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!

35 more days to go!

... or less... i am now 35 weeks and will be a full-term baby in two weeks :) so, i will just do yet another list of what my parents do in preparation for my coming.

1. classes, classes! my parents' childbirth class was cancelled last saturday. it will be moved to either a three 3-hr session from the 6th to the 8th or a whole day class on the 9th. both are conflicting for my folks since they have the breastfeeding class on the 6th and will be attending the baptism seminar on the 9th. bummer! they have the newborn care and parenting class on the 2nd though (weirdly though, they'll have that class before the childbirth one)

2. my clothes are all sorted (according to size -- yeah, i've got some gifts that i can only wear when i'm a bit bigger). and those that i can use now (and 3-6month sized clothes) have been washed! dad did not enjoy folding my clothes though since they're very tiny for his big hands. he said that they folded theirs a lot faster than mine. haha. oh, and he still mixes up receiving blankets/swaddlers with my towels. well, eventually he'll know which one is which.

3. the hospital bag is almost packed. they add little things every night to it and mom has already made a list on what to add further on the last minute (things that they are still using now like laptop, cellphone chargers, etc). they'll fill up the labor bag soon (as if there's more to pack in the labor bag -- they'll actually just use it for all the freebies at the hospital, heehee).

4. they started shopping for more essentials last weekend. and despite all those that we have received, mom was surprised to still have a long list of things to buy. fortunately, target gave us a 10% coupon on all registry items not purchased. so mom added more stuff in the registry just to be able to use the discount. shopping continues next weekend. and then they will start to sanitize all my things once they complete the list.

5. mom has already filed for her family and medical leave of absence at work and has been approved for 8 weeks. yahoo! she'll just have to file for the short-term disability thingie from matrix so she still gets paid (even if it's just 2/3 of her salary) for 4wks.

6. dad will have the carseat installed (finally!) and inspected at the fire station by friday.


there are still more items to cross out!

finally!

and the 100g OGTT is finally done! yey for mom! she actually tried a lot of things just to get through it successfully. the night before monday, they even woke up at 11:30pm just to have a sandwich thinking that it could probably help. monday came and just a while after she drank that dreaded bottle again (yep, that sweet carbonated drink used for the OGTT), she felt nauseous and would like to vomit. so the staff made her lie down for the rest of the test. dad was with her all the time, trying to make her relax and cheer her up at the same time (she was really pale according to dad). three blood draws and almost 4 hours after, the test was done!

and what's the result?... *drumroll pls*... she passed! thanks for all the prayers! ;) the np said that her glucose level is good. yey! but just the same, she's watching her diet more carefully now. the failing OGCT result was a wake-up call for mom. from now on, she won't be able to sneak through dad's strict diet rules. haha

in other news, dad and mom finally had their prenatal hospital tour at st. alphonsus last night. st. alphonsus family maternity center's amenities are really great! they have labor-delivery rooms that even have double beds in. the family suites for post-op are hotel-like and very roomy. they have a jacuzzi, birthing balls and whatever's needed during labor. they give moms a free 30-min massage after birth and celebration dinners for the parents when the baby arrives. lactation consultants do rounds on each room. they have warm and welcoming staff. thier family waiting rooms are really big and cozy. the atmosphere inside is very laboring-mom-friendly (it doesn't even look like a hospital inside). and they encourage natural births and breastfeeding. plus they offer lots of classes from pregnancy to childbirth to child care. galeng! the tour just made my parents all the more excited.

oh and my nursery is really getting pretty by the day. just last saturday, dad has finally succeeded over mom in putting up my crib. so yes, my nest is already standing high up in my nursery. they also got the swing that tito joemar and tita amy gave me inside the room (so yep, i now have 2 swings). then dad bought the glider that he saw in k-mart (on sale!) that matches the hues in my room. it's now sitting in my room of course and both my parents have tried sitting and gliding on it. it made them sleepy, haha. mom has also finished painting the wooden letters that they'll hang on one side of the wall. mommy's proud of what she's accomplished so far for the nursery (yap, that's it!). she'll just have to tie the pretty ribbons on it and finalize where to hang them exactly.

so there, that's all the good news that i have! :)