Alpha What?!?

I mentioned in my previous post that the doctor saw something in my lab results that made him refer me to Genetics.  What was it? He said that I have Alpha Thalassemia trait. Alpha what? I said? Apparently, as he was looking at my CBC results, he noticed that my red blood cells are small but my iron is normal. That led him to that diagnosis.  Alpha Thalassemia is hereditary and is common to Southeast Asian people.  It is inherited from one's parents and essentially effects the amount of hemoglobin in the red blood cells.

Nuchal Translucency

On my 12th week of pregnancy, I had my Nuchat Translucency ultrasound.  I'm not sure if any one is familiar with this or not but I will try to explain the best I could.  This ultrasound is in line with the California Blood screening for pregnant women.  During the first trimester, blood is drawn from the mommy and sent to a lab which tests the levels of hCG and PAPP-A.  The results combined with the maternal age risk factors and the Nuchal Translucency determines the risk of having a baby with chromosomal defects like Downs, Trisomy-18 and Trisomy-21.

I did not do this when I was pregnant with Macu. I did the 2nd trimester screening which looks at differs levels.  They found out one of my levels is "abnormal". So on my birthday, the clinic decided to give me the bad news.  I was devastated to say the least.  They said my baby could have neural tube defects.  Armed with that information, I googled the phrase and was bombarded with horrifying images of babies with this problem.  It was probably one of the worst days in my life.

I kept on blaming myself. Why did I to take care of my health enough to do this to my baby? DH kept me sane throughout the whole ordeal.  We had talks about what we would do if it turns out the baby does have serious problems.  We decided we will go through with it and accept whatever God gives us. I had an ultrasound a few weeks later and they determined Macu is healthy. Thank God! It was a false positive.

Back to this pregnancy with Wiggles (I have yet to decide a nickname).  Going through that experience with Macu, the worrywart in me started imagining different scenarios already.  I have been reading up on the chromosal disorders and watching videos of babies with those.  I have been crying every time.  I am in awe at the families who deal with that everyday.  I admire them for their strength and resilience but most of all, I admire them for their love and faith.

Pancit Palabok

It's DH's off today and I promised him I was going to cook for him.  Usually, MIL would cook for us through the weekdays but she goes to work from Thursday to Saturday and we are left to fend to ourselves.  That means either drive thru / take out food, canned goods, or instant noodles. Since I've been pregnant with my little jelly bean, I've been tired lately which means less initiative for me to cook.

I was so excited, I headed straight to the kitchen as soon as I got home.  Halfway through though I felt dizzy and needed to lay down. DH stepped in and followed my instructions until I felt better to continue.  I was planning on cooking palabok and calamari but didn't have the energy to work on the squid.

I followed this recipe.

It got the thumbs up from DH. It actually reminded me of my fave palabok from this vendor in Constancia St. Sampaloc from my childhood days. Ahh nostalgia.

Letters to Macu 1

My dear Macu,

It was a Saturday and we were all alone in the house.  Daddy had to work. So did Grandma Norma. Tito JB is out with his friends and we have the house all to ourselves.  You just woke up from your nap and was extra cranky.  We hung out in the backyard and watched Shot, our dog for a while.  I had to take you inside because you want to start running around and I'm still not sure if Shot wants to just play with you or eat you.

Once inside, you started getting antsy and started making a mess.  I decided to bring out the bubble machine to make you pass the time.  Boy were you so amazed! I'll never forget the look on your face as soon as the bubbles started to surround you.  You were in your own world.  I want to remember this moment forever.  I wish you'll always be this happy. 



Korean BBQ at Home

DH and I love Korean BBQ.  If you've ever been to LA and the valley, there's a smattering of All-You-Can-Eat KBBQ places around.  The prices are not bad too. Ranging from $14.99 - $19.99 depending on what type of meat you want.  But, we found a cheaper alternative -- KBBW at home!

First Haircut

We have been contemplating giving Macu a haircut. The heat spell has not left LA even though it supposed to be fall.  Macu can get really sweaty and since he has long hair, it is not really comfortable. I have been researching kiddie salons so we can get Macu's hair properly cut.  One lazy Sunday though, DH suddenly had the bright idea to do it himself. I just heard razors in the den and I came running to see what's going on.  When I got there, half of Macu's hair was already shaved off!  So I let DH go ahead and finish the job.

I kinda like the end result.  It definitely doesn't bother Macu anymore and I like the mohawk style. lol. Its a little uneven though, so I think we should go to a proper salon next time.  But not bad for the first try Dad!

Mickey's Halloween Party

I love going to theme parks and going on rides.  Before I found out I'm pregnant again, I have this whole to do list of doing the theme park round since DH and I have not gone to one since Macu arrived.  I planned on going to Six Flags and trying out the new thrill rides. Go to Knotts Berry Farm for the Halloween event. But God has different plans for us and decided to bless us with a new munchkin which means the thrill seeker in me needs to take a back seat for a while.

But one thing that I told DH that we need to do for sure is visit Disneyland during Halloween. I have always wanted to see the decorations and other gimmicks they had. The main thing they do during Halloween Time is host Mickey's Halloween Party on certain nights in October.  They close the park early for regular guests and you need a special event ticket to attend. The cost for each ticket varies between $54 to $69 depending on the date but this includes parking and entrance to the park 3 hours prior to the event.

LA County Fair

We went on the last weekend of the LA County Fair in Pomona.  Got tickets at Costco which was a really good deal.  For $54.99 you get 4 admission tickets, 1 free parking and 44 ride tickets.  Ticket at the box office alone at the venue is $17 and parking is $15. I say it was a good deal!

This is like 1/4 of the entire fair.  It was so huge!