We found out the baby's gender during a full-body scan. It was quite an experience to see a fully-formed little baby girl moving around inside my belly.
The doctor also said that I have partial placenta previa. This means that the baby's placenta is lying low in my uterus and partially covering my cervix. The placenta is supposed to move up as the uterus and baby grows so that the baby has a clear passage for delivery. The doctor said usually the placenta will move up as the baby and uterus grows. The doctor will keep monitoring it in the next 10 weeks to see position of the placenta. In many cases, the placenta does move and the mother is able to have a normal delivery. It's nothing to panic about, reassured both doctors.
I am not worried about it. I still have 10 more weeks to go as far as seeing if I can deliver this baby girl without having a C-section.
For our dear family and friends who love games, we're inviting our blog reading family members and friends to play a little game with us.
As you may know, our next ultrasound appointment is scheduled for August 24th. It's the one when we find out the baby's gender.
We want you all to guess the gender by leaving a written comment only on our Macross Kitty blog. Do not post your predictions on our Facebook Wall or Myspace comments. Whosoever guesses correctly will receive a little prize from us.
If you live far away from us, we'll mail the prize to your mailbox.
You have a 50% chance of guessing our baby's gender correctly, so there's no harm in trying to play along.
Not too much going on except that I can feel the baby moving a tiny bit more and that I did gain another 2 pounds. Those pre-pregnancy jeans just need to be laid to rest for now. Erwil took me to Old Navy and I grabbed 1 new pair of casual maternity jeans and 1 new pair of maternity black slacks for work. I also have other dresses from Forever 21 good for the 2nd trimester and post-pregnancy. All of my new clothes have to be brought for alterations for hemming. I don't mind hovering around the house in basketball shorts and Erwil's t-shirts. It's just uncomfortable wearing clingy clothing.
I can feel my shoes tightening around my feet. I actually broke the straps on my favorite leather slippers. Erwil offered to crazy glue them, but I think these slippers will just burst open again even after Mr. Cobbler's shoe repairs. If you notice, all I do now is wear my cheap Old Navy navy blue rubber slippers. Even if it doesn't match with the wardrobe. I don't care! Comfort matters more to me than style.
Because of all the foods high in citrus that I've been eating, I've been having a lot of dry skin buildup around the mouth and jaw area. I have to exfoliate and moisturize to keep the face looking clean. It's just a common skin reaction you get from eating a lot of acidic fruits and vegetables. So I went to Sephora and bought Boscia's skincare line of preservative-free cleanser, moisturizer and mask. Yes, I switched from Shiseido White Lucent Line to Boscia because it's sulfate free and very gentle. I'm really happy with the switch.
As far as resting, I am no longer a stomach sleeper and I'm such a light sleeper. I am also trying my best to sit-stand-sit-stand during the day and put up my feet whenever I can do it to avoid varicose veins. I did find a few icky vein marks on my thighs and calves. This too is normal in a pregnancy and it fades out after awhile. What's alarming is that I also saw a bruise (the size of a half-dollar coin) on the side of my knee. I have no idea how it got there. It's been purple for days. It must be because I was sleeping on my side in fetal position without using a pillow between my knees. The trick is to try to keep the feet elevated and to mindfully change sleeping positions often. So it's hard to get an uninterrupted amount of sleep. If that's the case now, can you imagine how I'll be once I'm in my 3rd trimester?
Even though we don't know the baby's gender, Erwil and I have been checking out baby cribs at stores and online. We're reading all the Consumer Report articles, recalls, and customer reviews on cost, safety, and durability. We haven't found one crib we liked, so we're continuing the search. We've also been checking out the different baby strollers. Some strollers are really over-the-top luxurious and some are really craptastic. I think I found the brand and type of one traveler system that I like for its good safety and customer reviews, but can't decide on what color to get until we know if the baby is a boy or a girl. There's just so much baby gear out there to clutter our house. We're just going to narrow things down to the essentials.
I'm feeling a lot more energetic now that I'm in my 17th week of pregnancy (that's about 4 1/2 months of baby's gestational period). We're almost half-way through!
This past weekend was eventful. I helped out with the FAYAC Conference at Filipino Community Presbyterian Church in Eagle Rock. The conference began on Thursday evening and ended on Sunday afternoon. I was pretty busy with helping the rest of the leaders (Aira, Kristine, Dan, Lynneth, Alex and Mike). There was plenty of things that I learned from this conference, so I'll have to spill more details about what I got from it it in another blog. Our days started as early as 7am and it didn't end until past 11pm. I'm just thankful that I was able to have enough energy to carry on through the day.
On Saturday evening I came home to find that the Untalan siblings were having dinner at our house. Ate Willen, Lauren, Sean and Cameron drove from Seattle to Los Angeles for summer vacation. They actually arrived last Wednesday, but we didn't get a chance to tag base with them until this weekend. Kuya Wil, Ate Maribel, Kalyssa and Kyla also came to our house. It was definitely a packed house! We ate, played Wii Sports and Rock Band. We even got a chance to play Catchphrase against each other. It was hillarious and pretty competitive!
On Monday afternoon, I planned a last-minute Manhattan Beach outing with Hannah, Jeremae and Joyce. I picked up Joyce, then Jeremae and Hannah. The day was beautiful. We walked all the way to the end of the pier and visited the Manhattan Beach Aquarium Museum, which only takes donations from visitors. We browsed through the clothing stores and had a real legit Italian dinner at Mama D's. I love going to Mama D's and I'm glad I was able to introduce it to the girls. We had fun just talking and catching up on life, non-CPYF business related. It was quite a gabbing session with the girls. (Photo courtesy: Hannah Bernabe)
So how am I feeling at 17 weeks? I feel great so far. I still haven't gained any weight. In fact I dropped at least 3 pounds. I'm still the same weight since I got pregnant. Of course, when I started this pregnancy I was already overweight. I guess it's because I am eating more nutritious foods and gave up Starbucks drinks, sodas and a lot of the junk food. Could it be that I'm losing and the baby is slowly gaining it back for me?
I did feel an indescribable movement in my lower stomach. This sensation is something that I've never felt, so I slightly jumped from my seated position during the FAYAC conference (while I was leading my small group discussion). I think I felt the baby moving. It usually occurs more when I'm sitting or laying down in a sedentary position for a longer period of time.
We wanted to greet Nate and Nicole a happy 1st wedding anniversary! Nate and Nicole are our dear friends who got married on August 9, 2008. So many great things have happened to them in their first year of marriage.
We've known Nate for a long time. He grew up going to Caroldale Elementary, Stephen White and Carson High. We had so much fun growing up together--especially during the high school years. It wasn't a surprise that we would have so much fun at their wedding last year. Erwil and Nate share so much in common, including their long discussions about movies and sports (especially Carson High Football), love for science fiction and collecting action figures.
I always get a good laugh hearing about how Nate first met Nicole. You should hear her talk about how they first started out as a couple. They're perfect for each other!
We were so happy to hear Nate and Nicole officially announce their pregnancy around early December of last year. There's no better news than to hear how excited and happy your friends are for their blessings. Thankfully, Nate and Nicole had a baby shower in Carson, so we didn't miss out on their celebration.
And now they are not only married, but married with child. Nate and Nicole welcomed their daughter, Addison on May 15, 2009. Here she is now at 12 weeks old:
We can't wait for the Rubin family to visit us down here in Los Angeles this coming October. We want to meet Baby Addison!
The heat is ON! I don't need a calendar to remind me that it's August. If it wasn't for centralized AC, I would become parched inside this house at a temperature of 85 degrees. (That's equivalent to 125 degrees to a pregnant lady!)
Last week Jenny K. and I went to an aqua fitness class together at the nearby gym. We both used to go to different work out classes together, one of our favorites being Turbo Kick Boxing. This time she was nice enough to join me for an aqua fitness session and we both agree that the 1 hour class was deceitfully easy. The workouts are low impact, so we didn't have to worry about injury or pain to our knees and ankles. We felt it was a good workout for cardiovascular; all the major muscles were put to work since our bodies were able to defy whatever obstacles that gravity restricted us from doing in an out-of-water exercise. Best of all, since we were in the water we didn't experience that sweaty, overheated feeling that you get from running and jumping around. I told Erwil that this is an exercise that I can actually add to my pregnancy workout regimen. The workout did make Jenny and me have a ravenous appetite afterward. It was fun! I thought that my single girlfriends would not be interested in hanging out with a boring, pregnant wife...but I was wrong!
Here's the most recent photo of Jenny and her boyfriend. Isn't she pretty?
Since I've moved to Buena Park, I finally found a nail salon right by Target that I really enjoy. It's not like I go get pedicures very often either. I figure I'm done with the risky 1st trimester, why not get a pedicure and my eyebrows done? The sweet woman who helped me said, "I knew from the moment you walked into the shop, you are probably 2 months pregnant." So that's a sign that my pregnant belly is looking more obvious to people. It's also very obvious that I don't have the post-marital muffin top waistline like I used to. The muffin top torso is now just two parallel lines.
The baby is now 16 weeks of gestational age. Behold, things really do change when you are pregnant! This includes experiencing headaches, which the doctor told me is normal and due to hormonal changes. I've never been the type of person to get any migraines and headaches even if it is discomforting. I think I can count on my hands how many times I've had a headache, and it didn't take a very long time before the ache subsided. I'm not the type to wash down tablets of acetaminophen or ibuprofen for aches. Usually I would just guzzle more refreshing water and lie down somewhere quiet. It works for me!
Since I have this summer break, I wake up and fall asleep to a badgering sense to get rid of my old belongings and hang newer photos up. I'm now 32 years old, and many things that once did and things that I cherished just aren't as important to me anymore. The large packrat in me died ever since I saw that positive pregnancy test.
Erwil and I went to Ikea this weekend to buy a new bookcase so that my books can have a decent home. I love to read and find inspiration from what I read. I'm quite sure that I have plenty of my secondary favorite books still floating around in other friends' homes but I don't have the need to ask for them back. I feel excited to see the progressive changes being made in our living space. This is not just a physical change but an attitude adjustment for us. We're sharing space, thus making us share habits. I have no complaints though, but rather satisfied with thankfulness.
I have to admit that between the two of us, Erwil is really good in keeping our house really well-ordered among other qualities that I admire about him. I am starting to become more like him in finding a routine to tidy up and simplify my life. I feel so blessed that things are coming along without little marital annoyances between the two of us. I don't feel I ever have to transform into a dog, barking orders at Erwil. And when I'm wrong, he's so gentle in guiding me that I don't ever feel the need to electrocute him back with a disgusting tongue. Lord help me, when I do fail!
We help each other out and we do our best to help those we care about. Much of the anxiety and suffering that we and our loved ones live under draws us nearer to God in prayer. I've been seeing Erwil reading his Bible at night. Sometimes he's inside the walk-in closet so that he won't disturb my sleep. Sometimes he's sitting on the couch. Sometimes he's in the office reading chapters in his red leather bound Bible. We're almost a year into our marriage and working on submitting our marriage to Jesus Christ. Submitting demands a strong love, the unselfish kind, the most obedient kind. With so much going on to distract and discourage us, it's really easy to slip and make God and His Word--the most important reason to live out our existence--the very last priority of our marriage and family. It's not easy to submit and love each other like this, but we need Him. Erwil and I realize that we don't have that luxury to slip away or take short cuts around God right now that we've been entrusted to bring up a child who has also been living with us (inside my belly) for the past 16 weeks.
We are Erwil and Liz. We've been married since August 2008 and we have a toddler girl and an infant son. Sometimes you just need to say what you need to say. Feel free to leave us your own thoughts!
(Photo courtesy: Monsters Inc Wallpaper by Disney Themes http://www.disneythemes.com/monsters_inc.htm)
