Baby-Mooning

No, this does not mean the baby showed us his/her butt in the ultrasound! This means we have a "honeymoon" before the baby comes..aka baby-moon! If we don't do this now, who knows when we will have alone time just as husband and wife together! This trip was very much needed, but the details of the trip was not planned well. Typically when I go on vacation, I like to pack it full with activities but seeing that I am pregnant and we have a limited budget, it is harder to find motivation to plan a vacation that is slower pace. Nonetheless, we had a wonderful time together at San Juan islands!

Although it was not a fun-packed adventure, it was definitely not a boring one. The best way to spice up a slow vacation is not to plan it! LOL! We knew the approximate time of the events we had going on, but we weren't exactly sure...we arrived at Anacortes harbor 15minutes before the ferry was going to depart, so we had to rush to look for parking and then run half a mile to get tickets and board the ferry! Great work out for the prego lady! Thank God the path from the parking lot to the dock was downhill! The same thing happened when we were supposed to board the boat to our Whale Watching tour...the boat was to leave at noon, but we had a lazy morning and got up at 11:30am!! Again, more running for the big mama! To add to the suspension, we arrived at the San Juan Excursions company and they said they cancelled their trip but we weren't informed! But luckily, we were able to get on board with San Juan Safaris that was just boarding their ship. The last running scene of the trip involves off boarding the ferry from Anacortes racing against time to get me on the Amtrak train from Seattle to Vancouver...The train was at 5:30pm and we docked at 3pm...that means the hill that I ran down is now an uphill battle to get to our parking spot!! Definitely too much stress for one pregnant lady to handle!!! However, we still praise God at the end of the day because we made it just in the nick of time for all the 3 running fiasco!

We saw some fun animals along the way as we were enjoying our breezy vacation...a deer was barely 2feet away from us as we were leaving Anacortes Harbor, so we had to take a moment to capture this kodak moment! The same thing happened when we were waiting for the ferry at Friday Harbor..we accidentally strolled into the pier where a semi-blind seal calls home! We were also about 2feet away from this seemingly peaceful creature! So much for paying for a tour to see the sea creatures! Although, it was definitely amazing to see the Dall Porpoises swimming along the bough of the boat...all 10 of them! 

It was relaxing to laze in our quaint little bed and breakfast at the Hillside Hotel; it was only a stroll away to the heart of town where we enjoyed the best fish and chips and calamari ever tasted. The hubby didn't hesitate to enjoy some beer as the sun shone so brightly on that first day of arrival, as if to welcome us to the start of our great vacation! The local organic lavender farm, Pelindabra produced some of the best products as well, along with a bottle of lavender oil which now we call our own :-) Rubbing lavender oil on pregnant bellies is suppose to help reduce stretch marks, not to mention leaving a wonderful scent!

Some progress of the baby growth, we are about a week away from discovering the gender...Linea Nigra has formed the second day of our baby-moon-vacation...its only a faint line that forms from my belly button heading down under!! And finally, my belly button is slowly turning into an outie!! Its actually kinda cute :-) I have increased my appetite and meal portion consumption...but sadly the bowel movements remain the same. Hopefully that means baby is growing bigger :-) The baby app on my phone says that at week 19-20 is when baby starts to listen and taste, so I am humming songs and the daddy is praying to the belly so baby can hear our voices :-)

Q&A Mama @ Week 18

I shall now begin a self interview on some frequently asked questions regarding my pregnancy...

Interviewer: Hi Mrs Martin, how are you doing today?

Jolyn: I'm doing just fine, thank you. Aside from the restless sleep I had last night, I feel pretty good.

I: Oh, is that common? Pregnancy and restless sleep?

J: Not really. Last night was the first time since the pregnancy that I had difficulty sleeping. I'm guessing that it is a combination of the increase in heat, since summer is starting, and Mei Mei was crying through the night.

I: Is the heat bothering you, aside from your sleep?

J: The heat doesn't bother me as much as the glare and direct sunlight onto my skin. I was told that the constant overcast in the Northwest causes Vitamin-D deficiency among its inhabitants thus creating a potential jolted reaction when summer comes. My roommate Diane actually was prescribed some Vitamin-D supplements during her pregnancy since she was facing some severe headaches when the sun shines. Not only that, since my eyes are adjusted to the gloomy-gray sky, it is difficult to adjust to the bright sunny days without experiencing some headaches. I am somewhat ashamed to admit this seeing that I am Malaysian, born and bred in a land where the sun shines all day long throughout the year!

I: Do you miss Malaysia anymore now that you are pregnant?

J: Not particularly more than normal. I do wish that my loved ones are closer so they can share in this joyous occasion with me. Although I do have some food cravings every so often. It's okay though, since I have a great roommate that can help me whip up some Malaysian cuisine in the kitchen :-)

I: Did you have any food allergies or nausea regarding food?

J: I think the biggest change in my diet is the frequency in food intake. During my initial pregnancy, I was unaware of the increase in calorie I was suppose to consume, thus I would get really dizzy and tired towards the end of the day as I would only pack my normal 1-meal lunch to work. When I found out about the need to balance my blood sugar level by snacking every hour or two, it took away my appetite. Since I snacked so frequently, when it was time for dinner, I didn't want to eat as I wasn't hungry. I knew I had to eat otherwise I would feel sick, but when I stuff myself, I would feel very bloated and air-y on the inside. I've now come to a happy balanced diet that is suitable for baby and me...I snack and eat smaller meals during meal time. My common snacks are string cheese, peeled baby carrots, wheat thin crackers, a fruit, yogurt, peanut granola bar, hard boiled egg, and occasionally soup. Instead of a 2+ serving size, my meals are typically 1serving size, and I am able to sustain my energy throughout the day by doing this.

I: Wow! Sounds like you have your diet all figured out! Is there anything else you had to change in your daily regime?

J: Well, I wish I could tell you that I work out more to maintain a healthy body, but with the hours that I work (Tuesday to Friday 6am-4:30pm) and the commute that I have to do (approximately an hour each way) that leaves me with little time for a regular work out. The good thing is that on alternate days, I do a lot of walking at the job site. Aside from that, there isn't much that's changed.

I: What about your husband? What does he go through to adapt to the pregnancy?

J (chuckles) The midwife diagnosed him with pseudo-pregnancy - that's when the husband experiences the symptoms of pregnancy without actually having the physical-hormonal change. He is gaining weight, a lot more tired (thus needing more naps) and is a lot more emotional than I've ever seen him. I am actually very blessed that he is experiencing this because it shows the strong bond we have in our marriage...how he subconsciously understands the changes that is to happen in our life soon, thus his body adapts to it.

I: Is your body changing much?

J: Definitely! Initially, I was afraid that I would balloon up like stuffed pig, but I am glad that my body seem to be in its regular-proportional size, aside from my growing belly. I used to my wear my regular jeans/slacks without buttoning them. Now, I can still fit in them but can't even zip it up! Thanks to the belly band, I can hide the unzipped pants and still dawn my regular attire. I think I weight about 118lbs now.

I; Here's the big question of the day -  Boy or Girl? Any gender preferences?

J: You know, my desire for a son or a daughter is affected by what my husband wants. On one hand, I want to provide him a son, if God willing, since most fathers wants a son to play with. But recently he told me that he wants a girl because then his little princess will be a pretty as mommy! I have an awesome husband, by the way :-) We've had several people making guesses on the gender...my mom says its a girl because I am craving more salty/sour foods as opposed to sweeter taste, however my friend JB's aunt says it is a boy because my left hands' pulse is faster than my right hands'! We will be going for an ultrasound in early June to find out, so we'll see if it is a Caden or a Violet.

I: Well Mrs Martin, thank you so much for your time. I hope you enjoy the rest of your pregnancy.

J: My pleasure. I look forward to the rest of my journey (potentially feeling the baby move soon?) :-)

That concludes my self-interview for this session.

Paying tribute

When my baby is all grown up, I want him/her to know that this wonderful family has been taking care of me from May-August 2012 of the pregnancy. Who could ask for anything better than a Malaysian family that already prepares home-cook Malaysian food? I am so blessed to be living with this family that understands my pregnancy needs, thus they don't make me do house chores around the house, respects my privacy by providing me my own fully-furnished room free of charge, and feeds me daily??? I thank God for placing them in my life...Gareth, the head of the household that is so wise with finances, I could not learn enough from him on how to manage money wisely...Diane, the mama of the household who is very carefree yet caring and is a great friend to have...JJ my secret boyfriend that has a picture of him&me on his bedside hehe and Mei Mei the youngest member of the family that is slowly warming up to me being part of their family.

Big thank you to the Lim Family!!

The Snake Dream

I read somewhere that pregnant mothers have interesting dreams. Yesterday night was my first experience. I was in a dingy, messy apartment with Caleb. There's stacks of paper piled up randomly throughout the apartment wooden floor. I was having a difficult time with my pregnancy and Caleb agreed to take over the pregnancy, so I was going to push the baby out and pass it to him for the remainder of the pregnancy period. Since he doesn't have a uterus, he got a boa snake that would act as a sack in his tummy to hold the baby in place. This was a pretty big snake with big buggy-eyes. So the baby came out of me and got swallowed by this snake, which would then somehow slither into Caleb. He went into the bathroom to get this done, while I figured out a way to escape our imprisonment. There was a shower stall in the corner of the apartment which was on white tiles with bright white lights. My cartoon-looking vampire friends were helping me figure out a way to break free. There were a lot of tiny blue bar of soaps in the shower stall. We decided to each take turns to rub the soap until it activated the auto-lather mode and filled the apartment with bubbles. Before we were successful, Caleb was already ready for delivery. I did not make it to the birth but I was there for my baby daughter's first words. She kinda looked like my niece Winter but with more hair and a smaller frame. We celebrated the moment by taking a stroll in the park on a beautiful sunny day.

Thumpity Thump Thump!

A lot has changed since my last post. Caleb and I have officially moved out of our house that will be signed over to the new homeowners tomorrow....why is this important in the baby-step journey? Because for the next few months...it will be a lonnggggg lonelyyyy summmeerrrr :-( My baby's daddy has moved to Lynnwood and I am in Camas...approximately 5hours apart, just like Seattle to Pullman when we were dating. Good thing we are going to get our smartphone soon, so we can have unlimited talk time and texting through free apps! This way, the baby daddy can stay in touch the baby progress remotely!

Since the baby is coming in a few months, we decided to increase our term life insurance to a more suitable amount. That means we needed to do blood draw, urine test etc. When the phlebotomist drew my blood, I noticed how plumpy my arm was! I thought that my fingers/hand/feet would be the most noticeable, but I didn't pay attention to my arm! How nice to know that I am gaining weight. I started off pre-pregnancy at about 108lbs and am now about 114lbs (17weeks I guess) I hope I gain weight gradually as oppose to gaining it all during the 3rd trimester...the midwife said stretch marks occur easier when the skin does not have time to slowly stretch along with the growth.

Speaking of my midwife, we met the midwife that is to deliver our baby; the same lady that delivered my niece and nephew - Charlotte something haha We got to listen to the baby's heartbeat for the first time! It was very exciting, since I don't feel too many effects of pregnancy, it is nice to know the baby's heart is beating strongly inside!