BEFORE:
Sex = *censored* *censored* *censored* *censored* *censored* Oooh.. that was goooood... when's round 2 coming up???
AFTER:
Sex = ....
(Conversation at today's appointment with doctor)
Dear Hubby: Induce her! We want to see the baby! And she's not getting any sleep at night!
Doctor: (Looking meaningfully at Dear Hubby) *You* can induce her yourself tonight. Sperm contains prostaglandins which can bring on labour.
Me: (tiredly) No semangat anymore, doctor... It's okay, I'll wait until next week for the baby to decide whether he wants to come or not...
(Note to non-Malay speakers: "No semangat" here means no more desire, energy)
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
When Sperm Meets Egg, Part I
BEFORE - taken in Phuket, Oct 06 just a month or so before we got engaged. Me and my lovely long luscious rebonded locks (I hate my natural wavy hair because it's such a pain to take care of) and bikini-worthy bod.
AFTER - taken last night when I'm 38 + 3 weeks pregnant with our Little Monkey and approximately 20kg++ heavier, wearing Dear Hubby's knit top and my super-megasize maternity pants. My hair's all gone wavy and wonky too because I was advised not to do any chemical work on my hair during my pregnancy.
While Dear Hubby is perfectly happy to hand over the cash for me to get back to the salon and spa for the rebonding and some therapy, he's balked at the liposuction and instead insists on gymwork. What??? Make me sweat some more after all that huffing and puffing to give you your son??? ;)))
Monday, October 27, 2008
Think I just lost my mucus plug
WARNING: This post may contain Too Much Information (TMI) for some. Do not read if you are squeamish about bodily functions/fluids or are chowing down on a delicious plate of nasi lemak. Sigh. I miss nasi lemak from Suzy's Corner, Ampang.
Sometimes at night, I feel an uncontrollable urge to pee. It feels like Little Monkey is pressing down hard inside me and I just *have* to go. Unfortunately from past experience, I know all that usually comes out is this wee trickle of well... wee. It's annoying especially if it happens at night because I have to roll over in bed and get out (not easy when you're now built like a whale, you can see why they went back to live in the oceans), waddle off to bathroom, slowly lower myself on loo and then... triiiiiiickle... Geram nye...
Last night it happened again. So off I waddled to the loo, grumbling underneath my breath as I did so. After the wee had trickled out, I thought I felt something else slip out as well. So I took a look and... well, this is the only way I can describe it... it looked as if I'd passed out a length of cream-coloured knitting wool. It was probably 1am and I'm kinda groggy, so I stared at the "knitting wool" for some time before I called out to Dear Hubby, "Er... my Monkey? Come take a look."
He came over sleepily and the two of us peered into the toilet bowl for a few seconds before I said, "I think it's my mucus plug." This is the mucus-y bit that has sealed the mouth of the cervix and protected the little one from infections. As labour gets closer, the cervix thins and stretches out. This causes the mucus plug to loosen and fall out. Some women have it fall out in globs, some in strings. Does this mean I'm in labour?
Not necessarily. All it means is that things are moving along. It doesn't indicate labour will start within hours. Some women lose their mucus plugs weeks before labour begins. Some women just go into labour with any warning signs at all! So while I'm delighted things are moving along as they should, I'm also starting to get weary of the waiting. I've been told by many friends who have given birth that all they wanted in the final weeks of pregnancy was to get the baby out and have everything over and done with because they were tired of being uncomfortable all the time. I see what you mean, sisters!
So last night when my tummy started tightening up after, I thought, "Oooh... maybe he's decided to come!" and reached for my handphone's stopwatch function. Unfortunately, the tightening up was all over the place and I couldn't even time things properly to get a pattern going, so eventually I gave up and fell asleep. The fact that I could fall asleep is a good indication it was false because I know for sure no one sleeps through real labour pains!
So for now, I guess I'll just keep myself busy reading my childbirth books and looking at the cute clothes that Aunty PB and Aunty Kim has bought him... thanks guys! I'll be posting pics of the clothes soon, they're all in the wash now.
I guess Little Monkey will come when he comes.
Sometimes at night, I feel an uncontrollable urge to pee. It feels like Little Monkey is pressing down hard inside me and I just *have* to go. Unfortunately from past experience, I know all that usually comes out is this wee trickle of well... wee. It's annoying especially if it happens at night because I have to roll over in bed and get out (not easy when you're now built like a whale, you can see why they went back to live in the oceans), waddle off to bathroom, slowly lower myself on loo and then... triiiiiiickle... Geram nye...
Last night it happened again. So off I waddled to the loo, grumbling underneath my breath as I did so. After the wee had trickled out, I thought I felt something else slip out as well. So I took a look and... well, this is the only way I can describe it... it looked as if I'd passed out a length of cream-coloured knitting wool. It was probably 1am and I'm kinda groggy, so I stared at the "knitting wool" for some time before I called out to Dear Hubby, "Er... my Monkey? Come take a look."
He came over sleepily and the two of us peered into the toilet bowl for a few seconds before I said, "I think it's my mucus plug." This is the mucus-y bit that has sealed the mouth of the cervix and protected the little one from infections. As labour gets closer, the cervix thins and stretches out. This causes the mucus plug to loosen and fall out. Some women have it fall out in globs, some in strings. Does this mean I'm in labour?
Not necessarily. All it means is that things are moving along. It doesn't indicate labour will start within hours. Some women lose their mucus plugs weeks before labour begins. Some women just go into labour with any warning signs at all! So while I'm delighted things are moving along as they should, I'm also starting to get weary of the waiting. I've been told by many friends who have given birth that all they wanted in the final weeks of pregnancy was to get the baby out and have everything over and done with because they were tired of being uncomfortable all the time. I see what you mean, sisters!
So last night when my tummy started tightening up after, I thought, "Oooh... maybe he's decided to come!" and reached for my handphone's stopwatch function. Unfortunately, the tightening up was all over the place and I couldn't even time things properly to get a pattern going, so eventually I gave up and fell asleep. The fact that I could fall asleep is a good indication it was false because I know for sure no one sleeps through real labour pains!
So for now, I guess I'll just keep myself busy reading my childbirth books and looking at the cute clothes that Aunty PB and Aunty Kim has bought him... thanks guys! I'll be posting pics of the clothes soon, they're all in the wash now.
I guess Little Monkey will come when he comes.
38 weeks: Pregnancy annoyances I've had to endure so far
I've just been browsing through some old posts on Shen's blog about pregnancy and I'm grinning because now I know EXACTLY what she's writing about whereas I didn't before.
In her post about stretchmarks, I will sadly confirm that what she said is true: the much-touted and highly expensive anti-stretchmark creams on the market don't work. I'd listened to my mum-in-law when she advised me to put creams from Day One. It worked... until about my 35th week of pregnancy when Little Monkey decided to have a massive growth spurt and I put on 4kg within a month. My usual weight gain up till then had been about 1-2kg a month. I think that single growth spurt wrecked everything as my skin had to stretch too quickly. Sigh. Ah my son, my son... if you knew what I have sacrificed for you... my smooth tummy had been one of your daddy's favourite bits of me...
Her post about pregnancy weight gain had me nodding sadly along too. I'd checked out the very same pregnancy weight gain calculator she used on Babycenter UK and it said I should gain about 13kg. Bollocks lah. I'm wayyyy above that limit, I've gained about 20kg++ now. The best part is when I popped in to say hello to Dear Hubby today at his office, he looked at me and marveled, "You know what babe, you're still not vast and all that huge for your stage!" Dey... if I were as huge as I were supposed to be, I'd probably weigh in at his weight which is 100kg. As it is, I'm seriously wondering how I'm ever going to fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes again. Some of them look ridiculously small to me now.
I had to laugh when I read her post about being large and clumsy, especially the part about dribbling sauce down her front at mealtimes without her realising it. I've experienced exactly the same thing and I'll tell you why. One reason is that I can no longer sit close to the table with my big belly. So food splatters are more common as food has to travel a longer way from plate to mouth now. Another reason is that being preggers makes you busty and a pregnancy bust makes a very handy food catcher. So food drips that would normally just be caught by your napkin on your lap get stuck on your chest instead. I look like a toddler that's just started to eat solids at times with food splatters all over me.
Constipation is another common complaint but I've been lucky so far. Living in Jakarta where the water quality is a little dodgy has helped things along tremendously! ;)) Come to think of it, I don't see a lot of laxatives for sale here. LOL
I still made sure I ate fruits and oats daily for fibre and have had no probs my entire time here in Jakarta/Malaysia. I only had a bad case of constipation once and that in Aug when we were in Scotland. I think I know why Nature made pregnant women prone to constipation - it's to help them practise squeezing large things out of little places. I kid you not, I was on the throne for one agonising hour. After that mini-exertion, I thought, "Well! I'd like to see what delivery is like then!" It doesn't help that in all the scans we've had so far, Little Monkey looks like he's got an enormous head! AUGH!!!!
One prob I had was dealing with the heat. I found that I sweated a lot more during pregnancy and I simply couldn't tolerate any sort of heat. This makes life difficult if you're living in the tropics. The air-cond is always switched on full blast to the point that Dear Hubby, who'd spent many years in Scotland, complains that he's shivering. I then discovered the heat was more bearable if I wore dresses. So I bought stretchy, wrap-around type dresses and they worked just fine to keep me cool. Buy them slightly on the long side because as your bump gets bigger, the hemlines get shorter on the same dress. They're easier to put on than maternity jeans, no risk of you losing your balance while trying to dress/undress because you either slip them over your head or wrap them around and if you buy them in the right material, they can last you a looooooooong time. I bought one when I was 4 months pregnant and still relatively small and I'm still wearing it!
Oh well. Just another 2 weeks to go, I guess. Then I'll have another set of annoyances to deal with!
In her post about stretchmarks, I will sadly confirm that what she said is true: the much-touted and highly expensive anti-stretchmark creams on the market don't work. I'd listened to my mum-in-law when she advised me to put creams from Day One. It worked... until about my 35th week of pregnancy when Little Monkey decided to have a massive growth spurt and I put on 4kg within a month. My usual weight gain up till then had been about 1-2kg a month. I think that single growth spurt wrecked everything as my skin had to stretch too quickly. Sigh. Ah my son, my son... if you knew what I have sacrificed for you... my smooth tummy had been one of your daddy's favourite bits of me...
Her post about pregnancy weight gain had me nodding sadly along too. I'd checked out the very same pregnancy weight gain calculator she used on Babycenter UK and it said I should gain about 13kg. Bollocks lah. I'm wayyyy above that limit, I've gained about 20kg++ now. The best part is when I popped in to say hello to Dear Hubby today at his office, he looked at me and marveled, "You know what babe, you're still not vast and all that huge for your stage!" Dey... if I were as huge as I were supposed to be, I'd probably weigh in at his weight which is 100kg. As it is, I'm seriously wondering how I'm ever going to fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes again. Some of them look ridiculously small to me now.
I had to laugh when I read her post about being large and clumsy, especially the part about dribbling sauce down her front at mealtimes without her realising it. I've experienced exactly the same thing and I'll tell you why. One reason is that I can no longer sit close to the table with my big belly. So food splatters are more common as food has to travel a longer way from plate to mouth now. Another reason is that being preggers makes you busty and a pregnancy bust makes a very handy food catcher. So food drips that would normally just be caught by your napkin on your lap get stuck on your chest instead. I look like a toddler that's just started to eat solids at times with food splatters all over me.
Constipation is another common complaint but I've been lucky so far. Living in Jakarta where the water quality is a little dodgy has helped things along tremendously! ;)) Come to think of it, I don't see a lot of laxatives for sale here. LOL
I still made sure I ate fruits and oats daily for fibre and have had no probs my entire time here in Jakarta/Malaysia. I only had a bad case of constipation once and that in Aug when we were in Scotland. I think I know why Nature made pregnant women prone to constipation - it's to help them practise squeezing large things out of little places. I kid you not, I was on the throne for one agonising hour. After that mini-exertion, I thought, "Well! I'd like to see what delivery is like then!" It doesn't help that in all the scans we've had so far, Little Monkey looks like he's got an enormous head! AUGH!!!!
One prob I had was dealing with the heat. I found that I sweated a lot more during pregnancy and I simply couldn't tolerate any sort of heat. This makes life difficult if you're living in the tropics. The air-cond is always switched on full blast to the point that Dear Hubby, who'd spent many years in Scotland, complains that he's shivering. I then discovered the heat was more bearable if I wore dresses. So I bought stretchy, wrap-around type dresses and they worked just fine to keep me cool. Buy them slightly on the long side because as your bump gets bigger, the hemlines get shorter on the same dress. They're easier to put on than maternity jeans, no risk of you losing your balance while trying to dress/undress because you either slip them over your head or wrap them around and if you buy them in the right material, they can last you a looooooooong time. I bought one when I was 4 months pregnant and still relatively small and I'm still wearing it!
Oh well. Just another 2 weeks to go, I guess. Then I'll have another set of annoyances to deal with!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Reds 1, Che 0 and we are top of the league!
YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *dances in cyberspace* We are TOP of the league, we are TOP of the league!!!
Forgive me but I have to celebrate. I cannot remember the last time my beloved Liverpool FC were top of the league. Just before last night's match, Dear Hubby and I agreed that we would settle for a draw but most likely, Chelsea would win the match.
So when our goal went in courtesy of the oh-so-cute Xabi Alonso, I was still in hands-covering-eyes mode. But Dear Hubby had leapt up, shouting, "GOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!" and my first reaction was, "Really? Are you sure???" I only started shouting along when I saw our players celebrating. I permitted myself a very gentle victory dance at the end of the match. Is this why I woke up with major leg cramps today?
I am 38 weeks pregnant today and Dear Hubby said this week would be a good time for our Little Monkey to be born because then we can tell him that he was born when we were top of the league.
Forgive me but I have to celebrate. I cannot remember the last time my beloved Liverpool FC were top of the league. Just before last night's match, Dear Hubby and I agreed that we would settle for a draw but most likely, Chelsea would win the match.
So when our goal went in courtesy of the oh-so-cute Xabi Alonso, I was still in hands-covering-eyes mode. But Dear Hubby had leapt up, shouting, "GOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!" and my first reaction was, "Really? Are you sure???" I only started shouting along when I saw our players celebrating. I permitted myself a very gentle victory dance at the end of the match. Is this why I woke up with major leg cramps today?
I am 38 weeks pregnant today and Dear Hubby said this week would be a good time for our Little Monkey to be born because then we can tell him that he was born when we were top of the league.
Friday, October 24, 2008
RM50 and the traffic cop
As every Malaysian knows, RM50 can go a long way on the highways. Most of us have a tale or two about getting off scot-free with the help of this lovely piece of paper.
The following is perhaps the funniest tale I've heard so far and it happened to my friend, M.
M and I live in the same compound here in Jakarta. She's Malaysian like me and the other night, I was over at her house for dinner. We spent hours after dinner just yakking about random stuff and eventually ended up trading stories about the usefulness of a RM50.
She was 17 then and a rookie driver who failed to keep an eye on her speedometer. A cop promptly pulled her over and told her sternly that she was waayyyy above her speed limit. At 17, she was still pretty blur about the code words that cops and errant drivers use on Malaysian roads. She was told that she would have to pay a hefty fine at a police station located far, far away. That should have been Clue Number One that the code phrase game was on but she didn't get it.
At 17, you really don't want to go home to Mum and tell her that you were pulled over for speeding AND ask for money for the fine AND ask to be driven far, far away to pay the fine. So she asked, "How ah? Can I pay the fine here on the spot? That police station you mentioned is very far from my house." Unknown to her, she had uttered the code phrases that the cop was waiting for. The cop kept up his stern visage, "Yes, you can pay here." What relief! Now she can perhaps keep it a secret from mum!
"How much is the fine if I pay it here on the spot?" The cop told her, "Fifty ringgit." Happily, she reached into her purse, extracted one of them and held it up to him. Horrified, the cop hissed, "Jangan tinggi sangat!!! Letak bawah ini!" (Not so high! Put it below this!) and handed her his clipboard. M thought it was some official protocol she had to follow and duly folded up the bill and stuck it under some papers on the clipboard he'd shoved into the car.
As the cop walked off, she called out after him, "Excuse me, tuan.... takde resit?" (Excuse me, sir... no receipt?)
It took her a few years to realise why there was no receipt and why the cop gave her a killer glare and told her to please drive off and never come back again.
The following is perhaps the funniest tale I've heard so far and it happened to my friend, M.
M and I live in the same compound here in Jakarta. She's Malaysian like me and the other night, I was over at her house for dinner. We spent hours after dinner just yakking about random stuff and eventually ended up trading stories about the usefulness of a RM50.
She was 17 then and a rookie driver who failed to keep an eye on her speedometer. A cop promptly pulled her over and told her sternly that she was waayyyy above her speed limit. At 17, she was still pretty blur about the code words that cops and errant drivers use on Malaysian roads. She was told that she would have to pay a hefty fine at a police station located far, far away. That should have been Clue Number One that the code phrase game was on but she didn't get it.
At 17, you really don't want to go home to Mum and tell her that you were pulled over for speeding AND ask for money for the fine AND ask to be driven far, far away to pay the fine. So she asked, "How ah? Can I pay the fine here on the spot? That police station you mentioned is very far from my house." Unknown to her, she had uttered the code phrases that the cop was waiting for. The cop kept up his stern visage, "Yes, you can pay here." What relief! Now she can perhaps keep it a secret from mum!
"How much is the fine if I pay it here on the spot?" The cop told her, "Fifty ringgit." Happily, she reached into her purse, extracted one of them and held it up to him. Horrified, the cop hissed, "Jangan tinggi sangat!!! Letak bawah ini!" (Not so high! Put it below this!) and handed her his clipboard. M thought it was some official protocol she had to follow and duly folded up the bill and stuck it under some papers on the clipboard he'd shoved into the car.
As the cop walked off, she called out after him, "Excuse me, tuan.... takde resit?" (Excuse me, sir... no receipt?)
It took her a few years to realise why there was no receipt and why the cop gave her a killer glare and told her to please drive off and never come back again.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PARIS BEAVERBANKS!!!
This is for an old, old, old, OLD friend who turns... erm... 18 today. *halo on* We've known each other since we were toddlers and played jackpot together on my perfectly legal toy jackpot machine. We were inseparable as children and teens.
We both grew up and went our separate ways as friends do. I'm sorry for not writing more letters when you were away studying all those years ago, but Pos Malaysia was such a bother to deal with! :)) But we've always kept in touch somehow and we can still yak lots. I remember once when she came over to my KL apartment for dinner and we yakked so long into the night that Dear Hubby gave up and went to bed first. LOLI can still see us in kindergarten wearing matching "I Heart Ladybird Books" t-shirts. I remember when we both squealed over Rick Astley. I remember seeing her for the first time as a professional career woman, I was still in Uni then. When I discovered I was pregnant, she was the first to know.
There have not been many constants in my life but she's one of them. So to Paris Beaverbanks, I just want to say... HAPPY BIRTHDAY and I hope you have a great one and look what I got you! Nice cake eh!
Getting ready for our little boy
Yep, we're ready for Little Monkey. The yellow tee is my favourite maternity top and I thought the Maths equation on it made a LOT of sense!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
37+4 weeks pregnant... I'm almost there!
Just got back from my check-up at the doctor's and I am positively surging with happy hormones. Our Little Monkey's a healthy 3++kg now and all set and ready to come out.
Today's scan revealed that Little Monkey has cleverly lodged himself in my pelvis in the best possible position for labour... as do hundreds of babies all the time. He's currently facing my back and bum, his spine is to my left... this is the best and easiest position for him to move gently down the birth canal during labour. Your doc will probably tell you your baby is in the anterior position. Look what this lovely article says, says right here (and I quote), "Labour is nearly always shorter and easier if the baby is anterior." YES!!! I'm all for shorter and easier labours!!!
However, some babies go down their pelvis with the back of their heads facing their mum's spines, this is the posterior position. I'm surprised to read in the same article that western women are more likely to have posterior babies compared to women who work in traditional ways such as bending over in fields or cooking pots. This is because in a western lifestyle, women sitting down get into positions where the pelvis tips backwards. When this happens, the baby's head, which is the bulk of his weight, will tip back as well.
Erm... I don't go out planting paddy in the fields or stew rabbits in a pot for Dear Hubby to eat and I pretty much lead a western sort of lifestyle ie in front of PC or telly on couch. But I automatically sat with my knees lower than my pelvis most of the time, propping myself up on cushions if needed. I didn't know there was a good reason for doing it. All I knew was that it was far more comfortable for me to sit that way. Nice to know it helped the baby get in the right position!
I have put on 20++kg now. Sigh. I picked up some groceries at Carrefour on Monday and by the time I got to the check-out counter, I was absolutely exhausted. As a friend put it, "Of course you are! It's like carrying weights around all the time!" The shape of my belly has changed as the baby has dropped. It's now hanging lower and when I sit on a chair without sufficient padding, I feel like I've got a bowling ball somewhere down there. Because of this change in belly shape, I misjudged the space I required while out shopping at Hero supermarket yesterday and got stuck between 2 shopping carts. How terribly embarrassing.
Dear Hubby is currently in KL for work and will be back this weekend, in time for the Chelsea game. He was very worried about leaving me alone but I assured him that we had good neighbours who would help if I should go into labour and that I was feeling pretty okay. Besides, I had a list of things that I wanted him to get from KL! He calls a few times every day to reassure himself that I'm fine and I try not to sms/call him unnecessarily because I know he'll just break out in cold sweat if I do, thinking the baby's come.
Doc assured me first babies will take their own sweet time to make their way out and that I would have plenty of time to get to the hospital, even in the horrendous Jakarta traffic. I'm to make my way to the hospital if I...
I repeated those mentally to myself on the ride back home. Given my Mummy Brains, I knew I needed to drill that into my head so that I wouldn't go rushing for my baby books and flipping frantically through it each time I think labour's starting.
No pics of Little Monkey this time. :(( Since he was facing my back, it was quite difficult to see anything at all. But hey, I figured I'm going to see him for real quite soon, so it's okay to miss out on a picture now.
Next check up will be next week. It's either that or a birth announcement! So excited now!
Today's scan revealed that Little Monkey has cleverly lodged himself in my pelvis in the best possible position for labour... as do hundreds of babies all the time. He's currently facing my back and bum, his spine is to my left... this is the best and easiest position for him to move gently down the birth canal during labour. Your doc will probably tell you your baby is in the anterior position. Look what this lovely article says, says right here (and I quote), "Labour is nearly always shorter and easier if the baby is anterior." YES!!! I'm all for shorter and easier labours!!!
However, some babies go down their pelvis with the back of their heads facing their mum's spines, this is the posterior position. I'm surprised to read in the same article that western women are more likely to have posterior babies compared to women who work in traditional ways such as bending over in fields or cooking pots. This is because in a western lifestyle, women sitting down get into positions where the pelvis tips backwards. When this happens, the baby's head, which is the bulk of his weight, will tip back as well.
Erm... I don't go out planting paddy in the fields or stew rabbits in a pot for Dear Hubby to eat and I pretty much lead a western sort of lifestyle ie in front of PC or telly on couch. But I automatically sat with my knees lower than my pelvis most of the time, propping myself up on cushions if needed. I didn't know there was a good reason for doing it. All I knew was that it was far more comfortable for me to sit that way. Nice to know it helped the baby get in the right position!
I have put on 20++kg now. Sigh. I picked up some groceries at Carrefour on Monday and by the time I got to the check-out counter, I was absolutely exhausted. As a friend put it, "Of course you are! It's like carrying weights around all the time!" The shape of my belly has changed as the baby has dropped. It's now hanging lower and when I sit on a chair without sufficient padding, I feel like I've got a bowling ball somewhere down there. Because of this change in belly shape, I misjudged the space I required while out shopping at Hero supermarket yesterday and got stuck between 2 shopping carts. How terribly embarrassing.
Dear Hubby is currently in KL for work and will be back this weekend, in time for the Chelsea game. He was very worried about leaving me alone but I assured him that we had good neighbours who would help if I should go into labour and that I was feeling pretty okay. Besides, I had a list of things that I wanted him to get from KL! He calls a few times every day to reassure himself that I'm fine and I try not to sms/call him unnecessarily because I know he'll just break out in cold sweat if I do, thinking the baby's come.
Doc assured me first babies will take their own sweet time to make their way out and that I would have plenty of time to get to the hospital, even in the horrendous Jakarta traffic. I'm to make my way to the hospital if I...
- have a bloody show, which is brownish-blood tinged mucus discharge
- have contractions lasting 1 min that are timed 5 min apart and lasting for about an hour
- break my bag of waters
I repeated those mentally to myself on the ride back home. Given my Mummy Brains, I knew I needed to drill that into my head so that I wouldn't go rushing for my baby books and flipping frantically through it each time I think labour's starting.
No pics of Little Monkey this time. :(( Since he was facing my back, it was quite difficult to see anything at all. But hey, I figured I'm going to see him for real quite soon, so it's okay to miss out on a picture now.
Next check up will be next week. It's either that or a birth announcement! So excited now!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The Mummy Brains Syndrome
Since I've become pregnant, I've discovered my IQ is rapidly sliding towards the zero end. In fact, I'm quite sure it's gone past zero by now. I take a long time to process simple instructions like "Don't mix up peanut butter and jam on my bread." If I go grocery shopping, I must take a list with me or I'll be standing in the supermarket aisle thinking, "Now what else do I need?" Fellow mummies and mummies2b have told me I'm not alone, most of them have found their previously Nobel Prize-level brains going as well.
This phenomenon is fairly common and you can read more about it here if you like. Having said that, when Dear Hubby misplaces his socks/keys/passport/wallet, he still yells for me, "Babe... have you seen my (insert name of missing item)?" and 9 times out of 10, I am able to remember where it was last seen. I'm still the one who keeps track of when to pay what bills and I was the one who organised all the paperwork for the baby's citizenship and passport applications. The article says it's mostly short-term memory that's affected, maybe that's why I can still function well enough on other levels.
Dear Hubby said one day, "Well... if your brain cells are going to the baby, at least we'll have a smart kid and maybe he can win a scholarship to University and we won't have to worry so much about finances for his education." There was a pause before it suddenly struck him, "It's either that... or we'll have the smartest placenta in the world! Oh no!!!"
This phenomenon is fairly common and you can read more about it here if you like. Having said that, when Dear Hubby misplaces his socks/keys/passport/wallet, he still yells for me, "Babe... have you seen my (insert name of missing item)?" and 9 times out of 10, I am able to remember where it was last seen. I'm still the one who keeps track of when to pay what bills and I was the one who organised all the paperwork for the baby's citizenship and passport applications. The article says it's mostly short-term memory that's affected, maybe that's why I can still function well enough on other levels.
Dear Hubby said one day, "Well... if your brain cells are going to the baby, at least we'll have a smart kid and maybe he can win a scholarship to University and we won't have to worry so much about finances for his education." There was a pause before it suddenly struck him, "It's either that... or we'll have the smartest placenta in the world! Oh no!!!"
A funny thing happened to me... at the American Club
The American Club (or to call it by its proper name, the American Embassy Recreation Association) is a social club in Brawijaya. It offers gym and pool facilities for its members, a number of basketball, racquetball and tennis courts, babysitting services for hassled mums at the club while their kiddies splash about in the kiddie pool, a decent enough cafe and happily for me, wifi facilities since I can't use any of the sports facilities for now. They also hold social events and activities, I saw flyers up for Halloween parties, charity work and a US election party on Nov 5. Our friends are members and took us on a tour. We liked the place well enough and promptly signed up.
To join, get the application forms from the club front desk. Supply two copies of your photies, your KITAS and your passport. Hand them back in and the club will then send them on to the US Embassy for security clearance, that takes about a week. They will then contact you regarding your application status. Membership is open to all Americans and limited number of other nationalities. Fees are as follows: One time initation fee of US$300 and monthly fees for single membership (US$70), couple (US$110) and family (US$135). Corporate membership is also available, you pay a refundable deposit of US$300 and annual fees are US$1,100 for couples and US$1,350 for family.
Security is supposed to be pretty tight as the compound also houses the staff of the US Embassy. To enter, you have to clear two gates. When I first arrived there to hand in my application, the first gate told us we would not be allowed to drive in as we didn't have the security sticker on our car. Fair enough, I thought. So I asked my driver to wait while I slid out and walked through.
There were two guards at the 2nd gate. I explained why I was there and they nodded, asking me to register my details first. I did so and they handed me a pass marked GUEST and asked me to follow the walkway. Going into the American Club is like entering a whole new world. You forget the mess and chaos of everyday Jakarta once you are inside. Everything's so properly laid out and neat and clean and everyone speaks English and if you're inside long enough, you'd get a little shock once you come back out into the real world and get honked at by an irate bajaj driver.
I handed in the forms to the front desk and had a quick chat with them. Job done, I left and went back to the guard post at the 2nd gate. It was a hot, hot afternoon and I was eager to get back to the air-conditioned comfort of my car. One of the guards had disappeared. The other... well, he was snoozing.
I walked up to him and called out politely, "Hello Pak..." (Pak is a polite term here in Indonesia to address an adult male, like a Mister. No relation to Pakistan) No answer. He's still in the Land of Nod. I called out again, a little louder this time, "Pak..!" Still in zzzz-land. Desperate to wake him up, I finally shook the guard post table and yelled, "EXCUSE ME!" He woke up then, looking about in a blur as I held out my pass and asked, "Do I have to sign out anywhere?" Sleepily, he mumbled, "Oh nono.. it's okay.. bye-bye... sorry ma'am... I am sleeping..." and promptly went back to sleep when it was clear I had no intention of reporting him to his superiors.
Oh boy. So much for the tight security and keeping future terrorists and bombers out of US territory. Simon, if you're reading this, I guess this is a business opportunity for your firm!
Contact details for American Club:
Jl Brawijaya IV No. 20
Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta 12160
Tel: 726 4560/270 2439
Email: membership@aecra-club.org
To join, get the application forms from the club front desk. Supply two copies of your photies, your KITAS and your passport. Hand them back in and the club will then send them on to the US Embassy for security clearance, that takes about a week. They will then contact you regarding your application status. Membership is open to all Americans and limited number of other nationalities. Fees are as follows: One time initation fee of US$300 and monthly fees for single membership (US$70), couple (US$110) and family (US$135). Corporate membership is also available, you pay a refundable deposit of US$300 and annual fees are US$1,100 for couples and US$1,350 for family.
Security is supposed to be pretty tight as the compound also houses the staff of the US Embassy. To enter, you have to clear two gates. When I first arrived there to hand in my application, the first gate told us we would not be allowed to drive in as we didn't have the security sticker on our car. Fair enough, I thought. So I asked my driver to wait while I slid out and walked through.
There were two guards at the 2nd gate. I explained why I was there and they nodded, asking me to register my details first. I did so and they handed me a pass marked GUEST and asked me to follow the walkway. Going into the American Club is like entering a whole new world. You forget the mess and chaos of everyday Jakarta once you are inside. Everything's so properly laid out and neat and clean and everyone speaks English and if you're inside long enough, you'd get a little shock once you come back out into the real world and get honked at by an irate bajaj driver.
I handed in the forms to the front desk and had a quick chat with them. Job done, I left and went back to the guard post at the 2nd gate. It was a hot, hot afternoon and I was eager to get back to the air-conditioned comfort of my car. One of the guards had disappeared. The other... well, he was snoozing.
I walked up to him and called out politely, "Hello Pak..." (Pak is a polite term here in Indonesia to address an adult male, like a Mister. No relation to Pakistan) No answer. He's still in the Land of Nod. I called out again, a little louder this time, "Pak..!" Still in zzzz-land. Desperate to wake him up, I finally shook the guard post table and yelled, "EXCUSE ME!" He woke up then, looking about in a blur as I held out my pass and asked, "Do I have to sign out anywhere?" Sleepily, he mumbled, "Oh nono.. it's okay.. bye-bye... sorry ma'am... I am sleeping..." and promptly went back to sleep when it was clear I had no intention of reporting him to his superiors.
Oh boy. So much for the tight security and keeping future terrorists and bombers out of US territory. Simon, if you're reading this, I guess this is a business opportunity for your firm!
Contact details for American Club:
Jl Brawijaya IV No. 20
Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta 12160
Tel: 726 4560/270 2439
Email: membership@aecra-club.org
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Preview of the labour to come
I've been waking up with leg cramps lately and Dear Hubby has been obliging with massages. I do appreciate how he struggles up, bleary-eyed at 6am and tries his best to follow my instructions. "Left please.. no, more to the right now... okay.. up a little, a little.. too much!" etc etc etc
But over the weekend, we got a sneak preview of how things might just unfold when real labour kicks in. I woke up with the worst leg cramps I've had in a long time AND back pains AND pains between my shoulder blades. Ouchies. Dear Hubby was promptly poked awake and pressed into massage service. As I yowled and howled in pain, he tried his best to lighten my mood by keeping up a string of jokes as he attempted to massage my aches away. But I wasn't in the mood to listen to jokes and just felt like clobbering him with my bolster, "SHUT UP! JUST MASSAGE!"
But I didn't.
I'll remember to tell him not to joke when it's labour for real. I may not be so lucid by then, so I might just end up murdering the father of my child. Which is not good for all three of us.
But over the weekend, we got a sneak preview of how things might just unfold when real labour kicks in. I woke up with the worst leg cramps I've had in a long time AND back pains AND pains between my shoulder blades. Ouchies. Dear Hubby was promptly poked awake and pressed into massage service. As I yowled and howled in pain, he tried his best to lighten my mood by keeping up a string of jokes as he attempted to massage my aches away. But I wasn't in the mood to listen to jokes and just felt like clobbering him with my bolster, "SHUT UP! JUST MASSAGE!"
But I didn't.
I'll remember to tell him not to joke when it's labour for real. I may not be so lucid by then, so I might just end up murdering the father of my child. Which is not good for all three of us.
The idiot cook in me comes out of hiding... at last!
Well. It had to happen sooner or later.
This afternoon while Dear Hubby was busy cheering on Lewis Hamilton in the Shanghai GP, I snoozed on our lounger. I can sleep through anything and I can sleep anywhere and I'm really hoping our baby boy will have my sleeping prowess. When I woke up, I kept still for a very long time as I realised that I had a backache as well as those familiar pre-labour contractions. I've read up on signs of labour and one of them was persistent lower back pain combined with a crampy premenstrual feeling. That was precisely what I was feeling.
When I got up, Dear Hubby saw the odd look on my face and asked, "What's wrong?" I told him what I was feeling and said it was one of the signs I was supposed to look out for. I decided to try and see if I could shake off the back pain. If I couldn't, then I would start timing my contractions to see if it was the real thing. If it wasn't proper contractions, then I would just wait for the real thing to start.
Distracted by thoughts of labour, I waddled into the kitchen to start dinner. My oven is notoriously temperamental and I've learnt that it's best to start roasting my chicken by 4pm if I'm to want it nice and ready for dinner by 630pm. I always make a roast thingy on Sunday with roast potatoes, just the way Dear Hubby's English tastebuds like it. I like it too!
All my thoughts were on our baby as I started washing and rinsing out the chicken in an absent-minded way. As I tried to rinse out the cavity, I couldn't help thinking that it was REALLY difficult to get the cavity open. Maybe the chicken hadn't fully defrosted, I thought. Craps. Now I'll have to wait a bit longer before I can roast my chicken. But the rest of the chicken had fully defrosted and I just couldn't figure out why only the bum of the chicken was not.
After a while, I looked down more carefully at the chicken and thought, "Hey... how come there's this stick thing in the cavity? What an odd chicken!" I took a closer look at the chicken and for the first time since I started washing it, I focused on the chicken instead of on our soon-to-be-born son and I suddenly realised what I'd been doing.
I'd been holding the chicken.... upside down. No wonder the "bum" was so tight and I couldn't get my fingers in. I'd been trying to poke my fingers down a little space between the chicken's neck (the stick thing) and breast.
I *am* a complete loon. Sigh. I can't wait for the baby to be born and for me to get my brains back.
This afternoon while Dear Hubby was busy cheering on Lewis Hamilton in the Shanghai GP, I snoozed on our lounger. I can sleep through anything and I can sleep anywhere and I'm really hoping our baby boy will have my sleeping prowess. When I woke up, I kept still for a very long time as I realised that I had a backache as well as those familiar pre-labour contractions. I've read up on signs of labour and one of them was persistent lower back pain combined with a crampy premenstrual feeling. That was precisely what I was feeling.
When I got up, Dear Hubby saw the odd look on my face and asked, "What's wrong?" I told him what I was feeling and said it was one of the signs I was supposed to look out for. I decided to try and see if I could shake off the back pain. If I couldn't, then I would start timing my contractions to see if it was the real thing. If it wasn't proper contractions, then I would just wait for the real thing to start.
Distracted by thoughts of labour, I waddled into the kitchen to start dinner. My oven is notoriously temperamental and I've learnt that it's best to start roasting my chicken by 4pm if I'm to want it nice and ready for dinner by 630pm. I always make a roast thingy on Sunday with roast potatoes, just the way Dear Hubby's English tastebuds like it. I like it too!
All my thoughts were on our baby as I started washing and rinsing out the chicken in an absent-minded way. As I tried to rinse out the cavity, I couldn't help thinking that it was REALLY difficult to get the cavity open. Maybe the chicken hadn't fully defrosted, I thought. Craps. Now I'll have to wait a bit longer before I can roast my chicken. But the rest of the chicken had fully defrosted and I just couldn't figure out why only the bum of the chicken was not.
After a while, I looked down more carefully at the chicken and thought, "Hey... how come there's this stick thing in the cavity? What an odd chicken!" I took a closer look at the chicken and for the first time since I started washing it, I focused on the chicken instead of on our soon-to-be-born son and I suddenly realised what I'd been doing.
I'd been holding the chicken.... upside down. No wonder the "bum" was so tight and I couldn't get my fingers in. I'd been trying to poke my fingers down a little space between the chicken's neck (the stick thing) and breast.
I *am* a complete loon. Sigh. I can't wait for the baby to be born and for me to get my brains back.
Friday, October 17, 2008
My culinary adventures continue - I cook my first curry from scratch!
As Dear Hubby enjoys his curries, I thought it was about time to cook a curry from scratch. Curry is a regular feature for dinner but we usually buy those ready-mix curry sachets because it saves time. Since I now have time on my hands, I thought it would be fun to try and cook it from scratch.
I found a fabulous recipe on the Canadian Living website for a chicken and vegetable curry. Canadian Living is a magazine that I first encountered during our holidays in Canada earlier this year. I loved it, it's a home and family magazine with idiot-proof recipes that taste absolutely fabulous and makes you look like a total pro. So naturally, when I wanted a curry recipe, I turned to their website for help.
It actually took me a week to collect all the various spices required for the curry. Trust me to pick the one week in Jakarta when most supermarkets had run out of ground cumin! The list of ingredients was a mile long and really looked intimidating but trust me, the curry was actually quite simple to cook.
So last night, I gathered all my pots and pans, prepared all my spices and got to work. I paired the curry with a pilau rice recipe from Jamie Oliver that I found in a magazine. Dear Hubby looked very wary when he entered the kitchen to pour himself his 2nd gin and tonic because my overly ambitious experiments usually never turn out right. He looked even more suspicious when he saw the pot of curry contained many things he'd never seen in his curries before such as cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. I explained to him, "Dear... I'm sure they pick all that out before they serve you the curry at our regular Indian restaurant!"
When dinner was served, Dear Hubby gingerly took a bite and... well, it's hard to explain but if you've watched Ratatouille, you'll remember that scene towards the end of the movie where that awful food critic took a spoonful of his ratatouille and his eyes just popped open with surprised pleasure as all his childhood memories came rushing back... and Dear Hubby's face had a similar sort of expression. The curry was delicious! It certainly had a much more complex taste to it when compared to the ready mixes and luckily for me, I'd judged the spicy level of the curry just right so it didn't burn up Dear Hubby's tongue.
Boy, was I delighted. And relieved! After the Spaghetti Carbonara incident, I couldn't afford another disastrous kitchen experiment. I beamed with pride and pleasure as I watched him enjoy the curry, all that slaving over a hot stove was pretty worth it.
I'm posting this because if an idiot cook like me can make that curry happen, anyone can. So check out the recipe, try it out and have fun doing it!
I found a fabulous recipe on the Canadian Living website for a chicken and vegetable curry. Canadian Living is a magazine that I first encountered during our holidays in Canada earlier this year. I loved it, it's a home and family magazine with idiot-proof recipes that taste absolutely fabulous and makes you look like a total pro. So naturally, when I wanted a curry recipe, I turned to their website for help.
It actually took me a week to collect all the various spices required for the curry. Trust me to pick the one week in Jakarta when most supermarkets had run out of ground cumin! The list of ingredients was a mile long and really looked intimidating but trust me, the curry was actually quite simple to cook.
So last night, I gathered all my pots and pans, prepared all my spices and got to work. I paired the curry with a pilau rice recipe from Jamie Oliver that I found in a magazine. Dear Hubby looked very wary when he entered the kitchen to pour himself his 2nd gin and tonic because my overly ambitious experiments usually never turn out right. He looked even more suspicious when he saw the pot of curry contained many things he'd never seen in his curries before such as cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. I explained to him, "Dear... I'm sure they pick all that out before they serve you the curry at our regular Indian restaurant!"
When dinner was served, Dear Hubby gingerly took a bite and... well, it's hard to explain but if you've watched Ratatouille, you'll remember that scene towards the end of the movie where that awful food critic took a spoonful of his ratatouille and his eyes just popped open with surprised pleasure as all his childhood memories came rushing back... and Dear Hubby's face had a similar sort of expression. The curry was delicious! It certainly had a much more complex taste to it when compared to the ready mixes and luckily for me, I'd judged the spicy level of the curry just right so it didn't burn up Dear Hubby's tongue.
Boy, was I delighted. And relieved! After the Spaghetti Carbonara incident, I couldn't afford another disastrous kitchen experiment. I beamed with pride and pleasure as I watched him enjoy the curry, all that slaving over a hot stove was pretty worth it.
I'm posting this because if an idiot cook like me can make that curry happen, anyone can. So check out the recipe, try it out and have fun doing it!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
My first First Media bill and it's LATE!
Some time ago, I blogged about how frustrating it had been to get First Media's internet service up and running in my house. Today, I received our first bill from First Media.
It says right here on my bill that payment due date is 15 October. Erm... that's yesterday. And the fine print (in bold, no less) warned "Payment of your subscription fees should be settled by due date mentioned above, even without receiving a copy of this Billing Statement. Other than this Billing Statement, you are able to find information of your account at First Media website, click or please registered your email account."
AMBOI. Sooooooooooo eager to get your grubby hands on my money but take your own sweet time when it came to getting my Net right. How on earth am I supposed to make a payment when I don't know how much to pay? We only had things activated halfway through Sept, so what do I do? Pro-rate the full month bill by days, using the package charge as shown on the internet? Or pay the full rate regardless? Turns out both options are wrong, I don't know what formula they're using.
I would expect things to be explained in a billling statement, sent to me early enough so that I would have received it with ample time to make a payment. I couldn't even use auto-debit if I wanted to, that service is only available to Lippo Bank account holders and we don't have one. Same goes for Internet banking payment which is only available for very few banks. The best option seems to be paying at an ATM. No mention anywhere about how payment should be made regardless of non-appearance of the bill. All it says is that payment should be made before/on due date on bill received. Am I wrong to then expect them to send the bill on time?(Source: First Media website)
Obviously First Media expects us first-time customers to be so enamoured of their services that we're all rushing to pay what we think is the correct amount on what we think is the cut-off day. Maybe they expect me to call up eagerly to ask how much I should be paying. I've never had any service provider expect me to do that before. They're usually careful enough to send bills really early so that it's clearly MY fault if I don't pay them by the due date stated on the bills.
So really, First Media, you can fuck off. Cut off my services if you want. Now I know why my neighbours use other providers. Crappy customer service but oh so eager to get your hands on my money. They make TMNet back home look pretty efficient. Sigh.
It says right here on my bill that payment due date is 15 October. Erm... that's yesterday. And the fine print (in bold, no less) warned "Payment of your subscription fees should be settled by due date mentioned above, even without receiving a copy of this Billing Statement. Other than this Billing Statement, you are able to find information of your account at First Media website, click or please registered your email account."
AMBOI. Sooooooooooo eager to get your grubby hands on my money but take your own sweet time when it came to getting my Net right. How on earth am I supposed to make a payment when I don't know how much to pay? We only had things activated halfway through Sept, so what do I do? Pro-rate the full month bill by days, using the package charge as shown on the internet? Or pay the full rate regardless? Turns out both options are wrong, I don't know what formula they're using.
I would expect things to be explained in a billling statement, sent to me early enough so that I would have received it with ample time to make a payment. I couldn't even use auto-debit if I wanted to, that service is only available to Lippo Bank account holders and we don't have one. Same goes for Internet banking payment which is only available for very few banks. The best option seems to be paying at an ATM. No mention anywhere about how payment should be made regardless of non-appearance of the bill. All it says is that payment should be made before/on due date on bill received. Am I wrong to then expect them to send the bill on time?(Source: First Media website)
Obviously First Media expects us first-time customers to be so enamoured of their services that we're all rushing to pay what we think is the correct amount on what we think is the cut-off day. Maybe they expect me to call up eagerly to ask how much I should be paying. I've never had any service provider expect me to do that before. They're usually careful enough to send bills really early so that it's clearly MY fault if I don't pay them by the due date stated on the bills.
So really, First Media, you can fuck off. Cut off my services if you want. Now I know why my neighbours use other providers. Crappy customer service but oh so eager to get your hands on my money. They make TMNet back home look pretty efficient. Sigh.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Getting ready for labour and delivery
I am now 36 weeks pregnant and baby sites tell me that by the end of this week, my baby will be considered full-term. I am gettting increasingly uncomfortable at night, drawing anxious looks for Dear Hubby as I try in vain to find comfy spots on the couch or lounger to sit in. I wake up every morning now with mild cramps in both my legs, something that I've never had before. Even as I moan and groan, I recognise that I am lucky I've only got aches and pains in the last few weeks of my pregnancy, it's been quite trouble-free so far, and I accept that this is all part of the process.
Everyone keeps talking about contractions and what I should do when I feel them. But what on earth do they really feel like? Most women tell me it's like period pains and that's something I've experienced very little in my lifetime as well! Lately, I've felt my tummy go really hard. I've also felt like my baby suddenly uncurled himself in my tummy and stretched out in all directions. That's a little scary to watch actually because my tummy suddenly bulges out violently in random directions before settling down. And guess what? That's what you call pre-labour contractions. Why didn't anyone say anything before???
So now I know it's just my baby's getting ready to come out and say hello to us and to the world. When exactly... I'm not sure. Everyone assures me that I'll have time to get ready, it's not like an episode of ER where the woman just goes "It's NOW!!!", screams and staggers into the hospital and out pops the wee babe. My friend Shen gave a pretty good account of her experience here. I love her mummy blog, I read it daily and her writings really help me visualise what it's like to go through it all and what it's like to be a mummy. She's a great writer, her topics are well-researched and even if you're not a mum, you'll enjoy reading them.
At labour class yesterday, one mum-to-be raised her hand and said her due date was tomorrow and she felt nothing. She asked if there was anything she could do to rush things along. I didn't understand the nurse's answer in Indon slang which sounded like "pek eh". Cue giggles from everyone else in the class while I looked confused. I asked, "What? Sorry.. I don't understand?" and someone giggled, "She said have sex!" Nurse isn't kidding but read here for more information if you're looking for uh, natural induction.
Am I excited? Yes. I've waited so long to see our little boy. I can't wait to see what he looks like and I can't wait to hold him for real. Am I nervous? Bloody hell, yeah. This isn't something you can practise at and you don't get any training wheels with it. And that's just the labour bit, I haven't even thought about the parenting bit yet. Am I frightened? Yes. Everyone talks about how painful it is but I figured if generations of mothers survived the pain, so will I. I'm trying to keep myself relaxed and flexible regarding the whole birth process so that the Virgo in me doesn't get too hung up if some detail doesn't go according to plan.
I can't believe I'm almost nearing the end of my pregnancy. I can still remember the excitement and joy we both felt when I tested positive, being over the moon when we saw his first scans, heard his first heartbeat, how we'd wait impatiently for each doctor's appointment so that we could see him and now I'm coming close to actually seeing him for real and I'm going to be a mommy!
Everyone keeps talking about contractions and what I should do when I feel them. But what on earth do they really feel like? Most women tell me it's like period pains and that's something I've experienced very little in my lifetime as well! Lately, I've felt my tummy go really hard. I've also felt like my baby suddenly uncurled himself in my tummy and stretched out in all directions. That's a little scary to watch actually because my tummy suddenly bulges out violently in random directions before settling down. And guess what? That's what you call pre-labour contractions. Why didn't anyone say anything before???
So now I know it's just my baby's getting ready to come out and say hello to us and to the world. When exactly... I'm not sure. Everyone assures me that I'll have time to get ready, it's not like an episode of ER where the woman just goes "It's NOW!!!", screams and staggers into the hospital and out pops the wee babe. My friend Shen gave a pretty good account of her experience here. I love her mummy blog, I read it daily and her writings really help me visualise what it's like to go through it all and what it's like to be a mummy. She's a great writer, her topics are well-researched and even if you're not a mum, you'll enjoy reading them.
At labour class yesterday, one mum-to-be raised her hand and said her due date was tomorrow and she felt nothing. She asked if there was anything she could do to rush things along. I didn't understand the nurse's answer in Indon slang which sounded like "pek eh". Cue giggles from everyone else in the class while I looked confused. I asked, "What? Sorry.. I don't understand?" and someone giggled, "She said have sex!" Nurse isn't kidding but read here for more information if you're looking for uh, natural induction.
Am I excited? Yes. I've waited so long to see our little boy. I can't wait to see what he looks like and I can't wait to hold him for real. Am I nervous? Bloody hell, yeah. This isn't something you can practise at and you don't get any training wheels with it. And that's just the labour bit, I haven't even thought about the parenting bit yet. Am I frightened? Yes. Everyone talks about how painful it is but I figured if generations of mothers survived the pain, so will I. I'm trying to keep myself relaxed and flexible regarding the whole birth process so that the Virgo in me doesn't get too hung up if some detail doesn't go according to plan.
I can't believe I'm almost nearing the end of my pregnancy. I can still remember the excitement and joy we both felt when I tested positive, being over the moon when we saw his first scans, heard his first heartbeat, how we'd wait impatiently for each doctor's appointment so that we could see him and now I'm coming close to actually seeing him for real and I'm going to be a mommy!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
I can cook!
A long time ago, all I could manage in the kitchen was a Maggi mee with an egg in it. Anything more complicated than that was beyond me. Eventually, I learnt how to make a salad, complete with ham, tuna, boiled eggs and olives. But that was the extent of my culinary adventures until about three years ago when I moved in to live with my future husband. Everyone says the way to a man's heart is through his tummy. All I can say is, "Girl.. you're aiming about 6 inches too high." ;)
Like most men I've dated, he could cook. He'd learnt the skill as a Uni student when his parents moved abroad for work and he was left to fend for himself. He could also clean the house, do laundry without mixing up the whites and coloureds, iron shirts AND do the usual male things like open jam jars. I think this was partly why I was so keen to marry him... it was like hey, a hubby and a maid in the same body! ;))
He tried unsuccessfully for about 6 months to make me learn how to cook. He viewed it as an essential life skill for everyone, it wasn't as if he was trying to make me cook for him. Eventually, he resorted to forcing me into the kitchen. First, I helped peel potatoes and carrots and shell eggs. Then I graduated to stirring the pot/saucepan and putting things into the oven. Eventually, I was deemed good enough to prepare the side dishes while he did the main meals. All this went on for about a year and all the while, it never looked like I was ever going to learn how to cook properly. The only thing I could do well that he couldn't was cook rice in a rice cooker and that's only because I'm Asian and grew up eating rice daily.
Then one day, I decided that I would surprise him by making a meal. It would have to be simple, fool-proof and involve no deep frying because I was (and still am) deathly frightened of lots of hot oil. So I looked up recipes online and decided on one. Imagine his surprise when he came home to find me chopping and dicing in the kitchen. Voluntarily too! The meal proved to be a success and from there on, I was hooked.
I'm still not very good at it. IMHO, a real cook should be able to improvise and cook by feel. I still need the security of a recipe to follow. Sometimes I get over-ambitious and ruin stuff. There was this infamous Spaghetti Carbonara incident which still makes us laugh. Good friends of mine had given me two cookbooks for Christmas one year (thanks Shortcake and Totoro!). Since Dear Hubby is very fond of carbonara, I decided I would make him the real deal... authentic carbonara as eaten by real Italians! Not like our usual cheat method, with carbonara sauce from sachets. Eat my dust, Prego!
The recipe was dead simple, had about 4-5 ingredients and perhaps 4 steps. But the results looked... erm... foreign? Dear Hubby's used to seeing his carbonara look creamy. This one looked... egg-y? Uh-oh. We both looked into the pot of food and there was silence for a moment before Dear Hubby said, "It's okay, babe... I'll still eat it." Silently, I dished out the meal for both of us and we sat down for dinner. Complete silence reigned for another few minutes more before Dear Hubby spoke up, "You know... it actually tastes better than it looks, it's actually quite delicious." and we both burst into relieved laughter. I knew I'd married the right man when we finished our strange dinner (The Carbonara That Tasted Like Eggs!) and he leaned over to plant a kiss on my cheek, "Thank you for making the effort." Suffice to say, when we next went to the supermarket, I stocked up on the carbonara sauce sachets.
I like being able to cook. I enjoy preparing food for my husband, it's my way of saying to Dear Hubby, "I'm taking care of you." Granted, sometimes things don't turn out the way they should but he always lets me know he appreciates the effort I put in and I value that.
The subject of my cooking is the cause of much hilarity among old friends of mine who have known me forever and have never seen me display any interest in culinary matters beyond boiling water for tea. I don't blame them for teasing me endlessly about it, my own parents could hardly believe their ears when I said I now did most of the cooking in our household. I could read from their shocked expressions, "The poor man! He must having bread and water every day for meals! Our daughter can't cook for shit!"
But it looks like my cooking adventures will be put on hold for a bit once the baby comes. Our maid will take overthe cooking duties while I struggle to get the hang of diaper-changing and breast-feeding. But I'll be back in the kitchen soon and maybe this time, I'll learn to make carbonara the way Dear Hubby likes it.
Like most men I've dated, he could cook. He'd learnt the skill as a Uni student when his parents moved abroad for work and he was left to fend for himself. He could also clean the house, do laundry without mixing up the whites and coloureds, iron shirts AND do the usual male things like open jam jars. I think this was partly why I was so keen to marry him... it was like hey, a hubby and a maid in the same body! ;))
He tried unsuccessfully for about 6 months to make me learn how to cook. He viewed it as an essential life skill for everyone, it wasn't as if he was trying to make me cook for him. Eventually, he resorted to forcing me into the kitchen. First, I helped peel potatoes and carrots and shell eggs. Then I graduated to stirring the pot/saucepan and putting things into the oven. Eventually, I was deemed good enough to prepare the side dishes while he did the main meals. All this went on for about a year and all the while, it never looked like I was ever going to learn how to cook properly. The only thing I could do well that he couldn't was cook rice in a rice cooker and that's only because I'm Asian and grew up eating rice daily.
Then one day, I decided that I would surprise him by making a meal. It would have to be simple, fool-proof and involve no deep frying because I was (and still am) deathly frightened of lots of hot oil. So I looked up recipes online and decided on one. Imagine his surprise when he came home to find me chopping and dicing in the kitchen. Voluntarily too! The meal proved to be a success and from there on, I was hooked.
I'm still not very good at it. IMHO, a real cook should be able to improvise and cook by feel. I still need the security of a recipe to follow. Sometimes I get over-ambitious and ruin stuff. There was this infamous Spaghetti Carbonara incident which still makes us laugh. Good friends of mine had given me two cookbooks for Christmas one year (thanks Shortcake and Totoro!). Since Dear Hubby is very fond of carbonara, I decided I would make him the real deal... authentic carbonara as eaten by real Italians! Not like our usual cheat method, with carbonara sauce from sachets. Eat my dust, Prego!
The recipe was dead simple, had about 4-5 ingredients and perhaps 4 steps. But the results looked... erm... foreign? Dear Hubby's used to seeing his carbonara look creamy. This one looked... egg-y? Uh-oh. We both looked into the pot of food and there was silence for a moment before Dear Hubby said, "It's okay, babe... I'll still eat it." Silently, I dished out the meal for both of us and we sat down for dinner. Complete silence reigned for another few minutes more before Dear Hubby spoke up, "You know... it actually tastes better than it looks, it's actually quite delicious." and we both burst into relieved laughter. I knew I'd married the right man when we finished our strange dinner (The Carbonara That Tasted Like Eggs!) and he leaned over to plant a kiss on my cheek, "Thank you for making the effort." Suffice to say, when we next went to the supermarket, I stocked up on the carbonara sauce sachets.
I like being able to cook. I enjoy preparing food for my husband, it's my way of saying to Dear Hubby, "I'm taking care of you." Granted, sometimes things don't turn out the way they should but he always lets me know he appreciates the effort I put in and I value that.
The subject of my cooking is the cause of much hilarity among old friends of mine who have known me forever and have never seen me display any interest in culinary matters beyond boiling water for tea. I don't blame them for teasing me endlessly about it, my own parents could hardly believe their ears when I said I now did most of the cooking in our household. I could read from their shocked expressions, "The poor man! He must having bread and water every day for meals! Our daughter can't cook for shit!"
But it looks like my cooking adventures will be put on hold for a bit once the baby comes. Our maid will take overthe cooking duties while I struggle to get the hang of diaper-changing and breast-feeding. But I'll be back in the kitchen soon and maybe this time, I'll learn to make carbonara the way Dear Hubby likes it.
Monday, October 13, 2008
I met the Baa-nitez Superlambanana!
Firstly, what IS a Superlambanana?
It's an art sculpture by Taro Chiezo and was added to the public art arena of Liverpool in 1998. This is what the original Lambie looks like, a giant-sized combination of lamb and banana and reflects Liverpool's port heritage of trading lambs and importing bananas. It's now one of Liverpool's most beloved and well-recognised icons, alongside the Beatles, missing hubcaps and their football teams.
With Liverpool being the European Capital of Culture for 2008, the city decided put up about 100 Lambie statues around the city. The original Lambie is about 17ft tall but these replica Lambies were only 5ft or so. And so the search started for artists and sponsors to send in their submissions for the mini-Lambies. I even downloaded the map detailing where all the Lambies were located and one look told me that I would never have the time to hunt them all down.
So during our annual trip back to Liverpool to see family, I was determined to see at least some of them. I saw quite a lot dotted around the city but only managed to see about 7 of them up close. I wasn't the only one looking out for Lambies, lots of people would run up to them and snap pics or, at the very least, pat them on the head.
One of them was located right outside the Kop when we went to the club to buy Little Monkey's baby clothes and argh, I didn't bring my camera!!! I was so pissed. This is what the Kop Lambie looked like, he's called the SuperFanBanana.
Another was Koppy, an adidas-sponsored Lambie that stood inside the newly LFC club store... I think it was in Metquarter? Can't recall! I'm not like Dear Hubby who seems to have a built-in GPS in his head, I'm hopeless with directions. I saw Koppy again at the Southport Flower Show when I took me mum-in-law there for a day out.
But this is my absolute favourite and for this one, Dear Hubby had his camera. Meet the Baa-nitez (pronounced Baa-nee-tesz) and me! This Lambie is based on the current LFC manager and is dressed in the colours of the club, he even has the club scarf tied around his neck! The funniest bit was the goatee and specs, that made it so obvious (to any LFC fan) that it was Benitez. I think this will be the closest I will ever get to Rafa. I was absolutely chuffed to see the Baa-nitez and nearly lost my balance trying to stroke his goatee. (Shouldn't it be called a lamb-ee since it's a on a SuperLAMBanana?)
Rafa Benitez will always be my favourite Liverpool manager of all time, not just because he's won us a few trophies but because he's partly responsible for my meeting up with Dear Hubby three years ago... it's a long story but yes, football does have its uses after all.
Click here for more pictures of Lambies in and around Liverpool and if you miss the mini-Lambies this year, you'll always get the chance to see the original giant Lambie if you should go to Liverpool.
It's an art sculpture by Taro Chiezo and was added to the public art arena of Liverpool in 1998. This is what the original Lambie looks like, a giant-sized combination of lamb and banana and reflects Liverpool's port heritage of trading lambs and importing bananas. It's now one of Liverpool's most beloved and well-recognised icons, alongside the Beatles, missing hubcaps and their football teams.
With Liverpool being the European Capital of Culture for 2008, the city decided put up about 100 Lambie statues around the city. The original Lambie is about 17ft tall but these replica Lambies were only 5ft or so. And so the search started for artists and sponsors to send in their submissions for the mini-Lambies. I even downloaded the map detailing where all the Lambies were located and one look told me that I would never have the time to hunt them all down.
So during our annual trip back to Liverpool to see family, I was determined to see at least some of them. I saw quite a lot dotted around the city but only managed to see about 7 of them up close. I wasn't the only one looking out for Lambies, lots of people would run up to them and snap pics or, at the very least, pat them on the head.
One of them was located right outside the Kop when we went to the club to buy Little Monkey's baby clothes and argh, I didn't bring my camera!!! I was so pissed. This is what the Kop Lambie looked like, he's called the SuperFanBanana.
Another was Koppy, an adidas-sponsored Lambie that stood inside the newly LFC club store... I think it was in Metquarter? Can't recall! I'm not like Dear Hubby who seems to have a built-in GPS in his head, I'm hopeless with directions. I saw Koppy again at the Southport Flower Show when I took me mum-in-law there for a day out.
But this is my absolute favourite and for this one, Dear Hubby had his camera. Meet the Baa-nitez (pronounced Baa-nee-tesz) and me! This Lambie is based on the current LFC manager and is dressed in the colours of the club, he even has the club scarf tied around his neck! The funniest bit was the goatee and specs, that made it so obvious (to any LFC fan) that it was Benitez. I think this will be the closest I will ever get to Rafa. I was absolutely chuffed to see the Baa-nitez and nearly lost my balance trying to stroke his goatee. (Shouldn't it be called a lamb-ee since it's a on a SuperLAMBanana?)
Rafa Benitez will always be my favourite Liverpool manager of all time, not just because he's won us a few trophies but because he's partly responsible for my meeting up with Dear Hubby three years ago... it's a long story but yes, football does have its uses after all.
Click here for more pictures of Lambies in and around Liverpool and if you miss the mini-Lambies this year, you'll always get the chance to see the original giant Lambie if you should go to Liverpool.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Jakarta Traffic Quiz
Let's play... Driving in Jakarta!!!
1. Before making a turn, you should...
a. Show your signal, check your mirrors for oncoming traffic and turn only when the road is clear
b. Slowly inch the nose of your car across oncoming traffic and edge across, honking crossly back at them if they so much as dare glare at you
2. When overtaking, you should...
a. Check that there is no oncoming traffic and that you have sufficient time and space to fully overtake the vehicle ahead of you
b. Just overtake! You can always trust your fellow driver in the opposite lane to scoot over and make space for you
3. Designated bus lanes are....
a. For buses only
b. Woohoo!!! Empty lane! Whizzzzzzzz!!!
4. If you wish to make a U-turn...
a. Use the designated U-turn lane and make the turn when there is no oncoming traffic
b. Just U-turn anywhere you like and pop Rp500 to the local lad who helps by walking out into oncoming traffic and holding up his hand in a commanding STOP gesture... thankee very much!
5. Traffic lights...
a. help regulate the flow of traffic and should be obeyed
b. make very pretty road decorations
6. A bajaj is...
a. modified three-wheeled public transportation
b. road scum and should be exterminated
If you answered:
Mostly A's: Can you see the white light? Go towards the white light. You aren't fit to survive on Jakarta roads.
Mostly B's: Congratulations!!! You will survive to fight another day!
1. Before making a turn, you should...
a. Show your signal, check your mirrors for oncoming traffic and turn only when the road is clear
b. Slowly inch the nose of your car across oncoming traffic and edge across, honking crossly back at them if they so much as dare glare at you
2. When overtaking, you should...
a. Check that there is no oncoming traffic and that you have sufficient time and space to fully overtake the vehicle ahead of you
b. Just overtake! You can always trust your fellow driver in the opposite lane to scoot over and make space for you
3. Designated bus lanes are....
a. For buses only
b. Woohoo!!! Empty lane! Whizzzzzzzz!!!
4. If you wish to make a U-turn...
a. Use the designated U-turn lane and make the turn when there is no oncoming traffic
b. Just U-turn anywhere you like and pop Rp500 to the local lad who helps by walking out into oncoming traffic and holding up his hand in a commanding STOP gesture... thankee very much!
5. Traffic lights...
a. help regulate the flow of traffic and should be obeyed
b. make very pretty road decorations
6. A bajaj is...
a. modified three-wheeled public transportation
b. road scum and should be exterminated
If you answered:
Mostly A's: Can you see the white light? Go towards the white light. You aren't fit to survive on Jakarta roads.
Mostly B's: Congratulations!!! You will survive to fight another day!
Shopping in Jakarta: Custom-made furniture for your kids
If you are familiar with the Kemang area, you will know there is a big McD's somewhere on Jl Kemang Raya, right at the traffic lights. Opposite that is a pizza place. If you follow the one-way road between the two, you will find your way past this weird wooden carving place on your right. It sells the most grotesque natural wood carvings I've ever seen in my life. Keep on following the road and it will eventually wind left. On your left, you will see a new building in glass which sells shoes and clothing (as of now, they're not open yet but have started arranging their stock). Right next to that building is a little lane with a sign there saying "Laros".
Laros makes kiddie furniture. You can't miss it because once you go into the little lane, there will be a small cottage-like shop with red painted walls and kiddie furniture visible through the window. Check if the sign says "Buka" (Open). They told me they open daily from 10am till prob 5pm but I've popped by before at 11am and they're closed.
The owner's name is Teguh and he can custom-make anything for your little one's bedroom. He has his own catalogue but you can bring in your own design and ask him to follow it. You can also ask him to modify any existing design. Prices quoted will depend on the type of wood you choose, the finish and the size. Be sure to bargain the price down. When I made my enquiries, he told me that he only makes the bedframes. Mattresses are add-ons but he works with a mattress supplier whom he assured me will give me the "...best discounts!"
Teguh can speak English as most of his customers are Western expats. He'll take about 3-6 weeks to get your kiddie furniture done, depending on the complexity and the weather. If it's the rainy season, you can expect some delays. We are going into the rainy season now in Jakarta, so check with him on timing.
A friend of mine had a desk, chair, bed (with drawers underneath) and cupboard custom-made for her 4yo daughter and both were delighted with the outcome. It was very cute, with little butterflies for drawer and door pulls and buttefly motifs on the bed as well. I've seen the bedroom set myself and I could hardly stop myself from going, "Awww..... so cute!" It cost her about Rp17 mill (approx RM5,000) for the whole set.
I thought of getting nursery furniture custom-made for our little boy as well but we decided against it in the end. Firstly, we're sure to move before he turns 3 and we're not sure where we'll end up and what sort of house we'll be living in. We may end up living in a small apartment in Aberdeen and not being able to squeeze in all his furniture and ours AND Dear Hubby's precious hi-fi. Secondly, I wasn't sure it was a "boy" thing to have all matchy-matchy furniture... it's just me, I suppose. I have visions of my little boy growing up to be a tough, manly lad who loves football, cars and women and is successful with all three. :)) You know... the Indiana Jones type of guy, not the erm... metrosexual types.
But there you go. If you're looking for someone who can craft Paddington Bear themed furniture for your child or whatever your heart desires, go to Laros.
Laros makes kiddie furniture. You can't miss it because once you go into the little lane, there will be a small cottage-like shop with red painted walls and kiddie furniture visible through the window. Check if the sign says "Buka" (Open). They told me they open daily from 10am till prob 5pm but I've popped by before at 11am and they're closed.
The owner's name is Teguh and he can custom-make anything for your little one's bedroom. He has his own catalogue but you can bring in your own design and ask him to follow it. You can also ask him to modify any existing design. Prices quoted will depend on the type of wood you choose, the finish and the size. Be sure to bargain the price down. When I made my enquiries, he told me that he only makes the bedframes. Mattresses are add-ons but he works with a mattress supplier whom he assured me will give me the "...best discounts!"
Teguh can speak English as most of his customers are Western expats. He'll take about 3-6 weeks to get your kiddie furniture done, depending on the complexity and the weather. If it's the rainy season, you can expect some delays. We are going into the rainy season now in Jakarta, so check with him on timing.
A friend of mine had a desk, chair, bed (with drawers underneath) and cupboard custom-made for her 4yo daughter and both were delighted with the outcome. It was very cute, with little butterflies for drawer and door pulls and buttefly motifs on the bed as well. I've seen the bedroom set myself and I could hardly stop myself from going, "Awww..... so cute!" It cost her about Rp17 mill (approx RM5,000) for the whole set.
I thought of getting nursery furniture custom-made for our little boy as well but we decided against it in the end. Firstly, we're sure to move before he turns 3 and we're not sure where we'll end up and what sort of house we'll be living in. We may end up living in a small apartment in Aberdeen and not being able to squeeze in all his furniture and ours AND Dear Hubby's precious hi-fi. Secondly, I wasn't sure it was a "boy" thing to have all matchy-matchy furniture... it's just me, I suppose. I have visions of my little boy growing up to be a tough, manly lad who loves football, cars and women and is successful with all three. :)) You know... the Indiana Jones type of guy, not the erm... metrosexual types.
But there you go. If you're looking for someone who can craft Paddington Bear themed furniture for your child or whatever your heart desires, go to Laros.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Shopping in Jakarta: Baby stuff
It took me quite a few walkabouts to discover all these places. I am fully convinced that the entire baby products industry exists solely to part $$$ from parents. We have tried to keep our spending sensible especially on baby clothes but made sure we spent on items that were crucial for the baby's safety like his car seat.
For parents who are looking to keep to a budget, stay out of Mothercare. :)) I actually like the stuff in Mothercare, the shopping experience is very pleasant, the staff are very helpful but boy, are the prices sky-high. You could try some of the places below for more credit crunch-friendly baby shopping. Trust me, your little one won't know if his layette came from these shops or from Gap Kids. As long as it keeps him warm and comfy, he's going to like it.
ITC Fatmawati
We actually popped by here because we were told it had camera shops. It reminded me a lot of Sg Wang Plaza in KL. Same style, you know - crowded with shops selling mostly handphones. But I also noticed there were a lot of baby shops in the place and they seemed very affordable. Products ranged from clothing to cribs, strollers and other accessories, so it's worth checking out.
Poins Square
I went here to shop at Giant. However, I got lost navigating the floors and kept bumping into baby shop after baby shop. Giant and Carrefour (opposite Poins Square) themselves also carry baby gear, so you can grab some if you're doing your weekly grocery shopping there.
Suzanna Baby Shop, Pondok Indah
I was over the moon when I found this place. It's located right opposite Plaza Pondok Indah, just a straight shot past the traffic lights from Poins Square. It's a one-stop centre for baby products. They sell clothing, bottles, toys, cribs, strollers, bedding... everything and anything you need to prepare for the arrival of your little one. All you need is the baby. And the hubby with his credit card. :))
I'd been hunting high and low for a baby crib. The ones in Mothercare were going for a princely sum of Rp5 mill (approx RM1,800+) and mattresses, cot bumpers etc were all add-ons. The kiddie furniture shop near my house was going to charge me Rp3 mill for a custom-made crib and once again, mattresses were add-ons.
I popped in here after my labour class on Wed and found cribs that cost Rp1.4 mill... with mattresses and teethguards! There was one that was going for Rp1.8 mill and even came with an attached set of drawers! Admittedly, the wood used here was not as good as that used in the Mothercare cribs but no, it didn't look like it was going to collapse under the weight of a baby. I'm dragging Dear Hubby back tomorrow so that all the spending will be put on his credit card, not my supplementary one. Smart lei... :)))
For mums who have an unlimited budget...
If you must and can, then I would recommend Senayan City and Pacific Place. They each have an entire floor devoted to baby and kiddie products at suitably snooty prices. Another good place would be Dharmawangsa Square where they do have the MOST adorable baby stuff but I am always wary of buying stuff that don't have price tags.
Have fun shopping!
For parents who are looking to keep to a budget, stay out of Mothercare. :)) I actually like the stuff in Mothercare, the shopping experience is very pleasant, the staff are very helpful but boy, are the prices sky-high. You could try some of the places below for more credit crunch-friendly baby shopping. Trust me, your little one won't know if his layette came from these shops or from Gap Kids. As long as it keeps him warm and comfy, he's going to like it.
ITC Fatmawati
We actually popped by here because we were told it had camera shops. It reminded me a lot of Sg Wang Plaza in KL. Same style, you know - crowded with shops selling mostly handphones. But I also noticed there were a lot of baby shops in the place and they seemed very affordable. Products ranged from clothing to cribs, strollers and other accessories, so it's worth checking out.
Poins Square
I went here to shop at Giant. However, I got lost navigating the floors and kept bumping into baby shop after baby shop. Giant and Carrefour (opposite Poins Square) themselves also carry baby gear, so you can grab some if you're doing your weekly grocery shopping there.
Suzanna Baby Shop, Pondok Indah
I was over the moon when I found this place. It's located right opposite Plaza Pondok Indah, just a straight shot past the traffic lights from Poins Square. It's a one-stop centre for baby products. They sell clothing, bottles, toys, cribs, strollers, bedding... everything and anything you need to prepare for the arrival of your little one. All you need is the baby. And the hubby with his credit card. :))
I'd been hunting high and low for a baby crib. The ones in Mothercare were going for a princely sum of Rp5 mill (approx RM1,800+) and mattresses, cot bumpers etc were all add-ons. The kiddie furniture shop near my house was going to charge me Rp3 mill for a custom-made crib and once again, mattresses were add-ons.
I popped in here after my labour class on Wed and found cribs that cost Rp1.4 mill... with mattresses and teethguards! There was one that was going for Rp1.8 mill and even came with an attached set of drawers! Admittedly, the wood used here was not as good as that used in the Mothercare cribs but no, it didn't look like it was going to collapse under the weight of a baby. I'm dragging Dear Hubby back tomorrow so that all the spending will be put on his credit card, not my supplementary one. Smart lei... :)))
For mums who have an unlimited budget...
If you must and can, then I would recommend Senayan City and Pacific Place. They each have an entire floor devoted to baby and kiddie products at suitably snooty prices. Another good place would be Dharmawangsa Square where they do have the MOST adorable baby stuff but I am always wary of buying stuff that don't have price tags.
Have fun shopping!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
35 weeks pregnant.. not long to go now!
*sings* All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...
Yes indeedy. My bags have been packed for the hospital since last week and right now, I'm filling out forms for Little Monkey's citizenship and passport applications. I've collected all the documents we need and put them in a handy folder so that Dear Hubby can just bring the whole lot along to the hospital when the time comes.
I've washed his baby clothes and when I folded them, it just struck me how very small he's going to be when he arrives. I haven't held a newborn in my arms for many years now, the last was probably my now 17-yo cousin so I've totally forgotten how small they are. May I just say how very cute baby clothes are, I just found them sooooooo adorable. I can't wait to dress him in them!
We had our appointment today with the doctor and Dear Hubby had sprung up at 7am, singing, "We're going to see our little boy today!" But we didn't really get to see him. I think our little boy's head is now so big, it couldn't fit into the 4D scan screen and all I could see were his tightly shut eyes, his nose (oops... I think he's got MY squashy, flat nose after all!) and a fist. So we had to be content with traditional 2D scans, watching him swallow some fluid and seeing him trying to bat the doctor's probe away with his tiny hands.
He's terribly sensitive to pressure on the tummy. All I need to do is rest my hands on my tummy and he'll immediately react with squirms and kicks until I take my hands off. So you can imagine how vigorously he protested when the doc pressed down on my tummy with the ultrasound probe!
He's a healthy 2.7kg (about 6lbs) and all his vitals are good. His kickboxing skills have improved to the point that I have to sleep at this odd angle at night where there is minimal contact between my tummy and the bed. Otherwise, he simply kicks me until I get the message. He's also made the connection that squeezing my bladder eventually results in a lovely musical flushing sound that he adores, so I've been getting up at least 4 times every night and running off to the loo.
I woke up two nights ago, feeling some contractions. My first thought was "Oh, so that's what it feels like." My 2nd thought was "Okay... is this the real thing? I'm supposed to time it, right? Oh shit.. where's my handphone? Oh no, craps... it's downstairs." (I was going to use the hp's stopwatch function) My 3rd thought was, "Oh well... er... 1 second... 2 seconds... 3 seconds... I forgot how many seconds it's supposed to last for the real thing... hey it's gone." My 4th thought was "Oh bother... zzzzzzzzzzz....."
As I told a friend, I'm nervous about his arrival because I don't have an absolute fixed time for it. His due date is estimated at Nov 10 but he could be earlier or later and no one can tell me exactly when... very galling for a fussy Virgo like me who likes schedules!
Off to sit in the pool for a bit now... it really helps to ease the strain on my pelvis. In my next life, I want to come back either as a mummy whale (who gets to have the water carry her weight all the time) or as a mummy pigeon who just lays small eggs and be done with it.
One more month and I'll be upgraded to Mummy status! :))
Yes indeedy. My bags have been packed for the hospital since last week and right now, I'm filling out forms for Little Monkey's citizenship and passport applications. I've collected all the documents we need and put them in a handy folder so that Dear Hubby can just bring the whole lot along to the hospital when the time comes.
I've washed his baby clothes and when I folded them, it just struck me how very small he's going to be when he arrives. I haven't held a newborn in my arms for many years now, the last was probably my now 17-yo cousin so I've totally forgotten how small they are. May I just say how very cute baby clothes are, I just found them sooooooo adorable. I can't wait to dress him in them!
We had our appointment today with the doctor and Dear Hubby had sprung up at 7am, singing, "We're going to see our little boy today!" But we didn't really get to see him. I think our little boy's head is now so big, it couldn't fit into the 4D scan screen and all I could see were his tightly shut eyes, his nose (oops... I think he's got MY squashy, flat nose after all!) and a fist. So we had to be content with traditional 2D scans, watching him swallow some fluid and seeing him trying to bat the doctor's probe away with his tiny hands.
He's terribly sensitive to pressure on the tummy. All I need to do is rest my hands on my tummy and he'll immediately react with squirms and kicks until I take my hands off. So you can imagine how vigorously he protested when the doc pressed down on my tummy with the ultrasound probe!
He's a healthy 2.7kg (about 6lbs) and all his vitals are good. His kickboxing skills have improved to the point that I have to sleep at this odd angle at night where there is minimal contact between my tummy and the bed. Otherwise, he simply kicks me until I get the message. He's also made the connection that squeezing my bladder eventually results in a lovely musical flushing sound that he adores, so I've been getting up at least 4 times every night and running off to the loo.
I woke up two nights ago, feeling some contractions. My first thought was "Oh, so that's what it feels like." My 2nd thought was "Okay... is this the real thing? I'm supposed to time it, right? Oh shit.. where's my handphone? Oh no, craps... it's downstairs." (I was going to use the hp's stopwatch function) My 3rd thought was, "Oh well... er... 1 second... 2 seconds... 3 seconds... I forgot how many seconds it's supposed to last for the real thing... hey it's gone." My 4th thought was "Oh bother... zzzzzzzzzzz....."
As I told a friend, I'm nervous about his arrival because I don't have an absolute fixed time for it. His due date is estimated at Nov 10 but he could be earlier or later and no one can tell me exactly when... very galling for a fussy Virgo like me who likes schedules!
Off to sit in the pool for a bit now... it really helps to ease the strain on my pelvis. In my next life, I want to come back either as a mummy whale (who gets to have the water carry her weight all the time) or as a mummy pigeon who just lays small eggs and be done with it.
One more month and I'll be upgraded to Mummy status! :))
Notes for hubby
1. Things your husband should say/do when you're pregnant:
2. Things he shouldn't say when you're pregnant:
3. Things he should say/do, whether you're pregnant or not:
- "Let me clear the dinner things and give you a rub later, okay?"
- Doing the dishes without being asked
- Cooking up breakfast/dinner on the weekends while I snooze
2. Things he shouldn't say when you're pregnant:
- "But your bump perfectly balances out your thighs and makes you look more streamlined all over!"
- "Isn't it nice how your bump provides the PERFECT place for your boobies to rest on?"
- "You know... in Africa, these women just stagger in, have the baby and go back to running around in the bush... none of this Chinese confinement thing!"
3. Things he should say/do, whether you're pregnant or not:
- "No, you're not meeting the right girl in KL because I've already met her and we got married last year!"
- "Oh, just buy whatever you want!"
- Cuddles, cuddles, cuddles
My wireless modem won't talk to my cable modem
And that's why I've been quite quiet lately. I don't know who's at fault - my wireless modem or First Media. I've been losing my connection in the afternoons lately and judging from an irate complaint that appeared in Jakarta Post today, I'm not the only one.
Today's the first day that everything has been stable. *crosses fingers* Long may it continue.
Today's the first day that everything has been stable. *crosses fingers* Long may it continue.
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