Thank God It's Friday!

Thank God it’s Friday!! I’m glad that a long weekend is coming and the work week is over. November 29 has been declared a national holiday, so it’s a great chance for my family to plan for a family bonding time! My two months of maternity leave (September 23-November 22) have made my Fridays just like another day.

How’s my back to work days so far? Well, it was just like going back to work after holidays, my body’s already in office but my mind’s still on vacation, lol! I’m just glad that my officemates who was in charge of my accounts/clients have finished the tasks I left when I was diagnosed with ectopic pregnancy. It’s been two months of resting, but still I lose weight because of lack of appetite.

Going back on my plan of family bonding, I have visited one website that had a list of good beach resorts and zoos which are good for our baby Celine. Tomorrow morning, me and my husband will buy food, swim wear and snacks for our trip to Subic. I hope this plan will come true, for if ever, it will be Celine’s first time to swim, to see dolphin shows and to experience interacting with different animals. I’m just glad that my Bhi-mine is willing to spend his time with us on Sunday.

Celine Kirsten's 1st Birthday!

From the day I gave birth to my little princess Celine, November 7, 2009, my mind and body have been so busy thinking of what new things I must do to give her all the best I can. This year have flown by, and these past twelve months was really full of excitement for every milestones she achieves, happiness for every love I see in her eyes, and thankfulness to God for giving me the chance to experience to be a mother to my little one. She has changed me a lot..into a better person. My priorities have changed too, for I’m willing to do anything for her, and I will protect her with all my strength

We only turn one once, so I see to it that I’ll make Celine’s first birthday really special.

I personally made her birthday invitation while I was on leave ( maternity leave because of ectopic pregnancy). It took me so long to choose her birthday gown in SM Department Store at the Infant’s Section since I really want my princess’ beauty to stand out on her special day. I paired it with stockings and pink cutie shoes. Aside from the birthday gown, I bought also a tinker bell costume (with wings, magic wand and hair dress) which she will wear at the beginning of the party.

Hubby and I have chosen to celebrate our daughter’s first birthday at Fortune Hongkong Seafood Restaurant because of its aircon instead of renting an open space since Celine can’t withstand heat, and secondly, because the food in this restaurant is great. We’ve decided to order the balloons (water balloons, with string and pillar balloons for the stage), party hats, pabitin, clowns and birthday cake from only one source—the Polkashop Party Needs.

 Since the blowing of her birthday cake’s candle is one of the highlights of the party, I made sure that its design matches with her tinker bell costume. We went to Lailen’s Pastries to draw the design of the cake.

. Her Ninang Cath bought her mini-stuff toys to be given to the little baby guests. Hubby and I also bought assorted toys to be given as prizes to the kids who will win the games prepared by the clowns.

 We were so happy that an average of 155 guests attended the party. We were so overwhelmed to see our relatives, friends, officemates and neighborhood to come to the party for Celine and celebrate her first birthday with us.

We had such a wonderful day celebrating her birthday- playing games, watching magic tricks and uniting with each and everyone. Although Celine looks a little bit serious that day, I can feel that she loved seeing all of her family and being the center of attention.

After the party, Celine was really excited opening her birthday gifts. She had received 44 gifts in kind and P8,000! It’s amazing how the people around her truly love her, how they have set aside a piece of their time for her and what really counts is their presence.

OUR FIRST YEAR TOGETHER

Somewhere back in time
You became a friend of mine
And day by day we've grown a little closer
You're my spirit to be strong
A friend when things go wrong
So I've written down these words to let you know

Loves grown deep, deep into the heart of me
You've become a part of me
Let us plant the seed and watch it grow
Loves grown deep, deep into the heart of me
You've become a part of me

Such music sung by Kelly Nolan made me reminisce of the past. That was the song I have chosen as the audio background of the slideshow I made and presented at the reception during our church wedding. Memories suddenly restored on my mind as I listen to the sweet music- our movie dates, lakeshore trips, dinner dates, valentine cards, bouquet of flowers, surprise gifts and all the efforts of my ex-boyfriend (presently my hubby) that made my heart melted.

I had played the music repeatedly to remember that intense feeling of love for my husband. Last May 31, 2010, we celebrated our first church wedding anniversary. Within a year of our marriage, many things happened.. a lot of things has changed.. Having our little angel Celine is the best thing that happened to us. She inspires us every moment of each day, her sweet smiles, her cute pictures on my desktop, her babbling sound that wakes us every morning, heart-melting milestones we witnessed, the love we see through her eyes, the comfort she feels as we cuddle her, and the trust she gives everytime her daddy throws and catches her in the air.

I could say that the first year of our marriage is a year of adjustment period. It is filled with ups and downs. We had encountered misunderstandings resolved through the love, commitment and patience for each other. These conflicts are expected since we are exactly opposite of each other. We were raised by two different families with different lifestyle, and way of upbringing and disciplining. These disagreements have formed spaces between the two of us. Both of us had experienced the feeling being rejected, ignored, insecure, unsupported, unloved, not respected, and unappreciated.. yet we didn’t have the intentions of doing these. The saying is true, "people hurt us accidentally even when they truly love us.." The corners of our room witnessed the quarrels we have. But at end of the day, we can’t sleep without resolving the conflicts. After all the tears I shed to express my deepest emotion and the heartbreak he felt as he listens to all my complaints, we choose to hold on.. cause we know, that the love we still have for each other will help us mend our broken hearts. We look forward resolving all the misunderstandings and find ways to bring back the harmony in our relationship. We believe that we could grow the seed of love we had planted before.
Amidst our busy life doing our work, parental obligations to our daughter, household stuff, fixing problems, we still find time to develop intimacy and companionship. There’s always a time for us to drop at the movie houses, go shopping, bring Celine to studio for a pictorial, eat street foods together (qwek-qwek, batal manok, fish ball), go to grocery to buy foodstuff, and set a time for dinner dates.

For a fruitful year with my husband, I came to know him better. I admired him for being patient of me, for providing us the security and support, for being the first one to raise the white flag during our disagreements, for being the first one to break down the barrier that blocks our hearts and souls to gain access to each other, and for being a good father to our daughter.

I thanked my God for giving me such a wonderful, loving, supportive husband. He is the "partner in life" I ever hoped, prayed and dreamed of, and my life has been abundantly blessed with his presence and love.

I look forward building our dreams together, raise our children to be a good child of God, and grow old together without getting tired of loving each other. We learned and we continue to learn as one mind, one heart, one soul, one body.
(6/17/2010)