Yeo Fairyland

Happy b-day 

2010-09-21T03:22:00.000+08:00

How time flies! Nigel is already 2! Just gotten the pictures from my sis so... Many apologies for the late "update"

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Going to school

2010-09-20T21:14:00.001+08:00

Nigel went for his Julia Gabriel Bilingual Playclub yesterday. It's really his first real "class". In the past I've only brot him for 2 different trial classes which didn't really work for him. Now that he is two and almost time for him to attend childcare, I felt that he should at least be in some classes to get accustomed.

Well, he didn't really wan to participate. He just wan to sit on me and observe. The singings were loud (as always) hence he cried a bit. During the playtime he saw his dad and cried at him pitifully. So poor thing!

But at least he still managed a smile when I tried to take a picture of him when he was playing...

Btw, Valerie also started her Readers & Writers at Julia Gabriel on the same day. She enjoyed herself pretty much (such a diff btwn both of them). Hope she can really learn to read & write!!

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Who can afford $2k/psf?

2010-04-24T08:49:00.000+08:00

I was amazed at an article published on Weekend Today on pg 24 "A new trend?". The article talked about people going for smaller development that has more privacy etc. It mentioned that such dvpt normally costs more and "homeowners tend to be working couples or singles who earn between $5,000 to $6,000 a month".

I read on further and the article mentioned about the new dvpt called Holland Collection which is selling at an average $2000 psf. Mu jaws almost dropped!

For a regular size unit like 1,200sf apt you r looking at a price tag of $2m! You mean a $10k a mth household that reasonably service $2m apt???

This is insane.

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Say a little prayer

2010-04-14T16:29:00.000+08:00

I've got to know that a friend of mine that her unborn child has died in the womb.

Knowing that she & her hubby has tried so hard to conceive and when she finally did, such an unfortunate event is to happen.

No one deserves this at all. And being a mother of two it struck me so hard and that I'm so fortunate to have 2 lovely & healthy children.

I'm not a church goer but I would hope that everyone will say a little prayer and wish my friend strength to move thru this difficult time.

Addicted to iPhone?

2010-02-25T22:41:00.000+08:00

I've downloaded a few games for Valerie on my iPhone. Games like sneezie, abc etc. But I thot she is getting addicted to them so I refused to let her play and boy she cried quite badly!

Maybe others will think I'm over-reacting. At least my mil probably think so coz she asked me to let her play.

Is she getting addicted or am I over-reacting?

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Feeling down

2010-02-24T01:32:00.001+08:00

I realised that lately Nigel is mo longer close to me. He is now closer to my mother-in-law. He will only want her to pat him to him even if it's in e middle of e night. He simply refused to even let me carry him to pacify him!

I'm feeling so down at times thinking about this. She helps pat him to sleep so that we can spend some time with Valerie before she sleeps.

I dunno. My 2 kids r not close to me. Am I a lousy mom?

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I luv iPhone!

2010-02-08T18:18:00.000+08:00

Isn't it wonderful if u can blog on e go? Now I can! I hope I'll blog a little more frequently now!

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Casino FEVER! (almost :p)

2010-01-24T23:55:00.000+08:00

It was announced recently that Resort World Sentosa is now open to public. The casino & Universal Studios are not in operations yet but we thought since we have nothing to do, we'll just make a trip there to check things out.

The hotels are open and business looks good! Hard Rock's pool was very crowded and news was that the hotels are running very high occupancy. But as most of the shops are not opened we didn't stay long. We headed back to HarbourFront for lunch before heading home.

We hope to be back again when the entire "town" is up & running!

Valerie starts new school!

2010-01-04T23:50:00.001+08:00

4th Jan is really something special... a milestone in fact. Valerie starts K1 in a different school today. We decided to change the school as we felt the childcare she was attending is not strong in academics and knowing Singapore's system, a good foundation is essential otherwise Primary school will be very tough.

She'll be attending the afternoon session, from 12n - 3pm and she'll have to take a school bus now. HX is Primary One this year and this is a whole new experience for her as well!

Couple time

2009-12-14T22:16:00.003+08:00

We hasn't really had much time for yourselves since Nigel's arrival. Not that we are complaining but we thought we should try to spend some time on our own, with no kids on tow. So we decided to head to Bintan Lagoon resort for some golf.

Some of the rooms had been refurbished recently and their refurbished room does look much better now. Definitely more modern and cheery compared to in the past. The golf courses are still great but I must say the condition isn't as wonderful as we played many years back.

On the 2nd day we played with this Candanian born Chinese, Anson. He was a nice chap and definitely doesn't look anything close to 43 years of age! I think Seng & I better work harder in doing some "maintenance". LOL

Golf was good and I'm happy to break 100 again.. after so many years. :-)

I did it!

2009-12-09T08:00:00.000+08:00

It's was a "lonely" race in the sense I went alone and there is no one to congratulate me when I finish my 1st 10km run (*sob*). My only aim was to complete the 10km without stopping. Of course I have a target set for my timing but that is secondary. H/E I was very happy and I not only managed to jog the entire distance, I even came in within my target time of 80mins.

My 1st attempt achievement : 1h 17m 22s

PS: Sorry if I look kinda tired coz I am! hahahaha

Hi-5!!

2009-12-03T20:13:00.002+08:00

Today is the start of the Hi-5 performance at Taka. I'm so glad we managed to get it and Valerie had a fabulous time.. according to DH. I was busy filming down the entire performance! After the performance we Q up to have Valerie take a picture with the cast. For all the "trouble" we go through, I think it's all worth it. We would have bring Nigel along but he cry the last 2 time we watch such shows.

I also bump into Meowie at KFC after the show. She watched from the 2nd level as she thought the organiser will not be letting people in after the "cut-off" point. I was standing beyond that point as well but I tried my luck hoping that I can make it and boy I was lucky!

EARTHQUAKE!!

2009-09-30T22:22:00.002+08:00

This time I really felt it. I was in office, busy walking around getting signatures and stuff when a colleague of mine stopped me and asked "Do you feel that the building is shaking?" I couldn't felt it at first and even joked "Was it because I walked too fast & too hard?"

But after a while almost everyone is feeling it.. and soon I felt it too! The feeling is pretty much like I'm on a boat. That lasted for like 10 secs? Not very long but not short either. It was already 6plus then and most of thme decided they will want to go home.

Not long after, the building management announced that we have to evacuate the building and most of us did. I couldn't go home coz I need to stay back to ensure that the announcement gets done. After hanging downstairs (the haze was bad!) for maybe 10 mins, we were allowed back into the office to resume our biz..

After that we heard that the tremble is the effect of an earthquake at Sumatra measuring a high of 7.9 on the richter scale.

New Camera

2009-09-27T22:44:00.000+08:00

We bot a new camera lately and I'm dying to test out the quality. And it doesn't disappoint. :-) Brot the kids out to McDonald's @ ECP for breakfast. We haven't had Mc breakfast for quite some time...

Alonso! F1!

2009-09-26T22:29:00.000+08:00

F1 weekend! There was a meet & greet session with the Renault drivers on Saturday and I was lucky enough to get pretty close to Fernando Alonso!

Nigel is walking!

2009-09-13T10:16:00.002+08:00

Nigel started really walking a few days back. He had been trying to do so, walking 2-3 steps but will quickly go down on fours or hold onto something for balance. Now, he is really walking independently and can walk quite a distance too. :-)

Nigel is ONE!!

2009-09-06T10:44:00.002+08:00

How time flies.. Nigel is ONE yesterday. We decided not to host the party in the house as it's quite a big affair (> 50 pax in total) and we wanted our guest to feel comfortable and have the space & luxury to mingle around to catch up.

So we decided on International Seafood as the food was good and the ambience is great. We were very pleased with the set up, the serving staff were friendly and the food was fantastic. I particularly like the Honey Baked Cod Fish! Our guests love it too, we actually have to reorder as it was finished before all the guests arrived :p It's not cheap but I think it's still worth it.

This year we got our cake from roomfordessert again. And again, their cake didn't disappoint. Feedback from the guests is that the cake is nice, the food too. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves, so did we!

Once again.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY NIGEL..

Duckie Duck!

2009-08-24T23:07:00.002+08:00

Our 1st ride on the Duck! Valerie was all smiles before we ride on it, but when the journey started she became all gloomy and scared.. so scared she choose to lie on my lap and eventually she slept! Nigel basically slept from the start too! It was interesting and we behaved just like the other tourist in the boat.. clicking our camera happily!

After the ride we went to Swensen's for our lunch and the free Birthday Firehouse.. I think that's the highlight for them!

Fun day at T3!

2009-08-11T22:20:00.005+08:00

Today is the Monday after National Day.. lazy morning with loads of rain and Valerie wants "gai gai". After some thought, we decided to bring the kids to the airport. We parked a T2 so that we can take the skytrain to T3.

Nothing fanciful.. but it's nice to goto some place more quiet and relaxed and have some pictures of the kids taken. :)

The planes didn't actually excite the kids tho' but the coconut trees sure did! Nigel was constantly looking up at those trees, pointing at them and goes "Wa! Wa!", while Valerie goes from one chair to the other and say that coconut tree is taller than the other!

Cute!

2009-08-03T12:24:00.002+08:00

I have no idea where this pair of plastic toy specs came from but he looked super cute with it! It's not easy to take pictures of him wearing them coz he'll take them out immediately. But he is not protesting.. it's just that he wanna wear them himself!

So cute!

Illuma? Where's the "shine"

2009-08-03T12:18:00.003+08:00

Went to Roomfordessert to order Nigel's cake this morning. I seriously didn't know that cake prices have increased by leaps & bounds! Now the novelty cakes are at $55/kg! I'm very sure when Valerie had her 1st bday, her cake was abt $40/kg and we ordered the musical barnyard, which was a 3kg cake. Anyway, we still went ahead to order one for Nigel since we like their choc cake.

After that, we thot of going to Illuma to take a look since we've not been there.. All I can say is.. depressing. The mall is prob about 70% occupied? The stuffs there are mainly the heartland brands with no anchor tenant. But it has a very big Japanese theme restaurant and we took the chance to take some cute pictures outside.

Other than the Jap restaurant, Illuma has many desserts place! Ice cream/cheesecake/cakes etc.. all those sugar-infused kinda food. I guess the mall's main target market are the youngsters so all these sweet stuff will suit their palate.

Liverpool.. Liverpool

2009-07-26T22:12:00.001+08:00

Liverpool is came to SG to play with our Home Team on 26th July. DH being a die hard fan would sure want to see them in action. And I, being the wife.. naturally have to be go on this date with him right? *LOL*

Well.. I know nothing much about the team nor the game but seeing the ball heading towards the goal post will still ingite some excitement in me. hahaha

The eventual score was SG 0 - Liverpool 5. Here are some pictures to share:

Milestones of Nigel

2009-06-30T23:36:00.003+08:00

He'll be turning 10mths very soon.. he is now crawling.. has 1 tooth, cruising a little, definitely pulling himself to standing very quickly and is also babbling.

He demonstrates he is happy to see you buy 'calling' you "A!". At times he'll go "jie jie jie jie" and we would wonder if he meant what he said. He is definitely very engaging and a charmer indeed.

This is the most recent picture I have of him.. together with his lovely, bubbly sister :D

Hyatt

2009-06-30T23:07:00.004+08:00

HB won this free night's stay during last year's D&D. Realising that it's going to expire soon, we quickly went to book for it. We thought it'll be a good trial run to see how the kids adapt to a 'foreign' place. As expected, Valerie is ok but Nigel was quite clingy initially.

Shortly after we checked in (the suite was fantastic), the kiddos took a nap. At ard 4ish, Mag came with father, mother, HX & ZK to "visit" us. After they left we headed to the pool. All these years I've seen Hyatt from the outside, I've zero idea how the hotel is on the inside. I was pleasantly surprised that the premises is actually quite big and the pool is very pretty.

It was Nigel's 1st dip into the pool and he warmed up to it pretty quickly. He did not exhibit any fear when I put him through the float (holding him of course) and glide him around in the pool. He was enjoying himself quite a bit actually.

We didn't bring our camera, so these are what we've taken using my mobile.

Mothers' Day

2009-06-30T23:00:00.002+08:00

This year is pretty special. As with most Fridays, HB and I will go have dinner with our friends on Friday. That Friday, when we came home, Valerie was still downstairs and when she saw me, she looked very delighted and ran into the house. Next thing she emerged and passed me this little flower she has made in school and wished me Happy Mothers' Day.

Coincidentally, I got her the angel wings which she has been asking for so it ended like a 'gift exchange' of some sort. She was leaping with joy and I was very touched that she actually stayed up to give me the flower. I think I must have been smiling cheek to cheek the whole nite :D

New job

2009-06-30T22:33:00.003+08:00

Started at this new place in May. Colleagues & bosses are pretty nice and work is ok. H/E, I do miss my old colleagues so I'll chat with YS once a while to see how the rest are doing. It seemed that everyone is getting really bz at work.

I guess the best thing that came out of the change is definitely the hours. Most of the days I leave office 7pm or earlier so being able to spend more time with the kiddos is really a huge bonus by itself.

Interesting article on TODAY

2009-04-27T22:08:00.002+08:00

Defiant or just irresponsible

The author wrote about the difference between the 2. If a child is playful and breaks things along the way, forgot to bring his/her books back or left the bicycle out in the rain, this is known as "childish irresponsibilty" and is inevitably during the early years. As this does not constitute as direct challenges to authority, they should be handled gently.

In comparison, if a child shouts at his/her parents to "shut up" or put up a battle against his/her parents, this is known as "wilful defiance". It shows the child's refusal to accept parental leadership. And when such confrontation occurs, the parent must stand firm as the child is challenging "Who is in charge here?"

Is it therefore important for the parent to show and have the courage to lead.

I think the above article is very meaningful. Many times I hear of friends complaining/lamenting how their child is 'climbing over their head'. Some says their child treat them like maids, demanding them to do this & that. I cannot comprehend why and how such a situation can happen. Now I think I know why, because they relenquish their parental leadership to their child.

I think it's neither right nor wise to do so as the child is young and immature. They need our guidance and our advice. If they do not even respect us from young, how can be possibly teach them the values and virtues that is so needed in the society?

Birthday song

2009-04-23T19:54:00.002+08:00

Many new kids in the school.. and this year, Valerie is not the shortest already :D

Happy Birthday to Valerie!

2009-04-22T23:44:00.000+08:00

Valerie is 4 today! As we didn't pre-order any cakes for her school we went to purchase 2 1kg cakes for her. We got this from Jack's Place (pretty last minute I must say). The kids were very excited as it's TWO and not ONE cake. I guess the kids only goes by quantum rather than size.

:p

Here are some pictures taken

But poor birthday girl didn't managed to eat her cake :( She kept insisting she wanted the choc cake but as she has phelgm and is allergic to choc, one mouth is all it takes to send her coughing (the choc mousse is quite rich btw). In the end she vomited out that single bite she took and after that she didn't want to eat the cakes anymore. :(

In the evening, we brought her to Swensen's to have her free Birthday Firehouse and she attacked the scoop of choc ice cream immediately! Luckily it didn't cause her to cough much. :p

Happy birthday Valerie! I hope you did enjoy yourself! (I shall leave out the part about you throwing tantrums on you birthday :p)

Hamsters

2009-04-19T22:53:00.001+08:00

Maggie & family are going to Korea for 1 week holiday and so we offered to take care of their 2 young hamsters for them. Anyway I thought since Valerie is so excited about the hamsters, we can at least 'satisfy' her for the time being.

But it's not exactly the best move.. for many nights this week, she woke up brawling, probably from some nightmare. It's hard to calm her down and each 'session' lasted for like 1-2 hrs. HB is really tired from this ordeal. We are very perplexed what was giving her all these nightmares as HX is out of town (meaning no one to fight with her).

Finally one of the night, she managed to calm down quite quickly and allowed me to cuddle her.. and I tried to probe to see what's bothering her.. so it went

Mom: Is it the school?
Val: no.. (very softly)
Mom: Is it the teachers?
Val: no..
Mom: Is it Nur (our maid)?
Val: no...
Mom: Is it hamsters?
Val: yes...
Mom: Why? (*shocked*)
Val: always fighting...

I was really taken aback. Ya, the hamsters fight.. the black one is very domineering and always pounce onto the white one when the latter comes out to eat/drink. Alot of times, the black one will even seek out the white one and they'll bite on each other. We've separated both hamsters on many occassions as the white one is getting thinner.

I dunno her peace-loving nature is a good thing or a bad thing. It pains me to see her so affected over 2 hamsters fighting. I hope she can learn to cope with such situations as life is definitely not a bed of roses..

Happy birthday Kaeden & Shanice!

2009-04-18T19:36:00.002+08:00

How time flies! It's April 18 again and SC invited us to her kids bday! It's also a time to catch up with some other forum mommies (e.g. Angel, Peggy, Kathy etc). It's been ages since I saw them and their kids. Most of them have grown so much! Of course, Valerie has grown as much too. But seeing her daily, you just don't feel it.

As always, the cakes are fabulous! Especially love Shanice's cake as it's very very beautifully done. Kaeden's cake is nice too, with all the M&M placed in the carts of the Thomas's train.

So enjoy the pictures here!

Oh so constipated..

2009-04-09T22:46:00.002+08:00

MIL had been telling us his poop is much harder since he started on cereals, but I thought nothing of it. Today, on our way to work, she called saying baby's poop is so hard he is having a hard time pushing it out. So I headed home immediately.

When I reached home, he managed to poop out some. They are really hard and because of that, he sufferred a bit of renal tear. He was sleeping, totally exhausted. MIL says his digestive system is not cleared yet so I decided to bring him to Dr Low.

While in the clinic waiting, this boy was all cheerful and stuff. But after the supportistory went in, he cried angrily and pitifully. He managed to poop some but not much. But in the afternoon, he managed to clear much of the 'leftovers' after taking medicine.

Poor boi, the renal tear must be quite painful. :(

We'll try to feed you more fruits and maybe introduce you to prune juice. Hopefully that'll help.

Finally...

2009-04-09T22:39:00.002+08:00

We have talked about buying a car more than 2 years back I think. But we never did purchase one. Finally on Sunday, we placed order for our 1st car.. a Honda Civic 1.6. I guess the information that I'll be entitled to free parking at my new workplace just makes the decision alot easier.

Comparing the 1.6 & 1.8, I'm so so tempted to get the 1.8 due to the finishings and interior. But HB feels that a 1.6 is enough and it's not worth paying an extra $4.5K for accessories and add-ons which we do not use.

On the same day, we traded in dad's Mazda 3 for a Honda Fit. We both managed to get our COE on Wednesday so probably by the end of the month we'll be having our new shiny zroom zroom!

Will definitely post pictures when we collect our car!

Baby Galore!!

2009-04-06T22:37:00.000+08:00

Big big congrats to April & Jee Lien on the arrival for their little bundle of joy! Both of them coincidentally have the same EDD but Jee Lien gave birth to baby Brandon on Sunday and April to Kaeus on Monday.

Rest well buddies!

It's my birthday!.. Not!

2009-04-04T23:04:00.000+08:00

My MIL told us to come home for dinner on Friday night.. as it's Valerie's birthday (based on lunar calendar). So after work, HB & I went to get a small cake (hey, what's birthday without cake right?). We got 1 from Breadtalk and it's their cake of the week so there was 20% off and it's not a choc cake, so it fits our requirement.

Naturally Valerie was delighted that it's her birthday today. So we sang birthday song, cut birthday cake etc etc and Valerie was very happy..

Here are some pictures we've taken that day.

Updated: 20/04/09
H/E, after like a week or so.. my mom reminded me.. Valerie's lunar bday is actually on the 14th day of the 3rd Lunar month and not the 8th (we celebrated Valerie's birthday on the 8th).

And I was like :-O

LOL. Anyway, we are a few days early.. it's ok.. so long as Valerie is happy :D

The "Window"

2009-03-28T22:26:00.000+08:00

That's what Valerie calls the Singapore Flyer. Everytime we travels on ECP, she'll look at it and says "The Window!".

Finally we found time to go. MIL refuse to come along as she is afraid of heights. Such a pity because the view was fantastic! The weather that day was absolutely fantastic. Not too hot but yet bright enough to see miles away as well as take fabulous pictures!

Just before we start on our ride, the staff asked us to stand in front of the green screen for a picture. Naturally you know this is to be sold to you at the end of your ride. At the end of it, we were given 2 scenes to select - Day & Night. 1 picture for $18, 2 pictures for $30. We took the night scene as our ride was in the day and the pictures turn out pretty well.

So here you go..

For the rest of the pictures taken, feel free to check them out here.

Balloon always makes her day

2009-03-15T23:27:00.000+08:00

Valerie simply loves balloons. Almost all the time when we are out shopping, she'll say she wants balloon. We were at PP after the downpour to get from toiletries as well as get Val out of the house so that Nigel can at least have some nap.

There were some events going on and a lady dress in clown were there making elaborate balloon sculptures (for a fee of course). This is what we got for S$5..

She was simply delighted!

My lil charmer

2009-03-14T23:17:00.001+08:00

This is my boi.. my lil' charmer. His smile is always so subtle it just melts my heart.

Decided...

2009-03-10T22:53:00.000+08:00

Finally.. a decision is made! I'll be making my move!

I'll miss my colleagues for sure and I seriously hope that everything will turn out fine.

Wish me luck!

In 2 minds

2009-03-08T10:10:00.002+08:00

Since Monday.. it has been a roller coaster ride for me.. in alot of sense.

1) I was offered a job.. higher salary, a promise of shorter hours.
2) When I tendered, I was informed that I am to be promoted this coming Apr and that they have been (or at least started to) recruit someone to cover my duties after I am promoted.
3) Even if I do want to leave, I'm not allowed to clear my leave, meaning I have to serve 2 months notice.
4) The new coy is unable to wait that long

I like where I am now, colleagues are nice and I'm comfortable here. My only issues is that work load is rather heavy becoz there is just no one I could really delegate my work to. At times, I do wish my boss could be more open with HR issues? When I did communicate with her that I couldn't cope and need a shadow so that I can at least go on leave, she didn't tell me that they are recuiting. I felt that information should have been shared then, not when I tendered.

Easing of workload has been promised before, when I 1st tendered 2 yrs back. It had improved somewhat after GYC came on board, at least I need not review AN's work anymore. But frankly, bulk of the work still stays w me. Now 2 yrs on and seeing no major progress.. I thought, why not give the other coy a try. It's a big name as well and seemed to have a more efficient work process.

But now.. I'm not sure anymore..

To make things 'worse'.. news of Ben's retrenchment... I know it doesn't concern me directly, but I can't help but think if I do change job, does it make Seng's parents worry about my job security? Frankly, I think I'm safe. But do they feel the same? I think they are already worried for their daugther. Do I want to add to their concern?

Tomorrow is Monday. I want to and need to have a conclusion on this. To inform my coy that I'm staying or going. And I'm still torn.. not sure where I want to be...

Fireman Nigel?

2009-03-08T10:00:00.003+08:00

We were supposed to bring Nigel for his injection at Pheng's hse this morning. But Seng just came back from Chennai and didn't managed to sleep for 24 hrs (the economy seat is just not condusive to sleep) so we decided to wait till late morning before making our way to Pheng's clinic.

Since we have some time in the morning, I played with the kids.. and see what Valerie did! She insisting that Nigel wears the fireman hat and my god.. he looks so darn cute!

Isn't he a charmer? At least in my eyes.. he is..

Shocking news...

2009-03-07T18:00:00.000+08:00

We all know the economy is in recession. News of people being retrenched is printed everywhere. But frankly, it never occurred to me that it'll hit home. At least maybe I was too busy to think.

Friday, after I came home from work.. mother told me.. Ben has been retrenched as the bank is closing down their asset mgt division. I was in shocked. Having 2 young kids and 2 housing loan.. such an unfortunate event is really.. I dunno.. unthinkable.

I didn't get to speak to Hui directly, but she did talk briefly with Seng. Now Ben still needs to go back to office to clear up the loose ends. So as of now, they have to start tightening their belts considerably. At least now, Ben will still be drawing some salary while the bank settles all the outstanding stuff before officially closing down the division.

Really pray hard that Ben finds a job soon.

6 months old..

2009-03-05T09:57:00.000+08:00

How time flies.. Nigel is already 6 months old. I've been horribly busy lately, reaching home past 9pm almost on a daily basis. Other than weekends, I hardly have time for him. As valerie sleeps later & later, I do get to see her (at least say good nite to her) everyday. He turned 6 months on Thursday and frankly, it totally slipped my mind :-(

To Nigel my dear boi:
Mommy is sorry dear.. I just pray & hope that going forward, things can be better and I can spend more time with you.

Yummy Yogurt!

2009-02-21T09:52:00.002+08:00

We were at PP today and Valerie spoted people having balloons. As always, she'll want them so we went around finding and trying to figure out what was printed on those balloons. Finally we found, it's a new yogurt joint (bosses all looked incredible young!) located in the basement of PP (near to the fresh fish plc). And since we are there, we bought her 1 to try.

It's quite delicious in fact, it's yogurt but less of the sourish taste as compared to Yummy Yogurt. NICE!

Happiest mom on earth

2009-02-03T11:13:00.001+08:00

There are many things money can buy (sounds familiar? :p) but this.. is simply priceless...

Nigel's growth

2009-02-03T11:10:00.001+08:00

Since I did one for Valerie, I wanted to do the same for Nigel. For only a 5 month old baby, naturally he didn't change alot :p

Valerie over the years

2009-02-03T11:05:00.002+08:00

Currently the forum mommies are posting their babies' growth over the years and I thought it's definitely good to do a 'recap'. And so, this is Valerie from birth till now. Her look didn't really change much, just getting slimmier over the years.

One feature that really didn't change is her infectious laugther. Simply love love love her bubbly character and I hope that no matter what challenges she faces when she grows up, she'll always stay positive and never stop laughing.

Bath time!

2009-01-18T21:27:00.000+08:00

This boy l-o-v-e-s his bath. He'll sit inside and kick the water until we are all wet! I must remember to wear a poncho next time!

Lazy Sat morning

2009-01-17T21:22:00.000+08:00

It's a lazy saturday morning and everyone wants to sleep just a little longer...

What a charmer

2009-01-04T21:20:00.001+08:00

Such a smile always brightens up your day...

Fun on tummy!

2009-01-03T21:14:00.002+08:00

Nigel is almost 4 mths old and didn't know how to roll over (as yet). He did have some attempts but he still lacks the final push. So I decided to let him have a little more tummy time and he seemed to be enjoying it lots!

PS: Well, I guess all these tummy time works as he managed to roll over the very next day! Too bad I had to work late and I missed it :(

Bikini girl!

2008-12-27T21:06:00.001+08:00

Maggie got this bikini for Valerie quite many years back but she couldn't wear then (it was a size 4 btw). Now tt valerie is reaching 4, we brot out to let her try and it fits! She looked so bright from far becoz of the pink but very cute nonetheless.

Seeing her in a bikini just reminded me how fast time flies and how much she has grown.

Oh Baby!!

2008-12-21T10:29:00.002+08:00

Hui has been asking me to send in Nigel's photos to Straits Times for the Oh Baby!! column. I thought it'll be nice if his pictures really gets published but my camera batt was down and I couldn't find the charger!!! Now that we've found the charger and his neck is firm enough for the bumper chair.. so I went "trigger happy"!!! See what I got!

This picture is simply priceless.. love it to bits!

Hopefully we can see this picture being published soon!

3.5 months

2008-12-20T23:49:00.002+08:00

Here they are.. both at around 3.5 mth old... Valerie was definitely a bigger baby compared to Nigel. Funny thing nowadays girls seemed to outgrow boys!

Back to Pasir Ris Park

2008-12-07T18:24:00.001+08:00

HB supposed to go for his StandChart 10km run today but as he is feeling giddy from yesterday, he decided not to go. And since Valerie has no golf lesson today (we applied leave for her) we decided to head to the beach. East Coast would probably be out of bounds due to the StandChart run so we went to Pasir Ris beach instead.

Actually we find that Pasir Ris beach/park is better as it's less crowded, not so cluttered and the seabreeze is really cooling and comfortable. Will definitely come here again.

This is HB and his little darlings

3 months old!

2008-12-06T13:31:00.000+08:00

Hey adorable, you are now 3 months old!

It's too much!!

2008-12-05T08:59:00.002+08:00

Ok.. I really need to ease off smsing. Lately I'm sending like more than 1000 smses a month and having only 500 free means I'm paying like S$50 just on smses alone! *OMG*

Definitely need to go easy on them now.. especially since the pay cut will happen in Jan'09. *boo-hoo-hoo*

Constipated?

2008-12-01T22:47:00.000+08:00

Nigel didn't poop for FOUR days and it makes me very worried. I asked my friends as well as surf the net and the conclusion is that it's normal that breastfed babies go through days without any poop. But I'm still worried coz his farts are smelly.

So this morning we brot him to see a PD. He was given the supportistory. OUCH! After like 1-2 mins he started to cry very badly. The other time he has cried so badly was when he was 2 days old.. Hearing him cry and scream really pains me.

Finally he poop. It's not watery like his normal poop but not hard like those on formula. It's more like whipped potatoe consistency. And his poop sure stinks!

After he poop he was so tired that he promptly fell asleep after I place him on the stroller as we make our way home. Poor boy.. mommy sayang ok.

Night Safari

2008-11-26T22:02:00.002+08:00

DH is currently on block leave so we wanted to bring Valerie some place 'special'. Since his company can apply for free Night Safari ticket, we decided to bring Val there. As he has 4 free tickets, we invited Maggie & her family to come along with us.

Valerie had never really been a fan of the day zoo so we hoped that she'll be able to enjoy Night Safari. When we reached there, she doesn't seemed at all excited. Well, the night safari is quite dark at night and she doesn't like dark places.

After we purchased tickets, we started off by heading towards the show area for the 830pm "Creatures of the Night". While waiting, she kept saying she want to go home. When the show finally started, she began to sob so I carried her.

Thank goodness as the animals come out one by one, she starts to soak up to the atmosphere and began to enjoy the show. Animals that she can recognise (e.g owl etc) she began excited. She would even automatically clap her hands after each performance!

Knowing that she ain't very good at walking long distance, we opt for the tram. We feel that 1) we need not carry her which is very tiring and 2) it gives her some comfort zone, close enough to see the animals but not so close to make her afraid.

After the tram ride, we brought her to have Ben & Jerry's. That sure makes her day! By the time we reached home.. she was so tired she didn't even what to drink her milk... :p

Happy as can be

2008-11-24T20:20:00.003+08:00

What else can I ask for. I feel so blessed to have them... and of course my wonderful HB would took this picture of us. :-)

Learning from Valerie

2008-11-16T20:14:00.001+08:00

Valerie has been attending Kindergolf for a couple of months now and today it's "meet the parents" day. The teacher went through her progress with us and told us that Valerie is very positive. Whenever she miss a chip or a putt, she'll say "It's ok, let's try again!". The teacher went on and said that some kids will cry or throw the club when they miss.

Her positive attitude is really a virtue that everyone should learn from. I'm definitely learning from her!

Valerie's new hair cut!

2008-11-15T21:35:00.002+08:00

It's not the first time Val has her hair cut by professional but the last visit to the hairdressers (Juniors League at PP) was ages back. When we walked past EC House at Novena Sq today, I asked if she wanted a hair cut and she readily said "YES!".

Since we haven't had dinner, we quickly settle our rumbling tummy. After the meal, we asked her again and she still gave us a positive answer. So here goes! I was quite worried that she'll cry to come down after a while but thankfully she didn't.

Knowing kids, they can't really stay still for long. Thru'out the cut (which takes twice as long as normal cut :p), she was fidgeting, sweeping away her hair, kept lookin at the floor and commented "so much hair!". Lucky for us, this hairdresser seeemed very patient and managed to do a pretty good job!

Smile!

2008-11-15T21:33:00.004+08:00

Today is my SIL's coy's family day. Originally I wanted to go but since my ILs also want to go, I find that the car will be too crowded. I'm quite anal about baby being in the car seat whenever we travel so I opt not to go and stay home with Nigel.

Although I miss Valerie and quality time with her, at least I still have Nigel who'll smile so readily at me.

Nov desktop background

2008-11-15T15:56:00.002+08:00

DH says he like this... just to share..

Nov desktop template compliments from shabbyprincess.com.

First LO for Nigel

2008-11-15T15:53:00.002+08:00

This is what I've done for him.. but I kept thinking it's kinda plain. :(

Finally.. a new blog header

2008-11-15T15:49:00.002+08:00

Since Nigel was born, I've wanted to change the blog header. Finally found the time to do it! The colour tone is more neutral as we have a balance of sexes now :p

Credits:
Papers & stitches - Feerie Freebie by Amelie Scrap
Frame - Kitbash by Tara Dunstan
Flower Rub On - Smitten by Angela Niehaus
Pink flower & paper clip - Smitten by Ziggle Designs & Kami Leonard
Font - Howser

First 6-in-1 jab for Nigel

2008-11-08T22:46:00.002+08:00

Today we brought Nigel for his 1st dosage of the 6-in-1. While, he did cry when the needle went in but it was a short one. H/E, the rest of the day he kept crying in this sleep.. maybe he is still
'traumatised' by the jab. HAHAHA

BTW, he is 6kgs heavy now. Gained 2.5kgs since birth. His weight gain is definitely faster than Valerie!

Year End Concert - She's lil' angel!

2008-11-07T22:07:00.002+08:00

Today is the long awaited concert. The concert theme was "Enchanted Garden" and I thot that they'll be dressed up as flowers or small animals. What I least expected was that they will be dressed up as angels!

As compared to prior year, Valerie definitely has shown alot more confidence on stage. She is performing very well, remembering all the steps without much prompting. It's written all over her face that she is enjoying every single moment on the stage. :-)

It was a joy to see her perform. Not just because she enjoys it, but seeing my little girl growing up happily.. I truly feel very blessed to be her mom.

Finger sucking good!

2008-11-05T15:07:00.001+08:00

Ha! Caught red-handed!

Happy 2nd month Nigel!

Sweet girl of mine!

2008-11-05T15:03:00.004+08:00

Isn't she adorable? When I came home yesterday after my facial (braved through heavy heavy downpour!) she ran to me and said "see see see". She got 2 teddy bear clips on her head. It was my maid to put it on for her. Instantly I took the picture and send to DH.

I'm so blessed.

Exercise!

2008-11-02T22:16:00.003+08:00

Enjoy! We don't know where she learn all these from. But it sure is funny!

Sorry for the tilt. This is taken using my mobile and I don't know how to reorientate the video clip.

Happy birthday Seth!

2008-11-01T21:55:00.001+08:00

Thank you Elaine for inviting us! Didn't manage to take some pictures with the birthday boy tho' :p

In case you are wondering, the birthday cakes are all baked by Elaine and they taste fantastic! Best of all she made banana and carrot cakes! So they are yummy and healthy at the same time!

Yum Yum

DH's birthday!

2008-10-29T22:09:00.002+08:00

Poor HB, back from Japan and down with bad throat. He basically lost his voice and was coughing. Being on mc on your own birthday.. so poor thing. After resting for half a day, he did feel better so we decided to bring Val to Swenson's to have a free Birthday Firehouse.

Knowing that Chocolate is definitely one of the allergy trigger, we went ahead to eat up the choc & peanuts! I don't think she really noticed as she was busy eating up all the whipped cream! Needless to say, the ice cream made her v happy :-)

After having the ice cream, we proceed to buy a small cake so that the kids can sing bday song and cut bday cake. Again, because of her allergy to choc, we have to avoid choc cake (which is VERY hard!). Ultimately we settled for a Pandan Cake from Bengawan Solo.

1st trip to the Library

2008-10-28T21:55:00.000+08:00

Today is another 'adventure' for both of us as we'll be taking bus to the library. As we waited quite a while for the bus, Valerie started pointing at any vehicle that drove past the bus stop and asked "Is this the bus?" Hahaha

After waiting for 15-20mins, the bus finally came. Val doesn't have a concession card and I'm not sure if she needed one. When boarding, I asked the bus driver if I need to pay for Val, and the answer as "No need". Hee

When we reached the library, we went to the preschooler's section. It was a nice little area with little tables & chairs and MANY MANY books. Actually so many that I really don't know how or where to start. So I randomly picked out some books and read to her.

We didn't stay very long in the library coz Val kept yawning (hahaha). Besides, it's almost time for lunch so we started heading home. It was a short but at least it's still quality time with Valerie.

But at the near end of it, there was a 'glitch' tho.. that's Val's fingers got caught in the lift door when it was opening! Thankfully nowadays the lift doors have sensor so it quickly shut back when there was something jammed inside. Val's fingers are ok, but she definitely got a fright. But she soon got over it. :p

Smile that melts a million hearts

2008-10-27T14:17:00.003+08:00

At 7 weeks plus, this boy is really quite responsive. Maybe his smile will not melt a million hearts as I would have thought. But it definitely melted mine.

Finally.. solo trip with Valerie!

2008-10-27T14:11:00.002+08:00

While on maternity leave, I've always wanted to bring Valerie out on my own to spend some quality time alone with her. Finally today we have the chance to. DH left for Japan yesterday night and today being a P.H. means Valerie does not have school and I'll have the use of the car.

She has always wanted to goto the pool so I brought her to NSRCC today. Along the way, she kept saying "No need scared of plane". She still has this fear of the plane flying over her head thus everytime she hears the plane (and at NSRCC you hear that alot due to its proximity to the airport), she'll cover her eyes or seek shelter. Eventhough she kept reminding herself that there is no need to be scared of the plane, she still cover her eyes or ask me to hug her when the plane fly past :p

We spent roughly half hour in the pool. Although the time ain't very long but it's still a wonderful time both of us had spent with each other. I know I'm not as cheeky and 'fun' as her dad but I'm still happy and she enjoys my company (or at least I think so lah). :p

Tomorrow Valerie has no school so I intend to bring her to the Library. She hasn't been to one, hopefully she'll enjoy her 1st trip there.

PS: Sorry no pix of today's dip coz I can't possible take pix while splashing in the pool with her right? :p

Like father like son?

2008-10-21T20:31:00.003+08:00

What do you think?

Million-dollar smile

2008-10-21T20:28:00.003+08:00

At 6 weeks this boy is actually quite responsive. See how wide his smile is :-) He hasn't started laughing out loud yet, I'm really looking forward to hearing his first laughter

My precious

2008-10-21T20:25:00.003+08:00

Valerie is still learning how to be gentle to her lil' bro but we know for sure that she does dote on him.

So does anyone think they resembles each other?

When is too much TV a bad thing?

2008-10-20T21:32:00.002+08:00

Was it ever a good thing to introduce TV anyway? I don't know. I didn't want to read those articles coz I don't wish to try to be the best mom and only do all the 'correct' things. Of course I know too much TV is bad, but when is it considered too much? I guess I know the answer now.

Valerie is definitely having way too much TV. Average FIVE hours a day. 1 hour before she goes to school, and at least another 4 hours after she wakes up (5pm - 9pm). It's just too much TV. The moment she wakes up she'll ask for Playhouse Disney. Sigh.

What can be done? Now that we've shifted here, the playground is a tat far for MIL. Other than letting her watch TV, she really do not know how to 'entertain' her. Valerie is already 3+, she should try her hands on some writting (tracing) and recognising words.

I think I must really put my thoughts into action. While I'm still on maternity leave, I should try to bring her to the playground daily. At least try to cut down on TV for the time being.

First solo trip

2008-10-16T20:56:00.003+08:00

Other than the trip to ESH, I've not yet bring Nigel out alone. Today is the first. I brought Nigel back to office today to distribute those Bengawan Solo cake cards to colleagues who have given Nigel ang-bao for his 1st month. Unfortunately, quite a few were on leave or on biz trip so Nigel didn't manage to meet all the aunties & uncles that mommy works with.

Nonetheless, I still brought him to walk 1 round in the office just to let my colleagues see him. Most of them said the same thing, i.e. 1) he is fair, 2) he definitely looks like a boy and 3) he got double eye-lid! hahaha

After hanging around in office for 1 hr (Nigel drank milk thus that took half hour already :p), I headed to Raffles Place to meet Lucinda. Along the way, I popped by Madam Milan in Raffles Place MRT station (how could I resist right) and saw that the shop is stocked up with tons of bags. Bottega itself they have 4 or 5 pcs. Many Miu Mius, some TODS/Loewe and of course tons of LVs & Guccis :p

I saw a BV Roma but gosh, it's indeed quite heavy! :p After browsing, I went over to meet Lucinda. Chatted with her for a short while before I went to mom's office for her to parade Nigel around. Hee..

By the time we are ready to head home, it's already past 12! Nigel had been a good boy, sleeping throughout while I sling him. I guess being in the sling is really very cosy to him! The 1st solo trip ended well. Hopefully I can try bringing Nigel + Valerie out on my own soon.

Grandma's birthday

2008-10-13T16:48:00.002+08:00

It was my mom's birthday yesterday so we went to GWC for dinner. We took alot of efforts, from soft to hard methods to get Valerie to eat (sigh). She finally did, but didn't eat much. After dinner we hang around in GWC and Valerie came across this 'merry-go-round'.

It was very colourful and we started snapping! :p

Here's a picture of the siblings. Looking forward to the day both of them can sit side by side for a more 'proper' picture :-)

Will he be as smiley?

2008-10-13T16:44:00.004+08:00

Brought Nigel for his 4-6weeks review last Friday. He is weighing 5kgs now! Dr Low said he is slightly overweight :p

Can u imagine? Born 3.5kgs and now at 5 weeks, he is 5kgs. I think his weight gain is faster than Valerie! I remember Valerie gained an average of 900gms/mth and 1.5kgs in 5 weeks is definitely MORE than that! :p

Another 'burning' question we have been asking ourselves is.. whether Nigel will be as smiley as his sister. We wouldn't know as yet coz he is only 5 weeks. But I do hope he will be and there are signs that he would! Look at him smile!

How's Valerie?

2008-10-13T16:39:00.002+08:00

The focus had been on Nigel lately but no.. I have not forgotten about my precious Valerie :-) I do admit that I have less time to spend with her now as Nigel requires more attention and I need time to express milk etc. But I do try to spend whatever time I have left with her.

Here are some recent pictures of her. Alot thinner now coz she is rather picky with food lately. Things that she used to gooble up 1 year ago (e.g. fried rice, french fries etc), she ain't interested in them now. Hopefully this is a passing phase like what her other cousins went through.

Tummy time

2008-10-06T18:18:00.003+08:00

I'm trying to give this boy some tummy time and I must say his neck is actually quite strong! The above picture is not the highest he can reach. He could actually lift his head so high that if u are in front of him, you'll be able to see his entire face! Way to go boy!

My 3 love

2008-10-06T18:16:00.002+08:00

There are many things in life money can buy. This? It's priceless.

You are 1 month old!

2008-10-04T23:55:00.000+08:00

Nigel is 1 month old (chinese calendar) today! In the morning, MIL came up and ask that I help cut Nigel's nails. They were soooo long! His nails are very soft! I believe it's softer than Valerie's. After that MIL proceed to give him a 'nice' haircut. After bathing, he was changed into a nice romper, ready to be the star for the day!

Late morning we brot him over to my mom's and we had lunch there. KoKo (aka my dog) was very interested to meet a new friend. He kept sniffing at Nigel (we make sure it's not too close for our comfort) while he sleeps inside the infant car seat.

After hanging a short while at my mom's, we headed home to rest. I was having runny nose and feeling kinda terrible. Luckily we still have some time to spare before the caterer came so I pop down some medicine and rest.

Before the start of the buffet, we brot Nigel and pass some tarts/eggs to our neighbours and formally introduce Nigel to them. When the guests finally arrived from 5pm onwards, our house really became a market of sorts! It's so noisy! And guess what? Nigel just slept thru the din! I actually have to carry him up to feed him coz he is 1hr past his meal time! I was so afraid that he wouldn't sleep at night, but luckily he did!

Phew!

Trip to the ENT Specialist

2008-09-25T14:47:00.003+08:00

Brot Val to see an ENT specialist today. Her sneezing bout was becoming a little to frequent and too violent (as in her mucus can travel quite far). We thot her nose allergy is mainly brot on by some dust or bugs but we were so wrong.

ENT Specialist gave us a list of food that is known to be triggers for allergies. And these food include:

1) Diary pdts (milk, yoghurt, ice cream, cheese etc);
2) Eggs, esp egg white (cakes, kaya etc);
3) Wheat (bread, yellow noodles, biscuits etc);
4) Chocolate (including milo, ovaltine, choc chip cookies etc);
5) Chicken (chicken essence etc);
6) Peanuts (including peanut butter, peanut oil)

Can u imagine our horror?!?! Valerie eats the following... her fav..

1) Ice cream/cakes (prob once a month)
2) Yellow noodle (2-3 times weekly)
3) Eggs (almost daily)
4) Milo (daily)
5) Peanut butter spread on bread/biscuits (1-2 times weekly)
6) Some kind of biscuits (choc or other flavour), cookies (almost daily)

Doc advise is abstain 1st then slowly reintroduce each category of food again to test which causes her allergy. But we know cold turkey ain't going to work coz she eats all of the above so frequently. So now our approach is drastically reduce to try to curb her condition.

Dancing Queen

2008-09-16T17:48:00.002+08:00

Enjoy... simply hilarious!

First 10 days..

2008-09-16T17:40:00.003+08:00

The initial days are always the busiest. Getting the hang of latching, into a routine, changing diapers etc etc. Luckily DH was on leave for the 1st week, so we managed some time to take pictures of Nigel as well as Valerie. Look at the difference in size! I totally forgot a baby was this 'tiny'.

So far Valerie has been really sweet to Nigel. Can tell she is a doting sister coz whenever she hears Nigel crying via the baby monitor, she'll inform everyone that baby is crying and will dash upstairs :p

Valerie is also helping me out. E.g. she'll help me take the diaper and throw into the dustbin. At time she also offer to hold Nigel's milk bottle (but we didn't let her coz she wldn't know how to feed) or put the pacifier in his mouth. When Nigel cries, she'll also say to him "baby dun cry" and then sayang his face etc. She was even willing to give Nigel a soft toy when he was crying.

Valere is so sweet.. and both of us feel so blessed to have her.. every single day :-)

Introducing Nigel Yeo!

2008-09-11T10:46:00.004+08:00

How time flies! Nigel is 7 day old today! I wanted to update the blog earlier but the initial days are always this busy. Feeding, pumping, changing diapers, trying to get a wink etc etc. I'm still trying to figure out a workable routine as I'm definitely producing more breastmilk that Nigel can finish so I need to figure out how to feed him and pump most efficiently.

But before all that, these are Nigel's stats at birth:

Date/Time: 05.09.08 1325
Length/weight: 51cm. 3500gm
Head circumference: 36cm

As to 'birth story' to share, I guess there isn't any since I went for c-section. I opt for epidural c-section again this time coz I want to be able to hear & see him immediately after birth. That's the closest I get to 'natural' birth I guess. During the op, I can feel the pain (quite painful infact). They up the dosage of the epidural so much so that even my chest area became numb and after the op, I have to work harder to breathe. I'm not breathless but definitely take more effort to take breathes.

Recovery wise I feel that this time round I'm doing slower than previous c-section. I guess not being as fit as before is the main culprit. I did try to walk more at the later stage of this pregnancy but the constant pain at the groin just prevents me from doing so. So I guess chicken & egg situation, the less I walk, the slower I recover now bah.

So far Nigel is doing great. He latches on quite quickly and suckles well. Altho he has the tendency to doze off while suckling (don't all babies) overall he is ok. Definitely more patient compared to Valerie's time. I guess a little more experience also helps. Back during Valerie's time, I guess the lack of experience is the main stumbling block to successful breastfeeding.

As to Valerie & Nigel, I think their 1st meeting went off fantastic. Valerie was very loving and sayang Nigel. The subsequent days went just as well and she has not shown any signs of jealousy. After I came home (Nigel was home 1 day after due to jaundice), she has been a darling. She even sang songs to Nigel (Rock-a-bye Baby & Twinkle Stars)! And when Nigel cries, she'll come by and ask him don't cry. She is such a sweet darling and DH & I are very happy to be blessed with a girl like her.

One thing that didn't change much is how HOT I am throughout the day! And the weather is definitely not helping! Sometimes I wonder why is it when I'm doing my confinement, the sun must shine like there is no tomorrow!!! ARGH!

Tomorrow shall be the day...

2008-09-04T10:55:00.003+08:00

After all the anticipation, the stage is finally set. Dr Heng did the cervix check for me and said that I'm roughly 1.5cm-2cm dilated. Baby's head is quite low (she actually can feel) but his face still not facing inside. His hands are rested on the chin and I can definitely see that his nose is higher than Valerie's.

She asked me to wait for another week (she actually said 10 days overdue is fine) but I didn't really want to wait anymore. Many friends ask me to wait. "Just give him a couple more days" they all said. But progressively, I'm losing confidence. Yes, a baby WILL eventually be born naturally, it's a matter of time. But what are the chances of successful VBAC every passing day?

During today's scan, he is estimated to be 3.6kgs (+/- 10%). Even if he is smaller now, give him one more week, wouldn't he be around 3.6kgs by then? I know MANY people, smaller in frame has birth a 3.6kgs baby. But how long did they take? Was it their 1st child? 2nd child? Anyone VBAC? No one can give me such 'statistics'.

I only hope to have my child, safely placed on my arms, with minimum complications. I'm not an advocate that all birth MUST be natural watsoever. But having said that, I understand that natural birth has a faster recovery process. Why would I want to cut myself up for nothing right?

Maybe I'm not determined enough, lack of self confidence and too anxious. But watever it is, the decision has already been made. I've arranged for c-section tomorrow at 1pm. Although I'm sad, since I've already made this decision, I just have to see through it.

Fun @ Varsity Park Condo

2008-09-01T11:44:00.004+08:00

Went to Biao Yee's new house yesterday. Her house warming is scheduled for next Sunday but since I should have pop by then, she invited us to her place for dinner one week earlier. After seeing Julian's house, Valerie has been nagging us to bring her swimming so we thought maybe we go slightly earlier so she can have a dip.

When we reached, we are greated by sparsely spaced 5-storey blocks that gives you a very 'resort' feel. The whole compound is actually very big with 1 entrance at West Coast Road and the exit at Clementi Road. It's quite near to NUS (as the name suggests :p). All (I think) of the 5-storey units are actually penthouse units, thus effectively it's 6 floors per block.

Biao Yee's unit is one the ground floor, with large balcony area spanning from the 1st bedroom to the master-bedroom. The balcony area infront of the living & 1st bedroom is made of wood while the one infront of the master bedroom is covered with carpet grass (that needs some gardening :p). It's a 4 bedroom unit totally 1890sq ft. The living, dining, bedroom are of ok size, not too big neither are they too tiny for any effective use.

The facilities in the whole developement are also very spaced out, but thankfully the pool and water play area are located quite near to Biao Yee's house. And this is what you get at Varsity Park.. Water slides!

Before dinner, we gathered at the living room while my cousins played with Valerie. One of them gave Valerie this crown and Valerie happily pronounced herself as the QUEEN. When they asked her who is the King? She pointed to DH. So what does it make me? Hmm...

7th lunar month is over!

2008-08-31T14:13:00.001+08:00

Some 'theory' as to why Nigel ain't coming out yet is because he doesn't want to be a 'chek guey' (7th lunar mth) baby. Ok, today is the 1st day of the 8th lunar month, so boy, are you coming out today? :p

Joshua's 1st Bday

2008-08-30T18:30:00.001+08:00

Since Nigel doesn't seemed to be ready to see the world as yet, we decided to goto Joshua's bday party today. Julian was DH's cadet and is one of DH's golf kaki. I do know that he comes from a wealthy family but I didn't really expect that his parents' house would have their own POOL. Yes, swimming pool and no, it's not a size of a bathtub. I reckon it's a quarter olympic size pool.

It's definitely one of the most child-friendly birthday party we've attended ever. Why? Because they have little tables & chairs for kids! When Valerie saw those little tables & chairs, she said "School!" hahahaha. When I checked with Julian, he said his friend owns My Gym and lend him those tables & chairs FOC. And there's also the bouncing castle next to the pool which he rented from a friend at a mere S$200.

During the party, I observed the guests and I realised that most (if not all) are definitely from the upper income bracket. Other than Julian's relatives who are obviously in the same league as them, Julian also invited his golf kakis. And I saw their wives carrying Bottega/Loewe/Gucci handbags, wearing huge diamond rings and expensive watches. All of them with manicure hands & feet. The cars parked outside the party house? Mainly Mercz & BMWs. What do they work as? Private bankers, financial advisors, lawyers etc. How old are these people? Less than 40. It's crazy I tell you.

Do I feel out of place? Slightly, I must admit, but I tell myself, as long as you are happy, everything is secondary. And I must say, I am happy with whatever I have now. :)

Still no sign @ 38wks 6days

2008-08-28T14:02:00.002+08:00

It's 1 day shy of 39 weeks and guess what.. nothing is happening! Although engaged, his orientation is still towards my left rather than downwards towards the 'door'. Meaning, it wouldn't be happening soon I guess.

There has been loads of anticipation and anxious since I'm 37 weeks. Telling myself he is all ready to see the world. But I guess the word 'ready' is not for me to say. Every progressive day my joints ache more, the groin feels more pain (sometimes to the extend of experiencing sharp pain) but still no signs of labor.

Although I tell myself that there will always be a chance of me going through c-section again for various reasons, I'll be damn disappointed if eventually I have to go through one because there is just no signs of labor coming even when the due day approaches. Dr Heng has scheduled me to see her again next Thursday (1 day before EDD). She says by then if Nigel still not out, we'll talk about alternatives (ie induce or c-section).

I don't think I will want to induce as I always feel that the failure rate is high. Besides, if Nigel continues to grow inside, he'll prob hit 3.4kgs soon? If that's the case, wldn't it be more difficult to birth him naturally? In any case, I've decided, if he is late, I'll opt for c-section.

BTW, he is 3244gm today. All the beef, durian and ice cream works! But of course.. mom puts on weight too! hahahaha

Seng's wallet

2008-08-26T22:48:00.005+08:00

Ordered this for Seng 2 weeks back through Carol's contact. It's a Bi-fold wallet with 8 credit card slots, retailing at S$610 in SG. Unlike my wallet, his is made of calfskin rather than lambskin. Carol's friend's friend is working in Gucci or BV so they can get 50% staff discount. FIFTY, can you imagine. But quota is tight so it's not easy to get. I was lucky, sort of.

But the 'unfortunate' thing was that there were some discrepancy in the stock count recently so the collection of the wallet was delayed. Today, Carol sms me saying that her fren's fren still hasn't contacted them about the wallet (sigh). Carol is leaving for HK tmrw (hopefully she can find her Miu Miu Charm), be back on 03/09 so she says earliest can only collect after she's back.

I guess I'll have to wait another week, at least. But waiting is fine, so long as I eventually get this wallet at 50% discount :p Good things need to be patient right?

BTW, Seng agreed to let me buy another BV bag (with staff discount of course)! But I promised him it wouldn't be now, but I do hope I can buy before this contact leaves! 50% discount is hell ALOT! So.. should I get a Veneta, Sloane or ????

Coach Legacy Stripe Wristlet

2008-08-26T22:34:00.004+08:00

Hurray! Esther's fren managed to get this baby for me from US at 25% discount! I've been wanting to get this for some time but local stores don't sell this (anyway it'll be expensive) and ebay sellers are selling it at S$190 (cheapest offer was S$175) when the retail price in US is only US$98.

Eventually I paid S$135 for this (including sales tax & shipping) and now all I need is to wait patiently for it to arrive at my doorstep! Wonderful!

Happy Bday Mom

2008-08-23T22:20:00.002+08:00

Today is my birthday. While approaching this day, I kept wondering if Nigel will choose to be born today as well. Some of my friends, even my sis, thought that it would be nice to have your son sharing your birthday.. but somehow I prefer that each of us have our own birthday :p

It was a rainy day, which wasn't what I was looking forward to. But nonetheless we have 'plans' for today. 1) We are going to buy the ice cream cake from Swensen's as I have 20% off; 2) We are going to watch the fireworks at Kae Lip's office and 3) Get and free sundae from Swensen's.

I wasn't 100% sure about the free sundae thingie so I sms around but none gave me a concrete answer. Searching Swensen's website is of no use too coz it wasn't stated. Just before lunch, we headed to Swensen's in PP to buy the ice cream cake. There, I verified with the staff at if it's ur birthday, you'll get a free Birthday Firehouse and it's applicable to both kids AND adults. Hurray!

While at Swensen's we asked Val to pick the cake and she picked the choc cake (*yummy*). Once back home, she asked to eat the cake (which we originally wanted to eat only tomorrow). It's really hard to say 'no' to her coz she was anticipating the cake since we reached Swesen's so we told her to finish her lunch 1st. Once she finish her lunch, she skipped to us and announced "I finish my lunch already".. so.. no choice, we cut a slice for her, as promised.

Come dinner, we went to Swensen's at PP (again!). This time to have dinner and get my free Birthday Firehouse. She had be mee-sua before coming out so she's full and all ready to eat up the ice cream. Thankfully Swensen's supply some drawings and free colour pencils so that kept her bz for a while.

When the Firehouse finally came, Valerie sang birthday song... to herself! hahaha. Once we blew the candle, the 1st thing she 'attacked' on the sundae was... the WHIPPED CREAM! hahaha The ice cream taste great but the whole event meant more to me than anything. It's a simple celebration of sorts and I enjoyed every single moment of it :)

Ultimately we didn't go see the fireworks as it was a wet day and the rest of the gang decided to go KTV rather than Kae Lip's office, so we headed home after PP to chill out.

Simple birthday, but very memorable still :)

Enhanced Baby Bonus is being back-dated!

2008-08-22T08:38:00.003+08:00

The full details of the Enhanced Baby Bonus ("EBB") was announced on Monday (18/08/08). It was meant to have taken effect for babies born on/after 01 Jan 2009. Upon hearing this, naturally I was a little disappointed but since what I "lugi" is the extra 4 weeks maternity leave and the additional S$1K cash bonus, I just shrug my shoulder and said, "ok lor".

But this effective date definitely created ALOT of hoo-ha in the forum, especially for 1st time mothers who will lose out a total of S$7K cash ($1K cash bonus + $6K CDA topup) as well as the 4 weeks maternity leave. Someone started a thread to gather names for petition and the online feedback was flooded with tons of entries 'complaining' the inequality in treatment (2004 vs 2008).

Today, the EBB is in the news (again). The government will back-date this to start wef 17/08/08. That means I'll be entitled (hurray!) but friends like CT, Shannon, Stef will not be eventhough their babies are born in Aug'08. I wonder would moms with babies born between 01/08 - 16/08 will also submit a petition? Esp since the 2004 Baby Bonus scheme was effectively back-dated to 01/08/2004??

In every policy, it's hard to please everyone. I was quite certain that the government will not back-date this as I thought they would have anticipated the outcry when they announce the effective date. I guess I was wrong. :p