Monday, February 4, 2013

The day our lives changed forever.

Gabriella "Ella"
Born on January 30, 2013 at 5:15 am.
6 pounds, 10 ounces, 19 inches. 



that was a good day.  she is officially 5 days old today.  i have so much to write and share with all of you...from her birth story to her sleep schedule to breast feeding to postpartum surprises.

we are all doing good.  she's a beautiful, healthy, baby girl which is more than i could have ever asked for.  our family of 3 is bunkering down in our home trying to catch our breathes and get to know our tiny blessing from God.  she's a miracle...our little miracle.

i promise to catch you up to speed soon.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Family baby shower for Gabriella 1.26.2013 (sneak peak).

a big shout out to our moms, sister, and cousin.  our baby shower blew our minds.  it was more than we could have ever asked for.  this baby girl is LOVED and BLESSED.  thank you so much!















once i get our photos from john's cousin, i'll write a proper post.  and yes, this baby shower deserves 2.

Work baby shower in honor of Gabriella.

i have the most generous and sweetest co-workers.  they threw my baby shower at cheesecake factory on MLK day.  we were having such a good time, that photos totally slipped my mind until the end of our lunch.  by the time i whipped out my camera, john, jenn, sarah, ileana and alison left already =(

i was 35 weeks here.  look how high my belly was!  gabriella decided to "drop" the very next day.






look at all of ella's gifts!

and best of all, they got me a set of cloth diapers!!

i am truly blessed.  i really can't thank all of them enough.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Lately, my nights and days.

i've been off work now for a little over a week.  my baby showers have come and gone (posts coming soon, i promise). nesting is in full throttle.  yesterday i took a break and headed to my in-laws for nanay and tatay's wedding anniversary.  this is what my night looked like =)

isn't she the cutest?  her and ella are going to best buds.









and this is what my morning looked like.  nowadays, sleep is more like a novelty for me.  i woke up at 4 am and started organizing and washing ella's clothes.  while jojo was fast asleep, bubba heard me and decided to join me and make himself comfortable.  oy vey, life is about to get interesting with 2 dogs and a newborn. 







Friday, January 18, 2013

Interested in seeing fat?

what a title right?  you'll see what i mean in just a second.

a few days ago, i told john to buy steaks from costco.  instead, he came home with short ribs.  even better, right?!  i love short ribs.  when cooked right, they are super tender and tasty.  of course, i went straight to my cookbooks and the internet to find an easy recipe.  by now, you must know that i am fond of one-pot meals.  so i was leaning towards using my crock pot.  i found an easy recipe online (pregnancy brain has made me forget which recipe it was) and utilized these ingredients.  *tangent*  i plan on cooking short ribs again using my mom's recipe.  i will post her recipe because it is way better than this one.  it calls for 7up!  


ingredients

before i put the lid on and said sayonara for 8 hours.

after the short ribs were cooked, i separated the meat in a plate and put the sauce in the fridge over night so that the fat will rise and solidify.  see?

yes, that's the fat that solidified overnight in the fridge.


 before i went to work, i removed the pot from the fridge and skimmed off all of the fat.  see?

the de-fatted sauce, minus the short ribs.

then i put the meat back in the sauce and simmered everything until hot.  the husband and i enjoyed this meal and didn't miss the fat at all.  i know that fat = flavor, so some of you may want to skip this step.  but once you see the fat, can you really eat it knowing that that's what's going into your bodies and clogging your arteries????  ok, maybe only occasionally ;-)

First day of maternity leave....and a baby bump update too.

today is my first day of maternity leave!  and it really couldn't of come at a better time.  not only is work  insanely busy right now, my feet have begun to swell despite my compression stockings, watching my salt intake, and drinking a ton of water.  i plan to use this time to nest, relax, and prepare myself mentally and physically for d-day.  i have several posts i plan to write (sorry for getting behind), which will include my 2 baby showers that will be happening next week.  as for the baby bump update, here you go...

24 weeks

26 weeks

28 weeks

31 weeks

35 weeks 

Sunday, January 6, 2013

2012. What a year.

2012 was an interesting year.  it really taught me that in life, when a door closes, sooner or later, another one opens.  as i think back to the earlier part of the year, i can remember feelings of sadness, anger, and jealousy.  i'm really embarrassed to even admit that those feelings were a part of me because deep inside, i know i was/am truly blessed and lucky for all the good things in my life.  but sometimes, one cannot see beyond one's own nose.  that kind of tunnel vision can really mess you up.  it's toxic for your mind, body, and your loved ones around you.  pregnancy is such a beautiful journey, but when 1 month turns into 3, then turns into 6, then turns into a year, then turns into 2 years, the journey somehow losses it's appeal and looks and feels more like the worst ride of your life.  if you're like me, then you're used to working hard for what you want and achieving it.  fertility, is whole other ball game.  conception is truly a miracle if you look at the statistics.  the odds are actually against you.  now, if you are one of those lucky women who can get pregnant at a drop of a hat, then awesome for you.  but for the rest of us, it may not happen that easily.  even with help from western medicine, it is still up to God to make it happen.  

in the beginning of the year, john and i were trying to get our mind off of things and decided to do some traveling.  one of our favorite pass times.  some of the places we went were new orleans, new york, and boston.  we just love exploring big cities.












we also decided to do some running to get our mind off of things.  here are some of the things we saw during our runs.





then the most amazing, wonderful, and epic thing happened to us.  we got pregnant.  and the pregnancy stuck.  wow, what a game changer.  so long to anger, sadness, and jealousy.  it's mind boggling to experience such a dramatic turnaround.  one minute you feel one way, and the next minute you feel something completely different.  without sounding hokey, it really is kind of  life changing.  of course, i was cautious to let my emotions loose and feel too happy because of the fear of having a miscarriage again.  but we got through the first trimester, and the second, and now we're in the long stretch.  until, i actually see and feel her in my arms, i'm  not totally letting go.  it's just too surreal for me.  the funny thing is, is that i thought getting pregnant would somehow give me some relief.  ironically it didn't.  throughout the pregnancy, i was always worried of something whether it was a pain, a test result, a symptom.  now i'm thinking about the labor, and hoping it goes well.  i'm also praying that she's healthy and strong.  i'm also worried about breast feeding.  geez, does the anxiety ever let up???  the funny thing is, is that i know that my fears and anxieties will never let up.  you reach one hurdle of life, and another one...sometimes, even bigger hurdle presents itself.  but that's what's so unique and special about life.  how boring would it be to have everything perfect and neat and expected.  john always said that life is about the journey and not the destination.  God made us wait to have our first child.  the long wait made this pregnancy that more sweeter of a ride.  we feel so blessed beyond our wildest dreams.  life is no where near perfect for us...we're still looking for a house, my career is not exactly where i want it to be, we are still bogged down by problems and insecurities just like everyone else.  but at least the tunnel vision opened up a bit.  we can finally see beyond our noses and feel gratitude and humbled by what God gave us.  oh 2012, what a year it has been.  cheers to you!  2013, what are you going to bring to the table????