Isabel.

Here I am convening in my workspace. The very space that led me to writing, the very space that had me wandering and wanting. It’s a square-shaped desk, a mah-jong table to be particular that I’ve been using in my room at my Mama’s house. It’s like a table catchall. Anyways, I am staring at the sea and listening to the leaves sway here and there. Nat King Cole’s melody is also playing, carrying me to an inspiring mood. There is a low pressure somewhere and it has been nothing but gloomy with moderate winds this past few days. 

Everyone is busy. Everyone is out. The room is mine and how I am loving it.

In a day, I only get to have 2 hours of peace all for myself. An hour has already passed by. Two hours is very precious for me. It’s from 10 am till noontime. The little girl is out at school during these hours. It’s the only stretch I get to sit, get cozy, be sluggish and daydream like no other. At times, I get to miss my single days when things I did daily was all mundane but it made me pleased in a way or two. Today, all is different. Being a mother is such a great accomplishment. Especially seeing your little one blossom to a very beautiful and smart aleck that she is now. Being a mother doesn’t mean that all is picturesque and impeccable. It unquestionably does have its low moments too. I for one just had a recent low down as I call it. Being 6 months pregnant and having a toddler who goes to school everyday is hard. Hormones are raging and the little one is grumpy at times when not being attended to, and there is our tiny baby growing in my belly who just understands. So much for my blah blahs as I have fifty-eight minutes to be exact till she comes home from school and tells me all her stories which I have to be 100 % attentive to…

This post is actually for my little one growing in my belly. Telling the world what she will be.

My pregnancy has been so smooth sailing. Compared to my first born where I had to lay down in bed for almost 8 months because I had a complicated pregnancy. My second pregnancy is so great. I get to go out and actually wear maternity clothes that I can pick myself. I can proudly show everyone my baby bump.

We found out last month that our baby is going to be a girl. We are all delighted about it and so is Julia. She is the one who would constantly say that the baby I have in my tummy is a girl as opposing to everyone who would always tell me that I am having a boy.

Getting crafty with garden blooms from Mama's garden.

We started calling her Isabel. I’ve always been charmed with the name Isabel and so she’ll be called “Sabel”. Isabel means, “Consecrated to God”. She just gave me a little somersault as I wrote her name. She has been so good all throughout my pregnancy. Thank you dear Lord for her!

Unlike Julia, Isabel has been moving so much. She bounces back when I caress my belly up and down, as if telling me she appreciates it. When it is all still at night and everyone is asleep, I set my earphones on my belly as I make her listen to the songs that Julia listened when she was in my tummy too. It’s a playlist of all Classical Music and some rhymes. I know that she loves it because it makes her calm and she stops moving so much.

My dearest Sabel, I cannot simply wait for you. I get teary-eyed when I think about you and our growing family. You are a blessing and you are God’s gift. Daddy and I will try our very best to be amazing parents to you and your big sister. Julia has had her toys and DVD’s arranged for you. She has lots and lots of stories to tell too. There is never a dull moment with your big sister as she is like a bird that never stops gabbing. I pray you will be as smart and beautiful as she is. She will teach you her bedtime prayer and all her tactics. She is naughty at times but you need not follow her.

Your BIG sister Julia helps me put this little beauty for us to take a photograph with. 

Mama is trying to make floral pillowcases for you. I’ll make everything beautiful as I welcome you out to the world. You will be loved and cared for by everybody. Deep in my heart, I know that you are eager to come out too. It won’t be that long anymore my dearest Sabel.

We will see you soon.

Love,

Mama

Healthy Chocolate Snack

I'm craving for my cousin Rachelle's Choco-Oatmeal Bars. She's out of the country right now enjoying the streets of Tokyo. She'll be back before the month ends and I cannot simply wait. 

So, I searched for the healthiest recipe I could ever find. Being 4 months pregnant makes you crave sweet and salty food all together and at times I do end up eating the bad stuff meaning chocolates and the ones that aren't supposed to make you healthy. 

This recipe calls for Whole Wheat Flour, Whole Grain Rolled Oats, Coconut Oil which I substituted with Canola Oil, Eggs, Raw Sugar, Rock Salt and 75-80% Dark Chocolate. 

With the simplest procedure --- just mix the dry ingredients all together and combine it with the wet ingredients and you're good to go. Bake in a 350 degree oven and cool slightly. Cut into bars and enjoy it with tea or coffee. If you're a breakfast person like me, it's good to crumble the bars and mix it with plain yogurt. :) 

Cheese Pimiento

Homemade Cheese Pimiento.

The very first time I’ve tried Cheese Pimiento was during my college days in Cebu. I would have it for snacks with very soft bread and coffee. But this particular one was just store-bought. The second time I’ve ever tried it was just last year, during our holidays in Manila. There was overflowing of gifts from friends of my in-laws and amongst all that belonged to the food category, there was the Cheese Pimiento.

I remember it was a Saturday afternoon. There was hot bread, particularly hot pandesal in the kitchen waiting to be ambushed. We all gathered in their lovely dining place and had a snack attack. There was leftover spam, which was steamed just because it would taste way better than the fried one and it was tasty, less oil and just yummy. I tried a bottle of Cheese Pimiento from what came to be a pretty neat packaging and smothered a teaspoonful into my hot bread and oh, a slice of spam too. The taste --- oh was just oh-so-yummy. I had another piece lest the spam and it was so good.

My homemade Rosemary Crackers.

What better way to pair up the delicious spread than to make yourself some homemade crackers. I am so happy with the outcome.  

The littlest of things.

My thoughts for today...

Teach them to appreciate the littlest of things. Everyday is a new day to learn and to explore. They won't remember Angry Birds so much when they've grown into human beings as they are but they will remember the fun, their first swing ride, the bloody knee after a fall,  how the fish food stinks when held in their tiny hands, the scratches from walking around wild flowers, how the dreadful clown looks like on a kiddie party, how the balloon pops scaring them to pieces, their first carousel ride, the stories you make up and how they love for you to repeat them over and over again,a doctor's visit and the afternoon well spent with people they call family. 

Take time to let them see what life is all about. They might not know it just yet, but you're trying to help them become better human beings. You are molding them to stand up on their feet when the going gets tough. 

Stop and smell the flowers.

Parenthood is not just about DNA. 

It's about LOVE.

My little sparkle.

A tiny bud you were, oh so little, oh so rare.

The gentlest being I've ever held, not a day goes by I thank the Lord for you are heaven sent.

You've become the brightest star amongst all.

Leaving Mama full and always in awe.

Now, you're slowly becoming your own human and I'm so proud of you.

Soon, there will be two of you and time will tell how exciting the test of time can be.

Little sparkle please don't let your magic run dry,

For you are my only hope, my living sunshine. 

You make the odd days seem better.

You are my invisible summer.

Never a dull moment with you, my little sparkle. 

Turning 30.

I turned 30 today.

My day started oh-so-right when my Mama invited us over for breakfast. 

Breakfast you see is my favored meal of the day. She made French Toasts, Corned Beef Hash from scratch and sautéed Spanish Sardines. There was fruits and overflowing brewed coffee as well. My belly was extremely happy.

She prepared it on our lanai, one of my favorite nooks in the house. She laid it over a long and narrow table with beautiful yellow roses. It was a lovely sight.
Thank you Mama!

 

French Toast with Creamy Topping.

Corned Beef Hash.

Cantaloupe and Sweet Mangoes.

A day before my birthday, I went to the flower shop to get myself some pretty flowers. I adorned my bedroom in my Mama’s house with the purple Malaysian Moms. I desired to have a great birthday and fill my room with the loveliness a flower brings. 

We heard mass with our little darling and headed back home.

Julia and I were busy frolicking as I was talking to my good friend Tedi over Viber when I was requested to go outside as somebody was looking for me. I was astonished. Who would have thought that at 7:45 pm, there would be someone at the door for me?  I hastily brushed my hair and went out as I was already dressed down to end my day.

Four of my cousins were lighting up the candles of a tiny cake as I opened the door. I was deeply touched that I couldn’t help but cry. Turning 30 has its emotional perks. That’s why. And not to mention, it was my only cake for the day. I had to let my happy tears fall. I quickly asked them to come inside our little space so Julia can take part in blowing the candles of such darling cake. She snubbed her Titas at first but warmed up after a few minutes, that she gave us a performance worth remembering. She became so excited; she opened up to tell stories and make faces, throwing a model’s pose and etc…  She felt sad when they had to leave. 

We ended the night with me bidding her goodnight as she kisses me and giving me a tight hug. She drinks her milk and I tell her, I love you to the moon… and she interrupts her sipping and tells me “and back”. 

Oh my heart.

So much for turning 30.

Giving Thanks for the year that was.

There’s so much to be thankful for this year. And before the year will come to an end gracefully, I just want to thank God and the universe for all the moments collected so that I will never ever forget them dearly.

Thank you Dear Jesus for the gift of life. Julia has just turned two and she has yet to live life beautifully in the years to come.

Thank you Dear Jesus for the good news. Last November, Julia's geneticist told us to never label her with achondroplasia ever again. She did Julia's measurement, from head to toe and again and again just to be certain. She is strongly convinced that Julia could just be having another form of skeletal Dysplasia but not achondroplasia. My heart wept for joy when she uttered those words deep but precise. She mentioned that it is unfair to Julia to be judged when she's not. I stopped using the hashtag achondroplasia to be fair to Julia, rather I used the hashtag little julia from that day on. For what it's worth, I have made so many friends from Mama's with babies having achondroplasia and they're the best support system I have up to this very day. I look up to them and they inspire me so much about life and more. 

Thank you Dear God for the simple pleasures of life. They come and go. Now you see them, at times you don't. I have decided that starting today, I will see it always on two perspectives. One being how pleasurable it is, the other, being positive about it. Negativity doesn't get you anywhere. It doesn't bring food to the table nor does it do good to your health. It does however bring you those dull looking lines all over your face. I will allow myself to be consumed with all the positive energy and promise to radiate it back to the world. 

Thank God for flowers and how they candidly wither in a beautiful way. Up to this day, fresh flowers surround my room, my bathroom and my kitchen at my Mama's house. They need not be fancy, just as long as they're watered, they will bloom like no other. 

Thank you Lord for the Christmas blessings. My kitchen was totally packed with orders big and small. I made hundreds of dozens cookies which I all made happily even in the strongest of times. Then there were bars, the cakes, the cheesecakes and the cupcakes too. 

Along came the Christmas presents that I happily started shopping this May. Thank you Lord for providing us the means to give. It is only by giving to others that we learn the real meaning of joy. Next year, I plan to start my shopping earlier to give more time and to share more to others. God will provide as He always does.

And lastly, thank you Dear God for the gift of family. For being there when support is uncalled for. For being a helping hand when the strongest of time came on and on. For the feelings that never tire of ones news, good or bad. This year has been especially colorful. I'd like to think that one day, everything will return to what it used to be, joyful and complete. Dear God, I shall ask you for one more wish this year, and it is thru prayer that I shall say this wish. I pray for peace. I pray for forgiveness. And most of all, I pray for love to reign over our hearts, reign over pride and greed. For it is always love that surrounds us completely, and I am certain that one day it will see us through and bring us together once again all for the same reason, simply because of love. 

Happy 2015 to all!