Countdown to Freedom

This whole confinement thing is killing me. I wonder what's the point when I am already going out - brought Adam to his Paediatrician twice, went to my gynae for wound review and stitch removal.




I want to go Chocolate buffet at Fullerton with my girls!
And I was supposed to go for my Brazilian wax on the day Adam decided to see the world.
So many things to do/buy, so little time!

The only way to keep sane being confined at home is do some online shopping heh heh..

I'm thinking of buying this infant car seat from Maxi-Cosi for Adam to use after his Full Month so poor Daddy doesnt have to sit alone in the front like a chauffeur.





The pink version is really cool! How I wish I have a girl!



And this sling from Moms In Mind which I intend to get also.. Comes in 100% cotton, satin and silk.


We've also received quite a number of gifts from generous and well-meaning relatives and friends (Charmaine, Meena, Jenny, Pal):
- Baby Ace fully reclineable stroller
- Baby Disney playgym
- Shears baby boy gift sets
- AVENT BPA-free bottles which are really what I was crazy about during my pregnancy
- tonics and birds nest for me
- lots of angpaos from the great-grandma and uncles/aunties.

Thank you everyone for the lovely thoughts and useful gifts. Cant wait for my confinement to be over!
Another 20 days to F.R.E.E.D.O.M.... :P

A little update on the little one.

Daddy after changing Adam's nappy


The dogs are always hanging around Adam's cot. When he wails, Mavy will act flustered and keep looking at me as if to say "Quick Mum! The baby's crying!" hahaha

Received a lovely little parcel on the day we came home from hospital. It's a really thoughtful gift from my dear friend in Aussie... She knitted the booties herself! I'm impressed! She's really good with her hands. You can see all the stuff she makes, plus her 2 bubs HERE. :)

Enjoying a nap after a feed

So far I've been enjoying motherhood, getting to know my newborn and settling into a routine.
Despite my initial fears, I am currently giving Adam total breast milk.

TBM = Total breast milk
BM = Breast milk
BF = Breastfeed
FM = Formula milk

Thanks to Meena for recommending Fenugreek, and all my other yummy mummy friends (namely J in Aust m/o Rach & Josh, Chris m/o Nat, Shannon m/o Tristan) who are constantly giving me great advice on BF, caring for a baby etc.
It's wonderful to have all of you kind hearted mummies as friends!

Okays time to logoff. Ciao! :)

Fruit of our labour

Mini Andy is out!
It was 4am on 17 May 2009 Sunday. I woke up drenched in cold and slimy fluids. Anxiously, I quickly woke Andy.
Andy: Are you sure your waters broke? Can smell it to see if it's not pee?
Me *sniff sniff* : No hon it's not pee. It got no smell and there's a pool! My waters really broke!
Then Andy got nervous and jumped up. He was supposed to help grab a towel but stood at my cupboard looking into space.
Fed up, I decided to climb out of bed and stagger to the toilet, but every action triggered more water to gush and leak out. Yikes!

(Actually, there was a slight embarrassing incident just the other night a week prior to this... Here's what happened...)
I woke up to pee but realised my shorts and undies were soaked.. In a panic I woke Andy up saying my waters broke.
Andy: Huh? your waters broke? *looks at me* Cannot be... if your waters broke it cant be so little.
Me: Oh you think I wet the bed?
Andy: Yah could be.
I changed out of my shorts and we got back to sleep. The next few days, Andy wouldnt stop teasing me about my "waters broke". How was I supposed to know pregnancy can make me incontinent!
Yeah... and you'd think husbands should be more supportive of their wives during pregnancy.

So anyways, this time my WATERS REALLY BROKE so we packed up, took a shower and went to the hospital.
It was 4.35AM and I felt my 1st contraction. That hurt ALOT! I winced and grabbed Andy's shorts and let out a small scream.
When we reached hospital at 5AM, my contractions were getting more and more frequent and increasingly PAINFUL!
Nurse did a last ultrasound on me to see if Baby is really still breech. Unfortunately - YES. No chance of delivering naturally.
In between the contraction, I got onto the bed and the nurses checked to see how far I've progressed.
To everyone's surprise, I was already 4cm dilated! Almost halfway there.
The nurse announced to everyone in the room that she can feel Baby's leg at my cervix already!!
So they called Dr Don and said he has to come soon to perform the Emergency C-section on me.

After that, it was all a blur. I only remembered being wheeled about in a trolley, the OT was damn cold, I was shivering and damn scared, Andy was told to wait at the holding area for Baby,
Dr Don and the Anesthetist came dressed in scrubs looking all professional and important, I felt pain in all directions - from the IV needles to the contractions.
And then, it was over! Baby A is out!
Too fast and too furious! I didnt even know what happened next... Only, I was showed pictures of Baby A taken by Daddy Andy.



Wet and slimy and fresh from the oven




Eh, can stop fussing over me already? *scratch head*




Pale and tired me with a sleeping Adam.


Daddy carrying Adam for the 1st time.


Daddy also very tired and looks scared Hahaha


My Mum told Adam when he was still in my tummy that she wouldnt spoil him, but when he came out the first person to smother him is her. Tsk.


Trying hard to refrain from pinching him.


My Dad, beaming.


My brother JJ and his Gf Liping. She's the best candidate to be Nanny because she is so patient and totally adores Adam.


They bought Adam this cow outfit.




The fruit of my labour...

My sweet little girl

Alice after a nice cold bath on a hot humid Friday noon. I sprinkled some Kodomo baby powder on her and she smells so nice.
I turned on the fan for her and she is sleeping soundly like a baby.
I love to smell her toe-sies. They have this unique musky smell which may sound gross but I like. Hee..

By the way, can you see her teeth? I wonder why Shelties cannot seem to close their mouths fully. Maybe that's why they love to bark bark BARK as well?? Many teeth = very chatty.

Bean Husk pillow Project

This little project called our Bean Husk Pillow Project has been ongoing for several months now.
The parties involved in this project are: Mum, Aunty LY, Grandma and I (the least involved :P)

Mum went to the tow-gay seller in our market to collect the husks.
Grandma was in-charge of the sieving and sorting process which is MOST TEDIOUS of all!
The husks come with bits of the leftover beans and other "unwanted particles" so she painstakingly sieved through all of them.

The husks went through stringent sorting, selection and sunning processes and are immaculate. End result? Beautiful sun-dried bean husks!


You will also need a funnel and cup.


I bought pillow and bolster from Kiddypalace, removed all the stuffings inside.

Cut a small little opening on a corner of the pillow and pour bean husks inside.

Our QC Officer busy with her biggest project of the year.

So cute! Though she is getting demented and asks me the same questions everytime I'm home (like "How many months maternity leave do you have?") but I still love my Grandma! :D

Same process for the baby bolster.

The finished products:

One beannie pillow like this easily cost you $20 (our total cost is only $9 for the materials) but it's not about the $$.
It's about doing things with your beloveds that no amount of money can buy.

Even Andy's mum complimented that they are very nicely done. Feel so proud of my Grandma, Aunty LY and Mum.
I love my family so much and want Baby A to grow up in an environment filled with lots of love and family togetherness :)

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.