11 Weeks - Heard Baby's Heartbeat!

We had our first appointment with our OB/GYN this afternoon and it was filled with paperworks, pamphlets, questions, classes we need to take, more paperwork, more bloodwork, more tests...more everything! We went through a million questions, all the tests I need to get done and how to get over this cold!

Unfortunately, because Lola has diabetes...I have to take a glucose test.

They gave me this nasty looking drink to take before the test...I wonder how it taste??? I think I'm going to get it done tomorrow and just get it over with!

The best part of the appointment was when the nurse whipped out the doppler to see if we could hear Baby's heartbeat. It took awhile to find it but soon enough we heard the "Whoosh, Whoosh" sound! Actually, it sounded like an old duck to me trying to quack with a cough!

"Whaaqqq.....whaaaaqqq....whaaaqqq"

It was a big relief for the both of us...with me being sick and being at a new doctor's office! Our next appointment is next Wednesday and we get to see Baby!!! They're doing the first screening tests so hopefully all goes well!

I also wanted to say how AMAZING Neal has been! He is so on top of things and so interested in everything that is going on. Usually our appointments were at 7:30 in the morning but now they are all scheduled in the afternoons and today he was working in the LA office. By 1:15 he was at my office ready to pick me up! I am so happy and lucky to have such a supportive, active and loving hubby! He's on top of all my vitamins and medications, has taken most of the chores around the house, always ready to rub my achy head, back or feet and being an awesome bestfriend, hubby and Daddy to me and Socks! We love him more and more everyday!!!

Can you belive Baby is the size of a lime? Speaking of lime...a Margarita sounds SOOO good right now!

Baby's now the size of a lime!
Your fetus currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through it. But fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds, and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future.

(The Bump)

Your baby is about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches long and weighs about a third of an ounce, the size of a peanut. This is a big week for your baby's growth—she'll double in height. At the end of the week, her head and body will be roughly equal in length. This week also starts an active phase for her - she can turn somersaults, roll over, flex her fingers, hiccup, and stretch. You won't be able to feel her movement for another month and a half. She's floating in lots of amniotic fluid. Her limbs are developing from webbed paddles into arms and legs that have well-defined fingers and toes. Fingernails, toenails, and hair follicles are also beginning to form. Your baby's testes or ovaries have developed, though the sex probably won't be visible on a sonogram for at least another month. Intestines have developed at the place where the umbilical cord meets your baby's body. The intestines are now able to make constricting movements, though there won't be anything to digest until later.

(Fit Pregnancy)

Christmas Festivities and Telling the Manalos, Friends and Jensens

We started off our Christmas Festivities on Thursday night with having dinner at my parents house.

The kids got matching pajama onesies and kept fighting over the same toys even though there were a bunch more around them!

We added more Wii games to our collection.

And I got an awesome Pregnancy Pillow from the hubby!

On Christmas Eve we visited Lola before going to church and we gave her the famous Lola Sandwich kiss!

Lola gave Neal some nice slip on slippers

After church we went to the Manalo House and had an Ugly Sweater Christmas theme.

Here's Mommy and Daddy in their awesome costumes!

We then had a fashion show for everyone. My Daddy channeled in Nanay and Lolo in his ensemble.

And Neal in his midriff sweater dancing his way down.

And my mom doing runway poses!

Ate Lisa was the Beanie Baby Sweater Lady.

Ate Fineth holding on to her "reindeer"

and Ice rocking the Urkle Sweater

Ate Maila with the Disney Electrical Sweater

And Ate Ellen...I'm not sure who she was portraying!

The judges taking the contest very Seriously!

And here are the winners!!!

Picture with Lolo!

And then we played Bingo! On the 3rd game my mom was going to make the announcement as soon as the Letter "G" came out. She said "G-21" and the whole room went wild cause there's no 21 in G. She then said "G- Grandma! I'm gonna be a GRANDMA!" and the crowd went WILD!!! And then it went into chanting "BOILING CRAB, BOILING CRAB!"

It was a successful announcement!

And on Christmas we headed over to Mission Viejo. After the boys played a game of golf we had an AMAZING dinner!

Socks looked so sexy in her Christmas Halter Top Dress!

YUM! I could have more!

Baby got their first pair of Socks! Thanks Grandma Sylvia!

And I got my Keurig!!! SOOO excited about this new machine!

The day after Christmas I met up with my good friends from high school, Tiffany, Christine and Claire at Cheesecake Factory at the Irvine Spectrum. I love their reactions!!!

After lunch we headed over to the Jensens to make our final video announcement.

Mona arrived a few minutes later and I kind of butchered this announcement! But she already had a feeling so it all worked out!

It was an amazing Christmas Weekend...(and exhausting)...

Unfortunately I have come down with a cold and odd nose bleeds!

Working on feelin' better!

10 Week Ultrasound and Graduation

Today was our 10 week ultrasound. It was a bittersweet moment because it was our last appointment but good to be graduating cause the baby and I are healthy enough to move on!

This weeks ultrasound really amazing because Baby actually looked like a Baby!

The heartbeat was at 178 and is measuring exactly at 10 weeks.

We didn't catch it on video but towards the end you could see the Baby moving it's little arms and legs. This Baby's growing and moving like crazy and there's no stopping him/her!

They also gave us a Graduation Packet of Magazines, pamphlets and a bunch of information.

He also gave Baby it's first silver spoon! Neal loved it cause he used to collect spoons as a child. I was kidding around that maybe the spoon is from Tiffanys & Co.!!! (it's not!) But thought it was really thoughtful of him and the staff.

Baby's now the size of a prune!
With bones and cartilage starting to form and vital organs beginning to function, baby is making major progress. Body length will almost double in the next three weeks, and arm joints are now working. (Soon, legs will start working too.)

(The Bump)

He’s swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they’ll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you’d spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Your baby’s limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby’s forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he’s about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

(Baby center)

Our next appointment is next Wednesday but we won't be able to see Baby =(

We have a busy weekend ahead though...and we wish all of you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Love,
Neal, Cherrie, Baby & Socks

On Friday, we had a Wine/Dinner at the Emery Household with Eddie, Jen and Nate.

 Look what Grandma Sylvia made for Baby!

We're a family of 4 now!

We had an awesome dinner! Kabobs, veggies, rice pilaf and creme brulee! And as you can see they had lots of wine!

And we also told the big news to Eddie and Jen. We showed them the Baby Bottle and was surprised to find out that I had printed July 2010 instead of July 2011. Everyone's been so excited to even notice...until Eddie saw it! It was a funny announcement and a failure on my end on that label mistake!

Final Count: 14 Wines, 1 Port Wine

On Saturday, we went to the famous Boiling Crab place and we were the first ones in line. My family is always on time for these events! We celebrated Michelle's 18th Birthday.

The gang waiting for the food to arrive

The kiddie table and the smart adults to sit next to them!

The Birthday girl. The crab is bigger than her arm!

They surrendered!

Table #2 Surrenderers...except for Neal (he's just being silly here!)

Our fam bam taking over a section of the restaurant

Then later that evening, we went to Ali's Restaurant in San Clemente...he had a little party for his friends and employees and we thought this was a perfect time to tell Ali, Jeff and Luz. We LOOOVE Luz's reaction!

We ended the weekend by having an awesome breakfast burrito with the Emerys and then went to the Navy Base with the Manalos and bought some Christmas presents for ourselves...courtesy of my Dad. We had a lovely lunch at ToDai at Westminster Mall. The mall was CROWDED! And ended the lovely weekend by going to Portos and sipped on some coffee and cheeserolls on a wonderful rainy afternoon.

This week is our final appointment with the doctor =/

But it is also the week we get to announce to allllll of the Manalos about the Baby. We plan on doing a "BINGO" themed announcement...it should be fun!