Exercising during Pregnancy

Clyde hits the 27 weeks mark tomorrow, and I'm proud to say that I've come a long way where exercising during pregnancy is concerned. In my previous pregnancy, the only exercise I did was to go shopping during lunch and walk down to buy some food during tea break. Being a first time mother at that time, anything more than walking is considered too dangerous for the baby.

In this pregnancy though, I really have to give credit to having a True Fitness below my workplace. I have been a regular for about a year prior to pregnancy, and didn't want to lose the momentum that I have built up. I was initially a bit worried during first trimester, and consulted my gynae who is not in favor of me hitting the gym. She gave me a letter to suspend my gym membership (which is still with me), and told me not to do anything more than light walking and swimming. So, I ended up walking the treadmill for 30 min during lunch, at least 3 times a week. After morning sickness left me at week 18, I started feeling more energetic and crave the heart pounding feeling. 

With renewed energy, I got myself on the Precor Cross Ramp that supposedly reduces the impact on the joints (as opposed to jogging on the treadmill).

I was pleasantly surprised to find I could pretty much keep the same level compared to pre-pregnancy, so that's what I have been doing since week 18. According to the stats on the machine, I could burn about 320 calories in 28 min, covering a distance of 3.9km. That helps to keep my weight gain in check (my appetite has been increasing recently, and I often find myself waking up to hunger pangs at 3am in the morning) and hopefully keep water retention away.  

Some 3 weeks back, I experienced my first leg cramps while sleeping. Coincidentally, my sister in law who works at Clarins gave me a bottle of Clarins Energizing Emulsion that is supposed to soothe tired legs. I didn't think much of it when I first applied. It leaves a very cooling feeling after a while, and just like its description - really soothing. 

It became a routine for me to apply it only on my gym days. Strangely enough, I didn't experience any leg cramps on nights when I applied this. I can only say its a godsend!

Thanks to my sister in law, I had the chance to try a few Clarins product this pregnancy. I will write about their stretch marks product in a separate post. 

Mount Alvernia Hospital Tour

I did a hospital tour at Mount Alvernia Hospital today! It may seem silly since P was born there, but I didn't do the hospital tour when I was pregnant with P and quite curious what they cover during the tour. Also, I wanted to know how the hospital renovations were coming along, especially with the car park.

Mount Alvernia Hospital provides a Free Shuttle Bus Service that operates from Monday to Saturday (excluding Sundays and Public Holidays) to/fro the following stations:

• Bishan
• Novena
• MacRitchie Reservoir Carpark

Since there wasn't a direct bus from my house, I decided to take their shuttle from Bishan MRT (in front of 7-11). It would be helpful to check the shuttle bus schedules from their website. Since the hospital tour starts at 2.30PM, I thought I will take the 1.55PM shuttle from Bishan and reach in plenty of time. However, the shuttle only arrived at about 2.10PM, so I was just in time to report to the Patient Liaison Centre located at the Main Lobby. Hence, please buffer for late arrival of the shuttle bus if you intend to take it.

There were already a few people in the Patient Liaison Centre, presumably also going for the hospital tour. The receptionist took my name, handed me a goodie bag and some information they were going to touch on during the tour. 

Contents of Mount Alvernia goodie bag

Information on the benefits and privileges of the Mount Alvernia Ladies card is probably the greatest takeaway from the hospital tour. I signed up for the card during a baby fair in May 2013 in order to do a health screening prior to trying to conceive. There wasn't a clear explanation given by them at that point in time on what were the privileges. It was a vague "You get savings on maternity packages, health screenings etc", but since I intended to do health screening, I signed up without asking too much. I also thought there will be lots of information available online with regards to the benefits of the card, but I couldn't find much. Well, there you go, the benefits and privileges of the Mount Alvernia Ladies card... You could also apply online via their website.

For today's hospital tour, we had 4 couples, 3 mothers (who came alone, including me) and 1 mother who came with a friend. My ex-colleague (due on 8 May) was supposed to join me, but she couldn't make it due to work commitments. I guess if everyone turn up in full force with their hubbies, we can expect at least 18 people on the tour.Our tour guide started the tour by going through basic information like maternity packages, and letting us know the tour route we will be taking later. Clyde must have been raring to go on the tour, for he kept kicking me during the entire explanation. The moment we started walking, he only kicked every once in a while, which hopefully means his nod of approval.

We were taken to the delivery suites (where they induced my birth previously), the rooms (only the 2-Bed Room, Single Room and the Single Deluxe Room were available for viewing), the nursery (where babies are) and the Alvernia Parentcraft Centre (final stop). At the end of the tour, we were given a drinks coupon each, which we could redeem from the cafe at L1.

Some useful info I got from the tour:

• The newly constructed car park is now open, but because they do not have a TOP date yet, the lifts are not functioning. It will be good to drop your pregnant/in-labour wives off at the lobby before you go in search of parking
• Maternity packages will start on the date of your delivery. E.g. if you check in on Monday and give birth within Monday, they will not charge extra. If you check in on Monday and give birth on Tuesday, maternity package start on Tuesday but you have to pay delivery suite and nurse charges for that night.
• Do pre-admission registration ahead of time so that all details will be made available to hospital the moment they have your ic number during check in. For pre-admission form, need to complete the Expected Date of Admission field in order to get an SMS confirmation from Mt A that they have received your details.
• Companion is only allowed for single rooms, and a companion fee of $80.25 applies. It covers 3 meals for the companion as well. If you have the financial power to go for the Family Suite (one and only in the hospital at a whopping $896.66/night), the companion fee is included as part of the package.
• The hospital do not encourage us to bring our breast pumps because the nurses will not wash and sterilise for us. Instead, we could rent one from them at $20 for the entire hospital stay. In view of this, I'm considering put my dual breast pump purchase on hold and try out the hospital pumps first. I will still have my Medela Swing and Avent manual from 1st pregnancy as backup, although both didn't work well for me previously.

I can't help but feel excited after the tour. Clyde hits Week 26 today, which means I'll be seeing him in about 14 weeks' time ^^

Hello Yasmin

Ever since we caught Hello Adam last year, I've been wanting to bring P to the next series called Hello Yasmin. Hello Yasmin is a theatrical play for children aged 2 to 4 years old, and explores the topic of plants and growth. Children will learn what it takes to grow a plant (seed, soil, water, sunshine) and that patience is key in seeing the growth through.

With P starting school beginning of this year, it becomes very hard for me to bring her to a weekday play. She would have to miss school and I didn't want to do that. Compared to the Hello Adam weekday play session I went for previously, this Hello Yasmin weekend session is obviously more crowded. However, I learnt that my forum group are planning to go together to enjoy discounts on tickets, I decided to join them. 

Upon entering the recital studio, we found many styrofoam blocks on the floor. I didn't think much of it and even encouraged P to stack a few up, only to realise later in the play that it was one element of audience interaction. P was really fascinated with the play, though her view was occasionally blocked by adults in front of us. That's the thing about having audience seated on the floor. She had to stand through the most of the play in order to get a glimpse of the action. The play has plenty of songs and dances and the little ones were encouraged to join in. There was a couple of times that P couldn't contain her excitement and whoop in glee, haha. 

I would recommend it for children her age, but try to go for a weekday session if possible. The kids will get a higher chance of participating in growing the plants. At the end of the play, they will also get a pack of seeds which they could grow at home. My seeds are still intact because I don't think P is ready and has the patience to grow them. Maybe when her school eventually introduces the theme of plants, I will bring out the seeds to reinforce the idea.

Valentine's Day 2014

A simple Dominos pizza dinner, Gong Cha and a blueberry cream cake from Prima Deli sums up our Valentine's Day. The little one in the tummy hits the 24 weeks mark. Really great to be able to spend the day with my loved ones!

The Horsey Year!

P celebrated CNY in school on 30 Jan. Instead of her usual school hours, her school hours were tweaked such that the afternoon session dismisses at 12.45pm. The school sent a letter encouraging the kids to come dressed in CNY clothes and to bring along some snacks to share with their classmates. I took leave for the day, and was able to send the little one off on the school bus.

MY CNY dolly

Hubby and I did one final round of spring cleaning and went out for lunch. We reached mil's place to pick P up, only to see that she is busy emptying her school bag and exploring the goodies. She told me her principal gave her a 红包, which actually turned out to be Hello Panda biscuits in a small plastic bag, haha. She also received some small toys and sweets from school. I checked through her bag and found this! Her artwork is now hanging proudly behind our door. 

P's artwork - She told me she painted the red portion

P must have had too much fun in school. We tried to get her to nap so that she wouldn't be cranky when we go to my grandparents' place for reunion dinner later, but she decided that naps are not for CNY eve. Luckily, she held herself well during the reunion dinner and was especially happy to see my parents and sister there. She finally fell asleep at 10pm, with her 压岁钱 under her pillow. 

初一 for us is usually a hectic event and the day starts early. For this horse year, events ran in this order

1. Leave at 8.30am to go church

2. Go to hubby's mom's side

3. Go to hubby's dad's side

4. Send in laws home

5. Go to my dad's side

6. Go to my mom's side

We were out the whole day and I had to pack extra diapers and clothes for P. P took her nap in the car between events 4 & 5, and we stayed in the car for an additional 20 min so that she can get sufficient rest. In any case, my bones are usually achingly tired when we got to the end of the day. It made me miss those days before I met hubby. In those days, I only had to go to my dad's side and mom's side and finish off for the day. I really don't dare to imagine getting 2 bubs ready by 8.30am next year, omg. 

OOTD for CNY Day 1

Day 2 would usually be hubby's day's side, an uncle who stays in a landed house and have guests over every 初二. This is where lunch always include popiah, and some dim sum items ordered via delivery. After my brother in law has his fill, he will start the blackjack gambling den and is aka the banker. I recalled that P was quite disruptive during the gambling session last year. This year though, that family had a new baby girl and they had toys in the house for P to play. She kept herself entertained and didn't require much supervision. 

After the gambling session, we'd head to hubby's nanny's house near Farrer Park. This nanny had taken care of hubby when he was about 5 years old, and is like a second granny to hubby. She is getting on in years but never fail to reminisce on hubby's childhood days each time we go. Hubby and her grandson (3 years younger than hubby) were playmates, and he's now in Boston studying his PhD. In fact, hubby is thinking of going to US in the next few years since his childhood playmate is living there and will be able to show us around. 

OOTD for CNY Day 2

初三 was a bad day for P. She developed cough and fever the day before and woke up on Day 3 coughing till she threw up on our bed. None of the laundry shops were opened, so we had to bring the soiled laundry to a 24hour DIY laundromat to get them cleaned. You would load the laundry into their washing machine, put in the required amount of money and start it. The laundry will then run and you can come back later to collect it. They also have dryers working on the same concept. I've only seen such shops in US previously, but they are gradually popping up in Singapore now. The only con is that hubby needs to drive back and forth to stagger the washing machine and the dryer. Apart from that, it's a lot cheaper than going to laundry stores. 

We visited my colleague's house in the late afternoon and he has an amazing wife who is such a great cook. He stays also in a private property, and P entertained herself by going up and down the steps, haha. The last stop of the day is hubby's boss' house. He has recently started work in a new company and was pleasantly surprised to be invited to the gathering. It was a nice condo near Thomson, home to his bosses (husband and wife duo) and their 4 kids. Their youngest girl is 5 years old and P and her took to each other immediately. After hubby and I were greeted his boss and exchanged oranges, P had disappeared. We found her in her new playmates room with several trunks of toys. No presents for guessing what she did for the rest of the night. 

We had lunch on 初四 at my grandparents' place. P coaxed my grandparents into playing with her outside the house while me and hubby ate. Every once in a while, peals and shrieks of laughter will come from P. It was really very heartening to see them having fun. My grandparents are also getting on in age, and I really need to remind myself to spend more time with them. P is their eldest great grandchild and I hope she will have some fond memories of them when she grows up. 

P and her great grandparents

That's so much for CNY. I'm back to work today and P is back to school. Hubby is still on leave today and volunteered to fetch P to school. He told me that she kept saying goodbye to him when she reached the assembly area, as if very embarrassed that her dad has followed her to school. She is apparently adapting well and knows the school routines by now. Way to go, my little one!

Waiting for assembly to start.

Detailed Scan

Finally! Today is the day of my detailed scan, aka Fetal Anomaly Scan! It's been more than 1 month since I saw the little one on screen, but he never fail to remind me of his presence with his regular movements.

According to a brochure I obtained from the ultrasound centre, the FA scan is a detailed 2D ultrasound scan which is performed at 20 to 22 weeks to check the physical development of the fetus and measures the fetal growth parameters. The fetal brain, nose, lips, heart, spine, stomach, bowel, kidneys and limbs are best assessed at this stage to detect structural abnormalities. The fetal gender is usually known during this scan as well. Through this scan, the location of the placenta and amount of amniotic fluid present around the baby can be determined.

My appointment was for 11am. Since P's school bus usually comes at around 10.20am, I thought I will head down to the waiting area and send her off on the school bus, before going for my detailed scan. Boy, was P happy to see me. In fact, she spotted me when I was about 20m away. She was with my mil's maid, who as seated backfacing me. P happens to be facing in my direction and I waved at her. From a distance, I could tell she was mouthing "mama, mama..." Once I got within 5m of the waiting area, she jumped off the bench and ran to me. I stayed there for another 10 min and got to meet the other 2 girls whom P boards the school bus with. When the bus came, mil's maid passed her over to the bus aunty and she was placed on the 1st row of seats. She waved bye to us happily and for a fleeting moment, I felt a gush of emotions (pregnancy hormones at work). My girl has gotten over the crying phase and she is growing up too quickly!

I arrived at Thomson Diagnostic Ultrasound Centre at Novena Medical Centre about 10 minutes before my appointment time. I handed over my appointment slip and was told to take a seat before they called my name for registration. There were about 3 couples at the waiting area and I knew I will be in some for wait. P's detailed scan was conducted at Thomson Medical Centre, and the wait was very long. I was more prepared this time, with a fully charged phone and a partially charged power bank that should be able to take my gaming to the end of the wait. True enough, it was another half an hour before they called me into the room.

The sonographer was a friendly middle aged woman whose first question was "Hubby didn't come with you?" Thinking back, I must have been the only one who came without a partner, wondered if the other couples thought I'm a single mother, hee hee. Anyway, if my gynae visit at Week 16 hadn't revealed the gender of #2, hubby would probably have made more effort to come. The sonographer brought me through the major organs of the baby. She pointed out the body parts, but to be honest I can't decipher the images at all. At one point in time, I asked her how she can do it so easily and she was like "you don't believe me?" Oops, it sounded like I doubted her ability, but I was just curious because what's on screen is just a sea of black and white to me. She told me not to worry and she will do a detailed check, and if she spots anything amiss, she will let me know immediately. While trying to scan the head circumference of baby, she told me she couldn't get a good measurement because he is in a vertical position (whatever that means). After numerous tries and turns, she couldn't get what she wanted, so I was asked to go out for a walk and come back later to scan again in the hope that baby will get into a better position. And so, it was another 20 min of waiting... Luckily, she got her measurements when I returned. The report took 5 minutes to print, and I was out of the centre at 12.30pm.

My intention was to go straight to my gynae (she's supposed to explain the report to me), but a quick phone call told me they were closed for the afternoon, and full for tomorrow. The earliest slot would be after CNY, bleah! I took my lunch at Quizno Subs and went to AMK hub for a pedicure and haircut. Man, I don't think I've ever seen the Nail Palace so crowded in my life. They were actually operating at full capacity, and I was lucky enough to get the last seat. Whoever's behind me will need to wait for someone else to finish. I was seriously contemplating whether to get a coat of festive color on my toenails (worried about the effects on the fetus), but the pedicurist sold me. She told me many of her customers did pedicures with nail polish all the way till they deliver. I gave in to the temptation and my toenails are now flashing red, whee!! I had my hair trimmed after the pedicure, and it felt really good to pamper myself for the afternoon.

4 more days to CNY, can't wait! Question of the year will no longer be "When are you having a second child?"
"Boy or Girl?" I already have an answer ;)

A happy school girl

It's been more than 10 days since P started school, and I'm really glad to say that she is now enjoying school. I asked her two days back if she wants to go school the next day and the answer came back a resounding "Yes!!" I still do not have much insight on what she does in school. Based on her account, teacher will read Goldilocks and the Three Bears daily, eat noodle for lunch daily and sing the same songs daily. Nowadays, when she look at photos on my phone of her first three days at school, she will point out her Chinese teacher 叶老师 (whom I suspect P is fond of). I won't know for sure what brought about her change of attitude towards school, but I'm really glad for it!

Happy School Girl

Her body clock is also adapting to her school hours, and now she sleeps at about 11pm and wakes up after 8am, as opposed to 9pm and 7am in the past. She still falls asleep on her return journey in the school bus every now and then, and that will be her nap for the day. On such occasions, she will sleep early (before 9pm) and all the way till the next day. 

K1 and K2 kids started school on 7 Jan, and it means P has 2 companions boarding the school bus with her. One of the girls apparently likes P a lot, and has been giving her small gifts (stickers, small toys) every now and then. 

Waiting for school bus with 2 jie jies

Hubby has started a new job this week, and his working hours were longer than before. That means I will be picking up P from his mom's place after work and have some mother-daughter bonding time before the man comes home. 

She told me she built a "house"

Play-Doh fun

We took some time last weekend to head down to Marina Square for CNY clothes shopping where I bombed $200 on maternity wear. We had lunch at a newly opened restaurant (Shallots) at the Dining Edition section of Marina Square. They were offering a 3-course set lunch at $13.80++. The fish was really good, but portion was a bit small. I managed to get P a Staples flowery dress at John Little at a steal. The price tag was $12 (which I was already very happy with), but it turned out to be on 50% discount (happiness x 2). By the time we got to hubby's turn, P was already exhausted. We took a break at Coffee Club where P could lie down and nap, while hubby went in search for his clothes. We probably need to make another shopping trip this weekend, but we'll see how it goes. 

All the sweet things...

The little one in the tummy has been really active recently. The popcorn popping feeling I get at week 16 has evolved into amazingly strong 无影脚 that catches me off guard. It's been almost a month since I get to see him on screen, but detailed scan is coming up on 27 Jan and I'm really looking forward to it. As my tummy starts to grow, you can see that P has found a new use for it - a nice cushy sofa to lay back on and watch tv. I should start charging her for usage.

Sofa for rent

Traumatising Day 2

It's 3.45am and I'm lying in bed typing this post. Recounting the day's event brought tears to my eyes.

P had a terrible Day 2 at her kindergarten. Unlike yesterday, I tried to step aside today to let the teachers do their work. P became totally hysterical and inconsolable when she realised I'm not at her side. She cried through her assembly and tried several times to get to us, but was held back by a teacher. 

After assembly, I went to her to give her a hug and tried to do a proper goodbye, telling her that mommy and daddy are going to buy her some cheese (her fav snack) and we'll see her after school. She would have none of it, pulling me into her classroom and promptly sat on my lap to prevent me from going anywhere. Attempts to get her to sit on the floor were futile as her radar was on full alert, any distance more than 1cm would trigger crying. I got her out of the classroom to clam down upon hubby's recommendation. She was super clingy and not even hubby can get her away from me. Her Chinese teacher 叶老师 came up to us and offered to bring P to the classroom. She refused and hubby asked the teacher to just take her away. It was the most heart wrenching moment when she screamed and cried and tried desperately to hold on to me. Tears were forming in my eyes and I tried very hard to control. I really can't bear to watch on any longer, and asked hubby to get me out of there for lunch. 

I got back to the school just after 1pm to wait for P to take the school bus together, just as I promised her earlier when I tried to do the goodbye. She wasn't crying as she walked the long corridor to the main hall, but the moment she saw me, she broke into tears. 

Lessons learnt (in order of importance):

1. Out of sight, out of mind. The kiddo will only cry if she sees her parents. 

2. It might have been better if I hadn't turned up with her yesterday. It makes her think that mommy (and/or daddy) can accompany her to school and be with her the whole time. 

3. Proper goodbyes should be done the moment we reached school, otherwise it won't work anymore. In other words, drop and go. 

P must have gotten so tired from all the crying that she conked out in the school bus, poor girl. 

Concussed!

Next Monday will be the final day that parents can accompany their kiddos, both on the school bus and in school. I'm on leave, but hubby asked me not to go. Plan is to get mil's maid to send her up the school bus in the morning (which will be the routine going forward). Hubby will drive to school and peep to see how she's doing, but he needs to stay "invisible" (out of sight and mind for P).

Before bedtime, I had my usual daily conversation of "What did you do today and where did you go?" with P. She was able to tell me most of the day's event, but the only missing part was the duration in school. Sigh, I think she's totally traumatised by today and want to avoid speaking about it totally. Not a good sign!! I must make a mental note to tell my parents and in laws not to ask or say anything about school over the weekend.

Below is the carnage from today's struggles. I was shocked when I removed her badge and the safety pin just crumbled.

The wreckage

I'm worried about next week, seriously worried. 

First Day of School

Today is a nerve wrecking day for many parents out there. It is a new beginning for those entering preschool as well as primary school for the first time.

P started the day by sleeping past her usual timing. We'd expected her to wake at around 7 because she didn't wake up for her midnight milk, but she slept till 8 plus. As for me, I woke at 6 plus thinking how she was going to fare for the day. Tried getting back to sleep after that, but it didn't work. Parenting woes. 

We changed her into her school uniform at about 10am, and she looks super ready for school. 

Smiley pic

Bag and bottle ready

Since her primary caregiver will be my mil's maid, we've asked the school bus to pick her up from my mil's block. We walked over to mil's place to meet her maid and school bus was scheduled to come at 10.50am. We had some time, so more pics were taken. 

Family pic to mark this milestone

The whole entourage (me, hubby, sil and mil's maid) escorted her down at 10.50am to wait for the school bus. 

Where is the school bus?

As expected, bus didn't arrive on the dot. We waited for close to 20 mins before it finally showed up. In fact, I was deliberating whether to just ignore the school bus and just have hubby fetch us there. Haha, paranoid mom syndrome. Lucky the bus came and I accompanied her onto the bus. 

On the school bus with mama

P turned out to be the 2nd last kid to board the bus, so we actually reached school quite early at around 11.15am. She had the chance to interact with the teachers and help herself to the toys in her classroom.

Puzzle in progress with teachers

She was doing quite well on her own so I stepped out to give her teachers some time to know her better. After some 15 min of play, she suddenly became quite insecure and started looking around for me. I reassured her and she continued with her puzzle. Soon it was time for assembly and I watched the teachers lead her out. She sat near the front and looked quite calm, but from the way her lips were moving, it sounded like she's asking her teacher "妈妈在哪里？" They sang their usual songs but she got more and more upset towards the end of assembly. Soon, she was just crying so badly that her teacher had to pass her to me.

P is sitting right in front of her teacher

After assembly, they went back to their class for English lessons. Teacher Lyn lead them through some songs and I stayed close enough to P in order to encourage her to participate in the activities.

Let's hold hand and go in circles

Pass the ball game

The class was led off to wash hands at about 12.15pm and hubby also arrived around that time to bring me lunch (bread and water chestnut drink). Lunch was served after the kiddos washed their hands. It looked like porridge from outside, but the menu says it's "Fishball soup with vegetables and noodles". P was sitting back facing us, but she turned around and saw us outside the class. We could tell she wanted to come out and look for us, but at that moment, her teacher placed her food in front of her and we were forgotten.

Concentrating on her meal (middle table backfacing us)

After eating, the kids were supposed to put their bowl into a pail near the entrance of the class. I saw the teacher giving her instructions to do so, but guess what she did? P conveniently took her bowl, turned around and place her bowl at the table behind. She then turned back as if she had cleared her bowl according to instructions. I LOL-ed at that.

Parents were asked to leave the kiddos and wait in the main hall for dismissal. I could see P's class being lead up the stairs to presumably the outdoor playground. She told me later that teachers brought her to "play sand". 

When the dismissal bell sounded, classes are lead out 1 by 1. At the main hall, there are various alphabet cards indicating the school bus "numbers". P is to be on Bus D, which we had come on in the morning. Once the kiddos reach the assembly hall, teachers will base it on their badge transport instructions and direct them to the correct bus aunty. Although it was kinda chaotic today, but I think it will be quite organised in the absence of parents. P's class was the 4th class being led out and from afar, I could tell she was crying. As soon as she  spotted me, she tried to race past her teachers to reach me, but was held back. More hugs and kisses required to calm her. 

How to dash past teachers to get to mama?

Bus D was 3rd in line and we were soon on our way. For return trip, P was the first to alight, but the drop off spot was quite a distance from my mil's block. Bus Aunty explained that they have 2 other students come next Tuesday who stays near 310, so the drop off location is organised as such. The school bus service don't come cheap either, $110 per month. I hadn't expected to be walking some distance to go back home. Too bad there isn't an alternative for us, just have to make do.

As for the little one in my tum tum, he decided to make me throw up thrice today - once after I woke up, once after breakfast and once after lunch. With all the food emptied from my stomach, my first meal of the day turned out to be dinner, which thankfully is still intact as I type this post. It's week 18 already, and the puking is becoming erratic, not on a daily basis but sometimes can work out to a few times a day. 

I also feel like I'm coming down with a cough and flu. Need to hold out for the 2nd day of school tomorrow. I hope P adapts soon, jiayou jiayou jiayou!!

Updates on P

I realised my past few posts are all about pregnancy, so I want to do some updates on P today. Actually, we did a lot of things with P during December, but I didn't have the energy to update whilst in my first trimester. Between my mom and myself, P probably swept through most of the malls and their live shows - Barney, Care Bears, Forever Friends etc. She even got to watch some of the shows twice. However, we missed the Sesame Street show at Taka. I'd taken leave the day after the show ends, intending to bring her there, but luckily I checked the show schedule to realise that the show had ended the day before. Alas!

Care Bears at Junction 8

Barney at United Square

Mariposa Barbie Fairy Princess meet & greet

Pororo at Nex

Teletubbies and Zingzillas at Plaza Singapura

Canimals pre-show at Harbourfront Centre

Man, the pics above made me wonder where I got my energy from!

As for recent happenings, P had her school orientation last Friday. I took the bus with her (she actually told me not to board the Trans Island bus, and wait for the school bus instead!) and hubby popped by during his lunch hour since orientation was from 12-1pm. She had been badgering us to let her go to school, so we thought that we wouldn't have any problem transitioning her. By the end of the orientation, it was obvious we have a lot to work on her. 

When we walk into the school, first thing I saw was kiddos trying on their school uniforms, and there were some tables set up by the side, presumably for school bus service. The first thing P saw was the long school kind of metallic swing whereby you sit facing each other. The staff told me to get her uniforms settled first, so I proceeded to try on the sizes for her. Throughout the trying, P kept pointing me in the direction of the swing. You can imagine the struggle and the pouty face I had to manage. It was a sigh of relief when the staff told us to proceed to assembly area and settle the uniforms later. 

Glacing in the direction of the metal swing

At the assembly area, little kiddo chairs bearing the class names were set up at the front. We were to lined up according to the classes we were assigned to. The principal made the opening speech, introduced her teachers and passed it over to one of the HODs to host the orientation. The kiddos sang a couple of songs, and then were separated into their individual classes/classrooms for further activities.

Assembly area before orientation begins

P was initially ok to join her classmates to sit on a floor mat and listen to the Chinese teacher lead the activity. However, barely after 3 minutes, she decided to stand up and come look for me. The classroom was crowded with parents who stood next to the mat and prevented her from reaching me. I gave her a reassuring smile and asked her to sit back down. That's when the nightmare happened, P tripped over a kid's leg and fell smack in front of her teacher and all her classmates. Needless to say, she started crying really badly. I tried to get to her but was held back by the Great Wall of Parents (GWoP). Finally she was handed over to me, and we managed to console her. When she has calmed down, we took several attempts to get her to rejoin the group (again battling the GWoP) but it only triggered her crying all over again. To be honest, it was at this point in time that I got really pissed with the GWoP. They were standing around to get videos and pictures of their kiddos -_-. I try not to judge other parents, but this really got to me, grrr!

P and her class

We took a brief respite by bringing her out of the classroom and going to get her uniforms. There wasn't much of a crowd, which was probably the best time to get uniforms. We bought 3 sets (hubby wanted more but was flabbergasted when I told him each set costs $26) and we also took the chance to confirm the school bus service. 

With some time to spare, we returned to the classroom and P had calmed down considerably by now. She even joined the final song and activity without tears. Phew! 

After the orientation, hubby fetched P and myself to United Square before heading back to office. I decided to bite the bullet and bring her for her first "professional" haircut (all prior haircuts were done by grandma) as I noticed she was pushing her hair away from her face a lot during the orientation. Thankfully she was a champion throughout the haircut (thanks to Barney and Baby Bop on the screen in front of her). The haircut costs a freaking $24, and I'm still trying to get over it. 

Before

During

After

Lastly, a bit of update on the little one in my tummy. My last ms happened on 22 Dec, so it's been more than a week without it. I truly thought I was going to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but guess what? I threw up again this morning, and with such an intensity I didn't expect, right before leaving for work. My appetite for today has been bad. At the rate I'm eating, I might just lose another 2kg by the time I end 2nd trimester, ugh!

We're in the Blue Team!

Happy to announce that we're joining the blue team this time round! Visited the gynae this morning with hubby and P in tow. I'm quite surprised hubby still involves himself in gynae visits for this pregnancy, and he even took half day leave for this routine visit. To be honest, my expectations of him are very low this time, having gone through 1 pregnancy together, I'd expected visiting the gynae alone most of the time. He has made it for 2/3 visits so far, which I thought was quite impressive, haha. 

Anyway, back to the visit... I'd done a blood test during the previous visit and Dr. Teo went through results with me today. She said the results are very good, sufficient blood for the pregnancy etc. The only red flag is that I'm out of Hep B antibodies and will need to go for jab after I deliver, but I already knew this from the health screening back in June. 

Next up is the scan, and the moment of truth. We went through the usual organs and hearing the heartbeat (it was at 158 today), and then she started looking for the privates haha. This whole gender thing feels so much like an exam to me and made me so nervous! It felt like failure when you don't get the gender you/your spouse desire. Hubby was very disappointed when #1 turned out to be a girl (although he loves his little princess to bits after she's out), so the stress level was quite high this time round. Gynae went "Oooh, looks like you are expecting... (I held my breath and I'm sure hubby was doing the same) a boy! Why did I say that? Look, this is the bottom view of baby. This are the legs (forming a V shape) and see what you have between the legs." Yes, unmistakable testicles, unmistakable blue team. 

P did a hilarious rendition of the gynae visit in the car while we were on our way home. "Doctor put sticker (actually is a napkin to prevent the gel from getting on my clothes) on mama's tummy, then tut tut tut (sound of baby's heartbeat). Then baby touch his face (she repeated what the gynae said)." Haha, I laughed till I cried.

To our beloved #2 Clyde Tan, we'll see you in 6 months' time. Can't wait!

P/S: We're approaching week 16 already, can you start giving mama a morning sickness break?

Newbaby Confinement Food trial

I had booked a lunch trial with Newbaby some 1 month ago at the Parenthood Fair. The trial was going at $15 instead of the usual $35 or something, but the catch is that I have to arrange the trial within 1 month of the Parenthood Fair dates. For someone who is just going to past the first trimester (not to mention still having strong bouts of morning sickness throughout the day), the trial seems to have happened too early, haha.

At the stroke of 12, I heard knocking at the front door. Hubby answered the door and there was the delivery person. The food was neatly packed in microwaveable containers in what I thought was a pretty good quality plastic bag. Menu of the day/lunch:

1. Fish and papaya soup

2. Steam fish with dried lily buds

3. Silver anchovy with Vegetables (kai lan)

The meal also came with a generous serving of longan red date tea and a full pack of rice. Serving size was about 1.5 pax, too much for me alone but not enough for both hubby and me. At least it will definitely keep me full during the confinement period if I do go with them. 

Hubby didn't like item 1 much, but I think they did pretty well on the other dishes. The fish didn't have any fishy smell/taste and the vegetables went down quite well with me. The red date tea was a bit bland, but passable. 

Their 28 days dual meal package will set me back by $1600. If I order 1 month before my edd, I will enjoy an early bird discount of $120. Hmmmm, I need to explore other options before making a final decision. 

Another thumb sucker

I visited the gynae 2 days ago and got a priceless pic above - Baby is sucking its thumb! Haha really can't believe it's taking after its sister so quickly. We've yet managed to wean P off her thumb yet, but at least she now sucks it only if she's sleepy. 

My morning sickness has finally kicked in 2 weeks ago, so much for thinking I will be lucky enough to skip it this time. In comparison to P, it was milder this time, so I'm still thankful for it. 

Dr. Wendy Teo was very patient in bringing me through all the body parts of #2. She showed me the skull, nose, mouth, hands, ankles, umbilical cord, heart, and even the left and right brain. She's really the sort of gynae you should look for hen expecting your #1. My ex gynae will only say "baby looks good. See you in a month's time". Dr. Teo charges higher fees, but I think it's justified for the amount of time she spends with each patient. 

I started on the multivitamins and fish oil (seeing the left and right brain prompted me to start). They will cost me about $52 monthly. I'm also quite amazed by the fish oil. Not sure whether fish oil has evolved in the span of 3 years, but the one I'm taking this time doesn't come with icky fishy smell when I burp. In fact, a nice pleasant lemony smell comes out. I'm impressed, haha. 

My detailed scan has been scheduled for end Jan and gynae will see me in a month's time. She told me she will be able to let me know gender the next visit, if baby cooperates. Looking forward!