Meet Aria!

April 14, 2012 at 11:59 PM, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Aria Asis-Carilo. Oh, what a big baby she was! 7 lbs and 10 oz. and 50 cm long. I had a difficult normal delivery, but it was all worth it.

More details soon. Right now, let me just share with you the joy and love that our new family is feeling. My husband and I are so blessed. Little Aria is our song of love.

:)

No visitors!

38 weeks and 4 days. I can see the big day happening really soon. Aria's coming out into this beautiful world, and my husband and I can't wait to hold her in our arms and give her real kisses, not just the ones that land on my tummy.

I'll be giving birth at The Medical City. I chose this hospital because (1) my OB is there, (2) it's a very clean hospital and (3) there's Starbucks on the ground floor. I don't have to worry about icky smells or dirty hallways or scary-looking rooms.

Speaking of rooms, Hubby and I will be getting one that's large enough only for me, him, Aria, immediate family and almost no extra space for visitors. I've only invited my closest, closest friends to visit, and that's just five people. A lot of our other friends have been asking if they can visit. If we gave you this reply, "Sige let's see. We'll let you know..." then that means we would appreciate it if you skip the hospital visit and just wait for Aria's welcoming party. I don't mean to sound rude, but I know that after the delivery I will be in my most uncomfortable, ugliest and most delicate state. I won't have the strength to graciously welcome visitors. And since Aria will be roomed-in with us, it wouldn't be a good idea to have a lot of people crowding around.

So there. No visitors, unless invited. And kindly knock before entering. This first-time mom has been excited for the past nine months, but I'm not going crazy about delivery and after-delivery. That's something I choose not to share to the public. I hope you all understand.

Wish me luck!

Helpless.

This is how I'm feeling right now. And I'm hating it!

My OB advised me not to drive anymore. Pregnancy and driving don't really have contraindications, but because I can give birth anytime soon, it would be better (according to her and everyone else in my family) to have someone drive for me, and be with me at all times, just in case I suddenly go into labor or if my water bag ruptures.

So here I am, with no means of going where I wanna go, doing what I wanna do, without bothering someone else. For a woman who's used to being independent all her life, this situation is very frustrating!

Plus the fact that I'm feeling exhausted all the time, what with carrying almost 6pounds of extra weight in my tummy every minute of the day. People are now doing things for me - chores, carrying my stuff, running errands for me. If I were a spoiled brat, I'd be enjoying this. But I'm not. This independent chick is not liking this helplessness one bit.

I shouldn't complain. Life is being really wonderful to me. I just want my strength back. I miss it badly.

DND!

It's Maundy Thursday here in Manila. Holy week. A long weekend, too, since Monday is also a holiday.

And since my hubby doesn't always get this chance to be work-free for a week, we decided to have a staycation at Midas Hotel. I got me a gift certificate, so our stay is for free. Awesome, ain't it? ;)

No work, no stress, no responsibilities. Hakuna matata! And we are loving it!

:)

Dearest Aria...

What an awesome nine months we both had! Now, love, we're nearing the finish line. Mommy and Daddy are going to meet you anytime now. And we are so happy and eager to welcome you to the world!

It's a beautiful world out here, my dear daughter. It can be stressful and chaotic and there are some people that you can never trust, but this place is full of sunshine and glorious rain! You'll be surrounded by family and friends who have loved you even before you were born. You'll be amazed at everything - the sun, the skies, the wind that will blow through your hair, the sound of dogs barking (they're our pets - Princess and Lily Potter), the feel of water when we give you a bath, even the softness of your pillows will make you wonder. Everything will be new and amazing for you out here, and Mommy and Daddy will be watching you every step of the way.

I know it's time to let go now. A part of me is excited to finally see you and hold you in my arms. But there's also a big part of me that wants to hold on to you still. For the past nine months, it has been just you and me. You were a big part of me. I felt you move, kick, swim, even have hiccups! I felt every movement, even the tiny ones that you thought you could hide from me. For the past nine months, you were my constant companion everywhere I went. You were my radio partner, my workout buddy, my silent date in restaurants, my travel companion, the one who listened to my whispers and grumbles and sighs. I sang to you all the time and sometimes you would sway or dance along with the music. Whenever I was feeling anxious or excited or happy or sad, I would touch you and sometimes you would give me a reassuring kick to let me know that I'm not alone. All those moments with you, my darling, were so beautiful and romantic! I look for words to describe exactly how those whole nine months felt, but the words fail to measure up to how wonderful it has been. Wonderful is an understatement. I know Mommy has to let you go now, any day you feel like leaving my tummy to enter the world. I'm going to miss you, little one. I know you understand exactly how Mommy feels. Before you're born, Aria, I want to thank you for spending nine months with me. It has been the best journey of my life so far. Thank you for every beautiful moment. We had so much fun together, right? I will never forget that.

You and I worked hand-in-hand to make Mommy's pregnancy smooth-sailing and terrific! I'd go through another nine months with you if that was possible. What a fantastic adventure we had, love! Are you ready for a new one? I bet you are!

Anytime now, dear Aria. Soon as that little gate opens and you feel like slipping out, Daddy and I will be here to welcome you with all the love and adoration we can ever muster. We're just here waiting for you.

Your name - Aria - means music. And you, my little one, are Daddy and Mommy's song of love. We love you! See you soon.

Love,

Mommy

Aria's Baby Shower!

We celebrated Aria's baby shower yesterday. It was a gift from my Dad and Mom, and my sister Adie took care of the planning and organizing. We were joined by our closest friends, and Aria's future godparents. It was a small get-together, very warm and intimate and fun!

To everyone who spent time with us, thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts! Your presence meant a lot to me and my husband. And to my awesome family - THANK YOU! I have the best parents and siblings in the world. :)

Alvin and I are so happy because our little daughter is being showered with so much love, and she's not even born yet! Everyone's excited to meet her. And so are we!

:)

Fun! :)

Aria's awesome grandparents! I have a strong feeling the little one's gonna be super spoiled. :)

A lot of games and DOUGIE! :)

Thanks for everything, Adie! Love you!

With Aria's ninongs and their families

With my good friends and Aria's fab ninangs, Jada and Mags

With one of my closest friends, Len and her husband Mike. Plus Sloan - winner of that day's Bibo Award :)

Our souvenir cupcakes were gifts from our good friends, Caloy and Angel of Lia's Cakes in Season. Thank you!

Proud and excited parents! :)

Pregnancy is LOVE!

A sample from my preggy shoot.

Photography by Alvin Carilo.
Makeup by Aljheal of Essensuals Toni & Guy.
Models: Mommy + Aria.

:)

Homestretch!

34 weeks, near entering my 35th. It won't be long! I'll soon be introducing you to my beautiful baby Aria.

Hubby and I had our preggy photo shoot this weekend. We checked in at Discovery Suites with his camera and lights - the works! I love, love, love the photos he took of me and I can't wait to post them soon!

In a few weeks, I'll be saying goodbye to pregnancy, and honestly, I'm gonna miss it so! Yes, even the restless nights and the contractions and not fitting into my clothes. Because along with all those came perks like parking at the PWD slots and people being extra nice and courteous. What I'll miss the most is having Aria all to myself, feeling her kicks and wiggles and squirms inside me. Those moments were all so precious!

I'll show you some of my preggy shots as soon as they're ready. And pretty soon, this blog will be filled with photos of a new star - Aria!

:)

Wheee!

She's not even born yet, and she already has so many new things! My little Aria is so very loved!

Thank you, family and friends, for showering her with all the pretty presents! Aria's very happy. I know this because she wiggles and wriggles in my tummy everytime I unwrap gifts!

:)

Move it!

Bed rest. I never thought I'd be hearing my OB say those words. I was advised to go on bed rest for three days after I had some painful contractions. It was a bit of a scare for me. I've just entered my 33rd week and it's still too early for little Aria to come out. So I had to take it easy, rest, take meds and be glued to my bed for 3 days. Fun, you think? Not for someone active like me. Sure, Aria and I got to bond. But even my baby got bored with no movement.

Now my bed rest is over! Wheee! Can't wait to go back to my favorite form of exercise - Barre3! If you were able to catch the article on Inquirer Lifestyle two weeks ago, then you have an idea of what barre3 is about. It's a workout that combines yoga, pilates, ballet and a bit of strength training. I've discovered this a year ago, and I have been hooked ever since. The pic I posted is the Inquirer article. I was chosen as one of the students who best embody Barre3 Philippines. So my photo and a short interview was included in the article. It was an honor!

So today it's time for me to get back on my feet and move it! My OB gave me the go signal to exercise but not on a daily basis, which I don't do anyway. 3x a week of barre3 sessions and/or a few kilometers on the cross trainer - that's my fitness routine. And even if I feel like an elephant, what with this huge watermelon of a tummy I've got, I still feel absolutely fantastic!

Aria's doing A-OK as well. The other day, we had her heartbeat checked and had an ultrasound again. She's happy and healthy in there. Good heartrate, good breathing. She was playing "close-open" with her fists when we saw her during the ultrasound. Then she gave out a big yawn! How cute is that! My husband Alvin and I were ecstatic! Thank You, God, for keeping our little one safe and healthy.

33weeks. Homestretch for me already. OMG, I'm almost there! Can you feel my excitement? I still have a few weeks left to have Aria all to myself so I'm gonna cherish every single moment, every kick and every stretch. And I'll be sharing with her every place and every activity that I love so she'll learn to love it, too. Like exercise!

:)