And it comes round again ...

Yes that flu bug is making another round in this family ...

First, V came down with a cough and cold, then it hit the Hubby. He didn't see the doctor until a few days later (he tried to see the doctor on the second day but the queue was too long - I did offer to bring him to a night clinic but he doesn't seem to remember it. Problem with asking him to see doctor or to do some things can be quite difficult - I don't want to be seen pushy or naggy and sometimes it erupts into tiffs, but how do I emphasize on the health of the kids and the family without grating on his nerves?). Now poor #2 is down with a really bad case of the virus and you can hear his wheeze/ chesty cough. He went to see the PD on Wed (developed a wheeze and cough on Tuesday) and now he's back on the nebulizer after I brought him to see another PD on Sat as it seems to have gotten progressively worse. I just hope V doesn't catch another round from #2. Hubby still has not recovered and I'll probably drag him to see another doctor if he's still coughing badly tomorrow. Sometimes I guess I just have to bite the bullet.

I'm almost pumping exclusively now - 99.99%. This morning though, I tried to bf him, and after a few yelps of pain (he bit me!) he was doing well on the breasts. I have to remember to make more time for him though ... V takes up so much of my time, I seldom have time to even hold or cuddle him. I need to practise more too (I really do think I am hopeless at BFing) since we have plans for a year end trip and it would be so much easier to latch him on than to use the bottles (not bringing the helpers or 1/2 the house). I am crossing my fingers and toes that it will go well. It's my first trip overseas (Sentosa dunch count) since I had V with the kids.

Daiso, daiso, i love you ...

Daiso, I love you! (probably much to the dismay of my hubby - not in terms of love, but in terms of $$$ i spend there)

I went there earlier, intending to get some gift boxes to house the cookies I baked for my girl's teacher but I ended up with gift bags instead - they look so girly and sweet!!!! I picked up something else too for my girl - they have these sticker books for $2 - peel the stickers and stick on the scenes, great to keep her occupied when she is fidgety in the car :P

Previously I went and grab some $80 worth of stuff (that's 40 items since each item is $2) and among them, i got 2 acrylic rectangular container which is now my cookie bar mould! I used it for my butter cookies and they were just the right size. They have graters, whisks and what nots that is perfect to add on to my ever expanding (but gaining dust) collection of kitchen gadgets. I buy my pets' toys and plants pots too, plus all the cute and wide ranging of stationery they have. I have been eyeing the bowls and plates they have too, but much to my hubby's relief, I have been RESTRAINING myself with much reluctance. Too bad my Ikea's dining set is still very much intact and they show no signs of being retired anytime soon.

They also have lots of Hello Kitty, Sanrio and toys for kids too. I bought this shape sorter from there some time back, and it came with 10 or more different shapes ... my girl is still playing with it now was it's a good investment - hopefully it's still intact for boy boy when he comes of age too :P

They even carry cosmetics and hardware - i got my concealer and pilers from there too ...

The stuff is so wide ranging and cool, it's a no brainer why i would spend at least an hour in there! BTW, i am the type who hates window shopping :P

help has arrived!

The second helper arrived yesterday and so far so good. My boy knows my cousin has left and that someone new is here so he is putting the second helper through a series of tests ... mainly she has to talk to him so he can coo back. He can smile when he wants to, and sometimes when I chit chat with him or he see his sister, he will smile. Occasionally he will giggle too, and I find it so highly amusing, especially when he does it after he has left his half digested milk on someone's shoulder.

#1 is still sick, and slightly feverish plus her cough doesn't seem to go away. So I off-ed her bedtime milk which may be why she takes such a long time to sleep (hungry) but milk (FM or BM) worsens the cough, so my poor gal just have to be hungry a little. #2 has a slight temperature too, so we are still observing.

With the additional help and that the hubby is at home too, I managed to churn out 3 batches of cookies. 2 batches of butter cookies, one original flavour (which my hubby prefer), the other is irish cream coffee flavoured (which I prefer) and 1 batch of oat shortbread. Personally I think my first recipe is good enough to be called a shortbread. The oat shortbread recipe which I took from a recipebook was somewhat oily. I am sure if I tweak on the original butter cookie recipe I have, the oat butter cookie would have been better - less oily and just the "melt in the mouth". I couldn't find my small kenwood mixer (think I left it at my mum's place) so I took out my brand new Braun food processor (I bought it as an excuse - on behalf of my hubby', a present for our wedding anniversary in a month's time) and worked with it. It wasn't too bad, but it's definitely not cut out for cookie dough work. It would have been great for something in a batter form, but nonetheless, the texture of my cookies turned out great too. I would say on par with my kenwood mixer.

#2 has turned 2 months old and I did take some pictures. Just that I've just gotten my new PC and the only time I get to logon is 1) bedtime - when I'm on my bed 2) pumping milk - I've set up a temporary station at my pump armchair with the old powerbook - so I haven't been able to download the pictures from my HP or my camera. He's now 6kg - I'm happy with his progress so far. The only thing that upsets me is that he tends to be colicky, and his tummy has lots of wind ... We can only try to massage his tummy as often as we can or cuddle him to sleep (with his tummy on my tummy) to soothe his discomfort. Otherwise, he is a happy baby. V is also very loving towards her brother, and often we have to stop her enthusiastic acts of love towards #2, especially now she is coughing quite badly. More often than not, she gets so upset when we tell her not to go so close to her didi that she bursts out crying. So we let her pat him a little and then bring her away to play her toys or do some colouring. V is of course upset when she sees me carrying him at times, but she would only display acts of unhappiness when she is sleepy or hungry. I'm not complaining about their relationship and how V is handling it. I think she is coping a lot better than I am, and I am very proud of her. Now, if I could only get serious about her potty training - I lost steam after she peed in the cardbox house I made for her and I had to throw it away.

Sleeping angels ... not

Remember I blogged earlier about how my girl will sleep in funny positions and how sometimes she snuggle up to the hubby? I couldn't resist taking some pictures, in fact, I'll probably want to take one picture a night!

Enjoy! *hehehe*

"Papa, my armpit pang or not?"

"Yes, very pang, until I fainted liao!"

"Papa, make space for me!!!"

"But ... I'm falling off the bed already!"

"He's my Papa. don't you dare to lay a finger on him! Mine mine!!!"

"...(happy)..."

The search continues and T2 starts!

We're been looking for helper #2 for sometime now, and so far no success. What I have encountered is pushy agents who insist that their girls are great and I need to give them a chance other than a cursory nod.

Well, would you employ someone who scratches her nose before answering you? Think Bill Clinton. Not only that, they all claim to be competent in infant care, and then when you see them carrying my boy, it's just simply not right. How do I compare? I had a chance to interview a indonesian transfer maid, and she had no issue in carrying my boy or changing the diapers, even though her last assignment was to care for the elderly for over 1 year. Compared that to few filipino transfer maids I had gone through, who were married with kids, she was 10 times better! The only problem is, I have 2 dogs, and she's uncomfortable with dogs. *sigh* So ... the search goes on and I know which agents to avoid.

V is sort of starting her T2 ... she is starting to throw tantrums at her cousins and starting to hit or kick out at us. Everything is "I want it now, I need it now". Unfortunately for her, I will say "no" and stick to it. If she continues her "need it now" tantrum, I just turn away and ignore her. Earlier, she hit the hubby, and I made her stand by the crib until she says sorry. Unfortunately for us, she's just as stubborn as me, and she refused to do so, even being made to stand at the spot for over 10 minutes. She was also sleepy (didn't sleep the entire day) so in the end, I told her she cannot hit us and she should say sorry (she still refused). I gave her a hug after the talking to and gave her milk. She was OK enough to smile after that and gave her daddy good night kisses and hugs (still no apology). She's also at a very sensitive stage, where when people say she is a naughty girl (especially her cousins or us), she would be hurt and come to us to say "Baby good girl" (referring to herself). So, we have to find out why, and then explain to her that she has to be gentle or that she has to share her toys with her cousins or that she cannot insist on grabbing the toys/ food. Just that, at this stage, sharing to them is a one way traffic as one mummy accurately puts it. We just have to work on it and be consistent with our messages.

V is very very sweet to her little brother though. The other day we were leaving the bedroom to have our dinner, when she suddenly stopped by her brother (he was sleeping in the rocker) and then lifted up one of his hands. Before I could stopped her, she kissed his hand and said "sayang didi". Other times, she would go to the person carrying Valentino and then kissed his head/ pat his head gently. I can't ask for more, really. I'll just have to pick my battles and remember that she's still a toddler - she cannot be expected to behave or listen to my instructions all the time.

I'm also trying plan my return to work - hopefully I'll be successful in getting helper #2 soon so that I won't need to worry about the 2 Vs and homefront when I need to get back to stressing over work.

Oh yeah, and I need to start taking picture of the 2 Vs soon and get my replacement PC soon.

Stretched ... beyond unimaginable limits

For those who think I am enjoying life at home, you are so so so wrong ...

After V was cooped up at home for 2 weeks with her cough and was better, she was sent back to childcare while we struggled at home with #2 and the nebulizer. Today we had to bring #2 back for a review, and I decided to bring V along, because her cough wasn't getting better and she was still vomitting her dinner/ last feed at night. On Tue night, when the helper was struggling with #2, I was helping out with the household chores, doing the laundry and washing the kitchen floor. The hubby shouted for help and I ran into bedroom, only to see V vomitting on the bed. Poor girl, she had vomit on her legs and her arms, but she wasn't crying her eyes out, so it made things easier. We said goodbye to yet another box of tissue, and moped up the vomit with her soiled blankie. We then swopped with the helper, hubby took care of #2, the helper cleaned up the bed (change sheets and pillow cases) while I cleaned up V. I decided then, something is not right with V's cough, despite the end of the antibiotics and the use of the medication.

So for the review today, V is wheezing, and whatever virus she has (could have gotten from #2) is now in her lungs, and she has to take a brand new set of medicine, including another type of antibiotics. I was so ... tired ... but I just hope whatever she has now, will be cleared up with the new batch of medicine. We have to keep an eye on #2, even though he's good now, because now he has green poop!

I've been surviving on 3 hours of sleep for the past 2 nights, not because I am busy playing computer games, but I simply can't sleep. I was wide awake from 2 to 5am last night (started pumping at 1am) and despite the relaxation CD, I was just listening out to the baby monitor for any cries from #2. I'm still wide awake now, and hopefully the hot cocoa will help me to sleep better.

So ... V is stuck with us yet another day at home and I really hope she doesn't get bored to tears (and please, I really cannot take another round of "It's Barney!" *argh*).

It's Barney Time and more

1. V was stuck at home for 2 weeks due to her cough - we literally watch her Barney DVDs (sent by my sis from US) multiple times, so much so she can tell what's the next scene and sing part of the songs. In fact, she can sing about 5 songs from the Barney CD in the car and only she is allowed to sing, she has banned us from joining in. At bedtime, she wants us to sing the "Barney song" which is the one that goes "I love you, you love we, we're a happy family ...." Yes, I am SICK of Barney, so when she went back to school this week, I was pouncing on the chance to watch all the recorded shows (thankfully there's the hub station)! In case you are wondering, I am surviving on a diet of 1) Naruto 2) Leverage 3) CSI (LV & NY) and 4) House (Seasons 3 & 5)

However, I must admit there is a positive thing about Barney. I always tell V "be careful" when she is doing notti things like climbing up the chairs or standing on stools. The DVD that we watched happen to have a section on "be careful" and I pounced on it to reinforce the idea of being careful. So sometimes when I tell her to be careful and she ignores me, I will just repeat the message "remember Barney says you have to be careful too?" She will turn and just smile at me but I think the message got through.

2. #2 is recovering, but he has to use the nebulizer to take his medication. Hopefully he recovers soon. He is coughing out lots of phlegm now and his breathing is still patchy at times when the mucus is stuck at the back of this throat. His breathing scares me at times, so if he makes a noise, I will go and check on him. He is quite funny now, he stares at us as if he recognises us. The other day, he was giggling to himself while sleeping on my lap. Yes, he's been smiling too, mostly in contentment after feeding or a nice bath. He did coo once or twice but not much of that. His hair is growing fast too!!!

3. Broke - after paying for the confinement nanny, the chinese herbs, etc etc, my poor dog Rascal has to go for an op too - that set me back another 1.5K so yes, I am broke. Not to mention all the PD bills and Pampers we had to buy because #2 had very bad diaper rash.

4. I'm addicted to Post Oats with Strawberry - i didn't like the honeyed ones because it had coconut in it and I hate that. I am waiting to try Oats with Almond next. Well, I was told it helps with the milk supply, let down and lost of weight, so I wanted to try it. Someone said 400 to 500ml of milk is possible at 1 go so I am just persisting to see if my reservoir could hold that much milk too :P So, on with the oats!

Random Thoughts/ Musings

1. Sleeping

My hubby had been very surprised by my sleeping habits since we had #1. Basically, from a heavy duty sleeper who requires a MINIMUM of 8 hours of sleep plus a minimum of 30 minutes of light dozing in bed before I finally wake up, it was an eye opener to him that I could survive on 4 hours of sleep daily when I had to pump.

Now, our sleeping habits are totally reversed. He's the heavy duty sleeper (however, he can survive on less than 8 hours of sleep, just that once he's sleeping, he's totally knocked out) and I'm the light sleeper. I get awaken even by lightning (yup, NOT thunder), and the slightest turn or cough by #1 sets me on "eyes wide open" mode. Now that I'm pumping for #2 at night at 4 hours interval (not direct latch - hear me out!), it gives me a little more than 6 hours of interrupted sleep. Basically I finish feeding at 9 to 10pm, I will get to sleep by 11:30pm (after 30 minutes of sleep inducing music and provided #1 doesn't wake up from her sleep for cuddling), then I will wake up at 1:30am to pump. It takes 30 minutes to finish pumping, but I will take another 2 hours to fall asleep (listening to the snore symphony isn't exactly going to induce me to sleep) and then I'll wake up again at 5am to pump or direct latch, if the timing coincides with the feed time. By 7am I'm wide awake (if I get to fall asleep by 6am) as hubby has to go to work and #1 has to wake up for milk feed and going to CC. Afternoon I get to nap another 1 hour or so. Direct latching at night gives me less than 4 hours of sleep, since he will wake every 2 to 3 hours for a feed, and it takes 30 mins for a feed, and another 1 hour to fall asleep. With this pump/ latch arrangement, I feel slightly better, since I have a bit more of sleep.

The upside about not being able to sleep though, I get to watch how #1 and the hubby sleeps. #1 rearranges her sleeping position every 30 minutes, and if I'm lucky, I'll get her head butts and the hubby is the unlucky one with her feet on his face/ head (not that he is aware though). Occasionally I'll watch how they slowly rearrange their sleeping positions to share a pillow or how she snuggles up to the space at the neck. Occasionally I have been surprised by #1 when she comes charging at me with her arms wide stretched (eyes closed) and then hug me to sleep. It somehow makes it slightly more worthwhile to lose some sleep!

2. Obsession with Milk

Strange thing about this time round, I'm only slightly obsessed with how much milk I have/ can pump out. As long as there's enough in the fridge for #2's 2 night feed and some extra for #1, I'm happy. I'll worry about the pump and store in fridge/ freezer when it comes to the time to go back to work. Also, I'm a PIS convert. My goodness, it's so much easier than a single electric pump. For extra $$ invested in a PIS is well worth the time and sleep saved! For me, it's money saved because I borrowed the PIS motor from a friend and I got brand new parts (including tubing) which came up to about $100 or so.

3. Eating

I've spent over $2K on chinese herbs, and since the 12th day of the confinement, I'm been having on a nightly basis (rotating): chicken with dom, chicken with martell, chicken with danggui, chicken with dong chong cao and chicken with pao shen (wild). All this is in addition to the soups I have for dinner, which includes black bean with pork ribs soup, chicken with dang gui and chicken with ginseng. Thankfully I'm not putting on a lot of weight yet - it just helps me to replenish my energy and "qi" according to the confinement lady. This time round, the cooking is much more suited to my taste buds (different CL) so I'm eating a bit more happily. At least now I am aware where I can get good chinese herbs and not being ripped off, and I am diligently trying to commit to memory some of the recipes (but given my brains, I'll forget in a day or 2). The CL also gave me some recipes which are suitable for the hubby (not everything I take is suitable for him!). The CL also made "ngoh hiang" yesterday which I was happily gobbling down ... it's a treat since a) I'm not allowed to eat outside food b) most of the confinement food is ginger/ garlic based.

4. Multi-Tasking

Yesterday, being a mummy to 2 kids gave a whole new meaning to multi-tasking. I was feeding #2 when #1 came in wailing (sleepy and hungry = super cranky) so I got the maid to scoop rice and add the pigeon instant food. She refused for anyone to feed her but me, so with one hand crading #2 head, the other hand was used to scoop rice to feed her (the poor confinement lady had to hold the bowl for me). #1's down with a cough so she's been home for the past 2 days, and this is the 3rd day running. Almost every day, she looks out from the bedroom and points to the swimming pool. It's just too bad she's been coughing badly and the weather is not favourable for her to swim (too windy or raining). Hopefully she recovers soon so I can bring her to the wading pool soon. For swimming, she has to make a date with the hubby :P She's also a bit cranky since she doesn't have playmates and frankly speaking, bored at home. But she's still very sweet, she was helping the maid to change the bedsheets earlier and helping me to do small tasks.

I'm not sure if I could love 2 kids equally, but #1 definitely is more loved as of now. We will see how #2 fares when he turns 2 in 2 years time!

Pictures of the latest addition -Ian

He ain't heavy, he's my brother ...

We had expected some fits or outburst of jealousy from Vanessa, especially since she did not see us or Valentino for the few days we were in hospital. Surprisingly, her reaction was very benign, and her first reaction upon seeing her baby brother was "Sayang didi" and she stroke his head.

For the past 2 weeks, Vanessa has been very good - she will kiss and sayang him, and she doesn't get jealous when I had to feed him. In fact, she is now used to me disappearing from the bed in the middle of the night, and in my absence, she will just snuggle up to the hubby (much to his delight I guess). She also told the hubby "don't disturb mummy" when he walked in to asked me some stuff while I was feeding Valentino.

I guess I was apprehensive about "introducing" the baby to Vanessa, since she was used to him being in my "tummy". She was quite loving while he was inside, kissing and hugging my tummy - but we had no idea how she would react once the "competition" is introduced. Plus the fact she's now 2 plus, she's supposedly in her terrible 2s, so I was wondering if it would be a lethal combination. All the worrying came to naught, since Vanessa is such a sweet natured girl, and so loving towards her little brother.

I can only say, Thank you Lord.

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!