Catching Up

As some of you may have noticed in my Facebook account, I am catching up on baby photos. I am a little bummed that I didn't take lots of glamour shots of Lucas and Nathan when they were smaller--when they were sleepier and fuzzier, when presumably it was easier to have them pose.

But I guess I haven't really missed the window of opportunity that much. I like it that Lucas can now look at the camera and smile. And when he is sleeping, he doesn't wake up so easily when I move him so I can still pretty much do whatever I want, including setting him up with a cute pose. I guess I got lucky because he does cooperate and I am taking full advantage of it before he changes and becomes camera-shy (I heard most little boys do).

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This photo of Lucas made it to etsy.com. This is where I bought his Christmas hat. The vendor asked if I can send a photo of her product being used and so I did. The vendor liked the photo and so she asked if she can use it on her web page. In exchange for it, she will give me a free hat of my choice--anything I like, even a customized one. I liked the idea of a trade! And the free hat would only mean another good photo opp. Besides that, the winter is coming and Lucas can definitely use a nice hat to keep his head warm.

The very day the vendor posted the photo, she sold out her Christmas hats! She asked for my website so she can promote my work. I said I don't have one so she featured me in her blog instead. She called me a "photographer". She is very kind.

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About 15 minutes ago, my cousin gave birth to a healthy, bouncy baby boy. I have been monitoring her progress all day and I am so relieved that she is finally through it. I am so thrilled for her and her hubby and so excited to meet their little guy. I can't wait for her baby photos!

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Photo: Lucas showing his angelic (kuno) pose. Because of this photo, my colleagues are now calling him "Baby Einstein" for obvious reasons. I hope he will get Einstein's brain too! :-)

Countdown to Christmas

1.5 months before Christmas: Christmas Cards

Last year, we sent out Christmas cards early in December but our family and friends in the Philippines did not receive them until February. Yeah--seriously!

So I have decided that this year I am going to send Christmas cards early--as early as mid-November for those going out to the Philippines and early December for those going out to other countries.

I enjoy making cards myself but it takes a lot of time, and art materials here are expensive. So instead I just design them with the help of iPhoto or online tools like Shutterfly or Kodak Gallery. To me, sending cards are so personal so I make it even more personal by using photos. I used to find photocards so cheesy but I later learned to like them and appreciate the efforts put into them.

This year I am even more excited about our card because we are going to have a baby in the picture! I didn't waste time buying Lucas a Christmas hat for the photoshoot as well as another Christmas outfit so I have options. I take photos of him every chance I get and when I have enough photos to choose from, I'll pick one of them for our Christmas card.

I am lucky enough to have a baby who loves being in front of the camera. I just hope he won't change. He smiles a lot and believe me, he follows instructions too--as if he understands. When I took the photo above, I let him grab his feet, told him to hold it steady (so his assets won't show) and then smile. And he did just that! This is one of my favorite shots of him!

I haven't decided if I'll use this photo for the card. I might pick one where he's not showing too much skin or I might use a family photo. We'll see...

LongSiLog

The hub and I made breakfast together this morning. Yes, he does help with the cooking sometimes--when (1) he wants to chat while I'm cooking, (2) he feels like learning how to cook, or (3) he's too hungry and he sees that I'm not close to serving food. Reason #1 is the most common and that was why he helped today. I like it when he's in kitchen while I cook. I find that it's a good way to spend quality time with each other.

This is what we ended up with...

Longanisa (Sausage), Sinangag (Fried Rice) and Itlog (Egg) or Longsilog. I was in the mood for Pinoy breakfast. I wanted to cook Bulad (Dried Fish) but it was too cold to cook outside (I always cook Bulad outside so the house won't stink).

We usually just have bread for breakfast because it's quick and easy. But once in a while we'll have a real meal--and a real Filipino meal at that. It's just one of those things we do to bring us closer to home.

Our Story

He and I met in the oddest of circumstances! We worked together in a small company in Cebu but we didn't meet until we were about to leave for the US to get some training--we met at the airport. Well, I was the one about to get trained. He was already going back and forth our Cebu and US offices working as a consultant.

Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined being married to him. When we first met and even after we became very close friends for a few years, we were dating other people. We were both in serious relationships--his was far more serious than mine considering that he and the girl had been together for about 15 years or so.

He was also not my definition of a "dream guy". I wanted somebody "European-ish", one who's tall, dark and sexy--the "maginoo-pero-medyo-bastos" kind of guy. He is Chinese, very fair and good-looking in a different way. He is very well put-together and diplomatic--not the kind I was looking for. But he is kind, smart, witty and never boring, and that was more than enough to make me fall for him!

We both moved to the US on a company-sponsored working visa. During the first year of our US existence, we lived together in a corporate house, shared the company car, went to the same workplace, ate together, traveled together and shared the same friends. We were away from our family, friends and support groups, and we only had each other. We were in an environment and in a situation that was very conducive to emotional attachment, and if I may say--"romance". To make the long story short, we fell in love!

It took a long time before he and I made our relationship official--I don't think we ever did until we got engaged. And this is because he was committed to someone else. Being with me was probably one of the toughest decisions he had to make. It was very hard on him. He did not want to hurt people, especially those he loved. He took a lot of risk choosing me and a lot of sacrifices in the process. Yet, he didn't get much credit for what he did.

Instead, some people thought he was such a jerk (pardon me for using this word) for what he did to her--for keeping such a lengthy relationship with her that ended up in nothing. But what he did was honest and fair to him, to her and to everybody involved. Yes, he may have hurt people in the process, but for once he did something for himself! He did what he felt was right! And just like everybody else, he deserves the freedom to choose especially when the rest of his life is at stake!

As for me--yes, I do sometimes feel that I am a bad person. I wrecked somebody's hopes and dreams and I stole somebody's future. But none of these things I meant to do! Someone once asked me if I feel sorry about what happened and if I should ask for forgiveness. Why? How can I be sorry for loving someone? I did not wish for us to happen--it just did. And if only one can choose how to feel towards someone, I would not have chosen to love him.

For what it's worth and if it's any consolation that is, he really did love her! His feelings for her was genuine and he had the noblest of intentions. I know that for sure because I have never seen him cry harder than he did when he broke up with her to be with me. I felt his pain. I felt his regrets. I was with him during those times when he could hardly comprehend how to forgive himself for hurting somebody he cared for. I understood and I hope she understood as well--that some things are just not meant to be! And I can only hope that someday, sometime in the future, she will come to know everything--that it wasn't as easy for him as some people may have thought, and it was no celebration for anyone, not even myself!

Today, I look at him and see how happy he is! We have a beautiful child--a testament of our love. It's a pity that we had to go through a lot of pain to get to where we are, but it's comforting to know that however great the pain you inflict upon yourself and others, something beautiful will come out of it--if, and only if, you follow your heart!

Happy Birthday, Love!

When it's his birthday, I feel like it's my birthday too! I get so excited!

I have to admit that this year, I almost forgot about it (sorry, beybee!). Since having Lucas, there are more and more things to think about and I noticed that I have become forgetful of dates, special events and occasions. But thanks to Friendster--it sent me a reminder more than a week in advance and I had to think about it everyday so I won't forget until the day comes.

I love surprises--I love to surprise people and I love to be surprised! So Lucas and I surprised daddy today. I drove to work this morning, stayed in the office for about an hour and left. I picked up cake and drove home to pick up Lucas, and then we headed to daddy's work. By the time we got there, it was a little past lunch time--perfect time for dessert!

His eyes got so big and his smile so wide when he saw us! It was priceless! I did so much driving today, but seeing him smile like that makes everything worthwhile. He deserves it! He deserves more!

Happy, happy Birthday...

...to the man who stole my heart,

...to the one who gives me reason to live life and enjoy every minute of it,

...to the one who makes me a proud wife,

...to the one who gave me my beautiful son,

...to my one, my only, my dearest Charles!

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***Photo: Reposting one of my favorite photos of Charles***