Approaching 37 Weeks!

Here I am on July 3 on our front porch before leaving for a potluck at my sister-in-law Roxanne's house. I am about 36 weeks & 2 days along in my pregnancy and looking quite big. My waist is measuring a substantial 45" these days and growing. Baby boy is stretching me out! Oh, the pangs of pregnancy!! I've been so exhausted & so out of breath lately, too, no matter what I'm doing whether it's just standing or walking for a few minutes. I have found some rest though in a rocking chair we purchased off of Craigs List for only $40. It'll come in handy after baby is born during feeding times.

I am continuing to rest and "nest" awaiting for the baby's arrival soon since Dr. Lai says that he might be here sooner than later. We can't wait to meet him finally!

Last Ultrasound for Baby

On Friday, July 2, Rommel and I had our last ultrasound for baby at the doctor's office. The technician confirmed that baby is most definitely a BOY! Thank goodness because everything we have bought for baby so far is centered around a little boy theme & colors! The ultrasound also indicated that the baby is healthy and doing well and is currently a whopping 7 lbs. 9 oz! Our baby boy is a big one! Dr. Lai also told us that I am about 1 cm. dilated already & 80% effaced, which means that baby might be coming in a week or 2 weeks (sooner than our due date of July 30)! With the baby weighing so much as the ultrasound indicates, maybe an early delivery is much better for me. In any case, I am not ready for baby boy yet. I still have more "nesting" to do.

Our Family Baby Shower

On Saturday, June 12, we had our family baby shower at Monte Verde Park in Lakewood, CA, which was hosted by Rommel's sisters, Roxanne Ignacio and Roslynne Manansala-Smith. Much love and thanks go out to Roxanne and Roslynne for conspiring to make our baby shower truly a success and very memorable. All hands were on deck and there are others that helped that we would also like to recognize - my parents for making additional food, providing drinks & for helping with the clean-up afterwards; to my brother, Ronnie, & wife Johanna for helping secure the venue, helping with the set-up, providing party goods & the lovely diaper cake; to my sister, Melanie, for painting the birdhouses for the centerpieces; to Rommel's immediate family- Ronald, Sharon, Cody, Chris, nephew Nyah & nieces Caitlynne, Rianne & Celeste - for helping with whatever needed to be done that day to make it even more special; to Rommel's dad, Ray, for providing video footage for prosperity; to Nanay Fe, for making her fine adobo recipe which everyone loved; to Cyndi & Joshua for helping with the setup & meticulously placing the branches for the centerpieces; to my friend, Quinn Bautista, for creating such beautiful, handmade cookies for our favors; and, last but not least, to the other family members whom I haven't mentioned specifically by name & whom helped that day without asking - WE LOVE YOU ALL!

From what I have heard, everyone whom attended enjoyed the food, the venue, the atmosphere and most importantly, each other. Thank you to everyone whom set aside their late morning to spend with us in preparing for the welcome of our baby. Baby thanks all of you for the lovely gifts, too!

My First Baby Shower at Cucina Donatelle

My good friend and ex co-worker and my current Haworth furniture sales rep, Paula Cardello, hosted my first baby shower at the quaint home of Mary Thibault of Cucina Donatelle in Tustin, CA on May 15th. A few of my closest friends in the design industry attended the baby shower. We all enjoyed a lovely brunch prepared by Mary and her mother, Helen. We even learned how to make the Italian Cupcake dessert after our brunch and even had the chance to devour them (I inhaled 2 cupcakes!) after opening presents. Everything was so yummy and so well planned. I am so honored to be surrounded by loving friends. Much love and thanks to Paula for coordinating a most memorable baby shower and to Mary and Helen for preparing a delicious meal! Here are a few pictures to share. I am 29 weeks at this stage of my pregnancy.

Our Maternity Photos

On May 2nd, Rommel and I ventured out to the "Wedge" in Newport Beach to have some maternity photos taken of us for prosperity, thanks to Stephanie Hill Photography. I am about 27 weeks along in my pregnancy at this stage. The beautiful, sunny day with the Pacific Ocean and its ocean breeze blowing softly was a nice backdrop for our pictures. Here are a few of our favorites. Enjoy!

Pigao-Manansala Baby Shower

Our family/friends baby shower is fast approaching. Hope you like what I designed myself. =)

A Bigger Waistline

Here I am at 22 weeks on March 24th. My waistline is definitely bigger and expanding exponentially on a daily basis! Rommel and I took a tape measure to my waistline around my belly button and I measured 39"! Whoa! It's amazing how much my tummy has grown in the past month. Even more unbelievable is how fast time is passing and before I know it, July will be here. There is still more to plan like the baby shower and child care and it's hard not to stress over it. Thank goodness I have great friends and a good support system to help me through these big changes in my life.

Anatomy of Baby Manansala

Rommel and I went to the image lab for an ultrasound on Friday, March 5th, to see how much the baby has grown and developed since the last time and most importantly, to find out the sex of the baby as well. Thankfully, the baby is thriving and has all its necessary components and digits - arms, legs, fingers, toes, eyes, ears, etc. And...surprise, surprise to our delight, we found out that our baby is a BOY!!! Rommel is ecstatic as can be and honestly, so am I. We both shared tears of joy. All this time, I thought I was having a boy, despite most of our family and friends saying otherwise. Even Rommel thought we were having a girl. I guess I was right all along. =) I can't wait to raise a good boy and bring a fine gentleman into this world. We shared the news with our families later that evening, and as you can see, our nieces, Caitlynne and Rianne, also wanted to share the news to the world! To capture this special moment, I also composed a video of our ultrasound pictures for your viewing pleasure. The pictures sure do speak a thousand words. Enjoy! Oh, and best of all, I felt for the first time our baby boy's first kicks at about 10:30 last night!

My 5-Month Belly

Here I am about 19 weeks along in my pregnancy. The latest doctor's visit was as good as can be and the baby is thriving. I'm just about half way there and can't believe how time has flown by. In 4 months, I'm going to be a mother and Rommel and I will be part of the 'hood- Parenthood, that is! We are so looking forward to it.

What's with the Belly Roll?!

Here I am in my 14th week of pregnancy and finally showing a bit. To me, it just looks like I had a few too many meals. =) Pants are fitting much more snug but I am still using the pant expander - God bless the b-buckle! I went shopping the other day for a couple cute maternity tops from Old Navy that I can wear thru the summer season. Thank goodness maternity clothing is not as gruesome as they used to be.

13 Weeks 2 Days Old

I went to my 2nd ultrasound on Friday, January 22nd, and was able to see the growing baby inside of me close up. I have attached the ultrasound pictures of the baby so you can see how much it has grown (see below). Again, it was so surreal to me. I was there to have its neck measurement checked for Down Syndrome...and we are happy to say that the baby passed with flying colors. The radiology tech also asked if I wanted to take a sneak peek at the baby's sex but because Rommel wasn't with me this time, I opted not to. It was tempting though. =)

I was also able to hear his/her heartbeat for the first time at both the ultrasound and at my doctor's office. It sounded like a sound submerged underwater (well, actually it is). My doctor measured its heartbeat at 170, which she said was at a range for a baby girl. She also said that it doesn't mean anything. =)

All my blood tests also came back normal this week, including the cystic fibrosis screening. Only 1 more blood test to go in week 16 to finalize the prenatal 2nd trimester screening. Did I mention, I hate getting bloodwork done?

Everything else is going well I'm happy to report. I'm still tired and sleepy but I can tell that my energy levels are picking back up a bit. The time is flying by so fast!

Baby Pigao-Manansala at 10 Weeks

Rommel and I went to our first ultrasound on New Year's Eve and saw our baby for the first time. It was the most amazing thing we ever did see! We both got teary-eyed at what we saw on the screen, knowing that we created this baby inside of me. It was very surreal to say the least.

It's a little peanut! =)

Me at 10 Weeks

Rommel snapped this shot of me and my little belly at 10 weeks on New Year's Eve. It's a slow start but I'm happy that I can still fit in my jeans!

A Gift from Our Friends

Our good friends, Amy and Rosie Fortune-Velasco, sent us this beautiful package of goodies from "Cheryl and Co." after we shared our wonderful news with them. It was a nice surprise waiting on our doorstep after Thanksgiving. We are blessed to have such sweet friends.

Welcome to our Baby Blog!

I created this baby blog because I wanted to share my thoughts and special moments as Rommel and I go through this life-changing experience of having our first baby and on the road to becoming parents.

Welcome to our life as new parents-to-be!

Breaking the Good News to Our Family!

On Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, Rommel and I decided to share our wonderful news with our families. This is a short video to show how we surprised them. It's definitely a Thanksgiving Day to remember for years to come. Enjoy!
=) Love always, Jenny

A Special Surprise for Rommel!

I edited a short video of the snapshots and exact moment when I told Rommel that we were having a baby! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did putting it together for your viewing pleasure. =) Love always, Jenny