Announcement

We're home! Welcome the new star of the theclosetoptimist show, Ruben Malachi. The meaning of Malachi (prounounced Ma-la-kai) you already know. Ruben, on the other hand, means "Behold, a son." It is of Spanish origin, but we like to read our son's name the Pinoy way, as in "Oy, Ruben. Sinabi nang 'wag..." 

I can't believe I finally gave birth. I'm a mom. Woohoo. Since coming home yesterday, I successfully changed my first dirty diaper, breastfed for the first time (with milk, not colostrum this time), and gave Malik his first bath. I'm so proud of myself. And also so proud of the husband. He helps around a lot. Say cheese, boys.*

I hope to blog as much as I used to, but I'm quickly finding out that this motherhood business requires serious commitment. (Can you believe it took me 5 1/2 hours to write this blog? I had to squeeze in sentences between feedings and lullabies. Nya.) So until we get our groove on, please expect less of the talking and more random photos of this angel right here.

Hello, fans.

* First official family picture, taken minutes after Malachi's world debut.

And we're off

Pao's taking his last comfortable shower while I write this. We're just about ready to go to the hospital. Will be delivering a baby in 14 hours. See you all in a jiffy! 

Pregnancy Journal 9.4 (Wrapping up)

I didn't think it was possible to finish all my pending work at such short notice, but I did it! Now I'm ready to concentrate on just giving birth and taking care of Malik-ot. This is the longest I will be "without" work since I joined the workforce. For sentimental reasons, I took this photo of my workspace before closing shop last night. Yes, my table always looks that spiffy. Farewell, cubicle. See you in February!

I'm glad I wrote all those blogs about my pregnancy for the last 9 months. I spent a considerable amount of time last night going over them. Ah, to be pregnant for the first time and clueless. For the same sentimental reasons, I took this photo of my belly last Sunday. Farewell, pregnancy aches. See you again in __ years!

Since this may be the last of my pregnancy journals, I'm writing down random bits of information that are too random to merit separate blogs on their own -

* A stranger touched my belly (gasp!) for the first time last week. It happened at the L'Oreal sale. Don't cha worry, she's still alive. Although in my mind, she was pretty mangled.

* I gained 33 lbs. total during this pregnancy. The worst were my 4th and 8th months when I gained a whopping 8 lbs. each. Fear not. I shall lose the baby weight before you all know it. Just like this woman here. Uh-huh.

I'm officially on maternity leave now and will be having myself admitted later this afternoon. Until then, I will be running a few errands, paying credit card bills and depositing checks here and there. I should be done with all the hassle by lunch. After which, the real challenge begins. Dan-dan-dan-dan.

Pregnancy Journal 9.3 (What to pack, what to pack)

Today, I got started on packing our bags for the hospital. I was surprised at how easy the whole exercise was. It took me about half an hour to prepare Malachi's bag...

And mine...

I read through the lists here and here, and will be bringing most of what these sites suggest we bring, except we're skipping the "what to bring for labor" part. If all things go well, and we hope they will, I shouldn't have to go through labor anymore. *Fingers crossed*

On a side note, I'm really happy I got these drawer organizers last week. They made picking out Malachi's rooming in clothes such a breeze.

And by the way, here's Malachi's going home outfit.

Thanks Uncle Stephen and Auntie Sherl for the newborn layette! These are actually the smallest pieces of clothing in our stash of baby clothes. Because of them, Malachi won't be swimming in his pajamas when he comes home. Yey.

We'll also be bringing Malachi's first toy with us. We got him on sale for PhP125 in SM. Harhar, cheapskate. Anyway, even if Malachi knew about the economics of raising him, I'm sure he won't mind. He's cool like that. 

For now, I'm taking the liberty of naming this sleepy bear - Jackson. Hellow, Jackson. Smile for the camera...

Apart from completing the contents of this folder, which contains all our paperwork and some handwritten instructions for the husband, I guess we're okay.

All I need to do on Monday is show up early for work and do a repeat of my erstwhile "pleading/opinion factory" days. I'm sure we can manage. Chicken feed. Naks.

Pregnancy Journal 9.2 (Ready, set)

Here's a photo of me this morning, just outside our doctor's office, where we found out quite unexpectedly, that I'd have to give birth by next weekat the latest.  It turns out my low lying placenta has kept a "low profile" (teehee) even at this stage, which means I still officially have placenta previa.

Previa means I can't risk going into labor, because my cervix dilating will cause my placenta to detach which isn't supposed to happen until after the baby is born. So to obviate any danger of bleeding, we'd have to get Malachi out of the comforts of his uterine home as soon as he's able to thrive in our world. Fortunately for us, that would be next week, when I will be past full-term (I am at 37 1/7 weeks now). We chose November 25, next week's Wednesday, as the date. Mark your calendars.

Hmmm. I may be psychic. I remember telling you last night to check back in a bit to see if I've already delivered. I didn't think it would be this soon. I had MCLEs scheduled for the first week of December. Pao has a conference scheduled Thursday through Saturday next week. I haven't even begun turning over my pending work yet. Oh well.

Gotta go. I have some baby bag packing, medical records organizing, and check clearing to do. Deez eeez eeet! 

Pregnancy Journal 9.1 (Pa-kwan)

According to my pregnancy tracker, Malachi is as big as a watermelon today at around 6.5 lbs. Turns out the dang pregnancy tracker is pretty accurate. Because we had an ultrasound early tonight and Malachi's scientific estimated weight is 2.9 kilos or roughly 6.4 lbs. 

The hi-tech ultrasound gadget aside, it sure looks like I'm carrying a watermelon at this point.

My face has become increasingly bloated. 

Pong Pagong is that you?

In addition to the usual pregnancy woes, this month I started having trouble seeing my feet when standing up.

I have to lean forward a little to see my shoes. Hello, shoes...

...which is especially a hassle when riding escalators.

With a belly as big as this, it's also become difficult to do what used to be routine things, like trim my toe nails or shave my legs (TMI, haha). Anyway, at 36 weeks and 2 days, I'd just like to say I'm too tired to even care. 

We find out at tomorrow's check-up if I'm delivering Malachi by surgery or just as nature intended childbirth to be. Check back in a bit. The next time I write, it maybe about our baby boy rather than my size. 

Toodles.

On to regular programming

The baby cabinet that we ordered two weeks ago arrived yesterday. Whoopee. Now Malachi's got a specific place in the house where he's keeping all his stuff.

We got these drawer organizers from Saizen to complement the baby cabinet. They're really meant for organizing underwear but I figured they'd serve the same excellent purpose for small baby apparel, like bonnets and mittens and socks. You can stack them like this, to maximize space. They're brilliant.

Anyway, some other changes include moving furniture in the room to make way for baby's playpen (We occupy a very small space in a very small home). Our family pictures have also been scattered here and there. Our room looks very cozy now. I can live here forever.*

I'm feeling the usual excitement over Malachi's arrival. We're preparing things one at a time. As far as our living arrangements go, I'm only concerned Pipo hasn't begun adjusting to being demoted from "son" to "pet". He still hangs around in our room like it's his castle. Tsk, tsk.

* Wait, I take this statement back. I can continue living with my parents until next year. Yes. That's better.

Pregnancy Journal 8.4 (Michellin Mom)

I feel like it's been a lifetime of baby-carrying for me. My joints and extremities agree. They hurt a lot these days like they've been subjected to the cruelest form of weight-lifting. My right foot is especially swollen. Hmmm. That should be one of the greatest mysteries of this pregnancy. Why oh why is my right foot fatter than my left? 

For the record, on my 8th month of pregnancy, I sent my wedding rings on sabbatical. They're tucked away in a safe place now, until I'm able to wear them again without leaving "ring marks" on my finger.

This month, I've also resembled the Michellin Man. I bear all the body parts of a swollen cartoon character. Check it.

Nose? Check.

Cheeks? Check.

Ankles? Can't see them?  I don't blame you. My ankle bones disappeared some weeks ago. I can't find them too. Boohoo.

Belly? Check.

My pregnancy tracker says we're 35 weeks and 2 days along today. This means, if Malachi decides to stay in my womb the whole nine yards, I only have 33 days to go until I give birth. Can you believe it? That's just a month plus a measly 3 days!

When an event you've been waiting for reaches the "isang buwan na lang" mark, like Christmas, it is customary to begin a countdown to D-day. In keeping with tradition, and my recent success with counters, I'm placing a pregnancy widget on this blog.


There's Malachi, happily floating in my uterus for the last 8 months, also waiting for the day when he's ready to come out. Just looking at the numbers makes me excited. Konti na lang, sa wakas.

* I got the pregnancy widget from Widgetbox, where you can also get such other widgets as virtual pets. It has super easy to follow instructions for installation. Coolness.

Must...resist...buying

The world is full of irresistibly cute stuff for babies, designed for eager moms-to-be like me who have absolutely no EQ. We are honestly up to our necks already with baby clothes, some of which are hand-me-downs that are nonetheless wearable. And YET I can't seem to stop drooling over these merchandise. Psychiatric help wanted...

1) Funky Feet Super Sneakers (PhP499 for a box of 5 pairs). It only looks like your baby's wearing sneakers, but he's actually just wearing socks. Amazing!

2) Googoo and Gaga onesies (I have no idea how much these cost. Let me know if you do, please.) I love all of their designs, but I especially like the super cool urban, turntable and lion onesies which are shown in the first three pictures below. These are guaranteed to turn your kid into the playground heartthrob. Baby pa lang may fans na siya. Yes.

The deadly combination of online shops + credit cards is not helping me at this point. What helps is the thought that we have to make provision for the actual delivery and for Malachi's health care as soon as he's born. Accck. Ma-Gastos.

Which brings me to this next item, which we are sure to get no matter what...

3) Behold Dr. Mom Health Journal (PhP1,800).

This ring-bound journal, about 2 inches thick, keeps a record of your child's health history up to 16 years of age. Whoa. You can use it to keep track of clinic visits, growth charts, medical and hospitalization records (including vaccinations). Best of all, it has built-in pockets for storing your child's health-related paperwork. Dr. Mom was really designed in OC heaven and is certainly more valuable than a Starbucks planner. Di ba?! We love it!