The one with the end of an era

picture taken at 32 weeks

Today marks my 37th week of pregnancy according to my OB, which means that I can safely give birth anytime now. My doctor and I actually have different due dates, hers is ahead of mine by 4 days. She's basing the due date on our baby's first biometry measurements, while I've always counted from my last menstrual period (LMP). Because this is a planned pregnancy, I'm very sure about my dates. Anyway, in either case, I can give birth any day in the next 5 weeks. I've been paranoid these last two weeks that I might give birth prematurely, so I'm now relieved that my baby has hit full term.

I have no words to describe just how excited I am for our Audrey to arrive. The baby that I dreamed of, imagined, and felt inside me is just days or weeks away from finally being in my arms, and just the thought of it is enough to make me tear up. There is so much love from me, from her daddy, and from her extended family waiting for her.

Happy and excited as I am, I'm a also a little bit emotional over the fact that my precious girl's arrival will mean the end of an era (era talaga???): that of Abet and me, just the two of us. And I'm more than ready to say good-bye to it. Abet and I got to maximize our time together and we have no regrets. We had the time of our lives being young and carefree. We've had our fun travelling as far as our money would take us, we had a beautiful wedding. We got married exactly after 5 years of courtship, and we got to enjoy 8 precious months of being newlyweds playing house followed by 9 months of being eager soon-to-be parents. In those 6 and a half years, I was Abet's princess and the love of his life, and his world revolved around me. Pretty soon, we will have our princess who will be the love of our lives, and our world will revolve around her.

Another thing I'll miss is having Audrey girl all to myself. In the last 9 months, Audrey has been mine, all mine. I'm the only one who can nourish her, feel her move and play and hiccup. Once she's out, I'll be sharing her with her daddy, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, everyone. So yes, I'll missing having both my husband and my daughter all to myself. I'm a selfish girl.

But this selfish girl is excited to be a mother more than anything. Everything will be all worth it once she's here. I'll be sharing my husband with my baby, but I know deep in my heart that Audrey will make our marriage stronger than ever. I'll be sharing my girl with everyone else, but I know that nothing will make me happier than seeing my daughter so loved.

Audrey's arrival may mean the end of an era, but a new, more beautiful one is about to begin.

The one with the cancelled baby showers

During my 35th week checkup last week, I complained to my OB that I feel sharp pains when I walk, and—TMI alert!—that my vajayjay aches like it's been hit by a bowling ball. I've been feeling those discomforts since my 33rd week. After doing an internal exam, my doctor confirmed that Audrey has lightened (dropped into the pelvic cavity) and her head is already engaged (in position near the cervix). While this doesn't necessarily mean that I'll be giving birth sooner, the doctor told me to rest until I reach full term/37 weeks (1st week of March) so my cervix won't open early. I'm still experiencing sharp, shooting pains when I get up and walk around, so I'm now on partial bed rest. My activities are now limited to the bed, the desk (yep, still working), the dining table, and the bathroom.

Because of this, I have to cancel everything on my social calendar for the next few weeks. My high school barkada planned a shower for this Saturday that I bailed on because I can't get up to go around, and I'm kinda bummed about it because they never got to see me pregnant. I also have another one scheduled for March 10 that I'm also cancelling because I might be at the hospital or my baby might already be here by then. My college barkada has yet to set a date for my 3rd shower, but I told them not to bother anymore.

While I'm a teeny bit disappointed, I'm also excited because instead of baby showers, we can have "meet-the-baby" parties instead! And now that I think of it, it seems like an even better idea. My friends will get to meet Audrey right away instead of at her christening which isn't until she's a few months old. I'm not expecting any visitors at the hospital since I'm giving birth in the faraway kingdom of Las Piñas, so having my friends come over once baby girl is out sounds perfect.

Even while planning the showers, I told my friends that I just want a get-together and they don't have to worry about getting us gifts. Abet and I already have the essentials covered, plus we received a bunch of stuff over the holidays. I just want to spend quality time with my nearest and dearest friends—people who will love my baby—more than anything. And now, since we're having "meet Audrey" gatherings instead, I'll get to hang out with my friends and my baby! I can't wait!

*image from here

The one with the spoiled Ate

I'm now staying at my parents' home full-time, and I'm absolutely loving it here! Abet and I used to shuttle back and forth between Las Piñas (my parents') and Sampaloc (which is so much nearer UST where Abet works), but lately my preggy belly and I are staying put in Las Piñas. Abet still stays in Sampaloc most days of the week because they're preparing for a concert this weekend and rehearsals don't end until late in the evening, but by next week he'll be here with me as we wait for Audrey to arrive. We'll be staying here until after I give birth because God knows I'll need my mother around to help me care for a newborn.

I never realized just how much I missed my parents' home. Don't get me wrong, I will forever treasure the pre-baby time Abet and I spent together, just the two of us, in our tiny rented home in Sampaloc. But coming from a home with 4 siblings and more pets than I could count with my fingers, I missed the chaos. I missed the constant bantering and joking and singing. I missed the very noisy family meals. It feels good to be back! Good luck to you, Audrey. You're up for a whole lotta craziness when you arrive.

What I'm loving most right now is how utterly spoiled I am. My parents dote on me, but that's kinda expected—their baby girl is having a baby girl after all. My mom cooks/buys every single thing I ask for. But to have my younger siblings spoil me? I'm enjoying every minute of it. I'll enjoy it while it lasts. I love how I can boss them all around, haha! I also love how they get me whatever I want. I just text them my 'request' while they're in school, and I get my bola-bola siopao/Mineshine/pineapple juice/sampaloc candy/buko shake or whatever it is I ask for when they get home. My sister May, future OB-GYN, isn't very easy to ask food from, though; she's very strict with my sugar intake. She does buy me milk tea when I ask her, and she goes with me to doctor's appointments if Abet can't. And I know she'll spoil my baby the most. May and my brother Mako, who are both RNs/med students, also take care of monitoring my blood pressure.

All this attention from my family is definitely one of the best things about being pregnant. Add to that the attention I get from my dearest husband and it's more than enough to make little papansin ol' me happy. I only have a few weeks of being pregnant left—Audrey's coming in 2-5 weeks!—don't blame me for enjoying it as much as I can while it lasts.

The one with the non-dragon baby

With the Chinese New Year coming up, I am reminded of a comment someone said to me shortly after I announced my pregnancy. She asked when my baby was due, and when I said that I'm to give birth March of this year, she said, "Sayang, di umabot na dragon baby ang anak mo."

Erm.

Okay, first of all, Abet and I are both not Chinese. We have no interest in horoscopes and Chinese astrology. I don't even know what animal sign Abet falls under. I know I was born in the Year of the Dog, but I have no idea what my personality is supposed to be like, who I'll be compatible with, or what profession is best for me. I don't care.

Most importantly, of course Abet and I are not going to have a dragon baby. Neither of us is a Targaryen. I'm a Lannister while he's a Stark, so say the quizzes we've taken. Not that we need a quiz to figure that out.

If that last paragraph didn't make any sense to you, there's still time to watch the first two seasons of Game of Thrones before the third season starts next month. It's seriously one of the best TV shows ever ever ever (maybe second best ever -- next to FRIENDS).

I do have a very good reason why I'm glad that Audrey will be a snake baby out of all the signs, but I'll save that for another blog post.

*image from here

The one with the roundhouse kicks

Audrey's kicks are getting more and more intense now. I sometimes get movements that make me go "Whoooaaa!" (For some reason, her kicks are extra strong whenever my brother, her Uncle Mako, is the one touching my tummy.)

The What to Expect app says that the movements will be getting less frequent and less pronounced in the weeks to come because she'll have less space to move around as she gets bigger. Therefore, I'll now savor every kick, every movement that comes along. Yes, even those that keep me awake in the wee small hours of the morning.

Once the baby comes out, I think it will be the fetal movements that I'll miss the most about my pregnancy -- those precious little jabs that tell me she's doing okay in there. So go ahead, Audrey. Go ahead and move around. I can't wait for the day when you'll finally be moving in my arms.

The one with the little gymnast

My baby has this uncanny ability: she knows the precise moment that I am about to fall asleep after struggling to doze off (no thanks to third-trimester insomnia), and chooses that exact time to practice her somersaults in utero. Ending of the story: mommy is not getting much sleep.

My dear Audrey, I know you just want to get a headstart for the 2028 Olympics, but there'll be a lot of time for that once you come out. I'll support you 101% if that's what you want to do, I promise. For now, let's make mommy sleep, okay? 

You can move all you want when mommy's awake. May I suggest swimming towards a head-down position? 

The one with the 3D ultrasound

We got a peek at our baby's face via 3D ultrasound today!

Like our first fetal biometry and Congenital Anomaly Scan, we had it done at The Baby Ultrasound Company in Robinson's Manila. Good thing Mommy Ginger blogged about their 3D/4D ultrasound experience a couple of days ago. I found out through her blog that the best time to have this procedure done is at 28-31 weeks, and I'm already at 30 weeks and 6 days today. My OB and I haven't discussed getting a 3D/4D ultrasound since this isn't really a necessity, so I didn't really know when to get it. I thought the later, the better, and Abet and I had planned on getting it sometime in February.

It was also through Ginger's blog that I found out that you're supposed to eat and drink before getting the ultrasound. Abet and I just had lunch at my parents' house, so all I had was my favorite Happy Lemon Cocoa with Rock Salt and Cheese drink beforehand (the server gave me the thickest layer of cheese topping ever--happiness!).

Anyway, even at less than 31 weeks, things are already pretty crowded in there. The placenta and umbilical cord and whatnot were hovering around my baby's face. Just a tip: if you're considering getting a 3D/4D ultrasound, please check this calendar to see what the best dates are. I learned about this too late.

Because we didn't know if Audrey would move a lot during the ultrasound, we opted to get the basic 3D package which included 4 photos at P1,500. We would just upgrade to the package with all the bells and whistles (CD of photos, DVD of video, etc.) if our girl was cooperative. Well, the little one did move a bit, but not enough for us to want a video recording (a decision that saved us several thousand pesos, haha!). We were already happy with what we saw:

Our Audrey's face. Abet and I teared up, him more than me. We're in love.

She looks exactly like me! Sorry, my dear husband! Even the sonologist remarked that our baby is "kamukhang-kamukha ni Mommy."

And then our girl gave us a little treat: she smiled...

. . . and smiled, and kept smiling! It was like she knew we were looking at her! Yep, this is my daughter, alright! Bungisngis baby!

Abet and I are crazy happy and grateful right now. There's a healthy, beautiful baby growing inside of me. We're more excited than ever to meet her in a couple of months.

The one with the new basics

We're starting to buy items for Audrey just now. We wanted to wait for our Congenital Anomaly Scan so that we can be 101% sure that we were having a girl, I still had these scenarios playing out in my head that we were having a boy pala because we found our baby's sex out a bit early. Anyway, now that it's confeeeeermed! that we're really, truly having a princess, we now want to go ahead and get all the things she'll need. I want lotsa lotsa pink stuff!

I saw this infographic from The Other Baby Book on Facebook recently:

Funny how the 'new basics' are actually what our parents and grandparents had during their time, just the barest of essentials.

Anyway, this graphic is throwing me off-track, because all this time I thought that one of the major items we'll get for the baby is the crib. Abet and I always check out cribs during the rare times we're in malls ever since I got pregnant. We have already decided to get one of those convertible cribs that can be turned into a bed when the child gets older. And now this graphic is suggesting that it's better to not have one and just co-sleep with our baby.

We're now torn. I've been reading about co-sleeping and it does seem like the perfect set-up--there are health benefits both for me and for my baby, and I love the thought of not having to get up in the middle of the night to nurse. But where will I put my baby when we're not sleeping? A baby carrier? A playpen? Isn't that too small? Will a queen-sized bed be big enough? Won't a bed be dangerous for the baby because of the risk of falling?

I'm leaning towards co-sleeping with the baby, but we'll probably do away with the bed frame and just sleep on a mattress on the floor. Abet still wants the crib. I have no issues with the other items on the infographic because I hope to be a baby-wearing, breastfeeding, cloth-diapering mommy.

Mommies, did you co-sleep with your child? Did you have a crib? What would you suggest? I hope you can help us with this!

The one with the breakouts

Two Saturdays ago, I attended a breastfeeding seminar at the Medela House in New Manila. They raffled off vouchers for all-natural facials that are safe for pregnant women, and I, who never wins anything at raffles, got one. That's how bad my skin is right now that the universe conspired to get me one of those facials.

I have good skin most of the time. I rarely break out that when I do get a pimple, I used to find it hard to deal. A single zit could ruin my mood for days. I had an arsenal of creams, cleansers, toners, moisturizers, and serums to help me keep my face smooth, clear, and blemish- and wrinkle-free.

As early as my first month of pregnancy, I started breaking out. This is the second worst breakout I've had in my life, and the first one I had (back in 2005 when I had a crappy call center job) made me depressed for weeks. You'd think that I'd feel sad again with my face looking like this, but you know what? I'm not! Well, not as sad as I thought, anyway. I'm pregnant! I'm breaking out because there's a baby growing in me! Who could feel sad about that?

Of course I do what damage control I can. I avoid the mirror like the plague; as long as I don't see and touch my face, I forget that I'm pimply. I also keep my face moisturized (with the same sunflower oil I put on my belly to avoid stretch marks) so that even if my skin isn't clear, it's still healthy.

Pimples aren't so bad naman pala. Also, that first major pimple breakout I had 7 years ago? That was the time I met Abet. Yes, my dear friends, I met my future husband when I was at my absolute ugliest. I kid you not. We met 2 days before my very first ever derma appointment to cure my pimples. He says I was already his dream girl right then and there. #habanghairko I find it hard to believe considering the state of my face then, but he still insists to this day that it's true. What a sweetheart.

So maybe I shouldn't be so scared of bad skin. Maybe it's a sign that something big and wonderful and life-changing is about to come my way.

That won't stop me from availing my free facial and hoping that my skin will clear up after I give birth, though.

The one with the superstitions

My parents aren't superstitious at all. My entire family isn't, my siblings and I just didn't grow up believing in old wives' tales and folklore. My mom does say "pwera buyag" which is the Bisaya version of "pwera usog" every now and then, but I think it's more of a habit than actually shooing away "usog" (I don't even really know what "usog" is). And there was that time when they didn't let me go out with my friends two nights before my wedding. That's about it.

Pregnancy, however, can bring out the paranoia in you. Something unusual happened one night a few weeks ago when I was over at my parents' house, and let's just say that my mom scared me so much that I seriously considered sleeping with a pair of scissors on my bedside table. Crazy, right? I told Abet all about it, and even he has become paranoid, he now double-checks all our windows before we go to sleep to make sure they're shut tight.

Now, I would have been okay with sleeping with scissors (I don't) and I don't mind the tightly-shut windows. What I do mind is the fact that my mother now refuses to cook her squid in black ink dish, which is one of my favorite dishes in the whole wide world, because my baby might turn dark. No use trying to explain that food intake has nothing to do with melanin production. (I did eat the singkamas that my brother Joe's classmate gave me 'para pumuti ang anak mo, 'te', but that's just because I love singkamas.)When I'm at my parents' house, I get everything--and I mean EVERYTHING--I ask for when it comes to food, EXCEPT the black squid dish. And not being able to eat it makes me crave for it even more. It's so frustrating.

I guess it's the probinsyana in her that's making my mom believe all these things, as probinsyanas are wont to do. You can take the girl out of Bacuag, Surigao del Norte, but you can't take Bacuag, Surigao del Norte out of the girl.

The one with the missing boobies

 I posted this picture on Instagram last night:

there are 3 girls in this picture

I was looking at my feed this morning, and my reaction to this picture was "WHERE ARE MY BOOBS??? Why is my chest flat as a board???"

I'm so OA, I swear. Abet says we're probably going to have an OA kid. I think so, too. My boobies are fine.

If you've seen me in person, you've probably noticed that I'm well endowed. An increase in cup size is supposed to be noticeable in the first trimester of pregnancy, but it took a while before I noticed any changes that I honestly thought at first that my chest would no longer grow because 'quota na talaga.'

At 22 weeks, my breasts are crazy big, the biggest they've ever been--and they'll probably just get even larger in the months to come. I'm trying to fight gravity as best as I can so I've resorted to wearing sports bras that work like binders every day for the least jiggling possible. They're a bit uncomfortable, but ganun talaga, tiis-ganda muna. So there. My boobs look flatter and practically don't show up in photos when I'm lying down.

I love my bosom (and so does my husband, he's a total boob man), but what I really want is for my breasts to do what they're supposed to do: nourish my baby. I'm really praying that all goes well breastfeeding-wise once the baby arrives.

The one with the pregnancy advice from my dad

"Don't scratch your tummy if it itches, you'll get stretchmarks."

So says my father.

He's seen my mother go through five pregnancies (six if you include the fetus floating around in formalin in my parents' cabinet), I guess this makes my dad more than qualified to give me pregnancy advice.

My mom has ZERO stretchmarks, so my dad probably knows what he's talking about.

I hear ya, Papi. I hear ya. No scratching my tummy, it is.

*image from here

The one with the 20th week check-up

I am 20 weeks into my pregnancy today, which means I'm already halfway there! On one hand, I'm feeling a bit sad that I only have another 20 weeks of being pregnant left to go, but on the other, I just wish that the next 20 weeks will fly by so I can finally hold my baby.

I went for one of my monthly check-ups today, and all's good. Audrey's measurements and heart rate are all fine, and at my halfway point, I have gained back all the weight I lost since the beginning of my pregnancy. I am now at my pre-pregnancy weight. I'm aiming for a weight gain of just around 20-25 lbs. (maybe even just 15 lbs. if I can help it), so I just need to be really careful and try to stick to the 1-pound-a-week guideline.

I have a bunch of lab tests to do before my next doctor's appointment in a month, including the Oral Glucose Challenge Test to determine if I have gestational diabetes. I've been dreading this one. I'm overweight, which means that I'm already at risk. Also, I live for sweets, I'm surprised that all my blood tests so far showed a normal blood sugar level. I'm afraid that I might not be so lucky this time. I'm worried because while I've been doing a good job of limiting my soda and chocolate intake (a big feat for me), I can't stop eating fruits. Fruit is the one thing I want to eat during my pregnancy so far. I still have a month to go before I take the test, I just need to make sure that I watch what I put in my mouth until then (and all throughout the rest of my pregnancy for the rest of my life). I'll also keep taking my chia seeds and hope that it helps.

So, there you go. So far, so good. We're fervently praying that everything keeps going well.

*image from here

The one with the first sonogram

Our anniversary celebration was pretty much low-key. Abet said that we can have dinner wherever I want, but I only wanted to eat two things: lettuce and a Twix bar. For my lettuce fix, we had dinner at Cyma so I can have the Roka Salata (which I didn't enjoy as much because the sight of my husband devouring a very bloody filet mignon made me want to throw up), and he bought the Twix from a 7-11.

Despite the uneventful dinner, it was still a day I will never forget. As a gift to ourselves, we scheduled our first ultrasound that day so we can meet our baby for the very first time. Oh, it was wonderful to see our baby! The best gift of all was knowing that all the measurements are good. I've been worrying the last few weeks because I lost weight during the first trimester and I still haven't gained the pounds back, plus I got sick during the last week of September. It was such a relief to know that the baby's size is good. And that the baby is so malikot!

Abet and I even got a nice bonus. We found out right then what the sex of our baby is:

IT'S A GIRL!!!

A little princess! Abet and I are beyond thrilled! (I covered her 'flower' with a flower because it's so clearly a vajayjay.)

We weren't expecting to know this early, I'm just 17 weeks along, but it seemed that our baby already wanted us to find out. The OB-sonologist was very thorough, and it's a girl, alright. I guess my child didn't want us to call her Peanut anymore. We can now call her by name: Audrey. Our dear Audrey.

Unlike some of my mommy friends, I had no hunch, not even a little bit, on what the sex of my baby is, but Abet knew all along that it was a girl. He keeps saying 'she' and 'her' when referring to our baby. As first-time parents, we have no preference, we would have been happy either way, but Abet just knew that our baby is a girl.

My mother-in-law is the happiest of all to know that Abet and I are having a daughter. She has been fervently praying for a female grandchild because she has two sons and she already has a grandson from Abet's brother. Even the help, Aling Baby, has been praying novenas to the Nazareno for us to have a girl.

We already bought Audrey her first pair of shoes (that was how we announced to my mother-in-law that she's having a granddaughter). Looking at baby stuff is more fun now that we know what gender we're shopping for. The future seems even clearer, as well. I barely slept last night, I was imagining what our life would be like with our little girl. I thought of what her baptismal party and first birthday will be like, how to decorate her nursery, what activities we'll be doing, etc.

Knowing our baby's sex just makes me more excited than ever for her to come out. I'm already counting the days (155, according to the tracker on my sidebar). In the meantime, I'll keep praying that Audrey keeps growing healthy inside me, and that I have a safe delivery. 

The one with the buko juice overload

I got a bit of bad news this week: I have a urinary tract infection.

It was a bit disturbing to know that I have a bacterial infection when I’m supposed to be at my healthiest. I felt guilty upon finding out the results of my urinalysis, and I kept wondering if I did not take care of myself well enough. Was it not enough water? Too much sex? I constantly suffer from UTI so I’m extra cautious now that I’m pregnant, knowing that the chances of getting one increases during pregnancy. It was disappointing that I still got infected despite my best efforts.

Fortunately, American Pregnancy had this to say:

You may do everything right and still experience a urinary tract infection.

Ah, thank you. That makes me feel so much better. This one, as well:

If your doctor treats a urinary tract infection early and properly, the UTI will not cause harm to your baby.

You'll be okay, Peanut. I promise.

I'm scheduled to see my OB tomorrow to get prescribed antibiotics. Until then, I'm drinking an awful lot of fresh buko juice. Cranberry juice is supposed to be better, but it's very acidic and I have bad acid reflux.

To make my buko-chugging experience more enjoyable, I make myself this beverage:

Chocolate buko shake made with fresh buko juice and chocolate-flavored Anmum. Calcium, folate, and other good stuff for my growing baby plus the natural bacteria-fighting goodness of buko. Perfect, eh?

The one with the 100 bathroom trips a day

The story of my life.

The one with the hair issues

I am so frustrated with my hair right now!

Pregnancy hormones are causing all these changes in my body, it's honestly driving me crazy. My usually-smooth forehead is now a pimple farmland, and my hair is so oily I feel like I could fry an egg with the oil in it. The pimples don't bother me as much; I just refrain from looking in the mirror and touching my face and I forget that they're there. The hair, on the other hand, is really causing me grief. My head is just one big ball of grease, even right after I take a shower. I don't even bother with conditioner anymore.

Most of the time, I just tie my hair into a tiny bun. Good thing it's already long enough for that. I'm seriously considering cutting it short, but I read that my hair is supposed to grow thicker, more beautiful, and faster as I go further into the second trimester. I guess I'll just suck the greasy feeling up for now.

Hopefully, by the time I give birth, my hair will be long enough for me to be able to do those pretty fishtail braids and high buns that are so hot right now. I hope they'll still be hot then. That would make the oil spill on my head right now all worth it.

The one with the onesies

This was how we announced to our families that we are expecting a wee one:

I ordered two personalized onesies with "Baby Mesa" in pa-cute lettering.

We told our parents the weekend after we found out. We had dinner at Abet's mother's house on a Saturday, and we gave her the onesie just before we ate. It took her quite a while to realize what it meant, but she squealed with joy and hugged us both when she found out. Abet's 9-year old nephew, Ycko, was the happiest of them all, it made me cry to see him jumping around. He's been bugging us for a cousin for some time now. He'll make the best kuya, I'm sure of it. Just one of the reasons Peanut is so lucky.

Telling my parents the next day was a bit more eventful, because we told them during their anniversary lunch celebration. We gift-wrapped the onesie and gave it to them as an anniversary present. My dad opened the gift, and he figured it out right away. Oh, he was so happy! He was proudly showing the onesie off to everyone with a big silly grin on his face. My brother Joe can do a very accurate reenactment, it's so funny. My mother's face was also so precious. You really can't describe your parents' faces upon finding out that their daughter is pregnant. My siblings were also all very excited. We couldn't stop talking about my pregnancy all throughout our meal.

When Peanut gets older, I'll make sure to remind him/her of how happy he/she made everyone with the news of his/her existence, that he/she was so wanted and so loved even in the womb, and that there was nothing but joy and gratitude and excitement from the people who matter to us.

The one with the two pink lines

The day I found out that we're having a baby will forever be one of the happiest and most memorable moments of my entire life.

Even during the two-week wait (the time from ovulation up to the time you can take a test), Abet and I already had a feeling that I was pregnant. I guess we're just such positive (pardon the pun) people. At this time, I quit smoking. We were so assuming that Abet would even kiss my tummy good-bye before he left for work in the morning. We became even more suspicious when I started to feel my breasts whenever I went down the stairs, since breast tenderness is one of the earliest signs of pregnancy.

I took the test the morning I was supposed to get my period. I couldn't even wait to see if my period would arrive or not. I took the test while my husband was at work so that in case it turned out negative, I can pretend to act cool when I break any bad news to him. With the first test, one bright pink line immediately appeared. Negative. My heart sank, but I told myself, "It's OK, it was just our first try. We'll try again next month." I was sadly staring at the test when after a few moments, a second line in the faintest pink shade oh-so-slowly appeared. Even if the line was barely visible, I knew that was it. I started crying as the second line slowly became clearer and clearer. I am pregnant after all! Praise God! With trembling hands, I took a second test to be sure, and just like with the first test, the second line showed up much later than the first. It didn't matter, my head was already high up in the clouds. I looked at my tummy and said "I love you" to my baby for the first time.

Waiting for Abet to come home was the hard part of the day. To keep myself busy, I made his favorite food, baked mac (which wasn't really baked because we don't own an oven yet) to celebrate. As soon as he arrived, I sat him down on the sofa and handed him the pregnancy tests. His face when he figured it out was just priceless. Absolutely priceless. I'll never forget my husband's reaction when he found out that he was going to be a father. We hugged and cried, and it was Abet's turn to say "I love you" to our baby for the first time.

It's been two months since that beautiful day, and Abet and I are still smiling. I know Peanut will give us a gazillion more reasons to smile in the months and years to come.

*image from here

The one with the baby announcement

We're thrilled to announce that our little family of two is now going to have a new addition! We're going to have a baby! Abet and I are completely over the moon.

I am 13 weeks and 1 day pregnant as of today. We have known since mid-July, but we decided to wait until after the first trimester to make any announcements, when the risk of a miscarriage has significantly gone down. We even waited until we heard the heartbeat to tell most of our closest friends.

Abet and I are extremely grateful that we were granted this prayer sooner than later. I got pregnant after just one attempt! (May I take this moment to ask you to give my husband, the sharpshooter, a round of applause?) Of course, it wasn't without lots of fervent prayers and the help of an online ovulation tracker. I stopped taking birth control in April (I'm pro-RH Bill, can you tell?), but Abet was away for summer camp when I was supposed to be good to go in May. We tried on our June schedule, and BAM! Baby Mesa on the way! 

Our family and close friends were surprised when we told them the news since Abet and I were pretty vocal that we didn't want to have kids for at least until a year or two after we got married, but we just felt the desire to start a family sooner than we planned. We were telling ourselves more and more often, "Gawa na tayo baby." (No, that's not a code for "let's have sex.") We talked about it many times until we decided to go for it. I'll write about our reasons one of these days. 

We have been calling the baby 'Peanut' since we found out I was pregnant at 2 weeks (which, obstetrically speaking, is 4 weeks--confusing, I know) because that day, I couldn't stop eating peanut butter and Nagaraya. We'll stick to Peanut until we find out what the sex of the baby is.

This is probably the most exciting time in my life so far. I am enjoying every minute of it, which isn't very hard to do because my husband, my family, and my in-laws are all making sure that I am happy and well-taken care of.

I'm going to be a mommy. Abet is going to be a daddy. It's still so surreal, I'll fully believe it when I already have a bouncing baby in my arms. For now, I'll savor every moment of my pregnancy and keep praying that everything goes well.

Oh, Peanut! You're still in my tummy and only as big as a lemon right now, but you've already brought us so much joy. We can't wait to meet you, love!

*image from here