Past the Halfway Mark

I know this blog has all been blah blah blah baby blah blah blah pregnancy lately. Forgive me. It's hard to think about other things when you have a little monster growing inside you. (That, and I've cut back significantly on my extra-curriculars since getting preggers.)

So I'm officially at 21 weeks, and depending on who you believe, I'm either big or small for 21 weeks. It's confusing. Last night, one girl said, "Ang laki mo! (You're so big!)" and two minutes later, another person said, "Ang liit mo! (You're so small!)" So I choose to believe that I am just right! It's funny when people see my front and say, "You don't look pregnant at all."

 At 20 weeks

Then I turn to the side, and bam! There it is.

I felt like frickin' Winnie the Pooh in this jersey.

Ze monster has progressed from giving little bubbly flutters to full-blown kicks. Pretty cool, and still surprising even when it happens pretty often now. I've dubbed the evening "happy hour" because that's when it's most active. And the sweet thing is, it responds to its daddy! On week 20, Hamil put his hand on my belly and started talking to the little monster, and it responded with a mighty kick. Other people have tried to get a response, but nothing. The only other person it responds to is Mozart. (Either it appreciates classical music, or is telling me to play some damn 2Pac.)

I'm also starting to stick to a routine now. With a flexible schedule, it's so easy to fall into the trap of anything-goes, but the baby and I need a more predictable sched--plus, I need some exercise! So I'm trying to get myself out of bed early, down a glass of milk, do a prenatal workout, then have breakfast before going to work. In the evening, I put my feet up while reading my belly a story, then meditate to classical music. Let's hope I can keep this up. I haven't read a single parenting book, but if there's anything I've learned, it's that children need structure.

Nineteen weeks to go.

Traveling with Excess Baggage

 Baby on board

At 20 weeks--halfway through my pregnancy--my days of gallivanting are numbered. So I decided to go back (yet again) to Dumaguete before I'm forced to stay put. And while I had all three Roaches jerseys and cheered from the sidelines through scorching heat and torrential rains, I sadly wasn't able to take part in the team's quest for their fifth Shindig victory. 

I was, however, able to spend four days with forty (!) fun people from disc. I even got to party a bit...

...although of course there was no more drinking or staying out til dawn. And I got to eat...

 At Lab-as, where we had Dumaguete Express, tinolang lapu-lapu, grilled spicy squid, and more

 ...and eat...

 At Sansrival Bistro with the Warriors

...and eat...

 At Nevas for pizza, pasta, and (I gotta admit) a pahabol rice meal order

...and eat!

 

 Massacre at the beach: our grilled fish merienda

And my OB would be proud--I was under strict orders to have "tikim lang" (just a taste) of Dumaguete's to-die-for sweets, and I'm pleased to report that I just had one little bite of chocolate silvanas throughout the entire trip. This, despite the fact that I was at Sansrival three times, with their salted caramel cheesecake calling out to me.

I also got to go on a side trip to gorgeous Siquijor, my friends' tik-tik jokes be damned. (Upon a teammate's insistence, I did spend the overnight trip with three chili peppers in my pocket.)

Photo c/o Cali

The little monster even got to (sort of) feel the sea for the first time.

 

And lastly, I got to experience how good people are to you when you're preggers! I can't thank everyone enough for going out of their way to make sure I was comfortable. People carried my bag for me, gave me food, made sure I was hydrated, considered the best place for me to sleep ("Dito na lang para madali kang makapunta sa banyo"), and even defended me against an a-hole Manila driver who had no regard for a pregnant woman crossing the street (thanks, boys!). 

It was a great trip, but the best part, undoubtedly, was feeling all the love from such awesome friends.

Prayers, Please

In case you haven't heard, Luzon (Metro Manila and some of the provinces) has turned into some sort of Waterworld. I'm one of the lucky ones--our area doesn't get flooded, we have electricity, running water, and even cable TV and internet. But, like, 90% of the city is flooded so we didn't have work today. We stayed home, and I felt helpless as I read my Twitter feed. Really, some of the tweets are heartbreaking--one woman gave birth on a rooftop, a 75-year-old grandfather was stuck on another rooftop since morning, delivery boys on duty were getting berated for being late (can you imagine? These customers are asking these boys to risk their lives to bring them pizza, and they have the nerve to get mad!), a hospital was flooded nearly til its third floor where the nursery was located. Some of my friends have had to evacuate the homes they rebuilt after the flood three years ago.  Depressing stuff.:(

When you read this, please say a prayer for the Philippines. It's still raining.

Dressing the Bump

I'm at week 18, and my tummy has grown so much in the past two weeks, it's ridiculous. Exhibit A:

So my arm's looking chunky too, but whatevs. My stomach feels incredibly taut, like I just had too much to eat, so I'm constantly slathering on cocoa butter. (The Body Shop sweetly sent me a new stick along with some cute new makeup. Aww.) Photo above was taken a couple of days ago, and I'm wearing my new favorite dress. I can do so much with that dress, and I might just do a "five ways to wear" post in the future. On this day, I was wearing it with a gold necklace, a stack of bangles, and animal-print sandals.

I started a Facebook album called "Buntis Is the New Black." ("Buntis" is the Filipino word for "pregnant." Some people have taken to calling me "Buntish"!) In it, I post outfit pics, because I really believe that pregnancy doesn't mean the death of fashion. (That, and being pregnant seems to be a big trend now. I know more than ten other women who are pregnant!) I started the album around week 16, when the bump wasn't all that obvious yet. I imagine it will get a lot more challenging the bigger my tummy gets. I tend to just take one photo of my outfits (no details or anything), so I'll just post multiple outfits for now.

From week 16: a Breton top (I believe this is a wardrobe staple), white jeans, blue pumps, and a homemade t-shirt necklace. I made the necklace after watching a tutorial on YouTube, but you can visit Roma's blog to find out how to make a different version. I wore this outfit to an event in Tagaytay. And before people stone me for wearing heels, let me assure you that my doctor says it's totally fine.

Also from week 16: a simple outfit I wore on a rainy day, when I had to conduct an ocular inspection of a potential shoot location. Dark skinny jeans that still fit (at that time), a white button-down top that I tied at the bottom, zebra-print flats, and a trench that I got at 50% off.

From week 17: electric blue pants, sequined top, cream blazer, nude pumps, gold earrings. I had taping for a local TV show on this day. On the same day, a TV crew from Singapore was shooting something at the office, and I ended up making an appearance. No idea when these things will be shown though.

From week 17: I flew to Cebu for work, had to give a talk as part of the Good Ideas workshop. It was a weekend event, so I wanted to wear something kind of fun and relaxed, but still put together: raspberry pants, sheer top, nude pumps, gold jewelry. (After seeing the stairs I had to climb to get on stage, I ditched the pumps in favor of sandals.)

Maybe I should make like a fashion blogger and start taking detail shots so I can just do one outfit per post. Har. Thankfully, a lot of my regular clothes are loose so I can still wear them even as I get bigger. Funny thing is, I'm more inclined to wear fitted outfits now--I finally have an excuse to have a tummy!

August Ish, Out Now!

It's out! It's out! Our first ever Anti-Aging Special! (And our first Hollywood cover in years!)

You might notice a few little changes--we've got a new art director on board. 
Welcome, Kara!

While many may be excited to see a fresh-faced Katie Holmes on the cover, I'm most excited about all our anti-aging stories. We show you which products can keep your skin nice and plump, how to update your wardrobe, and what you can do to keep your home from looking dated. We even give a rundown of the food that can keep you sprightly (and those that can age you prematurely--yikes!).  Plus, we have a fun little guessing game, where you can guess the age of the real women in one of our features. They even let us in on their beauty secrets. (One woman's must-have? Vitamin E. She must be doing something right because at nearly 70, she has never had to dye her still-black hair!) We also feature four lovely ladies in their 90s, who reveal how they manage to stay active and full of energy in their ripe old age--two of them still go ballroom dancing!

Aside from all that, we've got a bunch of new sections, including a page for the lazy woman's workout (a staff favorite). This month: how to get abs without getting off the couch.

Sooo many things to love in this month's issue of Good Housekeeping Philippines, and all for just a hundred bucks!

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.