As of yesterday Janet is 34 weeks pregnant, meaning over 8 months. While in theory the pregnancy could go another 6 weeks we have several reasons to believe it will happen in the next 3 or 4 weeks. So we are officially past the “we have lots of time” part of the pregnancy.
We’ve ordered, by Philippines standards, an insane amount of stuff and nearly daily Janet or I think of something else we are gonna need. Shopee and Lazada love us and the delivery guys all knew exactly where we live. In addition our American friends and relatives have been incredibly generous. Rumor has it that Jeff Bezos is building another Amazon warehouse/sweat shop to accommodate the shipments to the Weisbord’s in the Philippines. LBC, the local carrier, has us on speed dial.
We’ve already set up a play area, put together the crib and I have been tasked to figure out how to use modern gadgets like remote baby cameras and sound machines. I love that damn sound machine and might get one for my own night table. Far more soothing and peaceful than the dogs, roosters and cows I normally hear in bed.
So this thing is really happening and people ask how I am taking it in, as if I could stop it if I had a mind to.
I assume the following: I will love Jack like I loved my previous children, Julian and Nora; I will change a few diapers but perhaps with all our help, not as many as I did the previous times; that I will lose a little sleep but be happy to give some of it up; that I won’t have to rush to work and so will be able to have as much baby time as I want and Jack and Janet can tolerate; that I’ll have enough money to sustain it all – well barely; that Janet’s family will fawn all over the baby and there will be a steady stream of visitors; and that I will stick around a long time to be with my little family.
This last statement was confirmed last week by my doctor. Prior to Covid I have done an annual check up since Julian was born in my early 40s. I was consistently healthy with boringly normal test numbers. But then Covid and lockdowns and last year’s cancer came and suddenly I was scared to get my annual. So I put it off throughout the pandemic.
Finally I screwed up the courage and made the appointment with a new doctor at a new hospital, Negros Polymedic; more on that in a moment.
I was super impressed by the new hospital. The doctor ordered blood work of course, my annual PSA, an ECG and a chest Xray. I paid and the tests were all completed in under an hour. Yes, you heard that right. At a Philippines hospital I was done in under an hour!
The next day I met the doctor again to review the results. Everything was normal “for my age.” The doctor used that expression several times. I suppose this translates as, ‘you’re upright and nothing is falling off, so you’re normal.’ But he did say that he wanted me to get a little more exercise and cut down the sugar and caffeine.
And this refers to the CRISIS we are in the middle of right now in the Philippines; the Coke CRISIS! For geopolitically complex reasons there is a huge Coke crisis in the Philippines.
No, damn it, I am not talking about the drug; I am talking about the soft drink! Coke bottling plants are closing down due to lack of the “high quality” sugar they require.
Personally I only have one (OK maybe 2) addictions. No booze problems, cigarette problems, drug problems. And frankly, even in the target rich Philippines, I am happy with one woman.
But caffeine and the sugar that goes with it – that I am addicted to. My view has always been, ‘I’ve been a good boy about everything else, I’m not giving up Coke.’
Well this isn’t completely true. Decades ago I switched from Coke to Diet Coke, to at least eliminate the sugar. But here in the Philippines where Diet Coke is called Coke Light, many stores only have the real deal or that monstrosity, Coke Zero. The small sari sari stores never have Coke Light. So more and more I found myself drinking actual Coke.
But I promised the doctor I’d go back to Coke Light exclusively, but where to get it? Robinsons and Hypermart are out of all Coke products with no solution in sight. So I hit the convenience stores and started hoarding; you’d think I was collecting toilet paper. I got every 1.5 liter Coke Light bottle I could find and Janet helped too. We’ve cornered the market and I can breathe a sigh of relief – for a few more weeks anyway.
BTW, we also discovered that the supermarkets are not completely out of Coke. They have some stashed in the back. So if you’re really desperate you can get some, if you beg or throw a few pesos their way.
In the midst of an imminent baby and the Coke Crisis, Janet’s brother Jonathan and his partner, Marie, got married Saturday. I am Godfather to their son, Zie, and felt as such it was my obligation as a pushy American to push them toward marriage. So Janet and I did bug them a bit over the last couple years. This weekend it all happened and the whole family is very happy.
Unfortunately while we were looking forward to attending, because of the pregnancy we just felt it was safer to stay close to home.
So, let’s review. Baby Jack is coming soon, my BIL is married and I have a cabinet filled with Coke Light. Life is good!