Cough cough sniffle sniffle

It's so sad..both me and Yvesander are sick. We've been fighting it for about 5 days now and doesn't seem to be getting better. For me, it seems to be improving considering the amount of honey and lime/lemon juice that I've been taking. But for Yvesander, no such luck. Though he's still nursing and I'm nursing him quite frequently, doesn't look like he's improving.

His cough has gotten worse, and I feel so bad for him when he coughs. It sounds like one of those hacking coughs with phlegm stuck in the throat. He's trying to get it out, but no such luck. Adding to this, his nose is so leaky. Had to irrigate it and he wasn't happy. At least he's breathing a bit easier now but still kind of sucks.

I'm hoping that he'll get well soon since we have to travel internationally really soon. Don't want him to be miserable on the plane as there won't be much that I can do there. I did take him to see the doctor today but there's not much they can do either. Apparently there's no cough or cold medicine in the market for babies his age. So all I can do is just try to nurse him and make him feel comfortable. Nursing helps a lot since I'm also giving him extra antibodies to fight this bug. So that's good news. From the sounds of it, he needs as much as he can get from me.

Good news from the doctor is that he's gained some weight. He's above 20 pounds right now, which is not a surprise given how much I've been feeding him. However, he's still stuck in the 25th percentile. Though he has lost some weight since he got sick. His appetite has not been as robust lately. So hopefully he'll recover his weight once he gets well.

Going on to 10 months..

As I sit here on the futon, with the laptop on my lap and the tv on, I am enjoying the peace and quiet after a full day of entertainment with Yvesander. He has grown sooo much since he came out in February. Such a bundle of energy and totally curious about his environment. Plus he's finally interested in the toys I bought him..YAY~!!

He just turned 10 months a few days ago and it is such an enjoyment to see him blossom. There were times that I was very frustrated with him and want to throw my hands up in the air, and bemoan my decision on having a baby. Other times, looking at him with his cute smile (especially when he's looking at me), it makes it all worth it. So let's hope I keep that sentiment in mind when he's older and starting to test my nerves.

He's now eating more solids and crawling actively. He's started to stand and is now trying to do it without support. He can only do it for a few seconds at a time, but that's ok. He also particularly likes using mommy's and daddy's legs to pull himself up, especially when he wants to be carried or be brought up to the computer. I believe that he can now understand what we are trying to say since he would literally chase after me when I say "nen nen", which means milk in Chinese.

He's also more chatty now, though still no "ma-ma" or "ba-ba". I think he's trying to form words but can't get there yet. I'm not too worried. I'm letting him develop at his own pace, rather than forcing him. I am trying to teach him some signing but he's not too interested in the DVD. He would rather turn the tv on and off, instead of watching it. But we do try to teach him some, especially the cues for milk and food. He recognizes it but have no idea how to form the signs with his hands. I see him waving his hands or moving his wrists, but I'm not sure if he's making the signs or just figuring out what he can do with his hands.

He likes getting his diaper changed, and would squeal in delight when I carry him to the bathroom. He's such a water baby. When daddy carries him, he would literally kick his legs in joy and daddy would need to hold him tight else he would drop out of daddy's arms. Since Yvesander can stand now, I would prop him up and tell him to hold the ledge of the tub as I clean him with the shower. It's not possible for me to carry him and the shower hose at the same time since he's about 20 pounds right now. Such a big boy :) And to think, the doctor was worried about his weight during the 9 months visit.

In a few weeks time, I would be heading home to Asia to visit my family for the English and Chinese New Year. I can't wait though I feel a bit bittersweet as hubby won't be able to join us till February. I feel that hubby will miss out on Yvesander's development when he's in Asia. I know that Yvesander will grow up a lot, especially with all the stimulation and distraction that my family will provide. I know that Gong-gong and Po-po will dote and spoil him constantly, while his Xiao Yi-yi and Ah Gu will be vying for his attention with the laptop. Just thinking about it makes me smile, though I feel sad that daddy can't be there to participate.

Never fear, I will try to take as many photos and videos and upload for daddy to see. That's partly why I have a netbook now. This way, I can talk to hubby everyday via laptop and so that he can see Yvesander through the webcam. Hopefully the Internet connection will be good enough to support this.

Now I need to stop and go to sleep since tomorrow will be another day of handling my bundle of energy. My mom saw him today via the webcam and wonders how I ever get anything done with him wiggling all over the place. Truth is, I wait till he's asleep or when daddy gets home :D Daddy's so good at distracting Yvesander :)

First snow day~!!

Today was Yvesander's first snow day. It started snowing heavily last night and continued till early this morning. When it stopped, there was about 8 inches on the ground. Hubby didn't go back to bed after Yvesander woke up for his morning milk at 7am. He decided that he might as well go out and clear the snow from the car and part of the driveway. I wanted to go back to sleep but Yvesander had other plans: poop.

Anyway, woke up, changed him and made hubby his breakfast. After we both ate, we decided to put Yvesander into a snowsuit that I got from my earlier baby shopping. It was a teeny bit snug as it was meant for a 9 month baby. Yvesander is now 10 months. How fast he's grown.

So once he was suited up and put on the wool beanie that I crocheted, out we went for a photo op. It was cold, so we had to make it fast. I plopped him on the snow, and hubby snapped the photos. Since he kind of fell back, I decided to lie him down and moved his limbs to make a little snow angel. Then we decided to call it a day and went back in. I think the whole thing took less than 10 minutes. Even though he was bundled up real well, we didn't want to take a risk.

We basically spent the rest of the day at home. It was cold and windy, perfect day for staying home. We were supposed to head to PA to grab some organic lamb but decided against it since the snowstorm hit the entire East Coast. We didn't want to get caught in traffic, or risk it on the roads in case they have not cleared it. I'll probably make arrangements to pick it up the following week, on the condition that the weather holds up.

8 month update

Yvesander will be turning 9 months in about 2 weeks time. I do have to say time has passed by quite fast. Must be due to all those sleepless nights that we've been getting. We're still being woken up twice a night for his nightly feedings. I wish that it would stop but it seems like a pretty common occurrence for breast-fed babies. But I was hoping that since I'm starting him on solids, it would get better too. Sadly, not the case.

Baby has advanced by leaps since my last entry. He can now crawl very easily and constantly getting himself into trouble. As with all babies, he goes straight for the DVD player and the cable box. He aims for the cable box due to the flashing lights that indicates that the internet and power is on and active. Plus there a yellow cable attached to the cable box that he likes as well. Loves to take it and put it in his mouth. Must be because it's a striking colour. Either way, I cannot take my eyes off him now.

He can also stand now, but with our assistance. He would crawl to me when I'm sitting by my computer, pull at my pant legs and try to get himself up. Or he'll make lots of noise so that we pay attention to him and he'll pull himself up once we give him our hands. I would usually put my hands down by his level and tell him to give me his hands in Mandarin. He would put his hands in mine, grip my fingers and try to pull himself up. Usually he's pretty successful, unless he's wearing socks. We also witnessed him being able to pull himself up in his crib, so daddy had to lower the crib, in case Yvesander decides to launch himself out like Superman.

His new thing these days is blowing raspberry. Apparently he's a bit late in that development since the book says that babies can do it in their 6th or 7th month. Perhaps Yvesander wasn't all that interested until his grandma and 2 great-aunts came to visit. Yup, my in-laws came and stayed with us for about 1 week before heading off to Chicago for my SIL's wedding. Yvesander got a lot of stimulation during those 2 weeks, which probably caused his recent advancement. Plus he got to sit in the plane for the first time. It also served as our gauge on how he'll behave during the long flight home to Malaysia in January. All I have to say is I'd better be prepared for lack of sleep during the entire flight...haih

He also went for his first Halloween party yesterday (1st November), dressed as a little skeleton with a cap that said "Bad to the bone". It was hosted by a mom that I met during the new mom's group at the hospital. It was a potluck and so we brought carrot cupcakes and buffalo wings. We were about 1 hour late since Yvesander needed to nap. He napped for about 2 hours, which was a surprise. Needless to say when we got there, the party was winding down and the babies were starting to melt-down for their afternoon nap. It wasn't a complete loss since Yvesander had a chance to interact with other babies and get praised at..hahahha.. everyone kept on saying how cute he was. Talk about proud parents..HAHAHAHAHA..

As for his progress on solid foods, I'm still a bit slow in introducing new foods to him though he did get a chance to eat quite a variety during my in-laws' visit. We were out quite a bit and he got a chance to eat at whatever we got (as long as it wasn't salty or sweet). He kept on eyeing the food and he would do his little variation of licking lips (though with a bit more drool). Since I'm back home now, I can make him more stuff. Trying to introduce him fruits and veggies from the different plant families. Sometimes I just feed him from my bowl. A bit easier though the rice is probably a bit hard for him to digest. But that's ok, just going to let him have a taste so he won't be too picky in the future. The only thing I'm having trouble giving him is cheese. He doesn't like the smell..he would actually shy away from the spoon and scrunch up his face. It's really funny to see :D

Anyway, taking things slowly now. I'm in no particular rush to make him grow up fast. I believe he'll progress at his own pace, but perhaps with some help from us. Still trying to read to him. Can't get him to sit down long enough for me to finish a book. That kid is either trying to crawl away or intent on snatching the book away from me. Naughty naughty, but such a joy to see and hug (except for those frustrating moments when we are trying to get him to sleep or behave himself)

Yvesander's first tooth

It's official: Yvesander's first tooth finally broke through. How did I find out? I put my finger into his mouth and started rubbing his lower gums. Lo and behold, I felt something hard and nubby. Rubbed it a few more times just to confirm, and it's really his tooth.

We've been seeing signs of it for a few weeks now. Grey areas on his lower gums, plus all the extra drooling and chewing that he's been doing. We were just waiting for it to happen, and it finally did. I suspect his second tooth will come in pretty soon since the grey areas are next to each other. Probably have to be more careful during nursing now since he might decide to test out his new tooth on me..Just the thought of it is making me go ouch. I read some horror stories online, so I'd better be careful.

He's getting really big now. Big, mobile and vocal. Very very vocal when it comes to feeding. Big as in a very heavy boy as compared to other babies his own age. Mobile as in moving all over his play area. He's moving backwards now, haven't learnt to move forward yet. He can do a 180 on his belly, and can move off his play mat. Hubby even took a picture of him under the futon. Yup, he managed to scoot himself under the futon. How he did it, we can only imagine but he'll be a bundle of trouble once he's officially mobile. I guess I better enjoy the peaceful time now.

Going on to 7 months

So Yvesander will be going on to 7 months next week. And boy, time does pass very fast. It sounds rather cliche but it's quite true. One day he was just this little thing, and now he's his own person. He's able to turn over at will , and starting to crawl. Well, it's more like moving on his belly, but he can easily scoot backwards. He's starting to use his arms and legs to move his bum up. And he can be on his knees as well. Pretty soon, he'll be all over the place. The only thing is that he can't sit up unsupported yet, but that will come with time.

I've also started him on solids, though not on a regular basis. His first food was bananas and he took it pretty well. I gave him brown rice porridge, but he didn't take to it as well as the bananas. So far, he's tried fish (cooked it in the brown rice porridge), apples and white-fleshed peaches. I gave him the peach last night, and I guess it was a bit tart since he kept on making his funny face. Though that didn't stop him from lunging for the spoon. He doesn't take a lot, just a few baby teaspoons and then he's done. Still fully nursing him, so he's getting sufficient nutrients.

I have to say, he's really quite adorable. His smile and laugh just makes you melt, and almost forget about his crying and screaming moments. He's quite demanding, which is no surprise if he's anything like me..hahaha.. though it would be nice if he does have a bit of his dad's laid-back personality. Maybe that will come later. Other than that, he's a good baby. Smiles and laughs easily when he sees me :D Except for when he fusses for milk or nap.

I'll be starting him on his next set of swimming classes next week. Hopefully he'll still be a good baby in the water. He's changing his nap time, which is bad since it clashes with the swim class. So it's either I keep him up (which is bad), or I let him nap and wake him up early for the class. Have to see what happens next week.

First swim lesson

So the little munchkin went for his first swim lesson today, plus it was also the first time I drove without hubby by my side. Talk about a day of firsts.

Anyway, day started really weird with him crying uncontrollably when I was trying to feed him. Couldn't really understand why. He didn't want me to comfort it, only wanted his dad. I figured it was because my smell had changed a bit so he was confused. Took a shower and then all was right again.

Then Yvesander played a while after feeding and took his morning nap. While he was napping, I was getting ready for the class. I knew I had to leave early since it was my first time driving without hubby and needed a bit more time getting there. Didn't want to drive too fast, or panicking that I was going to be late. Anyway, Yvesander woke up at the right time from his nap, and I quickly changed his diaper and fed him. He must have been thinking that it was his lucky day.

Next, drove to the swimming pool. It's located at a sports club near our home, so it's not too bad. The only issue is that the roads are really bumpy and there always seem to be doing construction on it. So today was no different, except that there were traffic police guiding the cars. Yay~~!! That means no crazy drivers..hehehehe.

So we got there early, about 5 minutes to spare. I quickly got changed and put our stuff in the locker. Went down to the pool, and saw a familiar face or two. One of the instructors was a mom in my mommy's group. I knew she worked at the club, but I didn't know that she was an instructor. Plus there was another mom who was also letting her baby take swim lessons.

Since this was the first class for Yvesander (and I suspect the other babies there had already taken the class before), we needed a bit more instruction than most. Yvesander didn't have much problem enjoying the water, he seems so comfortable in it. He was busy sucking his hand while floating around in the pool (of course I was supporting him the entire time). I was trying to move his legs in kicking motion, but it was a bit hard on me. Even though the water helped support Yvesander's weight, he's still a pretty heavy baby. I think my back and arms were a bit sore..HAHAHAHA..

Overall, I think it was a good class for him. He was having fun and only fussed when I was dressing him after the shower since he was tired. 30 minutes is definitely enough to tire him and mommy out..hehehe..I still need to figure out how to give myself and him a shower at the same time. Put him on the shower floor while I was showering but not sure if that's a good idea.. I'll need to improvise the next time I'm there :D

My big baby boy

So, the little munchkin will turn 5 months tomorrow. And I do have to say, he's quite a big munchkin. I went to the mother's group yesterday and he weighed in at about 18 pounds and 6 ounces. Granted, I had just fed him and he had all his clothes and diaper on. But 18 pounds??~!!! He was just 16++ pounds during his 4 months visit.

Seriously, what am I feeding this kid?? All he's getting is breast-milk. I must have super-nutritious breast-milk or something. I don't think I feed him too often. He only eats when he's hungry, so that equates to about 5 to 6 feedings a day, depending on when he gets up from his nap. He would turn away from the breast once he has enough. I sometimes will offer him if I don't think he has enough, but he would just purse his lips and keep it shut. He would give me this look that says, "What are you doing, mommy? I just ate."

Other than that, he's a healthy boy. His personality is starting to come through and he's so like me :D Stubborn, loves his sleep, cranky when his feeding is delayed, etc. He's a very strong boy too. When we put him on the potty (yes, I'm toilet-training him at his age), he'll try to push off with his legs. Hubby needs to hold him, partly because he still cannot sit up, but also because he'll push his way off the potty.

So far, he hasn't shown much interest in the toys I've bought for him. The only thing he likes so far is his jumper. He gets to bounce around on it. Yup, boing boing boing. He has fun, and it's a good thing too since I would put him there to entertain himself if I need to go off and do something. I think it'll take him some time to get used to his other toys. It took him a few weeks to get started on his hanging floor toy. He spent all that time trying to figure out what it was and what he was supposed to do with it. He's developing his motor skills (hands) but it's taking a while. No rush and pressure from me. He'll grow and develop when he's ready. For the time being, I'll just have those toys available for when he's ready to pick up and play with them.

And he's started to roll over. He discovered it while throwing a tantrum one day..hahahaha. Now, he's rolling at will. Of course he can't do a continous roll yet, nor do I want him to start. He just roll from his back to his tummy. He doesn't know how to get back or continue the rotation. But that's ok. I'm in no rush because once he starts it, I cannot take my eyes off him. He has also learned how to sleep on his side or his tummy. I don't mind, except that we have to get up in the middle of the night to turn him over when he cries, and pop the pacifier back in his mouth. Yeah, no full night of sleep just yet. Still need to wake up to put to pacifier in, and these days, to turn him over. Hubby's doing the night duty and I do pity him. He needs his sleep. But short of putting Yvesander on the bed with us, or me taking over the night duty, hubby's got to continue doing this till Yvesander can sleep through the night. I do hope he does that soon cause mommy also wants a full night sleep.

Ahh..the joys of parenthood. Now I'm getting ready to sign him up for his first swim lesson. It's pretty expensive here but oh well. The things we do for our kids. Partly it's because we want them to experience something that we didn't have growing up, but also to keep them ahead of the curve. Crazy, but we're competitive in our own way. I'll write about his swim lesson once he starts. Not sure how he'll take to it but I think he'll like since he likes bathtime in his tub. Kick kick.. just hope the water is warm enough for him..hahahahah

Yvesander's birth

As mentioned earlier, Yvesander was born on Feb 17th 2009, 9 days before his expected due date. Luckily for us, we had everything prepared except for the installation of the carseat. Hubby had set an appointment and was going to get it done on Tuesday.

The story of how Yvesander came out is quite funny. Monday was a holiday, I think it was MLK Day. I had a chiropractor appointment in the morning. Hubby didn't have to work since the financial markets were closed. I had my back adjusted and made an appointment to see the chiropractor again the following week. He wanted to adjust my back and hips to prepare for the birth.

Anyway, after the appointment, we went home, had lunch and just went about our daily activities. For me, it meant napping :D Plus I cooked dinner that night because the fridge was empty. Made spam fried rice. So we finished dinner at about 7pm and was settling down to relax for the night. At about 7.55pm or so, I went to use bathroom before watching the show "Chuck". As I was getting up, I was telling hubby that I wouldn't mind if baby came out a bit early.

So I went to the bathroom and did my business. As I was cleaning up, I noticed that there was some blood on the tissue. I thought nothing much of it since the OBGYN did say that I would have some discharge as I get closer to the due date. But as I got up and out of the bathroom, I felt stuff come out. I went back to the bathroom and checked, and there was more discharge but it was fresh blood rather than dried up blood. The doctor said discharge but she didn't say that it would be fresh blood.

So that got me a bit scared, I went out, told hubby that I might need to call the OBGYN's office since I have some bloody discharge. It just so happened that my regular OBGYN was on leave that day, so I talked to her replacement. She told me to get checked into the hospital, just to be safe.

At about 8.30pm, hubby and I are at the hospital. The OBGYN had called in earlier and the nurse was expecting me. By now, I was a bit concerned since I wasn't sure what was going on. As this is my first child, I have no idea what to expect and everyone was expecting the baby to come late. So if anything happened out of the ordinary, one would be panicking. And I was panicking. I was trying my best not to panic but I sort of broke down once I was in the hospital room since I have no idea what was going on.

The nurse had me change into a hospital gown and brought me to the bed. By this time, hubby had parked the car and was waiting. The doctor in charge came in and took a look down there. As he was poking around down there, I felt some pressure and then liquid gushing out. I guess my water broke and that was what I saw at home. I was surprised since I haven't been feeling any contractions. You read from the book and they say that you'll be feeling contractions before your water breaks. Plus they also say that the first baby will usually be late, so that was why I was surprised when he announced that my water broke and that baby was going to be coming out soon. Anyhow, I was 1cm dilated by then.

With that, the nurse started to prep me for delivery. She drew blood for the tests, attached an IV to me and also a fetal monitor on my tummy. The purpose of the monitor is to measure my contractions as well as baby's heartbeat to make sure all is right. The nurse offered me a sleeping pill (Ambien), which I took since I figured I will need the sleep as everyone says that the baby won't arrive so soon. It was about 9.30pm. Hubby got a cot and both of us went to sleep.

At about 11pm, I started to feel the contractions. The nurse came back again and offered me Demerol which I took. The purpose of this was to dull the pain slightly so I can sleep. This way I would have enough energy to push when the baby comes. Once Demerol was administered, I went back to sleep.

However, I would not sleep for long since by 1am the contractions become much stronger and frequent. I think from hereon, I would not remember the details as clearly since it was overshadowed by the pain and the tiredness. Hubby told me later that I was holding his hands really tightly that he was grimacing in pain (but of course he didn't show me since I was in much greater pain than him). He also said that once the contraction was over, I would immediately went back to sleep, only to wake up for the next contraction. I do however remember telling the nurse that the baby was coming and I really needed to push. I think it must have been 2am then. The nurse asked if it was really because I needed to push or was it the need to use the bathroom to do the big one. Apparently before you give birth, you will feel the need to empty your bowels, which I did earlier when I first checked-in. So yes, I do the difference between bowel movements and the need to push.

Finally the OBGYN came. It must have been 4am at that time. The OB checked and agreed that I was ready. I think I heard that I was 7cm dilated. Like I said, everything was in a blur and time seemed to have passed quite fast from 11am to 4am. The OB was starting to get everything ready for the birth. I do remember having an oxygen mask put over my head to help me breathe during the labour.

By 4.30am or so, the OB started to ask me to push. Now this part I do sort of remember. I remember pushing 4 times with each contractions, though the OB only asked me to push 3 times. I felt that there was enough time from the 3rd push to the end of the contraction for one more push., so I just went ahead. It was better than feeling the contraction pains. I remember holding hubby's hands and also one of the nurse's hands. I also remember telling the OB that I didn't want an episiotomy, though the OB overruled me on that as the baby started to crown.

After 45 mins of pushing, Yvesander was born. When he finally came out, I remember feeling a big whoosh and sudden relief in pressure. Next thing I know, I hear the baby crying. They placed the baby on my belly for a while before whisking him away to be weighed and checked. By then I was tired and sleepy. The OB continued asking me to push and was pressing on my tummy to get the rest of the placenta and stuff out from my womb. After that, I remember her giving me an injection and sewing up the episiotomy cut. I told the OB that I could feel her giving me the anesthesia and sewing me up. Funny that that pain was sharper than the childbirth pain.

After she was done, and the baby weighed and such, he was placed in my arms till it was ready to wheel me to my recovery room. I was falling asleep while carrying him. I was trying my hardest to keep awake but I was dozing off. I think hubby was thinking pictures, but like I said it was all a blur. I have a feeling that it was a combination of the Ambien, Demerol and childbirth.

By about 7am, I was finally wheeled to my maternity suite. They took the baby away to the nursery. Hubby had to leave me to get the carseat installed since we had set up an appointment for that day and we didn't want to miss it. You can't take the baby home if the car seat is not installed. Hubby left and I konked out immediately and didn't wake up till he came back and ordered breakfast. I was tired and ravenous. Breakfast came and both hubby and I ate our first meals as parents before taking a much needed rest.

Thinking back, the delivery didn't seem as bad as some. It was definitely shorter than my sis's experience. I think all the yoga I did during the pregnancy helped. Plus I was kind of relaxed, which sped up the dilation. It was probably the expectation that it would take about 12 hours or more before we would see much activity that made me take the Ambien and Demerol. Probably a blessing in disguise since I don't think I would have lasted through 24 hours of contractions and labour.

Anyway, baby Yvesander was born in less than 12 hours after my water broke. And the best part, he's my hubby's birthday present. Yup, both him and hubby share the same birthday date. Definitely not expected but a nice surprise. Now I have one less birthday date to remember..hehehee..

It's been a while

It's been a while since I last updated my blog and I do have to say that a lot of things have happened. The most important of which is the birth of my son, Yvesander. Yup, he's finally out of the womb and into this big scary world. He came about 9 days early and totally unexpected. I really thought that he would be late, but lo and behold, he decided to make his entrance early.

The past few months have been quite hectic and fulfilling (I guess I can use that word). Hectic is a given since my days are now driven by his schedule vs. mine. He would wake up at 7am, cry for his milk, get fed, changed, and then brought to his little play area in the living room where he would proceed to play with his toy for 10 minutes or so before going off for his morning nap. He takes pretty short naps, so he'll be up again in about 1 hour and at the same cycle repeats itself till bedtime at 8pm. He sort of sleeps through the night without feeding, just waking up for his pacifier. Poor hubby has to get up and give it to Yvesander. Such a naughty boy. Hoping that he'll sleep through the night soon since neither of us had a full night's sleep since he was born.

The first month was seriously tough. The constant waking up in the middle of the night to feed and the changing of diapers. But I think the biggest change was having to adjust to him. It's weird since before his arrival, we could do whatever we want and without a care in the world. Now we have this little one who is completely dependent on us. I believe this is what all new parents go through. You only understand the big adjustment in life once the baby arrives. Everyone can tell you what to expect, but you won't fully comprehend it till the baby shows up.

Now Yvesander is about 3.5 months and growing cuter by the day. I think I'm quite lucky in that he's a good baby. He's not very needy, only needs attention when he needs to feed, changed or have been left alone for too long. I do play with him but most of the time, I leave him to his own devices. I'm also quite lucky that hubby is very supportive as well. He helps with during diaper change and feeding time. He's also quite happy to spend time with Yvesander, giving me a much needed break to do my weekly yoga class, or to cook dinner, or just to take a breather. Thanks dear, don't think I could have done this alone.

Interesting and productive weekend

Last weekend, hubby and I decided to do some exploring. Been meaning to check out this UK grocery store for a while since I've been looking for Cadbury chocolates. Haven't exactly been craving for chocolates, but have a feeling that the craving will come back once baby is born.

Anyway, there are 2 UK food stores near our area. Near being a relative term since the one we went to was about 50 mins away, via highway and small country roads. The one we went to was close to Danbury. We've been meaning to explore the area for a while since if we decide to stay here permanently, Danbury would be our best bet for a reasonably priced house with land.

On Saturday, we left at about 10am or so since hubby had to work a bit in the morning. As we were planning to have lunch right after visiting the UK store, we decided to stop by the Christmas Tree Shoppe in Danbury (it was on the way). Been meaning to visit the store since I was looking for cheap imported jams as well as any other imported food goodies that they have. I always find that the CTS have some rather unique finds (at least for me). I ended up buying 4 jars of jam (3 from France and 1 from US), 2 boxes of Merci chocolates, 1 lamp for baby's changing table, 1 box of Cadbury covered biscuits (from UK), 1 kitchen mitt and 1 pack of stickies furniture feet (so that it won't scratch the floor). Not too bad, and the damage to wallet wasn't that bad either...hahahhaa..

Next we went to the UK shop. I figured that I won't spend too much time there since I was only looking for chocolates. We found the store and went in. It was quite small, much smaller than what was depicted on their website. Anyway, found my chocolates, bought a couple of varieties to last me a while till I can find another source..hahaha..

Then it was time for lunch since I was starting to get hungry. We passed by the lunch place on the way to the chocolate store. I let hubby decide on the choice of restaurants since I wasn't particularly picky on food these days. So he chose this German restaurant called Old Heidelberg. It's a quaint place, probably was a house that was converted into a restaurant. He said that the restaurant had good reviews and decided to give it a try.

We weren't sure what to order since it was our first time there. So we ordered a wurst/sausage appetizer, I had a schnitzel (always wondered what it was) and hubby ordered roast pork. When the appetizer came, I was shocked at the portion. It was huge, but I have to say the wursts was good. It tasted like the sausages we used to get from back home. Mustard apparently goes really well with it. Too bad our wursts was only chicken and pork since hubby can't eat beef. Shucks.. We didn't eat too much of the appetizer since we wanted to save space for the main course.

Next came the main dishes: my schnitzel and hubby's roast pork. Mine was ok, it was a manageable portion, though hubby's one was definitely an eye opener. I think they mistakenly gave him a pork shank, instead of the roast pork. It was HUGE. It reminded me of the time where hubby also made a similar decision and ordered lamb shank from a restaurant in SF. We thought that the portion would be small but lo and behold, a giant piece of pork with the bone still attached. I found the situation so funny, and so did hubby. Too bad we didn't have a camera to take pictures of his dish.

Anyway, hubby's dish was goood.. I especially like the crispy pork skin. It wasn't oily or salty like the chinese roast pork from the grocery store in White Plains. The meat was tender, and tastes pretty good with the mustard. Mine was ok, but I think I preferred hubby's dish. We both ate as much as we possibly can, and packed the leftovers home. I had decided that I was going to heat up the leftover wursts on the following day, and eat it with beans and toast. As for hubby's dish, it was going to be our dinner on the following day :D

We'll probably go there again. I think my BIL would love it since the portions are huge and they have a lot of German beers on hand..hehehehe..

After that, we headed home. We decided to try a new route by taking a major highway home since the local roads were quite slow. We didn't have a chance to plot a new return route so went based on our gut (so to speak). We ended up at White Plains, near the Asian grocery store and decided to do our groceries as we were already there. I didn't feel like going out the following day, especially if we were already in the area.

So, with groceries done, we headed home, unpacked and I took a nap since I was so tired. I had skipped yoga that day since my regular teacher was not teaching that day.

The following day, we decided that it would be a day for chores. We had to set up the crib for baby and clean the apartment. Hubby did the setting up, though I did help a bit. Don't worry, no heavy lifting. After that was done, I took a nap since I was tired..hahaha..really tired these days. Then came lunch, which was the leftover wursts with toasts and beans. After that, hubby vacuumed the apartment, while I wasn't sure what I did. Can't remember, probably was in front of the computer surfing the web. But I did swifter the floor earlier when hubby was setting up the crib. There was a lot of packaging materials on the floor.

Once those chores were done, we drove out to throw the crib's boxes and went to Target. Someone mentioned a sale on crib sheets, so we went to Target to take a look. Plus we do need to get a couple, so might as well. Once that was done, we went home and I made carrot cake cupcakes :D By now hubby was really tired, so I did most of the work. He helped with the cleaning :D I was trying out the recipe for the first time, so it turned out ok. Not too sweet, just the way I like it. I think hubby wanted cream cheese frosting, but too bad :p

After that, it was just relaxing at home. Busy busy weekend, but not too bad. I'm happy with what was accomplished :) We'll probably take it easier next weekend though I'm tempted to check out the other UK store..mmmmm..

9th Month Update

So I'm in my 9th month now.  Counting down to the day when baby is born.  So far I've gained 30.5 pounds, as of the last doctor's visit.  Now my visits are once a week.  During the last visit, doctor checked me for the strep B virus/bacteria, so the next visit onwards probably would be checking for baby's growth, heartbeat, dilation, etc.

I don't really do much lately.  I found a new website and is kind of addicted to it.  I've decided to cloth diaper my baby, instead of using disposable diapers.  So I searched around and found this website/forum for families who cloth diapers their kids.  Very very informative, and also very addictive.  It's quite fun reading about other people's experience and their advice for first-timers.  You can also buy used diaper items from the moms online, so it's a good option other than ebay.  In this day and age, especially with the economy being so bad, being able to save money is quite important.

I still do yoga 3 times a week, though I'm taking it easier now.  Taking 3 different type of classes as well: anusara, vinayasa and pre-natal.  Some of the poses are getting harder due to the increasing size of my belly.  But other than that, I'm fine.  I don't walk as much either, since it's probably not too safe for me to out walking alone.  So I'm home most of the time.  My sense of taste and smell is still dulled, but that's ok.  I make myself eat every 2 hours, or let baby tell me to eat :D  Still have to watch what and how much I eat since I can't tell whether I'm full or not until it's too late..haih...

Most of baby's stuff have been bought and prepped for his arrival.  The carseat is bought, crib bought and set up, and we just bought the crib sheets today.  I just need to wash them and set it up on the bed.  Now I just need to figure out what kind of arrangement I want to set up for the baby's clothes and diapers for easy access and stuff.

Other than that, everything is ready and all I can do now is wait...

Pregnancy Update

So I'm now in my 8th month. Can't believe it's January and I have less than 2 months left to go. Of course the evidence is in front of me (i.e. my ever-growing belly).

I've gained a total of 26 pounds as of my last visit, with the 6 pounds being added on in the past 3 weeks. This is the largest weight gain I've had since my pregnancy started. I've been averaging about 1 pound a week for the past few months, and was aiming to keep the pace till the end of my pregnancy. The recommended healthy weight gain for a pregnancy is 30 to 35 pounds, depending on whether the mother was under or overweight before the pregnancy. It surprised me that I've gained so much because I have been fighting a sore throat/cough/cold for the past 3 weeks or so. I haven't had much appetite or sense of smell and taste due to the sickness. Plus it's making my brain a bit fuzzy as well. If it wasn't for the baby kicking to let me know it's time to eat, I probably wouldn't eat anything.

The doctor couldn't do much about the cough thingy because there isn't a lot of medicines that I can take. She recommended Robitussin (a cough mixture) but that's about it. I've been advised to drink lots of fluids, rest and continue eating well. I'm just hoping to kick this soon because it's quite frustrating not being able to enjoy food or drink, or tell when I'm hungry or full. Plus not being able to think clearly and not have interest in my surroundings really suck.

Other than that, pregnancy is progressing as normal. Starting to feel all the achiness from the growing belly. Back hurts more, having trouble breathing while lying down, waddling now, and also waddling at a slower pace..hahahaha. Getting out the car also getting tougher, that's normal I guess. I'm still going to yoga but have to take it even slower now since the belly is getting in the way of some of the poses. The teacher is starting to give me more variations to accomodate my growing belly. But other than that, I'm trying to keep to my normal routine for as long as possible. Hopefully I can continue my 3 times a week yoga class till the end of my pregnancy. Ambitious, aren't I?? *grin*

Long Update: Part 1

It's been almost 1.5 months since I last updated my blog. I'm not sure what I've been doing to warrant such a long hiatus. Perhaps it was due to a lack of stuff to report, or just getting ready for my mom and youngest sis to arrive. They finally arrived on Dec 7th at JFK airport. We went there to pick them up and was a bit worried about the luggages, since I was told that they brought 6 suitcases.

They were among the last to come out due to immigration and also because they had no idea where to pick up their baggage. I guess JFK doesn't have a tv screen to announce where the baggage will come out from. Oh well... but they finally came out and the suitcases wasn't as bad as I thought. It was cold and windy that day, as it snowed the previous day. So we brought my old winter coats for them to wear. Considering that they just came from a tropical country where it's consistently above 90F, the cold was a shock to them.

We drove back to Stamford and immediately started to unpack the suitcases. I got lots of goodies from home; my M&S digestive biscuits, Jacob's biscuits, instant rendang mix, and kuih kapit (just to name a few). My mom also brought Chinese herbs for my confinement, as well as for my 2nd sis. So my freezer got stocked up with stuff. We had to sort through which stuff will go to my 2nd sister since it would not have been possible for my mom to check-in those on her flight to Vermont. The airlines here have started charging a minimum of $25 for each check-in luggage, so we decided that shipping the stuff over to Vermont was best since it would be cheaper and my mom wouldn't have to carry them. Luckily we chose that route since 1) we bought more stuff for my sis and 2) they had some trouble with their luggage on the way to Vermont. The flight was delayed by at least 3 hours and the luggage didn't arrive in Vermont till 3 days later (but that's another story).

Anyway, both hubby and I was trying to keep my mom and youngest sis awake so that they won't get jetlag. We took them out to the nearby Chinese grocery store so my mom can do some grocery shopping for cooking. I really miss my mom's cooking and wanted her to cook some of my favourite stuff (i.e. fried rice). Plus it was also an opportunity to her to see what's around in my area so that she'll have an idea of what she will have on hand when it's time for my confinement. After grocery shopping, we went to have dinner at the nearby Chinese restaurant since the regular American fare might be a bit too much for her to process.

Then we head on home, where they proceeded to call my dad to let them know that they have arrived safely. Soon after, they crashed for the night.