Okay, this week I am finally at the stage where I resemble the little guy in the picture to your right (in my profile).
Some major accomplishments for me this week are that I have doubled in size since week 6. I have moved up in the world from "lentil-bean size" to looking more like a blueberry. Although they are not quite functioning like they will when I am born, I have developed a pancreas and an appendix since last week too. (Dad is pretty jealous of me, actually, since he doesn't have an appendix anymore. He told Mom he wants me to make some spares for him!) I still have a little tail, which was formed when my spinal cord and brain were made, but this is the one part of me that is getting smaller all the time. This is a picture of what I kind of look like this week inside my mom's womb.
What's going on with Mom, you ask? Well she is hanging in there. Her best medication for morning sickness is to complain a lot! But actually she could be a lot worse. Another thing she likes a lot is hiking up hills. Doing exercise that raises her heart rate always makes her feel better... The biggest struggle for her is to have energy, especially into the evening. Since all of her energy is going into making my organs grow, she isn't very good at participating in pleasant conversation or thinking very analytically either - especially, say, from about 7 pm on every evening. Sometimes my growing body also makes her very cranky - when she isn't feeling well, unfortunately, she does not have a lot of patience for small talk.
Above all, Mom is getting ready for her first OB visit. She will be heading to the UCLA medical center obstetrics ward in a couple of weeks. Even though it is a couple of weeks off, she is thinking about it a lot now, though, because she was informed that the 8-week mark is a key date when planning a visit. Apparently most miscarriages happen by the 8th week, so if she and I can make it just a little bit longer without incident, she can go see the doctor and find out all kinds of things about me and my future from the doctor.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Big New Big News!
Yesterday was a big day for my Mom and Dad.
First of all Dad got a great new job up at UCLA, so he won't have to commute down to Irvine anymore. Mom and Dad calculated that he is gonna be able to save up to $15 a day, given the steep gas prices in LA these days. What's more, Dad got a 10% salary raise as well, so now he and Mom can save even more money for my future college education. (well they actually have to just save enough money for a new car and baby seat first). Dad is real happy about the job because he thinks it's gonna be challenging - something that he has been longing for in his career for a while lately. He also tells his friends that he's happy he'll be much closer to Mom during the pregnancy. He'll just be ten minutes down the road now, if she needs him!
The other big news of the day is that my grandparents showed up in LA today, and Mom was able to break the news to them that I'm on my way. They were pretty surprised, but seemed pretty happy. Granddad told Mom that she has to be very careful to take care of herself now that she is responsible for two people. Grandmom says she's happy too, but she would prefer if Dad and Mom got married right away.
First of all Dad got a great new job up at UCLA, so he won't have to commute down to Irvine anymore. Mom and Dad calculated that he is gonna be able to save up to $15 a day, given the steep gas prices in LA these days. What's more, Dad got a 10% salary raise as well, so now he and Mom can save even more money for my future college education. (well they actually have to just save enough money for a new car and baby seat first). Dad is real happy about the job because he thinks it's gonna be challenging - something that he has been longing for in his career for a while lately. He also tells his friends that he's happy he'll be much closer to Mom during the pregnancy. He'll just be ten minutes down the road now, if she needs him!
The other big news of the day is that my grandparents showed up in LA today, and Mom was able to break the news to them that I'm on my way. They were pretty surprised, but seemed pretty happy. Granddad told Mom that she has to be very careful to take care of herself now that she is responsible for two people. Grandmom says she's happy too, but she would prefer if Dad and Mom got married right away.
Monday, March 17, 2008
feeling good, feeling awful
This week-end I experienced the worst and best feelings I've had since this whole thing began. Still haven't gotten sick yet (sick sick, I mean), so that is good at least. Scott and I went to a diner for brunch Saturday, and I ordered some chicken soup with matzo balls. Nothing else looked good and I was feeling pretty queasy, so I went with the plainest food I saw on the menu. In the end, I couldn't stomach more than two or three bites, and I ended up eating all of Scott's omelet instead. (What a sweet nice guy!) Fortunately, he liked my soup though. This sounds pretty mundane, I realize, but it is really difficult to describe in detail how I wanted to run out of that diner screaming mad because I felt so nauseated by the whole ordeal... And then, the crummy mood/feelings continued pretty much all day until yesterday morning. After the soup episode, Scott and I tried to go for a walk, but it was so cold and windy, and I already felt wretched, so I immediately told Scott I wanted to go home, NOW!!
Yup, I guess this pretty boring stuff. But now that I am in the middle of being sick and feeling really gross, cranky, and fat all the time, I can't believe there are going to be at least 8 more months of this. Of course, I'm truly delighted about the little tyke, of course! But, man, I didn't know how hard this stuff (dealing with morning sickness and watching your stomach balloon out uncontrollably) would necessarily be...
On the bright side, yesterday, I felt great. I tried some B6 pills for the first time, and then Scott and I went to the beach to exercise. He ran and I rode my bike (we separated) for an hour, and it was the first time I felt like I wasn't even pregnant. Exercise generally helps the sickness, but the amazing thing yesterday was that I continued to feel pretty good all day yesterday - the whole entire day. I had much more energy that usual too.
Well that was just about the most banal blog posting that I've written so far, but in sum that is the state of my progress. Getting bigger by the day, and learning about the wonders of vitamins. I really recommend B6 to all cranky sickly pregnant women out there - just be careful to watch your dosage. (I read last night that there is such a thing as B6 toxicity, which can result in numbness and nerve damage for mom and potential harm for the baby.) I'm going to make sure to limit my intake to no more than 50 mg per day - and only on days when I'm not feeling well.
Anyhoo, next time, I'll write about trying to find a good OB/hospital.
Yup, I guess this pretty boring stuff. But now that I am in the middle of being sick and feeling really gross, cranky, and fat all the time, I can't believe there are going to be at least 8 more months of this. Of course, I'm truly delighted about the little tyke, of course! But, man, I didn't know how hard this stuff (dealing with morning sickness and watching your stomach balloon out uncontrollably) would necessarily be...
On the bright side, yesterday, I felt great. I tried some B6 pills for the first time, and then Scott and I went to the beach to exercise. He ran and I rode my bike (we separated) for an hour, and it was the first time I felt like I wasn't even pregnant. Exercise generally helps the sickness, but the amazing thing yesterday was that I continued to feel pretty good all day yesterday - the whole entire day. I had much more energy that usual too.
Well that was just about the most banal blog posting that I've written so far, but in sum that is the state of my progress. Getting bigger by the day, and learning about the wonders of vitamins. I really recommend B6 to all cranky sickly pregnant women out there - just be careful to watch your dosage. (I read last night that there is such a thing as B6 toxicity, which can result in numbness and nerve damage for mom and potential harm for the baby.) I'm going to make sure to limit my intake to no more than 50 mg per day - and only on days when I'm not feeling well.
Anyhoo, next time, I'll write about trying to find a good OB/hospital.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Proud Parents: A picture to last a lifteime
This is a picture of our pregnancy test (pictured near the bottom) and the instruction sheet explaining the readings. Ours, of course, is "+" (on the left) for positive. If you look closely, you can see Pops tried to add a fourth potential diagram/pregnancy reading (called "Maybe") to the possibilities of results one can get from the test. (If this baby has half his sense of humor, we will be blessed!)
Friday, March 14, 2008
3/14: 125.3 pounds
This is Mom's Monologue about her big fat ****:
Yup, I am gaining weight. (Two days ago, I weighed myself and I was at 124.6). It is not clear though if this is due to the baby or a change I've made in eating habits.
Last year, I was on a major diet, and I lost about 15 pounds. Today, I am still about 12-13 pounds less than I was last year (even with child). Until about a couple of weeks ago (before I knew about the little tyke), I was still following a lot of the old diet guidelines, making sure that I kept my intake of carbs and fat in rather strict proportion to my intake of protein. (I was following the Zone Diet, which really does work for shedding off extra pounds!)
Now that I know I am "hatching" an egg inside me, though, I've been lest strict about following the previous proportions. Mainly because I want to focus more on consuming more grains and vegetables - which, according to the diet I was on - were pure "carbs" (translation: something to strictly limit). The old diet was great for losing weight, but I am not convinced it will be good for nourishing a growing fetus properly... (It puts no emphasis on consuming the right amounts of vitamins or minerals, for example.) In any event, since I've committed myself to exercising more, I'm hoping that I'll still be able to manage my weight and keep "in shape" - despite my decision to change my eating habits (and eat more carbs).
Speaking of diets though, I have noticed one thing. I AM definitely hungrier lately - to the point where last night, I woke up in the middle of the night (around 5 am) with my stomach growling. That has never happened to me before. I couldn't get back to sleep until I had gone on a snack run... I also notice that I feel better (less morning sickness) when I have something in my stomach ... So, eating - and eating healthy - is the name of the game these days.
Incidentally, this is an interesting chart that I copied directly from baby2see.com, which has an interesting weight gain calculator and tips on what type of eating/weight gain is to be expected and healthy. I think this chart is interesting because, as Pops was asking me recently, how much can that baby weigh at this point? Why would you be gaining weight already, if the baby is so small still? At the time when he asked, I didn't know the answer - but I knew there must be one. The chart explains where the other weight gain comes from; apparently, in addition to the baby itself, the mama gains weight increased body fluid, blood, breast growth (ooh!), etc. etc.:
Yup, I am gaining weight. (Two days ago, I weighed myself and I was at 124.6). It is not clear though if this is due to the baby or a change I've made in eating habits.
Last year, I was on a major diet, and I lost about 15 pounds. Today, I am still about 12-13 pounds less than I was last year (even with child). Until about a couple of weeks ago (before I knew about the little tyke), I was still following a lot of the old diet guidelines, making sure that I kept my intake of carbs and fat in rather strict proportion to my intake of protein. (I was following the Zone Diet, which really does work for shedding off extra pounds!)
Now that I know I am "hatching" an egg inside me, though, I've been lest strict about following the previous proportions. Mainly because I want to focus more on consuming more grains and vegetables - which, according to the diet I was on - were pure "carbs" (translation: something to strictly limit). The old diet was great for losing weight, but I am not convinced it will be good for nourishing a growing fetus properly... (It puts no emphasis on consuming the right amounts of vitamins or minerals, for example.) In any event, since I've committed myself to exercising more, I'm hoping that I'll still be able to manage my weight and keep "in shape" - despite my decision to change my eating habits (and eat more carbs).
Speaking of diets though, I have noticed one thing. I AM definitely hungrier lately - to the point where last night, I woke up in the middle of the night (around 5 am) with my stomach growling. That has never happened to me before. I couldn't get back to sleep until I had gone on a snack run... I also notice that I feel better (less morning sickness) when I have something in my stomach ... So, eating - and eating healthy - is the name of the game these days.
Incidentally, this is an interesting chart that I copied directly from baby2see.com, which has an interesting weight gain calculator and tips on what type of eating/weight gain is to be expected and healthy. I think this chart is interesting because, as Pops was asking me recently, how much can that baby weigh at this point? Why would you be gaining weight already, if the baby is so small still? At the time when he asked, I didn't know the answer - but I knew there must be one. The chart explains where the other weight gain comes from; apparently, in addition to the baby itself, the mama gains weight increased body fluid, blood, breast growth (ooh!), etc. etc.:
On a Trimester Basis:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday, March 13, 2008
My Cousin Jack and My future names
Mom just got pictures of my cousin Jackson. I'll probably be pretty out of it for a while once I reach planet earth, but Mom is really looking forward to the day when we can play and get to know each other. I'll be able to learn a lot from Jack, since he will be a full year and a half older than me. (He already knows how to walk and even sweep floors)Pops and Mom are so excited that I am "alive" that, despite themselves, they've already started joking about my future name. They spent a lot of time last night over dinner coming up with boy names - Pops really likes the name Vincent or Vicente, because it's an old family name. Pops isn't 100% sure that is definitely what he wants, but Mom can see that he feels pretty strongly about it. So she says she'll go with that if that's whats important to him. Also, she has a good friend named Vinh, and Vincent could lead to a nickname that reminds her of her friend, so she's down with that kind of name. She says maybe she can pick the middle name.
Mom likes Philipino names a lot, and that is where the Vicente translation came from for Vincent. She also likes the name Arturo, which comes from her granddad from the Phlippines, Arthur. Our roommate, Darin had a lot of suggestions too, but then we got distracted by initials. For example, if we named the kid Vincent Arturo, his initials would be VAC - and we're not sure if that is so good. Darin says "no way." Scott and he think the initials VXC would be cool, but that doesn't leave too many options! (Mom is not so crazy about the name Xavier...)
Obviously there is a lot to think about. We haven't even gotten started with girls names yet. Anyways, we clearly have a ways to go before we really need to pick something out - there is plenty of time to think about the options.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
I stand corrected - 6 weeks old
I figured out that I was one week off when calculating how old the little embryo was in my oven. Three days ago when I wrote the first blog, I thought that the bugger was 4 weeks old, but apparently that was wrong. It WAS 5 weeks.
But just recently (yesterday), we entered week No. 6. So I have some updates on its progress. The baby IS almost looking something like the picture I posted on Sunday. According to babycenter.com,
The nose, mouth, and ears are beginning to take shape. If we could see into my uterus, we'd find an oversize head and dark spots where the baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. Its emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and its arms and legs by protruding buds. Her heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as Mom's — and blood is beginning to course through its body. Her intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to her lungs has appeared. Her pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of the brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, the little tyke is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean.
I cut and pasted this blurb almost verbatim from the babycenter email that I've been getting. I just changed the gender, because (as most people know), I would prefer calling the unknown gender "her" - or preferably keep it as neutral as possible - until we know for sure what we are talking about. (Sorry Pops, I AM gender biased). Even though I've changed a lot to she/her, though, I have this gut feeling that I have a boy in me!
BY the way, pops and I decided that we probably know one thing for sure - the kid is going to have big eyes. Between him and me, that kid might come out with eyes the size of golf balls - because both of her parents' eyes are pretty d#mn large.
I just realized last night that after this thing comes, I 'm probably never gonna get a full night's sleep again...
But just recently (yesterday), we entered week No. 6. So I have some updates on its progress. The baby IS almost looking something like the picture I posted on Sunday. According to babycenter.com,
The nose, mouth, and ears are beginning to take shape. If we could see into my uterus, we'd find an oversize head and dark spots where the baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. Its emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and its arms and legs by protruding buds. Her heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as Mom's — and blood is beginning to course through its body. Her intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to her lungs has appeared. Her pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of the brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, the little tyke is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean.
I cut and pasted this blurb almost verbatim from the babycenter email that I've been getting. I just changed the gender, because (as most people know), I would prefer calling the unknown gender "her" - or preferably keep it as neutral as possible - until we know for sure what we are talking about. (Sorry Pops, I AM gender biased). Even though I've changed a lot to she/her, though, I have this gut feeling that I have a boy in me!
BY the way, pops and I decided that we probably know one thing for sure - the kid is going to have big eyes. Between him and me, that kid might come out with eyes the size of golf balls - because both of her parents' eyes are pretty d#mn large.
I just realized last night that after this thing comes, I 'm probably never gonna get a full night's sleep again...
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Visit to the Doctor
Today I had an appointment at the student health center. They took a test and confirmed that, yes, I AM pregnant.
Apparently I have to find a obstetrician somewhere outside of the student clinic - but my student health insurance works at the UCLA Hospital. I feel good about that - it is one of the top 3 medical schools in the country, so the treatment I'll get there will be very advanced, I'm sure. I have other options too, apparently, perhaps even Cedars Sinai, although, despite the big name, I'm not very interested. How inconvenient - so far away (Ugh, that traffic!!!!)...
SO I guess the next step is to get me a doctor. This is actually trickier than it seems, because Pops and I actually aren't 100% sure if we will be in LA in about 4 months, or in HB. It really depends on whether he can find a transfer up here or not.
In the meantime, the doctor I saw today informed me (provided my ensuing health care giver agrees), I can have 1 cup of decaf a day, exercise all I want - except I should exchange hot yoga classes for prenatal yoga classes- and, well, in general, I can do do anything that makes me happy - as long as it's in moderation, of course. (obviously that disincludes my former meth habit! - JK again).
In the first trimester, if a person is going to have a miscarriage, it will happen no matter what she does - within reason). One cup of coffee or soda a day is not going to ruin things. Nor will jogging or bicycling, she said. Later on, when it comes to exercise, it will be more of a matter of balance and making sure the extra weight doesn't make me fall.
Apparently I have to find a obstetrician somewhere outside of the student clinic - but my student health insurance works at the UCLA Hospital. I feel good about that - it is one of the top 3 medical schools in the country, so the treatment I'll get there will be very advanced, I'm sure. I have other options too, apparently, perhaps even Cedars Sinai, although, despite the big name, I'm not very interested. How inconvenient - so far away (Ugh, that traffic!!!!)...
SO I guess the next step is to get me a doctor. This is actually trickier than it seems, because Pops and I actually aren't 100% sure if we will be in LA in about 4 months, or in HB. It really depends on whether he can find a transfer up here or not.
In the meantime, the doctor I saw today informed me (provided my ensuing health care giver agrees), I can have 1 cup of decaf a day, exercise all I want - except I should exchange hot yoga classes for prenatal yoga classes- and, well, in general, I can do do anything that makes me happy - as long as it's in moderation, of course. (obviously that disincludes my former meth habit! - JK again).
In the first trimester, if a person is going to have a miscarriage, it will happen no matter what she does - within reason). One cup of coffee or soda a day is not going to ruin things. Nor will jogging or bicycling, she said. Later on, when it comes to exercise, it will be more of a matter of balance and making sure the extra weight doesn't make me fall.
Monday, March 10, 2008
3/10: 123.5 pounds
Haven't started gaining any weight yet. But decided it would be interesting to keep a record here of how much I gain each week and month. Apparently I can gain up to 35 pounds, which will still have me weighing considerably less than Pops, so he can not point any fingers!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Preggers
We just found out that we're pregnant. That was pretty trippy. We took a test a couple of weeks ago and got a "false negative," so we had kind of given up some hope. But there were definitely signs that it might actually be happening still - especially during the last couple of days: the pregnant one has been really tired lately, sleeping all the time, and complaining about feeling a little "off" in the mornings. Suspecting that she might be pregnant, she gave up coffee a few days ago too, which has made her Extra edgy and moody.Finally yesterday we confirmed the pregnancy by taking a one-step test from CVS. As soon as that wand hit the urine, the indicator on the test just instantly turned dark, revealing that the HcG hormones are definitely surging.
After we found out, we spent all day yesterday and this morning thinking about what kind of parents we think we might be. We calculated that it will be 2024 by the time this Thing has grown up and is old enough to start learning how to drive. We also decided that, although we'd like the kid to go to Stanford (chuckle) some day (because Stanford has some amazing new financial aid packages for struggling families like us), we want to prioritize raising a kid that is respectful, honest, and knows how to laugh well. Pops (aka Scotto-san) wants the kid to learn how to play the piano so that it can entertain him. I want the kid to learn some foreign languages so it can learn how to think in a variety of different ways. Oooh, an alternative thinker!
We also figured out that we have 8 more months together to be alone and enjoy each other's company...
Anyway, it is definitely difficult not to get ahead of ourselves. We know that the next three months (first trimester) is pretty risky, and that a relatively large number of pregnancies end in miscarriages during this time. We really (obviously) have a our fingers crossed... It is hard not telling people yet that we're expecting ... but I guess we'll have to wait another 8 weeks at least...
It's funny how time has almost stopped all of a sudden. The last three weeks have seemed interminable, waiting to be able to pee on a monitor again to see if we're pregnant yet. Now we wait 8-10 more weeks to tell our friends and family... Then another long 6 months praying for the baby to be healthy...
This picture is a baby - well, an embryo, really - at 7 weeks. So we have a ways to go to reach this size yet (especially considering how time has seemed to stop lately). We have determined that now - at around four weeks old - our little bugger is about the size of a pin head, and THAT is old enough for it to have a beating heart and spine already. Apparently it also has "little nubs" for hands and feet. According to some of the web sites, at 4 weeks into the pregnancy, the little baby's heart IS already beating, so any amount of coffee in its system makes its heart rate sky rocket - Snarl (I'm already feeling like yelling at this kid!). (JK)
Signing off, Scotto-san (pops), Mom, and the little blastocyst in the oven.
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