Week 31 Jan 16, 2009

Gained another 5 lbs. Now 125 lbs. Things that used to be so simple such as walking, dressing, cooking, and yoga has become increasingly difficult. My only consolation is that I have only 2 more months to go and when I get to hold the baby in my arms, all this aches and pains would be so worth it. Nurse O’Brian said he is currently 60th percentile. I have a feeling he’ll be a big baby by the time he’s due. My anxiety is getting the best of me.

This week the kid has got the hiccups. It’s really cute! I could feel a soft rhythmic tapping pattern against my lower uterus. It usually last about 5-15 mins. There’s not that many things I enjoy about pregnancy but this is one of the miracles I will miss most when it’s all over.

So my baby shower is set on Feb 21. We’ve registered at Babies R Us. Shane’s mom and sister sent the most adorable turtle themed invites. They are shaped like diapers with little green turtles on it. It’s super cute! I’ve gotten tons of delightful comments from friends who have received them.

This is what the invites look like. I love the little green safety pin on it. A lot of people said that they can't put the safety pin back in once they take it out. I love it!!!!!!!!

Week 30 Jan 8, 2009

It's been a while since I've updated this blog. Sorry for the delay. We've been out of town for the holidays visiting family in Seattle. Didn't have much time to write until now.

Below is a brief overview of the previous weeks.

Week 26 - I had my 1 hour glucose test to see if I have gestational diabetes. I had to drink this really sweet orangy 50 mg syrup. It tasted pretty gross. Then, waited an hour to get my blood drawn. I failed the test by 1 point.

Week 27 - Gained 20 pounds. 120 pounds. This week, my potbelly is the size of a really big pumpkin. I had to take the 3 hour glucose test this time. They drew my blood, then I drank the 100 mg orange syrup; waited every hr to get my blood drawn up to 3 hrs. Thank goodness I had my book Eclipse to kill some time. Passed the test. It was a great relief!

Week 28 - I've reached another big milestone. I'm at my last trimester. Can't believe I have only a few more months to go. The excitement is building! The baby at this stage is about 2 1/4 lbs and measures 14.8 inches (size of a Chinese cabbage). We're still debating on his name. There are a few possibilities but it's hard to name him without seeing what he looks like.

Week 29 - Started doing kick counts. The baby has been moving quite a lot. I could feel my belly shifting from side to side. He must be dancing again. Sometimes a wave would form. Shane could feel him now as well. Such a miracle!! Sometimes, I'd stare at my belly for long period of times and would become mesmerized. People must think I'm insane!

Week 30 - We had a tour of Mary Birch this Saturday. This hospital will be where the baby will be delivered. They've delivered over 9000 babies per year. Rather impressive number! We're so happy he's going to be born here. We're very confident in the doctors, nurses and staff at Mary Birch.

Below are pictures of all the gifts the baby has gotten over the Christmas holiday. Already spoiled by his grandma Hart, Aunt Jamie, Uncle Brandon, Great Grandma Ruef and Saimo before he's even born.

Baby clothes with monkeys from Grandma Hart. Chloe thinks it's for her! She's gotten her paws all over it.













Baby clothes with little turtles from Aunt Jamie. Again, Chloe can't keep her eyes off of it. I think she's jealous of the baby already.













Books from Great Grandma Ruef


















Homemade baby blankie from Great Grandma Saimo











Sound Sleeper from Uncle Brandon
















Pictures from Seattle. We built an igloo on Christmas Day.














A really cool view of the igloo at night.














Even the dogs love the igloo!

Week 25 Dec 5, 2008

Shane and I decided to take a quick getaway before our baby arrives. We had planned to go to Asia before but plans have changed now. So we took our 2nd best option and flew to Oahu, Hawaii instead. This trip was all about eating, sunbathing, snorkling and more eating.

I think I gained about 5 pounds in this week alone. Shane did as well and I don't think it was from sympathy pregnancy weight gain. :) It was all worth it though.

Here are some pictures from our trip.

Hanauma Bay

Shane's favorite hotdog shop - Puka Dog!

Teddy's Burger and grilled chicken in the parking lot.

Kuana Burgeer

Pineapple float from the Pineapple plantation

'

Colorful shaved ice at the really popular Matsumoto's Market

Cheeseburger from Cheeseburger Paradise

Dessert from Kuhio Beach

Manapua buns from Chinatwon

Took a break from eating and went snorkling.

Bacon fried rice at Sidestreet Inn

Katsu Chicken at Sidestreet Inn















Last but not least 5 course meal at Oahu's top fancy restaurant - Alan Wong's

Week 24 Nov 28, 2008

This week the baby has reached a whopping 1 pound weight gain. Pretty big compared to the small ounces he was gaining in prior weeks.

We finally registered at Babies R Us. It was kind of stressful because this is the first time Shane and I really shopped for baby things. It's like a whole new world out there! Also, there were so many selections and brands for everything; it was rather confusing. Thankfully, Shane's mom and sister offered to help us.

We found the perfect crib bedding set at babyuniverse.com. It's the Turtle Bay Bed set collection. Fortunately, it was on clearance because they were discontinuing this item. So we were able to order it for a huge discount and I believe it was the last one in stock! We also ordered the Twilight Turtle night light - it projects starry night sky onto the walls and ceiling.in the nursery. It's so cute! As you can see, everything will be turtle themed. :)

Turtle Bay Crib Bedding Set

Wall hanging - 5 pieces

Turtle rug












Twilight Turtle Night Light









One piece suit with turtle

Turtle bibs

Week 22, Nov 12, 2008

Gained 15 pounds total. Now 115 pounds.

So Shane and I had our prenatal appointment today. We were so excited since we couldn't find out the sex of the baby last time. We saw the nurse practitioner, Lisa O’Brian because Dr. Ziainia was not available. Nurse O’Brian was not aware that we were here to find out the sex of our baby and an ultrasound room was not scheduled. She thought we were there for the basic routine exam. We were obviously really disappointed and had to beg her to perform the ultrasound. She was super cool and agreed to sneak us in the ultrasound room as soon as she was done with her 2 other patients, only if they were really quick with the visit. Needless to say, the awesome and quirky Lisa O’Brian kept her word and we were brought into the room with the ultrasound machine a few moments later.

Well, surprise surprise! At least to me, it’s a BOY!!!! We’re going to have a mini Shane. I was so sure it was going to be a girl but hey, they say little boys always love their mommys, right? And little boys are easier when they reach their teenage years. I should have known that it’s a boy because my belly was so big by month 4. Most of my friends who have girls didn’t show much until they were 6 or 7 months along. According to statistics, boys are generally heavier/bigger than girls when they are delivered.

This ultrasound picture isn't as clear as the one at 19 weeks because this machine apparently isn't as advance as the one at the Radiology lab.


I think I’ll still keep the little girls’ clothes I bought at Children’s Place just in case we have a little girl next time. Shane always thought a little girl should have an older brother to protect her. Perhaps, this works out better in the end. :)

Week 21 Nov 9, 2008

I can’t wait ‘til our next prenatal appointment this Wednesday. It’ll be our 2nd chance to find out the sex of the baby. Hopefully she’ll behave this time. So you still have time to cast your vote if you haven’t already done so, for a boy or a girl on the right hand side. Shane’s vote has been swayed. First he wanted a daddy’s little girl. Now he wants a football and fishing buddy. He voted for a boy. The other day he says he wants a little girl again. Talk about indecisive!! No, you can’t change your vote like the senior citizens in Florida. :P

This weekend Shane and I went on a 2 day Expecting Getaway Childbirth preparation class held at the Julian Lodge at Julian. There were 6 other couples; most of them were due in Dec or Jan. I would have liked to take this class when I’m farther along but the next one available is late Feb. That would be cutting it too close since I’m due mid Mar. The class was really informative and I do recommend taking it at the Lodge.

It was a beautiful warm day on Sat; we spent most of it watching birthing videos. Stacy, the instructor showed it right after dinner and everyone felt a bit nauseous. After that we all learned how to do massages and had a group nap on the floor. It reminded me of yoga naps. On Sun, the weather changed drastically. It went from 80 degrees warm to about 40 degrees windy and snowing. Crazy! Too bad I forgot to bring my camera. The town of Julian was icy wet and the cars were covered with snow. During lunch, all the pregnant ladies with big bellies were trying really hard not to slip and slide while waddling through town in search of food. I was fortunate to have brought my parka. Shane on the other hand, was less fortunate; he was walking in puddles of water and snow with his flip flops. Nonetheless, we were able to make it to Mom’s to get us a whole apple cherry pie. Yum!

The rest of the day, we learned more about birth options such as natural, epidural, cesareans, episiotomy, forceps and vacuums; pushing and breathing techniques; how to breast feed and swaddle a baby. And more newborn videos. Episiotomy is a scary procedure! I must remind my doctor to avoid it if possible. When the class was over, we sort of wished we could just skip the next few months and have the baby now.

Oh something exciting happened this week. I'm starting to feel flutters on my lower stomach. Way below my belly button. First I wasn't sure what it was because I didn't know what I was feeling for. But it happens regularly now - the twitching or butterfly flutters. It's really hard to describe but I must say it's an amazing feeling. The best I could describe it is that it kind of feels like a fish is swimming in my tummy. I can't wait for the big kicks so Shane can feel it too!


My belly at 21 weeks. It's getting bigger!!!

Week 20 Oct 30, 2008

Yay!!! I’ve reached 20 weeks, which is a really big and exciting milestone. I can’t believe it! I’m half way through the pregnancy. The first trimester was a breeze, which I'm really thankful for. 2nd trimester, I have occasional aches and pains due to round ligaments, and leg cramps but nothing really to complain about. Hopefully, when the 3rd trimester comes, it will be as smooth. The part I’m most concerned about is labor and delivery. The other day, I got really curious and decided to watch some childbirth videos on the internet. Big mistake!!! It really freaked me out. It was one of the most horribly graphic and bloody thing I’ve ever seen. My face got really pale when Shane saw me as I walked into the bedroom. I told him that he doesn’t have to watch me in labor when the time comes; just be there and hold my hand. He readily agreed. I’m not sure if he’s okay being around blood either.

The baby is now the size of a banana. She measures approximately 6 inches from crown to rump and weighs about 9 ounces. She is able to hear sounds outside of my body. If there is a loud sound, she may become startled and cover her little ears with her hands.

I’m officially showing a small pot belly now. My waistline has pretty much disappeared and my clothes have gotten a lot tighter. I haven’t bought any maternity clothes yet. However, I’ve looked at a few things at Pea in a Pod. They have really cute maternity clothes but they are ridiculously over price. Some people said Target, Old Navy and Ross carry maternity clothes. I may have to check them out later.

This week I’ve noticed that my breathing has gotten deeper and I perspired more when I workout. I still take hip hop, weight lifting and yoga classes. I don’t know how long I can still take hip hop. I would look pretty silly when my belly gets much bigger. My moves would look awkward and not very graceful. Plus, now that I’ve put on some extra pounds, it appears to me that all the girls in class look so darn skinny. As for weight lifting and yoga, I can still take these classes throughout my pregnancy. Strength training is supposedly good for you when you’re pregnant because you need to build strong thighs and back to support your growing belly. Yoga is great for flexing your hip joints and preparing for labor.

The baby clothes I’ve ordered at Children’s Place have arrived. They are adorable. Cuter than in the pictures.

Week 19 Oct 23, 2008

This is the week we’ve been waiting for – the “big” ultrasound. The 2nd ultrasound, usually called a diagnostic ultrasound – to examine for abnormalities and reveal the sex.

The ultrasound technician started off by marking her measurements of the kidneys, placenta, fingers, toes, functioning heart, and spine and detecting for cleft lip on the black and white monitor while the baby was dancing as usual. Shane was lucky because he had a front row seat and was able to see the monitor clearly. I, on the other hand, was lying on my back and looking up at the ceiling because she wouldn’t turn the monitor my way. Finally, when it was time to take a little peak and see whether it was a boy or a girl, our little baby stopped moving, crossed her little legs, sucked her thumb and yawned. I'm totally bummed. It was really cute to see her yawn though. We’ve waited this long and it’s driving me crazy not knowing! I’m still convinced it’s a girl and have decided to use “she” when referring to our baby. Some people suggested drinking something sweet 10 minutes before the ultrasound to make sure the baby keeps moving. Cherry suggested I should do some jumping jacks next time.

Jess says baby Saimo apparently has a sense of humor. I couldn’t agree more.
My next prenatal appointment will be some time mid November. Dr. Ziaina has agreed to let us do another ultrasound then. Hopefully, next time the bean will cooperate. No guarantees though.

I still haven’t felt any kicks but I’m not worried. The heartbeat was 147 bpm and she’s always so bouncy on the ultrasound.

Below are some pictures of the ultrasound.

My belly at 19 weeks.