Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s thanksgiving!

This holiday is not really celebrated here in the Philippines. Nonetheless, I would like to greet everyone a happy thanksgiving day! Special shout outs to my cousins in the US – Ate Jean, Sheila, Bachie, Ate Mimi, Mayou, Kuya Norman and the kids.

We should all be thankful for the blessings we receive not just on thanksgiving, but every day of our lives. Me, I’m thankful for my family, friends, my career (? hehe), my husband and of course, our little bundle of joy, Joaquin Miguel (whom we will all see on February next year!).

What are you thankful for?

We're having a boy!

I had a 3D ultrasound today at In My Womb Glorietta (The Link) branch and...

IT'S A BOY! :)

Paul and I actually wanted our panganay to be a boy so we were really happy. But of course, if God had given us a girl, we would be equally happy and grateful. Will post photos soon. :)

I also want to rave about our ultrasound experience. Paul and I were looking for an affordable 3D ultrasound and lucky us, we found In My Womb through the internet.


Photo credit: IMW's FB page


And lucky us again, they have ongoing promos! They offer these Christmas promo packages from November 16 to December 31, 2010:

  1. FB3D with Gender Determination P1,500
      - 3D session
      - 5 B/W pictures
      - 5 Colored pictures
      - Fetal Biometry Report
  
  2. 3D4D Christmas Package P3,000
      - 3D4D session
      - 5 B/W pictures
      - CD of 3D pictures
      - DVD of 4D pictures (audio-video edited)
      - Fetal Biometry Report

We got package #1 and it was super sulit! The 3D session was done thoroughly, as in we spent about an hour for the whole session. The people there were really nice, especially the doctor (Dra. Agdamag). We did not feel like it's a promo package, yung tipong minamadali kase discounted. The doctor patiently waited for the baby to be in a good position so we could get good shots. :)
 
Amazing what technology can do these days, we actually saw our baby's face clearly! He kinda looks like his dad. Joaquin Miguel (yup, that's our boy's name) has Paul's lips and nose. It was so touching seeing him like that, clear, moving... There were instances when he smiled and opened his mouth. All throughout the session, I was beaming with happiness and pride -- that's our baby right there! Hay, sarap ng pakiramdam. :)

Sale, Sale, Sale!

Holiday Season = Sale Season!

Last week, I posted details of the Big and Small Company Warehouse Sale. The past couple of days, I learned about two others that you guys might be interested to check out. Details below...

Retail Specialist, Inc. Sale
Up to 70% off
Brands: Naturalizer, Florsheim, Bossini
Date: November 17-20, 2010
Time: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Address: RSI Warehouse 2295 Jannov Bldg., Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati City (if you're coming from EDSA/Alphaland, Jannov Bldg. is on the left side of the road, before Unionbank and 7-11, across Saachi House)

Rima Sale
See the photo below for complete details.
Note: just click the photo if you want to see its original size and read the texts better.


Photo credit: Mikiehl Tordecilla's FB page


Happy shopping! :)

Baby Names

Even before Paul and I got married, we already thought of names for our future kids. :) We decided to use the first letters of our second names - J and M, from Sarah Jane and Paul Michael, respectively. Here's what we came up with:

Joaquin Miguel
- For our baby boy! I just love the sound of this combination. We chose Joaquin for no special reason, we just like the name. Miguel, on the other hand, is quite special and particularly picked. It is the Spanish for Michael, which is Paul's second name.
- Etymology: Joaquin is of Hebrew origin, meaning "God will establish." Michael is also of Hebrew origin, meaning "who is like God".

Julia Maria
- This is, of course, for our little girl. Julia is from my mother's name, Julieta. Maria sounds pure, we really like it. It's also from the name of Paul's aunt and also my maternal grandmother.
- Etymology: Julia is of Latin origin, meaning "youthful". Maria is of Latin origin as well, meaning "star of the sea".

If we're going to have more than two kids, we have names for them, too -- Julian Miguel for boy and Julia Miranda for girl. :)

A Dose of Summer Sunshine

Guys, do check out my bestfriend Ese's blog - Summer Sunshine. She posts some really cool and interesting stuff, from weddings to make up to baby stuff, etc... Basically anything under the sun. :) And of course, you'll read a lot about Summer, her pretty little girl (and my inaanak).

So go ahead, get your dose of Summer Sunshine! :)

99 days to go!

Wow, how time flies! My pregnancy ticker says "99 days to go" before our little bundle of joy comes out! Yehey, I'm so excited! And I'm sure my husband is, too. :)

Today, I'm entering my 26th week, which means I'm on the last leg of the second trimester. I really hope our baby's going to be okay despite my week-long cough and colds. I've been on medication since Monday and so far, I'm seeing the improvements. The diagnosis was acute upper respiratory tract infection and I was given antibiotics. I was also advised to use a nebulizer to ease my breathing. At first, I was hesitant to take the meds, but I trust my OB, I know she would not prescribe anything that will cause harm to our baby. Tomorrow will be my follow up check up. Hope the infection will be totally gone by then.
 
Oh, baby, daddy and mommy are so excited to be with you. See you in 99 days! :)

Nursery Love

Just want to share some photos of beautiful, dreamy nurseries I found on the net. I dream of providing a wonderful nursery for our little one, too. :)

Cool, crisp design for a boy
Photo credit: home-designing.com



Fit for a princess
Photo credit: modern-luxury-interior-design.blogspot.com



Fit for a princess, too
Photo credit: projectnursery.com



Now, the following photos are of my two favorites designs, one is for a baby boy, the other for a baby girl. I hope someday, our baby could have a nursery like either of these two. :)

For the boy... I'm loving the simplicity of the colors. I particularly like the combination of beige/cream and blue. And I also love the cute, little stuffed toy animals on the couch!
Photo credit: projectnursery.com

For the girl... La-la-love lavender! It's so easy on the eyes, so refreshing to look at! I also like the somewhat minimalist feel of the room. And the chandelier - it adds just the right touch of elegance to this simply but exquisitely designed nursery. Photo credit: projectnursery.com

Big & Small Company Warehouse Sale

It's shopping time for the baby! Yey! Got this info from Billie (and she got it from N@Wie)... :)

Big & Small Company Warehouse Sale
Up to 70% off
Brands: Orange Juice, Spin and Havin a Baby


Photo credit: everythinginbudget.blogspot.com


I'm excited! Will drop by this sale (and drag Paul with me, of course!). It's just near our office - one jeepney ride away. Yey! If ever, it'll be the first shopping time for baby!

Home cooking rocks!

Home cooking rocks! I love this site. Been hooked for months, taking note of recipes/tips. And boy, there are a lot of them - soups, main dishes, desserts, drinks, small bites, breakfast, specials... Everything's here!

This food blog is being maintained by Mrs. Connie Veneracion, a mother, wife, lawyer and writer, among other things. She's not a chef, according to her. But she definitely loves cooking! She describes her blog as being about the meals she cooks for her family. She also shares personal observation on restaurants and information about Filipino delicacies and other food products available locally.

I love how she comprehensively shares every meal she cooks. Each post includes a complete recipe of the dish and oh-so-beautifully taken photos! Here are samples of her mouth-watering meals:

Beef, sausage and potato soup

 

Shrimp and brocolli stir fry



Salisbury steak

Bacon, cream and cheese fettuccine

Chocolate brownie cake

Watermelon smoothie

She is truly an inspiration. A couple of things I learned form her blog: (1) You don't have to be a chef to be able to cook mouth-watering dishes and (2) You don't have to spend huge amounts of moolah to cook gourmet-type dishes. As her blog's tagline goes, "Cook more, spend less". Love it!

Photo credits: All photos are from homecookingrocks.com.

Little Women on Dec. 5 - Let's watch!

Hi, friends!

For its traditional December holiday production, Repertory Philippines is staging the family musical, Little Women. Based on the novel by American author Louisa May Alcott, this musical tells the joyous and heartwarming story of the March family - how they overcome challenges and gain love and unity in the process.
 

 
“This is a wonderful story that’s appropriate for the holiday season,” says director Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo. “Audiences will see how the March sisters depend on each other as a family and how they cope as their father is away serving the American Civil War,” she says.

“They’re a fun bunch: brash aspiring writer Jo, romantic Meg, pretentious Amy, and kind-hearted Beth. Audiences will surely be able to relate to these four little women.”

Little Women will be staged at Rep’s home for the past several years: Onstage Theater in Greenbelt 1 Mall in Makati City.

“We’re at a convenient location for families or friends. There are many things they can do before or after watching our shows, like shopping, dining out, visiting the nearby Ayala Museum or even simply enjoying the outdoor garden spaces.”

Little Women has been adapted into at least four anime (Japanese animation) versions and has been made into film versions with Katherine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor. The latest Academy Award-nominated adaptation was done in the mid-90's starring Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, Claire Danes, Susan Sarandon and Christian Bale.

Gerard Salonga conducts the FILharmoniKA orchestra. New York City-based Joey Mendoza handles set design while Tuxqs Rutaquio does costume design and John Batalla does lighting design.

Please come and watch the December 5, 2010 (Sunday, 8PM) show! Prices are at Php1,000, Php800, Php600 and 500. For ticket inquiries, please call or text Sarah at 0917 867 5986 or Marge at 0917 884 9037 or Anj at 0917 882 8552.

You may also send queries/reservation through e-mail at littlewomenmanila@gmail.com.

Hope to see you on the December 5 show! Thanks! :)

2011 Starbucks Planner

I've been a BDJ Power Planner user for the past three years (2008 to 2010). For next year, I'm sort of having seconds thoughts on getting BDJ again, mainly because of the price. So, just like my bestfriend, Ese, I have my eyes set on  the 2011 Starbucks Planner! There are three covers to choose from. I fell in love with the Maroon Velvet Fabric (go, UP! Hehe). Here's a look at them:


Cool Clean Stainless Steel, Maroon Velvet Fabric and Stained Dark Wood Panels
Photo credit: spot.ph


To get the planners, we all know the drill. You collect a specific number of stickers and voila, you get your own planner. Plus, a donation goes to SparkHope, Starbucks' childhood program in partnership with UNICEF. So, it's for a good cause.

Promo details:
Number of stickers to collect -- 17 (9 for Christmas drinks, 8 for regular drinks)
Collection of stickers -- November 3, 2010 to January 5, 2011
Redemption of planners -- until March 6, 2011

Since I'm pregnant and can't drink coffee, I enlisted the cooperation of my husband (hehe) in completing the stickers! He will get all the Christmas drink stickers, while I will collect for the regular drinks (I can order non-coffee based fraps, anyway). I'm kinda sad because I can't have my favorite Christmas drink, Peppermint Mocha Frap! Oh well, next year will be my time. :)