Fifth Letter

Dear Beanie,

Happy 29th week – only about 9 to 11 weeks to go! I’ll be honest, the thought does make me a little nervous … but only because there seems to be so much left to do to prepare for your arrival. Plus the fact that the whole birthing process kinda scares me somewhat. But other than that, I am so darn excited to have you come be with us already!

Last Saturday, your dad and I went to Babies R Us to register for your baby shower. I was excited since shopping for registries is always fun. Little did we know, it would take us the entire morning (about 3 hours). And when decided to call it a day, we were only about a quarter done. It took us that long to pick out a stroller, car seat, booster seat, and a swing set. The reason it took us so long is because there was so many things to consider and so many choices to choose from! Talk about information overload. Take the choice for strollers – we had to decide if we wanted a full stroller, a mid-sized stroller, a light-weight stroller, a jogger stroller, or a convertible stroller (car seat and stroller in one). Then, when we decided what kind we wanted, we had about 100 choices and had to narrow that down by reading a ton of consumer reports and user reviews. Next we had to compare features, prices, and actual dimensions. Then we had to see the actual model and try it out (opening, closing, lifting, assembling and pretending to push it around). Our next step was picking what style, color and finish we wanted. Lastly, we had to make sure the stroller we picked was available in-store and online. Whew! We spent about an hour picking just the right stroller for you … your dad and I went back and forth. My main concern was how much use we would get out of it, how attractive it was (we want you to be a stylish baby after all!), and whether it was easy to assemble and use. Your dad was concerned about how heavy it was (he is the one doing the lifting after all), the safety features and the consumer reports. After an hour and getting the sales staff involved in our debate, we finally decided to compromise on one. We hope you like what we chose!

Speaking of your registry, we’ve been shopping for that since your baby shower is coming up. I’m so excited for that too. The shower is going to be on Feb. 5th and is being hosted by your aunts – Tracy, Marik, Len, Edel, Cha and Atsi Jen. They are still trying to confirm the place to accommodate about 60 guests. I know it seems like a lot of people – I’m not even sure how that number came up. We started with just family, a few close friends, co-workers, etc. By the time we finished our list we had about 80+ guests (we figure only 60 will actually come)! 80+ guests - that’s not even counting your aunts and uncles in Manila and in other places – just the ones that are here! That just goes to show how many people are so excited to meet you, Beanie.

The last few weeks have been relatively easy for me in terms of my pregnancy. I can’t really complain about anything other than the fact that my belly is quite big now. I am now wearing my maternity clothes (my regular clothes just won’t zip up anymore – not even with the pregnancy band). It’s ok though – to be honest, I kind of enjoy all the pregnancy attention I am getting. These days, I officially look pregnant and not just like I ate too much! It’s also a little bit weird to look down and see just my belly (I can’t see my toes anymore). Other than that, I have a few backaches once in a while and sometimes have difficulty finding a comfortable position when sleeping. But nothing major to complain about! Over the holidays, I caught a really bad cold and it was really hard for me since I couldn’t take any kind of medication (other than over-the-counter Tylenol which did not alleviate any of the cold symptoms). It was probably the worst 10 days of my pregnancy since I had a bad sore throat, a stuffy nose, constant coughing and a horrible headache. Your dad was extremely solicitous in taking care of me – even if I was a probably the world’s worst patient cause I was constantly complaining and was as cranky as a bear! Luckily I survived and am now feeling much better. I had a bit of a scare too last week since I was asked to re-take my gestational diabetes test. My first test came out a bit high and I had to go back and do the second screening. I am just so glad that the results are ok and I do not have gestational diabetes. Whew! So far, everything is going fine.

So, in a nutshell, that’s what’s been up with me in regards to you. Everything is going just fine, Bean. Your dad and I are just so thrilled that these days you are more active and moving around much more. I think it just means you are getting a bit anxious and are definitely getting ready to come on out. YAY! See you REALLY soon! =)