candy, melanie and the preggo lady - my most recent pic!

HI CANDY!! HI MEL!! wow! my cheeks are plump!! and WOW! so are my boobies! WOOHOO!!! i wasn't even squeezing them together either!! hehe

belly close-ups - HOLY MOLY! lolol

the beginnings

the happy couple

This is papa and I a few weeks after the honeymoon....yes, we were really happy about the news!! And yes, this was definitely taken pre-bigbelly! =)

the long awaited big-belly pics...

This is the beginning of the big belly. Around the end of June, I started noticing my belly getting a tad bit plumper...hmmm who woulda thought that I'd be advertising the big belly??? Certainly not I!! lolol

a few days after the first big belly pic...

HOLY MOLY!! What a difference frikkin' 4 days makes....sheesh! And it keeps on getting bigger and bigger...It's funny how I'm covering my boobs in this picture...but they're definitely bigger as well!! WOOO! hahaha ^_^

DUN DUN DUN - SOOOOOO big! =P

This is straight madness! About a month since the last belly pics...end of July...craziness...and to think I'm even bigger and rounder NOW... OMG!

EEEEEEK! At least we know the baby's growing! Phew!! ^_^

a thought

080405
At this point in my pregnancy, I can feel the baby moving with more force and vigor…not painful or anything…but more forceful as opposed to the flutter type feelings I used to get a few weeks earlier. I’m actually surprised that I’m not as weirded out as I thought I’d be about the whole living and moving thing inside me. It’s actually quite reassuring…”oh…there’s a kick or a nudge…phew…she’s doing good”…. I’ve come to look for her little movements and at times, I try bugging her (rubbing my belly) to elicit a response from her…she must be upset at me a lot of the time…heehee. Oh well, let’s start her off early…she’ll get used to it…HAHA.

another thought

081005
I’m losing my belly button – help! LOL Well, it was bound to happen. It's funny how much bigger and rounder I’ve gotten since just a month ago…I didn’t really notice it til I saw the pictures. Yikes! I haven’t downloaded this months pics onto the computer yet…have patience…they’re coming…hehe Just trust me…I’m big. Nothing else to say about it. I'm about 116 pounds right now...the heaviest I've ever been in my whole entire life...it's been quite a hard adjustment wrapping my head around the whole getting bigger in the midsection (and my face...YIPES!) thing since I've been obsessed with my weight for years and years...but I'm dealing and it helps to know that the baby is doing well and obviously growing how she needs to be growing...=)

Quick update from the doctor: We're keeping our original due date of December 2, 2005 which makes me almost 24 weeks pregnant (this Friday will begin my 24th week). I'm still hoping for an earlier delivery...I likes November ^_^ In any case, I think I may start a betting thingie - not sure what the prize will be...but if you can guess the date and time I deliver and/or the length and weight of the baby...you win! heehee

some stuff i found...

Here are a few things about the baby in her 23rd week of life in mah belleh:

Week Twenty-Three

-Proportions of the body are now quite similar to a newborn although thinner since she hasn't begun to form body fat.
-Bones located in the middle ear harden.
-My baby is able to hear. (Papa, did you know: low-frequency sounds mimicking a male voice penetrate the abdomen and uterine wall better than the higher frequencies of the female voice?)
-The eyes are formed, though the iris still lacks pigmentation.
-The pancreas, essential in the production of hormones, is developing steadily. ---She has begun producing insulin, important for the breakdown of sugars.
-If born now, my baby has a 15% chance of survival, her odds going up with each passing day. .
-The average baby at this stage weighs 1.1 pound (501gm) and is 11.4 inches (28.9cm) long.

9 Months to Life :: It's coming, it's coming, SHE'S here!

Well, she's not actually here yet...but we absolutely can't wait!! And yes, if you haven't heard...IT'S a SHE!!! YIPPEEE!! Now we will have a boy AND a girl! heehee

The ultrasound image is of our baby at 18 weeks and 1 day - the alien-looking skull-like thingie on the right is her head and the circle to the left of it is her body. I'm hoping she'll start to look less alienish as the weeks progress...heehee.

I've decided to create this blog to jot down some random notes, thoughts, memories, pictures of this whole pregnancy thing which, I have found I'm not the best at...I mean, I LOVE that I'm preggo and everything, but it's not the most comfortable thing in the world AND I have absolutely no control over anything with regards to my body, my eating habits, my emotions, my thoughts and fears....at least, this is how I'm feeling anyway. It's really not that bad (currently) - I'm in my second trimester (18 weeks and 2 days) - but i hear it doesn't get better than it is right now....grrr. LOL

Anyway, this whole blog came about because I have been bugged by a few friends back home in the bay to send pictures of my expanding waistline - so here's a step up....you get some pics (personally chosen by yours truly) AND my words/thoughts to boot! WOOO! Just know that all this comes with a bit of reluctancy on my part...I'm not too proud of my new body (with my whole history of body self-consciousness issues), but I'm ecstatic that the baby's growing normally and that everything is going good so far with this pregnancy! ^_^

So, the current situation (and I will recap the last 4 months, so no worries - nothing will be missed) -

I am 18 weeks and 2 days pregnant.
The baby (Charlize Rei a.k.a. "Charlie" a.k.a. "Rei-Rei") is 8.3 inches long and weighs 9 oz.
My expected due date is December 13, 2005 - but we're hoping she comes a couple weeks early ^_^

Hope this blog finds you all doing well!
luv&hugs

SEE! i told u it's a girl!

This image is how we know she is a she ... it is an ultrasound of Charlize Rei's bottom half (picture her in a kneeling position where our view is fr. the bottom looking up), where the rounded left side of the "C" or sideways "V" shaped thing in the middle is her rump and in between her legs on the right is empty space - hence, she's a girl!! ^_^ WOOHOO!!

the first 3 :: trimester 1

This image is the baby at what we had originally thought was 10 weeks - we have now been made to believe that it was taken at 8 weeks (2 months)...the image has been blown up at least 10X. (Her head is the big skull shaped thingie on the right side.) I remember how the image was so still, not even thinking that babies moved that early in this stage - and our doctor (Dr. Ibay) asked me to cough a couple times to see if we could wake the baby up. I complied and then after the second or third cough, little stubs that were her arms and legs started flailing around like crazy! She was mad and Coy and I were beyond happy and amazed!

The first 3 months or so for me were not the greatest as most people already know (since I was not shy about complaining about everything and anything...hehe).

Dry heaving and throwing up had become my past-times...not my favorites, mind you. I was nauseated throughout most days which was beyond fun - but I have heard worse stories, so I think I got off a little easier than some.

After all the gagging and losing weight due to me not being able to keep anything down, I walked away from the first trimester with a so-far healthy growing baby inside me and some not-so-random freewrites -- yes, I was suffereing THAT much - Lord knows I only write and produce "work" when I'm suffering...hehe Please feel free to read with the mindset that I was in pain and practically delirious - not really knowing what the hell I was thinking. So remember, they are title-less freewrites (other than the dates they were created) that probably make no sense. (The last freewrite however, was written in the beginning of my second trimester - a much much happier time.... ^_^ ) Enjoy!

051805
Eternity
Bubbly laughter
Magical winds that refresh my soul
Indecent thoughts of happily ever after
My cold bare feet step upon the green carpet that turns grassy, infested with lady bugs
They flitter and flutter around my naked toes
Anomalous patterns are made
I am confused
Inherently amused
Giggling to myself from the sensations
But none-the-less
Thoroughly trapped

051905
yield to gluttony
bulimia expected
anorexia sought after and sometimes a replacement
the acidic sensations crawl, scratching and screaming up my vulnerable throat
i welcome the release
i loathe it’s violence

enter into my white shrine of life waters
that bring solemnity

exit that which I would call pieces of my soul

051905
stream of thought consciousness
streaming through slitted eyelids
heavy from tiresome monotony
screaming for an opening
into a better reality
that doesn’t quite exist

fingers tap incessant babble
letters combine to form empty sentiments of sincerity
like the hallmark cards that always make things better
i frantically search for the words to make things better
but things ARE better – better than they’ve ever been
except that i feel weak with my insides coming out of me
my essence born again with the essence of my soul-mate within me
it/s/he grows and replenishes from within me
and i am wasted from the inside out…but within me,
i am happier for it
in the end

051905
the banging of irreverent gongs persist in my mind
they resonate my clouded, conflicting frustrations
solidified for the meantime in tin-flavored vomit

052305 (not in the mood)
the outward pressure defines me
the projectile vomiting confines me
i grin slightly at the thought of the whole ordeal
what the f**k will I have for my next meal
this is getting ridiculous
insanely contemptuous
but yet
i am enamored by thoughts of contentment
at a later date

052305
my patience is wilting
the heat is debilitating
my waist is expanding
and i am exhausted
i pray for time to pass just a little bit faster
i pray for my sanity to hold on just a little bit tighter
i pray for our baby to be healthy, lovely, and good

063005
renewed rejuvenation

the second 3 :: trimester 2

This trimester has been much much better than the first! This trimester gave way to the almost non-presence of nausea, dry heaving , and throwing up! I say almost non-presence because, once in awhile, I still experience some of those symptoms PLUS indigestion galore, but during this trimester, the triggers are more apparent and all I need to do is avoid certain things...ah, yes, we like this trimester!

My waistline is now probably about 33 inches. Since the wedding, I've gained about 12 lbs -- but I was a little under my normal weight during that time. For my normal weight, I've gained about 8 lbs and added 9 inches to my waistline - YIPES! Supposedly, by the half-way mark (20 weeks of pregnancy), a woman should have gained about 10 lbs...currently, I'm 19 weeks....so I think I'm on track. My ultimate goal is to not gain more than 20 lbs total...but it's not like I'm on a diet or anything....just don't want to overdo things at this point considering the most weight gain should happen around the last two weeks of pregnancy.

In a nutshell - my belly's big, I have no clothes that fit me (and no money to buy anything...haha), my back is killing me (not used to all this extra weight up front...LOL), kinda still tired most days (and lazy - but whatelse is new?)...but other than that, things are good and I'm super excited about everything (and nervous and scared)!

Anyway, stay tuned for some belly pics!

Papa and CJ's Corner

This is where Papa and CJ can speak their minds, express their thoughts, share some stories.

CJ: "I want a baby brother!! Baby brother!! BABY BROTHER!!!"

And that's pretty much CJ's thoughts on the matter...LOL

Stay tuned for more from both Papa and CJ! ^_^

papa: " a girl...grrrreat....thats okay, we can try for a boy next time. now we need 1 more boy and 1 more girl, then we'll be complete...lol big ups to my unborn baby girl "rei rei" WOOT WOOT!!!"= )