riannagalvez

Hello, dolls! Hello, weekend!! <3 It’s an exciting Friday because I get to announce the winner of my April giveaway. I am so happy with the number of entries I received which makes me more inspired to host more giveaways in the future. It’s nice to be connected to more Moms here in Baltimore because of it! Speaking of Mom, Mother’s Day is right around the corner and I’ve been wondering if I will be celebrating it with two babies in my arms or anxious if my water will break any minute.

I am currently 36 weeks pregnant and surprisingly, I am 80% done preparing everything for baby girl! Her nursery is looking great, I did 3 loads of wash (and just 1 more batch to go), and our supplies are stocked — enough to last until the end of the year if I may say! So am I ready? Maybe…

Continue reading “AM I READY FOR BABY # 2? + BALTIMORE BIRTH FESTIVAL 2019 GIVEAWAY WINNER.” →

Hello, dolls!! Hello, APRIL!! <3 Ever heard of the quote “April showers bring May flowers?” cause that’s exactly how I can describe my April. There are so many things in store for me literally every week and I am just excited to bask in the goodness of this month.  I am now on my 33rd week of pregnancy and I can’t believe how much my belly is growing! It is starting to make me think baby girl is going to be bigger than her big brother little A when she comes out in May.

I literally feel like all of the beautiful things lined up for me this month will bloom beautifully in May — just the thought of finally meeting my baby girl is more than enough for me to look forward to the month of May with so much positivity.

Continue reading “First Pregnancy Flashback + Baltimore Birth Festival 2019 GIVEAWAY” →

Hello, dolls!! Hello, SPRING! <3 I am so excited for warmer weather!! Mainly because I can’t fit in my pants anymore — I only wear pants when it’s necessary and during winter lol.  The good thing about being pregnant during the majority of the colder seasons is the fact that I do not have to buy any maternity clothes. I can get away with wearing my sweaters without feeling like a giant sausage 😛

I am aware that I sound a little dejected lately whenever I talk about my job. The exhaustion that I feel on top of my pregnancy has not been easy for me, and it’s causing me to be negative about certain things. I really need to shake it off, but I guess it won’t be until I let myself understand that it’s okay to step back.

Continue reading “Struggles of a Working Mom” →

Hello, dolls!!! Happy weekend! <3 I just had the most relaxing week since Christmas — what a treat! I had my first snow day this year and it was nice to stay home with my A boys and not be at work for two extra days this week. It was our mid-week weekend! 😛 Spending more time with little A is something I crave as a working Mom. I always try to squeeze in activities for us to do between Friday afternoon and Sunday night, and every week I always feel like we just never have enough time.

I wanted my first snow day with my toddler to be fun and relaxing. Both A and I needed the extra hours of sleep, the afternoon nap, and just be in our PJs practically all day. For the productive side of our snow day, little A helped me in the kitchen — the best part was our baking session which I will be posting here soon! Snow days should not be boring of course, so for the fun part, little A asked me to read a couple of books to him and play some of his favorite toys with him. Best part? Our snacks throughout the day.

Continue reading “Max Brenner” →

Hello, dolls!! Hello, Valentine’s day! 😛 Most of you are probably busy finding the perfect gift or Instagrammable surprise for that special someone. But, here I am reminding my readers again that Valentine’s is not my thing (lol).  A and I don’t make a big deal about Valentine’s Day for one reason — we are used to working on Valentine’s day (which is actually one of the busiest weeks in the food industry) so we are always exhausted. The first two years that we were together, we celebrated it just like every other couple — dinner and presents! After that, I realized that I am not really a “VDay” person but more of a “let’s just make sure we have each other for the rest of our lives” kind of girl, no special presents needed (although a box of sweets won’t hurt 😛 )

Anyway, celebrations have evolved for A and I since little A (yep! we will start calling him little A on this blog now haha). Since we both work full time, I often get this Mom guilt that we should be spending our free time with him — A and I are still “young” when it comes to this parenting thing so I think I get pretty emotional when it comes to time.

Continue reading “First Birthday As A DAD” →

Hello, dolls!! Hello, February!! <3 Anyone else have this short month packed with awesome plans? I have fun activities and events lined up every weekend this month and it’s pretty exciting to know I am going to have a fun (and busy) February. There is something about making the most out of my weekends that makes me realize how blessed I am to be happy and make someone else happy.

Early last month I found out the gender of baby #2. I was more nervous this time because A and I talked about the changes in our setup at home if it would be a boy or a girl. It wasn’t a big deal really, it was just something that we both felt like we needed to discuss. Every time someone would ask me which gender I prefer, I always felt like I needed to answer so during the first weeks I would just say “well, I wouldn’t mind having another boy since baby A has so much stuff they can share”. It was the practical Mom in me talking!

Continue reading “It’s A Girl!” →

Hello, dolls!! Hello, hump day! Another week, another chance to get things sorted before my due date. I can’t believe that in just 3 months, I will be a Mom of two! I feel like I am competing with time when it comes to accomplishing everything I want to do for our growing family and myself. Today, a coworker said something that struck me — I should enjoy this pregnancy because it might be my last.  Whenever people ask me how many kids A and I want, I always shrug and give a vague answer. Truthfully, it’s still up in the air and with the number of things we have to consider (and duhh! it’s too soon to think about that at this point).

When I was pregnant with baby A, I devoted all my time and energy to work that the only pregnancy-related activity I was able to do was to go to yoga class. I wasn’t able to document my pregnancy as much as I wanted to or even get his nursery done before his arrival. I remember going to Target the day that we came home from the hospital because I knew I am missing some important stuff that we will need during our transition. I spent my 39th week of pregnancy feeling anxious because I knew I could have done more to prepare myself. This time, I am going to do things differently by choosing to focus on appreciating this journey, prepare myself and our family, and also to spend more time with baby A before he officially becomes a big brother.

Continue reading “PREPARING A TODDLER FOR A NEW BABY” →

Hello, dolls!! Hello, snowy week!! <3 It was another exciting week for us because we found out the gender of baby #2! If you are following me on Instagram you probably know the gender by now. If not, then wait for my next post cause I think it’s just right to write a separate blog for my special one! <3

Anyway, I just came back from Williamsburg, Virginia to spend time with family before my brother went back to Manila. I can’t believe that it has already been a month since he got here and now we have to start counting down the days until our entire family is complete again. We are very positive about our reunion this year though because we know we will have more time to spend together and it’s very exciting.

Anyway, going on road trips with baby A has been part of our lives since he was less than a month old. It was not a walk in the park but we definitely got the hang of it after a while. I remember Googling “what to do when a baby cries during a long drive” prior to our first out of state trip and asking myself if I can actually handle it. LOL Continue reading “Road Trips With A Newborn” →