Filipino time?

We had our 39 week appointment yesterday and so far it seems like the little peanut loves the warmth of mommy's belly. It's almost like she knows how bad the weather's been lately, and she'd rather wait until daylight savings time to make her grand entrance. So far she's keeping all of us guessing. The doctor mentioned that Enza's belly has dropped, but she's still holding tight at 1 cm, no pun intended.

At this point, the doctor scheduled our next appointment for early next week. If nothing changes by then, we'll probably look at our options to get the ball rolling, as the doctor doesn't want Enz to go more than 1 week past the due date of March 4th. We're hoping for something big this weekend! We also found out that Auntie B will be going out of town on the 7th, and that would be a huge bummer if she missed out on the birth =(

Enz hasn't really started to feel uncomfortable, much like a majority of pregnant women do during their last few weeks. Although yesterday was probably the first time she complained of discomfort, aside from the regular bouts of heartburn. Keep your fingers crossed, and your phones on-we're praying for a miracle this weekend!

Still counting down...

As we enter into the 39th week, a sense of excitement has come over us. We're down to the last few days of the pregnancy, or should I say, the last few days until the due date.

This past weekend, we visited with some friends, and all we could think about was that this would possibly be our last week solely as a couple. Just the very thought that we will soon have our baby with us, and that we will be responsible for her gives us both the chills. Sure, Enz has been carrying around the little one for the last nine months, but things will certainly be different once she's actually & physically here with us. We both feel that we're ready for her, and we're fairly confident that everything in the house is ready for her. We've gone through all the preparations, now all we need is for Enz to have the baby and then we can move onto the next phase.

We've got another appointment coming up this week, and hopefully the doctor will tell us that everything is good. We're still trying to figure out whether or not the baby will be early, on time, or late. I'm shooting for late, just because she's half filipino! As is stands, we have 5 days left until the 4th. We're still counting, even though we know it can be ANY day now...

Peanut at 39 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby's ready to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) Your baby's organs are fully developed and in place, and the outer layers of skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

Yet another appointment...

We had another weekly appointment yesterday, this time with another doctor since ours was on vacation. She's asked for our little peanut to hold out until she returns, and so far, the little one has honored her request.

Everything looked good, and the doctor mentioned that the baby's head was very low which she attributed to the thinning of the cervix. It appears as if our little one is on schedule, so we'll see by next week what the doctor says.

We're just about 8 days away from the due date, and we're still trying to figure out if she'll follow in her Filipino roots & be late, or if she'll do the Italian thing and be early. Isn't Italy 9 hours ahead? =) We're hoping for anytime in March so we can all celebrate being a "March birthday family." Besides, once she's born, my birthday will be forgotten anyway, since it is in the beginning of the month! The spotlight will belong to the peanut!

Latest pic

Here's the most recent picture of Enz in all her pregnant splendor. This is a phone pic, taken on Saturday February 17, 2007. We were entering Babies 'R' Us, so you can tell that Enz has her game face on. Needless to say, the store was fairly empty, so the stress level was low.

Still waiting...

This past weekend was fairly eventful in regards to finalizing all of the baby stuff. Enz & I were able to get all the exchanges done for the duplicate gifts we received, and also completed the missing odds & ends from the registry. I hung up the blinds in the baby room, and Enz got all the crib bedding together and set it all into the crib. Although the baby won't be sleeping in her crib just yet, Enz really wanted to see how it would all come together. I think she made an excellent choice!

Moving into the 38th week, I've noticed that fatigue really sets in early with Enz. She has already started to waddle, and her "nesting" instinct has kicked into high gear. At times this weekend, I wasn't able to keep up with her, and was even a bit worried that she would run herself into the ground. But like a trooper, she kept at it, and didn't stop until she was done with what she was doing. The baby hasn't dropped any more since the last time, at least that's how Enz feels. She has yet to experience the whole "lightening" of her belly, in fact, she's still got a lot of heartburn. I feel bad for her because she can't eat without getting stomach issues, and it's not so much what she eats, or the quantity, it's just that there's no room for anything. It's almost as if she can get heartburn from a half glass of water! UGH!

Now that Enz is home, she can focus on getting her thoughts together for the big day. God knows she's got everything else prepared!!

Peanut at 38 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby has really fattened up. She likely weighs between 6 and 7 1/2 pounds now (boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls), and she's probably between 19 and 20 inches long. She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test with your pinky! Her organs are fully developed and in place, but her lungs and brain — though developed enough for her to function now — will continue to mature right through childhood. Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If your baby is born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

And on this week...

Not much has happened this past week, just our weekly routine. Although this was Enza's last week at work, I think she realized that there's more work ahead of us on the home front-self inflicted, of course! No complaints though, besides, who'd listen anyway?

Last weekend we had another baby shower for the little one, and needless to say, she was spoiled AGAIN! It's all good, and we wanted to thank everyone for coming and making it yet another fun time! I'd say "let's do it again," but where would we put all her stuff? =)

We also had another weekly appointment this week, and the doctor got to see the little peanut in all her belly deforming action! Its almost like she was playing a game with the doctor because she would push out a body part, and when the doctor would put her hand on it, she'd pull away. Early stages of hide and seek? I think so!

Week 37 is coming to a close and we look forward to continuing our countdown. What is it, something like 15 days left? WOW!

Peanut at 37 weeks

How your baby's growing: Congratulations! Your pregnancy is now considered full term — meaning your baby is developmentally ready to handle life outside the womb. (Babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 weeks are post-term.) Your baby probably weighs a little over 6 pounds at this point and measures between 19 and 20 inches, head to heel. Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children are born blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Ready for the world...

So now that Enz is well into her ninth month, we had our first "weekly" appointment with the doctor. She noticed that Enza's belly has started to drop, although Enz still doesn't feel that much different. She checked on the little peanut's heartbeat, which, to this day, still sounds amazing! The doctor also verified that the baby has moved into position. When she finished the exam, she told us that Enz has dilated to 1 cm. As Enz & I looked at each other, I let out a strange laugh. So strange in fact, that the doctor said it sounded like a nervous laugh. I'll admit, it was rather shocking to hear that the process has started, so if I sounded nervous it's because I really was! Afterwards, Enz & I giggled like little kids because we couldn't believe how quickly time has flown!

The little peanut is doing some crazy things up in mama's belly, making it contort into different shapes. It's kind of weird, and at the same time very entertaining! She's still reacting to music, and seems to move a lot during American Idol. Maybe she's got that judging ability and can take over for that drunkard, Paula Abdul? Hehehe, just kidding.

Year of The Golden Pig

For the Chinese this is the Year of the Pig. The Chinese zodiac follows a twelve year cycle following twelve animals - snake, rat, pig, dog, goat, bull, and another six animals. The zodiac is ranked in order of the animals, who came to pay their respects to Buddha when he was sitting under the tree.

Every twelve years, the cycle also starts with the animal current in that year. This year is a new, 12 year cycle beginning with the pig. It is not only the year of the Pig, it is the Year of the Golden Pig. According to Chinese Foklore, this is an event that occurs once in every 600 years and will ensure that a baby born on this year will experience a prosperous and wealthy life.

As in Britain, people in other parts of Europe create their own nativity scenes for Christmas. This also happens in the US where stores and hotels will have a small scene of Mary, baby Jesus, a couple of angels, a cow and lambs etc. Similarly the Chinese in Singapore make their own 'nativity' display to celebrate their festivities of the New Year, but with a difference! This year they have Walt Disney type plastic and rubber pig mannequins wearing proper clothes and shoes and standing on two feet offering prayers or welcoming guests. One wonders how they are going to handle the year of the snake or dog?

Despite these animal capers, the Chinese are very good at the almanac - their lunar and solar calendars are very accurate. The Chinese New Year started on Monday 30th. January 1995 because that is when the new moon was 'born'. In quite a ridicules contrast the Muslim scholars go out to sight the moon for Ramadan. If they don't 'see' the moon then the Ramadan is not cancelled but the moon is as assumed to be there anyway!

Super Bowl XLI

Congratulations to the winners of Super Bowl XLI, The Indianapolis Colts! At least the little peanut will know who won the big game the year she was born...

Peanut at 36 weeks-ALMOST THERE...

How your baby's growing: Your baby is still putting on the pounds — about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is a little less than 19 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the creamy substance that covered and protected her skin during its submersion in amniotic fluid. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, which will stay in her bowels until birth. This blackish mixture, called meconium, will become her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Babies between 37 and 42 weeks are considered full-term; a baby born before 37 weeks is pre-term and after 42 is post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position by now, which is optimal for a smooth delivery, but if she isn't in the next week, your provider may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position manually, by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

Random thoughts as we wind it down...

As we end yet another week, it only becomes more evident that the pregnancy is coming to a close. Enz & I talked about it, and of course, we still can't believe it. Watching Enz throughout this experience has been a blast, and she's told me many times how she has truly enjoyed being pregnant. so much so that she even said she's going to miss being pregnant! So what does that tell me? Maybe we'll have a lot more kids? Well, it's a given that we'll try to have at least one more, but who knows what the future has in store? Two more? Three more? Oh, and we can't forget about getting another pup too!

The weeks are coming and going so fast, and while we're almost down to just four weeks left, we're always thinking about how excited we were when we found out. Almost everyone knows that we had been "trying" for a little more than a year, and it got to the point where we were getting discouraged because it wasn't happening for us. Everyone kept saying, "just don't think about it and it'll happen," but when you're so passionate about something, how can you NOT think about it? Well, somehow we stopped thinking about it and we all know where that got us!

So as these posts become less frequent, I just wanted to let everyone know that both Enz & I are very thankful to all of you who have helped guide us through this experience. We've picked up some very useful hints along the way! Once the baby is here, we'll be looking to all of you again for your continued support, because we know that'll be a different experience in itself!