Happy 4th of July to Americans!

My daughter's godmother gave her the cute red, white & blue dress for today.  Shandi loves it!!  When she wore it this morning, she was screaming with excitement.  To bad we don't have anything exciting planned out...Well, it's never really a holiday to celebrate for us...Filipinos celebrate independence day on June 12.  Yup, that's our excuse! (Not the fact that we're trying to save on gas...LOL.)

Since 4th of July is equal to fireworks, we went to Hollywood hoping we can watch the display.  Unfortunately, the view was blocked by a tall Renaissance Hotel!!  We were waiting on a certain spot with a lot of people and no one from the surrounding establishments ever told us that we're waiting for nothing!  Boooo!  Good thing we decided to walk around..we saw some fireworks from a different spot. 

I don't think Shandi cares about the fireworks...she's scared of the loud explosions.  She's mesmerized with all the lights along Hollywood Blvd though.  She can't take her eyes off all the glitz and costumed people surrounding her.

Time really flies when you're having fun...I think even Shandi forgot that she's supposed to be sleepy already (or maybe hungry...hehe.).  Time to go home...

Fireworks or no fireworks...we had a blast!!

Okay...I decided I'll write about my birth story...The purpose of which is either of the following:
    1.  Share my story with you guys.
    2.  Recount the event and kinda relive the moment.  Much like writing a diary where you can read the entry when you've forgotten some of the details.
    3.  Believe that our bodies are capable of such wondrous things.  Praise God, He made us that way! 
    4.  Make my daughter feel guilty when she's already a teenager and giving me a hard time!!! 

Okay, okay...the last one, I don't really mean...do you honestly believe I would do that???! (which got me thinking.....)

Honestly, I was scared as $#!+ about giving birth.  Here's my everyday mantra to boost my courage:
    1.  Of all the women who gave birth before me, I too, can go through this!
    2.  The Lord will help me have an easy, pain-free, normal (no c-section!) & fast labor and delivery.
    3.  When the pain is too much...there's a reason why the epidural was invented!

Two weeks before my due date, my doctor said I'm already 2cm dilated.  He wanted to see me after four days to see if I've progressed...he thinks I'll give birth before my due date.  I'm hoping he's right as my tummy feels really heavy already.  

Two days after that, I think I saw parts of my mucus plug when I went to pee...  I'm not even sure what a mucus plug is, really!  Up to now, I still don't know what the heck it is!  So instead of sounding all-knowing, I'll just say that I saw this thick, snot-like disharge.  I'm not scared and since I've read about this hundreds of times...I know it's normal.  I've had the discharge three times this day.  My mom said it means that I'm probably dilating (cervix opening up) already.

December 7, more discharge...I called my doc's office and the nurse said it's nothing to worry about.  But, just like what my doctor said, I should go straight to the hospital if I have the following:
    - contractions every 5 minutes for an hour
    - bleeding
    - water bag broke

At around 5 pm, I started to time my contractions since they’re closer apart and a little bit stronger.  It’s happening every 5 mins.!  I thought to myself, if I'm still having contractions by 6 pm, I'll tell my husband to take me to the hospital.  At around 5:30, I talked to my aunt on the phone and she told me to look for signs of blood.  She said on one of her pregnancies, she saw a teeny amount of blood...so little it's just the size of a pinhead.   

My mom left to go to my cousin's house so I'm all alone.  I went to the restroom and when I looked at the bowl, I saw more discharge with a tinge of pink.  Still not sure if it's blood...Guess I'm still in denial...LOL.  But just in case, I started to prepare the clothes I'll wear to the hospital.

When Jude got home (6 pm), I told him to have dinner first (I'm still wondering if labor has started as I don't feel any pain)...after a couple more contractions, I asked him to take me to the hospital.  I took a quick shower and off we went.  While in the car, I was praying "Lord, please...make this night the night!!  I don't want to go home and wait a couple more days!". 

I also knew I would forever wonder what it feels like to give birth without pain meds so I prayed, "Lord, if I'm meant to give birth naturally, when they check me, give me no other choice. I've heard that when the patient is more than 8cm, they no longer give epidural...and if I'm meant to give birth without meds, please, help me have a fast, easy, pain-free delivery..."

To be continued....Part 2

Since summer officially started last Tuesday (June 21st), we decided to celebrate by going to the beach!  It was also Andi's first summer so we're excited about the idea that she'll be wearing her first swimsuit.

We figured we'll go to Huntington Beach which is about 40 minutes drive from home.  The weather was partly cloudy when we left (around 8 am) but the temperature was great and there's some sunshine.  When we got to the beach, it was sooo gloomy!! The wind was blowing, the temperature was in the mid-60's and we can barely see the water because of the fog!!  So much for our summer kick off!

It was a bit disappointing...there we were..me in my tank top, hubby in his surf shorts and our daughter in her summer dress.  I had to put on my jacket and make our daughter wear her hoodie & pants so we can at least take a quick stroll on the sand. 

Kinda amazing how many surfers there are.  The waves are great but I can't imagine how cold the water is!  Not letting the weather dampen our spirits, we rolled out our beach towel and sat for a while...letting our daughter explore the feeling of sand between her toes...After a couple of minutes, we decided to go someplace to eat and pray that the sun would show up eventually...

We went and ate breakfast and decided to go back to the beach after half an hour...we now went to the main area of the beach and noticed the parking area filling up..Since we have a baby with us, we need to park near the beach to have easy access to the car.  They charge too much for parking!!!  No wonder Huntington Beach is a nice place...they earn so much revenue from parking fees! $15 regardless of the time you'll stay?!  Anyway, we have no choice...unless we want to park on the side street and walk a looong way...

Finally, the sun was peeking through the clouds...our daughter is enjoying the cool breeze and immediately fell asleep.  It was so nice to relax and feel the peace and tranquility the beach offers...

When she woke  up, we decided to  take her to the shore.   She was holding on to me the whole time...We let her stand on the sand and then she cried when the water touched her feet.  Maybe she's a little scared of the waves, the sound, the vastness of the sea...but we were there to hold her, to comfort her...and we know, next time she'll be okay.

Guess, we experience the same thing sometimes...we're all scared of the unknown...of the future...But as long as we have our family beside us, as long as we have our God with us, then it's not as scary...they'll hold us, comfort us...and the next thing you know, we're alright..

The weather was not what we hoped for...and Andi was not able to wear her first swimsuit, but overall, I can say that our summer kick off was a success! 

Lots of summer fun to come!!

"O Romeo..Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?  Deny thy father, and refuse thy name.....
.....What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet?....."

How important is a name?  For Romeo and Juliet, it was a matter of life and death..but for the pregnant "me", it's one sweet word I'll call my daughter for the rest of my life...

A couple of months before I became pregnant, we saw this pretty lady named Shandi on tv.  The name was something that has a nice sound to it...I looked it up in the internet, it means "God is gracious"...hmmm...I like that...something to consider...

It's never an easy task to choose a name for your precious little one.  I have a couple of names which I have loved since I was a kid but somehow, they just doesn't seem to "fit"...My husband also have a couple of names in mind but somehow, we just don't feel connected to any of them. 

I always wanted a name with a "boyish" nickname like Alex or Sandy...We were also looking for something unique but not "out-of-this-world" unique like Zumba, Blubbyfoo or Astroboy!!  A name that's easy on the ears with a nice meaning and something that our daughter (hopefully) won't change when she's old enough to do so..Oh, and something that is not too hard to spell...Imagine how hard it would be for everyone if you named your baby Rumpelstiltskin???

I tried searching online for other baby names.  Halfway through the pregnancy, we still haven't decided on anything.  It's kinda scary to think that we'll decide in the hospital while I'm having my labor pains...I don't want to come up with a name like Epiduraline!!

A couple of months to go before my due date, I had my 3d/4d ultrasound...and we saw her...saw her chubby cheeks...saw her cute little face (she has her daddy's nose!)...saw her move around...the beauty, the miracle of it all!  And we have decided...Shandi would be her name.  She's God's gift..she's a miracle..

We're thankful...God is gracious...

And hey, we can also call her Andi!

    I've been a World Vision sponsor for around 5 years now and I don't regret a single moment of it.  The first time I walked to one of their booths inside a mall in the Philippines, I instantly knew I would be a sponsor for life...

    As of today, my family sponsors two kids in gradeschool...which, we're hoping will be 10 or 100..in time...

    Just in case you or someone you know would like to sponsor kids in the Philippines so they can go to school...please fill out this form and contact World Vision Philippines.  You can forward the form to them thru fax, email or mail.  Really, any way would be great! =)   

    The amount to sponsor is only Php 600 a month...I'm not sure how much if in US$ (if you're outside the Philippines & using a non-Peso credit or debit card)..if you're interested, you can contact them directly or you can let me know and I can ask them for you.   

    Hope you can join us in this truly rewarding experience.  You can write to your sponsored kid and you will also receive pictures & updates from them.  Everything goes through World Vision so you don't have to worry about family members taking advantage (asking for gifts, money, etc).  

    Imagine, for such a small amount, you can help a child fulfill his/her dreams of going to school..   

    Thanks and may God bless you & your family..

  

Okay...after years of trying to create a blog site...I finally made one..yay!!

It's ironic...just when I no longer have the time to even brush my hair, it's when I found the time to make a blog...funny how motherhood inspired me...

Let me start by introducing myself.  I'm Trish...I'm married and six months ago, God gave me the privilege to add "mommy" to the list of my achievements.  Giving birth was such an amazing experience for me, especially since it took me and my husband more than a year of trying before I got pregnant.

I can say that nothing can compare to the joys of motherhood...BUT, there was also nothing which prepared me for all the "motherly tasks" ahead...As with, probably, most new moms, I learn as I go...I try to learn as much as I can from my baby, mom, friends, books, anybody and anything...I used to joke with my husband about being the first child in the family, you're the practice baby..LOL. =) 

Here's hoping that my blogs will help future, new and seasoned moms one way or another...