had my date with the stork

i'm back in business after a very long time. shall we say, since i had my baby and that was almost 8 weeks ago. yes, i already gave birth to my baby girl last november 24 and i can say it was a wonderful experience. i wasn't traumatized as i thought i would. she arrived a week early and i couldn't be happier.she's the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me. it was a good labor and delivery (it's all the prayers) and i was lucky to have a very good team from the midwives to the nurses up to the attending consultant. though i can never deny the fact that it really hurt (i didn't have the epidural until i was 6 cms. dilated) and was physically exhausting. i mean, they don't call it labor for nothing. but thanks to the epidural, it made things easier and pain free.
what i found difficult was the days and weeks after the birth. taking care of a very demanding newborn while you are sore all over is such a daunting task. plus the sleep deprivation was just too much. there were times when i would cry because of pure exhaustion especially when she's crying non stop and inconsolable and my husband was already back at work. so i had no one to rely on but only myself. those were the times that i wished i was in cebu where my parents and all the relatives are. you can always rely on a helping hand out there.
almost 8 weeks on, i already got the hang of it and things are a lot easier. Ava's got a routine already and she sort of sleeps through the night from 10pm-4am unlike before when i have to feed her every 2 hrs at night and every 3 hrs during the day. i am able to enjoy her now after the rough first 6 weeks. i used to tell myself that things could only get better and it truly has.

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...

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.

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.

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

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.

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