Food for thought...

Ok, I hate baking. Because I'm bad at it. This is the person who used to bake ALL.THE.TIME. in highschool. Perhaps I sucked then too...but at least my testers were a little more lenient, maybe? I don't know. Kiddo is going to have to deal with store-bought treats. Heck, aren't kids discouraged from having too much baked goods anyway?

Cookie Dough Truffles:

Verdict: Easy to make, but I remembered AFTER I finished making them that I never was a cookie-dough kinda girl...I find it odd that there are people who can lick the batter bowl after making cookies (i.e. my husband) Bleh...


But my husband loves cookie dough, and he said that he liked them...That's good, since they are ALL his. I don't think that the neighbours were a fan either.

So....this is probably going to be a one-time thing.









One Hour Bread:


Verdict: I honestly think that I did not mix the dough enough before shaping it....The texture was way too sticky. But since I've already dumped the mixing bowl into the sink and filled it up with water (I know, sometimes being too much of a anal-clean freak will come bite you back in the ass), I wasn't about to go mix it again. It does LOOK nice though. It didn't really taste that bad either....Actually, it hardly tasted of anything. As for the texture, it's a little dense.


I think I should stick with recipes that are written for dummies/first-time bakers.


On another note, my husband is pretty proud of himself. His "garden" bore "fruit".

Isn't he adorable? Although I'm not sure if that will be enough to feed even a baby bunny rabbit, but hey, it's still a carrot!

Can't see it? Don't worry, it's not old age, or your cataracts acting up. Even my camera had difficulty focusing.(hahaha)

Here's an extremely close up view :

Our flowers in the front yard are doing fantastic as well...Which is somewhat of a miracle, since I don't remember doing a thing to ensure that they survived from last year. Goes to show...sometimes, things are better left alone.

Week 32

What's happening underneath that bump?

The baby is up to 4 lbs now, and 17" long. While he or she still has room to move around a bit, the womb is becoming cramped for your little one. Right now, your baby can open his or her eyes, breathe with the lungs and coordinate thumb sucking. All 5 senses are functional, the toenails are completely formed and the hair on the head continues to grow.

A little progression chart using the same dress....I can NOT believe that I can still fit in it!! Although I'm definitely not going to wear it out, it still DOES fit.

Finish!

I actually finished the bumpers! I'm actually quite relieved as I thought this would be one of those meant-well-but-the-motivation-is-slowly-dripping-away kinda deal....So, yay for me!

Some of the miscellaneous stuff I was working on concurrently...Blankets, burpies and washclothes. I am actually quite tempted to make a grown-up sized version of the blankets -- the minky fabric is soooooooo soft!

Next up, sanding and refinishing the side table that we found at a yard sale for $10 - turns out that table was made by an old Grand Rapids furniture company. What are the odds?! (Hubby grew up in that area)

I'm No Supermom

But I can sure as heck try! First stop - be a whiz in the kitchen. And considering the fact that I'm the same person who almost killed herself (think thick white carbon monoxide pouring out of the microwave ---- yes, microwave oven. I blame you, mom. Yes, that pot was NOT microwave safe. At least, not for the cooking time I needed it to be.) when she tried to cook rice for the very first time, this MIGHT be quite the feat.

But anyway, these are the recipes that I intend to try - These people really seem to be food gurus, and their pictures of the final product is just the final push over the wall to motivate (delusional) me to try it out for myself:

Appetizers:

Ginger Wings

Buffalo Chicken Dip


Main Dishes:

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup - This looks PERFECT for a cold winter's night! And if I can successfully make the breadbowl from scratch as well, I'll call myself a kitchen goddess


Chicken Tikka Masala - Now, I've successfully made this in the past, but it's always by using the bottled curry sauce (I know, that's also called cheating). But "from scratch", here I come!

Chiang Mai Noodles - This would be a true test for this blogger --- All her recipes/pictures look delish, but because this is an Asian dish (Thai, to be exact), I have to admit that I'm a little sceptical whenever someone raves about such dishes when the recipe came from an American cookbook.

Hearty Beef Stew - Since this recipe calls for red wine, it'll be post baby before I'll make it. But doesn't it look like it'll be something that will make those cold nights bearable??!

Tomato Herb Flatbread - Looks perfect for the end of summer meals when the tomato plants are flourishing. I can't wait to plant my very own next year!

Quick Shrimp Pad Thai - Again, this will be a good test..but it does look awfully delicious!

Big Mama's Chicken Pot Pie - This is the kind of culinary pieces that will seal the deal in me being a full-fledged accomplished mama in the kitchen!

Chicken Marsala

Baked Macaroni and Cheese - I usually can NOT stand cheese, but ever since I got pregnant, I've been noshing my way through packets of American singles. Straight up. This sounds like something that will make baby (and hubby) happy

Baking/Desserts:

Cookie Dough Truffles - will be trying this this weekend, as we were invited over to our neighbours and hubby volunteered to bring dessert

Autumn Apple Pie - I'm really not much of an apple person, unless it's juice or pie, or crumble. Basically, the unhealthy version. And this looks GOOD.

Apple Crunch

Tender Banana Bread - I have 2 bananas ripening up on our kitchen island as I type...

Christmas Bread Wreath - Definitely something that I'm going to try this Christmas. If it turns out, it'd be a good handout to the neighbours

One Hour Bread - the one time we tried to make bread, we weren't sure as to whether our yeast culture had gone bad......it looked and tasted a little sour-y. This one sounds great because we don't have to continue feeding the culture and thus, make bread every freaking week, else the culture will grow bad. I mean, I love bread, but who's got the time to make it every week???!

31 weeks

What's happening underneath that bump?

Growth begins to slow a teeny bit, and the brain goes through a period of rapid development. The only major organ left to fully develop is the lungs. If your baby is a boy, his testes will begin to descend from the body cavity to the scrotum. The bones are still hardening.

The baby is becoming quite cramped, and can't move around very well. It's easy to see the baby's elbow or leg pushing against the abdomen

At this point, most women are eager to have their baby not only because they can't wait tfor the new addition, but also because they are sick of being pregnant!.

Dang right that I'm ready to have the baby! I'm absolutely tired of being pregnant! But it's still scary to think that I'm now down to single digits (weeks) before I'm due...

Good thing that John's finished the furniture and it's all been moved up to the nursery. So yay!!

Freakin' A...........!!!

I just found my first GROUP of stretch marks. Booger!

Success Is Sweet.

Literally. I past my 2nd round glucose test. So welcome back, ice-cream and sweet treats!

I had the most horrible expericence going through the 3 hour test, and honestly, I would have gladly gone on the "diabetic" diet if the other option was to take a 5 hour one and pass. I have never wanted to throw up so bad, but that would be futile as I would have to come back and take that horrible drink all over again. So I toughed it out (probably looked like a fright to the other patients waiting at the lab) and thank goodness baby was good and did not squirm around like he/she usually does at that time of the day. Else my poor stomach will probably have self-distructed, especially in addition to the stomach ache that developed in the 2nd hour.

I'm so glad that it's done and over with!

Happy Anniversary!!

It's our 3rd wedding anniversary this week. BUT, hubby is away on a business trip for the whole week. So booger to that!

I spent a very romantic evening painting the furniture - a very challenging task as I had to navigate me and my pregnant bump across various pieces of tools, furniture, wood and other crap that hubby has crammed into the garage in order to get to the pieces I needed to paint. Felt like Catherine Zeta-Jones in that infamous "Entrapment" scene that hubby is so entralled with - Haha...if only he could have seen my performance!

He gave me a good present though....last year was dirt (a whole heaping truckfull that got dumped onto our front yard) and this year was grout and cement (for the backsplash). But I always love it when a project is done! And the roses help too....Doesn't it look pretty against the new background?!

Happy anniversary, hunny bunny! (Our last one "alone"!!)

Week 29

What's happening underneath that bump?

The baby's head is in proportion to the rest of the body. Fat continues to accumulate under the skin. The brain can control primitive breathing and the body can also regulate temperature. The eyes can move around the sockets and the baby is becoming much more coordinated. The baby is becoming sensitive to light, sound, taste and smell.

The baby is over 15" from crown to foot and is nearing 3 lbs in weight. While you'll still feel a great deal of movement in the womb, your baby is no longer able to perform the acrobatics he/she did earlier in the pregnancy as space runs out in the womb.

We had a minor scare last weekend when baby decided to "hibernate" for over 24 hours. He/she went from bouncing off the walls to almost zero movement overnight (even when I downed over 2 glasses of water at one go, 1/2 a pint of Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie, orange juice, etc etc). On Friday, I wasn't too TOO worried, since I could still pick up a strong heartbeat easily with my doppler. But on Saturday, it took a really long time to even get any sort of rate that could be passed off as a steady tempo, and even then, it sounded like it was resonating off the uterus walls (even though that little stinker kicked at the rod).

So we went to the hospital just to get monitored, and I suppose that I was just a worry wart, as they said that he/she was perfectly fine. I wonder how much this is going to cost us in hospital bills? Movements have still to return to their normal "activeness", but baby is definitely more "vocal" on this Monday morning than it was last Friday. Great --- I have a hibernating squirrel in me - where it's either leaping and bounding all over the place, or it's in a deep sleep where nothing can rouse it.

On another note, while we were there, we met a couple who was just waiting around patiently to get admitted. I couldn't tell (until I asked), but she was actually in labor!! She's officially my hero. I think if it was yours truly, it'd be a totally different environment for admitting staff at the hospital!! I think she even walked from the parking garage!

On a project front, we were really quite productive over the weekend. I'm so proud of my hubby, and I had so much fun.

We worked on the backsplash for the kitchen - nothing too fancy...just subway tiles across one wall (was going to have it on two walls, but decided against it at the last minute. We'll end up painting the other wall with the stripes....I think the contrast will be interesting, and it'd be something different, at the very least).It ended up being cheaper than anticipated, as the tiles were really quite inexpensive. Which is always good. And it was definitely good practice for when we finally decide to tackle the downstairs bathroom.

The changing table needed one last coat of paint, then some polycrylic to "toughen" it up, and it should be done. I can't wait to finally bring it up so I can organize it. The wood for the armoire is also being prepped and painted, and hubby will assemble it in the nursery itself as there's no way that I'd be able to help him move it up the stairs once it's put together.

It's all starting to come together. I'm so excited!! The master bedroom will continue to look like crap, as more of my junk is moved over there, but at least one out of the two rooms upstairs will look nice! And we all know that baby will be head of the household, so it's only fitting that it'll be his/her room that will take priority!

Week 27

What's happening underneath that bump?

During this week, the brain continues its rapid growth, and the lungs continue to grow. The eyelids, which have been shut up until now, slowly begin to open, and the retinas begin to form. Coordination is improving and the baby is able to cry now although nobody can hear!

He or she will grow over 1/2 inch this week and will be about 1 1/3 feet long (from crown of head to the toes or 9.6 inches from crown to rump), and weighs about 2 lbs. The skin has become less wrinkled as fat fills out, and the skin has turned opaque.

I cannot believe that I’m about to be in my third trimester!!! Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock!!

We had our hospital tour last Wednesday, and man, I’m scared! We basically went through the same process we will when I’m actually in labor, and when we made it to the birthing room, my heart started palpitating and I got really scared…It’s actually going to HAPPEN!!! Although I must say that the room itself looked quite comfortable…..big screen TV, comfortable armchair for the daddy-to-be…really, if I didn’t have to be in labor, I’d say it’d be a pleasant stay.

It didn’t help that when we were leaving that floor, we past by a freshly delivered scene….. sheets all bagged up, beds stripped…..it felt like it was a murder scene…EEK!!!!

But of course, then we went up to the “permanent” rooms and we saw a one day old baby girl who was gorgeous! And we all oogled at the nursery window……I could barely contain my excitement then----I can’t wait to finally meet my little one.

Speaking of him/her, we now can feel AND see the form that is causing all those kicks and bumps at my belly…..Where before, it was just a generic thumping, now, we can actually feel and see his/her foot or hand that’s pushing against my stomach and it’s the weirdest, creepiest, most fascinating thing in the world!

Oh, and my belly button is popping out more and more. And my linea negra (line on the belly) is darkening --- Consistent with all of my body’s other idiosyncrasies, either my belly button is skewed to the right, or my linea negra is skewed to the left, because I definitely do not have a straight line down.

Sew A Little....

I have a new hobby. Well...it's not really new, it's more now, I actually have the motivation (or pressure, I suppose) to actually finish up a project.

My mom bought me a sewing machine, oh....I don't know, eons ago? But I've never really sat down to really learn how to use it because it just seems so tedious.
So, fast forward to the present - we all know that I'm expecting (duh). And you may or may not know, but baby stuff are very expensive --- and the bedding is no exception. Sure, you can just run to your Target or Walmart and pick up any ol' bedding set. But I have absolutely no desire to purchase one of those typical cutesy, chockful of teddy bears and ducks and what-nots sets that seems to be the norm in the more affordable spectrum. I didn't want anything too childish, in other words. "But it's a BABY!" my husband would exclaim....Yeah, but I'm the one who's going to be looking at it. The kid could care less as long as someone changes his/her diaper when he/she wets the bed in the middle of the night.

The sets that I would even remotely consider would run from $300 onwards. Yup, $300 minimum for a 4 piece set (sheet, bumper, blanket and dust ruffle). It's equivalent to highway robbery, in my opinion (but don't mind me, I have a screwed up sense of "value" as it is, anyway ----where I think paying more than $8 for a meal is crazy expensive, but I think that paying $2500 for a bag is totally fine. Yes, I've done that). I won't even pay that much for our bedding, much less something that's more than 3 times smaller, and would be subjected to spit-up, drool, pee and poop.

So, what to do?? Roll up my sleeves and start making my own! I've absolutely no idea if I"d be able to manage it, what the outcome would look like, or if I'd end up just buying the darn thing from a retailer. But, I've always wanted to try and there's really no harm trying right? After all, I'm aspiring to be a Super Mommy --- one that can bake up the most delicious snacks on the block, the one who can make their kids' Halloween costumes (Which, by the way, I saw lots of those type at the fabric store when I went to pick up the fabric) --- someone like Bree Van Der Kamp on Desperate Housewives, basically.

I found the most beautiful fabric that could swing either way (boy or girl), I found 40% off coupons (LOVE coupons!), I have a sewing machine, and I have a plan. There are worse ways to start off a project, I think. So, it's off I go!

Some Retail Therapy...

How adorable are these little shoes??

The brand is from New Zealand, and it's called Bobux. I've spent a pretty penny on this site recently, but since it's really been a while since I've bought anything frivolous, I'll let it slide - and it's not that shoes are necessarily in that category----I DO need to buy shoes for the kid...so why not these?


And I suppose that if I really do have a little boy, I can always release all that pent-up shopping frustration on cool kicks (since anything frilly, pink, or flowery would definitely be out of the question then!)

25 weeks...

What's happening underneath that bump?

Your baby is still filling out in the womb and you'll notice that your stomach begins to expand on the sides as well as the front. The baby is now at 1.5 lbs and is almost 10 inches from the head to the butt.

The structures of the spine - 33 rings, 150 joints and 1000 ligaments - begin to form. The blood vessels of the lungs are developing and the nostrils begin to open. The skin is still a bit wrinkled as there is more weight to be gained before birth, but it's not transparent anymore.

Long weekend coming up!! Can't wait - I have a whole list of to-dos that I'm aiming to complete. Number one on the list is painting the shelving unit for the nursery, the very same one that my husband is working on building right now in the garage. The whole nursery (the whole upstairs, actually) is in a big mess right now because we are trying to set up the kid's furniture, while trying to figure a way and find the space to chuck all of my junk out of the room. I'm actually a little surprised at how much...stuff...I have! I can't wait to have it all sorted out so we can finally put all the baby stuff where it belongs and work on getting all the other essentials - i.e. clothes, toiletries, bedding, etc etc...

The crib is up at the very least....Got a very, very good deal on it...This was the one that I was eyeing and finally decided to get, and when we went to the store to pick it up, we found out that it was on clearance - so we ended up paying only 25% of the original price!

And yes, the room is blue and will remain blue....It really looks like we'll be having a boy, but even if it turns out to be a girl, it really should be too hard to "girl-ify" it. Much less traumatizing for a girl to be in a blue room than a boy to be in a pink one, I think.

Oh, and look what I found at our local Asian grocery store....

Sorry, the picture of the mooncake itself is overly bright....I couldn't wait any longer to sample it! This is the very first time I've bought mooncake from the States - simply because it's usually outrageously overpriced, and quite frankly, I'm usually quite clueless about the seasons and will completely miss it until it's too late.

24th week

What's happening underneath that bump?

Your baby gains about 6 oz this week as the body begins to fill out. This weight is in muscle, bone mass and the growing organs and tissues. The weight could top at 1 1/3 lbs by the end of this week. The fetus will also begin to produce white blood cells, which will help combat infections and diseases after birth.
From this week on, you may be able to feel your baby's hiccups in the womb. The baby will respond to certain noises and sounds, and your partner will be able to hear a heartbeat if he puts an ear to your belly.

Traveling this week for business...Last time ever until the kid comes out, hopefully!

Blue or Pink?

What's happening underneath that bump?

From this week on, your baby enters another growth spurt so you'll be showing a lot more very soon. The baby is now about 9 inches and weighs about a pound. He or she is looking more and more like a newborn - the body is becoming better proportioned each day and the bones of the middle ear begins to harden. Your baby is doing acrobatics in the womb: kicking, flipping around and and turning regularly. There is still enough room for the fetus to move comfortably and you can feel kicks and jabs by putting your hand against your belly

Boy or girl, boy or girl? The suspense is killing me!

Kristi, my husband's cousin, announced her pregnancy about 3 weeks after we did, and she just found out that she's having a BOY! Can't wait to meet Baby Ethan James. But her announcement is making me go crazy wondering which one I have cooking in my belly! ARRghhh!!! If we ever have another, I'm going to find out.

A Shout Hello, and the Musings of a Soon-To-Be Old Fart

What's happening underneath that bump?

The rapid growth phase begins to slow down this week. Organs and body functions are strengthening rather than growing and baby can respond to outside stimuli. The digestive system and heart are maturing, the legs are reaching their relative proportions and the buds for permanent teeth are forming this week. He or she is 10.5 ounces, and is nearing seven and half inches. The vermix the creamy film that protects your baby's skin from liquid is still being produced, and will continue to coat the body until and the legs are reaching their relative proportions.

After days of agonizing over whether all those weird sensations I feel in my belly region were made by the baby or my stomach or my bowels, I finally felt the baby move for the first time with certainty on Sunday night.

Hubby and I were in bed, getting ready to turn in, and I had my hand on my stomach. All of a sudden, I felt my hand go "bump". Baby definitely made sure to make his/her presence known. I personally think he/she got tired of being squished and was kicking at my hand to have me move it. I had John place his hand on the same spot and after awhile, baby dutifully gave two more kicks there. It was the coolest thing! I can't wait till he/she gets a little bigger so that he/she will be capable of giving good strong kicks. It definitely makes it feel more real - and less like I'm just sticking a basketball under my shirt...Which, by the way, my belly seem to have grown quite a bit within the past week, during that growth spurt, I was actually having difficultly breathing! I don't know if I can handle getting much bigger!!

As I progress along with my pregnancy, I find myself getting more sensitive to salt - I'll get massive headaches that will last for days if I consume "too much" of it. So there goes my favorite Chinese restaurant take-outs (which, by the way, I don't understand why they are always loaded with sodium.....it's only the restaurants found here though.....I don't ever remember Chinese food being that unhealthy back in Malaysia). As a result, hubby and I have started cooking more. It's healthier (well, in the sense that at least we know WHAT is in it - the calorie part is still up for debate) and it's definitely cheaper. Albeit meal times may get a tad bit monotonous since we're stuck eating leftovers for days on end. That outcome definitely stresses the importance of cooking well, and having dishes that we like.

So on Sunday night, hubby decided it was time for him to step up to his chef duties and he made pizzas for dinner (which lasted all the way through Thursday's dinner......)

By the way, the area rug that I mentioned in the last post is DONE and has been moved into place:

Our guest room

On a more dismal note, I'll be turning 25 this weekend. I'm getting old - I'll officially be in the "30's" group rather than the "20's" when my age is rounded up. And that even without horror of the result of basic mathematics, being 25 itself in some ways, scare me. 25 year-old women, to me, are those who have their lives in control - they are the ones whose hair is always perfectly coiffured, and nails are always perfectly manicured; they always look polished, they have the great clothes, the great shoes, the great bags; they are accomplished and are getting more and more so by the minute.

Me? I feel like I'm perpetually stuck at the age of 16. I don't feel like I've quite grown up yet. Sure, I'm married, own a car, own a house, have a good job and I have a baby on the way. But that wasn't quite the dreamlife I had in mind when I was "planning" my future back when I was teenager. Not that I mind my life right now. Heavens no. But it just wasn't what was "planned". And therefore, I never felt like I got past that "planning" stage because things never did take off the way I hoped it would.

Blame it on TV and Hollywood for creating a "mold" of what success should be, of what it should look like - thin, rich, beautiful.

Perhaps it's time to rewrite my plans.

Baby Junk

What's happening under that bump?

All of your baby's crucial development is finished, and now, he or she will be growing as your due date nears. The baby is up to almost six and a half inches and weights 9 ounces. You'll definitely be able to feel the baby's movements quite strongly now,and kicks can be

felt by placing a hand on your belly. Your baby can hear the sound of your voice as well as your heartbeat. If you make a sudden noise, the baby will become startled and may even cover his or her ears! The baby has as much sleep and awake time now as a newborn. The scalp hair begins to grow. If your baby is a girl, her uterus is starting to develop.

I've decided to include a belly shot with every (rare) post that I make just so I can share my ever-expanding waistline. And believe it or not, it was actually my husband's idea for me to start tracking my bump progress. Yay to him for trying to be an involved party in this pregnancy!

As of today, I've gained about 8 lbs, which is about 3lbs more compared to 3 weeks ago, during our doctor’s visit. According to the numerous pregnancy books I have, I'm right on track (well, in the sense where I’m suppose to gain about 1 lb a week. As for total weight gain for those who are in their 20th week, it averages out to about 10 – 15lbs. But since they are probably referencing Caucasian women, I should be ok, since Asians are typically smaller than them). And 8 lbs just seem to be more fitting to the bulk I'm sporting these days.

I have yet to feel any movement though - nothing certain, at least. Baby's still there though! (Checked last night using my handy dandy doppler (apparatus used to hear the baby's heartbeat) - highly recommended for those who are a worry wart like me!)

So I've past the point where someone could possibly think that I've indulged in too much burgers/fries/beer (unless they are frigging idiots). But honestly, it's starting to get uncomfortable. Bending over is uncomfortable, sitting upright is uncomfortable, and sometimes breathing is uncomfortable - like someone is sitting on my chest and I'm trying to take as deep of a breath as I can, but will end up feeling like my chest cavity is about to burst). I can't imagine how it'd be as the baby gets even bigger! And I definitely can't imagine how women who have multiples feel!! And just to demonstrate how much I've grown (and therefore, how much of my closet I have to pack up), this is what my pants/skirt section looks like right now....

A few miserable pants that are stretchy to begin with. Is it any wonder that I've been going about looking like a schlub? Because I can't fit into the stuff that I like! Gah. The silver lining is that it now takes an efficient 15 minutes for me to get out of bed and out the door for work. That means I get an extra 15 minutes of sleep each work day (which I need, since my energy level is still not where it used to be). By the way, my clever husband made the pants rack and I painted it.

For the past few days, I've been slaving away on edging (is that the proper description?) an “area rug” that we bought for the guest room....It's suppose to only be a temporary fix until I figure out (and find) what I really want there - but knowing me, I'll probably leave it there for years to come (or at least, until we move into a new house). So I decided to at least make it look a little more presentable (rather than it looking like we just cut a piece of scrap fabric, threw it down on the floor and called it good) and hopefully, a little more durable. Hence, I proceeded to suffer through numerous needle pricks (I've even managed to prick myself on my bum - don't ask me how), back and neck aches. And let me tell you, having a big belly does not help the situation! It took me close to 4 hours just to finish ONE pathetic side. Oy!

As for my husband, he put the stroller together last weekend. Yay! We no longer have a large box sitting in our living room. The upper fabric is not on yet, so it’s not quite complete (since it’ll still be quite a while before baby gets here) but isn’t it pretty?

Bugaboo Cameleon - Black canvas base

It’s definitely much bigger than I remember it being when trying it out at the store, but it definitely is still very lux! I love that it’s an actual bassinet, rather than just a typical “car-seat” type deal. Hopefully baby will be cooperative and not fuss when we try to transfer him/her to this from the carseat when we are out and about. And since we are on the subject of baby stuff, here’s an inventory count of what we bought/received for the little stinker:

Hubby's first purchase for the baby...We are going to have some explaining to do if the baby is a boy! "Um, sorry Jr, see...we were really thinking that you'd be a girl....would you like to try it on anyway??"

Mr. Elephant - I have been playing this to my belly every night ever since I got it (around wk 15-16? Way before its hearing capabilites were even developed) . Lets hope that when the kid is born, it'll calm down with the tune of "Rock-a-bye, baby".

Presents from my brother in law and his family - they've decided that it's going to be a boy, for some reason. And how adorable is that hula-skirted monkey?? When you pull the string, it'll start shaking its hips!

Hit the jackpot - care package from my mother-in-law

And finally, clothes and other crap that I bought :

Can you tell that I’m smitten by baby girls’ clothing??? Ever since John got it into my head that it’s probably a girl, I took it as a free pass to start stockpiling on girl stuff. However, now that my belly is more pronounced, it’s looking suspiciously like a boy bump…arrgh! Now I’m questioning the “smartness” of the idea of letting it be a surprise. *sigh* It doesn’t really matter either way (boy or girl), but it would definitely have made life a little easier when preparing for him/her to come.

Thank goodness that we already have names picked out, for boy AND girl.

My Baby...

After what felt like an eternity of not feeling like myself, I finally took an at-home pregnancy test on May 9th, 2008. When the resulting positive lines came back clear and strong, seeming like it's staring back at me in a defiant way, I honestly felt a little...shaken. Actually, "a little" is an understatement. I was not ready to be a mother! I just started a new job not a month and a half ago, John was looking to branch away from his company and I just felt like we weren't where we were suppose to be before bringing another life into this world. I want to be able to give my child everything. Simply because that's the privilage I've had when I was young.. Not that I was necessarily showered with the most extravagent assortment of materialistic stuff, but I knew that whatever I wanted (within reason), my mom would do her best to fulfill that.

And I was nowhere near ready at my current position in life to be able to do that. We were on our way, but it wasn't enough,.

John's reaction on the other hand was like a little kid. Of course, he didn't have the additional....issue...of having to push something the size of a football out of his nether regions...

I scheduled an appointment with the doctor's the next week, but with the short notice, and with my work travel schedule, I couldn't get in until May 29th.

The drive to the doctor's office was uneventful, the wait in the waiting room was no different than if I were sitting at the dentist's office. I think I was still in denial. I mean, I DID buy the cheapest test available at the store. It was even a private label product. How accurate can those things be?? Unlike those Clearblue commercials, no, it wasn't the most sophisticated piece of technology that I've ever peed on.

I was actually more concerned about making sure that I brought and wore socks during the checkup. I have a big foot aversion and have absolutely no desire to gross the doctor out with mine. Then the CNM placed her doppler wand on my stomach. A strong, steady and extremely fast series of "thuds" echoed across the room, and she announced, "You're pregnant" and smiled. I was floored. I can't really explain the myriad of emotions that came crashing all at once...wonderment, worrying, hesitation, and then, the feeling that my heart and soul now utterly belongs to someone. And I cried.

It was the most amazing sound I've ever heard (the heartbeat, not of me sobbing like an out-of-control toddler), and from that moment on, whatever doubts I've had about the sanity of having a kid right now vanished. From that point on, I would fight anyone who dared to hurt my child or take him/her away from me.

I stayed on to wait for an ultrasound. I was actually further along than estimated, and my due date was pulled forward from Dec 21st to Dec 8th. In time to be home for Christmas.

He/she was squirmy and charming at the same time, if something that's only 3 inches big is capable of being charming. I loved the little hands and feet, and I couldn't wait to be able to touch them and to feel the little fingers clutch mine.

Baby Millard at 12 weeks old

Thus begins the journey of my life. Things are never going to be the same again, (although my ever charming husband is of thought that all we have to do is toss the baby into the pram and we'll be all set to go like usual) and despite the oncoming weeks and months of more nausea, dizziness, "deprivation" of food stuff that I love but can't eat and of course, the process of eliminating each and every article of clothing from my "wearable wardrobe" because I could no longer fit in them, I don't think I'll give it up for the world. Because I'm having a baby.

Another boring update....

*Cue sound for drumroll please* Ladies and gentlemen, my closet is done! Well…let me rephrase that…the closets for the hanging items are done. They've been built, painted and decked out with all my grubby belongings. And I won’t encourage you to examine them too closely because I got lazy after slopping on 20 coats of paint on each surface for the first one and a half closets…so the one that’s closest by the window is still grainy and rough…Hey, not my fault that my husband didn’t buy quality wood and that he didn’t sand it down first, right? At least, it’s in the corner so you can’t really see how bad it is. But so what if it took double the expense, and 4 times longer to build it, and the results are not as nice as those custom ones? I’m just glad that it’s done and it’s still 2007! Hahahahahahhahaa (Sorry, hunny!!)

Isn't it pretty? I (yes, "I" as in me with my own two bare hands with absolutely NO help from my significant other whatsoever...Just wanted to make sure that we are on the same page here....) painted the room a light blue - I envisioned it to be a calm light blue, but the color came out more like Baby Boy blue than anything...That first kid of mine better have a little weiner because there's no way that I'm going to repaint it!!!

And I was going to say, isn't it such a difference from what it was? Then I realized that I never did get around posting all my carefully complied pictures of the inside of the house in the last post! DUH! So sorry....See what getting old does to your brain?? It's a wonder that I remember to lock the door before I leave the house every morning!

So here they are (please bear in mind that these were taken shortly after we moved in, hence all the crap littering the place - not like I'm implying that it's much better right now...but you know...)

We'd pretty much only paid (some) attention to the study and the closet...What to do? I think I must have hit my head hard when I was young, because I have a screwed up sense of "items worth shopping" for...I have no issues spending $$ on clothes or anything fashion related, but when you tell me I have to spend $80 on a shelf for the study, and I'll hem and haw about it for at least a month before taking the plunge! So much so that when my vanity went on sale from $400 to $150, I took so long to decide to get it that the price went back to the original price. GRrrrrrrrr

JC Penney Mirrored Vanity Table

Ok, your two-second tour of what we’ve been up to these past few weeks (all smooshed together because we seriously do NOT live interesting lives....Any longer and you'll probably be falling asleep)

Week of 8/2 to 8/5

MY BIRTHDAY!!!! Although I don’t really appreciate the fact that I’m getting older (and therefore, my bones are starting to creak more, and my hair’s starting to fall out), I must say that it was quite a fun day!

Work colleagues made a big deal out of it (it was a little embarassing, actually, since I'm really not the type to should out "LOOK AT ME"...) but it was definitely fun to be fussed on.

I was wearing a Libertine for Target dress

And yes, I had TWO cakes...John went a little crazy there...I think it's because he thinks he's deprived of sweets and he's going to milk it as much as possible by saying "But hunny, these are for YOU" as he's gorging himself on the cakes.

Weekend of 8/11 – 8/12
We went down to Maryland for our last visit to Tommy and Margot’s before they ship out to Australia. Their house is almost all packed up, and John benefited with more gardening stuff.

Ethan is a big boy now! And the amazing thing is that he took to us quite readily and he got along famously with Buddy, who really is THE perfect size dog for little ones…It was adorable seeing them playing and running along together. Ethan would come bumpity-bump-bump down the stairs to the basement where we were residing just to follow Buddy (either that, or the egotistical side of me will say that it was me he’s looking for! *beams*)

Weekend of 8/18 – 8/19
Finally, a weekend where we can be alone, and do our mundane, normal, run-of-the-mill stuff which I love…Just the two of us (I’m a tad possessive, if you can’t tell). Absolutely loved it. Went to the park by the shoreline that's less than a mile from our house...That place is really hopping! All the oldies would come out and play...and when I say play, I really mean play...We have free concerts down there and one night, there was a Rod Stewart impressionist there, and this old man (complete with cane) was doing the boogie...Not a minute ago, he was shuffling around with his cane, and the next he's twisting and waving his stick around like he's Elvis! I think I almost died laughing!

Ok, until next time, else if I keep waiting to post this, it'd never get anywhere!

NYC - Pre Christmas

Sorry, it’s been awhile since the last time this was updated….But since I was back home HOME, I was too busy enjoying myself to sit in front of the computer. (I save that for my boring life over in the States…*sigh*) Plus, do you have any idea how sloooooow the internet connection has been back in KL since the earthquake in Taiwan???

I have a ton of pictures taking up space in any computer I can land my hands on (namely, my work computer, home laptop & John’s work laptop) so I figured it was time for me to clean up my mess (One of my New Year’s resolution…be timely in my responses/TQ cards/correspondences)

So….we were back in NYC again the weekend after we left Buddy over at Mary Kay’s house…Figured that we might as well take advantage of our curfew-less weekend (not that we stayed out that late…we’re on “old people’s” time schedule, remember?)

John wanted to test out his new handheld GPS thingamajig that he's been begging and begging and begging to have (and I finally caved because I got so tired of hearing about it...Hmm...I wonder where he learnt THAT trick from??) and since one of his arguments for getting that darn thing was “Think about it, honey…When we are in NYC, we can find our way to every shop that you want!” – like THAT ever happened….the best I got was speedwalking past the entrance of the store that I want to go in)

So, there we were, walking along 5th Avenue, trying to find the Museum of Natural History (we got excited seeing the preview for “Night At The Museum” (starring Ben Stiller) and wanted to get a first hand feel of it)…We finally stopped at Central Park where John was trying in vain to get the Satellites God to align with his toy, and I was…entertaining myself, people watching and smelling the horse poop that permeates the air around that area (A horse drawn carriage is a VERY romantic idea…on paper…But when you’re actually there, seriously, how lovey-dovey can you get when all you smell is eau de poopy?? Bleh…)

Finally, I got tired and took out MY toy (Cellphone/PDA with internet access) and found the blo*dy address to the museum…It took me 5 seconds. Makes me wonder why I was standing around for 5 minutes waiting for my husband to (unsuccessfully) find the way to our destination.

For those who think that they will be stuck in a similar predicament, take note:

American Museum of Natural History

+ Add: 79th Street and Central Park West

+ Tel: 212-769-5100

+ Hours: Sun-Thurs 10am - 5.45pm, Fri & Sat 10am - 8.45pm

We did stumble upon Tavern on the Green though...It was GORGEOUS!!! We tried to see if we could squeeze in there for a lunch break, but alas, it was overflowing with people with the same idea in their minds…Next time, we’ll do better. This is definitely on my to-do list before we leave the New England area for good.

At least we got the chance to ogle at the people who had the foresight to make a reservation…hehehe…(the building had clear glass walls in the back area of the restaurant, where the topiary garden was located.)

Not that my outfit was that interesting, but since I'm bored, and I have a captive audience, I'm wearing: Juicy Couture Reversible Fur Hoodie in Ziggy, Arden B. pink L/S top, True Religon Joey jeans, Chanel Cambon tote, Uggs in Chocolate

That location must be magical, because the GPS unit finally decided to work, and we were on our merry way to the museum…Which, by the way, I have no idea why we got so excited about it anyway, because the displays/artifacts there were average at best…The most interesting event was probably watching the guys at the cafeteria try to sweep a cockroach into a dustpan (seriously, how many guys does it take? And it was only a baby roach...)

And of course, since it was close to the Christmas season: THE tree is UP! ("What tree", you ask?? Where have you been all your life? Don’t you watch movies??? I’m only talking about the legendary Christmas tree that’s been dragged out of its 50+ year old address in some forest only so it can be decked out in ornaments and twinkle lights by the truckloads for 3 weeks, ogled at by millions of people and then, when Christmas is over, it’s moved to a dump site where it’s left to die – what a life)

And don’t let the twinkle lights fool you. In broad daylight, the tree is as sparse as hair on an old man’s head.

Bah, humbug…..Merry Christmas, y’all!!