Hi guys, happy end of Sunday and a fresh start of the week! I’ve been gone for a few days now and I have a good reason for that—at least it’s a good reason according to my calculations.
As many of you already know, I’m working part-time in an office setting and truth be brutally told, I’ve never ever been the administrative type of person! I mean, all those insurance calculations, claims and software that I’ve been learning have been coming back to haunt me with mistakes that I made at the beginning of this new job. Woops.
Not that I’m trying to find a way to justify my shortcomings, but I’m really starting to think that “pregnancy brain” is more than just a myth for us expectant moms. It’s as if half of my brain isn’t functioning to its fullest potential because of all these hormonal changes—let alone the fact that I’m not sleeping as well as I wish I could, and all these headaches and stomach troubles are [trying] to get the best of me. But I’m a trooper, or so I’d like to think, and I’ll keep on leaning on God for strength because despite all of the pandemonium He keeps reminding me that my attitude is also a way of serving Him. Isn’t it funny that it doesn’t take something big to please God? He already loves me for being me, and He smiles at a small thing such as the state of my heart and the good attitude that should come forth from it. 
And going back to those mistakes, ahem, we all make them at one time or another but the bright side is that most of us actually learn from making those mistakes. Am I right, or am I right? 
Please say that I am! So yes, here I am reminding you as well as myself that we just need to keep calm and enjoy life. Slow down. Life is God’s gift to us and wasting it with negative thoughts would be such a shame.
Today is Sunday the 3rd and it marks my 21 weeks of pregnancy; however, I decided to go ahead and take this shot of 20 weeks a few days ago to share that my belly is finally protruding! I guess I’m no longer in that awkward stage where people look at me and think, “are you just disproportional or are you pregnant?!” Laugh out loud. Trust me, you would know that feeling if you’ve been through pregnancy or are going through it. Did I just spell out LOL? Why yes I did! I’ve always wanted to do that because I’m quite silly, teehee.
I also wanted to share with you guys that you blessed me so much with your supportive responses to our little daughter and her name reveal: Selah Betzen. Haha…I just knew deep down in my heart that you’d be wondering about the meaning of her name.
Well, to put it quite simply, Greg and I are big on names, symbolism and all that good stuff. We’re firm believers in the power of word and speech and whatever we call someone will eventually affect them accordingly. This isn’t to say that just because we call her something like ‘princess’ she will automatically act like a spoiled bratty kid, but what I am saying is that if we bless somebody with words of love and encouragement, her heart will be blessed. Now on the contrary, if we curse somebody with words of hatred and malice, then that person is more likely to have a negative perspective of herself as well as the world around her. It’s only natural!
We take those principles to name our daughter Selah [say-lah] because it is thought to signify pause, reflect on what you just sang, rest. This term originates from ancient Hebrew and is found in the book of Psalms as King David sings praises to the Lord, and every now and then he would call out Selah because he just wanted to rest in God’s presence and think upon the words that He just sang. Isn’t that a pretty cool definition?
Random Sunday
This morning none of my high school Sunday class students showed up (gotta have a talk with them), so I went out for a little bit to get some fresh air in this beautiful weather.
I decided that Starbucks sounded like the perfect place to relax and read for a bit before service started, since I needed to snap out of the physical funk I’ve been feeling for the past few days. I have to be honest that although you obviously know that I’m not a perfect mom, I’m even far more imperfect because I’ve been drinking coffee. *Gasp*
It is not the best thing to do while pregnant and although there have been times that I felt guilt-ridden, I finally came to the realization that one cup about 3-4 times a week can’t be bad especially if I desperately need it. My sleep pattern has been out of control and nothing that I do seems to help me except for coffee and a good nap if I can make myself take one. Of course, I didn’t come to that conclusion simply by my own instincts, but after my own extensive research I ran across many articles stating that unless the mom or the baby are showing signs of weakness, it is more than okay to drink one cup a day! One cup a day?! I thought that was pretty shocking but I figured that if one a day is safe for most pregnancies, then one every few other days can’t be that bad.
So that’s my weakness right now and more than anything I’m trying to just let go instead of worry. Because really, wouldn’t it be better for the baby that momma is happy rather than stressed out over something so small?
And the guy totally spelled my name wrong and called me Eli as in Eli Manning, hah! The sound of that brought back high school memories because my friends used to jokingly pronounce my name like that. 
After a beautiful day and a baptism service I was pooped! When dinner time came I had the highlight meal of the day—Chashu Ramen! Mmmmmm! It was so cheap and delicious. I normally don’t eat at food courts very often because I always think that the owners might skimp out on certain ingredients, but tonight was different. I had a nice meal by myself at Mitsuwa Marketplace in Torrance and ordered this pork ramen which was full of tender pieces of pork. I was stuffed after only eating half of the bowl but it was probably due to all the broth! Are you hungry yet?
Then I wandered around the market to digest a bit and came across this thing of beauty. Korea makes amazing makeup and skin care products and my friends always tell me that they love Skin Food. I may be pretty careless when it comes to beauty and skin care, and this whole time I’ve been surviving on great products that my mom gets me as gifts (she’s really big on skin health and spoils me with that), but I rarely go out to buy anything for myself. Tonight I found my face to be rough and scaly because I haven’t been washing it like I should, and that alone was a motivator to purchase this rice mask for $17. It’s supposed to gently exfoliate the skin and nourish it so that it brightens up with a healthy glow.
Never have I been this excited to try a skin care product! Perhaps it’s because I had a stressful week and want to relax by pampering my face? Or maybe because I bought it myself and that means I actually care?! Haha, whatever the case, here’s to a new and victorious week guys!
Are you big on names and their symbolism? Do you know what your name means?
-Elizabeth means consecrated to God. Gregory means watchman of God.
What things tend to make you feel guilty, and how do you deal with them?
What are your favorite skin care products?
-I only have these because of my sweet mother, but I love Pola, Shiseido, and Philosophy!
Love,
Ellie <33
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
The meaning of your daughter’s name is as beautiful as the name itself
And well done for not beating yourself up over the odd cup of coffee! My understanding of the literature is that there is no conclusive evidence one way or another regarding caffeine and pregnancy, other than the common sense idea that too much is not a good thing. You have to balance your own well being with the pregnancy and it sounds like you are doing that wonderfully (other than the challenges of work, and they are harder to balance!).
aw thanks Kari~:D Selah is pretty unique but not over the top, eh? And thank you for the feedback on the coffee consumption. Although we can’t justify many (harmful) things when we’re pregnant, something more along the gray lines like caffeine seems to be OK for most people as long as there is balance.
You’re looking great! I miss being pregnant!!!!
I’m not so into name symbolism, first it needs to sound good and if it has a meaning, even better.
favorite skin product: korres moisturizer. I’ll talk about it soon.
have a great week!
haha Coco, thanks because that’s a nice compliment coming from YOU, you fit momma!
Oh yeah~I agree that it’s KIIIINDA important for the name to sound decent at least! And never heard of Korres but I’m curious.
Aww Ellie! You look cute and fit in the picture. And it’s alright about the coffee. Coffee is okay to drink as long as you’re not drinking too much of it.
And, I do know what my name means. I think the meaning of the name is important (and it has to sound good too).
Do you know what your Chinese name means, if you have one? I know Korean and Chinese names are broken into characters and can have awesome symbolism
I do have one. I don’t know the exact meaning but it means something like green jade or flowerly jade. It’s 蔡碧华.
I love Mitsuwa! I live near Wilson Park so I’m a frequent customer. : )
And I know what you mean about coffee. I try to only have it 2-3 times a week. Besides, if I drink it too often, I get wired and have trouble falling & STAYING asleep @ night. That’s the worst! I’ve had one night where I realized I was awake because my eyes were open. Bizarre!
Oh wow that’s awesome, a fellow Torrance/South Bayer1
Thank you for stopping by~and I’ve been wondering about Wilson Park! I just discovered it the other day since I haven’t been here for even a year yet, and I’m stoked to go around and walk there. And your open eye experience would totally freak me out, lol
There’s a Farmer’s Market @ Wilson Park every Saturday and Tuesday as well. Lots of yummy new foods to try. : )*
ahhhh thanks Lisa! Omgness I’ve been wondering where I could find me a good farmer’s market around here!
I think it’s beautiful that you put so much thought into your daughter’s name
Resting and reflecting are great principles to keep in mind as we go through our everyday lives. My name means “worthy of love,” and I’m hoping that it’s true 
As for the coffee, please don’t beat yourself up over it. I’ve known plenty of ladies who drank coffee throughout their pregnancy and had no problems whatsoever. As long as you’re not going overboard, then I don’t see a reason why you should worry <3
Amanda, when I read the meaning of your name I literally melted with emotions! It’s suuuuuch a beautiful name and never knew the meaning till now. And thank you so much for the support, girlie! It’s so encouraging to read that most women and babies are actually ok with a cup a day. You’re right, I’ll chillax and go with the flow on that one.
Ellie, what an absolute beautiful name you two decided on. I can’t help but “awe” in the photo of her sucking her thumb. So precious <3
haha thanks Jessie~isn’t she cute?! Not just cuz she’s mine, but just~if you saw ALL the pictures you’d laugh and awww all day long.
She’s quite expressive and active, and I think we were really lucky because the doc got some amazing pics. 
One funny thing she does is dig her head downwards as if she wants to already come out! And she kept pointing at something with her finger~wonder what that is.
My name means music haha! I’m totally and completely jealous of your rice mask. In Victoria there is a store called Lush and they sell a bunch of all natural skin care products that work magic. Never heard of rice though, I’ll have to check it out!
Wow, what a cool and pretty name!
And I don’t know much about natural or non-natural skin care stuff, but this rice mask was amazing! It left me refreshed and actually smooth and moisturized even till now. 0_0 magic?
Ellie, you are looking beautiful! Selah is such a unique name and I love the meaning behind it. I have a Skin Food eyeliner which I got in Taiwan and I think the brand is great. Im hoping to try more of their other products when I can find them again
Thanks Helen~! And now I’m pretty curious about Skin Food overall. This mask rocked.
Beautiful name, beautiful belly pic, beautiful ultrasound! Love it all!
My name means “from the royal fortress meadow,” which doesn’t mean much to me…oh well. Have a great week!!