D-Day 20 May??

My mum went to calculate the auspicious date for Baby A's arrival and so far, a good date would be 20 May.
That's exactly ONE WEEK from today.
I feel like I still have so many things to do, so little time!

- Bring Alice to vet for clearance and to top up her prescription diet + any medications to prepare for my month of Confinement. My confinement = dogs' confinement.

- Have to arrange for Cot to be delivered earlier. (Arranged delivery date is 23 May)

- Go for my Brazilian wax

- Attend Siling & Norman's wedding this Friday 15 May.

More importantly, Andy is still extremely busy with the shifting of his warehouse from Pasir Panjang to Changi.
Who ask my dear Hubby to be so charitable, letting the car forum guys store car parts in his warehouse FOC... now he gotta call the guys up to take back their exhaust pipes, sports seats, original parts ....*rolls eyes*
Plus all the goods, forklifts etc gotta go to Changi.

I hope that he will be able to finish all the shifting by this weekend, so that next week he will have time for Baby A's arrival.
I want him to be around as much as possible and be involved as much as possible.


Baby, Daddy & Mummy cant wait to cuddle you!

9 Layer Kueh Lapis

I've been craving to eat this my entire pregnancy, and for the past 9 months I didnt eat a single piece of this. Not many shops selling this anymore and it is fast becoming extinct.

Finally today, Andy's mum bought them for me. I'm so happy!
I savoured it, peeling layer by layer off and eating it.

I'm really easy to please :)

Week 37 Antenatal checkup

Went for my checkup with Gugu (let's call her Aunt LY from now on) accompanying me.
For the 1st time she got to see Baby A "live" hahaha, and get first hand news from the man himself - Dr Don.
Andy tried his best to rush over in time, but when he reached our appt was just about to be over. But it's Ok. Because I know how much he wants to be there.

Baby A is still breech.
I've been told to pick a date for Caesarian section since it is unlikely that he will engage.
This means, Baby A can come out anytime within these 2-3 weeks. He wont be coming out on the 1st week of June afterall (his EDD is 4 June) because that week, Dr Don is going on leave and he cant be around to perform the operation on me.

I've emailed Singapore Cord Blood Bank to express my interest in donating Baby A's cord blood, and will be meeting up with them on Thursday to fill in the necessary paperwork.
Feel so happy that Baby A can be a donor and do good deeds the moment he is born.
I think instilling in a child good morals and values are much more important than paper qualifications.
For those Mummies-to-be who are interested in donating your infant's cord blood, you can go to the SCBB link above and email them.


We also finally bought a breast pump. We took a good several months to decide "to buy or not to buy yet?"; "which brand" etc. I guess Breast Pumps are very personal because each Mummy gives a varying opinion of each brand.
In the end, I chose AVENT because the steam steriliser Charmaine gave us, and our milk bottles are from AVENT.

Andy & I tried it when we assembled the pump and he was quite excited about using it Hahaha
He was learning how to latch it on correctly and how to use it the right way.
The end result? My nipples were sore and red. Didnt know it is quite painful to express BM.
But that also means - Hubby did it! LOL He successfully learned how to use a breast pump.
I'm so proud of him for being a hands-on Daddy.
There is no milk flowing out now of course. We just wanted to make sure it was working properly.


The next thing I need to do is to pick an auspicious date for Baby A's arrival and go for a nice Brazilian wax. *nervous and anxious*

Busy monday

Busy, crazy Monday.

List of things to do:
1- Change bedsheets and clean up the room

2- Meet Mum and my Aussie relatives at Kallang Bahru at 5pm.
I'm not looking forward to this meetup because first of all, I'm forced to go by Mum. She says that once I pop I will not have the chance to meetup with my Aussie relatives for the near future.
Mum (via SMS): You wana take MRT down to Toa Payoh to meet me then we take a bus to Kallang Bahru?
Me: No I dont want to climb up and down the bus with my heavy and huge watermelon just tell me what time to meet and the address. From Tampines I go to Kallang is nearer.

Honestly what on Earth is my Mum thinking? Has she been abducted by aliens?!

3- After Kallang Bahru, take cab to Woodlands for my Week 37 review.
Andy cant make it due to his busy work schedule so my Gugu (favouritest aunt, Dad's sister) is going with me to the appt instead.
After that, Andy will come and fetch me.

4- Meet a MummySG forum member on our way back because I am buying something from her.

Damn busy day man.

Our Sunday

Andy has a haircut appt with Kevin his stylist at Orchard today, and after that we went to do some shopping.
He was the one doing the shopping, not me, since I'm too HUGE to fit into anything nice looking now. Well, counting down to freedom!

At ZARA...


I like the Mandarin-collar shirt teamed with the Berms and his white loafers because it gives him this instant resort look down pat.
He also picked out a matching (well, sort of) shirt for Baby A from ZARA Babies.

In the evening, we brought the dogs to Changi Biz Park which has become our favourite hangout for the past few weekends because there is a large pond where he can feed turtles and fishes, and a giant field for the dogs to romp around and play Frisbee.

I didnt bring my camera but I promise to take photos next time of our newfound fab hangout :)

Rain

It's 7am on a Sunday morning and I am awake.
It has been thunder-storming here in the East every morning and I absolutely love it!
I love the howling chilly winds and how it cools my body, and how the weather becomes beautiful after a shower. The grass and shrubs downstairs have lots of dew on their leaves and the dogs love it.

Whenever it rains in the mornings, Andy would wake up to close the windows and start talking to me or singing some weird song. This is morning breath at its peak. Forget mints. Welcome to Marriage!
And Alice, who's forever driven into a frenzy by the rain, jumps onto our bed acting apocalyptic and this drives Andy crazy.
These events in turn wake me and Baby A, who would run his fingers along my tummy depending on which side I'm lying on, and he would throw in a few punches and kicks to make sure I know he is also awaken by all our commotion.

Then I would soothe the dog, tap my tummy and urge Baby A to go back to sleep, and ask Andy to stop singing - which he obediently obliges by rolling over and falling asleep once again - and then my turn to get back to sleep.

Zzzzzz..

Fondue Party - Vesak Day 090509

Our crazy gang has been putting off our long overdue Fondue Party and finally today we all managed to pull it off.
I had an excellent time in the company of my dearest friends and this gathering sort of reminds me that it could be the last gathering we will be having before the arrival of Baby A.
It's still hard to believe that Baby A is considered Full Term now. He could make his arrival anytime now and it sends jitters down my spine!

Chocolate and Cheese warming up. Coincidentally, both Charmaine & I have the same sets in different colors and both our sets are given to us as gifts!


Our food spread.. I love the Flaxseed bread. In fact, I'm a bread-and-choc lover!


Meena had an unique idea - using oranges and mangoes, which went on well on my tastebuds!


We also had pizza. *rubs tummy*

The cheese that Charmaine bought from Cold Storage. Did you know fondue cheese contains wine? I didnt! And according to Meena, it's a favourite meal in winter for the Ang mos.




What happened to my flyaway hair?!

All in all, we had a dandy good time. I dont know about Meena, but at least I did enjoy myself very much!
Though I must confess, we (Charmaine, Mavy and I) did create a terrible mess at poor Meena's house!
First, stupid Mavy was nervous about Meena's gals and he kept piddling on her floor! 3 freaking times!
Then, Charmaine & I spilled the soft drinks when opening the bottles.
What a lot of cleaning up to do even before the real Party began. :P
And poor Ramesh was sick so he basically slept the whole afternoon away and that made me feel so awful that he couldnt join us.

Nonetheless, thanks for the great time Gals! :)
Charmaine wants to organise a Chocolate Buffet to Fullerton before I pop. Hopefully we can make it!

Ever since Andy successfully gotten the new warehouse at Changi, business took such a good turn that he is busy everyday. He comes home at 8.30pm - 9pm these days.
Good Fengshui perhaps?

Back at home, it just means I spend longer hours alone in his absence.
I even have dinner without him nowadays because I cant stand the hunger.
I try to be as understanding as I can be. In fact, I dont complain or whine to him about it and just take everything in my stride.

Today, I went out on my own to Tampines Central wanting to escape the immense heat and to indulge in ice kachang and do a bit of shopping on my own but he found out and was unhappy.
To cut the long story short, he doesnt allow me to go out on my own anywhere further than the neighbourhood because he said I'm due anytime now and dont want me running about.

As such, he promised me that he will be back from work early today and bring me out for a walk - just the 2 of us.
Then at 7.10pm, he called to say he still has unfinished work to do and will only be home at 8pm.
I know what that means. Do you?
SIGH.

LSP = Life's simple pleasures

Want to know what I've been doing lately?

Andy bought the full set of Planet Earth blu-ray DVDs for us to watch during our free time.
We both love animals and hope that our Baby will too, so by the time he is old enough he will watch the same set of documentaries as we did :)

It's a good way to learn new things about Mother Nature and kill time, especially so for me now that Andy is super busy with work.
I would watch some episodes while he is at work, and then re-watch them with Andy when he comes home.

We also bought my favourite icecream to pig out while watching the Dvds. Perfecto!

Actually, I am supposed to go back to work this week because Dr Don thinks it's better than cooping up at home.
However, I called up my boss and she asked me to stay at home until I deliver then go on Maternity Leave, partly also due to the Swine Flu alert.
So for this year thus far, I have only worked like 2 months and am still getting paid my regular monthly wages. How lucky!

With the extra time on my hands, I have more or less organised the Baby's stuff (tops, pants, mittens & booties and diapers into drawers) and getting ready for his arrival.
I have also packed my hospital bag and am only left with some miscellaneous things that need to be done.

Now I can just sit back and enjoy my Ben & Jerry's :)

Random updates

Andy is shifting his warehouse from the old Pasir Panjang one to Changi Biz Park, as such, he has been busy like a bee.

This morning, the phone calls started coming in at 8AM from his Dad and the electrician for him to go down and inspect the new place.
He asked if I wanted to go with him to inspect the cabling and electrical matters but I was too tired to move a muscle and decided to go back to sleep instead.
He kept touching my face, saying "Good morning Mummy!" and kissing my bump but all I could manage was grunt "Honey dont disturb me I am tired..." and roll over to sleep somemore. What a PIG I've become!
Oh well, maybe another time.


The Changi warehouse is cleaner and nicer and so near to our home which is only 5-10min drive away. Compared to the Pasir Panjang warehouse, Andy can actually save alot on petrol.
I hope he has a smooth shifting transition and everything works out beautifully for my man.
.
.
Also, I've been experiencing menstrual-like cramps these few days but no "show" or waterbag break yet. Just sometimes accompanied with lower back or pelvis pain.
Is Baby coming out soon?! Another 4-5weeks to go before D-Day. Geez! *nervous*

Thank God

I cant even bend down to put on my undies anymore - that's how big my watermelon is.

It's depressing not being able to do stuff that used to be 2nd nature to you. I sat on the bed naked and felt like crying.
Thank God for Andy because he helped me to wear my undies and shorts and talked to Baby, asking him to be a good boy.

He has been really patient and nice to me throughout the entire pregnancy, and it's not that he wasnt sweet to me during our 6yr long relationship to begin with.
I must've done something good in my past life to deserve a guy like him.
Thank God.
And I love this man so much.

Week 34 Antenatal checkup

Went for our Week 34 antenatal checkup this morning.
As usual, my weight is Ok, my urine test and BP are normal, Baby's weight is a good 2.2kg.

Today, he used his hand to cover his face again. This naughty little fella doesnt want his Daddy & Mummy to see him... Hmm..

This photo is from my previous checkup - also used his forearm to shield his face:

I received some news from Dr Don today - Baby is in breech position.
2 visits ago, he was already in vertex position (facing down). However today, he decided to turn back up again.
Dr Don mentioned that by 2 weeks' time (our next visit at Week 36) if baby still doesnt turn back downwards, he most probably wouldnt, due to the restricted uterine space. That means, I have to deliver Baby by Caesarian.
He also added that my pelvis is small which could be the reason why Baby doesnt turn vertex, because I am still very petite for a 34-week preggy lady. All the weight gained goes to Baby.
Maybe I will have trouble squeezing him out vaginally and end up needing an emergency C-section instead!

Initially when Dr Don mentioned to me about C-section, I was caught off-guard and quite worried about being cut up. Moreover, lately I been feeling increasing pressure on my pelvis and pain in my *ahem* whenever Baby kicks so I assumed he had engaged.
Now I know why it hurts so much - because of the obvious reason that his legs are kicking me down there.

Natural birth Pros:
- Shorter healing time
- Smaller postpartum wound

Natural birth Cons:
- Got to snip an episiotomy "down there" OUCH
- Got to endure the contraction and labour pains which might take forever!

Caesarian Pros:
- Wont feel contraction and labour pains
- Vagina will still be in "pre-birth" condition.. *ahem*

Caesarian Cons:
- Wound takes longer time to heal
- Would have to reschedule my massage lady, which I went through some pains to book this amazing Malay aunty who helped massage Fandi Ahmad's wife, Wendy Jacobs, back to shape for her 5 births! She is costly but Andy doesnt mind splurging. If I go for C-section I might have to reschedule her or have her replaced entirely if her schedule cant fit mine!



It's all Andy's fault for joking about naming our son Julius Caesar Tan. Hmmph.

As usual, we enjoy every visit to Dr Don. He happily answered all our questions about genetics and giving birth.
We're getting more and more excited about my nearing D-Day and Dr Don said I should expect a letter from my hospital soon indicating details of what to: bring upon admission / pack for my hosp bag.
I'm feeling excited, scared and a little impatient as well.
Finally, he will be done serving his belly time and coming into the real world. I cant wait to see our baby!
Already there are tons of people calling up our families to ask about the Baby's arrival and there will be TWO Baby Showers for him - one for each family.
Whenever some relative/friend calls our mums, it's often "June", "grandma", "faster have one as well" and along the lines of it.

Well, all I hope is to have a smooth delivery and that Baby is healthy.

Weekend again!!

Thank goodness it's the long-awaited weekend again!
We have to go for my Week 34 antenatal checkup, go runs errands like buying lightbulbs for our fused lights, buying baby stuff to prepare for his arrival.

It's those mundane stuff you have to do which takes up your entire day and then you wonder why your weekends are never enough!

I'm really excited to "see" baby again after waiting 3 weeks since the last checkup.
This time, we have thought of a list of questions to ask Dr Don about genetic counselling and about my nearing D-Day.

Poo poo

Was chatting with Andy on MSN while he was at work and he suddenly had this hilarious idea of letting Baby poop amidst the serenity of water feature. *dohh*

And yes, we have decided to name our boy Adam. A very down-to-earth name which originated from Hebrew.
Actually, Andy was the one who thought of the name. In fact, he has thought of 90% of the baby's name because he is a fussy possessive Daddy who pored through "What's in a Chinese name" to shortlist a few suitable names.

ADAM: Of the Earth, the first man on Earth in the Bible.

Another thing is, we might not have mentioned, but we conceived Adam while watching Dont Mess with the Zohan on DVD *blush*... and it was after deciding on this name that we realised what a coincidence it is that the actor is also named Adam Sandler. Hilarious!

So nope, we're not naming our baby Julius Cesar Tan afterall :P

The sweetest thing

I often wonder what life would be like with the dogs and Baby.Well for one, I am not exactly sure how they are gonna react with a screaming crying pooping vulnerable new family member who wouldnt reciprocate to their requests of play-biting and butt-sniffing.

I was enjoying abit of female bonding time with dear girl Alice after we both had a nice cold shower on humid Saturday when she suddenly, out of the blue, leaned her face onto my tummy.

This is the 1st time she does something like this and it touched me so much - because none of the dogs seem to acknowledge my ballooning tummy and stupid Mavy continues to jump on me when I come home.
She pressed her face on Baby for a long time (long enough for me to capture this shot but pardon the quality because that's the best I could get from sucha closeup angle) and Baby was kicking/wiggling inside as she did that, responding very well to her gesture.

Sugar and spice and everything nice - that's what little girly Shelties are made of :)

Norman's 29 Bday celebration

Siling decided to hold a Surprise birthday party for Norman's 29th Birthday.

Andy & I arrived before Norman and we hid in Siling's mum's room and waited for Norman to come

SURPRISE!! :D



Our steamboat spread. Andy always craving for steamboat ever since I'm preggy. My only hope now is for my labour pains to transfer to him as well, not just the food cravings. Heh heh!




Norman's Swensen ice-cream cake



Silly guy singing his own birthday song and clapping along haha! Dry ice for the special effect :P

Andy feeding him

The 2 lovey-doveys on the couch with Cookie the weird growling Shih Tzu!


BACK AT HOME AT 11pm....

My ballooning tummy! I was taking out a $1 coin to pay for my drink during lunchtime and my butter-fingers dropped it. The coin did a flip and landed on my tummy!
The only advantage I can think of is - I didnt have to bend down to pick it up from the floor, though it was quite a perculiar sight to the coffeeshop waitress -__-

Charmaine's 24th Bday Party

Crazy Maine's 24th Birthday and we went to her house on 12 April 09 Midnight.
Supposed to surprise her but this aunty busted our bubble and saw Andy & I hiding behind a bush at her carpark followed by Meena and Ramesh driving into the carpark..
SO anti-climax lah this aunty!

Bought her this cake - Fraisier from Bakerzin, the Cheesecake behind was baked by KW. So sweet!!

With Uncle Roland, Aunty Christina and Clare

With her beloved KW


with US the aunties!


with the Hubbies

We had a dandy good time chatting and catching up. Charmaine's folks are so nice and friendly and didnt mind us intruding into their home so late at night hehe

Next up on our sleeves: Fondue party! because Ramesh is going to Sweden for 1 week and aunty Meena can have the car to herself Heh Heh!

Clumsy whale

Extremely clumsy lately. I keep dropping things on the floor and my once-opposable fingers now become butter-fingers.

Instead of squeezing some concealer onto my fingertip, a whole glob flew out and landed on my coffee table-size belly.

As if that's not enough, I also somehow sent some toothpaste flying from the tube onto my belly while trying to brush teeth.


Instead of walking, I now waddle and sometimes accidentally knock into Andy or something/someone. I've become even more 3D than I had ever imagined.

My nesting instincts are also getting quite strong now because I keep wanting to shop for stuff for Baby and I've started doing weird things again like buying jams.
I added something new to my "List of weird things I do in pregnancy" - Washing Andy's shoes. (HUH?!)
Yeah. I actually helped him to wash his shoes right down to the laces. For the record, I dont even wash my own shoes lah!

And as for Baby? Somehow he has shifted and I feel him "dropping" into my pelvis because his movements are now concentrated at my pelvis and suprapubis, no longer the cute loveable hard knocks that make my belly jump and which keep us entertained watching my tummy have a life of its own.
Now, his movements make me wince and want to scream profanities because they are so painful, as if he is trying to perforate my uterus/bladder. At times, he jabs me in my ribs and I thought I was getting a fracture. OUCH. -__-
I even called up Dr Don in fear that Baby would fall out from "down there" (Yeah pregnant women are wierd & paranoid creatures) but according to him it is normal as long as Baby is still moving it should be alright, and that Baby has run out of room to move about, plus it is getting crowded in the uterine home that's why.
Little comfort huh...

Being confined at home sure sucks!

Why? Because I have been missing out on all the fun!
Meena and Delphine went for the Class 95 Dog walk at Bishan Park and Charmaine went prawn fishing till wee hours in the morning.

See the happy faces on dogs and owners!

It seems like a long time ago that I did all these with the dogs and my friends - ever since I have to be home bound and RIB (rest in bed)
What irony! Because I have always been an active person and up to the point of my hospitalisation, I was still working full time and walking the dogs 2x a day, picking up poop and bathing & blow-drying them and pretty much doing all the chores I normally go about doing.

I have always wanted to have an active pregnancy because I think all the exercise and endorphines will do us much good!

Now I am stuck at home, Andy, scared that I will go nuts, has bought me PS3 game to play and I have started playing Pet Society on Facebook.
I wish to resume some hobbies like Dog Agility but am afraid my body cant take it, I want to do some cross-stitch but the pantang elders always tell you not to sew in your pregnancy yadayada. So... looks like nothing much is going on these days.
The furthest place I've ventured on my own is to the coffeeshop few blocks away to grab lunch.
Other than that, everywhere I go, Andy insists that he is around to play driver or I have to take cab.

And we still havent found the Breakfast-in-bed tray yet. Hmmph...

Antenatal checkup on the weekend + some updates

Our weekend was spent busy running errands and with a doctor's appt to keep!

Went for our 31-week checkup with Dr Don on Saturday.
This time, I am very happy because I put on 1.2kg (highest record ever throughout my pregnancy) and also, baby weighing about 1.7kg.
All the home rest and pampering from Andy & family must be doing me good :D

Didnt get a decent shot of Baby because he used his hand to cover his face as he happily drank some more amniotic fluid.

He drinks until he gets hiccups at times, which Andy & I find very amusing to feel the jerks on my tummy haha!

Sunday was spent with my Mum to buy some bb's stuff. Being 1st time parents, Andy & I also dont know what we need / dont need to buy so having Mum along was great.

Though, more often than not, my Mum will end up buying things the baby doesnt need (yet)... like this rocking chair:

Andy and I helped eachother fix it up to test the functions and there is my Mum with her silly cat Mango


Mango also wants to help (read: kaypo).


Finally, it is done!
It has adjustable rocking speeds and music, lights and toys hanging above baby's head.

Actually, what we really REALLY need for the nursery are:
- Baby cot (a White one to go with our furniture, food-grade teething guards on rails, adjustable bed heights, 4 castor wheels, and can convert to toddler bed when child is older)


- Fitted sheets and pillow for the cot
- White basic baby clothes and rompers for home wear (can buy at baby wholesaler shop at Bugis)
- Nappies and waterproof nappy covers (can buy at baby wholesaler shop at Bugis)
- Bath non-slip mat
- Bottle steriliser tablets
- Wet wipes (Pigeon ones which our dogs are using also)

OTHER ITEMS (Bought or given)
- Bean sprout husk pillows (my Grandma making)
- Baby soap & shampoo
- Diapers (bought a lot of Huggies Ultra from http://www.gmarket.com.sg/)
- Bottle brush
- AVENT bottle steriliser (Charmaine gave)
- Baby 2-way sling carrier (Charmaine gave)
- Kodomo Baby laundry detergent
- Cotton buds & cotton balls
- Breast pads and sanitary pads

Looks like our nursery supplies are halfway complete! We still have about 9 weeks to prepare along the way as we go :)
Initally, I was worried about how I should train Andy to prepare him for Fatherhood and to get him involved as much as possible so he doesnt feel alienated and overwhelmed.
But thus far, he has been great (sometimes even better than me) in the know-hows of Babyhood. He reads ahead and gains his knowledge from Motherhood forums and our pregnancy books and he compares specs & prices of cots and strollers on websites to shortlist which one we should buy (like telling me which stroller has 4WD and suspension and which cot is slide-open with adjustable height)
He also talks to Baby a great deal - complaining to BB when I am naggy or telling BB to "ask mummy not to be angry" when I am in bad mood.
Did I mention I'm very proud of him? :)

And Oh, I am so looking forward to this coming Good Friday long weekend because it is my cousin's daughter's full-month shower and also, my Crazy Charmaine's bird-day! :D