Save the date! ;-)

The twins' baptism was originally scheduled to happen in March since we are waiting for my aunt who is based in Saudi. However, her annual vacation was moved to end April or early May. The twins would be about 6 months old already by then and so we didn't want to delay it until that time. Hubby and I then decided to have them baptized this January.

We want a simple celebration only since we are planning on splurging on their 1st birthday celebration.

We have the church and reception venues already. I still have to make the invites and thank you cards, find a cake supplier, fix the giveaways, buy ceremony and reception dresses.

I was able to send out the save the date to some people already. I found my inspiration at a multiply site.

Yehey, no diabetes!

One of the things that I least liked about my pregnancy was that I developed gestational diabetes. I had to monitor my glucose levels three times a day and then I also had to inject insulin twice a day. I hated pricking and having to administer the insulin by myself.

I took the OGTT last Monday (I was about 7 weeks post op) and got the results yesterday. Thank God I'm cleared of diabetes!!! Yahoo!!! Praise God!!! My OB told me that I would have to retake the OGTT every 3 years just to make sure.

Yehey, I can eat anything again!!! Woohoo!!! Hehehehe...

Chicken and Pork Adobo with Egg

This is the first time ever that I cooked this dish. Hindi talaga ako mahilig magluto. I just try sometimes depending on my mood. Since we don't have a cook now, napipilitan ako magluto pero for dinner lang hahaha. Please excuse the picture as I took it with my cellphone. Plus I'm not so exact with the measurements.

My inspiration for this can be found at this site.

Ingredients:
1 kg of pork and chicken
2 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
garlic
onion
boiled egg
pepper
sugar

Directions:
1) I cooked the pork first to make sure that it will be tender.
2) Once the pork is tender, add water, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic onion and pepper.
3) Set to boil but do not stir until it starts to boil to ensure that the vinegar will be cooked.
4) Add chicken and cook until meat is done.
5) Let it simmer.
6) Mix in sugar depending on preferred taste.

Hubby liked naman my version of adobo.

My Little Lexie is Sick :(

Lex has colds.

We brought her to her doctor last Saturday and her pedia just prescribed Sterimar. May konti lang bara sa ilong but still ok pa rin naman daw since she had no fever and she was still feeding well. However, hindi pa rin nawawala until yesterday. Naawa talaga ako. Nakakaiyak to see your child having difficulty breathing. Doc told me to give her nasatopps na for five days. She seems to have improved a bit after taking 2 doses of her medicine. Sana tuloy tuloy na!

Breastfeeding Woes

Breastfeeding has been a source of stress for me. I've been feeling bad about it because I have been mixed feeding. Actually, instead of formula milk being the supplement, breast milk has been the supplement. I feel that I am a failure at breastfeeding because I cannot provide for the requirements of my twins.

I really wish I read up on breastfeeding while I was pregnant. A lot of my friends were telling me to breastfeed and I though it was so easy. I didn't know that it was really hard work and can be really painful.

I wasn't informed about a lot of things. My husband and yaya were not so well informed also. Hence, we went for bottle and formula feeding just 4 days after my babies were born. I felt so bad. They were crying and we thought they were hungry even after nursing. Plus I developed sore nipples at that time. After that, it was difficult to get my babies to latch. Plus it was easier and more convenient to offer a bottle than to get them to latch.

Still, I wanted to offer my babies breast milk. If I can't get them to latch, I will just pump and feed the breast milk by bottle. So I kept on pumping. However, I still think that the amount of milk I pump is not enough. The most that I was able to pump in a day is 7 ounces.

Now, I am feeling down again. 2 days ago, I was able to pump twice only as I went out. I was able to express 3 oz. only. Today, I've pumped thrice already but has been able to express 70 ml only or around 2 oz. I'm feeling sad because I want to be able to provide breast milk as long as I can. What if my supply is starting to dry out already? It has only been a month and a week.

My Last Ultrasound

My babies at 34 weeks...

Twins' 4d ultrasound

We were so excited to see how our angels look like so even if it was quite expensive, hubby and I decided to have a 4d ultrasound done on me. We had ours at OGUSCA in their Festival mall branch. Luckily, they had a discount at that time.

(Max at 30 weeks)

(Lex at 30 weeks)

Inside Mommy pictures

Twins are monitored more frequently than singletons. Hence, more ultrasound pictures. I always looked forward to seeing them move on screen. It reassured me that they were doing fine...

(twins at around 11 weeks)

(twins at 21 weeks; this is when we found out we were having girls--well, one was surely a girl)

(twin A at 25 weeks)

(twin B at 25 weeks)

Memorable Day

I can still remember the day when I found out we were having twins. It was March 11, 2010.

I was scheduled for my 1st ultrasound. I was having some abdominal pains and my OB wanted to be sure that everything was ok. I was on my 7th week at that time. I went alone because my husband was away on a business trip. I was scared because it was my first time to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound plus no one was there to hold my hand.

The OB-sonologist was not even that accommodating and friendly. Medyo mataray pa siya and pinagalitan pa niya ako na huwag daw ako malakas magbreathe in and out kasi daw nahihirapan siya. I was waiting for her to explain the procedure to me or to show me the screen. Pero wala. I just heard her call her assistant and asked her to look at the screen. After that, that's when she told me " dalawa ito". I was so surprised and happy. She then let me hear the heartbeat. Super super happy!!!! I couldn't wait to tell my hubby. When I went down to pay for the ultrasound, I called my husband and begged him to answer my call ( he was in a meeting). I told him we were having twins and he couldn't believe it! Ako rin, hindi rin ako makapaniwala! I asked my Dad to call me as he was overseas and then I called my mother in law. At that time, ang pagkakaalam namin, walang history ng twins on both sides so we were all surprised. I texted and called up some of my relatives and friends. They were all shocked hahahaha! Joe and I were just so thankful to the Lord for the wonderful news.

Below is the very first picture of our twins...

Thank you

Prayer in Thanks of a Safe Delivery

Good Saint Gerard, patron of mothers, assist me in thanking God for the great gift of motherhood. During the months of my waiting, I learned to call upon you and placed the safety of my child and myself under your powerful protection. The great lesson of your trust in God sustained me; your slogan, "God will provide," became my hope and consolation. I thank God for my child and for motherhood. Help me to prize the great treasure of motherhood and obtain for me the grace to raise my child as a child of God.
Amen.

God is great! Thank you for our healthy twins!

Happy Birthday, Max and Lex!

I was originally scheduled for a C-section on October 15. That would have been my 38th week. My OB wanted to be more confident regrading my twins' development (especially the lungs) hence she wanted to prolong my angels' stay inside my tummy until the 38th week.

We were really praying and hoping that we reach the 15th because we didn't want any complications with the twins to arise upon delivery. I was really careful with my activities and I restricted unnecessary movements.

However, I think the Lord had other plans. Though I may have contributed a bit to my twins' early birthday...

Oct 7
I had some errands to do and wanted to go out and do them myself since I didn't want to disturb by husband or my Dad. Well, it was really more of me wanting to go out since I've been on bed rest/ house arrest for a couple of weeks already. I knew I was scheduled for a check up the coming Saturday but I got tired easily and so I didn't want to cram everything in one day. I was also feeling fine and so I went out. I went to the bank and even gifted myself with a pedicure.

Oct 8
11am: I was laid down on bed and was watching tv. I then sat down on the bed as I thought of going to the bathroom. When I sat down I felt some discharge come out. I thought it was just the regular one. When I stood up, I noticed that my sheets were stained, too. But not with blood or urine as it had no smell. I went to the bathroom to pee and saw that my underwear was also kind of wet. I was wearing pantyliners and thought that maybe I just needed to change my liner. However, since I am on my 37th week already that day and that is considered full term for twins already, I texted my OB about the incident.

3pm: I got to talk to my OB and she told me to observe my discharge. It could have been just watery discharge or I could have been leaking amniotic fluid already. Of course, I got worried but was hopeful that it wasn't the time yet. My OB told me that if it happens again, I should go to the hospital already and she will have to deliver me.

6pm: I took a shower and again felt discharge come out. I felt a drop running down my thigh. When I checked, it was a watery white substance so I dismissed it as watery discharge. I didn't report that to my OB anymore. When my husband got home, I told him everything. He was so excited and wanted to bring me to the hospital already. I wanted to wait for a "real" sign. Plus we were scheduled for a check up the following day.

7pm: I was still able to help out in the kitchen and supervise our helpers in cooking our dinner. I still didn't feel anything different though I would regularly check my seat if I stood up.

Bedtime: My husband was so excited already. He wanted to meet our angels already. He kept on talking to my tummy. Sinasabihan niya na sana lumabas na sila. Ako naman, inaaway ko si hubby kasi baka nga sumunod sa kanya babies namin.

Oct 9
2am: I went to the bathroom to pee. I checked for blood and watery discharge. Negative naman pareho. I have trouble going back to sleep after going to the bathroom so I was half awake and was trying to go back to sleep until...

3am: I felt the gush of water come out. As in, ang dami and ang lakas. Para siyang faucet na binuksan! Sabi ko sa sarili ko na it was time already. I woke up my husband and told him na we had to leave na. At first, I don't think he realized what I was saying. I had to tell him again na we had to wake up na as we had to go to the hospital already. Biglang napabangon. When he opened the lights, we saw that our bed was super wet. When I sat down, may lumalabas pa rin. We woke up my dad na. Pero I took a bath pa muna ha! And I had to fix my bag pa. I had everything ready already. Hindi ko pa nga lang nilalagay sa bag. Sabi ko kasi after na ng last check up ko.

4:30am: We got to the hospital around this time. On the way, I called my ob already. I presented my admitting orders to the staff. The nurses and in house ob staff checked me out. I was about 2cm dilated already and sobrang lambot na raw ng cervix ko. Oh no! I was afraid to experience labor pains. Nakaset na mind ko sa cs! They prepared me for the operation na. I signed some papers pa. I was hooked to an IV. The operation was set for 7am. My hubby sent text messages to out closest family members and friends. I was reminding my hubby on how to use the camera. I was both scared and excited. My hubby was nervous, too. He thought he was going to vomit! When it was nearing 7am already, my hubby was provided with a scrub (?) and a cap to wear inside the operating room. I was also injected with a sedative para daw hindi daw ako mastress sa operation.

7am: I was brought to the operating room already. I was a bit groggy na. I remember laying on my side and my back being cleaned for the anesthesia. But I don't recall the injections anymore. I woke up again when my hubby came in.

7:47am: Happy birthday, Max!

7:48am: Happy birthday, Lex!

I heard our first baby cry! Then I heard the doctors telling my hubby to take a picture of something. I remember one of my babies being shown to me. I think that was Max. After that, I don't remember anything anymore.

9:30am: I woke up and I was in the recovery room already. Good thing my hubby was there. I was having the chills. He told me na bawal magsalita. I just asked him if our babies were fine and I wanted to see pictures. He assured me everything was fine and that I should sleep and rest.

11:30am: I was brought to my room na.

Since I couldn't stand up yet, my babies were brought to our room for feeding. Hence, we were able to take these pictures.

Our family is now complete. I love my husband and our angels very much!!!

Prayer for a Safe Delivery to St. Gerard

(Photo from http://www.praying4ababy.com/stgerard.html)

I have been praying to St. Gerard for a safe pregnancy, delivery and for healthy and normal babies. In my booklet, it is indicated that his feast day is October 15. I just noticed it last night and got excited because I am scheduled to give birth on the 15th. However, after searching for him on the net, it seems that his real feast day is October 16. Oh well, it's still ok.

Prayer for a Safe Delivery

O great Saint Gerard, beloved servant of Jesus Christ, perfect imitator of your meek and humble Savior, and devoted child of Mother of God, enkindle within my heart one spark of that heavenly fire of charity which glowed in your heart and made you an angel of love.
O glorious Saint Gerard, because when falsely accused of crime, you did bear, like your Divine Master, without murmur or complaint, the calumnies of wicked men, you have been raised up by God as the patron and protector of expectant mothers.
Preserve me from danger and from the excessive pains accompanying childbirth, and shield the child which I now carry, that it may see the light of day and receive the purifying and life-giving waters of baptism through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

The prayer above and other prayers to St. Gerard can be found at this site.

From KSA with Love ;-)

Yahoo! I'm 36 weeks today Thank you, dear Lord!!!

Just wanted to post some pictures of the gifts we got from my aunt. I was so excited when we got the packages and was extremely happy when we opened them.

Joe and I were so happy especially with the stroller! He was really so focused on trying to assemble it. He kept on inspecting it and was already picturing our twins riding the stroller. I, on the other hand, was so surprised with the quantity of items that my aunt sent. Super dami talaga!!! I just posted the pictures of the clothes but there were bottles, diapers and wipes also. We are so blessed!!! Praise God!!!