34th

Hubby and Xioms, with their birthday headbands on, woke me up today singing a happy birthday song. So, as much as I want to sleep more (preggy issues you know), I forced myself to get up. Well, it's already time to get up anyway. Kiddo handed me over a cute birthday card with a drawn cupcake dancing in the tune of some sort of a country music. It was so hilarious!

When I got out of the bedroom, a huge balloon, yellow rose plant, a cake with the number 34 candles lit on, and big breakfast plates await all of us. I guess hubby had been very busy preparing and cooking very early in the morning. Hmmm... so sweet! Not to mention that this home-made sausage and egg mcmuffin smells soooo good!

So after a few pictures here and there, we started to feast!

Little things like this makes a huge difference, and that is definitely the most important! I really can't express how happy and lucky I am having my family. They are my most prized possession! So, I have to say it again, BEST BIRTHDAY EVER! Haha.

Happy 34th to me. Cheers!

x

Paper

So, it has been a year now (well, technically four days ago) since we both said our "I dos" and here we are, want to kill and stab each other. NOT! Lol. Of course, we're still madly and deeply in love. Everyday with hubby is just exciting and unpredictable. Actually, he always makes fun of me saying that I'm becoming more and more spoiled -- which is true btw! I am a queen and treated as one! But I think he does enjoy spoiling me more than me enjoying being spoiled. 

Anyway, for our first wedding anniversary, hubby came up with some surprises -- he's quite good at that. We were out for 3 days and stayed in Tennessee. Our first day is some sort of a relax time wherein we got an Asian massage. Nice! I've been mentioning I wanted to have a massage and here it is, wish granted! After massage, we went for a drive over Memphis and Arkansas bridge to see the Mississippi river. I can't help but smile remembering Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer's adventures.

The next day is the 25th, our real first year wedding anniversary date. We celebrated by going for a fine dining at Flight Restaurant and Wine Bar in Memphis. Oh boy, food there was superb! Even the simplest form of fried chicken and waffles are to die for. And I like the way they serve food. Although they have a la carte menu, they are known for mixing and matching different items from their food and wine menu. Basically, when you add the word "flight" to your order (be it appetizer, entre, or wine), it means that you have to choose three different dishes/wine from the menu (though wine is out of the equation nowadays. Gah!) Sounds excellent for gluttons like me who wants to try everything! Haha. Now, I came to realize why my husband took me here :)

One year and more years to go! -taken by Xioms :)

Our last day was a nice warm trip to Elvis Presley's house in Memphis aka Graceland. We have been planning to go there. Hubby keeps on mentioning how interesting Elvis' life is so we should visit his house, but we have also been postponing it for other more worthy trips. Finally, we found time now :) Elvis' was actually born in Mississippi and just moved to Memphis, Tennessee with his family when he was 13. Elvis' house is not that big like other Hollywood stars' mansions. Although he has a huge lot. There were separate spaces for entertainment, outdoor sports, and even for his graveyard. I can definitely say that Elvis' character is quite eccentric. This can all be seen by his personal choices in clothing and room designs -- there was even a room called the "jungle room" which is kind of inspired by his visit to Hawaii. There was one place though that visitors aren't allowed to see -- his bedroom upstairs. It was mentioned that that room was preserved and has never been touched since he passed away. Hmmm...

So, that's about it -- our three-day anniversary trip. Cheers for more days and years ahead of us, baby! I'm so thankful every morning waking up seeing your baby face.

x

Winter Ain't Over Yet!

Just when you thought that it's already spring, snow just pour out of the sky one day in March. Oh well, weather here in Kentucky is just so bizarre! One day it's super hot, the next day it's raining with thunderstorm, then the next day it's super cold.

Snow in spring.

Anyway, since this is Xioms first time to see snow and she's actually praying for one for the last 3 or 4 months, hubby decided to play and build a snowman for her.

Here's Peter, Xioms snowman buddy!

So I guess, winter ain't over yet! Geez, my poor tulips!!!

x

Our Second Successful Attempt

Officially, WE ARE PREGNANT! Yeyyyy!

We just came out of the clinic and my OBGYN confirmed that we are 5 weeks and 5 days pregnant. We even saw our little pea through an ultrasound and we're just extremely excited and happy.

Sweet little pea

Though I'm subject for full supervision and intensive care. Oh well, it's due to my molar pregnancy history, and that my doctor somehow saw some amount of blood clot in my uterus. But I don't need to fret she said. We were assured that it wasn't that a big of a deal. She just need to monitor that for extra precaution. So on my end, no more workouts or extreme movements. I also better be eating right, and that I always need to be in a relaxed mode. Not entirely on bed rest but I need to feel always well-rested. Well, that's easy. I can do that! I'll do whatever it takes for our baby to be okay and healthy.

So, I guess that's the news for now. Till our next checkup. Toodles!

x

Our Second Attempt

These past five or six months has been gloomy. Imagine submitting yourself to series of blood work to ensure that your hCG level comes back down to zero. Yep, I still have pregnancy hormones from my previous molar pregnancy which basically means, we cannot be pregnant by then. Though counting those days and months feels painfully upsetting, we couldn't be more thankful that finally it was over!

When hubby and I started our family, we've been planning to have additional baby(ies) the soonest! Despite our grim experience, we are hopeful and couldn't actually wait to make a new one. For us both, now is the perfect time.

Well, the wait is finally over!!! After a week or so of not having my period, during the time that I'm supposed to bleed, prompted me that I need to do some home pregnancy test. Turns out positive and oh my, I sure am the happiest person in the world!

I immediately informed hubby and called out our OBGYN for an appointment. So, until here for now. Will let you know what happens next. Laters alligators!

x

Krotovs' Holiday 2016

Holiday season is a usual time to be with our family. So back in the days when I was working and living in Abu Dhabi, I (with Vlad in my luggage) always make it a point that I come home to the Philippines and celebrate it there with Mom, my sisters, and of course Xioms. This time around, after moving to Kentucky and that I'm now a "Mrs.", I get to spend holidays with my own family.

Thanksgiving

We really don't celebrate Thanksgiving back home. Since we moved here in the US, where Thanksgiving is considered a public holiday, and that it is a tradition for families to feast on a turkey, we thought, well, why not celebrate it? Although it is interesting to note that for Native Americans, the real history of Thanksgiving is nothing but pure darkness and horror. Here is a short read about it.

Ah Christmas. I could say that this is the very first time I experienced real Christmas feeling -- the cool climate, winter snow, and the lovely smell of Christmas tree! Hubby and I bought a real Fraser fir tree and I went gaga buying decorations! Truth is, this is my first ever Christmas tree and I want it to be special. When I was a kid, I never experienced having one (even those plastic trees they sell in the department stores). Maybe because its expensive or it's just pure hassle to put up or we don't have time or even a place for it. I have never complained and never asked for one anyway. But now being a parent myself, it just feels so different and exciting to decorate it with the push and willingness of your own kid to help. Plus, where are we supposed to put our gifts, eh? LOL.

Christmas Eve at home :)

When it comes to New Year, this year is quite different. Well, not really, we still managed to be right by the beach most of the time :) My family planned on a two-week trip to Sunshine State. I'll try to write a separate blog about that trip. But in a nutshell, we pretty much went all around Florida -- from Panama City Beach (our favorite beach here in the US) all the way down to Key West! We celebrated New Year's Eve in Miami, dancing along with Pitbull, Snoop Dogg and a whole lot of Cubans! Hehe.

NYE countdown in Miami

So there it is. My family's 2016 holiday story. Ta-ta!

Unspecified Hydatidiform Mole

I'm currently over a week recuperating from a dilation and curettage (D&C) surgery. It was actually my first time to go under any sort of surgery and I now feel a bit better, physically at least.

It was just a week ago when I was allegedly diagnosed of a molar pregnancy. It was a shocking experience but my husband and I are trying our best to accept and embrace this fate of life. Maybe it wasn't really meant to be this time.

The surgery was scheduled on the 12th of September. Although I was assured that I neither would feel anything nor even see what's gonna happen, oh boy, it feels so daunting! I wouldn't say I'm a scared rat, in fact, my tolerance for pain is so high but the fact that I would be under general anesthesia - it scares the hell out of me. I feel powerless and not in control! But heck, I don't have any other choice anyway! I don't want to end up regretting of not feeling safe and healthy later on and besides, I'm in the facility with the best doctors in the world.

I've used up my little time to research about the surgery procedure, its risks, and its aftermath. Doing this will make me a bit comfortable and ready. So the surgery day came and I was taken care of really well. It was actually a short procedure (less than an hour) and I was able to head home (with my husband's help of course!) after being in the hospital for more or less 5 hours. Waiting period is the worst part actually. This is the time where all negative scenarios seeps into someone's head. I was lucky enough to have my husband around the whole time. He's the best husband ever! But I have this feeling that he's more nervous than I am although he's not showing it.

I was scheduled to be at the hospital at 9AM and I remember perfectly that I wasn't injected any anesthesia until almost 11AM. The only thing I remembered before passing out are those numerous surgical lighting system above me and those two nurses asking me ridiculous questions about my time in Abu Dhabi.

When I woke up, I saw this nurse beside me, checking some of those apparatus around. I feel so cold and my throat is so sore. I asked where I was and the nurse told me that I'm now in the recovery room. She knew I was cold and asked whether I wanted to have additional blanket on top of the two that are already in place. I said yes and she wrapped me with a thick warm one. After few more minutes, the nurse asked random questions like when is my birthday and then moved me back to the main room where I was initially. I saw my husband and his face looked relieved. The nurse asked me if I wanted a drink. She even offered me a Sprite. I never liked Sprite but I asked for it. Then she told me that I can be out of my gown and could change clothes whenever I feel I can and that she'll be back to bring me my Sprite. Eventually, I changed clothes (with my husband's help of course) and I've never felt so weak and confused at the same time at that moment. I feel groggy but I know what I'm doing. When the nurse came back, she has a wheelchair with her. At first, I'm skeptical to ride it. I told her I can walk but she didn't allow me. I guess it's standard procedure so I just complied with some sort of hesitation.

Then we're home and that's the start of the most unproductive week of my life. I had felt an intense cramping pain that night but other than that, I was lucky to feel minor tolerable cramps after. My OB prescribed me the best meds to relieve such pain! I was in a complete bed rest for at least a week and have been eating hearty soups and crackers (and peanut butter milkshakes) all the time. These days suck but I needed them to fully recover.

The day before yesterday was my follow-up checkup with my OB and we were told about the lab results. We were basically told ahead of time that along with the surgery, she will be conducting some tests to really find out whether it really is a molar pregnancy or a real miscarriage. She confirmed hydatidiform mole and thank goodness that those cluster of tissues found in my uterus are benign. She informed us that the case is very rare with unspecified reasons but this doesn't mean that I won't be able to conceive again or that something is wrong with both my husband and I. She affirmed that I'm perfectly healthy, and I would definitely bear another baby, it's just that during this time, the fertilized egg isn't viable to become a fetus and so a molar pregnancy. Unfortunately, I would need to go through series of blood tests until my hcg level goes back to zero. This means, more blood will be taken from me and of course, we have to wait for like 3-6 months before we could actually plan again to have a baby.

Now, here I am, waiting and anticipating for better days to come. I'm just blessed (and really thankful) to be surrounded with such an amazing husband and a caring family. If you're asking though, emotionally, I'm getting there.