My Smooth Coat Border Collie

Sent Mavy for grooming today and he came back looking like this:

He became super conscious and shy about his new haircut and wouldnt smile for the camera like he always would. (Refer to photo below)

Plus, it didnt help that everyone at home kept laughing at him and teasing him which makes Mavy even more self conscious.
Andy was quite furious and shocked and he said this will be the last time he is sending Mavy to the groomer. *Oops*
I even got scolding from him...

Andy: Dear I thought I said dont shave all botak? You ask them to shave all botak is it?
Me: No lah I never!
Andy: This will be the last time I'm sending him there ok.
Andy: *talks to Mavy* Puppy dont worry, will grow out very fast ok? I must give you fish oil from now on.

ZzZZzzzzzz

Welcome to the SAHM Club!

I've officially, inaugurally joined the Housewives/ SAHM Club.

Inevitably, I have been doing abit more online shopping than I normally would.
Thankfully, Chris has recommended me several good websites. Ah, the wonders of Online Shopping just a click away!

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/ has a week-by-week update of your pregnancy progress and tells you what you can expect at a particular stage of gestation.

http://www.gmarket.com.sg/ is a good place to order diapers and have them delivered FOC to your doorstep. So convenient.

Check out the prices of Huggies. 53% off retail! I ordered 3 packs of Huggies Ultra Newborn, intend to give 1 pack to my cousin's baby.



I recently just learned about BPA-free milk bottles. BPA is a chemical that is found in plastics and can be emitted after prolonged heating of the bottles (eg sterilising, warming etc)
Naturally, Andy & I got super kiasu and replaced all our milk bottles with BPA-free ones.
They are pricey - $29.90 per bottle for 250ml - but we dont want to take any chances.
We are also lucky that my Mum has staff discount at KKH so she helped us save quite alot.

For other stuff like cot and strollers, we will be ordering from http://www.kiddysky.com.sg/
which also provides free delivery. Thanks to Chris' recommendation! She is a genius and knows all the "in" and must-go websites/ good deals etc.

We also received lots of goodies from Charmaine's aunts, my colleagues and friends - who gave us free pregnancy books, classical music CDs, baby sling etc etc.

Of course, I still have so much to learn all the other Yummy Mummies :)
And I am proud to say Andy is learning at his own very fast pace as well. In fact, he might know more than I do. He is the one who read my pregnancy book and told me "Risk factors of Premature Labour" and he has been doing his own research and comparing stroller and cot specs to see which one is better. He is gonna be one helluva Daddy!

A day in the life of a patient

"Threatened premature labour". These 3 words are more than enough to send any mother-to-be into a bottomless pit of worry and anxiety.

25 March 09 2.30AM
Couldnt tahan the contractions anymore so called up Dr Don. He said to monitor the contractions again. If they dont die off and persist for the next hour, get myself admitted into the hospital.
I was damn scared. Woke Andy up. Packed my bag. Went to take a quick shower and dress up and get prepared.

25 March 09 3.30AM
Reached hospital and greeted by 2 friendly security guards. They looked so happy and excited to see me. "Cesarian or normal labour??" one uncle asked.
"Er actually my due date in June but I am having cramps so doc ask me to come. I am not going to deliver yet"
Poor security guards dont know how to react.
So got admitted to labour ward for monitoring

Put on 2 straps on CTG machine to monitor my contractions and baby heartbeat.

This is the CTG graph readings.


An hour later, contractions still on and strong. No choice, gotta be admitted.
So I was changed into hosp gown and put on IV Ventolin drip to stop the contractions.
The nurse did a vaginal examination to see if my cervix has been dilated and it was HELLUVA PAINFUL MAN!! I think I could feel her whole fist going in reaching for the cervix. GOD!


my first time put on IV drip. So painful. Had to take blood for blood tests and have 2 steroid jabs to increase the surfactant in baby's lungs in case he really pops out now at least his lungs are mature.


The only thing I look forward to during my 2 days stay in Hospital is the food. Very yummy!
Everyday the nurse will bring me the day's menu and ask me to choose.

Steamed fish, bak kut teh soup, french beans with black fungus.


For tea break I ate apple struddel and drank Milo.


For dinner I ate Western menu - beef steak and veg soup.


25 March 09 8AM
Mum, Dad and gugu came. Andy was still around. He slept on the visitor chair since admission till morning. Poor thing. It must've been uncomfy plus the cold aircon.
Dr Don came to check on my progress and said if the Ventolin drip is working to stop my contractions it can be titrated down by the next 12hours and I can be sent to a normal ward.

25 March 09 8PM
Transferred to normal ward. I chose 4-bedder because I am scared to be alone when Andy goes home.
I see the woman in front of me, she is 40yrs old and just gave birth to her 1st child. So happy when they wheel her baby in.
Then the Malay girl beside me, she is about my age also, and she is going to deliver anytime so just waiting out her contractions only.
I think of those women who have contractions and going into REAL labor, and those daddies all so excited and happy that it could be "anytime now" makes me feel so sad.

Because I am also having contractions but nobody wants Baby to pop out yet. Sigh I hope Baby can wait another 10 more weeks.

I couldnt sleep well at night because strange environment and I keep fearing I might experience another onset of contractions again then cannot go home the next day.

26 March 09 8AM
Dr Don came to check on me again. I told him I am feeling much better now. Still have on-off uterine hardenings but spaced irregularly and not accompanied with pain and cramps.
He let me go home but warn that if contractions come again like the previous night I need to be hospitalised again.
I asked him if I can go shopping? He was quite surprised and told me to "take it easy" and I would be better off staying home and resting in bed.
He must think I am crazy or got some kinda Shopaholic Disease. But the thing is, it is these 2 mths before Baby pops that Andy & I would like to get our baby shopping done and there are so many things we havent buy yet, so I just asked out of curiosity mah.

Well, looks like it's time to get a breakfast-in-bed tray.

Scared

It's 2AM and I'm experiencing contractions again now - 5min apart.
Going to call my doctor first thing in the morning, and prepared for the worst- admit to hospital.

I'm not due yet! That's why I am so scared.

SIGH looks like Baby has answered my own dilemma. Maybe he wants me to have more rest and enjoy before the birth.
I am really scared and this is nothing like I imagined it to be. Will keep everyone updated once I get back from the doc/hosp

A matter of when

As I am advancing in my pregnancy, and as my tummy gets bigger and heavier, I also experience more and more discomfort and the "freebies" of pregnancy, such as:
- lower back pain
- sleepless nights
- waking up 2-3x a night to pee
- sciatic nerve compression causing me difficulty in walking
- Braxton Hicks (false contractions)

Of course with these symptoms, it is increasingly difficult for me to continue working, since I am required to walk and move around alot at work and carry/squat/bend alot too.
Not to mention, my obstetrician did warn that if I experience strong contractions again I might need to be hospitalised and be put on a drip to delay labour.
That thought alone scares me so much :(

Andy urged me to clear leave and take 1 month's no-pay leave all the way till delivery then start my m-leave. Though it sounds like a great idea to spend 6 mths in a stretch at home, but then I am quite hesitant also.

First of all, I will miss having an income. Andy told me he would support us and give me an allowance so "dont worry" but then there are so many things I plan to buy for Baby and I would feel greater satisfaction if the $$ came out of my pocket instead of hubby's.
I never like the idea of having to ask for $$ because makes me feel so useless and inadequate.

Secondly, without work, I will have nothing to do at home 'cept look at 4 walls and talk to the dogs.

I planned to work as long as possible and save my precious leave but pregnancy is such an unpredictable process. Sigh..
Should I or should I not take a rest??

Fathers are expectant too

As all my friends and colleagues know, throughout my pregnancy, I have not had weird food cravings eg. waking up at 2AM and forcing Hubby to go out to tapow Mee Pok.
Andy feels lucky and we both agree that it is just an evil plan for wives to exploit their hubbies when they are pregnant Haha..

But seems like Andy is the one having all the funny food cravings instead.
He has cravings for:
- Ice cream
- Durians
- Steamboat
- and other food items according to that day's events / moods

Once every 2-3 days, we would drive to Geylang to buy durians (and I take the opportunity to buy grapes, nectarines and plums). The durian stall Wonderful is very happy to see this preggy woman and her husband. They must be thinking "Wah this preggy aunty always got craving for durians almost everyday must come and buy"

And when we go out with friends, Andy would want to eat Steamboat. And I thought it's the pregnant wife's right to choose what to eat??!
Since I cannot eat seafood, I am left with not much choices for the steamboat spread.
But still, I dont mind. Because Andy is the one with the craving instead. If I dont give in, he will keep talking about steamboat at night before we go to bed.

The other night, he told me he had cravings for dim sum for the next day's lunch. He even listed all the items he wants to eat.
But the next day, we didnt have dim sum for lunch so I thought it's Ok, he has conveniently forgotten about his craving. But at night when driving home from work, he drove to Geylang to buy his durians and dim sum - including all the items he listed the night before.
-__-

So you see my point? Fathers-to-be experience all the weird pregnancy symptoms as well, it is even mentioned in our pregnancy book.

On the other hand, I feel happy because pregnancy has brought us to a new-found level of intimacy we have never experienced before.
Andy reads "Chinese names" while I read "What to expect when you are expecting" before bedtime.
It has become a routine every night for us to:
Andy: Goodnight Baby *kiss tummy*; Goodnight Mummy *kiss my lips*
Me: Goodnight Daddy *kiss his lips*

before we both roll over and fall asleep.

This is my 29 weeks tummy. D-day is another 10 weeks or so away!




Daddy & Mummy love Baby!

Diva dog

Andy was playing Baroque at Bathtime classical music to:
- Let me relax after a hard day's work
- Sooth baby
- Stimulate baby
.
.
.
And look who's stimulated and soothed too??



Happy faces!
Alice doesnt like sharing her Queen sized bed and Mavy, being a gentleman, is happy to sleep on the floor and let her have the bed to herself.

When they share the bed, Alice is clearly sulky.

Sadly, I have to arrange for Ms Diva Dog to board at Alan's gf's place during my confinement.
That's because confinement is a dreadful long month where new Mummies aren't allowed to go out of the house, and I will be expecting my Malay massage lady to come daily and it would be inconvenient for 2 dogs to be in the same house.

Looks like Alice will have to get used to a month in Alan's gf's, which isnt too bad. In fact, not bad at all!
She stays in private property at Loyang and has a garden where Alice is allowed to go do her business. And Alice gets to sleep in the room, not be some garden guard dog.
During CNY Alice stayed there for a week and Alan's gf cooked fish and pork for Alice everyday.
It's clear that they both adore Alice so very much.
I feel so jealous that someone is able to provide sucha good life for Alice and that person is not me :(

Our little gift from Above

Initally, baby was this tiny: 0.63cm


then became more like a little bean.

Then the little bean sprouted limbs and a face!

Yesterday, baby was getting so big his whole body couldnt fit onto the ultrasound screen and Dr Don could only scan body parts at a time. We were told baby is boy, and I bet he doesnt know we were looking at him drinking my amniotic fluid on the screen!
Do you know? Babies drink their moms' amniotic fluid, then pee it out again, and drink up their pee mixed with amniotic fluid again when they are in their mommies' wombs!

Hello thirsty baby!

After the appointment, we went to Takashimaya baby fair with Siling and she helped us pick a lovely receiving blankie which says "I love Mommy Daddy"

We also bought AVENT tits to fit the bottles Charmaine gave us, but dare not buy too many because we are inexperienced and dont want to end up wasting $$ on the wrong/unsuitable/redundant stuff.

I also wanted to buy an electronic breast pump considering I will be b/f baby at least for the first few months until I go back to work. But then I had 2nd thoughts and think of seeking advise from forums/mum/friends first because like I said, dont wanna spend $270 on some wrong purchase.

Overall, we're quite excited about being in 3rd - my FINAL - trimester. (Though we had a little scare. Here's why...)
The other night, I felt cramps and contractions at 5min apart, which scared Hubby & me, because baby's not due for another 3 mths!!!

There I was, lying in bed and moaning and gripping Andy's arm when the contractions came and he told me to "Darling RELAX RELAX. Breathe breathe BREATHE. Breathe out through your mouth", when it didnt seem to work he instructed me to "Hon straighten your legs"
Andy: Honey you gotta straighten your legs. Your legs are bent which is causing the pain.
Me: No no no! Dont touch me darling.... I cant move!
Andy: *attempts to straighten my flexed legs manually/DIY* (wth... How on earth did this man get this weird idea?!)
Me: *nearly hit/kick him* ^&$%^@#! DARLING Dont..... *moans* If you straighten them my tummy will stretch and I will feel even more pain............ *moans*
Andy: Oh ok ok... Then you RELAX RELAX RELAX. Take a deep breath. Breathe out through your mouth Hon. . . Yeah do it again...

It happened for half hour until both of us fell asleep and the next morning luckily it was time for our antenatal appointment with Dr Don.
We told him what happened and he ordered more rest for me... because apparently if I experience these premature contractions again I need to be admitted to hospital and be put on a DRIP to delay labour... SCARY!!

Oh God.... pls let baby stay inside until EDD...

Introducing: New member of the family

We have a new member - an orange colored kitten named Mango.
My mum picked him up (my neighbour Ah Siew picked his sibling) from the market.
he is so playful and a bundle of curiosity and energy!
I can hardly get a decent shot of him since he is always running around.



Disturbing Andy in the kitchen

Super kaypo kitten exploring kitchen 100x a day.

Mango loves to fall asleep on my mum's neck. Cute!

Claire's 17th birthday

Tommy in a party hat

Royce the party bunny

Claire turned 17 yesterday, and we were honoured to be invited to her party.
It was a private party without Charmaine & Claire's folks because Uncle Roland went overseas and Aunty Christine was hospitalised.

I must say, the cupcakes were really cute and yummy!
From www.cupcakedivinity.blogspot.com :)

I love Goodies!

JJ & his gf Liping's gift to me:


Meena & Charmaine's present to Alice & I (AVENT bottle steriliser and the Diva Princess bed)


Here's a visual on how HUGE the bed really is. It is practically a mini sofa! Still got space after fitting 1 BC and 1 Sheltie.

I removed the Diva Princess cover because I cant keep gushing on how PRETTY it is and I cant bear to use it. So decided to keep it and give them this animal print cover instead, which is sexy and retro.

Thank you Meena for sewing this day and night like a mad woman Haha
The furkids really love it and so do I!

It's heartwarming to have people who keep you in their hearts and minds constantly.
But of course those who do not show their thoughtfulness in form of gifts doesnt mean they dont care about you.
Most of all, it is important to let the people you love know that you love & cherish 'em.

I LOVE YOU ALL ALWAYS!
Veron :)

Citrusy goodness

Went to Eva's on my day off to do my nails.
Saw Charmaine's fruity theme and got inspired to do the same as well - ditching my usual one-color polish for this French pedi with a fruity twist.

I love it so much! So cheerful and happy and has droplets of rhinestones to make the fruits sparkle.

Next thing I wanna do is - cupcakes and icecream!

My SURPRISE Birthday Party

I'm officially 26!
But turning older is totally worth it because I get to spend a loooooooong Birthday weekend to celebrate. :D

27 Feb 09 Friday
Andy has been secretive about my birthday plans for the entire week.
I woke up at 5am and saw my Surprise No.1: birthday gift wrapped in red tissue and pink box! Could it be what I been lemming for at Sephora a week ago??? But I saved the surprise for later.

His instructions to me for that day was -
just go home straight after work, bathe, relax and then when it is evening time, pack Alice's weekend bag and get dolled up.
So I did as I was told - went home after work on time, took a long relaxing shower and did all my scrubs, then slapped on a mask and took a nap.
I opened my Surprise No.1 present and Yes, it is the Too Faced Teddy Bear 5-brush set from Sephora!


Evening time! I got dressed in my new electric blue MNG dress which I bought from Malacca, and put on some makeup.
When Andy came home, off we went with Alice in tow. To where I still had no idea.

Then....

Reached my house. Gugu opened the door and asked "Eh how come you are back??"I said I had to leave Alice there for the weekend and as I stepped into my house
.
.
.
SURPRISE No. 2!

*SHOCKED* I saw the people I dearly love standing together, with JJ holding a birthday cake and everyone sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO VERON... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

I was still recovering from Surprise No.2 when everyone ushered me inside to make a wish and blow out the candle.




My Birthday cake from Grand Hyatt *MMM YUMMY*



Look at the colorful balloons and string message. I truly feel like a little girl all over again!

With my Gugu, brothers JJ and Ah Wen, and JJ's gf Liping. (Parents are MIA because they went to HK. I would have went as well except I'm now too big to fly!)


With my bestest girl mates!!


Makan time - pizza!

.
.
Behind the scenes
.
.






.
.
Then... Surprise No.3...
Charmaine dropped the Bombshell that she booked us a weekend trip to Genting Highlands! OMG!!! Andy nodded and said he has already helped me pack my weekend bag. *Palpitations*

28-1 March 2009 Saturday & Sunday
I wasn't sure if my pregnant heart can take all these shocks but I went ahead with the plans anyway. Luckily I didnt have a seizure or faint from all the excitement Hahaha

KW drove this time. We finally reached our destination in the wee hours of Saturday morning.







Thank you Everyone for making my Birthday sucha memorable one!!
Especially to Mastermind Charmaine who was so expert at keeping things secret.
Charmaine even told me 2 weeks beforehand that we should meet up for shopping and dinner, just not to make me suspect.
And my family who were so hush-hush about the whole plan. I SMSed Gugu and Liping to ask about my birthday meal (supposedly on Sunday), nobody replied me. I thought they had other plans or had forgotten and for a moment I was quite sad.
And to Angeline for activating my Sec school girls but unfortunately 1 had to work, 1 was in Msia, another one's hubby has same birthdate as I.
And of course to Clare and Meena for being part of the Master Plan as well.
And also thanks to Siling & Gen for going to Orchard Hyatt to pick up my cake and then making it to my house. Unfortunately Gen's bf met an accident and they had to leave early. Thankfully no one was hurt.

I also wanna give a BIG Thank you Kiss to beloved Hubby for always springing his love and surprises on me. For those who dont know, Andy is the one in our r/shp who remembers all the important dates, including my EDD!
I'm the bad one, who forgot his birthday once, and bought a cake from Breadtalk and lied that I ordered it days in advance. But of course he knew I was lying and made me feel so embarrassed. :P


I LOVE YOU ALL!
V.


P.S. Andy & I won a grand total of RM$125 at the casinos. HAHA