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Monday 10 November 2008

37 weeks and counting


as of today, i have been officially off from work for three weeks now and officially full term with my pregnancy. i could give birth anytime soon (i doubt it though. haven't felt any signs yet) or i could still be pregnant in the next 4 weeks which i hope not. i'm hoping this baby is not a latecomer. what did i do in the last three weeks? well, for one, i have finished my christmas shopping and gift wrapped them before the end of november (a first for me). i also have washed, ironed and folded all the baby clothes that we bought, received as gifts and the hand-me-downs as well from friends' babies. i've even arranged them already in her closet and drawers. it's amazing how they all add up to think we only bought the very few basics like a newborn set (consisting of a cardigan,sleepsuit,hat and booties) and about 6 sleepsuits or all in ones. after i put them all together, they were like one whole wardrobe already and she's not even born yet.
i also have packed my hospital bag. i didn't realize it was going to be a daunting task. i had a list to follow given by the midwife alright, but it didn't seem practical because after i have put them all together in a bag that will accomodate them all, it looked like i was going on a 2 week holiday. so i sorted the list and packed just the very essential ones. after all, we only live 10 minutes drive from the hospital. hubby can always come and get something that we haven't got very easily.
i can't say that i haven't felt a tinge of boredom. especially when i still have three weeks to go until my official due date which is first of december. i will just have to find ways of entertaining myself. i'm sure that won't be difficult. for one, i already have the laptop and the internet as my new bestfriends.
and so the waiting continues...

Friday 17 October 2008

at last




finally, i had my last day at work today or should i say half day to start my maternity leave. i only worked in the morning and left work at 1pm not for good (i wish) but only for the next 7 months. my colleagues prepared a few gifts for me and the baby and a little get together with some cakes to eat. it was so sweet of them to organize it and to present me with all these gifts. i got a lot of body suits for my baby and someone knitted a pink cardigan (the one on the left) for her as well. they got me some pampering gifts. it was the sweetest thing.
i was happy to be leaving work but worried about what i'm going to do with myself for the next 6 weeks until my baby arrives. though i have this urge to do a lot of organizing at home and some cleaning. many thinks this is the nesting instinct when a woman is nearing her due date. this is normal and i suppose practical because once the baby arrives there won't be a lot of time to do other things anymore. as they say, it will be all about the baby.

Friday 12 September 2008

we're having a...




baby girl!!!
introducing... Ava Lourdes Gadiane Nakila
Ava [ayvah] -in hebrew means life
                        in latin means bird
                       in persian means voice
related names:
9th century saint St. Ava of Hainault,Belgium
1950's hollywood actress Ava Gardner

Lourdes [loor-des] - french in origin, place where the Virgin Mary
                     appeared to St. Bernadette in 1858.

Saturday 23 August 2008

shopping for baby


i have been making a list of essential things to buy for our baby since my due date is fast approaching. i don't want to be buying things that i never use in the end so i'm quite careful as to what to buy really. as they say, newborns just outgrow their clothes in no time so i don't want to waste money on things that he/she might not actually use. so i've come up with a list that i found online. i wonder if i'm missing something here. suggestions please.

Things I definitely need


  • Cot (plus mattress, sheets and blankets)
  • Car seat
  • Pram buggy or travel system
  • Six sleepsuits/ long sleeved suits
  • Six vests/ short sleeved suits
  • Two cardigans/ jackets
  • Shawl or snow suit
  • Hat, mittens and bootees
  • Changing mat
  • Nappies
  • Baby wipes 
  • Bottles/ teats/ bottle brush (only needed if not breastfeeding)
  • Nursing bra and breast pads 
  • Loads of bibs
  • Loads of towels/ flannels/ muslin squares (for bathing and dribbles!)
  • Loads of kitchen roll and cotton wool pads
  • Brush and comb

Things that are handy, but not essential


  • Moses basket/ crib (plus mattress, sheets and blankets)
  • Baby bath
  • Baby box or bag
  • Sling
  • Bouncy chair
  • Baby monitor
  • Changing bag
  • Steam steriliser
  • Breast pump
  • Baby lotion  
  • Bath thermometer
  • Nail scissors
  • Nappy wrapper

Hospital bag, essential items to take to the hospital:


  • Nighties, dressing gown and slippers
  • Nursing bras, breast pads
  • Maternity, or super-absorbent sanitary towels 
  • Toiletries
  • Nappies
  • Baby toiletries
  • Cotton wool
  • Baby clothes
  • Shawl or cot blanket, hat & mittens if it’s cold
  • Car seat
  • Clothes and a coat if it’s cold 
  •  Money and camera
  •  Ipod
  •  Magazines

source: emma's diary

Friday 22 August 2008

bugged by buggies





since it's our first baby, we've been really confused as to how to choose a travel system. the market is really confusing what with all the accesories and what have you that goes with it. we have been trolling the shops and surfing the net and found 4 that we have considered. my number one choice is the silver cross 3d pram (third photo). the other three are bugaboo (the best looking but least likely to get it coz it's very expensive considering it's mostly celebrities'choice),  the Loola Bebe Confort (first photo) and graco travel system(last photo). we still have to make up our minds though we are geared towards the silver cross one because of it's practicality (very easy to use and fold for storage) and lightweight as well.  we'll find out  our final choice when we do our test drive.

Tuesday 17 June 2008

it's not over until it's over


it's written in the books that once you reach your second trimester or at least 12th week, the symptoms would slowly disappear. i was glad that once i hit 12 weeks, my symptoms did disappear and i was really happy. gone were the sickness, the backaches, the acid like hunger pangs and the constant tiredness. but a few days ago, on a friday night at 10:30 i suddenly had a craving for pizza. i tried to ignore it for at least an hour but it just won't go, so i dragged my husband out of the house,drove me to the nearest Pizza Hut and had my super supreme fix. i thought to myself that it was just a one off but yesterday, i started feeling sick and queasy again and the terrible hunger pangs have come back and i was back to eating pancakes all the time again. oh well,i guess it's just one of those things that i have to put up with. but at least it's not happening all the time now. unlike before when it was everyday. sometimes i have one or two symptoms today and they'll be gone tomorrow and they won't come back again until probably several days after. it's not too bad now and i'm really starting to enjoy my pregnancy. yesterday, i went to see my midwife and she tried to listen to the heartbeat with a doppler. it took a while to locate it and suddenly i heard this whosshing sound. it was the most wonderful sound in the whole world!
i'm still not showing despite the fact that i'm four months now. people won't know i'm pregnant just by looking at me. i guess it's nice in a way. that means, i am not gaining so much weight but having said that, i am not yet half way. i might just balloon once i'm on my 6th or 7th month. but i hope not. i really hope to be a yummy mummy to be. on that note, i  have found some beautiful maternity dresses worn by jessica alba that i really looove.
images from Fit Pregnancy

Saturday 31 May 2008

a day on my own




aaah bliss, i just had my current favorite breakfast, toasted bagel with butter, fried eggs and creamy coffee. i know i'm not supposed to have fried eggs because of the presence of salmonella which is a risk in pregnancy but hubby made sure that the egg yolk is totally cooked and coffee because of caffeine but according to health standards, 3 cups a day or less is acceptable but i only  have coffee now once a week and i share a cup with my husband, who right now is out helping a friend build their own decking in the garden and then he's going to play basketball with the boys straight after. so, that would mean i'll be alone all day with my own thoughts with nothing to do (i'm still not back doing household chores). my doctor told me to take it easy until my pregnancy has progressed further along. i'm actually 13 weeks now, just a couple of days into my second trimester. but i guess, i could stretch it a little bit. this is a very good excuse of not doing those mundane household chores.
having said that, i'm not really totally alone, in the real sense of the word because i have my little baby inside me to keep me company. i had my second scan yesterday and it was great to see our baby again. this time, fully formed with arms and legs compared to the first one we had 6 weeks ago when we could hardly see him/her inside the tiny sac. it was the most beautiful experience seeing our formed baby for the first time. the arms were moving all the time, i'm sure he/she was trying to wave at her parents.
i'm starting to enjoy my pregnancy now. i'm not showing yet but if i'm wearing my pajama bottoms, my hubby and i can definitely see a bulge there and when i'm lying down, i can see a tiny bump protruding but still not obvious to people around us. my symptoms have eased off now a bit. i'm not as tired as before. the queasiness has started to fade away and i'm not as sleepy as before though i still get the odd backaches and headaches. but i'm still hungry all the time.
i didn't have weird cravings at all. thank goodness i was only craving for normal foods. on my 7th week when i started having my symptoms, i was queasy all the time, so i was always wanting to eat hot and spicy indian foods like samosa and curry,mexican like fajitas and nachos with hot and spicy dip and we were always at nando's restaurant, a portuguese restaurant which serves hot and spicy barbecued chicken with hot and spicy rice and hot and spicy dip that comes with it. oh i just loved hot and spicy.then came my 8th week when i was hungry all the time. every two hours on the dot, i have to eat and biscuits or bread is not good enough. i had to have rice and if not, pancakes. they tend to make me feel full for longer. so even late in the afternoon, i was having pancakes with chocolate Nutella spread. then came the time when i always wanted to eat scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam with a cup of tea (decaf!) with milk. the only difficult thing was when i started to have cravings for filipino foods. the nearest filipino restaurant is in central london which is half an hour's ride by train. so when i craved for pancit, i had to make it. when i craved tinolang manok, i had to make it and when i craved for caldereta, i had to make it but i cheated using Mama Cita's ready mix powder.one time i craved for siopao,specifically goldilocks and grand majestic. got a frozen one from the chinese store in town, microwaved it. not good but that did the trick.onother time i craved for lechon and God is really good because a few days after, someone invited us to a party and right in the corner of their dining room was a 49 kgs lechon on the table. it was heaven. the skin was very crunchy and the meat very tasty.just like a cebu lechon would taste(thanks jun and razel).one other time, i wanted to eat pinakbet so much and that evening our friend Uly phoned my husband to go to his house, bring a container coz he made a lot of pinakbet. how great is that! i just hope i won't be craving for jollibee spaghetti soon. i have been craving for casava cake now and i'm going to bake it this weekend. after all, i already had the recipe from my online friend Dana's food blog.
how could this tiny being inside me influence my everyday life. i could not even stand my husband's perfume anymore. i used to like the versace blue jeans scent on him but smelling it now  seems to stir my guts. i'm a scented candle lover, but now they are tucked in the corner of the house because the scent just makes me sick and don't even get me started on fried fish and fried chicken.ewww!
but i'm quite past those symptoms now and despite the hassles and the nuisance, i consider them good because those symptoms only meant that my baby is really a reality, making his/her presence known to me by way of these symptoms. if it means having a baby at the end of it all, then bring it on.

Friday 14 March 2008

starbucks cinnamon dolce latte

aarrgh, just when i have temporarily forgotten some of my caffeine cravings, here comes starbucks inviting me to taste their new cinnamon dolce latte on the  house. i've always loved their mocha frapuccino but since i've tried their hazelnut latte, i was hooked. that was during the winter but now it's spring, i thought of sticking with the hazelnut latte. it's been months though since i had my last starbucks fix and haven't had some cravings. but yesterday, this invite came through our door for a free cinnamon dolce latte for me to try on any of their branches. well, who am i to say no?

Saturday 1 March 2008

Shopaholic goes Disney




2008 must be my best year when it comes to my favorites. two of them are going into film. the first being Sex and the City which is going to be released in spring and there is even better news. despite the fact that it hasn't been released yet, the producers are already talking of a sequel. isn't that enough to celebrate with a cosmopolitan or a manhattan, perhaps?
another favorite of mine that is going on film is the Shopaholic series of books by Sophie Kinsella. she's a london born writer who lives just a stones throw from me. well, i'm exaggerating. she lives in hemel hemsted which is a few minutes by train from us. her books were introduced to me by my Irish friend and colleague Imelda. she gave me the Shopaholic and Baby and from there i was hooked. it was so hilarious that i was literally crying with laughter. i also relate with the main character (which woman doesn't), Becky Bloomwood, because she loves to shop thus the title of the books. after reading Shopaholic and Baby, i ordered online from amazon.co.uk right away the first of the series which is The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic and it didn't disappoint. in fact, i'm giving it 10 stars if there's such a thing.i am yet to order and read Shopaholic Ties the Knot and Shopaholic Abroad, unless someone out there gets it for me as a gift, a belated Christmas gift.
another exciting aspect about this is that according to the author's website, the film is going to be released by disney (how great is that!), to be produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (even greater! he's the producer of pirates of the carribean and the CSI tv series) and to be directed by PJ Hogan, the director of My Bestfriend's Wedding! with all these credentials, i'm sure it's going to be the best chick lit film ever. and if that's not enough, Isla Fisher is going to play Becky! i mean she was hilarious in the Wedding Crashers. i'm sure she will give justice to the character of Becky. she's a great actress.now, i wonder who's going to play Brandon?

Thursday 7 February 2008

Confessions of a Shopaholic -behind the scenes




i am so glad that they have actually started shooting my other much awaited movie of the year (the other one is sex and the city movie). Isla Fisher really fits the role of Rebecca Bloomwood to a T.  below are some of the behind the scenes photos.


images: fadedyouthblog and socialite's life

Wednesday 6 February 2008

delivered today




  •  i ordered four books online (amazon.co.uk) and they were delivered today
>Shopaholic Abroad/Shopaholic Ties the Knot -i have loved this series since it was introduced to me by a friend. this is a very good read and very funny. i can't wait for the movie version which is to be starred in by isla fisher titled "confessions of a shopaholic"
>Happily Ever After,the Drew Barrymore story - i have always been a fan of drew since her E.T. days and i'm quite interested in her wild child days to the day that she became one of the most admired and succesful actresses of our time.
>Harper's Bazaar, great style -  i love fashion. i think that sums up why i bought this book.
i can't wait to start reading...

Friday 11 January 2008

Starbucks card




for us starbucks lovers, there's a new convenient way of paying for our starbucks addiction in the form of this starbucks card. it works just like a prepaid card where all you have to do is load it instore or online and voila, everytime you go to your nearest branch all you have to do is present it to pay for you purchase. you have to keep tab of your balance though or else you risk getting embarassed paying with it when it's empty.
i learned about it when i was in their bond street branch in central london and i saw the card displayed on the shelf. i asked and the barista told me how it works. i loved the idea because i really hate bringing cash with me. i always use my mastercard or ATM debit card to pay for my purchases from groceries to cinema tickets to train tickets and even as little as buying newspapers. they are so handy and i don't have to waste my time counting all the loose change. it's just so inconvenient that not all starbucks stores accept cards. well, not yet. so that makes this starbucks card an instant hit with me. i got one right away and had it loaded with the minimum amount of £5. so everytime i have my frapuccino craving, i can always get one even if i don't have change with me or worse, if they don't accept mastercards.
        talking about my mocha frapuccino cravings, i have found an alternative to it now that winter is here. i mean, i still love it but i don't really want to have a cold drink when it's freezing. i'm just too glad that i discovered starbucks new hazelnut latte. it's my current favorite now. i never really liked capuccinos as an alternative to frapuccinos but this milky coffee concoction called latte is just the perfect substitute for me and i love especially the hazelnut flavored ones. if i can have it everyday i will do so but sadly i have to keep an eye on my caffeine intake.