Now That July Has Ended, Here's a Recap

Woow! July ended so soon. I haven’t written in a while. So many things happened last month, I was caught in a whirlwind of grief, joy, pain, and relief. On June 9, my parents arrived at our home from Davao. They took the eight-hour bus trip from there to here for my gender reveal party and also partly because they miss me so much and I couldn’t travel to see them for quite a while. They helped me with everything. For several days, I enjoyed my mother’s unmatched dinuguan (*this is a classic and unique Filipino food composed of pork meat, some people put intestines, banana heart, vinegar, and DON’T BE TOO SURPRISED – pig’s blood).

And so, we finally had the big announcement. All in all, we were twenty people–from my family and my husband’s family, packed inside our tiny apartment. Jam, my twin who lives in Hawaii, together with her husband, Seth, attended via Zoom. Other relatives and friends were present virtually as well. We asked our visitors in advance to wear blue if they hope our baby is a boy and pink if they hope our baby is a girl. Some expressed neutrality by wearing yellow or white. Others did not follow the dress code which is still kind of funny because they just voice out the gender they think would be revealed that night. After all the games and before feasting on the food simply but generously prepared, our baby’s gender was finally revealed–IT’S A SON!

I thought there was an earthquake when my husband’s cousins erupted for joy. All our family clapped even those who voted for a girl. Even Jasper, my husband, who already knew the gender and was wearing pink that night couldn’t help but jump with them. Here’s the clip of our announcement and WARNING: LOWER THE VOLUME BECAUSE IT’S GOING TO BE SO LOUD! It’s blurry but you can clearly see what’s going on here.

The next day, my dad had to head back to Davao for work. With the little time he spent at our house, he has helped me in so many ways. He set up more clothes lines for me to hang the washed laundry. He and my brother moved the refrigerator and rearranged our furniture under the direction of my mom, of course. I’m very grateful to them for their efforts to make our home more comfortable. Mommy bought me strawberries and they are by far the most expensive craving I have. My brother and mother only stayed a few more days and left for home on Thursday.

June 17. I couldn’t forget this day. This was the day Snowy passed away. I was teaching when she died. Jasper and I were so heartbroken. The darkness of grief loomed over our home for quite a while. This was one of the reasons I wasn’t able to write for some time. I never thought losing a pet could hurt that bad, but it did and I was shocked. But now, I can say, I’ve done some healing and I cherish every memory I have with our puppy, our baby Snowy.

When I feel very strong emotions, I write. It’s a kind of release for me because I don’t know where to put those extreme emotions anymore. A few weeks after Snowy died, I started writing a memoir in honor of the short time we’ve had together. She has been a force in my life. And though her time in mortality has ended, she has taught me valuable lessons in the days she’s been with me. Until now, Jasper and I would feel pangs of loss for her from time to time. But the sting of death is swallowed up in the joy of the memories and the expectation of a reunion after. I’ll update you on the progress of the memoir. As of now, It’s short of eighty pages.

July has been eventful as well. On the 13th, my husband and I hung out with other couples at a beach resort. It was fun. We ate a lot and talked a lot. It was a great way to unwind from work and the stresses of daily life. Fast-forward to Sunday evening, I started to have bad stomach aches. I vomited several times and I felt very sick. I was worried to death because I couldn’t feel my baby’s movements and if I did, they were very faint. I vomited and had diarrhea that whole night. The next day, we went to see the doctor and I was admitted to the hospital in the afternoon. Long story short, I got food poisoning and UTI (Urinary Tract Infection). The baby was safe and needless to say, that short stay at the hospital cost us a lot financially. Nevertheless, I’m exceedingly grateful for my loved ones who were there to help us through those trying times.

I’m trying to fill my life up with worthwhile things. I started a new art account on Instagram and I plan to keep posting my art there. The process is quite painstaking but it’s worth it as I know that my art made people smile. My content circles around my experiences as a new mom and as a homemaker. I am also thinking of making original characters. I'm so excited to grow on this journey.

Since my baby is due this September, I am trying to find a non-voice job. I love my work as an ESL tutor but I really need something that would make working and taking care of a crying baby feasible.

My twin and I have set up an Etsy store and you can check it out here. Mustard is my son's baby name. We haven't given our online store a soft launch yet and honestly, we still have a lot to learn but I'm grateful Jam is my business partner. She loves art too. She has so many beautiful and cute things that she can do. She crochets, sews, embroiders, and creates original character stickers. I am rooting for our Etsy shop to do better before the year ends.

I'm looking forward to August's blessings and lessons. I hope all is well with all of you.

With love and gratitude,

Aya