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

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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.

Week 18 Oct 15, 2008

Week 18 Oct 15, 2008

First, I would like to thank all of you who have been following my pregnancy journal. Thank you so much for all your feedback, comments and emails. Also, a special thanks to Shane - for all your support and encouraging me to write this blog.

Okay…onward with the blog.

I’ve gained 11 lbs so far. Now, 111 lbs total. We saw the doctor today. It was a really brief visit to check on the heart beat. Dr. Ziainia said that we’ve definitely got ourselves a dancing bean. She had a hard time measuring the heart rate because the baby wouldn’t stop moving.. She said I must have watched too much Dancing With The Stars. Again, her little heart is going very strong - beating at 150 + bpm. She is about 5 ½ inches long and weighs almost 6 ounces. The baby is perhaps the size of a cantaloupe this week. If you were able to peek inside the womb, this is probably what she would look like by now. This is a stock photo.





Next week’s appointment will be very exciting. The sex will finally be revealed. So stay tuned!

Children’s Place has an awesome sale online today. Everything is like 70% off – making all the cute baby outfits less than $5 each. The problem is that we don’t know the sex yet. Everything is either pink or blue. Where are all the unisex colors like white, yellow and green? Shane suggested that I get both boys’ and girls’ outfits because it's so cheap and we can donate what we don't need to our friends who have babies when we find out. Since my gut feeling is a girl, I decided to get 3 newborn girl’s and 1 boy’s bodysuits. Who is it to say that girls can’t wear blue or boys can’t wear pink? I’m not a very traditional person so I won’t be following that “rule”. Shane says once he finds out the sex; he’ll run out to buy a baby Charger’s outfit. Aww…isn’t that sweet?

Week 17 October 10, 2008

I can feel my shoes getting snug and I have slight back, abdomen and hip pains. Not too noticeable. I believe it’s the result of round ligament pain and relaxin. Relaxin is the hormone to relax the joints in your pelvis. I think it also relaxes other joints too. One of my coworkers claimed that when she was pregnant she grew taller and her shoe size increased by a couple of inches. She said they never returned to her pre-pregnancy size. I don’t mind growing a few inches taller but I hope my feet won’t get any bigger. :D

I can’t wait to get a pot belly already. You don’t hear a girl say that very often. Not a really huge pot belly but just enough to show that I’m apparently pregnant. Right now, I have a small bulge on my belly; makes me look like I just had a big buffet for dinner. I should start wearing my buffet pants. A few friends told me that you just don’t show as quickly as you think when you’re pregnant for the first time. 1 girl said she didn’t show until she was 6 or 7 months.

At 17 weeks, some people begin to feel some fluttering movements as the baby kicks and turns. Also the fetus can grasp, squint, blink and suck her thumb. Her sense of hearing is also starting to develop. I haven't felt any movement yet.

I read an article that playing classical music to the fetus while it's still in the womb may stimulate your baby. There's no scientific evidence that this can increase intelligence and creativity but it doesn’t harm the fetus either. So Shane and I decided we’ll give it a shot. You just have to place the headphones on your belly. We decided Mozart’s symphonies will be an excellent choice of music for our unborn baby. 30 mins a day will be enough. My coworker swears that it worked on her 2 kids when she was pregnant. She said that they were already potty trained by 15 months!Maybe that’s an exaggeration. With hip hop dancing in the day and Mozart's symphonies in the evening, this kid is going to be a musical genius already. :)

Below is a picture of what it looks like. By the way, that’s not my belly. Just a stock photo.






Here is a picture of my belly at 17 weeks



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Week 16 September 27, 08

Shane went fishing this weekend so I had some extra time on my hand. I made my first beanie ever. It turned out pretty cute for my first try. Hopefully it'll fit.

4 more weeks til we find out the sex. Can't wait!

I have a small belly now. Another lady from work asked me if I am pregnant. Again, that question took me by surprise since I was wearing a loose fitting shirt and my regular tight jeans. Although, I can no longer button my jeans. I have to wear a belt now. Anyway, either these women are really observant or they are on a belly watch. I guess ever since I got married and it's been a year now, they are really expecting it. Before I announced this news to my mom, she has always asked me this question when I visited her. It still feels unreal.

The baby is now 4.57 inches long and 3.53 ounces. Probably the size of a large avocado. I'm still taking hip hop classes regularly at work and on the weekends. I don't think I'll stop until I can dance no more. Perhaps this kid with pick up my love of hip hop dance?


Below is a picture of the beanie I made.

Week 14 September 17, 2008

I've gained 8 pounds so far. I'm now 108 lbs

Today's prenatal appointment went very smoothly. We got to meet our prenatal doctor, Dr. Ziania. She was very nice and extremely informative. Also, we heard the baby's heartbeat at 150 bpm. It was an awesome feeling. I read somewhere from an article that if a fetus heart rate is 140 +, then there's a high chance that it's a girl. Again, my feeling may be right.

Things she suggested I should avoid: eating certain fish, crunches, lying on my belly and back. The baby is now the size of a peach. About 3 inches long and 1.5 ounces. Everything is going quite well.

Time to announce this wonderful news to the parents, families, friends, and whoever wants to know.

Week 10 August 19, 2008

I've gained 5 pounds. 105 lbs now.

We had our first prenatal check up today. Normal routines involved urine & blood tests. Also, an ultrasound was done. We got to see the fetus for the first time on the black and white screen. It looked like a dancing bean (it was very active). The fetus is approximately the size of a bean. Probably an ounce and 1/2 inch long. Seeing the fetus and hearing it's heart beat made it so very real to us. It was a trip!

Shane and I believe the baby is going to be a girl. We both would really like a girl but either one is fine as long as it's healthy, right? It would be cool if it's a boy too. I would have a mommy's little boy and Shane would have a fishing or sports buddy. I read the Chinese Baby Gender Prediction Chart the other day and it predicted that I will have a girl. :) I'm not a superstitious person at all but I feel that this one may hold true. We won't be able to find out the sex until late Oct.

The other day, the strangest thing happened. First of all, I have to mention, at this time I don't have much of a belly yet. My co-worker suddenly came to me and asked if I'm pregnant. I was totally blown away by her question because I was caught off guard and didn't expect it. I asked her how did she know....and she was like "I always know ...you have a pregnancy glow on your face." Hmm... I'm not sure if I believe in that "pregnancy glow". The question would have been pretty offensive if I wasn't pregnant.

Below is a picture of the ultrasound.

Week 8 Aug 6, 2008

It all started when I took a home pregnancy test one day. It displayed 2 faint lines. I showed it to Shane. We both didn't believe our eyes. So I took another home pregnancy test the following morning. This time it showed 2 strong lines. We were both very excited and nervous.

75% of pregnant women have morning sickness. Fortunately, I'm one of the lucky 25% who doesn't show any symptoms of pregnancy. Since I didn't have morning sickness, I had no idea that I was pregnant. I had been working out everyday like a mad woman but I was still gaining weight especially in my belly area. So that's when I decided to take a pregnancy test. And a very pleasant surprise it was!