Thanks for the warm wishes everyone! H & I are ecstatic with this little boy growing inside me. I’m feeling his nudges everyday now, and they are always the highlight of my day!

H and I celebrated finding out the baby’s gender with our families last weekend. We presented both families with one pair each of cute little baby boy slippers! To my in-laws, we gave Thomas the Train baby sandals. To my family, we gave Spiderman flip-flops. We asked them to keep the slippers, as they will be Timmy’s footwear when he comes to visit their homes soon. I look forward to watching Timmy take his baby steps in them.

How do you grow a baby boy? I come from a family of mostly women, so baby boys are gems! I have heard there’s a certain way of raising boys versus girls, and would love to get your thoughts on that. Is there a difference at all?

And now I wonder… will Timmy be a Mama’s boy? Uh-oh! What I know for sure is I’ll love him to bits!

Timmy boy says hello! Here’s to color blues, train sets, cars, trucks and superheroes.

We got an ultrasound last weekend to check out the gender. And ta-da! Timmy was unmistakably a boy. We have a son!

I’m still in awe. It’s a beautiful feeling knowing what gender your baby is! At least now I can talk to the baby in a more direct way like “Hello my son!” and not “Hello my son or daughter!” as I have been saying the past five months. Haha! Sweet, sweet emotions.

Our baby is healthy, based on the ultrasound and so am I, based on some recent tests. I feel great. The baby’s nudges and kicks are becoming more prominent too, particularly when I’m playing video games. He could turn out to be quite a gamer too!

And so, yep, we have a son. Our Timmy boy.

Yep, we’ve got babies, babies, babies on our minds. Before going to bed, H & I like watching funny baby videos on YouTube. They crack us up and make us wonder what funny videos we’ll be filming when our own little bundle comes our way.

Here are two of my favorite baby videos. They’re plenty cute. Enjoy!

Walking around is one of my favorite things to do. You can’t enjoy walking if your feet aren’t comfy right? And when you’re pregnant, you need all the comfort you can get. I’m glad my feet have found some kind of zen with these shoes.

The ballerina flats in the pics are simple and sweet. It’s not pronounced in the pictures but they’re two-toned flats — black and deep violet. I have another pair that’s black and yellow. I can wear them with anything. The brand is Anthology and this pair retails for about P1,495. Not bad at all.

Anthology ballerina flats for pregnant women? I’ve had my two pairs even before I got pregnant. And now that I am, they’re all I wear. Really. My feet aren’t comfortable in any other pair of flats. So if you’re pregnant, do try out this brand for its simplicity of style and comfort. Anthology has other shoe styles but I haven’t tried them, so I’m not certain about their comfort.

You can learn more about Anthology from their website. I bought mine from Glorietta though. I want to buy another pair of ballerina flats but I’m anticipating that my feet could grow another size in the next few months. I have my heart set on some red ones!

This is me and Timmy at a little over 5 months. Some have said “You’re so big na!,” others have said the opposite “Ang liit mo magbuntis!” I don’t know which is which! For as long as I’m within my target weight range and my OB says I’m good, I’m good.

En pointe. My tummy looks pointed, doesn’t it? What’s the old wives’ tale again? If it’s pointed, it’s a girl, if it’s rounded, it’s a guy? I get confused with all the tales. Not that I believe them, but they’re fun to talk about.

Birth classes. H & I have decided to take Rome Canapi’s childbirth classes this May. We’re psyched! I spoke to her on the phone yesterday and she’s plenty nice. I can’t wait to meet her and learn from her soon!

Bring on the lei and the bubbly. Yesterday’s bubbly event has me singing: Timmy bubbles (tiny bubbles) in the wine (in the wine), make me happy (make me happy), make me feel fine (make me feel fine)… Timmy bubbles (tiny bubbles), make me warm all over, with a feeling that I’m gonna love you till the end of time…

Happy weekend everyone! Tomorrow’s weekend soiree theme is “Family” so prepare those questions!

Today I felt my baby kick for the first time. How did it feel? Like bubbles in my lower belly. Like popcorn popping around. Like someone blowing a raspberry from the inside of my tummy. It felt wonderful.

I was just seated at my desk when I first felt the bubbles. It got me worried at first. Was it gas? Was it a stomach ache? Was it cramps? But I wasn’t feeling any distress, any pain, any discomfort — just that weird somersaulting feeling inside me.

And then it dawned on me. Yep, it’s little Timmy practicing streetfighter moves. I’ve felt his/her flutters in the past weeks, but today it was different. It was no “Hi Mommy!” flutter. It was a “HEY THERE MOMMY!” kick and nudge. Aaw, my cute little baby.

I’m so excited. Bring on the tummy bubbles and the streetfighter moves, Timmy. You can give Mommy all the inner tummy raspberries you want for now! Soon I’ll be blowing raspberries on your tummy.

Image credit: Jeff Kubina

While pregnancy is beautiful and fills you with all sorts of wonderful emotions, it’s not without discomfort! Here are some of the little aches and pains I’ve experienced, and the fixes that have worked (and are working) for me.

Backaches. Ow, ow, ow. As the little one grows, your belly becomes heavier and your back does ache. Stretching once in awhile and walking around helped ease the pain. I also try to remind myself to pull up my shoulders when I sit and walk. Poor posture just worsens the pain even though it’s much more comfortable to slouch!

Headaches. I was prone to this a lot in the early months. What worked for me was getting out of the office and getting fresh air. Or I’d turn out the lights and rest my eyes. I also tried eating regularly so my blood sugar level wouldn’t drop. A cold compress also worked wonders.

Brain drain. Eek! This is when you just totally space out and forget stuff. I experienced this as I entered my second trimester. I still have it once in awhile. When this happens, I don’t force myself to think. The pressure just makes me forget even more. Multi-tasking is not my friend. What works is I gradually ease myself into my tasks one at a time, then I’m back on the saddle again.

Heartburn and indigestion. Soooo uncomfortable. What worked for me is taking two tablets of Tums, and the pain goes away. I also drank a lot of water to wash away the acid. Chewing gum and sitting up after a meal also helped.

Nausea. I consider myself lucky I haven’t thrown up a single time during my days of morning sickness. Feeling nauseated was bad enough already. Munching on crackers helped ease the nausea. Walking and getting fresh air also helped a lot. I also discovered that oranges helped rid me of my nausea. I only had oranges in my early trimester though because towards the third month, they started giving me indigestion.

Frequent urination. There’s no way around this. You just really have to empty your bladder throughout the day to avoid infection. In fact, if I haven’t peed for over an hour, I’d try peeing anyway. Consider the frequent trips to the restroom as exercise.

Fatigue. You’re not only eating for two, you’re walking for two, talking for two… it gets really exhausting. It hits me unexpectedly too. I’d be energetic on a Monday, than so tired on a Tuesday. If you can afford to get off work, do so. REST. Chores can wait. Paperwork can wait. Your body and baby are calling out to you. Just rest.

So far, these are the pregnancy aches I’ve felt, and these are the fixes that have worked for me. Every pregnancy is different however, so what worked for me may or may not work for others. You may also want to consult your doctor for expert advice.

If you’re pregnant or plan to get pregnant, I hope this helps you! And if you’ve experienced the joys and aches of pregnancy, please feel free to share your fixes here. I’m certain you’ll be helping a lot of Mommies-to-be.