Random Thoughts

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
- Kerygma Magazine
- Food, Candy, Smart Parenting, Good Housekeeping Magazines
- The Hammer of Eden by Ken Follet

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
- Caregiver
- Juno
- A Very Special Love
- Nights at Rodanthe

What special days did I celebrate and how?
- My brother Dandy's birthday
- Harley Eleria's Dedication
- MBAPs' baby shower/early Christmas party
- Fonzy's 2nd birthday

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
- Alex gave a little pony for Sam
- I bought canisters for MBAPs early Christmas party
- A bubble gun for Fonzy
- Dress and shoes for Harley

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
- Swelling of legs!

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
- Hubby and I went out to watch a movie after a long time
- Finished CLP this month
- Attended MVP at Christ the King
- Dinner with my family to celebrate my sister's promotion (wuhoo!)
- Yearly Reunion at Eternal Gardens with Hubby's family and relatives
- Alex had play dates every weekend with her cousins
- Alex had two trick or treats this year!

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
- Peri-Peri Chicken
- Jonas Pares
- Mrs. Fields cookies and brownies
- Huge burgers at Burger Avenue

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
- We had several auto insurance quotes this month but haven't really decided which one to get
- Bought some clothes for the little girl and baby girl at gingersnaps
- I bought some stuff online at TLC (hi pat!) for Alex and baby girl. Check out the stuff I bought (Photos snagged from TLC's multiply site).

What were this month's disappointments?
- Aside from Alex's doing tantrums every now and then, I think all is well

What were my accomplishments this month?
- Weight gain is just right even if I'm eating a lot these days
- Less contractions last week so will probably give birth at the right time :)

Looking forward to next month when we will finally meet our baby girl!

I know a lot of women who are definitely a fan of Diamond Jewellery. They would save up their allowance and spend the whole amount just for a diamond. Others would say that it is an investment, others would say it is a want and not really a need. Gladstone Jewellery is a company that offers nice jewelries. It is a London-based fashion-house for fine quality, high-end jewellery. Women who are into jewelries might want to check it out. Currently there is what they call the ‘Black and white’ colletion. It is a startling collection created with a lavish array of shimmering, brilliant-cut black and white diamonds. Each stone is individually chosen for its clarity and colour. Hmmm, I wonder if Hubby is reading it now and that he is contemplating on giving one for Christmas. ;)

Since I wanted to make the most out of Ate A's wonder woman costume, I made sure that she use it twice! LOL! So Ate A had her second Trick or Treat this year at my sister's office in Makati yesterday. My sister who was always busy took the time off her busy schedule and join the activities. Thanks Tita Trish! I guess everybody in her office took a break from work, IT stuff and CAT6 just to have fun. And by looking at their photos it looks like they had a blast. I wasn't there though because I had to go to my weekly pre-natal checkup. But I made sure that photos are taken so I could at least witness the fun too!

Ate A brought home a bunch of candies, chocolates, gelatin, marshmallows, biscuits, and more. But she just wanted lollipops so we will be eating the rest of the goodies. LOL! And I may say that the goodies really look yummy! Not just ordinary candies that you get anywhere. Anyway, thanks again Tita Trish. Ate A had a blast! :D Here are more photos of Ate A and her Tita Trish. Special thanks to Tita Trish's office mates for these photos.      

Since I'm on my ninth month already, my pre-natal checkup is now weekly. My yesterday's checkup after work went well. Although I'm not proud to say that I gained 3 lbs in one week! I guess this is the effect of eating huuuuge burgers at 10 in the evening! The Doctor confirmed that I'm on my 36th week and that the baby's heartbeat is doing well. She gave me the "pink" slip already or the admission slip just in case I would give birth anytime.

Honestly, I can feel the contractions already but these are not that strong and I believe that I will be giving birth on my due date or probably afterwards. Just like with the little girl, I gave birth on my 41th week! But that's ok since I need to do a lot of things first before I give birth. Here is my list:

- Finish up some tasks
- My last day of work would end on the 21st so need to work, work, work first!
- Hubby and I need to go out on the date. I'm thinking of movie and dinner date
- Prepare the baby bottles and sterilizer (hospital and baby bags are now ready)
- Prepare the crib, rocker, car seat
- Prepare all bath essentials.

Now, I'm getting stressed out thinking of the things that we need to do. But hopefully I will get everything ready just in time for the big day!

I've been using my office chair for more than two years already and I realized that I need a new one! So I checked out some modern furniture online and look at some of the chairs I found that suits my office at home.

My current office chair is black so I want to get the same color. Although white would be more suitable for my office but considering that we live in the city, the dust would accumulate fast and I wouldn't how to clean it.

Got this from Kerygma (November 2008).

During this season of parties and more parties, how can we eat well without having to diet? Here are some tips from Jill Duplex, author of Lighten Up: A New Healthier Way to Cook:

1. Eat for pleasure and good health, not for weight loss.
2. Steam instead of grill, grill instead of roast, roast instead of fry, shallow-fry instead of deep-fry.
3. Drink better, drink less and drink only with the evening meal.
4. Eat more fish, chicken, vegetables and salads, and less red meat, pork, pasta, pastry and potatoes.
5. If you really want something, enjoy it without guilt, then lighten up the next day.

Will definitely try these steps for the upcoming holidays and probably check out some family health insurance too just in case we end up bingeing. LOL!

That's me, my sister, the little girl, and my Mom taken last Sunday at the Promenade

The Little Princess - Her weight is just alright. My OB was surprised on how much she moves a lot! While my OB was listening to her heartbeat, she heard the little princess kicked twice or thrice. The good news is that she is now in position - head down! I'm so happy. The classical music worked!

My Food and Weight - So far so good. I gained another 1 lb last week (after eating so much on weekends). I'm not sure this week though. I just hope I didn't gain too much since we had several parties and dinner outs last weekend. Lately I've been eating a lot of polvoron. This actually started when Jody gave us a pack of yummy polvoron during the MBAPs Christmas party. LOL!

How do I look now!? - Well I honestly don't know why pimples are "attacking" my face now that I'm on my 9th month. There are red spots at some parts of my face. Aaargh. How I wish I could use a little bit of acne treatment but of course, had to wait before I deliver to do that. My legs got bigger too and every lunch they would swell! It doesn't look good and it makes me sad sometimes (since I didn't have edema during my first pregnancy) but well, I guess it's part of the pregnancy. What I would do is put up my feet when swelling happens and then it will all go away.

How is Ate Alex coping up? - Alex is now aware that there really is a baby in Mama's tummy. Sometimes when she hear the word "share" she would think of the Baby immediately. Earlier I said she will share the candies that she will be getting from the trick or treat, she said, "yes, I will share it with the baby." I guess she's pretty ready to meet her baby sister. We are also preparing something for her (a gift from the baby for Ate Alex), I hope she gets to like the gift that we will be picking up for her.

Happiness is...

1. Less contractions this week
2. Starting the day early
3. Afternoon nap with the little girl
4. Movie date with Hubby after a looong time
5. Simple dinner at a Japanese restaurant
6. DVD marathon
7. Midnight snacks at Burger Avenue (yummy burger and fries)
8. Busy but fun-filled weekends
9. Trick or Treat for the little girl
10. Working from home

To know how this started and credits of the header, click here.

Alex has been looking forward to the trick or treat last Saturday. I bought her costume a couple of weeks ago so I could prepare her for that event. It's so different now compared to last year and the year before that because now, she really understands parties and that she also gets excited about it. When she sees her pail she would say she want candies. So I had to explain that she will get candies from the trick or treat.

As usual, we arrived at the clubhouse a bit on time and there were kids already. But the program didn't start yet. So we were able to take a few photos of the place.

 
 

When you register early (a few days before the Halloween party), you are entitled to food stubs - popcorn, hotdog, kropeck, and a lootbag. The party has three parts - games, costume parade, and magic show. We got bored in the middle of the party so we didn't wait for the magic show anymore. And the place has gotten too crowded too.

Anyway, the party I think ended around 4:30PM and then the traditional trick or treating started. I didn't go with Hubby and Alex anymore because I felt a few contractions while walking. And besides, I was walking slow already and they were ahead of me all the time.

But the most important thing is that, Alex had a blast! Here are more photos of the little girl a.k.a. wonderwoman. :D

 
 
 

Happy Halloween, everyone! ;)

Have you encountered a car accident and had a hard time dealing with your car insurance? Or had been a victim of a rear end collision at a traffic signal, in a parking lot, or even on the highway? It's time to contact Nebraska personal injury lawyers. They are here to help you in these kind of issues. They are headed by Omaha car accident attorney Larry R. Demerath who is currently offering a free consultation about your rights to compensation. In case you will be hiring him for you cases, he keeps you closely involved in your case as he investigates the facts, identifies the parties who can be held accountable, and presents your claim for resolution.