wear it proud

when i was pregnant with uno, i bought several pieces of clothing from different maternity stores. BIG mistake! looking back at how i dressed up then, i feel like i missed out on a lot. i should have showed-off my tummy more and let others see that pregnant women are sexy!

i also realized that the items i bought were actually expensive and they were really unflattering! that is why with my current pregnancy, i only have 1 piece of maternity wear - the 1 pair of jeans i bought during my first. yep, recycled. but i don't think i'd even wear it again. i remember the garter to be really annoying and itchy. so it's probably just going to hang in my closet, hehe.

one thing that my friends noticed about the way i dress now is that i almost always cinch my outfit with a belt. like i said, i want my tummy to be the focal point of my get-up. so belts play a big role in emphasizing my tummy. ;-)

most of my "maternity" clothes were bought from regular women's stores... some even from the teens' department. haha, oh yeah! the top i'm wearing today can actually double as a dress, without the preggy belly of course. that means after i give birth, i can still definitely use this top. 

all i do is just get 1 or 2 sizes higher. i'm a size small, so i just get either a medium (if from a lady's store) or large size (if from a retail store for teens). but you'd be surprised! there are times i can still get away with a small sized item. like the dress i was wearing in this post or the dress i wore to our year-end party:

 

 i was 28 weeks at the time of the party and that's a size small. nice, right? rockin' mommy, rockin' body! woot! lol

so you see, you don't really need to spend on maternity clothes. buy regular clothes that you think will grow with you and your tummy. make sure to get ones with stretchy and cool fabric. i say, a pair of maternity jeans is not really necessary. leggings are more comfortable for me and less-straining.

and don't forget that comfort is always the key. if you're not comfortable with an item or let's say it's tight, don't bother. you might end up not wearing them...until probably after you give birth. or even a few months after you give birth. ;-)

i'm back with a bump

happy new year!

wow. it's been how many months since i last posted something. but i am now back and yes, pregnant again!

i've been quiet about my pregnancy but when i finally announced it, here's what i posted on my facebook account:

i am actually already towards the last stretch of my 31st week. whew! time flies by so fast and i only have a few more weeks to go before the big day!

can't wait to post a lot of things about my 2nd pregnancy. although, i feel bad about not being able to post about uno's milestones. :( i'll squeeze in as much info as i can.

all i can say is, things are a lot different compared to when i was pregnant with uno. and one of them is my new motto: say no to frumpy clothing! haha! i mean, seriously. i was heavier with uno and my clothes were totally unflattering. so this time around, i want that sexy-preggy look. in fact, i actually feel sexier with my tummy and all. so why not flaunt it, right?

most of the time, i make sure my tummy is the focal point of the outfit. that equates to tight clothing - but not too tight that my tummy (and baby) can't breathe.

 

ain't it more beautiful when you're just loud and proud of your tummy? :) my friends refer to it as my "traffic power." hahaha! it's 'coz i find it easier to cross roads with my preggy belly protruding and all.

oh, let's not forget the other elements of the outfit: accessories. i just feel naked without them!

sorry about that doorknob. hihi...

well, what do you think? (also, would that be my official pregnant pose? "turn to the side and put one hand on your waist, the other supporting the belly." hahaha! too early to tell, maybe. we'll see...)

dressing up for two doesn't mean having to wear frumpy clothes. i say, wear it loud and bring on the bling! ;-)

that's all for now. i hope i get to blog daily. i've got a lot of things to share about this 2nd pregnancy, so watch out for that!

 

but before i finally go, here's a glimpse of my little water dragon:

 

 





nice nose, right? =D and yes, his chinese zodiac sign is the water dragon, which is said to be very lucky! uno's a tiger and my 2nd baby's going to be a dragon. my own version of: crouching tiger, hidden dragon. haha!

more of my tummy, being a mommy, and my babies in my next posts. please stay tuned!  

closet raider

i saw this shirt from my brother's closet and decided to wear it to work.

   

           

it has such a macho appeal to it that i opted to pair it with boots (those boots by the way, are from parisian). ;-)

i can't wait to raid my other brother's closet. or maybe it's time to scour sm's men's department. let's see if i can spot any fab finds there. race you to it!

no magic, just an illusion

i've been frequenting sm makati lately. there's the 2nd floor for their parisian shoes, the babies' department on the 3rd floor, there's also the surplus shop, and of course, the ladies' deparment. sm has a lot of good stuff nowadays -- and most of them at budget friendly prices.

take for example coco cabana. i know it's beach wear but they have pieces that can be worn somewhere else. and their prices are really good. look at one of my recent finds:

       

nope, it's not a skirt. i love the illusion of the skirt when it's actually a pair of shorts! bought it for only php399.75! the skirt effect gives it a girly feel without making me too conscious or anything. skirts make me iffy sometimes. you know, those skirts-tucked-in-panties moments? i've seen a lot of those in high school. eeep, don't want that to happen to me. that's why skirts make me nervous. but with this, i'm a free-spirit! dance. dance. dance. lol.

and guess what? i so love this skirt, that i also have it in olive.

(sorry for the pic. my camera's busted so i rely

on my laptop camera nowadays.)

love the military-ish color! manly-girly shorts. <3. <3. <3.

go. get yourself one. *wink*

thir-tween again

i've been looking for a cardigan ever since the somewhat-rainy season has started. too bad, i couldn't find something simple...and affordable. yes, if you're a single mom and on a budget, affordable is the name of the game.

so, i was in sm the other day looking for one. who would've thought i'd find one in the teens' department?

i got the gray cardigan for only php399.75. i paired it with my boots coz it was raining yesterday morning. i'm still thinking if i should get it in black. since it's made for teens, the sleeves are a bit tight on my arms. i opted for the gray one coz it has a more stretchy fabric than the black version. what do you think? good find, right?

hmmm, i think i should still get the black one. =D

x rated

was only planning to stay at my mom's house until wednesday but decided to stay 'til the weekend. we're "testing" out the new nanny. ;-) i ran out of clothes to wear since i only brought 3 outfits with me. the pants are mine (luckily some of my laundry were already done), the white shirt is my sister's, and that xl sized gray thing i'm wearing is actually a hoodie. (sorry for the blue colored photo. took it inside the classroom while waiting for the trainees to finish their exam.)

anyway, don't you think my boobs are too big for me? (and they look like they're all over the place. yikes! better bra please!)  i've always complained about not having the right boob size and having a whole lotta booty. and now that i'm breastfeeding, my boobs are just way too big and my butt is now flat. life is indeed unfair. 

imagine being called a porn star. eep. no thanks. i'd rather have an ample behind than big bumpers. oh well. i guess when it comes to breastfeeding, the bigger, the better. 

p.s. i can't stop picturing this in my head: little red riding hood scene. "mommy, what big boobs you have!" "the better to feed you with, my dear." lol.

single mom style

i've been checking out a lot of fashion blogs lately and i can, without a doubt say i (seriously envy and) am inspired by a lot of looks. just because i'm a single mom on a budget, it doesn't mean i should not make an effort to dress up nicely, right?

i decided to recycle my leggings from my pregnant days. did you know that before i got pregnant, i didn't own a single pair of leggings? i only bought them coz i couldn't fit my jeans anymore. when i gave birth, i already had 5 in my closet -- 3 blacks, 1 brown, and 1 gray. believe me when i say, leggings are a pregnant lady's bestfriend.

the shirt is my dad's. i'm lovin' white shirts lately. ;-) i couldn't find any vintage items from my mom's closet, so i raided my dad's instead. the shirt is not vintage, but it's now mine! yay! 

in other news...

my day didn't start out the way it should.


but 2 people changed my disposition. let's start the countdown shall we?

2. gevs. (did i spell that right?)

it's very rare for an applicant to make me smile coz i'm usually poker-faced. i'm glad i met him/her and i hope he passes the client interview. he was very engaging and entertaining! can't wait to see him again!

uno. need i say more?

after a very loooooooooooooooong day,

i'm glad to be home.

finally, bonding time!

it's t.g.i.f. tomorrow, yey!

what's that...

...a hat?


Overslept, hair unsightly
Yeah, trying to look like Kiera Knightley
We've been there
We've done that
We see right through your funky hat

-selena gomez

went to the sm bicutan to buy ingredients for dessert and some other stuff for tomorrow's special occasion. didn't know that wearing a hat would catch so much attention. i got a lot of stares yesterday.

what's wrong with wearing a hat? it's not a crime, just a bad hair day.

the human duyan

i swear! it's so difficult to put uno to sleep nowadays. he's now used to being carried and you really need to stand-up and lull him to sleep. as soon as you sit down, he wakes up! ugh! an adorable nightmare.

we've been using his stroller whenever we'd go out but we'd end up carrying him anyway coz lately he gets restless when he's on it.

meet uno's ride: the chicco trevi stroller.

@ st. luke's for his well-baby check-up.

gone were the days when he'd just 

sleep tight in his stroller. sigh.

so as not to cause mayhem while out and about, i decided to buy a carrier.

this was taken yesterday. en route to G5.

before buying this, i already bought a next 9 sling but i found it so uncomfortable for both of us when i tried to put him in it using the newborn carry. since i already spent php999 for the sling, i was on the lookout for an affordable carrier. good thing the gaisano department store in market, market carries (pardon the pun) different types of carriers. 

at first they showed me one that didn't look sturdy at all. eventually, i got the bebeta 6in1 soft baby carrier. aside from the fact that i can carry him 6 different ways, i bought  it coz my friend wanted it too (even though she already has a chicco carrier). there were only 2 colors available so i ended up getting the lumot green version instead of khaki.

i got it for only php749.75 and i consider that a bargain. so far i've only tried the newborn carry. uno will graduate from that as soon as he can support his own head. i've been using it at home too to rock him to sleep -- hands free! whadyaknow? i'm a mommy and a human duyan. ^^, (i'm still bent on buying a real duyan of course!)

just a few things though:

- the carrier's head support is too big for him so i placed a baby head cushion in it;

- it can get pretty hot inside so i make sure to check on him frequently; and finally,

- the newborn carry only uses 1 shoulder for support, so i make sure to alternate every now and then.

i think the stroller will gather dust before we use it again. *wink*

as for my get-up: everything i'm wearing are my sister's. i decided to wear leggings coz i was planning to buy shorts. i can easily try on some pants/shorts without removing the leggings. the sandals are of course, made for walking. the loose tank top is for easy breastfeeding. but since it's too loose, i wore a black tube underneath...and yes, that is still my sister's.