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