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}

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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.

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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.

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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.