Who will be the “girly-girl” and who will be the “tomboy? - Ne's blog

Being the only daughter of my parents... i always knew that i would have no choice but to wear the dresses i was given from my mom and lola (not to mention the hand-me-downs i received from my ate donna).  When i was a kid... i didn’t have a problem wearing the dresses my mom chose for me b/c most of them i really liked (especially  my pink dress that had both stripes and polka dots... sigh... if i still had my most favourite dress i would definitely be giving it to the girls... sigh... if only).  But as i hit my double digits... i started to butt heads with my mom because i didn’t want to wear the black and red dress to church or i didn’t want to wear the flowered dress to the anniversary party.  So i can definitely say that btw the ages of 10 to 16 i hated to wear dresses... whether it was for church, a wedding or any kind of occasion.  My mom figured this was when i hit my tomboy phase. 

My tomboy phase was all about jeans, jordans and no dresses!  I was perfectly happy wearing jogging pants & my Jordan VI... and i was proud of it!  Most girls my age were playing “house” and learning ballet & jazz... instead i was “borrowing” my kuya’s GI Joes and WWF wrestlers and beating up boys in taekwondo school J.  Funny too b/c i was probably the only girl i knew from my elementary school that was doing martial arts... but i was so proud of that fact.  In fact i liked it!  I enjoyed doing kicking drills and sparring against the boys... it was fun!  But the “tomboy” phase only lasts for so long.

Soon... i started experimenting with makeup and i wanted to grow my hair out (i even permed it at the end of grade 6... that was a huge mistake that i will never do again).  I stopped wanting to just wear pants... i wanted to wear skirts and dresses again.  By this time... i became a “girl” again.

Now that i am an adult and about to become a first time mother... i’d like to think that my own experience will help me raise 2 girls in this world... but it is a different world out there now.  I worry about not only the clothing they wear but about the people they will become and the choices they make.  Hopefully, jay and i will be able to instil what our parents have instilled in us... i hope they will become good members of society... that they will be respectful towards their elders but respect themselves as well.  I wish them to be good people... but mainly jay and i want to instil in them that nothing in life comes easy... that you have to work extremely hard for what u want... and that even if you fail... you fail forward as opposed to failing back.  This is one of the most valuable lessons that i learned as a young adult and even today i am continuing to work hard so that i am able to give my girls what is important in life. 

So i don’t worry about which of my girls will be the “tomboy” or who will be the “girly-girl”... what’s most important to me is that they enjoy plainly “being a girl”.  Cause right now this mama-to-be is enjoying shopping a little too much for tons of “girly-girl” clothes... so much so i can’t stop... but i will blog about that during my next guest blog... hehehe! 

I Feel You Babies

Neilynne reached the 27 week mark last week.  where did the time go?  You would think, with a little less than 2 months left, I would be guns blazing at getting my place ready for two babies....but on the contrary, I've been lazier than ever.  The only things I'm been working hard at, is trying to feel the babies kicking and moving.  At 27 weeks the babies are now weighing in close to 2 lbs.  Still small but there are two in there.

The first time I felt the babies, I put my hand on my wife's tummy...and waited...and waited...until I felt a small tingle.  "Is that gas?  It felt like little bubbles touching my hand," I asked.  "No, I think that was them," she replied.  We had no clue.  The more I tried feeling the babies, the less they wanted to move.  It was if they knew someone was watching them  It was not around 24 weeks when again, I placed my hand over my wife's tummy and waited....and waited....feeling disappointed, and then finally BANG!  My hand jerked like it had touched a hot plate ...naw.... I'm just exaggerating, but I definitely felt a jolt from somebody and it was a cool feeling. 

Now at 27 weeks, I can sometimes visually see the babies protruding from Neilynne's tummy. Almost reminds me of the maltesers commercial where the pregnant lady puts one on her tummy, and just before her partner reaches for it, the baby kicks it and it rolls off her belly.  They are getting bigger and we now know when the babies move the most now.  It's usually after a sugar rush, like ice cream, cherries or after a meal.  From the ultrasound, we also know that the babies are head down and the legs are up.  They like kicking Ne's ribs like it's some kind of harp.  Neilynne often says, "It feels like I have gold fish moving around my belly."  I'll take her word for it.

Now that some time has past, and we know we are having girls for sure, we still need to name the babies.  We have finally come to two names after long debates and a lot of, "no that sounds dumb, do you want people to think she's a boy,  and that's so over used..."  We have come up with two names that we think are interesting, that were not chosen from a book....that happened spontaneously almost.  One name chosen by Neilynne, one by me...but everyone will just have to wait because everyone will have an opinion about the name...." God, that's an awful name, what were they thinking? That's not how you spell it."  We like the names and it will be revealed to the world when we are ready.  What?  You think I was really going to tell you in this blog?  That wouldn't be fun.  In the meantime the girls, will just be known as "the girls". 

The Unknown Feeling of Becoming a Parent – A guest blog from Neilynne

Funny that when I was younger... I always knew that I wanted to have children but now that I’m pregnant and expecting twin girls... it’s hard to place an actual word to my feelings. I grew up with lots of kids around me (being Filipino we have large families) and I’ve loved being around my younger cousins and taking them out to celebrate their birthdays (ie. just ask Sydney and Madison). But it’s so different when you are expecting your own.

Since we have found out that we would be having twins... I always have thought how blessed we are to be pregnant and even more with 2 babies! But I’ve never been OA (over-acting) about it. I’m extremely happy and feeling really great... but @ the same time I haven’t been going crazy... and for me who’s usually hyper... I’ve been pretty calm. I think I am feeling this way mainly cause it’s been Jay, Brix and I for so long... that i feel a bit uneasy that in less than 3 months... it will all change. Change is good... but for me change also means the unknown. The unknowing of how will we manage with 2 babies... whether it be emotionally, mentally and/or financially. As well as the fact that I love my relationship with my husband... and I’m not ready for such a change that it’s no longer about us but about THEM.

The one thing that is getting me through my feelings is my husband and his support. He has been so supportive and taking me to my Ultrasound apts, Blood lab tests, OB apts and doing our prenatal classes together (plus doing craving runs for chocolate milk shakes & ice cream) but most of all... he is there to listen to my feelings. Weird I always wanted Jay to buy me flowers, gifts, take me to fancy dinners, etc... but now I’m so grateful I have a husband that will always be here for me. I could care less that I don’t have fancy jewelry or a big house... but I have a husband that is home with me every night and the girls will have a father that is present in their life. I still feel nervous thinking about what is ahead of us... but as we are nearing August... I’m feeling happier that my partner has stepped up his game to be the kind of father I knew Jay could be. The girls, brix and I are so lucky to have him in our lives.

Did anyone else out there feel the same way right be4 they had their first baby (or babies)?