We have not announce it virtually yet...It's so fun soaking up all the face-to-face excitement and expressions each time we share THE news!
When we found out that we're going to be starting a family, our hearts blossomed with so much happiness. We didn't even entertain the thought if we were ready or not, we just knew that we were so blessed and so in awe beyond anything in this world. We knew almost instantly that we were baking a baby inside, as the symptoms kicked in real early. We think our baby was really eager to show us who little bossy is! It's funny how we love our little one with all our hearts already even though we have not met.
Our first doctor's visit was to a GP, 3 weeks after we had conceived. We peed on the stick at home, and it was the most glorious morning when I burst through the bathroom door shyly, dancing on my tiptoes showing my husband that we were "2-3 weeks pregnant" as indicated on that blue magical wand. We wanted to keep our little sacred secret just between the two of us for as long as we can, just because it was fun like that and also because we wanted a professional confirmation before we could share the news with the entire clan.
And so, we made an appointment at our local GP to check if we were really pregnant. The doctor, our good old Dr Ronnie just took our word for it and congratulated us, warning us not to consume any papaya until we are at a more matured stage. Unsatisfied with the confirmation we got, we made another appointment, this time round with an OB/GYN! (OB/GYN: A commonly used abbreviation. OB is short for obstetrics or for an obstetrician, a physician who delivers babies. GYN is short for gynecology or for a gynecologist, a physician who specializes in treating diseases of the female reproductive organs.) "She seems like the right person with the right words in her title description to certify pregnancies", we thought to ourselves. Low and behold, we made an appointment and jumped on the bed where the doctor brought out a gigantic lollipop-looking stick and rubbed it against my belly up and down to see if she could see a baby in there. No baby yet, I don't see no baby and my heart panicked! But I saw a black hole with a white seed planted inside. The gentlest white bean that looked very peacefully resting in a sack in my belly. And that was when the doctor said "Yes, pregnant!" and confirmed it all.
We have a baby growing in us. Not quite baby yet, but a bean, not quite a bean too, perhaps a clump of cells. That was when we decided to call the little clump of cells CLUMPY.
Clumpy has since been growing steadily and healthily in my belly. Every once a month we get so extremely excited and we look forward to meeting our little Clumpy. It's as if the doctor holds the key to the window to seeing our little baby. Each month we wait patiently for that one day where we get to meet our Clumpy for a very brief 3-5 minutes, which never failed to plaster smiles on our faces for days. Each time we think of how well Clumpy is growing it just brings sun shining smiles to our faces.
When we were in our first trimester, I looked and felt like I was constantly bloated with air. Every so often, I'd be checking my side profile through the reflection on the mirror. Eager to get to the 2nd trimester where I know I can then waddle about and proudly carrying a huge belly for all to see that we have a Clumpy growing in me. But the beginning of 2nd trimester didn't get me all that huge yet. I only looked like I overate and clothes were all beginning to show a bulge but we didn't look fully pregnant yet. Week 20 was what we call the "explosion" week - we grew and we grew and we grew! And I was never so proud in packing on the pounds!
Looking back, I was just telling my husband, it's so strange how when we first got pregnant, we were only bloated with air but we deludedly think that everyone could see our belly and nobody would miss knowing the big news! And then when the 2nd trimester came about, we started walking boldly, making big actions and deliberately pushing my tummy out so that people know that a baby is coming along. We are now at week 29, so excited we can't explain how wonderful this feeling is, that we finally look really pregnant, without even needing much effort to show off.
This is the first post I have written in relation to our pregnancy since our success in making a honeymoon baby. Pregnancy is indeed a very overwhelming but exciting journey. My husband and I are constantly learning more and more about each other and it just mesmerises me how much gentleness there is in this man I so adore. His never-ending care for us is also a testament of his character. He doesn't carry his baby, but he takes every single effort to make sure he in involved, to make sure he is informed, known and want to grow with us on every ounce and every second of this journey. He sets reminder on his phone to remind us to have our supplements on a daily basis. Thank you for making me so loved, and so cared for.
We do get asked all the time if we are ready. But this man, he sure assures us and makes us feel like we have been prepared all our lives for this moment. I'm sure as heck not ready, how would you wake up one day and tell your brain that you are expecting a baby and therefore will need it to sleep less, eat more, attend to a crying baby, not freak out, know what to do, protect baby, maintain cool, produce milk, feed baby...all in all be a supermom?!?!?!? Don't think we can idolise any superhero character for this super important role. Neither were we taught in class. But I find comfort knowing my loving husband will always be by our side no matter what, and also we have our mothers who were once in our shoes, some 30 over years ago...they managed to pull through by figuring out, I'm pretty sure we will do okay too.
So yeah, there you go world Joel and I are expecting a babyyyyyyyyyyyyy!
