.: Lil' Patchee :.

The Birth

2008-06-11T23:55:00.004+08:00

[updated on 8th October 2008] It's taken me this long to finally update the blog!

As it was left on my previous entry, Kuchee-Rat had indeed decided to arrive much earlier than expected.. 15 days early, to be precise!

At 1.30am, I woke up, needing to pee. When I thought I was done, I found that I was still leaking and my sanitary pad was soaking wet! This was it, my water bag broke! I immediately rang Doc (felt darn guilty for interrupting his sleep) and he asked me to time my contractions, if they were 20 minutes apart, it'd meant that I was in active labor. I timed my contractions and they were already 20 minutes apart! I hurriedly woke Hubby and oh boy, his eyes were wide open when I told him "I think my water bag broke". I had time to take a quick shower and did some last minute packing for the hospital bag. Hehe..

By 2.30am, we arrived at the hospital. Contacted Doc while I was being wheeled straight to the delivery suite. I changed into the hospital gown, got propped onto the bed, strapped on the fetal monitoring system (heard Kuchee-Rat's heartbeat throughout the time) and was given an internal examination. I had already dilated to 4cm. Hubby did the necessary registration and then joined me in the room. He had the privilege of lying on a recliner, watching the Euro '08 match between Greece and Sweden on the telly while I endured the contractions and more internal examinations. Ouch!

The contractions kicked in at shorter intervals and I kept asking the nurse how much worse off will the delivery pain be. "10 kali lebih sakit!" (10 times more painful than this!). I had to decide if I'd want any pain relief. After considering the options, we decided to go with Pedithine (short injection on the buttocks to make me slightly drowsy) and Ethonox (laughing gas). Even though they're only 30% effective (where as Epidural is 100% pain-free), and despite remembering Doc repeatedly suggested during the checkups that I should take Epidural coz I couldn't withstand the pain of doing blood test and vaginal examination, die die also I did not go for it just coz of the long needle. It's expensive too! Then again, I think I have this rebelling attitude of proving a point that I can do what people say I can't. *lol*

So there, Pedithine was administered and I slowly started feeling drowsy. There was one point of time where I think I dozed off for a while (and so did Hubby!)..... Until I felt as if I wanted to poo big time. It was a sign that the baby was ready to come out! But I had to abstain from pushing coz at that time, I have dilated to 8cm but I had to wait until it's 10cm, otherwise there will be tearing and boy, it won't look very nice! That was when I was given the gas - when the contraction kicks in, I had to immediately inhale as deep as possible (must be able to hear the sound), and when contraction stops, I had to exhale. It was reaaaaaaaaaaaally bad. Hubby even asked if I was already laughing but I just practically ignored him coz it was extremely painful resisting the urge to push and kept concentrating on inhaling and exhaling the gas.

The moments after that were very vague. I didn't remember the nurses telling me to push when I had dilated to 10cm. I didn't remember seeing Doc walked into the room. I also didn't remember him telling Hubby that I had been in the second stage of labor for more than an hour, that if nothing happens within the next 10-15 minutes, he would have to cut me. But what I remembered was that I was still feeling very drowsy. The nurses placed my feet onto the stirrups and adjusted my body. Doc was already standing in front of me. Then I heard them telling me to inhale as deeply as I could the moment I feel the contraction, and push without exhaling. It took me some time to get the hang of it. I pushed and pushed again. I remembered Doc telling me to push harder, that he would assist me and everyone was just encouraging me. So I pushed harder and then, I felt the baby's head coming out. With all my might, I gave a final push, screaming my lungs out. Doc immediately did an episiotomy (he had warned me about this before, it's better to have a clean cut than having a bad tearing which will be harder to stitch up after that) and pulled the baby out using Wrigleys' Forceps. I heard the baby wailing and then I cried with relief. The nurses cleaned him up before bringing him to me and asked me to give him a kiss on his cheeks while Doc stitched me up.

Kuchee-Rat arrived into our lives shortly before 8am, weighing at 2.46kg. He's a small one, so scrawny and so fragile. But what was more important was that he was healthy. *Smile* And I did it! Without epidural! Woo hoo!!!!!! To think that I was actually more afraid of needles than contraction pain. *lol*

Contractions?

2008-06-10T23:21:00.001+08:00

Slightly more than 2 weeks to the EDD.. My belly is drastically huge now as compared to the previous weeks, but I still try to walk a lot. It scares my colleagues. They expect a pregnant woman to walk reaaaaaaaaaaaally slowly and rest a lot. Hehe..

They are more anxious than I am. Everyday they'd ask, "Eh, still working ah?", "You haven't applied leave yet ah??", "No need to stay at home and wait ah??". Sometimes it does get a little bit annoying. I myself don't even know when will I give birth, right? My usual answer would be "Tomorrow, tomorrow" or "If I give birth in the office, you boil water for me, ok?"

The truth is, I have not applied to go on leave earlier. As much as I myself am terrified at the fact that I might possibly begin labor while at the office, I wouldn't want to waste my annual leave just to pot around at home and wait for Baby to come out. Besides, Doc had mentioned before that even if my water bag breaks while at the office, I'll still have ample time to go home, take a shower before heading to the hospital.

Somehow, lately, I've been feeling lke as if I'm having period pain.. I really don't know if they're just Braxton Hicks contractions or the real thing. Tonight's are exceptionally stronger. But I don't see any tinge of blood (they call it the mucous plug) or water leakage. I'm probably just scaring myself..

Maybe I should just go sleep it off... Ta!

Not Time Yet

2008-06-06T21:06:00.000+08:00

Today's checkup has shown that I've gained yet another 0.8kg. Am now 50.8kgs. WOW! Seriously lifetime achievement, man!! I have never, ever touched the 50kgs mark at all!! Woo hoo!!

Doc however, expected me to lose a bit of weight coz the amniotic fluid should be reducing now that we're approaching the EDD. Somehow, in my case, it's not. So I guess Baby's still happily moving about in his 'swimming pool'.

Doc did the internal examination (I sooooo have to get used to it!) and said that my cervix is still closed but because Baby's head is already engaged in the pelvic from the previous checkup, he is still very certain that I wll probably give birth way, way earlier than the EDD. Doc also still strongly suggested that I take epidural.. *Sighz* Let's just see how it goes on the day itself, ok?

We're scheduled for another checkup next week.. I wonder when will the actual day Baby wanna come out and play.. Hhhm....

37 Weeks

2008-06-04T14:18:00.000+08:00

Baby is 'fully baked' today!!!

He is safe to be born anytime now. It's down to 21 more days till he arrives. Scary when you come to think of it.. But I'm really excited to be able to finally meet Baby!

I know I'm gonna miss having him inside me. I will miss al his kicks, turns, stretches, hiccups.. Oh boy, suddenly am feeling so melodramatic now. On the other hand, I'll get to hug, kiss, cuddle, touch and play with him!! *Huge, huge grin*

We're going for our checkup tomorrow. And then the next day, we will be going for a tummy-filling buffet dinner in conjunction with our belated wedding anniversary as well as Daddy and Mummy's. 30 years for both of them! 2 years for us! Hehe..

Let's just hope that Baby doesn't decide to come out while we're at the buffet!

Better Car

2008-06-03T22:39:00.002+08:00

I wrote before about us getting a stroller from the recent MJ warehouse sale. However, when MJ Ah Yi called the supplier the other day, she found out that the stroller was missing from the store. It had probably been sold off to someone else!!

It was so upsetting.. We were so excited at the thought of using a Cosco stroller! *Sighz* It wasn't meant to be. Thank goodness MJ Ah Yi did not put in any advanced payment for it. There's barely a month before Baby is out, so Hubby and I had to go hunt for a stroller as soon as we could.

We finally found one that we were both really happy about.. Hauck Shop N Drive travel system from Toys R Us. A stroller that comes along with an infant carrier seat, just as sturdy as Maclaren's or Peg Perego, and best of all, it fitted our budget!!

The moment we brought it back home and assembled it, we were both practically wheeling the stroller around the living room, imagining our little baby sitting in it.

I guess it was a good thing that we lost out on the Cosco stroller. Everything happens for a reason, eh? *Grin*

Baby Journal

2008-06-01T22:33:00.000+08:00

Another wonderful momento for us, this one was given by one of Baby's godparents-to-be, Chef and Xiao Ping.

Baby journal

It's for us to document everything from the moment we discovered that we're expecting a little bundle of joy until Baby is a few years old.

We are indeed very blessed to have our very supportive families, friends and colleagues share in this wonderful journey as we prepare ourselves to parenthood. *Sniff*

2/5ths In!

2008-05-30T22:57:00.000+08:00

A fortnight ago, Doc said that Baby's head is already "locked" within the pelvic.. Today, he said that Baby's head is 2/5ths engaged.. Which is almost half deep in the birth canal.. Apparently, usually around this time for first pregnancies, babies' head would still be floating around, trying to get engaged. Looks like Baby's an eager beaver, eh?

We can hardly see the full head during ultrasound scan now.. Doc did an internal examination and could feel Baby's head but the cervix has not dilated. If it has, Doc should be able to feel Baby's hair and that means, labor is due to happen within hours or days. It's scary at the thought of that, but it's exciting. Baby still has lots of amniotic fluid around him to move about. His heartbeat rate is normal. My blood pressure is normal too. I've now touched 50kgs, almost 1.1kgs gain, which Doc was really pleased about.

Because of the fact that Baby's head is already 2/5ths in, Doc warned that I could most probably go on early labor, 1-2 weeks before the estimated due date. Gee... Is Baby trying to come out early for Father's Day celebration??? Hubby's banking for 16th June, coz it coincide with the birthday of his favourite singer, Tupac. *shakes head*

But yeah.. I've got to be ready.. I need to pack my hospital bag!

Goodies From Down Under

2008-05-28T21:40:00.001+08:00

Was expecting a parcel of jig board (for jewelry-making) from Lily but I'd never thought I'd get anything more than that! Imagine my suprise when I saw a huge box waiting for me at my doorstep today!

Down Under goodies!

* Deluxe Thing-a-Ma-Jig
Bringing my jewelry-making hobby to a higher level by forming loops with wires. I have something to do during my confinement period, well.. Besides the boxes of TVB and Korean drama series that Sis and Footitie will be loaning me. Tee hee hee!

* Card
"It's a boy" with a personalized message from Lily and husband. Thank you so much!!! *Hugz*

* 2 pairs of onesies, a.k.a. bodysuits
The joy of having a baby boy - 'Lock Up Your Daughters' and 'PIMP - Poo In My Pants'. *lol* Why aren't there any locally-made baby clothes that come with cute captions like these? Hubby and I couldn't stop smiling about the PIMP one. Very excited to have Baby wear them!

* Baby Owner's Starter Kit
The most hilarious yet informative manual I've ever seen.. Describing babies in product terminology.. The kit comes with a darn cool manual (troubleshooting baby's audio cues, and checking with the service provider if there are any missing parts), an instructional poster, growth chart and stickers for marking baby's progress, babysitter's memo pad, a crawling baby magnet and oh, hardcover keepsake box. Niceeeeeee!!!

Thanks a bunch, Lily and husband!! You've already given your share of gifts from the baby shower last weekend and yet there are more with these goodies. Thank you, thank you!!! And yes, the manual is definitely gonna be very handy for us. Hehe... Thanks again!!! Bless you both!!! *Hugz*

36 Weeks

2008-05-28T13:28:00.000+08:00

4 more weeks to go! *Gasp*

From 3dPregnancy..

"I am getting a white oily vernix all over my body; that feels nice and soft".

"Being pregnant is wonderful. It is for a good cause and it will not last much longer! Be glad that you can still enjoy your belly and that you have your baby happily inside. Once the baby is born, you will think back with a bit of melancholy on that wonderful feeling of being pregnant. A feeling that is hard to describe but that is so beautiful and overwhelming, you have to experience it to understand. Enjoy it while you can!"

Indeed I am enjoying the moments.. More so now that the big day is getting nearer and nearer. The more I think about it, the more I know I'm gonna miss having Baby inside me - kicks, hiccups, turns and all.. *Sniff*

But on the other hand, in 4 weeks time, we will be welcoming a new member to our little family.. And yes, I'm very, very excited!! *Grin*

What Are You Looking At???

2008-05-25T14:40:00.000+08:00

The one thing about being pregnant is that people tend to stare at you or rather, your bulging tummy.

When my bump started showing, I was pretty oblivious about the stares. At least until someone mentioned about them. And when the bump got much bigger, the stares got even worse and longer.

Whenever Hubby and I walk around the shopping complexes, strangers would just stare at me. They'd whisper to the person beside them to tell them to look at me. I'd be wondering if there was something on my head, a stain on my face, did I look weird to them or was I walking funnily. Had they just take a short glimpse, smile a bit or something, then I'm fine with it. But this is downright annoying.

Once, my colleagues and I returned from lunch and we took the lift up to our floor. There was this other lady in the lift with us. My colleagues noticed that she was practically staring at me from head to toe the entire ride. They were so annoyed that they stared back at her. I of course, did not take notice of this until they told me.

One of the afternoons, Hubby and I had dim sum for lunch. A lady sitting opposite me was staring at me. When she left, she passed by our table and she just looked towards my bump.

What the heck! All these people just seemed as if they've never seen a pregnant woman before! It is coz I look too young my age to be pregnant, that you need to search for the wedding ring on my finger??? That I look too small size and thin to be pregnant? Have you not seen a pregnant belly at all??? Must you stare at me like as if I'm some kind of an exhibit?? And for sure I don't wear any tight fitting clothes.. I have nothing to flaunt, really.

YES, IT IS POSSIBLE! YES, I AM PREGNANT!

Please give us pregnant women some respect. It's already stressful having to cope with the pregnancy blues, cramps and all. We do not need any added stress by you staring at us like aliens!

35 Weeks

2008-05-21T09:01:00.002+08:00

From 3dPregnancy..

"There is a good chance that he will not have to go in the incubator if he is born now. After all, he is completely ready, except for his lungs! If he were born today, the neonatologist will check to see if the baby is premature. If his lungs are not fully developed, he may need to spend time in a special care nursery with medication. If he's healthy, though, he can even go home soon, despite his small size."

Noooo.. Baby's not 'fully baked' yet.. Don't come out so soon!

"Breastfeeding is very important for premature babies, because their immune system can still be underdeveloped. The chance of infections is greatly reduced through breastfeeding. The first milk, colostrum, is extraordinarily rich in antibodies and is an outstanding precaution against infections."

I do intend to breastfeed Baby for at least 6 months, if it's possible. Good for Baby. Good for me. And good for our pockets too, save on milk powders. *lol*

A Walk In The Park

2008-05-19T22:02:00.000+08:00

Chef and Xiao Ping are on a hunt for an outdoor location for their bridal photography. We suggested the Bukit Jalil park coz they have those gardens from all around the world.

So today being a public holiday for Wesak Day, we took the opportunity to make a visit to the park. Besides I need some exercise to ease my upcoming delivery. We took a long walk along the tracks, passed the ponds, to the gardens and then back to the car.

It was quite tiring, having to carry almost 2kg load in front of me. Despite all the huffing and puffing, I had a slow but really goodwalk. I'm really glad I managed to conquer it without fainting. And Hubby gave me an ice-cream treat after that! Yay! *Grin*

Baby Shower Suprise

2008-05-18T22:14:00.001+08:00

The girls, along with Hubby, threw a baby shower suprise at Italiannies, The Curve!

It was truly an unexpected one.. Today started off like any usual Sunday, doing some simple housechores before we head off to The Curve/Ikano to do our grocery shopping. Hubby said that he felt like having pasta for lunch, which was, I thought, kind of odd coz he's not so much of a pasta fan (fattening and expensive) but then again, I thought it was probably one of his craving moments (see.. I'm the pregnant one but he's having the cravings instead. Not kidding here! Hehe!). After throwing in a few suggestions on where to have pasta, Hubby said to go to Italiannies. I immediately went, "Wuah.. Sure?? Very expensive woh!!!" But oh well.. Since he's the one having cravings.. Hehehe..

The other odd thing was that we walked around, even hung out at one of the bakeries for a bite or two (and I thought we were supposed to have pasta for lunch) before Hubby told me that Chef and Xiao Ping would meet us for lunch.

Once we've arrived at Italiannies, we asked for a table of 4 and the waitress was about to show us a vacant table. Somehow Hubby insisted that he wanted to sit at the upper deck, to the extent that he was almost whispering to the waitress that he must sit up there. Odd observation #3! The waitress of course, looked confused but she brought us up to the upper deck anyway. I looked for a nice vacant table ant noticed that the bigger table at the center of the deck was decorated with balloons. I wanted to tell Hubby that maybe there was a party going on there! Then at a corner, I saw a very familar face.. Gummy! Wow! It had been months since we've met up and it was such a coincidence to bump into her there! I was so excited that I wanted to tell Hubby. Then odd observation #4.. Moorish was sitting beside Gummy.. They're both my very close friends but they're not very close to each other, I've not seen them being in the same room together since my wedding 2 years ago and now they're having lunch together? Hhhm.... I was really suprised.. And suddenly, the rest of them came out from their hiding places.. Only then, it hit me.. The party was for us!! *lol* How very, very sneaky of them!!!

I couldn't believe it! I mean, we did however throw a shower for Jewel but I'd never in a million years, expected to receive one as well. And I couldn't believe that Hubby kept this away from me!!!

It was nevertheless, a truly wonderful suprise and a very fun reunion! *Grin* We've had so much of talk about pregnancy and babies, especially from the experienced mummy Jewel.. And ooh.. Those lovely, lovely gifts and those yummy cupcakes!! We can't be grateful enough for their kindness and generosity!!

Baby shower goodies!

Personal sets of onesies from Moorish during her time in Houston

To the girls - Moorish, Sue, Mei (who came up from Singapore!), Gummy, Jewel and Lily (your presence was felt even though you're far away in Sydney).. Thank you very, very much for the gifts, for throwing this wonderful shower for us. You've been the girlfriends I never thought I would have all these years.. 22 years with Gummy and 13 years with the rest. Here's to many more years of friendship between us!! Cheers!!

Chef and Xiao Ping - Thank you so much for being there at the shower. Baby is truly blessed to have both of you as his godparents (apart from 2 other godfathers.. And he's not even out yet!!). Wishing both of you great happiness as you unite as one in a few months time. We'll make sure Baby is ever ready to roll on your marital bed when the time comes! *Grin*

Wan Nei and Bubble - Was told that you girls couldn't make it for the party, It's alright, we can arrange to meet up soon before Baby is out, yeah? *Hugz* Hhm.. Wan Nei, now I understood why you called last evening and asked if I was at The Curve with my friends and then later on said that you called "for fun". *lol*

Hubby dearest - You really got me there this time. Hehe.. Very cheeky of you!! Am very excited to look forward to welcoming our little monsterous man, a mini you, in a month's time. :) *Muakz*

It definitely had been a delightful and an unforgettable event, to be blessed with having them in my life and now to share the arrival of our forthcoming bundle of joy. Love you, girls!!! *Group hugz*

Baby Is Engaged!

2008-05-17T21:04:00.004+08:00

Today's checkup was a very happy and exciting one.

I had mentioned to Doc that my appetite has been reducing lately, that I couldn't eat as much as before at one sitting. He said that it's common because as the uterus expands, the stomach gets shrunk. But when we did the routine weight measurement, we found out that I have gained 2kgs.. Which brings me to 48.9kgs now. I have gained 9.1kgs in total so far and Doc was very pleased with it!! Yay!!

We did the ultrasound scan.. Doc told us that Baby is already "in" because he couldn't quite see the top part of the head now. This showed that Baby is already "engaged" which means Baby's head is "locked" between the pelvis, ready at the birth canal. It is likely that I will deliver 1-2 weeks earlier than estimated! That's like, in 4 weeks time!! *Gasp*

Baby is growing well.. He's now weighing almost 2kgs! Doc said that although Baby's head is "locked", Baby still has plenty of room to move his body, arms and legs. That explains why Baby's growing at the correct pace, not too fast, not too slow, but his legs are growing 2 weeks faster! Must have been all those kicks!!

Speaking of kicks, Baby was moving a lot during the scan. Doc was pressing the tummy quite hard with the scanner and I think Baby really didn't like it. Baby tried to squirm to move the scanner away whereasDoc kept pressing the scanner deeper. It was reaaaaaally uncomfortable. I had so wanted to tell Doc to remove his scanner. Hehe.. Baby was doing that "body bulging on the right side of my tummy and a lump on the left side of the tummy" thingy and I immediately asked Doc to place his scanner at where the lump was. Doc did so and said "That's his foot". Haha! Naughty Baby!

And yes, Baby is indeed a boy. Doc showed us Baby's scrotums.. *lol* We've definitely come to terms of having a boy.. And I must say, I love Baby more and more as each day pass by. Can't wait to see him next month!!!

Our next checkup is in a fortnight's time. So exciting!!

34 Weeks

2008-05-14T08:31:00.000+08:00

From 3dPregnancy..

"This week I am going to turn my head downwards because that feels best to me."

I know for sure that Baby is already in that position since the last checkup, so it's a good sign. :)

"In the coming weeks his head will go down further behind the pubic bone. The pressure of the growing baby and your loosening pelvis will allow the baby to descend lower and lower in your pelvic region."

Hmm... So maybe that was what happened yesterday!

"Lying on your back is not so good because then the weight of your uterus presses on the major abdominal artery and the lower vein as a result of which your baby can get less blood supply. Your baby will let you know if you are reducing his blood supply by squirming, kicking, and generally letting you know you should move!"

Darnn... All these while, I thought that was amusing to watch Baby move! Sorry, Baby.. Mummy won't do that again..

"If you notice a pattern to the contractions, if they are longer than 45 seconds to a minute, if they command your attention and you can't talk or move through them, and if they are getting closer and closer together, these are signs of early labor contractions."

So I've got to watch out for this!

Anyhow, 6 more weeks till Baby arrives!!! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

Tummy Dropped

2008-05-13T09:36:00.003+08:00

I don't know if I'm seeing things.. But I felt like as if my tummy is much lower today..

I wonder if Baby's much heavier now.. I'd probably might need to hold my tummy to keep it from dropping. *lol*

By the way, I've got a new activity to do now.. Watering the plants using a small water container.. Haha! It's a good exercise for me, lots of walking from where the tap is to the plants. :)

Happy Mummy's Day

2008-05-10T10:01:00.001+08:00

I shall only be able to celebrate Mother's Day next year..

This year, Hubby and I brought my parents out for a buffet dinner treat at Eastin Hotel. We celebrated a day earlier to avoid crowds and well.. It's much more expensive to dine out on the day itself.

We also bought a small American cheesecake from Bakerzin for Mummy.

To my Mummy dearest

Can't believe it.. I will be a mother soon.. Wow..

33 Weeks

2008-05-07T11:35:00.000+08:00

.. And 49 more days to go!

The Pregnancy Countdown Book says...

"All of her bones are still hardening, except for her skull, which remains soft and pliable and will not completely join, enabling her to journey through the birth canal".

"Just surrender to your nesting instinct. "Nesting" - The desire to clean, redo and renew one's home - is real. Nesting is a primal instinct among all pregnant animals. It often hits the human ones during the third trimester (In fact, a strong nesting urge at your due date week can even signal the onset of labor)."

3dPregnancy says..

"You waddle like Mother Goose".

To think that I'm already walking like a penguin now... Now I'm like a Mother Goose... *Sighz*

Onesies

2008-05-04T21:55:00.004+08:00

Oh by the way.. We bought 2 bodysuits a.k.a. onesies from Brands Outlet.

They're so darn cute, branded items yet so cheap!!! Couldn't resist them!

The joy of expecting a baby boy.. Tee hee hee!

We love this so much!

We will let Baby wear the latter one during his full moon celebration.. If the grandparents allow us to! *Grin*

Baby's Chinese Name

2008-05-04T15:56:00.002+08:00

It's really tough having to think of a name for Baby.. So far we've only managed to decide on the English name and we're very happy with it!

We've came up with a Chinese character name.. I'll save you from telling how we've come to decide on that. Hehehe... You will really knock your head on the table or wall. Anyway, yet somehow our families don't quite approve it. One said it's very Tibetan. One said it's very old-fashioned. One thinks it's very religious. One just felt that it doesn't sound nice at all. *Sighz*

Eventually I guess it will just be up to the both of us to decide on a full Chinese name. The problem is, it is tough to think of one coz we're both Chinese illiterate, and we're relying heavily on this Chinese name book we bought some time ago, Internet or friends. We did ask Mummy coz she can read and write Chinese. The problem is that she thought of ONE and only ONE Chinese name for Baby and had been persistent with it, refusing to find other suggestions. How are we to accept the name if we ourselves don't even like the pronounciation nor the meaning?

We've got 2 more months to come up with a full name.. We will find the best name we can give for Baby.. Ever since we've decided on the English name, we've been calling Baby by that name. I wonder if he knows that we're calling him. Hehe..

32 Weeks

2008-04-30T11:59:00.000+08:00

According to The Pregnancy Countdown Book...

"From head to toe, your baby is about 18.5 inches (47 cm) long. This explains why you feel like there's a foot up around your ribcage. There probably is a foot or another body part in your ribcage.

Your baby is running out of room, and you're running out of patience (big sigh). You still have 56 days to go - or more. The end of your third trimester is when life in Pregnancy Land can get really hard again. You may still be working and anxiously awaiting your maternity leave. You may not have shooting pains down your legs during the day and bad leg cramps at night. Many women experience fatigue and PMS-like symptoms. To make matters worse, sleeping comfortably is difficult, if not impossible. By now, your significant other is either in the guest room, on the couch, or being smothered by your boyfriend Bob, the full body pillow, and a host of other pillows."

8 more weeks.... 8 MORE WEEKS! *Gah*

Baby Shopping Spree

2008-04-26T22:59:00.000+08:00

It has been a day of shopping and shopping.. Just for Baby's stuffs!!

In the morning, we dropped by at Isetan, The Gardens for the babywear clearance sale. We bought a pair of Baby Tiny Toons inner wear, with this cute little logo of Baby Bugs Bunny and the caption "What's up Doc?" below it.. Only for RM16 after 70% discount! So blue and so cute!!

And then in the evening, we went over to my parents' place for our usual Saturday dinner. There was a huge bunch of stuffs at the living room - all the items that MJ Ah Yi bought from the warehouse sale on Mummy's behalf - washcloths, extra pillowcase, extra crib sheet, sleep support, newborn pillow, mittens, stroller pad, receiving blanket.. All for only RM 107. So cheap!! The stroller is still wrapped and stored in the MJ warehouse, so we will only get to see it much later.

After dinner, we went to Anakku and bought more stuffs like MamyPoko disposable diapers (for emergency use, coz we intend to let Baby wear cloth diapers instead.. Traditional-style!), nursing pads, mosquito net and stand, bath mat, and 2 pairs of Baby Disney clothes.. For a total of RM 175.

Hehehe.. Sooooo many things for such a tiny little creature!!! More to come, that's for sure!!! *Grin*

Baby's Little Car

2008-04-25T15:23:00.001+08:00

"Ah Yi said got stroller on sale, from RM1+k now at RM300+, display set, you want or not?"

MJ Ah Yi always alerts Mummy whenever there's any promotions or sale going on in MJ. This time, it's the warehouse sale in Shah Alam. A Cosco stroller (from The States, apparently the design is equivalent to Maclaren's), comes along with an infant carrier, was on sale and was going out very, very fast. MJ Ah Yi even bugged her supplier if they have anymore stock - they only have one display set left in one of the MJ stores.

I was very hesitant coz Princess had handed us Bumblebee's Sweet Cherry stroller. It wasn't in a very excellent condition. Sticker was half apart. The padding was quite worn out and dirty but it was still usable coz we could always buy a new stroller pad. Besides, I have not seen how does Cosco strollers look like and I wasn't sure if we would like it. I asked Hubby about it and he said he's heard of the brand, as good as Maclaren's. Wuah!!!!

So after a few "No"s and "Not sure woh" to Mummy, I finally told her that we want it. I could hear her tell Daddy, "Now she want it" at the background. Hehe.. But we would let MJ Ah Yi decide if the display set is in good condition before buying it.

In the end, we are indeed getting a new stroller for Baby after all!!! And it's in blue!!! Woweeeeeeee!!!!! I wonder if this is the one from Cosco Juvenile..

First Trip To The Balai Polis

2008-04-24T14:30:00.000+08:00

I texted the lady who hit my little car last evening and told her how much would it cost to get the damage fixed.It was really a very reasonable amount considering the dents are really obvious from even afar.

She, however, felt that I was exaggerating when they were only scratches (wow... A scratch and a dent is a huge difference, kay?!). She even got her husband to deal with me who 'clever-ly' told me that it will be very troublesome for a pregnant woman like me to file a police report, and also suggested that I bring my car to his mechanic who apparently can 'kao tim' for 10, 20 bux or so. No, thank you! They rather lose their NCB which is more than the amount I asked for. So be it then. Off to the police station Hubby and I went.

Being my first time filing a report, I found it pretty interesting having to type the report according to a sample format, like a story.. "On this so-and-so date, I was driving, car registration no. so-and-so, along Jalan so-and-so when suddenly a car registration no. so-and-so hit my car from behind." And I got to draw out the location of the accident when we met the Sergeant. Hehe..

It was quite an experience. I know that I didn't have to do this, but at least now that I have, I will know what to do the next time *touch wood!*.

Minor Car Accident @ 31 Weeks

2008-04-23T22:44:00.000+08:00

Was on my way home from work when my little car got hit from behind, even though the traffic light was red and cars weren't even moving! It was a very loud *thud*, there were dents here and there. But thank goodness Baby is ok. Well, at least I kept poking on my tummy the entire night to make sure that he's still alive and kicking. *Phew* Although it's a minor accident, but it can still be a risk to Baby.

On a much happier news, Baby is now 31 weeks. 63 more days to go! The Pregnancy Countdown Book says this,

"Your baby's central nervous system is controlling more of her bodily functions now. If your baby is exposed to bright light, her irises will dilate, even in utero."

Hm.. Does this mean that I can play disco lights with Baby? Tee hee hee!

Big Boy!

2008-04-19T20:22:00.001+08:00

It was time for our monthly checkup. Wheee!!!!! Still can't believe that we're already in our 30th week. *Shivers*

Doc delivered us the pap smear results. Thank goodness no cancerous cells were detected. *Phew* But there's the prodding within the vagina again to check for infection. It's gonna be a usual routine everytime we go for checkup now. *Sighz*

I've upped yet another 1.2kg, which brings me to 46.8kg now. Woo hoo!! Doc was expecting a 2kg gain, but since Baby is growing well so it's still alright. He's now weighing 1.2kg, with the head measuring 7.6cm from side to side and he was really active during the checkup! Moving aggressively and all!! Whenever Doc tried to move the scanner around the tummy, Baby would try to kick it away. Hehe! Doc described where was Baby's heads, arms, legs and then casually said "Confirm it's a boy" coz his little 'jewels' are more apparent now. *lol* And oh yes, Baby has indeed turned upside down, getting ready to position himself for birth. Doc said that Baby may still be able to sway a bit, but not so much till he goes to a breech position. So it's a relief!

Doc also said that pregnancy is a form of stress, so I need to take it easy and get enough 8-hours sleep. I need to exercise as well, like going for brisk walks, or swimming - enough to increase my heartbeat rate a bit and sweat but not to the point where I'll dehydrate myself.

Looks like Baby's a big boy now.. And I can't believe I'm carrying a kg-load 24/7! *Muakz the tummy* Hehe..

Upside Down

2008-04-18T15:51:00.002+08:00

Last night while lying on the bed, I thought I felt Baby's legs kicking against my ribs.

He was quite aggressive, I must say. And when he turns, I could actually see a huge lump moving from one side of my tummy to the other. Kinda felt like all of my insides were moving and turning!

I wonder if he was sleeping upside down.. Coz just the other day, Princess commented that my body part between the tummy and my breasts is very hollow, which indicates that the baby has already assume in an upside down position within the womb in preparation for the birth.

Is it really? Wow! I can only find out tomorrow when I go for the monthly checkup!

Weighing A Cantaloupe At 30 Weeks

2008-04-16T14:19:00.002+08:00

That means it's another 10 weeks to go (70 days).. Or less!

The Pregnancy Countdown Book says this..

"Your baby is growing taller by the day. This week, she weighs almost 3 pounds (1.4kg). Next time you're at the grocery store, put a cantaloupe on the scale. That will give you a good idea of what 3 pounds weigh."

Several of my pregnant friends and a cousin who are expecting their babies around the same time as me have been attending prenatal classes (or also known as antenatal classes? What's the difference, by the way?). I feel kind of guilty in a way for not signing up for such classes. Does this mean that I'm already failing my role as a mother? I just... Thought that I can rely on people's experiences, books and the internet for such information. Besides, the moment I have my contractions and entering the labor room, I for sure am gonna forget every single thing I learn in classes and just panic and scream like a mad woman. And as for childcare, I have my parents and the confinement lady (and instinct?) to help and guide me.

My cousin has also advised me to start preparing the hospital bag by Week 35, coz apparently the baby can be out anytime between Week 37 till 42. So that means I have 5 more weeks to be prepared. Oh no! Gotta really start shopping for all these stuff soon! Mummy had already bought a hooded towel when she went to Hong Kong to visit Sis during Easter. So at least something in the list is checked. Hehe...

Gotta go update my checklist now..

Future Gymnast

2008-04-15T15:46:00.003+08:00

Baby's awfully active today.

He woke me up at 5 this morning and he has been moving and turning and wriggling like, forever ever since!

I don't know whether it's the Braxton Hicks contraction that I'm feeling or Baby's really aggressive. One moment he juts his body somewhere on my right tummy (he seems to love to be in such position!), the entire part hardens and it stays that way for a few minutes.

It's hard to breathe whenever Baby does that. Urgh... I think I should leave the office now.. Go home and take a good rest..

Baby, be good!

Barf

2008-04-12T16:47:00.000+08:00

Had such a nice lunch today.. Chee cheong fun and then jelly for dessert.

Then Hubby and I decided to drop by at Toys 'R' Us in Subang Parade to check out the baby stuffs. Somehow it was very stuffy and humid there. I remembered not being able to stand or walk for too long, I kept eyeing for a place to sit!

Suddenly, I felt dizzy and everything went blur. Remembered telling Hubby that I needed to sit down for a while.. The moment we found an empty bench just outside the store, nausea kicked in. Hubby immediately asked for a plastic bag. And then... I hurled...

There goes my nice lunch... Is this the beginning of third trimester horror? *Sighz*

29 Weeks

2008-04-09T11:38:00.000+08:00

77 more days to go..

As much as I'm excited to be able to finally meet Baby (and hug and kiss and spoil and love him to bits!) soon, I shudder at the thought of giving birth. I fear the pain, tear, sewing, needles and all.. I know I'm a huge worry pot but I can't help it. Imagine I actually shed tears just drawing blood during my first trimester.. What's more childbirth!!

Just pray and pray that I will be strong to go through the whole thing.. As natural as possible..

Sleepless Nights

2008-04-06T15:48:00.001+08:00

First of all, I really, really hope that there's no bad news on the pap smear results. Have I told you that I hate it so, so, so, so much?

Baby's been wriggling a lot more often nowadays. Sometimes I let him listen to classical music to lull him back to sleep especially during work. But the bigger problem is that it's getting harder to sleep at night. I get backache if I lie on my back for too long. If I sleep on the right side, I worry my organs will get squished and anyhow, Baby would wriggle and wriggle as a sign to tell me to switch my sleeping position. If I sleep on the left side for too long, my arms go numb.

*Sighz* It's soooooo hard to get a goodnight sleep.. I've also even tried to prop more pillows under my head, and a pillow or two on my sides beside the tummy so that when I lie on either side, the tummy gets to 'rest' on the pillow.. Like a cushion to support the weight.

It doesn't help the fact that I'm in my 7th month now.. Just another 2 more months to go.. Or less!! Am beginning to feel the jitters... Just hope I don't get nightmares.. I need as much sleep as I can before Baby comes out to play!

Third Trimester!

2008-04-02T11:39:00.002+08:00

We have finally reached the last 3-month lap! *Gasp*

The Pregnancy Countdown Book says..

"Third trimester ultimately serves one purpose: to make you so uncomfortable, so over it, so tired, so achy, so bitchy, so itchy, and so freakishly huge, that you will do anything to get the baby out of you, including pushing it out of a place where a tampon once felt gigantic."

Gee.... Thanks!

Pap Smear

2008-03-29T15:14:00.000+08:00

Visited Doc, and he suggested that I do a pap smear test today itself... Just to make sure that there are no cancerous cells harmful to Baby.

I hate it! I hate it!

It was my first time doing such test.. Now I know why many people told me that it's dreadfully uncomfortable. It was horrible! The only consolation was that Hubby and Doc's wife were there with me.

Doc's wife told me that I'd have to go through it again during labor.. Not exactly pap smear but more on prodding and all to check the dilation and to make sure that there are no infection within the vagina that can really harm Baby when he is on his way out to the world. *Sighz*

27 Weeks

2008-03-26T09:28:00.001+08:00

91 more days! My last week of second trimester! *GASP*

The Pregnancy Countdown Book says that Baby should be taller than a Barbie, or in our case, Ken doll! Wuah!

"This could be your last chance to travel somewhere and actually enjoy it. In another month, you won't want to be away from home, just in case. Besides, you'll be too big and tired to have fun. Think about it - Once the baby comes, you're not going anywhere on vacation, alone with your significant other, for at least several months."

*Sighz* I was actually thinking of going somewhere nearby (maybe Port Dickson or even within PJ/KL itself!) for a short weekend getaway. Just to chill, relax and smell the roses. Then again, I won't be able to enjoy as much as I'd want to, since there are certain restrictions on what can I eat, drink and where can I go and do.

Guess I'll have to save that after Baby is out.. A post-maternity holiday! Tee hee hee!!

Growing Feet & Glowing Hands

2008-03-22T16:42:00.000+08:00

Today's highlight in The Pregnancy Countdown Book is pretty interesting..

"Many women may go up an entire shoe size by the time they have their babies. And in your next trimester, the swelling of your feet can worsen. But once all of the swelling subsides, you may find that you can get back into your old shoes.

Your feet are growing, and your other extremities, your hands, are probably glowing. Though you may still may not have that joyous pregnancy glow you were hoping for, at least one part of you is radiating - but unfortunately, it's the palms of your hands. You'll never believe this, but your suddenly bright red and itchy palms, and possibly the soles of your feet, were caused by increased estrogen."

Am lucky that so far, I do not have swollen feet (yet!) but when I do, I have an excuse to buy a new pair of sandals! *lol*

Monthly Checkup

2008-03-21T14:02:00.000+08:00

We 'saw' Baby today! *Grin*

Doc checked the genitals again. This time, we saw the testes and the tiny penis between Baby's legs. Baby was definitely active, he just kept kicking and moving! We can now confirm that we're having a naughty little boy. Unless if Doc is wrong twice!!

Baby is now weighing about 800+ grams and his development is a bit slowed down by 1 week. But Doc said that everything looks normal and Baby seems to be healthy, so there's nothing to worry about. *Phew*

As for the mummy, I have gained another 2 kgs, which brings me up to 45.6kg now. Yet another lifetime achievement! Woo hoo!!

Babysitter

2008-03-20T13:24:00.002+08:00

We, or rather, Pa have found a sitter for Baby. She lives within Hubby's old neighbourhood. We will start engaging her services after my maternity leave which should be sometime in September. Only for weekdays, and we will bring Baby home every night. Pa will drop by at the sitter's place every now and then to keep an eye on Baby.

I should feel relieved that we have a babysitter now. But I don't. I am suddenly depressed about having to part with Baby, leaving Baby with a stranger. Is she nice? Will she be kind to Baby? Will she pay lots of attention and care towards Baby? Will she love Baby just as much as she love her own children?

I know I shouldn't rely on my parents to help me take care of Baby while I go to work.. But with them, at least I know Baby will definitely be in safe hands. Mummy will fuss on him and Daddy will teach him so many things and will read to him, just like how they did with Sis and I.

I wish I do not need to work, or at least I can find a job which I can work from home. But it just won't be fair to Hubby. I can't let him struggle alone to provide for us. I wish I can do something. I wish there is a better way for me so that I do not need to part with Baby, or at least Baby can be taken care by someone I trust a lot.

Can someone help me? *sobs*

26 Weeks

2008-03-19T14:16:00.000+08:00

98 more days.. Gee.. We're down to 2 digits now!

Here's what The Pregnancy Countdown Book says for this week...

"His eyelids have been closed until now in order for the retinas to fully develop, but now his eyes are open and he's even blinking."

- Does this mean that I can now play 'lights on and off' with Baby? I read that Baby can cover his eyes with his hands if a torch light is shown towards him.. Hhhm..... *sniggers*

"Most of your intestines, large and small, have been pushed up into your upper abdomen - which explains why your food seems to sit there during meals. Gas pains can really get you under the ribs. There isn't much to do but wait. Some yoga poses can help you make room for all those squished organs; just make sure you follow a safe prenatal program."

- Oh dear, heartburn again? Back to first trimester again? :(

Carrying Low

2008-03-18T16:39:00.004+08:00

A colleague asked if I'm having a boy. I answered "Yes" and asked why.

Apparently, it's because the way I'm carrying Baby is low which indicates that I'm having a boy. If high, then it's a girl. I don't know how much of truth there is but hey, it's another one of those old wives' tales. So just listen lor, right?

But you know what, it will be darn funny if Baby ends up being a girl. *lol*

Countdown Begins

2008-03-17T10:04:00.002+08:00

100 more days to go!

*GASP*

Confinement Lady

2008-03-16T21:50:00.001+08:00

She has been 'interviewed' and deposit has been paid for. Poh Poh had recommended her, and Mummy as well as her friend took the liberty to meet up with her and 'grilled' her with lots of questions. Well.. More like the friend did most of the grilling and when she was satisfied with the answers, she gave an 'OK' sign to Mummy and told her to proceed to paying the deposit. Hehehe...

Throughout the 27 days of confinement (why only 27? Why not 30 days?), I will be staying over at my parents' house. At least there will be someone to chit-chat with the confinement lady, and Hubby need not worry so much about leaving me at home alone with Baby and the confinement lady.

I just hope the confinement period will not be suffering. Hope that she is nice and patient!!

Bed For Baby

2008-03-15T22:45:00.005+08:00

While the night was still young, Hubby and I decided to hop over to MidValley for some window shopping for Baby's stuffs.

We stumbled upon a beautiful wooden baby cot in Planete Enfants Mamours. A wooden cot was definitely not in our checklist coz Princess had already given us Bumblebee's playpen/travel cot and claimed that it was sufficient enough for Baby to sleep in. We of course, appreciated it but was also slightly upset that we weren't able to buy a proper wooden one for Baby.

But this one... We just couldn't help falling in love with it! It's a 4-in-1 Luciole Deluxe baby cot that can be converted from a normal cot into a playpen, sofa bed and then a junior bed. Which means that it can be used till Baby is about 6 years old! The cot was on promotion, comes along with a 6-in-1 Lollipop bedding set (2 pillows+cases, 1 bolster+case, 2 bumper pads and 1 fitted bedsheet), Safe 'N Sound 100% natural latex mattress (wowee!) and a Foot Prints gift set (1 bodysuit, 1 bib, 1 pair of mittens and booties, 1 cap and 1 set of plastic fork and spoon - all blue!).

Mummy almost jumped off the roof when I told her about it, and that the cot would be delivered to her place by the end of May since I'll be doing my confinement there.

"You are not willing to even fork out that much to buy a new bed for your guest room but you are willing to pay so much for a wooden cot for Baby".

But that's the thing, isn't it? No matter what, we always want the best for our children. Now that I'm going to be a mother soon, I begin to truly understand how tough life is for parents; how it has been for my parents to bring us up, to provide all they can for us. I will do that for my children too. *Grin*

It's time to revise the checklist. There's still so many more things to shop for, but for now, I'm sooooooooooooo awfully glad that Baby is indeed finally going to be sleeping in a wooden cot after all!!! Hurray!!!!! And that will be the bed Baby will be sleeping in for the next 5-6 years. Unless of course, if we decide to have another baby during that period, then Baby will have to give it up for his younger sibling. *Wink*

Amused

2008-03-14T08:26:00.000+08:00

It had been a while since Moorish, Sue and I met up. So we decided to have dinner together at Marmalade Cafe, Bangsar Village last night.

Although we mass e-mail each other several times during our working hours every day, nothing beats having direct chit-chats and well, just enjoying the girls' companionship. Needless to say, Sue was really amused when she saw me. The skinny and short girl she has always known ever since high school now has a growing tummy and is going to be a mother in 3 months time. Sometimes I can't believe it myself too.. Gosh! We've all grown up!

It was a very nice and simple girls' night out. It has been such a long time since I've had that, ,especially since I got pregnant. I know that once Baby is out, Baby will take up most of my time. It's definitely life-changing, but no matter what, I will always try my best to find time for my friends, in any way. :)

25 Weeks

2008-03-12T11:06:00.001+08:00

Baby is 25 weeks today. 105 more days to go..

Apparently Baby may already have a distinct hair color, although according to the Pregnancy Countdown Book, it's common for this color to change once he's born or during his first year of life.

I've seen many Asian babies born with golden brown hair, one would almost think that they're from a mixed heritage. I wonder how will Baby's look like....

Baby Wishlist

2008-03-11T14:41:00.002+08:00

Baby checklist cum wishlist is finally completed and ready for first revision!!

Can't believe it... For such a small little fella, there can be soooooooo many things to buy!! The nursery, car and travel, feeding, bath and babycare, safety, nappy and clothing. Gee.... It is indeed an expensive affair. But hey, it will all be worth it. :)

Time to go shopping real soon, while the grand sale is on!

Wobbling Tummy

2008-03-08T21:55:00.002+08:00

Baby seems to be bigger now, judging by his rapid movement within the womb.

He moves around whenever I'm not, especially during the night. I'd spend at least an hour or so before bedtime, just lying on the bed, watching Baby perform his somersaults. He's really an active fella, I tell you. Sometimes I can feel him turn, sometimes I feel him kick, and he really gives a mean kick whenever he's not comfortable (to tell me to switch position!).

Just the other night, I managed to use my mobile phone to record Baby's kicks. He was really doing acrobats big time then! My tummy was wobbling like mad, every now and then, one side of the tummy would jut out like as if it was going to expand and explode.

It really makes Hubby and I laugh whenever Baby does this. What can I say, he's already the sunshine of our lives. *Grin* Gotta go.. I have a date with Baby. Tee hee hee!

Soccer Ball Uterus

2008-03-05T14:50:00.000+08:00

It's 24 weeks now. Another week and it will be 6 months. *Gasp*

According to The Pregnancy Countdown book...

"Don't kick that soccer ball - just hold it in your hands. To describe your uterus, we must turn to the world of sports. This week, your uterus is the size of a soccer ball and is now an inch (2.5cm) above your belly button. Yep, that's big! He has a sense of equilibrium; he can tell the difference between upside down and right side up".

Gee.. Soccer ball eh?

Tiny Doll @ 23 Weeks

2008-02-27T11:15:00.001+08:00

Baby is 23 weeks today, apparently looking like a tiny doll, complete with fingernails and toenails.

Here's what 3DPregnancy has to say...

"I recognize Dad by his voice and I really enjoy it if he rubs Mom's tummy to feel me kick (but sometimes I swim away from him just to make him grumpy)".

You two can make contact with him. If you press on your abdomen and push it slightly to the side, he will definitely respond. Also, if he kicks and you react, he will certainly continue, he will let you feel that he's there. You can talk to him and sing for him because you know that he can recognize your voices already.

119 more days to go.. Gee.. Why does it feel like the second trimester is passing by so quickly, faster than the first one? Nooooooooo...... Don't go yet!

The Gender

2008-02-23T16:43:00.002+08:00

We went for our much anticipated monthly check-up (it is always very exciting to see Baby!) and yes, we finally saw Baby's gender!!

Doc zoomed straight towards the genitals. Baby wasn't in the best position but Doc was able to locate both of Baby's legs. Hubby and I were in a daze coz we obviously couldn't interpret the image. Doc and his wife were really cheeky though. The wife took a look at the image, said "Oh, I saw it already" and walked out of the room! Hubby and I just looked towards her direction and then at each other with a huge question mark on our faces. Doc, even cheekier, explained that he had to firstly locate the V part where the legs meet, pointed at it, and said that if there is something protruding, it means it's a boy. We stared the screen long enough to notice that there was indeed something extra there. "Means it's a boy?" He said "Yes". He then promptly checked if it could be the umbilical cord but after making sure that there is no blood flowing on that 'extra' part and that the umbilical cord is pretty much floating around the top of Baby's body, Doc said that he can safely say Baby has 80% chance of being a boy. Oh dear, we don't have a boy's name for Baby!!! *gasp*

All the while, we had been hoping for a girl. I can play dress up with her. Hubby can call her his little girl and bring her out for walks. We even thought of a nice name for her. So yes, it was really an unexpecting news. But now that we know, a boy is just as nice. Hubby get to play basketball with him. He will be our little man in the house. What's more important is that as long as Baby is healthy, the gender really shouldn't matter.

Another happy news is that, I am now 43.6kg (my lifetime achievement, woo hoo!!!), 2.3kg gain from the previous check-up. It probably must have been all those CNY food I've had! For once, Doc was very satisfied with that! Baby is now weighing 443grams. Apparently at the rate I'm going, Baby probably wouldn't exceed 3kgs which is good and should be easy to deliver. I really hope so too!

We announced Baby's gender to our families and the godparents-to-be (Baby is soooo loved!!!). Hehe... We're having a kuchee-rat boy!!! He's surely gonna be just as handsome as his Daddy!! We will be able to start shopping for blue stuff soon! *Grin*

:(

2008-02-22T11:26:00.003+08:00

Mummy contracted shingles a few days ago and she imposed a 2 to 3-week ban on me from seeing her. "It's dangerous for pregnant women", she said.

Am upset coz as much as I love her to want to do something for her, to stay with her to take care of her until she recovers, I have to obey because I know she loves me just as much and she doesn't want anything to harm Baby.

I can't do anything but to ask about her recovery through the phone everyday. Am sad when she complains about the rashes, headaches and muscle pain. I think I will buy some fruits and a bouquet of flowers to cheer her up a bit. Will drop by on my way home from work tonight and pass them to her via Daddy. *Sighz*

She insisted that I do not tell Sis about her condition, where as Sis is now suffering from a really bad diarrhea in Shanghai and she also told me not to tell Mummy. But of them just doesn't want the other party to worry, yet now I'm worrying for the both of them! *Double sighz*

I honestly pray for their speedy recovery. Hubby and I are going for our monthly check-up tomorrow and I so pray that there won't be additional worries about Baby. *prays*

Booby Pears @ 22 Weeks

2008-02-20T22:17:00.002+08:00

"Forget the fruit bowl . Now you're the fruit. Make that pear - but with breasts."
~ The Pregnancy Countdown book

Gee.. What a nice way to describe the way I look now, eh? The funny thing is that, I don't really look very pregnant unless you look at me from the side coz my tummy's kind of sharp-looking. Some say that if the tummy is sharp towards the front, it's a girl. But an ex-colleague of Hubby's, who has 2 sons, said that if it's sharp, then it's a boy. If it's a girl, then the tummy will be very rounded and the mother will look very clumsy. She also said that if the father consumes a lot of meat, then there's a higher chance of conceiving a boy coz apparently meat is acidic and will give a higher sperm count with more male chromosomes or something like that. Eat more vege, and you'll get a girl. I don't know, Hubby and I are hoping for a girl, but hopefully we'll be able to see this coming Saturday when we go for our monthly check up.

In the meantime, I'm trying to 'psycho' Baby to open his/her legs wide for us! Oh, the suspense!!

Playing Host

2008-02-20T17:54:00.002+08:00

Hubby and I will be hosting one of Footitie's online friends from Hong Kong. She will be touching down tonight and is staying for a week.

We've not met her before and I've only chatted with her a couple of times online to confirm the arrangement - accomodation, flight and transportation. She sounded like a very decent person. It's our first time playing host to a 'stranger' nevertheless we will provide as best as we can to make her feel at home. Besides we get to know a new friend and we can all go gallivanting for food together, with the help of her nifty guide book. I'm sure there's many places we've probably not been before nor food that we've not tried before. Hehehehe...

I'm actually looking forward to her arrival!

Knock Knock

2008-02-19T08:19:00.002+08:00

Now that my tummy's getting harder, I've been playing *knock knock* jokes with Baby.

It sounds really silly when I think about it, but I love it especially when Baby responds by kicking me. Either Baby loves it or Baby is just annoyed!

I also decided to mess around and took this shot..

Patchee & my tummy

Xiao Ping thought my tummy was a mandarin orange!!!!!!!!!

*lol*

21 Weeks Banana

2008-02-13T17:07:00.000+08:00

People always ask me how many months am I now. I would say "4-5 months, I think" coz I really do not know how do one calculate the months. I mean, 40 weeks is more like 10 months, don't you think so? Perhaps I should ask Doc about this during the next check-up.

Anyway, we're 21 weeks today and Baby is supposedly to be the length of a banana now. Pregnancy Countdown book stated that "her tongue, which, of course, she will never, ever stick out at you, is now fully formed". That's so cute!

The book, as well as 3dPregnancy also stated that the Braxton Hicks contractions usually start around now. Apparently, they're just a painless, tightening sensation in the abdomen which may last for up to 30 seconds and cover just one part of the belly. Some people relate them as "practice" contractions for the World Series (which is the real one during labour!).

Oh dear.. Now I'm worried... I hope I'll be able to handle the contractions without any medical assistance...........

Happy CNY

2008-02-09T17:27:00.001+08:00

Choy San Yeh with earrings. Tee hee hee!

It's been a quiet CNY this year. There's the usual family gatherings now and then, visiting relatives here and there, and not forgetting, distributing angpows to our family members and other kids.

Yet, something is missing. Ahhhh... The lively atmosphere that we've always had in every year of our CNY celebration in Daddy's hometown. Every CNY eve, we would head back there and prepare for our reunion dinner. We would help Yeh Yeh set up the altar at the car porch with lots of food. After our dinner, the rest of our relatives would gather in the house. Imagine having Yeh Yeh, Nai Nai, Daddy and his 8 other siblings, along with their spouses, 40-odd grandchildren and about 15 great grandchildren everywhere within the premise. The elder ones would play mahjong and blackjack whereas the younger ones would roam around the street playing fireworks, and of course there would be a few hanging out at the living hall watching tv.

Come the auspicious time, Yeh Yeh would begin his prayers and welcome the Gods (sorry, can't remember which one is it - Sky or Kitchen God) and one of my uncles would light the firecrackers. It was oh, so lively!

But it's not like that here in PJ/KL. It's almost like a dead town! Here I am, munching on those CNY cookies and mandarin oranges while staring at my decorated CNY tree (with blinking 'firecrackers' lights too!). I shouldn't be feasting on them in the first place coz they're heaty and apparently, oranges will make Baby cough a lot in the future. But what the heck, it's CNY!

Oh well, hope you're all having a great CNY holiday, wherever you are! Gong xi fa cai!

Half-Baked @ 20 Weeks

2008-02-06T21:29:00.000+08:00

The bun in my oven is half-baked today. *lol* That said, we're halfway there!! 126 more days to go!!

It seemed like only yesterday when we found out that we're expecting a baby and suddenly now, I wake up and see a huge bulge in front of me. Not only that, the thought of delivering Baby in less than 20 weeks time! *Gasp*

Well, the bump isn't really that huge but it does seem slightly bigger each day, and of course, the flutterings. I just love to play with Baby - talking to Baby, shaking and rubbing the tummy.

Sis just came back from Hong Kong today and already, she bought a few stuffs for Baby - a small lime jacket (can't believe babies are soooooooooooooo tiny!!), a couple of cute little bibs and a very cute pair of pastel-coloured jester shoes. Baby is so lucky!!!

Oh well, CNY is here tomorrow. Hubby and I got to go do a little spring cleaning around the house a bit. Not that I'm able to do much though.. *Sighz*

Here's wishing everyone a wonderful Ratatouille year!!!!!!!!! It will also be the year for our little Kuchee-Rat that's happily swimming around in my tummy. Tee hee hee!

Slice Of Watermelon @ 19 Weeks

2008-01-30T15:12:00.000+08:00

We're now on our 19th week!! Back to the fruit bowl, Baby should be the length of a slice of watermelon.

Gee... Speaking of that, I haven't had a single bite of watermelon ever since I found out I am pregnant! All because of these Chinese superstitions that a pregnant woman cannot consume anything cooling like :-
* pineapple (because it will flush out your baby like how it will speed up your monthly period flow if you consume it before your period)
* all kinds of melon like watermelon and honeydew
* papaya
* coconut (*gah*! My favourite!!!!)

I try to be obedient.. If I can avoid, then I will. But so far throughout my pregnancy, I've taken coconut once. So it's still ok. Hehehe.. Besides, pregnant women tend to be very heaty, so why can't we take cooling stuff to cool ourselves down, right? *wink*

Cheeky Baby

2008-01-26T16:58:00.000+08:00

We got to see Baby today!!! Was awake quite early in the morning actually coz I thought I felt some movement in the womb. Wasn't sure if it was Baby or gas bubbles though..

Anyhow, got to the clinic with Hubby, feeling so darn excited. But while waiting for our turn, Doc had to speed off to the hospital to conduct a delivery. We had to wait for an hour or so until he got back to attend to us. Aren't we just so patient? Hehe..

We did the usual weight measurement and I'm so happy to say that I'm now 41.3 kg, which means I gained 1.2 kg!!! Well.. It's still far away from my 4 kg target but at least I'm not gaining grams now! *Joy joy*

Got propped up onto the bed and we finally saw Baby!! Baby was sleeping upside down and kind of showing the left profile of the body. Doc needed to be able to see both legs clearly (which wasn't so at that time) so he couldn't tell us the gender as of yet. :( Just when Doc was moving the scanner across the tummy, I felt a kick. Doc asked if I felt the kicking and indeed, all of us saw Baby kicking in the screen!! So that's how it feels like!!!

Baby was moving a bit and Doc showed us the legs, hands, tummy and did some measurements. Doc said that Baby is growing well, some parts of the body is showing 18+ weeks but some other parts is showing a few days late which is actually not too bad after all. Baby is indeed catching up on his/her development. Great improvement (thanks to Isetan's yummy bento sets!!) but I still need to gain more weight. Darn!

As we tried to tell Baby to show us the private parts and Doc tried to move Baby a bit with the scanner, Baby cheekily turned his/her entire back to us! We saw the perfectly formed spine and the buttocks!!! So naughty!!!!!

That's Baby sleeping upside down, showing us the left profile. The head on the right where as you can see the big tummy on the left. The little black thing in the middle of the body is the heart. A brief explanation on the measurements :-

CRL : Crown-rump length, measures from the top of the head to the buttocks for an accurate estimation of the gestational age.

BPD : Biparietal diameter, it's the diameter measurement between the two sides of the head.

FL : Femur length, measures the thigh which is the longest bone in the body and reflects the longitudinal growth of the fetus.

Well, hopefully we'll be able to see the gender during the next check-up but if Baby just wants to keep giving us suspense, then let it be a suprise. *Grin*

Yummy Chili's

2008-01-25T17:18:00.001+08:00

We celebrated birthdays for Har Ku and Elf (his is a slightly early one!) at Chili's Grill & Bar.

A few of us decided to share 3 heap dishes amongst ourselves and it was more than enough to fill our tummies!! Not forgetting the complimentary birthday hot fudge. So sinful!

A look at this picture practically made us drool again...

My First Maternity Wear!

2008-01-24T21:31:00.002+08:00

Was so happy that Thaipusam was declared a holiday for KL yesterday. :)

Took the opportunity to try shopping for clothes. There were so many nice clothes on sale everywhere especially those lovely cheongsams from Somerset Bay.. But the darnest thing is that I can't fit into them! *Sighz* What's more, I have to shop for clothes that are loose so that I can still wear them in the months to come. And I don't quite like the collections they have in the usual maternity shops.. They seem so err... Old-fashioned.. Hehe..

Anyhow, I still ended up in ModernMum and finally decided to buy a pair of kangaroo-pouched, low-waisted jeans. My very first maternity wear. *lol* It looks so funny yet comfy. There's a pouch which you can either tuck it inside the jeans, fold it outwards or when the bump gets much bigger, you can just fold the pouch over the bump. After delivery, you can remove the pouch from the buttons and wear the jeans like normal. There's also a garter attached with buttons around the band which is adjustable according to the size of your growing hips. Very nice! It costs quite a bit, but at least I can be rest assured that I can still wear the jeans till delivery and maybe for my next pregnancy. *lol*

My kangaroo-pouched jeans

Now that I'm happy with this purchase, I've got to look for other clothes! Aikz!!

18 Weeks

2008-01-23T09:43:00.000+08:00

Baby is 18 weeks today and we're going for our check-up this coming weekend! Yay!

Lately I've been feeling something going on in my tummy. It's like as if something is moving within me, and sometimes it comes along with a soft knock against the tummy from inside. It's funny coz the tummy wobbles by itself. I know for sure it's definitely Baby's doing but seems like as if there's an alien growing in me (think of the movie Relic or was it Alien itself?).

It's exciting indeed. The more I re-read the lines from 3dPregnancy, the more I look forward to Baby's movement :-

"What is that fluttering, itchy sensation in your stomach? Could it be your baby who is telling you: "Mommy, do you feel me?""

"What is that little shock I feel there on the lower left, hey now I feel it again.. Is that my little one?"

"In the beginning it seems like the flutter of a butterfly but pretty soon it feels like he is playing soccer. But whatever it feels like it is still unique and lovely, so lovely.."

Very, extremely lovely indeed!!!!!!!

Baby Names

2008-01-20T22:27:00.001+08:00

Hubby and I spent almost 2 hours in Borders today, browsing though baby names books. We ended up buying 2 books - A World Of Baby Names; and What's In A Chinese Name.

It's going to be so tough choosing that one special name for our little bundle of joy, but what's even tougher is picking the Chinese name! We came across a Japanese name - Kamenosuke - which, I tell you, you wouldn't be able to guess what it means..... A turtle's helper! With a meaning like that, no wonder Kamenosuke sounds so like 'kami not suka' (we don't like). *lol*

Hopefully we'll be able to tell Baby's gender soon so that we can choose only 1 name, but anyhow, we'll try to decide on a boy's and a girl's name just in case. Any suggestions?

Jewel's Girl

2008-01-19T21:15:00.001+08:00

Jewel delivered her baby girl yesterday. Moorish, Sue and I went to visit them at the hospital this morning.

Jewel told us that she was induced twice, contractions were a minute apart but her cervix could not open and the best part was that she didn't feel any pain! She decided that she had enough of the finger-poking and so was then wheeled in for Caesarean, half bottom of her body fully numbed with epidural. Her husband saw the entire process and the surgeon even took her uterus out and showed it to him! She said that she felt only pressure when they cut her up and she was still on epidural when we visited her. Everything was really pleasant for her. I pray and hope that mine is like that. I want to go for natural delivery but I know that anything can happen. I just pray and hope that when the day comes, everything will go very smoothly.

Back to Baby, am quite upset that I don't seem to be gaining weight. The check-up is just next week and for sure, Doc's gonna be unhappy about it. I have really been trying to eat a lot, taking a lot of balanced diet meals, but it somehow doesn't seem to be enough. This coming week, I must double my food intake. I must gain weight!!

17 Weeks

2008-01-16T15:04:00.001+08:00

Baby is 17 weeks today! 3DPregnancy stated that I might possibly be able to feel some flutterings.. I wonder how that feels like.. I'm trying real hard to recognize them.

Am so glad that I'm not vomitting anymore, or at least I hope not as frequent as I used to be. My appetite is growing and I'm not as tired as I was the past few months. Am still having short of breath whenever I take long walks, but at least they are more bearable now. Besides, I'm trying to find excuses to walk even more. Hehe.. Good for delivery mar!

A friend borrowed me the book 'What To Expect When You're Expecting'. Apparently it's highly recommended, very detailed and informative. Well, even if it's not, at least there's something new for me to read. Perhaps this way, I can cultivate the reading habit in Baby. :)

Am also trying to listento more music especially before I go to bed, so that Baby will be more exposed to sounds. Anyhow, it's really relaxing for me. Relax is good for me and Baby. Hehe..

Avocado @ 16 Weeks

2008-01-10T14:49:00.001+08:00

Baby is 16 weeks today, apparently should be the size of a large avocado!! So fast, yah. 4 more weeks and we're halfway through the journey! It comes with mixed feelings though.. I'm of course really excited to meet Baby, but I'm very worried about labor. *Sighz* I really hope I can get through it.. Must exercise more now... For me and for Baby..

Mummy boiled bird's nest again today. According to many, bird's nest is good for Baby's skin complexion - fair and all. But according to some as well, it's not good to take it too often. Reason being because it is good for the skin, too much of it will make the skin even more sensitive, i.e. very easily prone to marks when scratched and rashes too. So far I've taken it twice within a span of a fortnight, hope that's alright and not too much.

She also showed me some of the baby clothes that Muffins Uncle gave her the other day, so many on Sesame Street and Snoopy. They're sooooooooooo cute!! Can't believe that babies are soooo small and tiny!!

Speaking of 16 weeks, I don't know if it's a good thing that I'm not really showing yet. I hope Baby is small but not lacking of nutritions. I must eat but not too much. I read that Baby's toenails are starting to grow and the nose can tweak already. So exciting! If only I have some kind of machine that I can use to monitor Baby all the time. Then again, I guess I wouldn't be doing anything else but to watch Baby. Hehe!

I wonder how Baby looks like. Will Baby have Hubby's killer smile? Will Baby have smaller eyes than ours? Will Baby have long fingers like me? Ooohh.. I can't wait!!

And oh, I'm so happy.. I can drink Milo again!! Wheeeeeeee!!!! I don't know why, somehow during my first trimester, I would throw up everytime I drink Milo. But everything's back to normal now. Yes!! I'm so gonna try to eat and drink more..

4 kgs.. Here I come! Wish me luck!!

The Year It Has Been

2007-12-30T15:01:00.003+08:00

2007 has indeed been a year of blessings and new experiences!!!

We begun the year with the adoption of a pair of cute, furry bunny Lops named Thumper and Baby Ivy. They were such a joy to watch and play with, but of course, it comes along with cleaning the cage, poop and grooming them.

After contemplating between 2 interesting job offers, I decided to tender my resignation , spent a memorable farewell with my colleagues prior to CNY and began a new journey with Red company in March.

It was definitely a new challenge as the moment I joined the company, I had to fly off to The Netherlands 2 days later for 2 weeks of orientation in the headquarters in Delft and the next 2 months with Green company in Utrecht.

Despite aching and dying to be home because it was my first year of marriage (argh!!), it was nevertheless a good experience. Well, apart from being sick from chickenpox (double argh!!) while abroad, I had a great time learning to cook dinner with my new found colleagues in a lovely and cozy restaurant, had French cuisine dinner with the CEO, tasted poffertjes and pannenkoeken (basically they're pancakes in Dutch), got to learn some Dutch, climbed the awfully steep stairs in Dom Tower, and of course, travelling!!

Within that 2 and a half months period, I had planted my happy feet at Madurodam, Rotterdam, Amsterdam (thrice!), Arnhem, Leiden, Keukenhof, Maarssen, Den Haag, Scheveningen and Gouda (twice!). I also got to witness several festivities there such as Easter Day, National Windmill Day, Koninginnedag, Remembrance Day and Liberation Day.

And oh, heh heh, with the lump sum of allowance (in Euro currency) I saved up, I managed to buy myself a Compaq laptop and sent Hubby off for a few days of holiday in Chiangmai with his buddies.

I was finally home for good in middle of May (hurrah!!) and was ecstatic to be able to celebrate our first ROM and wedding anniversaries in June and July respectively. Woo hoo!!

Baby Ivy suprisingly gave birth to 2 kits in which one was stillborn, the other one died a week later, and in the end we decided to give Thumper and Baby Ivy away. *Sobs*

Together with Gummy, we launched a Bring Norah Jones campaign (which unfortunately did not succeed). In August, I celebrated Hubby's birthday with a triple-birthday-gift suprise and then the Mid-Autumn festival in September.

But the most eventful of all is when we found out in late October that we are expecting a Mini Patchee next June!!!! It was fun and exciting to consult a gynaecologist to confirm the pregnancy, detect the heartbeat, celebrated my 28th birthday with a little one inside of me and going for short visits to Cameron's and PD during the holiday seasons. It was also very nerve-wrecking when I contracted mild UTI, did my blood test and when Doc said that I needed to catch up on my weight gain for my own sake and for Baby's slow development.

But no matter what pain and worries I went through, they've all been worth it coz we get to measure Baby developing from the size of a strawberry to lemon, counting down the days to 200 days, 12 weeks and now to the second trimester.

There's nothing more than I can ask for but to be thankful and grateful for this truly wonderful year.

2008 will definitely be a year of many changes to my life. The arrival of Baby in the coming Year of the Rat will coincide with Daddy and my FIL's 60th birthdays, the 'promotion' for the proud grandparents to Gong Gong, Poh Poh, Yeh Yeh and Nai Nai. And also, having Sis and Telco Boy begin their new journeys in Hong Kong and New Zealand respectively means having to hold the extra responsibilities of taking care of my parents and in-laws.

I'm definitely looking forward to the new year and to finally meet my little bundle of joy in 6 months time. Hope the new year will bring good cheers to you too!! Happy 2008, everyone!!!

*Hugz*

Poh Poh's 70th

2007-12-29T23:47:00.000+08:00

We celebrated Poh Poh's 70th birthday at Ah Yat Abalone Forum Restaurant, and our relatives congratulated us as expectant parents. *Grin*

Suckling piglet

Poh Poh is the only surviving grandparent I have, even though she is technically my step-maternal grandmother (my actual grandma passed away sometime in her 30's - 40's due to cancer, and Gong Gong remarried so that his children will have a mother figure) but I still love her all the same. I kind of miss my other grandparents.. I wonder if they know about Baby. Will they always be around in spirit to protect Baby from harm?

Baby's Slow Development

2007-12-29T21:23:00.003+08:00

We went for our check-up today and got to see Baby!! Hehe...

Doc returned my blood test report, glad to know that everything is normal and I still have immunity from Hepatitis B. *Phew* And oh, my blood type is O+. Muahaha.. Just the same as Daddy and Sis! This means I'm a generous person!! *lol*

Am glad to say that I've passed the 40kg mark, but Doc said I had only gained 200 grams when I should be gaining 2 kgs instead. *Sighz*

We did the ultrasound scan and Baby looked so much bigger now! Baby was sleeping at that time but we saw Baby moving his/her tiny hands and legs. Sooooo cute!! Doc measured the width of the head and true enough, it's smaller than what it should be, i.e. Baby's development is about a week's late. Even the EDD (estimated due date) on the scan is a week's late. *Sobs* Doc said that I must take balanced diet, consume more protein. I just hope that I will stop vomitting soon and eat more. Doc said that eggs are very good, and so is coconut water (and the flesh).

Baby at 14+ weeks

In case if you can't interpret the picture, the white round thing on the near top left is the placenta. Baby is lying below the placenta where the head is on the left, and the body on the right. Can see?

Hubby managed to record the entire session this time. Hehe.. I actually can't wait to see Baby again next month! Doc said that I should be able to start feeling Baby's little kicks anytime soon. Wow.. It's so exciting! And the best part is, Doc said we might be able to tell Baby's gender next month! Ooohhhhh!! Can't wait! Can't wait!!! *Grin*

Second Trimester

2007-12-26T11:13:00.000+08:00

We're now on our 14th week and have made it to the second trimester! WOO HOO!!!

Apparently, according to The Pregnancy Countdown Book (it's my daily bible now.. Tee hee hee!), energy returns, nausea stops, and I'll eat like a Viking. Oh yes!! The honeymoon period!!

This week, Baby should be 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) long from crown to rump, just a little longer than a lemon, and weighing about an ounce (28 grams). Baby can now squint, frown and grimace and also grasp with his/her hands. Can't wait for this coming weekend's check-up. So dying to see Baby and what tricks she/he is doing inside me. :)

I'll also get to find out my blood test results, which Doc said, if there was no news from him, it means everything's good news. And oh, I'll get to know what is my blood type too. *lol* Yes, to think this 28-year old still doesn't know her blood type, despite having to undergo an appendectomy 20 years ago. So chicken shit, eh? *Grin*

Christmas In PD

2007-12-24T13:21:00.000+08:00

Yet another annual time-sharing breakaway courtesy of Chef. This time, we headed for Paradise Lagoon Apartment which is beside Corus Paradise Resort in Port Dickson. The last time I was there was about 5 years ago for Moorish's birthday. The place is now very rundown and sad to say, has lost its appeal. Not a place that I would ever consider lodging in even with time-sharing membership. But beggars can't be choosers, can they?

We unloaded our bags, rested for a while, and the gang started the steamboat feast. The food was too much that we had to play a few rounds of Blackjack much later that night whereby the leftover food were the bet. I lost quite a bit and was still in the puking mode so poor Hubby had to eat my share. Tee hee hee..

Food and pressies!

After dinner, we gathered at the living hall for a gift exchange session. Our budget was not more than RM 20. We drew numbers for our presents. I got a nice one from Xiao Ping - a Christmas mug, a box of chocolates and photo frame with a printed photo of the entire gang taken a few months ago. *Smile*

Then we spent the rest of the night playing Jackass and the following morning Rayman Ravin' Rabbits on Playstation 2. Definitely laughed our hearts out on that two!

Winter Solstice Festival

2007-12-22T23:21:00.000+08:00

Every year around this date is the Chinese Winter Solstice Festival which is known as Dong Zhi in Mandarin. Dong Zhi is considered the longest day in the year where daytime is the shortest and nighttime is the longest. So families would gather for a reunion dinner and have 'tangyuen' (glutinous rice balls) in warm ginger-ish soup to 'survive' the wintery night.

My family would make it a point to have dinner together and Mummy would make 'tangyuen' for dessert. This year is no different, except that Sis is not able to celebrate with us but we have an additional little someone in the form of a fetus. Hehehe... Mummy made a special 'tangyuen' in which it's extra small.. "For baby to eat", she said.

For me and Baby

The left one was extra small.. But it had stretched until it didn't look any different from the rest. Anyhow... Baby, Poh Poh made this specially for you! Hope you liked it! *Muakz*

13th Week Lemon

2007-12-20T22:32:00.000+08:00

[updated on 21st December 2007]

Baby is 13 weeks, about the size of a large lemon and it's the last week of first trimester! Yay!

The bulge seems to be getting bigger everyday. Of course it should be that way, shouldn't it? It's just that, I'm still amazed at the fact that I'm pregnant, that we are expecting a little someone in 6 months time. Everyday I wake up, all geared up to rush to get ready for work, only to realize that I'm pregnant and I have to take things slow. I have to keep reminding myself that I can't simply do stuffs, carry things, bend too much and all.

We watched Enchanted today. Really loved the movie, even though it's illogical at certain parts of the movie. And the song.. Hubby and I kept humming it all night long. Hehe.. We plan to buy the DVD. I wanna teach Baby all the fairy tales we used to know when we were young. Kids nowadays only know Barney, Powerpuff Girls, Pokemon, etc.

I want to teach Baby about Snow White, Cinderella Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel; all the Enid Blyton stories like Noddy, The Malory Towers (Darrell and her friends), and how can one ever forget The Secret Seven (with Peter and Janet holding meetings in their shed!); Roald Dahl's like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, BFG (which stands for Big Friendly Giant, if you've not read this before), James and the Giant Peach; and so many more!

I don't want Baby to miss out on all these.. Not even Mickey Mouse and friends.

Crazy Christmas Party

2007-12-19T20:51:00.000+08:00

[updated on 21st December 2007]

Definitely an unproductive day at work, especially when we are about to take a super long Christmas break starting tomorrow. It was however, a day of fun, joy and laughter.

My teammates and I came dressed in red and white colours, excitedly looking forward to the day. We had our gift exchange session in which our budget was to be within the range of RM10 and RM15. I drew a lovely Christmas mug and a teddy bear to come along with it. *Grin* Then we went to Pavillion for lunch and was back to the office with 2 boxes of J.Co doughnuts. Yummy!

We spent the rest of the afternoon preparing for a mini Christmas party soon after for the entire department. Then everyone in the department just went crazy with the games in which we played Scoop the Snow (scooping cotton balls using spoons blindfolded) and Binary Search (guessing the number, and if guessed correctly, the balloon will be burst over their heads). We then popped sparkling juices and champagne party poppers, cheering to the joyous ending of a wonderful year.

Going crazy!

Can't believe that I've been working in this company for almost a year and I've had so much of fun with my colleagues throughout the period. I've been appointed a committee member for the department. We vow to make the department even more lively and a fun place to work in for everyone!

12-12-12

2007-12-12T22:18:00.000+08:00

[updated on 21st December 2007]

Today was a significant day for Baby. Baby turns 12 weeks on the 12th day of the 12th month. How cool is that!

However, too significant till I was down with a massive flu - cough, sore back, leaking nose, shivering and all.. I had to leave office early to fly home, take a super hot shower, wrap myself up with layers of duvets and take a good, long nap till dinnertime. I've been having a hard time getting a good night's sleep the past few days and had been having nightmares every night! Yes, the fears of Baby and I losing Hubby; father-in-law sneaking Baby away; and the pregnant me being kidnapped by a cab driver! It had been so bad that I woke up with tears flowing down my cheeks, screaming for Hubby. *Blush*

Oh well.. Just another 1-2 more weeks till the second trimester and I hope all these will subside.. I have a sneaky feeling that Baby somehow loves his/her Daddy's cooking. Baby pukes at any of the grandparents' cooking, but not his/her Daddy's. Jealous, man!! Hehe...

But no matter what, it doesn't matter whether Baby will loves me more or less than his/her Daddy. As long as I love Baby and that I'd do anything for Baby, nothing else matters. :)

Jewel's Baby Shower

2007-12-09T20:27:00.000+08:00

[updated on 21st December 2007]

The first baby shower cum tea party I've ever planned (along with Moorish, Sue and Lily, with some help from Jewel's husband and her sister too) and attended and I had fun.

We suprised Jewel at her parents' place. Poor girl, she wanted to go shopping but her husband said they could only go to Bangsar Shopping Complex and they had to go over to her parents' house after that. Hehehehe..

So there we were, armed with helium balloons, baby diaper cake, more book gifts, bread pudding and cupcakes, waiting for the arrival of the parents-to-be. Jewel was nonetheless, suprised with our presence. Thank goodness she didn't get a great shock and go into labor!

Oh so cute!

Can't believe that the last time we had all met up together was in June for Sue's birthday and that was when Jewel announced that she was pregnant. Now, she's already 8 months pregnant and I'm joining her soon! My oh my... I'm excited yet nervous.. Hehehe...

Countdown : 200 Days

2007-12-08T22:24:00.000+08:00

[updated on 21st December 2007]

200 more days to go!! I don't know to be very excited or very nervous with the countdown. I mean, it's definitely exciting to have your own flesh and blood born to the world. But it's the labour and delivery part that I'm very worried about. Guess I should just take it one day at a time. Enjoy pregnancy-hood first, yeah?

I'm still adjusting to this new stage of life. I have to constantly remind myself that I can't simply do stuffs. I really miss doing those little hops and skips. I almost did that at the airport when we sent Sis off yesterday! *Sighz* So hard.. Sometimes it's frustrating but it's all for Baby. I'd do anything for Baby. So if I have to stop hopping and skipping for another 200 days, I'll do it!

Hubby said if I read a lot, then Baby will end up reading a lot too. I'm definitely all for it. I'll read as much as possible, coz I too want Baby to love to read. :) Mummy said she still has a lot of Peter and Jane books in the library. I'll probably start reading them once the second trimester begins. :)

Sleepy now.. Going for Jewel's baby shower suprise at her parents' house tomorrow afternoon. Hubby's gonna go cycling in the morning. Hopefully Baby will be just as active as his/her Daddy!

Nite nite.. Love ya, Hubby! Love ya, Baby!

Strawberry Size

2007-12-05T11:17:00.000+08:00

[updated on 21st December 2007]

We're 11 weeks today and according to the Pregnancy Countdown book's fruit bowl, we're looking into the size of a strawberry.

Bloody hell!!! Well.. Technically I'm not swearing out loud so Baby can't possibly hear this, right. Anyway... Bloody hell!!! Something so small and tiny can cause such a massive change in my body, lifestyle and my life!

On the other hand, 3dPregnancy says that "my little hands and feet are now completely formed, including very tiny nails." So all the vomitting, nauseating and whatsoever are all worthwhile. Hehehehe... I wonder when will Baby start kicking and show his/her fists.

Horrific Blood Test

2007-12-01T21:47:00.000+08:00

[updated on 19th December 2007]

Today I would have gone up to Bukit Tinggi with my colleagues if I hadn't been pregnant. I'm not complaining though - Baby is the most precious gift I have!!!

We went for our monthly check-up today. Doc said he would do the usual ultrasound scan, detect heartbeat and all, check urine again in case if the infection is still there. And worse, he would be doing blood test! Horror!! I actually panicked and asked, "NOW?? TODAY??" with eyes wide, wide open!

We did the weighting first and sad to say, I've only gained 0.1kg since last month. Doc urged me to pass 40kg by next month. Then we did the ultrasound. Baby's so much bigger now! 32mm from crown to rump. Just 2 Wednesdays ago Baby was only 18.5mm! Baby's head is also much bigger. We saw tiny little arms (like dots!), body and legs. Baby's position also seemed to be the other way round and was moving!!

We heard the heartbeat and Doc said it's normal. So exciting! Hubby recorded the entire scan using his mobile phone but he forgot to save it in the end. Hehe.. It's alright, next check-up yah?

Then came the horrific part - blood test. Doc sprayed some cold stuff on my right arm. I closed my eyes tighly while turning my face towards my left. I grabbed Hubby's hand with my left hand. Doc's wife poked the needle through the skin and I could feel it! I could feel the needle moving and it was painful! I grasped Hubby's hand tighter as he tried to console me, rubbed my hand and told me to relax. Doc's wife took the needle out and poked again! It's really, really painful!! I kept thinking about Baby, that it was all for Baby, and shut my eyes even tighter. After some time, Doc said they were done. I turned back, opened my eyes and I felt tears. Doc and wife were worried and got me some tissue paper. I really didn't mean to be so childish and chicken-shit but I am really afraid of needles and pain. And I'm not gonna go blame it on pregnancy hormones or something. *Sobs* Everytime I think about it now, I can feel tears collecting in my eyes. :(

I'm glad it's over though. I just pray that nothing will go wrong with me and with my blood. My birthday wish must come true. Please don't let anything happen to me, and most importantly, to Baby. Please don't let Hubby worry too much about me and Baby. He has enough to handle and I should not burden him with any other problems from me and Baby. He's been so awfully supportive.

I must do my part to make sure that nothing's gonna happen to me and Baby. Please help us to take care of ourselves so that we can take care of Baby...

I'm Dreaming Of A Munching Christmas Tree

2007-11-30T21:47:00.000+08:00

[updated on 18th December 2007]

The Christmas season is back again. But this year, it's celebrating the occasion with my new colleagues. Gonna be so exciting!

There aren't any plans within my departmental colleagues to decorate our workspace, so my teammates and I have decided to do it ourselves, in our own little team's corner. Tee hee hee.. We decided to chip in a pool of money together and buy a mini Christmas tree. Everyone in the team was excited about it!

Couldn't wait any longer, we asked for a time off to go tree-and-ornaments shopping in the supermarket (the fun thing about working almost above a classy shopping mall!). We bought a 4 feet tree, a set of blinking lights, lots of ornaments and even cotton for snow. All in all, less than 100 bucks. *Grin*

It was really fun to have everyone in the team to decorate the Christmas tree together. We also bought lots of yummy goodies (chocolates, candy canes, sweets, etc) to hang all over the tree and sent an invitation to all our colleagues within the department to come 'pluck' the goodies whenever they want to.

Munching Christmas tree. *lol*

My teammates and I will be having our own gift exchange session before the Christmas holidays. So yes, I'm looking forward to it! What to buy within the range of RM10 - 15 ah?

Post-Birthday Celebration

2007-11-28T17:51:00.000+08:00

[updated on 17th December 2007]

Wowee.. More birthday celebrations in the office!

Because I took a day off yesterday for my birthday, see what I found early this morning, stuck onto my desktop monitor..

Birthday sticker from Ginny

And later during lunch, my teammates insisted on giving me a birthday treat. So we went to Manhattan Fish Market, coz fish is good for Baby. Tee hee hee..

Lots of fish!

Then I bought lots of munchies from the supermarket for them in return. *Grin*

Patchee Turns 28

2007-11-27T23:22:00.000+08:00

[updated on 17th December 2007]

Gee.. Can't believe that it's been a year since my last birthday! And this time around, we have Baby to celebrate with us... From within the womb! *Grin*

Daddy and Mummy has been away for a pilgrimage trip to India. So I had a quiet pre-celebration somewhere near Terminal 3 on Sunday with Hubby and his friends. Today, I spent the entire day with Hubby and Sis at The Curve/Cineleisure/Ikano - lunch at Kenny Roger's, watched Bee Movie, walked a bit, and then dinner at Paddington's Pancakes.

So many pancakes!!

The cool presents I got this year, even though they're all pregnancy-related...

Hubby: The bestest, bestest birthday gift ever - BABY!!!! *Grin*

Sis: Mango Body Butter from Body Shop. Yummy smell! And oh, a birthday cake suprise! Double yum!

Princess: Pregnancy Countdown book. This is so darn cute! Measures the baby's growth according to fruit sizes and there's always something to read for each day throughout the entire pregnancy!

Chef, Footitie, Xiao Ping and Blur Sotong: Stretch mark removal cream from The Natural Source.

The birthday calls from Aneh, Wan Nei (happy birthday to you too!!!), Pa, Virgin Boy (from Melbourne), Labu, and a truly suprising one from Moorish (now in Houston). Thank you, peops! *Hugz*

The birthday SMS-es...

"Hi... Patchee... Happy birthday... Wish u a great year ahead, happy always and may ur dreams come true.. Take care!" - Suwee

"Patchee dear, HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! may dis birthday bring more wealth, happiness n love in ur life. have fun on ur special day! *hugsnkisses*" - Curry Ayam

"To someone with a beautiful heart... Happy Birthday! Wish you luck and happiness today and all year through! :)" - Sek Long

"Happy birthday to u!" - Gastric

"Happy birthday!" - Bubble

"Happy Birthday! Have a good one ya :)" - Telco Boy

"Happy birthday girl.. first bday w 2 heartbeats.. so cool" - Sue

"Happy birthday patchee! Wish you the best of luck and the best of health for the 3 of you. :)" - Chef

"Happy birthday patchee! And congrats on your pregnancy too! you're gonna be a mom! Unbelievable!" - Spike in Sydney

"Many happy returns of the day my lovely Sunshine. May u have a wonderful day. Make sure ur hubby spoils u." - BP guy

"Happy Birthday Patchee! Have a great day. Cheers." - Poop Shooter

"Happy birthday patchee! Hope u have d best one ever! Love to baby too! Take care! xoxo" - NZ couple

"Happy birthday.. And many happy returns of the day. :D" - Ma

"Patchee. Happy birthday! Hope you enjoy the rest of your day off with lk (lou kong)!" - Mighty Dan

"Happy birthday la wahahaha pigi mana celebrate? 2molo must come ah." - Hedgie

"Happy birthday! Wishing u many many happy returns, especially with a new member to ur little family. ;)" - Blur Sotong

"Happy bday! Now your turn, how to celebrate?" - Soo Soo Monster now in Paris

"Oikkk happy birthday! hehe.. And another year older liao. :) *hugz*" - Der Der

"Happy Birthday!" - Cow

"Happy Birthday mrs.Inspector. Hehehe.. May u have a good year ahead of u." - Sabby

"Hi! Happy birthday. Another year older, another year wiser. :) Best wishes!" - FRG still in Bangladesh

"Happy birthday patchee!" - Seng Kor

"Happy happy happy burfday! May all ur wishes come true!" - Gummy

Thank you, thank you so much, all of you!!! Thank you Hubby, family, in-laws, buddies (from near and far!) and my colleagues (ex and current) for all the good wishes, kind thoughts and lovely gifts!!! May God bless each and everyone of you!!! *Hugz*

Baby Thoughts

2007-11-25T22:39:00.000+08:00

[updated on 17th December 2007]

Come two more days, I'll be turning 28. How time flies!

I was telling Hubby a while ago that it would be okay if he ever forgets my birthday, our anniversary dates and whatever other occasions. I really don't mind at all. Just as long as he will always, always remember Baby's forthcoming birthday. *Grin*

I wonder when exactly will Baby arrive. So exciting!

Infected

2007-11-21T21:30:00.000+08:00

[updated on 17th December 2007]

I had been experiencing short, sharp pains on my lower abdomen. Feeling very worried, I did some search over the Internet and came up with 3 possibilities - it's normal due to the stretching of ligaments; pending miscarriage (horror!) or an infection.

Left work early to consult Doc. Good news is that Baby is fine and healthy. *Phew* But true enough, I've had a mild UTI (urinary tract infection). Apparently Doc said that it's common amongst women, but even more common to get during pregnancy because everything just slows down, hence more easily prone to contract bacteria infection.

Thank goodness it's still very mild and can be treated with some antibiotics and a box of Ural, which has 12 granule sachets (like Eno) to re-acidize the urine. But if it goes untreated, the infection can possibly attack the kidneys, resulting in pre-term labor.

The visit set me back by almost 200 bucks. Learnt my lesson well. I'll have to drink lots and lots of water from now on. :( I must take good care of myself even more now. I'd do anything for Baby, coz Baby is our precious little one!

But the happiest thing is that Baby is nicely tucked within the sac, bigger and longer too! We even saw Baby's head and legs, so human-like!!! At almost 9 weeks, Baby is now measuring 18.5mm from crown to rump (buttock). We also heard Baby's heartbeat again, just to be sure. Tee hee hee!

3D Pregnancy Site

2007-11-20T10:43:00.000+08:00

[updated on 17th December 2007]

While Hubby was surfing the net for baby names yesterday, he stumbled into a pregnancy website, 3D Pregnancy which provides rotatable 3D images of the growing baby in the womb. So darn cool! It has descriptions for the baby, mummy and sometimes for daddy too, and oh, some helpful tips! I like the part where it tells you the size and weight of the baby, and a summary of the baby's growth like for Week 8,

Size : 3/4 inch (2cm)
Weight : less than 2 grams
"During this week, I will get eyes and hands and flipper-like feet, just like a tadpole".

Super cute and 'tis so exciting!!!

2 Birthdays & A Wedding

2007-11-17T23:33:00.000+08:00

[updated on 14th December 2007]

Today had been truly wonderful.

I woke up to a lovely breakfast suprise from Mummy in conjunction with my lunar birthday today. *Grin*

2 red eggs and a butter bun

Shortly after that, got dressed up and drove out to pick up Labu to attend Hammie's wedding buffet lunch at Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Resort. It was really nice to be able to reunite with all the colleagues from my previous company. Just didn't seem as if we had even parted at all! Had only shared the good news with those close colleagues and they were just as excited as me! :)

After lunch, got a call from Hubby telling me that he bought me 5 packets of fresh roses (of colours red, dark pink, champagne, light pink and yellow), all for only 10 bucks! So darn cheap!!!

Picked him up once he had returned from Cameron's, we headed back to my parents' place and all of us went to La Bodega for a small pre-birthday celebration for Daddy.

Can't remember the names of the yummy dishes, sorry!

Hubby and I finally got back to our home sweet home, and we both excitedly trimmed the roses and arranged them in a vase before placing it on the coffee table. So nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a wonderful ending to a wonderful day/lunar birthday! *Grin*

Bleargh

2007-11-15T22:53:00.000+08:00

[updated on 14th December 2007]

Being pregnant can undoubtedly be so exhausting and sometimes frustrating.

Nowadays I'm usually very tired and tend to snooze a bit at work. At least my manager, Big Brother is understanding. I told him about the pregnancy the next day after we found out about it. He, having 2 kids of his own, immediately threw out advices and whatever 'pantang larangs' he knew of. He had also loaned me a couple of classical CDs to listen to, which apparently is good for Baby's brains. My colleagues, one by one, knew about the pregnancy too, especially after witnessing me almost hurling over lunch one day. Hehe.. They're all very kind and thoughtful though. Even though I'm just 8 weeks pregnant, they're already helping me pick up things and be wary on what I do, where I go.

It's the same back home. Only that Hubby's more protective. He had forbidden me to do any heavy housechores. In fact, not even sweeping the floor nor washing the dishes. *Sighz* This is the frustrating part coz all these while, I've been doing the chores and suddenly I'm cut off from doing them. All I'm allowed to do is to rest, sleep, eat, watch tv, sleep, read and sleep. Feel darn bad coz Hubby has to do all the housechores. :(

Now that Hubby has gone up to Cameron Highlands again today (this time it's some sort of a company event), I'm staying over at my parents' place. Mummy's always trying to make me eat and drink something. She didn't believe me when I told her that I have evening sickness until I really threw up the entire dinner. And then she fed me even more. *Sighz* Can't blame her though, she cares a lot.

Anyway, I promised Hammie to help him make a presentation slideshow for his wedding this coming Saturday. So, gotta go!

PS:- Happy birthday, dear Sis!!!!! *Hugz*

Baby's "First" Trip

2007-11-11T16:16:00.000+08:00

[updated on 13th December 2007]

At 7 and a half weeks, Baby was already travelling to Cameron Highlands in Mummy's womb. I suddenly felt like a kangaroo. Tee hee hee..

Hubby and I joined my family up to the highlands yesterday. It was some sort of a family trip before Sis flies off to Hong Kong early next month to work and eventually, get married and live there.

We stayed a night at the apartments in Hotel Equatorial. Just cozy enough for the 5, sorry, 6 of us. *Grin* We ate a lot, did a lot of shopping at the veggie and flower stalls. To think that there's nothing much you can buy in Cameron's, we have Mummy and Sis buying loads of corns, veggies, gerberas, cactus, flavoured tea bags and even a chilli plant!

Lots and lots of food!

We also took the time to buy a few cake slices to celebrate Sis' lunar birthday later at night. It was a good trip. Well, besides the fact that Mummy was extra cautious about what I eat and drink. She even insisted of holding my hand while crossing the roads or even just walking. Tsk tsk... :)

Baby Goes A-Thumping

2007-11-09T17:50:00.000+08:00

[updated on 13th December 2007]

Hubby and I went for our second visit to the gynae's today to hear the heartbeat. For the past entire week, I've been praying that Baby is healthy and strong. Call me crazy if you will, but I've even begun talking to Baby, telling Baby every day that Baby must be healthy and strong, and give us a loud, loud heartbeat.

Today, we heard it really loud and clear. It was really fast, almost twice the rate as a normal adult's. Like the sound of a galloping horse. It was really exciting and amazing, to be able to hear a little someone inside of me, his/her heart beating away!! I'd give anything to just keep hearing the heartbeat all the time! *Grin*

Am really thankful that the pregnancy is more viable now. Now I can safely join my family for a trip up to Cameron Highlands tomorrow. By the way, did I mention that Mummy's already been talking about what kind of school to send the little fella to, and what career field should he/she venture into? *Faints*

It's Baby!!

2007-11-03T22:44:00.000+08:00

[updated on 12th December 2007]

Prior to the discovery of the pregnancy, I had been noticing an itching bulge on my tummy. Hubby even called me Fatty when I told him about it. Hehe.. And there was the constipation, tiredness, nauseaness and vomitting.. And of course, the missed period. Everything just became so crystal clear now.

We finally consulted a gynae today to confirm the pregnancy. Doc explained that we were about 6 and a half weeks pregnant and he would expect to see a sac and the baby within it through the ultrasound scan. The moment he said that I would need to do a blood test, my blood pressure and heartbeat rates practically shot up. Thank goodness I didn't have to do it today. *Phew*

I got propped up onto the examination bed, with Hubby standing by my side. Doc applied some cold jelly onto the scanner and placed the scanner onto my tummy. We saw the uterus as he zoomed deeper to the sac and a little dot within it. That little dot is Baby after all! So thankful it is not an ectopic pregnancy (thank you, thank you!!). The dot was really minute that there were many times I lost sight of the dot and had to interrupt Doc to ask him where was the dot. Tee hee hee.....

We are at 6 and a half weeks now, but could barely hear Baby's little heartbeat. Doc prescribed some vitamins (Folic acid and yucky Calcium) for me to take daily, and arranged to meet us again in a month's time. But we would need to go back next week to hear the heartbeat. Then only could he confirm the viability of the pregnancy.

'Tis soooooooooooooooo exciting!!! We ARE indeed gonna be parents!! Baby is expected to join us on 26th June 2008. Can't wait, can't wait!!! *GRIN*

Honey, We're Expecting!

2007-10-30T12:25:00.000+08:00

[updated on 12th December 2007]

The reason for the super overdue entry..

At home - 2 lines!

and

At the doctor's - 2 lines again!

*Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!*

Man Of Two Worlds

2007-10-12T23:59:00.000+08:00

We met up with Penkhee over a session of chicken chop and fries with brown sauce (yummy!) after such a long, long time.

He is the kind of guy who is very into sports especially mountain biking, and extremely well-versed with cars - he'd tell you everything inside out that you'd need to know about cars. It's not often to find someone who actually lowered his X-Trail, put in whatever canggih-fied sound system, and wired blue LEDs for his car plate. He'd be telling Hubby how to modify his car, which sound system is suitable, who to go to, which websites to visit, and not to watch Channel 78 (or rather now, Channel 734) so much. *lol*

The very next minute, he asked for a pen and paper, and immediately wrote down the Fettucine Carbonara recipe for me. He'd explain the full instructions on what to put, when to put in, fry the garlic until it's golden brown or the bacon until crispy on the edge. Just so you know, he did cook a mean Carbonara when we had the CNY potluck dinner at home! He'd say how cooking can be an art like Jamie Oliver's, as long as it looks nice, it's bound to taste nice as well.

Talk about a 180 degrees turn! From two extreme worlds! How often do you actually get to meet a guy like that? I must say, Hubby and I are still amazed at the thought of that. Hehehehe....

Mini Mid-Autumn Celebration

2007-09-25T23:58:00.001+08:00

We had a mini tanglung party at home, just the 2 of us and Hubby's besties. With lots of paper lanterns and candles recycled from last year's celebration, a pot of Chinese tea, mooncakes and a clear sky to see the full moon, it did seem like a real celebration after all.

Lanterns of all sorts, sizes and colours!

Earlier on at the office, my colleagues and I bought a set of lanterns and hung them around our workstations. They looked really nice from afar especially when the ones hanging from the ceiling had the lights shining on them. Added with the lanterns hanging around the cubicles, made our area seemed like a Chinese brothel. Litted lanterns means business is in operation! *lol*

It was fun. I had fun. I'm sure Hubby had fun too, he was busy burning grass, leaves, paper and whatever he could get hold of. *grin* Chef turned into Darth Vader cum He-man with his 'candle' lightsaber/sword whereas Footitie arranged the lanterns (last picture) traffic-light style and added the pink coloured lantern for metrosexuality flavour. Oh, and we took a picture of him 'praying' to a plate of burning wax which he was sure he would win the Nobel Peace prize and become the next Dalai Lama. *lol*

Baby Steps

2007-09-12T08:33:00.000+08:00

There's just so many things I'd wanna do. So many dreams to fulfill... The brain never stops churning, I never stop dreaming...

Time is not an excuse. If others can do it, so can I. I'm taking baby steps, one by one, little by little, but I will see it through eventually.

Wish me luck!

Expanding Creativity

2007-08-21T08:40:00.000+08:00

We're making placards for Project Bring Norah Jones. I had to handmake mine since I do not have a printer at home. My fancy-mancy coloured glitter pens were not sufficient but a pitstop at Pelikan did the trick. I bought myself a set of magic coloured pens.

Gosh.. When I applied my first stroke on the paper, I suddenly felt like a kid again. That shows how long ago it had been since I last used a magic colour! Tee hee hee...

What colour do you want?

Anyhow, we're gonna be tagging them at the stores nearby you. So watch out for them!

The Aftermath Of Thumper & Ivy

2007-08-13T11:55:00.000+08:00

Just found out that my post about Thumper and Ivy's giving away was highlighted in a local forum. I honestly do not know what to make of this. Some said it was sad to give them away and giving to a breeder is worst off.. Some thinks it was a protest plight to a certain breeder for his wrongdoings. Some said that I or any ill-knowledged owners should not have kept them in the first place.

As much as I appreciate their opinions and their utmost love towards bunnies, I'd appreciate it more if they just let me pass. It already hurts to have given them away in the first place, and this is like rubbing more salt to the wound.

It definitely wasn't easy to come to that decision. From the moment I took over Thumper and Ivy from the previous lady owner, I had every intention to keep them. I got them groomed. I bought high quality Timothy Hay and the pellets. I had initially placed them at the side porch but immediately housed them in the kitchen instead because I wanted to protect them from any animals that trespass the place or even from thunder. I cleaned the cage everyday, fed them before I leave for work and when I got home. I let them out to roam around the kitchen, pat and talk to them as often as I could. If it hadn't been for the constant nagging from our parents about bad karma, bad for our health or bad whatsoever, Thumper and Ivy would still be in my house today. I don't blame our parents, I know where they come from and their good intention for our wellbeings.

I had tried hard to ask everyone I know if they were interested to be the new owners. I never had the intention to sell them off but to give them away. The major pet stores do not even want to accept or to help keep them until there's a new owner. Where else could I have gone? A fruit orchard lady in Semenyih didn't want to keep anymore rabbits. And to be fair, Beh did ask me to go to the local forum, but he gave me his word that he would keep them at his stall in Amcorp and help us find new owners. I trusted him. An hour after I gave them away, a friend coincidentally was in Amcorp and he saw that the cage was empty then, but the stall was still in operation. I had highly believed that they found new owners. If you do happen to have them (or either one) under your care, please let me know.

That being said, I've learnt my lesson. I should be more ready the next time I'd want to care for a pet. I honestly thank the forumers for reminding me of my mistake. I will not repeat what I've done.

Hubby's Birthday Weekend

2007-08-06T23:27:00.000+08:00

Today is actually Hubby's birthday. But it being on a Monday, we had a weekend-long celebration and including taking the day off from work today.

3 lovely suprises for Hubby, 1 each for each day, Saturday till Monday. He was absolutely thrilled! *grin*

Ferrari Enzo FXX remote-controlled car, Nike 1500 Tacktician basketball and a Waterman ballpoint pen

Happy birthday, dearest Hubby!!! *Muakz*

Thumper & Baby Ivy

2007-07-22T23:54:00.000+08:00

We finally gave away the bunnies away today. It sure wasn't easy finding new owners nor any pet shops that would accept them, but we found Beh & Yo Rabbitry, a breeding farm located in Semenyih.

My precious bunnies

This morning, Hubby and I carried the entire cage into the car and drove to Amcorp Mall, where Beh & Yo Rabbitry's stall is. Baby Lops are sold there and they were oh so cute. I just couldn't help patting them. We placed the cage in front of the stall, along with the remaining packet of hay and pellets. Both Thumper and Ivy lowered their heads when I gave them one last, long pat. Said my goodbyes, turned around and walked away as fast as I could. My heart ached and my eyes were watery. I just could not bear to turn back to see them because I know that I would keep them back and not give them away again. Hubby had to take over the wheel until I was more composed.

It hurts like hell having to part with them. To think that I had only cared for them for a few months, let alone I had been away from them for almost 3 months. But they've been very precious to me. I've been too attached to them. Now whenever I walk past or see the kitchen, where the cage once was is now an empty spot. I miss cleaning the cage, letting them out to run about the kitchen. I miss feeding them and talking to them every now and then. I miss patting them and hear the noises they made when they grind their teeth against the cage wire, when they drink or when they jump around within the cage. I miss having to have experienced a very short period of being a 'granny bunny'.

It hurts knowing the fact that I'd never get to see them again, always wondering how are they doing right now and where are they now - whether they have new owners or they're at the Rabbitry.

IT.JUST.SUCKS.BIG.TIME.

I miss you, Thumper and Ivy. Thank you for the memories. I pray and hope that you'll both have better lives ahead.

Project Bring Norah Jones to Malaysia

2007-07-18T17:32:00.000+08:00

Gummy: Do you like Norah Jones?

That was when the excitement began. Came the birth of Project Bring Norah Jones to Malaysia, the start of the blog and rallying up members to make this project come true.

Norah Jones

I like this picture coz she's posing in front of the keyboards. Hehe.. To be honest, I'm not an obsessive fan of Norah Jones'. But I do love to listen to a couple of her songs and it would indeed be really nice to actually listen to her live on our Malaysian soil. Heck, if this works, we can actually bring in many more of our favourite singers! Coincidentally, lately I've been back to the Oasis era and just couldn't get over Live Forever, Whatever, Stand By Me, Don't Go Away, Champagne Supernova, Some Might Say, She's Electric, Don't Look Back in Anger, All Around the World, oh just to name a few. So I'd really love to watch Oasis.. Oohh.. Michael W. Smith and the original London cast of Les Miserables (if all of them are still alive, up and still performing!). *giggle*

So do come support us as we aim to make this mission a successful one. To borrow from Adidas, "Impossible Is Nothing". Come visit BringNorah blog and help us in whatever way you can. We have the power!

New Toy!

2007-07-14T23:16:00.000+08:00

[updated on 19th July 2007]

After months of looking around and savings of *ahem* my allowance while in Holland, I've finally gotten myself a new toy. Presenting Compaq V3522TU!

Sleek, black lappy! Woo hoo!

Core 2 Duo, 1.67 GHz, Windows Vista Home Basic, 1 Gb RAM, 120 Gb hard disk drive, DVD +/-RW and uhm.. what else ah... Ooohh... Altec Lansing speakers, HP notebook bag and a cool HP briefcase (light one la!).. With an additional upgrade to 2 Gb RAM and a slight discount, all in all not more than RM 3,500.

It's the very first laptop that I truly own, i.e. paid entirely with my own money. Sure, I've had a few laptops before like the first one was when Daddy bought one for me to bring over to Sheffield, or the other one, hands-me-down from Sis. So nothing beats this one. *grin*

I've read that most people recommended Home Premium version coz it has frosted-glass borders, additional 2 cool games - Mahjong and Chess Titans, and other stuffs. But I'm happy with this. And oooh.. I love the sidebar gadgets. Anyhow, if you're still an XP user but you want to have the cool sidebar thingy, go download Google Desktop. It's an "imitation", but darn good enough. Hehe..

Back to play with my new toy. *Grin*