These cartoons from Baby Gaga perfectly describe how I feel:

pregnancy cartoon

pregnancy cartoon

pregnancy cartoon

pregnancy cartoon

The “joys” of pregnancy are on full force now:  indigestion, headaches, shortness of breath, lower back pain, restless leg syndrome (tingling feeling), itchiness, irritability.  Name it, I have it.  I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining but I could live without these symptoms.  I wish I were one of those women who didn’t have any symptoms at all!

In spite of the ugly side of pregnancy, I can say that I am so used to my baby belly that I can’t remember the time when I had a flat tummy (my husband is laughing as I type this because he says I never had a flat tummy in the first place).  When I look at myself in the mirror, the bulge seems so normal and feels like I’ve had it forever.  I am enjoying my little man’s movements because I know this is the only time I’ll truly have him to myself.   After birth, it’s all about letting go and giving him wings…

On a brighter note, I am scheduled for my last IVIG infusion tomorrow.  After 6 shots, we’re finally down to the wire.  My OB will also take me off my PCOS medicine and aspilet after.

As for my weight, I have yet to hit the 120 lb mark.  As of last night, I weigh 116 lbs.  I am hungry every single waking moment of the day!  I only have 2 things for breakfast: a) bacon, eggs and rice or b) pancakes smeared with lots of butter and maple syrup.  I have 5 meals a day:  breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack & dinner.  It’s actually a surprise to me that I haven’t ballooned yet with all the food I’ve been stuffing in my mouth recently.  I hope I can stay within the recommended weight not only to ensure that I have a safe and easy pregnancy, but also so that I can bounce back to my pre-pregnancy weight after delivery.

The D day is fast approaching and I think we’ve come to a decision regarding what to name our precious one.  It’s a surprise though so stay tuned

I’m officially on my third trimester!  Final stretch!  Hooray!  Can you tell I’m excited?

I’ve surpassed the most comfortable part of this pregnancy, the 2nd trimester.  So that means the past few days have been difficult.    There’s no other way to describe what I’m feeling but uncomfortable.  My baby belly is huge so I bought a maternity band to help me support the weight.  In just a week, my feet have grown and I can no longer wear my cute shoes :(  The only consolation is that my engagement and wedding rings still fit and I’m hoping against all odds that they will remain that way.

During the day, I swear I’m melting because of the unbearable summer heat; thus bringing me to the conclusion that the best time to get pregnant is around June so that you give birth by March, when the heat is still manageable.  Nights are hard too because I can’t find a comfortable position.  It takes a while before I finally get it right and then just when I’ve found the perfect position, I suddenly feel a sharp kick to my bladder and I have to get up and pee.  Going back to bed and finding a decent position is a mammoth task!

But I do love feeling our baby moving inside me :)  It’s the most wonderful feeling in the world!  And I think he’s kinda shy because when someone touches my tummy to feel him kick, he’ll stop moving.  So that makes it extra special because I feel like his kicks and punches are for me alone

As for the ugly side of pregnancy, I recently had my first leg cramp and it felt like it went on forever, my belly itches like nobody’s business (I’ve discovered that putting an ice pack helps) and I’m irritable and cranky one minute (often it’s directed at my husband) and laughing my ass off the next or crying for no apparent reason (again, directed at my husband).

In spite of all these, I’ve never felt more beautiful, sexier and womanly in my life! I love admiring my belly in the mirror and marveling that a human being is growing inside me! :)  I used to have so many body issues before I got pregnant but now, I have nothing but love for my body.  It feels good to be pregnant!

This week marks the last week of my second trimester.  I enjoyed this part of the pregnancy.  I was freed from my morning sickness, I’m not huge yet that I can’t fit into my clothes and my tummy’s weight is still manageable.

But I think subconsciously, I’m starting to get anxious about the impending arrival of our little man.  Last night, I dreamt I was in labor and had to undergo an emergency c-section.  But the funny part was my attending physicians were George Clooney (ER) and George O’Malley (Grey’s Anatomy)!

Although I’m beginning to feel afraid of labor, I opted not to enroll in Lamaze classes but I have started reading and downloading materials in preparation for childbirth.  However, I am definitely attending a Latch (breastfeeding) class next month.  I’m in the nesting stage where I’m in a rush to get everything done before our baby’s arrival.  This long weekend, instead of going on a vacation, we’re staying home to supervise some redecorating in the house.

With my bulging belly, I get full quickly so I eat small, frequent meals.  The summer heat also has an influence on what type of food I crave.  I’ve been craving a lot of junk like ice cream, ice monster, Quickly - you get the drift.  I try my best not to give in to the cravings because I’m scared I’ll gain too much weight.

I was watching Inside the Womb last Sunday and based on research, they say you can tell from your baby’s movements if he is an introvert or an extrovert.  Lots of movement means the baby is the latter.  Baby J is definitely an extrovert!  I’ve begun to feel his “alien” moves.  Sometimes, it feels like he’s calmly gliding inside my tummy and other times he’s full of energy and to let me know, he kicks and punches. :)  This often happens when we’re listening to classical music.  That’s because his sense of sound is progressing as the network of nerves to the ears mature.  So I make sure to talk and sing to him as much as I can

I believe the first test of a truly great man is humility. - John Ruskin

Sharing an article from The Philippine Star:

Humility in High Places
By Joanne Rae M. Ramirez

Some men never let success go to their heads. Perhaps, that is why they are more successful than others.

On my return flight from Los Angeles to Manila, I was seated in the Mabuhay Class section beside businessman J. Castro of the Kylemed Group of Companies, a pharmaceuticals group. He has offices in both California and Metro Manila, so he shuttles between both places regularly.

California-based, he likes to take Philippine Airlines primarily because of the direct 12-hour flights from Manila to LAX, and back (though there are some flights to Manila that have to make a technical stop in Guam). He also likes arriving in Manila at the crack of dawn, refreshed after a good night’s sleep (the flight leaves LAX at midnight), and ready for a power breakfast meeting in Manila.

But now, he has another good reason for taking PAL.

Last November, he and his wife were traveling to Los Angeles from Manila on PR 102 and were seated on Row 4 of the newly-reconfigured Business Class section of the Boeing 747-400 that was assigned to their route.

After they were settled in their seats and just before take-off, they decided to try out the features of the high-tech seats of the reconfigured Boeing.

Alas, Castro’s seat wouldn’t recline. His wife’s seat also wouldn’t recline!

The flight attendants tried to help out, but it seemed these high-tech seats were not programmed to respond to manual manipulations. They were stuck. The plane was ready to take off and the Castros were faced with the prospect of an uncomfortable flight ahead.

The Castros politely but firmly told the flight purser that they wanted to be reseated.

The purser checked out the seating list but told the couple there were no other available seats that night. The Castros then told the purser that rather than endure a 12-hour flight sitting up straight for the price of a Business Class ticket, they would rather just disembark.

The plane doors were already shut, but the Castros were adamant. I can imagine the purser’s dilemma, because when a passenger disembarks, his luggage has to be offloaded, too, and this could easily cause a delay of one hour. Stuck in an aircraft on the tarmac, the rest of the passengers were going to be more than irate.

The purser had to think fast. He then asked Mrs. Castro if she was willing to take the one empty seat on Row 1, probably one of the best two seats on the house. The seat beside it was occupied.

“No, I want to be seated beside my husband, or we both disembark,” she said, not willing to leave her husband on the immovable Row 4 seat.

The purser was left with one last choice. He then approached the passenger on Seat 1C and respectfully whispered something to him. The passenger on Seat 1C then stood up and walked to the Castros with a very apologetic look on his face.

The purser then told the Castros, “Mr. Lucio Tan will give up his seat for you.”

By this time the Castros had recognized the PAL chairman. They were stunned by his gesture, and by the expression on his face, which seemed to be more apologetic than annoyed. But since Mrs. Castro was not feeling well and could not really go 12 hours without reclining, they accepted the offer to exchange seats with the man who owned the airline.

Castro told me that each time he went to the toilet he would steal a glance at Tan, who was seating upright during the entire flight, sometimes with his eyes closed. Sometimes he would be scribbling on lined yellow paper. He didn’t use a laptop.

Sources in PAL say Tan gave up his seat because he didn’t want the flight to be delayed. It is said that he abhors delayed flights.

Thus, instead of inconveniencing all 400 passengers on the flight, he opted to inconvenience himself.

Granted that his decision was also a sound business decision — the airline would have lost money and a lot of goodwill with the delay — what was amazing was that he himself was willing to bear the cost (and I’m not just talking about a stiff neck) of his decision.

Tan is among the five richest men in the Philippines.

And the Castros remain among PAL’s many loyal customers.

Friends of Lucio Tan say that before becoming chairman of PAL, the taipan would fly Economy. The executives of his conglomerate would be on Business Class, and would be stupefied to see Tan on Coach. When his red-faced subordinates tried to convince him to move up to Business Class, Tan reportedly told them, “When we land, we will land in the same place.”

When I related the Castros’ story to Tan’s daughter Gigi Tan Yu, she was not surprised at all. “My father is really like that. He really has a heart that wants to serve. Imagine, he is 74 years old and he usually uses the time spent on long flights to rest. But he was willing to forego that and sacrifice his comfort for a PAL passenger.”

(Castro told me that he has encountered PAL executives who would not give up or exchange seats with a passenger).

Gigi also believes that her father “doesn’t want to erase or mask his humble beginnings. He is not averse to self-sacrifice.”

Nowadays, you hardly hear people complain that PAL is perennially late (remember when people used to joke that PAL stood for three words other than Philippine Airlines?).

Now, we know one reason why. Its chairman would rather seat upright for 12 hours straight than make one flight late.

I was seated beside Castro by chance and just got to know him on the last two hours of our flight back to Manila. But with his permission, I am sharing his story because it shows that humility still exists in high places — literally and figuratively.

If more men & women did this - thought of themselves less and served others - the world will be a better place.  I hope you liked this story and feel free to pass it along