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Maternity style: Tropical edition

By the time I flew home for the holidays, I was tired of piling on ten million layers before going out. So I was looking forward to wearing my “real” clothes (which is how I think of my summer clothes) and feeling like myself again for three weeks.

What I loved about dressing for pregnancy in the tropics:

  • Getting to wear sandals. Pretty toes, yay.
  • Packing only two pairs of shoes, because staying with my mom and sister means a bottomless shoe and accessory closet—and a trip to Landmark means shopping for cheap flats!
  • Putting away my thick, woolly maternity tights and seeing my legs again

What I didn’t love:

  • THE HEAT. OMG. Being pregnant, your body temperature is already higher because of increased blood circulation and being plunged into tropical heat does not help. At all. On my last few nights, I couldn’t sleep unless I had both the aircon (set to 21 degrees) and the electric fan on. December showed no mercy to this pregnant mama.
  • Bloating and expanding because of said heat. I didn’t go up a shoe size, thank goodness, but I gained FIVE POUNDS of water—which I lost the day I returned to wintry Amsterdam.
  • Humidity-triggered frizzies. Good thing there’s The Twist!
  • Sweating your way to that dewy (read: oily), no-makeup look. I found myself quite startled to see how much makeup women pile on in Manila (some women really need to lay off the foundation!) until I remembered that it melts off in minutes.
  • Being forcibly reminded of how everyone dresses in the same preppy/simple girl uniform. I lost count of the number of neat ponytails, Longchamp Le Pliage bags and round pearl earrings I saw in my two weeks back home!

All that aside, what I loved most about dressing for the heat was getting to dig out some of my favorite outfits from storage—like the printed vintage shirtdress I hadn’t seen since August…

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and being able to wear my normal, non-maternity clothes… even in my third trimester.

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7 Comments
Posted on January 30, 2013
Category: Manila Girl at Heart, Personal Style, Pregnancy · Labels: , , , , ,

Sofitel staycation

Disaster struck when I returned to Amsterdam from Manila: my entire hard drive crashed. I last backed up right after learning I was pregnant, which means all my digital keepsakes from my entire pregnancy—ultrasounds, weekly belly photos, videos—except for what’s on this blog, are gone. I don’t want to think too much about it, it hurts my heart.

Thank heavens for small blessings. While trying to piece together what little I had left, I discovered the pictures from our fifth wedding anniversary still in my SD card. Marlon and I like to celebrate anniversaries at the beach, but I couldn’t bear another flight on top of two long-haul ones between Manila and Amsterdam. So this year, we opted for a weekend staycation at the Sofitel Manila, which we’ve never been to and had an appealing resort-in-the-city feel.

I’m so glad I still have pictures to remember this wonderful weekend: breakfast in bed, with a side of something special…

Sofitel anniversary breakfast in bed

which turned into lazy afternoons (we had two!) by Sofitel’s gorgeous pool, lined with tall coconut trees and directly facing Manila Bay.Sofitel Manila pool

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9 Comments
Posted on January 28, 2013
Category: Manila Girl at Heart · Labels: , ,

Let’s do Brunch in… Tagaytay

It’s the first brunch post of the year! So I thought I’d do something a little special and take you to one of my favorite brunch spots, which I can only visit once a year when I’m back home in the Philippines. And that is Breakfast at Antonio’s in Tagaytay.

Tagaytay was always my family’s halfway point during frequent weekend drives to the beach—Puerto Azul in Cavite, and when that went downhill, White Sands in Nasugbu. Five years ago, Marlon and I were married there. It’s now way more developed than I remember (and more than I’d like), but for a weekend activity, a long leisurely drive to Tagaytay never gets old… not when what awaits you is a fresher, cooler climate and a beautiful view.

This classic panorama of Taal Volcano—a lake within a volcano within a lake within a volcano—is exactly the view from Breakfast at Antonio’s backyard.

Breakfast at Antonio's Taal Volcano

The younger sibling of Antonio’s, one of the Philippines’ best restaurants and a yearly pick for The Miele Guide’s 20 Best Restaurants in Asia, Breakfast at Antonio’s serves all-day breakfast in a setting that reminds me of a weekend resthouse.

Breakfast at Antonio's Tagaytay

It could belong to someone you know: an older friend, maybe an relative. That is, if you have relatives who are really… successful (read: rich).

Breakfast at Antonio's parking

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4 Comments
Posted on January 27, 2013
Category: Food & Drink, Let's Do Brunch, Manila Girl at Heart · Labels: , , , ,

Moving out, moving in

The weekend before our big move, I went over to our new apartment to supervise its repainting. I spent some time wandering around, taking pictures, unable to believe that I now partially owned this little slice of Amsterdam. I gave myself a moment to simply enjoy the thrill of a new beginning, and to savor how clean and bright it all was, like a blank canvas.

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I knew once we moved in with all our stuff, chaos would take over and it would never look this pristine and empty ever again. And I was right!

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10 Comments
Posted on January 25, 2013
Category: House & Spouse, Life in Amsterdam · Labels: ,

Trinity

For our fifth wedding anniversary, Marlon warned me that he was going to splurge on my gift. I tried to dissuade him from whatever he was thinking of getting me, with the expenses of our trip home, the upcoming move, and the baby looming large in my head.

But it’s hard to say no to such a special gift. It’s perfect for this stage in our lives. Because for the first time, there are three of us now.

Cartier Trinity

Marlon knows the Cartier Trinity ring means a lot to me, because my dad gave my mom one of these. Growing up, I loved to borrow it and roll the ring off Mom’s finger, then roll it onto mine, again and again. And now I have one of my own. So when I see it, I think not only of Marlon, myself and our little girl, but of my parents and the little girl I used to be. A gift can’t get any more special than that.

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I’m back home in Amsterdam, and what a relief it is for my overheated, pregnant body. When we arrived at Schiphol, the outside temperature was 8ºC and it felt like the best thing ever! I loved being home and being with family and friends, but towards the end of my stay the heat really took a toll on me physically. I felt huge and bloaty, and it seemed my every movement was accompanied by a pant, grunt or a few drops of sweat. Now I feel more energized, more compact (if that’s even possible, since I’m expanding like mad) and more like myself.

I have lots of pictures and stories from my three weeks back home, but my Macbook Pro doesn’t want to start up. I’m hoping it can still be rescued, but I may have to prepare for the worst. Plus, things are super busy (and messy!) at home as we pack up everything for the move to our new house (!!!) in a few days. So this week, I’m afraid I won’t be blogging as frequently as I’d like to. Maybe you’d like to poke around the archives instead?

Hope your 2013 has gotten off to a roaring start. Wish me luck with everything… I’ll need it!

4 Comments
Posted on January 8, 2013
Category: House & Spouse · Labels: , ,

My maternity photo shoot

I knew from the start of my pregnancy that I wanted to do a maternity photo session. I thought I’d wait until I was ready to pop to capture my body in its full pregnant glory, but I changed my mind during a Skype date with a friend who was then in her eighth month of pregnancy.

When I asked if she was going to have maternity photos taken, the ferocity of her response surprised me. “Oh my God! No! Ayoko! Feeling ko ang laki-laki ko! Wala ako sa mood mag-posing posing!” Basically, she felt ugly and huge, and the last thing she wanted was to get her glam on in front of a camera. I thought she had some kind of hormonal goggles on, because to me she looked great.

But her response also made me think. If my gorgeous, tiny, delicate friend felt like a grossly ugly blimp in her last month, then there was no hope for me! So, my maternity photos had to be taken when my baby bump was a respectable size, but while I could still feel… cute.

I got in touch with our wedding godmother Dada, whose doctor/photographer husband Raul took some great portraits for the Ateneo Chamber Singers’ most recent album. Raul was game, and booked some studio time for our first weekend back home, two weeks into my final trimester. And this is what came out of those two hours in the studio.

Ever wondered what couples mean when they say “we’re pregnant?” Wonder no more. Sympathetic pregnancy is not a myth!

Can you tell Marlon and I had a blast with this photo shoot?

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5 Comments
Posted on January 3, 2013
Category: Pregnancy · Labels: , , ,