Caleb Gregory Halim

I wish your grandfather will hurry and decide on your chinese name. Introducing C......

{C, 3 days old}

Breastfeeding....

It is the third day since we came back from the hospital. Baby has been keeping me and RH up at night. I think I slept not more than 5 hours a day. Kinda tough since I am such a sleepyhead but somehow when I see C fussing and have to attend to him, I just dun feel sleepy anymore, probably the anxiety is keeping me up.

Sometimes, I can't believe that I am a MOM already. Having to take care of someone else 24/7 and to having to be responsible for another person's upbringing and character. Isn't it scary but I guess, we really need to depend on God more.

Breastfeeding is by far the greastest challenge for me now. Seems like baby is not incline to latch on properly, preferring the easy to suck bottle rather than sucking my breast which probably offers less milk. This sucks. It means that I need to pump out my milk in addition to feeding baby which is double time and pumping does not produce as much milk as if baby latches on. All in all, I really need baby to latch on. Will consider going to the lactation consultant for a visit. We will see as I have to be in TMC for baby's follow up check up on Monday.

Christmas Baby.....

After all the speculation from everyone how baby might come on Christmas Day, it really happened. C (decided to call him Caleb instead of Bakong now that he is born) is finally out of my tummy and out in the REAL world now. I really did not expect him this early since I had absolutely no symptoms of labor whatsoever before the day. In fact, I was really upset that he might be late.

Alas, God is ever faithful and C was indeed born during Christmas week. Even better than that, he was born Christmas Day, sharing the same birthday as the Lord, Jesus Christ. He was indeed a baby blessed by God.

It is a weird feeling now that he is born....we spent 9 months trying to imagine how he would look like and now, he is really here. We are able to touch him, see his features and everything. Way cool. Will update my birth story when I have settled down. Just came back from the hospital today and despite all the preparations that we have done, there are still missing items that we forgot to cater for and I am just in the middle of adjusting to a new home, new arrival of in-laws from Indo and of course a very new special gift: C.......

Still Here.....

And I think that baby is engaged cos I do feel more pronouced discomfort in my pelvic area now especially when I am walking. Need to continue to walk daily to induce baby. Hahaha. Any other suggestions on how to induce baby? A friend of mine suggested foot reflexology but I dunno any good shi fu and definitely do not want to risk baby's health with a no good shi fu.

Anyways, Dr. Tan has taught me to massage my breast. "To prepare for milk coming in", she says and I read somewhere that it helps to induce baby to come out. She told me if there is milk coming out, to just wipe it away. I think she thinks too highly of me. I have not seen even a single drop of milk. Urh, this probably also means that I would have to make extra effort to produce milk for the baby. I am so determined to breastfeed that I did not even buy any formula milk but have lots of milk bottles....hahaha, contradicting my determination. Oh well, we will see how it goes, I dun think I can bear to see baby crying for milk and non coming out of my breast.

Seeing that yesterday was a public holiday, I seek that very opportunity to tidy up Bakong's room. I vacuumed, wiped, mopped and sorted out all Bakong's things. Why does someone so little need so many things? It really baffles me!!!! I need to take pictures to show you.

Now, all RH and me and the rest of the world needs to do is just wait.....wait....and wait. Ok, Bakong, when are you coming out to face the world?

{Picture of my horrendously swollen feet}

**********

There is a new BORDERS at Parkway Parade.....hurray hurray. Love Borders for their large selection of books. In fact, I just bought a baby book. "What to expect, the first year!"

It is really quite an interesting read. The author thinks that babies should come with instruction manuals like most everything because then new parents will not have to buy any parenting books but they do not and instead of pulling out our hairs in frustration trying to decipher baby's cries, the author came up with a rather comprehensive book on baby's first year. Probably more useful for first time parents. So, if you are execting your first baby, consider buying the book for those "just in case" moments.

And another thing I found useful is of course to attend an antaenatal class. Don't sign up for one too early cos you will indefinitely forget most of the topics that were touched on.

**********

Dad's birthday was on the 19th Dec.....we had Korean BBQ dinner at home last night to celebrate his birthday. Of course, SY, our in house baker came up with a triple mousse cake for Dad. Deeeelllliiiiccciouuusss.......*smacking my lips"

My sisters are also back from USA for the holidays. Thanks DC, for the SOMO Scrapbook Kits....can't wait to scrap again but I guess I really gotta wait till I move to Starville this weekend. Luckily, FS is on holiday and she is loaning her maid to me. My own maid is gonna be late. The agent informed me that she will only arrive 7th Jan even though I requested for her to come in mid-dec and I purposely booked her in Nov so that the agent has plenty of time to process the whole thing.

Anyways, trying not to be upset and trying not to think how tired I will be without anyone helping me when baby is out. As usual, RH is in lala land and he does not realize how hard it will be for the two of us to cope on our own and how much tougher it will be when his parents are here.

Oh yeah, back to my sisters. Really glad that they are back for the festive season. It really feels so good to catch up with my siblings. Even though we are never all at the same place at the same time, I think we really do cherish the moments when we are together.

38 weeks update

Went to the gynae on Monday and baby weighs a whooping 3.3kg. A 500g jump in just one week. I was so shocked, but gynae just went her usual casual manner declaring that baby is growing well. After registering my shock, she proceeded to say that since I am a tall gal, baby can grow up to 3.6 kg, no problem.

Imagine trying to push a 3.6kg baby.......the thought really distresses me. I was really hoping that Bakong will be a maximum 3 kg baby. I guess things do not always go your way. Same with the maid. She is only arriving in Singapore on the 7th Jan and we can only pick her up probably 10th or 11th Jan, way after baby is born. Now I am in a dilenma, should I ask baby to come out now or later? Hahahaha.........

However, I think baby is really comfortable inside although I am sure that with his size, he is currently very squeezed and probably can't move around too much. There have been absolutely no signs of labour yet. No contractions, little cramps, no waterbag leaking, no muscous plug out yet, cervix probably not soften yet and baby is not even engaged yet.........

All the baby stuff is bought and ready. Just need to do a final cleaning of his room this weekend. Actually, more like a cleaning of the whole house cos it is just so dusty already and my in-laws are coming.

I feel like a watering can!

I am visiting the toilet so frequently now. I would not have minded it so much if not for the fact that sometimes, I will feel the urge to go to the toilet 5 mins after I just relieved myself only to find that there is not much pee. It must be due to the bakong resting on my bladder.

He must have gotten lower now. It is so frustrating that I am unable to empty my bladder properly. I have to lean quite a distance forward in order to empty it completely. Sometimes, the flow will stop halfway and only start again after I lean forward. Hahaha....this is really cruel for pregnant women ya.

Anyways, am glad that Bakong is on his way down.....it means that labor day is near. Mom has been busy buying stuff for the baby. Frankly, I think she is addicted to shopping for the baby. Cos, everyday, I see bring some little stuff home (some stuff she buys even though I told her I got it already). However, I don't quite wanna "scold" her as SY wants me too cos I think she really enjoys shopping for the baby and it probably makes her happy. Just a few days ago, she bought a Winnie the Pooh clock that costs a whopping SGD$159. RH would not even pay that amount for a baby cot.

Anyways, I bought a lucky baby playpen yesterday. It was on offer naturally but we decided to buy one cos the one that FS gave us was really too big for our apartment and it is just obstructs human traffic anywhere we put it. First, we tried to fit it in my bedroom....it does not even fit without taking out RH's side table. Next, we placed it in Bakong's room but then there was no space to move. In the end, I decided to get a smaller playpen. I think it will defnitely useful for the times that Bakong have to sleep with us. Also, with my in-laws pending arrival in Singapore, will definitely come in handy. I also bought a thicker mattress to go into the playpen.

{Bakong's Playpen Safari Style}

{Top view of playpen}

**********

We went to our friend's daughter's baptism last week. Made them a scrapbook flower that I learnt how to make a few months back. I think it is quite nice. We were quite confused about what to buy.

{The proud parents with their daughter MJ}

{Our gift for them}

37 weeks....

Yup, I am still here. 37 weeks already. Been busy preparing for Bakong's arrival. We already have the first 2 words for his Chinese name and now require a third character. The first two characters are:

Lin2 Shi2 .....

So, any suggestions are welcome. I have appointed both grandfathers with the job of selecting a suitable name. Chinese names are definitely harder to choose. Besides having to sound nice, they have to also have good meanings.

Just visited the gynae today. Bakong is 2.8 kg.....rather big, I would say. What is disappointing is that the gynae says althought Bakong is in the head down position, he is not engaged yet which means that there is a possibility that he will be a late baby (this despite our prayers that he will be born during Christmas week). Dr. Tan says that I still have 3-4 weeks to go and now I am to visit her every week.

Actually, I am in a dilemna about whether I want Bakong to come out early. On the one hand, coming out earlier means that he is will not be a huge baby, he gets to join the 2007 batch for school and Ron can use his Christmas holidays to take leave and accompany us at home for 2 weeks. On the other hand, I dunno if I am ready for Bakong to come......having him inside my tummy will be very different than having him outside. Hehehe. Plus, I rather enjoy being pregnant and I am sure that I will miss being pregnant terribly.

However, I have prayed my prayers and I will leave it to God's timing. God has reassurred me through sermons and quiet time that He will always keep His promises and I believe that. I know that He is speaking to me but as to which promises He means, I am not sure. I just pray that He will enlighten me and for now, I am assuming the promise that I will have a supernatural birth.

Funny Email about kids........

I saw this funny excerpt circulating on other people's blogs. It started out as an email, I think but it is really funny so I am posting it here.

WHY GOD CREATED CHILDREN (AND IN THE PROCESS GRANDCHILDREN)

To those of us who have children in our lives,

whether they are our own,

grandchildren,

nieces,

nephews,

or students…

here is something to make you chuckle.

Whenever your children are out of control,

you can take comfort from the thought that

even God’s omnipotence did not extend

to His own children.

After creating heaven and earth,

God created Adam and Eve.

And the first thing he said was

“DON’T!”

“Don’t what? ”

Adam replied.

“Don’t eat the forbidden fruit.”

God said.

“Forbidden fruit?

We have forbidden fruit?

Hey Eve..we have forbidden fruit !”

“No Way! ”

”Yes way !”

“Do NOT eat the fruit! ”

said God.

“Why? ”

“Because I am your Father and I said so ! ”

God replied,

wondering why He hadn’t stopped

creation after making the elephants.

A few minutes later,

God saw His children having an apple break

and He was ticked!

“Didn’t I tell you not to eat the fruit? ”

God asked.

“Uh huh,”

Adam replied.

“Then why did you? ”

said the Father.

“I don’t know,”

said Eve.

“She started it! ”

Adam said.

“Did not! ”

“Did too! ”

“DID NOT! ”

Having had it with the two of them,

God’s punishment was that Adam and Eve

should have children of their own.

Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed.

BUT THERE IS REASSURANCE IN THE STORY !

If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give children wisdom and

they haven’t taken it,

don’t be hard on yourself.

If God had trouble raising children,

what makes you think it would be

a piece of cake for you?

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT!

1. You spend the first two years of their life teaching them to walk and talk. Then you spend the next sixteen telling them to sit down and shut up.
2. Grandchildren are God’s reward for not killing your own children.
3. Mothers of teens now know why some animals eat their young.
4. Children seldom misquote you. In fact,they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn’t have said.
5. The main purpose of holding children’s parties is to remind yourself that there are children more awful than your own.
6. We childproofed our homes, but they are still getting in.

ADVICE FOR THE DAY:

Be nice to your kids.

They will choose your

nursing home one day.

AND FIN ALLY: IF YOU ! HAVE A LOT OF TENSION

AND YOU GET A HEADACHE,DO WHAT IT SAYS

ON THE ASPIRIN BOTTLE:

“TAKE TWO ASPIRIN” AND “KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN”!!!!!

Hahaha, I hope that puts a smile on your face.

**********

Am I a bad influence?

Jayne (my best friend in University) seems to think so after I brought her to "Made with Love" (a local scrapbook store) on Sunday after lunch. Now, she is kinda hooked onto the thing. Bad enough as it is, I think I got her hooked on blogging too. So now, she has 2 new hobbies which should not sound so bad.

But that is before you know our characters. Me and Jayne, we are addicts. Yes, when we are addicted to a new hobby, we are relentless. We will spend our time, effort and money on it like there is no tomorrow. In USA, it was first Victoria's Secret, then beading then came the beanie animal soft toys and for Jayne, another step further, her love for the mini shoes.

So, in our cases, having a new hobby is going to have a financial strain on us but what can we do? We just love having hobbies, even if it last just a short while. So, good luck Jayne.

Anyways, Jayne just informed me that she is getting married next year and I am so happy for her. I think that she is just a lovely person and she deserves to be happy, have someone care for her and start her own family. So, the guy who is marrying her is really lucky and I suppose he deserves her after waiting for 15 years.

I really do wish her happiness and when I met her on Sunday, I wanted to pray for her yet being an "absent-minded preggie", I forgot to do that so this is my prayer for her. Hope she reads it.

Dear Lord,

I pray for my dear friend, Jayne, whom you have put in my life to bless me tremendously. Without her, I would never have joined Bible Study in Madison and gotten to know You. Without her, my University days will definitely be less adventurous. Father, I thank You for this friendship that has managed to continue so many years and thank you that it is a friendship that will last many more years. Thank you, Lord for blessing us with friendship.

I pray today for Jayne and her upcoming wedding. I pray that you will bless her and YS in their wedding preparations, for smooth logistics planning and for a beautiful wedding. I pray that by planning the wedding together, You will also bless their relationship and allow them to be closer to each other and also to You. I pray that even if there are stress and unpleasantness during the preparations, they will end up closer and understanding each other better.

Lastly, I just pray that you will bless their marriage. Let them be there for each other, learn from each other, support each other and most of all LOVE each other always. I pray that in their marriage, they will be able to grow closer to You as well. Bless their marriage and bless them so that they will multiply and have a family. Thank You, Dear Lord for all Your blessings.

Amen

New Diet Regime Required!!!

I weigh 68.9 kg today at the gynae which is like a 2 kg gain from 2 weeks ago. Meaning 1 kg gain per week. Dr. Tan shook her head at me again until she say my swollen "pig trotters" feet and she consented that maybe the weight gain was partially due to water retention. So, her orders were to cut down on starch and salt!!!!

Yep, and Bakong weighs a taaaadaaaaa 2.475kg which is almost a 500g increase since 2 weeks ago. At the rate he is growing, he will be a big baby, at least 3kg at birth so I must give birth early and not carry him to full term. Imagine trying to push a 3kg baby through the birth canal, not fun at all.

No wonder he is kicking me with more strength now. Last night, he was moving a great deal and my tummy was bulging out in different places and you can actually see the buldge moving from left to right or up to down. I am really worried he is going to break his own water home. Baby is still heads down so it is a good sign.

And so, Bakong and Me are on a new diet regime......eat less food and drink more milk and soya. :-)

**********

Oh, and what did Dr. Tan do when I showed her my birthplan? She looked through it, with a frown, of course. And said: Dr. Tan: It is all standard from the internet....... Then she came upon point F, the part about NO episiotomy......

Dr. Tan: You don't want episiotomy ah? I will let you tear, but I warn you that Asians don't do well with tears. So you want to tear or for me to cut?

Then, of course, I go:

Me: Cut.....

Dr. Tan: Ok, then you better amend it and give one to me and one attach to your admission letter.

*Sigh* Maybe I would not change it.......God will minimize my tear, right? Just need to have faith. I do not want a scar on my birth canal. By the way, Dr. Tan requested for the labor ward nurse to shave my vulva when I admit for labor. Maybe I oughta go for a Brazilian but then again, will I be putting Bakong through unnecessary stress?

Birth Plan...

I am 35 weeks today and am visiting my gynae. She is a really good and motherly gynae but I am told that she is very traditional and strict. I am bringing my birthplan along to show her so I really am (crossing my fingers and toes) hopping that she is receptive to this.

Oh dear, I forgot to bring the mangoes for her. You DO NOT want to make your gynae unhappy cos you and baby's lives are in her hands on D-day.......

Dear Lord, I just pray that Dr. Tan is ok with my birthplan and not be annoyed with me. .........

Bad Mood....

all day long. I have been having really bad moods lately and snapping at RH all the time. Well, it really was partially his fault. He is always perpetually busy and can't be reached via anything (email, sms, phone calls). And he comes home really late at night and proceeds to engage in endless calls which usually ends past midnight by which time, I will be totally wiped out and snoring.

Finally received the socks I ordered. They are so absolutely adorable. Will proceed to distribute them to friends. Already gave 3 pairs to SB for her son J2. I really love the mary janes for girls. I wanna baby gal too. Next one, I promise.....hahaha, as if I can control the outcome.

{Top 3 for Bakong and bottom 3 for friends}

**********

When I asked RH whathe was going to do this weekend, he actually has the nerve to reply:
"Nothing, exercise?"

This, of course, sent me ballistic and into another tantrum and outburst about how irresponsible he is and how he should try to be more responsible now that he is going to be a father........blah blah blah.

Yeah, after monday's talk about preparing the bomb shelter for the maid (who is coming next month by the way), I thought that he would be prepared to measure the place, clear the bomb shelter and shop for a bed in IKEA. Am I the only one who is expecting a REAL baby to descend on us next month? Why is no one panicking?

URGH!!!!!!!

Time to

update with pictures. Too lazy to blog with words anyways.

{JP, in his swimming suit getting ready to jump in the pool }

{JP, at Globetrotters}

Oh and he has gone back to Indonesia with his parents yesterday. That stops the nightly outings mom has with JP. Yup, for the last week, mom has faithfully without fail took JP out for walks or drives every night and shopping every weekend. Well, she only gets to spend time with her grandchild only this time. Who can blame her?

{me @ 32 weeks, see the stretchmarks}

{Me @ 32 weeks, belly button is popped but as RH says, my belly button is soooo deep that it took so long to pop and even now is just straining to get it all out}

{Nasi Briyani Class I took}

{with Chicken Marsala}

{and Mutton Dalcha}

{not forgetting achar, of course}

{Christmas Cookie Decorating Class: Snowflake Gingerbread Cookie}

{Assorted Cookies}

{Cookie Tags/Ornaments}

{Mr. and Mrs. Gingerbread Man}

{Christmas Tree Cookie}

I am not taking anymore classes until Bakong is born. Too stressful to be pottering around a crowded kitchen and I don't like to take demo classes. Also, I have to change my position every 10-15 mins or else some part of my back will ache. Can't wait to be normal again but then again, I wish Bakong will not come out cos now I can just bring him anywhere with no fuss.....hehehehe. That is selfish me speaking again.

I am 33 weeks pregnant......7 weeks more to go

Phew, it has been a terrible one week. I was down with diarhoea last wednesday and was in bed for 2 days. Moved back to my parents' on Thursday and then got stung by a hornet on Sunday. Can you believe how unlucky I am?

I am now in my 33rd week. Went to the gynae yesterday and baby was 1.99 kg. If he continues to gain 700g per month, he would be about 2.7-3.0kg during birth. However, this is just an estimate, he might be heavier or lighter. Baby is growing well, gynae says. I had to move forward my gynae visit to Monday instead of Thursday because of a rash on my tummy, thighs and arms. I was worried that it might have been caused by the stupid hornet sting and that it would affect baby but alas, Dr. Tan says that hornet/bee sting is quite localized. They do not spread. Thank God. The rashes on my tummy are just regular prenancy related rash. Because it was a last minute visit to the gynae, I had to wait for 3 hours just to see her and I did not even bring my birth plan.

How did I get a hornet sting, you might ask! Seriously, it is kinda stupid. I was just pottering around in mom's room when I stepped on it. YES!, I told you it was kinda stupid but my mom's bedroom floor is kinda a dark colored granite so it was hard to see a black hornet on it. Apparantly, my house was infested with dead hornets lying on the floor that day because of a guava tree right outside my home. So, I was just really unlucky. It really hurt when I first stepped on it and SY had to take out the sting using a tweezer. Now, it is just swollen and REALLY REALLY itchy. Unluckily for me, I was stung at the sole of my foot. Have you ever been bitten by a mosquito on the sole of your feet? Now, just imagine the itch to be 10 times worse. Yes, it really is and whereas mosquito bites last for a day or two at most, the stupid sting is still itching now. I need to go and buy Calamine Lotion ASAP. Apparently, the usual ointment does not work.

Dr. Tan also gave me a letter to keep with me at all times and to bring to the hospital when I am in labor. Yes, the baby is really coming. Now that I am in my 33rd week, it has just become REAL. I mean, I am gonna be a mom........YIKES! I can't even take care and entertain my nephew for more than 2 hours......what am I gonna do? Also, what if I have no time for myself or to do my hobbies? I know that sounds absolutely selfish but seriously, I need some alone time too. What if I become a bad parent?

Plus, I have not even completed my baby things, I am still short of:
1. Baby Wipes
2. Cotton Wool
3. Nappy Liners
4. Baby Body Wash
5. Cotton Buds
6. Disposable Diapers
7. Barrier Cream
and such......

Actually, I dunno wat else to get. Care to remind me what I have left out?

What is up with me?

Well, frankly speaking I have been dead beat! Been having late nights and early mornings. Why? Because last week, I come home late almost everyday. Antaenatal Class on Wed, Alpha Thanksgiving Dinner on Thurs, cooking class on Fri, baking class on Sat.

Normally, it would have been fine but as you know, I have been staying at Starville the past week which means that instead of coming home to bathe and sleep, I now have to clear up some stuff before going to bed. Then in the morning, I gotta prepare my own breakfast although it is usually just sandwich or something so I gotta wake up early. I have not even really touch on my cross stitch or scrapbook.

I don't think I can take much of this anymore. Anyways, the kids came to swim on Sunday and we prepared dinner, another tiring day but we had fun. I think I inherited my parents' genes on loving to host dinner and parties at home. If it was up to Ron, he would definitely not invite anyone. He just hates the hassel.

Also, we went maid shopping on Sunday, not that we are buying a maid, rather hiring maid really. And, good news, we found one that we reasonably like. It is not easy, mind you to find one that has experience in infant care. Our criteria were kinda strict to begin with and so this was the only maid that seemed to fit all our criteria. I hope that she is the right maid. In Singapore, because you are not allowed to meet or talk to the maid before you hire them, getting a good maid is really by chance. There is only so much you can know about a maid through her biodata. I have been asking God to provide me with a good maid the first time, a maid that we could be comfortable leaving Bakong with alone. I prayed again last night that if it isthe maid for us, then let her still be available today. And she is so I hope I am not misinterpreting God.

So, I took the compulsory test for first time employee, just got one question wrong so I don't understand how anyone can fail the test 3 times. And we are going to confirm the maid today. So happy that another thing is done before Bakong comes.

Antaenatal Class

I know I mentioned that I was attending Antaenatal Class but did I say that my instructor is the famous Mrs. BB Wong? Well, she is famous because she has been invited on TV Shows, radios and been asked to give talks. Her credentials cannot fit into an A4 paper.

After attending 4 sessions of her class, I think that she is really experienced and really knows her stuff very well. She will also tell you exactly what you need to do and what not.....would not even go by the textbook if she feels that it is not beneficial or is not relevant for Singaporean mothers. Truly, she also has to be very passionate about her work to be in this line for sooooo long and to be constantly upgrade herself on this matter. From her stories, I really do not think that she is planning to retire anytime soon.

I am really glad that we end up taking her class even though I was considering not to go for Antaenatal Class as I was not sure it was beneficial. But I learnt quite a fair bit the last few sessions and RH learnt plenty more.

Yesterday, we learnt how to take care of newborns. Bathing, soothing, changing diapers and how to carry babies. Each couple was given a baby doll complete with diapers, mittens and vests. The husbands were asked to use the dolls as practice on how to carry the babies an change them. It was kinda cute to see all the husbands carrying baby dolls and trying to treat them like real life babies. RH looks absolutely cute and serious. Wished I had taken a picture of him with the baby doll. I think that it got kinda real for him for a while. Even after the demonstration, he was busy practising again and again how to carry the baby doll. It was so endearing to see that.

Here are some pictures of the class and of me holding the baby doll. There was only one baby boy doll in the whole class for some reason and bingo, we got the ONLY boy baby in class.

{Our baby boy}

{Other mummy and daddy practising on diapering their babies}

{Me trying out one of the "How to soothe crying baby" technique}

PS: I am seriously considering setting up a separate blog for Bakong now. I think it would be fun and less cluttered for people who wants to follow up on his milestones. What do you think? Give me your feedback.

31 weeks and 4 days

Yikes, it is happening..........stretch marks and swollenness......today, my sis SY commented that I have grown fatter as my face as my jawline is chubbier but I think it is due to the swollenness. Why? Cos I have not gained much weight in my third trimester. Shucks. I have a wedding to attend next Sunday and I do not want to look bloated.

Also, I found my first stretch mark this morning when I looked in the mirror. Major sadnes.....I was actually leaping with joy last week cos no stretchmark and I seriously thought that I would be able to make it through the rest of the pregnancy with NO stretchmarks as my mom did. She went through 6 pregnancies.

**********

Newphew J1 is in town and his mom is gone to the USA. Yeah, J1 is spending 2 weeks at my parents' place and he is going to Montessori childcare every weekday. The whole family really thought that J1 was gonna be an absolute terror but it turns out that he is quite alright when his parents are not around. Yep, he will throw these absolute horrid tantrums when his parents are within sight. Throwing things on the floor, spitting out his food and screaming in a really high pitch sound.

Other than that, he is really cute and cool. J1 is actually pretty smart. He started walking at 10 months and now at 22 months, he is able to repeat any words that adults speak and he can even sing and carry the tune pretty well. I am so proud of him. Hahaha. He learns new things fast but can get easily distracted which slows down his learning. He is quite darn adorable after some time. I realized that this is the first time that J1 is able to spend this considerable amount of time with his mom's family. Just hope that we get to spend more time with J2 also.

**********

My other newphew, ZH has graduated from Montessori kindergarden and he will be going away to Primary 1 next year. My oh my, they grow up so fast. I guess, it only hits us that he is growing up when they reach P1, another milestone in their lives. ZH is truly the most obedient boy I have ever seen. He has been like that since young and I truly love him to bits.

Things this weekend

What have I been up to? I have been so busy this weekend. Taking a seminar in church "Experiencing God through pregnancy!" and taking a Doughnut making class. Pictures below.....

{10 types of doughnut}

Amidst all these, I still have to move to my new place. Yeah.......cos my sis and nephew is in town and they need a room to stay. Hehehehe. Well, it is a good chance for me to arrange my stuff. Cos I had no time or enerygy to sort out the stuff in the new place before baby comes. Also, 90% of my curtains are finally up. Thank goodness.......really, it feels more liveable now and I dun have to worry about our neighbours looking in to see what we are doing. That is the problem with living on the 2nd storey and there is another block of apartment in front of your condo.

I also cooked breakfast on Saturday. Kept wanting to make baked rice like the ones sold in HK Cafe. It is so expensive too. Imagine, being able to make it myself. Hehehe. Anyways, I made a Yin Yang Baked Rice, seafood with white sauce and pork chop with tomato sauce. I am glad to say that it tastes nice so no more HK Cafe for me when I have a craving.

{HK Yinyang Baked Rice}

Had my third leg cramp last night. Dear me, so painful. It is probably my fault too. With the whirlwind of activities, I have been waking up real early and sleeping real late at night. It is fatigue plus dehydration and lack of exercise. Yeah, I have not been practising my antenaetal exercises these few days.

I learnt them in antenaetal class and I find that the exercises help to relief some of the aches and pains you get during pregnancy and also help with fatigue. The teacher Mrs. Wong also teaches you how to communicate with the baby. Not quite sure if it works but well, its fun anyways.

Last week, we saw many actual births on TV of ang moh women, of course. I think Asian women are more reserved thus more unlikely to volunteer to have their births shown to the masses. It is indeed quite scary and intimidating to watch the births. Women who undergo labour seems to be quite out of their usual minds and tend to be really unsightly. I hope that I do not look so unsightly during labour. Imgine how your sexy meter drops a huge notch when your husband watches you during labour. I shudder to imagine.

Whie we were attending the pregnancy seminar in church, we actually met a fellow Alpha Course facilitator who was there with his wife. No one knew that they were expecting and that was because they really did not want people to know, even their family members. Why? Well, because they were not planning for this baby and when his wife was in her early pregnancy, she took some medication which were supposedly really harmful for baby and might cause serious mental or physical birth defects. They must be so strong to be able to withstand this kinda news and continue with the pregnancy. Reason why they did not tell their families is that they are waiting for the 5th month detailed scan to confirm whether their babies have any pysical defect even though they can never be 100% of any mental defect until their baby is born.

This is really sad news and I have been praying for them these couple of days. I just pray that their faith will be strong enough to pull them through and that God will give them guidance and a sign to continue with the pregnancy. It is true that we can do all things through His strength but we do need the right amount of faith to pull through.

30 weeks and counting

I am 30 weeks already.......10 more weeks to go. Time really flies. Luckily, most of baby stuff are complete, save for some disposable items, pillow and bolster for baby.

Was so disappointed to know that our gynae will not be giving us anymore printed ultrasound scans from 6 months onwards. It totally ruined my motivation to continue with the pregnancy journal. I guess, I can only show you my belly pics and no more baby pics till he is born.

{Me @ 29 weeks}

RH finally relented and now my baby's name will be Caleb Gregory Halim, well at least until RH gets a sudden burst of inspiration and decides to change the name again. I need to find a good pediatrician in Thomson before baby is born. Need to browse the forums, I guess.

Have not been sleeping well lately. I can get up to pee 3 times in a night and its really frustrating cos I need to wake up in the dark, make my way to the toilet and back again. It really disrupts my sleep. Luckily, RH is a sound sleeper so all my coming and goings did not disturb him at all. However, it just makes going back to sleep after each toilet visit kinda hard cos by that time baby is just kicking and tickling my tummy. Hehehe. Yes, he is a night baby, coming out to play when everyone is sleeping and everything is silent.

And I got a glimpse of my first time swelling feet. Throughout the 2nd trimester, I have been blessed with no swelling whatsoever, feet, face, arms, legs, body......zip, nothing at all and I was quite optimistic that it would continue that way through the 3rd trimester. I guess I am wrong. My feet are so swollen, I do not have an ankle anymore.

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Baked some Coffee cupcakes for a friend's daughter's first month celebration. We only made 12 as the butterflies were really tedious to make. However, I am quite pleased with our first try. It is a first time for us to be handling royal icing so don't expect much. :P

{Butterfly Cupcakes}

{Butterfly Cupcakes}

We are seriously thinking about going into business and now are experimenting and calculating costs for the cupcakes and all. I hope that they are good enough to sell so please give us your comments.

Hot and Bothered

It has been sweltering hot in Singapore lately with alternate heavy rain storms. When it is extremely hot, I get really irritated because I would then be sweating my head off. RH, who does not understand usually lowers the aircon cos he says that he is too cold while I am sweating all over. It really is not pleasant sweating under your armpits.

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Bless my husband.......this morning as I was driving to work, I realised that I left my mobile phone on my bedroom floor. Why? Cos I was charging the battery yesterday and forgot to unplug it before sleeping.

But when I looked into my handbag after reaching the office, my mobile phone was sitting in there with the rest of my junk. Hehehe, RH must have unplugged it before he slept and tossed it into my handbag.

Yep, bless his soul. I have been feeling much like a scatterbrain eversince I was pregnant and has never remembered to bring my laptop or mobile phone to work the next day when I am charging their batteries. This does not happen pre pregnancy.

Anyways, just wanna Thank You Lao Gong, cos he has indeed been treating me better after I am pregnant. Picking things up for me, carrying heavy stuff (even my handbag sometimes), driving me around, reaching up high places and just generally looking out for me in case clumsy pregnant woman falls.........

He even made time to attend a 6 weeks antaenatel class with me. Muah Muah......

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My cousin, W, is a seamstress in Indonesia. We usually make all our formal evening gowns with her. She is a great seamstress really and comes up with like Miss Hong Kong type of evening gowns for us. So, last week, she made me a maternity outfit. I got SY to take pictures of it. Here it is.

{Front View}

{Top}

{Back View, I think I don't look pregnant from behind}

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We have officially launched our baking blog, The Baking Room. Please visit the link for our baking escapades.

Cramps

I had my first leg cramp last night. Actually my third but I was not able to recognize the first 2 as leg cramps. Luckily all my leg cramps manage to subside after a few minutes. That is great. I had it on my right leg and after a couple of massages, managed to even doze back to sleep. Hehehe, nothing can take away my beauty sleep. I hope Bakong is like me.

Anyways, after much urging from me to choose a name for Bakong, he decided to go to Babycentre and print out the top 100 names in USA and even highlighted a few ones he liked. I just hope that I like them too.........sigh.

And this was right after he agreed to the name "Caleb" after declaring that he gave up trying to find a nice name for Bakong. Yes, I have the ficklest husband ever and if you ever told him that, he will deny it to his death.

Arrggghhhhhh!!!

I am sooo clumsy. I actually manage to stain 2 white tops in in two consecutive days. How clumsy is that? Blame the pregnancy hormones for this. Pregnant women are more clumsy because the body actually relaxes the ligaments and muscles to prepare for birth through the birth canal. Arrrrgggghhhhhhhh......

Blogs and More

I bought the latest issue of Mother and Baby just because I wanted to see other mother's blogs and this issue had an article on blogging moms. Anyways, there are plenty of blogging moms now a days. It is definitely catching on in Singapore. Even my friend JT has started a blog for her own darling daughter which she updates with more pictures than words. The other day, RH, my husband asked me whether I would create a separate blog for Bakong when he is born or would i just continue to update his progress on my blog. It got me wondering.

My own blog is only visited by my sister and husband and I like to keep it that way actually because then I do not have to worry about what to put down in my blog. Imagine having hundreds of people viewing your blog. They will know all about you and your boo boos. I guess I am still a scaredy cat and introvert at heart. (I hope Bakong will be more of an extrovert than me)

Maintaining a blog is not as easy as it seems. Many people start blogs because they are excited about a certain event in their life and so they want to write in down in a "diary" and show it to people. But what people do not realize is that there are far less "interesting" things happening in our lives than we actually think we do. This results in abandoned blogs where the author just writes a few times and do not bother updating it ever again. Even some really disciplined bloggers have to take a hiatus to rest and get more inspiration, I suspect. Even I have fallen into the trap. When I started my first blog, it went flat. I only had a post in there for the longest time. Now, I try to blog more often, even if I do not have interesting pictures to show.

That is another thing about blogging. A blog without pictures are kinda boring (unless you are an absolutely humourous writer). A blog with no specific topic, just updates on your life in boring. A blog which is not informative is boring and a blog that does not have good writing is boring. So you see, it is rather difficult to maintain a blog unless you do not care whether you have any readers. Fortunately for me, my two precious readers read my blog because of the updates on OUR family. :-)

Anyways, I saw a blog in the "Mother and Baby" magazine of a SAHM (Stay at home mom) who does a wonderful job of making her children's meal appetizing. She really takes an effort to decorate her kids' meals. Man, I am soooo inspired by her and will strive to decorate Bakong's future meals in interesting Japnaese Bento style. Only thing about her food is that she uses a lot of fried stuff, hams, sausages, imitation crab meats which I feel are not healthy foods for kids. Will try to substitute with something else if I can. You can visit her blog here.

http://wokkingmum.blogspot.com/

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We went to our first antaenatal class yesterday. There were I think 25 couples with 2 poor ladies who had to come wthout their husbands due to some reason or another. RH and me brought comfortable clothes to change into after being advised by the nurse when we signed up for the class but there were many people who came in their work clothes. It was so interesting to see so many pregnant ladies in a room (I was busy looking around the room comparing tummies):P. Yes, many people who walked past the room could not help but take a peek into the roomful of pregnant couples doing exercises. Hahahaha, it was a funny sight.

Our instructor, Mrs Wong, from TMC has all the credentials needed to be the most sought after antaenatal care expert in Singapore. First thing she did was to brief us on her credentials and how she is often featured in tv programmes and radios. At first, she did seem kinda fierce or even haughty but later on, we found her to be quite humourous and REALLY REALLY knowledgable. Another plus point is that she makes all the husbands do all the menial tasks while wives were suppose to just relax, listen and follow the exercises.

Yes, our first lesson, she taught us about nutrition and exercise during pregnancy. What to eat and not eat, what is safe and she also touches on the local Asian myths about pineapples and birds nest which was really useful cos you would not find it in any other baby books. Who would have though sweet potatoes aided digestion. Hahaha.

We did exercises to strengthen our backs, how to get out of bed and lift objects from the floor without hurting yourself. How husbands can massage their wives (I loved this part best). She also taught husbands how to communicate with baby in the womb by tapping on teh mother's tummy and talking gently to the baby. Loads and loads of information. Looking forward to the next class........

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Just been to the gynae.......hurray, Bakong is 1.23kg. He is finally getting bigger. So happy, especially since I only gained 2 kg from my last gynae appt. So it means that 1/4 of teh weight gain belongs to Bakong. He is getting bigger now and is already in a head down position for delivery which is good news. I hope he stays that way as babies can still turn and turn at 7 months. Gotta continue my natal vitamins and drink more calcium because Bakong is apparently growing and stregthening all his skeletal bones. We saw babyribs (human not pork)today during the scan.

Also, I need to drink some Red Raspberry Tea Leaf.....to prepare for delivery. I read somewhere that it helps to reduce lochia (bloody discharge after delivery)

Bakong's Baby Stash

This baby is sooooo lucky to have a full wardrobe 3 months before he is even born. Thanks to his grandmas and aunt. Yes, this lucky boy has 3 grandma. My mom, RH's mom and my Godmom.

Indeed, look at all the clothes that he has amasses up to date. Its definitely more than enough and indeed does not even give his parents a chance to buy anything for him.

{Top portion: given by my mom, Middle portion: by Godmom, Bottom portion: by Duayi}

I feel so blessed to be surrounded by family. Thanks to those who have contributed to Bakong's stash. I think we have already obtained 80 of Bakong's needs without even buying anything. All that is left to buy is sterilizer, stroller, baby pillow, bolster and everyday needs like milk powder and diapers. Also wanna thank God for all the blessings he has showered onto us.

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{Cheesecake Brownie}

Did some baking over the weekend but the end result was not so good. I think the cheese portion was too mushy. I think I will stick to good old fashion brownie next time.

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{Me @ 27 weeks}

Attended a University friend's wedding on Saturday. Dear me, all my friends are getting married. This really shows are old I am already.

GOODBYE FEET!!!!!!

{View of my "non-existant" feet when I look down}

{View of my tiny feet when I bend slightly forward}

Happy "Belated" Birthday!!! Oops....

Yesterday was XD, my youngest brother's birthday. Seventeen years old is almost an adult. Anyways, SY baked him a cake and we celebrated at home yesterday. Will have a second round of dinner out on Friday, I think.

I think this is only the second home made cake we ever had in the family. First one was when I baked for RH. Hmm, it seems that all the cakes that were prebaked turned out rather dry.....probably cos we baked it two days earlier and left it in the fridge. Wonder what is the best way of storing cakes. Anyone knows? Please just drop me an email. Thanks. Here are the pictures:

{Birthday Cake baked by SY}

{XD}

{Family Picture}

Animal Mini Cupcakes

It is NH's birthday, FS's son of course. He is three years old today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Anyways, FS needed to bring some bakeries to NS's school today and so SY, my sis made some animal cupcakes. You can view it below. I think she is taking orders for cupcakes.

{Animal Cupcakes: All in a row}

{Close Up for Frog Cupcake}

{Close Up of Pig Cupcake}

{Close Up of Dog Cupcake}

{Picture of the Birthday Boy}

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Remember the scrapbook class I was gonna take last week, well, we learnt how to make a standing display album and I absolutely loved it. This is what I ended up making. Rushing through the weekend to get it done.

{Page 1}

{Page 2}

{Page 3}

{Cover}

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Went to Palate Sensations Open House last wednesday. It is located at a very quiet but cozy place near Bueno Vista. The owner, Lynette, is a friendly Asian with a strong Australian Accent. We learnt how to make CHicken Risolles, an Indonesian Snack. Its quite entertaining and I would definitely attend a class there but perhaps after Bakong is born.

{Palate Sensation Kitchen}

PS: I am quited pissed at RH that we are still calling the baby Bakong. Most people would have names for the baby now.

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Last Update: This is me @ 27 weeks...........

{Me @ 27 weeks}