BLESSED

Posted on July 30, 2017 by caringforcamille

Happy Baptism Avery!

“Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.” – Psalm 127:3

The christening was held at St. John Vianny. Father Vu Tran and his congregation were so accommodating and welcomed us with open arms.

Avery did very well throughout the ceremony, he didn’t even make a peep when Father Vu poured water on his head. What a little trooper!

With his Ninong Jeffrey & Reyvillyne who was a proxy for his Ninang Diane

This is the part where Avery started getting very sleepy.

It takes a collective effort to pull off such a big day, and I’m so thankful to everyone that helped to make Avery’s christening such a memorable one!

Thank you Reyvillyne for helping put this together! We love you!

AVERY’S BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT

Posted on May 1, 2017 by caringforcamille

Minted has done it again!

We went to JCPenny Portraits while Avery was only 2 weeks old to get photos done for his birth announcement.

I absolutely love how they turned out!

BUMPIE

Posted on April 25, 2017 by caringforcamille

When I discovered the BabyPics app, I completely got really excited about capturing my growing belly bump! It’s a great and easy photo-journaling tool to document your growing baby belly “bumpies” week after week. I’ve started when I was in week 16 and probably around week 28 is when you can start seeing some major belly growth!

He’s here!!! He’s finally here!!! Welcome Avery Grayson Reyes

APRIL FOOL’S BABY

Posted on April 12, 2017 by caringforcamille

I went in for my weekly OB appointment on March 31st and when they checked my blood pressure – it was high! So high that it was best that I head on over to Labor and Deliver! They were going to induce me since technically I was already full term.

I was not ready for this – but no one ever is…right?!?! I mean, I haven’t even packed my hospital bag yet!!! Luckily our car seat arrived the day before!

So we checked into University of Washington Medical Center at noon and on April 1st we welcomed baby Avery Grayson Reyes at 5:43 p.m.

My dearest Avery,

From the moment they placed you in my arms, you snuggled right into my heart.

xo,
momma

COUNTING DOWN TO BABY REYES

Posted on March 30, 2017 by caringforcamille

With my due date just around the corner, I’m sharing some maternity photos that Andy Shepard captured. Also, enjoy a few fun facts about my pregnancy below

Best Part of the First Trimester: Hearing our baby’s heartbeat for the first time! Andre and I scheduled an ultrasound at 10 weeks to check up on baby and make sure there was indeed a heartbeat. I’ve never been so nervous for anything in my life! Hearing that tiny heartbeat was the sweetest thing and really made the pregnancy feel so much more real.

Worst Part of the First Trimester: The nausea! It kicked in about week 10 and didn’t subside until around week 16. It was an all day, every day nausea that never went away. Also having to take the prenatal vitamin that was also making me feel nauseous which is why I ended up taking them right before I go to bed.

First Trimester Food Cravings: iced honey green tea

Best Part of the Second Trimester: Finally gaining my energy back and being able to get up and go somewhere. Pregnancy massages.

Worst Part of Second Trimester: The nausea that lasted the first few weeks into the 2nd trimester. Other than that, it was great! I had the most energy and felt the most like myself.

Second Trimester Food Cravings: Chocolates (all kinds), strawberry milkshakes, fried chicken, Eggos ice-cream (esp. ice-cream sandwich & haagan daaz mini),

Best Part of Third Trimester: My Baby Shower and having my best friends fly in from out of town to attend the shower! Getting to listen to baby’s heartbeat at weekly doctor visits!

Worst Part of Third Trimester: Finding a top to wear every morning since I basically rotate the 2 pairs of maternity jeans that I’ve purchased. My massive and annoying boobs.

Third Trimester Food Cravings: Cheetos Puffs, mango, yan-yan

I can hardly wait until our baby make their debut. Both Andre and I are so excited (and antsy) to meet the baby and already feel so blessed to be able to be their parents.

DREAM BIG, LITTLE ONE

Posted on March 12, 2017 by caringforcamille

I am so thrilled to be able to share photos from the most beautiful baby shower I have ever been to and even more excited because it was MINE! Ha, I still can’t believe it!!! I have to say, I’ve never had a party planned in my honor where I didn’t plan it myself or contribute. I have always been the planner and the crafter and the doer, but with this one my friends kept me completely in the dark, all I had to do was show up and pick my jaw up off the floor after I took in all the sweet details of the day.

So many of my dear talented friends hosted the shower and each brought their own expertise to make this a picture perfect event!

Special thanks to Mel, Stephy, Mur, Jaimz, Nancy, & Mich for all the work into organizing and putting together this memorable event. A big thank you to Stephy, Len, Chel, and Che for flying in to celebrate this joyous occasion with me. Erika for lending out her guest room. My sister Diane for the delicious cake made from Flour, Sugar, and More Bakery. Andy Shepard for taking amazing photos. And Gian Cruz for catering a delicious brunch!

31 WEEKS BUMP UPDATE

Posted on February 9, 2017 by caringforcamille

How far along?: 31 weeks and 1 day
Total weight gain: 16 pounds total. I gained 3 more pounds since my last checkup on January 18, which puts me at 147 pounds.
How big is baby?: The size of a pineapple. Weighing in at about three-plus pounds and measuring about 16 inches long.
Sleep?: So far so good! I sleep best on my left side and wake up just once to use the restroom.

Best moment this week?: Being told at our OB appointment today that baby is measuring right on track! Yay! Getting to read a bedtime story and feeling the baby kick right afterwards!
Worst moment this week?: Not fitting into anything cute. Feeling really fat instead of feeling preggo…thanks boobies…grrrr!
Movement?: Plenty! Baby moves around ALL of the time. It is the best feeling ever, and I find myself stopping everything to just really soak it in. Every movement, every little kick and hiccup, they tell me that everything is going to be okay.
Labor signs: Nope! Thankfully!
Food cravings?: Grapefruit, peanut butter sandwich, & ice honey green tea
Symptoms: A general ‘full’ feeling in my upper stomach. Low back pain, fatigue and shortness of breath has also gotten a lot worse as my lungs are all squished up now…ahh!
Stretch marks?: Belly is still stretch mark free
Belly button in or out?: Still an innie
What I miss: Being able to go bowling
What I’m looking forward to: If we’re having a little boy or a little girl!!! I think there are so few genuine surprises left in life I couldn’t think of anything better than letting this baby be one of them. I can’t wait for Andre to be the one who reveals to me what we’ve had (as tears stream down his face)!

28 WEEKS BUMP UPDATE

Posted on January 18, 2017 by caringforcamille

Hello, Third Trimester!!!

3 more months to go!

I’m ‘sorta kinda’ showing…if I wear really tight clothing, otherwise according to people I don’t even look pregnant….let alone be ‘only 28 weeks’ pregnant.

I had an OBGYN visit today as well as the big glucose test (which I passed..YAY!). We got to hear the baby’s heartbeat which was in the 150s.

I don’t have any weird cravings that most pregnant women talk about. I think it’s just their way of wanting to eat something pickled without feeling to guilty about eating it. The only maternity things that I’ve purchased are 2 pairs of Paige maternity jeans that I absolutely love!!! I wear them ALL the time.

Not only is the belly growing..but my boobs have become massive. And gross. And annoying. And FULL. And uncomfortable. I cannot stand to wear a regular bra for very long and I hate that sports bra gives me a uni-boob.

I have lower back pain and shoulder pain that easily goes away thanks to pregnancy massages! I still continue to take my prenatal pills that makes me feel nauseous but as long I take them before going to bed then it’s not so bad!

Absolutely LOVED the tumbling feelings in my belly. It’s weird and sometimes it hurts, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I also cannot seem to stop touching/rubbing my belly these days. I’m not sure what that’s all about, but it’s oddly soothing to me!

With 12 weeks to go:

I’ve gained 13 pounds which puts me at 144. I’ve read weight can either continue increasing by a pound a week, or slow down to stall out completely as you get closer to term, so will see how that goes!
No stretch marks (knock on wood). I don’t use any oil or cocoa butter.
I am tired. No matter how exhausted I am I cannot fall asleep before midnight. I’ll start dozing off sitting up multiple times throughout the day, but when I lay down in bed I just can’t fall asleep.
I walk. A lot. Everyday. To and from work so that’s has become my daily exercise.

DEAR SANTA:

Posted on December 24, 2016 by caringforcamille

I told myself that once I had a family, I would start the holiday tradition of Christmas cards!

My friend is an avid Christmas card giver and she has used all sort of sites and recommended that Minted was the best one. So I tried it for our first family card and I absolutely loved it! Minted takes 90% of the stress out of the holiday cards. You can customize every aspect including back of the cards, addresses, return address and even stamps with pictures. The uploading of images and appearing on every card design, having a personal designer at your fingertips and their FREE address assistant makes addressing holiday cards so freaken’ easy. Talk about a time saver!

Have the best weekend everyone!!! Merry Christmas Eve!

xoxo

TEA FOR TWO!!!

Posted on December 8, 2016 by caringforcamille

This has to be one of the most fabulous, emotional, wonderful posts I have EVER written and I am SO happy to share this news with you.

I never thought this day would come…I have dreamed for years of being a mama … thought about how I would tell people … how I would feel … what kind of mom I would be … and here we are … Andre and I couldn’t be MORE STOKED to grow our little family!!

I am currently 22 weeks pregnant which translates to a little over 4 months! I feel GREAT and so far we are all very healthy and SO excited! We are going to keep the gender a surprise, so we don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl till April 2017!

Being pregnant has been the WEIRDEST thing I have ever experienced. Maybe I will call it beautiful once the baby is here but for now, it’s just WEIRD. I am literally growing a tiny person. I still can’t get over that.

I have put off this post and telling people for a while, mostly because … I wanted to make sure that I was doing good. Since dealing with cancer, surgeries, and routine scans I had to make sure that I was able to do this without any hiccups. Both my oncologist and OBGYN have been really AMAZING in answering all my questions relating to pregnancy, giving medical advice, and just overall being very supportive!

Special thanks to my sidekick Nancy for dolling me, taking amazing photos, and sharing a delicious cup of tea with me!

PERFECT CRUISE IN EVERY WAY

Posted on June 15, 2016 by caringforcamille

Ah, the open sea!

The wind on your hair!

The idea of a transportation method that doesn’t involve riding underground in 95% humidity!

We had a perfect afternoon on a sunny Monday. We sat upstairs on the outside deck, there were plenty of chairs and room to move around. The breeze kept us cool and comfortable but wasn’t so breezy we blew away.

The “Best of NYC” Circle Line Cruise is the perfect way to see all five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx – in one trip. Plus, we got to see all three NYC rivers, all the major bridges and the rest of the city’s best sights, including the full Manhattan skyline, the growing Brooklyn waterfront, the legendary Yankee Stadium, the hip Harlem Heights waterfront, the lush greenery of upper Manhattan and the stately George Washington Bridge.

All of that plus an up-close with the Statue of Liberty…well as close as we can get!!!

A DECEMBER PHOTO DUMP

Posted on December 30, 2015 by caringforcamille

Jet lag can be a real bummer. I just got back from a 18-day trip to Thailand, Laos, and Singapore, and right on cue, I’m jet lagged: tired by mid-day, waking up at odd and early hours, hungry at random times. Feeling these symptoms isn’t surprising, per se, but what always gets me is how one-sided my jet lag experience is. Every time I travel abroad to Asia, my body adjusts perfectly—and rapidly—on the way there. But on the way home, I’m totally destroyed by jet lag for days. Throw in the fact that I came back during the month of December, where there is LITERALLY non-stop holiday activities!!! Ahhhhh!!!

…which is why I’ve been so behind with blogging. I’m burnt out! And the truth is that the longer I go without blogging, the more overwhelming the next time pressing publish feels. Every morning I wake up and tell myself I will not allow myself to sleep again until I’ve posted, and yet night after night I weakly succumb to the pillow.

But it ends today. Well…sort of…I decided to just do a BIG scroll party! So sit back and enjoy!

CHARLIE BROWN TREE

Oh Christmas Tree! Oh Christmas Tree! The only one I’ll be putting up!

COLIN’S TOY DRIVE

My good friend Colin and his team over at John L Scott Real Estate hosted their 2nd Annual Toy Drive. It was held at Vino @ The Landing and over 850+ toys were donated to Seattle Children’s hospital!

NANCY’S CHRISTMAS PARTY

The first of many Christmas parties to come! Held at Girin restaurant, there was over 20+ of us each having to bring a $25 white elephant! Best part of all – someone bought in a dozen Trophy cupcakes only to have it ruin because I couldn’t follow instructions! Sorry Jeff!

THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER

Enough said.

SANTA’S WORKSHOP

For as long as I lived in Seattle – my girlfriends and I would always do a Christmas gathering. The Su family hosted it this year with Santa’s workshop as our main theme. We did an island style potluck, played fun and somewhat embarrassing games, and did an interesting twist to the white elephant!

SCOTT BRADLEY and POSTMODERN JUKEBOX

For those unfamiliar with Bradlee and his band, PMJ takes modern pop songs and arranges them into different musical styles – whether Prohibition-Era or ’50’s Jass, Classic Country or Motown. I was super stoked to listen to them play at Showbox Sodo with my music loving sidekick Nance!

A CONCORD PARTY

great company + great food + unlimited drinks = a perfect Christmas party!

ZOO LIGHTS

In numbers, it’s 375,000 LED lights strung up throughout the western and northern ends of the zoo (the LED piece makes the whole event quite energy efficient). They are “sculpted,” hung on wire frames, to depict wild animals and places: a leaping tiger; a luminous replica of the Aurora Borealis, with animated bears, moose and wolves surrounding it; elephants moving towards a watering hole on the African savanna (a personal favorite of mine, ingenious). To escape the chill we step into the warmth of the indoor Day Exhibit, which houses reptiles and amphibians, including a komodo dragon, turtles and a crocodile or two.