Launching Cagalli's Corner

Kalli's got her very own blog! Now her ninongs and ninangs can read about her without having to read through entries about pretty boring me. Not that I have been blogging about me lately. Come to think of it, I don't think I have blogged about myself for a long time. Hmmm...

Anyhoo, visit Kalli's blog at http://cagalli-corner.blogspot.com. I'll be posting a lot of pictures there too :)

Enjoy!

Milestones!

I feel that I should blog more often - like every other day or even daily. Why? Cause Kalli's growing and learning so quickly and there's just so much to tell!

These past few days she has learned to grab her feet. Of course whatever she grabs she puts in her mouth. Hahaha, pretty soon she'll be sucking on her big toe. It's amazing how flexible babies are! Note to self: Enroll Kalli in gymnastics or ballet before she loses that natural flexibility :D

Kalli had her monthly check-up last saturday. She took 1 immunization shot, and guess what? She did NOT cry at all! I was so proud! My baby was so brave :) But then she had her ears pierced too afterwards. And goodness, she cried SO MUCH then! It broke my heart to see her cry like that. I almost did not let her doctor pierce the other ear! Well it's a good thing I did cause now she looks like a princess :) Problem is now I have a new reason not sleep at night cause I keep worrying that she'll grab her earings and pull it off!

But Kalli reached a milestone that topped off all her other accomplishments for the week.Today (or last night, although Leo and I just saw it this morning) she learned to roll to her tummy. She can turn now! And not just the almost-full-turn-with-arms-trapped-under that she has been practicing before, but the real look-mommy-I-am-even-lifting-my-head turn! Leo and I are so happy and proud :) Of course we took a lot of pictures again, as well as videos. I'll try to upload it this week and post the link here.

Ok, so that's it for now. I actually have more stories to tell, but let's leave that for later - if I get the time. Right now I need to prepare myself and Kalli cause we're going to visit her lola.

Until next post (hopefully with pictures next time)!

Month-Birthday!

It's Kalli's 4th month-birthday today! I wish we (daddy and mommy) could have been with her the whole day, but of course we had to go to work. We planned to go home as early as we could, but still ended up getting home at 9pm It's a good thing Kalli's still awake when we got home. Actually, lately she was always awake when we get home. Even when she's already sleeping, she'd wake up to greet us. It's really sweet - like she's waiting for quality time with mommy and daddy :)

Anyhoo, back to her birthday, we bought her a cake and palabok from red ribbon. Grandma also cooked her sotanghon soup. We set up all the food (including dinner) on the table and had a pictorial session - as we always do on her month-birthday. I'll post the link to the pictures once I have uploaded them.

Right now Kalli's still awake and playing with her daddy. I guess I have to go back there now. Wouldn't want to miss spending time with her on her birthday.

Until next post....

Prettiest Baby

I've got the prettiest baby ever! Hahaha, I'm sure all mothers are saying that. But I really believe Kalli's the prettiest, hehehe. Oh ok ok, I shouldn't compare. All babies are cute.

Nevertheless, Kalli's getting prettier and prettier everyday. Her head's more rounded now, losing it's initial cone shape. Her mouth's so feminine and cute. Her eyes are so charming, especially when she smiles. She takes my breath away! Well ok, so her nose has started flattening since her face started rounding. But I'm still hopeful that it'll grow sharper (is that how we call "matangos" in english?) when she grows older :) And so what if her ears are a little big? Her mommy's got big ears too but she still turned out quite stunning, right? Ahahaha!

I'm really loving this marriage and motherhood thing. Now don't get deceived cause it can be a lot of work, lot of sacrifices, and can be financially challenging. But it completes me somehow. It gives me contentment, but at the same time encourages me to dream more - for me and my family.

I'm really happy right now :)

On Laughs and Lolas

Ok so I'm trying to post at least one entry a week about Kalli. I want to record her development so that someday she can read about it. That's assuming blogspot will still be around by the time she learns to read. But I'm feeling optimistic. And besides, Kalli may turn out to be a genius and learn to read at the age of 1. That wouldn't be too far away, would it? Why, her grandma swears she can already count 1 2 3 4 5! She's having trouble pronouncing 3 though, hehehe :)

So what's new with our baby? Well, she has learned to laugh. I mean really laugh! Before, she just gives you this big big smile and squeels. Now she does the hahahaha. I tell you, she's learning so much everyday :)

She's also doing something with her lips lately. Like chewing it or playing with her gums. She's so funny when she does that cause she looks likes an old lady chewing her "nganga". We call her lola. Kalli the lola, hehehe.

Ok, so that's it for now. I'm thinking of making a new blog for Kalli where I can post pictures of her and, well, basically all about her. I'll try to do that when I get the time.

Until next post...

Kalli Update

Kalli's 3 months and a half now and she's just adorable! She has learned so much and she has gotten bigger too. She was already 6.1 kilograms from her last check-up and I.m pretty sure she's gotten bigger since then.

Two weeks ago she learned to play with the baby in the mirror. It was so funny seeing her smile and laugh and talk to herself! :) Even when she was about to cry, every time I carried her infront of the mirror she started smiling :)

Then last week we discovered that she loves the electric fan. She gets all excited when the fan is facing her. Then she quiets down when it moves away, all the while staring at it and waiting for it to return. And when it does, she starts again. Legs kicking. Arms flying. Laughing and squeeling. She's just like an energizer baby!

It's just amazing how 3 months ago she was just this tiny little baby, crying eating sleeping, and barely able to see. Now we're seeing more and more of her personality, and it's just wonderful! It's really great having Kalli in our lives! :)

My Happy Kalli at 2.5 Months

Kalli is two and a half months old in this picture. She's laughing a lot now and talking non-stop too, when she's in the mood :)

 

Our little bundle of joy!

... See my Tabblo>

Kalli at 6 Weeks Old

Baby Kalli at exactly 6 weeks old on Christmas Day 2006.

Look how big she has grown!

... See my Tabblo>

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

See more pictures of Kalli's first week at: http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/133970

Welcome Home Pictures

Here's a link to some pictures of Kalli after arriving home from the hospital.

http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/133958

Her grandma and tita LA decorated the house with pink balloons and made a welcome home banner for her. Some relatives visited her that night and we had a small dinner party at home.

First Day Pictures

Kalli's almost 6 days old now and, as expected, she has been photographed a zillion times already. I wanted to post all the pictures ASAP but again, as expected, I don't have that much free time anymore. Not that I'm complaining - Kalli's such a joy! She's just adorable, like a little angel :)

Anyway, here's a link to some birthing and first day pictures. Yeah I know, some pictures are not at all flattering for me... but what the heck, hehehe. Here's the link: http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/131593

My Kalli

You bring me joy beyond words.
Just the thought of you touches me to the core.
Your pain is my pain.
Your happiness is my happiness.
You are part of me and I am part of you.
I love you beyond measure.
Know that and be secure in my love
For all my life and yours I will love you.
Remember.

Happy 1st day my baby!

The Magic of Epidural

Wow, this epidural thing really works! I'm now at 6-7cm and contractions are coming every 2 minutes at 100++ intensity and yet I'm not feeling any pain. It's really great! I don't really feel guilty or think that I've missed out cause I already felt the pain earlier and it was REALLY painful. Now I'm happy to just wait painlessly, blogging and watching tv (yes they have tv here, imagine that :b), for the time when I have to deliver . I hope everything will go smoothly.

Labor!

I'm currently in labor. Right now Leo and I are in the Lamaze room at Medical City. Darn but the contractions sure hurt a lot! It reaches as high as 100+. And to think I'm only at 3cm! I'll be here forever :( Ouch!

Still Waiting

I'm now on my 38th week and 2nd day of pregnancy, 6 days at 1cm, 6 days of waiting and anticipating and light feeding, and still I haven't given birth! The wait is making me crazy. But you know what the worst is? I just caught the colds 2 days ago and now I 'm feeling so sick and weak :( I'm really worried I might not have enough energy for labor. Plus I'm also afraid Kalli might get sick too :( Add to that, this long wait at 1cm is not at all reassuring. Does it mean I will undergo a long labor? Oh God I hope not! I just pray that baby and I will be fine. 

Waiting

It's already thursday, 3 days after our last OB visit. We're still waiting for Kalli's arrival. We're staying at Eastwood again cause it's closer to Medical City. I am taking my walk everyday now. Inip na inip na kami! I really hope labor will start soon. Not that I am looking forward to it or anything. Actually, I am terrified of the actual birthing! But everything still feels unreal at this point - like I am watching a movie. I wonder how I'll feel once the actual "painful" labor starts.

Baby Lotto is Closing Today

At 12 midnight (Manila Time, of course ;>) the Baby Lottery game we introduced earlier will close. If you remember, I said before that we will be accepting entries until I start labor. Well, we went to the doctor this morning for a check-up and, to our surprise, I'm already 1cm! That means that the process of labor has already started! Of course, since this is my first baby, it may still take a week or two before the actual delivery takes place. I'm not feeling any pains yet, thank God for that. But now the waiting game has gotten more intense. The contractions can start anytime now, and my biggest worry is that it will happen during rush hour and I'll end up giving birth in the car, stuck in traffic! I hope it'll start during the night when traffic is smooth and Leo's here at home with me. Honestly I'm not even sure if my hospital bag is already complete. Oh goodness, I can't believe it'll be happening soon! It's a little scary. Ok, maybe a LOT, hehehe. But it's exciting too! And scary. Have I said scary yet? Oh God, I hope it will not be very painful :(

Baby Lottery

One of the games we introduced at the baby shower was the Baby Lottery. The participants will try to guess when Kalli will be born (date and hour). An entry costs 10.00 pesos and whoever wins gets the whole pot. If the time slot is not taken, whoever is closest (that is not prior to the delivery date) wins.

Anyhoo, here are some pictures of the pot :)



Since the game is still on-going (and will only close when labor starts), the pot is still growing!

Tsk tsk tsk, I hope Kalli will not turn out to be gambler! hehehe

37 Weeks and Baby Shower

As of today I'm on my 37th week of pregnancy. At the end of this week my baby will already be considered full-term. It'll just be a matter of days now. Yikes, I'm scared! But at the same time I'm also excited to see Kalli for the first time (except for the ultrasound, of course). I wonder who she will look like more. From the sonogram it looks like she got her nose from me :) Will she have curly or straight hair? Of course she can go out bald too, so we might not know yet, hehehe. I wonder what her skin color will be. We've been teasing my mom lately, telling her that if the baby's dark-skinned she's the one to blame for it cause she's the only morena in the family. Then again, some babies come out dark, then turns lighter after a few days. I wonder if she'll be small and thin, or big and rounded. I really pray she'll be healthy. From the feel of her movements and kicks (yes, she's still hyperactive even at this stage!) it looks like she's quite the athlete :) I can't wait to hold her. Even though I have this fear that I might drop her cause I'm not really used to carrying babies, I still can't wait to hold her! Will she know immediately that I'm her mommy? I read that she should be able to recognize my voice once she hears it. She's capable of hearing now, even in the womb, that's why I keep telling Leo to talk to her too :) We plan to get the Lamaze room (just the room, not the procedure ok?!) for the birthing so that Leo can come inside. Kalli will have more familiar voices there to comfort her after her ordeal of getting out into the world ;) And I'll have Leo to support and comfort me too after my own ordeal!

Anyhoo, on to another topic... Last October 21 was Kalli's baby shower. I've been meaning to blog about it but have felt too lazy to write lately. All I was able to do was upload the pictures in yahoo photos. Well, I'll blog about it now - before I lose interest in writing again.

The Baby Shower

As I've mentioned, it was Kalli's baby shower last, last saturday. My sister and my mom organized it and my cousin May hosted the event. It was sweet of them to do that for us and Leo and I are grateful :) They even went to divisoria to buy give-aways and prizes for the games! My mom ordered lumpiang ubod and barbecue, prepared her salad bar, bought some tikoy for dessert and baked her ever-famous baked-macaroni. LA and I also prepared mini-tacos and chocolate fondue - since they were quite easy to prepare, hehehe. And for drinks we had softdrinks, rootbeer float (which was a hit ;>), and beer for the guys. We had the party at Eastwood - at our condo's (Olympic Heights) clubhouse. Originally it was just supposed to be at our unit but figured the guests wouldn't fit. We also thought it would be nice to rent the pool too. So it was such a disappointment that a lot of the invited guests didn't show up :( The truth is that, except for Shirley, none of my friends came - and that was really, really sad, specially since LA invited more guests from my side than Leo's. I guess it was just one of those days when everybody got so busy all of a sudden. Oh well :( Anyhoo, it was still a fun party. Leo's friends were all so game! Some of the games they played were hilarious :) Jun kept winning everything! Hall-of-Famer na nga e, hehehe. And as expected, the kids (Shannon and Kenneth) couldn't resist the call of the pool (to their parents' dismay, hehehe). After the party, LA, Bernard and May went swimming too. Me, I just waded my feet in the water - sakit na kasi e.

It was fun all in all, except for the pack-up. Cleaning-up was such a nightmare! We had to lug all the things up to our unit, and it took several trips to finish everything. Coolers, sound system, prizes and gifts, food, food and more food! It was a good thing Leo's officemates stayed late and helped. Mom also left Jessica behind (thank God), along with LA and May, and they stayed the night with us. Too bad they didn't leave Dutchy behind too (our baby dog). She would have loved that!

Here's a link to the pictures: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sl_conti/album?.dir=/ec45scd&.src=ph

By the way, thanks for all the gifts! :) Everything's so cute! Almost all of Kalli's things are pink, hehehe.

Wedding, Birthdays, and Baby

Leo and I went to Haya and Jay's wedding last October 15. The ceremony was held at the Parish of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Quezon City and the reception was held at Blue Gardens at Commonwealth. That was convenient for us since it was near our place - relatively. Blue Gardens was originally a big house converted into a function venue.

The ceremony was simple and elegant - very Haya :) Even her gown and HMU was so her! I could imagine how much work (and stress) she has put into the preparations and I am happy that it turned out so well. And to think she didn't even have a coordinator! But her family and friends helped out so everything went smoothly :) I especially love the taho and sorbetes stations at the reception, yum yum! And of course it was good to see the barkada there - all dressed up with their partners (and babies!). My, but we're growing! ;) CONGRATULATIONS and BEST WISHES to Haya and Jay!



It was also my sister's birthday last saturday but she celebrated her special day at Boracay with friends. They availed of the airline promo early on and got their round-trip tickets for only 1,600 pesos! Good deal huh ;) Hmmm, maybe I'll do an out-of-town birthday too someday :) BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LA (and BERNARD too)!

By the way, Kalli is now 2.28 kilograms at 35 weeks in the womb according to the ultrasound. What's that, around 5 lbs? Doctor said that was normal so all is good with baby and me :) They said I can give birth as early as 2 weeks from now. Yikes, I'm scared! Hehehe... I'll endure :)

Here are some more pics from the wedding...





Well that's it. Until next post!