Ethan Jude

This blog has been silent for quite some time. Obviously, such is not surprising to hear. Since when did this writer become consistent in blogging? Your guess is as good as mine. :-)

The last post was marked with so much joy and excitement, anticipating the little angel eventually named Ethan Jude. Despite the hectic and stressful job of his Mom, it was a delight to know from the OB-Gyne that the baby's strong throughout the pregnancy - even if there were instances that Mommy was put to bedrest. And so Ethan was chosen for his primary name... it's of Hebrew origin which means "strong, firm, constant." His secondary name, Jude, was derived not just from Mommy's name but also in honor of St. Jude. Mommy's name, by the way, means "praised, gifted."

Here is proud Mommy's favorite photo (thus far) of their little angel. She took this using her camera phone right after breastfeeding him at the nursery. Baby Ethan was just one-day old then...

Ethan Jude Aca Saclamitao was born via normal delivery on 20 February 2009, 3:08 p.m. at Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Greenhills, San Juan City. He weighed exactly 6 lbs and was 50 cms long.

Since then, the sleepless nights have already begun. :-)

Maligayang Pasko! :-)

Back from a loooong hiatus since my last blog on our first OB visit, Eric and I wish everyone a meaningful Christmas and a blessed, prosperous 2009!

To date, we already had a total of 7 visits to our OB-Gyne.... and I remember to have mentioned keeping you all posted on my pregnancy.... which obviously I failed to do, hehehe. Expecting mom's quite busy juggling her time mainly between being a good wifey, keeping her job on the go, and of course, trying her best to prioritize her pregnancy above all.

So much had happened for the past months; on from my first trimester towards this last stretch of my infanticipation. Not going into much detail, the 'streetfighter-in-love-soon-to-be-mom' continues to be a survivor despite all the challenges in life, her first pregnancy as the main highlight of 2008. :-)

And so without further adieu, please indulge yourselves in taking a preview of our little bundle of joy.... it's a BOY!!!

Expecting Mom's first OB-Gyne visit

Finally, our search for our Obstetrician-Gynecologist has ended!

She was recommended by my good friend and classmate in graduate school (who's an OB-Gyne herself, by the way).... Hubby and I, being future first-time parents, would like to entrust my safe and healthy pregnancy to an experienced and highly-recommended doctor. I would have wanted my friend, Dra. Tessa Cardenas, to take care of me... Unfortunately, going to Veterans (where I was born ~ could've been very nostalgic, eh?) and/or Delgado would be very far from where Eric and I are residing. So apart from the OB-Gyne being Medicard-affiliated, we prefer clinics/hospitals within or near Mandaluyong area.

Our first choice of hospital is Medical City in Pasig. Although Dra. Solema Granados-Rivera can perform birth delivery there, she doesn't hold clinic in that hospital but is regularly stationed at Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan and does clinic at Asian Hospital in Alabang. Works good for us since I originally hail from the South and that would be another option for us. :-)

It was also nice to know that our OB-Gyne is a contemporary of my late second cousin-in-law, Kuya Benny ~ a top internist/endocrinologist also at Cardinal. My second cousin, Ate Nona, is a pediatrician and used to hold clinics in the same hospital and knows Dra. Solema, too. Ate Nona for the past years now has focused on their own hospital at Paete, Laguna (my dad's hometown).

Dra. Granados-Rivera is very kind and pretty-looking, too. Hehe. But it's not one of our OB-Gyne requirements, huh. After asking me questions on my LMP and she scribbling numbers in her pad, she told me that I'm about 7 weeks, 5 days pregnant. I told her that I have a longer menstrual cycle so she said that to be accurate, I need to have my transvaginal usg... But before that, she performed an IUE (hope I didn't get the letters mixed up, hehe) on me. Still, it felt a bit awkward even if I had already experienced my first pap smear last end of March in my physical examination.

I also showed her the results of that physical examination which basically reflects my UTI and high-cholesterol diet (uh-oh!). So apart from requesting me to have an ultrasound, she told me to take a urinalysis as well. In that way, we can check if my UTI is still there and she may have to prescribe me with necessary medicine (since I didn't take any before and just tried drinking more water and buko juice ~ but still has a tendency to forego my restroom breaks, hala!) which are recommended for pregnant women just the same.

And so still about 10-15 minutes before noon, off we went to the hospital's laboratory and signed up first on the urinalysis. I requested hubby to check out the 'women's section' (where ultrasound and the like are performed) so that we can fill out the form. I was able to submit my urine sample but unfortunately, the ultrasound section can accommodate us after lunch (they do lunch break unlike in the laboratory), at about 1:30pm...

We checked out the hospital canteen and took our lunch there. Set meals are quite pricey but hubby and I were glad that the food tasted great! So after our hearty meal, off we returned to the ultrasound area. A few minutes of waiting and the staff were back. I was first in line and was requested to take a pee first. Afterwhich, I was led on to the ultrasound room where transvaginal usg is performed. Eventually preparing myself and all, I waited for the doctor-in-charge (OB-Gyne, too) to come and see me. She's tall and pretty and seems to be a young doctor... we talked for a bit and I asked her if that 'microphone'-like instrument hurts... she assured me that she'll try her best not to make it painful for me. :-)

I actually took a photo of that 'mic' instrument when I was there lying in the examination bed of the room... I'll try to post it here next time, hehe. She placed a condom-like (hmm, I'm not sure if it's the same condom that is commercially available) 'suit' on top of the 'mic'. And before she performed the ultrasound, she placed a generous amount of gel on the tip of the 'mic'.... I did feel the coolness of the gel as the OB-Gyne performed the transvaginal ultrasound on me. A bit tensed at first, she told me to relax and to spread my knees and legs wide open. Haha, what an experience!

She tinkered on the keyboards of the machine with her left hand while her right hand continued exploring the different angles of my 'vagina/uterus/whatever' using the 'mic'. Yes, the said machine is used to determine exactly how many months, weeks, or days I'm pregnant.

A few minutes later, another OB-Gyne (who looked a bit older) walked in and checked how the tall OB-Gyne is doing on my ultrasound. They both checked on the machine's monitor and then eventually showed me my baby's position! One of the first things I asked as they were about to show me how the baby looks like was: "Isa lang po ba?" Hehehe. (Both hubby and I's families have a history of having twins. In fact, one of my older sisters has twin sons who are now turning 10 this November.)

They also let me listen to his/her's healthy heartbeat which sounded like a chu-chu train, yey! I was so delighted with the miracle of carrying a life inside my womb and hearing its heartbeat so closely! :D

The feeling was ECSTATIC.

It was so overwhelming that I forgot to request the doctors if I can record the heartbeat of my baby in my ever-reliable celfone.... but it's okay, there will always be next time. And for as long as that memory is very vivid in my heart and mind, I will always recall listening to our baby's heartbeat as such great melody to an expecting Mom's ears like mine. ;)

Both doctors congratulated me when I told them this is going to be our first baby. They were happy to say that the baby is doing good and has a healthy and normal heartbeat. I was told to wait for about 30 minutes for the results so that we can forward it to our OB-Gyne's clinic.

We waited and we were glad that it didn't take them very long. The results came with the first photos of our little angel and hopefully, after we get to scan and/or take a photo of them, I will have the chance to post the pics here. :)

It was already close to 2:00 p.m. at that time and so Eric and I decided to pass by our OB-Gyne's clinic just to give the results. Every Saturday, Dra. Granados-Rivera's consultation is until 12nn only. It was indeed surprising that after giving the results to Noemi, her secretary, our OB-Gyne was still there! She's all packed and seemed to be waiting for her to be picked up... but she still entertained us and looked at the results (original arrangement was for us to coordinate with the hospital to send the results to her clinic on Monday). She prescribed me medicine that I shall take for a week for my UTI and then gave me the go signal to start with the prescribed vitamin she earlier instructed me to buy. And yes, I shall continue taking my folic acid tablets once a day. :-)

Our next visit will be on the 9th of August, about the same time with our first appointment earlier. We will see her at 11:00 am instead of the 11:30 am appointment we had earlier. So there, this date has been certainly blocked off both in hubby and I's respective calendars....

By the way, the ultrasound results officially said that I'm 7 weeks, 4 days pregnant this 12 July 2008.

My expected due date will be on 24 February 2009, plus or minus two weeks. Yay, pwede pa silang maging magka-birthday ni Eric! (and other people close to my heart as well ~ you guys know who you are! *wink*wink)

Until my next pregnancy stories! :-)

(+)

Today is hubby and I's 7th monthsary as a married couple.

He already came back from Singapore last Saturday evening and indeed, the two weeks that we have been apart just came by so swiftly. Thanks to my hectic schedule at work and my weekly badminton, I was able to get by and survived being home alone.

Feeling the symptoms for a little more than a week now, I finally decided to take the test early this morning.....

Home Alone

This is one of those times when thoughts and emotions start pouring in.... just like what my college bestfriend would say, there are those 'blogging moments.'

It had me thinking twice whether to write how I feel at this very moment or just set things aside. Just as the therapy this blog is giving me, it also allows me to express how I feel on certain circumstances such as how my 'married life' would be in 'at least' next two weeks.

As the title suggests, I am Home Alone.... well, maybe not for the entire two weeks but for the most of it. A little over a week ago, I got a news from hubby that he was offered for a company training in Singapore. He consulted me first before giving his decision to his superior ~ and it wasn't too difficult for me at all to push him and make a go for it! As it is, it is not everyday that one gets such opportunity at work... and being off-shore even for quite a few weeks will definitely broaden his horizon as I believe that he will gain new perspectives not just at work but in life in general.

Was it the supportive and encouraging wifey that I am that prompted hubby to accept this offer? Perhaps, in many ways than one....

This will be our first time as husband and wife to be apart from each other that long and that far. Your guess is as good as mine that the first hours, the first days and nights, wouldn't prove to be easy for us both. But it is our commitment towards one another to love, trust and respect ~ that will guide us through this temporary separation.

I miss you, Eric. And I know that you miss me, too.

I am happy just the same for this wonderful opportunity given to you at work; just as how sad I am for us to be apart for some time. Perhaps it is a blessing in disguise that this week's another toxic one for me at work. As you know, I have to finish preparing the board materials' for next Monday's Excom meeting. Definitely, it'll keep me very busy at the most part of the day at work.

But as I go home to our humble abode, there would be no one to spend the rest of the night with. No one who always tunes in to basketball and/or sports tv... No one I can accidentally 'grab' soft pillows from... No one I can hug tightly and hug me back, especially when I am fast asleep already... No soft kisses to bid each other goodnight and wake each other up... No one to turn off my celfone alarm even if I repeatedly put it in snooze mode... No one to force me to get up ahead and hit the shower because it takes so long for me to finish taking a bath and to get dressed... No one to be the last person to leave the house and lock the doors as I turn on our car engine... And the list goes on and on!

This is not forever, true enough.

As I put myself to sleep tonight, I look forward to the coming days when you will be back again soon. Home ~ this is where I would be waiting for you.

Goodnight and sweet dreams, my love! *mwahhuggss*

Thirteen

~ Kit and Mama Judy ~

I took this photo of us, my first nephew Kit and I, more than a year ago in his bedroom. :-)

Today, Kit is now thirteen years old and is happily celebrating his birthday!

We are sorry to miss your celebration party in Tagaytay yesterday, Kit.... We had to finish packing your Tito Eric's luggages and other stuff and spend some time together, too, prior to his journey to a foreign land. Yes, he just left earlier this morning and I couldn't forget this day.

It's the height of typhoon 'Frank' here in Metro Manila and we were in signal no. 3. And of course, today's Kit's 13th birthday!

Happy, happy birthday Kit. Welcome to adolescence stage and to teenage world! May you enjoy the ups and downs of teenage life and survive the growing up experiences that you will encounter in life. We wish you all the best and we love you very much!

Mwah! :-*

Home late, Early to Work

Yesterday was the start of the 2 busy weeks for me this month. I practically stayed until past midnight here in the office last night (err, that's Wednesday already!) -- finishing the last batch of materials for editing (and ready for reproduction this morning) and working on the powerpoint presentation for our 2-day Management Team (Manteam) meeting.

And since the first session of our Manteam meeting starts today, I am early to work as well (hmm, I consider arriving in the office by 8:15 am EARLY.... hahaha). :-)

What about next week? Preparation of board materials will be at its peak for the upcoming Excom meeting of our Board of Trustees on June 30.

'Gotta go now and check our meeting venue. Ciao!

Summer of 2005....

Can you 'spot' me in this photo?

This was how I spent my summer of 2005 in the United States. Photo was taken with my co-Fulbrighters before we sailed off to our canoeing activity (my first!) at the Saluda River in South Carolina. Imagine 18 different nationalities living together for 6 weeks and exchanging not just knowledge and ideas on US Foreign Policy but sharing respective cultures and identities! This was one of the best moments of my life and perhaps the highlight of my life as a 'single' person. ;-)

At the end of the program, we realized that despite our cultural differences, we share universal values of love, peace, and unity.

The above photo depicts our first outdoor activity on the first Saturday of our 6-week program on the Study of the U.S. Institutes on U.S. Foreign Policy hosted by the Walker Institute of International Studies, University of South Carolina. Our Brazilian colleague, Flavio, was not in this photo... we were also joined by American staff members of our Program.

Reminiscing my three years of friendship with these wonderful people, I dedicate this blog post to these friends and colleagues I dearly miss!

I hope to cross paths with you all again. :)

Sleepy

It's the first day of the week! And I don't know why I am sooo sleepy as I am blogging this at work. Makes me wonder if I need a boost of caffeine (haven't had one since this morning)....

Do I need to go here?

Or here?

Well, well.... I need not travel on those countries just to grab hot good ol' mug of coffee. Perhaps a trip to the nearby (a walk or pedicab-ride away) coffee shop will do!

But then again, why not the ever-reliable Nescafe 3-in-1 coffee? I hope it'll give me the much-needed perk.... it's less expensive and I don't have to brave the scorching heat of the sun outside the streets. Hehe.

Let' see. Have a good week ahead, everybody!