Tag: blessing

Fam J-bits

Happy birthday, Hubby ko!

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Happy birthdaaaay, hubby ❤❤❤

I am forever thankful to God that He entrusted me and the kids to a husband and father na napaka selfless at mapagmahal.

I pray that Father God will always bless you with good health, protection, provision, and so much love everyday.

Looking forward talaga na makapag travel na tayo ulit, to see the world again with our makukulit bulinggits, and to enjoy God’s creations.

I pray that you will always find love in our home and sana ay lagi kang happy kahit minsan haggard tayo sa chores 😐😅 Motherhood has been bearable for me because of you, thank you ❤ I will always cherish giving birth experiences because while it was excruciatingly painful, both deliveries were memorable! Every kiss, holding hands, and encouraging words and prayers from you are forever etched in my heart ❣

God bless you daddy! Even if the kids are not able to verbalize it yet, I can see and feel that you are really their favorite and for them you are the best daddy in the whole wide universe. 😍🌏🌌

I love you, more today than yesterday. 😘

Love, Wifey

#Flight2J4816 @all4J

Devo · Johan@0

Most Selfless Prayer

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[A Christmas-y thought this season.]

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16 NLT

For years in my entire life, I’ve prayed for countless [mostly self-gaining] prayers: salary raise, new car, fully paid condo, physical healing, losing weight, guidance on my career, and a lot more trivial things.

I did not realize that after our wedding, this time I have asked for the most selfless prayer ever: that is to conceive, and a have baby, and be a mother.

And because God is faithful (it was His promise I’ve been holding on to), He granted this prayer right away.

Suddenly, there were tons of selfless things I have to do, and most of this is to give up. I now think less of myself and more of baby for almost everything I do: no more eating of chocolates, no more coffees over cheesecakes, no more impulse buying and shopping-only-because-its-sale, less travels on a whim, and a lot more stuff within my comfort and luxury zones. From my walking to my work habits to my sleep position, all are being done thinking of our baby and how it will affect him/her.

And so it really amazes me how could Mary say “Yes” right away going through all the pregnancy challenges and giving birth in a manger, and eventually giving up that baby for a selfish world. Isn’t it the most unselfish act you could ever think of?

This thought makes my Christmas more meaningful.

Our baby is not just another blessing. It’s God’s way of giving me and Hubby THAT special privilege to experience how it is to be REALLY unselfish with love. I cannot imagine the magnitude of that love to be able to give your Son to a selfish world (us!), which Mary selflessly conceived and raised. How could you reject that love? Two thousand years ago and still this  unparalleled loving and selfless act is still celebrated and remembered today.

I hope that amidst the parties, gifts, food, sweets, and decorations, everyone finds also the personal meaning of Christmas in their lives. It’s where all the love in the world began after all.

A blessed Christmas from us and our little J! <3

Johan@0

14 Weeks: Second Trimester

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We are celebrating a major milestone this week, which marks our second trimester! Baby Jam is estimated to be lemon-sized by now. Baby is growing fast, and sometimes I’m not sure if I’m really feeling him/her like “swimming” in my womb, or I’m just too excited about it 😉

I am just grateful for all the prayers I was getting from family and friends, especially during the first trimester. I know it is with the help of these prayers that I’ve had a relatively easy first trimester. For my age and no bed rest at all, I really thank God for that 🙂

Loudest applause next to God is for my Hubby, who did everything for me (and baby) during that time–I felt like a queen! More than the cleaning of the house, buying me food and my cravings, doing the groceries, sorting out the laundry, being most patient and loving, and reading “The Expectant Dad” book that I bought him and forced him to read–what I appreciated most is when he would lead praying for me and baby, especially during my most “preggy” moments (like whenever I don’t feel well, or crying out of nowhere). A whisper of prayer from this man always made me feel better (aww!).

And now at the start of 2nd trimester, I’m amazed how fast the transition was. As soon as it started, all seems a lot more easier and better (physically and emotionally). For a few days, indigestion and bloating were major problems for me. But thankfully again, I learned how to avoid it and now I felt much more normal 😀 I’m sooo excited to get back to exercising (preggy-allowed, of course) and start to move more again 🙂

On a side note, we are in the process of keeping tabs in my sugar level, which will hopefully turn out normal. My glucose test results will come out soon and I will see the endocrinologist this week.

For now, I am just looking forward to more of this journey. My baby bump is starting to show, and now I’m starting to sort of panic (for real) where to start learning the ropes of pregnancy, and preparing for baby. I know we are not even half way, but I am not doubting and not praning with anything because I am holding on the most sturdy stronghold, our God. 🙂

To close this post, I’m sharing our 14th week prayer for Baby Jam. I got a book that Hubby and I read/pray in parallel with baby’s development, and here’s our prayer for our 14th week:

Dear Lord, we thank you for making it to the second trimester this week! We praise you for this miracle of baby that I am carrying. Truly, you are a great and wonderful God! We’re amazed at the exquisite detail You planned for Your creation. Thank you for caring for our unborn baby.

Lord, we pray that baby will exhibit the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love,  joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and temperance. Help us to be role models of these. Help us to be loving parents that you want us to be.

And Lord, we pray for the physical development of our baby. Please cause everything that is happening this week to develop properly. 

Psalm 139:13 says, “You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb”. We thank you for this encouraging message. Please knit together–cause to develop properly–every part of our baby’s being: body, soul and spirit.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

–Praying Through Your Pregnancy, by Carolyn Warren, Jennifer Polimino

Johan@0

The Heartbeat

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Today, we heard Baby Jam’s heartbeat!

I still couldn’t believe what I was hearing, that fast galloping sound is the sweetest sound of all <3

And when I saw Hubby’s smile while hearing baby’s heartbeat, I could almost hear my own heart saying my gratitude to God for His best gift ever.

Our OB noticed that baby is sensitive, and very aware on what’s happening. Baby Jam reacts whenever the ultrasound device is re-positioned. It took a while before we heard the heartbeat (though we already saw it in my first 2 VGS ultrasound weeks before). I was asking baby not to make us nervous. And few minutes later, there it was. Loud, soft, fast, and happy beating <3

On a side note, I failed to complete my blood tests today because of the required fasting (which I didn’t remember!). We’re coming back on weekend to do it.

Keep that heart strong, Baby. We love you!

Johan@0

9 Weeks: All Cleared

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This is Baby Jam’s second picture from the follow-up ultrasound.

Now we can see baby really really active. The arms and legs are moving fast like trying to swim 😀 And yes, the heartbeat is now very visible in the ultrasound screen, beating very fast. I was really amazed that there are already two hearts beating in my body <3 

And the best news of all is that both the UTI and subchronic hemorrhage  were now cleared! God is good. 🙂



Johan@0

7 Weeks: Love at First Sight

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This is Baby Jam’s very first picture, his/her first ultrasound.


I could hardly believe that there’s that cute little one inside my body. It felt overwhelming and surreal 🙂 I was joking Hubby that he/she looks like me!
Of course, at that time we can only see the soon-to-be fetus. But it was sort of a relief to actually see baby, confirming the pregnancy test that we did (and I was not just “inventing” the morning sickness” and bugging Hubby to do things for me).
That same day during my OB visit, there are two concerns that we have to address.First is my unusually high infection found out through urinalysis (UTI). And the second one is subchronic hemorrhage, wherein very small amount of blood is just outside baby. It MIGHT be an indicator that baby is not holding on strong, but I was told not to worry because it can also be a completing physiological process. So I was given prescriptions for both and has to do follow-up tests a week after. The UTI is sonthing to watch out for, as I was told it is really really bad for baby and even caused miscarriages for some women. I have to drink 2-3L of water from that day on!
That day, I asked few people close to us to continuously pray for baby’s strong heartbeat and development and growth. This is a start of a journey that I will take not just with Hubby, but more importantly with God.