First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes…..

...Baby Cruz, diapers, baby wipes, swaddling, doctors appointments, nausea, avoiding foods you once loved….

So here I am about 15 weeks along in my pregnancy now, and finally experiencing some relief from my morning sickness (which is actually more like all day / anytime-of-the-day sickness for me, but more on that later). Also sitting here wondering how the time went by so quickly, and trying to plan for the weeks ahead. 

I’ve read books (thanks, Krissy xoxo), downloaded maybe 7 – 10 different pregnancy apps, have amazing friends who are nurses in OB-GYN whom I bother to no end (I love you KR, and SIL!), friends who have just gone through their first pregnancy and birth (miss you, EV), and male friends who are new fathers.  I’ve also baby-sat countless younger cousins from birth to pre-teen, and witnessed them grow into wonderful individuals.  I did the math and knew what costs came associated with a newborn and all the financial commitment in the years to come.

Logically and mentally, I was prepared.  But ladies, no amount of resources,  however vast they may be, can ever fully prepare you emotionally and physically for how vulnerable you will be.

I am constantly worried that Baby Cruz (aka Habibi) is doing all right in there  -- I wish I could ask her* if my skinny jeans now squish my uterus too much for her to be comfortable.  Or if the Kendrick Lamar that I blast is annoying, and if she prefers Mozart or Spice Girls (Is this fish too high in mercury to eat while I’m pregnant?  I should check my app).  The thought of Down Syndrome, and birth defects never leave my mind. Hearing her heartbeat at every appointment is a new-found comfort, and I have seriously considered buying one of those home fetal Dopplers.

It has been a roller coaster of thoughts and emotions, and I don’t think there is any getting off this ride.

“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”  -- Elizabeth Stone

Here’s to the next 20 or so weeks of  still being able to keep my heart tucked inside.

Habibi @ approx 12 weeks

*no, I do not know the sex yet.  I am using “her/she” because it is more convenient than to keep typing “him/her/she/he”

Flipbook Studio

For our wedding favours we both agreed that we didn't want your typical photobooth.  Yes, i DO love a good photobooth sesh, and they're always a hit....because, let's face it, my friends and fam are as narcissistic as I am (hi friends, that's why I love you! lol).  But you should know me by now...always wanting to take the path less travelled, going for that extra oomph.  Flipbook Studio offered us that perfect solution.

I LOVED these things, and the Flipbook staff were sweet, courteous, and efficient!  Gave us the CD of videos right after they packed up :)  I'm all about the instant gratification so that pleased me lol

Here are a couple of my faves from the night:


Gorgeous Susan & Jen


Myself + My ADORABLE grandmother + her sister <3 <3 <3


My aunt and her sons, Andrew & Dan.
At first you're like..."WTF andrew? DO something!"  and then you're all like "bahahahaha!"


One of my bridesmaids (Sokhom in the middle), whipping her sister Khoen & Moni in the face with her weave HAHA!


My cousin/groomsman Khang & his gf Selynn heheh SO CUTE!


My beautiful girlfriends + Brian & Andrew just poppin in and out haha


Me & my girls <3  Love you guys like you wouldn't believe :*)


Accidentally making out with Janenee HAHA oxoxo


My MOH & I >> of course we had to get one!


Dancing w/ Mich ....with a burger in my hand.  Of course.


Pulling my adorable lil cousin Erika in for drunken photobooth sessions w/ us.  Responsible adults in action.

and last but certainly not least....myself and my new husband! :) >>>




Want to see your flipbook vid?  Click on one of the links below :)
(p.s. the ones I labelled Tita & Tito, I didn't catch your names :( the night was a whirlwind and I apologize!)

Andrew Barbaza & Fam
Christopher & Leah Tsang
Brian, Andrew, Linda, Sharob, Kelly, Olivia, Tim -- part 1
Christopher & Jen Nguyen
Kristina P. & Sean Bradshaw
John & Veronica Cummerbatch
Robin, Maryline, Nadia, Tina C., Rose
Karissa, Karelle, Meghan, Rowena
Tita & Tito - 1
Linda, Kerry, Wylan, & Jett Yee <3 <3 <3
Mr & Mrs Sales (Kenny's Parent's :) )
Tita & Tito - 2
Mr & Mrs Rudy Goodridge
Tita & Tito - 3
Randy Dulay & Kristina Arboleda
Randy, Kristina, and Kenny :)
Dat, Lan, Erika, and Nicholas Giang
Linh, Vicky, Jen, Matthew Giang, & parents
Jordan & Michael Giang, and parents
Chelsea & Andrew Hoang + fam
James Truong & Louise Nguyen
Maggie, Janenee, Michelle
Billy Lam & Phaly Lo's 007 Bromance
Dara Lay & Sue Ho
Michael Kim & Stacy Vuu
Moni Van & Scott Kim (rocking HARDCORE might I add)
Khang Luong & Selynn Chyung - part 1
Brandon, Eric, Ivy Tran & Parents
Tita & Tito - 4
Yael Jimenez & Andrew Ross
Kevin, Andrew, Kristin, Paul, Anthony
Team CIBC + their boss doing the robot haha <3
Tita & Tito - 5
Tita & Tito - 6
Tita & Tito - 7
Tita & Tito - 8
Gerrald's Parents and Friends
Tita & Tito - 9
Kim Mai + Parents
Tita & Tito - 10
Tita & Tito - 11
Mr & Mrs Emile Pilapil
Leslie Pilapil & Julian Alburo
Yael, Sharob, Doan, Linda, Andrew, Kelly, Olivia, Brian, Tim
Mr & Mrs Wayne Weston
Team CIBC (AGAIN lol) w/ their boss and his lovely new wife haha
Mr & Mrs Rudy Goodridge -- part 2
Me Trying to be Cute w/ my coworkers
Linda, Kells, Yael, and myself just being cute and eating burgers.
Rhodney -- being drunk & confused lol
Maggie Chung & Myself
Bride & Groom <3 - last flipbook of the night


Flipbooks courtesy of:  Flipbook Studio / My Party Impressions
Photo props on sticks:  DIY project by myself :)  ...in the wee hours of the morning before the wedding haha


Thank you for the amazing memories, everyone!!
Yall are TOO cute!


XOXO

TT (soon to be TC)

Lashtastic @ Polish Me Pretty

Like most girls of East Asian descent, I sorely lack in the lash department.  My lashes are thin, pretty short, but have a slight natural curve to them -- they're kinda cute with a good coat (or coatS) of mascara for the average day, but not enough to be called lush or glam by any means.

So, for the wedding day, I was considering just using my usual go-to strip lashes but had my reservations -- are they too "fake"?  Too dramatic? Too "clubby"?  That's when I started considering lash extensions.

I've had them done once before @ Winks on Danforth, but didn't love them (I think it was the combination of the type of lash the technician chose for me, and that it was "only" 50 lashes per eye).  They looked great as an everyday thing (very naturally pretty), but didn't pop much in pictures.

This is when my lovely friend Christina stepped in, and told me all about her whole new beauty venture >> http://polishmepretty.com/.  YAY!

Went to see her yesterday, and let me just say..... L O V E!  I can't stop staring at my amazing lashes.

Me, au naturel, without any mascara, strip lashes, or extensions on:

Me, with my fave strip lashes on:

And finally, me with the lash extensions from Polish me Pretty! >>>

(sorry for the blurry iPhone, front camera pix :( )

So pretty and perfect for the wedding photos!  I almost feel like a Kardashian with these babies.

She also provided me with lash care instructions and the recommended mascara for the lashes, should I want to apply a touch to the tips on the day of the wedding.  

I love em, and I have nothing but amazing things to say about Christina, and Polish Me Pretty!  

Polish Me Pretty

Website

On Facebook

**by appointment only**

Please go see her and tell her I sent you to get polished and pretty ;)  (and did I mention her prices kick ass?)

There's nothing like the feeling of waking up in the morning to already perfect, full lashes, and not having to apply mascara!

xoxoxo,

TT

p.s. she'll be doing manicures soon too!

Suited Up

It was slightly harder at first to figure out what G and his groomsmen were going to be wearing, since tuxedos and suits can all be so similar at first glance.  All we know was that we did not want the boys to be in rentals -- they tend to look cheap and a bit ill-fitted, in my opinion.  I cringe every time I pass by Tuxedo Royale or Freeman Formals.

We also sifted through suits at Burberry (his fave, btw), Prada, Neiman Marcus & Barney's (in all of SoCal and Vegas pretty much lol)...but nothing really jumped out for what their price tags were.

And then finally...I found pictures of two amazing suits online:  1) the groomsen's suit, which I couldn't find any designer details on.  And 2) G's tux -- a sexy Prada tuxedo featured in a GQ mag awhile back.  Needless to say, it wasn't available anymore.

So our only solution was to go bespoke :)  for those of you who don't know what "bespoke" means -- very simply, it is a custom-made suit designed and fitted to your exact specifications and measurements.  Different from a made-to-measure (M2M suits are custom-tailored to your measurements, but the design and patterns are generic).

Yes, you'll obviously be paying more than you would be paying for a rental piece, but it's worth it in the long run.  You'll have amazing suits you can keep and wear again, and that will fit you like a glove.   Not to mention a suit that's unique :)  The boys were able to pick out everything from basics like fabrics and buttons, to more refined details like the inside lining and stitching.  Ooh la la.

We finally picked up the suits yesterday, and I can't tell you how excited I am to see them all dapper-ed up!  One really cute touch they had added on was custom embroidery on the inside pocket:

Yes...he chose the moniker G-Money to be forever emblazoned on his wedding tuxedo lol geeze.... 

Khang & Doan chose a more sensible option -- just their first and last names

Bespoke tailoring courtesy of G's homeboy and owner of  www.jagandcompany.com

THE Dress

The single most important dress you'll ever wear:  Your wedding gown.

I was fortunate enough that I didn't really have to try on three hundred gowns before I found mine -- it appeared to me in a magazine and it was literally love at first sight.  My heart stopped, my pulse raced, and I'm pretty sure I heard bells ringing.  Tried it on and BAM.  I knew instantly.

I imagined there would be tears of joy and that I would be completely overwhelmed (a la Say Yes to the Dress).  But no.  I was just super excited and couldn't imagine myself in anything else for the big day.  Then again, I'm not usually a hyper-sensitive, emotional girl to begin with.

No, I'm not going to reveal my dress before the big day :)  BUT I will share with you two absolute STUNNERS from the S/S 2012 runways that I WOULD have bought, had I been getting married later this year:

Zac Posen - S/S 2012

AHHHHH I DIE!  I'm not usually a fan of mermaid-ish type wedding gowns but this one is stunning!  You have modern, edgy, sexy lines throughout the top, and a gorgeous, romantic, amazingly textured bottom.  In love with the juxtaposition of it all.  Oh, how I wish this dress was out last year!

Monique Lhuillier - S/S 2012

Now this gown is amazeville!  It's very similar to my own wedding dress, except this one has that killer thigh-high slit (I'm a sucker for thigh-high slits)!  Again, you see a pattern in the dresses i tend to be drawn to -- stream-lined top, textured, romantic, flowy skirt ;)


If any of you are Winter 2012 / 2013 brides and have budget to spare -- DO try on these gowns, so that I can live vicariously through you.

My biggest piece of advice for choosing THE gown?

• Don't bring a huge entourage of people to your appointments.  This will only confuse you, since everyone has a very particular and personal idea of what a beautiful dress is.  You don't want their opinions to reflect what you really want to look like on your day.  Remember -- it's about YOU and what you feel amazing in.  I tried on dresses on my own (yes...you heard right), or usually with just one other person.

That being said...enjoy the process, and buy the dress that makes you feel like a queen :)

xoxo

TT

In Exactly 8 Weeks...

...I will officially be a Mrs.!!  Aint that crazy?

So as promised, I'm going to try my best to blog about the insanity that will be my life during this last stretch of wedding planning (this is as close to a reality show / 2 hour wedding special as I'll ever get -- which, btw, I think I totally deserve.  I'm way more interesting than Kim K.  Yes, she has the sex tape scandal, and yes, she has more shoes, but.....  Wait.  what were we talking about again?)

Focus, Tara.  Focus.

Anyway, I know many of yall are getting married soon, or are just planning your imaginary future wedding (it's cool.  I'm not judging.  I just hope the Mayan's weren't right, for your sake),  and had tonnes of questions for me about this whole process.  I can't guarantee I have the answers to everything, but hopefully my posts will give you a lil nudge in the right direction.  Hell...if this blog doesn't do a thing to help you plan, it will at the very least, give you some pretty/cute/shiny things to ogle.  So don't be a stranger! :)


Here's to the next 2 months.  8 Weeks.  56 days.  1344 hours.  Sh*t just got real.

Help Me Win a Trip :)

Dear Lovely Blog Readers:

I don't ask for much from yall, but now I need your help to win a trip to L.A. (my fav!) and an iPad from work!  It will only require a minute of your time, I promise!

All you have to do is sign up for Rogers On Demand Online before December 17th (don’t worry, it’s free!) and let them know I sent you! By signing up, not only will you help me enter the contest, but you’ll also be able to watch hit TV shows, new movies, music videos, and more – all online, in one place.


Ready to help me win win win?? Sign up for FREE here – http://www.rogersondemand.com/user.  Please make sure you enter “RODO-teesquared” in the “Promo Code” box to make your registration count.

* Registration works best when using more recent versions of Firefox, Internet Explorer 7 or Safari.


Let me know you registered and I will enter your name in a draw to win a $50 Yorkdale Gift Certificate (don't try to lie...I'll know who registered :P)!  **contest ends December 17th**

So what are you waiting for??? RODO-teesquared NOW! :)


Love Yall!

xoxoxox,

TT