Finally, I was able to get everything ready for Issen's arrival. That includes getting some stuff that hospital nurse listed and required me to bring upon my admission.

My hospital bag and Issen's baby bag are sitting on a very visible place at the center of the house. All his diapers, clothes, blankets, and other necessities are neatly folded and kept inside the new cabinet. Mr. Frost and I even bought a new mattress for the bed as I want to co-sleep with Issen to make it easy for me to breastfeed during the night.

Yes, I am determined to breastfeed. I am excited about it actually. If you would notice on Issen's checklist, we've got everything except feeding bottles for formula milk, apart from the ones given by SkyClad. I am purposely delaying buying bottles in the hopes that it will condition my mind and my body that breastfeeding is the only way to go, making my breastmilk come sooner and more abundant. A lot of people actually told me that I should have at least half a dozen of 4-oz bottles ready, just in case my beautiful breasts fail me. But that's just my point. If I have those bottles, my mind will be conditioned not to force my body to produce milk because we have a Plan B. No way, man. Unless my lactation consultant tells me that I am drier than the Sahara, I will not buy those feeding bottles for formula milk.

I know, of course, that I would be needing those feeding bottles as containers for my expressed breastmilk but that could come later on. On that note, to those who plan to give bottles as gifts, I would appreciate it so much if you could give me the ones that I can use to store my breastmilk with. I actually prefer a specific kind, the one that goes well with my breast pump, but you could just ask me about that. Or you can just check out Issen's wishlist for more information on what we need.

Anyway, it's funny how I went through what they call "nesting." After a whole afternoon of shopping for Issen's stuff and walking around the mall, I still have the strength and determination to clean the room, move the bed around to make space for the new cabinet, get Issen's clothes inside the cabinet, etc. Of course, I didn't do all those things by myself, I had help. But the point is, the force won't let me rest unless I get all those things done. Immediately. Funny thing for a self-declared lazybone.

By the way, last Wednesday, October 25, during my visit, my OB performed an IE on me and said that my cervix has opened. She was so convinced that I will give birth anytime during the week. (That's why I was so determined to get everything ready.) If I don't get the labor pains until today, I am to go back to her tomorrow, Monday, October 30.

Well, guess what? I'm sitting here writing this blog entry so you probably know that Issen is making me play the waiting game.

Seriously, I can't wait to give birth. They say that labor begins when you feel strong contractions. I honestly don't know how those contractions really feel, as they say it's similar to when my tummy "hardens", which started happening when I was on my 28th week, so I don't really know if what I'm feeling is labor contraction already. I'm now relying on gut feel and continuously telling Issen to make it easy for me and just come out already. I hope he listens and comes out real soon.

Like now. As in right now would be a good time to come out.

My whole family is fervently praying that I don't give birth on the 1st of November, as we all know the misconception of the public on that date. It's supposed to be a nice date to be born on as it is the All Saint's Day. But no, people have to associate November 1 with the dead and all the spooky stuff. That's Halloween, for crying out loud! And Halloween is celebrated on October 31st! But no matter how I think about the date November 1, I still hope I don't give birth on that date, for Issen's sake.

My apologies if I am not making any sense here. My mind is still preoccupied with observing every single thing I feel in my uterus. Ouch! Was that a real contraction? I probably should start timing these things.

Hopefully, my next post would be my birthing story already. Wish me luck!

Before another promising weekend starts, lemme post some pics that I should have posted earlier this week but wasn't able to because of the existence of the state lethargy.

Saturday last week, we had our maternity pictorial with Ging Lorenzo. And by "we," I mean Sikei and me. Mr. Frost was out of town since Friday for an office thing. The schedule of that business trip was finalized only Monday last week and it was too late to move the sked of the pictorial (I can't be too picky as the shoot was for free. I am surrounded by nice and generous people.) so we decided to just go on with it.

Good thing that I did because we had lots of fun. We had it at the outdoor playground of Market! Market! There were kids all over, of course, so it was challenging for Ging to take unobstructed photos while it was fun for me, being stared at like I was some kind of a pretty model. (Ha! You have no right to disagree, this is MY turf! )

Anyway, Ging is still processing most of the photos, but here are a couple of the first ones she picked. Click here to view the rest of her picks.



By the way, thanks to one of Issen's godfather, Pao, for the flattering comment.

I can't wait for the rest of the pics!

On another note, I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I underwent therapy called Ebay.ph. Here are some more items I won that came earlier this week.


And of course, one of the highlights of my first encounter with online shopping, the reason why Mr. Frost kept quiet while I browse endlessly on possible purchases...


There goes the chances of anyone in beating Mr. Frost in Tekken.

Also, last Sunday, Mr. Frost's sister threw a baby shower for me. Too bad, I wasn't able to take pics. Anyway, bug hugs to Liz and JP who came with their 9-month old angel, Lanna Jessie. Thanks for the play gym! My cousin Anthony and his fiancee Vaneza came also, with my mom's sister, Tita Bebing. Thanks for the baby clothes!

There you go. Finally, I was able to make up for the lost time.

Let the weekend officially begin!

This was posted on the N@wie yahoogroups. I jsut had to post it here and share it with everyone. Really amusing and enlightening.

While I was pregnant with my first child, sweltering through the endless, fiery summer months in which ankles swelled and sweat poured forth profusely, I wanted only one thing--to give birth.

"I can't wait until this child is out," I would huff and puff in frustration. (me: I feel exactly the same most of the time.)

My husband lovingly reassured me that the baby would spring forth at the appointed time. That some day I would be free from the burden of the added weight and the painful swollen ankles. I, however, felt as if the child had taken up permanent residence.

"Suppose the kid likes it in here and doesn't want to leave," I would say.

"Highly unlikely, dear. The baby will be here before you know it," he insisted, his feet still grounded firmly in reality, while mine were constantly elevated.

As it turned out, when my water broke that fateful evening, I was shocked into reality. Our first daughter did leave the womb and enter the atmosphere. She even arrived three weeks early.

When Mary was born, I was overjoyed. Not only was it a relief to hold her tiny body in my arms, but she was a red-headed beauty. Even when she was minutes old, I felt that we had a unique attachment. And we did, for she had been a part of me. However, what I didn't anticipate was how difficult it would be to let her go.

For those nine months that seemed like an eternity, the baby had been mine...all mine. She was joined with me and depended on only me for survival. Even though Tom could feel her kick through the womb as she grew bigger, I usually had to notify him that she was moving. He depended on me to tell him what the baby was doing. The communication that Mary and I had was ours alone. Now, she was in the world and I had to share her with others. Including her dad.

Now, it's not that I didn't trust him. My husband is a compassionate husband and father. It's just that he doesn't do things the way that I do them.

He held the baby differently. I cradled her close, showing her my maternal love. He held her facing outward so she would have a world view. He transported her differently. I carried her in my arms from room to room as I tidied up. He placed her in the stroller and rolled her around so that he could put things away and still keep an eye on her. He comforted her differently. I rocked her quietly to calm her; he bounced her. He even fed her differently. I breast-fed her at 2:00 a.m. He bottle-fed her at 2:00 p.m. (Okay, so I can't hold biology against the poor guy.) It's just that it was difficult to accept that someone could relate to Mary in another way. Undoubtedly, I was very insecure, and sharing her was hard. Even with her dad.

Of course, there was the time that I was downstairs in the basement office for a while working on a project. It was Dad's time to watch his little girl. As I reached the top of the steps after finishing my work, he asked, "Where's Mary?"

"What do you mean, where is Mary?" I screamed.

"I thought you had her," he said nonchalantly. "Don't worry, I'll find her."

He had placed her on the living-room floor for a moment and then inadvertently turned his back. We began our search there. As it turned out, she had crawled over to the floor-length picture window and was hiding behind the drapes. We found her giggling in delight at the birds on the front lawn and at the cars passing by. It was the first time that she had crawled.

I seldom placed her on the floor, but Tom liked to give
her room to stretch and play. No harm was done, in fact just the opposite. Our baby had reached a new point in her life because my husband, her dad, had let her expand her horizons. During all those months of pregnancy while I complained, I never imagined how difficult it would be to let her go once she was born. For me, it was the first test of motherhood - to let Dad be Dad. To realize that someone else could nurture my child in his own way. And to realize that what he had to give her, I couldn't give.

That is the beauty of parenting. That each mother and each father has a unique contribution. That our babies need the distinctive love and nurture that each one of us has to offer. And it pays off, too.

By the time our second child was on the way, Mary was two years old. She and her dad had a wonderful relationship forged by the variety of experiences which they alone had shared.

After our youngest child, Kristi, arrived, I was able to give my husband more freedom- and space -in his distinctive parenting techniques. I, too, had grown. And, I had learned from his parenting style, even as he had learned from mine. After all, we were a team.

"Well, they're all yours," I declared one day as I headed for the office.

"Aren't you just a little worried?" he teased.

"No, just remember to check behind the drapes if the baby disappears," I laughed. "Besides," I added, "you've got everything under control."

Okay, just a bit of disclaimer...

If my blog doesn't display properly, my apologies. After my previous post, I switched my blog to the new Beta Blogger and voila! Some of my settings have been screwed. Seems that the template I'm using isn't 100% compatible with the Beta's settings.

I was able to fix some of 'em, and I'm still trying to figure out what to do with the others. Give me a couple days more and I should be able to crack it. Yes, I'm that confident!

And speaking of which, I forgot to note that I have changed my blog design again. As if it isn't obvious.

In my first post for October, I mentioned that "I made use of what little HTML coding skill I have and made two one-pagers dedicated to Issen's stuff." I forgot to mention that I used the same skills together with what little Photoshop know-how I have and designed this new layout.

Now can you tell what my favorite color is?

Since the beginning of the week, I've been reading my pregnancy books again before I go to sleep. This time, I gathered enough courage to read about labor pains and what to expect on delivery day with hopes of arming myself with the best preparation I could have for that anticipated-slash-dreaded day.

Those nightly readings just worsened my sleepless nights as I often dream about going into labor and having a difficult delivery.

With about 31 days till Issen's estimated arrival, I can't afford to lose my nerve and be eaten by my fear of the unknown. So what do I do to forget about my distress and focus instead on preparing for Issen?

Shop.

In the comfort of my office chair.

I have my checklist and I drive myself crazy planning when to get everything ready. By the way, I've updated Issen's wishlist and added more stuff that, although we plan to get on our own, we'd appreciate very much if given as gifts.

Since last week, I've been browsing through ebay.ph in hopes of stumbling upon some things that we need but isn't on my list. Of course I did find something: more clothes for Issen.

Most of the things I've bid on are overalls and booties. I've already won some of them. For the rest, I'm the only bidder so I'm basically just killing time till those items are mine. And crossing my fingers that nobody outbids me in case they saw the items.

Here's one of the things I've won and already paid for.

Isn't it cute? It'll be perfect for Issen's first Christmas. And I got that for P179.00, including the shipping fee. Not bad.

Here are some of the other items I've won.

The items that are still up for bidding are way cuter than these, and I can't wait for the auction to end this Saturday. I'll post the pics as soon as I win them.

Yes, I know. It seems that I bought a lot. But really, the total amount of everything I'm buying would not reach a thousand bucks. I may have enjoyed online shopping a bit, but I still know the length of my rope.

Mr. Frost, before you flare up and give me your lecture on impulsive buying, please remember that I did this to keep myself from giving you a piece of hell for no apparent reason. Whatever you say, you will not win an argument with a pregnant woman. (Ha! I've been waiting to say that since I read somewhere that pregnant women are immune to contradictions!) May I also remind you that one of my would-be purchases is a rare PS2 joystick.

As you always say, in the words of Sheryl Crow the wise: If it makes you happy, it can't be that bad. And I do feel happy getting stuff for our baby.

That's it for today. Actually, something else is new this week, but I doubt that you'll be interested in our department's new room in the office.

Labels: Issen

It's been almost a month since my last post. Been feeling lethargic lately.

Finally, I can announce Issen's full name. Nope, it isn't "The Name" that I was referring to in this post.

Behold, the name of the child that will soon terrorize humanity...



Of all the names that we considered and that crossed our minds, I decided to give Issen the name we thought of way back when we first found out we're pregnant.

Funny but when Mr. Frost said that we can't have the German name (which I still won't mention ), I somehow felt that Constantine was the one we're looking for, no matter what I said about feeling so strongly about the other name as I mentioned in this post. I didn't say anything and just let it hang for a while. After a couple of weeks, I knew our son will be forever known as Constantine Keith A. Morales.

Anyway, here are some recent pics taken during an event we went to last weekend. As Mr. Frost said, all we need is asado sauce and I'm ready to be eaten. One special Meng siopao-face, coming up!

Marlon (middle) won the "Shiny Cheeks of the Night" award, beating me and Calvin (left)
Pao, Pam, Karen, and me answering the question, "What color is your teeth?"
Do I really have to explain why I'm smiling like crazy in this pic? With Kamikazee freakos Jay and Jomal
Jay and Jomal surrounded by a group of people aspiring to be toothpaste models

Also, I made use of what little HTML coding skill I have and made two one-pagers dedicated to Issen's stuff. I've included them in my pit stops on my sidebar. One is a checklist of the things we need to have before Issen's arrival.


The other one is a wishlist, which is similar to a baby registry. Here, I put images of nice-to-have items I want to have for Issen.


So, ninongs, ninangs, anybody else who are clueless on what to give Issen, I'll be updating those two sites regularly for your benefit. Just click on the images and you'll be transported to the answers to your prayers.