How did my weekend go?

It surely has not been a bad weekend so far.

A cousin called on Thursday evening saying,'Hello, I'm here!!!'....so I asked,'Here as in where? Geylang?'...'Nolah, here in San Francisco! I just flew in from Oregon and was deployed to San Jose for a few days before flying back to Singapore'. Nice...he was visitor number 5 who would call only when they are geographically here in San Francisco with no advance notice. But we're used to it. Being hosts...we get overjoyed with friends and relatives who call when they're here, last minute or not, but happy that they think of us!

So the weekend was all about the son and his first baseball game, and a cousin whom I have not seen in 2 years.







So far, I am doing OK. I can admit, I think I have gained one or two more pounds. The tummy has mysteriously grown overnight. I officially can't fit into my Levis 515 Low Rise anymore. The maternity jeans fits me in the waist and tummy now but the thighs and hips still 'dangling' (means still oversized lah). The maternity t shirts fit me like a glove too. Sigh...baby number 3, seems like the tummy will be 3 times bigger.

The next gynae appointment will be on Wednesday, hoopefully, more update! Stay tuned...

Patience...

…a very very challenging word in my life right now which I do not have much choice but to have it close to my ears, heart and head!

First comes patience with my own body. I feel that my body is a factory, lots of things happening 'down there', 'in there' and 'up there'. From mild cramps, to back ache to nausea to weakness in my body. When I get home, all I want to do is to be in bed, watch Dr Phil and doze off! I keep aplogizing to the kids for being such a weakling. That ibu does not mean to shun them off but ibu has no energy to sometimes have a conversation with them. But its great when they come to the bed to talk to me instead.

Then patience for the kids. My son, who is 13, has learned some 'not so good' elements in life. Not that hes turning into a bad boy…but sometimes this boy (or like many other boys) feel that honesty is not the best policy? Or that homework is not mandatory or that he just does not care of his surroundings at home and losing his $29 a month bus pass and not even telling us. Here comes the paps and ibu having to give him lectures at home on how to be responsible (I am sure he had heard it 100x) and that doesn’t work, we do not spare the rod.

The daughter, who is 12, has not been nice to everyone lately. PMS aside, she has this pitch number 10 when she speaks to everyone at home. She would pick fights and loves to argue over nothing at 6am every morning. She can be a darling that’s for sure. She knows that ibu is mad when ibu doesn’t talk to her. Shes the most honest person on earth too!

The husband, now this one is a reversed patience. HE is the one who has been patient with my complains, my backache, and my cravings. Sometimes I do feel like I was ignoring him as all that I ever want to do at night is sleep. When I have my head in the toilet bowl, he rushes into the bathroom and has this wet towel ready to puy on my forehead to soothe the nausea. Needless to say about cooking dinner almost every night. With my moodiness, he has been a very patient husband. I wouldn’t know what I would do without him.

That’s why I keep telling myself that I have to be patient all the time. To count to 10 when I get mad at the kids. To cut them some slack for my sake. I do not want to get stressed and naik darah as I don’t have the energy to do so.

Sigh...

Blogging nowadays can sometimes be a drag….when I am still half awake every morning, hoping that everyday would be a weekend morning. How I wish!

Last Thursday was my first gynae appointment. She is also my new Dr after changing medical insurance from the lousy one last year. This Dr was recommended by my co workers, who apparently share the same panel of gynaes!

The weighing machine weighed me ….2 lbs heavier. Boleh tahan! If I didn’t wek wek, I must have gained 5 lbs! Then the visitation room. Since I hadn't had a PAP smear since 2 years ago (I believe in PAP smears every 3 years!), I was advised to wear this disposable pink surgical gown with the opening to the front. The gynae will also do a yearly breast exam for me. So there I was, in my pink gown, on the examination table, looking around the med office.

Hmmm…its been a while since I last saw a gynae due to pregnancy…the ultrasound machine looks different. Smaller, unlike 12 years ago. They also do electrolysis, permanent hair removal…which is VERY attractive to me (seriously thinking).

The gynae came in, very very nice asian lady, in her 30s. We sat and had a casual conversation, talked about ourselves. Making silly jokes about my last child being 12 years old, built in babysitters!

Then the PAP smear (which I hate) and the breast examinations were done. Not too bad. Then she did an ultrasound scan for the baby. The embryo was kinda big…then the jelly bean…teeny little jelly bean glistening…which was the heartbeat. It surely was nice and relieved to see that my baby is well, in the right position and with a heartbeat!

Click on picture for bigger image

The next appointment will be next week, this time the husband is coming along.

Lastly, I would like to thank Cik Adik Ayu kita tuh who has been tirelessly calling me though sometimes I really could not answer the phone due to Ely was puking, Ely was falling asleep or Ely was giving her husband a hard time. Ayu has been offering me food…volunteering to get me food should I get last minute cravings. Alas, when I am having morning sickness, I don’t crave! I assured Ayu that the time for her to bring me food will come very soon…just standby! We all at home love you Ayu!

UPDATED : Terkenan kan si dia tuh....

Does this ring the bell? If you like or hate a certain person when you're pregnant, your baby will grow up to be like that person. I remember my late ex mom in law, who terkenan kan this indian boy who was selling mee rebus at her doorstep. When she was pregnant with the ex husband, she bought mee rebus from this boy every day without fail. When the baby was born, the ex was the only dark skinned person among his siblings.

There was also an incident about my cousin. The cousin and his pregnant wife was at the airport in Singapore, sending a relative off. While they were bidding goodbye, a white blonde boy fell in front of his pregnant wife. The cousin helped the little boy up and rubbed his forehead. 4 months later, the baby was born with a patch of blonde on his bangs and I kid you not…the color still exists and hes almost 20 years old now!

So that’s why the old people would advise for pregnant women and their husbands to be nice to others, don’t hate anyone, don’t torture animals and so on.


But I wouldn’t mind if I had a son, that my son would look like the Rock hehehehe.

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Update : Sunday 2pm

Ahhhh, Ely's feeling better today. Took the gynae's advise to continue taking Vitamin B6 and half of Unisom (sleeping aid pill) every night and the morning sickness would be reduced. Indeed it has, besides me feeling sleepy and trying to get use to taking Unisom earlier at night so that I could rise at 5:30am on weekdays.

So...Saturday, I craved for Nasi Lemak. Malas nak masak so the husband brought me to the Singaporean Restaurant...sedaaapp!!! Tak sedap pun rasa macam sedap tekak orang mengandung nih. $6 for a huge plate of Nasi Lemak...gasak lah.

Sunday, I am craving for roti jala and curry. So I went to the supermarket, get the stuff for the roti (thank goodness the husband bought meat from our arabic mak angkat the night before) and here I was 'jala' ing with my daughter being the back up.

Then the husband says that we have to cook the ground beef that had been sitting in the fridge for days. He suggested Sheperd's Pie...SURE...I made not one but TWO Sheperd's pies and put them in the fridge for tomorrow's dinner. The other pie maybe we could split them in 4 so that we ALL could take a portion to work/school for lunch.

Haaaaahhh.....puas hati! Bayar niat tak dapat masak since many weeks ago!

Oh yeah, if you're curious on how to make delicious Roti Jala and Sheperd's Pie, go visit my Recipe Blog ok!

Akan Datang (Coming Soon) -- My first prenatal visit to the gynaecologist...watch out for it!

Wek wek and more wek

5:30am – woke up, dear husband handed me a piece of bread (to supposedly ward of morning sickness)
6am – in the bathroom, face in toilet bowl, felt like I threw up my whole nerve system, including my eyes, mouth ears and all that.
7am- all dressed up, face all green. I knew that I wouldn’t make it to work without being sick.
7:30am- called office to tell them that I will not be in the office. How nice, my co worker, volunteered to feed my fishy (yes, I have a fishy at work) a few times a day. Kesian mamat tuh lapar mummy dia takder kat ofis.
9:30am – I knew that I couldn’t eat ANYTHING without throwing up but had to eat. So I cooked ramen noodles with very little seasoning.
10am – threw up what I ate. Aiyoooooo….so weak. Couldn’t even watch tv as its under the turning ceiling fan…mabuk!
10:30-1pm- slept, nak makan for sure keluar balik.
1pm-4pm- slept again.
4pm- kids came back from school, asking me if I ate, I said no. the daughter urged me to eat. So I had a toast. Rushed to lay in bed, hoping that the toast would stay in my tummy.
6pm- husband cooked dinner. Grilled chicken and some rice pilaf. The smell of the grilled chicken, enough to kill my respiratory system. The sell of the pilaf, eeewww.
7pm- time to eat. I chewed on a broccoli and 2 spoonfuls of pilaf. Husband, had a plate of pilaf and 2 huge chicken breasts. I ran straight to the bathroom, head in the bowl. The broccoli and the pilaf just came back out. Nothing much in there…
7:30pm- went to the pharmacy, got some Vitamin B6 (known to reduce dizziness and nausea).
8pm – had 25mg of the Vitamin B6, felt better in 20 mins. Had some Healthy Mom bar for pregnant ladies bought by dear husband.

In short, I only managed to have 2 bars of Health Mom health bar which have a total of only 52 gm of carbs for the day. I know, its not good at all. But I woke up feeling better today. Its only 6:30am, had another 25mg of Vitamin B6 and a bar of Healthy Mom. If I have to eat Healthy Mom everyday…who cares, as long as the food stays in me.

At least I am not feeling dizzy now, but still not feeling great. Still feeling dehydrated from not eating yesterday. Still not going to work, need another day to hydrate myself.

Tomorrows, going to be a somewhat long day. Early morning visit to the vet for Tuco, who needs a blood curve test or his diabetes, leave him there and to work. Appointment with the gynecologist tomorrow.

Cravings, something that I thought would not even cross my mind especially when I am having my morning sickness…no, let me correct that, not morning sickness but ‘all day sickness’!

Yes, no kidding, this sickness strikes at any time of the day. Mostly mornings, but other days., it could be at 12pm, 3pm, 5pm, after dinner and even 3am! These sea bands that I am wearing sometimes do not work at all. Ginger ale does not work, whole wheat bread in the morning before getting off bed works for only an hour but does not take the nausea away. But yesterday, I discovered Preggy Pops, which somewhat helped a little bit. No toilet bowl incident yesterday, so that’s a progress right?

But it can be a chore eating food nowadays. Nothing tastes right to me. I was craving for mee siam, cooked some yesterday with my heart and soul. All ready to eat, but after 5 bites, I had to put it aside. Just couldn't swallow it! Same goes with any noodle soup that I could be craving for. The only food that I can stomache right now is plain rice and sushi. Sigh...

Back to cravings, I have one minor (which can turn into a major one if not tended) craving. Frozen chocolate covered bananas!!! I knew that I could get them at Trader Joe’s and my cravings would be fulfilled. But hey, they were out on that those frozen bananas. That was wrong wasn’t it? So my gf called me over the weekend and I deployed her to go to her Trader Joe’s to see if she could get them frozen bananas for me….no luck! It could be a county wide out of stock for frozen bananas at Trader Joe’s.

Then Ely’s craving turned into code red. Ely must have frozen chocolate covered bananas. Tak boleh tahan! So, then I decided to make my own. Bought some bananas, froze them, melted the semi sweet chocs, dipped them bananas, voila! Jadi jugak!

I have been cravings for bananas lately…tak kisah lah how the bananas come in, fried, steamed, dipped or whatever. Maybe I am expecting a boy hehehehe.

Bummy Tummy...

1st born : tummy did not really show at 9 months
2nd born : tummy REALLY showed at 9 months, baby was almost 8 lbs
3rd coming : almost 7 weeks along, pants fit fine, but the tummy area is bursting.

Do you believe in that? According to theory, when a mother is pregnant and if its not her 1st born, her tummy tends to show sooner than her 1st born due to lack of elasticity. Of course the theory refuses to say that its due to the extra paunch and skin that we get from the other previous newborns.

I know that I can't fit into my low rider Levis and GAP jeans as it will pinch my bladder to the bathroom. So now I am relying on my work clothes, which I guess still has an inch or 2 for the baby to grow. But I already have a pair of maternity pants ready…which is too big after washing and drying them. The sales assistant says that it would surely fit me sooner or later but hello…I need them jeans NOW not later geddit?

As for the boobs problem. Now I have to wear a pair of sports bra to support them girls when I go to sleep without feeling the cut of them underwires. I know the sports bra would not last me much longer as them girls are running in different directions PLUS the weight.

Do you smell raging hormones here? Hmmm, I thought I wasn’t raging much until the husband says,'Its ok Ely, calm down, here give me a hug…everything will be ok'. And I was like 'what the heck is he doing?'. He said that I had been yelling a lot lately and I said 'WHO SAYS THAT I HAVE BEEN YELLING?' ooopss, I guess I did huh? Maybe my ears are getting deaf due to pregnancy besides forgetting a few things here and there at times. Thank goodness the savior boss understands my situation when he sees me yawn when hes talking, or when I totally do not get what he is talking about…I'm getting spacey. Kesian aku…

Anyway, nothing much else to report about. Its only 11:45am here and I am already thinking of bed sweet bed!

GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!

I tend to realize again...

Do you believe that every change in your life comes with a reason? Does it make you do a self reflection?

As soon as I saw the pregnancy test and the result was what we had been waiting for, we were all delighted. Unlike being a first time mom, I was not afraid, not nervous…just excited that our family is growing. Growing into a bigger happy family.

Then after a few days, the self-reflection began. Is our family going to be bigger, stronger and happier? And what have I done and will do in my part to make my family as such? With the bundle of joy, this little one will be LOVE by itself. Like peope say, big stuff come in small packages!

Also, while I am going through a body change, turning into one huge potato and eventually walk like a penguin before the little one burst out in due time, I tend to feel…a feeling that only mothers could feel….the love for my kids.

I realize now that I love my kids so much, that no other material could replace them. What made me realize this? Well you know, in our everyday lives, we tend to take things for granted. We know that we love our kids ands spouse but sometimes a good significant change could make us realize that we love them THAT much!

The kids' response to the pregnancy, the way they treat me extra special, panicking when I start throwing up and making sure that I swallow that cookie, though I am trying not to eat junk food in this early stage, is enough to show that they love me, they care and that they want to be part of the pregnancy. But this does not make them perfect kids…they still bicker, don’t listen to their parents at times and tend to slack in their chores.

And all I have to say about my lovely kids is that, Ibu loves you more than anyone else in this world!!! And I know that our family will definitely be bigger, stronger and happier.

No, how can I forget the husband…who is part of this conception? Priceless as his expression was when he first saw the digital pregnancy test, he has been the wonderful husband that I have dreamed of all my life (ahemm, am I sounding fake yet? Hehe). He's there to hear me whine 'Oh I have lost 5 more lbs, how can that be?', 'Oh I am not feeling good…I am sleepy…now I am nausea!'. And he's the one in the kitchen getting me that whole wheat bread at 5:30 in the morning to contain the morning sickness. I think I have also heard him saying to the kids,'Now, make sure your ibu does not do laborous chores. You need to help her whenever you can OK?'.

I went to the Motherhood boutique the other day and was looking at maternity outfits (must 'aim' which ones I like first!) and the sales assistant asked if I would like to to try some outfits on. I said 'Nah, the husband's waiting outside, don’t want to rage him'. The sales assistant then said,'Oh don’t worry, he will wait. Husbands are nicer to pregnant wives you know!'. Aaaahhhh. How right she is!

So last night, I was browsing on the internet looking for walking shoes. The husband said,'You have already bought that Coach purse online today…what are you looking for now?'. And I responded,'But husband, I am pregnant! I need a pair of walking shoes!!!' Hah! That’s exactly what the husband said…hah! Ooooh, now I need to find a Coach wallet to match the purse too!

Why is the world spinning?

The morning sickness has begun. Thats why the font of this entry is purple...just like my face.

I thought that I could escape from this, like when I was having my 2nd child.

Oh how wrong I was.

Ely is trying to find a way to prevent/cure this morning sickness. She's on a mission...

I had bread 30 minutes before I got out of bed. That seemed to work. I might try the 'sea sick' band today and see if it works wonders for me like others. But first I must survive the bus and train ride and the walk to the pharmacy to buy the band.

If I seem to be 'missing in action' in the next few days...please understand that I am fine...just sick as a dawg!

But I shall not forget you...

Taaa...

ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZ...

Have you ever fallen asleep while sitting with friends and having a conversation at a restaurant?

Have you ever fallen asleep when your boss turns away from you and is having a conversation with a co worker? You don't want to get caught sleeping on the job...but you can't explain why you doze off in a snap of a finger.

Have you also ever felt so sleepy, that whatever the people around you were talking about, you felt like you were still in dreamland?

Well people...thats what I am feeling now...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...eerrr sorry i fell asleep.

As the journey begins...

The crave was with a reason
The PMS was a sign
The late period I thought was like last month
But what do you know, it surely was a surprise….

You see, my second precious one is 12 now. Imagine, being pregnant again after 12 years! I am like a dummy all over again!

The kids were very ecstatic when they heard the news. The daughter has chosen a name if it was a girl. I secretly have chosen a name if it was a boy. The husband? He was so excited on the day that I did the 2nd pregnancy test, went to work and broadcasted to the entire office!

I am almost 6 weeks along. Changes in my body? Well…I think my PMS has gone away, sometimes moody but most times sleepy. I would sleep at every chance I get. Sleep during lunch time, nap 3x a day on weekends and bedtime is like 9pm for me.

My lower back is aching, can’t sit for too long. And I need to walk every 20 mins or I would fall asleep. I am tired all the time but not feeling hungry all the time yet. I don’t think I have gained any weight besides feeling bloated and seeing the boobs expanding (milk factory on the way!). I think I have even lost more weight past weeks as my regular pants are lose in the groin…like they aren’t mine.

It seems like I wouldn’t have to go too far from my diet. According to the pregnancy book that I bought (yes I am that pathetic…I need a book!), it is advisable to eat low sugar, low carb food and lots of salad. Sounds like me. BUT 4-5 servings of whole wheat bread or noodles…that’s kinda hard for me. I have to remind myself that I have to eat bread more than I did. I still have not exercised for a week, guilty! I don’t think I will till the next dr’s appointment which will be in 2 weeks. In the meantime, I am just enjoying the long long long walks during lunch…if I decided not to sleep instead!

My face looks tired all the time. Some co workers say that I always look tired (they don’t know that I am baking a bun) and I told them that I have not been feeling well lately.

12 years, that was a long time ago since I got pregnant. It was like starting all over again, but with 2 babysitters this time :)

Update : Same day, 2:30pm

Received the prenatal blood tests from the Dr. Not that I REALLY know how to read it well. But according to the blood level that I have and the scale given, all my levels in the blood are good. The HCG level is fine, as per how far along I am (meaning: the further along I am in the pregnancy, the higher the HCG level will be). Now I can sleep better...knowing that everything is fine, insyaAllah.

ps....don't you just love the beauty of sushi buffet???????????

There is...

a bun in the oven...

More stories to come...