Just the two of us

My husband and I were married last year in July, after being together for 6 years. He is the love of my life, and it's been really fun being a couple with just the two of us. But we're not getting any younger (especially me!), and we reached a point in our lives where we're looking forward to starting a family.

Our plan was to buy a townhouse in a family-friendly neighborhood (done!), have a baby, and live there for a few years until we have a second child before moving into an actual (and much bigger) house. We thought of getting pregnant by the end of the year, so I guess we're ahead of schedule :)

Unusual timing

During the week I missed my period, I had two job interviews and a death in the family. It was very traumatic because the deceased was a single mother (whose pregnancy ultimately killed her) who left behind a premature newborn baby and another child. She was my age, and we even knew the same set of people. The circumstances leading up to and as a result of her death were very tragic, and I spent a lot of time helping my family cope with their loss, as well as make last-minute preparations for her wake and funeral.

Being pregnant...

Week 5

The night before the funeral, I had a vivid dream where I was tossing and turning in bed--though I could've been actually doing that in my sleep--and I told my husband that I was pregnant. As soon as I woke up, I immediately took a pregnancy test, and lo and behold, I was pregnant! It's amazing how one life ended while a new one began. Just for good measure, I bought another pregnancy test from a different brand, and the results were the same!

While my hubby and I were really happy and excited, we chose to wait until a couple of weeks after the funeral to give some time for my relatives to grieve their loss.

This same week, my physician officially confirmed my pregnancy with a 6/30/08 due date :)

Almost immediately, I felt like a pregnant woman. I was constantly eating because if I didn't, I felt slightly nauseated. I was also peeing 8x/day and getting dull, constant headaches. Every night, my hubby would massage my temples and the back of my head.

I also felt terribly worried and anxious about the condition of my baby since I didn't know anything. Every waking moment, I was constantly thinking of the baby and wondering if it was okay.

Week 6

I had to think about cutting back (and in some cases, quitting) on working out. Prior to being pregnant, I took boxing class 2x/week and hot yoga 2x/week. While we don't spar in boxing, the class is very intensive, and probably not prego-friendly. Hot yoga is definitely NOT recommended by my doctor, since it involves being in a 105-degree room for 1.5 hours doing yoga.

But I haven't been working out at all because I've been feeling so tired all the time. And the fact that I wake up at 4 a.m. everyday to pee causes me to lose a lot of sleep.

We also told our parents and close friends the good news! My mom couldn't stop screaming (with joy) on the phone for 10 minutes. We're holding back on telling my dad's side of the family until the following week out of respect for the deceased.

Week 7

My constant eating is at an all-time high. And because I can't eat full meals without feeling nauseous, I have to snack for hours! For breakfast, I ate an apple, glass of milk, taho (Filipino breakfast tofu drink), and an onion bagel in the course of two hours :( And it doesn't help that I need to pee every hour.

We also finally gave the good news to my dad, and he was very happy. He and his wife also gave birth to a baby boy, Angelo Jayden, so he's excited that he'll have a playmate. He offered to save Jayden's baby clothes.

Week 8

This is the first time I finally "calmed down" about being pregnant. It really helped that my mom has been really supportive, and told me to just focus on being healthy and happy while pregnant. She told my grandmother in the Philippines that I was pregnant, and asked her to do a prayer vigil for our baby. So everyday, my grandmother and her CWL (Catholic Women's League) hold a prayer vigil for our baby. Not that I'm religious or anything, but it's really sweet to know that there are people who love us and pray for the health and safety of our baby.

So when I think about my future baby, I don't think about what could go wrong, but I wish happy thoughts. I also do this belly dance where I rub my belly at night while dancing to a song :)

My mom also eases me with stories about how difficult it was when she was pregnant with me, and how I turned out alright, so all these symptoms I'm experiencing is all about my baby "establishing character," LOL.

This week, it's actually not bad. I don't pee as often, so I've been getting more sleep. Also, my husband and I have been staying in during the weekend, so I'm able to take more naps. I also don't feel queasy as much. The only thing that's a bummer is that I'm showing now. I actually had to buy a bella band because I can't close my jeans anymore.

Week 9

Just when I thought things were getting better...this is the worst week so far! I feel nauseous in the morning, afternoon, and night. Knock on wood, I haven't actually threw up yet, but this week feels like a constant hangover!

But I'm really looking forward to next week when I have our OB-GYN appointment. I think that's the time we can hear our baby's heartbeat. And who knows, we might be able to get an ultrasound photo! After this appointment, I think I'll feel comfortable enough to officially tell my coworkers and the rest of our friends. It's about time, since I'm starting to show, and I'm constantly eating, so it's really hard for people not to notice!

But most importantly, I wanted to give props to my dear husband, who's been really great with accommodating my every whim and comforting me when I complain about my symptoms. Even though he wanted to wait until the end of this year to get pregnant, he's been really happy ever since we found out. He's really looking forward to having a baby next year, and more and more, we're talking as if there's a baby in the picture.

Every time I'm with him, I always feel loved, even when I feel nauseous and bloated. He's still very affectionate with me, and still finds me attractive. And every once in a while, he puts his head near my belly, as if trying to hear the baby's heartbeat, though I'm weeks away from being that big. So much love from my baby's daddy :)

Week 10, er, Week 9

I had my ultrasound today, and the baby's fine. Whew! It also turns out that the baby was a lot smaller, so they concluded that it's actually only 9 weeks old, not 10. So they changed my due date from 6/30/08 to 7/8/08.

I had a vaginal ultrasound, and in the beginning, my doctor thought she saw two sacs, but when she changed the angle, it became one embryo. She said that my tilted uterus was causing it to look like there might be two sacs, but she only saw one baby. And the baby's heartbeat was normal. It's too bad we couldn't hear the heartbeat because we used a different kind of u/s.

But I'm just happy the baby was fine, and we're not scheduled for another u/s until 15 weeks. Can't wait!

This week is the worst week yet in terms of m/s. In the mornings, I'm fine, but for some reason, I can't get rid of the queasy feeling no matter what I eat at night. I think it's the gap from dinner to bedtime that's the worst because it's hard to find something light to eat without affecting my ability to sleep at night. But at least I haven't thrown up yet--good or bad!

I've also been thirsty like a madwoman! I'm constantly drinking water the whole day, and if I don't drink for 5 minutes, my mouth feels dry, and I get this really bad aftertaste--though not metallic, like some women are reporting. It's really hard to resist drinking water before going to bed because if I don't drink anything, I feel parched, and if I do drink something, I end up waking up in the middle of the night (like clockwork) to go to the restroom.

Week 10

I had the worst m/s ever, but then out of the blue, one night, I didn't feel nauseous at all , AND I actually slept the entire night through without waking up to pee. While I felt incredibly relaxed--probably because I actually got more sleep--I was a little worried that something bad might've happened. I read in some pregnancy books to be concerned if all your pregnancy symptoms disappeared all at once. The only symptom that remained were my sore and swollen breasts, so the next day at work, I would squeeze my boobs a few times a day just to be sure they were still sore :)

But eventually, my m/s returned, but it wasn't as bad as before. I think drinking the lemon & ginger tea daily helped a lot, or it could be that my m/s came to pass as I'm starting to get to the end of my 1st trimester. Either way, I'm just happy that I don't feel as queasy as much, and that I can finally eat more food.

On the downside, I'm starting to get lower back pain for some reason. I'm also getting cramps all throughout my stomach area, but I'm hoping it's just my uterus slowly--but surely--expanding. I have an u/s appointment next Thursday, 12/27, to get prenatal testing, so they'll be using a Doppler u/s. Maybe then I can hear the baby's heartbeat :) *crossing my fingers*

Week 11

I feel like there's a new version of m/s that I'm experiencing. It's a different kind--where I feel weak and nauseous, but then I feel like I'm coming down with something. It's even worse than what I had before!

My stomach also got bigger this week. It used to be that my stomach got bigger by the end of the night--probably because of all the food I ate--but by the next morning, my stomach would be back to normal. Except for this week--one day, I woke up, and my belly stayed the same size as the night before :(

I also started having really bad neck, back, and shoulder pain. This is when I started seeing my chiropractor again.

This is also the first time I puked BIG TIME :( Projectile vomiting and everything! In the past, I always thought that because of all this m/s I've been feeling, it would probably feel better if I'd just thrown up. But when I did, I did not feel better at all...

Week 12

I had an u/s appointment today for prenatal testing, and I'm happy and relieved to find out that the baby's doing okay! It's grown a lot from the last u/s I got when I was at 9 weeks. This time, the baby was moving and kicking. The technician inspected every single major body part, so I got to see the baby up closer, which made me cry everytime he would focus on the head, legs, and arms. Finding out that it's healthy and has a great heartbeat (~150) and normal nuchal fold measurements was a huge relief for me and my husband. We also got a much updated u/s photo that we can look at everyday :)

The other good news is that my tilted uterus "righted" itself, according to the u/s technician. Since I've been recently experiencing lower back pain, I initially thought it was because my tilted uterus was pressing up against my spine and causing the pain. But after hearing the news from the technician, I'm relieved, but at the same time wondering what's causing my lower back pain then.

On my end, my queasiness and fatigue are not letting up. I'm also getting some shoulder and arm cramps, and my husband's constantly giving me massages for. I feel like my muscles are atrophying from the lack of exercise during the last couple of months. But I can't help not being active because I'm always nauseous and tired all the time.

Week 13

My appetite seems to be back, though my nausea and fatigue are still here, but at least I can eat more! I can also sleep better at night, even if I'm still waking up in the middle of the night to pee, but at least I can go back to sleep right away.

I'm also starting to show a little bit, but it still looks like I just gained some weight, rather than actually looking like I'm pregnant because my big boobs, which have grown about three sizes. Although my regular clothes still fit me--though I can't button up my pants anymore--I can't help wanting to buy new clothes.

My mom also came back from spending Xmas in the Philippines and brought over some really cute baby clothes. It's the first time I've ever had anything for the baby, since my husband and I wanted to wait until my belly got bigger. I guess it's really hitting home that there's going to be a new bundle of joy this summer.

Week 14

My boobs are in dire need of a new bra! I just can't stand it anymore! I've got underwire marks on the side of my boobs, and my old bras are not fitting me the way they used to. So I finally went to Nordstrom's, and a nice lady fitted me with a full-figure bra that actually fits me. A full-figure bra! My boobs look like torpedo missiles, but I've finally found a comfortable bra! So I got it in both white and black :)

This week's been uneventful. It's mostly because I'm already at the end of week 15, and I forgot to blog about it. Shoot!

Week 15

This is the week that I've fully embraced my pregnancy. I'm looking more pregnant and less fat now. The only tops that look good on me are form-fitting tank tops and short-sleeve shirts. It's a good thing my body temperature is higher now, so wearing summer clothes at the office is bearable.

Even though I'm still just as tired as before, I seem to find the energy when I'm out with my friends. This is a good thing, since I've been MIA during my first trimester due to all the nausea and fatigue. Now I'm back, baby!

Week 16

I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for Friday, 1/25, and when I called the nurse, she said that they can "try" to find out the sex of the baby during this appointment. So my husband and I took time off, so we both could find out together. Much to our surprise, my doctor said that we need to schedule a separate appointment for that because their radiology lab does the ultrasounds to find out the sex of the baby. But at least we were able to hear the baby's heartbeat. Our doctor said that our baby is very "active," which is good :)

I started off the week in high energy and spirits, since this is the first time during my pregnancy that I've actually felt "normal." I went to yoga, celebrated birthday parties, got pedicures, played the Wii, etc. Then at the end of my 16th week, I had a tingly feeling in my throat the whole night, and then while I was getting ready for bed, I felt the need to dry heave, which I usually do, but it's not a big deal. This time, I felt the tingling in my throat get stronger, and next thing you know, I was throwing up all over the toilet! Blah, what a way to end my 16th week :(

Week 17

My day started off right when my husband commented that I looked good today :) Week 17 has definitely been much better. Except for my belly bump, I feel like my old self again. I'm even to the point where I'm back to taking the bus regularly because I'm able to wake up and get ready on time in the morning!

I'm a little worried that I'm not eating as healthy as I used to before, now that I have my appetite back. Back then, the only thing I could eat without feeling nauseous was raw fruits and vegetables, so at least I was eating healthy even though I wasn't eating as much. Now, my appetite is back on, so I need to watch what I eat.

I'm also feeling a couple of kicks and pinches around my lower belly here and there, so I'm thinking that's probably signs of fetal activity. It's more painful than I realized :( But I'm just glad the baby is moving around, and I'll get to enjoy this random acts of movement before I get bigger and have to consistenly monitor my baby's activity.

Week 18

My friend told me that she's "finally" pregnant, and I'm so happy for her. She and her husband were a little worried because they've been trying for six months. I figured she was just really stressed out last year because there were so many changes in her life--getting married, starting a new job, death in the family--that it probably wasn't a good time to get pregnant. But I knew that this year was the year for having babies, and I was right ;)

This week has been relatively easy for me. My husband and I are just anxiously awaiting our u/s appointment on Valentine's Day, so we can find out the sex of the baby. Finding out would definitely put a face to the baby. To tell you the truth, I feel bad trying to picture the baby because then, it would force me to "pick a side" and visualize my baby as a boy or a girl. And if we find out we're having the exact opposite, I'd feel bad.

Initially, I started having dreams of my baby being a girl. Lately, I've had a couple of dreams where our baby's a boy. That's why I can't wait!

Week 19

I've got two good news this week: 1) My other friend found out she's pregnant too, so now all three of us are expecting, and 2) I'M HAVING A BOY!

The u/s appointment took 1.5 hours! It was the longest doctor's appointment I've ever had! And it didn't help that I had a full bladder (a requirement for the u/s), and I had to lie flat on my back the entire time. The baby was so active during the first half of the u/s. It was kicking and punching all around him. But by the time the technician got around to determining the sex, my baby decided to cross its legs! After trying all these different angles, my technician said he was sure he saw a "bulge," so he was certain we had a boy, but he wasn't 100 percent sure. At this point, he said that our baby was either a boy, or a girl with swollen labia (too much info, I know!). But he did assure us that he has never been wrong in any case where he predicted a boy...

My husband and I didn't want to announce anything to our family and friends unless we were really sure, so we were kind of disappointed. But we were just happy that the u/s went well, and our baby was healthy and growing at a normal rate. When the u/s was done, I went back to the dressing room to change, and the technician asked me to come back because he had to take more photos. By then, the baby changed positions (yay!), and gave us the money shot (all you ladies expecting boys should know what I'm talking about!) that truly confirmed that he was a boy :)

As a side note, I've had two dreams confirming I was having a boy, so that's a really weird coincidence...But then again, it's a 50-50 chance, LOL!

Week 20

This week has been really blissful, as I'm still beaming from all the "congrats on having a boy" coming from friends and family. My husband now has to make up his mind, and suggest a name for our baby. I also got back the results of my u/s, and everything looked great, except that the technician noted that I had an "anterior low-lying placenta." The doctor's office said that it was nothing to worry about, and that my doctor will talk about having another ultrasound at the end of the 2nd trimester.

OMG, the baby is now craving CAKE! After being able to only eat fruits and vegetables during my first trimester, the baby's sweet tooth has come back with a vengeance! It's completely the opposite now--I feel nauseous when I'm about to eat a spinach salad, but I feel much better after I've had two pieces of cake. My husband was nice enough to pick me up some cake pastries from Uwajimaya near his work, and just last Saturday night, I downed five cream puffs in 5 minutes! And last Wednesday when I was 30 minutes early for my prenatal yoga class, I was trolling the streets of West Seattle looking for cake! I settled for a chocolate croissant since that was the only thing available.

I've also noticed that my belly has gotten noticeably bigger. My belly has finally gotten as big as my boobs! To celebrate, I pampered myself BIG TIME by finally getting a hair cut and a partial foil to update my highlights. Next, I'm thinking about getting a pedicure...

It's a good thing I'm doing something extra to take care of myself, because the baby has been moving around consistently at 3 a.m. every night during the last three nights! I'm pretty sure it's "fetal activity," since I feel like there's a little alien inside me, moving around. I actually now feel random poking, in addition to twitching. And that's what's causing me to wake up in the middle of the night. And to top it off, I can't sleep right after because the baby keeps twitching until I find a comfortable position for HIM! Forget about me, LOL!

Like last night, after 1.5 hours of tossing and turning just to appease my twitchy belly, I finally found a comfortable position--on my left side. As I'm starting to doze off, I can feel my breathing randomly labored, like I'm losing my breath. Could the baby be kicking my lung? It didn't hurt or anything, but I felt myself wheeze a little bit for every "kick." I guess I'm getting a sample of what's to come once the baby gets really big and knocks the wind out of me! It was an exhilarating experience--too bad it happened in the middle of the night when my husband wasn't awake to feel all the movement, and I desperately needed to go back to sleep!

FINALLY, my husband felt the baby move! Since the baby only wiggles around in the middle of the night, he never gets a chance to feel my belly and get a reaction. So last night, I woke up AGAIN at 2 a.m. because I felt some poking and wiggling on my belly. After tossing and turning to try to find a comfortable spot, so the baby can stop moving, my husband woke up, and asked me if I was okay. I told him that the baby keeps moving, and I placed his hand on my belly. After 5 seconds, the baby started poking him, and poked and wiggled nonstop as if trying to get my husband to remove his hand. The little guy's territorial! My husband's like, "Whoa, he's pretty active!" and went back to sleep. Lucky him...it took another hour before my baby stopped moving around, and let me go to sleep!

Week 21

I've been feeling the baby move around quite a bit more, especially at night. I guess I'm getting used to it, since I'm waking up unexpectedly less and less.

The biggest bummer this week was when I woke up with a HUGE ZIT right above my upper lip. How embarrassing! My skin's texture and complexion has completely gone downhill since being prego, and I feel just like a teenager again--constantly fretting over my bad hair and skin. Also, a while back, I thought all of my clothes would look so much cuter if I started looking pregnant (instead of just looking like I've only gained weight due to my increasingly-massive boobs), but boy I was wrong. Now I just look like a pregnant woman who doesn't know how to dress herself! How pathetic :(

This week is also the first time I've started to really feel "heavy." I can't quite explain it, but more and more, I'm starting to feel like I'm carrying on extra weight, specifically around my belly. I know...DUH! But honestly, by the end of the day, it feels like there's a five-pound weight attached at my belly button. It's throwing off my center of gravity. I'm actually waddling right now! AND I can't bend down as much to tie my shoelaces anymore.

And one last thing, according to my doctor, I've officially felt a Braxton Hicks contraction! It hurt like a mutha! But it's kind of like a drive-by sensation--it happened all of a sudden, and it was painful enough to make me stop what I was doing, but before my mind was able to register what happened, it was gone! I was like, wtf, what just happened?! Anyway, I hope any future BH contractions will be less painful, the more I get used to it.

And FINALLY, we've decided on our baby's name: either Davin Isaac Yoon or Isaac Davin Yoon, depending on how he looks like. It took us forever to narrow it down because initially, my husband refused to even decide on a boy's name unless we received confirmation that we were having a boy. And when we did, it took him forever to even decide on one, AND he kept vetoeing my suggestions. I told him that he can't veto anything unless he comes up with an alternate name, LOL! In the end, I really like our baby's name because Davin was his idea, and I came up with Isaac :)

Week 22

Eh, I wrote a couple of paragraphs, and then I accidentally pressed a button which made me go to the previous page, so now my latest entry disappeared :( I think I was describing how my baby keeps moving even during the day!

I also haven't been eating as healthy lately now that I'm not nauseous anymore. I'm getting cravings for junk food like cake and milkshakes, so I've got three boxes worth of pastries from Uwajimaya and the West Seattle bakeries I frequent before my yoga class. Because these bakeries close early, I try to get there about five minutes before closing when they mark off all the pastries at 50% off. This week, I got two chocolate croissants, one almond croissant, two mini-cupcakes, one cookie, and one lemon bar (to bribe my husband, so he doesn't lecture me about not eating my greens).

At least I'm still eating my fruits in the morning. But the baby's not so keen on vegetables anymore :( I do try to drink a V8 to make up for the vegetables I haven't been eating, but I can only drink 1/2 bottle. My mom told me not to drink too much because of the high salt content.

Also, I've been waking up with my hand joints hurting. My doctor thinks it's carpal tunnel, but it's weird that it's on my left hand. Unfortunately, it won't go away until after I have my baby :(

Week 23

Week 24

Week 25

Week 26

Week 27

Week 28