pistoy's alarm clock

recently, i'm suffering from dry, itchy cough. dunno if i suddenly developed a food allergy sa peanuts, or if this is my reaction to the flu shot, or something else. i don't remember getting sick with this kind of cough, except nung bata ako when i have asthma attacks. parang sumisikip yung airways ko.

last night, i woke up around 3am and was coughing like mad. eventually it died down, so tulog ulet ako. nagising ako ng around 6am and this time talagang ubo to the max ako. i had to sit up kasi parang feeling ko magko-collapse yung lungs ko pag nakahiga. it's the kind of cough na naiibsan pag uminom ng tubig. pero pag nagsimula na, tuluy-tuloy naman.

tahimik lang si pistoy nung simula, siguro tulog din. then nung tuloy-tuloy na yung ubo ko, he stirred. awww. sorry pistoy, didn't mean to wake you up. is it possible na nagising sya dahil sa ubo ko? nararamdaman ko kasi na nag-ko-contract yung tyan ko pag umuubo eh. wawa naman si pistoy, pati sya nagising.

anyway, so i am staying away from peanuts ngayon. i am drinking lukewarm water sa office. maybe i will try to cook tinola para may luya at makaginhawa sa lalamunan.

on the brighter side, ako ang may sakit, hindi si pistoy. wag lang sana syang maabala din sa kakaubo ko. =)

shot and suck

finally got our flu shots last night. for free! =) and we even got a $3-off-of-$15-purchase coupon. sweet! =)

then we went to Joto's Pizza for dinner. they have the buy 1 get 1 pizza deal, so i indulged in 5 slices (plain cheese, pepperoni, ham and 2 of the bacon one) and a tall glass of sprite. (bad, i know, tsk!)

pagkauwi, i was miserable. i can't move. i can't lie down (and i was very sleepy). and i can't breathe right. i dunno if i developed a food allergy or something, but lately, i can feel the symptoms of asthma. like constricted airways. that, or maybe talagang madalas lang akong busog. hehe!

i wonder if this has anything to do with my thyroid levels. oh, btw, the results of my latest bloodwork on the thyroid hormone thingy came out and my TSH levels are low again. =( i was scheduled to see an endocrinologist next tuesday. sana naman wala lang to. hypothyroidism might be causing my overall feeling of fatigue. and being in 3rd trimester is not really helping at all. dunno if my faster than usual heartbeat is also a symptom, but i do feel it more when i'm exercising.

please let everything be ok. we're on the homestretch. 51 days to go before Pistoy's big day, sana wala nang iba pang mangyari sa amin. *prays hard*

flu shot

i spent an hour on the phone calling clinics and pharmacies to ask about flu shots.

first, i called my doc's office to ask if they offer the flu shots in their office. pupunta kasi kami don for routine check-up sa thursday, so might as well get it from there. sure pa ko na talagang pang-buntis yung ituturok nila sa akin. but the in-house nurse said they are not offering it sa office. i could get the regular flu shot daw sa mga pharmacies, like CVS or Walgreens. phone call # 1.

so i called up the nearest Walgreens store and asked about their flu shots. tinanong ko kung may preservatives ba yon (thimerosal, which is mercury-based, and harmful to the baby). the pharmacist was not sure, so he gave me the number to Novartis, yung gumawa ng vaccine. the vaccine name is Fluvirin. phone call # 2.

so i called up Novartis and was informed by their medical chuva na may thimerosal yung Fluvirin. 25 mcg/dose pag galing sa multi-dose bottle, and 1 mcg/dose pag single-shot/prefilled syringe. if i really want the thimerosal-free one, they have AgriFlu. itanong ko daw sa pharmacy where i'm getting the shot kung meron sila. phone call # 3.

so i called Walgreens again and told the pharmacist what Novartis told me. he wasn't even aware of the thimerosal content of Fluvirin. so he took note. kaya lang, wala sila nung AgriFlu. he referred me to another Walgreens store na may clinic talaga. phone call # 4.

so i called Walgreens # 2 and asked about their flu shots. i was refered to the nurse dun sa clinic nila when i looked for AgriFlu or any thimerosal-free shot. meron daw sila, pero hindi AgriFlu. it's called Fluzone, by Sanofi. at this point, ready na kong mag-commit to get that flu shot. pero there's a nagging feeling inside me that i have to verify that info. phone call # 5.

so i called Sanofi's hotline and asked about Fluzone. the multi-dose will contain 25 mcg/dose of thimerosal, and the single-shot/prefilled syringe will have none! YEHEY!!! juskolord, finally! then i thought, yikes, pano kung wala ang Walgreens # 2 nung single-shot?! of course, there is only one way to find out. ask again. hehe! phone call # 6.

so i called Walgreens # 2 AGAIN, and asked if they have the single-shot Fluzone. meron daw! yun daw yung ibibigay sa akin kasi nga buntis ako. YAHOOO! finally, someone who knows what they're doing! =) and the final question is.... is it covered by the voucher issued by my company? kasi supposedly libre yung flu shots namin ni mr/co-creator eh. sabi nung nurse just bring the voucher and they'll work something out. phone call # 7.

so after 7 phone calls, finally, i know where i should be getting my flu shot.

in a nutshell, bano yung sa doctor's office namin. sabi ng nurse i could get a regular flu shot daw. eh kung di pala ako nagresearch online about flu shots and pregnancy and thimerosal and stuff, eh di nag-introduce ako ng harmful chemicals kay pistoy!

yung pharmacist sa Walgreens # 1, at least inamin nyang di sya sure kung may preservatives yung vaccine nila.

yung nurse sa Walgreens # 2 is even more informative sa usapan namin.sabi nya i should get it as soon as possible kasi may 2-week window pa na dapat mag-settle yung immune system ko. pag within those 2 weeks, nagka-flu ako, wala na, parang useless na rin yung vaccine. kaya pala talagang yung iba maaga pa lang nagpapa-shot na.

flu flu, go away. sana we could drop by sometime this week to get the shots.

btw, "multi-dose" means the bottle is bigger, and several doses in a bottle ang laman.
single-dose is prepacked for one shot only.
the reason why multi-dose has higher thimerosal content is dahil kailangan na mas ma-preserve yung laman non until maubos. honga naman, makes sense. =P

baby bump cast

i'm so excited!!! =)

we ordered this baby bump cast kit sa amazon, and it already shipped!

i got the idea from my tita charlotte way back in 2004. ni hindi ko pa nga naiisip yung pagbubuntis noon eh. hehe! gotta think of a nice design for the finished product. dunno when we're gonna do it, probably around the 36th week? exciting! =)

maternity and FMLA leave

i finally met with my manager and director about my maternity leave sa december.

i told them i will be taking the entire 12 weeks off, and they are ok with it. 6 weeks will be paid at a certain percentage, and the other 6 weeks are unpaid. i think paychecks will be the last thing on my mind at that point, unless wala na kaming pambili ng pagkain. hehe!

i told them na for the first month, i will be available through phone lang. but my bosses even discouraged me from checking my work email for the entire duration that i'm out (do i have the best bosses in the world or what?!). wag na daw akong mag-check, kasi if they really really need to get in touch with me, most likely tatawag sila. i gave them our home number, my cell and hubby je's. i requested na in that order nila kami i-try kontakin. hehe! they were very helpful in making sure i won't have to worry about anything kung mapa-aga or ma-late man ako ng panganganak. sila na daw bahala kumontak sa HR pag kailangang i-adjust yung dates. i will have the slot for 12 weeks, and if for some crazy reason daw, i would want to return to work earlier, ok lang din daw sa kanila. 

they'll also allow me to work from home a few days before my due date. and in case madelay si pistoy, the rest of the days from dec16 until manganak ako. they were very considerate na it might be dangerous for me to be behind the wheels kung anytime pwede na kong manganak. awwww. =) and they said mas ok na as close to the due date as possible ako magsimulang mag-leave, para more time with the baby, and also, more things to accomplish pa before i move to the momma planet. hehehe! honga naman, just being practical and considerate on their part. win-win situation sa aming lahat yon. =)

i was so relieved, kasi i've been thinking about taking the entire 12 weeks talaga, but i wasn't sure kung ok lang ba sa team. sobrang shorthanded na kasi kami eh. but it looks like i will be finishing all the tasks assigned to me before i go on leave, so that's good. *crosses fingers and toes* one less thing to transition is always good.

i am so grateful na yung director ko is a very kind and considerate person. best boss in the world talaga! my manager is slowly learning my director's trade ata. kailangan nya lang maging mas laid back ng konti and realize na hindi cut-throat sa team namin. but all the time na nasa meeting kami, mas pinag-usapan pa namin how i'm feeling, baby names, and their adventures sa pagiging parent. 

so pistoy, wala na tayong problema sa bakasyon. now, just be on time, ok baby? =D

test results

btw, lumabas na ang results ng gestational diabetes test ko, and it's negative! *cartwheel*

to celebrate, maybe i should indulge in some ice cream. coldstone kaya? hehehe!

my blood pressure is normal too. 112 / 72. that's even way better than what i usually get at home. i'm somewhere in the 120-125 /  70-75 mark. so that's good!

also, i gained only one pound in 2 weeks! i better keep doing what i am doing. ayoko talagang mahiwa! =P

i had another blood work yesterday. they need to check my thyroid hormone level ulet. the first time was elevated, second was normal, and this is the third test. my next thyroid hormone check, assuming this one also turns out fine, is in 3 months. by then, dapat nanganak na ko, and my hormone level should be closer to normal.

*sigh* ang hirap pala magbuntis. i thought pag buntis, lamon lang nang lamon. now i watch what i eat more than i used to when i wasn't preggo. =P but it's all worth it. sumipa lang si pistoy, i know i am doing the right thing for him. =)

first sinok

sininok si pistoy for the first time last monday! *lol*

i was so busy at work that day, that i only noticed my tummy was "pulsating" when i sat back and took a few minutes break. at first, akala ko sumisipa lang si pistoy. so i put my hand on my tummy to try to feel his kick. pero walang solid na kick. instead, it feels like may heartbeat yung tyan ko.

i timed it. almost every 1.5 to 2 seconds interval and very consistent. then i remember, maybe pistoy was trying to make the breathing movements, at sininok sya! hehe! it lasted for at least 5 minutes siguro. i was already getting worried.

then that night, i told mr.co-creator. nagpapahinga si je when i felt it again. nung una mahina kaya i wasn't sure. when i was sure it was the same pulsating feeling, i called hubby je. nung nakahawak na sya, he felt mga 3 beats, then bigla akong natawa. biglang nawala. awwww. =P

sorry pistoy, we're not laughing at you. we're laughing with you. nakakatuwa lang na sinisinok na sya. naiimagine ko sya sa loob ng tyan ko, with moving shoulders and all. hehe!

pistoy's first japorms

i got another package!!! gawd, i tell you, pistoy is gonna be one spoiled kid. =P supah thanks, mareng patsy! =)

i have been in touch with my momma friends, and we were talking about baby stuff when she offered to send over some of baby Liam's (her little boy) stuff. shempre dyahe nung una, kasi they could still use those for when their baby #2 arrives. but i guess patsy's really praying hard for a little girl next time. hehehe! ;-) i know her taste for style and i undoubtedly trust it, so i said GO! di ako tatanggi sa grasya! hehehe! =P

so last wednesday, coming home from a doc's appointment, there's a package on our doorstep. i was running late for work, so i just brought it inside. when i came home from the office that night, i opened it up and was amazed at how much baby stuff could fit in that box! *lol* andami! as in. i feel like rummaging through Hermione's purse sa Harry Potter book 7. =P

there were little socks-ala-shoes thingy, mittens, wooly onesies (i think that's what they're called), which will definitely be useful since pistoy will be a winter baby! there were several snap-on tops, several regular over-the-head tops, and may mga cute little pants pa. hehehe! they are so cute and tiny! meron din knit jacket, and something that looks like a swaddling cloth thingy (i better ask patsy how to use them, or if that's what they really are). and probably because i told them i will be breastfeeding as if my life depends on it, may milk storage bags din.

there were some nursing pads din, which i am thankful for kasi now i know how it looks like. *lol* seriously, i wouldn't have known ganon pala itsura non. i haven't seen one out of the box at the stores. maybe when i start lactating early, i could use them na rin agad. hehe!

i just sat there looking over the loot spread over the bed, and it's really sinking in that soon, those clothes will be filled with flesh and blood, who will be called my son. it's amazing. he will be that tiny, but will have both me and je wrapped around his little finger.

i have to snap out of it, and gather all the stuff together. these are gonna be pistoy's japorms in his first few weeks or months. and i can't help but feel giddy. =)

shoutout again to my mudra friends! thanks patsy! *hugs*