Pastels and Pumps

I was excited to blog about our first family getaway, but as a full-time bantay of Nicolo, it took a while for me to start.

Jude and I celebrated our First Anniversary. Oh yes, it’s just our first, parang ang tagal na. :) Jude also got a new job (Yehey! Congratulations, love!) and ofcourse, we’d like to celebrate Nicolo’s birth.

My super loving fiance (Naks!) surprised me and booked an overnight stay at Narra Hill, Tagaytay. I’m very thankful he decided to have a staycation for me to relax as well (Hindi biro manganak! haha). The place just didn’t disappoint us. I heard about Narra Hill months ago and I checked it online when we were still thinking of what to do on our anniversary. When I showed it to him, he was amazed by the pictures and I didn’t know he already booked a room. By the way, you could only book a room exclusively via Airbnb. They only got 4 rooms (we had the Balcony Room) and since it’s a peak season they’re fully booked until June. Luckily, our anniversary date was the only slot available - Meant talaga na doon kami. :)

Nicolo’s just 3 weeks old at sabi nga nila baka mabinat ako, kaya we can’t really roam around. From our house, deretso na kaming Narra Hill talaga. You could easily find the place using the Waze app. And this what welcomed us! As in Wow! We were in awe! The view from our room was just beautiful and relaxing. 

This is the balcony where you can see a table and chair because meals are served here.

When you enter the room, it has this king-sized four poster bed that makes you want to sleep all day. How I wish I could take this home. It is just so comfy and ofcourse, I’m loving the white sheets which I used on practicing my flatlay shots.

Nicolo’s the first one to enjoy the bed. :)

We have complimentary coffee, water and there’s a thermos.

Here’s the comfort room.

What I love about the place as well is that there is no TV or wifi. You could just enjoy the nature and the presence of who you’re with. In our case, walang choice si Jude kundi makipagkwentuhan sakin. Haha. Syempre, picture taking first. 

For our dinner, Jude already ordered ahead. I suggest you do this too so it wouldn’t be hassle for you to go out, since the road you’ll be taking is a bit steep and is not well-lighted. 

We first had soup, then for the main course, it’s Chicken Satay with peanut sauce, Nasi Goreng rice topped with egg and steamed veggies on the side. I personally enjoyed the food since it’s a bit spicy.

For our dessert, we had a slice of Cassava Cake and Basil Tea.

In the morning, you’ll wake up with this view. Though I wasn’t able to sleep well because Nicolo was awake almost every 2 hours, it’s still a great morning. :)

Before having our breakfast, which we requested to be served around 8am, we went for a stroll and Jude tried the swimming pool. Unfortunately, we were not able to see the whole property since I can’t walk too much. Hindi ko pa kaya. hehe.

We head back to our villa just in time for breakfast. We had coffee, bread, butter and langka jam first.

Then we had fried bangus, baked egg and daing na isda and fried rice. There were also fruits - pineapple and papaya. Everything was so delicious. Jude and I loved it!

While we are having our breakfast, one of the attendants went to our villa and talked to Jude. When he entered our room, tada! Such a lovely bouquet! Well, he never fails to surprise and make me happy, everytime! :)

Since it’s still early and our check out is 12nn, we decided to take a nap. We prepared an hour before our check out and while I was taking a bath, one of the owners went to our vill and asked how’s our stay. Very nice of her.

Exactly a week ago, my cervix was already 3cm dilated (cervix needs to be dilated at 10cm for baby to come out) and we were expecting to finally meet Nicolo the day after. But my OB advised that if I wasn't giving birth until Thursday, I should come back for another checkup. 

Thursday came and when I woke up, there were already blood stains but still, no contractions yet. I quickly ate my breakfast and took a bath then we head to the hospital before 10am. 

My OB checked again and I was still at 3cm but already fully effaced. She then asked me to be admitted. At 10:30am, we're in the emergency room to perform the initial procedures. 

11:30am I was brought to the labor room and the midwives started to monitor my contractions that I can still hardly feel. 

1:00pm IE was performed and it was already 4cm. 30mins after, since I wasn't really feeling the contractions, I was given Oxytocin and Buscopan to help me shorten the labor hours. 

My OB and midwives expect I'll give birth between 6pm to 8pm, but as a surprise, an hour after giving me the meds, I told them I can already feel too much pain. And when they checked, Nicolo's ready to come out. 

3:00pm I was in the delivery room, pushed 3 times then Nico came out at exactly 3:52pm.

When I learned I was pregnant, I made sure to have my regular check-ups with my OB, researched a lot and asked "mommy" friends and relatives on how they go about their pregnancy. As a first-time mom, I wanted to take note and record everything thus, having the list of my essentials which I'm sharing to you and could help other moms-to-be too. I know every preggy has her own list but here are the things I could not do away: 

 1. Record notebook: My doctor gave this to me on our very first appointment. This helped me get on track and be updated on what's happening to me and baby. Aside from my OB's personal record of our progress, she also took notes on my notebook so I could monitor and be reminded of the things I should and shouldn't do. This includes baby's number of weeks, heartbeat per minute, our weight, my blood pressure, and to do's before we meet again for the next check-up. 

 2. Books About Pregnancy: Aside from having advices from my doctor, I also relied on books and ofcourse the internet to keep me aware of what's going on with me and baby and what to expect for the coming months until I deliver my little one. This helped me a lot. You should really read, read and read! 

 3. Vitamins: Oh yes, eating healthy foods is a non-negotiable thing. Suddenly, my eating habits changed. But, to make sure I'm getting the right nutrients for me and baby, I took these vitamins prescribed by my OB - OB Smart and Globifer Forte. As an addition and to help me prepare for my breastfeeding journey, I'm taking LifeOil Malunggay capsules which was recommended by my fiance's sister. 

 4. Bio-Oil: For those who are asking and amazed why I do not have stretchmarks, this is the magic. 😄 I started using this oil when I was just 4 months pregnant. A little expensive since a 60-ml bottle costs 500++ but it is really worth it. I apply this twice a day- after bath and before bedtime. 

It was after mom's birthday last year when I discovered I was pregnant. I've been feeling sick, no appetite and I just wanted to stay in bed all day. I can still remember I had to go to my doctor/ninang to check up on me. She asked me to have a urinalysis and discovered I have mild UTI. I took meds but I'm still not feeling okay days after. September 9, 2015, I went back to my doctor but she was still not on her clinic. Her secretary asked me why did I go back since she saw me just a few days ago. I told her what I'm feeling and she asked me if I pregnant. I wasn't able to answer... the idea never did pop in my head but I knew it's not impossible. So she asked me to take pregnancy test first because for sure, my doctor will ask me the same question. I went to this pharmacy near the hospital to buy and went straight back to the restroom. I did the test and I was really nervous while waiting for the result. After a few minutes, THERE! 2 BRIGHT RED LINES in front of me! 

I just stared at it until I noticed tears flowing on my cheeks. Super mixed emotions! I was so scared and shocked but I know I'm so happy deep inside. I don't know what to do first and who will I talk to! Then I thought of AR, one of my bestfriends, I called her and told her to meet me up in the afternoon. Then I went back to my doctor's clinic, told her I was pregnant and referred me to my OB. My mom was also in the hospital because she's having therapy for her shoulders. When I went to her, I can't even look at her straight to her face. I wanted to tell her right away but I don't know how!

Then in the afternoon, I told AR the good news. She screamed at her loudest and I absolutely felt how happy she was for me and Jude. I asked her to accompany me to a clinic to have an ultrasound as requested by my doctor. I almost cried again when I saw baby's heartbeat. He was 6 weeks and 5 days then based on the ultrasound.

It was my first time in Maginhawa Street at Diliman, Quezon City. It is a go-to place for food trips in Manila where you could choose from different type of cuisines. Most of the establishments here are residential houses turned into restaurants. 

A friend knew that I was fond of experiencing and going to artsy places and restos that's why he introduced me to "Artsy Cafe". 

They have desserts and drinks, which makes it a perfect place to go to after having your meals. We tried Brownie Cheesecake, Butterscotch Iced Coffee and Lemon Basil. 

The place is too cute, especially inside. :) I must say they really gave justice to its name "Artsy". 

And this is us... :)

Hi. I’m Ayen Nones. This is my first ever blog and I’m excited to share with you my journey as a mom, business woman, and a food-and-fashion-lover :))