Excited for 3D Ultrasound day!

What? I have to wait two weeks more.

Butch and I decided to have a 3D Ultrasound to see our baby for the first time. I thought 24 weeks was fine to determine the sex of the baby and for the the facial features to be distinct but I called the Ultrasound place and they said 26 weeks is the optimal time for that. I was kind of disappointed because I’ve been looking forward to it for weeks.

3D Ultrasound is much more sophisticated than the usual black and white where’s-the-baby ultrasound (I think its called 2D) because it gives the parents a 4 dimensional image of the baby! Yes, we would see what the baby looks like and in action- if he’s smiling, sleeping or moving. And of course see who Nigel resembles- me or Butch. It is much more expensive than the 2D ultrasound but I think it is worth it.

Some say doing this will take away the excitement of things. It’s better to see the baby and know the sex on the day I give birth. But I think both moments would be utterly exciting! Seeing the baby for the first time on screen like a movie is fantastic. Holding and hearing him for the first time is even more wonderful and awesome for me!

While I wait for the day I see my li’l angel, I will be preparing. I was advised to drink lots of water. This will help make my amniotic fluid less turbid thus making the images clearer. I was also asked to bring a snack and fruit juice on the day of the Ultrasound. The baby becomes active after eating it would be easier for the technician to find the baby this way. Who knows we might catch him smiling. That would be so heart-warming!

Last night, I was able to hear my li’l angel’s heartbeat with an ordinary stethoscope! Amy, my sister who happens to be a doctor helped me locate the heartbeat. It was such a joy to hear! It was proof I actually have life growing inside me! The heart beat was very fast at 149 beats per minute. Amy said this is normal because the baby is rapidly developing. Actually, the heart rate of kids are much faster than full- grown adults. Their metabolism is faster because they’re still growing. I borrowed Amy’s stethoscope so I could let Butch hear it too. She even marked the spot where I could hear the heartbeat with a pen. Unfortunately, when Butch arrived from work and we tried hearing it the baby already shifted his position. We’ll try to hear it again tonight. I could literally spend the whole day listening that magical sound.

While we listen to Nigel’s heartbeat I look forward to the day I’ll be seeing his beautiful face. I am sure two weeks will pass by quickly.

*The image above is what a 3d ultrasound generally looks like.

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Receiving God’s blessing in the midst of hard times

Gas prices have come down again. Will the prices of fare and commodities follow? I doubt it. Life seems to be getting harder and harder. Am I worried about these things? Well, I am pretty sure Wendy version 2005 would definitely be. But these days, I’ve learned to look past all these.

About 3 years ago I was doing great in my job as call center trainer. I was saving for the future I was dreaming of. I wanted to travel, have a house of my own- a shabby chic decorated home in a nice neighborhood and a life that was comfortable and free of want. Don’t we all desire these?
But in the midst of it I constantly worried about money.I felt like I wasn’t making enough. Helping my family financially was a hard task for me. I also down right refused to tithe in my church. Why would I give away this hard-earned money? I worked for it and I alone should benefit. I thought to myself.

Until, the unthinkable happened, my account closed. Since my contract with the call center I worked for was co-terminus with the account, I was forced to leave the company. It wasn’t hard to find another job given my experience. I continued to save. But Later on, I got really sick. My atopic dermatitis and asthma worsened. Apparently, the stress and working at night have affected my immune system. I was declared unfit to work. My ability to earn was gone. What will happen to my dreams?

I rested and recovered. I found other jobs but I was constantly sick. By then it was clear the Lord was dealing with me an area of my life I have refused to surrender to Him- money. One afternoon, I was praying to get well so I could work again. I just felt the Lord telling me… “Why are you relying on your job to get your dreams fulfilled? Don’t you know that this soil you are tilling is cursed? Follow me and I will show you the way…”

I didn’t I understand what He said. But the one thing that struck me was “Follow me…” I sought God’s Word, prayed and discovered the truth about how God blesses His children


Humanity’s sin resulted in a curse on the ground. It used to bear fruit easily but things changed when sin came into the picture. The Bible says this in Genesis 3:17-19…

17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'
"Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.

18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field…
Have you ever felt like you’ve been working really hard yet what you earn is NEVER ENOUGH? That’s what I felt before.

When Jesus died on the cross and redeemed us, this curse was broken. We no longer live under this curse. As citizens of God’s Kingdom, a new “spiritual economy” applies to us. Enjoying this Spiritual Economy involves 4 things: KNOW, OBEY, BELIEVE and EXPECT.

KNOW
Know who you are in the Lord. Your Father is a King! Read His Word-the Bible. It contains the promises He has in store for His children. These can only be TRUE in our lives if we Know about it and Believe it in child-like faith.

OBEY
A key principle in receiving God’s blessing is tithing- giving 10 percent of your income to God. Besides this, having a generous heart also works. Giving and tithing is OBEDIENCE to God. When He blesses us, we become His stewards. It is meant to supply our physical needs and the Lord also wants us to use it to build His kingdom further by giving it away and being a blessing to others. While the norm these days is to hoard wealth, the children of the King of kings does otherwise. We cannot help but give His blessings away because we are confident that the supply will never run out!

BELIEVE & EXPECT
When we receive Butch’s monthly income or any form of blessing, our priority to set aside 10 percent of it to give away. Ten percent is the standard Biblical amount however, Bo Sanchez’s idea seems laudable.He aims to do it the other way around. He wants to keep the 10 and the 90 percent will go to his ministry. He would be able to do this because he is confident that the 10% of his earnings would be big enough to support his needs. Isn’t that amazing!

Tithing is honoring God with the favor he has bestowed in our lives. It could be awfully hard to do this sometimes especially when bills are piling up. But tithing is a sign of trust that He, as our Father will be faithful to provide for our needs and give us so much more. Times like these, we need stretch our faith and be confident that the Lord will answer. I remember a story of a co-worker in church. Being a public school teacher, her income is just enough for her daughter and herself. One time, for some reason she consumed more electricity than what they normally use. She was expecting her electric bill to be more than usual. So she prayed that the Lord would provide the money she needs to pay the bill. But when she got her electric bill it was much lower than what she usually pays! She found out that part of electric lines in her area was infested by ants. Now that’s what I call an answered prayer! If we are faithful, God will remain faithful to us.

A mistake I made was that I looked to my career instead to God to provide for my needs. My job was everything to me because I saw it as the ONLY WAY to fulfill my dreams. Though I was unconscious of it (I only later realized it) I put it above obeying God because I refused to tithe. There’s nothing wrong with getting our everyday needs off our salary or business but if we do something out of disobedience thinking that it would help our business earn more is wrong.

Why would we expect God to bless our business if we evade taxes? Or get that promotion if we are always late for work and slacking off?

I find it hard to believe that He wants any of us to be poor or lacking in anything. His servants in the Bible were wealthy- Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David just to name a few. God promised an abundant life to all His children. It is very evident in the lives of these men that God indeed loves to bless. But before they received it, they obeyed and followed His ways and as a result, the blessing from God flowed in their lives.

Consider the following verses in the Bible: Ephesians 3:20, Matthew 6:32-34, Genesis 24:1-3, Malachi 3:10, Ephesians 1, John 10:10

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“More than Enough”, a worship song

This is a favorite worship song in my church. I also sing it sometimes when I find myself worrying about certain things especially about our finances. I close my eyes and focus myself on Jesus. I sing the lines

“What more can I ask for, My life is in your hands. Nothing will I take from you on solid rock I stand…”

Are you feeling worried or uncertain about anything right now? Take time to listen to the song and be confident in Him who holds your life in the palm of His hands…

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Out and about after a long time!

My social life suffered because of pregnancy symptoms that bombarded for the past months. I would get so jealous of Butch going out with our friends while I’m stuck at home puking or with a horrible headache! Also, we’ve been invited to a number of weddings. None of which I attended for a variety of reasons- both real and imagined! I would always have an excuse not to go like “I feel too fat”, “I feel ugly with my skin breaking out”, “ I have nothing to wear”, “I feel sad”, “I’d rather stay home and drop Entrecrads” ( yes, yes blogging has been keeping me company and busy), yada yada yada!! Besides, I didn’t have the energy to go out. It’s a good that I’ve gotten back to blogging but its only recently that I started going out and seeing people again.

Last Wednesday, Butch and I went out with our favorite couple friends- The Larocos ( ate Apol and kuya Cyrus) and the Bautistas (ate Ethel and kuya Rio). We ate in Kopirotti. Kopirotti makes really delicious coffee buns (don’t worry, it doesn’t contain too much caffeine to affect my baby!) These buns are best enjoyed with coffee or hot chocolate. It has a chewy outside and the bread itself is soft.

Besides being our dear friends, these guys are our co-ministers in our church’s worship team. Apol is a worship leader ( I learned to lead worship through her example) and Cyrus is a drummer. Rio on the other hand is a guitarist. Ethel is not part of the team, she is a full-time stay home mom taking care of five growing boys (how she manages to do this is something that’s beyond me). I am currently on leave in our worship team because of my pregnancy. I really miss being with them-singing and stuff. But for now, I need to focus on keeping myself and the baby healthy.

That Sunday, Butch and I attended worship service in our church, JOHIA (Jesus Our Hope International Assemblies). Unfortunately doing this is something I’ve also neglected again for a variety of reasons both real and imagined (I reckon this is hormone induced). People are so surprised of how big my tummy has gotten. I think the last time they saw me was during the last days of my 1st trimester. We hung out with our single friends- Len, Rica, Richard, Kuya Derrick, Maui, J.R., Hazel, and Walter. They invited us to have dinner with them in this eat all you can restaurant called Tramway (this is why I am friends with these guys like me and Butch , they LOVE GOD and food!) That was 2’o clock in the afternoon and they needed to lead worship in the afternoon service so to kill time, Butch and I strolled in Gateway Mall. I also had a haircut. This is something I’ve been wanting to do because my hair style is getting kind of outdated. After my haircut, it was still too early so Butch and I had donuts and coffee in Dunkin’ Donuts. We played a board game called Snake Game. We looked kinda silly with all the trash talk we were giving each other. Kinda juvenile, but it was fun!

Tramway Restaurant serves Filipino, Chinese and Japanese food. When it was time to eat, everybody headed to the main buffet table. But me, I went straight to the salad bar. Applying my “goodies before the baddies” rule, I loaded my plate with green leafy veggies and fruits. I really enjoyed myself in this restaurant. I am a big fan of dim sum and dumplings. Theirs is the best I’ve tasted so far. I am not kidding! Their pancit canton (Chinese noodles sauteed with veggies and meat) was also very good! I want to take my sisters there one of these days.

It was good to finally go out with friends. Not only that, I got to eat delicious food any pregnant woman like me would enjoy. But you know what my favorite part of the day was? Its none other than my snake game tournament with Butch, the love of my life! I could peel potatoes with that guy the whole day and still have a blast.

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True Love, An Elliptical Journey

This post is a review on the poem “True love is…” by Lex of Bittersweet Collide.

Anybody who has fallen in love and anyone who loves genuinely could easily relate with this poem. The author of the site Bittersweet Collide understands what true love is and it very apparent in this piece.

I myself have not perfected the art of loving someone. But like the author I am in an “elliptical journey” of true love as a wife and mother. It is what I’ve committed myself to for the rest of my life.

true love is like taking a walk in the elliptical
a journey in place - never ending...

The author likens true love to an ellipse- a round shape meaning, once it captures you, it is impossible to let go. Yes, it seems to be a magic potion to which there is no antidote or a spell you can never get out of.

But why an ellipse? Why not a circle?

The ellipse, unlike a circle which has no edge whatsoever , has a slight edge denoting a stop or a halt when you draw it.

To love is to give and not expect anything in return. There will be times when you stop and think, why am I doing this? What good do I get out of loving you, when I begin to forget myself? You may become worn out in pouring yourself for someone. But when you see how your love has upheld that person’s being, your weariness fades away and turns into strength.

Love, in some instances, might be unrequited. And because of this, you try with all your might to put a stop to it. But there will always be a part of you that has been affected and changed by the experience. Surely, it will certainly color your future reactions to everything.

The author compares it to a journey. It’s destination?

Nobility of heart.

The say that a characteristic of a self-actualize person is altruism. Isn’t that every soul’s mission to live is for the betterment of another being’s life?
Like the ellipse, it has no end. Does love die with death? I do not believe so. True love will always creates endless ripples of goodness even beyond death.

Before my husband, Butch and I got married, we went steady for 4 years. Four years of arguments, fights and settling of endless differences. Nevertheless, we still fond ourselves in love with each other. We didn’t have much money then. Our dates would be a stroll in our neighborhood and eating street food. But every moment seemed fresh, new and exciting. It is a fact that every moment spent with a loved one is special and never dull. You may find yourself in the same old situation and arguments, but in a commitment to make things work, you strive to resolve things.

True love in itself is I think “bittersweet” with its ups and downs, highs and lows, hurts and joys. But through it all, you choose to stay and endure. At the end, you find yourself a better person.

and then you take that journey again
same journey over and over again,
still in the same place
still the same feeling, only stronger.

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Uh-oh, I fnished it!

I’m a big fan of butter. Butter icing, butter cake, butter on toast. Oh butter! Life seems to be more beautful with you! Of course I am cutting down on it since I got pregnant. We all know how incredibly fattening it is. I decided to put a stop on my love affair with butter. You see, obesity during pregnancy runs in my family. My cousins never got their pre-pregnancy figure back. While my sister, was 180 lbs. when she gave birth! She’s only about 5’1” in height. Learning from her mistake, I decided to be careful with what I eat for my own and my baby’s sake. I was doing well following my “goodies before the baddies” rule until…

In the grocery with Butch, I spotted a well-loved childhood snack- butter cookies. Growing up, my dad used to take home M.Y. San Assorted cookies. It had cookies in all flavors and shapes but none satisfied my palette like this c-shaped, creamy-delicious butter cookies! Since it was assorted, there were only about five pieces of it. But on that day at the grocery what I saw was a whole box of it! I resisted and got the wheaten crackers instead. To my surprise Butch, also saw it. “This is gonna by yummy to eat with coffee!” He said putting it onto our cart.

I placed the butter cookies atop our ref among my pregnancy friendly snacks. “I will eat some in moderation, of course.” I told myself. The next day, Butch and I ate some while watching t.v. Before that I ate oatmeal so I’d be a bit full and not eat too much of it. In the following days, I seem to have forgotten about the diet. When I get usual pregnancy hunger pangs and looked at our ref, my “healthy snacks” faded into the background. All I saw was the box of butter cookies that seemed to be calling out to me. From then on, I snacked on it while watching t.v. and dropping Entrecards. The next thing I knew, I’ve reached the bottom of the box and nothing was left but crumbs.

Uh-oh, I finshed it!The only time I remember Butch eating some was the day after we brought it meaning I was the one who eat most of it. I think I finished the entire box in the span of three weeks.
I’ve been having problems sticking to a healthy diet lately. For one, Butch has been taking home junk food and Cola. I can’t resist but eat some as well. I really miss drinking Coke! Fortunately, I’ve been successful in controlling myself from drinking soft drinks. I’ve reminded Butch to stop eating junk food in my presence. He took the chips to his office and will probably eat it there. I still have a long way with my pregnancy and NO MORE BUTTER COOKIES for me. Well, maybe some but I won’t make the mistake buying a box of it.

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Yikes! some visitors cannot see my Entrecard widget!!

For the past week, I've gotten a couple of feedback that some visitors cannot find my Entrecard widget. Some of them leave a comment on my post which I appreciate. I can give them a visit even if I don't see them in my Entrecard inbox. I make it a point to drop back on those sites who've dropped on mine. And I wouldn't want to lose regular droppers because of this problem.

I know for a fact that this is an Internet Explorer issue. I've never removed or played around with my Entrecard widget. It happens to me as well and I know it can be annoying. When I use Internet Explorer to drop, I can't seem to find the widget on some sites. What I do is refresh the screen and sometimes the widget comes out.

Because of this I don't use IE anymore when I drop. I use Mozilla FireFox instead.

If you're a dropper on my site and can't seem to find the widget, PLEASE TRY TO REFRESH/RELOAD THE SCREEN =) My widget is above the Christian Carders widget and below the single Project Wonderful ad box.

I really appreciate the visits and I will surely drop back on your site =)

Thanks and more power to all your blogs!

WENDY =)

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A 2 Colossians 3: 1-13 Reflection, The art of losing myself in bringing Him praise

In order for anyone to please God the “self” must die first. Our sinful nature is utterly displeasing to God. The “me” that is…

proud...

selfish...

sickly...

unforgiving...

bitter...

angry...

lustful
(this ugly list could go on and on)

can NEVER…

please God,
do His work
and receive His blessing

Everyday I must choose to die and let Him live in me. While being constantly aware of my feelings and actions, I check my heart (this is always my prayer- Lord let my heart and mind be always aligned to Yours. If it has something that displeases you take it way even if it will hurt me)

I choose to follow what Jesus would do and set aside my pride and sinful tendencies. I struggle. Which do I follow- my own desires or His will? It is far from easy. That I reckon is DYING.
Then, I let go and surrender. I focus to Him whose sufficient grace accepts me even in my filthiest state and sees me through in the hardest of struggles; whose STRENGTH sustains me and whose love makes me as white as snow. That I reckon, is how I’ve been raised with Christ.
I formerly preoccupy myself with- what to eat, what to wear, how to get more money, how to get more pleasure out of things. This is my new self- I’ve set my heart on things that is above. I concern myself with what’s important to my Father- the building of His kingdom. I work for Him now and in turn He provides me everything I need. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall NOT WANT. I follow His ways and He takes care of me.

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Managing mood swings during pregnancy

For the past days I’ve been having mood swings. I know this is normal because of the extra hormones I am getting. I’ve gotten over the nausea and vomiting stage. I no longer have the clockwork headaches (I used to get them at exactly 11 am every single day, wherever I am, whatever I am doing!) These days I deal with either mania or depression. There are moments when I find myself literally stating “I feel happy”. It’s as if I took a pill to be that way or something. Times like these, I feel like I could do anything- conquer the world, make money, give away money, hug everyone around me etc. Nothing could make me feel bad. The other day, I had such feeling. I had my regular OB-Gyn visit. Butch couldn’t come with me because he had to work late. Normally, that would make me sad because I had to go alone at night (my doctor’s clinic hours were 6:30 to 8:00 pm). It also took a while before I could get a cab. Oddly, None of those pissed me off. I even gave the cab driver a forty peso tip. He was very grateful. When I arrived home everything changed. A molehill of a discomfort turned into a mountain impossible for me to scale. Everything bugged me- my stomach and breasts that seems to be getting heavier, my rashes, the heat, one of our tenants, the clutter in our apartment, the fact that I couldn’t fit into my clothes anymore, the list just went on and on. Times like those, I just wait for it to pass. I just try my best to keep my cool because I could lash out to anyone around me. I do the following when I feel like this to relax me…

1. Watch Lifestyle network shows- For some reason watching someone cook and DIY shows relaxes me. I have absolutely no intention of making the project or doing the recipe myself but I enjoy it. Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa is a particular favorite of mine. She shows so much passion and enthusiasm when she cooks. Most of the stuff she makes is kinda fatty but it all looks so scrumptious. I think it’s also the way how the camera presents the food with all those close-ups. I also like Giada de Laurentiis, the chef in Everyday Italian and that French chocolate dude whose name I can’t remember. I change the channel when it’s Mario Batali or Bobby Flay. Mario talks too fast and I find Bobby Flay arrogant for some reason.

2. Ask Butch to rub my back- this just calms me down.

3. Rant on paper- I grab my journal or laptop and just write what I feel or anything I want.

4. Sleep- who knows maybe when I wake up, it might be time for mania again.

If your are pregnant and having mood swings, here are some things you can do. I’ve been reading about mood swings during pregnancy on books and on-line. I do some of these as well.

1. Keep your blood sugar up- I got this from the all-knowing-my-gosh!-everything-is-there book “What to Expect when your Expecting”. Apparently, the lowering of blood sugar because of long intervals between meals lead to mood swings. To combat this, eat a small 6 meals a day instead of three. Be sure to include protein and complex carbohydrates in these meals.

2. Get enough sleep. Fatigue may be a cause too.

3. Sunbathe! Studies show that sunlight can lighten ones mood. But be sure to wear sunblock before doing this.

4. Exercise. This releases endorphins, the “happy hormone” . Of course pre-approve the exercise routine first with your doctor. As for me, I try to walk 30-minutes a day. I think that’s the safest exercise a pregnant woman can do.

Like the headaches, nausea and vomiting I know this is just a phase. I just have to focus myself on the good things. I can’t wait to hold and see Nigel. I sometimes talk and sing to him then he responds by moving around my tummy. We indeed have a special connection beyond the umbilical cord. Meanwhile, I just have to take the advice of the person in my dream, “relax and enjoy your pregnancy…”

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A Dream: “Relax and enjoy your pregnancy…”

I just had a really strange dream. Well, strange enough for me to blog about it. I am applying cement on these walls. I have co-cement workers with me. We seem to be reinforcing a couple of walls. It is night time. All of a sudden a group of people came with lit candles claiming there were ghosts in the area and they needed to contact them or something. But before they do, they needed to change into swimwear?! (could these ghosts be underwater?! Haha) One of them approaches me, looks me into the eye and just says “You’re doing a great job, you should just relax and enjoy your pregnancy…” I also look at her intently for a moment then I wake up.

I wonder what this dream means? And what’s up with the wall cementing? And people looking for ghost underwater? Weird!

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A Genesis 32:22-32 Reflection, Perseverance

When I read this passage, this verse really struck me...

Then the man said,"Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." Genesis 32:28

Jacob was indeed a man who struggled greatly. From being a spoiled momma's boy and a smart-aleck deceiver, he was forced to leave his family fearing Esau might kill him. He found refuge in the land of her mother's brother Laban- where he got a taste of his own medicine and where his struggles began. Through it all, Two things have made Jacob an over comer...

1. He saw God as a blesser
Jacob's knowledge of God was mainly that He was a blesser. He saw this in the life of his own father and was probably told about how his grandfather Abraham was blessed by the same God. This truth was confirmed when God appeared to him in a dream. Just like his Daddy and Grandpa, God promised that He would bless him. It is no surprise that Jacob insisted for God to bless him even in the middle of wrestling match. He knew that whenever God appeared blessing is surely up for grabs!

2. He knew how to persevere to get what he wanted.
For seven years he worked for Laban just to get the hand of the woman he loved, Rachel, Laban's younger daughter. After their wedding night, he found out that he had slept with Leah! Laban has deceived him saying that it was customary for them to let the eldest daughter marry first and Leah was older than Rachel. So again, Jacob labored or another seven years! He endured it, all because He wanted Leah really bad.

The good life will never be served to us on a silver platter. Yes, even for us Christians who have a "good God" who loves to bless. If we want it, we have to work for it. I apply this in every area of my life. If I want a good and happy marriage, I need to compromise and to talk disagreements through though sometimes it might be painstakingly hard. If you want good grades, you must study well and go the extra mile by reading lessons in advance. If you want your business to thrive, you must continue to improve your product and know how to adapt to changes.If I have a dream or a vision I can't just expect for it to drop from the heavens. Instead, I will work on it with God's guidance and and Be confident that HE will bless my endeavors whatever obstacle comes along the way.

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Ants in your laptop? Here’s a solution

About two months ago, my sister, Amy had an ant problem. Red ants kept crawling out of her DELL laptop keyboards! She ignored it, just squishing them as they appeared. She thought our niece, Chloe might have only smeared it with something sweet while playing computer games. So she cleaned the surface with a damp cloth. But the ants kept coming out and it was increasing in number!

We found out that ants are actually attracted to warm environments especially when they are nesting! We hoped it wasn’t gnawing off the insides of the laptop. I googled for possible solutions. Yahoo answers gave useful and some funny ones. A person suggested to place a cup of honey near the laptop to lure them out. Funny, but it could work. We didn’t try it though.

My sister came up with her own solution. She shaded parts of the keyboards with an anti-ant and cockroach Baygon chalk. She quarantined her laptop for 48 hours after which she turned it upside down and out came dead red ants! To prevent them from coming back, She took a sheet of cardboard, placed her laptop on it and shaded the perimeter with more Baygon chalk like so…

She also uses the mat as a board each time she would use the laptop. It seemed to have worked! She never had the problem again.

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I love your blog award!!

This is the first blog award I got since I started blogging again. Thanks Tony, Fresh Writer of Reading Lounge and From the diary of a Call Center Mom I really appreciate it =) here it is ....
And now its time for me to pass it on to other bloggers whose blogs I love...

Hot Momma
Tertuim Quid
Regalo ng Dioys
Beautiful and Happy
Proud Mommy
Our Journey to Forever
A Woman Under God's Grace



I’m also supposed to include the rules for this award so here they are:

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog;
2. Link the person you received your award from;
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs;
4. Put links of those blogs on yours; and
5. Leave a message on the blogs that you’ve nominated

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I’m lovin’ those fetal kicks… and dreadin’ those PUPPPs

I was comfortably seated. I had just eaten my usual cheese whiz wheaten bread sandwich when I felt something grumbling in my stomach. Could have I eaten something bad? Perhaps the yogurt I ate eat earlier was already expired? But it didn’t exactly feel like indigestion but something was definitely moving inside my tummy. Then, I realized, could it be the baby moving?!

Fetal movement or what doctor’s call “quickening” start around week 18-22 weeks of pregnancy. I started feeling my baby moving at 17 weeks. There’s nothing like it. Never has my pregnancy become so real to me. Before that, since my tummy was still regularly sized (only a little bigger as if I’d eaten a big meal), I felt like everything was just one long PMS with the headaches, food cravings, dizziness and all. But when I felt my li’l angel moving inside me- reality kicked in, I was really going to be a mom. At 17 weeks, I was the only one who could feel it. Butch would see me laughing, elated to feel the baby. He would place his hand over my tummy in hopes he could feel it himself. But at that point, the baby was still too little for the kicks to cause a bump on my tummy. I could tell Butch was a bit jealous. But soon enough, at 18 weeks, our li’l angel’s dancing, somersaults and moving around created sporadic little waves much to Daddy Butch’s delight!

Fetal kicks occur mostly after a meal and when the baby is most active. After the mommy eats, the baby’s blood sugar rises causing him/ her to move around. Also, at this point the baby already has a sleeping pattern and is mostly awake at night. So the baby is also active when the mother is resting. In the daytime, the mother’s activity as she goes around doing her tasks, actually rocks and cradles the baby causing him/ her to be at rest.

When my sisters want to feel my baby kicking, I would eat something, play classical music near my belly or sing to him (I think the vibrations caused by my singing stimulates him). Butch also plays his guitar and speaks to him often. This acquaints and bonds him to his loving Daddy.
As li’l Nigel makes his presence more known, the pregnancy hormones continue to wreak havoc on my skin. Unfortunately, since I entered my second trimester, my atopic dermatitis has been flaring up. My OB-GYN allowed me to use topical steroids to control it. Besides my usual AD, another skin problem has been causing much discomfort. I saw a number of pimple-like bumps on my ankle. I showed it to my allergy specialist. “Oh no sweetie that’s not Atopic dermatitis, its PUPPP!” She said informing me.

PUPPP (yes, its “puppy” short of a “Y” with an extra “P”), is a rash common to pregnant women in the third trimester (mine started at the 2nd trimester, my skin is really sensitive). Its full name is Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy. These itchy rashes appear on the abdominal stretch marks, thighs, buttocks or arms on most pregnant women. Besides my ankles, I have some on my arms and stomach.

I was advised to use topical steroids to treat them. I also take a category B (medications safe for pregnant women) antihistamine called Claritin. It works best for me because it doesn’t make me feel drowsy. Claritin is generically known as Loratadine. It also controls my allergic rhinitis.
Like any other pregnancy symptom this dreadful PUPPP will pass. Though these rashes are causing much discomfort on my part, I focus myself in the joy of feeling my li’l angel’s fetal kicks as he gets bigger and stronger each week.

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