7 days to go...

.. until my due date! but still, nobody knows when to stop counting...

my parents were given a tiny bit of hope though during our 39th week checkup this morning. why? because mom's finally 1cm dilated. woohoo! dr. bouchard even had a hard time during the IE to determine if she was, and looking at mom's frustrated expression, she just tried harder and wella, she's finally 1! she told mom that it's better and a lot promising than nothing (i don't know how mom would handle having 0 dilation for 3 consecutive weeks).

mom also gave their birthplan to the dr. and there was nothing unusual about it according to the dr. she actually wasn't surprised that mom had a strong desire to take not even one pain medication during labor and delivery. dad is actually not sure if mom can bear the pain knowing how low my mom's threshold for pain is. but he supports her not having an epidural 100%. but they also both agreed that if she suffers from a really really long labor and would have a hard time pushing at the end, they might request for one.

by the way, just a side story, they had the birthplan finalized after finally attending the lamaze childbirth class last saturday. they were really thankful that they attended since they were able to practice some of the relaxation and breathing techniques with a coach. mom got a little more scared after seeing the videos of real-life labor and delivery though, but still glad since they now know a lot about what to expect during the actual thing. the class was all worth it specially since they got it for free (compliments of st. alphonsus since the manager really felt sorry about the mix up then cancellation of their jul26 scheduled class. they even gave my parents a $50 gift certificate which they spent on some educational toys for me... yep, i'm collecting toys now).

anyway, back to my story... dr. bouchard explained to my parents that during their 40th wk checkup next wednesday, they will be planning about THE induction. it scared mom a bit since she's so paranoid about lots of things like me being distressed the longer i stay with her or me taking in some of my first poop or her amniotic fluid leaking out and not knowing about it or being in labor and not knowing about it or about the horror stories that she's heard about induction leading towards a possible c-section, etc etc. yeah, she's paranoid about everything since she doesn't see me. so they're really praying that i come out sooner, naturally. will you please help them pray?

dad's still begging me to come out too, a lot of times everyday! he even has made up some chants telling me to come out already. he told me once that he wants me out to finally hold and take care of me coz he's a bit envious of mom feeling me and being with me all the time during the entire pregnancy. dad's so sweet!

dad and mom, patience is a virtue. i will come out when our Creator gives me the go signal, ok? meanwhile, continue doing a good job walking everyday. i love you both!

counting the days...

mom started counting the days since i turned 37 wks.. now, i am on my 38th and yes, i still am inside mummy's tummy :) i know she's really itching to give birth. even dad is begging me to come out already, haha.

during our 38th week checkup on tuesday, nothing has changed. mom is still 50% effaced and yes, she's not dilated still. again, the doctor said that the dilation should not be a basis on when i would come out. well at least i'm engaged contrary to what others say that i'm still floating based on how my mom's tummy is presenting (she's just short according to dr. bouchard, haha). everything's still great though and the doctor estimated my current weight to be between 6.5-7lbs.

for the birth preps, since my parents aren't sure if they'd still make it to the childbirth prep class scheduled on saturday, they tried to practice the breathing techniques based on the book for the class. but i doubt that they learned what they're supposed to learn because when dad was trying to coach mom, all i heard were weird breathing and lots of giggles from both of them. i hope they'd still be able to laugh like that during the actual labor.

anyway, we'll see if next week will be "the" week. mom's hoping that this would be the last week when everyone at work would ask her when she's finally giving birth. so, we'll see.

hang on in there mom and dad, i will just surprise you when i'm ready.

anytime now...

i am now 37 weeks old and considered full-term, which means that anytime now,i can come out, yey! but still, i'm gonna keep my birth day a secret.

some updates...

... my parents finally attended the baptism class at church last saturday. they will have me baptized on sep 28 (christening is done only on the 4th sunday of the month at OLR). so they filled up the form already and i will have ninong ruprup and ninang leng as my official godparents (my unofficial godparents were not informed yet since our parish requires only 1 pair). hence, the search for baptism favors started. my lola mami and lolo dadi are assigned to this task actually (they have searched and showed mom 2 items already but mom didn't like them, hehe). so mom surfed the net so that my lolo and lola will have an idea of what to buy. but with mom's requirements, she might end up buying from here. hehe. search for a reception venue will be next on my parents' agenda.

... yesterday morning, mom got a bit scared when she was woken up by a bad tummy ache while i was moving. she tried to sleep it off but it's still there. she thought she's in labor and woke dad up to help her up. bt as soon as she stood up, it was gone. now we all wonder what it was. but dr. bouchard said, we should like pain at this point in time since she wants mom's uterus to be exrecising in prep for labor.

... finally, dad was able to find a car seat inspector yesterday! so my seat is now snug and tight. secured and ticked off from mom's checklist! alright!

... today during our weekly checkup, aside from the usual routine that the dr. does, she also checked mom's cervix for dilation and effacement. mom was hoping she was already at least 1cm dilated, but nah, she's not. as in zero! but the cervix has shortened and softened already, so it's still a good start. also, dr. bouchard made an estimated guess (based on palpation?) that i probably am around 7 lbs already. now, mom's praying that i won't get too big during the remaining weeks so as not to fit through her pelvic opening.

anyway, mom's getting a little bit pressured, nervous and and anxious. she has been receiving a number of good news that her batchmates are giving birth. tita abby was one of them (praying that they had a smooth and safe labor and delivery and that they're doing great). anyway, she really is due i think about a week or two ahead of mom. the other one is tita michelle who's not due til sep 13. but her water bag broke yesterday and we're all praying that baby cassidy and mom are doing fine. we couldn't visit them at the hospital today since dad is down with a flu and probably a viral infection. this is one reason why i shouldn't come out today or this week since dad is still sick.

so when, oh when?... you'll find out soon. so just be religious with your walking sessions with dad, mom

almost ready?

am i ready on my 36th week, the start of the 9th month? well, all i can say is, among the 3 of us, only dad and mom are... well, almost.

from my mom's list, everything is already done except for their childbirth class (which was recently scheduled to aug 23, yeah a month later. and i may or may not be out by then, so it could help, or not. ugh!), the carseat inspection (turns out that dad needed to go to another fire station where most of the carseat inspectors are assigned), and just those that she needed to do (like call matrix and the work personnel) on my birth day.

so just to review... shopping? check! wash and clean everything? check! (well, of course they will continually clean the house). pack postpartum and labor bags? check! (and ready to be grabbed when the right time comes). attend newborn and breastfeeding classes? check! (oh, you can check out the pictures here and videos here and here). do other stuff online? check! (matrix e-filing and preregister at the hospital). nursery ready? check! (it's so pretty and just waiting for me -- but i'm pretty sure that i won't be sleeping there for the first few months). mom and dad also started walking every night within our subdivision, so i'd say item #14 is in progress. see? almost everything's ready!

how about me? from mom's checkup yesterday, i probably have descended (but not so much i guess), since mom's measurement is only a week advanced now. and dr. bouchard said that it didn't mean that i didn't grow as expected, but that i probably have dropped a bit. well, mom's been suffering from significant and really noticeable pains down there since last week so i must have been putting a lot of pressure there. it had been hard for her to walk, climb up and down the stairs, to stand-up, to change positions while sleeping (torture is how she described it), to get up and down from the car (she even stopped driving now). the dr. also has done group B strep test on mom yesterday. then next week, on my 37th, she will be checking her cervix for any signs of effacement and dilation. wow, i still can't believe that i am almost there! :)

so, a few more weeks mom and dad, just a few more! i'm as excited as you are!