These Days

One of the things that had me feeling a bit emo the closer we got to the Daniela's delivery date was Neil and how he will have to adjust not being a solo kid anymore. I wanted to shower him extra attention knowing that much of our time will be devoted to taking care of the new baby especially in the first few weeks. We psyched him about what will change, how he can help take care of his sister, etc. Richard went to get him from the house in the afternoon of April 18 and he met Daniela for the first time. We let him hold the baby on the second day.  Neil slept at the hospital on Saturday night. On Sunday, we asked if he prefers to sleep at the hospital again with us, or at the house with lola. He chose sleeping at the house. I was surprised and also proud of him for making that choice. He understood that daddy had to stay with me and the baby. When the Daniela cries, he rushes to her to see what's up. And he whispers in order to not wake the baby. I have a...

We welcomed baby Daniela to our family on April 18, 2015. She's was born weighing 6 lbs 11 ozs and measured 19.5 inches. She was delivered via c-section, as planned, but 2 days earlier than the scheduled surgery date. I woke up with intermittent pain at 3AM of April 18. I was trying to figure out if they were real contractions so I timed the intervals and intensity. My OB advised that I call immediately if it happens less than 10 minutes apart, so we got in touch with the on-call physician and were told to check-in at the hospital. I was hooked up to monitoring equipment, had blood drawn and signed a lot of consent forms. Then we were advised that the surgery will happen that day, at 7:30AM. So I was prepped and we waited. Rich was told that he could go in so he suited up as well. I was awake and aware the whole time. I just felt some pressure but no pain at all. At 7:45AM, Daniela was out. She was roomed-in with me, which I appreciated because it allowed for more bo...

Books I read in February and March. #5. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd Sue Monk Kidd's phenomenal debut, The Secret Life of Bees, became a runaway bestseller that is still on the New York Times bestseller list more than two years after its paperback publication. Now, in her luminous new novel, Kidd has woven a transcendent tale that will thrill her legion of fans. Telling the story of Jessie Sullivan -- a love story between a woman and a monk, a woman and her husband, and ultimately a woman and her own soul -- Kidd charts a journey of awakening and self-discovery illuminated with a brilliance that only a writer of her ability could conjure (from Goodreads). #6. The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud tells the haunting story of a young man who narrowly survives a terrible car wreck that kills his little brother. Years later, the brothers’ bond remains so strong that it transcends the normal boundaries separa...

Rich's relatives came for a visit from Maryland last week. They planned to spend 2 full days in Atlanta before driving to Florida. We took them to Stone Mountain on Sunday and World of Coca-Cola on Monday. Sharing the photos from Stone Mountain. Where to go first? On the Skyride going up Stone Mountain Top of Stone Mountain Neil and cousins Watching Rio 4D Playground First try at climbing

We had our team lunch at Maggiano's last week which turned out to be a surprise baby shower for me. Beyond thankful to my officemates for putting this together. We now have a stash of diapers for baby, more clothes and gift cards for the other things we still need to get. I did not bring my camera during lunch so we just took photos at home.

We recently did an 8-week study at church on the topic of Starting Point, which focuses on adult starting point for faith. It is based on the premise that the faith we started with when we are younger also needs to mature and adjust to adult challenges. It was a good refresher and reexamination as we went through the study materials and examined personal beliefs. We followed the book by Andy Stanley of Northpoint Church - self-study, group discussion with the facilitators in church and also viewed the accompanying videos . In Manila, Rich and I also facilitated a small group that meets every week to talk about similar topics, so we have missed this type of interaction. When we got the email invitation to this 8-week session, Rich signed us up. As usual, my introverted self had a lot of (unfounded) apprehensions around meeting new people, or even being able to commit to 8 straight weeks. But I am glad we were able to participate, meet more people in church, learn and reestablish ou...

Rich celebrated his birthday last month and he wanted to keep it low-key. He changed his birthday setting on Fb so people are not notified. I offered to take the day off but he didn't want me to. We just planned to eat out after they pick me up from the office. It also happened to be the inaugural Cherry Blossom Festival at Blackburn Park so we checked that out first. It was soo cold that evening so we did not stay long. There was a bit of back and forth on where we should eat. At some point, we decided to just buy food at have dinner at the house so we went to Alon's to buy roast chicken. When the crew pulled out the chicken from the skewer, it fell on the floor. It would be another 20 minutes of wait so we left. Then we went to CPK but Neil said he wanted rice and chicken, so we finally ended up at PF Chang's.=) Happy birthday, Dad! We appreciate you!=)

Sharing pictures from the last 2 birthday parties Neil got invited to. Jump Jump, March 22 Skyzone, April 4