Home Alone Again!

My mum went back home this morning after helping me out for the past 2 months. It feels really different to have her around, at least I have someone to talk to since I am home most of the time.

Daddy and I can also sneak out for a 3-hr date while my mum looks after Sofia for us, and the wonderful thing is that Sofia behaves very well when I am away! Sometimes I wonder if my mum has a magic wand which she nevers shows it to me?

Well, hopefully she would be here again soon!

The Mighty General

Sometimes I feel like a mightly general when I go to bed at night. I sleep on a king-sized bed all alone with my left-hand man (Jeremiah) and right-hand woman (Sofia) on their own mattresses. Daddy sleeps in the room next door so that he gets his eight hours of undisrupted beauty sleep.

Unfortunately, instead of being protected and taken care of by my aides, I am watching over them. At times, I am so torn between them, especially when I am nursing the little boy and the young lady gets awakened by his cries and start chanting,"I don't want Didi ... I don't want Didi ... " ... I can only try my best to console and assure I am still with her and hopefully her sobbings do not escalate and disturb the rest of the family.

The night situation was pretty bad last week when Sofia was down with cough and cold, she could not sleep well with a blocked nose and kept waking up at night. It was a toll on me because Jeremiah was still waking up for feeding and my sleeping hours just got less and less. Fortunately, Jeremiah did not join the band wagon and was still growing very well.

5-in-1

Most parents are familiar with the terms "5-in-1" or "6-in1", it basically refers to the immunization jabs for babies when they turn 2-month old. I got a "5-in-1" today too! No, it is not a jab but a beautiful watch.

Daddy was invited to be join one of AMEX card some time in Nov last year and upon joining we would be entitled to a FREE beautiful Longines watch. The only condition was that we had to charge a certain amount to the card within the first six months. So we started trying to charge all our expenses to the card, it was not easy, we found out AMEX is not as widely accepted as VISA or Mastercard.

Last month, we checked our statement and after months of hard work, we were really entitled to the free gift!! Daddy went to collect the free gift and presented to me, said,"Mummy, this is a gift for you and it COVERS the following occasions/celebrations:

1. Last year's Christmas present
2. This year's Valentine's Day present
3. Gift for giving birth to Jeremiah
4. This year's birthday present
5. This year's Christmas present

Can you find a man more cheapo than my stingy old man??

Team A

Team A arrived today from Kuching, i.e., my in-laws. They would be playing a very important role during my confinement, my mother-in-law would be the main chef for the family and my father-in-law would be the "chauffeur" of the house.

But most important of all, Sofia is very close to my father-in-law and we hope his presence would provide extra company to Sofia.

Week 38 - Hospital Bag

Week 38 - My hospital is finally in place. Actually I had all the stuff needed, just had to pack them in a bag to grab and go!

Labour Day?

Pregnant women are known to get Braxton Hicks contractions in the third trimester as the body starts to prepare for labour. I recalled mine started in the 7th month for Sofia's case, but this time round, I did not experience anything until today, Labor Day, 01 May. I thought today was THE day.

The contractions happened a few times today and every time it happened it made me very anxious and it felt like my heart was stuck in my throat. Then I would change my position or have a drink, hoping its frequency will not increase. I am truly not prepared for the arrival at all right now.

Fortunately the fake cramps faded away and the little one is still squirming in my tummy at night time. Good boy, pls stay in there till week 40,ok?

HIT

I have been nursing a baby cold for coming two weeks now and it is getting on my nerves. Not only it caused me so many sleepless nights, Sofia caught the cold and fever as well and had her share of sleepless nights with me. There were a couple of nights she would wake up at 130am and not sleep again till close to 4am. I was like a walking zombie and could not even think straight during the day. I tried my best to catch my best friend "Sleep" whenever I can.

These days are the last days for me stock up on my "sleep" account before the little one arrives and I really hope he does not pop out early. There are still quite a few things I need to get ready, eg. hospital bag. Yes, I still have not packed my hospital bag!! Hope Daddy would be able to help in case of emergency. Most important of all, help from Kuching and Singapore have not arrived. We are not ready for the baby to arrive yet, hopefully he does not catch us all by surprise.

We just went for the bi-weekly checkup on Monday as well, the fella is doing well, weight now is about 2.75kg. The gynae expects him to be average in size, probably 3+kg when born. We also learnt that my gynae is going for a short holiday just right before my due date! It took us by surprise and then he suggested maybe the baby will arrive earlier. I shook my head violently and said,"No, no, no, don't come earlier!". He was very surprised and told us most mummies would want their babies to come earlier. To that, I can understand why. My pelvic bone is groaning at the weight and I walk like an old granny after driving. It is so difficult to find a comfortable position to sleep now, with a huge watermelon pressing against my internal organs. BUT it is still easier to cope and bear with it for the time being until help arrives. So I hope he will stay put in there till the 40th week and then we will have some good fun together!

Week 34 - White Flags

Week 34 - The "white flags" are washed and ready to be soiled once again.

Week 33 - Baby Clothes

Week 33 - Getting ready, washing of Sofia's baby clothes.

More Time

My time is so stretched these days and the four main areas which are screaming for my attention are:

• house renovation stuff
• household matters
• teaching materials for Sofia
• rest and more rest

We had underestimated the amount of effort and time needed to get the house done. Of course we can close our eyes and leave the decision to the contractor but we are not too happy about the generous margin factored into the final price to us. So in the end it is DIY, research followed by calling up and site visit and then price negotiation done directly by ourselves. Sourcing for materials is another time consuming matter, a trip to one or two suppliers would easily take the whole afternoon.

Being away from home the whole afternoon would mean that dinner would be a rush rush affair when I get back.

I am also trying to create some teaching materials for Sofia, her thirst for learning is simply unquenchable and she enjoys learning very much, as long as we are willing to fork out the time.

REST. Yes, entering the third trimester is the toughest. Not being able to sleep through the night happens daily, got to empty the bladder in the middle of the night. Getting back to sleep is another struggle because the little man inside would be dancing or kicking in my tummy now that he has got more space. After half an hour of coaxing, he would be all quiet but I would be WIDE AWAKE! The only way to catch up with sleep is to nap when Sofia takes her afternoon nap but that means I will not be able to do anything else ... so little time so much to do ...

It is going to be '好'!

I hit the 6th month milestone of my pregnancy today and was scheduled to go for detailed scanning with my gynae today. I had been counting down till today cos everyone around me is eager to know the gender of this baby and that will be confirmed through the detailed scan. I, on the other hand, am more interested how the baby is progressing and developing. The detailed scan will give us some insight into its heart, brain, stomach, and I would like to see everything normal.

I heaved a sign of relief after the checkup revealed everything looks alright and I have a good piece of news to share, it is going to be a baby BOY! Don't get me wrong, I would be equally happy if it is a baby girl. But I do know with a baby boy, it is going to make some people around me VERY VERY happy. I can bet you my mum and my mother-in-law can smile in their sleep! Well, Sofia is a girl and with the next one being a boy, it gives you the "good" character in Chinese, just the way it is written - 好! So naturally, they are very delighted.

Now comes the headache, I have zero baby clothes for boys and that should give me the perfect excuse to Daddy for shopping rite? All parents would know how fast baby clothes gets "archived" and we do feel that it is rather wasteful to build another "him" wardrobe all over again. I probably will contact some of our friends in KL to ask for hand-me-down clothes if they do not plan to have any more kids.

New Job, New Baby

As I approach the new year 2009, my heart is filled with thanksgiving and excitement for the second bundle of joy we are expeciting in May. At the same time, there is a sense of loss and uncertainty that lays ahead of me. My economically sound career will come to a halt from today onwards and I will be taking on a fulltime, 24-hour on-call service job that does not yield a single cent "economically". In layman terms, a domestic manager or housewife.
The guy that now brings the bread home is my boss, the ever demanding 2yo babe is ALSO my boss and the 3RD BOSS is arriving in May. How am I suppose to please all of my bosses? Sounds like a real feat to me! Well, the consoling part is I have a helper to give me a hand, I am very very grateful for that. At least I can sometimes sneak out in the afternoon for that much needed massage or facial.
Wish me luck as I take on this new role with my eyes wide open and may God give me the strength and wisdom to bring the kids up in a Godly manner.

ROAR!

RRROOOOAAAARR ... Yeah, I am well, all up and running walking again ... our second babe is doing well too and hitting the 12th week milestone last week certainly makes everyone more relaxed about the situation. In fact, they gynae gave me the green light to lead a "normal" life again since 20 Oct but we never knew if anything that I did could jeopardize the precious cargo in my tummy. I could still remember on 18 Sep, before I suspected anything unusual, I went to the gym and ran 2.4km on the treadmill because I was feeling so very bloated. I felt faint after the run but did not think much about it. I only started panicking when the home pregnancy test kit showed positive and bleeding started shortly after. I felt so bad about the run and of course, Daddy was worried too.

Then the bed rest started together with weekly injections and daily oral medication. To be honest, complete bed rest may help the body but it does not help the mind. The body can stop all physical activities but the mind is active and it is pretty hard to block bad thoughts from entering the mind. I was glad to have Saanvi's mum, R, around during the first few days, before help from Singapore arrive. R made lunch for me, came over and kept me company and made sure I was resting in bed. I was really touched by her care and concern, the support she gave me was like sunshine in the middle of a cold and gloomy winter. Thank God for this good Samaritan and may God bless her abundantly!

C.R.I.B

Just a short note to let you know we are all fine. Just that I have been asked to have CRIB (complete rest in bed) till some undesirable symptons I am experiencing stops. It has been happening since 22 Sep and it really bores me.

I cannot work, walk, run, carry Sofia, etc ... and the list goes on. Hopefully things would improve over the next few weeks and life will be back to normal again for us!

Pls keep us in prayer, thanks!

Virus Attack

Sofia was battling a throat infection throughout her sleep last night, I could not just lie there and watch sleep while she cried with frustration from the pain right? So I had to toggle between mine and her mattress, giving her a few sleepy pats till she doze off again. I woke up with two big bags under my eyes this morning. Grrrrghhhh ... worse, I can feel thick viscose mucus piling up in my nose and when Sofia coughed directly INTO my face this morning, she must have done a direct transfer of her germs into my throat as well.

I started to feel groggy and lethargic in the afternoon but Sofia was still a ball of energy. It was obvious that she was also coming down with running nose and a cough but nothing seems to stop her from scaling the coffee table, chasing and screaming at the cat.

At times, I wish she can just stop moving and sit down quietly beside me, cos that's what I need most when sick and sleep deprived.

Red Cliff

For our weekly date this week, Daddy and I decided to catch the latest movie in town - Red Cliff, directed by John Woo. Daddy was very keen to catch this one and had very high expectations of the movie. I am not so much into history but since the cast had pretty experienced actors, I am quite sure I would enjoy the show.
Here are some background on the show : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Cliff_(film)

I was given free narration throughout the show cos my handsome date could not wait to show how knowledgble he was impart his knowledge to me and had to tell me the poor lady in the show was going to jump into the well before she did.
Overall, I found the show quite enjoyable and some how the characters in the movie reminds me of some of the birds we saw at the birdpark yesterday:

Zhuge Liang?

Zhou Yu?

Guan Yu?

Zhang Fei?

Not sure if you would agree with me?

Kaya - My First Success

The kaya supply in my fridge has ended and my mum has gone back. I nervously went to the market this morning to buy the ingredients for making kaya later today. Coconut ... eggs ... pandan leaves and sugar ... the ingredients are easy ... what I lack is the 30+ years' experience of making kaya. I have made a few attempts before back in Kuching but all failed miserably.

I had everything right, ingredients ... measurements ... but the kaya just did not turn out right.

It was supposed to turn out like a paste, with jam-like consistency but it looked more like a egg custard. Ooooohhhhh, failure is bitter.

This time round, I made sure I understudied my mum aggressively for two months.

Hooohooooo, success is sweet!

Home Alone, Almost ...

It has been a quiet week since Daddy is away. I try not to venture too far away or to places I am not familiar with in his absence, in case I get lost and end up in land of no where. This is my mum's last week in KL with me and I tried to show her around as much as possible. It has been a great two months and she helped me a lot with cooking and taking care of Sofia, while I was tied up with househould stuff or work. I know she misses home, her friends, and Singapore TV programs, etc.. Yes, my house is one of those which do not have Astro installed. I cannot find the time to watch TV, neither does Daddy, so we decided not to have it installed and see how it goes. Surprisingly, we are fine so far! My mum certainly likes Astro, there is a Hokkein channel and she likes the program they air.

Anyhow, I tried to keep her more occupied by teaching her how to read Lianhe Zaobao on the internet and I think she enjoys it! At least it helps her to keep in touch with the happenings back home.

We also brought her to the Mid-Valley Megamall, Gardens, Pavilion, Sunway Pyramid, etc and introduced KL shopping to her. Hopefully the next time she is here I will know my way around better and make her stay more interesting.

I reluctantly send my mum to the Aeroline pickup point at BU during noon, it was hard to say bye-bye cos it felt so alone without a family member with me. Of course Sofia is by my side but it is different. She can't give me an opinion when I need one or help me plan the meals next day. Guess I just have to bear with it for the time being till Daddy returns.

Cold Food

Have you ever been served cold french toast with kaya and cold pie? It was my second encounter today and I promised myself to write this down to remind me NOT to eat the food served on the country's national carrier anymore. I hope this is only happening on the domestic flights in Malaysia and not on the international flights. If it does, it would really be a disgrace.

I have grown to like kaya on toast over the last few years and have been working hard to master the skill of making kaya from my mum. Kaya is best eaten on charcoal grilled bread with a generous helping of butter. To perfect the picture, a cup of hot coffee from freshly grind coffee beans would fit best. But the air stewardess served everyone a cold and limp french toast with a dash of kaya. As I tried to swallow my first bite, I wonder in my mind when was this toast made, 12 hours ago?

On the way back to KL, I had hope these guys would serve everyone warm dinner. After all, the flight was delayed for more than an hour. Were they late cos the chief was trying to whip up a good dinner for everyone?
"Hi Madm, would you like to have a pie or a sandwich?", the pretty air stewardess asked.
"A pie would be good!", the pie lover in me answered.
Unfortunately, the lovely picture of a hot sizzling pie vanished from my head the moment it was served. It looked cold, as if it has not entered the oven at all and felt cold. I really felt reluctant to give up on the innocent pie and tasted a piece of the crust. IT WAS REALLY COLD!!!

This is it! The next time I step into the national carrier for domestic flights within Malaysia, I am going to BRING MY OWN FOOD!

My Man

I was hanging the wet laundry fresh from the washing machine last Sunday with Daddy, when he suddenly exclaimed ,"S***, don't tell me I left my passport in my pants?"
" Oh, that's very funny, are you trying to test how good our new washing machine is?"
Unfortunately, it was for REAL that he left his passport in his pants and the poor little book was drenched with a big hole between the cover and the almost detached pages, as if gasping for air.
Then Daddy started to panic, cos he is suppose to travel this Sunday and there is no way he is going to pass the customs with this passport. He has to get a new passport somehow, somewhat, sometime this week no matter what.
We started off on Monday spending time waiting at the Malaysia Immigration at Subang where he was granted an interview on why was the passport spoilt? In the end the officer said Daddy got to wait for one month but that was out of the question as it was urgent. The officer could not make the decision and referred Daddy to the HQ in Shah Alam with a letter from company. Time wasted.
After more phone calls and what nots, we went down to Shah Alam today and came back with a Daddy similing from ear to ear. He finally got a passport replacement for RM300. What an expensive lesson!
I wonder how many men on earth do actually "accidentally" put their passport into the washing machine? One in a million? Or perhaps one in a thousand? If so, I am so lucky to marry that one in a thousand, who gives me unnecessary stress and anxiety makes my life so interesting and happening!