A month until Ashton's arrival

My baby is tipping the scales and I’m now able to tell whether it is a hand or an elbow pushing against my belly. Having to touch my belly and feel my baby’s movements is a playful and loving way for the two of us to get to know each other.

I'm getting anxious and I can't wait to meet my active little boy. I'm so ready for him to come out though, nights are getting increasingly uncomfortable. I can't believe I only have a few weeks left! I'm at the homestretch and I can't wait. It seems like I blew up overnight. I feel my son move all day and all night maybe he'll be a party boy! I'm just glad I'm healthy and I can't wait to meet him.

So many things running through my mind, talk about packing things for my hospital stay and trip home, I have to make sure to include a nursing gown, robe or PJ’s that open in the front; panties, warm socks, nursing bra; my toiletries, cream for sore nipples, sanitary pads, my baby clothes, blanky or onesies (lotsa lotsa receiving blankets), pajamas, mittens, baby cap to protect your head, feeding bottles, formula milk, newborn diapers, nappy (lots of them) diaper rush cream, salinase (for your booger hehehehe)

Just have to wash up all the clothing and then await the arrival of Neil Ashton
If family and friends come to visit me in the hospital, lil make up or lipstick and a quick hair fix for the photos they’ll want to take…
For the trip home, need to pack a comfortable and loose-fitting outfit for me, and hat for baby . A particularly photo-worthy outfit for us. Wait!!! we don’t have a worthy camera.

False Alarm!!!

Mama Fids rushed me to the hospital last November 17, 2006 because of the contractions that I felt that night. I was rushed to the ER and was brought to the delivery room…. As a matter of fact this little brat has tried to make an appearance already.. had to sit in the hospital, on bed rest for a few days at home…. They think that it was a bladder infection they are not sure…But the contractions have stopped so I can hope that he can wait for few more weeks to come so he is good and healthy.
i got really scared coz I don’t want you to come out yet.

Further test was given to me only to find out that I was just having pregnancy spasms.

Trimesters and You're Out!

I'm officially in my third trimester! I can't believe how the time has flown! Few more weeks (give or take) and my Neil will be in my arms. It's so exciting to think that my baby can hear and react to things going on around me and his eyes are now open. It somehow makes him so much more real to me.

I think I'm really going to miss being pregnant (since this will be my last pregnancy), though, and I'm already sad that this will be over in a few short months - it's such a unique and amazing experience even on my previous ones. Not to get all goopy and sentimental, (oh what the hell, I'll just blame it on the hormones!)but I really love having a baby inside me, especially right now when I'm still relatively comfortable, Neil is moving a lot, and he is still safe and secure in my belly. But a little human who is more-or-less constantly latched onto me is a whole other story full of midnight feedings, mountains of diapers, and a million things that can go wrong. I'm just so used to this pregnancy thing and I do know that I'm so much ready for the next phase!

Spreading the News!

I finally told everyone my friends,relatives and at work that I am having a boy. My boss took it really well and was very supportive, although she did immediately want to know how early I'd be taking off for maternity leave. I didn't know what to tell her - should I work as late in my pregnancy as I can, or take off a few weeks before to give me time to prepare? I showed a couple of my co-workers my ultrasound pictures from last week. Most of the others looked at the picture for a few minutes, scrunched up their faces, and turned the picture upside down and sideways trying to find a recognizable human feature. Oh well, it's my blurry blob and I love it!

My Bun's second ultrasound

My next ultrasound....tadaaaah!

Think I saw something . . . we'll see if I am right! IT WAS CONFIRMED!!! I AM HAVING A BOY…..We were all so ecstatic!!!

When I found out that I’m having a boy.... Suddenly felt “I’m suffering from a terrible case of (the wants) I feel the urge of buying cute lil things I see…. but heeeyyy wait up…. Life is so hard right now
I told myself that I have to tame the urge-to-baby shop-monster in me. It’s hard to know which baby gear items are really must-haves and which will turn out to be a waste of money…there’s so much stuff to buy, it makes my head spin! Good thing, we have our neices….lotsa hand me downs for you lil boy.

My doctor said everything looks good so far - my weight is normal, my urine tests came back fine, and the ultrasound looked perfect; he is definitely a squirmy worm! Every time I get a good test result back I breathe a sigh of relief. Even though I'm past my first trimester, there are so many things that can still go wrong; it's hard not to become paranoid sometimes.

Half Baked

My Bun is half baked! I'm halfway there and I can't believe how much I've grown in the last month. My belly button is starting to pop out –
It's odd, I feel like the time has flown so quickly, and yet, at the same time I feel like I've been pregnant forever. I love feeling my bun move more and more every day. I'm learning to tell the difference between baby's squirming and my stomach's rumbling. My belly is starting to itch like crazy and a couple people have told me that I've got that "pregnant glow." I can't see anything difference in my face, but who knows - maybe it's just because I'm happy for having a new baby in my life!

Norman and I have been discussing names for the baby. It seems like we have a new short list every week, but there are a few that keep popping up. Norman swears it's a boy and wants to name him Narciso Apollo (from their lolo’s names). What do you think of Narciso? Apollo? Neil? (from Norman Neil), Nash? Aiden? NEIL ASHTON (my crush, Ashton Kutcher) It's different…but sort of growing on me. I'm still haunted by my dream that Bun is a girl, so it's hard for me to think seriously of boys names; but I've always loved Sean, Nathan or Ashton. I can’t wait to find out the sex at my first ultrasound. The suspense is already killing me and I can't imagine going the next 23 weeks without knowing!

My Bun's first picture

Baby! The ultrasound I had proved that I am definitely carrying a little human, complete with hands, arms, head, legs and feet.

We had our first ultrasound! That definitely helped to perk me up and made me feel a lot better. Although it was a little hard to make out anything at first(that blurry blob is my baby?). We also heard the heartbeat for the first time. I can’t even describe what it was like to hear it beating away – it’s so fast! I was laughing and crying all at the same time. Bun’s measurements look great, the heartbeat was strong at 168, and all my hormone levels look good. It’s such a relief to have the first big checkup over and nothing out of the ordinary to report…another hurdle cleared!

Bonds of Motherhood

I think I felt Bun move! I'm not totally sure, but it wasn't quite the same as indigestion or gas or anything else I can think of. It was just…a little tickle; I guess that's how I'd describe it. I felt it a couple times, that's all. I was so excited.

I told my pregnant colleagues about all the worries; things I went through when I was pregnant with Alec and Ashley – I felt sick as a dog whenever I remember their falls - and advice for raising a child. It was so reassuring to find out that other moms felt the same anxieties as I've felt, and that they made a ton of mistakes with their first newborn.

I even told them that story when Ashley was a baby, I placed her in her walker while i was preparing breakfast, just for a second while I grabbed a box off the top shelf. I suddenly heard her cry and turned around to find that she had disappeared into thin air.

I nearly had a heart attack when I realized that she scooted down the stairs and had fallen off onto the floor. Angel saved her. She was fine, just scared, but I felt like the world's worst mother and cried for days after. I suppose that's- mom's rookie mistakes and accidents. This story is not i'm very proud sharing with other people...but it also serves as precautions to all moms or yaya's out there.

Sweet Dreams

I could barely keep my eyes open. And I spent hours the day after going over the work I'd done, catching a million mistakes made in my sleepy daze. How am I going to maintain this pace for the next several months? I'm starting to reconsider my goal of working until I go into labor or my doctor tells me to stop.

But I know I'll go insane if I sit around the house, waiting for this baby to be born. Talk about a watched pot never boiling! Those were the things I hate during my pregnancies with Alec and Ashley….such a big bum

I don't know if it's the sleep deprivation or hormones, but I have been having the most bizarre and vivid dreams every night. I don't usually remember my dreams after waking up, but the other night I had a dream that my Bun is a girl! Well, the dream started with that revelation, but quickly veered off course. I had just delivered her, and was so excited to see her face finally.

Speaking of my little Bun's sex, my first ultrasound is in a couple of weeks. (I'm dying to know if it’s a boy or not!!).

A Road Map to Motherhood

My rediscovered love of food has me worried about getting stretch marks. After three kids, my mama's stomach looks like a road map, so I've slathered my belly and back with virgin coconut oil or shea butter each night before bed - which I've heard may help prevent them. By the time I'm done, I feel like a basted chicken ready for the oven! While I was "basting" myself one evening, I noticed tons of green veins in my chest and breasts. Speaking of a road map, it looks like I've got a green one across during my first two pregnancies. I didn't think my breasts would start getting ready for the baby until much later. My breasts have definitely increased in size and weight significantly,(which I totally enjoy everytime I’m pregnant) and colostrum begin oozing from nipples.

This is your body's way of gearing up for breastfeeding. As my baby grows, hormones are released that trigger the change occurring in your breasts. You may also notice a significant change in your nipples - they usually grow larger and darker. Eeeewww!

I had no morning sickness even during my first two pregnancies. Being pregnant gives me the license to pig-out... I can't stop eating! If I don't eat I get hot-tempered or feel dizzy! Weird part is I have put on weight easily and Its really showing! When I gave birth to my first (Alec) they had to induce me due to the amount of amniotic fluid 2weeks early. I had an epidural when I was 3-4 cm and when I got to 5, even if it was taking awhile my doctor made it a normal delivery.

Even when i gave birth to Ashley (my 2nd) was like my body revolted, i just took a bath, carried my bag and asked my father-in-law to bring me to the hospital, when they checked me about an hour later I was fully dilated and baby Ashley was right there. I pushed 3 times and she was born. Had hope that delivery is that easy.

Need some SLEEEP…zzz!

Pregnancy for me is really just a nine-month training camp for the mom like me to learn to survive with no sleep, or atleast to function while perpetually exhausted. i should know...my third baby!!!

My first trimester, I was tired regardless of how much sleep I got, then when I finally started feeling better, I had to make hourly trips to the bathroom all night and suffer through wicked heartburn. And I just cannot seem to get comfortable!

Exhaustion Sets In

Oh...My....I'm so tired. I feel like I've been hit by a ton of bricks. I can barely pull myself out of bed in the morning and I stagger through the days as if I've been drugged. I took a long nap last Saturday.
SEX is a thing of the past, and exercise is completely out of the question. All I want to do is sleep. My entire focus each day has become finding a time and place when I can grab a few winks.

Sweet tooth? Cravings?

I have been overtaken by my first obsessive pregnancy craving: milk & fresh melon or avocado with milk (sounds weird?, gross?) & Berry-filled donuts. I bought it from the mall each afternoon i drop by my way home.

Such an expensive habit! I hate to admit it, but I've downed three a day the last few days and the craving shows no signs of abating. I could eat them all day. Unfortunately, there's a store conveniently located across the street from my office.


In fact, if I crane my neck, I can see the store from my building…there it sits, tempting me all day. I may have to keep working until I deliver, just to support my habit! Such an insatiable (and potentially budget-destroying) cravings?

Queen of the Porcelain throne

I love my husband, but sometimes I could just knock him off!hehehe! He's so focused on work he ignores the fact that I am horribly moody during my pregnancy, binging and craving for some strawberry filled donuts. I mean, it's sweet of him trying his best to be with me and bring me in the office, try to be home all the time, even after a long driving from Batangas where he was assigned that time.

Norman, not going home everyday make me gag. Ugh!, poor guy, he was just trying to provide for us. I'm such a two-headed monster those days; yelling one minute, and crying and apologizing the next! My poor hubby is really feeling the heat of driving me to work then needs to go long driving in Batangas….(aaaaargh)

And I feel so fat! Since I'm feeling so rotten, Unfortunately, I haven't heard of any equally useful suggestions for how I can surf my emotional tidal wave with more balance.

It's My Baby and I'll Cry if I want to...

I documented my belly's expansion with this journal. It's not like I even look pregnant - I still look like the normal me =) I've just gained a few pounds and have a gut! But for some reason, it hit me that I'm growing a little person in me, and I don't just have a particularly nasty case of flu. Anyway, I just burst into tears.....happy =) tears, but tears nonetheless. It's hard to see changes on a daily basis, but t'was noticeable week-to-week!

I came up with a system for catching a little nap during lunch at the office. I reserved a conference room, closed the door, pulled the blinds and am not to be disturbed under any circumstances and slipped into oblivion. Maybe a little gross...but I was desperate.

A Body at Work

I can't concentrate on work at all. I have officially bestowed the name "Bun" upon my little tenant - it's easier than stumbling around and calling the poor thing "it" or "he or she" all the time. I keep trying to picture what he or she looks like: imagining it growing day by day. (see what I mean with the it/he/she thing?)

I spent half the day looking at pictures of 8-week-old fetuses on the Internet. It's so hard to imagine that something so small is inside me....well, except for all the unpleasant side effects that are constant reminder something huge is going on.

I haven't told my boss that I'm pregnant, but I'm not sure how much longer I can hide all this from her. Between my gray face, periodic sprints to the bathroom, and nearly falling asleep in front of my computer, I think she'll start to suspect something soon. =(

Oh Baby!

I'm so excited and happy? I can't believe I'm going to be a mom again! Oh my God, I'm still shaking.

I just took two home pregnancy tests and they're both positive. In the few minutes I had to wait for the results, a million thoughts raced through my head:

What if I am pregnant?
Am I ready for this?

I don't think i really realized how much I never wanted a baby this time, (not yet, not now) until I saw the test was positive. My heart sank when I immeditely see two lines. But, of course, a couple of minutes later, there they were, my first thought was " I can't wait to tell my hubby, Norman and his family (Yikes!)

I remember last weekend and I could barely zip up my favorite sexy jeans. I didn't think I'd gained any weight. I've been exercising normally, going to the gym and haven't had any really bad junk-food binges lately. It was about time of the month, so I figured I was just unusually bloated. It was evidently quite noticeable, as a couple of my closest (and most brutally honest) friends actually commented on it. THANKS LADIES!

But then when all my usual PMS symptoms produced no period - and I'm never late - I put two and two together and decided to take pregnancy test. And the rest is, well, HISTORY!

We did it again! NORMAN! I'm so excited!!! Well, a lil nervous too, to tell you the truth. This little baby growing inside of me is going to bring about big changes to my body, my emotions, my life. This going to be my 3rd pregnancy. I have two amazing daughters.

My friends told me that I could possibly be having another girl. I'm just going to wait and see, while continuing to pray for a boy. I will love this baby regardless, but I really hope it's a BOY.