Down the Rabbit Hole

Val and I are expecting a baby ! And in such short a time, I'd find myself balloon as the baby grows inside me. This means that I need to find myself some pregnancy attire and start gathering baby gear in a way that doesn't break the bank because (1) I'll be pregnant for only 40 weeks, a short amount of time in the grand scheme of things; and (2) baby gear and maternity clothes can get very expensive very fast. So, as we await our little bundle of joy, I learned a few things about shopping while pregnant. I have to state that what I've learned in my experience may not be universally applicable but  these might help. Also, I'm not an expert at shopping on a budget. Mommy and Anna are much better at it than me. Rummage through my pre-pregnancy clothes. I am not a fan of buying trendy clothes so I often end up wearing styles that last for a long time. When I started gaining weight because of pregnancy, I went through my existing clothes to see which ones could be...

Many years ago, Daddy often brought Anna, Biboy, and me to museums in Manila while Mommy was shopping in Divisoria. Oftentimes, the highlights of our educational trips were not the exhibits; instead, they could be the train ride to the museum or the automatic glass door. Anyway, flash forward to 2020. Biboy and Barbara appear to want to start Gabriel's educational adventure pretty young, following what we've experienced as kids. So one Saturday, we trooped to the California Academy of Sciences. Gabriel's attention was mostly captured by the big animals moving inside their aquariums. He had a grand time saying hi to the fish and the penguins. Because they're all on the other side of the glass, he kept tapping on the glass and calling them "Balbon", the name of their dog. For older kids (including me when I first dropped by), one of the whoa! moments is seeing this skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus rex towering over the academy's lobby for the...

Taal Volcano is the world's smallest volcano, sitting in a lake in an island (Volcano Island), within a lake (Taal Lake) surrounded by an island (Luzon). Tourists looking at Taal Island from Tagaytay City typically mistake Binintiang Malaki as the main crater; but in fact, Binintiang Malaki is dormant and used to be the active crater in the 18th century eruptions. This year, Taal Volcano took centre stage when it erupted on January 12, after more than two decades of seismic activity. It's the first time I've seen it erupt because it's last explosion was in 1977... way before I was born. It's fascinating to watch from a distance (watching on the telly) but I'm sure that it must be terrifying for the people living on the island and along the coast. Livelihoods disrupted; tourists and buildings literally shook by the frequent earthquakes; ecosystems changed. By Buszmail - This file was derived from:  Phreatic eruption of Taal Volcano, 12 January 2020....

So, everything seemed to be going along smoothly for me and the baby, aside from me losing weight due to morning (all-day) sickness that peaked just before Val arrived in late October. Work beckoned, so he had to fly back a few days later. I, on the other hand, began easing off the morning sickness and started to feel a lot better. There were still dry heaves and vomiting, but the nausea was more manageable (just eat a couple of Sour Patch Kids and I was good). I certainly started to look pregnant around Week 15, but Tita Babie said that my belly was quite small.               Clockwise from top left: Pregnant belly at 15 weeks, 17 weeks, 20 weeks, 24 weeks On Week 25, I was officially wearing size 1X tops and dresses. Mommy has become excited because my 1X clothes could fit her (and she can borrow them). Exercise I didn't want to be stuck at home for the duration of the pregnancy (I do work from home on a consultancy job) and I l...