Sit, Stand, Crawl... Repeat

Kaelin is 7 months now and she is super likot! As in!  

She can sit on her own now.  She can also stand now when holding on to something.  And that's what's keeping her busy.  From pagkakadapa (lying down on tummy), she'll sit, play for a few minutes then hold on the bed rail or her crib railings and pull herself up to a standing position.  And she loves standing up!!!  She can do it for a few minutes and even do it with just one hand.  And while she's standing, she'll talk, laugh, shout, play peek-a-boo, look down, etc.  She looks really confident and proud of herself whenever she stands up, and mommy and daddy couldn't be any more proud of course.  Further, she can now walk when you put her down on the floor and hold her hands.  I'm one proud mama!!!  

Now, let's go to crawling.  My baby crawls everywhere!  She's a lot curious now so wherever she can crawl, she goes.  Whether its around her crib, our bed, the floor, the couch, name it.  She can't lie down (except when sleeping of course) or sit still for a long period of time, talagang nag-iiba sya lagi ng position.  It's even hard now to put a diaper on her.  Gusto na nya lagi dumapa agad and crawl!  Letting her finish her milk while lying down, putting a diaper on, etc. have become a challenge.  Hahaha!  

But i'm not complaining.  Truly, being a mom is one of (if not the) God's biggest blessings.  So Kaelin, bring it on!  Kayang kaya ni mommy yang kakulitan mo.  Haha. =p  I love you my baby! 

 

        

Problem with Solids

Forget my kadramahan in my last post.  I am so over it! I declined the offer and true enough, something better came along.  I'll share it to you once everything is finalized already. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this one!  I hope this is it! =)

Anyway, i'm worried about my baby.  Ever since she started eating solids, her milk intake became less and less.  Mas gusto nya kumain talaga rather than dumede.  I'm just worried that she might not be getting the right amount of nutrients that she needs, afterall her solids intake are still pretty limited.  Mas maganda sana kung malakas sya kumain AND magdede.  We told her pedia about this, and he advised us to use milk as her panulak rather than water.  Nothing to worry about daw since her weight is still normal.  She didn't lose any weight but she just gained 0.1 kilo (when before she gains almost 1 kilo per month!).  My other mommy friends told me it's normal and some of their kids went through the same phase.  Baka nagsawa lang daw sa lasa ng milk and excited lang sa ibang lasa.  Sana nga....  Sana din bumalik na appetite nya for milk. 

Happy with a Stroller

Kit bought Kaelin a new stroller.  There isn't anything wrong with the old one, it's just so bulky.  It always take up the entire trunk whenever we go out.  Plus, it's really heavy.  It's always a challenge to bring/balance the stroller up and down the escalator, or carry it when confronted with stairs.  How can we travel with that?  (Not that we have a scheduled trip soon.  But you'll never know when we'll have the urge to go on an instant trip...)

Perfect timing that Mothercare is having a summer sale on their Inglesina strollers! Inglesina!  Wow, sosyal! Hahaha! =p  So, we bought the lightest and travel-friendly stroller there is.... the Inglesina Swift!

it's available in red, orange and black too

I must admit I was hesitant at first to buy a new stroller.  I mean, I'm a little practical (different with being a cheapskate, right?) so I thought we could make do with our existing stroller.  But then, Kit made me realize that we badly need a lighter one, for travel reasons and (would you believe it???) health reasons (yes, our existing stroller is bad for the back).  So, off we go to Mothercare.  

In the end, Kit's decision was reinforced big time! Who could ever argue with these proofs?! =)

how can i still prove my point when the judge has that BIG SMILE? 

So, with that, I rest my case.  As long as my baby's happy, go! =)

Kaelin's Pal, Violet

Violet, little and big Violet that is, is/are my favorite among Kaelin's toys.  They aren't just cute but entertaining and educational as well.  <Thank you Ninang Leika for giving them to me!>

Little Violet helped BIG TIME in making Kaelin sleep.  Until now, she needs to hear Violet's lullaby before she can sleep.  Sometimes, she rubs Violet's ears or face...  A sign that she is sleepy.  It also teaches Kaelin to count.  Yun nga lang, at this point, Kaelin is much more interested in "eating" Violet than listening to it while it counts.  <babies... so adorable...=)>

Then big Violet came along.  At first, she was ignoring it.  But when we set big Violet up to say her name and personalize the daytime songs and lullabies, she immediately held big Violet.  Now, when she hears big Violet, she would stop whatever she's doing and look and hold Violet.  Ang galing, di ba?! I, personally am amazed that a toy could say Kaelin's name.  I initially thought that we wouldn't find 'Kaelin' in the list of names that they have audio of as it isn't really a popular name.  So, when we saw that it was in the list, I was really pleasingly shocked.  As in now, it seems that Violet is talking to Kaelin.  Violet would always mention Kaelin's name before a song, and would say I love you Kaelin, and goodnight Kaelin, and let's count Kaelin, and other activities that would seem that Violet is indeed Kaelin's 'real' playmate.  It even teaches Kaelin how to spell her name.  Ain't that neat? =)

My Pal Violet and Twinkle Twinkle Little Violet are products of Leap Frog

     

Kaelin @ 6 mos

Kaelin is now 6 months!  Can't believe she's been with us for half a year already.  Looking forward to seeing her grow every single day. I LOVE YOU KAELIN!

she's eating solids now. yey! =)

At 6 months, she can now:

- sit without support for a few minutes
- roll from her back to her tummy and back again
- crawl (short distances)
- stand with support
- take a few steps with support
- say mama (first word! =) =) =) )
- eat solids
- hold her own bottle
- sleep on her own (she's a big girl now)
- shout, laugh, shriek, mumble (even when eating)
- loves playing peek-a-boo
- puts everything in her mouth (as always, tsk tsk tsk...)

Kaelin at 5 mos old

Our little girl is now 5 months old.  =)

--> she loves to roll over from her back to her tummy again and again.  walang kasawaan! hahaha.  she even sleeps now on her tummy. 

-->  she's teething! yey!  can't wait to finally see her first tooth!  she loves her teether, nibbles/bites her pacifier and bottle nipples, sucks her fingers and puts in her mouth whatever her hands can get/grab.  tsk tsk tsk...

 --> she can sit with minimum support.  =)  and she can stand now too with support.

--> but still, she doesn't smile infront of a camera.  even when she's laughing, as soon as you take out a camera or even a phone, she stops.  she will look straight at the camera though.

Happy 2012!!!!

Happy New Year everyone says our cutie Little Miss Rollover Again and Again! =)

A Birthing Story: Welcome Kaelin Sofia!

I'm a mom now... Wow! =)  

I can't believe how everything went by so fast.  I was just ranting in one of my previous post how frustrated and impatient I am that I haven't given birth yet at 38 weeks.  Then at exactly 39 weeks, it happened...

Aug. 27 (Saturday) - We went to my OB for my weekly check up.  Again, my cervix was still closed though already soft.  My OB told me that it would still take a week or so before I give birth, and that I can still travel to Tagaytay for the long weekend if I wanted to.

Aug. 28 (Sunday); around 2-3am - I woke up because I was feeling some kind of pain in my abdomen... Similar to dysmenorrhea.  I told Kit about it but he dismissed it telling me that it could just be my imagination since Dra. told us that I will not give birth anytime soon.  I tried to sleep again since the pain was not that strong anyway.  After a few minutes, I went to the bathroom to pee.  I saw a tinge of blood on the tissue after wiping but again, I dismissed it and went back to sleep.

6 am - I was about to take a bath when I noticed my undies full of blood.  That's when I panicked.  It was the first time I experienced bleeding/spotting throughout my pregnancy and I didn't know what to do.  I told Kit right away. And his mom heard us, and told us to go to the hospital as soon as possible.  

7 am - We first went to our condo and gave instructions to the cleaners and met with the electrician who'll replace our dining room lights.  We also grabbed some last minute things that we'll need for the hospital, just in case they decide to admit me.  And guess what...  I forgot my phone at Kit's house in Paranaque and our digital camera at the condo.  Talk about being calm and collected.  Hahaha. 

8:00 am - We arrived at Cardinal Santos hospital and was wheelchaired (their SOP, though I still can perfectly walk as I don't feel anything at all) to the prep room.  The resident OB IE'd (is this even a term???) me and told me that my cervix is just 1 cm open.  They did a non-stress test and hooked up some kind of monitor on me.  Results are normal and baby is doing well but they admitted me nonetheless, because my contractions were regular at 5-7 minutes interval.

8:30 am - From the prep room, I was transferred to the labor room.  They put an IV on me and injected some oxytocin and buscopan to induce contraction/labor.  And again, hooked me up to a fetal monitor.   

12:00 nn - My OB finally arrived and checked on me.  My cervix was still at 1cm.  She allowed me to eat a light lunch and contemplated on sending me to my room or discharging me from the hospital since even with the oxytocin, my cervix seems to stall at 1cm.  Ayaw pa ata lumabas ni baby.

1:30 pm -When my OB checked on me, lo and behold, my cervix was already at 4cm.  Ang bilis!  Natakot yata si baby na pauwiin pa kami.  Hahaha. =)

4:00 - 4:30 pm -  I was already at 6cm.  And the contractions were killing me!  The pain was already unbearable so they decided to inject some pain killer on my IV but no, it didn't work at all.  So after a few minutes (or was it an hour?), they decided to do epidural anaesthesia on me.  Unfortunately, the first dose also didn't work.  I can no longer feel my legs but the contractions, I can still feel.  E yun pa naman ang importante.  So, they decided to add an extra dose on me.  A funny side story, they asked me if I feel like peeing, but with the anaesthesia and all, even I don't know the answer to that very personal question.  Hahaha.  Around this time also, they broke my water bag.  Ayaw pumutok ng kusa e. Di ko man lang nasabi ung famous pregnant line na "my water bag broke".  Hehe. =p

7:00 pm -  At last, I was already at 10cm!  They quickly wheeled me into the delivery room and taught  me how to push.  They told me to push in time with my contractions.  I was pushing for an hour!  I even vomited because the pain was just too great and I was already exhausted, but the team of doctors and nurses encouraged me to push harder and harder.  So...

8:07 pm - We welcomed Kaelin Sofia Rivera into the world.  And I couldn't be happier.  They let her crawl into my tummy and chest, and let her find my breasts for that first feeding.  I was so happy and proud and just purely overwhelmed.  The baby that I carried inside of me for 9 months was finally here.  I can actually see her, hear her, hold her and kiss her.  =)  And by the way, she was 7.8lbs.  A bouncing baby girl indeed!

9:00 pm -  While Kaelin was at the nursery for cleaning, check-up etc, they wheeled me to the recovery room.  I was told to sleep since I'll be there for 2 hours.  I was the only one in the room, plus the nurse, so it was really quiet.  But I couldn't sleep at all.  I was exhausted but I was too excited to sleep.  Around 10:30pm, they brought me my baby so I could again breastfeed her.  It was surreal.

11:30 pm - I was brought to my room where Kit, my parents and sister are waiting for me.  And there was a huge bouquet of red roses and balloons from my husband.  How sweet can he get!!!!!! I totally loved it!

August 29 (Monday); 1:00 am -  Kaelin was roomed in with us.  She was a cryer but still, i love her. =)

Our first family picture. =)

a cry baby???

    

Happy 1st Month Kaelin!

Somebody is one month old today... 

Yes, my baby, Kaelin Sofia, is now 1 month old.  Yey! =)

Time really does fly.  It seems just a few days ago when I gave birth to her.  (My birthing story in my next post hopefully)  I can't believe I already am a mom for a month... A month of sleepless nights... A month of getting frustrated over low supply of breast milk (sigh)... A month of changing (and trying different brands of) diapers (so far, im liking huggies and drypers)...  A month of carrying my baby in my arms... A month of pure joy that only your own child can bring...  A month of overwhelming gratitude to our Father God for giving me the greatest gift and blessing ever.

I love you so much Kaelin!  Happy 1 month! =)

I'm Officially a MOM!

August 28, 2011 at exactly 8:07 pm, my life has totally changed.  I became a MOM.