i couldn't believe i am just 10 weeks away!

i couldn't believe it took me months to update everyone on this blog! i've been a very busy working mommy y'know.

i couldn't believe i've been to 3 OB visits already and failed to document! so far everything's well and good (just for keeping record, baby li's heartbeats' were on the 140s on those checkups and baby li's measuring just a week older)... except for some bouts of indigestion, diarrhea, stomach flu and weird abdominal pain (that made me suspect i had appendicitis) that i've consulted about but luckily not so serious that made me end up in the ER.

i couldn't believe i passed my 1st glucose test during my 24th week! so here i am, not too scared to satisfy my sweet tooth cravings. i am "supplementing" with extra iron though coz just like the last time, i am anemic.

i couldn't believe how huge my tummy is that everyone (even those i do not know!) thinks i am about ready to pop. the ob said they're rude to make such comments though. but then she said, "you know, you're just like a balloon that's already blown once". yeah, that made me feel better...NOT! i love her though. she's very smart, funny and great with patients. howell, as long as she's measuring the lil one accurately and she's not worried about the big baby, then i am fine.

i couldn't believe that my vital stats since 29th week is 37-41-38! fyi, my waistline only measured 41 inches when joel was 33 weeks in utero and the only number i am happy about is the first one! aww, you, big boy you!

i couldn't believe at how early this lil boy showed us his alien moves! i started feeling him daily (not occasionally) at 19weeks. he's been jabbing like pacman since probably mid-second trimester. and he started deforming my tummy through whatever movement he makes since probably mid-to-late-second trimester! ate joel loves to touch my tummy and watch baby li do his acrobatics. she'd often say, "baby li is wobbly!". hay, ang likot mo anak! kung magstretch at gumalaw ka, akala mo lalabas ka mula sa tyan ko!. no worries darling, mommy's not complaining. i'd rather feel you move than not.

i couldn't believe i am 30 weeks today and in just 10 weeks, we're already on due date. i am still fine though. despite the increasing disturbed sleeps and discomforts and pain everywhere.

i couldn't believe we still don't have a first name for you my lil one! promise, before you make your grand entrance, there will be THAT perfect name, just for you.

well, let me leave you now with a couple of pics from the very early baby shower that my kabaranggays threw for baby li. i couldn't believe, it was that early! hehe. i am grateful for having such wonderful friends, nevertheless!

kwento and more pictures here

joel, the big sister

this morning when i was fixing joel's hair, i asked the little girl...

"joel, who's our baby now?"... to which she answered, "baby li!"

follow up question... "how about joel?"

proudly, she answered, "i'm a big sister!"

we're having a baby lio!

yesterday, while the lil girl was busy being super malikot and super makulet in the ultrasound room (ilang beses pong sinabihan ng "no" at "shhh" ang ate joel), baby li was doing a lil bit of acrobatics inside the womb that the sonographer didn't get a good glimpse of baby li's face. but she was able to capture the "boy" part easily!

can you see the cute "patotoy" in between his thighs?

knowing that we're having a baby boy is actually just a big fat bonus that we got from our ultrasound appointment yesterday. more than anything, we are happy that baby li is a normal and healthy baby as seen from the ultrasound. as per his measurements, he's also very close to his due date.

here's the nicest profile pic that we got...

baby lio at 19wks

my dear baby, the guessing game's finally over! maybe i knew from the start that you're a boy since if you've noticed, i've been talking to you as if you were a boy. the physical signs have also been different with you and when i was pregnant with your ate joel. the linea negra, pigmentation and darkening of whatever needs to get dark came in early when i was preggo with ate joel. everyone was guessing we'll be having a boy then. probably because i was too ugly. no pregnancy glow at all.

but with you, i feel as pretty as ever! hahaha. nothing's been darkening yet. and you have to look close just to see the linea negra. signs that a baby girl is being carried in a momma's womb... maybe they will all come in with a vengeance during the 3rd trimester. hmm, we have yet to see.

and i have first dreamt about you being a boy... or maybe we're just really desperate and longing for you to be one. teehee. ah, whatever! i just want you to be healthy and satisfied always while you reside for a few more months in mommy's womb. ok?

woohoo! we're having a baby boy... our baby lio! the daddy is very happy indeed!

i like to move it, move it!

dear baby li,

can you please make your movements more felt by mommy?

i've been trying to keep silent and still whenever i wake up or when i am about to go to sleep or when i'm comfortably sitting down watching some teleseryes, but i don't feel your lil kicks as much. i don't even feel them everyday yet.

but no pressure honey. your ate was all the same when she was on my tummy. i only started to feel her tiny acrobats at least once a day when she was about 20-21 weeks in utero.

happy 18 weeks and happy feast of St. Joseph's day!

love,
mommy

pagoda!

what?! the weekend's over?! just like that?! .. truly PAGODA! that kind of sums up this weekend my dear! i'm really E.X.H.A.U.S.T.E.D...

this particular week specially. first coz our extra pair of hands are now in malaysia eversince last week. so we're doing everything at home again. i couldn't even watch tv anymore and all my shows are now piling up in the dvr.

then since friday, i've been going on "gimiks" and parteeh (rumarampa ang buntis!) and hence our weekend was that full! no time to rest, nor cook for the week this weekend.. nada!

i wonder when the laundered clothes will get folded up and be kept (at least we were able to do laundry).

hey, i'm not complaining... i'm just wishing i could sing supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and everything will be spick-and-span at home :)

here are some pics from my dear inaanak, ecco's, 1st birthday party, celebrated this afternoon at that new indoor kiddie play place called just kid'n around...

more pics and videos here

such a big girl!

2 things that surprised us this evening...

1st joel took her antibiotics from the small cup without a fuss! (we didn't need to force it down her throat!.. imagine doing that twice a day for 5 days now and getting wails, kicks from a surprisingly strong kid and pink stains everywhere)

2nd she drank milk from her sippy cup! .. nel just asked if she wanted to drink from the sippy cup and she gladly said, "yes! just like nathan!"

eureka! nasapian ata ang ate joel mo anak!

ate is sick =(

no mamita = lil girl gets sick.. boo!

since early morning on thursday, ate joel already started having fever (at 101F+) and has been coughing. even until this morning, her fever's still on and off. dr. daddy was on duty since thursday since mom had to work. and she was still ok then.

but today she was really not feeling well. we could tell because she was not her usual self. she looks really sick so we decided to bring her to the doctor.

she's been a brave big ate. the doctor was checking her ears, mouth, everything, and she followed every instruction that the doctor gave her willingly and without a fuss. she even did the deep breaths perfectly and she was trying to answer all of the doctor's questions all by herself. what a cutie!

according the doctor, she has developed an ear infection on her right probably because of the mucus. so she has to take antibiotics for 10 days. ugh! she hates meds.. any med! even if it tastes yummy good! good luck to us!

ah, but more than anything, i hope ate gets well soon... really soon.

15th week checkup

it was actually just a regular check my dear... nothing too surprising... but your heart rate's now at the 160's range. good job lil one!

bye mamita... see you soon!

i skipped work today so we can all bid goodbye to mamita at the airport. her "all-around-stint" has come to an end and she has to go back and be with lolo dadi.

it's awfully quiet at home today... it's the type where you get lonely and feel that something or someone is missing *sigh*

we'll see you everyday in skype anyway mamita. but it's still not the same...

of course you can't personally hug and kiss the lil one and she couldn't give those sweet lil hugsies and kisses to you in return. everything's just passed on to the cyber space.

you can't tie and braid her hair with all those fancy ribbons now and doll her up like a princess.

you can't pamper us anymore with all those cooking,cleaning, etc (the list is long), that a very caring, loving and doting mother would do for her kids, specially for that pregnant and nagiinarteng panganay of yours.

you can't watch the teleseryes with me anymore and react as if we were that affected (i know we were, haha).

... and my list goes on.

we already miss you and we hope you can be with us again really soon, specially with baby li coming. and we couldn't wait for you to do all these things with us once more. welabyu!

"where does baby li live?"

every time we're about to go home and already driving around our subdivision, ate joel always pay attention and looks for her home.

we always ask her where her home is and she'd always point to where our house is. when she said, "this is my home!", mamita asked, "how about baby li? where does baby li live?".

my clever daughter answered, "in mommy's belly button!"

kids fair at the expo idaho

lookie at your ate joel here my baby... she's just starstruck seeing dora and diego in "real" life!

more pics here

you probably won't appreciate it yet, but we'll definitely bring you and ate joel again at the fair next year!

the 7th

my dear baby li, your dear parents have celebrated their 7th wedding anniversary yesterday. thank you for your and your ate joel's diy gift (with help from mamita of course!)

more pics and kwento here

before i was a mom

i read this from my email today... i'm sure all moms can relate to this.. it's just sooo beautiful

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom

hello 2nd trimester!

you are now 14 weeks old in utero baby li. so officially, we are now in our 2nd trimester of pregnancy.

books claim that i should probably be off the cobwebs now, but nah, i still feel bad. but like what i said before, i welcome all of these discomforts as long as you do your part of the bargain.. that of staying healthy and safe in my womb, always. ok?

hiccups?!

i think i've finally felt your movements, my little li.

we're you hiccuping while i was in a meeting this morning? those flicks were in cadence and i felt them on just one area on my tummy. i probably got around 6 or more flicks at that time and then it just stopped.

was that you? i think that's you :)

hormones

hormones are just so freakin' active!... para akong pimple na tinubuan ng mukha! ugh!

but let's not dampen the mood ok, it's valentine's day...

happy hearts day everyone! may your day, and the rest of your life, be filled with love love love!

through facebook

i think some or most of my facebook friends who were not yet in the know have already learned that i'm preggo and have sent kind words my way... all because of this pic:


yep, this very unglamorous and ugly pic of me during our mary kay bday party with the ladies last friday. i just got done exfoliating (with a mary kay product of course) and washing my face on this pic (though i still didn't look fresh eh?). nah, i still don't have that pregnancy glow. but yeah, the bulge is there and i probably look undeniably pregnant. didn't i tell you, the tummy started huge?!

i guess i wouldn't have to make a big announcement anymore huh? nah, i probably still would :)

quick nurse appt

i had a quick nurse appt today just coz i called the nurse triage this am. the discharge stopped last night actually but i still had to make sure. she actually sounded calm (don't they all?) but asked me if it would make me comfortable if she does a quick check on the heartbeat of the baby, and of course i said yes.

after a lil bit of prodding here and there, we both finally heard your heartbeat. haay, sigh of relief!

again?!

another orange-ish/tan-ish discharge today. and this time, i didn't know what i did for that to happen. ugh! i hate unexplainable stuff. i'll observe it for the rest of the day and call the nurse triage tomorrow :(

12th week appt with the ob

i never thought i would still bring quite a long list of questions for my ob, the 2nd time around. my ob willfully entertained all the questions though and assured me that everything's fine. all is well my baby!

two things that were music to my ears today are the following:
1. your heartbeat (at 150bpm... compared to 126bpm during your 6th week ultrasound)
2. our ob telling us, "you're having a boy!".... BUT wait! (before everyone concludes), it was just her guess. yep, i actually thought she based it on some science of some sort, but nah, she said, she's just guessing :)

fun with d aguilas

we were visited by your auntie chel and family over this weekend. and despite the pinkish discharge scenario, i still enjoyed touring mccall during their winter festival yesterday and watching the lil ones roll over and almost eat and breathe snow while playing at the frozen lake.

more pics and vids here

we also went tubing today. well, they did. we were just watching them enjoy it. next year, ate joel would be able to enjoy it too. for you my dear, it'd be a couple or more years. don't worry darling, it's worth the wait.

more pics and vids here

uh-oh!

i found a weird discharge this morning :(

it's pinkish/orange-ish. not sure if it's because of a lil straining from my bm. but gah, looks like the cervix is that sensitive again! oh well, i hope it's nothing.

please baby li, not now, not ever, shall i have any problems with this pregnancy.. please Lord. let my baby be ok...

happy 59th mamita!

we, together with some friends, gave mamita a surprise bday party today... wagi! with matching tears! :)

the pics are here


happy birthday mamita!

meet my OB

this morning i met with my OB. this is my first appointment with her as a preggo mom. it was actually a brief appointment. another q&a session, if you will. she did not check the heartbeat or anything since the baby's only 9weeks old. although she promised to do that during the next appointment. i love this OB, nevertheless!

baby li, meet dr. janowiak. she's going to take care of us during this entire pregnancy and delivery. we've got all our appointments entirely laid out so we're all good darling!

your ate joel loves you

do you know that your ate joel loves you too very much?

one night, when we were about to sleep, i told ate joel, "baby li loves you". then she replied back with a lot of sweetness in her tone (and with dede in her mouth), "i love baby li" and kissed you good night. awww diba?!

it's just cute how she rubs my tummy too and talks to you and kisses you at night after dad says good night to you and kisses you too. every moment's such an awww moment being pregnant with this lil ate joel. pretty soon she'll be reading you stories too.

you're very fortunate to have a sweet and loving ate, that's for sure.

back to work

and ugh!... the all-day "morning sickness" ruled over me... but i'm still here so i guess i survived!

happy 2011!

happy new year baby li!

i hope you know how much excited we all are for this year because of you. you just made this year extra special for your daddy, mommy and ate joel.

hang on in there baby and stay healthy as always :)