FAIL

How 'DUH' can it get? A box of "Shatterproof" Christmas ornaments that is so obviously shattered!? Hahaha... I found this FAIL Blog through another blog and I've been visiting it every now and then when I'm feeling bored. They never fail to crack me up! Heehee..! Go check it out...

Turn Baby! Turn!

Went for our usual check up yesterday but I wasn't too happy about it. Apparently baby is still happily in a sitting position, when she's supposed to have turned upside down by now, getting ready to meet the world in about a month! Dr Kee say baby probably wanted to be closer to Mummy, so was unwilling to turn.

After scanning my tummy, he found out why baby still haven't turn. Apparently she's in a yoga-like position with her leg stretched out straight in front of her body, so it's a little more difficult to flip herself upside down. Har... then how... I exclaimed out loud that I don't want to have a Cesarean, so Dr Kee said to my tummy, "baby you better turn ok, or else I will smack your buttock when you come out" Erm... Don't he smack ALL baby's butt when they come out? Haha...

Anyway, Dr Kee seemed pretty cool about it, casually saying that if baby doesn't turn, he would do a Cesarean for me around the 3 Feb, which is about 7-10 days before the due date.

-_-"

Erm... I have never planned to have a Cesarean, and I REALLY don't wish to have one. So I asked Dr Kee if it's possible for baby to turn anytime soon. Luckily he replied that it is always possible for the baby to turn before the delivery. In fact, baby may decide to turn just an hour before she comes out! So it's important for us to inform him if baby has already turned upside down.

Phew... OK, now it's all up to baby. For the rest of the day I kept stressing on this issue. I mean, my mom had Cesarean for both my sis and I, so I guess it's no big deal right? Besides, that would mean I wouldn't have to squeeze her out of my vagina, so I should be happy to avoid all that pain right?

But then again, the recovery process of a surgery is much longer and definitely more painful. So, many day to day activities would be affected, even breastfeeding!

Sigh, honestly I REALLY don't want to have a C-section because I'm terrified of needles. So I'm seriously hoping Princess would be a good girl and turn around before she's due. In fact, I was so stressed about it, I even dreamt that she had turned over last night, only to be disappointed that I found out that it was just a dream.

Oh well, apart from that, baby has gained about 400g, which is nice and steady, while my weight has not gone up! Yeah for me and baby!

Happy 3rd ROM Anniversary

17 Dec 2008 was our ROM Anniversary. We didn't really celebrated or do anything special that day, but I didn't mind. I wasn't really in a celebratory mood anyway. But my day was suddenly turned upside down when Cobby suddenly barged into the room with his newspaper, exclaiming, "Eh Dear, your friend's husband passed away!"

HUH? WHO?

He showed me the obituaries section and I immediately saw a familiar face, but it was so unbelievable that I could do nothing but stare at it with my mouth opened. Turned out my old friend's brother in law had passed away a few days ago. He left behind a wife and a little daughter, he was only in his early 30s.

I don't know him personally, I only saw him when I went over to my friend's place for birthday parties. Cobby went on course with him once, as he was an army officer. The news shocked me so much. I heard from my friend that he was ill, but I never imagine that he would just pass away like that.

After the initial shock, I was overwhelmed with tears. I feel so unbelievably sad because there was so much similarity between my little family and theirs. An army officer with a young wife and baby daughter. I can't imagine if Cobby was to pass away, leaving behind me and baby. I think I would just die.

We were always so concerned about how we should be financially covered in case one of us pass away, but that day I realised that money would mean nothing if my Cobby were to leave me alone in the world with our baby girl. So I cried... I cried for my friend's sister who lost the love of her life, I cried for her daughter who had to grow up without her Daddy, basically I just kept crying because I felt that I can feel her pain.

It was our anniversary, but it wasn't filled with gifts or romantic gestures. On our 3rd year anniversary, we renewed our love with a reminder of how much we meant to each other, and how we should always treasure each other oh so dearly. And I think this is more precious than anything that we've given each other.

A Good Day

Today was a good day...

The contractors were coming down around 10am plus to install our cabinets, so we woke up at around 7.30am to get an early breakfast before dropping me off at Mom's place to 'hide' while they hammer away.

At around 8am, our doorbell rang! Cobby had to jump out of the toilet, thinking that the contractors had arrived early. Me, I was happily brushing my teeth in the bedroom toilet, I didn't even hear any doorbells.

Imagine our surprise when my parents turned up at our door! Apparently, they were taking a morning walk and ended up at our doorstep. OK... since they are here, we went out for breakfast together!

After a hearty breakfast at Chong Pang market, Cobby dropped us at my Mom's place and he went back home to wait for the contractors to arrive. My main objective was to learn how to make Mom's steamed carrot cake (actually it's made from radish). But I've also picked up many more recipes during the day.



So for the whole day, I hung out at my parent's place, watching her cook, eating yummy food, napped and ate some more. Haha...

After lunch, Cobby sms me great news. Apparently his exam results were out and he got 3 As and 2 Bs! He was SO HAPPY and relieved as he had been worrying about it for so long.



By the time the contractors were done, it was already 5plus! Cobby came to pick me up and we went home to check on the cabinets. I'm happy to say that it's very pretty!



After...!




It's the first time that we were using colours for our cabinets, so I was a little worried if they would turn out nice or not. But they turned out looking very pretty and sweet, very appropriate for a girl's room! The window cabinets turned out to be more shallow than I expected, but it's fine I guess.

After a quick wash up, we headed to Shabuya, a new found Japanese restaurant at Vivo City that serves a fantastic Shabu-shabu (steamboat).

Their Garlic Rice is to die for...Favourite!

As usual, they food was fantastic and we had a very enjoyable dinner to celebrate Cobby's good results.

It was such a good day! The cupboards were done and we love it, I had a great time hanging out with mom and dad, Cobby had such great results and dinner was fantastic. Then we thought, hmm... maybe we should buy 4D! It was the 23 Dec, so naturally we should buy 2312. The Cobby added that since he got 3As and 2Bs, we should buy 3122. Then we realised... hey, 2312 and 3122 has the same numbers! Oooo so coincidence! Must buy!

Well, we bought, but we didn't win... hahaha... but it was a fun day nonetheless.

Bummer...

Sigh...

Santa Char organised a Christmas Party this weekend, and everybody, including me, had been so excited, so, looking forward to it! Cobby and I spent the whole Friday walking around ViVo City, shopping for the gift exchange item. I couldn't find anything satisfactory, so after Vivo we went to IKEA before I found my gift item. On Saturday morning, I wrapped up both gifts in pretty wrapping paper and gold ribbons (to fit the theme).

Since it's a Christmas party, I thought it would be nice to have some nice bubbly drink, so we bought a bottle of sparkling wine and a bottle of sparkling juice for me and our Muslim friends to enjoy!

So everything seems to be going well until..............



I found out that the party was on Sunday instead of Saturday.

WHAT!!!???

OK the original plan was suppose to be on Saturday! I didn't realise that the date has been changed, so I happily said that I can make it!

But what's wrong with Sunday you say???

We've already promised Mother-in-law that we'll go to her place for dinner on Sunday to celebrate 冬季, in other words, to 過冬. FYI, it's a day where the family get together to celebrate the peak of winter.

Sigh... So disappointed...

Cobby tried to console me and said that we can give each other the gifts that we've bought. Haha... no surprise leh...

Next time really have to read my emails more carefully! :(

A Trip To The Marina Barrage

We were out running some chores on Saturday, but by the time we were done, it was still early, and the weather was so beautiful! So I suggested that we go visit the Marina Barrage for the first time. The place was so scenic that Cobby and I started taking pictures with our phones when we got there.

Just for fun, we decided to take pictures with both our phones so that we can see the difference in picture quality between his Nokia E71 and my Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot K800i. Haha... Not a fair comparison, but sounds like fun! So what's the verdict? Well, see for yourself!

Nokia: The barrage at the back

Sony: Very windy afternoon

Nokia: Two beautiful winding walkway all the way up to the rooftop

Sony: I like the grassy walkway in the middle... nice

Sony: At the top! Great view!

Nokia: Beautiful and peaceful place. Great location for a picnic

Sony: This would be a great place to view fireworks!

Nokia: The place is powered by the sun! Go green!

Sony: A view of the barrage from above

Nokia: The Marina Barrage pump room

Nokia: There's a water playground for kids... looks so fun!

Sony: Taking a break, sitting on the barrage itself

Nokia: Picture of Mummy and Baby!

Nokia: The beautiful evening sun... a fun day out

Anyway, it was a fun trip. The sun was shining, but there's just enough clouds to prevent us from being fried... The place was so nice and windy... it's just a nice place to go jalan jalan before we made our way to a nice dinner. I definitely can see ourselves coming back again with our little Princess! :)

Evil X'mas Items

Quote from Santa Char...

"Please bring along a present that costs between $10 to $15 for the festive gift exchange among the elves and fairies.

For this party, chocolates, photo frames and mugs are considered as evil items and thus not appropriate as presents."

I laughed out loud when I read the part on the "evil items". Yes I do agree that every year, we are bound to receive some "evil items", but I didn't really agree with Char's description of the evil items!

What's wrong with chocolates? They're delicious! If Chocolates are evil items, I'm happy to take it away from you! Give me! Give me! I thought that photo frames and mugs are OK too, given that those selling at stores nowadays looked really nice and tasteful.

Unfortunately, not everybody are so lucky to get tasteful gifts. Many people suffer the common fate of receiving REAL evil items during Christmas. I was surprised that I wasn't alone when I told Zinc about my ultimate evil item.

Disgusting mugs...

OK I may not have received them for Christmas, but they are still disgusting nonetheless. I mean, what the hell were those people thinking??? Do they seriously think that we would like it enough to even use them? I don't even know why I still keep them. It's collecting dust at the very top shelf in my kitchen now, out of sight, out of mind.

Other evil items include:
Keychains
What am I suppose to do with so many keychains?

Handphone accessories
It's very personal - what I like hanging on my handphone...

Bodyshop products
Skin care is even more personal! What fragrance I like, what skin products I need, etc. Besides, I may not even like the quality of their moisturiser! Sticky...

Cheap cute stuff with no practical use to put on your desk and collect dust
Cute, but... what am I suppose to do with it? Those stuff are always the 1st to be thrown away. No offence...

Face towels
Besides being a super boring gift, I don't use them, so it's evil to me.

Aroma therapy - the incense sticks type
Makes the place smoky and stinky. Evil...

Scented candles
Doesn't work for my home as it's very windy and airy. So it's only use is to collect dust again.

Free gifts (ultimate cheapo people!)
This one is from Cobby. Someone actually was cheapo enough to use a free gift from Shell petrol station, a mug, and put it into the gift exchange! Disgusting people!

That's all I can think of now, do you know of any that's not in the list?

What's UP

Parents coming home tomorrow...
but their house was a tad bit dusty and I havn't been watering dad's plants for weeks! I hope it's still alive.

Project Pineapple Tarts...
I've found a recipie, I bought all the necessary ingredients, and now I just need to actually go make it. Lazy... Maybe tomorrow..?

Good Wheel Hunting...
Cobby's favourite past time is to hunt for good car deals online. He gets so excited when he finds one.
me: "you planning to buy a car?"
cb: "no, but I get a kick out of finding a great deal"
me: "what if someone buys the car you found?"
cb: "oh that's even better, it reinforces the fact that IT IS a good deal"
me: -_-
I created a blog page for him to post his precious findings. It's very new, so it's still empty.

Princess cupboards...
waiting for appointment for electrical works and actual installation. Zzzz...

Long time no cook...
It's been awhile since I've cooked a proper meal for Cobby. No mood to cook really. We've been eating out alot. Mom's coming back anyway, so, we'll eat at her place instead.

No show for auntie Jolene...
Looks like sis is not planning to come home for Chinese New Year... Apparently bro-in-law and parents are flying to HK to celebrate CNY. Right. Great.

Plans for post Pregnancy...
Go for haircut and dye job, run, jump, swim, anything that involves actual physical activity. Probably not possible in the first few months, but hey, a girl can dream.

Baby Check Up - Update!

Just an update, went for check up on 11 Dec. I weight a whopping 75kg! Phew... the last check up, which was 3 weeks ago, I was only 72kg! So compared to my first appointment, I've gained about 12kg already. With another 2 months to go before my due date, I'm definitely gonna exceed my acceptable weight gain, which is, well, between 12-13kg. Oops...

Anyway, back to the check up! Everything is fine, baby Jolie has gained another 500g to weight about 2kg. She's in a sitting position right now, sitting like a Princess on her throne inside my belly. Dr Kee said that by the next appointment, which is in 2 weeks, she should be upside down position, getting ready! Phew... So exciting! Can't imagine that we are already 8 months pregnant!

But now I'm feeling a little stressed, hopefully baby would be a good girl and turn, because I really don't want to have a Cesarean! I wonder if I should do something, like stand on my head or something to help her turn. I mean, isn't it kindda squeazy inside to turn upside down? Hmm... dunno...

I also did a swap test and a little blood test. The swap test was fine, but the nurses commented that my blood count was a little low. Eventhough I'm already taking the iron supplements, the baby could be taking alot of my blood, so maybe I should take more iron rich food stuff to boost my blood count!

Next appointment would be on boxing day, 26 Dec. The frequency has reduced from monthly, to every 3 weeks, and now to every 2 weeks. By Jan, I would have to see Dr Kee once a week till I'm due! The countdown has began!

Baby's Very First Videos

Zinc keep asking me to post some videos of baby kicking my tummy, but the movements were so subtle, it's quite hard to capture it with a vdeocam! Besides, I wouldn't know when my little princess is going to start kicking! Haha... so after chatting with zinc on msn this morning, I decided to give it another try.

Surprise surprise! Princess Jolie was pretty active this morning, so I managed to capture 2 video clips!

Baby Video No.1
Look at the left side of the belly at around the 7th second
You'll also see her give me a karate kick on the left side at the 32nd second

Baby Video No.2
For the 2nd video, notice the left side of the belly on the 22nd and 43rd second.

I thought it's so funny when Cobby asked if he can touch my tummy... So cute hahaha... Anyway, I refused because little princess always quiet down and stop moving when Daddy place his hands on my tummy. It's like she knows that it's not me and would freeze to think, "hey, who's that?" :)

Last night, we watched the show "Makan Places Lost and Found", and we were so inspired that we decided to go to the recommended Pek Kio Food Centre for lunch today. But the place was so difficult to reach that by the time we got there, most of the stores have sold out all of their food! Argh so fustrating!

So next time we plan to reach there BEFORE lunch time! Haha... I'll give my reviews when I DO get to eat the food there ok? After a not too satisfying lunch, we bought some yummy Tau Sar Piahs for tea break. Unfortunately it wasn't the type that Cobby liked, but I liked it! :P

Haha... hope u guys like the video of my giant belly. :D

Princess Room

Yeah... after much discussions, arguments and delays, we have finally started our princess room project. We wanted to make a custom made wardrobe and a cabinet by the window in the baby room.


But the idea was faced with alot of objections...

Sis suggested that we do the renovations only when I reach my 3rd trimester...
MIL joking suggested that we do the renovations after the baby is born... erm.. maybe when she reach 18 years old? -_-
Mom just don't like the idea that we wanted to do renovation works now.

So in order to please the women-folk in the family, we waited till we reached 3rd trimester. And with Cobby recently completing his exams and enjoying his term break, it was the perfect timing!

So last week we shopped around IMM for a contractor and decided on one. Today the contractor came to take the measurements and finalise on the designs.


Soon we will be able to confirm a date for the actual installation and the cupboards will be ready before Christmas!

With the fixtures ready, we can shop around for a bed for Mom to sleep in when she's helping me with confinement, plus any other furniture needed, wash all the baby's clothes, linen, sheets, etc. By end January, the Princess room would be all ready! All we need to do then is wait for the room's owner to arrive :)

I like it that everything is well planned and I'm very happy that our plan has finally started!

BBQ with friends

Marl organised a BBQ party on Saturday at the Goldkist Chalet at East Coast Park. We ordered those packaged BBQ food, but Zinc thought that it would be more fun if we each bring something too, like a little pot-luck. Zinc suggested that I bring a chocolate cake, so I made my layered chocolate cake.

I think it was my first time going to the chalet there and was surprised that it was quite crowded! Almost every chalet was occupied with people having parties, BBQ-ing, eating and drinking.

After walking like, forever, Cobby and I finally found the chalet! Zinc, UJ and family, Marl and Nurul were already there with the fire started, cooking.


It was my first time seeing Marl without her Tudung! Her hair was so long and curly... Pretty! :)


It was a fun evening, as usual, I hung around the BBQ pit, because that's the best place to get fed quick! Haha... Zinc was the chef for the night and we feasted on sambal stingray, chicken wings, otah, crab sticks, corn and satay. Yummy! Unfortunately the chicken wings seems abit lacking, I only got to eat one!



We were already eating desserts in between the chicken wings and otah. I was eating the yummy Nutella cake from Marl when I commented, "Wait, this is desserts! Shouldn't we be eating this later instead?" To this cute Issac said, "NO! This is not dessert, this is APPETISER OK!"

I like your theory Issac, and continued munching on the yummy cake.

We also tried to roast marshmallows, but we didn't have any sticks! So we had to "recycle" our satay sticks. Unfortunately they were so bloody short, we had a hard time holding it over the fire! So even though it's not browned, it still melts in our mouth! Nice!


We had a wide variety of desserts! There was iced longan with sea coconut, 3 different type of ice creams, chocolate cake, nutella cake, even ice cream cake! By the time I tried everything, I felt like I was gonna burst!


By 9pm plus, we were just hanging around, chatting and laughing. I don't know why, but by then I was so tired, I was ready to just close my eyes and fall asleep! So shortly after UJ and family bid their farewell, Cobby and I said our goodbyes too.

I had so much fun that night, I guess I missed being around my friends, chatting and laughing. We ended the night with plans to meet up again for Christmas, so it's nice to have that to look forward to!



P.S. On a morbid note, I read the news that a body of a teenager was found the next morning on the beach just outside the Goldkist chalet! I don't know what happened, but it's just weird that a young man died so near us when we were laughing and enjoying life.

Exam Fever

Misery loves company - HOW TRUE.

Cobby is feeling the exam stress and I have to share his suffering. Ever since he took over the dining table to study for his exams, I had to cut down on most of my TV times because the noise would be distracting. For those programs that I cannot miss, I had to watch with minimum volume and mute it all together during commercial breaks.

Then it gets worse.

Suddenly the town council decides to built a covered walkway just below our block! It is good news really, but now we have non stop drilling and excavation works all day till they knock off at 5pm on a daily basis. In order to block out the noise, we practically had to seal off the whole home by closing ALL the windows and doors. Well, it's quite effective, but as a result, the place is hot and stuffy and I hate it.

Cobby hard at work...

These days, I feel like a spider living in an air tight container. No fresh air, no direct sunlight, well, at least until after 5pm, where I would be awarded temporary release until the next morning. :(

Really looking forward to the end of my ordeal, which is this Thursday, last paper...

On a lighter note, I finally got my wedding ring fixed! Yah, after SO LONG, I finally got the missing diamond replaced.



The lady at the store also said that they had checked the other diamonds too to make sure that they are properly secured. So happy seeing my ring again. They polished it too, so it looks so pretty and shiny! I'll try to be more careful with it from now on!

Catfight on Bus 88

Cobby told me that there was this video of two aunties in a catfight on a bus. Of course must check it out lah! Haha... Wah aunties so fierce man! Screaming and pushing and pulling hair somemore! Enough said, enjoy....

For those of you who needed translation, I think the aunty in black mumbled that the aunty in mini skirt look like a prostitute. Aunty in mini skirt got angry and dared her to say it again louder. She must have said it again because after that, all hell broke loose. The aunty in mini skirt kept screaming, "You say it again that I look like a prostitute! You say it again that I look like a prostitute!" And when others tried to break up the fight, she keep repeating, "You tell her to stop saying that people look like a prostitute!"

D.R.A.M.A.

Long Time No See

The past few days have been quite pleasant, meeting up with, not friends, but close family members that I haven't seen for months!

Sis came back to celebrate bro-in-law's birthday last week, so on Friday, we met up at Weiye's place for a dinner and a get together. Cobby was a little hesitant as he's having exam the next morning, but we went anyway. It was just a simple dinner, chit chat with sis and bro-in-law's side of the family and the playing with the kids. I haven’t seen them since August, so Damian, about 3 years old, was quite amused about my big tummy. When we ask him why is auntie Colene’s tummy so big, he just kept on smiling shyly and didn't reply. So cute...

Sunday met up with another long-time-no-see person, which is my brother, whom I have not seen since his wedding dinner in July! He suddenly called me last Monday and asked me how am I, and suggested that we meet for brunch on Sunday. I wanted to chio Sis along since she was in town, but apparently she and bro-in-law went to Malaysia over the weekend, and she just came back, so she had to give it a pass. Sis was just as surprised that bro initiated to ask me out for brunch.

Sis: "Gor-Gor asked to meet you for brunch? So good?"
Me : "Yah... Probably kanna nagged to do it by Mom... Haha..."
Sis: "Hahaha..."

I know, sounds mean, but I think it's highly possible. Cause the last phone conversation with Mom included her asking me if Bro has contacted me to check on me. I can't lie, because seriously I have not heard from him since his wedding. Which leaded to much grumbling from Mom, saying how can he not contact me, nag nag nag... Next thing I know, Bro was on the phone asking to meet up for brunch. Anyway, it was a very nice brunch. We ate dim sum at Crystal Jade, Causeway Point and we chatted nonstop of his trip to Europe and everything else.

In the evening, Cobby wanted to borrow his sis's calculator, so we planned to drop by Toa Payoh after dinner. Coincidentally, his favourite aunt was at his mom's place too, so his mom suggested that we go for dinner together. His aunt knew about my pregnancy, but she had never seen me since Chinese New Year I think, so she was very happy to see us too.

We ate at the Oasis Taiwan Porridge Restaurant (海京楼) at Toa Payoh Park. It's newly opened and it used to be located at Kallang, and it was quite pleasant really. The food came super fast, which I really like, and they serve Teochew Porridge with sweet potatoes by default. But we chose to go for rice instead. Quite tasty, but Cobby commented that the flavours were quite strong, probably because you were suppose to eat with porridge, which was bland.

I know his aunt was very happy to see me, but I noticed that his mom and aunt shared a common annoying trait as my mummy. They commented that I wasn't as bloated as most pregnant woman and my tummy wasn't very huge, so I replied that I'm watching my diet and try not to overeat. What I meant was that I'm eating 3, full, regular meals instead of eating double like many people do, which is very wrong! But I believe they interpret it as I'm intentionally eating less and depriving my baby of precious nutrients in order to keep slim! Please loh, I'm not so shallow OK?

How did I come up with my suspicions? Well, His mom and his aunt kept nagging me non-stop the whole night to eat, eat, eat more! Ask me to have another serving of rice because I'm eating for two now. Have more fish, more meat, drink more soup... you're eating for two now! I wanted to reply that you are not supposed to eat for two! But I just kept quiet. My mummy, whenever she's on the phone with me, would always say things like,

Did you take your meals...?
You must eat your meals you know...
If you don't eat, your baby doesn’t get to eat...
You must not skip meals...
Even if you don't feel like eating, still must eat a bit...

Grrrr... What gives her the idea that I'm not eating!!?? I try to keep my patience and keep telling her, yes, I'm eating well... Maybe I should take video footage of all my mealtimes and email it to her as prove! Fed up...

Anyway, on a side note, during my check up last week, Dr Kee said that Baby is at a very good weight at 1.5 - 1.6kg, which is slightly above average ok! When I asked him why my tummy is so small as compared to other Mummies, he said that it could be due to various reasons:

1. They were at a later term
2. The Mummies were more petite, so their tummy has less space for baby, thus more protruding.
3. Maybe it wasn't their 1st child. Mummies have firmer bellies during their 1st pregnancy as they have more muscles and firmer skin, thus they can 'hold in' the baby better than those who have more than one kid.

There, just some information for you all. Anyway, I wasn't angry or anything at the Moms and aunt. I know they cared for me immensely, if not they wouldn’t even bother. So I really enjoyed basking in all their attention and love.

Happy 3rd Trimester!

HAPPY 3RD TRIMESTER!

I can't imagine that I've been pregnant for 6 months now - half a year gone in a blink of an eye! So how does it feel being a 7 months pregnant woman? Well, most of the time, it feels like the most natural thing in the world. In fact, sometimes, I get SO used to it; I even forget that I'm pregnant! I guess it helps that I didn't have a huge tummy to carry around...

But once in a while, I would get a sudden realisation that I have a real live baby growing inside my body. And in a few months, I would be able to hold her in my arms and kiss, cuddle and love her like nothing else in the world. And the thought alone would make me smile.

Sometimes it just seems so unreal... ME! A MOTHER! Haha... I still remember how, a few years ago, I actually dislike children! (Oops...haha...) But I guess my biological clock just shouted out to me, and just like that, I'm on the road to Mummyhood.



I have to be honest; it wasn't all rainbows and pretty flowers. There are days where I just wanted it all to end quickly. Some days were so bad; I secretly wished that I didn't get pregnant in the first place. But I guess that's too late now isn't it! Haha...

Most of my frustrations come from the physical aspect of the pregnancy. Most pregnant women would have a "healthy glow" due to the hormones. But no such luck for me! I have to "enjoy" a cocktail of spider veins, acnes and oily skin on my face. I sweat all the time, which I totally hate. My hair looks like crap, because I can't go and dye it, so it's half black and half brown.

Thankfully I didn't gain weight like crazy (I try not to overeat), so the main bulk comes from my boobs and tummy. But still, I feel so big, heavy and clumsy, and I hated that. I miss being slim and able to move quickly without waddling.

I also miss wearing my beautiful high heels, collecting dust inside my cupboard. I miss wearing my fitting jeans, looking and feeling good. I miss drinking an iced cold beer after dinner or a steaming hot cappuccino at Starbucks. And so many more... Sigh~

It doesn't help that sometimes, the blues would get to me, and every single thing, big or small, would be 3 or 4 times worse than it is. And I would get SO UPSET the whole day, sometimes even rolling over to the next day. Poor Cobby would be at the front line, facing my moods. The thing is, I know they are just the result of my blues, but you just cannot ask me to just stop being sad! So with persuasion, sometimes I would tell him why I'm upset.

But sometimes, I just WANT to be sad ok!

Even with so many down sides, I would still rate being pregnant as the most amazing thing in the world. Especially now, as I'm entering 3rd trimester and the baby is growing bigger and stronger! Baby started moving at around 20 weeks, but they were SO FAINT, I thought it was just gas! Then, as the baby grows, it became more obvious, like a faint kick once in a while.

Recently, the movements became SO STRONG, I can literally feel her tiny hand (or feet?) push against my belly; hold it there for a second while she stretches, before finally retracting it back. Or sometimes she would give me a giant kick that would make me jump up in surprise!

This is my new hobby now; I just love lying back and watch my tummy shake and move about as the baby stretch and kick or just move around inside me. It's so fun and heart warming all at the same time! Cobby loves to put his hand on my belly and feel baby move when he talks to her. I think she can recognise his voice!



As the due date draws nearer and nearer, the emotions gets higher and higher.
I'm happy that I would be seeing my baby soon.
I'm scared of labour - it sounds so scary and painful, hope there would not be any complications (touch wood)
I'm nervous - Our lives are going to change forever! Parenthood! Would I be a good mother? Can I handle taking care of her?

So far there's nothing that I can do except to read and learn as much as I can, and hope for the best. I guess when the time comes; I'll just have to let nature take its course.

So ends my reflections... I wanted to document all the ups and downs of the whole experience. Because these are precious memories and I never ever want to forget them!

Cord Blood Banking - Done!

Another to-do item to strike off! We attended a Seminar held by CordLife on Saturday at Suntec City and signed up for Cord Blood Banking. It was much cheaper than what we expected really, so we were very happy!

The Annual Plan consists of a one time payment of $1,400 plus an annual storage fee of $250 (payable from child's first birthday and thereafter).

But we didn't pay $1,400!

LESS:
FBI Card Discount - $450
Referral Discount - $50
TO PAY: $900 only

We got $50 discount just by naming another friend who has signed up for Cord Life! Best thing was, my friend would get rewarded with a referral fee too! So if you want to enjoy discount when signing up with Cord Life, use my name ok?! It's Win-Win for both you and me!

Since the price was reduced to only $900, we upgraded the plan by opting to use Sepax processing system. So this process can help draw more stem cells effectively from the cord blood. So for another $200, we get more stem cells!

When we were down to the payment method, the guy mentioned something about using the Child Development Account (CDA) to pay for the onetime fee of $1,100. As it was way pass lunchtime, Cobby was getting a little impatient already, so without thinking he said "Huh? What CDA? Aiyah, nevermind lah, I think we just pay with credit card"

O_O Wait a minute... CDA? What are we talking about here!?

After clarifying with the guy, apparently, according to the baby bonus scheme, after the baby is born, and we've open the CDA, Cord Life would deduct the payment from the account! And since the Government contributes dollar-for-dollar matching for the amount of savings we contribute to our child’s CDA, technically speaking, we're only paying $550 for the one time payment!

-_-

I almost wanted to slap Cobby's head. Siao ah! Got alot of money issit! Government is offering to pay half and you wanted to pay all yourself with your credit card. Sigh~ Men...

And it didn't end there! As a special promotion for the seminar, we don't even have to pay any deposit! So at the end of the day, we walked away with the plan without paying a single cent that day. HAhaha... So shiok...! This is SO much cheaper than what parents were paying a few years back! Back then they were paying more than $2K ok! So I feel so good that we were paying much lesser now... :D

Our Cord Blood collection kit

5th Antenatal Class

Sunday's class was about feeding. Our instructor, Rosalind said that it was her "expertise" and hyped it all up like she's the breastfeeding guru or something like that. But I guess I have been reading so much on this that I didn't really learn anything new from her that day.

I plan to breast feed as long as I can, but I have heard of the difficulties from some friends, so I wanted to gain as much knowledge as I can from books, internet and magazines. I guess I've more or less grasp the theories, but practical wise, well, we'll see when princess comes... Generally, breastfeeding can be summarised in the following.

Lesson 5 - Feeding

• Breastfeeding

Pros
- Can help Mummy regain her figure
During breastfeeding, the uterus would slowly shrink back to original size!

- Breast milk, nature's best
You can't find any brand of milk out there that can beat Mummy's milk! Organic, nutritious, no melamine poisoning, easy to prepare(just put the baby on the nipple!), perfect temperature, always super fresh, always available and it's FREE! Haha...

- Enhance bonding between Mummy and Baby
That's the most important! Is there anything closer than that?

Cons
- Engorement would be unavoidable I guess, but there are ways to ease the pain
- Most of the other problems arise due to improper latching of the baby, resulting in sore nipples, no milk, etc... So very important to remember:

1. Proper latching on by baby - Very Important
2. Perseverance - Very Important

Breastfeeding Steps:
- Wipe nipples with wet cotton wool

- Massage the areola, massage outward towards nipple

- Burp baby and remove swaddling, so that her arms can move freely

- Baby's body must be positioned so that it's tummy to tummy with Mummy

- Hold breast with hand, but avoid the nipple so that your hand does not obstruct baby's mouth.

- Touch baby's mouth with nipple, when it opens, shove the nipple in!

- Make sure that areola is completely covered inside baby's mouth. If not, use finger to push down her chin to position properly.

- If need to "detach", press your little finger at the corner of baby's mouth to break the suction before pulling baby away.

- Feed about 20mins on each breast, when baby stops, burp baby before offering the second breast.

- After feeding, burp baby, change diapers and pump out breast milk to store in freezer.

Feeding Structure
When it comes to feeding structure, I guess different people have different school of thoughts. According to Rosalind, she believes that Mummies should feed every time the baby cries for milk, so that the milk supply is always there. Baby-base feeding.

But according to Gina Ford, (a childcare expert's book that I’m reading) she believes in introducing a structured feeding time to a child, even at a very young age.



Time-based feeding. This helps the child to expect feeding at certain timings (every 3 hours), and I kind of prefer her technique.

Bottle Feeding & Sterilization of Feeding Equipment
Rosalind then talked about bottle feeding and sterilization of feeding equipment, which is common knowledge lah. Follow the instructions on the packaging and you'll be fine. After sterilizing the bottles, flick away the excess water and assemble back the bottles (cover and all) before storing. Keeping the bottles open would expose them to contamination.

SO ends lessons for the Antenatal class. Next Tuesday I have to attend a Doctor's talk, which is part of the package, and on 30 Nov I have to come back and attend my 1st Lesson, which I have missed. Strange...

Long Awaited Project Done!

Finally it's finished! Believe it or not, it took me close to TWO YEARS, but at least it's done now. :D

I remember getting the design from an Australian magazine that my sis brought back from her honeymoon trip! Haha... I saw the cute chubby cat and I know that I have to make that! So cute! The cat actually took only a few weeks to complete, but the words were soooo tedious! I think I stitched about a few lines and I just chuck it aside and forgot about it. Then I got proposed to, bought a new house, renovations, ROM, moved house, prepared for wedding dinner, etc, etc, etc...

I only remembered my unfinished project two months ago when I was tempted buy a felt craft book at Page One book store. Since the book was a little expensive, I've decided to at least finish my last project first before getting into something new. So I dug out my cross stitch and got to work.

I wanted to add a little sparkle to the design, so after I've finished the stitching, I use beads for the dots on the letterings and the centre of the pink flowers. I love the pink flowers~! And since the main subject was on the diamond collar, I used iron on crystals to give it an extra bling!





Yeah~ So satisfied with my completed art! Soon I'll get it framed and maybe hang it inside the baby room! :)

Dreaming of my baby

I saw this topic on one of those baby books, so I thought it would be nice to document down the dreams I've had about my baby. Yes, although it may sound a little funny and obsessive, I did dream of my unborn child!

Well, so far it only happened twice, the very first dream has no story line. I just saw her in my dreams, a little baby girl, sitting on the floor. She was just a few month old baby wearing a pink little dress, and she have a very thick head of hair that stands up like a little peak. She has the most adorable chubby cheeks and pretty eyes!

The strangest thing was....

I actually dreamt of this BEFORE we know the sex of the baby! There was a smile on my face the morning I woke up, but I NEVER told anybody. So actually I wasn't THAT surprised when we did found out about the sex of the baby. Happy, but not very surprised. :)

A few months later, I had another dream. This time round I dreamt that Cobby and I had just come home from work, tired, but happy to come home to my baby. Unfortunately, because we had spent so much time at work and away from the baby, my baby girl turned out to be totally distant from the both of us and turned to the domestic help or grandma (can't remember clearly) for comfort instead... In the dream I was totally devastated!!!

So when I woke up, I was more determined than ever to stay home and take care of my baby for at least a year. Cobby comforted me that that it's just a dream, but the feeling was just so horrible! Sigh...

So anyway, those were the two dreams I've had. I've not dreamt of my baby since then, but I'll make sure to jot that down if that ever happens!

4th Antenatal Class

The last antenatal class was very fun, because we got to play with dolls!

Lesson 4 - Practical Hands-on Baby Care

• Instructional Video of bathing baby
Before we got to play, we watched a video on how to bath a baby 1st. But as usual, the video looks pretty old, and the sound quality sucks. So we just watched which was just as easy to understand anyway...

OK for those of you who have a morbid fear of life-like dolls, you better look away, because here's our "baby" for the day! :D



We chose a baby with a pink outfit, well, since we're expecting a little princess, but we found out later while changing the diaper that it's actually a boy! Kanna conned...

So with the baby, we learnt how to:
• How to carry, hand over or take over the baby
During class, we had to pretend that the doll is a real baby and have to handle it properly at all times. Always support the neck and the buttocks of the baby!

• How to transfer baby from left to right breast
Useful for mummies for breast-feeding purposes. If the baby is facing on your left breast:
1. Use right hand to support baby's bottom
2. Slide left hand upwards to support neck
3. Move baby away from your body and rotate the baby so that her head can rest on the crook of your right elbow

• How to burp and comfort baby
So we tried different ways to burp the baby and how to hold the baby close to our chest so that she can hear our heartbeat and be comforted by it.

• How to swaddle baby
Imagine being in bed on a cold and rainy morning and you are snuggled nice and warm underneath your fluffy blanket... Then suddenly, somebody comes in and yank your blanket away from you!

Yah, that's basically how the baby feels if you don't swaddle her...

Because the baby has spend so much time in the cosy and confined space inside mummy's belly, it would feel very bare and insecure with all the space to kick and thrash around. So newborns have to be swaddled or wrapped up snugly to make them feel nice and secure... :)

Anyway, we took turns to swaddle the baby, but dunno why; our towel seemed too small for our giant baby. Her feet was sticking out!

My turn...

Tada...!

• How to bath baby
1. Prepare everything! Lay out clothing, diaper, towels, diaper cream, etc.
2. Prepare bath water, (Temperature of water - 40 degrees) and some cooled boiled water
3. Remove baby's clothing - leave diaper on and swaddle baby
4. Using cooled boiled water and cotton buds:
- wipe eyes and nose using outward direction
- wipe ears, face and crease of neck
- pad dry her face with a dry towel
5. Carry baby on your side using a 'football hold' and leaning over the water, scoop water over baby's head to wet it and use a towel to rub wet hair to remove any dirt or flaky skin. Pad dry her head with towel
6. Remove diaper and towel and hold baby in a 'sitting position', with one hand on her bottom and the other on her back/neck
7. Swirl her bottom on the water so that she becomes accustom to it before gently place her on the tub while maintaining support of her neck. Place wet towel on her chest to comfort her.
8. Gently rub the creases on her body, arms, armpit, legs, hands and feet
9. Place your hand over her chest and together with your hand at her back, envelope her body and flip her over so that you can wash her back. Careful to make sure that her face is not under water.
10. Lift her out of water and immediately into a warm blanket to dry her out.
11. Using an umbilical cord alcohol wipe and cotton balls, wipe around and under her cord
12. Apply diaper cream onto genitals using a downward swipe before putting on the diaper. Make sure the umbilical cord is not covered by the diaper.

• How to change diaper
1. If there's poop on the diaper, place baby's bottom onto the cleaner area of the soiled diaper, or just place some tissue over it while you clean her bottom.
2. Using wet wipes, wipe downwards only. For the genitals area, only swipe downwards ONCE before using fresh wipes. For anus area, can swipe, fold and swipe again.
3. Remove soiled diaper, replace with fresh one
4. Apply diaper cream before wearing diaper

Daddy changing diaper

• How to fold a cloth diaper
Honestly I don't know who in this time and age still use cloth diapers that you have to fold yourself, so I guess this is just knowledge for fun. I mean, even if you are environmentally friendly, there are very good brands that sell bright and colourful washable cloth diapers.
Check out these sites for more information!
Bumwear - Available at United Square #01-35 (MRT stop: Novena)
Bambino Mio
Bummis

While listening to the instructor, I watched Cobby and found it soooo sweet that he's carrying the doll like a real baby. This was actually the first time that I've seen him handling a baby, even if it wasn't real.



My gosh, the sight of him holding the 'baby' really tugged my heartstrings and made me go "aaaawwwwww......" He really looked like a real daddy! I think I will cry when I see him holding OUR baby for real one day. I'm sure he'll make a real good father~!

Wedding Dinner Dress Woes

Whenever I'm planning on what to wear to a wedding dinner, I would remember what my dad told me many years ago.

It was some family wedding dinner and I chose to wear a bright pink silk halter top with a pencil skirt. I was quite young and was just started to explore dressing up, so I was worried that I was over-dressed. But my dad said that it's perfectly fine to be over-dressed when you are attending a wedding dinner. After all, you are supposed to LOOK like you are going somewhere nice to attend a special occasion!

So with his words, I grew up with the principle that you should always make an effort to make yourself look good when going to an event as special as a wedding dinner. Afterall, how good you look shows how much effort you put in, and that shows respect to the host, because you are saying "I give a damn". I know that the host or the hostess have worked very hard and very long for that single night, so the least I can do is to show respect in my way. :D

Having said that, I'm always shocked and irritated by people who DON'T make an effort to dress to the occasion. Most of the culprits were men of course, and I don't care what they say, but wearing khakis pants, jeans and/or sneakers to a wedding dinner is a big NO NO. Even if it's a very nice and expensive pair of jeans, it's just not right man...

"Yah whatever, just serve the dinner already..."

For me, my aim was always to achieve the "I'm going out to somewhere nice tonight" look, so I prefer a nice dress to a two piece outfit most of the time. Call me old fashioned, but I try to avoid wearing black to wedding dinners. I know many people don't mind, but you never know if the family members do mind.

Sometimes, I really don't have anything else to wear, so I make the occasional exceptions. Hee hee... But 2 colours I absolutely avoid are white and red. I think it's just plain rude, because I sincerely believe that the only people that can wear white or red are the bride and groom, especially WHITE...

They've definitely achieved the "I'm going out to somewhere nice tonight" look!

Anyway, all these talk on wedding dinner dress code was due to the fact that Zinc's wedding dinner was this coming Saturday and I had really nothing new to wear, so I was a little stressed out. The tricky part is, I cannot wear the same outfit to dinners held by people in the same social circle. So basically I cannot wear the same outfit to Zinc's wedding as I did for Char or Qing Ying's wedding, etc. Why?

Well, chances are that I'll be sitting with the same group of people at each event and I don't want people to think that I only have one dress. That's sad. Besides, when looking at photos, it'll be strange to see me wearing the same clothes at different dinners. Lame, I know...

My pregnant figure doesn't help either. Having giant boobies and a bulging tummy really narrows down the choices of clothes that I can fit into. So after walking about the whole of Causeway Point Shopping Centre, I found 2 categories of dresses:

1. Non-Maternity Dresses
Definitely comes in nicer designs, but they were-
Too tight at the chest area, or
Too loose at the chest area (Pregnant women's cleavage - Turn on or turn off?), and/or
Too tight at the tummy area.

2. Maternity Dresses
Either they were:
Too casual, (think Giordano, but maternity range)
Designs super ugly, F U G L Y!
Ugly fit (most of them make you look like a shapeless paper lantern)
Or, all the above...

With the wedding just 3 days away, I cannot give up! So I hopped on the MRT and went to Orchard to continue my search. Thankfully, I found a dress from Le'Range at Isetan Wisma Atrium!! Unfortunately it's black and white... Sigh... I've REALLY tried to find something in colour, but it's SO HARD to find a dress that actually looks decent on me now! So, I'm quite happy about my find!

This dress hunting experience has made me think that maybe I should explore the idea of selling maternity clothes. I thinking of young, hip and figure flattering maternity wear that doesn't burn a bloody hole in your pocket. Haha... very free nowadays right, so can spend time to do a little research!

Heroes Season 3!

Whoo Hoo! Super excited as the premier of Heores Season 3 air tonight on Channel 18 Star World. Best of all, it would be a 2 hour special episode! Season 2 was good, but was surprisingly short. Thankfully the gap between the seasons were relatively short, so the memory of the last episode was still quite fresh. The new season was titled "Villians", so I'm guessing we'll be seeing more new characters! Yeah! Super Happy!