Birth of Baby Valentino and more ...

The birth story of Baby Valentino:

1. Woke up at 4:30am to get ready for admissions to the hospital

2. We reached the hospital at 5:25am and went to do the check in.

3. Completed the admissions process in about 20 minutes (gosh, so much documents to sign!)

4. Checked-in to my room - only to find out the admissions office gave us the wrong room (I suspected as much since there was no curtains in the room!)

5. They moved us to the correct room, which was just next to the nursery!

6. Rested for a while, then they came in to prepare me for the op. I spent quite a long time in the loo, think I was quite constipated!

7. Got wheeled to the OT - they parked my bed outside the OT and I fell asleep while waiting.

8. They finally came and wheeled me to the door of the OT, the obgyn and hubby was around to, so we were chit chatting a bit. Surprisingly, I'm not nervous! I supposed, having gone through it once, I more or less know what to expect, so I'm not too worried about what's going to happen in the OT.

9. Finally the anaesthetist arrived (he was late for #1 too!) and they wheeled me into the OT. The pain from the various needles and injections were bearable - since I wasn't nervous, so the anticipation of pain did not magnify the pain at all. At best, the pain was comparable to a big bad ant bite. I did squeeze the nurse arm for reassurance - yes I am a scardy cat at heart when it comes to pain :P

10. This time though, I was very wide awake for the op. I did ask for something to make me sleepy, but it didn't work even they gave me 2 to 3 doses! End up I was listening in to their private conversations (doc to nurse/ doc to doc) and I did chit chat with my hubby too (though I think he was pretty busy looking at the op). This time I did feel some pressure on my tummy area, but definitely no pulling, poking, digging or other sensations that would make me imagine what they were doing to me then. So it was pretty OK.

11. Baby Valentino has arrived with a loud wail! Took some pics and then baby was weighed in at 2.955kg. Hubby said he opened his eyes when he was being weighed.

12. I patiently waited for the obgyn to finish doing his stitching, then I remarked that some of his patients were joking he does embroidery at home to practise his stitching. One of the nurses remarked that some of the docs actually do cross-stitching and their handiworks are excellent!

13. Me bad, I shouldn't have asked for the sleepy medicine ... It made me quite woozy after the op, and with the room spinning when I opened my eyes (I can't even bear to watch TV), I ended up puking a bit ... but by the end of the 6th hour, I couldn't take it, since I was puking on an empty stomach (which to me makes it worse), I secretly took a cup of milo. Truthfully, it made me feel better since it warmed me up and my stomach is not running on empty tank. With the sleepy medicine, I was basically sleeping throughout the day, except to breastfeed and to drink some water. It was quite a good rest, and good excuse too - the nurses caught on to the milo drink and my hubby were "honest" enough to admit I had a few sips of milo. So basically they were kicking up a big fuss over it. Anyway, they didn't say much to me later, since I had stopped puking by then :P

14. Had my official milo drink for dinner - how pathetic ...

15. Had my first official meal in 24 hours - chicken porridge for breakfast!

16. Engorgement set in - PAIN PAIN PAIN *cry* They ran out of cabbage leaves too, so I had to call my mum's place for special delivery.

17. Baby Valentino has mild jaundice so he went for photo therapy - he didn't like it a bit!

18. I was OK-ed to go home and Baby Valentino was OK-ed to go home too, so we got discharged on Tuesday!

19. This mummy was panicky since Baby Valentino hasn't peed since he came back and he was hot! Realised that he may be "overheated" so we quickly wiped him down and changed him ... and then I breastfed him with my rock hard breasts (yes still engorged) but he finally peed. I was out of cabbage leaves so I grabbed all the ice packs (from Royce chocolates!) from the freezer and popped into my bra. 4 on each side ... the relief was indescribable.

20. The confinement nanny called - she's in Singapore even though she was due to arrive only the next morning. I begged her to come over then and there (at 10pm at night) as she was staying at her relative's place. I told her I cannot handle it and Baby Valentino was running a mild temperature. She was nice enough to oblige, and she arrived by 11pm. By then, I had just managed to finish feeding Baby Valentino, put Vanessa to bed, and grabbed a quick dinner. I cannot express my sense of relief ... and she was really very efficient ... she checked on Baby Valentino and arranged her stuff, so she can be ready when Baby Valentino wakes up late for night feeds. In fact, it was so warmed that night she OK-ed my request to on the aircon (I was worried that he may overheat again) and I guess the best surprise for me was that, she was not only pro breast feeding, she was also able to help baby latch on properly and to massage my rock hard breasts!

21. I'm still partially engorged, but it's much better now. After the 2 days of agony, at least most of the ducts have been cleared for the right side, and we are now working on the left side. It's still painful, but at least I see some progress. I was really ready to throw in the towel, because it was really unbearable this round ... hopefully, all the blocked ducts can be cleared by this week, so that my breasts won't be so engorged. I'm also waiting for my medela parts to arrive, so I can start pumping to relieve some of the pressure. I am using my Avent manual pump too, but after using the PISA once, I will want to use the electric dual pump only!

22. We still cannot decide on a name for Baby Valentino *argh*

To be updated ... How Vanessa is taking to her little brother...

Baby Valentino has arrived!

I'm too tired to post - check out the hubby's post & pic at: http://zitseng.com/archives/2133#more-2133

No, and we haven't quite decided what to name him yet. So yes, Valentino is still in the running.

Mummy's little helper

V is a very sweet girl, and she helps me out in little ways that make her so endearing ...

She will help to pull me up from a sitting position - every little bit helps at this stage! The other day, she helped to dress me, no kidding! She held out my undies like how I hold it out to her when I dress her - I can't help but laugh when she insist on holding on to my undies. She can massage a little, so she will just gently squish my shoulders in her little hands when I asked her to.

Recently, she's also talking a lot more and also learning how to SWEET TALK too. She has started telling us "Daddy come (when he picks her up at the CC), baby (referring to herself) happy". She'll do the same for me ... it helps because it makes the day so much sweeter, even if I had a tiring day.

I've started talking to her about the pending hospital stay and telling her she will have to stay with my sister. She listens and nods and repeats after me. So hopefully, she does understand what I  am telling her, and she won't be too upset when she has to stay with my sister while I'm staying in the hospital.

Quick Update:

on V #1

Her first chinese words - bu yao! haiz ... why why why!! her first word is no for english, mm aoil in cantonese and now bu yao in chinese ... faint ah!

She also surprised me today ... she went swimming with papa today and i went down to provide greet and meet service when they finish ... she told me "l* y* e*" i was like ... wah ... u can say ur name in chinese! i asked papa if he was the one who taught her, he said no ...

on V #2

He's sitting on some nerves that basically makes my legs go numb and crampy ... I'm also suffering from loose stools from the course of antibotics ... it's really not very comfy ... i think we have more or less decided on Valentino's name. I will just give my hubby 2 choices for the chinese and then let him make the final call for his english name.

OK got to go ... tummy's a rumbling again!

self praise is no praise!

Went to see Dr FY last week to check on Valentino's week 35 progress - he gained 1 kg over 3 weeks, so my durian diet did work. My guess is that he will be at the same weight as V when she was born, which I thought was a decent weight, so I'm not too worried, as long as he's active it's good.

When we were doing the ultrascan, Dr FY remarked that my previous C-section scar was very neat and well hidden. I retorted "Wah! Praising yourself???" He went "No lah, the real test is when you wear bikini and no one can see the scar" I replied "Yes lah, your skills very good, everyone praising your stitches very nice and neat, the nicest they have seen. Besides now wear bikini, my tummy so big, also cannot see anything!" Dr FY ".... *haiz*"

Anyway, it's true, his skills at stitching is very good. If you recall that embarassing incident that I had to pay the GP $20 to verify that it was indeed my C-section scar, and no 2 flaps of skin glued together by the remnants of the bandage glue, that should indicate how good his stitching is :P

Lazy Saturday ...

We had an early start to this weekend ... had dinner early (before 7pm no less!) and we managed to make our way down to Takashimaya for some shopping. It was pretty jammed on the roads, and when we reach Taka, it was about 8pm, still plenty of time to shop since our "agenda" were pretty short.

1) i wanted to get durians! Yes, craving for it again, but the stock wasn't too good, so i just choose one of the cheaper options and make do with it. FYI, i get my durians from the Cold Storage at Taka, in case you are wondering. I am not about to wander to Geylang and get "chop carrot head" for nothing since I am not good at choosing durians.

2) our Panasonic TV finally died after 5 years of faithful service. Unfortunately, while it was still under warranty, the factory no longer produces the parts required for the repair and we were offered a small sum of compensation for us to get a new TV. So that's the hubby's job, so he went shopping at Best Denki. Oddly, while we were there, I liked this lower end (and supposedly not so good) Toshiba LCD TV compared to the Sharp one my hubby was looking at. I look left, look right, up and down, and still, I am not convinced the Sharp model is better (even if both were playing blu-ray HD stuff). Anyway, I'll let the hubby choose since technology stuff is supposed to be his forte. My girl did pick a TV when we asked her, but unless we are the sole winner of the TOTO top prize or the top prize in Big Sweep, there's no way we can afford it. That TV she picked cost over $100,000. Yes, it's one of those super duper huge screen TV (no idea of the measurements). Anyway, what we are willing to pay is only 1/100 of that price of that TV so i guess, so bad for her. Besides our place is too small to house it!

3) I did make my way to the Barbie fair at the B2 exhibition square - i was hoping to find some nice shoes for V again. I managed to get 3 really nice shoes, 1 sandal and 1 sport for V and 1 pair of sport one for my niece. All at $15 each and plus a 10% discount. It was a real steal! This time round though, I didn't pick anyway because the sizes were wrong and nothing caught my fancy. My guess is, we got all the nice ones already! There were other nice ones too, but I will need to pay an additional $4 for the box to house it, so for the cheapskate me - I'll pass. Basically those shoes in the bin are cheaper.

Came home and V was still active. She was quite funny. She had her dinner at 6:30pm and she had her milk (240ml / 8 oz) at 7:30pm. She was sitting next to me and she was pouting - i cannot describe her expression, but it was hilarious. She was basically trying to manja me, and she was pouting, sulking, and acting "I'm so poor thing". Anyway she nodded yes when I asked her if she wanted her milk, so that's the 1st bottle for the night. When we reached home after shopping, we gave her another bottle at 9:30pm. Yup, she cleaned it out all right. Sometimes I do wonder if her tummy is big enough to house all these food/ milk - but since she's not vomitting or complaining about indigestion or tummy pain, it should be ok. As long as everything is in moderation! Oh ya, she doesn't get snacks like biscuits or sweets when I'm at home (unless I'm really feeling generous) so I'm quite OK with her eating more during her meals/ milk intake.

When she finally was in lala land, it was bedtime for me (wanted to do some stuff but was too tired after 2 days of pain). Ended up I couldn't sleep because I couldn't sleep on either side - my hips were hurting too badly. I think eventually I fell asleep on my back :P I had been having difficulty in walking for the past 2 days as my tailbone hurts - basically i just limp at work. My legs are also feeling numb, so i gave a call to the obgyn office and they said that Valentino is resting against some of my nerves, hence the pain and numbness. This morning, I gently pat my tummy and told Valentino to shift a bit because I was in pain, and I think he cooperated! At least now I can walk without pain, although I still have slight numbness at the back of my thighs, but it was manageable.

We woke up early because V woke up early. We fed her morning milk feed (300ml if you are wondering) and then got the helper to shower her and give her breakfast. She even went for a morning walk with the dogs while we were trying to catch some early morning laze-in-bed sleep. I finally got up at 8am (1 hour extra from the usual weekday) and then nudge the hubby out of bed. I wanted to bring V out for breakfast since I won't really have the chance come Valentino. We ventured to HV, got her usual egg and kaya toast - while the hubby was having his haircut, we made a move to the shopping centre, which to my disappointment, the store selling children's clothes were closed. So we ended up at Cold Storage again, and this time, something else caught my fancy. They were shucking oysters for demo/ sale. The oysters look so fresh and plump, i was so taken by it, that i forked out $20 for a pack of 6, got them to shell it for me, and then we had it at home. My only regret was that I didn't start eating before my hubby, else I would had 4 and he 2, and not 3 each. The oysters were unbelievably good, probably the best I had in a long time. They were not too salty, the flesh was plump and juicy, and the taste of really fresh oysters. I should have tried the oyster when they offered and I'll had forked over $40 for 2 packs!!

Now it's barely past noon, and we are in bed again, both V and the hubby in lala land again ... afternoon will be "reserved" for house decorating again, since I need to rearrange some of the furniture in the house. So we shall see how much I can get done before I pop ... hopefully everything will be nice and tidy and neat and ready when Valentino arrives!

Panic Mode

Yes, seriously. I just realised I have 4 weeks to go -

I have not packed the hospital bag yet

I have not gotten the house in order yet, especially the new lighting's and furniture

I have not start handing over my work yet! my boss probably hit the panic button too!

I have not set up the cot for #2

I have not prepared stuff for #2

I am just not ready!

Amidst all the panic and unreadiness, I also realised how different my pregnancy with #2 is compared to #1. If you recalled, I had induced high BP, that in the end, I had to deliver V early. Today, just the very opposite happen - I was talking to a colleague when I suddenly felt giddy (a bit like blacking out) and felt like puking too. So I sat down and was OK. But by the time I reach my seat, I was feeling so bad I asked my hubby to send me to see the doctor. Thankfully the queue at the doctor was short and my regular doctor was in. My BP was a miserable 90/60. That explains the giddiness, but I wondered what prompted the sudden drop. Anyway I was given some oral re hydration sachets, and it tasted so bad, i poured the entire cup away. I made my hubby buy 100+ instead, and it taste so much better! I did call up my gynae clinic and told them about my BP. So they called back and ask me to eat more red meat! So i put another call to the hubby and asked him to buy some beef to cook for dinner as well.

It was probably one of the best dinner I had in a long time - my ma jie simply makes superb beef - be it in steaks, minute steaks or stir fry. It's not the usual western style, but the taste of it, makes me lick the plate CLEAN! Anyway I'll be having the same thing again tomorrow and I certainly look forward to it!

I just hope #2 will be as good as V, my sweetiepie. She was upset today because I scolded her a few times, I raised my voiced a few times, I smacked her once - so she was crying for a good 20 minutes, before I calmed her down by sharing the storybook with her, and slowly winding her down for bed. She's now fast asleep next to me, without much fuss today. Poor girl, she must be wondering why she's getting a lot more from me these days (I scold her for sucking her fingers too :P) I must remember to be a nicer mummy ;P I just hope she won't feel abandon with #2 out ... Time to read Super Nanny!

For the love of Valentino ...

I am very very very very tempted to name #2 Valentino ... just for the sheer yumminess of the chocolate and rum cake I got from Perle ... Perle is the Pastry Boutique of Ristorante da Valentino, an italian restaurant in SIngapore which I have yet to discover. I discover Perle when they were having a booth at the "I love Italy" (I think) at Takashimaya B2 food area.

We bought the cake on Friday, which we never got around to eating it till Tuesday, since Monday was my actual birthday. We were either too busy or too tired, so in the end, just before bedtime on Tuesday, we cut the cake and had some of it. It was SO GOOD, it was difficult to stop, but we had to, since V was still having a very bad cough (she was happily chomping on the cake too). The next time we got around to finishing the cake was this morning! Technically the cake's cut sides was left exposed in the fridge, only covered by its cardboard box housing. I was expecting a chocolate biscuit this morning but no ... it was as delicious and moist as we first ate it!

Now, I hope to eat at the restaurant before Valentino pops and more of that lovely yummy chocolate cake before my diet gets restricted ... they have a very lovely biscotti type biscuit too, which is very addictive, you cannot stop at a few ... just thankfully I'm off coffee with the pregnancy, else I think I will wiped out the entire pack with my regular cuppa!

For photos, erm, I'm waiting for the hubby to upload hahahaha ... i'll post the link once he gets around to it ...

For Valentino and Perla, just go to www.valentino.sg

hmmm ....

Long, long time ago,

I secretly hoped and dreamt that

my beloved toys would come to life and played with me,

oh what fun we could have!

Once upon a time,

i dreamt that I was the princess in the castle,

and a prince would come and sweep me off the feet,

and then we lived happily ever after.

Once, not too far in the distant past,

i began to understand, the hopes and dreams i had,

more often than not, are flawed and doomed to begin with,

and whatever will be, will be.

Que Sera Sera,

how very simple the song, how very true the simple words,

now i sing it for my girl, with tears in my heart.

It is really going to be Valentino?

That's the latest question people seems to be asking me.

No, I don't know. I haven't really think about it yet and it's 5 weeks to go before Valentino pops out.

I haven't pack my hospital bag, definitely not gotten around to 'remodeling' the house, set up the bedroom for #2 nor #1, redefine the dining and study area.

The good thing is that the new helper has cleaned up the house, packed a majority of the place and it's much cleaner and neater now. And we just spent a bomb today - we got ourselves a rainbow. Yes I know I am a sucker, but really, after seeing that amount of dirt/ dust being sucked out, I resolved that this rainbow is really going to be USED. I've already told the helper to use it at least once a week to clean the house, instead of mopping the floor. I feel better than now my bed is a lot cleaner, and my pillows will be cleaned, and the stuff toys will be cleaned too.

I'll lug to my mum's house and clean up the bedroom V uses when she's there too. I am willing to bet the bed we rest on is as dirty, if not dirter, than my one at home!

teething issues ... last round i hope!

V has been teething for the past 2 months or so ... her second molars are pushing out, top and bottom. So basically it means she has sporadic tantrums and clingy-ness. The latest episode has been playing out over the past 2 to 3 days ... doesn't want anyone but mummy to bathe/ shower, mummy to feed, mummy to do this, mummy to do that ... i'm on medical leave but out of the few days I'm given, only today I had a relatively better time, since I had a 90 min pre-natal massage for my stiff and sore joints ... i slept in late today and V was whining non-stop since she woke up. she woke up extra early at 6:30am and she looked for daddy first (since daddy was missing in action last night due to OT). Then she refused to let him near him, shooing him away. Then barely a few minutes later, she wanted her milk, and only I was allowed to hold the bottle.

I feel asleep shortly (I stuffed a pillow under the bottle) and basically slept through the din. I only woke up when she landed on top of my head, crying "mama" non stop. I helped to remove her diaper since it felt leaky already - usually at this stage, she would calm down and follow her daddy to the potty to do her various morning routine (wee wee, brush teeth, mm mm and then pom pom). I could hear her crying for me non stop on the way to the tiolet ... then i fell asleep yet again *shows how tired i am!* Later my helper told me she refused to do anything, and kept crying for me. she even refused to shower/ bathe!

The moment V saw me walking out of the bedroom, she zoomed into me and started her "mama" routine again. I had to get the helper to offer her chocolate muffin for breakfast before I had some peace and ZZZzzzz. When i finally had energy to drag myself off the bed, V was in a better mood but still in a "no no no" mood. She finally showered with me but poor thing, she slipped a little (i was holding her hand) and hit her head on the wall. Off the wailing siren went again. She was OK within 30 seconds though, then had to coax her to get dressed. Left the helper to do it while I went to get dressed myself. We drove to my mum's place (my cousin was coming to help look after/ play with her and I was more than happy to take up the offer!) and on the way, she fell asleep at 11am! all that crying must have left her exhausted hahahaha

Anyway, once she saw my cousin, she stuck to him like glue and I was happy to be left alone to rest (that's what the doc ordered!) and to pay some attention to my dogs (currently housed at my mum's place) - did some stress relieving therapy too ... snipping off the knots I found on my Phoebe - she now looks like a fake poodle!

Just hope tomorrow V will be in a better mood! I need time for Valentino and to start planning for the minor renovations before it's TOO LATE!

Update on Valentino

He's lying low, in fact, quite low at 32 weeks. We can't even see his face now =(

he's now 1.7 to 1.8kg, about 500 to 600 grams heavier than the last visit. I'm not doing too good, I'm losing weight in fact.

My gynae asked me to walk more and I was like "allo! do you know how much i walk a day at work!!!!" in the end, he gave me medical leave to rest - fatigue and i'm not doing too well at the stress/ emotional level.

It doesn't help that medical leave sometimes = no leave when people wants their own job to be done first. it's even worse when they have NO EQ. so basically I just grit my teeth and hold my tongue, before i say something really nasty and just do what I can. and it's even worse when way up up up up there the "guru" is ... how should i put it ... living with the head in the clouds.

I just hold on to the nicer thoughts to get me through work. Like, someone gave me a small box of chocolates in appreciation of my help ... tt's really sweet so ya, I'm keeping the box after I finish up the chocolates to remind myself, there are people who appreciate me, and what I do is important, even though I am not important.

A literally bloody Mother's Day

Just a short post ... V fell and hurt herself during the Mother's Day celebration with my family ... blood was literally spewing from her mouth ... took about 15 minutes, lots of wet wipes (she doesn't want my bloodied hands to touch her) and lots of ice chips to calm her down ...

When she was willing to show me her mouth, her gums on top were a bloody mess =( ... my sis-in-law asked me to apply manuka honey as it has antiseptic properties, so we went off after lunch to pick up a bottle. V doesn't like the taste of it, she shuddered after I applied on her gums! She's a strange kid ... only likes water and especially ICE, but shunning other sweet drinks ... she loves chocolates and sweets though ...

I hope she gets better soon =( this mummy heart super pain.

The story of Valentino ...

I realised I haven't really been talking much about Valentino, and I'll be 31 or 32 weeks tomorrow!

How time really flies ... V is already 2 years old and counting, and we'll be meeting Valentino in a few weeks time. Perhaps it's time for panic since we're not quite ready at the homefront!

Anyway, i'll just post Valentino's story for prosperity's sake, and sorry to bore you if you have heard this before, or if i even blogged about this before (honestly I cannot remember!).

The first person to discover Valentino was on the way is actually Vanessa. One day she just patted me on my tummy and went "Baby!" i was skeptical since i just tested a few days ago and it was negative. She was even the first one who said it would be a "didi" (little brother). My hubby think it's just a lucky guess since she probably can't say "mei mei" (little sister).

Having Valentino is a whole different ballgame from having Vanessa. The only thing in common was the cramps, but even for Vanessa, bed rest and taking the hormone pills worked. For Valentino, it went beyond the bed rest and hormone pills. I had to have jabs every alternate days and it wasn't an easy time for me since i had just changed job too. The cramps only stopped past 12 weeks, and then *sigh*, the migraines and vertigo issues started ... I had to see a neurologist and thankfully, after 4 weeks or so, the problems went again. Even then, I was still sensitive to loud noises and bright lights, which triggered off headaches. Thankfully my BP was OK and is still OK. No swollen legs to date, and no carpal wrists syndrome too. It may helped that I start my pre-natal massage early, once I hit 4 months mark ... right now, I'm trying to have the massage once a week - it helps me to relieve the body aches and to drain the tensions from my body too. Else my shoulders get all frozen up and my legs twitchy, not to mention i get leg cramps too!

Am i excited to meet Valentino in a few weeks time? Yes and No ... I guess I want to meet the one that's been pounding on my tummy from inside out for the past few months (i did mention i felt movements as early as 12 to 14 weeks right?) but I'm also worried how Vanessa will take to Valentino and if I can cope with 2 kiddos ... i'm worried about neglecting either one of them (well Valentino is seriously neglected now!) but ... i'll deal with it when it comes ...

I can't quit my job at this time, but I may well ask to work part-time ... not just for the kids but also for my emotional and mental health ... it's been very stressful at work lately and i'm really drained out ... and I am starting to feel somewhat depressed so it's not a good sign ...

Oh for mother's day, my hubby gave me a herbal spine warmer, which can be heated up in the microwave. That's probably one of the most thoughful gifts he has given to me ... I guess he's tired of having to massage my back!!!! hehe ...

relief and a little break

My new helper came in a few days ago ... We were busy at work so we couldn't pick her up earlier before evening time. Her first job was so clean up my bedroom! and we dash through the chores, since we have to pick up V later at my mum's place. I had to warn her not to be shocked by the state of my place. Now i am glad to say it doesn't look like a pig sty anymore.

Today was on MC, GP said i was prob suffering from fatigue given the stiffness of my neck and shoulder. he was quite funny, he prescribed me "massages. if your hubby can't do it for you, you go and pay someone to do it for you lah". so i did, i went after a nice yummy breakfast at Crystal Jade (i was starving by the time i finished seeing the GP). I walked into this shop and got myself a foot massage and a shoulder rub. i felt so much better! but i had to clear some work when i came back and i managed to get a short nap before i was awakened by calls from the office. *sigh* then it was time to shower and pick up V from CC.

ok more packing and cleaning up tomorrow. I have to get ready for Valentino! time to zzzZzzZz

Green Goo and the other viruses in the air ...

Brought V back to the PD after discussion with the staff since the nose swab shows a particular nasty bacteria breeding away and he wanted to make sure that the tiny red dot at the back of her throat was nothing to be alarmed of (other than that was the 3rd "it may be something to do with HFMD"). I still have some antibiotics at home, unused since we stop giving her the nightly antibiotics feed for the Grade 2 VUR, so it saved me some money, since I could use it.

V came back and she told me "I want to see doctor!" I really think she likes the PD, just that her medical coverage no longer covers the cost of seeing a PD past 2, so the cost of seeing him will go up. I intend to use the same PD for number 2, because this PD is really very good, and he really takes time to explain and listen to our concerns (no matter how ridiculous it may seem).

Anyway a quick update on #2 (let's call him Valentino) before I forget again. The last visit with Valentino at 29 weeks, I gained 200g and he, a whooping 700g. With my craving for durians (once I start eating, I can't stop!!!!), I hope my weight gain would not spiral out of control, and Valentino would still gain weight at the normal track. As it is, I am already having difficulty in walking at times, and all his movements are felt keenly. If he gets much bigger than the normal growth track, I think I will have to lie in bed!!! This said, he's still shy, refusing to let us see his face during the scans.

Now, the other virus that is hot in the news ... what else, the swine flu. Attended a 2 hour meeting this morning with almost 1 hour spent on swine flu. My mgr has it worse, she has to attend twice a day for updates. I'm not sure if it's going to go into Red alert anytime, but Orange alert is scary - although the place where we had dinner was PACKED. I guess no more outings to crowded and air conditioned places, so I better stock up my freezer tomorrow :P I have slightly more reasons to be scared I guess, since I do deal with people who work in the HC industry. I just hope no one does anything stupid or inconsiderate, but you know what, I am not too hopeful, given what some of these parents do even when their kids are down with contagious stuff like HFMD (they bring them out because the kids are bored!). I can only remind V and the hubby to always wash their hands with soap.

my major milestonE

Ya, mine, and probably the main milestone I see I have achieved for the past few weeks.

I actually survived without a domestic helper for almost 1 month!!!!

It's a amazing feat to me, knowing me :P We have managed to keep V clean and bedsheets changed every week. The floor is relatively clean and the toilets too.

Just that the house is in a utter mess, but frankly speaking, I think it's only slightly messier than before my last DH left.

So why is it a milestone to me? Because I feel EMPOWERED! I had expected that I would probably just cry myself to sleep, feel helpless and useless. Vanessa came through much better than me - she's not as difficult to care for than I had expected. No doubt my siblings chip in to help, and it helps a lot since V adores them and does listen to them. At the same time, I wonder if they are spoiling her, but I know I can discipline her without much problem, so that's another big plus to to yours truly! I'm still surviving caring for her at night, although my skin and my eye bags are showing the signs of lack of sleep. I'm learning a few tricks to get her to follow her daddy in the morning (so I can have some time to do my own stuff, shower and change for work) and getting her to sleep is not as hard as it would be. It helps she's more vocal now, so I know what she wants and is trying to say. Best of all, she can be reasoned with since she understands what I am saying. I have also managed to cut her nails in the partial dark (I have night blindness and bad astig, so the combination is really not ideal) and get her to let me clean her nose (she's having really yucky green stuff in her nose) willingly.

I feel more confident as a mother, and I guess, that's the best present a mummy can hope for, other than the "I love you mummy!" (which I was trying to get her to say today heheehhe).

Major milestones ...

to me at least ...

1) V can officially button her own clothes! (Although it's more like 1 button out of the four on the front)

2) V has officially said "sorry" to me without prompting! (she upset the lid that I had put her cup of water on it, spilling the water in the process - I was like "V!!!" she went "sorry!")

3) V can buckle her own shoes (although I never knew it was such a big deal until one of her play school teacher remarked on it)

4) V can take one of my handphones, switches it to camera mode and tells me to "smile!"

5) V can do a simple 5 piece puzzle by herself (a picture of an eggplant). I was busy so I left her with a box of new puzzles which I dismantled for her, came back about 10 to 15 mins later and she was like "baby make! baby make! - she was obviously proud of her achievement, but I think this mummy is even prouder!

5) The other day, I was sitting down when I felt some pangs of pain on my abdomen (I had spent the hour earlier mopping the floor and cleaning the tiolets), so I went "pain pain pain!" and make some groaning noises. She quickly came over and hug my tummy. She said "sayang" and kissed my tummy. Needless to say, I almost cried!

Brought her to see her PD today as she was having this nasty runny nose that would be wet, green and slimy and then dried, green and yucky, plus her eyes were tearing quite a bit. She did her "look I am so cute" routine, and she cooperated with the PD. Needless to say the PD was charmed by her. She then went outside and did the same routine with the ladies outside. It's not surprising whenever I call the clinic and said I am V's mummy, and they will remember which kid's mummy!

Surviving another weekend

We survived another week and weekend without a maid but I had help from my cousin and aunt. They came over to help clean up and iron some of the clothes, so for that I am extremely grateful since I utterly am hopeless at housework. We did our share too, changing the bedsheets and doing the laundry (1 thing that I am undoubtedly good at!). V was in a not so cooperative mood, I think she knows it's Sunday, so it's back to the CC routine tomorrow.

She's out with her daddy now, and I'm taking a short break. I am starting to have difficulty in bending down and squatting, which is required when I'm showering or bathing her. She knows that mummy's temper is getting shorter, especially when she refuses to cooperate when wearing her diapers, but as usual, still testing what limits she can push. The other day I just sternly told her off when she refused her milk (she asked for it), she pretended to select another cushion and quickly laid down on the floor. She finished the bottle of milk too, all 240ml of it. She can chug down 330ml at 1 go and that quite scares me!

I'm relishing the attention she lavishes on me though, especially when she wants to sleep, and she wants me to cuddle her or to cradle her on my lap. it's not easy with my protruding tummy, but we'll make do. She knows that #2 in the tummy, and she will tell my aunts about the baby in my tummy, which I thought was quite cute. Whether she's in her T2s already or not, it doesn't really matter. We are spending time together, and that's what really matters.

Photo Shoot - Celebrating V's 2nd Birthday!

OK, please note I paid $$$$ for the shoot, so this is not some paid advertising by the photographer. If you are interested in the photographer, please go to www.tomato.sg. Their rates and works are published on their website.

Updates updates and updates

1) My chocolate cake and muffins turn out GREAT! I'll be making them in near future, and I definitely want to try new variation, since both worked as great base recipes (then again, how wrong can you get with betty crocker's instant cake mix - just don't try other brands!).

2) V had a HFMD scare - had low grade fever, mild diarrhoea and a blister on her tongue. I was stuck with her at home for 2 days, we can't go out and she can't spend her energy. It was the toughest 2 days I ever had spent with her! Anyway, it was a scare and *phew* she could go back to CC and I returned to work. Needless to say, I was buried at work the moment I returned but thankfully my siblings and cousins were around to entertain her even though I returned late.

3) Amidst all that drama of HFMD, V turned 2! Yup, my sweet princess is now officially into her terrible twos. Just trying to get her diaper-ed and dressed up every morning is a chore, I estimate we spend a good 1 hour coaxing her to get dressed! She's been running a mild grade fever for the past few days, not sure if it's flu (running nose) but I have to watch out for any signs of HFMD since the CC gave out a letter on 9th saying that 2 kids from the CC came down
with HFMD.

4) Spend over 1K at our southern island of our island for a 3D 2 N stay. It went surprisingly well, V took to the room immediately, unlike the way she fussed and wanted out from the other 5 star hotel we spent 1 night on our sunny island. Speaking of sunny, yes, it was sunny, but come 3 to 4pm, the dark clouds loomed and yes, lo and behold, our ever faithful thunderstorms never ceases to amaze us. We did managed to go to the Underwater World on the first day, and exited into this terrible thunderstorm. We were all slightly wet, thanks to the massive crowds and not very effective shelters. We went to the Dolphin Lagoon on the second day (apparently 1 ticket gets us admitted to both underwater world and dolphin lagoon) and I got suckered into paying $15 for an "interactive" session - basically pat the dolphin, smile at the camera and we get 1 photo as souvenir. When we get around to getting a new scanner (my beloved CX5900 epson died on me just after I got 1 whole batch of new inks!), I'll post up a pic, or I'll link if my hubby has any on his blog later :P)

5) In the absence of the helper, I'm now the main caregiver at home. Let just say I'm more "maternal" than ever. I spent a good 30 minutes trying to "dig out" the mucus stuck in her nose (green, prob need to see her PD if it gets worse) and cutting her fingernails. I can't tell you how proud I am of my achievement. Perhaps I should consider working part-time once #2 comes out out, but I think I need to settle my work comittments first. We also decided not to renew the contract of our helper after her 2 year contract has expired for various reasons and we are now looking for a new helper. Wish us luck to finding a good helper who loves V and #2!

6) Last but not least, we went for a photo shoot to "celebrate" V's birthday and it was really really good! I'll post up some of my favourite photos in the next post.

Baking!

It's one of those days that I feel the intense itch to bake ... I have bought Nigella Express almost 1 year ago and I still have not baked anything from the recipes, so I decided "Just do it!"

For the inaugural recipe from Nigella express, it's the banana butterscotch muffin, which of course, as usual I'll tweak the recipe somewhat.

I've melted butter in place of vegetable oil, used chocolate chips in place of butterscotch chips and replaced 50g flour with 50g quick cook oats.

The results? no idea, it's still in the oven and I'm not too hopeful. The mixture was thick and clumpy. I always thought muffin batter/ mixture was much more liquidy than this :P anyway we'll know tomorrow.

Meanwhile, my chocolate banana nutella chocolate cake is done, but it's still cooling away. It's made with Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge cake mix, with some changes as usual. Milk replacing water, and melted butter replacing oil (you can tell I really dislike using oil in my baking) and for my own variation, added 3 mashed up bananas, 1 big dollop of nutella into the mix, 1 big dollop of nutella in the middle of the cake with semi sweet chocolate chips, and then topping up with more batter and more chocolate chips. I sure hope it's good :P

Photo (1)

This was taken at the Singapore Zoo last week!

Yet another milestone ...

V is progressing at an astonishing rate ...

Today she uttered the phrase "I want apple" to me, and I was very happy. Just the other day, I was asking her to help me to look for my bag, she went "find mama bag". Today she saw Mr Bean on TV and she went "ah bean!"

She can say "aeroplane sky" but won't say her own name (after all aeroplane and Vanessa are both 3 syllabus words). I guess it's a matter of time ...

We went for a photo shoot today and she was basically "so thrilled" by the photographers she was busy smiling for them (and she doesn't do it for us!). I sure hope she has some great shots so we can print an album for the grandparents to coo at her pictures (she's turning 2 next week).

Terrible Twos?

V is changing her habits like lightning and often I am caught offguard.

1) She now starts her protest from home, refusing to sit in the carseat and crying on the way to CC. She used to start her protest the moment she steps into CC.

2) This morning my hubby dropped her off at the CC, she started clinging on to him, her mouth all downturned ready to start wailing. She did wail as I could hear her cries from outside. When the hubby returned to the car, I asked him and he complained that V did cry, but not for him. She wanted the teacher to carry outside for a walk! *rofl*

3) She is on a milk strike - she only had her usual feed at 7am and throughout the whole day refused milk. She had her nutella bread i packed for her, 2 portions of morning tea and 2 portions of lunch (she asked for more each time she finished her food), then when she reached home at 4pm, wanted rice (she can say 'rice') so they hurriedly cooked for her, she finished 1 and the half bowl of rice. When I came back at 7pm, she was eating again, from my sister's plate (she wiped out 90% of my sister's portion who is a small eater). Then when my hubby came back, she again ate a few spoons of rice from his plate. All this excluding the fact that she already had helpings from her cousins' dinner plate earlier before we reached home. I sure hope she takes her milk tonight! I mean, yes, she drinks quite a fair bit of milk 240ml (8 oz) 4 to 5 times a day but to suddenly drop a few feeds, I am worried if she is getting enough nutrients etc etc etc.

4) She is starting to "streak" again. Last night after I finished bathing her, she refused to put on her clothes and basically streaked in circles around me. *haiz*

Last Trip to the Zoo ...

Well, that's because our family annual membership to the zoo will expire end of the month, and given our schedules, this was the last week we could make it to the Zoo.

My hubby complains about it, that I spend the $$ on the membership, then never go for it, and then make frequent trips at last minute to utilise it. He is just as guilty as me, since he never did quite want to go for any outings on the weekends (he wants to sleep in late till 9 plus). Anyway, we did chalk up enough visits to make it worthwhile, and today, we managed to catch one of the animal feedings. It cost us $23 - $5 for the plate of 4/ 5 sticks of veggies and $18 for the photo they took of us. I am waiting for the hubby to download the pictures so I can convienently link it - I forgot to bring my camera today, or rather I seem to have misplaced it :P

The reason is obvious enough why I'm not renewing the membership (#2 will be popping out in a few months time) but I wonder if V will miss her visits to the zoo. She does complain about the smell, eg when we visit the primates or the zebras, but she seems happy to see the animals (especially when waving bye bye to them). If she does miss her visits to the zoo, then will she blame #2 for it? *sigh* Perhaps I should reconsider when #2 is out.

Off to school!

In the short span of 2 weeks, so much as happened.

1. Vanessa started child care on 2 March. She was happy as a lark, so much so until I felt so useless as a mummy. Everyone praised her, including the principal, the teachers and my fellow mummies. She stayed for 1/2 day, from 8:00am to 1;30pm. She dutifully finished her all her milk, the tea, the lunch given. So much so even her teacher was "astounded" and asked if they should remove the milk feed before her lunch. I told her "no" because V has a mind of her own, and if she doesn't want to eat/ drink, she won't eat or drink. To see her in her uniform, see my hubby's posting here

2. So the following monday, we tried letting her nap and then I picked her up at 4pm, after they had their afternoon tea when they wake up from their nap. She was still very good, the teachers praised her again, that even though she didn't nap for long, she laid on the mattress and didn't fuss.

3. The childcare had an outing to a farm! So I went with her, it was quite fun, she seems to enjoy herself, even petting the rabbit! The teacher was kind enough to help me carry her when I was out of breadth, or rather, tired from trying to catch fishes from the "longkang"! I only caught 1 (so miserable) when I saw the other parents hauling loads into their kids' pails. Anyway, the place was kind enough to top up extra fishes when we all went home, and they are all now happily settling into my water feature (just nice, since all my guppies died).

4. Then .... the crying started, she would cling on, refuse to go to the teacher as per normal. So much so that even the teacher was shocked (since she was so happy to follow them in the first week). Well, it's not better although I was secretly happy for a while. So it's still half day for her at the child care, until she settles. It got so bad on Friday then I cried along with her too!

5. Next week will be bad because I will be very busy at work and I am not sure if I could even have time for lunch, what's more to go and pick her up. How bad, last week I had no time for water and pee break. My phone has lots of missed calls that I couldn't even finish calling everyone back. I could only complete my emails and email enquiries. I dread the coming Monday, but I rather be done with it then to grind my teeth in stress. If anything, I'm more worried about how V is going to cope with child care next week.

6. She had a small birthday party today, it was fun and I think she had fun too. Although she wasn't feeling too good, but she went on to participate in the activities and she even blew out her own candle without any help! Yes, this is a real proud mummy!!!!!! Then ... *haiz* she came down with fever, 39.2! She's now "labelled" with fever coolpatch - one on her forehead and one on the nape of her neck, and with the medication, it seems better. I will have to check her temperature later again to make sure it's not shooting up again. I guess she will be missing her cousins' birthday celebrations tomorrow and school for the coming monday, but let's see how fast she recovers. She's on a growth spurt now, asking for 240ml every 4 hours, on top of her solid meals.

7. Speaking of meals, Takashimaya is having their baby fair and I walloped her usual Pigeon food - I'm $200 dollars poorer, but well, it's quite a fair bit of savings! 20% plus 10%! And she had $6 worth of porridge earlier :P As long as she's eating (with the fever) I'm not complaining.

8. Oh she went for her MMR jab finally. She's now 13.2kg and 84cm tall (I think). It's getting tougher to carry her but she's easier to manage, as in I'll carry her for a short while, she will walk a little way when I asked her to, and then carry her again. She seldom struggles when I carry her (thankfully) so it's not so bad.

9. She's still kissing my tummy on and off, and addresses herself as "mei mei"/ "baby" (in relation to her cousins) and occasionally as "jie jie". We are trying to break the habit of calling her "baby", but really, it's quite difficult :P But I am sure it would be as bad as in my case of my SIL, who were called "baby" by my FIL well into her adulthood :P

10. My birthday wish for my girl? To be always happy and contented. There's a long list more of what I would wish for, but for now, I guess it would suffice.

Busy busy bee

1. Woke up before 8am this morning, and logon to settle some work email, my bintan trip booking and my maid air ticket booking.

2. Finally settled everything by 8:45 am and hubby was hopping cuz I promised to send him to work. I hustled the maid to change and then we all rushed out of the house.

3. Dropped the hubby off at 9:05am (he was 5 min late) and off to the zoo we go! We dropped by the petrol station to pump gas plus get some light breakfast / water.

4. Reached the zoo at 9:30am (i think) and phew, there were plenty of lots still! So we zoomed right in and since we decided we were going to talk (no tram rides!), we headed straight to the "australia outback" with some stop overs, including the pygmy hippo (breakfast stop too!) and the white tigers.

5. We managed to catch part of a show (not the splash one) and V was quite engrossed. We headed next to the splash show but the strong fishy smell put me off, so I ran away from it!

6. We took a break at the Ah Meng restuarant, and we had chicken rice for lunch (at 11:15am). By 11:40am, we were off to check out the orang utans, the polar bears and some gibbons. By the time we were done with the gibbons, V was already in dreamland, so we decided to head home.

7. The moment V was put on the car seat, she woke up and was so awake (5 min power nap!). So we decided to drop by the mandai orchid garden (no plants to buy!) but the flowers on display were pretty. We headed for orchid ville instead since I was quite determined to get some flowers :P

8. We found orchid ville!!! Bought 2 plants, 1 Vanda Miss Joaqium and 1 er, i forgot. Anyway we bought some cut flowers since I wanted to go to the colombarium nearby to put some flowers for my Dad. V was v good, she even wave and blow kisses at my dad picture when we were leaving.

9. Reached home at 1:45pm. V refuses to sleep after a shower. She's streaking around!

10. 2:45pm! Time to go! Off I zoom with V to her playgroup at Kids Loft. Almost got lost, but I did find the place! She fell asleep in the car (for 5 min) and then when we reached, I had to wake her up since I couldn't handle everything. The teacher, Lavina, came to help and V recognised her! She follow the teacher into the classroom, and within 15 mins, back to her perky, cheeky self. Man, the way she was participating in the class, you can't tell she has a serious lack of sleep! But I credit Lavina for engaging her very well!

11. Home at 5:10pm. V is now in the room, with the maid trying to lull her to sleep, but it's been 30 minutes, and I still hear her talking and making loud noises in her room.

12. Time for my bed. Will post up some pics and videos later if I get to it =)

A pain in the butt

.. literally. With this #2, my butt muscles hurt so badly I had to call in the massage lady to give me pre-natal massage once i hit 16 weeks. I just couldn't bear it anymore. The ache is especially bad in the right side, so much so I can hardly sleep on my right side. It also affects my body so much that I wake up in the middle of the night because my body was feeling so miserable. One of the "solutions" I came up was to lean more towards the front, so the pressure is off the butt, but it means more weight will be on my tummy. I doubt I can carry this method for long, but at least it gives me a more restful sleep.

Probably in a few weeks time, I'll make it a weekly massage session instead of once every fortnight. There's only so much my body can take, especially when baby is so active now (I felt #2 kick as early as week 12) so I need all the rest I can get.

It's probably time for me to stock up on chicken essence too - been feeling really weak and tired, despite going to bed early. It doesn't help when I wake up in the middle of the night, and spending over 1 hour trying to find a comfortable position to sleep on.

Going Potty!

We have started to train V on the potty (well the throne to be exact) ... she's will to poop on the throne but it comes to the pee ... *sigh* ... we can coax and cajole her for 30 minutes, she refuses to pee while on the throne. After we put the diaper on, she turns to me, point at her diaper and say "wet". Yes, she peed on her diaper ... for some strange reasons, she just doesn't want to pee without her diapers ...

HELP!!!

22 and almost half months old

The other day i just realised V turned 22 months old (3 days late) but I was so caught up with work I didn't really sit back and count the "milestones".

She's a bit more vocal now, crazy about chocolates still and a lot more "loving".

For Valentine's Day, my hubby got this deal off the web, he paid $10 for a night stay at a 3 star hotel. Wait, don't go "wah" yet ... his colleague got it for $1!!! I am not kidding, 1, ONE, Singapore dollar. Too bad I had a meeting that afternoon, so I couldn't take leave in the afternoon, though my boss was nice to let me off slightly earlier from work.

The hotel is new, and frankly speaking, I thought it was pretty decent, although it reminds me a little of the Japan's corporate hotels (no frills). The bathroom is tiny, but it's still bigger than what you get in Japan! The room was of a decent size, but no way we could put in a cot.

Anyway, we decided to take this opportunity to "test" market - that is take care of V on our own for 2 nights and see how it goes. This is in preparation of our helper's 2 weeks return to her hometown, and we are wondering how she will react. Needless to say, since she beds in with the helper, she was whining for the helper at night. The hubby took care of that, he brought her out for walks and they would returned with her fast asleep on his arms/ shoulder. the same thing happened on both nights, she would wake up suddenly after being put on the bed and wanted to go for the "walk" or "outside" again (based on her finger pointing). The first night i carried her and hum her favourite tune when she was a baby, that soothed her but she took a while to fall asleep. As usual, since I am blind at night, I couldn't tell if she was asleep, I had to inch my way to the light source (the tiolet) and peer at her. Anyway she was kind enough to let me sit on the bed to rock her to sleep after a while, and when she finally fell asleep, I propped myself against the bed, with her sleeping on my chest. Not that she was whining, but I missed it. I missed the times when she would fall asleep propped against my chest, listening to her breathing and smelling her hair. When I was dropping off to sleep, I put her to bed but she refused to sleep in between us for some reasons. So we ended sleeping L-shaped, and her feet near to the edge of the bed. Some sixth sense woke me later and her feet was dangling off the bed! I managed to shift her back into position and she continued sleeping. In the morning, she was quite funny - she woke up and checked "mama!" I answered her and then she went "papa!" then the hubby replied to her. Satisfied, she went back to sleep for 2 good hours, before we woke her up for breakfast.

The second night, after our expensive Valentine's dinner (I spent close to $200), we came home and she was in a good mood, although she kept asking about the dogs and the helper. When she woke up from the first walk, i asked the hubby to carry her and I promptly fell asleep. When she was finally deep enough in her sleep, the hubby put her on the bed, but she again insisted on sleeping in her way. So we ended up in a H-shaped, her head butting my ribs, and her feet landing on the hubby's face. She tossed a bit at night, so she headbutted my tummy, my ribs, my shoulders, my chest ... it was no fun, but I doubt it would be any better if her feet was on my end! I'm glad to say we survived it, and she enjoyed herself. When the helper returned home today, V was stunned for a minute when she saw her. But as usual, soon after, glued to her like a fly on a fly paper. However, I am pleased to note that she wanted me to brush her teeth for her!

She'll be heading off to childcare soon, in preparation for the #2 arrival. Not that I really want her to go so early, but for practical reasons and since I cannot possibly work part-time now, it seemed like the best solution to get her used to childcare first. #2 will arrive sometime in June/ July, and I don't think the helper can cope with 1 toddler, 1 baby and 2 dogs. Hopefully things would have settled down at work enough to allow me to work reduced hours so I can spend more time with V, but I really highly doubt so. Having 16 weeks of maternity leave is already more than what I could ask for (well I did hope for 6 months!) and given the current situation at work, I cannot extend my leave period, so let's see how things work out for these few months.

Oh and ya, #2 is along the way =)

Evan has arrived!

Everyone says hello to my brand new nephew, Evan, 5 lbs 14 oz, 19 inches),borned on Sunday Jan 18, all natural, no epidural.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/88929566@N00/3210734321/in/set-72157612719551223/

Amazed!

Sometimes I can't help but be amazed by V.

Hence the 'rare' occasion for the post today.

We were playing on my bed today and I was shaking the plastic cup 'macaras' she made in one of her GUG session. She was holding on to my jar of face cream, which obviously didn't make any rattling sounds when she try to shake it together with me.

She suddenly zoomed into my old jewellery box, which used to hold some buttons. I though she lost interest in the sing and rattle thingy I was doing with her and wanted to play with her buttons, so I fetched the other box where all the buttons are contained in now. She took some buttons and put into the empty jewellery box. Then she looked up at me and grinned. She shook her box and made some rattling noises with it.

Yup, this mummy was stunned for a little while when I realised what she did. And yup, this mummy is really, really proud of her little princess.

Turning 21 soon ...

21 months old that is ...

V has crossed some milestones of sort ... she will actually dance to Barney when they are dancing, and once the song "I love you, you love me ..." comes on, she will dash around hugging us.

She can imitate some words when we are trying to teach her.

In addition to her previous list of words, she can say
1. walk walk (sounds like wok wok :P)
2. egg egg
3. blue
4. yellow

She can doodle pretty well, she draws quite a fair bit of circles and wavy lines. I've just bought some paint brushes, and probably will go to diaso to get some of the canvas (they sell pretty decent ones for $2) so she can doodle her art and then we can frame it up.

I'm trying to teach her to sign "please open for me" so that she can start linking up words. I'm not sure if it's the right thing to do, since there's this debate that kids who sign will start to talk much later. But really, is that a bad thing? I admit I am worried about her not talking yet (compared to the long list of words my gf listed for her gal) but each child starts on their own pace, and even if she doesn't really want to talk, it doesn't mean I should stop teaching her things. That reminds me to print out the cards that I did some months back :P The Zoophonics pack still haven't arrived after a few months so i made my own version. Time to start putting some effort at the homefront!

hand in hand, just not yours!

V has this funny thing about holding hands.

She can walk hand in hand with mummy, but Daddy cannot hold hands with mummy at the same time! Mostly she will complain and forcefully remove his hand from mine. Sometimes we try to trick her, as in daddy wants to walk hand in hand with her too, so he will make a grab for my hand which is holding hers. She will remove his hand and occasionally allow him to hold her other hand. Sometimes she will try to to chase him away or rather flap him away, sometimes she will hasten her pace and pull me along.

This morning we tried the trick again, but it didn't work. She was happy as long as he was holding my other hand. She even gave him a cheeky smile and wave!

Is she possessive? I think so!

Happy New Year - in advance!

In case I forget again (I just remembered I forgot to give my hubby the christmas card I got last year - again), here's Vanessa wishing everyone a very happy new year.

May the new year bring good news and joy to you!

Have yourself a blessed Christmas!

Tra-lah-lah-lah, lah-lah-lah!

Merry Christmas to all, and may we all have a better 2009, despite all the gloomy forecast.

Take joy in what we have, and faith is what keeps our hopes alive.

Sorry no pics of V doing her reindeer stunt again =)

on the mend

Vanessa seems to be better this morning before I went to work. However, closer to noon, her fever went up to mid 38s to 39. So I applied for urgent half day leave to go home to help look after her, since we couldn't send her to my mum's house today. Her cousins are over at my mum's house and they will be leaving in a few hours for their holidays.

Thankfully she's better now, in the low 37s, but .... then I started nursing a headache. Took my temperature and it's in the low 37s too. Hopefully it will go away by itself, and it won't develop into a full blown flu germs infested Christmas for me.

I am just very exhausted and am looking forward to a nice little break for the Christmas. Hopefully this wish will be granted :P

Fever, cough and cold

Vanessa's running a fever and cough for 4 days, plus a running/ blocked nose for 2 days.

She started on Augmentin (antibiotics) yesterday, and she had a bad case of diarrhoea this morning, her diapers leaked and it stained her clothes and her bedsheet. Her fever was hovering about 38.5 so we started ibuprofen in place of panadol. Her forehead is plastered with koolfever and her bed now has a water cushion to help bring down her body temperature. She's still quite active, but her appetite is gone. She mostly only wants milk, eating only little solids. I've bought some yakult for her to help with her tummy troubles.

She missed my ma jie's 81st birthday celebration lunch today, but I didn't want to risk her passing the virus to the other kids since 2 of them were flying off for a holiday in a day's time, or worse puking her milk/ lunch over the birthday "girl". 

If her fever is still in the mid-38 to 39 range, I'll probably have to "harass" the PD again. I'll probably need to ask if I could give her some expectorant to help get rid of the phelgm. It sounds really, really bad when she coughs.

Seems like a really woefully germs infested Christmas =(

Step 2 USA - 50's Diner

One great thing about staying in USA, you can get great stuff for kids from Step 2 at a price that we will never ever get in Singapore. Sometimes I wonder why is the price discrepancy so great, but then again, we win some, we lose some.

Anyway, for Christmas, I wanted to get a kitchen set for my niece in USA, but the one I wanted was out of stock. So after considering some items, I decided on the 50's Diner. It looks quite fun, with a serving area too. The clincher was ... free shipping :P

This is the link for the 50's Diner: http://www.step2.com/product.cfm?product_id=1561

I thought it would be a great gift, just by the sheer number of awards it has won:

Awards:

• Toy of the Year Award, Family Fun, 2008
• Platinum Award, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, 2008
• Top Pick, Today's Parent Magazine, 2008
• Three-Star (Highest) Rating, Canadian Toy Testing Council, 2008
• All-Star Holiday Toy, Toy Wishes, 2008
• 'Best Toys' winner, Parents Magazine, 2008
• Best Products of 2008, iParenting Media Awards

Look at the stuff that comes with the toy:

• Kitchen includes oven, grill, fryer, icebox for storage and sink for cooking and cleaning
• Patron side features attached booth-style seating for dining and can also watch the cook
• Electronic service bell lets the server know when kitchen orders are ready for serving
• Silver-metallic divider window gives the diner a classic retro feel
• Retro style tabletop features a jukebox that plays three 50s-style tunes
• Special griddle pan and coffee pot activate electronic sizzling and bubbling sounds on the stove's front burner
• Accessories include: coffee pot, griddle pan, dishes, silverware, cups, spatula, ice cream scoop, sundae dishes, deep fryer, and ketchup & mustard bottles
• Play food includes: burgers, fries, hot dogs, ice cream, cones, sundae fixings and pie

And it comes with a jukebox!

Maybe it just reminded me of "Happy Days" ... *sigh* who can forget Fonzie?

I just hope the recipient enjoys the gift!

Christmas Madness

It's a mad rush to buy the presents, so I didn't really put much thought into the gift selection this year. It's more of generic gifts, so just ran into the stores, grab some items and ran home again.

Just finished wrapping all the presents and were doing a count, and I realised to my horror *sigh* I forgot to get a present for Vanessa. What kind of mummy am I? Think tomorrow will be a mad dash to the shops to get something for her, but at this point of time, my brains are not functioning very well!

*help*

*stressed*

Halloween pictures

The place where we stayed had a Halloween party, so I thought we could be creative and save some $$ and make our own costumes for the kids.

1. Asher's costume were bought, it's probably the best thing we did.

2. Anjanette and Vanessa had similar costume, which were made by a FEW people. My sister, my brother, my mum and my aunt all chipped in. I just bought the materials :P Next time, I'm just buying the costumes. not going to make it - just not within my abilities. I'll just stick to hairclips :P

Miss Pumpkin Fairy sitting pretty next to a handsome magenta bear

The 2 sword fanatics (including one baby pumpkin fairy which isn't technically supposed to like swords?)

The 3 muskeeters


The handsome pirate and 2 pretty pumpkin fairies

D-I-Y facial accessory

All you need to do ...

1. dip it

2. eat it

3. easy right?

4. now you can have a chocolate moustache too!

Updated specifications

I took V to see the PD since she's not feeling too well (she's now down with fever, cough and a slight running nose).

She's only gained 5 cm in height since the last record at 7 months ago - the PD said he would expect 1 cm per month, so she's 2 cm short of his expectations, but it's OK.

I think she inherited her mummy's shortie genes =(

Anyway, her current specs at 20 months and 2 weeks:

Weight: 12.2kg (27 lbs)

Height: 82.5cm (32.5 inch/ 2.7feet)

My Cardbox House

Allo! Do you want to join me for some yummy baby rusks?

Sitting pretty in my cardbox house that mummy made for me! But I spoilt the table twice already =( mummy hasn't fixed it back for me. I think she's too busy with her work.

This is how the interior looks like without the accessories. Mummy used masking tape to tape all the cut edges so that I won't accidentally cut myself. She says paper cuts can be lethal too (you can guess which line she works in).

Costs:
Box: $10
Foam flowers/ bugs: $2
Masking Tape: $2

Pics Pics Pics

1. Taken at the Botanica Gardens - went for a walk after a yummy breakfast!

O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?

Why is Romeo taking so long?

2. Taken at Tanglin Mall - for the "show"

They are my favourite cousins!

Bunny ears for you?



Papa! Papa! Can we get a tree like this for our home?




*brrrrrrr* It's freezing ... FOAM!!

When there's no snow, make do with foam

In a way, I think Singapore's famous (or infamous) for the foam parties (I still remember the scene at Sentosa many year ago!) and now ... I think they starting younger.

We rushed back to my mum's place to pick up Vanessa, hustled my nephew Asher and niece Anjanette through a change of clothes, and then we rushed down to Tanglin Mall. We wanted to be early so we could get some dinner (my favourite Kimchi cabbage soup) before the "show". Just as we were finishing, my sister reached on time with her hubby (I doubt I could handle all 3 without shouting myself hoarse) so we proceed to the outdoor area for the show.

Well, first, there would be a gush of snow (yes, foam). We saw kids dressed in bathing suits, ponchos, wellington boots, etc, and we realised a little late that we were very unprepared. Once the foam starting gushing out of the machines, kids and parents alike rushed for it and well, it looked like a 'bubble bath' party. Vanessa was scared, and didn't even want to touch the foam. Only Asher went to played with it at the edge, but he didn't dare to immerse himself in the foam like the rest. I guess he knew we didn't have towels or spare change of clothes for him. If they want to go again, the parents will have to be armed more than a camera! It will have to include towel, extra clothes plus shoes. Perhaps, like other kids, ponchos and wellington boots too!

Then after some 15 to 20 minutes, it started to snow foam. They had blowers to blow it up into the air, it was really very nice, but I think Vanessa's skin is very sensitive, and she had red patches on her face soon after.

Photos? Well, to my dismay, I realise I do not have the data transfer cable for my handphone, so I'll have to wait for the hubby to help download all the pictures. We do have some very nice ones, or maybe soon, I will just get the mobile blogging thingy he has too, so it's easier to just shoot and post.

Maybe new pics over the weekend, but I suggest to check out his blog for pics first. I'm very _sure_ he would do that first before downloading my pics for me :P

a "new" song

I think I used to sing this song to Vanessa when she was younger, but it was somehow "erased" from my memory.

Anyway my repertoire of kiddie songs is super limited. You can't beat me. It's consist mainly of  1) twinkle twinkle little star 2) itsy wincy spider and 3) ring-a-round of roses (which was added only very recently).

Recently, during the GUG class, I saw this lyrics stuck on the wall, to be sung to I have no idea what tune. The lyrics reminded me though, of the song that I used to sing. It is that song I used to sing, but I can only remember 50% of the lyrics, so I made up some of it plus the actions :P

Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around (hand drawing circles)

Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground (pat the seat or the floor)

Teddy bear, teddy bear, say 'hello' (I made this up) (wave hello)

Teddy bear, teddy bear, love you so (I made this up too!) (place hand on heart)

Teddy bear, teddy bear, run upstairs (make running motions)

Teddy bear, teddy bear, say your prayers (clasp hands together)

Teddy bear, teddy bear, switch off the lights (flick the air)

Teddy bear, teddy bear, say 'good night' (head lean on hands to sleep)

I'm quite sure the 2nd half of the song is correct, but erm, you know what, my hearing is so bad I am not surprised if I heard it wrongly ... It doesn't really matter because she enjoys the song and the actions (she seems to like songs with actions) so I guess this should be the new favourite until I can learn some new songs :P

Teething problems

Yup, her second molars are causing us pain!

She has been really, really cranky for the past few days, and in one
of her slight better mood period when she was having her diaper
changed, I asked her if she's teething. She NODDED! I asked her if she
knew what teething meant, she nodded yet again. I asked again, "So....
you are really teething?" She nodded once again.

I'm still not sure if she knew what I was asking, but she sure was in
a nodding mood, compare to her "shake head first then decide later"
policy.

She let us checked her mouth for a mere 3 seconds before she clamped
it shut again. We spotted the telltale signs of the swollen red patch
behind her bottom first molar. In fact, I thought I saw a whitish
round thing under the gums.

Needless to say, her appetite and naps are all over the place, plus
the fact she's ultra cranky and whiny. I think we are in a rough ride
for a month or so :P

yes we are still here!

Work has been really really busy and I don't really have the energy to sit down and post after work. Even the weekends are spent catching up on sleep.

V is good. I was looking at some old pics and videos on my HP and tears came to my eyes. She has changed so much, from that chubby little baby to this slightly not too chubby girl. She is of course as adorable as ever, but hmmm, I think we need to work on  her temper/ stubbornness a little. She looks more like a little japanese girl these days, I guess, partly because of her eyes. Plus that wonderful wig we got her, and that sailormoon dress, i think we got the cute jap babe look down pat!

If you want some latest pictures of her and cannot wait for me to post, you can check it out on my hubby's bloggy at www.zitseng.com. He has this bloggy thing on his mobile ... sorry I'm kinda technologically challenged these days.