ROBIN AND QUEEN BEE FOR A NIGHT

One of Vince's colleagues, Dr. Jay and his Filipina wife, Ms. Adeline, organized a party for us which was held at their home last night.  The reason behind the party was to introduce us to the Filipino community, and let the townsmen know as well that there are a couple of new doctors for Cook Medical Centre, one of them being Vince.  The date of the party was originally set for a couple of weeks earlier, but since Vince and I thought we were going to New Orleans then, it was moved to yesterday, and the hosts decided to make it a costume party also. 

Before dinner time, the men had a little fun with skeet shooting and football action on TV while the ladies prepare the food -- except of course for me, who lazily stayed at our home, vegetated, and rested.  Hehe!  Anyway, come dinner, Vince picked me up and off to the party we went ☻

Spandex and leather won't work with my 5-month belly anymore, so I dressed as a Queen Bee, and it worked! 

Robin (Vince) posed with an inked biker (Dr. M) and a Rastafarian (Dr. M's son)

The other new doctor, Dr. H, and her family.  Dr. H.'s young daughter sew Dr. H.'s costume -- from scratch.  Cool!

Dr. J's son as Gumby.

Lady Zorro!

Vince and I don't celebrate Halloween, hence, we chose costumes that were nondescript for Halloween.  Besides, as I mentioned above, the party was not intended to celebrate Halloween, but to introduce us to the community.  While there were guests who came dressed as witches, scarecrow, monster and she devils, there were also who were dressed as a hula lady, princess, race car driver, retro, football player, and non-Halloween-likes.  Vince and I definitely liked our colorful costumes a lot that when the party was over, we had a short photo session at home, before changing into our jammies and hanging Robin and Queen Bee inside the closet ;)

Don't we make a lovely pair? ♥

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For a sneak peek of what's inside my closet, please visit:

WEDNESDAY APPAREL

And nope, they're not for sale ☺

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VINCE'S BIRTHDAY 2012

It was Vince's birthday a few days ago.  We celebrated his birthday over hearty dinner and laughs at The Catch and Oyster Bar in Albany, GA, with our dear friends, Tin and Erwin.  Our friends just came back from a quick trip to New Orleans, Louisiana, which Vince and I were supposed to have also gone with.  Unfortunately, due to conflicts in schedule, we weren't able to join them, and so our dinner conversations were filled with stories on how their trip went, and making plans for future trips together to New Orleans, Atlanta, Florida, and anywhere we could think of.  Hehe!

My friendship with Tin and Erwin dates back in 1995.

After dinner, we headed to Tin and Erwin's home to spend the night, but little did we know that we'd be staying there until the following night.  The following day was like an extension of Vince's birthday.  Tin prepared a wonderful bacon and omelet breakfast for us, and during lunch, we all feasted on shrimps and crabs that they brought home from New Orleans.  The pregnant, crab-deprived me didn't back down.  I cut my thumb while cracking open my fourth crab.  Yes, I conquered cracking and eating four meaty crabs, and I don't think I've ever eaten that much crabs in the past!  Vince has sensitivity to seafood, so he took a dose of Benadryl for prophylaxis, and was really wary on eating them.  Shortly after lunch, Benadryl knocked Vince down, so he slept until about 6:30 p.m. just in time when I finished working, and a couple of hours or so then, we were on our way back to Adel.

Mardi Gras masks from New Orleans.

Well, honestly, I felt terribly guilty for my inadequacy of not making any plans ahead to celebrate Vince's special day :(  Going to Albany was more of a last minute decision, i.e., biglaang lakad na natuloy.  Vince has always been big on surprising me on my birthdays, showering me with luxurious gifts, fancy dining, arranging reservations, and ensuring that we celebrate my birthday in a special way, no matter what.  On the contrary, I put little effort on planning for his birthday :(  Even the gift that I bought online with expedited shipping didn't make it on time for his birthday, and was only delivered the day after :(  I'm sincerely thankful to our friends in Albany who graced us with their time to celebrate with us and made Vince's birthday a happening.  I'm disappointed at myself for not being the thoughtful wife I should be, but I resolve to be better and make it up with him, not only on his birthdays but in our every day life together.

Vince, you've been a very good husband and friend to me, and I know that you will be the best father for our children as well.  I am so blessed that God chose me to be your helpmeet in life, and I pray that He bring many more years to you, and that He will always take care of you, bless you, and keep you.  I love you very much.

You don't need a suit or cape to be a superhero.  You already are to me! ♥

REVEAL-THE-GENDER PARTY

SPOILER ALERT:  If you're one of our few friends, relatives and loved ones who do not wish to know my bun's gender until it comes out of the oven, then STOP right now, don't scroll down further, and close your browser or tab.  I really didn't want this to sound too showbiz, but yeah, I'm compelled to give out this warning for the sake of those who want it to be a surprise ☻

I had my 19-week OB check-up on the first week of October.  Vince and I were both excited for that appointment because I was also scheduled for my second ultrasound that time.  Some of our relatives and even my previous OB in Pennsylvania kind of dissuaded us into finding out the baby's gender before birth especially that it's our first child.  I understand that some expectant parents prefer not to foreknow the baby's gender for the element of surprise and anticipation, however, Vince and I prefer otherwise.  We feel that the thrill and excitement is going to be there regardless, so might as well know beforehand and spare ourselves from guessing and shopping the wrong color of baby clothes and items ;)

Coincidentally, a couple of days before my scheduled check-up, while surfing the Internet, I came across this very cool idea of "cutting the cake" and "gender reveal" party.  Coincidentally again, about a week before my check-up, we had pre-planned to hold a potluck at home with a couple of close friends the day after my appointment.  Talking about hitting two birds with one stone, we called for an instant reveal-the-gender potluck.  Hehe!

Basically, what Vince and I did during my OB appointment is that we told the sonologist that we'd like to know the baby's gender but we asked her not to disclose it to us but write it on a piece of paper instead.  We briefly told her about our plan of holding a reveal-the-gender party, and the sonologist was quick to catch on.  When it was time to check the baby's gender, she turned off the huge monitor and even asked Vince to turn his head away from the screen.  When all was done, she gave us three sealed envelopes:  1) "Guess" envelop which contained the snapshot of the baby's gender but without the definite answer; 2) "Answer" envelop which contained the snapshot of the baby's gender and with definite answer; and 3) "Baker" envelop which is similar to the "answer" envelope.

When we got home after the appointment, I called a local bake shop last minute before they closed.  I was glad that they agreed to bake a "gender cake" for us on short notice!  I explained that I really wouldn't mind if it's just a regular cake as long as there's something inside the cake such as a cake topper or a toy or even a regular icing that would indicate the baby's gender (pink for girl and blue for boy) when we cut the cake.  Vince then drove to the bake shop and gave the baker the sealed "baker" envelop.  I had texted my friends coming over for the potluck to wear blue or pink depending on their guess of the baby's gender.  Vince and I were excited to find out our baby's gender but we both had the patience and self-control to wait and hold off in opening the envelop until the following day.

So the day after my appointment, here's what happened on our REVEAL-THE-GENDER party:

Team Girl - KM and Erwin
Team Boy - Vince and Tin

Fiesta for Four plus One
Beef stroganoff, Pork sinigang, Laing, Bacon-wrapped asparagus, Green mangoes with bagoong, Jackfruit, and Chocolate caramel cake

This was originally a plain cake.  I whipped a batch of buttercream icing and quickly decorated the cake before the potluck.  The flowers were toppers I made back in my Wilton cake decorating lesson days.

The envelopes that contained the ultrasound snapshots.  We took turns in guessing the baby's gender based on the snapshot.  The sonologist typed, "It's a little...."

After we all saw the "guess" ultrasound snapshot, we pretty much knew what the gender is.  I cut the cake to confirm the answer.  While Vince looked anxious in anticipation of what icing color we'd see inside, I  was in denial and wishful thinking and praying that the cake would reveal otherwise.  Haha!

Here's how I looked like after seeing the icing inside ...  Noooooooo!!!! LOL.

And obviously Vince was overjoyed!

BLUE!

Undeniable!

Team Boy wins!  Better luck next time, Team Girl ;)

Happiness! ♥♥♥

So that's how we found out that we're having a baby boy ☻  I was glad and thankful that we had a couple of dear friends to celebrate such precious moment with us.  Truly memorable! ♥   Honestly, I had so much fun on my gender reveal party, I couldn't wait to do another one.  I hope it's for a baby girl next time.  LOL!

If you're an expectant parent and is okay with the idea of knowing your baby's gender pre-birth, I suggest you do a gender reveal party ;) It's definitely a much awesome way of finding out your baby's gender than having the sonologist tell you right there and then in the ultrasound room.  As well, this party is not only fun for the ladies but for the guys as well especially for the expectant father.  You could get more participation from friends and loved ones just by simply having them wear at the party which team they're on - BLUE or PINK.  You can find other more cool gender reveal party ideas in the Internet ;)

JUST ANOTHER UPDATE

Needless to say, (yet here I am saying it anyway) my blog has been quiet for quite a while (again for the nth time).  Well, a lot of grown-up things have been keeping me preoccupied recently, and with that I meant my job, pregnancy, relocating and all-in-between.  Despite the here and there glitches that Vince and I have been encountering with transition and adjustment, everything has been good by God's grace.

So where do I begin with this yet again another comeback?  Hmmm...

One of my fridge magnets

GEORGIA.  About three weeks or so ago, we bid adieu to Pennsylvania and said hello to Georgia.  It was a tedious move for us.  We had to stay in two different hotels for more than a week while waiting for our household goods and car to be delivered from PA to GA.  Previously, we rented a single bedroom apartment in PA, but since we took upon ourselves to broaden our horizon and embark on a bigger journey which included starting a family, we decided it's best to rent a house rather than an apartment.  There were only two available houses for lease in the area, and we've chosen a very spacious four-bedroom, three-bathroom (Jacuzzi in master bathroom -- sweet!), two-car garage house to be our new abode here in GA.  But of course, a house is totally different than an apartment, hence, we're still in the process of getting ourselves settled in and acquainted with all the what-is and what's-not including security alarm, insurance, furniture, appliances, etc.  It's pretty exciting and interesting since this is our first time to rent a house, and we're sort of getting the "training" we need for when we eventually decide to buy and own a/this house, Lord willing! ;)

WORK.  What a wonderful blessing it is to have a job (much more to be able to do it from home or anywhere powered by Internet for that matter), and so, I have no right whatsoever to complain.  Honestly, there are times when my work makes me sing, "Are you a sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare..."  I do appreciate deep down in my heart the perks of being able to telecommute, but my goodness, I'm telling you, working from home does not provide me immunity from stress brought on by my job.  My husband can definitely attest to that.  Hehe!  BUT, as always, I'm thankful to God that He has blessed me with this job, and it has been a testament of His faithfulness in our lives, especially during this time that we're waiting for our H-1b/H4 visa to be approved, and Vince has not started on his new work yet.  I'm really saddened by the numerous layoffs recently at my work, and that makes me more grateful to be still part of the company.  So, whether my job is being a sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare, "Either way, I don't wanna wake up from..." ☻

PREGNANCY.  I thought the nausea, vomiting and all my first trimester challenges would never come to end, but thank God, I'm over them!  It was a great relief when I finally was able to tolerate the usual foods I ate prior to pregnancy.  Second trimester has its own quirks too like this ache in my left hip down the butt and upper thigh aggravated by movement and shifting positions, and also, uncontrollable growing belly accompanied with occasional cramps.  Right on my 20th week, I started feeling tiny baby movements like small ripples or waves inside my tummy ♥  I also had another ultrasound about a couple of weeks ago, and the second one was much more exciting than the first ultrasound.  Besides the fact that our baby has obviously grown bigger and body parts were more recognizable in the second scan, we found out the gender!  Okay, so this is where I cut this short.  How Vince and I found out the gender of our first baby was an important milestone for us, and so I like to write a separate blog post for that.  If we're friends in Facebook, you most likely know already whether I'm having a girl or boy, but I do hope that you still join me in my next post as I reveal my baby's gender to cyberworld.  I promise to try my best to make the revelation as fun and exciting as it was for us when we first found out, so please stay tuned!

...and yes, I haven't forgotten that I still need to complete my Hawaii vacation series here in my blog ☻