see you at the alley {wiws}

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As I sit here, enduring this sugar high headache for the next hour, then hypoglycemia-bottoming out headache, let me share our Sunday's shenanigans.

Mr. Fun-parent took the children to the park and a quick hike at the river trails. What did I do? oh well, play 3 different criminal case apps. I haven't solved any of the cases yet because I am cheap and I do not want to pay the extra "power-up" or "energy" or see the "instant results" of the autopsy or evidence analysis... It's a free game. I am ok waiting for a few minutes or hours to continue playing it.

Plus, I am scratching my eyes out because of the high pollen alert? who has the same probs as me during April and May? aaaahhhh......

so here's what we I wore yesterday to Mass.

Motherhood Maternity top // Old Navy super skinny Rockstar maternity pants

My new splurge: Michael Kors ballet flats from Nordstrom Rack

I returned some stuff from my online shopping... The CK pumps were too small (yay preggo feet!). The Northface jacket color was way too bright for me. Too bad I did not like the shape of the very- much-discounted Fossil sunglasses. Then Isabel and I went to the shoe section and I found the MK gold flats.

My plan to take a pict bythe church door did not work out. So alley it is.... so fancy!

Linking up with FL&P, WWIW, TuckerUp... as usual! :)

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5Faves: pregnancy, parenting books

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I was asked about books I read about pregnancy and parenting. Here are my five faves.

1.Nursing mother working mother - I read this cover to cover.





2. Your baby's first year - I skimmed through this and read topics I had questions about. It's by the American academy of pediatrics.




3. I'm pregnant. - I read this instead of 'what to expect when you're expecting.' I read it during pregnancy. Took it out again for my second and third. I like the colorful pictures of the embryo and fetus. There are also helpful tips for the first 6 weeks postpartum.





4. Happiest baby on the block - good for sleep training. We learned about the S's. Shush. Swaddle. Side. Suck...





5. The gift of motherhood - book we used for our child birth classes. For my third pregnancy, I actually took this book out during my early labor to remind me of the different phases. Even an MD needed a refresher course.




Linking up with Rachel this week for #5faves!

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I'll babble if I want to ~ SJ

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Mass grades:
Daniel - A
Isabel - B
Sebastian - F

My SJ does not have a lot of words. He started as a quiet baby. Now at least he babbles and vocalizes.

His favorite is saying o-oh, repeatedly. Inside the church. During Mass. My husband has this rule that we don't take the children to the cry room. Whenever we take them there -- it feels like a treat for them. So rule was if the children fuss, We will go to the back of the church.

Time spent at the back of the church:
Derrick - 46.35%
Me - 43.65 %
Sebastian - 90%

I might not have gotten the most out of the homily than usual. Yet I know there is something about bringing the little children to the Lord. I love going to Mass by myself sometimes. But I also know I need to bring them to church. How else are they going to learn to behave there, right?


Casual outfit I wore during our movie date matinee-style. I threw a cardi over it and there you go~ Mass outfit ~ checked!





Motherhood maternity top // motherhood maternity skirt // Bellini wedges via zulily





Don't mind the weeds and dead plants surrounding my tulips. They are still so pretty!


Linking up with FL&P, WWIW, tuckerUp.

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Pregnancy wardrobe {loose top}

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The hug fitting top is flattering for a belly bump. But you can't go wrong on maternity loose tops.

I bought more maternity-labeled clothes for my first and second pregnancy. Less actually for my second pregnancy -- because I got smarter.

Some non maternity clothes are loose and long enough to cover the big bump. Maxi dresses, empire waist dresses or tops and tunics are some styles that if loose enough can be used during pregnancy.

Exhibit 1:
Maternity blouse from jcpenney maternity collection. It has a tie option at the back to give it more shape.














JCPenney maternity top // target maternity pants // Franco Sarto wedge heels


Exhibit 2:
Non maternity top from j. Crew. I'm usually a 2/4. So I just went a size up. The straps are long. But easy enough to fix with my sewing skills. Good thing the bust area has some cinching. Otherwise I think size 6 is way too big.











J. Crew Cami in ripe kiwi // target maternity pants // Bellini wedge sandals via zulily

It worked well during second trimester. It's threatening to be a cropped top now that I'm on my last 12 weeks.

I'll feature more styles on how I dressed the bump. Stay tuned.

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Oh mama!

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This pregnancy has been one of a kind. I hoped I would be an 'expert' by now since this is my 4th pregnancy and all. But things are way different.



First, I'm way way overweight (!) I started 5-10 lbs than my previous pre-pregnancy weight. I was hopeful that I'll curb my weight gain. Eeeeehhhh. Not. I'm still averaging 30-35 lbs weight gain.



I worked full time for my first three pregnancies and I didn't have to wear support hosiery. Call it stubbornness. Or laziness to go to the store.

Thanks to Amazon prime ~ I got myself a pair of these babies. It was a two-person job to put these on. But so worth it. The 14 hour drive on spring break finally got me scared of swelling and DVTs. I have a week of wards in May and you will for sure see me wearing these around the hospital.

Truform 8865, Compression Stockings, Below Knee, Closed Toe, 20-30 mmhg, Beige, Medium

Franco Sarto Helio wedges

I'm carrying this baby very low. My hips are loosening at a much earlier time period. People say it's because it's my 4th pregnancy. Things have been stretched everywhere. (Yes yes don't remind me!)


This is also my first time to wear a mini cradle belt ~ belly support belt. I love it. I have both belly support and back support. I don't care that it shows through some of my tight fitting tops. I've been wearing the belt everyday and I love it.

Louis Vuitton Damier clutch //Target tights // Franco Sarto wedges

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whale sharks, traffic and walking dead {photo diary}

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For day 1
For day 2
For day 3
For day 4
For day 5
For day 6


Georgia aquarium Day 7


We decided to split our drive home. We stopped by Georgia aquarium.


The drive was not pleasant. We had to take a detour because of stopped traffic on 75 for 7-10 miles.

{side note: we passed by the town where they filmed the walking dead. Good thing I was watching the first season and the group was still in Atlanta/cdc instead of Hampton/senoia, GA}


We also got stuck at the downtown streets. It was a Saturday and spring break.... My advise: might as well skip atl during spring break weekends!


We didn't get into the aquarium till 5p. We killed some time at the nearby centennial park.

Mr. Shadow photobombing SJ's moment

Since the admission tickets are controlled, there were not too many people inside the aquarium when we finally got in.
















It was worth it once we have seen these amazing creatures.

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i should blog more

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I was browsing on my feed last night... and something captured my attention. It's one of my posts from the linkwithin widget. The one below my post that says "You might also like..."

I clicked on one post... then another... then another... You get the picture. I went down memory lane. I saw my growing belly for Baby D3 now we know was Bastian. I saw my crazy outfit posts. I read some postpartum changes, etc. etc.


Hubs asked: what are you doing?
Me: oh just reading. I should blog more. I love going through old posts.


I aspire to write funny stories (like Grace) or some nice thoughtful posts (like Laura) or pretty fashion posts (like Andrea). And since I overthink it (maybe), I end up not blogging at all. 90% of my posts are all about my children or outfits or day-to-day blahs. They seemed unimportant when I write them. I think only a handful of people read my posts (thanks!) but like last night, I went through old posts and I loved what I read.


I am sharing two fun days spent with my loves.


Here they are, waiting for the movie to start.



Then we stopped at the mall to eat lunch, buy Daniel cleats, go to the lego store and get more loose-fitting nonmaternity clothes for me (unplanned!)













last night, I shared this video already... but Ig only posts 15 sec clips. here's the 30 second full video.

5 years from now, I will see the thumbnail for this video and read this post. I am sure I will like it!

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Rockets {photo diary}

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We continue our spring break recap.
For day 1
For day 2
For day 3
For day 4
For day 5

KSC Day 6

We drove south to see the Kennedy space center. We arrived after lunch. The 3-4 hours we were there went by so fast. We didn't see everything. I wished we got up earlier and left earlier.

Either way, the children and the bigger children enjoyed seeing the launch areas and rockets. So so cool.





























I didn't get a photo of the group in our ponchos. There was a downpour right at closing.


It was also our last night at the beach house.







I love this crazy bunch!

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