Hello!

Oh my gee.

I just realized how much I value writing and the feeling of relief it gives me every after composition is something I can't explain--it gives me so much happiness. Motherhood, at the same time, is just exactly the same. Although the past few days, my motherhood kinda stops me from writing because I'd rather play with Sword when he's awake and sleep with him when he's asleep. BUT!!! It's gonna be fun and more exciting if I share my story of motherhood through words and that's what's up for now. Writing about motherhood. And more! :)

Now that I'm overwhelmed and lost track on what I must do, I'll just start by sharing you Sword's two firsts! First children's party he's attended and his first Halloween experience! I know, it's already mid-November to bear his costume party photos but.. my baby is just too cute for words. Hahaha

My ba-bee is the most adorable bee!

He brought home a lot of sweets from his first Trick or Treat experience.

Days after he attended his cousin Marcus' Christening...

...and his cousin Ceean's costume birthday party!

"Hmm why do you have to keep on posting my photos online, Mommy?"

The world needs to see a wonder like you, son! :)

So I'll keep them coming. :)

♥,

Marianne

Family Portrait

We have been planning to take Marius out for the very first time so we can visit Pic-A-Boo! When he was still in my tummy, I often daydreamed about it and thought of so many ideas including him becoming Iron Man, because I was pegging it long before we called him our Little Sailor. :) And that time has finally come. Unfortunately, no Iron Man costume was available for infants so we just made him a cutie, chubby football baby! I swear baby, Mom's gonna make you wear an Iron Man costume.

We also took the chance to have our first official family portrait taken there. Oh the joy of having your own family. <3

Sharing you some of my favorites!

Our little Bachingching was all smiles!!! Oh I love you baby so much!!! 

Ok, I looked like a floating momma. My shorts did blend well with the backdrop! Hahaha.

It would be too hard to kick a ball this cute. 

My Bach in a luggage bag. I want him to be a traveler someday!

My Little Sailor is growing up soooooo fast! Would you believe he's already growing his first tooth?!

The Pic-A-Boo package was a bit expensive, to be honest. A three-set package costs Php 550--what you will be getting is 3 copies of 3R prints and exceeding copies cost Php 150. They have bulk prices though, and if you reach Php 3000, which will probably include 15 copies of 3R prints and 2 copies of 8x12 prints, you will be given low-res soft copies of selected photos. I hope they'll be generous enough to provide customers with high-res copies na lang. Okay, kalma. I love the results naman. Hehe!

So these are the two copies we chose for 8x12 prints:

<3

My most favourite. Can't wait to put this in a frame! 

Sana in our next shoot (on his 9th month, hopefully), we'll have Tofu with us! And sana outdoor! :)

And oh, today we'll celebrate our son's fourth month. Ang bilis! We love you, baby!

♥,

Marianne

Palawan 2013

O haiiiiiii, Superlovers! I am back! :)

It's been more than a month since I updated my blog. I owe my readers an explanation--Sword and I stayed at my in-laws' place for two weeks for some medical(?) issues. Roddick and Reesha's yaya got chickenpox and Rafael's got HFMD which are both contagious. I brought my laptop with me but we just watched movies non-stop and Globe signal there fails big time. And then a week after we went back home to my parents' place Paolo and I impulsively decided to go to Palawan to visit my grandmom and all our other relatives there. It was also his first time to hit the place, I happily escorted him. Now that I'm back (and trying to finish this entry before Sword wakes up--again!), let me share you our sweet journey: our first ever out of town trip as husband and wife aka our honeymoon. Hahaha I kid, I kid.

As you all know, our Boracay trip last October 2012 was canceled due to my pregnancy... so imagine my excitement to ride the airplane again (zoom, zoom.. broom, broom) and to relax a bit and of course, to spend a quality time with my husband who's very, very busy because of work. Everything's changed since I gave birth to Sword and just like everyone says, being a wife and being a mother are both different roles to fill. I keep on thanking my parents for taking care of our baby while we were out but trust me, half of my heart was left here in Manila. WeChat video call and FaceTime helped but still, I longed to kiss and cuddle our little sailor.

Moving on (intro pa lang napakadaldal ko na)...

It was my first time to go to El Nido despite my numerous trips to Puerto Princesa (PPS) in the past. I never had the chance to travel 5 hours to see the beauty of the island. I missed the beach so much so I insisted to include this little getaway in our short trip. I felt guilty, however, because we left Manila when Maring was devastating the rest of Luzon. It was sunny in Palawan but Mother Nature played its trick on us. Right on time when we were about to start our Tour A, the rain started pouring big time we had to cancel it. So to those who were wondering why I never posted a #selfie wearing two-piece bikini, I am sorry. The beach waves were crazy we didn't bother to go near the shoreline anymore.

But I am so happy to reunite with the sand and the sea sans the sun once again.

Cloudy, eh? Behind me are Seven Commando and Helicopter (mukhang Chickenjoy sa left side) islands.

I missed traveling with him. <3

The rich flora (and fauna) which is Palawan.

On our second day, the clouds became cloudier, heavier. It rained cats and dogs the night before that the sea turned brown. The water from the mountains joined the sea + southwest monsoon + high tide = STILL A BEAUTY.

Mr. Sun finally shone when we were about to leave the island. What is timing dibaaaa

:)

Back to PPS, we headed straight to my lola's house, fetched our cousins and had late dinner at Bona's Chao Long. We also had a few drinks at Kataboom, a resto-bar similar to Boracay's Bom Bom and Pat's Creek Bar--reggae!

It was my first time for a long time to drink beer again. I only limited myself to two bottles, and a glass of mojitos. :D

Cousins! :)

Finally, on our fourth day, we toured Paolo around the city. We went to Crocodile Farm and Mitra's Ranch. Our flight back to Manila was delayed, from 12:55 PM to 6:50 PM due to the non-stop rain in Manila, thus more time was spent with my cousins. Unplanned, we had the entire afternoon chilling at Pristine beach, which is just a few-minute walk from my cousin's house and 10 minutes away from the airport. 

And ladies and gentlemen, a stretch of white sand beach in a city, with an entrance fee of only P20 (P5 when we went here last 2001). Still not bad! 

L-O-V-E-L-Y!

And if you're still wondering why I was not in bikinis, we went here two hours before our boarding time. We didn't swim, we just chilled. Hehe and nako naman, I just gave birth. I still weigh 120 lbs! :( Also to quote my friend Cham, "Pag nagiging nanay tumataas ang panty!" Oh well, yeah, that's my undies showing. Lumuwag po kasi shorts ko. <3 <3 <3

I'm grateful for that 4 days spent with my relatives and my husband. Bringing Sword with us would be perfect but now isn't the right time. Eventually we'll travel with our little sailor! See you again, Palawan, especially you, El Nidowwww!

♥,

Marianne

Post Partum

It's been two months since I gave birth and I'm happy I'm already allowed to go out and see the world. You know what the old folks say? But even if I can go out and do stuff, I can't leave anytime because it's just me and my mom who's taking care of Sword. And I can only go out for a few hours because when I'm out, my heart just wants to rush back home and be with my son! 

Anyway, since I don't go out often, I make the most out of my whereabouts. Every second counts! :) This month I was able to catch up with Kim and  Cham and my teammates from TV5, thanks to my "turnover"missions and HR calls. I also got the chance to shop little things for myself because believe it or not, I think I'm suffering from post-partum depression at times which is pretty normal, I guess. Retail therapy saves me!

Mary Grace with KiMoNei :)

With team Non-Trad. Coffee and lunch dates. <3

Fun times with the kids and cousins. 

Also, glad to find out about the Wu-Tang muscle shirts Forever 21 has! Paolo is a diehard Wu-Tang fan, his music is becoming mine! So if you want beef then bring the ruckus, I'm loving this shirt:

Wu-Tang Clan!

Alright then, til my next post. Sword's about to wake up. Have a great weekend! :)

♥,

Marianne

Sword Marius

18th day of May, 6:53 in the morning. I gave birth to a wonderful, miraculous creation of God.

It was a joyous journey to motherhood. Nine months of pregnancy. Thirty-seven weeks of feeling so special and fragile knowing that I am carrying a young life inside me. In my womb I nurtured and loved a little man that even without seeing him yet, he already changed my life. 

Pregnancy is such a beautiful happening. You get to feel the life inside you... the kicks, the swirls, and only a mother feels it. You get to hear the life inside you... the heartbeat, the throb it makes. It's perfect. 

It's all worth the wait. Every single day of my pregnancy I prayed for my baby's welfare, and my faith got even stronger as my delivery day drew closer. And then the day we have all been waiting for has finally arrived three weeks earlier than expected. Emotionally, I wasn't ready for it, but my body was. And my baby was so ready too to say hello to the outside world, outside his mommy's womb.

After thirteen hours of labor, from which the last five hours was the most painful experience ever, an angel was put right on my chest. He is my son and his name is Sword Marius. 

Ladies and gents, meet our little sailor. :)

His first picture ever, taken by his Dad. 

Day 2, wrapped up.

My favorite photo of him.

And then 17 days after, his chubby cheeks just became chubbier. 

My life is complete now. I am surrounded by my loving and very supportive parents and sisters, and I have my family I can call my own. I am a daughter, a sister, a wife and a mother. I will forever thank Him for making me wealthy because with what I have now, I am richer than Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne. 

♥,

Marianne

Baby Shower for the Little Sailor

I'm on my 36th week now. By next week, my pregnancy will be on its full term and it means that I can pop out anytime. I'm about to give birth to my most precious one. What a wonderful journey. <3

Last week, another baby shower was thrown for us made possible by friends and family. It was an idea brought to life--a sailor/nautical-themed party for our little sailor. Our sincerest thanks to those who came to celebrate with us the coming of our child, and wished me a safe delivery. Thank you for your time, much appreciated! It also felt like an advanced birthday celebration for me and Paolo. My thank you's will never be enough! 

Blue, red, stripes, and boats. <3

Cake made by Chef Allan Tolentino and cupcakes from our dear Kimonei. Thanks, guys!

My best friend was the earliest bird!

Girls and soon-to-be-moms! :)

High school represent! 

BOYS!

Again, few more weeks before we get to see little Paolo, little Pujo, our baby, our little sailor! Please pray for my safe delivery. God listens! 

♥,

Marianne