Exclusive: Meet our new born Princess!

A star fell down from heaven, and landed right into our arms.
With a pinch of mommy's sweetness and a touch of daddy's charms.
We are starstruck by the birth of our little newborn bundle of joy,

Keira Eliza Lee on May 28, 2013.

  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Baby's Name: Keira Eliza Lee binti Aziz Kevin Lee
Date of Birth: May 28, 2013

Time of Birth: 11.25pm

Birth Weight: 3.1kg

Birth Length: 52cm

Head Circumference: 32cm 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I didn't get to see Week 39 of pregnancy after all as the little munchkin arrived late this evening at 38 weeks, 4 days gestation.

Stay tuned to read about my recollection of the natural birth (yeah, baby! natural all the way) of our little "charmed" princess Keira Eliza Lee in the coming weeks!

For now, I shall get my much needed rest and relaxation at the hospital as I catch my breath and gather and pen my thoughts on the "drama" leading towards her arrival into this world...

 

38 Weeks Pregnant

Well, here I am at 38 weeks, 1 day gestation and still heavily pregnant! 

The little pre labor incident from last week turned out to be just Braxton Hicks/false contractions after all (as much as they hurt), and over the last couple of days, I've not had any consistently strong contractions - only what feels like abdomen tightening and increasing back aches. Still anxiously awaiting the official signs of super strong, consistent and close contractions, the show and water bag break before the actual panic starts...

Anyhoo, since I'm still pregnant, this means that we can still continue with our weekly ultrasound appointment and we went this morning like always.

As of today, (Week 38 - Day 1), the little munchkin's fetal stats are:
- Heartbeat: 128bpm
- CRL: 34cm+ (with her head fully engaged, it's hard to get even an estimated measure)
- Head Circumference: 34.7cm
- Weight: 3.4kg

Although the placenta is covering most of her face, you can still see that she's just slept so peacefully...

No rush, no stress. Just enjoying the moments before she enters the world.
At this angle, her nose does look like daddy's more than mommy's. Daddy must be thrilled! :)

I have seriously been keeping to my Ob/Gyn's orders for plenty of bed rest the past week and remained as stationary and rested as I can. Maybe that's one of the reasons why the little one may also be taking her own sweet time. She's much more relaxed these days and enjoying it! :)

As much as the prediction from my Ob/Gyn that it can be anyday, anytime now that the little munchkin's head is strongly engaged, I asked to be discharged from hospital on our anniversary so that Kevin and I can enjoy my last moments of pre-parenthood and pregnancy in the comfort of our home. She allowed this of course, since we like 5 minutes away from the hospital and as long as I remain fully rested with minimal stress. 

Yay! This also gives me the opportunity to do some last minute preparations for baby and top-ups to my hospital bag, as well as some further reading on breastfeeding and childcare from home.

4 Years of Marriage

Today marks the 4th year Kevin and I have been married, from the date of our Akad Nikah (solemnization) on May 23, 2009, and counting...

It's also exactly 11 years to the date we first started "officially" dating May 23, 2002! How time flies... and you know what I've come to realize...? I don't know how he does it, but he makes me love him more and more every day... We make such a great team and we really are true soul mates. At times, I feel like our life adventures together are only just beginning...

This year's anniversary seem much more special than any other as we're expecting our 1st baby any day/any time now and will be entering our life's journey as a "family of three" very, very soon. 

Yes, it would be super special if the little munchkin popped into the world today, but from the irregular timings of my contractions (and that there's less than one more hour to go before the clock strikes midnight), it does not seem likely to be her birth day... unless of course I interfere with her grand plan and give the green light to pull her out.  But why would I want to force that on her? It is fine if she wants to stay in there a little longer and when she's ready (as she still seems to be enjoying her time in there - must be some real awesome party that she's hosting in there!) cos I know she will give me the signs for when she's ready to come out.

Kevin had to work today (of course!) and since I was under strict orders for full bed rest (and no stress) from my Ob/Gyn, I just remained rested after being discharged, at least during the morning part of the day. Come afternoon, I decided I needed some pampering, at least after being cooped up in the hospital for days. At 37 weeks pregnant, foot reflexology or massage does not seem like the brightest ideas, although I really, really think I need a good back massage at the rate my back pain has escalated. 

I opted for the next best thing - mani/pedi pampering!!! So off I went (cautiously) to the mall, pregnant belly and all, for some "baby and me" time and pampering. After all, it is my anniversary day today and I needed to feel pampered and pwetty, don't I deserve at least that break from all the resting?

Amazingly, the little munchkin remained quiet in my belly throughout the 1.5 hour session, listening attentively to the stories exchanged (about her of course) between mommy and the nice lady at Nail World who worked on mommy's hands and feet. She was also probably preserving energy for our movie date with daddy later in the evening for Fast & Furious 6 where there's going to be fast action!

With the recent pre labor signs, Kevin and I were a little wary on whether we should go for the premier of Fast & Furious 6 this week in the event she may decide to debut on our special day (and in the cinema of all places). But after some thought and seeing that the contractions are still quite far apart, we decided "Why not?". Let's go for it and enjoy our anniversary and what could be our last movie date nite at the cinema until a while (especially once the baby comes). So we went ahead and booked the tickets after we talked to the little munchkin about it of course. She seemed fine with the idea of fast cars and action... There seem to be no act of objections from her end with our intended plan! :)

Throughout the entire movie (which she is under the age limit to watch, or in her case listen in to), she also "participated":

• She tapped my belly so hard when references to "baby oil" were made in the movie (at least twice), as if it the reference was especially meant for her and she knew it!

• I could feel her foot (just one) pressing hard on the left side of my belly, as if she too were also hitting the pedal to the metal. This motion was only specific to the race scenes and they were aplenty throughout the movie. It was either pressing the brakes or accelerator, depending on which foot it was based on the position she is engaged. If it was her left foot pressing, it would mean she was pressing on the brakes - trying to slow down the speed. But we think it's probably her right foot, which means the little one's got a thing for fast cars [hmmm, must be taking after her god-mom's need for speed].

She's such a cutie, right? So expressive and entertaining even from inside the womb. Even daddy could not resist missing out on a single moment of her action in there and had his hands on my belly throughout the entire movie to feel the interactivity and reactions of the little one! :)

To top off the evening, Kevin had an anniversary surprise awaiting me in our bedroom. I saw a golden box laid so prettily awaiting my attention on my side of the bed *bling, bling, bling*.

"Oh my, what did I do to deserve this?", I thought to myself as I opened the gift, kissed my husband and looked down at my bulging belly with a big smile on my face... I felt like the luckiest gal in the world *blessed* :)

My 1st Pre Labor Pain & Contraction Experience

Two nights ago (Sunday - May 19, 2013) at around 9.30pm, I felt it - shooting pain and tightening sensation in my abdomen and some strain in my pelvis. I actually thought this was going to be it, the contraction that will lead me into my labor chapter.

I had felt something similar the day before that (though not as strong) when we were at the mall doing our last minute baby shopping. That pulling of a pain made me just have the sudden urge to press my hands against the wall and straighten my body and back until it went away. Of course my husband spotted this sudden movement from the other corner of the store and came rushing. But by the time he got to me, I will fine and didn't think much of it, until it happened last night just after dinner at my mom's.

To be safe, we rushed straight to the Emergency Room, to get me and the baby in me checked. As soon as I got in, they pushed me to the labor room and latched onto Continuous Cardiotocographic (CTG) machine to check the baby's heart rate and monitor fetal movement while the staff nurse contacted my Ob/Gyn.

I had just felt another contraction at this point while lying in one of the labor rooms strapped to the CTG machine,
hence the stunned look on my face.
My husband has impeccable timing when it comes to capturing the moment, don't you think?

My Ob/Gyn arrived within half an hour and, by that time, I was almost done with the CTG and during that time, I managed to also write a letter to my honeybun [it was just something I felt I needed to do at that moment in time]. 

All I could see were squiggly lines coming out from the CTG print machine that meant squat to me, but when my Ob/Gyn looked at them, she assured me that I was showing signs of pre labor contractions. Pre labor contractions? You mean, that was not it? It was just a prelude of what's to come? How much longer till the real pain kicks in? They were already painful enough... and as if that was not enough, I also had serious back pain and no control of my bladder and the discharge or the stinging sensation when I pass urine.

Apparently, this added information of other symptoms caused a little concern from my Ob/Gyn who immediately suggested I get "checked in" to the hospital so that I can be under observation and close monitoring, especially for more contraction signs. I guess she could also see that I was struggling to walk properly as well. I could not say no as she had that concerned look on her face and she knows best... and nothing is more important at the moment than the safety of the little munchkin inside of me, so if being hospitalized is something that is in our best interest, I will get hospitalized. Work and everything else can wait. I have my priorities at this point and nothing is more important that seeing this through.

So here I am... Lying in bed at the hospital for two days now (yes, still admitted and under observation) while being monitored every few hours. I have had a couple of tightening-like contractions (and they hurt!), but they are not at regular or close intervals. Most importantly, I am getting that long overdue rest that I kept putting off and so need. Not sure how much longer I will be staying at the hospital though or if the baby is planning to come out or make me wait a little longer...

I have to admit that since I've been hospitalized, and banned from working or stressful activities (by both my Ob/Gyn and my husband), I feel so much more relaxed and calm and the baby's kicks not so much that aggressive. She seems happier and relaxed somehow (I can tell from the ultrasound, especially the one from this morning)... she's back to becoming my smiley little munchkin! :) 

Okay, okay... My bad. Maybe I have stressed her too much in my efforts to not let my pregnancy affect my work since the pregnancy news came, but how much longer can I keep doing that right? I've already settled what needs to be done and delegate what needs to be looked into etc etc etc. It is time to let work take care of work as it's apparent that the work load will never end... Even as I clear what needs to be cleared, new projects keep popping up... that's the nature of the business.

In my condition at the moment, my priority is definitely my little queen - family first! After all, we are sooooo close to the finish line. It is not a difficult choice and anyone would clearly make the same one. And any boss would be able to understand that... the rest, I will leave it in God's hands...

A letter to my soon-to-be-born daughter

Hi my sweet little honeybun! I'm your mommy, and you are my precious little "charming" miracle. You have been brewing in my belly for the past 37 weeks and I'm so very blessed that I was chosen to be your mommy! 

You are still a little munchkin, even though you have blossomed so much in my belly over the last couple of months, and I can still feel you kicking every day. Some days you kick more than others; some days you punch and tap more. On days you go quiet (which is not so often) I do get a little worried that something's wrong and just hope that you are just sleeping soundly... which is usually the case.

Wanting to be a mother, your mother, has been on my mind for the past two years. You are my greatest dream realized and I still can't believe it'll become a reality very, very soon. 

I have to admit that I feel very anxious about the prospect of being a mother, and good mother, and having responsibility for another life. There are moments that I worry that I may fail you in some ways, but when I think back, I should not worry so much as I have a wonderful role model of a mother (your grandmother, my mother) who has taught me the meaning of unconditional love, even till today... and I promise to do the same for you.

You're not even born yet, but you have somehow made daddy's and my life so complete and wholesome, do you know that? You've filled us with so much joy, excitement and magical moments from inside the womb over the past 9 months. I'm sure you already know this by now, having been inside me and hearing all the buzz of everyone awaiting your arrival, you're so loved my darling (and you're not even out yet!).

From the moment I saw the two pink lines on the home pregnancy test (as faint as the 2nd line was that first time, it was definitely enough to make my heart skip a beat), I knew I loved you and will always love you more than life itself. I felt on top of the world! Finding out that you were growing inside of me, that was the BEST NEWS daddy and I received last year, and your timing is simply impeccable!

We can't wait to welcome you into the world very soon, my darling. You have an eager family all over the world awaiting your arrival too... and believe me, you will be treasured, celebrated, admired and loved dearly (just like mommy!). We will do anything and everything to protect you. We are already head over heels in love with you, sweet baby girl! :) After all, you are the first grandchild for both mommy and daddy's immediate family.

I know your EDD is June 7, 2013, but mommy would love it if you make it into the world on May 23, 2013 (which marks mommy and daddy's 4th wedding anniversary)... Ummm, that's only a couple of days away. Do you think you can make it then? It would make the date extra special for sure, but that's just mommy's secret wish...

We will let you decide which date your birth day will be and we will anxiously be here to welcome your arrival. In the meantime, we will wait patiently for you, and keep enjoying those precious moments and chats with you while you are still on the inside...

I hope and pray every single day that you are healthy and will not come into this world with any difficulties - after all, the world is already a hard enough place to live in these days. Even if you do, daddy and I promise we will step up and face the challenges for your sake, to give you the best life that you so deserve.

Come to us as you are, my sweetheart, and come to us when you are ready.

Thank you for the joy, blessings and love you have given both daddy and me while in the womb, our little queen! We are so in love with you and you have not even taken your first breath yet; and with every breath you take after that, I pray that you will always feel our love.

Just don't keep us waiting too long and please remember our deal? During labor, all mommy has to do is make that one big sneeze of a push and you will come crowning out... *winks*

I hope you're as ready to join our little family as we are for you precious darling! I can't wait to meet you and hold you in my arms. See you soon, sweetheart! :)

With all my love, now and forever,
Mommy  

37 Weeks Pregnant

Well, WE MADE IT! I never thought this day would come... 37 weeks - we're FULL TERM, baby!!!!!

 

If I were go to into labor anytime today, or even after today, my Ob/Gyn wouldn't try to stop it or anything... and I'll get to meet my little girl! :) Although I don't see that happening (at least not today itself although there has been alot of kicking and elbowing happening in there) cos she seems quite content in her temporary "hotel" inside my womb. I'll just continue to incubate the little munchkin a little longer, while she decides to remain in there, and fatten her up even more... I can totally handle a couple more weeks of pregnancy - if she really decides to make her debut at 40 weeks.

Kevin and I went for our usual weekly checkup and ultrasound this morning and we were the first today! Woohoo :)

My bump has definitely dropped now that the little munchkin's head is in 2/3 engaged mode. Yes, she's engaged and in "get set" mode now... but so far, no "go" signs yet even though she has discovered her "escape route". She is probably just taking time to do a proper analysis of the whole situation and her options before making any moves. Plus, she probably wants to just keep us all in suspense as to her arrival date and time. If she's anything like mommy and daddy, then when we least expect it, that's when she'll make her move... Cheeky girl! 

As of today, (Week 37 - Day 1), the little munchkin's fetal stats are:
- Heartbeat: 129bpm
- CRL: ~34cm
- Weight: 3.2kg

Hohoho... Looks like she's got mommy's "Shih" nose, doesn't she? Aaauuwww, sowie daddy! She may take on the Lee name, but she's definitely a Shih baby in every other way possible! :)

What's most important is that my bump measures right at 37 weeks, baby's head is already engaged and everything looks good so far, even though I have not dilated at all. 

I know it is out of my control and I leave it to Allah as He knows best when the little munchkin will and should come out. She too knows his plan and is abiding to it and keeping both mummy and daddy in suspense... Will it be today? tomorrow? the day after? in a week? in two weeks? on the actual EDD? Oh, the suspense!!!

So, all mommy and daddy have to do right now is to trust that it's all in His hands, stay calm, be prepared and await the labor signs of mucus plug, contractions, water breaking... the whole enchilada!!! It could be any day now...

I know she'll come when she's ready, but when exactly will that be honeybun? Give mommy some hints please... Pwetty please? *bats eyelashes while looking down at bulging belly*

My Crazy Fascination with Video Recording of Belly Movements

I just love feeling the little munchkin move all around in my belly - stretching all sorts of out to the sides - especially when I'm lying down in bed. It's the best feeling ever!!!

Hence, my latest fascination, or rather obsession, since hitting 3rd trimester is to watch my belly very closely for signs of cool baby movements and video record them with my Samsung Galaxy Note (pink limited edition). Every time I get a chance to lie down and feel the belly movement, my phone will be automatically on my hand on video mode waiting to capture some cool motions. Which explains why my phone memory is getting drained out.

Just the other week, I pulled out a few clips from my video collection, the more obvious ones with belly movements, and passed them along to my husband help put together a nice video montage of my belly moves.

You would figure that since he spends most of his time editing his WWE videos for fun for his forum, that when his wife asks him to put a short vignette together of our baby's movement in the belly, which she recorded, he would at least put together a good one. Hah! Think again *smirks*

From the few clips that I gave him, this is what he could montage together. *fail, fail, fail*

Not impactful as I had hoped... and what's with the "rock-a-bye baby" lullaby? I wanted it more hip and with beat and why is the video still running while the music is over? Just because it's for baby, doesn't mean baby songs need to be used. Even so, it should have beat since it's kicking footages. You watch the clip and see if you feel the same frustration! 

Or perhaps it's just me and my "crazy biatch" pregnancy hormones kicking in at this stage in the pregnancy that has set a much higher expectation of what the end product should look like and thinks it could have been done better and with much more thought, love and ummmph?

I've of course asked him to redo and spunk it up and even provided him with more raw video clips, but so far I have received nothing. I would do it myself if I had the software and skills as I've learned that these days, if you want anything done, you just gotta do it yourself. Hmmm, maybe I will... *gazes into thin air, trying to figure out when I will ever have the time to do it since "labor day" is approaching very, very soon*

For those of you who would like to try to video record your belly movements, trust me, you need to be very, very patient and calm cos when you least expect it, you'll probably see the best moves. Sometimes, you can hold have it on handheld record for for 5 minutes and just get 5 seconds of a good movement. That's considered lucky already! When you miss it, you'll be like "Oh, crap! Such a waste as that was a beautiful shot." - but keep at it, and try and try again... There are times when it can be frustrating as you have no good footage, and if you are like me, you may have the urge to tap, tap, tap your belly to get the baby moving... But make sure to tap with love and not vengeance as it's a fun activity and good playtime bonding with baby :)

The Herbal Chicken Soup Incident

Kevin got home today at about 6.00pm and he looked super tired as he has had a long day at work. Therefore, I let him rest and nap whilst I "rainbow" the house away. *just love my new household "toy!"*

At 9.45pm he suddenly sprung out of bed and exclaimed "Ohmigod! I forgot I bought herbal chicken during lunch, and it's still in my car! It's sure going stink up the car." And he fled out the door, face all scrunched up, to grab it and throw it away,  and worried of the sting smell of the soup will soak up his car... 10 minutes later he was back at our condo, with a OMG-you-won't-believe-it grin on his face.

In his hands, he was carrying the plastic containing the herbal chicken that he had bought earlier that afternoon (about eight hours ago), which had been left in his car all day long. Pranced the plastic in front of my face asking me to see and touch it. Oh, I touched the bag alright!!! It was still warm and the herbal chicken soup looked like he had just bought it.

"Baby magic!" was the first thing both of us exclaimed. Yeap, all the cool incidents that have happened/touched our lives since we found out we were pregnant (and believe me, there have been plenty! and we have friends and family as witnesses too) are can all be attributed to little "charmed one" brewing in my tummy. There's no way else to explain it as we've always never been that good luckwise. Oh, our little munchkin has got some awesome powers to spice up our lives! Now, she has shown us that she has "powers" to preserve food (that she probably wants to eat) for at least 8 hours. I guess 8 hours is the extent of the limit to her powers of food preservation, hence waking up daddy from his sleep to go get it before she can't control it anymore so that she can have it for dinner? 

Bravo my little charmed one, bravo! :) [I'm glad the Charmed series I love watching over and over has rubbed off on her - I wonder if she will have "active" powers once she's out *excited*] I mean, how else would you explain it, right???

We thought no further and just enjoyed our herbal chicken soup for dinner. Didn't even have to microwave it (as it was still nice and warm) and it tasted so goooood! Yummy, yummy, yummy, I got love in my tummy :)

Diaper Bag Dilemma

The problem with living in Penang, Malaysia is that there are not many options when it comes to cool diaper bags. 

I am on the hunt for something of quality, functional and looks pretty fashionable - of course! It should also last at least for a couple of years. I came across a couple options at a couple of maternity stores, including Mothercare, Peekaboo, Mom's Care... but nothing there really captured my attention. 

Hence, I started my online research on a range of diaper bags available over the past couple of months...

=======================================================================

My top favorite picks are:

1) Skip Hop Studio Diaper Tote 
    Price: US$90
    Video Review
    Features:
    - 14 pockets & zip-top closure (big enough for most laptops) 

    - Zip pocket protected by Agion antimicrobial lining

    - Two roomy insulated side bottle pockets 

    - Quilted cushioned changing pad

    - Water-resistant inside & out 

    - Snap-down front pocket that enables hanging a blanket/bib underneath 

    - Nickel feet to keep the base of the ground & scuff-free 

    - Hangs neatly on a stroller & can be worn over the shoulder 

    - Contrasting lining that makes it easy to find what you need

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this in either Indigo Dot or Pewter Dot!!! It's super stylish and seems to be incredibly functional. This would be my 1st choice for diaper bag. It's just so me! :)

The biggest bummer about it is that neither Skip Hop or Amazon delivers to Malaysia, for some reason. I've been trying to find other alternative online outlets that sell this, including eBay. There were two sellers. One actually stated clearly that they do not deliver to Malaysia (...and why not?!?); the other, the shipping fee seems to cost a bomb (...hmmm, maybe that's why they don't deliver to Malaysia). *sigh*

2) Ju-Ju-Be Be Prepared Diaper Bag
    Price: US$180
    Video Review
    Features:
    - 2 exterior insulated bottle pockets
    - Structured bottom with luggage feet
    - Unique main zipper closure systems for easy access
    - Color coded tabs to know which pocket is for which child
    - Tote handles can be tucked away and hidden when not in use
    - Full zip-down mommy pocket for super access
    - Picture pocket to keep photos handy when bragging to friends
    - Teflon - so stains don't stick
    - AgION Anitimicrobial Linings - kills germs, mold, mildew, fungus, bacteria etc.
    - Memory foam changing pad
    - Crumb drains 
    - Metal hardware
    - Mommy pocket
    - Light colored linings
    - Quiet magnets
    - Bottle pockets

 

I really like this a lot, especially in Shadow Waltz, as it's super spacious (yeah, cos it's meant for twins). I can stuff plenty of things in this, but sadly, this one's way off my budget.

3) Skip Hop Duo Deluxe Diaper Bag
    Price: US$58
    Video Review
    Features:
    - Zippered compartments that are easy to reach and with perfect depth for storing diapers 
      and wipes
    - 3 magnetic closures (main pouch and two front pouches)
    - Side pocket with Velcro closure
    - Side mesh pocket with locking drawstring closure - perfect for water or baby bottle
    - Removable, adjustable strap
    - Handle for carrying without shoulder strap
    - Clips on to stroller
    - Easy to clean interior
    - 2 interior pockets
    - Includes on-the-go cushioned changing pad     

 

I have a soft side for the color red (and pink of course) so naturally I love either of the two blush red/red variations. Comparatively, this is one's more on the affordable price range that my other favorite pics.

=======================================================================

Nevertheless, from the looks of it, I don't think I'll end up with any of them anytime soon and may need to settle for one of the cheaper options that are available and sold in Penang. 

Perhaps I'll just settle with one the free bags that I received from the hospital first (like the one above) - at least until I can hunt down my favorites (or close to favorites).

I've also asked a couple of close friends to keep an eye out for the availability of Skip Hop Studio Diaper Tote and Ju-Ju-Be Be Prepared Diaper Bag in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed in the meantime...

Celebrating My 1st Mother’s Day While Pregnant

Is it wrong for me to feel like I deserve to celebrate this year's Mother's Day like every other mother even though I haven't given birth and am not a "true blue" mommy yet?

On one hand, I feel like I don't deserve it yet, but on the other hand, I feel like I do deserve it cos I have been loving, growing and nurturing the little "gift of life" inside me for the past 36 weeks... Today seems like such a appropriate occasion for me to cherish all my blessings and look forward to be becoming a family. It's no longer going to be just Kevin and I - baby's gonna make three. She's going to make us become an official family unit!

Regardless, we did our usual Mother's Day routine celebration with our moms. Kevin, Elaine (my sister-in-law) and I took our moms out for a Mother's Day treat. But of course this year's celebration was extra special as it was not just the five of us. We were also joined by the little sweetheart growing inside of me, who thoroughly enjoyed the food and other guilty pleasures of the day (I can tell from her endless belly taps and what seemed like hi-fives for mommy).

Lunch at Chilli's, Gurney Plaza with our moms.

 Followed by dessert at Swensen's, Gurney Plaza... Banana Crumble and Earthquake. Yummy!!

I can't wait for next year's Mother's Day for when the little munchkin officially joins our yearly celebration in the flesh and I can truly feel worthy of celebrating the day as a true mother (and not just a momma-to-be)! :)

36 Weeks Pregnant

We hit Day 1 of 36 weeks today!!! By the way, is the start of 36 weeks considered full term? 

Well, my pregnancy update email says that 37 weeks (the end of 36 weeks) is actually full term - so, I guess we'll be full term at the end of this week?... Yay! Which ever is fine with me as I don't think the little munchkin will be coming out this week anyways although I do feel like I'm carrying a watermelon in my belly now as she continues to grow :)

As of today (Week 36 - Day 1), the little munchkin's fetal stats are: 

- Heartbeat: 130bpm

- CRL: ~34cm

- Weight: ~3.0-3.2kg

She's so much bigger and her positioning today made it difficult to see her full face profile during the 4D ultrasound. We were only able to see her left eye as her left hand was blocking parts of her face. She's still cute regardless and when mommy called out her name, she reacted by trying to open her eyes. I'm a little concerned about the limited space she has at this point though as she's used to having space to roam about freely in there.

My Ob/Gyn also pressed down on my pelvis and alerted me that baby has dropped slightly. Although our little honeybun is remaining in head down position, it seems as though she is not settled in "engaged" mode yet... Slightly relieved to hear that as I don't mind being pregnant a little while longer :) 

Oh sure, my lower back hurts like hell most times these days (mostly night time) and fatigue has certainly kicked in during the day time... But I love every moment of it!

Moreover, I'm amazed at how I am able to still work through and endure my long work hours (late night and early morning conference calls) and stay on my feet at the office even at this stage of my pregnancy. The last couple of weeks, workload at the office has been crazy but it's amazing how my baby gives me the extra energy boost to keep at it while tiring me out at the same time. 

At some point, and real soon, I would have to come to terms with reality (and hopefully, when the time comes, my boss will understand it too) and will need to slow down and stop my work routine and concentrate fully on welcoming our baby safely into the world.  

Since the little one's not "engaged" yet, I'm only planning to start my maternity leave on June 3, the week that I'm due. Hopefully from now until then, I can pace myself and slow down when it comes to work as per my Ob/Gyn's advice, but how is that possible when there's just so much to do at work and so many new projects coming in??!!??

I still can't help but wonder if we'll end up with a May or June baby at this point... Secretly, I'm wishing for her to make it out in time for Kevin and my 4th Year Wedding Anniversary - our Akad Nikah / Solemnization of Marriage - on the May 23, 2013 (two weeks before her EDD - June 7, 2013).

But, I won't force it especially since she seems to be enjoying her stay in there and has not given any signs of coming out anytime in the next week or two. She can come out whenever she's ready... It's just that May 23 would make it a little extra special and memorable - don't you think? 

I guess we'll find out soon... :)