27 weeks!

It has been a couple weeks since I last posted because it has been so busy around here!  Between teaching, Jacob's school stuff, appointments, holiday parties, Xmas shopping etc. I'm not at all surprised that we're all sick (yup - first and hopefully last cold of the pregnancy).  It feels as if Thanksgiving was just last week, and now we're less than a week away from Christmas!  Time is flying!

I had an OB appointment last Tuesday and everything looks great.  I am measuring 3 days early, which is completely fine.  The baby's heartbeat was at 153 - also normal.  She was doing her usual cirque du soleil act in my tummy, so it took a little while for the doctor to chase her down.  Haha.  Jacob helped Dr. Greenberg measure my stomach, and he also got to hold the doppler heart rate monitor for her.  He was very happy that he got to take part in taking care of mommy.  I still haven't gained any weight, but the baby is healthy and growing!  My GD has been a bit of a challenge in the last week or so.  My blood glucose levels have been rising, which is expected at this stage in the game as my placenta is growing.  I have been very lucky and have only had to take a small dose of insulin once a day.  Even with my levels rising my dosage is still not very much.   Eating has been great and breakfast has become my favorite meal of the day!

This past Saturday I turned the big 2-9!  How am I 29 already?!?  I spent the day relaxing, shopping, and attending Sam's company Christmas party.  The following day I had a Korean BBQ lunch with mine and Sam's close family friends (minus a few people who couldn't make it).  I am so blessed to have such a great circle of people around me.  There was a time when I thought living in Colorado (we lived there for a few years and Jacob was born there) was the perfect place for my little family to live long term, but now that we're back home I can't imagine not having our family and friends around us.

Sam's work Christmas party

Family friends minus the kids (they were playing).  This is also my 27 week belly. =)

I hope everyone has a great holiday season!


How far along?:  27 weeks and 3 days

Gender:  As far as I know, still a girl. =)

Feeling anything new?:  The baby's movements feel more like squirms these days versus kicks.  I'm having a hard time breathing with the baby being so high up.  I'm also moving a lot slower these days.  I think I was the slowest walking person at the mall on Saturday.  Ugh.
 
Cravings:  Sweets.  I've been treating myself to a Ferrero Rocher chocolate here and there.  My favorite!
 

Sleep:  Not bad considering this nasty head cold.

Things I miss:  Sweets

How is Sam feeling?:  "I find the harder I work the more luck I seem to have." -Thomas Jefferson

That hard work has paid off cause you're having a baby girl! ;)

Other:  I want a chocolate molton lava cake from Chili's!!

 

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

25 weeks

Only a few more weeks away from my last trimester!  Time is really flying.  I just realized that this is our last Christmas as a family of 3.  Don't get me wrong, I cannot wait for our baby girl to arrive, but there are times when I get a little sad about Jacob not being my only baby anymore.  I know other moms can understand my sentiment.  I treasure my one on one time with Jacob so much, and I know that it will be a little more difficult to find that time once our little girl is here.  I always hear of moms feeling this way; they wonder how they can love another child just as much as their first.  Then they deliver their baby and they realize that they really do have even more love to give!  That's fun.  =)

This week has been tiring.  Sleep hasn't been that great and the baby is moving more and more every single day.  She was head down at the last appointment, which explains all the kicking that's happening higher up in my belly.  The more she grows the more round ligament pain I get.  Round ligaments are in the pelvis.  As the baby grows the round ligaments stretch and can cause pelvic pain.  Basically it feels like someone kicked me in the you know what.  Haha.

We are enjoying the holiday season at our house.  The tree is up and decorated and we only have a few more lights to put up outside.  We have been listening to Christmas carols every single day and watching our favorite Christmas movies (Home Alone 1 & 2 and Elf).  Jacob has a calendar stocking, so every day he moves the little felt candy cane to the right date and finds a treat in the associated pocket.  He gets SO excited and enjoys counting down the days till the big day.

Okay...so I have a decorating dilemma.  The kids are going to have to share a room, which is fine since the baby will be with us in our room for a little while.  I was thinking of going with a neutral wall color and then just personalizing their own side, but then I saw a picture of this room and became obsessed...

 

I saw this on Etsy because I was looking at wall decals.  I love all the tree and bird/butterfly things they have.  It's so whimsical, calming, pretty etc.  I just don't know if this wall color is too girly for a 4 year old boy to have as well?  What if it's personalized with all the things he likes (cars, dinosaurs, trains etc.) - would that work? 

I also like this dresser:

We got a changing table for Jacob when he was a baby and used it ONCE.  I figured we would get a dresser this time, and if we wanted to we would buy one of those contour changing mats and put it on top.  We are going to hold off on a crib because she will most likely be in a bassinet next to our bed for a good amount of time.

So much to do and only 15 more weeks till my due date!

I'll end this blog entry with a couple of holiday pictures - one of our tree and another of us at Disneyland!

  
How far along?:  25 weeks and 3 days
Gender:  "Girl you know its true....oooh oooh oooh, I love you."  Name that artist.  
Cravings:  Nothing this week.  It's pissing me off
Sleep:  Not great
Things I miss:  Carbs
How is Sam feeling?:  He told me to post this quote:


"Handing your daughter over to her date is like giving a million dollar Stradivarius (most expensive violin) to a Gorilla." -unknown

A.K.A - Sam is dramatic.
 Can the baby girl just be born first?  Haha! 

Other:  Stroganoff smells disgusting!

 

How your baby's growing:
Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

 

24 weeks!

It's been a couple weeks since I last blogged because Thanksgiving was busy around the Magtanong household!  We're blessed to have such great family and friends to share the holidays with.  Now the Christmas season is well under way, and I can't believe it'll be here in less than a month!  Where did the time go?  I looked at a calendar recently and realized that I have only 13 weeks before I am considered full term.  This freaks me out because we have accomplished nothing as far as getting our house ready, buying items etc.!  Well, that's not entirely true.  My friend, Ty, and I did a little damage with the Black Friday sales.  She is due just a week after I am and is also having a girl.  Two pregnant women who are both having girls is bad news when shopping for clothes!!  Haha

I had a doctors appointment today and the baby is perfect.  I am measuring right where I should be, which is a good thing since I have GD (gestational diabetes).  Her heart rate is at 153 and I've gained a total of 1 pound.  She's growing, but I am not.  I'm so okay with that.  =)  My OB said I need to start fetal kick counting at 28 weeks.  The minimum I should be looking for is 10 kicks in an hour whenever she is active.  If it is less than that I should head to the hospital.  I am now scheduled to come in every two weeks just to make sure everything is going smoothly.  I am thankful that I have a doctor who is on top of it!  

Thanksgiving was definitely a test for me and my GD, but I was successful!!  I was able to enjoy all the food (in moderation, of course) and not feel deprived.  My doctor said that my sugar levels would skyrocket the last two weeks of November, since my placenta is growing.  I'm finding the exact opposite; my levels are lower after each meal.  I'm not complaining - the less medication I can take the better.  We'll see how the next few weeks go.  Here are a few pictures from our Pre-Thanksgiving dinner with our close family friends and our actual Thanksgiving dinner:

Delmanoyrabeyes Cermagueztanorenolone (last names of everyone here haha) Thanksgiving Dinner 2011

Yummy food!

Us at Thanksgiving dinner.  Jacob was cranky.  Can you tell? 

The food was amazing! 

Pretty mango tart pie that we devoured.  So good.

 Two days later we got our Christmas tree!  I usually wait till the second week of December, but for some reason I just couldn't wait this year.  There is nothing better than a fresh tree in the house that makes the whole place smell like pine.  I love it!  Jacob was SO excited to pick out a tree.  I thought the holiday season was fun at 3 years old, but it is even more fun at 4!

My cutie pie

Always gotta have a family photo.... ;)

 And lastly, a 24 week picture with Jacob:
 

Also, check out this fun comparison.  This is me 21 weeks pregnant with Jacob and me 22 weeks pregnant with baby girl!  Crazy how much faster you show the second time around!  I'm carrying so much higher this time, too.

21 weeks in 2007

 

22 weeks in 2011

How far along?:  24 weeks and 5 days

Gender:  Girl!

Cravings:  Hot sandwiches with Kraft singles cheese.  So good!!

Sleep:  Sleep was TERRIBLE at 23 weeks.  This past week it has been great!

How's Sam feeling?:  He told me to post this quote:

"The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood.  The best way to understand people is to listen to them." - Ralph Nichols


A.K.A - Listen to Bev when she is hormonal and needs to whine and cry.  Or listen to Sam when he wants to talk about wild boar hunting and don't get annoyed.  Hahaha!


Other:  My birthday is coming up and I'm turning 29.  Ahhhh!!!   

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

22 weeks!

It's crazy how much changes in 1 week.  Last week I was feeling baby girl move here and there, but nothing really consistent.  This week I have been feeling her kicks more and more.  Here's what I know about her so far:

1.  She's a martial artist...or a tap dancer.  And she likes to do both of these on my bladder.  :-/

2.  She's likes to move a lot at 10:35pm on the dot.  This is not good for Sam and I in the future.  Haha

I had an appointment with my OB last Tuesday.  Everything looks great!  I have gained a whopping 1 lb, which my doctor was very happy about.  Doesn't seem like a lot, but as long as the baby is okay then I'm okay with it. ;)  Apparently my blood sugar levels are going to go crazy on me in the next couple weeks as my placenta grows.  Just in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas!  Yay.

What else?  The lease on our Toyota 4 Runner ended a few weeks ago, so it was time to switch it out for another car.  We went from this....

2006 Toyota 4 Runner SR 5

To this....

A 7 seater Toyota Highlander!  My new mommy wagon.  Not as rugged as our 4 runner, which I miss dearly, but I love it!  It's so much easier getting Jacob in and out of the car, so for that reason alone I am sold.  For about 5 seconds Sam and I considered a Toyota Sienna and then very quickly remembered that we're not quite ready for a van.  Haha

Lastly, here's a 22 week belly shot with my handsome boy:

How far along?:  22 weeks and 4 days

Gender:  Still a girl :)

Cravings:  Nothing in particular.  I am loving my tea everyday, though.

Sleep:  Not as great this week.  I've been waking up the past 3 days REALLY tired!

How's Sam feeling?: 

"I am having a girl.  I am now going to become an expert shotgun shooter." -Sam 
"You're so dramatic."
-Bev

Other:  Stepped into Babies R' Us the other day to get some bottles for my nephew.  I freaked out because it made me realize how much we still need to get!!

 

How your baby's growing:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Oh, what we do for our children!

My intention was to have this blog up and running as soon as I got pregnant, but well, morning sickness from hell prevailed and now I am 21 weeks and just posting!  Better late than never, I suppose!  Thanks to my BOCO (Boston Conservatory) friend, Katie Brugal, for giving me this great idea.  There are so many close family and friends that don't live near me, so it is nice to have this blog to share all the happening with Baby Magtanong Part deux. 

Where to start?  We found out we were pregnant sometime after the 4th of July and were SO excited to welcome another precious baby in our lives.  The first few weeks were okay.  I was experiencing a little nausea here and there, but nothing like what I had experienced when I was pregnant with Jacob that first trimester.  I thought to myself "Hmmm, I think pregnancy may be a breeze compared to my last one."  Oh, how I was wrong!  How I was very, very wrong!  The books, articles, other veteran mothers etc. are right...each pregnancy is different.  Here's a breakdown of the last few months:

Week 5-10: Pretty good appetite.  Nausea here and there.  No crazy aversions to foods.  Still teaching and able to participate in normal everyday activities.

Week 10-18:  Sick, sick, and SICK!  We're talking about vomiting (yum!) multiple times a day, migraine headaches that would put me in a dark closet just to get some relief, absolutely no desire to eat, and losing 20 lbs.  I closed my studio for a couple months cause I was too sick to teach, and I pretty much could never leave the house without throwing up everywhere. =(  It was intense.

I had an OB appointment at 16 weeks and they found sugar in my urine.  Because of this, they decided to test me early for gestational diabetes (typically that test doesn't happen till 24 weeks).  My levels for the one hour glucose test came back extremely high at 199.  You have to be 140 or under to pass.  Since my levels were so high so early on in my pregnancy, my OB felt it was best to diagnose me with gestational diabetes and start treating it now.  This was such a hard thing for me to hear, especially since I didn't have GD with Jacob.  I was sick for a few weeks with him, felt great after, and then he basically walked out of my uterus at 38 weeks.  After doing my own research and consulting with the GD program at UCSD, I learned that everything would be fine as long as I manage my blood glucose levels and exercise.  So far, so good!  It hasn't been that bad, besides the occasional chocolate cake cravings. =)

Week 18-21: Feeling amazing!!  I woke up one day and the sickness was gone.  I'm sure the change in my diet helped a bunch, too.  I'm back to all my normal activities and I'm back to teaching!  At week 19 we had our big anatomy scan and found out that Jacob is having a baby sister!!  Sam is a little scared, but very excited at the same time.  He bought a shotgun the day after we found out.  Haha!  The best part of the ultrasound?  Finding out that our little girl is HEALTHY.  Nothing is better than hearing that.  Jacob was able to sit in on the ultrasound and he loved seeing his baby sister moving around.  He is so excited and keeps telling me that she isn't coming till after Christmas because she's not done cooking yet.  He's too precious.

So, yes, it has been quite an adventure so far, but the love for your children never ceases to amaze me.  Would I go through all of this again?  Hells to the yes! =)

Here are some pictures:

7 weeks

10 weeks

13 weeks

19 weeks

Ain't nothin' hangin' in between them legs!

19 week belly shot

And one of our Jacob because he's just so cute! 

How far along? 21 weeks and 3 days

Gender: Girl power!

Cravings: Chocolate Cake. =(  Anyone have a tasty diabetic recipe?  Haha

Sleep: I love sleep.  I'm happy I'm finally getting some!

How's Sam feeling?: "Thumbs up!" -Sam

Other: I can't wait for the holidays!

How your baby's growing:
Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.