Mummy Tracy's Journey of Motherhood :)

Separation Anxiety

2009-02-02T00:20:00.003+08:00

The 1st time i've ever heard abt this phrase "separation anxiety" was from a baby magazine which i was reading during the time when i was pregnant. Actually, separation anxiety refers to a stage that babies/toddlers might go thru in their 1st yr.

But guess wat? Now I'm the one suffering from separation anxiety :(

Tmr's the day when i'm gonna officially return to work. And tonight, my hubby & i had to pack up much of Matthew's clothes, diapers, milk powder & milk-bottles, stroller & toys, & then together we brought Matthew over with all these barang-barang so that my parents cld help take care of him.

Nonetheless, i'm sure Matthew's gonna hv a great & fun time at his grandparents' place :)

Our dearest Matthew.... Mummy & Daddy will miss YOU lots!!! Muack Muack!!! :)

Outing to VivoCity during CNY :)

2009-01-30T22:37:00.014+08:00

This year, my hubby, myself & Matthew did not go back to Malaysia for CNY visiting as Matt's still abit too young to endure the long car ride back.

Hence, while the rest of them travelled back to Malaysia on the 2nd day of CNY, the 3 of us stayed back in Spore & enjoyed our own little family time :)

In the afternoon, Bebe & i decided to bring Matthew out to Great World City for our lunch. As my sis-in-law's sis-in-law had passed down to us a baby carrier, i've decided to try it on for the 1st time to walk Matthew to GWC! :)

Look at how cool Matthew is in the baby carrier & with his new blue sun-hat!! :)

Later on that evening, we made our way to VivoCity to have our dinner.

We also brought Matthew to Toy 'R' Us to let him play with some toys ;)

Daddy with Matthew standing beside Thomas The Train!! :D

And with the Transformer-lookalike!! :p

We continued strolling at the PageOne bookstore... while Matthew turned from awakeness....

.... to sleepyness!!! :D

And then finally.... Home Sweet Home!!! :)

Chinese Lunar New Year - Part 2 :)

2009-01-30T22:19:00.008+08:00

Matthew's really having lots of fun gettin' angbaos during CNY!!! :D

See... Matthew's more interested in his angbaos than taking photos with Daddy & Mummy!! :p

And our family of 3 CNY photo :) Love it!!

Chinese Lunar New Year - Part 1 :)

2009-01-30T22:02:00.007+08:00

This year is our little Matthew's 1st CNY!! :) We've brought him back to my mum's place for the reunion dinner... look at the big spread of sumptuous food my mum has prepared for all of us!! :D

And here's our 2 dearest aunts joining us for dinner :)

For the rest of the night, we've also had a great time catching up with one another... as well as playing with little Matthew lohz!!! Heehee!!! :p

Patience with Me :)

2009-01-27T00:32:00.006+08:00

"Mummy & Daddy, there's something i wish to tell u...."

"I know that sometimes i've not been a good boy & i make a big fuss when u try to make (force) me to sleep.... :p

"But... pls be patient with me ok... I promise u i'll be a good boy (soon) & quit throwing tantrums :)

In our Red Tees Together! :)

2009-01-26T23:34:00.009+08:00

Last wkend, Bebe, myself & Matthew were dressed in red to attend church service together! :) Since it's the Chinese Lunar New Year coming round the corner, i've suggested to my hubby dat we cld wear our new Youth Net red tees which says "Love Your Neighbour" -- the verse of the year for our church :)

As we made our way to church for the morning service, i took some snapshots of our little boy observing his surroundings :)

At the bus-stop, Matthew's lookin' at the cars that zoomed past... :)

"Mummy, why is bus 14 taking so long to come?"

Daddy Bebe carrying our little red boy :p

Little Matthew's enjoyin' his bus ride with Daddy!! :D Look at how comfy he is!! Heehee!! :p

And Mummy ME carrying my dearest darlin' on the chartered bus to our church at Singapore Expo :)

Our family photo taken together after church service... say "Cheeze!!" :)

Matthew on Hello Kitty chair!! :p

2009-01-20T13:32:00.006+08:00

This entry is especially dedicated to Mummy KittyJean cos... u've bought me a Hello Kitty pink cushion chair from Build-A-Bear Workshop for Christmas, but my bearbear is Chocolate Chen... i.e. a BOY bearbear!! :p

Anyways, Matthew's bum fitted in nicely into the cushion chair, & so... these photos r reproduced here (as they r nicely taken by my sis-in-law!!) :D

I hope Matthew's not gonna be mad at me when he realises next time dat i've put him onto a Hello Kitty chair!! :p

Taking Care of MYSELF :)

2009-01-19T14:00:00.005+08:00

Just came across this article from BabyCenter... probably i can try them out! :)

After the intensity of adjusting to life with a new baby, many parents reach a point where they find they're like ostriches lifting their heads out of the sand to discover a wider world — the one they took leave of, temporarily, after the birth. The repetitiveness and endlessness of baby care can also be very different from the pace of work, especially if you're used to a goal-oriented job or lots of adult interaction.

Six ways to restore a little balance:

1. Join a parenting group. Look for a group that fosters your interests and offers lots of support through activities and resources. Check the listings in your local paper or at your library, your place of worship, or the doctor's office for meeting announcements. There are groups for breastfeeding moms, parents of color, working parents, book-reading parents, stay-at-home parents, and so on — or you might find (or start!) an ad hoc neighborhood group.

2. Go online. Keep in touch with friends or family by e-mail, network with other parents at sites like BabyCenter, or just check in on "the outside world" at news sites. Read parenting blogs — it can be reassuring to see how similar other peoples' problems are to your own.

3. Spend some time by yourself. Make sure you get a real break — a chance to relax, focus on yourself, and get inspired — at least once a week. Ideally, find half an hour just for you each day, maybe at nap time.

4. Read. Keep a book or magazine handy for those times when your baby naps. Even if it's just reading a few pages a day, you can "escape" to a world of fiction or learn something new.

5. Start a blog or a diary. Whether you choose to make your observations public or keep them private is up to you — simply recording them is a time-honored way to preserve your sanity. You can keep an online journal on BabyCenter.

6. Have an adult conversation. Whether it's over the phone or in person, chatting with a friend, relative, or your partner can re-energize you.

Reading the Newpapers :D

2009-01-17T11:30:00.006+08:00

Wat's a MAN gotta do 1st thing on a Saturday morning? ;)

Well, of cos to check out the news!!

And guess who's reading the newspapers???

It's none other than our matured, little baby Matthew!!! :p

Come, baby Matt!! Come take a photo with Daddy!! :D

Dinner Outing @ VivoCity! :D

2009-01-17T01:20:00.010+08:00

It was a great dinner outing juz nw with Sharon & Wang Er @ VivoCity!! :) Initially, i've wanted to organise a gathering with our previous "TAH club members", but everyone seems to be rather busy during this time probably due to the coming Chinese New Year :) So in the end, only we 3 gals cld make it for dinner together at The Mussel Guy restaurant ;)

After dinner, we proceeded to the Pacific Coffee for drinks & CONTINUE TALKIN'!!! :p Can't be helped lah... cos we've not met for ages & there's so much to catch up on!!

Hot topics of the nite include:
- Our jobs/studies
- Our pregnancies & babies (Sharon & me lohz!) ... AND...
- Weddings!! (Guess who??) :D

Here's a few shots we've taken together... :)

Me & Sharon :)

Sharon & Er :)

Er & Me :)

Hope we gals can meet up again real soon!! :)

Beary Christmas Tree! :)

2009-01-15T15:53:00.005+08:00

I've overlooked uploading these 2 pics which Bebe & i hv taken together with our little Matthew during Christmas at Suntec City :) There was a tall "Christmas Tree" made up of teddy bears donated to charity! ;)

By this yr during Christmas time, Matthew's gonna be 16mths old liao! Hope we can take even more pics by then! :D

Mr. Cool Dude, Matthew Chen! :D

2009-01-14T23:27:00.009+08:00

Here's our cool dude Matthew in the new clothes bought for him by Auntie Sharon!! :D

But my dear Matthew is drooling so much!! Hahaha!! :p *But still, Mummy love u lotz ok!! Muackz Muackz!!*

Daddy & Mummy "Alone-Time"! :p

2009-01-14T23:03:00.005+08:00

Ever since the arrival of Matthew, Bebe & i hv very much adjusted our previous lifestyle. Last time, we used to catch a movie almost every once (or twice!) a week! :p I used to tell my hubby: "I tink GV is really earning alot of $$$ from ppl like us who hv no other wkend entertainment!!" :p But nw, we hardly even go out to date, & if we can catch a movie juz once a mth, dat's oredi a luxury! Imagine we actually only watched DVDs at home on Christmas & New Year's Day!! :p

So anyways, last Wed, Bebe & i made an effort to go out for our "dating" :D

After a simple meal at the Vivocity foodcourt, we went to Haagen Daz for our ice-cream treat! :)

Altho it's juz a 2-3hr nite-out, i'm still glad Bebe & i got our own "alone-time" to be together... :)

Irresistible!! :D

2009-01-07T10:11:00.004+08:00

I can't help but wanna put up these pics as well cos Matthew is so charming when he smiles!! :)

More of Matthew's Flipping Pics! :p

2009-01-07T09:25:00.011+08:00

Ever since our dear boy has learnt hw to flip up on his tummy, he has been doing so WHENEVER he cld!! Even when there were "obstacles" in his way, he wld try to "bulldoze", & at most, he wld fall asleep while he's only halfway thru his flipping attempt!! :D

This is 1 good example :p

And when he woke up... he continued his flipping!! :D

It's really such a joy to watch my son growing up... ;)

How fast Matthew has grown!! ;)

2008-12-29T15:06:00.009+08:00

Comparing these photos... i realised hw much my son has grown! :)

Taken when Matthew was juz 12 days old...

And nw at 4mths old!! :)

Matthew is Turning Over!! :D

2008-12-29T13:49:00.008+08:00

Nw at 4mths old, Matthew has learnt hw to turn his body over & with his head raised up on his own too!! :)

Clever boy!!! :) Ok, Mummy shall reward u with her Hello Kitty crackers!!! :p

How To Keep Your Sanity As A Mum

2008-12-26T13:53:00.005+08:00

I juz read an article from the January issue of SimplyHer magazine, which Sarah Tan, a former Channel V presenter, gave her tips on "How To Keep Your Sanity As A Mum".

And i seriously tink those r really sensible tips :) Hence i've decided to blog them down so dat i'll rem them (in case i forget!!) :p

Tip #1 - Have a sense of humour.
- I'm now laughing more than i ever did!! :D

Tip #2 - Having a supportive partner is important.
- Yesss, Amen to this! Thank God i've got a wonderful husband whom has supported me tremendously in every way!! I Love You, Bebe! :)

Tip #3 - You don't have to do everything yourself.
- I may need to work on this abit. Sometimes i still feel like i wanna look after my baby 24/7 myself :p

Tip #4 - Accept that your figure will not be the same again. And be fine with it.
- I hope this tip sinks into my head!! Haha!! :p

Tip #5 - Be self-indulgent once in a while.
- Hopefully my hubby & i can go for a spa/massage together soon to relax ourselves!! :)

Blessed Christmas To All! :)

2008-12-24T13:07:00.003+08:00

Here's wishing everyone a very blessed & joyous Christmas!! :)

From Hubby, Me & Matthew the Reindeer!! :p

Chinese New Year clothes!! :D

2008-12-23T23:44:00.003+08:00

Bebe & i went shopping for Matthew's CNY clothes juz before i flew to HK for work.

Look at wat we've bought!! :D Matthew looks so handsome & absolutely adorable in it!! ;) We juz can't wait for CNY to come next mth!! :D

Gifts for (& from) my Hubby & for Matthew! :)

2008-12-23T23:18:00.008+08:00

Time flies... my darling Matthew is gonna be 4mths old tmr on Christmas eve! :)

Last week when i was in HK for my IA training, i've managed to buy 2 pairs of shoes for him! Look at these... aren't they cute? :D But too bad both were the last pieces!! So i cldn't get even an extra pair for Sharon's little boy Ethan :p

And also, for this year's Christmas gift, i've bought a pair of brown Birkenstock sandals for my dearest hubby! :) Afterall, i'm wearing exactly the same design of the Birkenstock sandals except dat it's in pink! :) Couple-wear mah!! :D

In return, my hubby has bought something for me which i really NEED, & dat's a blue NIKE sports bra!! Hahaha!! Cos i've been "complaining" to him dat i've grown fatter after given birth to Matthew, & i really need to be back in shape!! (Btw, FAT is also a shape!) :p

So nw, i can head back to my True Fitness gym & start running on the treadmill again!! Wish me luck!! :D

Father & Son Look-Alike! :p

2008-12-23T00:16:00.003+08:00

I'm totally amused by this picture which was juz taken during the Christmas church service over the wkend. Matthew was being cranky & started to sob, while Daddy Bebe tried to be "funny" & sobbed alongside with Matthew!!

The result -- a super COMICAL photo!! :p

Dun they both look so alike??!

Mummy back from Hong Kong! :)

2008-12-22T23:54:00.005+08:00

Finally, after being away for 6 days in Hong Kong for my IA training, i'm now back in S'pore with my dearest Matthew juz a few days ago! :) How i missed him so during my work trip!! I still rem dat day before i left, i cld not bear to leave my bb, dat i continued to play with him until i've juz 1.5hrs left before i'm due to board my flight!! :p

Everyday, i wld call back from HK to my hubby to check on my little darling, whether he has been a good boy at home, or if he's playing or sleeping, etc etc :) I was especially happy when i cld hear my bb's laughter over the phone!! How i wished i cld hug & kiss him right then!! :)

Anyway, i'm so, so glad i'm home again... & in time to spend "dong zhi" with my family & my precious bb :)

Little Santa! :)

2008-12-08T23:40:00.006+08:00

Juz over the wkend, my 2nd aunt treated us to a buffet high-tea at Zhou's Kitchen @ Novena Square 2!! :)

And look at who is my 2nd aunt carrying!! :D

It's Little Santa Matthew!!! Heehee!!

And my sister Angie with Matthew... :)

Last but not least, my dearest hubby with a very upset Santa!! :p

Hello Kitty Weekend! :)

2008-12-04T16:51:00.013+08:00

Hmm... I haven't had a chance to update my blog for quite awhile, cos i've been really busy taking care of my little boy. Nw dat Matthew is oredi 3mths old, he's even more alert than before & i've got to keep him occupied during his playtime :)

Anyways, 2 wkends ago, our whole family went out to the Ritz-Carlton Millenia Hotel to enjoy our dinner buffet there at the Greenhouse, in celebration of my father-in-law's bday! :)

Tho i have no pics to show u all the wonderful buffet spread (nw dat we hv a young baby, our meals hv to be taken quickly lest he wakes up, or we juz hv to take turns to entertain/feed our boy), but this is a pic of the "Birthday Boy", together with my hubby & our little Matthew! :D Any resemblence?? Heehee!! :p

And this is me & my handsome boy... :)

Ohh!! Another happy thing dat happened last wkend was dat i purposely requested to Bebe dat we bring our dear Matthew to Bishan Junction 8 to watch the Hello Kitty Christmas Fairytale performance!! :D But actually, it's for my own enjoyment really, hahaha!! :p

And we r so, so lucky!! We're the no. 28th shopper (limited to 1st 30 shoppers per session) to spend a minimum sum of $30 at Junction 8 & so we managed to exchange for a free pass to take photos with Hello Kitty & Dear Daniel on stage!! :)

Ok i've gotta stop here, my son's oredi callin' for me!! :p Hopefully in my next post, i'll be able to share abt some of my Christmas events & post some Christmas pics! :)

Brave Little Matthew!

2008-11-22T23:33:00.016+08:00

Tdy Matthew has finally gotten his 1st jab of the DPT vaccine, which immunizes against diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus. Tho he had been unwell for almost 2 weeks, but thank God he recovered in time & cld go for his jab at the GP tdy! :) Also, we've requested the doctor to administer the Rotavirus vaccine to Matthew as well, which was taken orally.

And guess wat? Our little Matthew nvr cry at all when the jab was taken!! How brave!! :)

Here r some other photos taken when i brought Matthew back to my parents' pl yesterday :)

This is Matthew sleeping soundly (& happily!) in the playpen my parents hv prepared in advance for him. The blue satin bolster & pillow is made by my mum!! :D

Very recently, Matthew also started playing & sucking his fingers alot!!! :p It made his fingers smell so SALTY!!! :p

Matthew chit-chattin' with Kong Kong!!! :D

Kong Kong teachin' little Matthew how to grasp his toy :)

Yeahhh!! Matthew has done it... all by himself!! :)

And Mummy-Me with my dearest most lovable Matthew!

Matthew had been sick... :(

2008-11-14T17:02:00.010+08:00

More than a week ago, my darling Matthew started coughing occasionally, & initially, i tot he had choked on playing with his saliva (which was his new "discovery! Hahaha!!), but later on in the week, i realised dat he was still coughing & it was getting more intense. So in the end, my parents-in-law & i brought him to see the family GP, whom he gave our baby Matthew 2 bottles of medicine for his cough.

See... this is Matthew coughing away.... :(

However, several days later, Matthew was still coughing, & this time it came with alot of phlegm :( Plus, Matthew started to hv constipation, & he had not poo for 5 days!!

So we went back to the family GP, & this time, his cough medicine was replaced by another one to help him get better, & another new bottle of medicine for his constipation.

Thank God, Matthew finally poo after 2 doses of the constipation medicine!! :D We were all so, so relieved!! :)

But still, his persistent cough did not go away, & in the middle of the night, he wld cough until so badly dat he cld hardly breathe!! Bebe & i were so worried dat we placed Matthew on our bed every night so dat we cld pat him when he coughed & soothe him back to sleep.

As his cough had lasted for more than a week, Bebe & i decided to bring him to the Polyclinic so dat we cld get a referral to bring Matthew to the PD at KK Hospital. To our surprise, the Polyclinic doctor advised us to bring Matthew to the Emergency dept at KK Hospital immediately as it had been a prolonged cough for the baby.

Actually, it was a good thing dat we've brought Matthew to the Emergency dept at KK Hospital as the PD gave a careful & thorough examination of Matthew, asking us questions on his appetite, his coughing patterns, & also, an X-ray was taken of our little Matthew!! :( Poor baby, so young (less than 3mths!) oredi had his 1st X-ray taken!! :( Later on, the PD diagnosed dat Matthew had probably suffered from pertussis, which is part of the DPT vaccine dat he was scheduled to take next wkend!! :(

Nonetheless, we still thank God for Matthew's gradual recovery as he's coughing much lesser now :)

As parents, all we want for our child is for him to be strong & healthy. We thank God dat by His stripes, our dearest Matthew has been healed!! Praise the Lord!! :)

Baby Dedication :)

2008-11-08T18:40:00.011+08:00

Tdy is my cell group leader's baby girl Abigail's 1st mth celebration party! :)

It is also a very special day for our little Matthew cos we have decided to do a baby dedication together with my CGL's family and another cell group member's family! :) With Paul & Jasmine leading the worship, we exalted the Lord with our singing & indeed, our spirits were lifted high as we celebrate this joyous day together!

After worship, each family gave thanks for their newborns and even prayed a prayer of dedication of our babies to the Lord :)

This is what Daddy Bebe gave thanks for:

Dear Father in Heaven, I would like to give thanks to You for your blessings and grace upon us! Thank you for watching over Tracy throughout her entire pregnancy and also the safe delivery of our beloved baby Matthew! We have now learnt that You have a perfect timing for everything and we rejoice in this gift You have blessed us with!

Thank you Lord that when Tracy experienced severe nauseousness in her 1st trimester and threw up almost everything she ate, Lord You continued to strengthen her body so that Matthew is still well-nourished while inside her.

Also, when Tracy experienced spotting during her pregnancy, Lord You assured us that the baby will be under Your protection and indeed, Matthew is now born so strong and healthy! Praise the Lord!

I also give thanks to You Lord for Your timely divine intervention such that Tracy’s overseas travelling for work have been miraculously re-scheduled time and again, such that she is now able to spend more time taking care of Matthew instead of returning to work so soon.

Today, I also want to give thanks for my wife Tracy because through her, I witnessed how much she has endured throughout her pregnancy and how much she loves our Matthew.

Once again, thank you Lord for blessing us with this beautiful child and we pray that You will help us to be good parents and raise up Matthew to be a faithful man of God!

In Jesus’ most precious name we pray, Amen! :)

And for our baby dedication prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, we come before You this day to dedicate to You, our son Matthew, that You have blessed us with. Lord, we acknowledge that Matthew is Your child and that he belongs to You. Thank you for entrusting us the role of being his parents during his time in this world. We believe that You already knew Matthew while he was in his mother's womb and that You have great and wonderful plans for him!

Lord, guide us as parents to train up Matthew in the way he should go so that he will not depart from it when he is old (Prov 22:6)

As You have instructed Lord, we shall not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them in the training and admonition of the Lord (Eph 6:4)

We will teach Matthew that You are his God, and he shall love You with all his heart, with all his soul and all his strength (Deut 6:4-7)

Thank you Lord for the promise that those children who obey their parents in the Lord may live long on the earth (Eph 6:1-3)

We pray that Matthew will have a personal encounter with You Lord in his early years and accept You as his personal Lord and Saviour!

And so, this day Lord, we promise to love and care for Matthew, and to teach him Your ways. We ask that You bless this child to be strong and healthy, obedient, whole and complete in his spirit, soul and body. No evil shall come near this child as we bind the forces of the devil to stay away from our family.

This day, we declare You as the sovereign king of our household, and once again, we thank you for this precious and joyous journey of parenthood!

In Jesus' most precious name we pray, Amen! :)

New Digicam & More Photoshooting! :)

2008-11-05T12:51:00.014+08:00

2 weeks ago, i treated my mum & dad to lunchie at Asian Food Kitchen at Vivocity, together with my little cutie Matthew in his comfy stroller! :) See, here's Matthew being fed by my dad! :p

However, after taking a few snapshots, my CASIO digicam crashed on me & all the pics i took became black-&-white blurred images!! I was so upset cos i can't imagine going without a camera to take pixs of my darling son! :p

After a quick research, Bebe & i decided to buy the latest-launched CANON Powershot E1 cottony-pink digicam which costs us only $283 after discount!! (Thanks to my dearest sis-in-law who managed to bargain for a good deal with a shop at Holland Village!) :D Thanks Jingyi! :)

And so, here r more pixs of my darling Matthew in his 10th week... Kids really grow up so fast!! :)

This is a very very cheeky Matthew! :p

Our bright-eyed boy :)

In his beautiful nakedness... :p

Smiling in his sleep! :D

Daddy Bebe will never miss a chance to take a pic with his son... Hahaha...

And now it's Mummy's turn!! :)

Kungfu Fighting?? :p

2008-10-22T10:06:00.004+08:00

"Huh? U wanna challenge me??"

"Ok dude! I'm ready to take u on!!" :p

GongGong's Bday! :)

2008-10-19T15:33:00.012+08:00

Yday, Bebe & I brought Matthew back to my parents’ pl to celebrate my dad’s 58th bday!! ;)

While my mum whipped up a feast at home, Bebe & I took the chance to leave Matthew in my parents’ (& sis’ care!) & headed out to Bishan Junction 8 to catch a movie!! :p This is the 1st time we’ve watched a movie together after the birth of Matthew! :D

After the movie ended, we quickly bought some baby stuff from KiddyPalace which we plan to put them at my parents’ pl for future use, & also bought a chocolate cake at AMK Hub for my dad before going home to join in the bday celebration!

When we reached home, we saw Matthew lying comfortably in a blue rocker, which was kindly given to us by my mum’s church fren :)

When both my aunts hv also arrived, we tucked in to the delicious dinner which my mum had prepared specially for my dad! She had even made desserts for us after dinner ;)

Then the grand finale – we sang “Happy Birthday” song to my dad & took many pics of my dad with Matthew! It almost looked as tho it’s Matthew’s bday!! Hahaha!

And these r the 3 most important MEN in my life – my dad, my hubby, & my son! :)

Here's wishing my dad a very blessed bday - may the Lord bless u with good health & many many happy days! :)

Photography Subject: My 8-weeks old Matthew! :)

2008-10-19T15:04:00.008+08:00

Since I’m mostly at home during the weekday afternoons looking after Matthew, I’ve been exploring & experimenting on “baby photography” by taking several snapshots of my 8-weeks old boy!! :p

These are some of my favourites… hee!!

Matthew sleeping….

And Matthew awake!! ;)

Matthew grasping his Pooh Bear rattle :)

Matthew’s big smile!

Matthew’s “My Favourite Ball”!

Day-Out with Mummy Sharon :)

2008-10-10T13:57:00.007+08:00

Yday my MIL agreed to take care of my little Matthew for a couple of hrs while i made my way to Takashimaya with plans to buy some bb toys for my cell grp leader as she has juz given birth to a bb girl yday morning!! ;)

And then i recd a pleasant call from Sharon when i was halfway thru my shopping -- she said she'd like to join me in Orchard for a little while for a drink & chat!! :) Yippee!! I was so happy dat i cld hv some company!! :)

Before Sharon arrived, i've also found an interesting toy for my son -- a Mickey Mouse remote control car!! :p With the remote control, i cld make the car go straight or turn! I believe dat wld be a fun toy for Matthew when he's abit older & learning to crawl :) And coincidentally, Sharon had a Takashimaya credit card, so i was entitled to another 15% off the toys i've bought! ;)

After paying for my purchase, Sharon introduced me to a place inside Takashimaya where we cld sit down for our drinks. It was the "Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge and Restaurant" located at Level 2. Sharon had Darjeeling Tea while i had Royal Copenhagen Iced Tea. We also ordered a Mango cake to share.... Yummy Yummy!! :D

Both of us had a nice chat abt our babies & some situations we've encountered along the way. It's really comforting to hv a fren to confide in, esp both of us happened to be good frens & our sons r born juz 2 days apart!! ;)

But our meet-up had to end promptly as we both need to rush home to care for our babies... & also to express our milk!! Hahaha!! :p Anyways, we'll be meeting again soon for our ex-boss' retirement party!! :D

"Mummy's Feeding Me!" :D

2008-10-10T12:56:00.004+08:00

"Why is everyone crowding ard to see me drink my milk?"

"Mummy's trying to burp me but i dun like it!!" *grouchy look* :p

"Gong-Gong sayang me while i continue with 2nd half of my milk... hee..." :D

Matthew's 1st visit to my office!! :)

2008-10-10T12:32:00.006+08:00

Right after Matthew has crossed his 1st month, i decided to bring him back to my office so dat my colleagues cld take a look at him! ;)

Besides bringing along some ang ku kueys for them to eat, i've also specially ordered a blackforest cake from Four Leaves which has a adorable baby picture on the cake with the wordings "It's A Boy" :D

When i reached my office, my colleagues (especially the ladies!) were so excited to see Matthew & some took turns to carry my boy!! :) They were really nice too to give me some cutie baby clothes & KiddyPalace vouchers as a gift!! In fact, my company also gave me $80 KiddyPalace vouchers as a baby gift too!! ;)

However, thru'out the whole time, Matthew was still soundly asleep cos i've fed him before making my way to the office, lest he gets hungry & start crying in the office! :p

Here!! He's STILL sleeping by the time the visit to my office was over & we're back home!! Wat a sleepyhead! :)

Matt-Talkin' :p

2008-10-05T22:34:00.005+08:00

"Daddy, why r u not lookin' at me?"

"OooO... Daddy, wat big eyes u have!!"

"Daddy, u really like to take photos with me hor?" :p

Outing to Paragon :)

2008-10-05T22:00:00.006+08:00

After the heavy rain stopped in the mid-afternoon, Bebe & i headed out to Orchard Paragon with Matthew! :)

Having heard so much abt the ProjectShop Cafe, i suggested dat we sit down & try the drinks or cakes there. This is wat we've ordered -- M's Carrot Cake & Iced Passion Tea :)

While Bebe & i r enjoying our food, my dear son was having a cosy time ZZZ away as usual!! It occurred to us dat our dear Matthew seems to enjoy being in air-conditioned places... hahaha.... :D

And since i'm seldom out of the hse on wkdays nw, so i really cherish this precious opportunity to enjoy my "freedom" & also spend some private time with Bebe & Matthew :)

Here's Daddy Bebe feeding our boy inside the PS Cafe :)

Altho it was juz a mere 3 hrs plus outing, nonetheless, it's a sweet reward to me! :) Really look fwd to all my coming wkend-outings with my hubby & son! ;)

Parenthood :)

2008-09-19T11:58:00.008+08:00

Finally nw i can say this: it's really not easy being parents. Parenthood has taken on a whole new meaning ever since Matthew came into our lives. Before he came, it was all juz theorical knowledge -- learning hw to bathe & breastfeed bb, wat r bb's needs/demands, buying fanciful clothes or toys for bb, etc.

Nw dat he's REALLY right here in our household, it meant a THOROUGH hands-on experience for us all.

For a start, Bebe & i hv pretty much become Daddy-&-Mummy-PANDAS!! We've slept so much lesser than before, having to wake up at unearthly hours like 3am or 4am to bottlefeed or breastfeed Matthew, and another 3hrs later for his next feed. Other than dat, we hv to change his wet/dirty diapers, which our dear Matthew has an "odd" habit of poo-ing (lots!!) in the wee hrs of the morning!! Imagine a groggy & sleep-deprived Daddy or Mummy trying to change his diapers as fast and as clean as we can & then put him back to sleep, or else if Matthew gets into his "all-awake-mode", then i'll be having a hard time trying to coo him back to sleep, since Bebe still has to wake up early to go to work later on.

Having said dat, we're still very, very happy parents :) Cos nothing can take away the joy of seeing ya own baby happy, clean & well-fed. We truly love him to bits & as all other parents hv advised us, we're juz gonna enjoy our little one as much as we can, in all these beautiful moments... :)

Eat, Poo, Sleep!! :p

2008-09-19T11:58:00.004+08:00

As they always say, a baby's full-time job is to Eat, Poo & Sleep!!! :p

So here's our darling in action....

Matthew's classic-look whenever he's into his poo-business!!! :p

And his satisfied-&-drunken-look after his feeds.... hehehe!!! :D

Mummy's Darling :)

2008-09-17T12:48:00.001+08:00

Mummy's beloved boy.... :)

Daddy's Boy!

2008-09-17T12:11:00.004+08:00

Bebe had juz recently ended his whole 8-days block leave from work to stay home & hv some father-son time with our little Matthew... & after dat he was complainin' hw much he hated to return to work & not being able to play with our son oredi!! :p

Bebe was really proud dat our boy looks more like him, so he kept askin' me to take pics of them together!! (to make me jealous!!)

Ok lah... here's 1 of those pics.... :D

And this one.... it was really taken when BOTH of them r asleep.... even their sleeping positions seemed alike!!! :p

Labour of Love :)

2008-09-09T14:08:00.008+08:00

As i'm writing this blog, my little darlin' is sleeping on the jungle-playmat placed on top of another ABC-playmat in our living room so both Bebe & i cld go on doing our own stuff while still being able to watch over him... talk abt multi-tasking! :p

Really feel very satisfied lookin' at my own son :) Somehow, i almost cldn't imagine i've really given birth to a baby boy!! Afterall, the labour process hadn't been easy....

In the early morn of 24 Aug at 1am, when Bebe & i were halfway thru our usual bedtime-chat, suddenly i tot i heard a "pop" sound & the next thing was i felt like i was leakin' below! I was both panicky & excited at the same time cos THIS CLD BE IT!!! :D After "debating" with Bebe & my mother-in-law for quite awhile whether dat was a urine leak or my waterbag really burst, we finally decided on going to the hospital immediately to confirm it... juz to be absolutely sure :p

By the time we reached Thomson Medical Centre, it was oredi 2am & the doctor on duty gave me a checkup.... i was oredi 2cm dilated!! :D I was then asked to take some sort of a medicine to help me pass motion as the nurse said i needed to clear my bowels before delivery. Thereafter, i was hooked up to a machine which tracked on my contractions as well as to another machine which monitored my baby's heartbeat.

By this time, i was pretty excited & alert. Tho i dun really kn wat's gonna happen next, but i knew for sure dat by the later half of the day, my baby wld be in my arms already!! :)

Thru'out this time, Bebe was by my side giving me his support. By 4.30am, my contractions were coming on more regularly & painful. Earlier, i had requested for epidural as my pain relief & juz before the anaesthesiologist gave me the injection at my spine, i experienced a "full-blown" contraction!! OMIGOSH!!! It was REALLY REALLY painful!!! But juz shortly after the epidural was administered to me, i felt almost instant relief!! :p

The rest of the labour process goes like this:

4.30am - 10.15am: My contractions come & go but i did not feel any pain at all. There was absolute numbness from half of my body downwards to my legs and feet. As a side-effect, i was also shivering from the epidural dat was given to me.

10.15am: My gynae came in to check on me & i was fully dilated at 10cm, & so he said "Now we're ready to start!"

Initially, Bebe & the nurse helped me to "respond" to the contractions (which i cld no longer feel cos i'm on epidural) by pushing my baby out. They said they cld see my baby's hair & i was really happy!! In my mind i thought: Hey! This cld be over in awhile!

But it wasn't to be!! I kept pushing with all my might yet my baby cld not come out (yet)! I was gettin' very exhausted & losing strength to push. With the epidural wearing off (cos my gynae wanted me to hv some "sensations"), i was inhaling "laughing gas" (nitrous oxide gas mixed with oxygen) to keep me going. After struggling for 1 hr 45 mins, my gynae said dat my baby's heartbeat wasn't going so well & we muz really get him out fast.... so ended up using 2 VACUUMS & 1 FORCEPS to bring out my beloved baby!!! (Later on my gynae explained dat my baby's face was facing upwards instead of downwards, which made the delivery abit more difficult).

And so finally, at 11.57am, our God-sent baby Matthew Chen was born! :) This photo was taken by Bebe the moment Matthew was taken out of the labour room & wrapped in a blanket... :)

Thinkin' back, i muz admit dat the labour process had not been easy & even nw i'm still aching from my painful stitches, but whenever i'm holding Matthew in my arms & admiring him, i knew dat it was all worth it -- ABSOLUTELY :)

A Special (Sleeping) Moment ;)

2008-09-05T18:21:00.003+08:00

I (sneakily) took this photo when the father & son were sleepin' soundly together this afternoon after Matthew's playtime in his "jungle-playmat".... :)

Wat a special moment... :)

A Mother's Heartache...

2008-09-05T17:43:00.006+08:00

Just 3 days after Matthew & i were discharged from TMC, during the follow-up appt with the PD on Friday, Matthew was diagnosed with a high level of jaundice rated at 372 points!! (safe/normal range is abt 200 points & below). Imagine our fears & panic when we knew abt dat!! :( Bebe & i then decided to admit Matthew back to TMC for phototherapy. Everyday, Bebe & i wld travel back to the hosp to visit Matthew & i wld express out my breastmilk in advance so dat the nurses cld help me feed Matthew with my breastmilk for the next few days. It seemed dat Matthew's jaundice level was so high dat it took 4 days 3 nights of phototherapy for his jaundice level to drop down to within the safe range. I felt such heartache dat i cried the 1st night i came home without my beloved baby. Really, really missed him alot, even for a day... :(

Now dat he has come home, Bebe & i made sure Matthew has enuff feeds to pass out urine & motion so dat he cld recover sooner. We also had to sunbathe him in the morning sun (btw 9-10am) and evening sun (btw 5-6pm) as instructed by the PD.

But i know the Lord is watchin' over my beloved Matthew & our sweet little one will soon be lookin' radiant & red-cheeked again!! :)

This is Matthew when he was discharged from his phototherapy...

And Matthew with the special cloth cover for his eyes before we bring him out to sunbathe...

Matthew Chen is born!! :)

2008-08-31T21:03:00.003+08:00

Our beautiful son is born on 24 Aug 08 at 11.57am weighing 3.02kg and 50cm in length :)

Ohh Matthew!! How we love u so!! :)

More of "Shopaholic"... & Motherhood :)

2008-08-21T13:35:00.007+08:00

A week has passed since Bebe bought for me the Sophie Kinsella’s “Shopaholic & Baby”, & by my faithful reading, I’ve finished the entire book by last night!! :D

To be frank, I’ve tot of Becky (the lead character) as totally “bimbo-ish” & absolutely only interested in SHOPPING & nothing else! But somehow, by the time I’ve reached the end of the book, I cldn’t resist wantin’ to catch up on the story before this book, which is abt Becky getting married to Luke! And 1 more “incentive” for me to buy another of Sophie Kinsella’s books – there’s a 1-for-1 offer for her “Shopaholic” series at the Popular bookstore!! I was totally hooked, so yday I’ve got for myself these 2 brand new books:

"Shopaholic Ties The Knot"

"The Undomestic Goddess"

Nw, if going by my rate of 1 book per week, I shd be able to finish reading these 2 books before Matthew arrives by 3 Sep 08!! :)

Anyway, talkin’ abt Matthew, I’ve been waitin’ so impatiently for him to arrive! I kn the entire pregnancy process takes up to 40 – 42 weeks maximum, but by nw, it oredi felt like forever!! Being in 3rd trimester ain’t easy, as by nw, I’ve fully BLOOMED & my tummy can completely “hide” my feet from my top-down view. My poor feet have also become so swollen they looked like pig’s trotters to me. I was feelin’ absolutely sorry for myself the other night I felt like sobbing (sounds like a preggy woman’s hormones workin’!!) :p And not juz dat. I had to get up abt 2 – 3 times EVERY night to pee as the bladder can’t hold, so dat’s an average of abt 2 – 2.5hrs of sleep per slot, before I cld crawl back to bed to continue my sleep, & before I kn it, the alarm clock cruelly buzzes at 7.15am sharp & I had to force myself outta bed within the next 15mins. And oh yes, not forgettin’ the TOTALLY, NERVE-WRECKING backaches I hv which only by lying down in bed, plus some comforting massages from dearest hubby, cld help ease abit of the unspeakable pain.

But, juz a single thought of my cutest, most adorable, most handsome, most clever, most (whatever!) Matthew soon to be born & embraced in my bosom, I juz can’t help smilin’ & feelin’ good abt it.

Motherhood wld be totally great :)

Shopaholic & Baby!! :)

2008-08-14T10:42:00.004+08:00

Yday I came across this Sophie Kinsella book at the MPH bookstore opposite my office after my lunchie with Bebe. After reading a few pages, I found it really hilarious… esp the part where the new preggy mommy, Becky, tot dat she was talkin’ to her baby boy when using the sonograph on her own without consulting her gynae, but it turned out to be such joke when the gynae returned & scolded her for using the medical equipment without permission, & also added “You’ve juz talked to ya own bladder.”

I burst out luffin’ right there in the bookstore!! :p And Bebe says he shall get it for me tdy to read… yippee!! :)

And also last night, we’ve finally opened up the big red box which contained the new Britax brand “Safe-n-Sound” infant car seat which my 2nd sis-in-law & her future hubby, plus my youngest sis-in-law, have sponsored for our dearie baby Matthew!! :)

Daddy Bebe was tryin’ his best to figure out hw to use, install & adjust the black, slick infant car seat for our baby’s use…. The seat looks really comfy & stylo!! :D

Once again, thanks to our very generous sponsors, Jinglin, Jingwei & Vincent!! :)

BB's Full-Term Now!! :)

2008-08-13T13:52:00.009+08:00

Wow!! Another week has passed, and now my dearie Matthew has reached full-term at 37 weeks! :)

These days I’d been so, so busy with my audit fieldwork dat I had no time to chat on msn nor update my blog. I was very determined to complete my audit assignment without having to ask my colleague to take over my remaining work, shld I go into labour anytime!! :p

Anyways, I’ve juz had a long wkend cos of the National Day holiday! Saturday was spent mostly at home watching the Beijing Olympic Games 2008 on TV… in fact, we’ve got 6 channels on SCV featuring all the Olympic Games for the day! So Bebe & I was practically glued to the TV all day on Sat!! :p

Hey look at this! It’s the “Huan Huan Fu Wa” which my dearest Yuemei had gotten it for me last yr when she visited Beijing!! Cutie!! :)

Plus, for the FIRST TIME, Bebe & I watched the NDP together from the “comforts of our home”! (as I quote him!) Cos he said ever since we started dating 9yrs ago, he’d nvr got a chance (anymore!) to watch NDP from home cos I always made him go out with me & watch the NDP fireworks or juz hang ard outside for the National Day holiday feeling!! :D But seriously, if it wasn’t because I’m so “fat & round” nw cos of my pregnancy, I’d pulled him out of the hse again as usual to go watch the beautiful fireworks with me!!! :)

Then on Monday, since I’d applied for a day’s leave to reward myself for working so hard for the past 2 wks, I’ve asked my parents out for lunchie together ;) My mom had wanted to try the food at Tiong Bahru Market, so off we went! The 3 of us shared juey-kuey (my FAV!!), chee cheong fan & orh-kuey… nice & yummy!! :)

Thereafter, my daddy & mommy accompanied me to Plaza Singapura to get my Hello Kitty stuff from Daiso!! :D They shook their heads when they saw me picking up a purple Hello Kitty plastic container from the shelf, & they said to me “Can’t believe u’re still buying Hello Kitty nw dat u’ll be a mommy soon!!” I only defended myself by saying “Well, this container will be used to keep the cotton buds for Matthew!! It’s not for me!!” :D GOOD EXCUSE hor!! (Anyway, I’ve oredi gotten the PINK Hello Kitty container sometime back to put the cotton wool balls into it!! Heehee!)

And as if our baby stuff at home weren't oredi enuff, Bebe & I continued to indulge in buying a few more toys for Matthew! ;)

This is the Peek-A-Boo Panda Book from Fisherprice….

… and the Happy Safari Musical Pull from Mothercare! Very colourful & kawaii!! But also very expensive!! :p

But I guess dat’s wat all parents try to do… to give their very best to their child… right? :)

Back @ City Space! :)

2008-08-04T09:45:00.011+08:00

On Sat evening, Bebe & I headed down to Shoku at Raffles City Shopping Centre for our dinner. We’d ordered items like the chawanmushi, eel with rice, salmon soup & sukiyaki to share. The food was quite alright… I suppose I dun hv much comments to make since my pregnancy has caused my sense of taste to change… but given a chance, I wld like to come back again (after I’ve given birth!!) to try the other Japanese dishes as well, ESPECIALLY the (raw salmon) sushi!! :p

Thereafter, Bebe & I went up to City Space at Swissotel Hotel for our romantic time together :)

This was actually my idea cos I really wanted to spend some relaxing & memorable moments with my dearest hubby before I go for my delivery anytime within this month.

Viewing the city from the top at 70th floor is really a great feeling. With the soft lounge music playing in the background, I felt totally relaxed & happy juz sitting where we were on the couch and mesmerised by the beautiful city lights. In fact, juz a year ago, we were right there at City Space to celebrate my 28th bday. The only difference is, this time, we hv our little precious baby inside me enjoying the moment with us :)

And of cos, being pregnant, I can’t be having any alcoholic drinks at all, so this time I’d ordered the “Cinderella” mocktail made up of pineapple, orange & lime, while Bebe had his “Cool Breeze” cocktail… nice… ;)

Altho we were there for less than an hr, I was already very satisfied dat Bebe had accompanied me there to enjoy myself. I’ve nvr realised hw “toiling” a pregnancy cld be, as in the emotional ups & downs and all the physical changes & adjustments pregnant women had to go thru, until I’ve become pregnant myself.

But I thank God I hv such a wonderful husband who loves me & who has been a huge support to me all these while. I love u & cherish u Bebe :)

My 35th Week Updates

2008-08-04T09:12:00.014+08:00

Time for updates again for the past week! :)

For the past 1 week, Bebe had gone back for his reservist at Jurong Camp II, while I was hard at work in office for my “final” audit assignment before I wld be going for my maternity leave soon! Juz wanna finish up as much work as I can since I dunwan to overburden my partner with my share of work.

During the week, I’ve also managed to meet up my best fren Jeanette for lunchie so dat we cld go Hello-Kitty-shopping together & also for her to pass to me my belated bday pressie!! :D

This is Jeanette’s gift for me… pretty hor!! ;) I love the Precious Moment card too!!

This is the new Hello Kitty black-&-pink jewellery box I’ve gotten at the UOB Centre Hello Kitty shop! :)

Not forgetting a new Mickey Mouse car sunshades for our little Matthew, which we can put inside my father-in-law’s car the next time we drive Matthew out for a ride! :)

And look!! Even Matthew’s cot is finally here!! Hooray!! We’re all set & ready for our little boy to join us! ;)

The Last Stage of Waiting! ;p

2008-07-24T17:26:00.010+08:00

It’s been awhile since my last blog entry, so I shall update u all on my “happenings”! ;)

Bebe & I hv completed our 6th (final) antenatal class last wkend which taught us on breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, & sterilization of feeding equipment. It was a very enriching & fun lesson, as ourselves & the rest of the parents-to-be fumbled with the milk-bottles & tried feeding our little “fake babies”!! :D

Since my EDD is getting nearer & we wanna spend some quality couple-time together before our little Matthew comes, (plus I am entitled to get 1-day’s leave during my birthday month!), my dearest Bebe applied for leave on Monday so dat we cld hv a long wkend together! :)

And so, over the nice, long wkend, Bebe & I had our final rounds of baby-stuff-shopping – purchasing an extra bedding set for the baby cot, some accessories and toiletries items like baby nail-clippers, comb, towels, a pack of disposable diapers, etc.

Bebe & I also went to catch the movies together, “The Dark Knight”. Watching movies has always been our favourite activity together, & from the time we started dating till nw, we’ve always kept the movie ticket stubs of ALL the movies we’ve watched!! ;) Some of them r so old nw dat we can’t even read wat’s the movie title printed on the stubs!! Haha!!

And as for me, the mummy-to-be, I’ve oredi started packing my maternity bag with great excitement & anticipation! It feels like I’m in my “last stage” of waiting liaoz… very soon, Bebe & I shall be the proud parents of our beloved baby boy!! :)

And thanks to my wonderful mom-in-law, she has started washing our little Matthew's baby clothes with great anticipation for his arrival too!! :)

Summer's 1-yr-old Birthday Party! :)

2008-07-14T17:21:00.029+08:00

My eldest sis-in-law’s golden retriever, Summer, just turned 1 yr old!! :D So family & frens, including dog-frens!! were invited to Summer’s birthday party last Sunday at Earth Café along Thomson Rd! ;)

Pet-Guest No. 1: Ah Bee, the beautiful cocker spaniel of my future bro-in-law! :D

Pet-Guest No. 2: Cola, the energetic 6 mth old border collie which belongs to the fren of my youngest sis-in-law! ;) Dat’s Bebe happily carrying him!! :p

And… the Birthday Girl herself!! :)

The Earth Café even holds Dog Photography Competitions with prizes to be won!! ;)

Our finger-foods… (forgot to take pics of the main dishes + ice-cream desserts!!)

… but look at the dogs’ meals!!! Big portions too!! (Looks like fried rice!!) :D

Round 1 – Let’s see who eats the fastest… 1, 2, 3… GO!!!

Contestant No. 1: Ah Bee doesn’t really eat rice, so he's picking them out!! Oppz! :p

Contestant No. 2: Cola’s catching up!

Contestant No. 3: But Summer’s clearly the WINNER!!!

Summer: “Ok, it’s time to sing the birthday song for ME!!” :)

Summer with her Mummy! ;)

Summer: “Can I eat now???”

Round 2 – Let’s see who chomps down the cake the fastest… 1, 2, 3… GO!!!

Contestant No. 1: Ah Bee is only taking small bites! Hurry hurry!!

Contestant No. 2: Cola’s happily lickin’ away!! :)

Contestant No. 3: Summer is caught in action with BIG MOUTHFULS!!! Oh nooo!! Summer, u gotta learn to be more demure!!! :p Hahaha!!

But still, she’s the Birthday Girl mah!! :p

Happy Birthday to U, (Smelly!) Summer!! :) *Muakz!*

It's Hands-On Time!! :p

2008-07-14T14:49:00.008+08:00

Last Sat was our Lesson 4 on “Practical Hands-on Baby Care” whereby Bebe & I learnt some general baby care, skin care, diaper care and bathing!! :)

Look at this – a “baby girl” with a Huggies diapers on, & other stuff ready like flannel towels, cloth diapers, & cotton balls! :p

So this is wat we’d used during the lesson to learn hw to dress/undress our “baby” correctly, bathe & clean her properly, hw to fold cloth diapers & wrap her up neatly, hw to swaddle her nice & cosy, etc. We also used the “baby” to try “breastfeeding” in various positions!! Hahaha!! ;)

Bebe & I both had a really fun time during this lesson cos it’s like picturing our baby’s right there in our arms & caring for him with such tenderness :) And Daddy Bebe oredi can’t wait to bathe little Matthew all by himself & start the bonding process!! :p (pssst... Bebe kept snatching the "baby" away from me during the class!!hmmph!!) :p

And here’s some other baby stuff we’ve gotten over the wkend!

Johnson & Johnson’s baby wipes, baby bath & baby powder, cotton roll & cotton buds…

The ABCs styrofoam playmat from Tom & Stefanie! :D

A Fun Day Out with my Xiao-Mei! :)

2008-07-10T11:20:00.006+08:00

Nw dat I’m in my 3rd trimester @ 32 weeks, I’ve been feeling much more heavier, more breathless, tire very easily, & having poor appetite cos my stomach space not much left liaoz since my baby is growing bigger & bigger everyday in my tummy. Apparently, he’s also growing stronger too cos his kicks r really getting more & more powerful!! :p

Also, I realised dat the soles of my feet had cracked somehw, & it was painful… I didn’t tink dat I had dat much of a problem with my feet until during my pregnancy period. Is it due to hormonal changes?? I duno :p Besides, I can’t even squat down properly nw, or wear my pants with good balance… wat’s more of reaching to my toes & cutting my toenails?? :p

And so, I’ve decided to arrange for a pedicure session with my 2 younger sisters, but since at the last min my 2nd sis had something urgent to attend to, so my youngest sis & I went ahead to take ½ day off from work & went for our classic pedicure session at AMK Hub yday!! :)

Nw look!! 2 beautiful pairs of feet which God made… haha… & with nice pinky nail polish too!! :D And to “compliment” my sis’ new bright pinky toenails, we immediately went over to the Mondo shoe shop juz across from the nail parlour, & I bought for her a new pair of black sandals with a pretty diamond infront!! :) Nice!! And I also luvvv my new baby pink toenails!! :) *Extremely satisfied!*

And dat’s not all! :p To fully maximise our off-day, my sis & I then went down to Junction 8 to catch a movie together – “10 Promises To My Dog”!! :) It’s a really nice show which we both enjoyed, & especially I kept whispering to my sis in the theatre dat the golden retriever named “Socks” in the movie looked exactly like my sis-in-law’s 1-yr-old golden retriever, Summer, when she was still a puppy!! :)

This is the Singapore version of the movie poster…

& this is the Japanese version of the movie poster! ;) Cute hor!! :)

Thereafter, we did abit of shopping where my sis bought a new pretty top from Samuel & Kevin before we headed for home to enjoy my mom’s yummy dinner! And I especially enjoyed the “bai guo” desserts which my mom made especially for me (& whole family lahz!) :p Thanks Mom! :)

My Sweet 29th Birthday!

2008-07-08T10:40:00.018+08:00

Last Sunday was my 29th birthday & Bebe’s whole family treated me to lunch at Kia Hiang Restaurant & even gave me angbaos! :) The food was quite nice & they’ve also bought a delicious birthday cake (Almond Fruit Tops) for me from Four Leaves! Everyone of us simply LUVVV the almond flakes!! ;)

Thereafter, it was “own time own target” as Bebe & I hitched a ride from Jingwei & Vincent to go down to Orchard Rd together :)

After window-shopping for awhile at Isetan Scotts, Bebe & I walked over to Borders bookstore at Wheelock Place to look for some children’s books… & look at the “treasure” we’ve found!! ;) It’s actually a Sesame Street series consisting of 6 early learning books which little kids can get to learn ABCs, counting 123s, wat’s “Big” & “Small”, wat r the different colours, wat matches & “Goes Together”, & some “Favourite Words”! ;)

Ohh!! Then it’s almost time for us to head down to where Bebe & I hv oredi planned to go celebrate my birthday… & dat’s at the Singapore Flyer!!! :D But not for the ride tho cos I juz wanted to check out the place. Maybe next time after I’ve delivered, we can bring Matthew back there again for a family ride together! :)

Some “artistic” shots which Bebe & I took of the Flyer….

Bebe & me at the “Yakult Discovery Forest”! ;)

Next we had our dinner at Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits… it was the longest ever FAST food we’ve got to queue for cos it took abt at least 30mins for our turn to order!! But dat’s prolly bcos of the huge crowd & also, many of them were buying in BULK!! The one queuing infront of us had ordered almost more than a hundred dollars worth of chicken!!! * faintz * :p

Anywayz, after our dinner, we headed back for home since I was oredi quite tired from hanging out the whole day. And when we got back, Bebe gave to me a pretty little birthday pressie… which was a lovely birthday card & a Hello Kitty bracelet from Sanrio!! :) I was really so, so happy!! Thank u so much dear!! It’s been a wonderful, wonderful birthday for me! :)

Pooh Bear + Birthday Pressies :)

2008-07-07T17:51:00.008+08:00

Last Sat was our 3rd antenatal class & Wong BB gave us a recap on the antenatal exercises & breathing relaxation techniques we’ve learnt so far. Also, we got to learn more abt learning to cope in labour, the mechanisms of normal childbirth & the husband’s role. I was actually pretty scared-stiff when I watched the instructional video on hw the women gave birth thru various delivery methods… I tink u husbands out there shld really appreciate your wives for bearing with all these pain & discomforts for 9 whole mths!! It’s incredible!! :p

After our class, I suggested to Bebe dat we hv our dinner at Bishan Junction 8 instead, since we’ve been “stuck” at AMK Hub for the past 3 weeks oredi!! :p

So we had our dinner at Pastamania, & then we did abit of shopping where we came across the LaserFlair sales at the atrium. There were alot of VCDs & DVDs selling at discounted rates, & of cos, being a mummy nw, I’m super interested to see whether there r any educational or interesting shows for our baby to watch! :)

After some careful selection, we’ve bought 2 VCDs for Matthew – they r “Disney’s Winnie the Pooh 123’s” & “Disney’s Winnie the Pooh – Sing A Song With Pooh Bear”!! :D Later dat night, Bebe & I even spent some time watching the VCDs together… it’s so fun to see hw they teach little children to count & sing-along!!! :)

Other than the Pooh Bear VCDs, I’ve also bought for myself a new pair of sandals from Charles & Keith, & Bebe also offered to buy for me this lovely purple bag from Charles & Keith to “top-up” the birthday pressie he’d oredi gotten for me!! Hahaha!! But it’s not too bad u kn, Charles & Keith members get 20% discount within 7 days from the day of birthday! :) Not bad!!

Last but not least, my cell group has given me a Precious Moments Baby Photo Frame as my birthday pressie!! Next time I can put in Baby Matthew’s picture! So nice!! :)

Birthday Chocolate Chip Muffin!

2008-07-04T16:49:00.003+08:00

When I changed my MSN nick to “Happy 29th Birthday to Me this Sunday!!”, my dearest colleague, HG, actually noticed it (I always tot she nvr really bother to chat/read anything on MSN cos she seemed so engrossed in her work!) & guess wat? She’s so nice to offer to buy for me a birthday cake!! But I felt very paiseh lah, so I juz say “Nvm lah, next yr then u buy & celebrate for me, cos I’ll be 30 years old then, & dat’s a milestone for me!” :D

But nonetheless, after lunch, HG came back with a small brown paper bag & passed it to me… it’s a chocolate chip muffin!! :p So I asked her “Where’s my 29 candles??” & we both luffed! :p When I offered to share the muffin with her, she said “U r oredi sharing it with someone else!!” Hahaha!! Yeah she’s right… indeed, little Matthew is sharing the chocolate chip muffin with me!! :)

Arrival of Baby Girl Haidah! :)

2008-07-04T09:25:00.006+08:00

2 days ago was the arrival of sweetie baby Haidah… daughter of my ex-colleague Lina! ;)

When I 1st recd Lina’s sms, I cldn’t believe her lohz, cos juz the day before I was chatting with her via emails & she told me dat she wld be going for her fortnightly checkup the next day… but by the next morning, she had smsed us dat her baby was born at 9.36am!! :)

This is a pic of the sweetie-pie…. Isn’t she lovely!! I even carried her… & she’s juz a tiny 2.2kg cos Lina had given birth to her at 36 weeks! :p

And the ward which Lina was staying in over at KK Hospital was really spacious!! I tink Yuemei is so envious dat she prolly hope dat she can stay in 1 of these rooms after she’d delivered her baby boy in August next mth! :D

After the visiting, Yuemei & I then took the shuttle bus down to Novena Square where we had our dinner at Magic Wok, as part of my birthday celebration! :)

Nw dat we r in our 3rd trimester, our appetite has grown significantly smaller (cos stomach not enuff space liaoz!), so we juz ordered 2 dishes with rice to share, plus a small bowl of almond beancurd with longans as desserts to share! :p While enjoying our meal, we also chatted abt our babies’names, which one to choose, which meanings r good, etc.

And before we left for home, we also took a pic together… yeahh!! :p

And this is the birthday present from Yuemei… but meant for my baby Matthew to wear it!! :D It’s a really nice beige romper with a hood! :) Thanks so much Yuemei! Me (& baby Matthew) simply love it!! :D

Shopping Sunday!

2008-07-01T14:05:00.009+08:00

Bebe & I decided to buy a new (& “economical”!) DVD/CD player to put in our room so dat I (& Matthew inside me!) cld conveniently listen to some music instead of having to start-up our Dell lappy everytime. Also in future, we cld play children’s DVDs for Matthew to watch! ;)

And so we’ve gotten this Akira brand DVD/VCD/CD player which also came with 2 speakers… & it did look quite chio in white! :) At the same time, we happened to come across the “Baby Genius” series of classical music CDs, so we bought one for our little Matthew too! ;)

After our mini shopping, we went to “Wang Jiao” for some bread & drinks since I started to get hungry! :p Juz before we headed for home, Bebe bought a new Hello Kitty water-bottle for me from the Sanrio shop at Suntec!! :D I liked it so much cos it’s PINK!! :) Thanks Bebe!

Last of all…this is me at close to 31 weeks pregnant… & me hugging my darling Chocolate Chen!! :) He’s nw 1 yr old liaoz cos he’s a gift from Bebe for our last yr’s wedding anniversary!! ;)

My Birthday Celebration Part 1 :)

2008-06-30T17:45:00.010+08:00

Over the wkend, as usual, Bebe accompanied me to attend my 2nd antenatal class at AMK Hub. During this session, we’ve learnt a few more antenatal exercises, some breathing relaxation techniques, wat r the changes in pregnancy leading to signs & symptoms of labour, & other alternative types of pain relief in labour… (& in my mind, I’ve oredi chosen the epidural as my “life-pain-saver”!!) :D

Really thankful dat I got to learn the breathing techniques cos recently I’ve not been able to cope with my breathing very well… I’ve been getting so breathless from juz walking some distance or climbing some stairs!! :p

After the class, Bebe & I headed back to my parents’ place cos my mom has whipped up a sumptuous dinner for us – to pre-celebrate my birthday!! :)

Once again, I’ve forgotten to take pics of my mom’s cooking cos:
No. 1: I was famished!
No. 2: Everyone else was famished after waiting for us till 7.30pm!! :p

And then another pleasant surprise awaited me… my 2 aunts actually bought a Hello Kitty birthday cake for me!! I was so, so happy!! ;)

Here’s a pic with my parents & aunts… :)

And a pic with Bebe… ;) [& if u noticed, on the left, u’ll see our table-top wedding portrait taken 2 yrs ago!! Hee!]

And dat’s juz my Birthday Celebration Part 1…more to come!!! * Greedy Me! * :p

A Gift of Life :)

2008-06-27T16:35:00.006+08:00

Just last Sat, Bebe & I started attending the Childbirth Education Course conducted by Thomson Medical Centre (TMC) where we plan to hv our little Matthew delivered :)

The course duration will last for 6 weeks, including 1 Doctor’s Talk.

Our 1st lesson was on Physical & Mental Preparation which covered topics like:
- Antenatal Exercise
- Nutrition Before & After Delivery
- Myths & Traditions
- Coping with Pregnancy Discomfort
- Back Care & Postures
- Instructional Video
- Q & A

Was really glad dat we signed up for this course since I cld learn some useful tips on sleeping & sitting positions, as well as some simples exercises & massages which Bebe cld do for me to relieve me of my achings!! :) And dat’s exactly wat he’d done for me for the past few days cos I’ve been aching badly in my knee caps & started limping oredi… tink I’ve put on “extreme weight” & it’s a big strain on my legs & feet… *sobz*

And ohh!! Another great thing abt having signed up for this TMC antenatal course is dat we’ve got MORE FREEBIES again!! :p There’s Philips Avent milk bottle, baby moisturising lotion, baby body & hair wash samples, a set of sea animals teethers from Dumex, & finally, some sample packs of Dumex Mamil milk formula for preggy mummy!! :p

And yday, Bebe & I decided to give our little baby a precious “gift of life” – we’ve signed up for a CordLife plan whereby our baby’s cordblood wld be kept by the private cordblood bank for 21 yrs! :) Although it’s quite a costly plan (about $5.5K for 21 yrs’ storage), we believe in the benefits of keeping the cordblood… it’s almost just like a “medical insurance” to us ;)

And so, after signing the CordLife agreement, the lady in-charge gave me this CordLife box which contains the tubes & stuff for the collection of my baby’s cordblood during the childbirth process… & which I MUST remember to pack this into my bag when I rush down to hospital for my baby’s delivery!! Hahaha!!! :D

Daddy Bebe's Favourite Toys!! :p

2008-06-26T15:39:00.005+08:00

To be frank, i'm not quite sure wat toys r most suitable for little boys.

Yeah, i can imagine having cutie teacups & teapot play-sets, barbie dolls & her wardrobe of pretty clothes & accessories... or even dress-up costumes into a beautiful Princess!! :)

But boys!! Am i gonna get Transformers, Spiderman action figures, or Hot Wheels cars??! I've gone to Toy R Us several times, & none of the toys (for boys) appealed to me!! *sobz*

But guess wat? One of Daddy Bebe's favourite toys (back in his days!) was Transformers ("more than meets the eye!")!! :D

However, recently, Bebe himself volunteered to take these 2 photos over at the toys section... in fact, he's the one who made me take the photos for him!! :p

And i'm not very proud to say dat those toys r WWF (World Wrestling Federation) belts!!! :p [I'm very much against VIOLENCE u kn!!] :p

Our 2nd Wedding Anniversary! :)

2008-06-25T21:18:00.020+08:00

Yday was such a beautiful day… & u kn why?

Cos it’s Bebe & my 2nd Wedding Anniversary (& 9 yrs together!!) :)

9 yrs is really such a long time… but I’ve nvr ever regretted being together with Bebe! He’s the Best Love of my life, & my life wld hv nvr been the same without him :)

To celebrate such a special day, Bebe & I took a day’s leave from work to spend time together! ;)

We rewarded ourselves with a sumptuous lunch at Park Hotel Orchard… their International Buffet at RSVP was at 30% discount!! :D

Actually, I was really very envious of Bebe leh… cos he cld “attack” all the food dat I cldn’t touch!! Like sashimi, mussels & all the other (raw) seafood!!! Arghhh!! So “unfair”!! :p But for the sake of Matthew, I shall bear with it & hv my “sweet revenge” after my delivery!! :D

This is me enjoying my big plate of yummlicious food!! ;)

Once I’m done with dat, I zoomed right to the “SINFUL Section” where I found everything I longed to eat!!! :D

My sweet indulgences – the French pastries consisting of cookies-&-cream cake, cappuccino cake, a slice of cheesecake, & a fruit-tart! A glass of chocolate mousse with strawberry & a chocolate stick, & hot waffles with Movenpick chocolate ice-cream topped with almonds flakes & rainbow chocolate-rice!! ;)

“Who cares abt the extra calories?!! I’m oredi so FAT!!!” :D

I got so “high” from eating the cakes & ice-cream dat Bebe had to remind me dat it’s time for our gift exchange! ;p

And I’m proud to say dat I’ve personally designed & handcrafted a wedding anniversary card for my darling!! :) Can only show u all the front & back pages since the contents r strictly for my darling’s eyes only! Haha!! :D

And I’ve also gotten a Picard wallet for my dearest Bebe!! He loved it so much dat he used it immediately!! :)

Of cos, I also received my pressies from Bebe – a value of $250 KIMAGE giftcard & a lovely wedding anniversary card!! ;) I was really so happy to receive this gift as I’m oredi hoping dat I cld go rebond & colour my hair after Matthew is born!! Bebe, u’re sOooOo NICEEEE!!! Thank U so muchie!! *Muakz!!*

Before we left the restaurant, Bebe & I took a pic together for remembrance… :)

Thereafter, Bebe & I went to catch a comedy movie, “Get Smart”, at Plaza Singapura ;) Steve Carell was really such a silly “Secret Agent 86”!! :p

Even tho it was our Wedding Anniversary, we nvr forgot abt our Little One! Look at wat we’ve bought for Matthew after our movies – a colourful foam clock to teach him to read the time in future! :)

Last of all, I juz wanna say “I Love U So Much Bebe”… & I thank the Lord for blessing & protecting our marriage for the past 2 yrs… I trust & believe dat we wld be together forever until the end of time :)

R u in the Same Boat? :p

2008-06-23T15:15:00.003+08:00

To all the Mummies-to-be out there in the "same boat"!! :p

Zhen Zhen's ROM on 20th June 2008! :)

2008-06-22T23:20:00.016+08:00

Last Friday was really a joyous day -- it was my dearest fren Zhen Zhen's ROM held at the Parkroyal Hotel! :)

Ever since she'd told me earlier in Jan/Feb this yr dat she's gonna get married in Jun, i've been bugging her since to tell me all abt her wedding planning details!! :p Like where it's gonna be held, where she'd booked her bridal package, where she's gonna get a pretty pair of wedding shoes to match her gown, which wedding bands she's gonna buy... etc. etc.!! :D I tink i got all so excited cos i've had such a wonderful & beautiful wedding myself dat i've grown to believe dat every wedding is like a "Princess-Dream-Come-True"!!! :)

So right after work on Fri, i hurried my way down to the hotel & here r some shots i've taken at the outdoor poolside wedding reception area ;)

The wedding album together with the cute wedding bears!

The board made by Zhen Zhen’s creative hubby, which they also brought it with them for their outdoor wedding photoshoot! :)

This is my MOST favourite wedding photos they took! Zhen Zhen’s hubby “acted” so comical in the 1st shot while Zhen Zhen looked so demure & traditional in the 2nd shot!! Very nice!! :)

The Beautiful Couple practising walking down the aisles…

The beautiful wedding rings that represent the togetherness of their marriage…

And finally, nightfall came, & the wedding ceremony began ;)

Two guitarists gently strummed their guitars & sang melodiously as the couple walked into the garden…

The couple took their marriage vows at the pavilion, & dat’s where it faces the beautiful Singapore Flyer!! How special & romantic!! ;)

After the exchange of rings, Zhen Zhen’s hubby actually read to her some touching lines of promises dat he wld take good care of her & love her… & dat ended with a nice, long kissss!!! :D

I’m really so glad & happy to be able to witness the joy of my dearest fren of 16 years on her big wedding day! :)

Zhen Zhen, here’s wishing u & ya hubby forever love & blissfulness in ya marriage! Cheers! :)

Jacob's 1st Yr Old Birthday Party!

2008-06-20T15:56:00.006+08:00

This post is abit overdue as Jacob's 1st yr old birthday party was already held a week ago last Saturday! :p

This is the cute & very creative birthday invitation card i've received from Mummy Sarah & Daddy Thomas! :D

Obviously, the theme was "Thomas the Train"... juz look at the big, beautiful birthday cake!! *yummy!!* :)

Thru'out the night, Birthday Boy Jacob has been very "cooperative" and even let everyone have a chance to carry him!! :) And everyone agreed dat he's such a handsome boy indeed... he's gonna be charming the ladies out there when he grows up!! Hahaha!! ;)

This is a group photo taken together as a ladies' cell group :)

And another group photo taken together as the men's cell group! :)

aRts & CrAFts! :)

2008-06-17T10:50:00.005+08:00

Knowing that last Sat was gonna be our final Gary Ezzo infant class, i've decided to make something special for our church faciliators to thank them for their precious time & invaluable sharing & tips on taking care of babies! :)

So these r the raw materials i've shopped for...

And with some patience & creativity... here it goes... a personalised photo-frame!! :)

And i liked it so much dat i made another one for myself... to put our FAMILY photo in future... Bebe, Baby & Me!! :D

Last but not least... i've made another decorative craft to hang on our bedroom door... & this time, it has our baby's name on it!! :) Matthew which means "gift of God" :)

GSS Shopping for our baby! Part III + Birthday Celebration for Yuemei! :)

2008-06-11T17:23:00.008+08:00

On Monday evening after work, i met up with my dearest fren Yuemei to celebrate her birthday in advance! :)

After much deliberation, we've finally decided to meet at Vivocity, where i suggested to hv our dinner at Pu Tien inside the Republic foodcourt. It was a delicious meal, altho the dishes were quite a long wait for hungryyy mommies like us! :p

After dat, i requested YM to accompany me to see-see-look-look for a suitable sports bag as a diaper bag for my baby. And hey, God was on my side!! :) I managed to find something i like... it's the latest NIKE Summer Collection 08 sports bag... & last piece somemore, & at 20% discount!! Woohoo~~ :D

And since i had my TANGS voucher with me (courtesy of PlanetFitness when Bebe & i 1st signed up for our membership more than a yr ago!), i paid for the sports bag using my voucher, & even had some dollars leftover!! So i topped-up in cash for a small heart-shaped pendant for myself!! :) *happy happy!*

Finally, YM & i decided to rest our weary legs (if u noticed, mommies get tired reallyyy easily!!) & upon YM's recommendation, we headed to Earle Swensen's to try their "fake martini"... hahaha... they're juz blended fruit juices with salt put around the glass rim lahz! :p But too bad we did not take any pics of our drinks cos we were too busy savoring our "martini" & updating each other abt almost everything!! :)

Anyways, Happy Birthday To U, my Pretty & Sexy Hot-Mama Yuemei! :) *MUAKZ MUAKZ!!*

GSS Shopping for our baby! Part II

2008-06-11T14:48:00.012+08:00

Last Sunday after our church service, Bebe & i went to the Motherhood Exhibition 08 held at Expo Hall 5... to continue with our GSS shopping spree!! :p

And this time, we did managed to buy some stuff for our baby, as compared to the 1st time back in March this yr when Bebe & i also came to this kind of expo exhibition selling babies stuff :)

After browsing around for prolly 2hrs (!!!), we've made these new purchases...

Mother Goose Stories with DVD, audio cd, an activity book and a little Goosling toy, a red trendy milk storage bag, & lastly, 3 tiny pairs of cutie socks!! :)

Ohh!! & not forgetting the 2 Motherhood magazines given to us FREE, & a Friso goodie pack! ;)

It was really such a "hectic" wkend for me... & i really felt like my feet were falling apart from all the walking!! But i'm glad we've managed to get quite a few items last wkend, nw i'm feeling very "accomplished" & satisfied!! Heehee!! :p

GSS Shopping for our baby! Part I

2008-06-10T20:16:00.023+08:00

Last Sat Bebe & i super chiong lohz, despite the rain, we still took a cab down to Thomson Medical Centre for the hospital tour cos our gynae needs us to decide on booking which beds soon -- whether to get the 4-bedded, 2-bedded, or 1-bedded room to stay in after i deliver.

During the hospital tour, we even got to see the labour wards!! :p Actually i felt scared & excited at the same time... hahaha... but i've decided dat i shld focus more on seeing my little one soon rather than the labour pains!! Afterall, all i pray for is a smooth & safe delivery.... & a healthy & happy baby too! :)

Anyways, after the hospital tour, Bebe & i made our way down to United Sq cos i'd wanted to look for the Baby Couture diaper bag, but even after i've found it at Little Angels, i realised dat it wasn't as big as i tot, even tho it looked kinda trendy enuff for a Mommy to carry ard. So in the end, we've decided not to buy it... *sobz*

Thereafter, for the rest of the evening, we embarked on our GSS shopping for our baby stuff!! :)

These r wat we've bought at Tom & Stefanie, Kiddy Palace & Metro! :D

Some bath towels, blanket, & handkerchiefs...

The breastmilk storage bottles & a mini-fan... pink & yellow! :)

The sleepsuits looked so cute & cheerful!! Can't resist it, so i bought the blue one for Mommy Yuemei's darling... & the yellow one for my "bao-bei"!! :D

A growth chart to measure our baby's height as he grows up... but mainly to "decor" our room in the meantime!! Hahaha!! :p

And finally, our BEST BUY so far -- an activity playmat for our little one to lie down/ play in... & with cutie toys hanging overhead too!! ;) So niceee!!! :D Even Daddy Bebe wanna sleep in it too... hahaha!!! :p

Overworked Mommy :(

2008-06-06T11:27:00.003+08:00

For the past few weeks, my work has grown so intense & thus my stress levels hv also increased tremenduously :(

I really wish i can take a breather... & juz not do anything at all.

Bebe said the other day i juz slumped right into bed & knocked-out immediately!! Dat's hw tired i was :(

I can only hope & pray dat my current assignment ends soon... dat all my auditees r cooperative (& kind to me!) :p

On a happier note, this is me in my new PINK maternity top... & a "matching" PINK soft toy at the OG Children's department! :D

And i am so looking forward to this weekend to R-E-S-T & R-E-L-A-X!!! :)

Blooming!

2008-06-01T11:10:00.006+08:00

Look at my blooming tummy at 26 weeks! :D

Cos of dat, my babydoll dresses/tops hv been getting shorter & shorter! :p

And so yday, my dearest hubby has bought for me my 1st ever two new maternity tops at Marina Square! Look at them -- they r so lovely!! At least, they r not gonna make me look ugly & "auntie"!! Hahaha!! :)

Thanks Bebe for the new clothes! :) *MUAKZ!!*

Choices & Sacrifices

2008-06-01T10:18:00.002+08:00

Just on Friday, my boss had requested dat i shld come back during my 2nd mth maternity leave to attend a 1-week training course in Hong Kong. I was flabbergasted indeed!! Wat kind of boss wld hv been so insensitive to actually ask her employee to come back for work in the middle of her ML??!

I had strongly believed dat my postpartum days, which is during my ML, shld be a time of nursing myself back to good health, & also a very special time for me to bond with my newborn. Besides, Bebe & i hv resoluted to adopt the Parent-Directed Feeding (PDF) method once our baby is born, & so we wld be expecting, hopefully as much as possible, to see a happy, healthy baby being able to sleep well thru the night by 8 weeks or so... yet with this travelling schedule of mine, i might possibly interrupt our planned schedule for our baby! :(

And other things to tink abt wld be whether to continue expressing my breastfeed milk while i'm overseas; hw i'm gonna keep my BF milk frozen during dat 1 whole week; & then check-in at the airport all the frozen BF milk bottles, with dry-ice or ice-packs, back into Spore!! Sounds like a logistic nightmare to me!! :-/

However, this is my job afterall, & it's really difficult for me to turn down my boss again, especially i hv oredi rejected her request before during my 5th mth pregnancy to travel to Vietnam for a work conference. The reason being dat i had been very unwell during my 1st trimester, was hospitalised, & even ordered to hv complete bedrest for 1 whole mth, so i felt dat it was wiser for me not to risk my baby's health juz for the sake of my job.

But it's really juz too many difficult choices to make within a short span of 6mths into my pregnancy. There's definitely gonna be more sacrifices to make sooner or later, but ultimately, wat's my choice gonna be?

O Lord, pls guide me & give me the wisdom to make the best decision in all situations. Amen...

Naming Our Baby :)

2008-05-28T18:26:00.005+08:00

Bebe & I had a very, very difficult time recently… trying to think of a good Chinese name for our baby boy!! :p

Due to my super-limited Chinese vocabulary, I really had a hard time trying to brainstorm the best Chinese characters to name our baby! Bebe had initially wanted a particular Chinese character, but I cld not agree with him, so in the end we had to continue our search for the next Best Name!

Fortunately, thanks to a newfound fren who recommended me a book on Chinese Names, Bebe & I managed to get some insights on how to name our baby – mostly depending on our hopes & desires for our child, as dat wld affect the way we name him.

There were several examples of nice-sounding and good-meaning names in dat book, but Bebe & I did not strictly follow the book cos we still want our baby’s name to be really special & personal to us.

So I asked my dearest hubby 1 question: Wat do u really desire to see in our son? And once he cld tell me dat, I began to search for our baby’s name in our all-time favorite book – The Holy Bible!! :)

While searching & picking out the “best” Chinese characters from the bilingual Chinese-English bible which we’ve borrowed from our dearest fren Paul, I prayed to God: O Lord, please give us a good name to name this child, for this child belongs to You!

And guess wat? God answered our prayers!! :)

Before the night was over, we’ve managed to form a few good names from the bible verses… & also having a special preference over a particular one! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

But since there's still abt 3 more mths before our baby's arrival, Bebe & I shall continue to ponder on these names & perhaps see if there’s any more special prompting from the Lord! ;)

Happy Monday :)

2008-05-26T21:09:00.003+08:00

Tdy's a happy Monday for me, cos Bebe & i took half-day leave to go to Toa Payoh HDB Hub to sign our Lease Agreement for our new premium flat located at Telok Blangah!! :)

Finally, it's our 1st major asset together as husband & wife... & i truly rejoice in God's perfect timing, cos by the time our BTO flat is ready for move-in, our little one wld be a toddler by then, & we cld all move in as 1 happy family!

And with God's extra blessing, who knows, possibly we cld hv another little one by then to join us as a family member? :D

Anyways, my dear fren's wedding invite finally reached me over the wkend! :)

I tink she really look so gorgeous & sexy in her netted-bareback wedding gown!! :) Can't wait to see hw pretty she looks on her actual wedding day next mth! ;)

Officially a "L"!!

2008-05-25T15:10:00.005+08:00

It is nw OFFICIAL -- I have upgraded from a Size "S" (pre-pregnancy) or "M" (pre-pregnancy/early pregnancy) to a Size "L" by nw, 25 weeks into my pregnancy!!

Those preggy-like dresses/tops (but NOT preggy clothes) r beginning to become shorter & shorter, thanks to my huge (or not-so-huge, according to some family/frens/relatives) growing belly.

To be frank, i'm starting to miss buying/wearing those stylish, trendy & slim-fitting clothes on display at the shopping malls! There r days when i feel not-so-pretty & it's frustrating to see the same old fat clothes hanging in my wardrobe. I'm still trying my luck to delay buying those real maternity clothes as they r not cheap, & my mentality is dat i'll juz need them for another 3 more mths or so, & then it's gonna be chucked away into the deeper corners of my wardrobe until at least when we've decided to try for our 2nd baby.

Seeing me so blue, dearest Bebe has bought for me 2 new tops from COTTON ON @Parkway Parade before we went for our Sat evening church service.

Bebe also encouraged me dat it's a good thing dat my belly is growing big cos it means dat our little one is growing steadily, & nevermind the clothes dat do not fit me -- "Clothes r meant to fit u, & not u to fit into them!!" :p

Such wise words!!! Haha!! :p

Gasp!!! :p

2008-05-25T14:11:00.005+08:00

Bebe gasped (!!!) when he saw all these... all dat i've bought in juz 1 evening!! :p

But i really cldn't resist buying them all cos they r so cute (& PINK!!) :p

Anyways, i've given away some of the cutie hp socks to my sisters & my sisters-in-law. The Hello Kitty hair accessory & Hello Kitty makeup bag is for myself. This is the 1st time i've ever bought such a small & cutie makeup bag for myself! & it's Hello Kitty somemore!

And also, the lovely Hello Kitty pouch is for my dearest fren Jeanette, as well as for myself cos i've bought 2 of them AGAIN!!

Due to our past experiences, Jean & myself always regret having bought only ONE for the other person, & thereafter regretting not having bought another one for ourselves cos we wld like it so much, but it's always the LAST PIECE or something! And this time, it's AGAIN the LAST 2 PIECES!! Hahaha!! So to save the trouble, i've bought both of them without hesitation! ;)

Perhaps.. Perhaps.. i shld hold off my Hello Kitty shopping for alittle while longer liaoz, hee!! :p

More hand-me-downs Baby Clothes! ;)

2008-05-16T11:36:00.005+08:00

Thanks to my Mommy, she's gotten on my behalf the hand-me-downs baby clothes from her cell-group mate, Auntie Judy! ;)

There were soft cotton cap, rompers, long-sleeved & short-sleeved tops, bottoms & some others like sweaters, etc! :)

And here r some tips i've extracted from MumCentre on selecting baby clothes:

Material
Clothing should generally be soft, breathable and comfortable with fuss-free openings to allow for easy diapering. Cotton is great — baby will not get too sweaty or scratchy in warm weather, plus it’s easy to wash and wear. You may want to consider removing tags or labels that irritate sensitive areas like neck folds. For the same reason, look for finished seams when buying baby clothes so that there are no rough edges. Avoid zippers as they can pinch tender baby skin.

Type
Clothes with snaps under the crotch prevent the cloth from riding up. One-piece bodysuits, usually called “onesies”, have crotch-snaps that make diapering and laundry much simpler. Onesies can be short- sleeved and short-legged to prevent baby from feeling hot when it’s too sunny or humid. Choose longer-legged onesies for bedtime. Ensure that head and leg openings are wide. Apart from bodysuits, tops that skim the navel or have soft hems will prevent irritation to baby’s cord while it’s still intact. Mittens and booties serve double-duty — they don’t only keep out chills but also prevent baby from scratching himself.

Size
Newborn-size clothes (usually marked 0 – 3) can become tight after the first few weeks so think about buying big. This also helps if you have a larger-than-expected baby. But give in to one or two too-cute-to-resist newborn-size outfits just for the sake of dressing your little angel up.

Quantity
Though newborns are messy, you may not need to buy dozens of clothes. About five pieces of each item will be helpful. How much clothing baby really needs really depends on how frequently you do your laundry.

The little details
Look for flame-retardant clothing and always prioritise function over fashion. Fancy bows and ribbons or animal-shape buttons are adorable but also pose a choking or strangulation hazard. Also, choose shirts or tees that button down the front as babies do not like having clothes pulled over their heads. It may be more practical to buy unisex clothes (not just blue or pink) if you plan to have another child in the near future. Whenever possible, wash new clothes before using them. This not only ensures that they are clean but also softens the material. Never use too much detergent when washing baby clothes. Detergent residue can cause serious skin problems on baby’s fragile skin.

Evening Shopping at TANGS :)

2008-05-15T11:49:00.011+08:00

Since my mom-in-law wasn't cooking dinner yday, Bebe & i then went to Rabbit Brand Restaurant at Lucky Plaza for our dinner before window-shopping (supposedly) at TANGS :)

Once AGAIN, we headed to the Baby Section after browsing less than 10mins at the other departments! :p

This time, Bebe & i were looking out for the baby bouncers and baby cot musical mobiles.

And this was the one i liked best -- Fisher-Price's Rainforest Peek-a-Boo Leaves Musical Mobile!! :)

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Product Details:

This baby mobile’s shiny leaves wave gently up and down while a smiling dragonfly plays peek-a-boo to musical accompaniment! Other rainforest friends join in the fun, dancing and twirling as the mobile spins around.

Use the remote to start classical music from Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. Or, baby can listen to soothing sounds from the rainforest!

When it’s time to remove the mobile from the crib, convert it to a music box with soft, glowing night light so baby can enjoy sweet, musical dreams for years to come.

The Rainforest™ Peek-a-Boo Leaves Musical Mobile™ features 3 soothing settings for baby: music, motion and lights; music and motion; or music with night light.

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Nice hor!!! :D But it costs a whooping $129 before discount! *faintz*

In the end, we've decided to sleep on it overnight before deciding whether to get it anot, since a 20% + 10% discount is nw given for TANGS/Citibank cardmembers.

Nonetheless, we did not go home empty-handed... cos Bebe has bought a new set of Hello Kitty soup-bowl & Hello Kitty fork & spoon for me!! ;)

And finally, dat's me havin' fun taking a pic with my new Nokia phone inside the TANGS' washroom, which always gave me a retro-aquamarine feeling cos of the bluish-green wall tiles!! :p

Everyone gets Something! :p

2008-05-13T18:35:00.005+08:00

While Bebe has gotten a new toy for Summer from Pets Kampong....

I've gotten some new pressies too!! :p

A Hello Kitty bread-cutter from Jingyi, a box of Hello Kitty candies from Melvin... & a Hello Kitty toothbrush/toothpaste set from my sis during her recent trip to Bangkok!! :)

So u see, everyone gets something!!! :D Heehee!!!

Mother's Day! :)

2008-05-11T23:51:00.011+08:00

Tdy's Mother's Day, & it's especially meaningful for me this yr cos i kn dat a precious life is nw growing day by day inside me! :)

And during our Youth church service tdy, our Senior Pastor's wife prayed for all Mommies & i'm delighted to be 1 of them! :)

In the evening, we celebrated Mother's Day for my mom-in-law at a neighbourhood chinese restaurant where it's GOOD FOOD for everyone again! :D However, no pics taken cos too busy eating!! :p

After dat, we all headed to VivoCity where we had our drinks & cakes at Pacific Coffee! :)

And these r my 1st Mother's Day pressies (courtesy of my lovin' hubby!!) -- a Hello Kitty tape dispenser & a pink-jappy tie-band from Daiso!! :D

Thank U so much Bebe!! :)

And to all Moms out there, be blessed by this Bible verse! :)

Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. -- Proverbs 31:28

Relaxing Friday!

2008-05-11T22:51:00.008+08:00

On Friday after our lunch, i jio-ed Bebe to go drink our fav mocha iced-blended at the Starbucks juz downstairs at my office building. It's been really, really hot for the past 2 weeks or so, & i'm juz praying for the weather to turn cooler & let there be RAIN!! :p

Later dat afternoon, my colleague came in to distribute 2 boxes of ang-ku-kuehs & pastries for his baby girl's full-mth!! :) Too bad we didn't get to see the little Princess cos she's with the Mommy & being "showed-off" at the office! :p

And having worked hard all week, i jio-ed my dearest Yuemei out for our chill-out night!! :D

First we had our dinner at Asian Kitchen at CityLink Mall, followed by drinking mocktails & listening to the 'live' music (cello, piano, violin & flute!!) at Marina Mandarin hotel lounge :) We really kn hw to enjoy hor!! :p

Actually we both felt dat we needed to relax & unwind abit... being pregnant for the past 5-6mths had not been easy. We hv terrible itches & scratchings on our shoulders/backs as well as on our growing tummies. Walking long distances has become a toil on our swollen feet. We r called "FAT", "BIG", "ROUND" or "FLABBY" by frens/colleagues. Dat's pretty discouraging for 2 vain mommies like us!! :p

But at the end of the day, we kn dat our hubbies still love us very much, & all these small sacrifices r nothing compared to the joy we'll be receiving in a few mths' time!! :)

Lost at VivoCity / HarbourFront Centre!

2008-05-08T13:40:00.012+08:00

Last evening after work, Bebe & i decided to visit the latest Mothercare flagship store but instead of heading to the right place, we went round & round VivoCity to look for the Mothercare store... only to realise dat it's located at HarbourFront Centre, NOT VivoCity!!! :p We r so BLUR manz!! :p

When we finally got there, Bebe headed straight to the infant car seat section where there was a huge range of colourful & comfy-looking car seats for the little ones!! I pretty much liked the red hot Ferrari car seat... hahaha... but no lah, we're not gonna get dat one juz yet, nw still lookin' ard & see which one is most suitable & will not burst our budget! :D

Besides the car seats, there were also baby clothes & toys, baby cots, & many other usual baby stuff. Overall, it's indeed quite a big store, but the place was pretty quiet last evening, perhaps it draws in more crowds on wkends bah...

Dat's me in the Snoopy play-ride outside Mothercare store!! :)

After our "exploration", Bebe & i then had our dinner at the foodcourt nearby. And there's nothing like a DELICIOUS-ICY-COLD-DESSERT for a very HOT (as in WARM lah!) mommy like me!! ;)

Baby-TV-Program Addicts! :p

2008-05-04T21:27:00.007+08:00

These days, Bebe & i hv been watching alot of baby tv programs on SCV, & it's amazing hw many infant programs they hv on Discovery Home & Health channel!! :p

There were:

Jon & Kate Plus 8
Deliver Me
Quint-Essentials
Shalom In The Home

& much more!!

Those were really educational shows for us, & an eye-opener too, cos these amazing parents had to cope with multiple babies/young toddlers all at a time!! :)

And tdy, Bebe & i signed up for the 1-time-payment for a lifetime membership with Tom & Stefanie @ Tiong Bahru Plaza, where we bought a baby changing mat & a blue bear rattle toy suitable for baby at birth :) And yday, during our late-night shopping at Robinsons, we bought another new bodysuit for our little darling... so cheerful-lookin'!! ;)

May Day holiday :)

2008-05-01T21:18:00.008+08:00

Since tdy's May Day holiday, to beat the usual holiday crowds, i've gotten our movie tickets 2 days in advance to catch the romance-comedy "Over Her Dead Body" at Orchard Cineleisure. Watching movies together is one of the most frequent thing Bebe & i do together as a couple ever since our pak-tor days, but nw dat our baby is coming, perhaps in future, chillin' out together at home watching Disney Channel might be a better idea! :p

After our movies, i suggested to Bebe to go walk-walk at Paragon as i wanted to check out if there's any kids-section at the shopping mall. I kn it sounds unbelievable, but i've nvr ventured beyond the 3rd/4th floor of Paragon!! :p Cos most of the time when i was there, i juz go to Metro to get watever i need, & then i'm outta there (except for occasional snack-bites at the basement!)

Anyways, surprise surprise!! Tdy's the 1st time i realised dat there r lots of children's shops at the 5th floor, & lots of kiddy-rides too for the little ones! :) Plus... there's Toy 'R' Us too!! :p

Dat's me hugging Mickey Mouse... reminds me of my own little 'Mickey Mouse' coming along soon... :)

Then there's Bebe at the purple-dino Barney section!! :p

Once we're done exploring the place, my tummy gave me the hungry-calls again & so we made our way to Jalan Bukit Merah's ABC Market for our Taiwan porridge dinner.

When we got home, Summer's oredi right there waitin' for us & wagging her furry tail!! :) Really missed her so much cos she hasn't come to our place for the past 1 week! And surely, she'd missed us too & nw wants us to play with her!! :D

Wat a fun-filled May Day holiday!! :)

Baby Kicking! :)

2008-05-01T12:54:00.003+08:00

Last evening, Bebe brought me to eat ice-cream at the Ben & Jerry's outlet at GWC to "compensate" me for missing out the B&J's Free Cone Day on the day before, cos i've waited for him but instead, he was held up at work!! *hmmph!*

Also, for the past few nights, we've been having "baby-talk" with our little one inside me.... & putting our hands on my growing tummy to feel his little but powerful kicks!! :p

And last night, something funny happened -- when Daddy Bebe told our little one dat he'll bring him to eat Ben & Jerry's ice-cream next time, our baby responded with excitement and kicked me vigorously!! Altho it's not his 1st kicks oredi, we'll still as thrilled as ever!! :D

So Bebe, u'd better not forget ya promise to our baby hor, or else he won't "fren" u oredi!!! :p

Confessions of a Shoppaholic Mommy!

2008-04-30T15:00:00.009+08:00

Recently we've signed up for the First Born Incentive (FBI) with TMC, & since it was before my 27th/28th week gestation, we only need to pay $148 for the 2-yr membership.

Upon registration, we were given a goodie bag which came with 3 books written by BB Wong on "Childcare", "Childbirth" & "Breastfeeding" worth $38 (or was it $48??).... (Oh no!! More reading for us to do!!)

Also, there were sample packs of HUGGIES diapers, a Mother & Baby magazine, sample packs of Dumex Mamil Mama milk powder, a yellow Dumex baby tee, an Abbott Baby Soothing Music CD, a pair of Friso mittens, a blue dolphin baby toy, a cordlife bib, & many more brochures!! :p

Other than investing our $$ on this FBI.... SHOPPAHOLIC MOMMY has spent her $$$ on another romper again!! :p But this blue-striped Carter romper has explicitly expressed the Mommy's hope for her little one... hee~~ :D

Shopping for RED!! :p

2008-04-29T16:32:00.007+08:00

U kn, i dun really believe dat preggy mommies r a forgetful bunch, as wat some ppl say, but recently i've bought for myself another new pair of RED shoes when i've juz bought a similar pair of RED shoes juz a week before!! :p

The retro-looking 1st pair of RED shoes from Mondo :) *And it was the last pair!*

The 2nd pair of RED shoes which i've bought "absent-mindedly" at Toa Payoh Central... but hey! they're also the last pair, & cost me only $6!!! *secretly pleased* :D

And last but not least... Mrs. Vain Queen (*me!!*) has bought a new pair of funky-looking specs... & it's RED & PINK!!! :D And ooo... the optician has given me a nice PURPLE specs-holder too!! Aiyoh, i'm so happy lehz!! :p

Preparation for Parenting

2008-04-29T10:37:00.011+08:00

Last Sat, Bebe & i started attending the 1st lesson of our 6-week long infant class conducted by our church. The class is conducted based on the parenting book "Preparation for Parenting - Along the Infant Way" written by Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo. At the same time, we were also distributed with a complimentary book called "A Common Sense Guide to Managing Your Baby".

Before the class started, each couple had to introduce themselves -- how long they've been married and the reason why they are attending this course!

Bebe & i then realised dat we were the "blurrest" parents of them all... cos we were the only ones who didn't kn beforehand dat this course was the Gary Ezzo course!! Hahaha!! :p But oh nvm, it's nvr too late to kn, & most impt of all, our aims are common -- to learn hw to raise our child in the most effective & Godly way! :)

Anyway, each week during the 2-hr class, we will all watch a video together, followed by Q&A for our group discussions, & last but not least, fellowship via tea-time! :D

One of the most impt lesson we've learnt last week was dat a healthy husband-wife relationship is essential to the emotional health of children in the home. A strong marriage provides a haven of security for children as they grow in the nurturing process.

And also, parents shld not become child-centered even tho it is natural to desire to give to their children. Some tips in the book on meeting all our baby's needs while still maintaining life beyond baby:

1. Life doesn't stop once you have a baby. It may slow down for a few weeks, but it should not stop entirely.

2. Take time to commune with God through prayer and study.

3. Date your spouse. (I'd love dat!!)

4. Continue those loving gestures you enjoyed before the baby came along. (Yeahh!!!)

5. Invite friends over for a meal or for an evening of fellowship.

6. At the end of each day, spend fifteen minutes sitting with your spouse discussing the day's events. ("Couch time!!")

7. When it comes to parenting, remember you're a team.

Having said all these.... we'd better make sure we FOLLOW the above as much as we can! :p

New Baby Cot!

2008-04-25T23:05:00.008+08:00

Juz nw my daddy & mommy accompanied me for dinner at Toa Payoh Central & thereafter, we went to the Kiddy Palace at HDB Hub to look for my baby's cot :)

And there we found the baby cot which i've been looking for! So happy!! :D

It's the Rocio by Bonbebe 4-IN-1 Baby Cot which is convertible into a Cot, Junior Starter Bed, Sofa Bed and even a Playpen! Also, this cot is made from quality Russian pine wood and comes with wheels with locks :)

*Thank U to my Daddy & Mommy, for sponsoring the baby cot!!* ;)

Other new purchases i've made recently for my little one...

Blue romper with little doggies & paw-prints! ;p

And a Mickey Mouse bib!! So cute!! :D

*If u've noticed, i'm fast becoming a Mickey Mouse fan rather than a Hello Kitty fan oredi! All for the sake of my baby boy!!* :p

So long.. Farewell.. It's time to say Goodbye...

2008-04-25T21:39:00.012+08:00

Tdy's Wee Keong's last working day in Prudential... & next week, it'll be Wee Ping's turn... *boohoohoo!!* :-/ Two good frens i've got to kn in this company r leaving for greener pastures... i'm happy for both of them actually... except dat the next time i pass by the pantry area, i won't be able to stop by to chit-chat with the two of them anymore...

And so, upon WK's suggestion, we've decided to hv a farewell lunchie together at Honjin Japanese Restaurant located at Chow House. Actually, each time i pass by the Chow House, i've always wanted to try their Japanese food as the place seemed rather authentic. Instead, i was there tdy to enjoy the "last meal" with WK & WP!! :p

This is me with the soon Bride-to-be, Wee Ping! :)

Dat's Wee Keong in the limelight... see, he's luffing away so happily cos it's FINALLY his last day in Prudential!! :p

And new-Dad Soon Dee & Kok Kien (to foot the bill together with me!! Haha!!) :p

After our lunch, we had some drinks together at the Starbucks juz down the street.

"Cheers to a great new beginning, Wee Keong!!" :D

And here's my well-wishes to WK & WP:

It's really great to hv known u both in this company & especially having all the fun together during our Social Committee meetings & activities!! :D

I wish u both all the best in ya future endeavours & stay forever happy, cheerful & fun-loving! ;)

Enriching Saturday @ Baby Talk :)

2008-04-22T20:53:00.019+08:00

Thanks to my 2nd aunt, Bebe & i got to kn dat there would be a Baby Talk organised by Cordlife last Sat at Suntec City Convention Hall, & of cos i quickly informed Yuemei abt it too so dat we cld hv company together dat day! :) And coincidentally, i also saw my my dear ex-colleague Linda & her hubby at the talk too!! ;)

Anyway, before the talk started, Bebe bought 2 cans of Frisomum milk powder for me (1-for-1!!) at the mini fair cos after i've tasted the sample, i tot it was really yummy! :p We were also then given a Friso goodies bag which contained free samples of Pureen baby shampoo & shower bath, NUK mother range samples, a pair of mittens, mini baby bottle & bowl, etc! Not too bad at all! :)

Over the next 2 hrs, the doctors/gynaes from various hospitals gave us deep insights on topics such as preparation for our pregnancy, what will labour feel like, what are the methods & effects of pain relief such as epidural... Mrs Wong BB from TMC even conducted a LIVE demo on how to stimulate the baby's senses thru massage! :) *The baby boy for the demo seemed like he enjoyed the massage very much! Haha!!* Last but not least, there was a speaker who shared abt cord blood banking & the future of stem cell therapy. Bebe & i both agreed dat these were all very useful information for parents-to-be like us ;)

Besides attending the talk, Bebe & i also went shopping for our baby's stuff at Robinsons since they were having a 20% SALE!!! :D So here's wat we bought at Centrepoint Robinsons:

Philips Avent iQ24 Electronic Steam Steriliser, NUK milk bottles as recommended by dearest Jeanette!! :) And MORE baby clothes, mittens & caps! ;)

But dat's not the end! :p

New plastic drawers for baby's stuff which was nicely decorated by ME with Pooh Bear & Mickey Mouse stickers!! Heehee!! :p

Bath table-cum-shelf from Kiddy Palace....

And Daddy Bebe with 2 new storybooks for us both to read to the little one!! :)

Priceless... :)

2008-04-18T23:56:00.002+08:00

Extreme morning sickness at 2nd & 3rd mths of pregnancy: Distressing :(

Heartburns & tiredness thru'out the day: Frustrated :(

Waking up at least 1-2 times each night to ease the bladder: Disruptive :(

Itching & scratching my expanding belly: Uncomfy :(

HOWEVER....

Witnessing my baby boy yawn during the ultrasound scan: PRICELESS :)

Boy or Girl??

2008-04-17T09:43:00.001+08:00

Ohh myy ooh myyy!! I am juz so kan cheong lohz!

I can't wait for my detailed scan tmr.... to see if my baby's well... & if my baby's confirmed to be a boy or girl!!

Kan cheong mommy! :p

A Happy Weekend for Birthday Celebration!

2008-04-14T19:26:00.023+08:00

Day One -- 12 April 08, Saturday

It's finally my turn to celebrate Bebe's birthday for him -- & a very "private affair" too cos it's juz me, Bebe & our little baby inside my tummy! :)

So here we go.... to the Parkroyal Hotel located at Beach Rd!! :) We've decided on this hotel for its most reasonable rates -- breakfast for two was also included alongside with the superior king-bedded room equipped with broadband access, cable TV, etc.

And guess wat? The very 1st thing dat Bebe did was to switch on the TV & watch the soccer channel from the cosy bed!! Bebe, you very the enjoy hor?? :p

But anyway, the purpose of the hotel stay was also to pamper myself to rest & relax, since i am nw preggers & most likely i won't be able to travel overseas for holidays this yr liaoz....

In the evening, before we left the hotel to meet up with my youngest sis for a movie at PS, Bebe & i went ard the hotel to explore their facilities. It was juz after a rain & still drizzling, so there weren't much swimmers at the pool, but i find the place really nice & tranquil-looking.... i've decided to take more pics the next day when Bebe comes for his swim!! :)

Later on when we got to PS, we headed straight to the Starhub shop at Level 1 to get my new hp!! Initially i had wanted to tahan until mid-yr to see if there wld be better mobile phone plans offered by other phone operators, but it seems like my LG Chocolate phone oredi cannot tahan me -- it juz automatically shut off when i wanted to send a sms!! *grrr!*

But anyway, i've oredi set my eyes on the Nokia 6500 Classic slide phone, so it was an easy choice to get my old hp replaced!! Heehee!! :p And the all-black Nokia 6500 is SO, SO, SLICK & chio lohz!! Hahaha!!! :D

And Bebe also bought for me a new PINK Pooh Bear hp pouch too! :D

After a satisfying dinner at Pastamania, Bebe, my sis & i went to catch the movie, Run Papa Run ;) I love the part where Louis Koo held the adorable baby girl lovingly in his arms..... so niceee~~ :)

And so... dat's all for Day One.... Day Two to be continued.... :)

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Day Two -- 13 April 08, Sunday

The next day, Bebe & i woke up early for our buffet breakfast, but we were slightly disappointed at the variety of the buffet spread, & the food was also not kept warm. I guess dat was the only complaint i've had so far for this hotel :p

An hr later after we've digested our food, we finally visit the pool again!! :)

I took several photos at the poolside.... was really excited cos a very dear fren of mine is going to hold her ROM ceremony at this place in 2 mths' time!! :) I tink it wld be really romantic for them to exchange their vows under the moonlit night at this Balinese-style poolside area.... :)

And u can even see the Singapore Flyer in the distance!! :) Gorgeous!!

Finally, it's abt time to check-out from the hotel. Let's see the birthday surprise i've got for Bebe.... :)

Tatahhh!!! This is Bebe's favourite Newcastle United's home jersey!! (& him holding the birthday card from me!) :)

And i've also personalised the jersey with his name and favourite soccer player, Alan Shearer's No. 9!! :p

Bebe was really so surprised & happy with his birthday present.... :)

Love u Bebe! *Muakz!* :)

Birthday Celebration Part II ;)

2008-04-10T18:47:00.006+08:00

Yday my family decided to hold a birthday celebration for Bebe at home, & my 2 aunts were also invited to join in! :)

As usual, my mom prepared for us a really hearty & sumptuous dinner... with chicken, beansprouts with shredded carrots & hotdog, lotus soup, roasted meat, broccoli with mushrooms & (more!) chicken pieces, & a seafood dish which i duno wat it's called! :p And my aunts also brought along some mangoes as our desserts -- they were really so fresh & sweet dat i was completely indulged in it & so busy slurping off the mango juices off my fingers!! YummY! :D

Besides the delicious meal, Bebe was also greatly blessed with angbaos from my parents & 2 aunts, & my sisters even bought a purple polo-tee for him!! :) Perhaps i shall request Bebe to wear it over this wkend when we hv our post-birthday-celebration-cum-getaway!!! :)

Of cos, not forgetting the GRAND FINALE, i brought out the chocolate birthday cake & planted only ONE candle on it, since the Birthday Boy thinks dat there's no need to put 3 Big Candles & 1 Small Candle on it... heehee!! :D

A pic together with dad & aunts! :)

"Stay handsome & lovable always, my dearest Bebe!" :)

Baby Stuff

2008-04-07T19:04:00.007+08:00

Over last wkend, Bebe & i finally bought the Blu-Tack so dat we cld put up 2 lovely baby posters on my pink wall!! ;)

Actually, Bebe & i wanted to buy some baby posters ourselves, but ended up my dearest ex-colleague, Derek, "sponsored" us the baby posters, & several more items such as a diaper mat, a pregnancy book, & even the expensive Medela electric breast pump!! :) Really thanks to him & his lovely wifey for passing on these items to us!

Other than Derek's generous contributions, my cell group mate, Sarah, also passed on her little 10-mth old Jacob's baby clothes to us! Look at the heap of clothes -- baby bibs, caps, singlets, bodysuits, tops/bottoms, mittens & socks!! WoW!!! Dat's really so much!!! :D

Besides these items, i've also been reading up on pregnancy/parenting from books and magazines.... I'm not too sure how much i've really absorbed from reading all these, but i do hope these knowledge will come in handy someday! :)

April Birthday Boys!

2008-04-05T22:32:00.007+08:00

Tdy we had a yummlicious dim sum session at East Ocean Teochew Restaurant located in Shaw Centre, together with Bebe's long-time family frens. We all had a good time chatting and indulged in fabulous food, including the family fren's 3-yr old son who loved to eat the fried crispy sotong strips! :)

Thru'out our meal, the little boy was self-entertained by his own powerful imagination.... making up stories and actions to himself.... but he also kept "peeping" at me, so occasionally i made smiley & funny faces at him.... hahaha... so by the time we left the restaurant, he was "fren-fren" with me liaoz, & he even held my hand himself!! I was surprised yet secretly happy.... cos it juz kinda touched my heart & made me tink hw wonderful it wld be to also hold my own son's hands in mine... :)

Anyways, later at night, we also pre-celebrated both Melvin (my sis-in-law's hubby) & Bebe's birthdays at Uncle Leong's Restaurant! :D Seems like it's a all-day-good-food-day for us all!

Look at Bebe enjoying his CRABS!!! :D

And birthday celebrations r nvr without a birthday cake -- this time, Bebe himself chose his own birthday cake at Four Leaves from Tiong Bahru Plaza. It's a small fruit cake but it's really nice & spongy, & the almond flakes tasted supremely nice!!

"Happy Birthday to you, soon-to-be Daddy Bebe!!" :D

And of cos not forgetting the other Birthday Boy.... Melvin, wish u good health & stay joyous always! ;)

Who's that KITTY at the window? :D

2008-04-01T21:56:00.008+08:00

Yippee!!! I've gotten my Hello Kitty curtain holders tdy & they nw neatly tied up the peach-coloured curtains in our bedroom!! :)

A close-up shot of my cutie Hello Kitty.... *smilez* :)

Mickey Saturday! :)

2008-03-30T22:25:00.012+08:00

After reading Jeanette's blog during the week, i got to kn dat a Mickey Mouse Cafe has opened at the newly-revamped Anchorpoint! ;) So i made Bebe promise me to bring me there this wkend to reward me for being a "good mommy" this week! *hahaha!!*

It was really easy to locate the cafe as it was juz at the entrance of Anchorpoint, plus there were alot of kids inside & many colourful balloons & decorations all over! ;) And it was FULL HOUSE!! So we left our number behind with the waitress before we continued exploring the rest of the shopping mall.

Bebe & i noticed dat there were several factory outlets for Giordano, G2000, Charles & Keith, etc. where their prices were slashed by so much dat they were drawing big crowds! There were also restaurants like Jack's Place, Secret Recipe & yet-to-be-completed TCC! :)

We continued to explore the basement level & there i found my "home" -- my Hello Kitty shop!!! :D

The Hello Kitty car accessories were going at 10% discount, but Bebe & i dun own a car, sooo.... skip dat! :p (I tink Bebe is secretly happy dat we dun own a car right nw, or else it's gonna be a PINK Hello Kitty car with stickers all over & with Hello Kitty cushion seats & headrest!! Heehee!)

Anyways i was gettin' really hungry, so we proceeded back to the Mickey Mouse Cafe for our late lunchie. While Bebe went to place our orders, i quickly took some snapshots of the place...

A cute girl-girl is washing her hands at the Mickey washing corner!! :)

Dat's Pluto, Donald, Mickey & Minnie up in the "sky" on the ceiling ledge!! :D

Halfway thru my phototaking, i realised dat the TCS actress Ivy Lee was seated at the table juz next to me! She looks so thin but she's really very, very pretty! :) Her kids were also with her, but i kn dat she's got her own privacy too, so i didn't bug her to take photos with me (anyways, i wld hv looked so FAT beside her now lohz!! Haha!)

And yippee!! Our food came, & this is the "Ratatouille's Receipe" -- clam chowder soup with bread! :)

And the Mickey-shaped pizza Bebe & i shared -- "Pino's Fancy"!! :D So adorable.... i love it!!! ;)

Satisfied with our delicious lunch, we decided to window-shop awhile more before we leave.

And dat's when Daddy Bebe & Mommy Bebe found this adorable blue jumpsuit for our darlin' boy! We're really excited parents aren't we? ;)