Chamu's First Trip to LA

Chamu just got back from one wonderful week in LA. It was his 16th week and Mami is certainly feeling better even with the 30-hour total air travel time and the long immigration and security wait. I ate almost non-stop during the trip since it has been a while that I get to eat Mom's homecooking food and food is available always at home. Chamu had his first Inn-n-out burger and he loved it (yum yum). He also loved Taiwanese Mayou Chicken and Minced Pork...
Granny is not quite ready to accept her elevated status (because it makes her feel old) but she was constantly feeding her daughter and made sure that I would not go hungry even for one minute (man, my doctor will lecture me again when she sees my weight gain).
We did a lot of shopping: maternity clothes and baby goods. It is amazing how many products have been invented to scam the parents-to-be. It is like planning for a wedding again where there is no limit when it comes to spending budget (except this time you feel guilty when you opt out something). Everything seems to be an item of necessity, yet most of them were not even available to babies born 15 years ago. Anyways, we filled up two big suitcases but only managed to get not even one quarter of things on the to-buy list.
Chamu also met aunties and uncles from the Cham side for the first time. They so patiently accompanied JoJomami to shop for maternity clothes (so she can regain her self-confidence again). Chamu also met aunties from Berkeley. We have not seen each other for a long long time and it was so great to have 10 of us there along with their significant others. Chamu would certainly love to have more playmates from the Bears circle so pick up your baby-making pace Bears!
JoJomami was constantly hungry (like every two hours) but she was so happy to have regained her energy and have caught up with her friends and family... I still have two more trips planned for the US in the next two months... After February, it will be a long time before Jaime and I can travel again...

15 Weeks and going to LA

Thank you everyone for putting up with my incessant whining about my all-day sickness. It is estimated that less than 10% of pregnant women will continue to experience "morning sickness" even after the first trimester. Some will continue to "suffer" until delivery. So far, based on the signs of my improving condition, I can almost declare that I do not belong to the 10% population.
I feel more energetic and am able to concentrate on work more. Call me crazy but I find it soothing that I can concentrate on work again. Not being able to be more productive at work previously was driving me crazy. I am having a better appetite even though still picky with food. I am really excited of our planned trip to LA starting this Friday. I'm able to spend some time with family and friends and introduce Chamu to them for the first time. I've got a very busy second trimester travel schedule. Luckily, compared to what I would've been required to do if I were still at Goldman, I am alreadying having a very relaxing schedule.
Everyday, Jaime and I talk about worries and expectations but I guess we will never have the answers until we go through them one by one. Having little Chamu is really drawing two of us closer. Jaime prepares my breakfast everyday and cooks dinner when we are not eating out. He is always very patient with me whining nonstop and I feel even more convinced than before that I have picked the right lifelong soulmate (and the right partner to be my children's father). Together we will try the best we can to be good parents (even if deep down inside, we both still want to be kids sometimes).

Benefits of Pregnancy

One of the major bodily enhancements brought by pregnancy is ever-increasing cup size. It is quite surreal because you are trying all your life with help of underwires, miracle bras or sponge pads (or even tissue paper) to augment your assets without much success and all of sudden, your assets just grow at the amazing speed without much external efforts ( like it's puberty again!). The only thing is, you know they are not here to stay. And pretty soon your tummy will outgrow your bosom so no one will even notice your enlarged, super-sized top. The only consolation prize you have is that your baby will likely be better fed (and perhaps he can sleep through the night)...

The second benefit is that you get to eat, eat, eat. Although most of the pregnancy books do not recommend eating without much discipline but you soon become slave to your stomach and you have zero control over what your mouth wants to eat. And of course, your loved ones around you are too scared to say no to you because they want the baby to grow. So I now have soft-baked chocolate cookies on our nightstand and chocolate milk in our refrigerator.

Third benefit is that you get to shop until you drop. Nothing fits anymore. By now, I have outgrown my pants, my tops, and even my shoes... I am planning to have a shopping spree when I get to LA this weekend. You spend the whole day thinking you have become less sexy and attractive so it is necessary to invest on something that makes you feel better. Somehow at 15 weeks, people at work are still quite insensitive to my widening mid-section. Perhaps I need to start wearing more bright colors and in-your-face preggy outfits to attract their attention...

The Moment of Truth

Today is the day we go see little Chamu again.
It has been two and half weeks since the last doctor visit and I have tried to eat well (and Jaime has tried every way he can to feed me) in the last two weeks but I still have limited appetite.
After waiting anxiously for 45 minutes, we finally got inside the room. First the scale. Despite the supposedly "bad appetite", I managed to gain 2.5 kgs in the last two weeks!!! That is more weight than I am allowed to gain in the entire first trimester. The nurse asked if I've had better than usual appetite and was shocked to learned that actually I am suffering from morning sickness. She warned me to watch my weight because I will likely have enormous appetite later on. Oops, must be all the chocolate soybean milk that I have been gulping...
Then we started the ultrasound session. First, the measurement of Chmu's Nuchal Tube. The first reading was on the high side so the doctor took four more readings and told us Chamu looks like a very healthy baby to her. Then she asked if we were hoping for a boy or a girl. I said that I'd like to have my first-born being a boy (since I think older brothers tend to be more responsible and stronger and my little girl should be adored and spoiled by her older brother). Then there it is... the mystery is solved (and we didn't need to wait until May next year).

See if you can identify Chamu's gender yourself!!!! 1:27 into the video then you should see the big revelation!

12 and 1/2 Weeks

Okay, boys and girls, forget the suspense. I finally told my boss about little Chamu and the news will hopefully spread from there without me having to go around and acknowledge to each person that I am actually pregnant and have them look at me like I have caught some disease when saying congratulations (I know, I may just be overly paranoid like all pregnant women - or women PERIOD). So far no one has noticed my growing bump underneath my over-sized suit jacket... Given that 25-year-olds are considered "over-aged mothers" at my company, I am sure people will look at me and think I am a freak when my belly can no longer be disguised... :)

Tomorrow little Nicholas will be coming to stay with us and his brother is also on the way... good time for us to try out parenting a little bit.

Little Chamu will be having his third ultrasound session today and we should be able to count his fingers and toes.. so excited! stay tuned...

我也不想再抱怨啦

对不起啦
这几个星期的部落格总是抱怨我的胃口不好 今天还是要再抱怨一次
昨天小Chamu已正式进入第十三周咯
这周四去看医生 可以再看看是否他长的又更高更壮了
我还是对食物感冒 妈妈说要吃味道重点的食物
我试了下 吃的时候的确好下咽些 但吃完了 肚子还是不好受
上礼拜又是一样
周六晚更变本加厉 开始吐了起来
我坐在床上哭 Jaime在地上擦

有些时侯实在是太辛苦了
我会不小心迁怒于小Chamu
搞得Jaime还得要安抚他 (对不起 妈咪真的不是故意生气的)
都已经第十三周了 书上都说应该会比较有胃口了
但我还是挑嘴挑得厉害 所有的料理都吃了一轮啦
仍然搞得胃口尽失 面临着随时无饭可吃的问题
对不起 我也不想再抱怨啦
但愿这周过后就只有吃太多的问题而没有吃不下的问题
P.S. 我很快就要原形毕露啦 还是没告诉我老板

Joys and Excitements

We finally broke the news to our family yesterday. Everyone is so excited about us expecting a new life in our family.
My dad is already committed to losing weight, quitting smoking (it's a forty-year-old habit), and doing more exercise! My mom is planning when she should come out to be our "cook" again. Jaime's family is equally excited, commenting on how fidgety little Chamu is. We read yesterday in the antenatal care book that actually babies move a lot early stage in the womb. Because now they are still quite small and there is a lot of room for them to "exercise". It's amazing that even though it has only been 8 weeks since conception, the embryo has already grown more than 30,000 times larger to form the fetus!
Our close friends are also very excited about this news! For some reason, perhaps it's the joys and excitements, I do not feel as nauseous today. But then it triggers my worry on Chamu. I started to wonder whether he is growing fine and, if yes, how come I don't feel as bad today? I guess I'm already thinking like a mother and from this moment on, I will only have endless worries (like our parents who never stop worrying for us) whether they are valid or not.
My last worry is somewhat related to Chamu but not quite: I wonder when and how I should break the news to my bosses. Perhaps I will take the advice of my girlfriends and just let my belly grow until the bosses can no longer ignore...*sigh* despite years of fighting for equal treatment at work, somethings will never be equal...