Week 17 Bump

A week ago, I woke up, and bam! I suddenly had a bump. And no amount of sucking in could hide my growing belly.

Strangely, though, my last weigh-in showed that I lost some weight. Hamil says it's most likely muscle mass. He's probably right. My legs have atrophied, plus I can no longer detect my triceps under the soft layer of flab. Sigh.

Photo above was taken over the weekend. The little monster experienced his/her first live Ateneo vs. La Salle game--ze huzband was able to score some patron tickets again! Woot! So our blue eaglet felt all of mommy's cheering, screaming, and the occasional jumping-out-of-her-seat-when-Ravena-would-make-a-sick-basket.

Years ago, when I thought about where we would send our kids to school, I considered sending them abroad for university. But I would always think about how they would miss out on the UAAP experience--it's one of the best parts of college life, cheering for your school (whether you're a cheerleader or not). Even if people make fun of our cheers, I get goosebumps whenever I hear the drums starting. (The first time I heard the eight-beat after graduation, I got teary eyed.) It's amazing seeing a sea of blue, united and screaming as one. And I swell with pride whenever we sing the alma mater at the end of the game. Win or lose.

But hey, that's years from now. This one isn't even halfway through making a home out of my tummy! We'll let the little one decide when the time comes.

Under the Pseudo-Tuscan Sun

I attended a lovely event for the launch of a high-end Italian mattress, now available in the country. We stayed overnight at Discovery Country Suites, where we each got to sleep on a different kind of mattress (I got a firm, eco-friendly one made with bamboo fiber).

Over dinner, I was assigned to sit beside the owner of the mattress company, an Italian gentleman from Tuscany. Towards the end of the meal--possibly because I kept giving him all the wine that was being poured for me--he told the local mattress distributor that he would like to give my baby one of their sumptuous mattresses. To which I replied, "But what about the parents?" Har. I was also seated across superstar designer Kenneth Cobonpue, and I was utterly starstruck (and giddy when he congratulated me and wished me a good pregnancy when we said goodbye). Unfortunately, I was too shy to ask for a photo with him.

After our overnight stay, we got massages at the spa at Sonya's Garden, then had a long, leisurely lunch at a place I had been wanting to visit for a while now: Marcia Adams Restaurant.

Other blogs have described Marcia Adams as looking very Tuscan, and since the only part of Tuscany I've visited is Florence, I'll just take their word for it! The restaurant is made of stone, with rustic wooden furniture, a mix of crystal and wrought-iron light fixtures, and lots of fresh flowers.

The food, as described on their Facebook page, is a mix of Italian and Greek dishes. I would describe it as hearty and comforting.

(From top) A filling clear broth soup, very flavorful aromatic pork with pineapple chutney, and (my favorite) grilled orange with vanilla ice cream--I actually took the placemat out because I wanted a rustic-looking photo. That's what this job does to me.

Mr. Italian Mattress-maker wasn't able to join us but he probably would have felt right at home.

My 1920s Hair

My good friend, Jerry, got married over the weekend, and my college friends, my husband, and I headed to Tagaytay to witness him get hitched.

Other than the significant others, I was the only girl from our college bench!

The dress I planned to wear didn't fit my, er, chest anymore, so I opted for a loose, peach, beaded number. It had a 1920s vibe, so I wanted Downton Abbey-inspired hair. (Season 3 is supposedly set in the 20s.)

My usual el cheapo salon was closed early in the morning, so my hair was courtesy of these Youtube tutorials. The "pinished froduct" was a combination of the two styles demoed.

Hurray for Youtube!

What the First Trimester Was Like

Today, I am officially at 16 weeks, and ze bebe is supposedly the size of an avocado! I can't believe I have something that big in my tummy. People keep telling me that I don't look pregnant at all, but the avocado bit explains why it was a major struggle getting into a pair of high-waist pants the other day. (Hmm. Probably the last time I'll be wearing those pants til next year...)

At 15 and a half weeks. More on my Downton Abbey-inspired look in a future post.

I've heard horror stories of women throwing up all day, every day (morning sickness is a misnomer) and breaking out (made more annoying by the fact that you can't really put gunk on your face when you're preggers). So I thank my lucky stars that I took after my mom and had near-zero symptoms! What the first trimester was like for me:

• I didn't throw up! Not a single time. I did have the urge to hurl a few times, but that was it.
• My "breakout" consisted of three pimples appearing at the same time. I hardly ever get zits so maybe in my case, that was a breakout?
• I now have a weird aversion to olives. No cravings or anything, but I suddenly cannot stand olives.
• I was (and still am) hungry ALL THE FRICKIN' TIME. I don't eat as much as I used to (meaning, if you took me to a buffet, I would only go once versus going back three times before) but I get hungry every two hours or less. I never thought I would get tired of eating. The act of eating so often gets really old, really fast, plus you have to think about what you're putting in your mouth. If I could snack on chips and ice cream and fast food all day long, I would, but I have to think about what's best for the little monster. This is made harder by the fact that I'm not really allowed to eat salad (anything raw is a no-no--no sushi, no mayo even!), so I have to get creative when it comes to my healthy choices. Did I tell you I'm not a big fan of vegetables?
• I was sleepy ALL THE FRICKIN' TIME. Thankfully, I think my energy has picked up, but for the first few weeks, all I wanted to do was stay in bed. Getting to work required a huge amount of effort. The reason? My body was supposedly working "as hard as a mountain climber's" even at rest. I likened the feeling to a day after a tournament where we played three intense games, except there was no soreness. It was hard feeling that way, like my body was just so heavy and drained, especially since I used to be all go go go.
• One word: bewbs. There's a symptom I can live with.
• My spidey senses were heightened. I can smell the weirdest things that other people can't smell. A couple of weeks ago, there was a group of beefy male models chatting by our workstations, and I was so distracted, not because of the hunkiness but because of the smell! They didn't smell bad, but it was a mix of cologne and testosterone that apparently no one else in the area detected. Weird.
• I lost then gained back some weight. You're apparently supposed to lose weight in the first trimester. Check. But you're not supposed to gain it back til after. Unfortunately, I gained it all back on my 12th week, so now I'm under strict one-pound-a-week-only orders from the doc. She asked me, "Did you cut back significantly on your physical activity?" Boy, did I! Which leads me to...
• The hardest thing about this pregnancy is not being able to play disc or do anything physically intense. Everyone and their mother has told me "But my friend was running until her ninth month!" or "My friend's wife joined a marathon in her third trimester!" That's awesome for your friends, but my doc limited me to brisk walking.:( Yes, she knew that I was playing disc competitively. She's just being safe and I totally respect that (and I wish other people would respect that their friends' doctors are not my doctor). I still go to disc training, but mostly so I could still hang out with my friends. I have been relegated to timer-and-whistle duties during circuit training, and my heart fills with envy whenever I see my teammates collapsing from exhaustion after they complete 30 minutes of boot camp torture. Gawd I miss that.
• I had to lie. And it was horrible. I'm really sorry. Please believe me when I say it was very difficult to just not come right out and say, "I'm pregnant!!!" Since we decided not to tell anyone til the end of first trimester, I had to come up with some excuse for not being able to play, so I just said that we were trying to have a baby. That opened me up to all sorts of questions, from "Does playing really affect your chances of conceiving?" to "So, do you have a sex schedule?" (I'm not kidding.) That taught me to answer "I'm injured" when someone would ask why I was sitting on the sidelines.  

What was the first trimester like for all the other pregnant ladies out there?

Kiss #10: Positive :)

After nearly three years of "me and you, just us two," my husband and I finally decided that it was time to make an addition to the family. And the minute we decided, BAM!

Red marks on Hamil's face are brought to you by jiu-jitsu.

It's my 15th week--we've known since April, but we just decided not to tell anyone aside from immediate family and very few close friends until the end of first trimester. This is partly because I'm half-Indian (haha) and partly because we just really wanted to be safe. A lot can happen in the first trimester. Once we decided to tell people, there were no big announcements on Facebook, and just tweets in passing.

 My mom's hilarious reaction after we showed her the pregnancy test: "Ano 'to, USB?"

We kind of timed it so that ze bebe will be a Capricorn like us. I know that sounds silly, but being a parent is hard enough, so we figured the kid might as well have our temperaments. Har. Whatever helps, right? We also made it to the Year of the Dragon cutoff. Ah, a Targaryen! Based on a Game of Thrones quiz I took before, mommy belongs to House Targaryen--a dragon too.

"Mommy." That'll take some getting used to.

Two to Go Before World Domination

(File under "dork alert")

Lookie what my brother sent me...

Photo by Tallgirl Joanne

It's the Elder Wand!!! Now all I need is the Invisibility Cloak and Resurrection Stone, and I vill rule ze vorld! Mwahahahaha!

Dear brother also sent me a Gryffindor scarf (must go somewhere cold...) and a Chocolate Frog. Wheee!

Our Office Building Is in Spider-Man!

Our New York office, that is.

(Spoiler alert) You know those scenes in the Amazing Spider-Man where Peter pretends to be an intern and sneaks into Oscorp? Well, here's the lobby...

...and here's where Gwen Stacy gave the interns their orientation...

This is right by the Hearst cafeteria, which is an AWESOME cafeteria. They have a salad bar, a pasta bar, a sandwich bar, a sushi bar, a dessert bar, a guest chef whipping up a special each week...I loved it there! Every time we went out to eat, I wanted to ask if we could eat at the cafeteria instead!

It was just so cool seeing these familiar places on the big screen. Next month: Manila and Palawan in the Bourne Legacy!

My Top 5 Wedding Pet Peeves

Snarky post alert. This is two days too late. I wanted to post it in June, traditionally wedding month (although it's been edged out by December in the Philippines) but, er, life got in the way. Anyhoo, let me present: my top five wedding pet peeves:

1. People who ask if they can bring a +1, even when the invitation indicates the number of seats allotted. Wedding-goers, please believe me when I say that the bride and groom thought long and hard about their guest list. I'll say what they're probably too polite to say: "There are 300 other people that rank higher on my priority list and that I'd rather invite before that guy you're 'kind of dating.'" (Wedding etiquette dictates that the only time it's OK to ask is if you're married to your +1.)

2. People who skip the church ceremony because they're tamad. Come on. It's the most important part!

3. Drill sergeant wedding coordinators. I don't like being barked at to get in line, or being unceremoniously herded into a venue. I'm all for being efficient, but efficient doesn't mean rude. There's a polite way to do it.

4. People who talk incessantly during mass. And they don't even try to keep their voices down! I know this might be the first time you and your seatmates are seeing each other since high school, but save the chit-chat for the reception. It's a wedding, not a reunion. It's still supposed to be a solemn affair.

5. And my biggest pet peeve of all: girls who wear white to other girls' weddings. Good grief, woman. Out of all the colors to choose from, why would you decide to wear the bride's color on her day? Sure, that form-fitting white dress flatters you in all the right ways, but get over yourself.  Your  name is not Pippa Middleton. It's someone else's color and someone else's day.

And while this isn't really a pet peeve, I can kind of understand why this writer believes that writing your own vows is a bad idea. It's a pretty entertaining read.

Got any wedding pet peeves of your own? Do share!