Nanny Search Broadcast

As most of you know, I will be returning to work part time after Pipsqueak is born. We are looking for a good reliable nanny to help take care of Pipsqueak during the day time for about 2 days a week. Preferably someone close to our home with experience for caring for infants and loves kids. If you know of a friend, relative, aunty or friend of a friend that fits the bill, please let us know! We are willing to drop Pipsqueak off at her place and will pick him up at the end of the day.

Week 28 - The 1kg Mark!

Pipsqueak has hit the 1kg mark! This is apparently within the normal range for this stage. We had our routine checkup this month and all looks well. Sorry I can't post his latest ultrasound - the printout is really unclear and he's grown so big, the picture shows his face but its rather distorted...not like the earlier scans of him. Plus the machine in my Gynae's clinic is not the super duper modern one at her hospital, so its rather rudimentary (by my standards anyway). But what we could see very clearly on the screen was firstly his chubby cheeks (he's put on some flesh now) and his genitals. I don't know what this means but I guess for the Husband, he's proud that his son appears to be all man.

His head is also turned down and he's lying on one side of my belly, hence when I lie flat, you can see a bulge on one side of my tummy. Which explains all the kicking I feel on one side only as he's kind of lying sideways. We also saw his lips very clearly and my Gynae calls it "rosebud" lips.

I've been advised to keep active to help with an easy labour and I'm able to start doing squats too. I can't believe I've finally entered the last leg of pregnancy, the third trimester. I'm already feeling so heavy, I can't imagine how I can possibly put on any more weight. Apparently weight gain at this stage is exponential. I've put on 9kg in total so far, which puts me at 50kg. My Gynae estimates I will probably put on 14kg in total, which is fine. She's encouraging me to eat healthily so that Pipsqueak won't get overly big and make it a difficult labour for me.

I've also been having quite a bit of inspiration to cook - The Husband thinks I've been cooking exceptionally well since I've been pregnant. This kid is a gourmet I tell you. Here is a pic of what we had for breakfast this morning. We had some leftover potatoes which I made tuna potato patties with for dinner. I used the leftovers this morning and heated them up with a side salad of fresh cos, tomatoes, poached egg, oranges and a viniagrette dressing. YUM!



Pipsqueak is also a lot more active nowadays, or perhaps he's always been but he hasn't been as big as he is now for me to really feel the movements. Its good that I'm a heavy sleeper, so his nighttime activities doesn't affect me. But he's getting so good at moving around that he sometimes kicks my bladder and rectum and some nerve around that area that sends me a shock and I end up yelping. Good thing he's never done that in a meeting as yet!

I've also compiled a gift list for Pipsqueak as we've been getting requests from friends as to what to buy him. If you want a copy of the list, let me know.

From now on, my checkups at the Gynae will be every 3 weeks, followed by every 2 weeks and every week when I'm term. Time really flies, I can't believe I have 8 weeks to go to 36 weeks, which is technically term, although he will have another 4 weeks to full term. I've been diligently doing my stretching exercises every night and reading up on labour and delivery. The Husband is also taking note of when he has to really bring me to the hospital. We've also bought a bit of extra furniture - a chest of drawers to store Pipsqueak's clothes, a breastfeeding chair and a storage rack for the kitchen.

Week 27 - Prenatal Class

This is Pipsqueak's latest gift, a Touch and Tug Discovery Book from James and Pauline. Its really quite cute, I think I enjoy playing with it more that Pipsqueak! There are 3 different animals and the book tells stories, sings songs and makes animal sounds. I've been playing the lullabies and wrapping the book round my tummy so that he can listen to the songs and recognise them when he's out. The book can even be attached to the crib!



Pipsqueak also got another gift this week from Eekwang and Benita - a cool Winnie the Pooh outfit! As well as another bag load of hand me down clothes from James and Pauline. I really don't need to buy any clothes for him!

We attended our first prenatal class this week. We missed Lesson 1 and 2, so we jumped straight into Lesson 3. I was down with food poisoning when Lesson 1 was held, and that was the class on pregnancy nutrition and exercises. Lesson 2 talked about early stage labour and Lesson 3 is on labour and delivery. We signed up with Mrs Wong Boh Boi at Thomson Medical Centre based on feedback from friends who said her classes were very good. We rushed down from work on a Wednesday night to find the entire class packed with pregnant mummies and their husbands. We sat on comfy mats on the floor and did various pregnancy exercises. It was quite interesting, and the Husband was aghast that the husbands had to do the exercises with the preggy wives. He was muttering under his breath "But I'm not pregnant, why do I need to do these exercises?" He was sweet about it and aceded anyway.

We had a section on massage and that was really nice - Mrs Wong taught different massage techniques and once again the Husband started muttering "But I already give you massages exactly like this, why do we have to pay money for someone to tell me to do something that I'm already doing". We learnt a game to play with the daddies which is a form of communication between the unborn child and the dad. It involves mummy kneeling behind daddy who is seated cross-legged. A rhyme about raindrops and winds is recited whilst rubbing daddy's back. Then a thunderstorm comes and mummy has to pat daddy's back very loudly. After that, preggie mum presses her tummy against daddy's back so that he can feel baby kick him. Well the funny thing was that no one's baby kicked at that point! Mrs Wong very matter of factly said, "Well, sometimes baby doesn't know what games mummy and daddy are trying to play!"

The key part of the lesson was breathing techniques and relaxation exercises. We learnt how to breathe deeply during labour, the correct position for optimal pushing and how to visualise our babies in "crystal clear waters" and the "opening of canals" to cope with the pain. We went through a mock labour with daddies learning how to support mummies physically and emotionally, but were warned not to start pushing as some women have really gone into premature labour during the mock sessions!

The class ended with a tour of the delivery suite. Although I wasn't going to deliver at Thomson, I wanted to see how a delivery suite looked like so we joined in. Turns out there was a mummy in labour right next door! We heard the nurses counting to 10 to encourage her to push. Mrs Wong said if we were lucky, baby would be out when we finished our tour. True enough, when we walked out, we heard the loud cries of the newborn! Everyone was overjoyed for mother and child. Mrs Wong asked for permission from the daddy to allow us to watch the newborn being weighed and he agreed. She was gorgeous - a baby girl, 3.4 kg and super alert, looking around at the 30 pairs of eyes watching her being weighed. Quite a way to end the class.

I thought the class was pretty helpful and gave us a good idea of what to expect during delivery. The Husband thought otherwise and has been having father and son conversations with Pipsqueak about the happenings outside the womb. The funny thing is that I hear absolutely everything, even when father and son talk about me - so much for confidentiality. The Husband and I can be quite the opposite on various issues, which I must admit is a good thing. I have no doubt that he will stay my pillar of strength and calm should I get hysterical with pain at any point. I'm still optimistic about having a natural labour with no epidural and as the Husband likes to say - "Its all in the mind - half the battle is won if you win the battle of the mind".

I had a super appetite day this week. This is a log of what I ate over 2 days.

Day 1:
Breakfast - cereal
Mid morning snack - 1 slice of bread
Lunch - beef hor fun with sour plum drink
Mid afternoon snack - 1 small tub yoghurt, 1 grapefruit, 1 muesli bar
Dinner - Rice with Pork Ribs (Pai gu wang), kang kong and tofu hotplate
Supper - Longans with sea coconut dessert, 1 slice cheesecake

Day 2:
Woke up at some ungodly hour (it was still dark) absolutely famished. Struggled between eating and going back to sleep, hunger overtook me. Ate 2 Marks & Sparks raspberry tartlets from the jar next to my bed (yes I keep food next to my bed cos I've woken up hungry before)
Breakfast - grandma's nyonya bak chang and iced milo
Mid morning snack - Egg mcmuffin from Mcdonalds
Lunch - Yong Tau Foo & Fruits (I deliberately bought this cos I thought my body would go on overload soon with the amount of food I was eating)
Mid afternoon snack - 1 sardine puff
Dinner - 8 course wedding banquet

I was really amazed at how hungry I was and how much I ate - and I swear it was a growth spurt for Pipsqueak cos he hardly moved the next day! Babies grown when they sleep and he was sleeping alright. I panicked again and told the Husband maybe Pipsqueak was in distress, but he comforted me and told me not to get paranoid. True enough, Pipsqueak was back to his normal active self the next day and so was my appetite. You'll be glad to know I'm eating normally now.

After this week, I will enter my third trimester - the last leg! I can't believe how quickly time flies. I'm feeling heavier by the day and sleeping at night is becoming harder and harder. My hips feel so heavy with the weight and my legs get numb after a while, so I have to switch sides and stretch my feet before the leg cramps hit. My next checkup is at 28 weeks, which is a detailed one to check baby's growth and weight.

A Tribute to The Husband

Its my darling hubby's birthday today! And what better way to commemorate it than to write a tribute to him....Sorry to spoil the market guys, but what can I say, I married a wonderful hubby! My hubby is:

1) A Cleaner

Thank you for cleaning up my mess darling! Of late, the clumsiness quotient has increased as I can no longer see my feet and I somehow keep dropping things. To date, I have dropped the entire ice tray on the floor 4 times in the last month and my poor husband has had to clean up after me everytime.

In fact, before the pregnancy, he was already a super cleaner, washing the dishes, sweeping the floor, hanging the clothes. I have no doubts that he will be a hands on dad when Pipsqueak arrives - what more can a girl ask for?

2) A Good Listener

As most of you know, us girls tell stories with EVERY SINGLE DETAIL, guys just give one liners. So The Husband is always patient to listen to my stories and descriptions of events of the day! And he always patiently listens...without doing the guy thing and giving solutions or drifting off into la la land halfway.

3) Loving and Caring

In our 3.5 years of marriage, I've never been deprived of hugs, cuddles and words of affection and affirmation. He tells me he appreciates me, tucks me into bed every night and gives me a kiss before he leaves home and another when we meet at the end of the day.

4) A great partner

I always say The Husband is an old man in a young body - he has the wisdom far beyond his years and a living testimony to James 1:5 - "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him".

Despite that, he values my input and we talk about things, discuss issues and never have I felt that I had to submit to his leadership in the home grudgingly or "because God commands me to". We've worked on multiple projects together and I couldn't find a better working partner than my Husband.

5) My best friend

I wouldn't choose anyone else to travel round the world with, hang out for coffee, stay up late to chat with or just muck around and do silly things with other than my Husband. We have so much fun together and our marriage feels like a long date that has never ended.

Happy Birthday Darling! You make me thank God for his goodness daily and you are my daily reminder that God loves me more than I can fathom, because He brought you into my life. Looking forward to countless more birthdays together!

Note: Just in case you are wondering why The Husband looks like he's being swallowed by an Anaconda - that's the Snoogle, my pregnancy pillow Mum and Dad bought from the US. He decided to try it out for himself and I had to take a shot.

Week 26 - Pipsqueak's Collection

For a little guy who hasn't taken his first breath nor holds any identity documents, Pipsqueak has been accumulating lots of stuff. I can see why parents tell us that when they travel, half the luggage space is for the kid and the other half are for the parents to share! Our home is being overrun by baby stuff, and most of it, we didn't buy! Decided to post some pics of stuff he's received so far. Disclaimer: For all aunties and uncles who have given stuff so far, please do not be offended if your contribution is not posted, there is just too much stuff and this post will never end! Your gift is very much appreciated! The Avent steam steriliser set is from Esther and Sam.



The Medela Pump in Style is a hand me down from Angeline and will save me heaps of money cos its not cheap!


Car seat is from the Wongs! We had to have a personal lesson in learning how to strap it down to the car and which strap goes where, etc. These baby gadgets are not that easy to figure out.



This Chicco rocker is from Adrian and Jerene - and strangely enough it matches the car seat!






Mum and Dad are visiting from the US and brought a few outfits for Pipsqueak - I've been told this is only a fraction of what they bought, they just couldn't carry all the stuff in their luggage! Check out the matching caps with the outfits.




These socks were bought by me. Yes - for those of you who can't believe at how little the Husband and I have bought, you will know why when you see the amount of stuff we already have!

We went to Church camp this week and had a wonderful time of fellowship, prayer and meeting with God. It was an awesome camp as we prepare for the next lap for our Church and we are truly blessed with godly and balanced leaders. I swam a couple of times and I have definitely grown not just in the belly department but also the rear-end department. I feel as if my bottom has exploded! AAARGH! Major exercise required after Pipsqueak arrives. The other thing we did at camp was eat! Every meal was a buffet and the last weighing of myself showed 50kg, which means I would have gained 9kg so far. And I have 3 more months to full term!

Talking about eating, one of the highlights of camp was of course the Durian Feast! We ordered a total of 180kgs of durian and it was like swarm of locusts descending on the creamy flesh. As I like to say - its a war! And it truly was! I was part of the fray and I received comments that no one has ever seen a pregnant woman walk so fast before. Hey, the little guy wanted to eat, what can I say? (Its the best excuse ever). The strategy is to camp out at the right corner, where the person opening the durian has tried at least one seed and can attest that "hey this is a good one" - then you move in and grab your share. It was quite a sight and for those who've never been to our Durian Feasts before, it can be quite scary.

Pipsqueak is definitely kicking lots more, the kicks to the bladder and rectum can be uncomfortable at times and certain elbow-knee movements are visible to the naked eye, if you happen to look at my belly at the right time.

And another interesting happenning for the week - when Pastor Escobar asked for whoever wanted to accept Christ to raise their hands, Pipsqueak did! I felt him jerk just at that moment - of course, I can't tell if it was a kick but I'm convinced he raised his hand. The Husband found it quite amusing that Pipsqueak would understand the implications of an altar call, but I say hey, let's not underestimate the little guy.

Week 25 - My Shirt is Moving!

Pipsqueak has been getting lots of presents. Aunty Esther and Uncle Sam bought him a steam steriliser to sterilise all his milk bottles and my breast pump parts. Grandpa and grandma just arrived from the US and brought some clothes for him too. Very cute outfits too! Will post pictures of his gifts soon. We also visited Adrian and Jerene who gave us some hand me downs, not to mention the constant stream of hand me downs from colleagues at work like Felicia, Angeline and Jehanne. Thanks to all who have thought of us! Much appreciated.

I saw my shirt move on its own for the first time yesterday and it was weird...I think Pipsqueak was moving around and one of his limbs hit my tummy wall and I saw my shirt move. I stopped my typing at the computer, lifted my shirt to expose my belly and saw a bump move right across. Its strange! I know it will get much more obvious as he grows bigger.

We caught up with some friends over dinner last night and had a great time. Our friend Joy is due in 6 weeks and her belly is the same size as mine! I have 15 more weeks to go! *gulp* I hear the last trimester is EXPONENTIAL in growth, so I'm a bit apprehensive at how much bigger I can possibly grow! It was fun exchanging pregnancy stories and getting pregnancy tips from Joanna, the new Mum! Remin was sharing about his view on breastfeeding, as all the books keep telling you to persevere and to not give up no matter how hard it is. His conclusion is that it must be really difficult if they keep telling you that! Judging from Joanna's horror stories of 4 bouts of mastisis over 2 months, its not as easy as we think! God help me!

It also seems like us first time parents have the same problem - long long checklists and no idea where to start! You spend lots of time in the shop with the list and come out with 3-4 items, but totally exhausted! Neither has any idea what brand or what specific item to buy and whether its really needed.

I did learn from Jerene some useful tips however. One was to rent toys instead of buying them. One such site is http://rent-a-toy.com/shop/index.php - the idea is that kids outgrow their toys and grow tired of them in 2-3 months, so instead of paying full price and buying the toy then having no space to store all the toys they tire of, just rent them! Its delivered to your home and pre-sterilised before each new child uses them.

Talking about shopping online, that's a trend I've spotted with lots of new Mums. They love to shop online! I'm starting to have a clearer idea of how my mobility and ability to shop will be impeded in the coming months and I'll be doing the same!

Seems like my constipation has come back again and the backaches are a daily occurence, but I'm getting used to it and trying to take it all in good spirits. At least I can eat and I feel relatively well. The gynae has advised me to go for 30 minute walks daily, which is hard to maintain! But we will be off to Church camp this week and its in a nice resort in JB, so I hope to do lots of swimming in the pool!

Week 24 - I can't sleep!

We had our 24 week checkup this week, but the ultrasound scan wasn't very clear and I don't think its worth publishing. So I've attached a picture from Babycenter instead - they send me weekly updates on my progress and its really useful. The diagram is a representation of what Pipsqueak looks like now.

The major happening this week is that I got food poisoning. Could not pinpoint what caused it, as everyone else at the same food as me and was fine, but I had 2 days off work to rest. The diarrhoea stopped by the second day but it did take its toll on my body and the GP was right, pregnant women take longer to recover. My legs and arms were aching for 2 days after, and I was easily fatigued. Thank God I'm back to normal now and Pipsqueak is still active, so I don't he had any major issues with the diarrhoea. Was maybe just very noisy for him in the womb with the additional "activity".

Sleeping has become difficult, and for a sleepaholic like me, I never thought I'd say that! Neither side is comfortable, I'm not allowed to sleep on my back as it presses on a major blood vessel that cuts of circulation to the foetus, so I spend the whole night tossing and turning (and not to mention visiting the toilet).

I've been reading this book by Gina Ford called "The New Contented Baby Book". She's a nurse who cares for babies and advocates teaching babies to get into a routine. Instead of demand feeding, she purports that babies need to be guided to learn the difference between day and night, so that they can feed more in the day and sleep more in the night. Parents who get the formula right end up with a happy baby and well rested mummies. Its quite appealing, and we've decided to try out her routine as it does make sense - she says that there are too many tired mummies out there who struggle all day with the baby, only to be awoken the whole night. They end up breaking down, giving up on breastfeeding because they are too tired and putting a strain on the marriage.

We've started our baby shopping, its sale season here so we hope to make some savings, especially before the GST hike. The house is piling up with baby stuff and we've got to find some storage! We've been getting hand me downs and friends and family asking what gifts to buy. For the record - we're not buying any clothes or toys as we've been advised that people give lots - so rattles, clothing, cot mobiles, stroller toys are generally safe to buy. If in doubt - just ask! We'd be glad to give you some ideas!