A Whole New World

Perth!

2010-06-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

To Perth!
I've been certified FIT enough to travel!
Here we come, Perth!

My old friend.

2010-06-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

It's all coming back to me now...

It's been a while. I have taken your presence for granted. I forgot those weeks that we spent with each other. You ,l ooking at me and me gazing back at you. I have forgotten how you took in whatever nonsense I threw up on you. You took it silently, without complaints.
Times got better and I've neglected you. You were left alone. I still come to you but no longer pay that kind of attention to you.
Not until recently. I started gazing at you once more.
Hi, my beloved toilet bowl.
Don't you miss me?
Morning sickness has an interesting way of getting me aquainted with you once more.

Happy Birthday Hannah

2010-02-21T06:12:00.000-08:00

Hannah has turned one recently. Looking at how she has developed really bring a sense of awe, amazement and joy. It seems just recently when she was a little baby. Now she is all grown! - well.. at least as compared to the day she came home with us. :)

Our little baby has become much taller and heavier for sure. She is about 10kg now and 90cm tall. That's quite a great leap from 3.87kg and 52cm at birth. She is now more interactive as she is able to communicate with us. Gone are the days of soliloquy. Now she is able to respond and act (if she's in the mood) as she is told. Time at home has certainly become 'noiser' and filled with excitement.

Recently, she is really into titles on SPOT the puppy. I got her 6 from the series and she would rather re-read them than to move on to the other books that we have been reading. During bedtime, she would choose the book that she likes and snuggle onto mummy's lap and DEMAND to be read to. If I refuse (act like I'm sleeping/ reading..) she would climb onto me and shove the book in my face. Hmm... Should I applaud her enthusiam in reading or be angry over her rudeness? I guess she was not trying to be rude. Perhaps that's the way she thinks would get my attention. Anyway... I am proud of her achievements. I hope her love for books will continue.

These days she is getting more observant too. She would be more aware of her surroundings and is able to point to the things that we name. EG: bird, flowers, train, trees, banana, aeroplane, car, daddy, mummy, nai nai, ye ye, aunty, kor kor, jie jie, ah ma, ah gong, baby,cat, lion, tiger, elephant, watch, clock, piano, book, high chair, fan,air conditioner....
It's interesting teaching her new things and seeing how she is able to remember them so quickly. I think it is a great window period to teach her.

I read that when a child turns one it is also a good time to introduce writing. Well, not exactly that but the concept of writing and the motor skills. So just two days ago, we went to buy mahjong paper and giant size crayons for Hannah. I pasted the paper to the floor and we started scribbling on the paper. At first she was apprenhensive. She stared at the crayon and even attempted to stick it into the mouth and ear! On the second day, however, she has picked up the skill. When I ask her to draw, she was able to hold the crayon (albeit in a queer manner) and draw some lines. WOW! Mummy is so proud and happy that we accomplished something new this weekends.

Yeah... before you start accusing me of robbing Hannah's childhood and being a KS singaporean... Let me state my rationale of doing these things.
First, Hannah is enjoying herself. She does not perceive all these as learning but time with mummy and daddy and fun. She likes the novelty of something new.
Secondly, this is the phase where a child is most susceptible to all the good habits and learning and they are perfect for moulding because we are till the person she prioritise and idolise!
Thirdly, I've seen enough kids who are without the foundation of reading and how this impede not only their language skills but eventually their academic performance which leads to the type of friends they mingle around and their self-esteem. I am not saying that being a reader equates to being successful in life. BUT I know as parents we should give the best to her within our means and this life-skill is one that is of paramount importance.

Having said all that... it is also the reason why I've decided to work part time. I want to devote more time to teaching Hannah and making our home, homely. Money can be earned later when Hannah goes to school and needs me lesser. :) How long this arrangement is possible, I do not know. When will it start, when will it end... only God knows. But like a friend said to me, when you are in God's grace, you will never be short-changed.
How true that is. God has been good to our family. He is indeed the provider to all that we need. And by His grace, we are able to take one step at a time, day by day and know that His best will befall on us as long as we continue to have our trust in Him.

:) Tis' so sweet to trust in Jesus.

A Special Year 2009

2009-12-25T19:41:00.000-08:00

This has been an extraordinary year.
I've had many new experiences and have grown much.
I've had my first ...
labour experience!
Epidural!
Confinement!
Breastfeeding!
11months off from work!
SAHM experience!
10-day-stay in hospital ( when Hannah was ill!)
gym membership!
having a helper in the house!
travelling out of Singapore with hubby and baby!
cooking class! (Jap cusine, mind you!)
family portrait taken!
christmas with Hannah!
drawing and painting on a door!
expat friends!
meeting up with mummies over coffee!
bringing baby out on my own!
pushing the pram up and down the escalator!
driving baby around in the car!
Going public with Hannah!
being stranded in the taxi stand with baby cos nobody wanted to help us cos it was raining!

........

The list goes on.
It has been a year of challenge in many ways but through it all, I've witness God's grace and leading in our small family unit. We've got the opportunity to work together as husband and wife to take care of a little life entrusted to our hands. We've learnt to put down our wants and cater to the needs of our baby although it means lesser of what we would want to pursue. Interestingly, as time moves on, we gradually got used to the new life style and started to feel less of the sacrifice but more of the enjoyment a family unit can bring.

My eyes opened up and I saw the many treasures I have. A loving and supporting family who tries to be there for us whenever possible. ( This makes me see that we will always be our mummy's baby regardless of our age!:P) A husband who despite his faigue from work, comes home to help out so that I could take a breather to sleep or to indulge in a session of massage. A baby who despite the brawling and fussiness gives us much joy that warms our heart.

Next year... just a couple of days more... will be a whole new experience. There will be many changes and I am sure obstacles along the way.
But we know, that just like how God has led us through this year, without a moment letting go of our hands, He will do so in the next and the many to come.

BINTAN HERE WE COME

2009-12-22T23:42:00.000-08:00

I tried to rotate this pic but failed. And I gave up without trying again! It's nice from this perspective too?!

Welcome!

At the Kelong

Baby! Look where daddy is!

Hannah's first trip!

We went BINTAN. Not too far but a BIG step cos... it's HANNAH's FIRST Trip abroad

IT was fun. I love the suite. Will (if ever) reno our house in that style and manner next time! :)

More pics When I am free!

Time Flies

2009-12-08T06:29:00.000-08:00

This wasn't too long ago!

Cherish the treasure

2009-12-04T20:12:00.000-08:00

"I will love you forever. "She told me without battering an eyelid or feeling bashful at all when she was a young innocent primary one child.
She was cheeky and naughty and someone you would want to just 'strangle' to keep her still and silent for a moment at times. Yet, she was made my class monitress.
She was the tallest in class and with her blond hair, she was easily spotted no matter where she tries to hide.

One assembly, I was leading the school for some singing sessions.
And I decided to call upon a brave soul to perform a simple song and and dance for the rest.
Her name was the first to come to my mind.
With all spontaneity, she rose bravely and marched up to the stage. She took centre-staged and gave a thumbs-up performance to the joy of all her classmates. She was all-smiles throughout the performance and happily trodded down the steps at the end of her debut.
I was so proud of her.

That was 8 years ago.
Who would have thought that her life will end 2 days ago.
The news shocked me.
I did not know she was suffering from Brain Aneurysem.
She succumbed the to the illness and went into a coma before leaving us.

Who would have thought that her childhood memories will never move on to her adulthood?

I wonder if I have made an impact in her short life. If I have given her the best memories she could have as a P1 child. I hope I did.

I put myself into the shoes of her mother. And my heart aches for her.
How in the world will she ever have the strength to face up to the fact that her little girl is no longer by her side. That she could never hold her, hear her, see her, hug her, kiss her, talk to her, laugh at her, reprimand her or smell her. That the many hopes that she has pinned on her child would end at that moment. That she will never find out who she will marry someday, what she will work as, how pretty she will look in her wedding dress.

I pray that God will give her family the strength to go through this period of bereavement.

Cherish every moment you have with anyone. You never know when that moment will be the last you'll ever have with him/her.

Hannah's first swim

2009-11-26T06:35:00.000-08:00

We brought Hannah to the pool yesterday. It was great fun! I think I was more excited than her initially but I managed to rub off some excitement on her! :)

:(

2009-11-16T22:50:00.000-08:00

J came by today and though we are more of business aquaintance, she poured out her heart to me. Well... maybe she needed an additional avenue to let that hurt and anger flow. Betrayal, hurt and simply the fact that she has sacrificed everything she had did not seem to pay off at all. My heart went out to her.

8 years of courtship, two decades of marriage... a seemingly blissful family completed with children ended with the appearance of another party. The pain in her eyes and her tone when she spoke. The hurt that she tried to conceal. The anger in her speech. My heart went out to her.

Wasn't she once a beautiful bride filled with joy in her eyes as she said that marriage vow?

Wasn't she once full of hope and pride when she presented to her parents " This is the man I want to marry."

Wasn't she the one who as a little girl looked forward to being a bride don with a long train and veil?

Wasn't she the one who was willing to give up all that she had for the family whom she was willing to lay her life down?

Something within me broke.

She regretted her decision. Felt that she did not deserve all that.

She certainly does not.

What is our world coming to?

I pray that Hannah will find someone who will stay true to her someday. That she will marry someone who will cherish her and love her not for a few decades but for as long as she lives. Someone who despite all odds, will hold on to her hand and finish the path that they vow to do so.

Seriously... if not... I'd rather she stays single and stay with me always.

It wasn't that long ago...

2009-11-10T23:44:00.000-08:00

My Family on 9th June 2007

Ever since then... there were more additions to the family.
Chloe, my niece (16Jan 2008)
Hannah, my baby(16 Feb 2009)
The extra extra pounds I've put on since then:(

It's time to show how Hannah has grown!

2009-11-10T23:32:00.001-08:00

To train or not to train

2009-11-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

I finally understood Hamlet's dilemma... to be caught in between.
Well, I guess there has been sufficient theories to support both camp.
And after much disruption, we've reached a point of desperation. - Well, almost.
I thought I needed a break from the crazy bedtime (if you call it) routine.

Lie on the bed with Hannah and praying to God that she sleeps. But to my dismay she'll be tossing and turning about and playing peek-a-boo with me although her eyes are red with fatigue. Then after an hour, she finally cried and fell asleep. Carried her gingerly to her cot and keeping the house in TOTAL silence in fear that we might wake the princess up. 2 hours. We thought it's time we can go to bed. Princess brawls! Comfort her... to the brink of frustration. Slept. 2 hours...3 hours... the cycle repeats.
Verdict, no sleep for mummy. No sleep for baby. Resulted in frustrated mummy and cranky baby.

So, hoping that the training works (thanks Daze, it did! xxx)
We hardened our hearts and said goodnight and planted a million kisses on Hannah before leaving her to sleep on her own. She cried... with tears and mucus and perspiration! We took turns to comfort her every 5 minutes by telling her we are here. More kisses.
First night: 45 minutes
Second night: 30 minutes
Third night: 20 mintes
fourth night: 10 minutes
fifth night: 15 minutes
sixth night: 10 minutes.....
recently: 5 minutes or less.

WOW! I am liberated! Thank God! It is suc a joy.
But now she started to fuss in the middle of the night. 2am, 3am, 5am...
Time to train her again.
I really hope she can achieve her 12 hours of night sleep as a baby should soon.

As the bimbo in America's Top model said: Keep my fingers crossed, my toes crossed, butt cheeks crossed! ....

At long Last

2009-10-27T23:04:00.000-07:00

It has been a long month. So much has happened I think it's surreal!
And finally the dust has settled a little ( i hope) and I can sit before the laptop to update this long forgotten blog. :) --> If anyone is still following, that is...

It started with Hannah's teething. She was really fussy and cranky. Two teeth sprouted.
Then we realised she had a growth at the side of her neck. Called the doctor thinking that it was a mump... but was advised to see a doc immediately. We rushed down to the night clinic before it closed at 9pm and was told the BAD news that it could be a lymphnode infection. Apparently, it could be a big thing if it is serious enough. And since it was already 9 odd, we were given the green light to go home to monitor Hannah till the next morning before going for an ultrasound scan.
That night was long. We were instructed to admit her straight into the hospital should she developes a fever. Thank God she did not have a rise in temperature although the sleep was very much disturbed.

The next day, we went to MT A. Saw two PDs and was told to prepare for her admission. :( Did Ultrasound, had to put her on IV. There were 4 swollen lymphnodes and among those one was the size of a ping pong ball and had pus in it. The only ways to remove the pus were: 1) antibiotics through IV 2) operate 3) Use ultrasound and syringe to remove the pus. The non-invasive was definitely the preferred one. We were told that if it showed no progress then we have to consider option 2 or 3.

We stayed 10 days in the hospital. It was crazy being cooped up in the room 24/7. Tiring to entertain her all the time and had very disturbed sleep because she had to go on type A drip every 4 hours and type B every 6 hourly. Each taking 30 mins. Hubby got to juggle work and hospital. Thank God our parents came by to help babysit and entertain her while we take a breather. We didn't have many visitors because the Doc advised against having contacts because her immunity was down and she cannot afford to be exposed to any other virus to complicate things.

Anyway to cut the long story short, we went home after 10 days. Relieved.

BUT the part 2 starts then. Hannah being so used to me in the room with her for 10 days and nights... started this 'stick to mummy' syndrome. I could not leave her an inch without her crying. We sat side by side, I stood up, she cries. I walked to kitchen, she cries. I stood to adjust the fan, she cries. It was madness. And knowing that she was still not totally well, we kind of accomodated her. I was on the verge of a mental breakdown! (well, almost :P) Goodness...

FInally somehow she became better. We decided to train her to be independent again. Then... she woke up with a fever the next day. Then she had false measles! She recovered and I was sick. I recovered and I hurt my back playing and carrying her...
WOW... That's the last thing that has happened. WE finally made it to church after a month.

It has really been non-stop action! ha...
But though these moments, Hannah has learnt to sit from lying position and now, crawl:)
She can now say mamamammamam though I think with no linkage to my identity. She can now give you a 'five' when you ask for it and she can show you what 'no-no' means. (well, she'll shake her head).

I've done up her nursery (except some parts of the door still not painted) she's sleeping in there now. Will update with a picture soon.

Till then. Thank God for He's always been around for us come what may. And I guess going through all these downs as husband and wife has made as more resilient. And we know how precious is it Hannah is to us. And we treasure support from family and friends indefinitely. :)
Kudos to you who went through that crazy moments with us.

I must blog about this.

2009-08-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

I must just blog about this to air my anger( which has actually fizzled off)
The other day, I decided to take a cab with Hannah to Parkway for a walk before meeting hubby after his work.

So, after lunch, I put Hannah into the pram and went downstairs to hail a cab. Within minutes, a cab came along and I was rather glad because the wait wasn't long at all. But my happiness was short-lived! I beckoned the driver to wind down his window and asked if he could help me with the pram. He did not say much. Just alighted from his car and went to open the boot. What do you think you would expect him to do? Well, I don't know about you, I carried Hannah from the pram and expected him to help me with the pram. By that I meant fold the pram and put it into the boot. Well, he didn't! He stood there staring at us! I was half upset and half anxious cos the sky looked a little dark. So I carried Hannah in one arm and attempted to close up the pram with another. Of cos I did not manage to do so. And that driver just looked on! That started my blood boiling a little. I asked nicely if he could just HELP ME WITH THE PRAM. He looked at me and pursed his lips and sauntered over reluctantly. And despite my instruction of " Press this button" He kept pressing the other one that I wasn't pointing to. Which of cos did not help to fold the pram. He got upset and looked at me in disgust and anger! I got upset too and said THIS button. And he finally managed to succeed and I said 'Thanks".

When we reached parkway, there were two lanes. He dropped me at the outer lane from the entrance. I thought he would be kind enough to get the pram out from the boot and put it at the entrance for me. But NO. He took the pram out and again with great unhappiness, just left it right there behind the taxi and walked back to his driver seat with me still unsettled with Hannah in one hand, picking up the cushion of the pram he dropped (with no apologies or attempt to pick it up) and in between two cabs! There is only one phrase to best express my emotions : WA LAU!

The cab behind was kind enough to reverse so that I have more space to settle Hannah down into the pram and that thoughtless driver obviously drove off! Talk about kind gestures and world-class service! It embarrass me to acknowledge that such is our fellow Singaporean! Anyway I settled Hannah into the pram and moved towards the entrance. There were two steps leading up and I could not carry the Pram up! I asked a lady who was standing right beside me to help me. Thank God she did so. I was fuming mad by the time I got into the building.

Hello, I am not asking for much am I? All I asked is for him to realise that I cannot carry the baby and put the pram into the boot without his help. And I would expect some form of kindness, thoughtfulness or civic mindedness at least? I mean, isn't it obvious that I needed some help there?

I am not being disloyal to Singapore. I love Singapore and I am glad to be a Singaporean. But i must agree with my expat friend: That Singaporeans are not malicious. They are nice people. But generally not very thoughtful.
I add- not to strangers at least.

sigh.

lazy or bored

2009-08-10T21:57:00.000-07:00

I am getting a little too bored with blogging already. For one, I have so many photos yet to be uploaded... so maybe it'll take a while before the blog goes into action again. In the meantime:

1) Paint Hannah's door
2) Meet up with yummy mummies
3) Learn to cook a variety of food for Hannah
4) Hit the gym with Hubby
5) Prepare for Piano and Spanish Exam
6) Shopping
7) READ
8)SCRAPBOOK

* Capitalized cos it's been a while...*

Till then. If you miss me. I might be back.

2009-08-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

I stole this picture from Daze. It's our ladies' day out. I enjoyed myself to the max. But I must say Hannah was not very friendly... she screamed at poor Chloe and made her cry! Oh well.. maybe Hannah was just saying ' HI'. :P

Guest in the house!

2009-07-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

"Hey!What's that?"

" Looking at me?"

Spot the flower!- 1

Spot the flower!- 2

Spot the flower!- 3

" Mummy... that flower is bigger than my face!"

" I think it is bigger than my head too."

"same hair band with this yee yee"

Yesterday my gf came to do scrapbooking for another gf's wedding. It was a good time to catch up though it took quite a bit of our brain juice! Anyway the highlight of all that was of cos the photoshoot session we had with Hannah.

View it before someone MAKE me remove them! lol

Updates

2009-07-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

These days I am getting a tad too lazy to blog. Perhaps I am out of the house most of the time, meeting up with friends, hitting the gym... or just occupied with piano/spanish classes. Other than that, the remaining time will be for Hannah.

Just started her on Carrot puree a week or more ago. She seems to dislike it compared to rice cereal. Anyway she still ate it nevertheless. Good girl.

I am going to try pumpkin puree today. Interestingly, pumpkin can be meshed into puree with a fork after steaming it. Don't even need a food processor unlike carrot. I hope she'll like it.

Anyway some quick updates:
1) Answer to poll
- dawn feed
-breakfast
-lunch
-tea break
-dinner
-supper.
So it's 6-7 feed a day:)

2) She can turn herself over and back again now! Thank God! The nights of flipping over the overturned tortoise.. I mean baby.. is over. :P

3) will post photos SOON.

ANSWER to POLL

2009-07-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

She shook her head! And scrunched up her face and looked at me as if I've fed her crap.

But thankfully, she's happy as a lark now whenever she sees me preparing her cereal.

Puree soon.

And congrats on those who have guessed correctly. Will the winners please stand up?

:P

More updates

2009-07-16T22:55:00.000-07:00

Well... lots to update. Wonder which to begin with.

1) 5months old
Hannah is now 5 months old. A week or more ago, we started her with cereal and man! She loves it (after her initial response which I can't reveal till the poll is done). Then just a couple of days back, she started rejecting it. Mummy is at a loss. Anyway, I've decided to just feed a little bit again and if she still doesn't want it then we'll just wait for a couple of weeks later. Maybe it's good too. No hurry. I believe she'll know best when she's ready. The thing is she's not exactly having enough... so she's waking up in the wee hours again. Oh well.. guess I'll just enjoy moment this while I can.

2) Milk-scare
I think I was dehydrated? Or for whatever reason, I experienced a day without much milk. It came to me as a shock and I was thrown off balance. So worried that my precious will starve. (albeit her hefty 7.5kg and counting). It was at that moment that I began to 'treasure' breastfeeding again... yeah... it's an experience, once over, never return. So now, no more complains about feeding her. Enjoy it while I can. Thank God, the supply is back after I down alot alot alot of water and fish soup!

Theory behind the incident:
Well, many bf mums tell me diff stuff.
i) When you reach 4-5 months there's usually a dip.
ii) Baby once start on solid, demand falls, supply dip.
iii) dehydration and mummy's change in diet
iv) clueless

Appreciate those listening ears and advice. Some even went through the same! :) Thanks girls.

3) Bloody neck!
Yes... as you know Hannah's really fat at the neck so we usually can't see it. Recently... due to her drooling incessantly the neck area became dry and scaly. It became itchy for her. So whenever she turns to her front, she'll start scratching it. Until it bled! I nearly died when I saw some blood. When mixed with saliva it looks like blood is oozing out! Thank God it wasn't that bad a cut. But still... now we dare not put her on her own without supervision. All eyes are fixed on her fingers and neck now. That's been keeping me REALLY busy. Hope she gets well soon. Heartache.

Then again... it seems that she is totally oblivious to it. When I saw her and hugged her... I was so upset but she was smiling and cooing away happily. My baby's made of steel.

4) Me
This week's meeting with my fren has been cancelled cos she was unwell. Spanish lesson cancelled cos teacher was held up elsewhere. Piano lesson cancelled cos I can't leave Hannah unattended with her neck like that. Well, well... next week will be better. :)

ANSWER to POLL

2009-07-16T22:45:00.001-07:00

Answer :
Less than 1 minute. She went: " ah" in an irritated tone and was instantly pacified:)

Our MRT day out and more...

2009-07-07T19:42:00.000-07:00

After months of staying at home without too much of a social life, I've decided to go on an adventure! Not many of my friends are mummy yet. Those who are either stay too far from me or are working mums. So I decided to find new friends.

Against all hesitation and anxiety, I ventured out of my comfort zone. I decided to take Hannah on a MRT ride. Just the both of us. To meet up with a mummy friend. It was not as difficult as I thought it would be. After feeding Hannah, we took a slow stroll to the MRT station which was just a stone's throw away from my place. Then we took a train to Tampines One. Simple. Met up with my friend and her baby boy who is 2 weeks older than Hannah but at least 1.5kg heavier! Had lunch, went shopping, had coffee and cake at tea time before taking a train ride home again before the peak hour crowd came by. Hubby met us at the MRT station and gave us a ride home.

It was enjoyable and it gives that immense sense of satisfaction knowing that I have overcome the obstacle of fearing the unknown. A sense of pride knowing that I have inched closer to the great word 'INDEPENDENCE'. And of course, liberation. Being able to move out of the house definitely takes away all sense of feeling 'trapped' at home, 'losing the much-valued freedom'...
And all in all, it was a great experience. I will venture to more places soon. Probably meeting my friend at City Hall next week. :)

Independence... it is a great word. I will blog solely on that one day. Not today. More updates for today.

Hannah had her first solid! I decided to buy the rice cereal last week after her fussing in the middle of the night but I haven't mustered enough courage to kick-start the new phase until yesterday. It was a very fun experience. I only fed her a couple of mouths full and decided to stop since it was the first attempt. Hannah enjoyed it (I think...cos she was smiling and flapping her arms up and down). Today I tried again. This time finishing almost the entire portion. Well, it wasn't that much. Just one teaspoon of rice cereal with milk till watery and thin consistency. I tried it too! It wasn't too bad. Sweet and refreshing! :) I will not be increasing the amount until she's 5 months. (which is next week) And then will see how it goes along the way. So far it has been rather successful. She shows contentment with the food in her mouth. Come 6 months then my long- planned -recipe can be put into good used. Looks like we are entering a new phase again!

ANSWER to POLL

2009-07-07T19:37:00.001-07:00

Hannah is 7.5kg. HAHAHA.... so nobody got it right since there's no such option :>

Hannah's next milestone.

2009-06-29T22:03:00.000-07:00

Hannah is 4.5 months old to date. And here's some updates about her. (and us)

Well she can flip over onto her tummy effortlessly now. It started off as a major event that we celebrated with great joy. Then Fear. Then Fluster.
Why?
Joy: It's a new step! A new trick! A new development!
Fear: Will she suffocate? Will she get stuck in some corner? Will anything happen to her? Fall off?
Fluster: She flips non-stop! Then she will be stuck in some corner or get tired of the position and she will start screaming her head off. (" Help! I am stuck! Rescue me!" or " Hey! Somebody come and relief me of this tiring position!" or " Give me some attention. " or " I cannot turn back! Flip me back!") You get the gist.

At first it was pretty bad... she could wake up in the middle of the night to do her stunts and wail. And overcome with anxiety of her suffocating, I ran out to her and flipped her over. Only to see her smiling at me and flipping back again and again and again. She thought it was funny. ... ~bleah~ I was certainly not amused. I told her sternly it was not funny at all as I flipped her back and asked her to sleep. Surprisingly, she did.

But at least we got assured, knowing that she is capable of crying out for help. That took our worry away (a little at least). At least we know she won't be stuck and keep quiet in that position. Though, when I think about it too much, I can still get paranoid.

She is also very very aware of her environment now. So much so that everything excites her. From the fan to the air con to lights to anything else except daddy and mummy's face. So... it's pretty hard feeding her at times. She has to be 'coerced' back to the breast or bottle. Goodness... sometimes I will just cover her eyes with my palm or just pull her close. Boy! She won't succumb without a fight! She would scream and straighten her body and....

I think my angelic baby is starting to 'chut pattern' already! Soon, daddy and mummy will 'chut' ours too! The battle is about to begin.

Pictures are easier to post... take less of my brain juice yet speak volume

2009-06-23T02:00:00.000-07:00

A whole new perspective for baby Hannah. She loves this Bumbo seat( But I prefer to call it the bobo seat)that we've got her a couple of days back. We realised that she's getting a bit restless when made to lie down most of the time. We saw her attempts to pull herself up(which she obviously could not). So we were contemplating on this. Then we met a 'new mummy friend' and she recommended it to us again. Anyway to cut the long story short, we got it. Mummy went shopping with Hannah alone and lugged the seat and pram and Hannahand diaper bag through Parkway to the carpark and home! It was quite a feat and mummy is so proud of her achievement! :)

I guess, that's life. Every new step that we take or enter into, it gives us a whole new perspective of things around us. For a little baby, it may just be the way things look like in her surrounding. For an adult, it could be the way people look, the way they view things, mindset, their thinking... Interesting isn't it? The only difference perhaps is, babies are always ready to accept these changes with no resistance rather with lots of enthusiasm and optimism. Maybe we should learn from them.

From another perspective

2009-06-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

February 16, 2009

Vicarious Living

The thought swiftly flashed through my mind when I first saw her early that day, caught in a gaggle of giggling colleagues, fresh from the bathroom or wherever they had come from. She seemed like she was half-bursting from keeping a secret. But the thought disappeared before I even thought about it. And then later, an indiscreet colleague gave the secret away. I had to stop myself from shrieking.

After the company function we decided to take a slow walk to Parkway. The weather was perfect, with sunset hues painting a pastel background to the old condominiums that dotted the Amber Road area. Our voices were muted, excited girlish tones.

“What is it like?” that was me, barely 7 hours from touching down from London after a whirlwind Europe trip. Part of my mind was in a half-jet-lagged fog, while the other was spinning at the idea of a friend my age with a child inside of her. It’s like a whole new world, I summed it up when she too, still stunned at being two weeks pregnant, had only words of surprise, shock and a general sense of awe at what was slowly going to take over her gym rat’s body.

Motherhood!

A month went by, then two.

She got very hungry. So did I.

She felt sick and wanted to vomit. And since I was having cramps, so did I.

I almost thought I was pregnant too, somehow, vicariously.

The months went by, and her stomach grew bigger.

Still, every time we met for lunch or coffee or happened to cross paths enroute to somewhere else, the conversation would centre around the same old girlish concerns. Putting on weight, having stretch marks, overeating...perhaps there is only so much you can talk to a single 26-year-old who has neither experienced marriage nor pregnancy. While pregnancy seemed to me so much nobler than all those narcissistic concerns, she seemed almost determined to make it only a temporary pause to her gym and shopping routines.

Today, she gave birth. Two weeks ago, she had had a false alarm that got me all excited, and it was the same today during the real thing. From the time I got the first “In labour” message at 5.25 am, I couldn’t keep still, couldn’t stop thinking about her, couldn’t stop smiling, couldn’t resist running to my phone to check on it throughout the day.

My mind has been going back to the day when I first saw her. I thought she looked like an air stewardess then; I told my friend that my new colleague was really pretty. We exchanged polite nods, I think, and remained at that same cordial distance until about 2 years later, when I got used to her habits and she to my quirks. Then at some point, we were close enough to talk about God, a topic close to both our hearts. I think it probably happened over our once-a-week gym sessions. She was about to be married by then. Young, I thought.

She talked about her renovation plans for months on the bus rides to and from the gym, and then the photo shoot experience and the printing of the cards, and The Gown. They had a lovely church wedding that I missed because I was away on an escapist holiday to Taiwan, possibly the only one of the 12 weddings I really regretted missing that year. The wedding album commentary itself, however, continued for the next two weeks at her table, which was next to mine. After listening to it ad nauseum, I think I can still give a decent commentary now if I had it in front of me.

True, through her eyes and her sms-es at ungodly hours on festive occasions, I caught a glimpse of the not-so-rosy side of her seemingly-perfect life, but the fact that I was even awake at strange hours on Christmas morning doesn’t say much about me either. The bright side of my life is that I can spend (and have been spending) much of my leisure and salary shopping or reading or holed up in a private psychological bubble thinking about an assignment for days on end, without worrying about the practical needs of spouse or child or whatnot.

To whitewash everything and give either singlehood or marriage life a blanket approval is just not possible. It never was, and never will be.

And while there are times like these, when I wonder how long I will vicariously live the lives of the married and the parented, there are others when I hug my shopping bag in near delirium and point a snooty nose at a screaming brat in the middle of a shopping centre, or gaze with heartfelt pity at the sight of an emaciated mother trailing after the stroller and her husband while lugging several bags of milk bottles and other random items of motherhood.

In the last 3 days, one close friend got engaged while another became a mother. In two weeks’ time, another one is going to be a wife.

The taking on of these new roles at 27 is perhaps an accepted passage of womanhood, and while “compulsive shopper”, “the attempting to be ambidextrous one”, “new tea drinker” and "vicarious life-er" don’t have quite the noble ring to it, I guess they’ll do, for now, at least.

One thing I know that'll really cut it, though, and always has is "child of God."

Yeah. That rocks.

photos galore

2009-06-02T00:46:00.000-07:00

Ha!!! So cute!

Check out my baby!

Happy being in her mercedes. :)

Mummy and Hannah at Gelare.

Daddy and Hannah at Gelare.

Taken at Seah Street Deli on Mother's Day:)

My Favourite dress. Made in Spain! Doesn't she look like a princess?

That's my cure for her rashes!!! Cotton wool wet with diamond water! lol... (aka SKII)

I love taking her close-up pics.

That's how cute she looks when she is fully fed and sound asleep.

Hannah wide awake! Wearing a 9mth old top!

Hannah was so sleepy when we were at marche. Daddy carried her and she dozed off abeit that awkward position.

BAD HAIR DAY!!!!

The Idiot Box

2009-05-20T00:23:00.001-07:00

Hannah turns almost instantly to TV whenever one is switched on and it's near her. It is amazing how much this idiot box seems to be able to captivate her attention even at such a tender age. It's either the sound or most likely, the light and flashes that attracted her.

We've noticed this a month or so ago already just that these days the magnetic pull is getting stronger. I have to feed her somewhere away from the box if I want her to finish that bottle with no distractions. And we have also learnt that she stops crying (no matter how fussy she was or how hungry she was) the moment her eyes got fixed on a TV screen. No wonder they say TV is a fantastic babysitter.

But, no. I'm not going to let that happen. We believe strongly the theory of how the quick flashing images will overstimulate the impressionable mind and in turn impede the development of the brain. I am totally convinced that it will eventually lead to short attention span if not deficit. It will lead to a 'lazy brain' that will prefer TV anytime to a book because it requires less work, less imagination, less brain power.

Well, I guess I am not to the extreme that the TV at home must all be locked up somehow. However, I see no need for babies or toddlers to be learning through the box no matter how 'educational' they are. Yes, I don't deny the content of the materials and media to be of great benefits and learning points but I think the harm caused is much more than whatever learning the baby could reap. Anyway, isn't mummy or daddy or any caring adults better role models than the TV? TV programme, cartoons and enjoyment from the idiot box can come when my baby is a lil' older. We can enjoy TV together as a family then.

For now, get out of my baby's sight you idiot box.

PS: I'm not being rude by calling the TV an 'idiot box'. If you are, by any chance a bookworm club fan, you will appreciate this term coined by Edison.

Every day is a surprise

2009-05-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

You never know what each day holds.

Well, I suppose nobody knows for sure what the day ahead entails.. but at least things are pretty much expected. Say, your lunch break. Who you will see. What deadlines you need to meet. What time to wake up, which bus to take, what time to report to work, what time to knock off from work.... and if you are a teacher, everything is more structured. Your day is simply divided up into periods. And you can be sure of the number of English periods you'll have, which components of the language you will be teaching, number of worksheets to distribute, who to punish for not completing the homework... you get my drift.

Being at home with a baby is an entirely different experience. You don't know what time she will wake up. It could be 2 hours after you retire for the night. It could be at daybreak. It could be anytime. That uncertainly makes you cherish the moment you hit the pillow because nobody knows how long that sleep can last. You don't know when lunch break will be. Well, lunch can only be prepared when the baby is contented with her feeding and agreed to sleep. So it could be 11 odd, 12 odd,1 odd,2 odd... And even you get to prepare your food, you never know whether you can successfully whip out an edible dish... well, you could be interrupted halfway while frying an egg by that unexpected cry for attention.

You have absolutely no idea how the baby will behave that day. No idea what teachable moments you'll have. No idea if you'll get to shower or catch a wink or read a book or check the mail or... Yes, by and large the baby's schedule is somewhat a routine but it is still full of uncertainties. Oxymoron?

The good thing is, you are never bored. Cos you won't know when your baby is going to smile at you or show you some new tricks:)

Every day is a surprise staying home with Hannah. As much as I dream of returning to work at times I know that parenting is a season that will pass. And when the season has passed by, I will return to the mundane working life and look back at this season, these fond memories that I share with Hannah each day.

A change in Diet at last!

2009-05-14T23:20:00.000-07:00

WooHoo! I just read that Hannah can start eating steamed and meshed up food soon! (Yes, it sounds horrid but it's a new milestone for the little one!:)) When she turns 4 months, I can start to introduce something that will please(I hope) her palate. One more month to go!

Here are some that I want to try out.
1) Steamed pumpkin with breastmilk ( a bit like ohr nee!!!)
2) papaya puree with breast milk
(haha, sounds really gross but come to think of it, isn't that papaya milkshake?! :P)
3) apple puree (will spare her the breastmilk for this!)
4) Steamed carrot (think this won't go well with milk either.)

Shall try this four recipes that I got from a gourmet book:P One at a time so that I can observe her reaction to these food. So exciting! hahaah...

She laughed. I teared.

2009-05-12T21:29:00.001-07:00

Hannah laughed. This time it was not in her dreams. This time it was a clear response to me who was playing with her.

Well it was late at night and she still refused to sleep after her last feed so i just carried her and propped her against my bended knees and started playing with her. She laughed out loudly as if she has been tickled! Naturally I laughed too. I shouted for hubby to come and witness that cute moment. He knelt beside us and watched us play. This time Hannah laughed really loudly and we started laughing too. And something just welled up in my eyes. Somehow I feel overjoyed and touched. I wonder why.

Shortly after, daddy rocked her to sleep.

Talking about tears, I experienced 'heart in my mouth' sensation last afternoon. After much consideration whether I should wean Hannah off her mittens, I decided to do so. Well, my rationale being, it's time for her to start exploring her sense of touch and I shouldn't keep protecting her to the extent it hinders her development. My concern was that she loves rubbing her face, ears, eyes, mouth.. you get the drift. I fear her scratching and hurting herself. Anyway, I took off her mittens.

Then I heard a loud cry. I knew from the way it sounded, something must have happened. I ran to her cot and saw her eyes red and her hand on her face. I carried her and hugged her and was so scared that she has lost her sight or something! I was ready to cry as I pried away her fingers and to my relief it was still intact. Well, the white part of her eye was a little red. I took a toy and started testing her sight to see if she could still focus and follow the toy. Thank God she could.

Immediately, I put back her mittens and sternly told her: ' Mittens for you! No more bare hands!'.

Oh my sweet little baby.

Picture paints a thousand words

2009-05-07T23:41:00.000-07:00

1)Hannah's new found friend.

2) She was so unaware that this friend could move.

3)Then as it slowly moved towards Hannah, Hannah was feeling a little uneasy.

4) Hannah got a shock when she saw her friend face to face!

5) They had a confrontation.My poor baby lost. She cried. Dolphin still looked as happy and unaffected. :(

Hannah's first roll over! and more...

2009-05-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

Today as I rested Hannah on the sofa beside me while I had breakfast (our new routine) she surprised me with her stunt! She kicked her legs in the air and with a whooping twist, she turned over to her stomach down position. She struggled like she was in water and she tried to lift up her head which seemed to weigh a ton. Her legs kicked furiously and one arm was trying to support her entire body to be upright. The other hand unfortunately was still stuck under her chest/stomach. Then she started protesting with her 'grunts'... I turned her over. She tried again but failed time after time to flip over. Finally she was tired and decided to be contented facing up.
Well, I am happy to have captured that FIRST successful attempt! :)

I have been reading a book about SAHMs. It really voiced out my inner thoughts and wow, someone could understand the struggles I go through! :) It is inspiring and it certainly is an uplifting one to read when a SAHM gets tired...and start to question her decision. :)

Sometimes though, I feel that I am too easily persuaded by the books I read. Maybe I should learn to be very objective and reflect to find out what is it that I truly want... Or rather what my friend said, : When we seek to do what God wants, we please Him and ourselves. When we seek to do what we want we ended up pleasing neither. So I take back my last sentence and correct it to: What God truly wants of me. :)

Parenting

2009-05-04T18:55:00.000-07:00

There are so many books and theories on parenting these days. Sometimes I wonder if I should follow them. The thing is, like all theories and school of thoughts there are always opposing camps so at the end of the day it is me who has to decide what is best for my child.

I was rather determined to practice the PDF(Parents- Directed Feed) theory initially. The greatest attraction for this is the promise that babies will sleep through the night sooner than most others. Some boasted 9 weeks. WOW! I really was tempted. Can you imagine the freedom and sleep it brings if baby could sleep from 10pm to 7am? I tried. I failed. I don't know. Maybe because I wasn't whole-hearted in the approach. I have my doubts as to whether I need to put myself and baby through such regimes. So along the way I just could not press on. Maybe deep down I am contented enough that Hannah is just waking up once a night near dawn. To me, that was good enough already although I am greedy at times. I want a couple more hours till daybreak. So... the verdict is this. Hannah is now 10 weeks old and she has yet to sleep through. Well occasionally she does.

I was rather bothered at first. I kept counting how many weeks she was. Wondered how long more she'll need before that long anticipated 'sleeping through' comes about. I asked around to check how long others took. I started comparing. I began to wonder if I should seriously embark on the journey of PDF now. IT went on for a while.

Finally, I asked a mother of 4. And her comments made sense to me. Her kids slept through only at 4 years old! But she was not resentful about that lost of sleep. Her theory and advise for me?

" Always remember that the Lord will give you wisdom and understanding for YOUR children and yours alone. We are not called to parent someone else's kids. Neither are other people given authority to parent ours. So take advice in your stride and listen only to God, our only authority."

How true. This pdf theory is so BIG in our church that it seems to be THE WAY. Maybe it isn't. We need to look further and open our eyes and ears to not just how parents in our church bring up their children. There are successes everywhere else too. And we know our child the best. They may be successful but their way may not work best with our child. And it depends on our heart. I choose to follow my heart and find peace in that. And if Hannah is going to take 4 years too to sleep through, I will pray to God for strength and joy to accompany her through those years of night feeds.

I am liberated.

ps: Latest update... Hannah's 6.5kg to date.

Safe in Jesus' arms

2009-05-02T05:42:00.001-07:00

Have you ever doubted how safe you could be in Jesus' arm? I learnt a lesson a couple of days back. A lesson of faith. From my baby.

It was a stormy day. Lightning and thunder and heavy rain. Hannah was rudely awakened by a deafening thunder. I too, was afraid (shh... yes... I am afraid of lightning). I cuddled Hannah as she slept. She was totally calm and slept peacefully in my arms.

I looked at her and I realised she trusted me. She trusted that mummy will protect her from that frightening sound and light. She trusted that she could rest totally without a second thought. She slept soundly. And even as the lightning continued to flash and thunder continued roaring, Hannah slept like a baby!( Yes, she's a baby).

Then as I looked at her, I remember that I too am safe in Jesus' arms. Yet, unlike Hannah, I often forget. I forget that I am safe. I fret, I struggle and I lack peace. I must learn to rest in Jesus' arms and be at peace even when I am in the midst of the tempests of life.

Baby is down with a fever :(

2009-05-02T03:17:00.000-07:00

Look at how happy Hannah looked before the jab.

Then we went for the compulsory 6-1n-1 jab. six in one! Goodness... those were the days when they first invented 2 in 1 shampoo. Then with time, 3-in-1... and now even jabs come in such package. 6-in-1. Can you imagine how lethal that was!

After breakfast and a good nap, we brought Hannah down to the clinic for her jab. She seemed to know something 'bad' was going to happen because she was rather unsettled. Although I was carrying her she was a little fidgety- which is not like her usual self. Then we sat down beside Dr Wang as he prepared the deadly dosage. I cuddled Hannah close to me and her daddy held her thigh down. I could not bare to look at the sight so I just kept my eyes on Hannah as the injection took place. Poor Thing! She wailed! But only for a short moment. Our brave baby! :)

We went home and Hannah was totally knocked out. She slept a lot and woke up drowsily for her meals. She seemed to have lost her appetite. Anyway the fever only came late in the evening. We decided to turn in early. We fed her parecetamol but she hated it. She vomitted it out almost instantly together with her last feed. Not knowing how much of the medicine came out and how much remained inside, we decided best not to feed again. We resorted to the primitive but most effective way - cold towel on the forehead.

I slept first while hubby stayed up to change the towel and take Hannah's temperature. Until 1230am. I woke up to feed Hannah and to clock my night shift. Somehow I just could not sleep soundly. Perhaps knowing that Hannah is right beside me and she could fall into a bout of fits should her fever hits 38deg made me drift in and out of sleep. I took her temperature every hour or so until 5.30am. I couldn't take it any longer. Went to wake hubby up to clock his shift...
The rest is history.

As i type this now, Hannah's asleep. Her fever has subsided for now. We hope that it is for good. The next injection will be on the 1st July. I hope the innoculation won't be as lethal the next round.

Check out my poor baby:
She was a darling though she was sick. She slept most of the time. When she was alert she was still smiley and chatty. Check out the primitive wet towel vs the modern cold gel pad. I think the primitive one is more effective although it was constantly swiped off by Hannah's hands!

Laughter is the best medicine

2009-04-27T23:25:00.000-07:00

Hannah 1 and 2 months old

Hannah laughed. Or should I say she guffawed? Well hubby and I were sitting before the TV watching our Saturday night DVD while I had ?Hannah in my arms patting her to sleep. She was quite asleep already but I wanted to cuddle her a while more. Then suddenly she laughed out loud. Laughed hysterically! With her stomach moving up and down and mouth wide but eyes closed. We stopped the DVD, stared and her and started laughing too. It went on for a while and started again and again and again. She is SO CUTE! Wished I was in time to record down that sound.

I will get a recorder when she starts to speak a few more months down the road. I realized that people usually only keep photos of their kids. I don't want to miss out their voices! I remember when I was a kid my grandma looked after both my cousin and I. My cousin could only fall asleep when she hears her mummy's voice. So we came up with a project! Grandma, aunt and I recorded a cassette. I was the one who said the title and page of each hymn and both grandma and aunt will sing the hymn. The cassette was then played 24/7 whenever my cousin was in the 'cradle'. My grandma kept that CD for a long time. And she gave it to me when I was in P3. I heard my voice (when I was in kindergarten) and I squealed in delight. I sounded so cute. I thought.:) Unfortunately, I misplaced the cassette and that became a part of my childhood memories.

I want to have a recording of Hannah's voice. When she calls daddy and mummy and everyone else. When she starts to sing. When she starts to speak. Now it is a bit hard to predict when she will utter those 'agurs...' but perhaps I should record down her cries. :)

PS: can see how much she has grown in a month?

The first utterance

2009-04-16T21:59:00.001-07:00

This week, Hannah spoke!
Her first 'ahgur'... and her many 'ay!-s'. These seems to be her favourite articulations.
She is stirring her tongue whenever she is spoken to these days. She must be trying to move that tongue of hers so that she can respond.
What girlish voice she has! My sweet lil honey pie!

That day I read her some nursery rhymes from a very colourful board book. She was happy to see the pictures and even smiled at Humpty Dumpty! Can't wait for her to be a few more months old when she can enjoy books better.

Loving books is the first step to language acquistion. Well at least the first step to strengthening the language ability. It has been said by experts that introducing children to TV prior to books is a big NO-NO. The changing images on TV cause too much stimulation for the mind. This slowly conditions the brain to accept things at that speed. Eventually, the child will lose interest in books which are comparatively slower and requires more work (imagination, decoding...) So our aim is to make Hannah love books just like us. I have bought soooooo many books and is anticipating the day when Hannah will sit on my lap to enjoy some bedtime stories.

Talking about love for books... I realised my love for books was cultivated by my aunt Angie. I don't think she did it intentionally but what she did left a great impact and what she did made me love not only reading but also the English Language. She brought me to the annual book fairs when I was young. In those days it was at world Trade Centre ( yeah, the vivocity today). I could stay there the entire day to read and walk from booth to booth looking at the wonderful display of colourful books. My favourite then was the bookworm series. I remember wanting soooo much to be in the bookworm club. (One of the two things that I really wanted as a kid but didn't get to have it. The other is to have a Macdonald's bdae party! haha). Anyway I remember each bookwork book costs $5 - quite expensive then. Aunt Angie was the one who bought them for me once in a while and she also introduced to me Roald Dahl whose books I fell in love with. I have read all his children's books and still have them in my collection today. Thanks yee! :)

Perhaps Hannah can read my Roald Dahl books someday. And if the bookworm club still exist, I will still want to be in the club albeit being overage. As for the McDonald's bdae party, well I'll give that a skip. Too much calories and well... the hype is already history.

Let's go Gai Gai!

2009-04-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

Preparing to go for breakfast at East Coast!

Daddy with Hannah

Daddy and Hannah at Paragon. Check out Hannah's new trenchcoat! hahah

Mummy with Hannah at paragon.

Daddy Hoon loves going gai gai. Mummy Hoon can't do without gai gai. Of cos Baby Hoon gotta tag along... but of 'cos Hannah Hoon loves it!

So far, we have conquered many places:

Vivocity, East Coast, Paragon, Takashimaya, Parkway Parade, Tampines 1, Tampines mall, Century Square, Suntec City, Marina Square...

Singapore is too small already... time to venture out!

First few moments for those of you who have missed it....

2009-03-22T05:37:00.000-07:00

One month has passed by. Hannah looks so different now! She has certainly grown! Mummy looks different too! Thank God for mum, mil and hubby who took care of me throughout confinement. I have regained 'strength' :)

Check out a pic taken for our recent outing!

BOOKS galore

2009-03-13T22:39:00.000-07:00

I've received giftcards from my Sis and colleagues. I can buy another 20 books or so from the online library again! I seriously wonder if there's any space left thereafter. I haven't really got to read to Hannah yet. She's either sleeping or eating these days. But I am sure we will get to read them together a few more months down the road. ( And actually, I love reading children's books! They serve as entertainment during breastfeeding sessions:)).
Can't wait to sit down and go through the selection. Believe it or not, I am now friend with the boss already! haha...

I love books!

The end of confinement

2009-03-12T20:52:00.001-07:00

Finally, the one month of residential imprisonment has come to an end. The pain of being locked up within the four walls made even visits to gynae and paed such a welcoming change. I marked the days down on my calendar and looked forward to each visit. ( an opportunity for me to smell some fresh air, wear some clothes that have already gathered quite some dust and to sit in the car to take a look at the world out there).

Then again as the D-day approaches, nolstalgia kicks in.Mum's going home.

The Whole Story

2009-03-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

Alright, here's the story of LABOUR.

Well, some people said that labour could happen days before the real pushing and heaving. I guess that's the way for my case. About 5 days before the 'real thing', I went to the gynae for the normal check and he told me that I've dilated for about 2cm and IT could happen soon. That started us anticipating but in vain until 15th Feb, I had some show. I called the gynae and he told me to monitor. The time was close. Again nothing happened. We still went shopping cos I reckon hospital is nearer to Mt Alvernia anyway.

We went home and wondered when the real call would be. At 4.30am, I felt like I needed to pee and then I felt a huge gush coming on. I JUMPED out from bed. (something which I haven been able to do for months! I wonder where that surge of energy came from.) I stood rooted and started holding on to the towel which was already placed nicely beside me in preparation for this moment. I shouted for hubby to wake up. I just shouted, 'waters broke, Waters broke, how? I cannot walk!' He woke up and turned on the lights and asked me to just walk to the toilet although it meant that the water will leave a trail. I went to wash up while hubby mopped the floor. He showered and changed while I took a bottle of chicken essence. Then we made our way to the hospital.

Somehow there was this calmness after the initial shock. Total peace tinged with excitement. We made our way to the car and decided to drive through Mcdonald's for a quick bite before labour begins. Mum said that the contraction pain will only come after the waters have finished flowing so we thought that gives us some time to play around:P. We bought bf but I was gan jiong so could't eat much. so we shared a burger.

We arrived and checked into the delivery suite by 5.30am. Thank God for the perfect timing. Just one hour later there would have been heavy traffic. Just one hour later, hubby would have gone to school. Just one hour later, the pain would hvae come on.

6am- The contractions began. I managed to hold on for 3 hours. Tried using the laughing gas but it was rancid. I'd rather endure the pain than smell that cursed thing. My contractions was strong and steady. Unlke most people mine lasted one minute for every contraction although it was just 'early labour'.That probably contributed to the great pain and faster dilation I guess. When the gynae came and check, it was already dilated 5cm. And after 3 hours, I knew I just couldn't hang on to the end already. I knew my threshold was just a few more steps away. We discussed promptly and decided on the epidural. Epidural was PAINFUL. When the jab went through the spine, I let out an agonizing cry/scream/groan... I can't decide which. Hubby had to stand outside the room but he was right at the door assuring me that he's just there and he'll come back in once the procedure was done. I curled up and never for once felt so vulnerable and weak. I grabbed the bedsheets, buried my head and cried. The cursed medication took half an hour to take effect. That half an hour was bad. Thank God, the anaesthetic kicked in soon enough and we both slept like a baby for another 3 hours.

Gynae came by after three hours. We woke up. He checked and announced that I was 10cm dilated and ready for pushing. We were shock! That was really fast. Hubby said he needed to go toilet first! He rushed to the toilet while the nurses got me into position. Then the endless pushing came. They down the dosage of the epidural by half so that I could feel the contractions to aid pushing. I pushed for an hour with hubby supporting me and counting for me and the nurses cheering me on. It was very tiring and at the end of one hour the doc said I needed help. He decided to use the vacuum. He gave me some medication to up the contractions as well. This time round I began to move into sub- consciousness already. There was only one thing in my head. Push hard so that baby can come out naturally so that i do not need to undergo C-Sec. I saw a group of people surrounding me shouting in unison 'PUSH' and hubby's voice going 'deep breath in and push, 2,3,4 ,5,.6.....' Then someone said the head is out and hubby exclaimed, I can see the head! And with one hard push, something came out. I didn't know what... I just slumped back on the bed in a daze. Someone then threw a baby on my chest. I looked at the baby and I started crying very very hard. I guess it must be some kind of a relief to get her out.Hannah doesn't look too familiar too. I thought I would have laughed in joy but that was not the case. The stitching went on for almost an hour. I hear noise, heard baby crying, hubby talking to me.. nurses walking around. Then Gynae told the nurses to get ready for blood transfusion. Said that I lost a lot of blood. Then nurses asked if I've done that before and so on... I answered in a daze totally weakened by the entire process. Then just as I began to feel a lil' worried of what a blood transfusion may entail, the nurse came back with a report on my blood count and gynae mentioned that I am picking up very quickly so although my blood count was very low I can do without the transfusion. Thank God.

Baby was cleaned and brought to my breasts for feeding. Somehow she had the basic instinct as mentioned in the books that I read. She just suckled on after the nurse helped to latch her on. We took our first family portrait. With daddy in joy and happiness written all over his face. With Hannah's eyes closed, probably still oblivious that she's in the world now. With mummy pale as a ghost but trying to smile as brightly as possible so that she can look pretty. (vanity). The rest as they said, is history.

The story of labour. It is an experience that one can never imagine without having gone through it. That night, I smsed my mum to thank her for giving birth to me. I guess one has to go through the pain to understand that completely. The immensity of the entire experience is never overrated. It is a high price and great sacrifice. A mother's love.

Our lil princess

2009-03-03T20:28:00.000-08:00

The process of labour is a perfect experience to blog. But not today. 10 hours is too long to be documented in a few minutes. For now, just a glimpse of Hannah.

V-Dae Baby?

2009-02-13T21:04:00.000-08:00

We went to the gynae on Thursday as scheduled. Did CTG as usual and to the nurses' excitement, the contractions were regular and was aout 5-7 minutes apart. Dr. asked me if I could feel the contractions... I only felt the tightening and breathlessness whenever that happened. He did a check and said that the cervix was very thin, I was already 3cm dilated. He predicted Hannah to be out ANYTIME. Said, I might see some show from the mucous plug and waters may break or once the contractions get too unbearable we should admit to Mt A. He said he probably won't have to see us at the clinic again... but just in case... he gave us an appointment on Monday.(But he seemed very sure that baby will be out in the 'next two days'.

Whoa! The impending wait seemed coming to an end. Suddenly when he mentioned all that, we were on cloud nine. Hannah's finally coming! Two days! Cool! It could be tonight even! Two days would meant 13th, 14th or 15th.
Then the great countdown begun once again.

The contractions came on stronger. I could feel the regular tightening and the accompanying backache. The dull lower backache that went away only after the contraction eased.
Nothing else happened on the night of 12th Feb.... 13th Feb... and now it's 14th Feb. Will Hannah be a V day baby? Or post-V day baby? Or do you think we will be seeing the Gynae's face again on Monday? What a game! :P
Anyway with the weight and immobility and the knowledge that I will be stuck at home for a month very very soon, I began to shop online. I am simply addicted to buying books from the online library.

The Home Library Online is a site set up by this home schooling family based in Singapore - Loyang to be exact. The mother of 4, home- schooled the kids and also sell books online. Those books are cheaper because she waived the shipping charges and because she has used them before, the books are all nicely selected already. I was on a shopping frenzy! I ordered 20 books! I have bought 2 from her previously so I am assured of their reliability. Can't wait for the books to arrive. Then I can start reading to Hannah. hahaha... yea, read to her books about Vincent Van Gogh and the sunflowers.... Monet... Picasso... (seriously, I bought a few books on these famous artists. My interest on these painters sparked off from my research while coming up with the Arts curriculum for the school. And these books are actually written for children in the form of picture books. So I think they will be woderful resources to keep and to broaden Hannah's knowledge.:)

Here's the list of new books I've bought:

1) A Chocolate Moose for Dinner - Fred Gwynne

2) There's a Frog in My Throat: 440 Animal sayings a Little Bird Told Me - Loreen Leedy

3) One Potato: A Counting Book of Potato Prints - Pomeroy Diana

4) Favourite Poems of Childhood- Philip Smith

5) A Child's Garden of Verses - Robert Louis Stevenson

6) Anholt's Artists- The Magical Gargen of Claude Monet

7) Anholt's Artists- Picasso and the Girl with a Ponytail

8)Katie Meets the Impressionists - James Mayhew

9) Kaite and the Sunflowers -James Mayhew

10)Mike Venezia- Michelangelo (Getting to know the World's Greatest Artists)

11) Mike Venezia- Rembrandt (Getting to know the world's Greatest Artists)

12) Are you a Butterfly? - Judy Allen

13) Are you a Dragonfly? - Judy Allen

14) Are you an Ant? - Judy Allen

15)Are you a Lady bug? - Judy Allen

16) Are you a Bee? - Judy Allen

17) A Mink, A Fink , A Skating Rink: What is a noun?- Brian Cleary

18) Dearly, Nearly, insincerely: What is an Adverb? - Brian Cleary

19) Lives of the musicians: Good Tims, Bad Times (And what the Neighbours Thought)

20) One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale - Demi

Time to get a new bookshelf man! My collection of books is already oozing out from the current shelf. BUT books are treasure that is worth the keep and investment. I love books!

39 weeks and counting

2009-02-11T20:54:00.000-08:00

This lil baby is going to have her buttocks squeezed by EVERYONE. Me included. She is kind of like daddy and mummy. Very contented with the way things are. Not too keen to step into a whole new world unless necessary. Guess baby must either be:
1) SUPER contented with the security and warmth inside the womb
2) SUPER clever knowing that once she's out, she would have no more good food but MILK.
3) SUPER lazy because she knows she has to work really hard to get herself out through the birth canal.
4) SUPER cheeky, playing hide and seek with daddy and mummy.

I wonder.

Anyway she's getting lower by the day. I can feel her descending almost each day. My feet are beginning to swell more. Weight gain has become stagnant already. Total weight gain: 11kg. All signs of labour. So we shall all hold our breath and wait.

My gf said when you are nearing your EDD, you just can't wait to get the baby out. It seems like baby has been in there forever. BUT once she comes out, you will be so fatigued that you wanna squeeze her back! lol. That's human nature I guess, whatever's on the other side of the pasture is always better. I shall learn to enjoy each moment.

We're seeing the gyane again tonight. Let's see what he's gotta say. Two nights ago I couldn't sleep and I got so frustrated that I told hubby I'm going to get Hannah induced out! haha.. Now that I've got a full night of rest, i'm more rationale. Shall let the doc. decide what is the best for this lil' one.

9 days to go

2009-02-08T22:30:00.000-08:00

I did not expect myself to last till this day. I thought the trend runs in the family, that I would deliver on the 37th week just like mum and sis. Looks like every pregnancy is different after all.
EDD is 18th Feb and it's 9th Feb today. I haven't felt any signs of her coming. Well, I do feel her great descend actually. The pressure on the entire pelvis area. The difficulty in walking. The weight. But I don't feel any contractions that are painful - yet. The water bag is still intact too.

I have however, moved on from impending impatience to the serene calmness in my state of mind. I reckon this is beyond my control anyway. So just enjoy the moment and the leave and wait for God's perfect timing to arrive.

Meanwhile I shall enjoy the freedom and all the time in the world to do what I like and get all ready for our lil princess to come by... or should I say big fat princess? :P

No she's not out yet

2009-02-02T02:31:00.000-08:00

We visited the Gynae last Thursday and I was put on CTG. Guess what, it reflected contractions! Twice, 20 minutes apart! Yes! She's coming! I was told uring those antenatal classes that once the intervals become 10 minutes apart, we should proceed to the hospital.
Excitement. Gynae gave me all the necessary document for admission.
Went home. Nothing happened. Concluded that what the machine has detected was probably braxon Hicks. After all, I didn't feel any special sensation.

Next night, 5 plus am, I felt contractions again. I was like, " Bring it on, baby!". Waited. Another milder one came along. Kept my fingers crossed. Once more and Iwill wake hubby up.
Nothing.

When are you coming out Hannah? Mummy's getting a little impatient...
1) I want to see your face.
2) You are getting fatter.
3) I am getting heavier.
4) I am increasingly 'penguin-i-fied'. I waddle about like one these days.
5) I want to HIT the GYM and SWEAT!!!! (Gosh I haven't perspire for 9 months? Maybe I am accumulating it for the Big day, labour!)

Check out what I've found on the net:

step1* Walking
*Walking is not only great for your body but it can also help you to bring on labor. Walking helps your baby to get into the right position to help labor start naturally on its own. It has also been said that it brings on the release of oxytocin, helping you to go into labor. You need to use caution however and not ever exert yourself. You don't want to be so tired from walking that you are exhausted during labor. You are going to need your energy!

Step2* Acupuncture
*Acupuncture is the Chinese meditation method that is used for many different reasons. Acupuncture is said to relax your body and stimulate your energy while helping your to heal in different ways. it is safe for baby as well as mom, and some surveys really do insist that it works to bring on labor. So if you can handle thin needles going into your skin in different areas around your body you can give this a try.

Step3* Sex
*Even doctors tell you that sex can help bring on labor. As long as your water has not broken you can try having sex with your partner and it is said to help bring labor on in three different ways...* It helps to stimulate the uterus* Sex can release oxytocin (the hormone that helps you go into labor,) semen contains a high * Semen contains high level of prostaglandins which helps to soften the cervix and begin dilation.Of course sex may be a bit difficult at this stage of your pregnancy but it can help you to go into labor. Make sure you are as comfortable as can be during sex at this stage.

Step4* Nipple stimulation
*Stimulating your nipples can produce oxytocin that brings on labor. You or your partner can either rub or roll your nipple gently for a period of time to release oxytocin. Although my doctor told me that this method does in fact work but for some reason it makes your contractions come on heavily. Of course each woman is different and doing this may lead you and your partner to having sex which also brings on labor.

Step5* Eating spicy foods
*Although there is no proven evidence that this theory works, many have said that it worked for them. If you are not used to eating spicy foods then use caution since it can give you heartburn and even irritate the bowel.

Step6* Meditation
*Relaxing your body and mind is a good way to help ease yourself into labor. If you are totally relaxed imagine that you are going into labor and your imagination and subconscious mind may end up taking you there. It has been thought to work well for many. The more relaxed you are the better for you and baby anyway, so there is no reason why you should not try it. You can take a relaxing bath to help relax you or get a massage, anything that completely relaxes you will help ease you into this mode.

Step7* Raspberry leaf tea
*This method is recommended to be used in the final weeks of labor since it strengthens your uterus and helps prepare it for labor. Having a couple cups of Raspberry leaf tea can help prepare your body for labor and it does taste great as well.

Step8
When you are at the end of your pregnancy so many people are giving you advice to help ease you into labor. Just know that when your body is ready it will happen and if you are overdue you can talk to your doctor about being induced. Don't try to hard to make yourself go into labor, the longer baby is in the womb the healthier she/ he will be. Once your labor comes on you will surely know!Make sure you talk to your doctor before trying any methods since some can be harmful to baby. Remember there are two of you in this labor and not just yourself! Baby knows when it is time and your body will let you know.Good Luck and remember that no one is pregnant forever, so relax!

This is great comfort!

37 weeks and ticking

2009-01-28T23:14:00.000-08:00

I'm in the midst of 37 weeks now. Hannah should be out ANY TIME... but looks like she's too comfy inside me. Yesterday slept very well for once! although I had to wake up four times at least for toilet breaks each time I fall back onto bed, I will sleep right through. It helps with the super windy weather these days. Perhaps Hannah has descended further so the breathlessness is not as bad as it was. Going to visit the gynae today. Will see what he has to say. Today's visit will be on the review of the swap test and should be doing some heartbeat check. Can't remember the acronymn for that.

Everything has been going on well thus far and I am very thankful for that. God has been good to Hannah and me because he has given me a caring hubby who takes care of me really well and given Hannah a daddy who dotes on her so much. (I can see the love in his eyes when he croons to Hannah!) Let's see if what an acquaintance said comes true. He said that for his first child he did not talk much to the 'belly' and the baby took a while to respond to him calling out after she was born. The second one responded much sooner and he felt that it was due to the fact that the baby was very used to his voice already. Hubby has been talking and singing to Hannah ever so often, let's see if Hannah can respond to him soon after birth! so exciting! :)

Everything is packed at home just waiting for Hannah's arrival. We've got mum's bed vacuumed and cleaned too so that when she comes over for confinement everything will be comfy for her. Will ask the domestic helper to put on the new sheets maybe next week. Hannah's cot is ready too and will prob put on the sheets next week as well. We've stocked up on wet wipes, baby oil, powder, diapers, steriliser, breast pump, milk bottles, thermometer, beddings, towels, shampoo, soap, laundry detergent, blankets, rompers, clothes, cotton wool, cotton balls, drapolin... you name it, we have it. haha...She's taking up quite a lot of space even before her appearance man! :)

One more week in school and I'm on maternity leave already. I don't mind going to work and going home straight after dismissal actually... cos I desperately need the nap by 2pm. But the impending thought of having my waters break in the school hall during assembly is quite horrifying... can you imagine the squeals from 600 girls going ' ahh... Mrs Hoon pee in school!' I think I will die of embarrassment! :P Praying that the labour will come at a time when hubby is by my side. Then he can practice all the stuff he's learnt from the pre-natal class. :P

will update this post again... hopefully by the time I do it, I can attach some pictures of our little princess. :)

36weeks and 1 day

2009-01-22T07:09:00.000-08:00

Time bomb ticking by... Hannah's coming into our whole new world soon. Doc says early also 38 weeks. But her head is already engaged. Estimated to be 3.5kg at birth. Our Fat baby's got daddy's genes man!

Everything is prepared now... bag to bring to hospital, the cot, the clothes, the diapers, the towel, the mittens, the cotton buds.... but I guess we'll never really be ready until it happens. Wonder how it will be. Wonder how our lil princess will look like... wonder how long labour will be... wonder if I can go without epidural... wonder if I can go through delivery naturally or C section... wonder where my water bag will break... wonder this, wonder that.

Thank God, His promises are always a constant source of comfort and strength.
" Do not fear for I have redeemed you.
I have summoned you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.
And when you passthrough the rivers, they will not sweep you away.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burnt.
The flames will not set you ablaze for you.
For I am the Lord, your God the Holy one of Israel, your saviour. "
Isaiah 431b- 3a

" He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Ps 91:1-2

" Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverence. Blessed is the man who perserveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. " James 1: 2-3 and 12.

35 weeks

2009-01-11T01:41:00.000-08:00

I'm coming 35 weeks. Work has started and that makes keeping up to this blog almost impossible. Well I guess I am still not used to the timing and perhaps the weight has really set in. Getting muh bigger now... more difficulties sleeping because tossing and turning is no longer natural thing to do. It takes immense effort just to move from one side to the other. Goodness... how i've taken that for granted before.
The whole process goes like this: First, remove the supporting wedge from the left side of the tummy and place it on the right side. Slowly shift your weight to your arms and legs ensuring minimum usage of stomach muscles. Then turn and face up. Rest. Now, slowly turn to your right. Rest. Then ensure that the support wedge is placed nicely supporting the tummy on your right side. Rest. Shift entire body to a comfortable position. There you have it! Successfully turned over.
Imagine doing this a few times each night. PLUS the toilet breaks. What undisturbed sleep! :P
Toilet break is the same. First, you go through the steps of changing from left to right side, then rest. Then, put your weight on your arms and push your body up. Rest. Move slowly to the edge of the bed. Rest. Put your feet down on the floor and slowly stand. Rest. There, you are ready to walk to the toilet.
Everything is slow motion now. hahah.

Everything except Hannah's punching and kicking and growth! She is kicking or punching (I have absolutely no idea which is which) endlessly with great might. So great that I was awakened a couple of times when I fell asleep during some talks/lectures/sharing. lol. What a good nudge she gave me to keep me wide await thereafter! :)

Going to see Gynae tmr. Will update again on her growth and perhaps the estimated, more accurate one, EDD.

31 weeks pregnant

2008-12-17T22:18:00.000-08:00

I am really beginning to feel myself waddling about. I feel bloated in the face, the legs, the arms, the thighs and of cos the tummy! But what do you expect? Hannah's growing in there! Hannah is becoming SUPER ACTIVE too. Just this morning, I was awakened when she started 'playing' with me! She was playing 'Peek a boo' using her little fist! Haha... when I touched her, she'll 'disappear' and once i stop, she'll show me her little fist again. What a cute little thing- she made me laugh!

I think Hannah's going through this last minute surge of growth now. I can almost feel myself getting heavier ( and of cos the weighing scale has confirmed my suspicion) and I am hungry half the time. I tried fighting off the urge to drink a glass of warm milk or have a small bite before I retire to bed BUT each attempt convinced me even further to just GIVE IN TO HANNAH. Well, what happened was, I would wake up at 2am, 3am or even 4am to look for food before I can finally fall asleep thereafter. So, now, I make sure I have my nightly dosage of warm milk prior to my sleep to prevent such agony again. BEST!

Anyway I am kind of looking forward to Hannah coming out. Seriously I wonder what will become of me though! I was looking at the pic of myself taken in first trimester. I have forgotten that I used to look so slim. And was I mad when I complained about my tummy prior to pregnancy? I mean... goodness, I look down now and I can't even see my toes anymore. I'll make sure I get back to that condition after birth. I give myself 6 months. (oh, I sure hope my determination won't waver off...)

Oh, btw, I stocked up with more scrapbooking stuff this week and made another new page ( my fav thus far).

The arrival of Hannah's Goodies!

2008-12-13T21:30:00.000-08:00

One of the best thing about pregnancy is that you get to do lots of SHOPPING without feeling 'guilty' because you can justify every buy of yours( or at least you can get away it somehow!
We bought some clothes, a baby cot, a comforter and bedding set, a baby bag(from KATE SPADE! - This is really a want more than need... well I've been saying I want a Kate Spade baby bag way before I was pregnant so... now that I am... and it's on sale... oh well, we got it! hahaa), a trolley to put the daily essentials like powder, towel, cream, diapers, clothes...

I nearly fell!

2008-12-07T03:29:00.000-08:00

Someone asked why there isn't any pictures of fatmama... well.... to begin with this blog is meant for Baby Hannah so... fatmama's face ain't that important I guess... secondly, of course, Fatmama prefers to stay low key lest she takes the attention away from Baby Hannah. hahaha..

Anyway, I nearly fell a couple of days back.

Well, we were watching our favourite 'Family Guy' dvd when hubby screamed in shock and started running towards the bedroom door. And when I saw that and witnessed some flying creature that has 'attacked' him so suddenly, I instantly morphed into a sprinter and screamed as I fled for dear life. Now, with my new found figure that is totally off the centre of gravity, I almost slipped and fell face down. Goodness! Still, thankfully, I made it to safety behind my bedroom door. I closed the door, and peeped through watching how my brave hubby 'wrestled' and 'fought' with the full-grown, menacing looking PRAYING MANTIS! And as I witnessed the entire episode, I couldn't help but laughed hysterically as I recalled and imagined how silly we both would have looked!

But, the weird part was this: my hysterical laughter got the better of me and I started sobbing. It was kind of weird. I mean, I REALLY thought it was funny but why did I cry? Hubby was astonished too. He couldn't tell if I was crying or laughing. It was then that it dawned upon me that I must have felt quite scared when I realised that I could have fell on Hannah. Asmuchas I thought the scenario was hilarious, some maternity instinct must have kicked in. I was so scared. I could have gone straight to the labour ward and given birth to Hannah prematurely. Goodness. It was at that moment that we thanked God for his protection over us.

Photographs---at long last

2008-12-03T19:51:00.000-08:00

My friend asked me why didn't I upload the Ultrasound pics... then I realised... I haven't!

This is taken right from the beginning when we first found out that we are pregnant! Can you see our lil' one? Yes, that bubble-like thing!

Now, isn't God's creation simply wonderful? In just a matter of 8 weeks, the form of our precious lil' one is out!
" I will give thanks to Thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Ps 139:14

That's baby Hannah taken on 17th November 2008. Our lil' girl weighs about 1 kg when the picture was taken.

And here's some of my artistic work for Hannah:)

Scrapbook pages one and two:

Believe or not, the first tooth box!:

A Great Help

2008-12-03T18:44:00.000-08:00

Finally after much much headache and sourcing around we've finally found an hourly domestic helper.(And not via an agency thus we save on the reference fees!). It's a welcoming change after coming 2 years of handling the household cleaning ourselves. I guess we've had enough of practice already. ahahha.

Anyway we wanted to have the domestic cleaner coming in only after the delivery of Hannah so that at least we can just be tired out by looking after her and not to be too worried with the cleanliness of the place... but well... i got a lil' worried. Not sure if we can find a good one and if it's too last minute we won't get to change... and(not that I'm doing a lot these days...) but laziness kicks in with the growing tummy.

Auntie is not bad. She does quite a thorough job though I have to tell her what are the main chores required for the week. She is not bad I must say though I feel that Hubby mops better. hehe... but I am not complaining. I think this is the best investment so far! lol. Imagine, someone coming in weekly to handle stuff like wiping of furniture, windows, mirrors, doors... vacuum, wash toilet, mop floor, change bedsheet, change bin lining, wash the blades of the fans, iron clothes, wipe the stove.... I really appreciate that. I am sure we will appreciate it more when Hannah comes along.

Want to engage auntie's service? Here's how she looks:

Putting on more weight than ever...

2008-12-02T00:57:00.000-08:00

Goodness me! Gynae said that I must put on about 1 kg every 2 weeks and behold! It only took me one week to gain that extra kg. Flabby arms and thighs and butt! Oh man! Who could have believed that the thing that I miss doing during pregnancy is to hit the gym. What used to be motivated by sheer discipline is now something i look forward to doing. (we'll see if that motivation keeps up...)On top of that hubby is hitting the gym almost thrice a week. Oh man... how I envy him. But he's promised to babysit Hannah and have some father-daughter bonding time while I go for my weekly gym and pilates after baby comes. So my success will depend on how motivated I am. I MUST DO IT!

Gynae said that the normal range is to put on 10-12kg in a pregnancy. I am hitting 6kg soon and I am 29 weeks now and have about 8-11 more weeks to go. Hopefully I can ration the kilograms out nicely. At least if all turns out well, what I need to concentrate on will only be toning which is less daunting. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I'll be visiting the gynae again tmr. Hopefully he will do a scan for us then we can see Hannah again. Will ask him to estimate when Hannah will come out too. I'm hoping for 37/38 weeks. Smaller easier to come out(I hope) and during CNY, hubby will surely be around.

Yoga mama

2008-11-30T02:14:00.000-08:00

Okie, i've decided I have put off exercise quite long enough. I kept telling myself the power shopping that I have up and down Orchard road or neighbourhood malls are sufficient to keep the heart pumping and muscles strong. Boy! It was only until session ONE of my prenatal yoga class that I realised how much my body has deterioriated in terms of flexibility as compared to about half a year ago when I was still doing pilates. Goodness, IT IS A DISGRACE! lol.

I mean I can't do THIS --->
anymore!

hahaha nah, I am kidding. We weren't expect to do such challenging stuff. But seriously, my bones are stiff and muscles strained and my tummy is much much smaller compared to all the ang mos in my class. Most of them , if not all, could still balance and stretch really well. I was half worried about over-doing it and hurting Hannah or inducing birth but the other half is really due to my tight muscles. Hopefully at the end of 8 sessions(If I can complete them before birth) I will be more ready for labour. So, stretch more folks! I'm trying to do some each morning and each night.

Some moves that I can still do:

Hubby and I attended the talk at the hospital on labour. I seriously wonder if I can pull through without epidural procedure. I think I can but then again one will only know when the pain kicks in. I shan't be too hard on myself. I will see how much I can endure the first stage of labour. If all else fails, epidural shall be my best friend. Hubby thinks my threshold of pain is high but what may fail me will probably be my scary-cat nature.... oh yes, like that wisdom tooth removal trauma that I went through... cried after the entire procedure in fear rather than in pain.

We'll see how then. Hopefully Hannah cooperates with mummy and comes out fast. I'll give her an extra big kiss for that! hahaha.

Hannah is growing again!- outdated post.

2008-11-22T23:26:00.000-08:00

Okie, i really feel this. She squeezed me non-stop, stretched, kicked, punched, had bouts of hiccups... (I can't tell one from another). This happened throughout the night. Then, almost like a dream, I woke up with a bigger balloon! This is kind of surreal and almost magical.

I have yet to find nice maternity wear though... maybe I am just too picky. Maybe by the time i get some cool ones, I would have given birth! I don't like the tops that they have in the retails... they look kind of 'ahma-rish'... and so I am still wearing those baby-doll cut tops with maternity pants/skirt. Wonder how long I can hang in there with such improvised stuff. Maybe I have yet to explore enough...

We explored the labour suite though! It looks comfy enough but I just couldn't stop picturing myself on that bed... I guess that is another experience that I can talk about after going through it.

Hello, little one!

2008-11-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

We went to visit the Gynae on Monday and at long last we got to see our lil' one again. It has been a while since we last saw her. She's really getting bigger and stronger and more active as the days pass. Now her 'punches' are with some might and vigor!

Dr R say that Hannah's growing well and the size is good(despite all the comments about my tummy being too small...bleah!) We also saw Hannah's lips! Oh those luscious lips! Hubby thinks that those lips resemble mine! I can't wait to see the little girl to see if that is true! She's got daddy's nose though. We can't see the eyes as cleary... wonder whose eyes she's got. We were given two photos of her and those will keep me busy again for the next page of scrapbooking.

Hannah... we will see you soon. 27 weeks... about 10 more weeks to go and we can see you ANY MOMENT. (and I wonder how many more kg to pile on... haha... time to hit the gym soon!)

Backache

2008-11-06T05:31:00.000-08:00

Okie, now I know why pregnant mummies complain of backache. It is starting now. Not exactly excruciating but sitting too long, walking too long, standing too long kind of accumulates some pressure on the back. BUT I still prefer this to the nightmare of morning sickness. :)

Gonna sign up for prenatal Yoga classes soon. Seems like the only one that seems available is at Tanglin Mall ( so out of the way), but given that it'll be holidays then, I think it'll be a good reason enough to drag my two feet and Hannah down to ease some discomfort in this fast growing fat mama body of mine!

check this out: http://www.motherandchild.com.sg/

Prenatal Photoshoot

2008-11-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

Today we've finally decided on the photographer to engage to take the maternity shoot for us and if we are satisfied with her work, we'll engage her service to take Hannah's first family picture with us too! I am so thrilled. Unfortunately, we cannot go for the photoshoot anytime soon because the photos are supposed to be nicer when the tummy is BIGGER... so I made arrangement to go on boxing day! (I'll be 32weeks then)Hopefully other than the bigger tummy other parts still look presentable... Anyhow, I am so looking forward to that day of fun! I've already got some concepts in mind... what clothes I want... the type of shots...excitement!

Check out the photographer's work at http://www.thestudioloft.com.sg/ .
I think she's a talent. :)

A Whole New World

2008-10-31T09:07:00.000-07:00

To begin with, I must explain the name of this blog. A Whole New World. No, it's not that I like that Disney cartoon, Aladdin. Rather, we are entering into a whole new world literally because of our baby Hannah who is coming our way in about 3 months' time.

This is such a surreal experience. Something that cannot be fathomed unless one has gone through it. Until now (25 weeks into the pregnancy), I can just be jolted to reality and realised that there's a life within me! I can stare at my growing tummy and wonder how someone could be living inside there! God is so amazing and I am a walking testimony of his miraculous creation, the human anatomy. Now that I can feel Hannah punching me and squirming within that limited playground of hers, it makes things real yet surreal. Really don't know how to explain it.

Thankfully the dark days of nausea, vomitting, gloom, extreme weight loss are over (I hope!)That one month of so was truly painful. I never knew pregnancy to be so depressing. (esp so when I couldn't eat!) These days, other than the additional weight I have to carry and the slight sore back, things are looking much much better. I just have to learn to trust in God's guidance into the next trimester and the birth of our baby.

Life will be different, I am sure. Changes to adapt to. Lessons to be learnt. Character to be moulded. But it will be a phase of growth and joy to witness the growing up of our sweetheart, Hannah Hoon.

This blog is dedicated to all of you out there whom I know will adore this little angel of ours, the way we do.

Cheers!