in celebration of WOMEN'S MONTH & in ANTICIPATION OF OUR BABY :)

march-- fire prevention month. rabies awareness month. WOMEN'S MONTH. one month before I GIVE BIRTH :)
since i get to watch a lot of tv during my spare time (which i actually i have a lot of... for some reason), iv seen a lot of ads recognizing women, thanking women, glorifying women. it makes me proud to be a woman. right now, im very excited & thankful that God made me a woman... id have to say that it has a lot to do with the fact that im about to have a beautiful princess mamoi (aka a baby girl, aka boknat, aka bibay) in a month. & although it has been a not-so-smooth past couple of month, the strain, the problems, the issues-- they all go away even for a short while whenever i think about this very magulo baby inside me. (& believe me, she's super gulo that sometimes gusto ko na sha awayin, especially when i find it difficult to sleep, move & breathe! sometimes, pinapalo ko na yung tummy ko to make her stop :p or i push back whenever she kicks me :p she's super gulo that sometimes i talk to her and tell her to come out na para she wouldn't have to kick me & elbow me anyomore :p) some say that having a baby is the ultimate fulfillment... the essence of womanhood. somehow, id have to agree :)

so anyway, forgive me for raving about my pregnancy... its just exciting :p

since it's women's month, id like to somehow recognize the women i admire.
if i had written this blog a few weeks ago, i would've raved on and on about kris aquino & her resilience & strength in facing the james-hope issue. but that has died down & we've all moved on. but just a quick one on my thoughts on the issue...

i do admire her for the way she handled the issue. we may never get to find out what really happened, but im trying to lok beyond that fact. basta for me, the way she acted, the way she tried to stay as strong as she could, the way she so wanted to keep the family together, especially with the anticipation of their first baby together... that i admire. it's not always easy physically & emotionally when you're pregnant. and as much as possible, you do have to stay away from stress during this time... for the good of both mom & kid. but the world wouldn't stop turning on its course & make everything favorable for you when you're pregnant (i testify!). some women get very emotional when they do not get to eat the food they're craving for. some get depressed coz they feel so ugly. normal blah issues compared to what others have to deal with. some may respect kris because of her strenght of character & her ability to speak her mind out. i respect her most because she's keeping as strong as she could during this time.

another woman i admire is one of my friends. she's my classmate, & is my mother's age. i enjoy sharing with her my thoughts & feelings, the ongoings of my life, & i enjoy listening to hers because we get to exchange opinions, & in the process, get advice from each other. she has 2 daughters almost my age & sometimes she finds it difficult to understand them. she's shared with my the mom's perspective & it has helped me understand & appreciate my mother. but what i actually admire about her most is the way she's sticking to her family & the way she admits her weaknesses, but tries to deal with them the best way she could. she's shared with us that a lot of people think that she's living a charmed life. they see her family as a perfect family. but inside her home, there are issues. everytime we talk about that, she always keeps reminding us this one thing: the bible says that as a wife, it is your duty to stay with your husband. he may do stupid things (admit it, a lot of men do :p), you may suspect (but be afraid to confirm) that he's cheating on you, he may take forgranted your feelings... but as long as he comes home to you, you have to be there for him to come home to & accept him. i know, martyr, right? but i guess that comes with the vow you take on your wedding day.

& of course, how can i not admire my own mother? she's probly the most madiskarte & strongest woman iv ever met. i know a lot of people respect her & love her. im especially proud when a lot of the talents in the place she works in calls her "mommy". just goes to show that she knows how to treat people right. she has this way with people talaga... parang it's hard to resist her. nakakaaliw how the talents would bring her pasalubong when their contract ends & they come home, or when they come back from vacation (shempre, nakikinabang ako... dami food e! :p) feeling ko, wherever they go, they keep mama in mind. & we know that that kind respect & love don't come easy... it has to be earned. i would have to say that it's not just because mama is very maboka & talks well. she's not shallow. i know that she does genuinely care for these people. what a big heart she has, ryt? & her strength, i admire. i know life has not been very easy for her. she does cry, but she goes on. she fights. at the end of the day, she survives. & the next morning, while most people in her shoes would just wish that they could go back to sleep & sleep their problems away, she wakes up, tries to be as strong as she can & faces her problems once more. i know she deserves a break from it all... & if i could, id give her that break. but for now, i just hope that she's got enough strength to get her through until i could do just that.

& my sister. id have to say that she's starting to show that she's following in our mother's footsteps. she probly doesn't know it, but i admire her & respect her for who she is & what she's done. i know that she's been forced to grow up to face all the challenges coming her way. but she's played her role well. i know it would take years & lots more challenges for her to come at par with our mother, but what she's reached now is very admirable na. i know there are times ren when she feels that she'd want to give up, but she hasn't given up & i don't see her doing that. it's just not her character. & i know she cries, but her tears fuel her to go on. i guess those tears serve to unload some of her burdens so she'd have enough strength to go on.

not all of us are gifted with a charmed life. & i guess those who feel unlucky coz they feel that they never get the break they deserve should instead feel blessed because it separates them from the rest. it makes them the WOMAN they are destined to become... not just another girl.

so anyway, back to my pregnancy :p
wala lang.. na eexcite pa din ako :)

im lucky to have had a relatively easy pregnancy, physically. i didnt experience morning sickness (siguro i did, pero ung tipong very ocassional na slight nausea lang), i didn't have weird cravings, iv been pretty healthy, i haven't ballooned & iv no edema anywhere (although iv still 1 month left & possible pa magka edema & mag gain ako ng 10++ lbs na wag naman sana! :p)... i could still do much of the things i normally did. i could still wear most of my clothes (kahet na muka akong butete :p) emotionally naman, people are very supportive. madaming excited for the baby, nakakatuwa na andaming nagvovolunteer na ninong & ninang (gusto ko kunin lahat para dami gifts itong si boknat :p). a lot of people have been very understanding & generous. i didnt even have to buy maternity clothes kase aside from the fact that most of my clothes still fit, marami din nagbigay ng maternity clothes :) i have a wonderful daddy mamoi (oo babe, wonderful ka na ren, kahet nabubugbog tummy ko pag pnanggigigilan mo si boknat :p) madami nagbibigay ng food :p

although i admit it hasn't been perfect. in fact, it hasn't been very easy. shempre, anjan ung financial worries. & some relationship strain... pero i don't want to dwell on those issue, although its getting harder & harder to ignore them, especially since 1 month na lang & guguluhin na ni boknat ang mundo :p pero basta, right now, nananaig yung excitement. or yun lang ung pinapansin ko... ayaw ko kse magpastress... i just pray that masolusyunan yun mga issues na yan (Lord, hear our prayers!) haaay, why worry when you can pray, ryt? & besides, worrying won't make the problem go away. mahihirapan lang ako magisip kung pano ko lalampasan to.

so anyway, basta yun... sobrang excited na talaga. sa sobrang excitement, nahihirapan kme magisip ni abet ng name for boknat. i wouldn't be surprised kung BOKNAT or BIBAY talaga yung name na nakasulat sa birth certificate nya. BOKNAT DANGAN or BIBAY DANGAN... sounds good naman db? wawang bata, pagtatawanan sa school. but at least madaling i spell yung name nya :p consuelo de bobo :p

sa mga friends, wag kakalimutan ang gift ha! one for the baby shower, another pagpanganak, & another sa binyag :p wishlist: ps3, shopping spree, beach trip for abet... shopping spree, beach trip for me :p pero kung si boknat lang gusto nyong bigyan, ok na din... basta as much as possible, wag clothes coz baka matambak lang un sa cabinet & never magamit sa bilis lumaki ng baby :p if ur feeling generous, pwedeng crib, stroller, car seat, rocker, mobile, maraming baby bottles & nipples & several (1 or 2) pacifiers, bottle/food warmer, baby scrap book, diapers, baby wipes, baby formula... etc etc.. or cash... if you're feeling very generous, pwedeng gift & cash :p

kakaexcite talaga... we had our ultrasound pala, kaya we know na baby girl... & kamuka ng daddy nya.

so today, im 32 weeks & five days... 5 or so weeks na lang, lalabas na si boknat! yehey!