It’s all done! I thought it would be painful but nahhhh, nothing but a little pull and the string was out! The doctor cut both ends with scissors, pulled one end and that was it.

“Have you given birth already?” Hahaha not yet! I’ve been hounded with this question many times by my friends for the past days. Baby is actually moving a lot especially at night. I can feel a bump here (probably her butt) and some bony part there (her leg?), then she starts jerking around, stretching my belly wide! Whew! I told her that there’s plenty of space to do her stunts outside my belly; coaxing her to pop out already but she seems to like staying there still. Oh God, give me more patience!

waiting for my baby…

Anyway, M took a leave since Monday in anticipation of little C’s arrival. It will be our last few days together. After baby comes out, it will be a totally new life for all of us. Less freedom to do things in a whim maybe and we’ll have to act like real adults coz a pair of innocent eyes will be watching us and will likely copy whatever we do. So since Friday night, we enjoyed our time together watching the 3 last episodes of Heroes (finally we’re done watching it. Bring on the new season!) and we also drove out at 10pm to buy burger & fries… tsk tsk tsk; then on Saturday we watched the first series of the Bourne movie (The Bourne Identity); ate out last Sunday after the Mass; and last night we watched The Simpsons movie. In between these activities, M spent time playing PC games and watching his anime movies, while I finished my Korean drama.

Tomorrow I’ve got a full schedule. I’ll have another check-up with the doctor at 8 in the morning, an invitation for lunch by the mam and the baby shower in the afternoon which my friends will be hosting for me. That is… if little C decides to stay longer in my belly (I hope NOT!).

So that’s it! I plan to take a long walk with M later in the afternoon to force little C to come out!

Because of my frustration the last time we had our check-up, I instructed M to insist to the attendants that he should be present with me in the examination room so he can translate whatever I want to ask the doctor and vice versa. I felt that the doctor would be comfortable explaining things in their language than talking to me in English. Thankfully I got my request!

So this time it was better. I got some essential information.

- baby is already approximately 3 kilos.
- my cervix is still close.
- no sign of baby wanting to come out yet.

* I gained only 300 grams in the past two weeks! Not bad at all!

I used to count by months, then by weeks. Lately I’m counting by days! My estimated due date of delivery is August 24, a date which is already so near yet seems like I’m waiting for eternity!

Doing nothing while waiting for my delivery date can be a bore! To keep me sane, I’ve been watching movies, chatting with my family and friends online and of course blogging! Oh I’ve been reading books too. If you put it all together, that makes me a busy expectant mom-to-be! heh!

Another thing I did to keep me occupied was signing-up with Bloggerwave, another company that pays bloggers to write opinion posts for advertisers. Since their launching this year, thousands of bloggers have joined their team. Now their focus is to gain more clients and advertisers who will provide opportunities for their bloggers. So if you want to earn extra money, I invite you to join Bloggerwave.

My bags are packed, finally I’m ready to deliver you my dear baby anytime you want to come out! I have everything that I’ll need in the hospital including your tiny stuff. All the preparation has been done; your room, your crib, your clothes, your bathing stuff and other essentials to welcome your arrival. I really don’t like waiting, but right now that’s all I do, waiting with much excitement for the day you’ll pop out.

Will God answer my prayer? Will you arrive this week as I have been wishing for?

“I don’t understand.” was my mantra yesterday at the clinic. How many times have these nurses been told and yet they still speak to me in Czech! We couldn’t understand each other that’s because they won’t allow hubby, my translator inside the examination room. It’s frustrating!

Ohhh, even the doctor, poor doctor I can still remember the look on his face. He looked scared talking to me, like there’s a gun pointed in his head.

You speak English? I asked.

A little.

Then he led me inside the room and “interrogated” me. Hah!

“Any problems“? He started.

“I have back pains”

“OK…”

I paused, waiting for an intelligent advice from him… nothing so I continued

“and my eyes can’t focus“. (I’m talking in minimum so he can understand me. I’m afraid the more I talk, the more he would be confused.)

“OK…”

At this point, I expected him to rattle off advices for the back pain and eye problem but nada… so I asked

“Is this normal?” He just nodded. Arghhhh!

During the examination I asked more questions only to get vague answers! Then finally before wrapping things up as he was inputting data into the computer, he told me I can ask him if I have some more questions. Yeah right! Who wants to ask when I don’t get satisfactory answers!

Whatever, it doesn’t matter what they say or not. I’ll just program my mind that everything will happen according to what I believe in. I’ve already claimed that I’ll have a safe and normal delivery and I’ll have a healthy and beautiful baby girl. That’s the power of faith! Amen!

* I gained 700 grams in a week!

Dobry den! (Good day!)

M just drove me home from our hospital appointment. I’ve never seen such great number of preggy women before, all converging in one place in different shapes and sizes. I think we were about 15-20 there waiting at the doc’s clinic. It was amusing.

During the check-up M wasn’t allowed inside the clinic so I had to use the few Czech words I know. I warned the doc and nurses with “nerozumim Czesky” (I don’t understand Czech). Thank God the doc speaks little English but the nurse doesn’t. It was still okay coz she was just telling me when is my next appointment. I was able to use “pomoc” (help) in getting up from the reclining examination chair. Kalingaw!

Anyway, since the doc was checking the baby by ultrasound, I took the chance in asking him if he can see what the gender of the baby is. He tried but told me it’s difficult to determine though he said that it’s probably a girl. I didn’t tell him that my OB thought so too. Please Lord, let it be a girl!

I’m so glad we’re in the internet age! Whenever I need to know something, it’s ever ready to answer the questions bothering me. Since yesterday, I’ve noticed that my vision is impaired. I thought it was because I lack sleep the other night. So last night I was off to bed at 11pm and got up at 8am this morning hoping that the long sleep would solve the problem. It didn’t! I’m having a hard time focusing my eyes still…my vision seems to go in all direction! Waaaa

As usual I consulted Uncle Google, my ever reliable info source. Thank God! Vision does change during pregnancy! Probably it was also triggered by the long duration I was wearing my contact lens last Wednesday. I didn’t have the slightest idea that pregnancy can have so many complications! It’s like everything unusual I feel is caused by pregnancy. Tsk tsk tsk

What’s 100% sure in our life? Those words came from the mouth of my “philosopher” OB when I asked him if he was 100% sure of my baby’s gender.

What are the best food sources?
Green leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts, meat, starches, and milk all contain magnesium. Some common food sources:
 1 oz. dried pumpkin seeds: 151.9 mg
 1 oz. sunflower seeds: 100.5 mg (I have a pack of sunflower seeds in the pantry!)
 1/3 cup wheat germ: 90.9 mg
 1 cup spinach spaghetti: 86.6 mg
 1/2 cup boiled long beans: 84.3 mg
 1 oz. dried unblanched almonds: 84.1 mg
 1/3 cup tofu: 76.1 mg
 1 cup nonfat yogurt: 43.4 mg

My urinary bladder is actively working! I don’t mind when I’m at home, I can readily relieve myself without any problems.  What about when we’re out say like attending a one-hour Mass or strolling in a place where rest rooms are nowhere in sight?  Hold it? No can do!

Bladder control problem is common for pregnant women especially on the 4th-7th month of pregnancy. According to Birthing Naturally:
“The pressure of your growing uterus and a heightened metabolic rate cause increased frequency of urination. For some women, the increased weight of the uterus stressed the pelvic floor muscle causing incontinence.”

These might help:
•Do your pelvic floor (kegel) exercises. They strengthen this muscle to help it work properly even with the increased weight of the uterus.
•Keep drinking water. Being dehydrated won't decrease the frequency of potty breaks, but it can cause discomfort, fatigue, and increases your risks for other problems.
•Go to the bathroom regularly, don't try to hold it.
•If you feel a burning or stinging sensation when you urinate, you may have an infection. Seek the advice of your caregiver.
•Don't sit with your legs crossed or wear tight, restrictive clothing. These things may encourage a back-up in your urinary tract causing an infection.

My tip? I just make sure the place I go to have a restroom nearby or else I’d rather stay at home.

If you think beauty is the be-all of your existence, try holding your urge to pee. It's like torture, right? What is plastic surgery compared to the satisfaction of relieving one’s self from the annoying urge to urinate? Simple pleasures are still the best in life and that includes the freedom to urinate whenever you feel like to.