Chugging along?

I'm supposedly entering week 9 tomorrow, and have been eating well so far. From the looks of it, I'm going to belong to the 25% of women who don't get MS this time round. Nauseousness does hit me now and then, but the merlion thing hasn't happened and I hope it stays that way. I was puking very badly with P at about this time. It sets me thinking whether #2 is a different gender from P for such a marked difference. On the other hand, I'm also worried whether the little one is growing well. 

The first and second pregnancy is so different. With the first one, I had plenty of time to read up on body changes during pregnancy, what to eat etc. Now, readings are a luxury but I realised time passes a lot faster with#1 to distract me. I used to count down day by day to my next gynae visit, but time is now whooshing by without me realising. 

Christmas is less than 2 months away. I thought I'll share P's version of Jingle Bells: 

Ginger bells, ginger bells, pussy on the bell, yay! One more side, one more side, one more side..."

Haha, plenty of room for improvement. If it does turn for the better, I'll update here. 

Pan Pacific Singapore Staycation

The Tan Family has just returned from a 2D1N staycation at Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary. It was such a great experience that both myself and the little one are having withdrawal symptoms. 

I started sourcing for wedding anniversary plans some 3 months back, and came across the Pan Pacific Staycation Singapore Special on their website. Pan Pacific is where we held our banquet 3 years ago and every year I will definitely get onto their website to look for deals. The staycation package was probably a godsend. At $218++ per night, it is even lower than most of the average hotels out there. It even comes with $40 dining credit that you can use in most of the dining establishments within the hotel. With hotels, I often find the check in and check out timings very unfair to stayers. Check in is usually 2pm or 3pm, and check out is before 12 noon. With this package, we get complimentary check out at 3pm, good for us to sleep in, catch breakfast, do a swim and slowly pack our belongings. 

When doing the booking, I indicated that we are celebrating our 3rd anniversary and the hotel went all out to make sure it was a memorable one for us. 3 days before check in, I received an email from Pan Pacific telling me that they are extending a complimentary cake to us in celebration of our anniversary. On the day of check in, the staff assisting us with our check in told us that we have been given a room upgrade from the Deluxe room to the Harbour view King room. How sweet of them! Oh, I also have to mention we arrived way ahead (just after lunch) of check in time of 3pm, but they didn't hold us back as the room was ready. Thank god for that, else I will have to come up with contingency plan for the next 2.5 hours or so. 

The moment we reached our room (3113) on the 31st floor, I couldn't help but do a victory dance. We had full view of MBS, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the CBD skyline and even the merlion. The little one, seeing my excitement, joined in the victory dance. Shortly after, the doorbell rang and a staff passed us a box of chocolate and a letter from their GM congratulating us on our wedding anniversary, also asking us to enjoy our room upgrade. 

We took an afternoon nap and awoke at 3 plus. P couldn't wait to swim after that, so we made our way to the pool at Level 4. The pool was very crowded, but the staff manage to find us a deck chair, passed us 2 bottles of ice water and our towels. Despite the hot afternoon sun, the pool water was quite cold. That being said, barely after 20 min of swim, the sky turned grey suddenly and there was thunder. The staff "evacuated" the pool due to lightning concerns and it was too short a swim for us. We assured P we will be back the next day, and she waved goodbye to the pool unwillingly. 

P and I took our bath and sat on the bed watching movies on the bed. Hubby decided to relax in the bath tub, and watch the movie from the bath tub. Pan Pacific Singapore has undergone a recent renovation and I must say I'm quite impressed with the facilities in the bedrooms. They have a glass window for the bathroom, and you could see the rest f he bedroom from there (and vice versa). That's how hubby can watch the movie from the bathroom. Also, the shower room and the toilet is separated, so you can have multiple people in the toilet doing different things at any one time. The fridge/mini bar is fully computerised. Once you remove any item and didn't put it back within 30s, they will charge the item to your bill. I think that saves a lot of trouble for their housekeeping staff to track the items. Blinds are fully remote controlled, and their phone offers one touch control to many services. 

We went to Suntec in search for dinner. The Convention Centre area has changed so much. I've been there previously, but not hubby, so we went there to check it out. Couldn't find much dining options so we proceeded to Fountain area. Dinner was Peperoni pizza (hehe, #2 was craving for pizza), but the portion wasn't quite sufficient. I should have ordered a bigger pizza for sharing. We ended up at Gelare for waffle and ice cream desserts. 

Hubby wanted to head back to hotel after dinner, and we were just in time to catch the MBS laser show from our room at 8pm. Pan Pacific has also arranged for our anniversary cake to be delivered while we were out for dinner. The cake came with 'Happy 3rd Anniversary!' Card signed by some of their staff. Really really appreciate the personal touch that the hotel has arranged for us! They have never disappoint us so far, kudos to all the warm and professional staff. 

We turned in early for the night and slept really well. The next day, P surprised me by saying she wants to sleep in, and ask me to turn off all the lights. She must have enjoyed the sleep too. We went to Edge on level 3 for our complimentary breakfast, and the spread was quite commendable. I wished I had 4 stomachs to try all the food, but with #2 taking up space, I can't take in as much as I would have wanted. I liked their fried kway teow and fried bee hoon. Missed the dimsum station until I was too full for anything else, so that was a pity. 

We wanted to take a 30 min break, but P kept chanting that she wants to swim. We had no choice but to change and bring her to the pool. Unlike the day before, the pool was relatively empty today. Water was equally cold (thermal wear recommended for kids), but we had fun frolicking in the water. We stayed till P is willing to leave the pool. 

The $40 dining credit was spent at the Atrium Deli, serving mainly sandwiches and breakfast sets. We chose their set lunch ($19.90) and it came with a sandwich/burger, a salad and a drink. Hubby chose the Corn Crab Burger while I had the Prawn Avocado sandwich. Both were good, and surprisingly filling. We checked out after that meal, also ahead of the check out timing. Hubby has soccer at 3pm, else we would probably have taken a nap before leaving. 

All in all, it was a very nice staycation. We spent a lot of time in the room and at the hotel, relaxing and resting, charging up for the week ahead. The little one was probably the most disappointed when we left. She was expecting us to return to the hotel room after our meal at Atrium Deli. The reality didn't hit her until we reach our void deck. She broke down and cried really hard, telling us she wants to "go back to the hotel room". It took a lot of reassuring for her to finally come to terms with it. Throughout the rest of the afternoon, she would randomly mention "go back hotel room soon ok?" and "next time go hotel room". I wished I could do that too, my dear. Ugh, hope we'll get over the staycation withdrawal symptoms soon!!

P the Whistleblower

Went over to in laws' place for dinner today. We wanted to break the pregnancy news to them, but guess what? P the whistleblower already beat us to it, and they sort of guessed it two weeks before already. 

SIL told us on one of the days when she spends the morning at my in law's place, P randomly spouted "mommy's tummy got baby." SIL and her maid was taken aback and sought confirmation from her by asking whether someone else's tummy has got baby. She replied "no" to all, and insists only mommy's tummy got baby. 

It turned out that the surprise was on me and hubby instead. We didn't expect her to remember what we told her and then "spread" the news to others, haha. My in laws also kept the knowledge to themselves until today, kudos to them. 

Now, we know what NOT to tell P next time. By the way, she also disclosed hubby's iPhone pw during the dinner. It's obvious - P can't keep secrets, haha!

Dear #2

Dear #2,

Papa and I went to the gynae today and saw the little you on the screen. Watching your tiny heart beating and hearing how it sounds really makes me the proudest mom in the world, especially when the gynae says you are looking great and healthy. This makes the wait at the gynae worth for papa, who kept badgering the staff on the waiting time. He's not a patient man, but he's a great papa. The scan put you at 6w2d, which was shorter than what I expected and calculated based on pregnancy apps. It feels like you've been there for much longer. EDD is tentatively on 10 June 2014, but I hope you can come out during the period after the exams and just before the June holidays (so you can celebrate with your friends in school).

Your elder sister is at grandma's place today, and that gave me the chance to do some bonding with you. We went to Bishan Park for an hour-long walk and I believed the fresh air did us both good. I saw people jogging and wished I could do the same. I missed the feeling of the heavy breathing and adrenaline rush. We came across couples strolling, families walking, dogs running, kids playing. We walked past the Powermoves at Bishan Park, and I contemplated whether to take up prenatal pilates. I have no courage to check on the pricing though, it's bound to be expensive. I could do more saving that sum up and buy diapers and formula milk for you next time. For the time being, you just have to make do with my walks in the gym, and hopefully I can find time to come to the park with you more often. 

Dear #2, the next time we see you will be in 5 weeks' time. Please stay safe and grow with us. I'm sure as you (and my tummy) grow, P will be speaking to you more often. She's at a chatty phase and says the funniest things. You will enjoy hearing her voice. Till we meet again.

Love, 

妈妈

8 Years Together

8 Oct 2005 - The day we got together. 

Fast forward 8 years later, we spent this day in a truly "memorable" way - A big quarrel complete with shouting and tears. The first time it happened on our get together anniversary, and hopefully the last. 

Totally disillusioned. 

Gynae visit

2 years ago, I spent hours poring over search engines and motherhood forums looking for the 'best' gynae in town. We finally settled on Dr. Adrian Woodworth because he is relatively well known in the online space, and that his clinic in Sengkang is quite near to my Hougang home then. 

With #2, what I looked for is no longer 'famous' gynaes, but rather the proximity to my current home. It's almost a no brainer that the AMK Hub gynae came to mind. Comments about her in the online space are scarce, and I didn't know what to expect. 

During the first visit, I didn't feel much difference than if I were to visit a normal GP. However, today's visit took me by surprise. Upon entering her office, she greeted me warmly with "Hi Jessica, how? Still irregular (referring to my 17-day delayed period)?" When I told her I tested positive, she was so so happy for me, and she remembered I was trying to conceive! She asked me for the first day of last menses and compared to a circular date chart, concluding that I should be in week 5-6 of pregnancy. She asked if I want to do a blood test or a scan, but warned me that we might not e able to see much during the scan as the pregnancy is still in early stages. 

Opted for the scan and it has to be done from below, but she did it very well and I didn't feel any discomfort. I liked the ultrasound set up in her clinic too. She had duplicate screens, one for her and another one diagonally above me, so I don't have to strain my neck trying to see what she was talking about. The first thing she checked was my uterus lining, which she said had thickened and that confirms I'm really pregnant. Then she tried looking for the water bag, but we only saw a small space that should develop into a water bag in a couple of weeks. She was also able to tell me that I ovulated on the right side as opposed to the left, and gave me assurance that she sees nothing that I should be concerned about. 

After the scan, she launched into a barrage of what I should not be eating (raw food, certain cheese etc) and to keep coffee/tea to one cup a day max. We discussed exercise options and to my relief, she passed walking on the treadmill, which means I can still continue going to the gym. There was to be no lifting of weights (I wonder if a 12kg toddler counts) and no jumping. Brisk walking is about the safest exercise, at least for the first trimester. 

The next visit is in 2 weeks' time. I can't wait already!

As Blue as Clearblue

Did the Clearblue test this morning, and the + sign appeared almost immediately. Things are looking up!

Some 2 years back, P's + sign came 9 days after I missed my period. I can hardly believe its been 2 years. 

And oh ya, I couldn't keep the news to myself and ended up telling hubby yesterday night. Happy news indeed :)

Renewed Hope

Some 1 week back during bedtime with P, she pulled my shirt towards her, looked in and asked "妈妈，里面有baby吗？" I didn't think much of it, and dismissed her curtly by telling her to stop talking and go to bed. 

My menses has been late for this cycle again. Based on last month's record of being 17 days late and doctor's hormonal imbalance diagnosis, I didn't want to test for fear of disappointment again. Besides, I was experiencing what I thought was very bad PMS - Bad flare up of acne, super tender breasts, cramps, mood swings and even the feeling down there when menses has arrived.

Today marks 8 days after my expected period and I finally plucked up the courage to test. It was also partly attributed to this nagging feeling that tells me it might be right this time round. The 5 mins spent waiting for the pregnancy test strip to show results is probably the longest 5 mins of my life. 

Results came back with a faint positive line, and my heart leaped! When I reached office, I immediately called the gynae to make an appointment for tomorrow. I didn't dare tell hubby for fear that its a false positive. 

During lunch, I felt doubtful that the strip was accurate, and bought 2 more types of pregnancy tests - 1 Watsons housebrand and a Clearblue. I just tested with the Watsons and it's also showing a faint positive. I will do a final test with Clearblue using first morning urine tomorrow. Cross my fingers!!

I've read stories of toddlers/older siblings knowing his/her mom is pregnant, even before the mother herself knows. Some mothers have even gone as far to reprimand the kid for telling lies. Now I think back on the bedtime incident with P, I wonder if she already knew it at that time. 

Marymount Kindergarten Orientation for Parents

After morning's furoy at the Rise and Shine expo, P took a deep nap after she got home. I had to bring her over to in law's place at 5.00 PM so I can go meet hubby at United Square, where we had our dinner before going to attend her school's orientation. P didn't wake up when it was time to go, so I had to move her to my shoulder. I thought she will wake when walking over to in law's, but she didn't. She slept all the way to my in law's place (technically just 2 blocks away), and continued sleeping after I passed her to MIL's helper. Haha, the tired little creature... 

I took a bus to Novena to meet hubby. We had Bakerzin pasta for dinner and it fell short of my expectations. I ordered their seafood pasta (as I always do) but they definitely did it a lot better the last time I had it. The noodle was overcooked and the texture just didn't appeal to me. Hubby's Aglio Olio with mushroom, ham and bacon fared much better, but I'm not really a fan of garlic, eeks. We (well, it's more of I) beat a hasty retreat from Bakerzin, but it was still early. We found our way to Sogurt, which charges yoghurt and toppings by the weight, so you can add anything you want. It doesn't come cheap compared to other yoghurt shops where youghurt usually just come with 1 or 2 types of toppings, but I really like the flexibility of adding what I want (a lot) and what I want to try (1 or 2 pieces). 

 The orientation for parents is to be held from 7-9PM at MMK compound. We arrived close to 7PM to see that most people are already seated. They had several stations - 1 for registration, 1 giving out orientation materials, 1 giving out CDAC forms (for those who wish to pay school fees via Baby Bonus scheme), 1 dishing out water and curry puff, and 1 for school bus. When we reached the presentation hall, we found a few classrooms transformed to childcare facilities (with teachers helping to look after the kids) for parents who had brought their kids along. We didn't want to bring P along partly because of the late timings, but mainly because of the potential disruption she will cause. On hidnsight, if I had known they provided childcare facilities, I MIGHT be a bit more inclined to bring P along. 

 The principal Mrs Kew kickstarted the presentation at about 7.15PM, bringing us through the organization of the kindergarten, staff strength, rules, dismissal procedures, meals at school etc. It was comprehensive, but quite dull. She finished off at about 8.30 PM and the big group was broken up into smaller groups based on the school level of the child. The English HOD spoke to us about the curriculum, followed by the Chinese teacher. It does seem that P will have a lot of fun at this school next year. I like that they take a very hands-on approach when educating the pre-nursery children. It was close to 9.30 PM by the time everything ended. 

There is going to be another orientation for our toddlers come 27 Dec 2013. I can't wait to bring P to see her school again.

Rise & Shine Expo 2013

There was a lot of online hype regarding the Rise & Shine Expo 2013 held at Suntec Convention Hall 401 from 27-29 Sep 2013. It supposedly features 500+ premium brands, 100+ parenting talks, 50+ fun classes for little ones and many more. There was also Meet & Greet with Nickelodeon characters like Dora and Diego. I happened to be on leave on 27 Sep 2013, so decided to check the expo with P and my mom. 

We arrived at about 11.30AM to a completedly made over Suntec City, found our way (not as intuitive as before) to the Convention Center Hall 401 and saw a long queue, presumably for the goodie bag. We started at the right side of the Hall and made our way through the booths. Luckily, there wasn't a very big crowd and we could maneuver at ease. I have definitely experienced worse at Expo baby fairs. 

We came across the Anlene booth and I made my mom take the free bone density test that they made available to all. She seemed keen to get some of the products, we but decided to come back later so as not to lug the heavy products around. Slightly further down was the NTUC booth, giving away free walking pet balloons if you complete their form to join their mailing list. Mom joined the queue first with P while I went in search of the form to complete. It was lucky we queued early. By the time we got to our turn, there was a looooooooooooong line of people behind us. P was very happy to pull her walking cow (looks like a dog if you asked me) around. I signed up for the Passion Card (yes, I'm quite slow to take this up) 2 booths down, and that's pretty much what we took away (with Anlene products at the end) from the Rise and Shine expo. There was really nothing much to buy. To add salt to the wound, our biggest haul was Anlene (senior products IMO) at a kid's fair, how ironic. I guess it's to make up for the lack of things to buy, my mom kept asking me to go get their goodie bags. We headed to the entrance/exit area and I noticed the goodie bag queue has died down considerably. It was also not simply queue and get it. According to the staff, I had to sign up at the website, have 5 friends 'Like' their event on Facebook before a QR code is generated for me to collect the goodie bag. Thanks to the hype among all my mommy friends, the 5 'Likes' was available immediately, and I collected the goodie bag without much problem. 

P was probably the most shortchanged. She usually get to try a lot of snacks and product offerings at expo baby fairs, but Heinz booth wasn't at this exhibition and she doesn't take any of the milk powder that are exhibited there. To quote her, "No mum mum." We also didn't stay till 3.30 PM for the Meet and Greet, but she did have fun on the bouncy castle though. 

 Left the exhibition and went in search of lunch. Suntec is so foreign to me now. Their post-renovation look is very modern looking, and I had difficulties trying to figure out the directions. With the help of some signs, we managed to find our way to the fountain area where most of the food options are located, and even that area has changed considerably. For one, I think the new design makes the place looks brighter, probably letting in more natural sunlight. I actually like its new look. Unfortunately, it was lunchtime when we got there, and office workers thronged the restaurant queues. We finally managed to settle at Ichiban Boshi when P had several meltdowns as the lunch was eating into her nap. We took a hurried lunch and brought P home before her full blown tantrum kicks it. She didn't make it though, felling asleep on the feeder bus just 1 stop away from my house.

eXplorerKid Race 2013

P took part in the eXplorerkid Race again this year. She falls into the 25-30 months category, and is just nice 25 months and 1 day old on day of competition. Race format is to have the toddler run 2.5m to pick up a bean bag, then run another 2.5m to the finishing line. P did a great run to the 2.5m mark, but she did a touch and go on the bean bag without picking it up. By the time she went back for it, the other kids have already reached the finishing line. It was my fault actually; I ran off to the finishing line too quickly before making sure she picked up the bean bag. You can see from the video my mom took. Nevertheless, it was a great improvement from last year where she crawled halfway before sitting down to clap with gusto, haha. 

We will be back again next year!

E-chew-yee ya

After 17 days delay, Aunt Flo decided to come yesterday evening. I ran out of the bathroom, hugged hubby and gave him the news. It would have been better had it been pregnancy news, but I'm happy because we can start trying again soon! Past 2 weeks have been a rollercoaster ride of emotions, 4 negative HPT, no sign of AF and THE hormonal imbalance diagnosis. 

The downside though, is that AF came with a vengeance this time. It was as if it was bottling up for a finale, and the cramps and backaches were the most intense I felt since giving birth. The bloated-ness did not aid in my discomfort. 

P has been full of energy lately. I just couldn't keep up with her. She laid in bed  yesterday belting out her fav songs, and I was struggling to stay awake. Finally got hubby to take over and he told me this morning that she continued singing until he fell asleep. When he awoke with a start, P had fallen asleep. Now, who was supposed to put who to sleep? 

Over the past few days, P would shout at the top of her voice "E-chew-yee, e-chew-yee, e-chew-yee, ya ya ya!!!!" We had no idea what she was trying to tell us, but her excitement was so hilarious. Hubby finally figured it out yesterday, and its the song that goes "yippee ya ya, yippee yippee ya!" 

How did it get so distorted by P? 

P's Birthday Celebration with Hubby's Family

We hosted a cosy party in the comfort of our house to celebrate P's birthday (for the last time this year). The theme was Care Bears, and I had purchased some party supplies from Party City some months back. Caterer used was Delihub, and the food had great reviews from my in laws. We got her Care Bear cake from Pine Garden. 

A long week

It's P's birthday week. Quite a lot of things have happened so I'm also not sure where to begin.

I guess I'll start with myself. Last Tuesday evening, I went to the Thomson Women Clinic at AMK Hub to see Dr. Wendy Teo for my late menses. I had tested negative again (4th time) the day before, feeling so perplexed. Gynae's diagnosis is hormonal imbalance. Sigh, didn't even know what was that. My thoughts on missed period means pregnancy, didn't know hormonal imbalance could cause that as well. She told me to give it 2 more weeks to test again. If still negative, I will need to take the medicine she prescribed to induce my menses. 

I went online to read up on hormonal imbalance and I'm really experiencing most of the symptoms. Upset, but can't be helped. Gynae will scan me in 3 months' time to check for ovulation. If its not happening, she will need to give me ovulation medicine. My previous fear has come true - fertility issues. 

On a more positive note, we have started transitioning P to the next stage formula milk, Nan Kid 4. I had ever spoken to the Nestlé helpline person and she told me Nan Kid has a slight vanilla taste and is generally sweeter while Nan Ha 3 is bitter. I was worried P can't take it well, but she gulped it down like her usual milk. I've been alternating her feeds, and looking good so far. Once properly transited, it will save us a good $9.30/tin moving forward. 

Another thing worth mentioning is that we have moved P to her own room! We bought a car-shaped bed from Full House Aljunied and have it delivered the day after her birthday. That very night, she slept in her own room while I fretted the whole night in my room. It seems I was experiencing more separation anxiety than her. We left a hall light on in case she decided to venture out and look for us in the middle of the night. True enough, at 2am, I heard her cries and came out to see her standing outside her room. In the end, all she wanted was milk. I put her back on her bed and gave her her milk. It took another 30 min of lying down with her for her to get back to sleep. 

The next day, we deliberately left the hall light off and she slept through. The following day as well! Hubby was really happy with his uninterrupted sleep, and said we should have done it earlier. I think the trick is to really give her a whopper milk before bed. Hubby didn't give any milk to her on the first night.

All that's missing now is a #2. I hope we can still be in time for the horse year. 

P's Birthday Celebration with my Family

Today marks the first round of P's 2nd birthday celebrations. We drove to Defu Lane's Seafood Paradise to meet my family for dinner. Hubby really loves their 金沙螃蟹, and couldn't resist slurping up the gravy after he finished the crab. I, on the other hand, prefer the crab tang hoon. The whole crab dish has the taste and texture of sharks fin. If wedding banquets can replace this dish, it will save a lot of sharks. Their cuttlefish kang kong was unlike those you get at zi char stalls. The veggie is fried such that it is crispy. I found the food just average, but my family really seem to like it, plus P ate a fair bit too. 6 dishes cost $234, which was expensive in my opinion.

After dinner, we drove back to my parent's place for the cake cutting. I didn't plan to have a birthday theme for P's birthday celebration with my family, but Breadtalk recently launched the Hello Kitty series of cakes that was really quite cute. On a spur of the moment last Friday, I decided on the Hello Kitty theme, which sent my mom scrambling to Compasspoint to order the cake. I bought a Hello Kitty stick balloon from Gift Greetings at Great World City. With the Hello Kitty toy that we got from MacDonald happy meal sometime back, all these set the backdrop for her cake cutting. 

Round 1 done. We'll be heading to Hello Kitty town + Little Big Club in JB for her actual birthday (21 Aug). In laws side will celebrate with her next weekend.