I Am Very Special

God, I am so thankful and grateful to you

So thankful because you took care of me

So grateful because you created me

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Always in awe and in jubilant praise

You made me feel so very special

By giving me this kind of love

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Before you created me, everything is already planned

From the day of my conception

And up to the tiniest part of me

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Bringing me into this world is a blessing to me

I thank you Lord for everything

From the deepest part of me.

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You know every details of my future

You know even the number of my hair

Thank You Lord for making me very special

poem by: ricky pascual

Determining My Gender with Ultrasound

As mom's pregnancy develops and they start to get curious about me, one of the most common questions is "Is it a girl or a boy?"

In order to determine that I am a boy, the sonographer will need to be able to determine the shape of a penis and scrotum between my legs. This is usually possible to determine from around 20 weeks onwards, although it is also possible for some to show a little earlier.

It is important to understand that just because the sonographer can't see a penis, it doesn't mean that I am a female. It is necessary to confirm the presence of labia in order to confirm that I am in fact a girl, rather just looking for the lack of a penis.

At 17 weeks, it might be possible to determine my gender and my mom's OB-Gyne tried her luck. At the end of the check-up and ultrasound, my gender is still a mystery. Watch the video below.

P.S.

The next ultrasound might not happened until a few weeks before my birth.

Friends, see you soon!!

Gabby

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Unauthorized use, edit, copy, reproduction, publication, duplication, download and distribution of this video may result in severe legal and criminal penalties under the law. The above video were taken/edited by RickyPascual and remain the properties of the videographer. Please do not use elsewhere without the owner’s permission.

17th Week of My Development

My skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — my lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. I now weighs 5 ounces (150 grams) now around 5.6 inches (14 cm) long from head to bottom.

My sense of hearing is also developing since the ears have fully formed and moved into their final position. I am also beginning to form adipose or fat tissue. This will help me take on a more normal appearance by filling out the fine features that I have.

I can now also beginning to hear sounds as my ears are starting to stand out. I can now here my mom and dad's voices even though my ears are not yet structurally complete or fully functional. Meanwhile, different parts of my astonishingly complex brain are developing to process my hearing and other senses.

Did you know that my bones remain flexible to make my journey through the birth canal easier? Amazing!

Friends, see you soon!

Image from: http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-images-17-weeks

My Heartbeat's Recording

Finally, after 3 weeks of waiting, mom and dad were able to record my heartbeat. My heartbeat [often called fetal heart tones (FHT)] is very rapid and much faster than the normal heart rate of an adult. In fact it starts out near 180 beats per minute (bpm) and it settles into the normal range of 120-160 bpm for the remainder of the pregnancy.

Why Monitor My Heartbeat?

Monitoring my heart rate is one of the most important aspects of prenatal care. By listening regularly to my heart beat, mom and her OB-Gyne can ensure that I am in good health and growing properly.

Click the video file below to hear my heartbeat at 16 weeks and 4 days.

P.S.

A very funny thing just happened during my mom's pre-natal check-up yesterday. I'll be delighted to share it with you.

Friends, see you soon!!

Gabby

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Unauthorized use, edit, copy, reproduction, publication, duplication, download and distribution of this video may result in severe legal and criminal penalties under the law. The above video were taken/edited by RickyPascual and remain the properties of the videographer. Please do not use elsewhere without the owner’s permission.

16th Week of My Development

I am preparing myself for a growth spurt over the next several weeks. My head is more erect now than it has been in the previous weeks. My ears and eyes are situated in their final positions. These three things are giving me a more “normal” appearance than I had up to this point.

In the next few weeks, I will double my weight and add inches to my length. Right now, I'm about the size of an avocado: By the end of this week I will be approximately 5.31 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces.

The patterning of my scalp has begun, though my locks aren't recognizable yet. My heart pumps around 25 quarts of blood per day. However, by week 40 this amount will increase to 1,900 quarts per day!

Because my muscles are developing, I can make some faces now. I will able to squint, frown and open my mouth. There is enough calcium in my bones that they will show up on an x-ray. My fingernails are well formed now and the legs are longer than the arms. Because I am moving well now, My mom may begin to feel my movements! Fetal movements are usually felt between the 16th and 20th week of pregnancy.

Wow!, I'm almost halfway of my development, things are getting more exciting, I am sure my mom would be glad feeling my movements.

Did you know that at 16 weeks, I wee every 40 minutes! Just think of all those nappies?

Friends, see you soon

P.S.

Don't forget to vote on a simple survey found on the right portion of my homepage "What is my gender?", In 22 days, voting will be officially closed.

Image from: http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-images-16-weeks

Mother

Mommy, without you there would be no Gabby

Without your love there would be no me

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Only your voice I will remember

Your voice which is like music in my ears

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Taking care of me is really a big task

Carrying me in your womb is really a sacrifice

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Hands of mothers are very caring

Your hands is no different, your touch is amazing

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Every single day I am very excited

To feel your warm embrace, to feel your gentle kiss

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Respect and love, I will give to you

And for the rest of my life I'll be grateful to you

poem by: ricky pascual

15th Week of My Development

At 15 weeks, the bones in my ear that are responsible for hearing are developing, and my taste buds are sprouting, too. From now on, I will get a flavour of whatever my mom eat via the amniotic fluid. I swallow more amniotic fluid if it tastes sweet, and less if it's bitter – pass the biscuits!

My skin has been continuously developing, and it is so thin and translucent that you can see the blood vessels through it. Hair growth continues on my eyebrows and the head. Internally, my skeletal system continues to develop. I am also gaining more control of my movements; playing with the umbilical cord and snuggling up to the wall of the uterus.

I'm busy moving amniotic fluid through my nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in my lungs begin to develop. I will probably get regular bouts of hiccups from now on, which help my lungs prepare for breathing but I don't make any sound because the trachea is filled with fluid rather than air.

This week sees a period of my rapid growth, with me starting to lay down fat under my mom's skin. My sex organs are maturing, and a highly skilled sonographer might be able to tell my gender at this point.

I am now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). My legs are growing longer than my arms now, and I can move all of my joints and limbs. Although my eyelids are still fused shut, I can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at my mom's tummy, for instance, I am likely to move away from the beam.

Did you know that my heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood per day.

Friends, see you soon!!

Image from: http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-images-15-weeks

Mom's Prenatal Check-up & The Fetal Doppler

I'm almost 15 weeks in my mom's belly and yesterday is no ordinary day for me and my mom. The 2nd of the series of monthly check-up before it become weekly and daily one or two weeks before my birth, that's about 25 weeks or so.

My parents are too eager to hear my heartbeat using the Fetal Doppler* and record it but it was too noisy outside the clinic and the sound is still too soft (Sorry Dad, I think you have to wait for a couple of weeks more before you can actually record it and use it as your ring tone).

My heartbeat is normal at the rate of 157 bpm. As usual, the doctor gave instructions to my mom while my dad is listening (hmmm). The doctor gave mom a new vitamin, Clusivol OB®**: a dietary supplement for pregnant and lactating women. She will continue taking Duvadilan® until instructed otherwise.

That's it for the day.

Friends, see you soon!

P.S.

Here's the video of yesterday's check-up. Sorry you can hardly hear my hearbeat so my dad muted the sound and replaced it with a song "Oyayi" found in Vespers 4 Album.

*Fetal Doppler - designed for private use, are pocket-sized, battery-operated devices that send out low-frequency ultrasound waves. They usually comprise a handset of controls with a built-in speaker and a transducer which is placed against your bump. The ultrasound waves pass through your skin and tissue and then "bounce" back. This "bounce" is then translated into sound so that you can hear, for example, the sound of your baby's heart beating. Gel needs to be used on your skin to help with transmission of the waves. It is not only your baby's heart sounds that you will hear, as other organs (yours as well as your baby's) will also translate into sounds. You might hear your own heartbeat or the blood flowing through the major artery in your abdomen.

**Contents of Clusivol OB - Vit A 6000 iu, vit B1 3 mg, vit B2 3 mg, vit B6 3 mg, vit B12 2 mcg, vit C 100 mg, vit D3 400 iu, nicotinamide 20 mg, folic acid 2 mg, ferrous fumarate 66 mg, Ca carbonate 200 mg, Na iodide 75 mcg, K sulfate 2.5 mg, cupric hydroxide 0.5 mg, MgOH2 3 mg, manganese sulfate 0.5 mg, Na molybdate 0.1 mg, Zn sulfate 0.5 mg, Ca fluoride 15 mcg, Ca pantothenate 5.4 mg

How Beautiful...

How beautiful is the creations of God

He designed everything perfectly from His hand

He lights the day with the ray of the sun

And illuminates the night through the moon and the star

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He created the water for the fishes to swim

The bright and blue sky for the birds to fly

He separated the land for the animals to survive

And He created man to nurture everyone

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How beautiful is the creations of God

From the moment of conception, life is being formed

My heartbeat begins and DNA is created

So unique, and will never be duplicated

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My body's development is well formulated

He took care of everything, even the color of my hair

Beautiful!, Unique!, well crafted and awesome!

That's how he created me and everyone.

poem by: ricky pascual

14th Week of My Development

This week's big developments: I can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck my thumb! Thanks to my brain's impulses, my facial muscles are getting a workout as my tiny features form one expression after another.

I am stretching out. From head to bottom, I measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and weighs 1 1/2 ounces. My body's growing faster than my head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck and my chin is no longer resting on my chest. The eyes and ears continue to move into place. By the end of this week, my arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of my body. (My legs still have some lengthening to do.)

My liver starts making bile, a sign that it's doing its job right and my spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel my tiny punches and kicks yet, my little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

My blood is beginning to form in the bone marrow and blood vessels are beginning to connect various parts of me to another. My joints and muscles allow full body movement so am able to move around. Nourishment now comes from the placenta. The doctor can tell now if I am a boy or a girl using special tests.

Did you know that Lanugo, fine soft hair, grows in swirls and whorls on my body. It usually falls out before birth.

Wow!, Each week is getting more exciting.

Friends, see you soon!

Image from:http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-images-14-weeks

Thank You

My mom showed dad a little kit

With two stripes mark on it

He is so delighted, He is so amazed

The grin on his face did not fade

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He told the world, of this good news

That their little one is finally here

He is in awe with this wonder

And I am very glad, He is my father

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I already hear my mom's heartbeat

Telling me, that she loves me forever

She took care of me and protects me

I am very proud, she is my mother

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Three months had passed

And six more months to come

And yet I already feel

the love of my parents that is so dear

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Thank you God, thank you Lord

Thank you for the life you've given me

See you dad, see you mom

I am so excited to meet both of you

poem by: ricky pascual

Awaiting for Little You

Here's a poem written by my Dad:

I've been dreaming for you my little one

The little one who comes from above

The one we could embrace and cuddle

The one who will give as laughter

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Finally, the Lord answered our prayer

After suffering from unbearable pain

You are now in your mother's womb

Your source of strength and temporary home

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Every single day I am waiting

To hold you in my arms and see you smiling

All the sleepless nights will soon be coming

But it's nothing, compare with this blessing

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A few months to go, you'll be coming

Everyone is so excited especially your daddy

Your mommy is delighted to feel you kicking

Soon, for the first time we will hear you crying

poem by: ricky Pascual