Announcing the birth of my baby boy

This is rather late but I just wanted to share the joy of the mommy in me!

(Insert lots of smileys in here)

J J J J J

KALE ANDREI

Born on the evening of 14 January 2010 at 8:48 PM, San Fernandino Hospital.

He came out through Normal Spontaneous Delivery.

He was big at 7.04 pounds (3.2 Kgs) and an Apgar Rating of 9/10.

He is amazingly beautiful and cries so loud in the nursery.

That time, I wonder if it’s normally like that for newborns. (Just a worrier here)

Anyways, I love and miss him soooooo much!

He or She?

This is already long overdue but I thought sharing something that made me & hubby happy will also make you smile somehow.

This was taken during my 3^rd visit (12 July) to my ob-gyne. Our baby on his/her 3^rd month (12 weeks)!

The moment for me was very surreal. My doctor even laughed at me when she saw me teary-eyed while viewing the scan. Kaloka di ba? I just can’t help it.

I’m a proud Mama!!!!

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Last 6^th of August, I had my 4^th visit because I wasn’t feeling well. Me and hubby are so worried because I am feeling some small contractions on my belly, which at first I thought, was normal. There was no pain.

Anyways, the doctor said that I don’t have to worry that much as long as I don’t have any bleeding or spotting and/or not feeling any pain. We had a short session of scanning the baby again to check for vital signs like heartbeat and fetal size whatever. She was also trying to verify the baby’s gender but she’s only 80% sure that my baby is a boy!!!!

Well, 80% is a lot already and I’m so happy and excited for a baby boy but hubby is still a bit hopeful that our baby is a girl. He’s got this mind-set already as he is, most of the time, unaware that he calls our baby on its girl name.

You see, we’ve thought already of a name for a baby girl (like 2 months before pa) but still can’t decide a name for a baby boy. Until now.

Sweet & nostalgic

Sheesh!!!! I’ve been away for too long. But that doesn’t mean I forgot about blogging. The mood isn’t just kicking in.

I’ve been doing blog-hopping, though. Hehehe. Just to keep up with what’s happening around the blogosphere.

Lately, I am getting so addicted with one of the blogs in PEP.ph particularly Korek Ka John by John Lapus a.k.a. Sweet. Try reading his or HER entries and you’ll find yourself laughing and learning at the same time kasi may sense naman. I am currently back-reading all his entries since I want to know more about him and I am truly enjoying it. Parang stand-up comedy na rin in the form of blog. Although sometimes may mga kadramahan din, mas maraming funny entries. Grabe talaga kasi there are times na di ko talaga kinakaya. I just don’t know if you’ll feel the same way kasi mababaw lang ako when it comes to comedy. I find it therapeutic kaya siguro I got inspired to update naman my blog. Hahaha! After 48 years of katamaran!

In a way, his blog heals my homesickness na rin.

Swey & Sir Dhan

It reminds of my gay friends/former officemates especially Sir Dhan and Swey. I miss our posing sa mga pictures at mga rampa-rampa whenever we have events coming out in the resort/hotel/golf club. Funny moments din when we have beach outings na pabonggahan sa pagmodel sa beach or on our videoke gimiks na pabonggahan naman sa biritan. They have extra-ordinary singing talents kasi. I would surely visit them on my vacay by the end of the year. Hopefully!

with my sisters Leslie & Lassiel

It also reminds me of my Jollibee experiences especially when I was still in Pinas since super dami ng kwento ni Sweet about his connection sa Jollibee. Way back home, my little sisters would always text me on my way pauwi (after office) to order some take-outs in Jollibee near our place when they don’t like our dinner or when my Mom doesn’t feel like cooking for the night. On their text messages, they would always say, “Ate bili mo ko ng spag & chix sa Jollibee tonight. I’ll just pay later sa bahay.” But I never asked them to pay me since I was the one working naman and it’s my way of treating them in a small way. If I am in the mood and bagong sweldo naman, I would buy Jollibee meals for all of us sa bahay which includes my two Titas, my Mom, my two sisters and my cousin Pia.

When I buy so many meals like that, kandaugaga ako sa tricycle or sa padyak. I used to ride on tricycles nung una kasi mas mabilis. But there was this “bwiset” moment sa tricycle when I bought some meals from Jollibee. Since it’s very tiring holding up all the 3 Jollibee plastic bags plus my bag plus my wallet for the fare, I’ve put down the softdrinks next to my feet and the other bags on my lap. Habang gumagana ang trike, I heard some “thug!” noise but just ignored it since we were on the highway and I just wanted to be home the soonest time possible. It was just a 3-minute ride. After paying kay Manong, I can’t find the softdrinks! That’s when I found out na walang harang sa baba yung trike! Nagshower tuloy ng free Coke ang highway. From the next day on, loyal “padyak” passenger na ko. Kahit mabagal, at least kita ko ang mga dala ko kung mag-disappearing act na naman.

Kaya ngayon, my sisters and Titas miss me so much that when I call them up they’ll say, “Ate miss ka na namin. Pati yung Jollibee treats mo namiss na rin namin.”

Minsan napapaisip ako, “Ako ba talaga o ang Jollibee?”

Happy Birthday Mama!

her latest pic

my last New Year with her, 01 Jan 2008

It’s my Mom’s birthday today so I called her up this morning to greet her. She just turned 49! Shocks! She’s nearing her golden age nah and I hope makauwi na ko soon.

You know how much I love you and how much I care for you. I can’t say in here how much you’ve done for me and for us in the family coz you’re not reading my blogs naman and knowing you, you appreciate more the actions than the words. Hehehe. But I soooo miss you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Baby Update

i want to thank God that by this time, my third month (Yay!),
the morning sickness is almost gone.
although i still can't have my stomach suuuuuper full.
i can only eat smaller meals but more frequently, according to my ob-gyne.

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i had my first "official" prenatal check-up last 20 June. i'm so lucky to have found a filipina ob-gyne here in UAE as it is much difficult dealing with doctors who are not "kabayan". during the check-up, i had my blood tests done and also an ultrasound scan.

for the second time, i saw my little angel with tiny legs and arms. the head was already showing too! i was super ecstatic. my little angel is already 9 weeks 5 days & already 3 centimeters in length (wow!), according to the scan. and my expected due date is on 22 January next year, plus/minus ten days. can't wait for you to come out little angel!

i was prescribed prenatal multivitamins, Duphaston (pampakapit) and Navidoxine, which i can take if i feel like throwing up again. in my mind, i have to gain as much weight as i can. i know it's a bit difficult since i'm still having "morning sickness".

next check-up will be next week!

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we also have to find a prenatal milk for me. Anmum!!!! i thought it's easy to look for this one. but hey, this is the Middle East and Philippines is like miles miles away. we can't find Anmum anywhere. some of the supermarkets that Hubby called almost everyday for like 3 weeks always have the same line of excuses.

"Dubai Customs blocked the Anmum shipment. Maybe we'll have them next week...blah blah blah...."

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Last night, after almost two months of searching, we found an alternative for Anmum which is called Daily Mill. Hubby found it in a pharmacy some two blocks away from our building. had the first taste before going to bed. i'm not the powdered-milk type of person but it was good enough naman. Chocolate flavor kase. =)

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i need to shop for a new wardrobe! i should have done the shopping last weekend but my laziness is on the highest level that day. i even rejected the idea of watching Transformers 3 that day.

anyways, my office pants won't fit me anymore!

would you believe? right now i am wearing my gray pinstriped pants for work and it's unbuttoned and unzipped!

sssshhhhh!!!!

i used a safety pin just to pull it together. anyways, my top is long enough for people not to take a peek of what the color of my undergarment is.

cenxa nah....all my leggings are up for laundry and i just forgot about them last weekend!

i'm setting this errand as high priority to-do after work. as in, seriously!

Hubby: The Jinx Master

Last night conversation with hubby:

hubby: Bakit nagdadownload ka na naman ng The Corrs? Di ba andami ng ganyan sa phone mo? (Why are you downloading songs of The Corrs again? So many of their songs are already on your phone, right?)

yummybite: ***no answer***

hubby: Sabi ko bakit yan na naman dinadownload mo? (I said, why are you still downloading them?)

yummybite: Eh di ba nasira last year yung phone ko kaya nabura lahat? (My phone crashed last year so the songs were deleted.)

hubby: Wag ka na lang kasi magdownload. Magkakavirus pa yung laptop eh. (Don't download anymore. Our laptop might caught some virus.)

yummybite: Namiss ko na sila eh. Basta! (Yiih! I miss them so much!)

hubby: Sa My Music natin meron namang The Corrs eh. (In the My Music folder, we have some of their songs.)

yummybite: Tatlo lang na kanta yata. (There are only three songs, I think.)

hubby: Pwede na yon. Mavavirus tayo nyan. Careless ka pa naman. (That's enough already. The virus will get into our computer with your carelessness.)

yummybite: Heh! Ang kulit mo naman eh. Di nga mavavirus. Kuleeettt!!!! (Stop pestering me! There will be no virus!)


then a pop-up window from the anti-virus software came up flashing infront of me with that disturbing "police-like" sound, saying:

"Malware Alert! Recommended Action: Repair blah blah blah...."


hubby: O ano? Kulit mo kasi eh.

yummybite: Oo nah. Quiet na ko. Jinx ka talaga.

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***currently listening to The Corrs' Only When I Sleep (which is one of my favoritest favorites!)

all-day sickness and more

Since that day I came to know that I’m “expecting”, I’ve been very neglectful of my blogging and plurking activities.

I’ve been missing a lot lately.

I have known from other pregnant women how difficult pregnancies could become. But I never ever really thought that it is THIS difficult. It surely needs a lot of sweating and crying and flushing.

In the onset of my 6^th week, I started feeling very uneasy in my stomach and some cold sweating EVERY morning. Medically, it is called “morning sickness”. On my part, it’s an all-day 24/7 sickness that can be triggered anytime, anywhere.

What causes my “all-day sickness” and vomiting spells:

1. Waking up in the morning or while taking a shower in the morning

2. After travelling or while travelling

3. The smell of anything being cooked

4. When feeling so tired

With the first one, it’s a real hardwork that every time, the task leaves me so weak to my bones, and tired (first thing in the morning!). I’ve tried sitting up first and eat some crackers before I leave the bed. I got this advice from a lot of pregnancy sites. Result: I don’t feel nauseated anymore but I still throw up the moment I go for the shower. And even if I my stomach is uber empty, I can’t help running to the nearest sink.

With regards to travelling, I thought that eating before or while travelling could help. I’ve also tried eating citrus fruits just to ease the queasy feeling. Result: It’s a hopeless case. The moment I reached my destination, I would run for the nearest toilet again or take out a plastic bag I always carry with me. Even at work, walang patawad (“no mercy”).

The third one is of course the most common among pregnant women. Like other moms-to-be, the smell of garlic cooking is very offensive. When I’m at home, since anything being cooked in the kitchen brings a pungent flavor around the house, I just usually stay in our room, lie down and cover my nose. Just to make sure I don’t smell anything. For me, anything being cooked is offensive on my ultra-sensitive nose. I don’t think there’s a cure on that but just to avoid it. This why I also don't cook lately. It's hubby's major responsibility now. Hehehe.

With the last one, I never knew it would be possible until last Saturday when me and hubby went to Sharjah City Centre. We arrived at the mall at 6.15pm and headed to Carrefour, the supermarket, for some stuffs. By 7pm, we were having our dinner at Pizza Hut, just because I was craving for pizza the other day. There is a mall-wide sale of up to 70% discount so we started strolling around the shops at past 8 o’clock, bought a pair of Nike for hubby and a blouse for me at Sun & Sands then started our way to the ground floor. We went to Splash for some super discounted clothes and goodies. I have found a dress, a pair of leggings and a nice comfy blouse. But when I saw the super looonnggg queue, I instantly felt tired and uneasy again. I was so sure I won’t be able to wait for my turn even if hubby could do it for me. From that very moment, I just wanted to go home and forego the opportunity of buying very nice and very cheap goodies. I was right anyway coz when we got home, the moment I changed my outfit to something more comfortable, I caught myself running to the nearest sink. Dinner wasted. It was very draining and “Eeewwww!”

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Pregnancy surely gives anyone a new experience. I am right now on my 8^th week (yippee!!!) and I just wanted to share some of my aversions and cravings.

Cravings? This is something very inconsistent to me. Today I like to eat mangoes, as in the Pinoy small green mangoes, with bagoong! Tomorrow might be a different craving. Some days I like balut or tukneneng or pancit palabok or malunggay with kalabasa leaves & flowers or KFC fries and chicken strips (Filipino version please). Or maybe I am just craving to be back home in the Philippines and enjoy more of Pinoy foodies. I miss home!

Aversions? I used to like porkchop A LOT! And now, I don’t even like the smell or the sight of it. Weird? But this one is the “weirdest” as my friend P calls it. I’m having an aversion to our laptop. I’m okay with my office PC or other people’s laptop. But when it comes to our own laptop, my blood boils. When I’m at home, I don’t like to turn it on or even see it lying on the table. When hubby uses it, I tell him to position it where I won’t be able to see the screen. And when hubby listens to songs, I ask him to shut it down or use the headphones instead.

It’s still normal right? LOL

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Nevertheless, me and hubby are always excited about our little baby. Most nights, hubby would have some baby talks with my tummy. I do that too! Even if I am not feeling okay most of the time, the joy and happiness brought by "him/her" is just exhilarating. I once told my friend P in an email that I so wanted to just scream out of joy.