And She's Walking!

And She's Walking!

Yup! She has taken her first steps and boy, are we all excited!

I think that of all 5 kids, she took the longest to walk. My first 2 were walking by their first birthdays.

I think this little girl is spoiled by her siblings. They like carrying her around. She has started to walk but she still prefers to be carried around.

I don't usually like to push my babies into these milestones but I was so ready for her to start walking. I prefer her walking than crawling. It just less dirty! LOL!

We frequent a park/playground that uses sand instead of wood chips which is nice but whenever we go there, Baby seems to swim in the sand. She gets sand everywhere, even in her diaper. She loves it though. She isn't too interested in getting on the equipment yet. I think that once she is walking more, she will want to play on the slide and climb up the steps. She will be more of a handful but I really enjoy this phase.

Go, go, go baby! Mommy's right behind you!

Baby Milestone: Sitting Independently

Baby Milestone: Sitting Independently

She's sitting without support!!! Sigh... I've said it time and again that while I am of course proud of her and happy that she is developing and growing well, my heart is also screaming "not yet!"

Time is moving too fast and I can feel her baby year slipping away. I want to keep her my baby for as long as possible.

When I posted this on Facebook, a friend commented that soon she will be walking! Nooooooo...

Yes, I am in denial. LOL! I'm not sure if I felt this intensely when my older kids were babies. I think that I felt like they came one after the other that I was looking for a break. With this one, I have experienced for myself how quickly children grow up that I want to savor each moment with her as a baby. I may never have another one of these precious littles. Who knows?

Look at the pic. Doesn't it look like she's taunting me? Sticking out her tongues as if saying, "Watch out Mommy. You can't stop this baby!" Before long, she'll be putting on her english riding boots and driving away. LOL.

I will savor each smile, each cry, each giggle, each nursing moment, each cuddle. I will savor every moment.

Homemade Photo Shoot

Homemade Photo Shoot

Two weeks ago, I took advantage of the overcast skies and produced my own homemade newborn photo shoot. I had been reading on some tips on using natural light for portraits. From these readings, I found out that overcast skies produce diffused light which make for very flattering images. I would soon find out if it were true.

I set up my "home studio" in our room where there was enough available light and space by the bedroom window. I laid a white blanket on the floor and draped it against the wall cabinets. I used the boppy to prop baby and covered it with another blanket.

I undressed baby and put on her crocheted headband. Let me tell you, it was so tempting to buy all these cute and adorable knitted/crocheted hats on etsy! I almost wanted to go to Michael's and buy some yarn so I could knit some caps as props. If only I knew how to knit! LOL! I knew it is a passing fancy though, much like the time I so wanted to buy all these jewelry making supplies so I could make my own beaded jewelry. That phase pretty much passed too.

Back to our shoot, I was a one-woman team. And it was difficult! Now I know why newborn photographers want their newborn sessions done within the first 2 weeks of life. Babies pretty much just sleep during that time. They can sleep through anything and any position. As for baby, I needed to have my hand on her for most of the time and remove my hand just prior to taking the shot because her hands would flail and she would wake up.

Despite the challenge of doing this myself, I got some pretty cute shots. One of my top fave is this one which was totally spontaneous. She was actually about to cry then when I snapped this photo. Ahh... what a difference a second makes. LOL!

I hope to be able to do some more photo shoots at home with baby as she grows.

Newborn Jaundice

Newborn Jaundice

All my kids had some degree of jaundice during their first week or so. It was never a cause for concern. Imagine my surprise when we were told the morning we were going to be discharged from the hospital that we would have to go back the next day to have DD4's bilirubin levels checked once again.

The next day, she had another heel stick (her heel was pricked and squeezed to fill a vial of blood). After about an hour of waiting, the results came in and her levels were elevated.

We were then prescribed a photo therapy device or a bili blanket as the nurses called it. It was delivered to our home that evening. We were instructed to have it on her ALL the time.

The bili blanket is a wide strip that has the special light to take off the jaundice from the skin. It needs to be in contact with the skin. I suppose it's like sunlight but concentrated. It is probably similar to how hgh supplements work. They augment a normally occurring process in the body.

The cycle of going to the hospital, heel stick, waiting and seeing the doctor continued for 3 more days. The hassle of having to go to the hospital and wait was not the worst. It was seeing my newborn cry while her heels were being pricked was torture. It was too much for me to bear that it was DH who would take DD4 to the lab. I waited in the waiting room. My baby was only days old and she was being subjected to this? Ugh...too much for this hormonal mommy. I was also very tired during that time. Instead of being able to rest, I had to shuttle to and from the hospital. My body had not had time to recover!

Even during that time, I was still thankful that at least her levels were not alarmingly high that she would need to be admitted to the hospital. If that had happened, we would have to leave her at the NICU! Oh my heart! I don't think I could've taken that lightly.

By the end of her first week, we were in the clear. We had kept her in the bili blanket for a little over 3 days and it had done its job. Thank God!

Emmanuelle Anne - her birth story

Emmanuelle Anne - her birth story

I don't know why I was anxious. I don't know what I was worried about.

She came into this world at the perfect time, in the most perfect of circumstances, right on the dot - at week 39.

I have never gone beyond week 39. She apparently knew that and decided to come out right then.

I started feeling contractions at 11:30 pm the night before. I had been feeling contractions since week 34 - and thus was put on bed rest. This felt different though. But I did not want to jump to conclusions. I had a false alarm 2 weeks prior. I did NOT want to go to the hospital again only to be sent back home.

DH was already in bed.
"I'm having contractions," I said as I nudged him.
"Tell me when they become regular," he sleepily answered and went back to sleep.

Breathing through my contractions. Standing up. On all fours. Taking a shower. Nothing was stopping these contractions. Not that I really wanted them to stop. I was ready to give birth. I wanted to give birth. I was anxious to give birth!

At about 1 am, I woke DH and told him I thought it was time.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm not but let's go anyway. I do not want to wait till my water breaks."

So we started getting ready. He took the camera and laptop. I took my change of clothes. He knocked on my Mom's door to tell her that we were leaving to go to the hospital.

On the way there, there were contractions but nothing I could not breathe through. They were now coming around 3-4 minutes apart, for about 45 seconds each.

DH wheeled me into labor and delivery. The nurse checked me. I was a mere 4 cm! I have been 3 cm dilated for over a month now. I was so discouraged. I thought I was going to get sent home again! The nurse was more optimistic. 4 cm was enough to get me admitted so that's what she did. By then, 2 of the nurses there had recognized me and DH from our previous trips.

At around 5 am, I was 6 cm dilated. They asked if I wanted to walk around. Yes, I eagerly responded. DH and I walked around the hospital floors for about 20 minutes. Contractions were still coming steadily but no change in intensity or duration. I was beginning to think I was going to be in for a longer labor than I expected. They asked if I wanted to have my water broken to hopefully speed up labor. I said yes knowing from previous experience that once my water breaks, I go into active labor in a snap.

My water bag was broken at 7 am. For about 30 minutes, it felt like nothing was happening. And then it hit!

Active labor commenced. Contractions so painful that I wondered why the heck I refused pain meds. I was holding on to DH so tightly, looking, or maybe glaring into his eyes as I breathed through the pain. Through gritted teeth, I managed to yelp a "I want to push!!" In between contractions, I was checked and I was only 8 cm dilated. "Not yet time," they said. "Just keep breathing."

How do I stop myself from pushing?! Short, shallow puffs of breathing.

I told them, "I really want to push now!" This time in a louder, more commanding voice. And it was time!

I was asked to lay on my left side, raise my right leg and push. Whoa! New position for me so I was disoriented for a second or two.
"You want me to push?"
"You said you wanted to push, so push now," the midwife remarked with a smile.

Push...2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10.
Breathe.
Push...2,3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.
Breathe.
"You're doing well. You're almost there," said DH and the rest of the nurses. "One more."
Push...2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10... and a yell...
and she was out!

8:46 am. 8 lbs. 2 oz. 20 inches.

"It's a girl," DH whispered to me with a kiss.
I hear her cry. They lay her on my chest. And I started crying. Love in my heart overflowing, like it was about to burst. Tears in my eyes freely flowing as I held this little miracle close.
"Shh...baby. Welcome sweet one. I love you dear baby girl."

Diaper Cake

Diaper Cake

I am soooo excited to share with you this latest project of mine. It's a diaper cake that I made as a present to a friend who is expecting her first child ( a son) sometime in September. We had the baby shower yesterday afternoon.

It is my first time to ever make one and I am sooo pleased with how it turned out. You can google "diaper cake" if you want instructions on how to make one yourself. It's pretty simple to do and it's a very practical gift.

The "cake" is basically made of rolled-up diapers (I used disposable) bound together by rubber bands. I used a wide ribbon to cover up the bands then decorated as I pleased. I used washcloths as "flowers". I also personalized simple onesies using my digiscrapping supplies printed on iron-on transfers. For this one, I used Amanda Rockwell's Vibrant Ocean kit, available at ScrapArtist. If you're not into digiscrapping, you can probably use custom rubber stamps to decorate the onesies or other stuff. I think they really add a special touch and makes it a truly unique gift. I added some curling ribbons and buttons and shell pictures to the ribbon for more pizazz.

I am sooo proud of my work. I actually cannot wait for another baby shower just so I can make another one of these! LOL!

Not for the faint of heart

Not for the faint of heart

Hello! Hello!
We're home now... sleep-deprived(as expected) but we're fine otherwise. This one-hand typing takes time getting used to but I couldn't wait to start getting back online anymore.

First off, thanks for all your congratulations and warm wishes. Thanks to all you bebots. Can't wait to get back to the forums - maybe within the next week or so. Can't wait to get back into scrapping too. But there are just too many things that need more immediate attention now of course so everything that I'd really like to do will have to wait.

Here I am with Angela. This was taken after I had stopped crying and had started to calm down. Maybe I should start from the beginning... but I warn you, read on only if you want to be taken for a thrilling and suspenseful ride! LOL.

If you read back in my previous posts, you'd know that I had been 3 cm dilated for about a week. I did not get to blog about my false alarm. But yes, I had gone to the hospital the day after I was first told that I was 3 cm dilated already. the contractions by then were about 10 minutes apart. When we got to the hospital and hooked up to the monitor, they came at 5 minute intervals. But when the Dr. checked how far along I was, there was no change from the day before. He gave me the option of staying in the hospital, try to walk it out then get rechecked after 2 hours or go back home and come back when the contractions get stronger, etc. We opted to go home. When we got home, everything stopped. No contractions! The next few days, I was having them now and then but nothing regular or strong enough to merit going back to the hospital. On Wednesday, I had another Dr. appt. My Dr. checked if I had progressed... and sure enough - NOTHING!!! No change! Argghh...My Dr. suggested that I start walking around more. He said that the baby's head wasn't wedged yet and the baby was still bobbing up and down. He thought that maybe that was why the cervix wasn't opening up because there was no pressure from the baby.
So, a-walking we went. DH and I walked around the block that evening. Then in the morning, the whole gang - me, DH, my 2 girls and my mom - walked to the park and let the girls loose in the playground. We walked back home in time for lunch. I took a nap. I woke up at about 1:30 pm feeling some contractions and heaviness. The contractions were clearly stronger than before. I timed them and they were starting to come at 10 minute intervals. I woke up DH and he picked up DS from school early so we would not have to worry should we need to go to the hospital already. When they got back home, the contractions were getting stronger. I took a shower. The contractions continued. So at about 3 pm, we drove to the hospital. And we could not have picked a worse time to go - RUSH HOUR traffic at the 10 freeway! Then my water broke! And I started to feel pressure! OMG! It was painful! No, it was excruciating. Then add a whole dose of anxiety and you'd have a clue as to what I was going thru right then. I was trying to breathe thru the pain and not push. It worked for a while but the pain was getting too intense that I kept telling DH to pull over already because I knew the baby was coming out anytime soon. He did not want to pull over. He started driving like a maniac on the shoulder just so we could get through. He was honking his horn, flashing his lights - anything and everything to get us to the hospital. It seemed forever particularly since I could see the exits we were passing and kept thinking, "Oh my God, we're not even close! We just passed Azusa!" DH had called the ER and asked them to make sure a wheelchair was out because he was bringing me in - one of the advantages of working in the ER! LOL! So we got to the hospital. There was no time to park the car. He just stopped right in front of the ambulance area, got the wheelchair, I sat on it and run DH did! He said that for a second he thought of taking me to the ER but decided to run me to labor & delivery. So he was running while I was screaming. Why? Because I could feel the freakin' head coming out!!! When we came out of the elevator, I could feel the baby crowning already. We rounded the corner over to the nurse's station. They had a room right in front. I was barely in the room, still on the wheelchair. They pulled down my pants and everything came gushing out. I tell you, I do not even remember pushing this baby out!!! Yes, I gave birth in the wheelchair!!! Someone was right there to catch the baby, thank goodness! But it was a sea of fluids and blood in the room. I really don't recall anything much of those first few moments because I was just crying and shaking. I was still sitting on the wheelchair, they put the baby on my chest to show me she was okay. I heard her crying. Everyone kept reassuring me the baby was fine and healthy and that we were all doing well. But all I could do was cry and cry and cry. DH cut the baby's cord. The nurses started wiping and cleaning me up. And they led me to the bed which was like a step or two from the wheelchair. They then started me on the IV, I pushed the placenta out, watched my baby getting cleaned and listened to her cry. They had to stitch me up down there because I had some tears but the worst was over! And boy was I glad and thankful to God that everything turned out well. This here is my little angel who could not wait to enter this world. And she wanted to come out in a dramatic way no less! LOL.
I've had fairly quick labors before but this one takes the cake. It took less than 3 hours from start to finish. Contractions started becoming regular at 2 pm. We left for the hospital at 3 pm. By 3:40 pm, she was out! How's that for a speedy delivery?!
DH brought the other kids over later that evening and this was our traditional family photo with the new baby picture.

*This post was written over 2 days, in between nursing and diaper changes, napping and snacking. I still have a lot to write but those will have to wait as I have to get back to mommy duties. I hope to write back soon - because I really do not want to forget these thoughts and feelings I have. I know that later on, I'd be glad that I took time to write them.

Presenting...

Presenting...

ANGELA
born: 1/18/2007, 3:40 pm
8 lbs, 19.1 inches

*pictures (and dramatic birth story) to follow. We're still in the hospital. Just sneaking in here to share with you the good news! I'm using the hospital computer. I hope I don't get caught! LOL!

He's out!

He's out!

Jack Bauer, that is! Not the baby! LOL!

DH had actually text messaged that to a good friend of ours who is also a fan of the show, "24", last night during the show's season premiere. And boy was she livid after! LOL! DH had sent the message separately. His first msg read "He's out!". Immediately after, we received a call from her. Well, we did not answer the call so she left a msg. And while leaving her "excited and happy for you" msg, she receives the 2nd text msg that says "Jack Bauer, not the baby" and we got her reaction recorded! LOL! It was hilarious! She so happened to be with another friend of ours and my SIL so we could hear them at the background too. So, friends, if you are reading this post, LOVE YOU! You've just experienced the prankster side of your dear Kuya! Hehehe...

Anyway, back to baby news...

Yup, no baby in sight yet! Argh!!! It's actually getting kinda frustrating already. On Saturday night, we had a false alarm. We had actually gone to the hospital already because my contractions were 10 minutes apart and on the way and while at the hospital, they were 5 minutes apart. But alas, when I was checked, there was no change from the previous day - still at 3 cm!!! The doctor gave me the option to stay at the hospital or go home and come back when I feel the baby's coming already. We decided to go home. I didn't want to stay in the hospital with nothing to do. Well, what do you know? The contractions stopped! Silly baby! There were contractions here and there but nothing regular. Yesterday was spent walking. DH and I went to Fry's to get a new graphics card for the desktop. Then off to Michael's to buy some Wilton candy melts that I will use for DS' bday treats that he's handing out to his classmates tomorrow. Then we were off to Ralph's and Stater Bros for some grocery shopping. When we got home, we got the kids dressed and headed to the mall. Got some shoes for DS and DD1. My mom got some books for DS as his bday present. Then we just walked and walked around the mall. It was the outlet mall we went to so it was huge and I got a lot of walking done. I'd have to stop now and then when the contractions were too strong to walk through. But still, nothing regular. We had dinner out and when we got home, I passed my mucus plug so that's a good sign. I couldn't sleep and was up till about 3 am, I think. When I fell asleep, there weren't any contractions that woke me up, unlike previous nights.

Sigh... I had suspected that I had long first stages of labor with my previous pregnancies but I did not realize that they spanned several days!!! Once I'm on active labor, it takes me 2 hours tops to push the baby out. It goes by pretty quickly but this initial stage of labor seems to be taking forever!!!

I think my Dr. jinxed me when he predicted I was going to give birth during the weekend after my pelvic exam on Friday! LOL! Sisihin ba daw ang doctor?

My friend's theory: the baby must be a girl because it's taking forever to make its grand appearance - still getting itself prettied up! LOL!

My own story: It's just too darn cold. Why leave the confines of a comfy and warm womb to face the extreme cold snap plaguing California?!

LOL!

Okay, that's all the baby watch news for now. Hope to have real news for you soon!

Baby shower

Baby shower

Some friends from the community threw me a baby shower last night. It was really sweet of them. Wasn't really expecting one since this is baby #4, and everyone's been really busy and all. But on Tuesday, they called and asked if we were available on Friday for a baby shower. I checked with DH and he didn't have to work so the date was set. I was especially touched that people actually came despite the short notice! My SIL was the only single woman there. It may have thrown her off a bit but she's such a trooper so I know she was ok with it. She took care of the games, and the games were fun! Thanks girlie! Oh, and the hubbies were there too. Since everyone else was married with kids, the shower got to be a small party. The hubbies joined us in the games and the kids played on their own. In all, I think everyone had a great time. Here are some photos!
This was the first game - pass the pacifier down the line using only the chopstick in the mouth. It was fun! We had to hold our giggles and laughs though to keep those chopsticks in our mouths.





The sweet girls who threw me the shower.



Me and some of my "loot"! My baby gets new stuff and not just hand-me-downs! Whoopee!


A nice snapshot of SIL and I.


Yes, this was taken last night, not on Christmas! We were getting ready to go home already. We've gotten into the habit of getting the kids in their jammies before heading for home. It makes for a much easier time when we get home. The kids usually fall asleep in the car. And since they're all in jammies with teeth brushed already, we just carry them to bed and everything is well.