Preparing "KUYA" Henri

One of of the things that worried Joel and I was Henri's reaction to the new addition to the family. Since he's barely 2 years old, we know that he will not be able to fully grasp the concept of being a "kuya"/ older brother to the new baby (naturally because after all, he's still a "baby"). The whole time I was pregnant, we made sure that he was aware that there was a baby coming. We would point to my stomach and say "baby" and we would tell him to kiss my belly. This was our way of psyching him for what was to come. 

Weeks before my due date, Joel and I went shopping for a nice "surprise gift" for Henri. Our plan was that the day we bring the new baby home, we would tell him that he/she brought him something special. We hope that this would lessen the jealousy he might feel towards the new attention given to the baby. After going around the mall and various toy stores, we finally decided to buy Henri a bike since he's been wanting one for a long time. Our plan was all set. 

April 19, 2011 

The Day after I gave birth, Henri visited us in the hospital. He was hyper and couldn't contain himself. He kept on saying "baby, baby, baby". 

Dada to Henri : You're still our baby don't worry :)

Kuya Henri meets Baby Sofia for the first time = LOVE :)

April 20, 2011

Henri got his new bike and he absolutely loved it...he kept saying "koo" (thank you) to Sofia.

Sofia's "gift" for his Kuya Henri

Henri to Sofia : Koo (Thank You)

 Kuya kissing his new baby sister :) 

Welcoming Sofia Isabelle

After much anticipation, one 'false alarm' where I actually went to the hospital thinking it would the day already (April 15), loads of excitement from family and friends texting and calling me the past days to check if I already gave birth ... SOFIA ISABELLE is finally here!

Birthday : April 18, 2011
Name: Sofia Isabelle
Height : 19 in.
Weight : 6.1 lbs.

 Welcome to the world Sofia! :) 

 1 Day Old 

 2 Days Old :) Getting Ready to go home

Our Little Princess

We want to thank everyone who showed their love, support and most especially their prayers. I had a very smooth delivery. Sofia didn't give me a difficult time. :) 

And then they were 4...

Our very first family pic - Medical City, April 19, 2011

9 Months of Feeling Beautiful and Extra Loved

NEW YORK 2009
34 Weeks Pregnant with Henri

A month before I had Henri, our photographer friends in New York convinced me to do a prenatal shoot to remember my very first pregnancy. I initially was very hesitant (not to mention "jahe"/extremely shy to do it) but ended up doing it in the end. The very talented Niko Villegas did the shoot. He made me feel comfortable and was very professional about it. And when I saw the photos, I was so glad I did it! I'm sharing you the amazing pics of our pregnancy then...

MANILA 2011
32 Weeks Pregnant with Baby No. 2 *

*We want the gender to be a surprise so we're being ultra traditional and waiting until he/she comes out)

Fast forward to now, we decided to continue the tradition just to be fair to next baby. We had it in our recently opened events place/resort in Batangas called Cintai Corito's Garden. The concept was a laid-back and relaxed summer family shoot. Kudos to Owee Salva for these stunning photos. I picked my top 5 favorites!

I particularly love this photo. When you ask Henri, "Where's our baby?", he immediately lifts my shirt and kisses my belly! :)

For all the mothers who can relate, being pregnant is never an easy experience. Some go through a horrific first trimester - morning sickness and nausea (luckily for me, I breezed through it without having to go through any of those). You have to be extra cautious about what you eat. I think the hardest thing for me is staying away from sashimi and foie gras! hahaha! And a whole gamut of all other things - weight gain, face and body transformations, hormonal imbalance ( for instance, I get really moody and particularly masungit when I feel hungry!), extreme sensitivity to certain smells/odors, lower back pains, forgetfulness, episodes of depression and self-doubt, etc.). Despite all these seemingly negative aspects though are perks and positive points which undeniably outweighs the former. It's a time when you can practically get away with anything - license to eat ice-cream, carbs, whole milk,etc.,  priority lanes and parking, special treatment by everyone especially your husband, long afternoon naps and a whole lot more. As for me, one of the greatest things about being pregnant is feeling the baby squirming inside you - from their first kick to the punching episodes towards your last trimester...it's indescribable! There's nothing like it... knowing that there's a new life inside you is just AMAZING! :) 

Cheers to all the mothers who've experienced these precious and life-altering months of being beautiful and extra loved! 

Counting the Days...

As I sip my Royal Milk Bubble Tea which my brother Migo and his girlfriend Max brought home from the mall as pasalubong, I feel reminiscent and sentimental about how the last few months flew by. I am now officially 37 weeks on the way already! I can't believe how fast those last few months went. Maybe I didn't really notice the time because I was crazy busy and a lot of major and I mean MAJOR events happened... the most significant ofcourse would be our Church Wedding last Dec 4 (I was 4 months then). I don't know how I managed to pull that off without a wedding planner but everything turned out beautifully. Joel and I were ecstatic about our magical day. Truly one of the best days in our lives.

Photobooth Family Pic during the wedding :)

Speaking of weddings, my sister Addie also tied the knot two weeks ago. I was her Matron of Honor. Although I didn't walk down the aisle (for two reasons: I was already 8 mos. and walking like a penguin and second was some Chinese belief that anyone pregnant that's part of your entourage takes out the "swerte"/goodluck from the couple), I really showed my support in every way I can to make their wedding a success! Henri was their coin bearer as well but Joel ended up carrying him down the aisle because he got intimated with all the people and the cameras.

Dada and Henri at Ninang Addie and Tito Neil's Wedding - Santuario de San Antonio

Another important happening worth mentioning is the opening of Cintai Corito's Garden. After almost 4 years of slowly building and developing the place, we are finally sharing this paradise to others. We had it blessed last January 7 (Mom's Death Anniversary) and joined our first event at Megatrade Hall last March (Wedding/Debut Fair). Our first print advertisement also came out already (Martha Stewart Weddings March-August Issue). I'm so proud of what we've achieved so far. It's  been blood, sweat and tears (literally) for me  (baptism by fire for me having no background whatesoever in the Events/Hotel Management field!). But I'm happy to be learning new and exciting things every single day. Lately, it's been extra exhausting since travelling back and forth to Batangas is getting harder each day because of my fast growing belly. So I told them that starting this week, I will slow down already. I will coordinate everything from Manila since it's not advisable for me to travel so much. Since I am already full-term, I can give birth anytime now already! :)

*Sigh* Mom would've loved this place... but I'm sure she is smiling down now and enjoying the amazing place it has become. It's in memory of you Mom! I love you and miss you everyday...

So that's what happened to Mama Pats the past few months...now I am counting the days until another little angel joins the family! I'll be posting our recent Family Photoshoot next...