Officially on Maternity Leave

Yesterday marked my 37th week of pregnancy, which means Little Munchkin has officially reached full term in my womb! :)  Yippee!  It's perfect that today is Day One of my official hiatus from work, so just in case the little one decides to come out anytime, I'll be at the comfort of our own home.

I spent the morning reviewing the contents of munchkin's hospital bag, looking at and re-folding her newly bought clothes, reading the user's manual of her new bottle sterilizer and warmer, and fixing some of her other stuff in the baby room.  Then in the absence of anything left to do, I went to bed and decided to reminisce the days when Rolly and I were still praying for a baby.  I visited my Instagram feed and found this, a post from 37 weeks ago.  That fateful day when Little Munchkin was probably conceived or was about to be conceived.

I remembered how I must be feeling when I posted this. I was probably very anxious, asking when our little one would come, but at the same time very excited, because I had always known God would answer our incessant prayer just because He had promised. :)  And now, 37 weeks later, here I am, feeling our already full-term baby kicking and wiggling inside me.  I am now on my second wave of waiting, but this time, it's not just me and Rolly. Our baby doll is also waiting for her perfect time to come out, and I bet she's as ready and as excited as we are.  I could already feel her getting into position and swimming her way down into my pelvis, you know. :)

Dear God, I'd like to thank You again and again and again for this HUGE blessing of life.  Our baby is not yet out in this world, but I could already feel so much love in my heart for her it feels extremely surreal!  Thank You Lord for entrusting her to us;  Rolly and I vow to raise her as a good and God-fearing child, so she may give You honor and glory all the days of her life.  For now, as I wait for her arrival, please be with me and hold my hand.  I don't know what to expect Lord, but I am certain that with You by my side, I shall be able to deliver our baby safely and smoothly. :) 

Oh, I can't wait to hear that sweet, first cry of our Little Munchkin.  I can't wait to snuggle her and kiss her, and give her everything she would need.  But just like what my old IG post says, I should keep calm and wait quietly, patiently, and expectantly.  Before I know it, I will already be holding a tiny, squishy baby in my arms. :)

#BellyBlessed,

Munchkin's Board

Munchkin and I are very close to full-term!  Yippee!  Beginning Wednesday, she can decide to come out anytime! But before that happens, I'm trying to prepare her stuff as much as my time allows me to.  Her room was 90% ready this morning, but now the 'readiness'  is up to 95%!  The additional 5 is because of this --- her very own baby board! :) (Uhmmm yes, you can say that everything after 90% is, in reality, a non-essential. =P)

Tadaaaa! :)  You think it's creative?  No thanks to my own hands. =D

I was only responsible for the letter cutouts and the printed text.  

Have you spotted our little munchkin's name?  This is the first time ever that I'm sharing this... our baby is going to be named RIELLA NOELLE as you can see on the board.  :)  We picked Riella because it means God is my strength and it sounds like Rolly's name.  Noelle, on the other hand, was a random choice.  We just thought it sounds nice and sweet. :)  As for her nickname, it will be Lia. 

The board is pretty empty at the moment.  We plan to fill this up with mementos as Lia grows up. :)

This is where I will write down our baby's birthday, the time of birth, her weight, and length.

It doesn't say anything now for obvious reasons. :)

We will hang her photos here.  Perhaps her first smile captured on camera,

pictures of her tiny hands and feet, or her pupu face (excuse me, squeamish friends haha). 

1 Samuel 1:27.  This is very true. Lia is the product of our daily and nightly prayers.

There was never a day that we didn't ask for this miracle when we began trying to conceive.
The Lord has granted us what we asked of Him. :)

***********

Thanks hubby for helping me put this up on Munchkin's wall! :) I'm sure she will love it! :)

#BellyBlessed,

Baby Shower ❤️

Thank you for all the love for me and Little Munchkin, office friends! smile emoticon

You are soooo sweet!

Can't wait to already have a little one to bring to our Kids' Day in December! :)

#BellyBlessed,

Buntis Memories

When munchkin and I were almost 35 weeks along, we had a maternity photo session to capture my buntis memories. :) I initially wanted to do the shoot at home --- in our living room, bedroom, and nursery --- but things didn't go according to plan so Rolly and I ended up at a photo studio.

These are some of our favorites from the shoot! :)

Obviously ready to pop! :)

Talk time with daddy. :)

That cloth. =D

Classic.  Rolly picked this theme.

Daddy and mommy. :)

When munchkin grows up, she will know for sure that she was inside that huge tummy. :) I never had that 'luxury' coz my mom didn't take any photo when she was pregnant with me. =/  

We love you, Munchkin! :)  We're almost there!!!

#BellyBlessed,

On Co-Sleeping and Bed-Sharing

One question that has long been running in my head ever since the reality of my pregnancy sank in --- Will hubby and I share our bed with the baby, or will she sleep in her crib?  I know how malikot and heavy a sleeper I could sometimes be, and I'm super scared to accidentally roll over our Little Munchkin if she indeed sleeps beside me.  No mother could forgive herself (or the husband) if that unfortunate incident happens. =(  I have been reading about SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), and many say that bed-sharing increases chances of it.  At the same time, I've encountered articles enumerating the benefits of bed-sharing and co-sleeping, and many friends I know swear by it.  Haaay, so ano na nga?  Too many reading materials lead to too much confusion!  Haha. =D

Because I couldn't trust my heavy sleeper self, my initial answer was NO, the baby wouldn't sleep with us.  As a matter of fact, we bought a second crib for the master's bedroom (the first one is for the baby room where yaya will take care of her if and when we're away).  We planned to share our room with munchkin, but she will not share our bed.  Then months, weeks, and days passed.  I never stopped asking my trusted mommy friends even though we had already decided.  I also didn't stop researching on the pros and cons.  Among these are the following courtesy of whattoexpect.com:

PROS:

• Co-sleeping encourages breastfeeding by making nighttime nursing more convenient 
• Helps a nursing mom get her sleep cycle in sync with her baby's
• Helps babies fall asleep more easily and go back to sleep more quickly when they wake up during the night 
• Leads to more nighttime sleep overall for babies
• Helps parents who don't see their baby much during the day regain a sense of intimacy with their child 

CONS:

• Potential risks (think SIDS).
• Less sleep for the mom.
• Less sleep for baby. The mother's super-attentive tendencies (picking baby up at the first whimper) may actually do more harm than good when it comes to getting a good night's sleep.
• Less whoopee (i.e. sexy time with the hubby)

Now at almost 36 weeks, the answer to my question has changed.  Hubby and I have decided, we will share our bed with Little Munchkin.  In my heart of hearts, the pros outweigh the cons, and I'd like to keep our baby as close to us as possible, especially since both Rolly and I are working.  We'll be away from our child for the entire day every day, why keep her away from us at night too?  To make sure we won't roll over her, we already found a solution.

We got The First Years Close and Secure Sleeper from The Baby Company for PhP 2,799.  It's specifically designed to keep the baby secure and comfy while sleeping next to the parents in bed.  It is lightweight and soft, but firm enough to prevent the baby from being rolled over.  Another nice thing about it is the night light!  :) I wouldn't have to get up to turn the lamp or the lights on.  I just have to press the button on when it's dark and I need to see or scoop up little munchkin.

So there! :) I hope my fickle mind won't change again.  Anyhow, we're still keeping the second crib in our room.  In any case, we'll be ready!  Weee, just a few more weeks to go! :)

BellyBlessed,