Happy Holidays!

The Year That Was 2011

Only 5 days left 'til Christmas! This will only be the second time my husband and I will celebrate Christmas here in Sydney. The first was in 2008. We've been spending our holidays in Manila the past two years. This year we couldn't go home because I'm due to give birth in January so we flew my mum and youngest sister here instead. It would've been great if the family could all be here but of course that's not a possibility.

As what I did last year, I'd like to look back on all the things that happened to me & my family this year.

January - My husband and I welcomed the New Year with my family in Manila. We flew back to Sydney just before my husband's birthday. We didn't have our own place yet (we lived in Tamworth before we went on our holiday) so we stayed with our friends in Gladesville while we were looking for one. Luckily, we found a unit in Mount Druitt before the month ended. We moved into the unit on 22 January. Before I forget, my husband got me a washing machine. Yay! :D

February - Not much happened this month. In addition to the stuff we kept in storage, we bought a sofa, some home furnishings and kitchenware to make our unit 'homier'. :)

Kiama Rock Pool

March - I turned a year older, hopefully a year wiser as well. To celebrate, we went on our first road trip south of Sydney -- to Kiama. We had fun, more so my husband, although the blow hole did not 'blow' when we were there. He swam in the rock pool. We had fish & chips and ice cream for lunch.

This month, we started our Christian Life Program (CLP) in preparation for joining Couples for Christ (CFC).


I had blood tests and ultrasound towards the end of the month in preparation for the next step in our TTC journey -- IVF.

April - We consulted with our Fertility Specialist (FS) on 5 April and we finalized the protocol for our IVF/ICSI. We had our orientation on 12 April where a nurse showed my husband and I how to administer the drugs I would be needing (via injection, of course). I started my first injection on 15 April. There was no looking back after that. I had blood test and ultrasound almost every other day. Just for fun(!), I added and I had 7 blood tests and 5 ultrasounds. :))

May - I had egg collection on 2 May and then embryo transfer on 7 May. After that, it was an agonizing wait to find out if I'm pregnant or not. My pregnancy blood test (beta hCG) at the clinic was scheduled for 18 May but I couldn't wait that long (impatient much!) so I did a home pregnancy test on 14 May and the result was positive. My beta hCG confirmed this. My husband and I were so happy. We shared the wonderful news with our immediate family and closest friends. I started acupuncture on 21 May. My all-day sickness started SOON after.

June - We had our 7-week scan on 9 June. This was the first time we saw our 'jellybean' and its heartbeat. Such a precious moment! We graduated from the CLP on 5 June.

July - Our 12-week scan or Nuchal Scan happened on 15 July. I decided to temporarily call our bub Bee until we find out his/her gender. Thank God, the results of the scan came back normal. I had my initial interview at Blacktown Hospital (where I will give birth) on 26 July.

August - We found out that we're having a BOY at our Morphology Scan on 25 August. By this time I was already 19 weeks pregnant. We've decided to name him Jacob Lucas. I had my first doctor visit at the hospital on 30 August.

September - I had my first antenatal check up on 28 September at almost 24 weeks. My husband and I celebrated our 12th Anniversary/6th Wedding Anniversary on the 30th of the month. Happy times!

October - We had our babymoon at Wisemans Ferry from the 16th to the 18th. This month I also started my Aqua Natal Class.

November - We again 'saw' Jacob at our 3D/4D Scan on the 12th. My husband and I attended the first part of Parent Education Session at the hospital on 26 November.

December - The second part of our Parent Education Session happened on the 3rd. Jacob and I gradated from Aqua Natal class on the 6th. We had a growth scan on the morning of the 9th at 34 weeks. Then in the evening, our CFC Family gave us a baby Shower. We had so much fun! :)

As you can see, 2011 has been a great year not only for my husband and I but also for our family. God has given us the biggest blessing of all, Jacob. We can't wait to meet him in a few weeks time! In the meantime, I'm enjoying the remaining weeks of my pregnancy. I know I will surely miss having Jacob inside my tummy. :)

♥♥♥ A Blessed Christmas and a Prosperous New Year from My Family to Yours! ♥♥♥

MCNs Lots 6 & 7 - GroVia Newborn & Bambooty

GroVia Newborn - Ice & Owls print

Before my mum & sister flew to Sydney, relatives and family in Manila were asking what gift they can give Jacob. At first I said whatever they wanted. I didn't want to impose. But then again, I thought what if they give me something I already have or don't like? Sayang naman, imported from Manila pa. Hehe. That was about the same time I learnt of an online shop for MCNs in Manila! So in the end I asked for MCNs, washable wipes, washable nursing pads and heaps more I'm sure I will be using for Jacob. So I'm one happy mum. :) They were only able to buy 4 GroVia newborn nappies. They wanted more but the seller only had these left. Too bad. Prior to having these newborn nappies, I only had OSFMs (one size fits most). But I got worried that they might still be too big for when Jacob comes out. So I wanted to get some newborn ones just to be safe. :)

I ordered another newborn lot of MCNs from Bambooty. Just like the GroVia newborn ones, they are too cute for words! Of course, I'm aware that I will only be able to use these nappies for about a month. But I don't care. :p

with the extra bamboo boosters

Jacob's nappy count as at 9 December: 38 >> I want more! :)

Gratitude Entry

It's Thanksgiving again! Even though we don't celebrate it here in Australia, I thought I should write an entry about gratitude, just like last year. 

This time last year we were still in Tamworth, getting ready to leave for our holidays in Manila and Hong Kong. Now, we're back in Sydney and has been living here in the West for about 10 months. I have heaps of people and things to be thankful for. I can't even begin to name all of them but here's me trying:

• I am beyond thankful for the little miracle growing inside of me. After waiting for nearly 5 and a half years, we've finally been blessed with Jacob. His Daddy and I can't wait to meet him in less than 2 months.
• I'm thankful for my husband; he's all that I've ever hoped for and MORE! I am truly blessed to have him as my partner, best friend and ally, no matter what.
• I am thankful for my family in Manila. Despite the distance they never fail to make us feel loved. I am thankful that they are all relatively healthy, especially my grandmother. I am thankful that my mum and youngest sister were granted visas to come visit us here in Australia. I'm so happy and excited that they're arriving soon.
• I am thankful for our relatives, friends and CFC family here in Sydney.
• I am thankful for all the blessings and provisions that we continually receive, especially my husband's job. 

I am well and truly blessed. Thank you, Lord! :)

10 Tips to Stress Less -- Super Mum NOT!

Found these tips on a postcard from the Mental Health Association NSW:

1. Have the courage to be imperfect
2. Take time for yourself
3. Sign up for a parent group or play group
4. Be active everyday in as many ways as you can
5. Spend time with people who make you feel good
6. Laugh out loud each day
7. Invite your neighbour over for a cup of tea
8. Do one thing at a time
9. Remember, this too shall pass
10. Focus more on things you can control

I hope to be able able to follow these tips once Jacob is born. I will at least try. No harm in it. :)

More Jacob Stuff

We've bought a few more things for Jacob these past couple of weeks. We're slowly but surely ticking off things in my (imaginary! :D) list.

convertible car seat from birth to 18kg

Wisemans Ferry

We spent our babymoon/belated anniversary getaway at Wisemans Ferry. We were there from 16 Oct til 18 Oct. We didn't do anything at all. I slept more than half the time. The 'highlight' of our holiday was dinner at Riverbend Restaurant. The town was so tiny. We were as relaxed as relax can be. Our mobile phones didn't even have any reception the whole time we were there. Good thing the hotel has free wifi and Foxtel.

Here are some photos:

the local supermarket was just a tiny, tiny shop

post office

Solomon Wiseman

Webbs Creek Ferry

i love this picture -- so peaceful, so serene, so calm

Wisemans Ferry

Fisher-Price i-Glide

The Fisher-Price i-Glide that we bought at the baby show was delivered this morning. It's good that the courier delivered it to our door (we live on the 3rd floor) because it's quite heavy. I've yet to open the box. I'm waiting for my husband to come home so we can open it together. :)

 

MCNs Lot 5 - Sunbaby Diapers

Jacob's 5th lot of MCNs was delivered this morning. This time I ordered from Sunbaby Diapers. It's a company based in Shanghai, China. I ordered 12 nappies + 12 inserts. They're relatively cheap ($60) and came with free shipping. :) I'm happy with the different prints I ordered. So far, Jacob's nappies are all different. No identical nappies at all. I like it that way. Hehe.

Notice the light blue nappy in the picture above? It's small because I snapped it to the smallest size possible. I just wanted to see if it would be small enough for a newborn. Well, I have no idea. Haha! I guess I'll have to wait for Jacob and see. 

Speaking of waiting for Jacob, I now have ONLY 99 days til my EDD! How awesome is that?! So exciting. :)


Jacob's nappy count as at 13 October: 30 >> might purchase some more, just because! :D

The Baby and Toddler Show Sydney

Last Sunday my husband and I went to The Baby & Toddler Show at Darling Harbour. We decided to leave our car at the train station near our house and just take the train to and from the city. It was raining that day and I made the wrong clothing choice in deciding to wear a dress. :( Good thing I thought to wear footless tights underneath. I was freezing during our walk from Central Station to Darling Harbour and from Darling Harbour to Town Hall Station! Thank God I didn't get sick.

Tickets normally cost $20 each but we got 2 complimentary tickets. I got one from my Mother To Be bounty bag and the other I think from Babies 'R' Us. Bottom line, we didn't pay for entry and that is a pretty good deal to me! Hehe. The doors open at 9AM but we were told that those with complimentary tickets get to go in at a later time of 9:30. But when we got there at around 9:15 we were able to go in anyway. Upon entry, my husband and I were given empty tote bags and vouchers for free Bio-Oil. The tote bags proved useful with all the free samples we got throughout the day! More on that later.

The first purchase we made was the Fisher-Price i-Glide Cradle 'n Swing. It normally retails for $329.95 but Fisher-Price had it on special just for the show. We bought it for just $69.99 including delivery. Pretty awesome deal right?! The show's facebook page announced this deal a couple of days prior to the opening day. I showed it to my husband and he immediately said NO. He said it's too big for our tiny house. I didn't push the idea. I knew I would get the right time to do my convincing. *evil grin* What do you know, the first stall we went to was Fisher-Price's. The cradle wasn't too big at all! An assistant showed us a demonstration of it's features and from there it wasn't too hard to convince my husband to buy Jacob one. Success!!! :D

photo credit

The only other purchase we made was a Snotty One. It's a battery operated nasal aspirator and we got it for $40. My husband was the one who really, really wanted to buy it but he also says he'll be so happy if we don't get the need to use it, EVER. :)

Now onto the free samples. Most of the samples we got were different brands of disposable nappies. I will be using cloth nappies for Jacob but since all the nappies that I bought are one-size, they might still be too big for a newborn. For this reason, I'm happy to start with disposables. :)

My husband and I really enjoyed the show. It also served as a bonding time for us. After the show we went to have our belated anniversary early dinner at PANCAKES on the Rocks. Yummy food! It was a great day indeed. :)

12th!

January 2011/Manila, Philippines

Happy 12th Anniversary, my dear husband!

Our gift is still baking in the oven. We'll see him in about 16 weeks. I can hardly wait. You're going to be such a wonderful Dad to Jacob. :)

Thank you and I love you. ♥

Goodies from Manila

The care package from Manila which my mum and sister sent last Wednesday was delivered this morning! I am so happy with all the goodies and clothes they sent me. Now I have more clothes to wear since my pre-pregnancy clothes are now too tight on me. Haha!

Here are some pictures:

the cute box

yay! a box full of goodies and clothes

Jacob's

Jacob's

Jacob's

Jacob's shirts are from when my mum and sister went to Singapore last May. We just found out that time that I'm pregnant. Good thing Jacob is a boy because all the shirts they bought are for boys. :)

I will give baby wearing a go. :)

Jacob's vitamins & cotton buds

for the hubby :D

for mum

for mum, again

Jacob's & mum's clothes

Jacob's & mum's clothes

 Yay! I am excited to wear all my new clothes. :)

The Chronicles of a Pregnant Vera - Part 3

I am 23 weeks pregnant today!!! How awesome is that?! ONLY 17 more weeks and we'll get to meet the love of our lives, Jacob. Now onto some of my musings:

• It's true what the books and other women who have given birth say, 2nd trimester is awesome! Although I still sometimes feel sick, I generally feel awesome nowadays. My eating habits are slowly going back to normal. Hopefully I gain weight soon.
• Jacob is kicking up a storm. Gone are the flutters and soft nudges. Now even his Daddy can feel him move. More exciting for my husband is the fact that he can now see my tummy move when Jacob moves. Precious! I am loving all of Jacob's 'kicks and punches'. :D
• We've been shopping for Jacob for a few weeks now, mostly clothes. We've shopped for different sizes though especially for when he is about 6 months old and it'll be Winter here. We've also bought a few toys for him. His nappy stash is not yet complete. I still need to buy a few lots.
• I have booked for our babymoon on the 2nd week of October. I'm excited to go and explore a new place but I'm more excited to be with my husband and do nothing! :)
• My Aqua Natal classes are due to start next month. I am so looking forward to it. I haven't had much exercise at all since falling pregnant (well actually since forever! haha!). But I think the classes will help me heaps with these aches and pains I'm feeling as my tummy and Jacob grows. I already have a couple of maternity board shorts. I'm still waiting for the delivery of the maternity halter tops that I ordered online.
• My husband and I want to 'see' Jacob again, soon. So we will be scheduling a 3D/4D ultrasound for when I am 29 weeks. That's what the ultrasound place recommends so all of bub's features are already defined. We can't wait! :)
• In a few days my husband and I will be celebrating our 12th anniversary. Of those 12 years, we've been married for 6. Twelve years of togetherness -- lovely. I love my husband. I AM IN LOVE WITH HIM! Love, love, love! <3

That's it for now folks. Be back soon! :)

Maternity Clothes Shopping

I have been having difficulties shopping for maternity clothes here in Sydney. There are no (actual) shops specializing in maternity wear that I know of. Some shops like Target, Big W and Kmart carry maternity clothes but the choices are very, very limited. I don't like the styles they have and the sizing is too big for my petite frame -- I'm tiny, as one sales associate told me over the weekend while my husband and I were looking for maternity swimwear. :D

As such, I've resorted to online shopping. My favourite site is Asos. Their prices are pretty reasonable (especially the clearance items) compared to the prices of clothes here, plus they offer free shipping to Australia. How awesome is that?! So far I have bought from them a couple of pairs of jeans, a pair of cropped trousers, a dress, a shirt and two halter bikini tops for my Aqua Natal classes which will start next month. Speaking of Aqua Natal classes, I also had to order my maternity board shorts online from Angel Maternity. They were delivered this morning and it's a good thing they have accurate sizing charts because the extra small ones fit me just right.

There's this one shop that I always go to whenever we're out, Pumpkin Patch. They carry babies', children's and maternity clothes. Admittedly, their prices are more expensive but the quality is really good. I was able to buy one pair of cargo pants from them (on sale, mind you).

Oh, my sister just texted me that they have sent me a care package from Manila mostly containing maternity clothes. They have bought some clothes from Gingersnaps, some from good old SM department store and of course some from the ever reliable palengke (market). I.AM.SO.EXCITED!!! I can't wait to receive the package and open it and be surprised. It should be here in 4-5 days. :)

Floriade 2011

Last Saturday my husband and I went on a long drive to Canberra, Australia's capital. It's about 3 hours drive from where we live. We went there to visit my husband's friend and his family, and at the same time to go to Floriade. We have been to Floriade in 2008, when we just arrived in Australia. Back then we still didn't have a car so we took the bus with some friends to go there.

I always enjoy going on a long drive with my husband because we get to talk about heaps of things, everything and anything! Although I sometimes fall asleep while he's talking. Haha!

Here are some of the pictures we took:

 

Alva Baby Update

In my previous entry I talked about Alva Baby making a mistake with my order and sending me a pink nappy. I said yesterday that I sent them an email complaining and that I didn't expect anything would come out of it. I take it all back. They have excellent customer service. My email was replied to immediately and I was asked whether I wanted them to send me my original order or get a refund. I told them I wanted my original order sent to me. Unfortunately they misread my reply and thought I wanted a refund. A refund to my paypal account was processed immediately. Anyway, it's all good. I can just order from them again since they offer free shipping anyway. :)

MCNs Lot 4 - Alva Baby

My husband and I picked up Jacob's 4th lot of MCNs from the post office yesterday. I ordered these nappies off Alva Baby, a nappy factory in China. These nappies are by far the cheapest in our stash (about $5 apiece). And as they say, you get what you pay for. The quality is not so great plus they stuffed up my order and sent me a PINK nappy!!! I cannot, for the life of me, fathom how they think I'd want a pink nappy when everything I ordered are obviously for a baby boy. I already sent them an email complaining about it but to be honest, I don't expect them to do anything about it. You may be asking why I even ordered from them. Well, I just wanted to check if I would like the quality since (almost) everything is made in China anyway. Now I know! Haha! I probably won't be using these nappies often, just as back ups in case I run out of nappies.

:(

Aside from the nappies, I also ordered leggings/leg warmers off Alva Baby. I'm satisfied with them, they're so cute. Yay! :)

panda leggings

Cars leggings

frog leggings

Jacob won't probably be able to wear these leggings because the size range says 0-12 months. Hopefully he can fit into them by winter next year when he'll be about 6 months.

Jacob's nappy count as at 14 September: 18 >> including the pink one. :(

Babymoon Booked!

I bought this Scoopon voucher for a two night getaway for two people at the beautiful Australis Retreat at Wisemans on the stunning Hawkesbury River in early January. Back then my husband and I didn't know that I would fall pregnant in April. I convinced him to let me buy this voucher just so we could go on a mini holiday this year knowing that we will not be able to go on a holiday out of Australia (permanent residency to citizenship conditions). Now that I'm pregnant, we've decided to book this mini holiday for our babymoon!!! :)

I will be a little over 26 weeks when we take this trip. It's just over an hour drive from Sydney. It's going to be a very laid back holiday because we just want to relax and enjoy each other before we welcome Jacob into our family. This holiday will also be a belated celebration for our 12th/6th anniversary this end of September. I feel blessed that I have been with my husband for more than a third of my life.

I'm still in the process of researching about things to do in the area. Otherwise, my husband will probably be swimming most of the time while I watch him do so. Haha. I must remember to bring some reading materials then. =)

MCNs Lot 3 - GroVia

I just came back from the post office. I picked up Jacob's third lot of MCNs -- GroVia. I bought these 2 brand new nappies off eBay because it's cheaper that way. Haha. Too bad the seller was only selling these two. I would have wanted to buy more but I guess 2 is enough to try if Jacob will like this brand.

GroVia AIO One-Size Cloth Diaper, Vanilla

Jacob's nappy count as at 13 September: 14 >> according to what I've read I need at least 24 nappies for full time use. We're getting there! :)

MCNs Lot 2 - Cushie Tushies

The second lot of Jacob's MCNs was delivered this morning. This time the nappies are from Cushie Tushies. No, I didn't buy directly from their website. On Monday night while I was trawling through eBay for modern cloth nappies (in bed beside my sleeping husband!!!), I found out that Cushie Tushies has an eBay account and that's where they sell their seconds for half the retail price. This is the note they put on each nappy's description : The Cushie Tushies currently listed on eBay are seconds. This means that there is an flaw with the Nappy and we do not wish to sell it at full retail price. We can not list the specific fault with each item we list however the faults are usually a smudge in the printing, some messy or missed stitching in the sewing process or slightly out of shape variations. The Fault should not affect the use of the Item however. They may also be in Perfect condition but are an older version that needs clearing.

I asked my husband's opinion first if it's ok for us to buy nappies that are seconds. At first he was apprehensive but after a little convincing from me, he gave in. That's how persuasive I can be. Haha! Also shows you how cheap I am. :)

I bought 9 nappies in total (5 couture or printed ones and 4 basix or plain ones) and 1 waterproof cloth nappy bag. Here are the pictures:

Dude cloth nappy bag

basix sunflower, couture snow fall & couture lady bird

couture candy cane, basix tangerine & basix ruby red

basix denim, couture giraffe & couture bumble bee

All the nappies are in great brand new condition despite the seller's disclaimer. There's just some smudges on the the bumble bee's print. I hope they'll all come off once I wash the nappies. Of this lot, my favourite is the bumble bee for Bee!!! :)

Jacob's nappy count as at 9 September: 12 >> stash is slowly but surely getting bigger. 

Shopping for Jacob

Shopping is fun but shopping for Jacob is way, way more fun! We have been buying bits and pieces for Jacob these past few weeks. Nothing major yet, except for his pram. I saw this pram on sale while I was browsing through Baby Kingdom's website. I then showed it to my husband who said it looked fine and I could order it online if I wanted to. I had apprehensions about ordering the pram online though so I didn't. First, there is a delivery fee of $70 which of course I didn't want to pay since there is a Baby Kingdom about 20 minutes away from our house. I also wanted to see the pram and be able to test it as well. So a couple of weeks after I saw the pram online, my husband and I decided to go to Baby Kingdom in Penrith. We saw the pram and had the sales assistant demonstrate its features. My husband was satisfied so we bought the pram. Catch is the pram was only available in one color -- electric blue. Keep in mind that this happened way before we found out that we're having a boy. My husband 'convinced' me that the pram's color is more purple than blue. I, being a sucker for anything purple, heartily agreed. Haha! And so, we took home Jacob's pram that day, a Quinny Buzz 4. We got a great bargain because we also got the matching Quinny Dreami Carrycot, all for $440.

Daddy  with Jacob's pram

My husband assembled the pram just so we can check if there is any defect and if all the accessories are complete. I took the picture above before he dismantled and put the pram and dreami cot back into their boxes.

Meanwhile, Jacob got his first gift over the weekend -- Dr Seuss Alphabet Frieze and Mobile. Auntie Jeana's children, Kuya Liam & Ate Sam gave it to him. Liam even wrote the note himself. How sweet is that?! :)

GLOW, where art thou???

People say that when a woman is pregnant she has this certain 'glow'. I seem to have missed out on that said glow. Not fair! Haha. I say, I can live with not having the glow as long as Jacob is growing healthy. :)

I just came home from my first doctor visit at the hospital. He measured my fundal height and we listened to Jacob's heart beat for a bit. He said everything looked fine with bub's morphology scan and that my next visit would be with the midwives at 24 weeks. And then that was it. All done! My husband said we waited more than an hour for a 5-minute consultation with the doctor! :D

Bee is a BOY!!!

Our bub is a BOY!!! :) Now we can call him by his name, Jacob Lucas. My husband is over the moon because his wish for a boy came true. I am happy because at our morphology/gender scan Jacob was so playful. He kept on moving 'round and 'round! The sonographer said everything looked fine. I'm looking forward to my first doctor visit in two days so I can get the actual results of Jacob's scan. I am 19+2 today. Yay!!! :)

Meanwhile, here is a picture from the scan:

MCNs Lot 1 - Baby Beehinds

My first lot of MCNs was delivered today. I think I scared the postman because I opened the door to answer his knock straight from bed -- bedhead and all! What a start to his workday. Sorry. :D

Let me tell you, the Baby Beehinds multi fits are oh so cute!!! I bought the nappies online on a special, buy 2 get 1 free. So for the price of 2, I got 3 nappies. Yay me! :) Because we don't know our bub's gender yet, I chose unisex colors -- orchid and metropolitan. I didn't get to choose the freebie's color though, but I sent them a note to give me a unisex one so they gave me a mint green-ish one. I don't know the exact color name. Sorry. Hehe.

The package came with a Product Care and Info Booklet. I will thoroughly read it so I'll have all the information I will need about MCNs. I am also looking at buying other brands of MCNs just so I can test which ones bub will prefer when he/she is already here. :)

Here are the pictures:

multi fit orchid

multi fit limited edition metropolitan

freebie multi fit :) -- dew