On the first month of my pregnancy, I looked like this:

Last month, you can see that my face has already become round :

And because it was the Christmas season, we were feasting on high-calorie foods here and there. Also with my sister and her family here at home, every meal was like a party.  It’s nice to eat along with a bunch of eaters with hearty appetite; something I don’t get to enjoy when it’s just me and Caity at home.

I kept telling myself that I’ll stay away from sweets and fatty foods and eat only foods that burn fat but I still failed. I’ll confess I’ve been eating a small piece of chocolate almost everyday. Huhuhu! Let’s see after giving birth if I’ll be determined in eating healthy again.

It does not only make dishes, soups and salads tastier, celery is also a good source of vitamins and minerals. It also contains active compounds known for cancer prevention and lowering bad cholesterol. Some might not like putting celery in their dishes but experienced cooks know how to mix it well with their recipes so that they come out tastier when this nutritious herb is included. For instance, my Aunt cooks yummy pork stew with cubes of carrots and bits of celery in it.
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What’s for breakfast? I had this question to my friends before and received a mix of responses – rice with viand, bread and butter, fruits, etc. Others don’t eat breakfast at all which, I tell you, is not a healthy way to lose weight. One of them answered oatmeal and coffee. Quite a combination, don’t you think so?
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What’s the best fat burning exercise for you?

Since Christmas I have heard my friends talking about enrolling in a dance exercise, but until now they still haven’t done so. Instead we meet more often for eating sessions!

Last week they were here at home and of course, what else did we do but eat! After we had a gusto lunch of dried fish and other Filipino dishes, I played the Hip Hop Abs (HHA) exercise for them which my sister and I have been trying to do since I give birth to Caity. It made them get up on their feet and follow the exercises. It even encouraged our friend F to try it too coz the moves were really cool and the music too.

At the end of the HHA video, there was an advertisement for Turbo Jam, another exercise for a fit body. That night, I asked M to search the internet for it and download the instructional video. He surely found it, all 8 DVDs! That’s a lot!

I was thinking that after I give birth to Baby H. I might need to lose those unwanted flabs in my tummy, so Turbo Jam will be a big help.

Has anybody tried Turbo Jam? Was it good? I still didn’t see the videos coz M is out at work and I don’t know where he saved the video file.

As I’m looking forward to my delivery date, I’m also imagining what my life would be with a new baby to take care of. Thanks to hubby’s never-ending support, his dad and mom and also my family and friends. I know Caity would be happy to have a baby brother soon, she even kisses my tummy and says “Baby.” I wonder how she would react when she sees him.
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One of the reasons why people go to the US is because of medical reasons. It is believed that they have the most sophisticated medical equipment and exceptionally-skilled medical team to cater to various cosmetic and medical treatments. Most often, it is only those who have plenty of money who can afford to avail of such services. The cost of transportation for the medical travel alone is already a big amount for the middle-class or the average employees can handle; the cost of medical care is another thing.

Can high quality and low cost health care go together? This is the aim of Health Travel Guides, to provide quality health care abroad for everyone at an affordable cost. Among the services they offer are cosmetic procedures (like professional teeth whitening, veneers, Botox Cosmetic®, laser hair removal), dental care and also critical care procedures such weight loss, herniated disk, hip replacement and even heart surgery.

If you’re curious how much your treatment will cost, you can always ask for a free quote online by visiting their website.

O-oh! I don’t know what triggered my legs to feel itchy again lately. It usually happens during winter when my skin gets very dry. But based on my experience from last year when I was faced with this dilemma, applying petroleum jelly works to keep the itch away. Thank goodness for that. I discovered it after many trial and error experiments which mostly resulted to errors! Being fond of treating my own afflictions, I usually turn to the internet for home remedies and read several skin care product reviews. My poor legs suffered badly from my mistakes then. Huhuhuhu…

My friend M.C. who’s suffering from allergy attack has it worse too. Aside from her back, her face and even lips are itching a lot. Her lips even have swollen, ala Angelina Jolie hehe.  I think it all started when we had lunch at my place and we ate dried fish and squid.  Yay! Our other friends have advised her to be careful with the food she eats as it may worsen her skin problems.  Poor girl!  They suggested she just eats porridge.

Oh well.  Time for me to rub more petroleum jelly on my legs to totally eradicate the irritating itch!

You can find Czech chocolates in the pile.

I was going over the contents of our ref earlier when I noticed several half-opened and unopened bars and packs of chocolates. I like chocolates but don’t eat much in one sitting. A little bite of this sweet treat is enough for me. I know there are some people who can devour big portions of chocolates in few minutes like M, while others find chocolates so irresistible that they even need appetite suppresants to fight off their cravings. If it’s really true that chocolates can make one fat, then at least I don’t have to worry about that. =)

How about you?

On Friday we brought little C to her pediatrician because of her runny nose and cough. The doctor said it was nothing to worry about which was a relief coz little C had these for couple of weeks already. The pediatrician prescribed two medicines which should hasten our girl’s recovery.

I on the other hand has probably been infected with little C’s virus coz I’m coughing a lot lately. Yesterday I was feeling sick again like I have a fever sans the high body temperature. M took care of the little girl while I stayed in bed most of the day. It was sooo nice to rest without somebody disturbing me - just what I needed! And it’s also a comfort to have M back home; helping me out with many things.

I hope I’ll be better soon coz it’s annoying not to be on a tip top condition on a long weekend and on days with warm sunny weather. Well at least it’s a holiday tomorrow; one more entire day to spend with the family! I’m definitely not gonna waste it.

Walking on this path on a Friday morning…

Such a breathtaking view, right?  It’s tempting to go out on a such a fine day like that; just like how tempting it is to buy clothes, shoes or sexy bustiers on sale.  According to my source, tomorrow will be another warm day with plenty of sun! Yipeee!

The colorful bandage in little C’s arm.

Little C had her vaccination today against measles, chicken pox and goiter. She cried a bit but immediately stopped when we distracted her with the toys on the nearby table. I think she cried and complained more over the coat she was wearing. It snowed in the morning, so I let her wear the thick (and big) coat which she feels uncomfortable with.  Oh yeah, who would expect today to snow when yesterday we had a spring-like sunny day.

“I want to take this coat off!”