Brink

Well, here I am. I am one week shy of entering my third trimester and no, I will NEVER post photos of my pregnant belly because that's just not me. Time is flying by so fast. I am still working from home and I will continue to do so until I give birth in November. I'm due in mid-November - around the 13th - but I won't be going on maternity leave until I am huffing and puffing and having about-to-deliver contractions. I mean, that's the plan, at least.

I delivered Kaelana eight years ago by finishing training (I was still a trainer that time) for my last class on a Friday, then giving birth on a Wednesday the week immediately after. The timing was impeccable. I only had to wait for five days. I shudder at stories of other women going on maternity leave too early and having to wait for weeks until they actually give birth. The time wastage is heartbreaking, especially in this country where maternity leaves only last for two months. Those precious weeks of waiting for D-Day (delivery day) could have been spent with your precious newborn. Since I work from home, I'll try my best to stick to the plan.

Another item we had to agree on is our stay arrangements. In our home, there's just the Husband, me, and Kaelana. That's why, as we're nearing my due date, we'll start staying over at my folks'. Their house is much nearer the hospital where I want to give birth - the same facility where I gave birth to Kaelana. It would be much safer for me, in general. I mean, what will I do when I get contractions while the Husband is at work and I'm alone in the house? I'd feel much safer with my family with me. Even if Cyrus is at work, I'll have my brothers, my mom and my sister to take me there, when push comes to shove (no pun intended). I guess what's left for me to do are: take care of what to bring to the hospital, settle giving-birth paper work (insurance stuff and government forms), and be in the best shape and state possible so we can welcome this little bundle of joy into the outside world with flying colors!

Three more months, Kalila Francine. We're ready when you are.

♥

My Best Friend

"A son is a son until he gets a wife,

but a daughter is a daughter all her life."

I was 18 weeks pregnant and was eating gelato with my Kaelana when her daddy snapped this photo.

Phenomenal

I believe that I am at a point in my life where I just want to really slow down, keep a low profile and live peacefully. I don't think I just woke up one day with this realization. Instead, I know that I took purposeful and deliberate steps to get to where I am now. Getting our own little home, tightening my circle of friends, being more introspective, letting go of the negative... I made sure I was creating a life away from toxic competition, away from things that waste precious time, away from circumstances and situations that did not make me grow and most importantly, away from things I know, if I'm lying on my death bed, aren't really important.

Sure, a fancier job title, a larger paycheck, a place in the spotlight, a better figure, a nicer pair of shoes, are awesome, but at what expense? Lesser time with my adorable and precocious daughter? Superficial 'friendships'? A strained marriage? Stretched finances? No, I'll pass.

Now don't think I've lost my drive, my zest for excellence, my exuberance, my sense of adventure, my excitement for the unknown. I didn't settle. I just decided to start, oh around two to three years ago, to re-calibrate my life, to find out what truly mattered to me.

I got sick late last year. I had a wound that got badly infected which required surgery. I had to stay in the hospital for a week. I had to be medicated with really strong antibiotics. Then, last December, while on vacation in beautiful Boracay, I broke my wrist. I had to wear a wrist splint. It was uncomfortable and extremely painful. Just putting on my undergarments required maximum effort. I had to ask The Husband for help, as if I were a toddler. I was miserable. But in the midst of all the bad stuff, I found out who my real friends were, and I discovered who truly cared. It hit me: life was really short and what a shame if I were to waste it on things and people that were fleeting and shallow.

My wants have indeed changed. My goals and priorities are different now.

I want more stamps on our passports.
I want a masters degree.
I want a career in the academe.
I want more time with my family - my husband, our daughter and her upcoming sibling, my parents, my brothers, my sister and our relatives.
I want more time with my friends.
I want to read more, laugh more, eat more, dream more.
I want to make our home more beautiful.
Heck, I even want to blog more.
Also, don't laugh.
I want to make a difference.

I also want more ice cream. Ice cream rights a lot of wrongs, y'know.

Happy Friday, loves.

photo from weheartit.com