how big are you, bellylove? (25weeks)

To get on with the cool real-world guide comparison (showing vegetable or fruit and a coin!) on how far along i am with my bellylove, here's how big it is this week:


25weeks
Bellylove rivals the average rutabaga in weight -- about 1 1/2 pounds. (Length: 13 1/2 inches, head to heel.)


Baby Manghud is a boy!!! And now I can make this as a conclusion, getting all his frequent jabs and acrobatic moves, his midnight tickles, my lazy noon eyes... you little rascal, I can't wait to hold you!

I am being too pregnant.

3oth of June marks the last day of my office life (temporarily that is.) and 8th of July marks the day we fly back to Cebu.

That makes me really excited and depressed at the same time. How can I be of two feelings? Is that possible?

Besides dealing with tight deadlines, meeting clients, making sure I'm on track, getting stressed... Besides getting frustrated about not getting things done yet: preparing for Zaiid's second birthday, preparing my goodbye tokens, shopping for pasalubong... Besides getting a bit scared once in awhile knowing I'd soon go through the horrible labor drama and c-section pains... Besides having a long TO DO list before we fly back to the Philippines... Besides being down, to be away with my husband again, knowing he will miss Zaiid every second of his day...

But I am excited. Excited to have another babyboylove, to recreate motherhood experiences again, to have given the chance to do better as a mother. Excited to become a full-time mama officially to my two boys. I am excited to meet up old friends again... To be back home in Cebu... Excited to show Zaiid anything Dubai hasn't got...

Maybe I'm just being too pregnant (if there's such a thing).

Oh, Brother! It's a Boy!

I went to see my doctor today for an early prenatal checkup (scheduled this Saturday). I was at the office when I experienced a severe pain at the lower right-hand side of my belly. I had to rush to the hospital to see if I'm doing well and if our little tummy dweller is fine.

The doctor had to do a quick ultrasound to see if there are no internal bleeding. Thank God all's perfectly well.

While she was moving the scanner, of course I had to tell her we hadn't really got a straight answer if our baby's going to be a boy or girl when we had our last ultrasound.

And to our delight and surprise, she showed us what little boys are made of.
Oh, Brother!

It was very unexpected. We had planned a baby girl's name which we plan to keep secret until the baby's out... But since it's not going to be a she - I might as well tell you what was suppose to be "her name" It's Yeemi! We loved the sound of it... Zaiid and Yeemi :) I even got "her" a Tummy Adventure journal - good thing I haven't really started it. Maybe it was instinct and that I didn't really feel like writing my second tummy journey on a set of pinks and flowers! It was just me being crazy for journal collection.

All in all, we thank God BabyManghud's doing well inside me. When we got home, I told my 1.11yo boy he's going to have a baby brother soon. He embraced my tummy and ran to get his new book "Oh, Brother!" brought all the way from Cebu by Momila. He demands a story from me. Although the pain was still there, I was at peace. We lied in bed and I read to him. I can't believe I'm going to have two little boys! Oh, brother I can't wait!

welcome Momila!

Momila arrives in Dubai! It was a perfect timing: Manona's here for her round-2 visit, we're coming back to Cebu together, and...well, it's just that there's no better time than now. Even if it's going to be the peak of Dubai's summer, we'll all have a wonderful time together.

My boy was all-smiles waking up this morning to see her Momila. To see a total of 6 toy cars plus one motorbike toy (not to mention two more books!). It was pure bliss for him. He haven't got any time to act on his shyness around her. After a few hours of warm up, he's all over her.

Welcome to our little home in Dubai, Mommy!

celebrating the man i married

To my first, my last, and one and only boyfriend - the man I married - my best friend. I love you.

Thank you for everything that you are - including some annoying parts because they make me love you more.

Thank you for the "me" I am becoming, you are responsible for that (well, I hope you got no complaints with the results).

Thank you for our family. For keeping us safe and proud for the things that we own and hope for. Thank you for the dreams you weave for us, for creating the best in The Puddings. We love you hon, we lovelovelove you PapaGoy, happy father's day.

how big are you, bellylove? (24weeks)

To get on with the cool real-world guide comparison (showing vegetable or fruit and a coin!) on how far along i am with my bellylove, here's how big it is this week:

24weeks
Bellylove has caught up with an ear of corn in size and gained about 1/4 pound since last week. (Length: almost a foot.)

My tummy's getting heavier of course, but my appetite is not as big as I use to while I had my first baby. Maybe she's going to be petite like her mama but as talented as his papa and as loving as her kuya. Above all these maybes, we just hope for a healthy baby.

Finding that Perfect Nanny

I got a newsletter from babycenter.com that talks about the signs of a bad nanny or babysitter. Finding the "perfect" nanny for your kid is tough. If only we all could be stay-at-home mums while earning as much as we would having day jobs.

My son had 4 nannies before settling to our current yaya. Although our first one was good, we had to let go of the first one due to some health problems. As a new mother, I learned a lot from her as she had 4 kids of her own. The second one was my husband's yaya. Can you believe that? She only lasted for a night and requested she'd like to quit the job because she can't carry my baby anymore. The third came as a shock since she was younger than me and that she just came from a car accident and that her mother forced her to get this job. So I let her go of course. I got another yaya whom I find it funny in terms of her beliefs and the way she does her thing. But she was good although I couldn't keep her long enough because she had a family business to take care of.

At 6months old, my son finally got his Yaya Amy. She had a son of her own too and I can sense that she takes care of my kid by heart and not just because it's her job. I know that Zaiid is getting all the fun, vitamins, and care he need while we're away. Our family is blessed to have her and we're proud to have brought her here in Dubai with us.

In photo: Yaya's yaya-friends from left to right - Yaya Amy (carrying Zaiid), Bing, Ate Dory (carrying Rashid), and Ruby