Bidding 2015 Goodbye; Welcoming a New Member

It was early 2014 when we booked a flight for Singapore for February 2015. The aim was to go on a Southeast Asian trip for 2-3 months and have Singapore as the starting point.

All the plans had to change though, as late 2014 we found out that Sheena was pregnant with out first baby. As first-time parents, we were tense how everything would go the coming months while waiting for the baby, but it turned out well and we rocked it out like experts.

Here’s Sheena rocking that awesome pregnant body:

9 months pregnant, almost 10 hours of labor. Happy Mother’s Day @sheenagrace1987 . What you went through has made me appreciate what every mother has gone through. Happy Mother’s day sa akong mama ug 2 ka igsoon and to every Moms out there. You are true warriors! 🙂 #mothersday

A photo posted by @iskolares on May 9, 2015 at 9:05am PDT

FEBRUARY 2015
So instead of going for the planned Southeast Asian trip, we only did a quick visit in Singapore and Jakarta. There was one thing were able to prove during this trip; no matter how pregnant you are, if you have been bitten by the travel bug, you’ll find yourself still on the road trying to explore a new place. Before you rant on us for risking, we did have all the medical clearance before pursuing the trip.

Selfie with the ‘Avatar Trees’ in Gardens by the Bay (Singapore)

‘AVATAR!’ those were the exact words I shouted when I saw these artficial trees in Garden by the Bay in Singapore. Mainstream, yes, but will definitely paint a big smile oj your face. #avatar #singapore #marinabay #gardensbythebay #asia #travelasia #travel #traveler #wondersoftheworld

A photo posted by The Wandering Couple (@thewanderingcouple) on Oct 17, 2015 at 4:56am PDT

Selfie at the Kawa Ratu Crater in Tangkuban Perahu (Indonesia)

Ladies and gentleman, Kawah Ratu crater of Tangkuban Perahu in Indonesia. Tangkuban Perahu is an active volcano that technically last erupted in 1983; but the locals here regard the last eruption as being in 1969. The other craters are Kawah Baru and Kawah Upas which can be reached via a 20-minute walk from Ratu. If you want more, go to the Kawah Dumas crater to soak your feet on Volcanic Springs! #explore #travel #traveldiaries #asia #indonesia #bandung #gopro #thewanderingcouple #squaredroid #travelasia #traveler #digitalnomad

A photo posted by The Wandering Couple (@thewanderingcouple) on Oct 23, 2015 at 4:34am PDT

APRIL 2015
Then the day came. It was supposed to be one of those normal days where we headed to the OB Gyne for Sheena’s routine checkup. It came as a shock when the doctor told us that the baby was ready to pop out on that day.

April 16, 2015 was the day we welcomed our first baby, a healthy baby girl ready to explore the world!

World, meet Adelaide Elise Aeary. Baby, meet world. Why the F can’t I stop smiling? HAHAHAH #thewanderingcouple #plus1 #newborn

A photo posted by @iskolares on Apr 16, 2015 at 4:28am PDT

Parenting fact that I discovered recently: The baby dictates your sleeping patterns, where/when/how/why you should sleep. Aeary is a nightshifter. Good thing I don’t do the breastfeeding and can sleep until @sheenagrace1987 decides that I should not sleep too HAHA now, yawn with her. #daddyduties #daddydiaries #thewanderingcouple

A photo posted by @iskolares on May 4, 2015 at 8:11pm PDT

So, a good chunk of 2015 was spent on sleepless nights and changing dirty diapers. Babies are fragile so we opted not to do any trips for the first few months after Aeary was born.

One of the many changes that we also had to adjust to in 2015 was to allocate a portion of our money for our baby, and we named it the ‘Baby Aeary Fund’ (a no-brainer).

If you want to see more pictures of our baby and her cuteness, they are on our individual Instagram accounts as it has slowly transformed into her online photo album (@iskolares & @sheenagrace1987).

November 2015
The only other trip we did for 2015 happened on November and it was in the Land of the Rising Sun’s capital, TOKYO!

#whenintokyo a visit to Akihabara is a must, specially if you are a fan or curious of the Japanese Pop Culture. Here you latest gadgets at a bargain, toys, anime, manga, video games, karaoke and maid cafes. For the kids and kit-at-heart. Be carefu though as some shops are no too child-friendly. Why? Hentai. No futher explanation needed. 🙂 #akihabara #tokyo #japan #anime #popculture #asia #travel #traveldiaries #thewanderingcouple

A photo posted by The Wandering Couple (@thewanderingcouple) on Nov 15, 2015 at 4:20am PST

It was a trip our restless feet prepared for and Tokyo did not disappoint. We followed a slower pace as we had a baby with us, a healthy and heavy one, so we only stayed in Tokyo and did not head to other popular destinations such as Osaka and Kyoto, which gives us all the more reasons to go back. A lovely country with lovely people. What’s not to love with Japan?

#whenintokyo a visit to the bronze statue 'Hachiko' almost becomes automatically etched in your itinerary, specially if you know his story or have seen movies about his loyalty. The statue is just situated outside Shibuya Station. After his owner died without Hachiko knowing, he waited for nine years, nine months & fifteen days for his owner to return. A few meters from the statue is the famous Shibuya scramble crossing. #hachiko #shibuya #traveldiaries #japan #asia #thewanderingcouple

A photo posted by The Wandering Couple (@thewanderingcouple) on Nov 20, 2015 at 4:39am PST

Most times I ask myself, ‘What good deeds have I done to deserve such a lovely girlfriend & daughter?’. So much win in one picture. Awwwwww <3 #tokyo #tokyogarden #autumncolors #traveldiaries #thewanderingcouple #family

A photo posted by @iskolares on Nov 18, 2015 at 3:04pm PST

Read about our guide on how to apply for a Japan Tourist Visa for Filipinos.

ENDING THE YEAR RIGHT
‘The Wandering Couple’ has been a couple for 7 years and counting now and having been blessed with a lovely daughter this year, I just felt that it was the best time to pop the question. I did and Sheena fortunately said ‘Yes!’.

Months of planning how to execute the best proposal and I ended up proposing in a very ‘unromantic’ way. It’s the thought that counts, as they say. I wanted to wait for that perfect moment, but the kid in me just couldn’t keep the excitement any longer. Popped the question but Sheena did not even bother answering but just giggled at what just happened. She eventually said YES after a good giggle. Good thing it did not happen in public. LOL. So this is it. Happy 28th Birthday and thank you for opting to gamble spending the rest of your life with me. 🙂 <3 <3 #thewanderingcouple

A photo posted by @iskolares on Dec 17, 2015 at 9:25am PST

What’s in store for us on 2016?
It’s actually a pretty busy year ahead and we are ecstatic about it. First, we will be celebrating Aeary’s 1st Birthday. Second, by June of next year will start our busiest travel plan so far with our Southeast Asian Trip. We will be heading to Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Indonesia. We have also booked a flight for Australia and if the stars align, we will be spending around 2-3 months in the land down under. If the stars align.

Lastly, wedding bells. No further details on this yet, but we are giddy. 🙂

Follow us on instagram and Facebook for more updates about our travel plans:
http://instagram.com/thewanderingcouple
http://facebook.com/thewanderingcouple

Comments

comments