos in my flickr account. Till my next update!

Saturday

Was awaken by the urge to pee at 6am. After doing my thing, I was alarmed by the sight of blood in the bowl. I immediately woke up the husband and phoned the hospital for assistance.  I was asked to go to the hospital to be checked by a practitioner.

It was merely the break of dawn when we arrived at the hospital at 6:30am.  We went ahead to the labor and delivery unit and was assisted by the resident doctor and nurses.  I was told that I had a bloody show but my cervix wasn’t dilated yet.  There’s no assurance as to when I was going to deliver since dilation could take place in a day or as long as 1 week.  I could feel the contractions but wasn’t intense enough for me to distinguish the labor pain. I thought I just need to poop. After further examination, the doctor gave me a go sign to return home.

I slept the rest of the morning and by the time I woke up, the contractions were gone.  That same afternoon, Dex and I had quicky session (maternity photo session that is ) of my tummy at 39 weeks.  Well, I dare not call it a formal pictorial, but rather a few snapshots of my growing belly with marks of glory (a.k.a. stretchmarks) at it’s peak! LOL

Later that day, we decided to go out for a walk and do some shopping hoping to speed up the dilation process.  Well, thank God we did some last minute preparation coz we didn’t know BB’s announcing his arrival in the next 24 hours!

Relaxed a bit during the night and watched DVD (Red Cliff part 2) till 1:30am.  We watched part 1 the night before and I wanna watch part 2 asap baka kasi mabitin ako LOL

Sunday

Contractions interrupted my deep sleep at 3:30am.  I thought it’s another false alarm and would go away eventually if I go back to bed.  But no, I couldn’t doze off as the contractions came every 5-10 mins.  At 5am, I decided to wake up the husband.  He went over the prenatal notes for signs of labor.  Then he started timing my contractions and help me do the “hee-hee-hoo-hoo” breathing technique. Despite the pain (not the constipation kind of pain I expected but more of pressure on my lower back like it’s ripping off my pelvic bone), I tried not to make noises so not to wake up my mom.  By 5:30am, I was already biting the pillow and moaning because of the excruciating pain (not shouting scandalously though LOL). I told Dex we need to go to the hospital.  Woke up my mom and prepared myself. Phoned a cab at 6am and off we went to the hospital.  I had 2 contractions along the way and I felt the cab accelerating faster upon each moan I made. Speeding vehicle plus pot holes on the road, I think the bumpy ride speed up the dilation process.  I literally felt something huge (baby’s head probably) sliding down inside of me (as in).

In 10 minutes, we were already in the hospital. I requested for a wheel chair otherwise it will take forever for me to walk to the labor and delivery unit with contractions coming so often.  When we got there, I was checked by the resident doctor and nurse.  I was told that I was already 6cm dilated! Doc asked some questions… and more questions.. and more questions.  And same questions have been answered in the hospital registration form I filled up way before delivery.  Fortunately, I was still able to keep cool even with the pain. When I was asked if I would like any form of pain relief, I didn’t think twice and asked for epidural. I remember my friend wasn’t given epidural when she was 7 or 8cm dilated so I was quite anxious to get my shot before it’s too late!

At around 7:30am, I was roomed into the labor room.  Dex and my mom were with me.  We waited for almost an hour and the anesthisiologist finally arrived.  I was asked to curl my back while Dex kept me still.  A needle was poked at my back (in between spinal joints) and finding the right spot was super painful!  I remember the spinal block 2 years ago was done swiftly and it wasn’t painful at all.  Anyhoo, after the needle landed on the right spot, a long black tube was inserted and the other end was connected to a device. Epidural was given to me and I was given a switch so I can give myself booster shots should I feel any pain.  After a few minutes, I couldn’t feel the contractions anymore.  I felt numb from my tummy to my bum but not exactly feelingless. I could still feel being touched and move my feet.  Thank God for epidural!

We were waiting for the dilation to reach 10cm between 9am-3pm.  I was able to get some cat naps in between and recuperate from lost sleep the night before.  The epidural somehow slowed down the contractions, so it took some time for my cervix to be fully dilated.

At around 3:30pm, nurse Kate (the nurse who was with me during the delivery) told me we will try to push and see how things go.  If the pushing doesn’t go far, we will wait for another hour for the cervix to open wider.  With the husband holding my hand and nurse Kate doing pep talks, I pushed with all my might!  Thank God I didn’t feel any pain at all.  I was commended for doing a good job with the pushing (thanks to being regularly constipated LOL) and nurse Kate was challenging me to push the baby out in 30 minutes!  Geesh!  Anyways, there was a big mirror in front of me during the delivery so Dex and I saw how the pushing was going. When we finally saw baby’s head, the doctors came and assisted me with more pushing while they made way to pull the baby out.

At 4pm, baby Davin announced his birth with a loud cry!   As soon as Davin was born, the doctors put him straight on to my tummy (skin-to-skin), gore and all.  Everything happened in a blink of an eye and I had mixed emotions upon laying my eyes and cuddling my baby for the first time.  He looked funny LOL but yeah I was teary eyed.  After the 2 min. meet and greet between the parents and the baby, he was brought to the side for initial screening and tests by the pedia while I go on second labor (delivery of the placenta). My eyes and my mind were with the baby and how Dex manage to take photos and videos without my supervision (LOL).

Anyhoo, I can say the birthing experience was pretty easy and pleasant until this point. I overheard the doctors saying I had 2nd degree tear so stitching needs to be done.  The effect of the epidural had somehow subsided so just imagine the nightmare I’ve been through!  It took forever for the needle to go in and out, in and out!  When everything’s finally over, Davin was brought to me for breastfeeding.  No amount of breastfeeding class will ever make a first time mom ready for the actual thing.  I was like “uh, how do I do this?” and Davin was like “what’s that (nipple) and what do I do with it?”.  Anyways, more on breastfeeding in my next story.

After an hour, I was transferred to my room and Davin was roomed in with me.  Dex and mom went out for dinner in a short while leaving me with baby Davin who’s quietly sleeping in the glass bassinet.  Surprisingly, my adrenaline was at it’s peak even after the delivery. I decided to pick up the SLR and take a few snapshots of my baby during the first hours of his life.  But I guess being energetic doesn’t prevent me from being clumsy (and stupid). Probably because of too much excitement, I dropped the 50mm lens!!! It broke into 2 and goodbye it is to my toy! huhuhu :(  Anyways, disappointed - yes, but I didn’t let that dampen my mood. I took a detailed look at my son for the first time - from head to toe.  He looked exactly like the 4D ultrasound reflection - the nose so “tangos”, deep dimples (both left and right!), lips, his expressions (smiling in his sleep and constant nibbling motion), long fingers (and nails!), cutie footsie - I can’t believe we finally made it! After 39 long weeks, he’s finally here - in my arms!

initial screening

Welcome to the world Davin!

Proud Parents!

And now we’re three!

With nurse Kate and Guama (grandmother)

Next up, life with a newborn…

So it’s been a while since my last update. This blog has been behaving oddly these days and I haven’t had a solution to fix it yet. Thanks to all who left comments but I haven’t gotten around to send a reply coz I wasn’t receiving any email updates! *frustrated*  Anyhoo, expect this to be another lengthy post. LOL

Husband Update:

I missed to blog the husband’s 32th birthday.  We just had a simple pizza pasta dinner at downtown Eastside Mario’s to celebrate the night. Again, I wasn’t able to get him a birthday gift for the nth time. Although I did offer to get the gadget he always wanted, but he insisted we wait for a good deal (read: out of this world sale) first.  Celebrating significant family occasion with an empty hand just makes me feel so bad.  :(  And at time, I feel double frustrated for not having the chance to surprise the husband anymore. E pano magsusurprise, I need to wait for the right deal to get him gifts.  Hmft! Anyhoo, in the absence of his actual birthday gift, he got another consolation. (read on…)

Photos from Eastside Mario’s (linked to flickr)

One fine day, our manual ricecooker just decided to breakdown and call it quits, which left the rice addict frustrated and depressed for days.  It’s really a blessing in disguise as the replacement was a much better rice cooker!  Fully electronic with lots of added functions - and of course, 10 cups capacity!  From the day we got it, it has always been rice cooked in perfection every meal. And here’s how much he love his new toy! LOL

Baby and Mommy Update:

All my bags are packed and we’re ready to go!  I’m on exactly 38 weeks today and the waiting game has officially started. In case you’re wondering, I have already took off from work since April.  My mom has also arrived from Manila and she’s keeping me company for now and stuffing me with all sorts of chinese herbal medicines (torture… LOL). MIL is yet to arrive, hopefully soon. There are a lot of speculations as to when BB will announce his arrival.  Most were saying I might give birth before the expected due date because my tummy is really low already.  How do I feel?  I dunno, excited and at the same time anxious. I guess most first time parents feel this way.  Anyways, I’m not really in a hurry to pop him out soon, but the extra weight I’m carrying does make me uncomfortable, especially back pains.  As of my last prenatal check-up, I have already gained a total of 28 pounds so far!!!  My OB said it’s still within the normal range. But my golly, I can’t imagine I can get this heavy.  I have to watch my diet so I don’t get any bigger. And there’s another thing that made me so disappointed. Remember I felt so happy for not having stretch marks during the course of pregnancy? Well, sad to say I spoke too soon.  I started noticing red spider-like marks around my navel around 36 weeks. I guess the cause would be the sudden weight gain between 35th-36th week as I’m quite sure I didn’t have those marks at 34th week yet.  Why? Because hubby and I had a  maternity pictorial at 34th week and my tummy was still flawless then.  Huhuhu… I just hope it won’t get worse as I only have a few stretch marks so far *knock on the wood*.  And I certainly hope it will fade away after the pregnancy.

Back to maternity portrait, it wasn’t really a formal pictorial.  The husband just took a few snapshots of me and my big belly.  Photos will probably remain private as I’m certainly not brave enough to share ‘em due to too much exposure LOL

That’s my update for now.  Stay tuned for BB’s arrival in my next post

I can’t believe my eyes when I saw the baby ticker on my blog!  I’m starting to cram now… *eeekss*!!!!

It’s exactly a year since we set foot on this foreign land.  Everything went by like a whirlwind - much like hitting the fast forward button of a DVD player.  It’s really overwhelming.  Moments like these, mixed emotions rolls up and down.  Happy because (1) we have together conquered another milestone in life (2) 2 years to go and we can finally file for citizenship (3) the wait to go back home is getting shorter.  Sad because - we’ve missed a year worth of family time.  Nonetheless, happy thoughts prevails.

Recalling what we have gone through this past year, we can only say we’re really blessed.  We …

• found jobs in our respective field within 3 months after we came
• still have our jobs even after massive recessions
• are able to sustain our financial needs and save some for future use
• have friends who are ready to help in times of need
• got a special gift from above which promotes us to another stage in life - as parents.

There’s really nothing more we can ask for - (err although a house and car would be greatly appreciated har har ).

A year ago…

San Francisco Airport

tired tired tired…

Touch down Toronto

Still happy with the snow then… (now I’ve learned to embrace the sun and the hot weather which I used to hate when we were still in Manila!)

A year after…

Me - 15 pounds heavier…

The husband - few pounds lighter but the waist remains the same (hehe)

It’s been a while since my last update. God, I’ve been bad in keeping this blog up to date.  I wonder if my readers are still with me? Haller?

Anyhoo… I have lots of updates but I dunno where to start.

We had the 4D ultrasound last January 29, 2009 when I was at 28 weeks.  It got us a bit worried at first coz the moment the sonologist put the ultrasound device on my tummy, she immediately saw the cord covering the baby’s face. Luckily, she was able to focus closer and that’s when we were able to see a clearer picture.  What can I say?  The husband and I were both at awe when we saw BB’s features for the first time. Oh, this experience was far more exciting the than black and white ultrasounds we had in the past.  The image on the monitor was very very realistic! His eyes, nose, lips, cutie hands and footsie, and of course the big bird. :)  BB was actually sleeping when we were doing the ultrasound. But boy, he was dreaming and was making all sorts of expressions - he smiled, smirked, rubbed his hands and feet on his face (he was so curled up).  Through the faint images, I somehow saw he has a dimple on his left cheek!  Well, I’m not really sure but we’ll know in due time :)  Somehow it makes you ponder and think how unbelievable mother nature is?  And of course, the advancement of technology also plays a big part otherwise we won’t be able to see through what’s going on inside the human body.  The images were captured in JPG files and burned in a CD. And the entire process was also videoed and burned in a DVD.

Here are a few snapshots of the 4D ultrasound.

from the left: (1) cutie footsie (2) all curled up showing his cutie hand (3) smiling in his dreams! (4) yummy… (5) smirk… (6) he’s got dimples?

I actually processed the DVD and made a 5 minute video out of it. But due to privacy concerns, we just shared it with our family and close friends.  No worries, you’ll be able to see BB in 2 more months.

I’m now officially at my 3rd trimester and I can finally feel the effect of pregnancy on me.  My weight has skyrocketed to 15 pounds my pre-pregnancy weight.  Although it’s still within normal range, I’m feeling very very very heavy these days.  Leg cramps are killing me!!!  I get ‘em 3-4 times a week and mostly in the middle of the night while I’m in deep sleep.  I never knew I have a habit of stretching my arms and legs while asleep so that’s when these deadly pain attacks me.  And I never experienced that much leg cramps in my whole life (first being year 2007 during our honeymoon and around 1 or 2 more before I got pregnant, imagine!?)!  Anyhoo, I read that’s quite normal as sudden weight gain tends to add pressure and strain to the legs.

Well, I’m not trying to go on diet now but somehow I have to watch what I eat. I don’t really have any cravings in particular but I just love to eat non-stop.  Well, not that I wasn’t like that prior to pregnancy *har har*.  I’m not usually very much into sweets, but lately I’ve somehow developed a sweet tooth particularly for chocolates! I don’t know why, I just want something sweet to end each meal.  And the sugar rush makes BB excited too! :)  Oh, I’ve done the glucose screening on my last prenatal visit but I don’t know the results yet.  I’m crossing my fingers but not really too worried coz I’ve always been normal whenever I do glucose test using urine strips on my OB visits (knock on the wood).  But yeah, I do have to watch my weight. It’s no joke to gain pounds as I would eventually have to suffer the consequences after I give birth.  No worries, the police is always on the watch anyways (haller husband)!

As of last prenatal visit, BB’s already in head-down position.  Ooo, scares me a little coz that means he’s already engaged and ready to go!  Anyhoo, on a happy note, at least he’s in a proper position, not breech or something coz I really want a normal delivery.  He’s been kicking a lot lately and some of them hurts me at times.  Sometimes I tend to wonder if BB ever goes to sleep? Or was he kicking in his dreams?  I can’t identify his sleeping pattern yet but I’m certain this lil fellow’s pretty awake during the night. *Yaiks*  And speaking of position, I do feel a lot of tension around my lower abdomen these days.  I don’t know if it’s Braxton Hick’s contraction, but it really scares the hell out of me.  And at times, I do feel like I have heavy sack right down below.  I dunno if this is normal but I’ll certainly bring that up in the next prenatal visit, which by the way is already every 2 weeks since this month.  Anyways, I really pray that I will be able to carry BB up to full term.  Anytime in April should be ok as I’m already 37 weeks by then - same month when I’ll be on maternity leave.

Another thing worth noting, hubby and I have started prenatal class since last week.  We enrolled in weekend prenatal class which is 2 weekends for the whole day.  The class is pretty informative but I guess we still need to brush up on books and tutorials to refresh our memory when the time comes.  Funny how hubby and I practiced the breathing technique together… we just can’t keep our faces straight and do the counting seriously.  But yeah, we have to practice it on our own and I doubt if I can still laugh when time comes. :)  *Hee-Hee-Hee-Ho! Hee-Hee-Hee-Ho!*

Preparation wise, all I can say is we’re still going nowhere.  I’ve finally pulled up a checklist this week though - that’s an accomplishment at the least.  And we’ve already started scouting but we just can’t decide which ones to buy yet coz there are so many choices!  Sometimes, I’d rather not search through the net coz there’ll always brand after brand after brand. Anyhoo, we hope to get there soon *a big sigh inserted here*.

Well, that’s it for now. I hope to update more as I have a lot of blabs on top of my head these days

My husband…

He’s the friend who keeps me centered when I feel like I’m being pulled in a thousand different directions…

He’s the man who can make my world seem instantly wonderful with just a kiss…

He’s the companion of my heart through everything life brings…

to my wonderful husband, partner and friend…

Thank you for…

… brightening up each and every day (and starting the weekends by brewing a nice cup of coffee)
… taking care of me 24/7, reminding me to take my vitamins and drink my milk
… tying my shoe laces when I can’t seem to reach my toes anymore
… rubbing my hands (and feet sana) to keep me warm
… holding and guiding me to prevent slips from the icey roads
… cracking corny jokes just to put a grin on my face
… doing the chores and allowing me to sit back and relax
… ending the night with a kiss (and sometimes a relaxing massage)

… being cool with not receiving gifts on occasions for God knows how many years past and not complaining about it
… letting me indulge in splurges (let’s not start counting) and not complaining about it

… putting up with my temper and insanity
… supporting me in each and every way
… accepting me, whoever I am (including my family) and whatever I do
… inspiring me to be a good Christian, filial daughter, and caring sister

(above all)
… loving me unconditionally and always placing me as no. 1 priority above anything else

Have I known how wonderful life will be with you, I wouldn’t have wasted so many years waiting for the right time to get married and doubting what the future lies ahead.   Our marriage is far from perfect, but we’re getting there… slowly

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

P.S. feeling ko pinaglilihian ko talaga ang asawa ko… nanggigigil ako palagi! *LOL*

I’ve decided to remove the tag board or shout box altogether as it keeps popping advertisements whenever this site is accessed. I just want to keep this blog safe for browsing so I won’t be blamed for spreading virus or spywares.

So from now on, just leave me comments to keep in touch.

I had my 6th month prenatal check-up last week and I was a bit worried about my glucose level since I had so much sweets over the holidays.  The urine strip didn’t show any traces of abnormality, so *whew* for that.  The wait in the queue took almost 45 minutes while I was only attended to by the doctor for only 5 minutes.  I guess that’s considered good coz that means there weren’t anything out of the normal going on with me and the baby.  Size wise, both baby and I are on normal track as well (although I’ve blown up in size since the start of the year).  I was also scheduled for Glucose Screening Test and 3rd trimester ultrasound on my next visit.  Before I left the clinic, the doctor just reminded me to be good.  *LOL*  I am good I guess. With the husband who’s always on the watch, I’d rather be good than hear him nag haha…

I’m currently on the way to the 26th week and the OB advised that it’s best to have a 3D/4D ultrasound on week 28-29.  I’m so looking forward to it and I have started looking for labs that offer cheaper rates.  Unfortunately, the cost will not be covered by the government health card as it is considered a non-diagnostic procedure.  Anyhow, we still don’t want to miss this special bonding opportunity even if we have to shed the fee out of our pocket.  Can’t wait!

As mentioned in my previous post, we have bought some baby stuff and the gifts for BB are also starting to pour in. Here are BB’s first clothes and accessories so far:

Size 0 - 3 months (siyempre sipsip agad sa lola)

Size 3 - 6 months

Size 6 - 9 months

Other accessories - hooded towels, fleece blanket, receiving blankets, burp cloth, changing pads, lap pads, bottle warmer.

As we don’t have any clue what sizes to buy, we ended up getting a few for each sizes.  And as much as we wanted to stick to the neutrals, we ended up with mostly blue and green stuff. HEHE…  Some of my bebot friends advised me to get larger sizes as babies outgrow their clothes pretty fast.  Oh yikes, check out the loot we have for 0-3 months!  I hope American sizes have a some allowances for Asian babies. hehe…

I’m still a bit disorganized when it comes to things that we need to prepare.  I don’t even have a checklist yet!  I have also started browsing through posts in n@w in the hopes of getting some information about baby preparation.  The lolas (both our moms) will be coming to Toronto in time for the baby’s birth, so I’m hoping come up with a list of padala from Manila before they leave.

One item in our priority list for now is the infant car seat.  Apparently, the hospital will not discharge the baby if the parents don’t bring a car seat as they need to inspect it and check how it will fits the baby.  They will also educate the parents on how to strap the baby properly. That’s just one of the items for now… there are still a lot stuff to buy so we need to do more research and review.  Yikes!  It’s really overwhelming!

So this is my first post for year 2009. I was suppose to blog while we were still on holiday but been too busy with organizing our vacation photos.  Talking about starting the new year with backlog huh? 

Anyways, how was our holiday?  We celebrated the season with aunt’s family at NJ!

The trip to NJ wasn’t really smooth.  We traveled via Megabus on the night of 23rd from Toronto to NY.  The weather was bad that night with wind and snow.  It took 3 hours from downtown to the border, 3 hours at the immigration (there were 60+ passengers in the bus), a few minutes to replace the broken wiper in the middle of the road, another few hours delay because of the heavy snow, with a total of close to 14 hours before we reached Penn Station.  Probably because of the delay, the bus driver didn’t make any stops in between for us to buy food and drinks!  For 14 hours, all we have with us was 3 packs of Skyflakes and 2 bottles of water!  My golly! And I know, it’s bad for me and BB :(  Well, I’m not really ranting about the bus company’s service here coz I know the disappointments were mostly due to the weather.  In fact, I only have good words for the bus’ amenities - comfy and spacious seats, clean washroom (without any unpleasant odors althroughout the trip), and best of all - free wifi connection!  We’re quite satisfied with the ride and the ticket price was cheap too.

Anyways, back to the story.  The first thing that popped into our mind, when we reached our destination, was to find something to eat and drink! We grabbed a bite from the nearest Dunkin Donuts and then headed to Port Authority for a ride to NJ via NJ Transit.  By the time we reached aunt’s house, it was already in the middle of the afternoon.  Despite all the traveling, our adrenaline was still up and did some chitchat with relatives before finally closing our eyes for a few hours rest.

Same with Christmas tradition back home, we went to church to hear mass and had Noche Buena afterwards.  We were also on webcam that night with the family back in Manila so it felt like we spent Christmas eve together (it was already Christmas Day, Manila time).  The rest of the night was spent catching up with each others’ whereabouts, eating, opening gifts, eating, and more eating

by the Nativity at St. Clair Catholic Church NJ

Noche Buena Feast!

Merry Christmas!

On Christmas Day itself, we went to New York to see the lights and window displays.  Boy, I can’t imagine where on earth did those people come from?  There were gazillion people walking on the streets even though the stores were mostly closed.  Seeing the joyful faces of people passing by made us feel giddy too! :)  Needless to say, we took a lot of photos that night - hundreds of them! Which explains why I spent so much time organizing and uploading them on flickr.

(left) - LV Shop in Manhattan, (right) Bryant Park

(left) Radio City, (right) - window displays at SAKS along 5th Ave

(left) - Grand Central Station, (right) - Shopping at Woodbury

(left) - Rockefeller Center, (right) Times Square

The rest of the days were spent shopping, shopping and shopping!  We went to Woodbury Outlet Mall on the 26th, and shopped around NY the days after.  There weren’t a lot of stuff in our loot as expected though.  We were expecting huge discounts on after Christmas sales, but the price off wasn’t really that much as we have anticipated.  And since there were a lot of people shopping, it was either (1) line was too long and will take like forever to pay for your stuff; or (2) stuff on shelves were swiped away by a whirlwind and leaving only scattered pieces.  I was holding off buying maternity clothes from Toronto and was hoping to get some good deals in US. But to my dismay, there weren’t a lot of maternity shops around NJ/NY and the prices were almost as expensive as Toronto.  Not to mention the styles were very limited (as in!).  I should have asked someone from Manila to send me some stylish maternity clothes from Gingersnaps instead. Oh well!  We didn’t buy much for ourselves, but our loot were filled with stuff mostly for BB!  Of course, the first time parents were so clueless of what to buy - how much do we get, the sizes, will the baby outgrow the clothes easily, etc etc.  Hay! Clueless was an understatement - I felt more like a dummy when it comes to parenting! I don’t even have a list! *LOL*  We tried really hard not to get carried away with the cutsie stuff on shelf and stick with the essentials.  We even opted for neutral colors so that we could still reuse them for baby no. 2 in the future (talking about planning way ahead huh?).  Notice “opted” in bold - which means we failed! Who could resist the cutsie baby blue onesies, shirts, and jeans?  I swear, that was the only time “having a baby boy” started to sink in my system.  From that moment on, I wasn’t drawn by pink and brown dresses anymore. *LOL*

We came back to Toronto on the 29th and the ride back was pretty smooth - again, due to the weather.  The bus arrived at the Penn Station almost an hour late due to the traffic in Manhattan on a working day.  Other than that we were pretty fast on the road.  There were only 20+ passengers on board so each person can pretty much occupy 2 seats at a time.  And hurray, we did make a stop at Mc Donald’s in the middle of nowhere to treat our hunger pangs.

Our vacation lasted for 6 days - which was actually our very first Christmas season away from home.  We had a blast (with all the eating and shopping!) and it’s really heartwarming to belong to a family during the special season.  The Ongs’ hospitality offered such a relief to our homesickness.  As you would put it in Filipino: “Sarap magpaampon tuwing Pasko!” :)  We didn’t get lot of stuff from the shopping sprees, but one thing’s certain - we surely packed a lot of extra pounds back home with us! Yay!

We spent a couple of rest days after we came back from the US.  Most of which were spent recuperating from lost sleep… and more eat out with friends! Despite the cold weather (which was hell a lot freezing than NJ), there’s no stopping us from going around the city for food!

On the 31st, we decided to spend our very first New Year’s Eve by ourselves as a family (with BB in my tummy) at our own cozy little home.  Our initial plan was to cook our own NYE dinner and I even had a menu in mind - top grade beef steak, veggies and garlic rice (the husband can’t live without it).  Again, “initial plan” in bold - meaning it didn’t happen. *LOL*  We had lunch plans that day at Oakville (1 hour drive from Toronto) to visit our friend’s new house and some ping pong games after the meal.  By the time we came back to Toronto, it was already pass 6pm.  And talking about menu planning, we didn’t even have the ingredients yet!  We were planning to go to the grocery after our trip from Oakville. But, my… we were caught by surprise coz all the groceries were closed already by 5pm!  We had no choice but to dine out.  We chanced upon this Italian restaurant near our area and decided to give it a try since they were on NYE specials and the ambiance looks good!  In we went and we were happy with our new discovery.  The set menu came with appetizer, main course, dessert and sparkling wine, and the price was such a steal!  The husband was initially having doubts if the entire course would satisfy his appetite as there wasn’t a single grain of rice in the menu. But later he proved himself wrong coz he finished the meal with a big loud burp! *LOL*  I call this our “ambush” candle light dinner date which really left a happy note to end 2008.

Appetizers - Portabelo Antipasto and Fried Calamari

Main Course - Grilled Swordfish and Beef Tenderloin

Dessert - Amaretto and Chocolate Fudge Cake

Cheers to 2009!

After dinner, we just stayed home and watched the fireworks from the TV, hooked up on webcam with family and friends, and ate lots and lots of chocolates! *LOL*  It was freezing cold outside and what better way than to snuggle with each other and keep warm?

Taken at exactly 12am - Celebrating New Year with BB in the Tummy!

Now year 2009 has started, I just realized I had a lot of plans left unfinished for 2008 - project 52, digiscrap layouts (I’ve resigned from all CTs since start of pregnancy; weird thing is - the sight of LOs gives me severe headaches!), lots and lots of things files to organize.  But all these will have to be put on hold as we focus and prepare for the coming of BB.  I expect a lot of major changes this year… and I’m so looking forward to embrace these changes. Scary yet exciting! Yay!

Happy 2009 everyone!