Off the Calendar

Yes, it's my 31st birthday. The last day on the calendar. Eventhough I am getting older, this year, is the best! Here 31 reasons why:
1. Tons of birthday wishes from friends and family through text and Facebook.
2. Sister from Singapore is here for the weekend.
3. With Kuya Shosh. Last month, they just went here on a weekday and we didn't get to spend time together.
4. Friday night dinner with papogs, two sisters and ikoy.
5. Free overnight stay at the hotel.

6. Pre-Saturday night dinner celebration with the family.
7. Ikoy's specially selected and wrapped gift: Wall-E Lego, Toy Story Ball and Mrs. Potatohead's bag. He was even more excited than me and he wanted to open it right away.
8. Bestest bestfriend
9. With my "first" baby gift and a book which, I am forced to read.
10 . With her family to join us for dinner.
11. Habi who drove more than 2 hours of traffic just to be there.
12. Little baby girl to sing happy birthday for miminuni.
13. With "bouncy" baby Alfons, even with him just looking at you would make you smile.
14. My first of my three cakes, blew the candle with Ikoy and Annika.
15. Sunday night, Papogs cooked my request dinner: fish in "Pesa."

16. Woke up on my birthday morning, with my friends on the other side of my bedroom door.
17. Yummy and healthy breakfast prepared by Kuting.
18. With her betterhalf.
19. Pregnant friend Bubbles who didn't bother going up and down the stairs for the surrpise. Of course with her hubby.
20. Marge, for waking up early to be on time for the early surprise.
21. My second birthday cake, with my dear friends.
22. A two part birthday surprise. Aside from the breakfast surprise, there was still a dinner surprise!
23. Baby sister who brought me salad for dinner.
24. With Bamba.
25. And my third birthday cake.
26. Hubby's family had their share of birthday greetings and wishes.
27. A husband who's willing to do anything I ask of him.
28. Last month, I received an advanced birthday gift, a positive pregnancy test.
29. Doctor confirmed that yes, I am indeed pregnant. But we need to wait a few weeks for the ultrasound.
30. We saw baby's heart, beating, on the first ultrasound.
31. I get to share with the whole world my bestest birthday gift ever.

July 9: Second Maternity Checkup @W07

I diligently followed my diet plan. I also learned to use the insulin and I am almost an expert on detecting and checking my blood sugar using the glucometer. Aside from that, the three weeks passed by smoothly without any problems.

I am not sure if I am looking forward for this day or I am dreading for this day to come. It's a little bit of both. The good thing is that I have two sisters coming with us to the hospital. To stand by me, one on each side.

Check up was brief, was prescribed with meds, checked physically and I gave an update with what's going on with the diabelogist and nutritionist. Tita Cel told us that I should head for the ultrasound, with the hopes that we see the baby and the heartbeat.

A heartbeat. That was the only thing on my mind while waiting for my turn. My name was called, went in, followed by Denden and my two sisters. I lied down, closed my eyes and prayed hard. The sonologist came in and started the examination. The longest five minutes of my life. She just stood there looking at the monitor, moving the scope inside my body, without saying a word. I couldn't read the expression on her face. Tears fell down my eyes, I was too afraid to ask.

Then, she talked! She called Denden and said, come see your baby! Congratulations. She let me view the monitor and pointed the heart and paused. IT MOVED! The heart beat!

She told me the OB will explain the results. But honestly, I couldn't understand the other words that she said after seeing the heartbeat. I didn't stop crying as I hug the two-soon-be-tita's, both of them very delighted. Tears of joy. It was the happiest ten minutes of my life since I found out that I was pregnant.

Crown Rump Length: 1.18cm = 7 weeks 4 days
(+) Embryo with cardiac activity at 163 beats per minute

BUT, ten minutes, that was what, was given to me. The results showed that there was a subchorionic bleeding found inside. It is not harming the baby and heals on its own as long as it doesn't get too big. With diabetes on the side, I was advised to take a 30-day bedrest.

In my mind, I thought that I might not be giving enough so I should give more. I have baby's heartbeat to hold on to. That is more than enough reason gather the all the strength that I need.

June 20: First Maternity Check Up @W04

Due to J.P. Rizal's 150th birthday, this day was declared a holiday.

This was perfect timing because we've set our first maternity check up with the OB-GYN. I turned to my sister since she knew who would be the best doctor for me and baby. And she couldn't think of anyone better than her bestfriend's mom, Dra. Cecilia Cordero - Evangelista, or Tita Cel, as she wants me to call her. And so, with plenty of hopes in my right pocket and lots of worries on my left pocket, we went ahead. The goodnews is that pregnancy is 100% confirmed. It was on the fourth week.

It was after this that it came to me, this confirmation marks day one of being able to rejoice and be happy of this blessing. BUT, this day also marks the start of being worried at the same time.

Found out that my blood sugar is high, confirming that I am a Type 2 Diabetic. And diabetes in pregnancy is a "high-risk" pregnancy, especially type 1 or type 2 diabetes. A list of risks include: early labor, induced labor, miscarriage, very large babies, preeclampsia and birth defects.


Tita Cel prescribed meds for me and the baby and advised me to see her preferred diabetologist as soon as possible for me to be given insulin.

Thus, I came to Dra. Melanie Duran. After seeing my test results, she immediately told me that I'll be needing insulin. And also, I saw her nutritionist for my diet plan.

The next check up will be on Week 7, the first ultrasound to confirm baby's heartbeat. Can you imagine the overflow of worries on my left pocket? I set my mind, I will do anything and everything that needs to done for my baby.

June 19: Father's Day

Months have passed since we last went to the doctor.
The days come and go and I try to put on the best smile on my face.
I kept myself busy with the house, the dogs and some extra curricular activies. i.e. playing badminton.

We do not only belong to the TTC couples, but we were the trying-too-damn-hard-to conceive couple for a while now. So, we set that aside to relieve ourselves of the stress and pressure. I actually bought a year's supply of sanitary napkins wholesale because of the plan.


June 19 was the date of father’s day this year. This day marks also day 32 of my June cycle. It was one day past my boundary so I decided to take my second pregnancy test. In less than five minutes, I saw two lines, one line was faint, but it was two lines!


My heart skipped a beat. Literally. I've always believed in miracles, I never imagined I would experience one, inside me. I closed my eyes, thanked Him and prayed really really hard.

Denden didn't exactly believe it, he told me to take another test tomorrow. But something inside me is telling that I need not take another test.

The first person I wanted to tell was Mommy. I know she knew already.

Then, I ran off to tell baby sister and Bamba. I handed her the test strip and she couldn't believe it either. She kept crying for about 10 minutes. Tears of joy. Bamba was speechless.

I wanted to greet Papa not only a Happy Father's Day today but a Happy Lolo's Day as well.
BUT--- not yet. We needed to be sure, 100% sure.

Confessions Part Three

This is last of my three-part-confession.
Ever since I had my first period, it always, always, always came every month. Lately, I kept on praying for it not to come but it will always do, between days 29-31 of my cycle. Thus marks the end of one period and the start of another month.


The first time that I took my pregnancy test was during one of the months that we did IUI. It think it was only day 30 of my cycle but I was pretty excited because of the IUI so I took the test. Based on the instructions, immerse strip vertically for three seconds on the first morning urine. Lay on flat furface then wait. If two lines appear, it’s positive. If one line appears, it's negative.

I waited for 5, 10 15 minutes but the second line didn’t appear.

It was a heartache. I vowed to myself never to take a pregnancy test again, unless my period is really delayed.

Confessions Part Two

After a few more months of trying, we opted to go a specialist. We searched for the best reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist in town.

The first month, we have gone through more evasive screening and hormonal testing. I was put on weight reduction drugs and hormonal pills. And the first procedure. I underwent hysterosonogram to check if my tubes are blocked. It was a painful experience for me. But I got my prize, my fallopian tubes are okay.


The second month, I was excited as we were told that we’ll try Intrauterine Insemination for the first time. There were a number of drugs prescribed for the preparation. The D-day came. Sperm collection and washing. When sperm is ready, speculum is placed and sperm is placed in the cervix through a catheter. Legs up for half an hour then you’re good to go. Similar to hysterosonogram, I was actually relieved that it wasn’t as painful. But the catch is, this IUI is not only the first time, but the second time as well. We had to do double. After the procedure, progesterone gel needs to be administered until the scheduled period.

The third month, my period came and we had to go through IUI again. Admittedly, it was quite stressful and draining, to the budget as well. This time, it wasn’t a double IUI. I prayed harder this time and kept my hopes up. But it wasn’t successful as well.

The fourth month, we took a break from IUI and I underwent a laparoscopic removal of an endometrial polyp. A mass in the inner lining of the uterus detected through the ultrasound. Ironically, after a few weeks, an endometrial polyp was found once again on the ultrasound.

The fifth month was the last straw. With fingers crossed, we repeated the IUI again.

You could have guessed right, after a hysterosonogram, an operation and four sessions of IUI’s, it wasn’t successful. We decided to take a break. Aggressive as the fertility work up was, physically and emotionally, it was exhausting. We thought we should just save for next step, which is IVF.

Confessions Part One

Ever since I tied the knot almost four years ago, I declared to the world that I still have other plans before wanting to have a baby. I’ve always thought that I don’t want to be knocked up first, then, get married. And in actuality, I felt my wedding was a little overdue since my ideal age was 25 and I was 2 years past that.

A year after the wedding, I secretly wanted to have a baby. But this I kept to myself and I had to stick to the plan, which fortunately is falling into proper places.

Another year has passed and by then, nothing has happened still.

Until the day came that I had to confess to the world that yes, we are trying to conceive.
By this time, I have learned to chart my monthly fertility calendar, even taking my BBT’s in the morning. Months had passed and as expected on the calendar, my period never missed.


So, for the first time, we decided to get a “medical opinion.” Nothing extra ordinary, just the OB-GYNE, health card accredited doctor. I took the routine tests and I found out that I have “more than the normal” number of follicles in my ovaries, thus, the diagnosis is PCOS while hubby’s supply is running low. We took recommended medication and one step forward, clomid-follicle monitoring-pregnyl for two cycles.

In both times, my period came on the day it’s supposed to come. I brushed my frustration aside because I didn’t want to lose hope.

Still pogi?

He we opted for the bald look this time. After three months, it's time for Quito to have his pamper day again.

He was still scared after we picked him up from the pet clinic. After some time, he seemed happy with his new look, plus it's tidier.

He looked like a baby pitbull but for me, he's still "pogi."