EARTH HOUR 2010

I'm starting to get used to my pregnant belly. I know it's only going to be so much bigger in the next few months and who knows if I could even walk properly by then (I believe it's called waddling) but since this is going to be my last pregnancy I want to savor every moment of it.

I already started having some back pains which will only worsen later on (had that problem with the past 2 pregnancies) and am still having headaches (like now) which are no fun at all. Still, a small price to pay for helping a life grow inside me for 9 months.

Sometimes, when I'm not doing anything, I just rub my tummy and imagine I'm actually touching the baby inside. Sometimes I could feel tiny movements. Really tiny. If I was not pregnant before I would think it was something strange but I know it's the baby moving. The sonologist (during my first ultrasound) told me that I would not feel the movement for a few more weeks but I know what I felt and I was not imagining it nor was I intentionally thinking of the baby. I just felt it suddenly. I can't wait for Ruther to come home and feel the baby move. I'm sure he'd be psyched!

Oh and yeah, I'm still hoping it's a girl. :P

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Did you get to observe Earth Hour? We did. I bought some candles and we formed a 60 on the table representing the 60 minutes of no lights. Oh yeah, we have photos. :D




























I know some people think that Earth Hour is lame but I'm just glad that people from all over the world are willing to forget their differences and for one hour be united in taking part in this event. I only wish that every day is an Earth Hour day. That would be so wonderful.

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My favorite aunt is coming in June! Well, she's not actually my aunt really but Ruther's. But she's still my favorite. I know I wrote several posts about Tita Nicki (who is from Australia) and she just announced recently on her Facebook profile that she'll be coming to the Philippines! What's more, she'll be staying for a year!! That is so great! It will be so wonderful to have her here again. I missed her a lot these past months and have been calling her sometimes for advice or just when I need a shoulder to cry on. She's been so fantastic. She's been a wonderful second mom to me. I just can't wait to see her!! Ohh! Wait til she sees my tummy! :D

BAD HEADACHES

I've been having headaches lately. I think it's because of the summer heat. It's been so terribly warm these past few days. Yesterday I had a nasty nasty headache and I was in such a grumpy mood poor Ruther had to message me frequently to cheer me up and make me feel better. Today I had a little headache but before it could escalate into a migraine, I turned on the AC for a few minutes just to keep my head cool. I also had to take a nap because I got so terribly sleepy this afternoon. It did me a world of good (although I feel like I'm getting sleepy now).

Anyway, I try not to resort to taking meds immediately when I feel a headache coming on. I would do massages or apply mild liniments first or take a cool shower before finally taking paracetamol should the headache prove to be intolerable after a few hours. I hope my headaches don't recur any more. It's just so bothersome...

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I started crocheting some baby stuff. I made a little cap, a bib, a bottle bag and a swaddling blanket. The blanket is only half-done because I ran out of the tricolored yarn. Too bad. I was on a roll and I suddenly had to stop because the store where I bought the yarn in the first place did not have the yarn I needed in stock. That was just too bad. Anyway, I'm planning to make a little onesie as well. Don't know how that's going to turn out since it'll be my first time to do that. I just hope I don't waste any yarn in the process. I'll post some photos tomorrow...

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My tummy is definitely bulging out more now. Which I think is weird because I'm (guessing I'm) only in my 11th week. So it's either I'm eating too much (which I hope isn't happening) or my tummy is just big to begin with (and I don't know what to feel about that!). Anyway, I suppose as long as the baby is normal and healthy, I shouldn't be too worried, right?

My relatives in Canada found out from my sister that I'm with child. Told her to email them for me and my aunt was very pleased with the news. Since a cousin of mine there recently had a baby, I asked my aunt if I could have the baby clothes and stuff they no longer needed and maybe some of the maternity stuff as well. They were planning on sending a box home anyway (in 2 months' time) so I figured I could make use of those stuff instead of having to spend for those things here. It would be a big help, really. Besides, with this being my last pregnancy I have no desire to buy maternity clothes any more! I still have some of my maternity clothes from before so I suppose they would do. As for the baby stuff, we'd buy some essential things but whatever friends and family could give us would always be welcome. I'm not a picky sort of person.

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I'll be going to the OB-GYN tomorrow for my second check-up. I hope everything goes well. My doctor is Ruther's aunt so I'm quite comfy with her. She was my doctor when I gave birth to Nikki and Ethan so why not this time, right? She's very matter-of-fact and very straightforward and I like her like that. Anyway, since we'll be at the mall tomorrow, we might as well make it a bonding time for me and the boys. Maybe have pizza or something. :D

MY JAPAN: PEPPER LUNCH

I love eating here. It's a good thing we have a Pepper Lunch resto here in Manila. When Ruther came home last December, I asked him to take me there. Really miss this...

STILL MISSING...

I miss Japan a lot. I've been thinking about it these past few days and I realize that it's never been out of my system since the very first time I went to that country. Every little thing that reminds me of that place just make me want to leap on a plane and go there. I just miss it so much.

After living there for more than a year (collectively), I just know that my family could be happy there. I just know that it would be wonderful to live in a great country together. I know of course, that there will some inconveniences from time to time (like how to go to a movie without the kids) but I'm sure, as always, we'd be able to manage. To be honest, when we were in Japan, I didn't feel homesick at all. I got to talk to my family through Skype, we'd email each other regularly, when we want Filipino dishes we'd go to a Filipino store for supplies/food, and most importantly, we had our family intact so I never felt like I needed anything else. Plus, the people in Japan were so kind and friendly that I never felt like the language was much of a problem.

I miss Japan so much, even if i couldn't take the winter cold sometimes, or if I didn't know what to cook for the family anymore, or if I always worried about our homeschooling. It was difficult but I was so happy. And I just know in my heart that that's the place where I would want to live with my family eventually.

EVERYTHING BABY

Now that I've seen the baby through ultrasound I can't deny it any more. I can't say "It was probably a false positive" or like in Glee, "it might be a hysterical pregnancy". Nope. Can't deny it any longer. A baby is growing inside me and in a few months, we'll have another addition to the family.

Of course I'm still hoping it's going to be a girl. If I can't admit that to myself then I suppose I'm simply deluded. I just think it would be wonderful to have a baby girl in the family, you know. And it would great to finally be pretty during a pregnancy. Having two boys did weird things to my face while I was pregnant. Really weird.

Anyway, I've started buying some onesies (and mittens) for the baby. Just 4 pieces though coz I still have some of Nikki and Ethan's baby clothes. I've yet to see how many we have at the moment and I'm sure we'll still be getting more later on (in the form of presents). It would be great to dress the baby with cute clothes if it turns out to be a girl. Just imagine the possibilities. :D

I have to plan ahead and check what other baby things we have in the house. We still have a couple of strollers, baby blankets, cloth diapers, but we gave away the crib years before. No matter. I'm sure the baby will be sleeping with us on the bed. I know that in some places this is a no-no but believe me, in the Philippines, it's a natural thing to do. I've had Nikki and Ethan sleep with Ruther and me on the bed and no harm has come to them. I just hope the baby won't be fussy...

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I've started crocheting again. I've already made a baby beret and I hope it'll fit the baby's head. I started making a swaddling blanket but ran out of crochet yarn (I need 4 more) so that's on hold for now. I'm now making a onesie and so far it's progressing nicely. Will post photos when I'm done with some of my crochet projects.

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Ruther tells me that he'll be home May 29. It seems not too far along but it feels like such a long time. Sigh.

FIRST GLIMPSE

Today I went to a nearby diagnostics clinic to have my tests done. I called beforehand to find out the schedule so I was at the clinic a little past 4pm.

I had to wait for a few minutes before I was called into the doctor's office. The radiologist asked me the usual questions: age, last menstrual period, etc. then we proceeded to the ultrasound room. Instead of getting a transvaginal ultrasound, he told me that a pelvic one would suffice since I seem to be more than 10 weeks along (rough estimate). So, I lay on the bed and got ready. After a few minutes of checking out the important things: placenta, fluid, etc, he showed me the baby. It was really cool. The baby was sitting upright (breech position) but the doctor told me that could change later on as it grows. I saw its head, its arms, its body, its tiny heart beating away, its legs and I got so overwhelmed. It was like the first pregnancy all over again. I wanted to cry but of course, not wanting to look like a fool and alarming the radiologist, I just concentrated on the monitor. I asked the doctor if it was moving and he said yeah. He then showed me. And did it move! I was relieved of course. After informing me that everything seemed normal and okay, I thanked the doctor and left the room. Back at the waiting area, I messaged Ruther and told him about the experience. Of course, I was sad that once again, he wasn't here to share the experience with me. It would have been so great for us to have seen the baby together for the first time. But he did promise that when he comes home in May, I'll have another ultrasound and we'll see the baby together then.

Anyway, after that, I had to wait for a few more minutes before having my blood extracted for testing. I needed tests for CBC and HBs-Ag. The extraction didn't hurt at all. I guess it's good I have a high pain threshold. I needed a urinalysis too and that wasn't too hard because I now have the constant urge to pee. Anyway, I was out of the clinic at around 545pm. Since I didn't get a transvaginal ultrasound (which costs P850), I only paid P945 for everything, which is pretty reasonable. The pelvic ultrasound cost P450, CBC was P175, urinalysis P100, and HBsAg screening P270.

And here are the ultrasound photos:

KITE-FLYING

March in the Philippines is usually the time to go kite-flying. So one afternoon, my brothers-in-law brought the boys to a nearby empty field and taught them the basics of kite-flying. It was fun! :)

SUMMER, SCRAPBOOK, SO MUCH MORE...

It's been really warm these past weeks. We've been making shakes and smoothies like crazy, been taking frequent showers and having brownouts because of the heat. We're surviving though. We turn on the AC when it gets really unbearable, which usually happens when there's no breeze at all. And it's not even the summer months yet! Sigh. Been getting some headaches from the heat but not too frequently. I just hope this El Nino goes away soon!

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Today is the Pacquiao-Clottey fight for all you boxing fans. I'm quite sure everyone in the Philippines are glued to their tv sets waiting for the bout to begin. And I'm sure the streets and highways will be empty once more because people will all be tuned in to the fight. Well, Good Luck Manny! I know you'll make us proud!

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My tummy is getting bigger. A bulge is forming and I don't know how to feel about that. Some people might think I look somewhat pregnant but others might suspect that I just came from an all-you-can-eat buffet. Not pretty. Sigh. And I think I'm starting to get fat! Sigh. I hate it. I've had issues with my body since I was little. With a petite sister AND mother, I've always been reminded to "lose weight" or "don't get too fat" or "remember our family's medical history" or "you gained weight again" or "don't eat too much". And now I'm pregnant again and sure to gain even more weight!! I've been doing light exercises and I stare at the mirror sometimes and look at myself critically for flab and fat and all those. It's really depressing, I know. But I can't help it! I have a difficult time losing weight! I guess I'll have to watch my diet more closely now.

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I've started a pregnancy scrapbook. I figured, if this is going to be our last baby I might as well document everything. So it's going to be like a pregnancy diary. I'm done with the first 2 months but have yet to add the ultrasound and lab results which I'm going to have next week. Then in a couple of weeks I'm going to start on the third month. At least this keeps me busy.

I also started crocheting again. I'm making this blanket from granny squares. I hope it'll turn out nice. I have some difficulty joining the squares together. I guess I need more practice. I also made a little hat but it looked too small so I think I'll need to make a bigger one. Anyway, more crochet projects coming up...

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I've been craving for durian lately. In case you didn't know what it is, it's a fruit that looks like this:

It's somewhat hard to find this time of the year but a nearby supermarket sells them fortunately so I buy some there. It's really yummy (in my opinion) and everyone in my family love to eat this (when I say my family, I mean MY family. Ruther's family are not so fond of this fruit since it's predominantly found in the Mindanao are of the Philippines where I grew up.) Anyway, this is the first time I've had food cravings. When I had Nikki and Ethan I didn't have any particular craving. So I find this weird coz when I crave for something I usually want to eat it right away. And if I can't get it, I have difficulty sleeping. Am I weird or what?