kade xedric is here!

just dropping by my blog to announce the birth of our third angel, kade xedric.

born on the 4th of july at 1146am. just in time, just the right moment. he waited for me to finish all my pending tasks in the office before he made his grand entrance. he even made sure i was able to go out with his older brothers a weekend before his birth, a dinner and movie date with hubby a few days before the big day.

and when the big day finally came, it was the smoothest and by far the easiest deliveries i had (and as far as i know, the one i can remember quite vividly).

seeing him after, was truly breathtaking.

all the details, all the stories will have to wait for now (plus photos) since i have to devote all my time to this little one. and i've got the best 2 months to bond with him until i go back to work and start missing him.

false alarm / scare at 3am

almost nearing my full term, one of the downsides of being pregnant are the sleepless nights. one, due to the frequency in peeing, two, you can't find the most comfortable position to sleep and three, it's just a big hassle sleeping with a big belly.

so anyway, i was having one of those rare nights where i was getting the sleep i was needing when all of a sudden i woke up to a really painful lower back. i thought i was in a wrong sleeping position. but the pain was persistent and every movement was torture. and it didn't stop there, the pain in my lower back was slowly creeping its way into my front. and started to feel like contractions.

i was bugging hubby on what i was feeling. i was telling him that i was worried that i might be in labor already. he told me to relax and to monitor the pain and the contractions. it was a really scary moment right there. i actually never experienced this when i was carrying my two boys. the moment i started to feel those contractions was when i was in the labor room and a few minutes away from being wheeled into the delivery room. i felt like such a newbie mom.

but thank God the pains subsided after an hour, but i wasn't able to get the sleep i needed.

i was really worried going into labor this early since i'll be on my 36th week by tomorrow and technically, the baby hasn't reached full term yet.

so i whispered a prayer of thanks and a little nudge to baby to not be too excited to come out. he can go and make his grand entrance on the first week of july and on weekend and i won't complain at all.

the name game

playing the name game can be tough, especially for us since our kids follow a certain pattern. their names start with K and X. why so? hubby and i think that these letters aren't that common when combined together to name the kids.

at first we thought baby #3 was a girl, we have a pre-selected name already. but as mentioned to some of my friends, we won't disclose it. we're OC and protective of our name choices. yes, we do fear that people might "copy" the name combination we want. silly i know. but we just love having ownership.

but alas, baby #3 turned out into a boy. and well, hubby and i weren't able to come up with a boy's name at all. we were convinced that it was a girl. but anyway, one Monday night, while having our late dinner at Heaven and Eggs in glorietta, we were able to come up with the perfect combination. still following the pattern that the name that starts with K should have 4 letters and the name with X should have 5-6 letters. aha! a perfect fit.

watch out for the debut of our little boy's name when he comes out first or second week of July. :)

Still rooting for the Blue team

praying to be on Team Pink was not granted. we're still rooting for Team Blue. and they say, the third time's a charm.

it was an eventful saturday. went to the hospital for the routine lab tests and pre natal check up. i took a chance to see if there's any glimmer of hope to be on team pink. i was with kyle that afternoon hoping that he'll witness for the first time his first wish coming true. but sadly, my little boy went out of the sonologist's clinic defeated and confused. i on the other hand was a giddy preggy mom. giddy and a bit disappointed i guess. deep inside i wanted a girl, but then this is god's plan for me to raise men not ladies. but over-all, i am happy the baby's doing great.

after getting the results, i immediately called up my bestfriend to tell the news. hubby at that time was in a meeting and i just had to call someone up. when i was able to talk to hubby, all he could do was let out a chuckle of relief. from being free of having a little princess to worry about growing up. so yeah, all the worrying will be up to me. by the time these 3 grow up into adolescents, i'll be the enemy and daddy's going to be the best friend. but i will put up a fight. i shall baby them until they cry their eyes out. haha!

so yes, dear readers, we're having another baby boy. and no, we don't plan to start a basketball team.

Preggy update #5: 30 weeks and counting

8 weeks more to go and baby#3 will be full term. more or less that would be around the week of july 12 to 18. the only thing i hope won't happen is that kyle won't share his birthday with his baby sister/brother.

on with the updates then.

so far it's a bit annoying that people comment how small i carry this baby. how they can go about saying that i carry small in such a way that sounds like i don't eat enough, i don't take my vitamins etc. but i still have the willpower to ignore them and just say in a polite manner that i do carry my kids small. but they come out pretty healthy. kyle was a 7 pounder and keon was a 6. so it wouldn't be a surprise if this little one would be within these range.

anyway, here's what babycenter has to say about me being on my 30th week:

Good news — at this point your baby's lungs and digestive tract are nearly mature, meaning she'll do much better in the event of premature birth. Researchers also believe your baby can actually see now, in utero, but no one knows exactly how much she can make out. She's also becoming more cramped in your uterus and less able to move so freely, although when she does move, it's very noticeable.

comparing baby #3 from my two, this one has the most noteable movements. the twists and turns are quite disturbing and painful on most days. sleeping on my left side is a chore, i think baby #3 hates it when i do.

but other than that, the feeling has been great, the pregnancy a breeze, the food trips amazing.

8 more weeks to go and we'll see this bundle of happiness.

p.s.

we still don't know the gender because she/he refuses to show the genitals. totally covered up! next week i guess - if funds permit for another ultrasound. :)

another week of waiting

as mentioned, i was supposed to announce to the whole world baby#3's gender last saturday after my scheduled ultrasound. i was able to have my ultrasound but the baby's too shy to show those genitals. imagine baby's 2 knees blocking the view and if that's not enough, the umbilical cord was pleasantly lodged in between.

the sonologist was having a hard time. and it was more frustrating for me as i was trying to make sense of the image in the black and white screen. but failed.

and poor hubby had to be there to see nothing. so we opted to give it another go and check baby's gender next week.

mahirap na ang mabitin...

Preggy Updates #4: waves and the big reveal

now that the little one is on her 27th week (still praying for a girl). the kicks have evolved into more intense movements. the kids and hubby can now see the kicks in action through waves in my tummy. hubby has been witness to these waves from the 2 boys and my dad would fondly associate with the aliens movie. (har har).

and this little munchkin is quite the mover. i would feel those waves and kicks more than 20 times the whole day. majority of the movements can be felt at night or after i have a full meal. so i guess it's a sign that i do have a happy baby in my tummy.

and we've finally decided to end this mystery of whether this little one's a girl or a boy. so on may 9, i've been scheduled by my ob to have my routine ultrasound and to finally determine baby's gender. and to finally put a rest on the ongoing bet here in the office.

Pregnancy updates #4: 9 pounds heavy

bebe shobe as kyle would fondly call the baby is growing. fast! as of last check up, i gained 9 pounds. i guess with the baby's growth spurt and my nonstop eating escapades, i didn't imagine i could gain that much over a month or so. but the good news is, and according to my OB my weight is still right on track. so no need to worry yet. (or until the next lab test results are in)

the little one has been doing ok. mostly awake towards the evenings and when i'm idle or just watching tv with the boys.

as much as i am worried about the sleepless nights ahead like a first time mom, i think i'm ready for the challenge. i didn't raise 2 boys for nothing and the ongoing nightly wakings and feedings are still in progress. but this time with "mommy dede" from keon with fake crying or "mommy i want dede" from kyle with urgent tappings on my tummy. and where is hubby? fast asleep like a baby. haha

this time i am bargaining with him that if this one's a girl, he better make sure to take care of his "princess". i've done my share with my 2 princes (haha). but yeah, looks like it'll be mommy and baby #3 with the night feedings, changing at rocking to sleep. :)

anyway, here's what babycenter says:

Your baby is still on the skinny side with no body fat but his brain is growing rapidly and he's starting to fill the space in your uterus. By now, you probably have a definite "pregnant" shape and the linea nigra, a dark line of pigmentation, may appear down the center of your abdomen. Your baby's taste buds are also forming and, believe it or not, his sweet tooth. Could that explain your sudden craving for doughnuts? No one knows for sure but it's a good excuse, next time you find yourself visiting the bakery.

Pregnancy update #3: from tiny bubbles to karate kicks

the little one (aka bebe #3, bebe gehl to Ple) has been on a growth spurt the past few weeks. according to babycenter.com.ph's weekly updates:

Your baby's skin is still quite wrinkled because he has so much growing still to do. But his face and body are beginning to look more like those of a newborn as his lips, eyelids, and ears become more distinct. If people are telling you that you look smaller or bigger than you should at this point, remember that all women and their babies grow at different rates. What's important is that you see continuous growth and change, not how fast or slow it is.

as for the movements, she's (i'm assuming the little one's a girl - more on that in the coming posts) been quite the little karate kid. and usually the karate chops are given when i'm relaxing at home watching chef at home on AFC before we head off to bed. looks like this one will give us some sleepless nights once she's born. (yey!)

the upside to all these kicking and obvious movements is that it causes utter delight to my two boys. especially kyle. he's been quite the eager beaver when i tell him the baby's moving, he'll drop whatever he's doing and put his hand over my tummy and wait for a movement. keon on the other hand, would just utter "baby" near my tummy and on rare moments would plant a kiss for his little sister.

a little over a month to go and i'm moving up to the last trimester and for sure, this is where the worrying starts.

and yes, i'm quite showing the baby bump already but still in denial in wearing my maternity clothes. i'm thinking of just looking for dresses or "man clothes" that i can wear over tights. there's always a trusty ukay-ukay shop near our place to do just that. :)

feb 13, 2009 - friday the 13th

this date will forever be etched in my mind. this is the day that i experienced my first ever spotting. after 2 pregnancies, this is the only time that i was this delicate pregnant working mom. it sure did scare the poop out of me and hubby.

let's start from the beginning shall we?

friday, feb 13. i was scheduled to attend two presentations to clients. one in the morning at 10 am and the other at 130pm. i met up with my publisher at the client's office since our house was much nearer. and lessens the hassle of going to the office then back to makati. so anyway, presentation went smoothly, we even bought food for almost the entire agency. presentation was over around 12noon. just in time for lunch. my publisher and i ate at the nearest food joint since the next presentation was near and within the area.

after lunch we proceeded to starbucks to buy some snacks for the next presentation. i was feeling a bit tired after walking a few meters from the previous venue. and since we are in makati, the only way to go was the underpass. so anyway, on to the next presenation at 130. everything was going smooth. the clients enjoyed the presentation and the snacks of course.

after the presentation and while waiting for our driver to bring us back to the office, i went to the nearest washroom to pee. and from there, things went crazy. the moment i prepared myself to pee. i saw blood. lots of it actually, it looked as if i was having my period. i tired to compose myself after peeing. i slowly returned back to where my colleagues were. sent an sms to my ob informing her of what i found out. i nonchalantly told my publisher that i can't go back to the office with him. a bit puzzled, he asked why. i calmly told him that i was at that moment experiencing spotting. he started to panic, i told him it was ok, since i had called up my hubby earlier and asked him to pick me up. i asked him if he could possibly relay to our boss that i can't go back to the office and i have to head to the hospital asap and have myself checked. at that time, i kept calling hubby and reassuring him that i was ok and i just want to go to the hospital asap since my ob was waiting for me. thank god hubby was only 15 mins away from where we are.

my publisher and some colleagues were the first ones to leave and were a bit worried and concerned in leaving me all alone in the coffee shop. i told them my hubby's on his way and i'll keep them posted. a few mins after they left, hubby was there to pick me up. we headed over to his house which is near the hospital to pick up his mom so that i'll have a companion (my mom can't go with me since she has to look after the kids first) but she was the next person i kept on calling after hubby.

anyway, side rant, all the while i was keeping this calm composure since i don't want to stress myself out and add to the panic and worry vibe from the people around me. and here comes my MIL who in a way was indirectly insinuating that it might be my fault that's why i had spotting that i'm not taking care of the baby enough, that i kept on lifting heavy things etc. etc. in short it';s my fault. and from there i started crying. i mean if she was sensitive enough she shouldn't have said that. my own mother didn't say that to me. i just felt hurt and didn't talk to her after. good thing hubby had the right mind to tell her off.

anyway, once we reached the hospital, my ob ordered an ultrasound to check up on the baby. she did an IE as well to verify everything. i was diagnosed with a threatened abortion. she said it might be because of the stress at work that accumulated over time or it just happened for no reason at all. i told her i was stress free ever since i found out i was preggy. i avioded stress as much possible. (thank god i didn't hear anything from MIL after the diagnosis). but i was ordered complete bed rest for a week with meds to keep me and the baby safe.

the downside to the bedrest was the fact that i got bored easily. but i guess it's a blessing as well since i was able to catch up with the lack of sleep i had over the past few weeks and i got to bond more with my kids but with limited mobility.

overall, this experience was a blessing. that after all this ordeal, the baby is still healthy and on track with the development. seemed as if this incident never happened. i'm just grateful that there were people who were there who took care of me and made sure i was ok. and with that i am happy.

baby and i are doing great. both of us are growing by the day. (haha) and we're looking forward to the end of this month to find out the gender. (hoping for a girl this time )

now everytime i see that there's a friday the 13th, it reminds of that very scary day. so i'm praying that this friday the 13th would be smooth sailing. and nothing to worry about at all. :)

Pregnancy update #2: coming down with the flu

around 4pm this afternoon while finishing a proposal to be sent to a client, i suddenly felt all heavy and tired. must the colds i was having since Monday, i thought. but as the afternoon passed by, i wasn't feeling any better. it felt as if something was brewing inside me.

another fever wants to break out. and i don't want to entertain the thought at all considering that i just cam from a 3 day sick leave from a very unfortunate incident that happened on friday the 13th (which deserves another post soon). i can't gamble losing my salary for the end month - how will i pay for the bills this end month then?

so anyway, been "drowning" myself with water in the hopes to flush out this impending fever inside me. i don't want to stress out the baby again and cause another worry-wart session between my ob and i.

i sure hope by tomorrow, i would feel better. i guess i just need more rest than usual. this baby's quite the sensitive one. =)

The Pregnancy Update begins

i've decided to create and (hopefully) maintain a pregnancy update if not monthly, weekly if time and the right moment permits. i realized that i didn't document much of the two boy's progress while they were still inside me. heck, i even failed to upload my birthing story of keon which has been stuckin my 2006 starbucks planner all this time.

and i a venture into another milestone and another baby on the way, i think it's time to create a disturbance in the system - so to speak.

on with the pregnancy updates then!