Kayden 8 weeks - 2 months

Kayden is 2 months old! He now weighs 5.2kgs, that's almost a kilo since we weighed him at his health check 3 weeks ago. But I am not expecting him to keep gaining weight like this. Most breastfed babies gain lots during the first couple of months, then the weight gains slows down.

He has since hit several milestones of his age too. Mr Bobble Head is able to lift his head up momentarily when perched up on my shoulder. He smiles spontaneously (he smiles to himself or to the toys on his cot mobile) and responsively (when spoken to). Sometimes, I even catch him giggling in his sleep! Adorable when that happens!

My favourite would be that kayden has already started to 'baby talk'! He coos and babbles. We have 'conversations' in which he responds by going 'uhhhhhhh' 'ahhhhh' 'orrrrrrrrhhh' and then breaks into a wide toothless grin!

The not so favourite would be that he is already starting his drooling phase! Something I always thought would happen more at the 6 months mark where they are supposed to be teething (although some parenting materials I have read says it can start from the 3 month mark). U can see hin playing with the bubbles on his lips here!

Dirty laundry

Its amazing how much dirty laundry there is to do for a little person!!! The laundry rack is always being used these days. I have a little chucker on my hands. Kayden tends to throw up quite a bit of his feed most times. And not surprisingly, it ends up on his clothes. He goes through at least 2 to 3 change of clothes most days. Plus towels, handkerchiefs, socks and mittens!

On the side note, its true! That the sound of the kettle or washing machine lulls and soothes a baby to sleep. Some people even say that the AM channel of a radio station with that buzzing white noise does the trick too (if you can stand it). Kayden loves the sound of the washing machine doing its thing. He listens, and then dozes off.

Kayden at 7 weeks - Sleep deprivation

Kayden is 7 weeks old. And I am a walking zombie. Sleep? What is that? Gone were the days where I sleep for at least 6 hours! Going into REM mode for 2 hours is bliss these days! Kayden is still on 3 hourly feeds. It can take up to an hour or so to feed him at times. He suckles for about 30 minutes then I burp him. He tends to throw up abit of his feed most times, so I prop him up on my sholder for a little while more to make sure it all stays down. Otherwise, he will be grizzly again in 2 hours. And that, is exhausting. Because eg. it means, 2pm feed, finish at 3pm, and then at 4pm *waaaaa!!!!* and its feed time again. NOT fun. And makes mommy highly grouchy.



I have started him on formula feeds for night time in bid he sleeps longer (as formula takes longer to digest compared to breast milk). However, it still means that I am up hazy eyed twice during the night. Hazy eyed, legs, arms and eyes in auto pilot mode shuffling around and feeding him.

He has started sleeping for 4-5 hour stretches duringt he night this week. Its either the start of a sleeping pattern or that he is exhausted from all the X'mas festivities! The poor little man was so exhausted he managed to sleep through all the noise at the annual Christmas day dinner at a cousin's!


Edited to add: Oh my, I've read over this entry 7 months later. I was sleep deprived back then alright! All those spelling and grammatical errors! Haha! 

Merry Christmas 2009!

Merry Christmas 2009 everyone! Best wishes for a joyous and feastful season.


My exhausted santa's little helper was exhausted after LOL!

Kayden 6 weeks

Baby Kayden has been keeping his mommy extremely busy! I am sneaking this post in before his next feed!

Firstly, a quick update from my previous post. As you can probably see, Kayden is no longer jaundiced. YAY! Another visit to his paeditrician told us that all is well, he just had prolonged neonatal jaundice. However, during the visit he had the snuffles, his doctor suspected he might have a blocked nasel passage further down in his throat, and so the poor little man had to have a catheter stuffed right into his throat via his nose. The doc assured us it was nog painful at all, the catheter was extremely soft and smooth, it would just be uncomfortable for him. But, it was so painful to watch! Hubby couldn't bear to see it close up so I had to hold his head still while the doc did her thing!

Our delightful little mini is now 6 weeks old and weighed 4.3kgs at his last checkup. I use past tense because he seems to weigh heavier than that now. It won't be too long before I am going to struggle carrying a wriggly baby in my arms.


He still wakes up for his feed every 3 hours or so. But, he is now starting to stay awake longer where he looks around the room. He looks at me with his big round eyes and is starting to respond to our little conversations by smiling! It is rare but when he does that toothless grin, it melts your heart!

Still jaundiced

As I posted in an earlier entry, Kayden was diagnosed with jaundice at 4 days old. He underwent phototherapy for 30 hours and seemed to be getting better. He is now almost 3 weeks old but still, I see the yellowness in his skin and definitely still in the whites of his eyes.

To top it off, he seems to be getting the sniffles and quite a bit of phlegm in his throat too. One night, he was even making those throat clearing sounds like an adult! My poor baby didn't sleep well that night.

His paediatrician has requested we go for his check up earlier, at 2 weeks rather than at the 6 week mark to check on his jaundice.

My only comfort is that he is still feeding extremely well, which helps to flush the bilirubin out of his jaundiced system. Still doing lots of wet and dirty nappies.

I wonder what his doctor will say? I get a feeling Kayden is going to need another heel prick, to do yet another blood test. I hate it when they do that to him, that pitiful cry that he makes and the whining he does after, is so heartbreaking! Hopefully the jaundice is not too serious, and he does not have to return to the hospital for more phototherapy. Of which, I might have to be warded too, so I can feed him during the treatment.

Hopefully we have some good news to start our weekend this week...

A different type of list

Some people have a little notebook that that jot down their baby's feed time, when baby does a wet/dirty nappy, just like at the hospital where they write it all down on the clipboard. So do I. But that's hardly interesting for u isn't it?


I have this sheet of paper stuck on my fridge ever since I got back to the hospital.







Its my drug list! I am on several analgesic (pain relief) ever since the delivery.I find it really hard to keep up with what I had. The pregnancy brain has been overtaken by the new mommy brain. So, to make sure that the drug doesn't wear off before the pain kicks in again, I had to keep track of what I have taken at what time! The drugs are to cope with the pain from the bruising and my stitches. I'm starting to come off it these days, but I was pretty much drugged up 24/7 at the very start.


Panadol is a must for my entree everytime, and depending on how I feel, Tremadol and Voltaren for breakfast lunch or dinner haha! I love it when the midwives used to come into my room and say, its time for your drugs! LOL!

My little piglet

Literally. What is the noise that pigs make? Grunts? Snorts? Whatever u call it, he makes that sound when he sleeps! Nobody told me until he was born, that babies are noisy sleepers!! He whimpers, sighs, sneezes, hiccups, stretches and then grunts and snorts in his sleep! Apparently most babies do!



I got frustrated and attempted to 'suck' out whatever was blocking his nasal passageway with this.

A baby mucous sucker.



But I found nothing! I was starting to wonder what was wrong, until the maternal nurse told me that it is normal, and babies do all that because their nasal passageway is so tiny. And they sneeze usually not because they have caught a cold but probably because of the lint from the linen.





But what about the hiccups? I forgot to ask. He STILL gets the hiccups! Its so cute to hear when he gets them, AND LOUD.

Growth spurt

All babies lose a percentage of their weight after birth. By the 3rd day, Kayden's weight was down to 2.8kgs. We were in hospital for a total of 6 nights. On day of discharge, I asked for him to be weighed again, but was gently told by the midwife that unless I really insist on it, she would prefer that we didn't. Being jaundiced, I was already naturally worried and she was concerned it would stress me out more if I knew he was losing more weight. So I left it as it is.


On his 7th day of life, the maternal nurse came for a routine check at home. He was clocked the scales at 2880gms.


When he was a week and 5 days old, the maternal nurse came again, and this time he weighed 3090gms and now measures 50cms!


My baby boy has grown! Kayden is fully on breastmilk, and because of that, I have no idea if he was getting enough. But he has been doing lots of wet and dirty nappies, which I am told is an extremely good sign of a well hydrated baby. The dirty nappies also helps flush the jaundice out of his system.






I was also told that a well fed baby settles and sleeps after a feed, which he does. He is being fed on demand and at the moment, it is every 2-4hours. The maternal nurse was extremely satisfied with his progress, and it gives me peace of mind knowing that I am adequately providing for my child.

My private solarium

Kayden's paediatrician diagnosed him moderately jaundiced on his 4th day of life. They wheeled in the phototherapy equipment into our room and Kayden was to be under treatment for 30 hours.

The little man LOVED it in there! He was mostly all curled up, snoozing away and giving little contented sighs every now and then.

Kayden's birth story

Be careful what you ask for because you might really get it! Baby Kayden came early like I was hoping he would. 13 days ahead of his due date.

Thursday. 5th November. 2.40pm.

Being pregnant can bring about constipation. I think you know where this is going. No need for embarassing public display of my waters breaking. No mess! And true to the fact, like they mentioned at the antenatal classes, contractions do not happen straight away once your waters break. I quickly called Hubby, my doctor and the hospital's emergency department who told me to get to the hospital as soon as I can.








We grabbed my bags and quickly left for the hospital as soon as Hubby got home from work. By 4pm, I was already having regular contractions that were about 5 minutes apart. Whatever happened to the contractions that were supposed to start gradually starting from 30 minutes apart? Liars I thought to myself! At that point, I was coping with the pains, which felt alot like period cramps, which I used to have severe cases of.
This was only the start of a looOOooong night ahead of us.
Time : 4pm.
Got the hospital, still smiling and coping. Midwife strapped me onto the machine that tracks my contractions and baby's galloping heartbeat. She officially tells me I am now in labour.
Obstetrician was with another patient delivering her baby, so I had to wait until he was done. Meanwhile, while waiting, my contractions were getting stronger. And the pain was getting to me. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, Hubby keeps reminding me.
Time: 7.30pm
Obstetrician finally arrives and tells me I am 3cm dialated. We took a slow short walk to my birthing suite. Midwife settles me into the calm and serene room, dimmed the lights and brought out a fit ball and a beanbag and tells me what positions I can use to help with the pain. But, all I could think of was I feel soooo feral. Waters still trickling and all I wanted was a shower. So I did. I must have been in there for the longest time. The 2 shower jets designed for the birthing suite aimed at my belly, and my lower back gave me some relief at last. Still, the contractions were getting even stronger. Back in the birthing suite, midwife asked if I wanted to try some of the gas to take my mind off the pain. It helped.
Until around 10.30pm.
After 3 agonizing hours, I was devastated when my obstetrician checks and tells me that I am 4cm dilated now. What!?!? After all that and only 1cm!!?? Arrrrrrrrrrrgh! I was ready to strangle someone. He suggested I go for an epidural. I declined but somehow ended up with a pethidine injection. It lasts about 3 hours he tells me and we are still a long way from delivering baby, so it will not affect baby when he arrives. (Pethidine makes the baby drowsy and hard to feed after delivery). I say yes, just do it already.
My anesthesist who was on standby this whole time, comes into the birthing suite to tell me he lives 1/2hour away. And he is going home to rest for the night. He asks me if I wanted the epidural now. I said no. Not yet. GO! Do whatever u want to do and leave me alone!! Obstetrician later tells me I didn't want to talk to anyone then LOL!
Friday. 6th November. 1am.
Not coping with the contractions anymore. I told hubby lets do the epidural. From there things happened fast. Anesthesist quickly returns and performs the insertion of the epidural. By 2am, I was pain free!!! I finally relaxed and managed to get some rest. Extremely strong contractions were still happening, but I was numb from chest down. Midwife had to keep an extremely close eye on me from then. I was only meant to be numb from waist down with even a little feeling in my feet. They were afraid it would seize my lungs up and cause me to stop breathing. I was extremely sensitive to the epidural.
8am.
Obstetriciam returns and tells me I am now 9cm dilated. YAY! Instructs the midwives to get ready for baby's delivery at 9am and I was to start pushing then.
9.24am.
Baby Kayden's cries filled the birthing suite. Hubby cuts the cord and Kayden was promptly handed to me bright and alert. He weighs 3.05kgs, head 33cm and 48cms in length. Midwife assisted me at breastfeeding shortly after. He was a natural at suckling at the breast , I heard some babies don't know how to.
Kayden is an averaged sized baby, but was considered large for my small frame. Obstetrician describes his birth like a train that came crashing through me. He told me shortly after that he had to perform an episiotomy, and that I was badly bruised internally because of his size. My long labour lasted 19 hours. Boy! Do I have a story to tell him when he is older!
The delivery was considered very successful, and the medical team left us 3 to bond.

Welcome to our world my baby boy!

Baby Kayden

Our little mini, Kayden, born 6th November at 9.24am.

Birth story to come soon....

37 weeks pregnant

On the home run! Another 2 more weeks or so to my due date and I can hardly wait! Bring on the soiled nappies and sleepless nights! I am ready! I am looking forward to being able to see and paint my toenailstoes, rid of my clumsiness, turn over in bed without heaving and panting after, be able to moisturize my legs more effectively, get rid of the soreness on my butt when I sit, go out for walks without feeling exhausted only after 1/2 of leaving the house, and this increasing pressure down there where baby feels like he is going to fall out!

But more importantly, to hold and cuddle a healthy mini me, after carrying him for 40 weeks. I whinge about all these pregnancy discomforts now, but I think somehow, I will miss having him inside of me. Sometimes it feels like I have a little friend I have with me all the time, where ever I am. Have him finally meet everyone around us who have been so generous with their caring words, help and gifts!

This week, I have been experiencing even more frequent Braxton Hicks contractions. They used to only happen mostly at night, but I am now even feeling them in the mornings. To date, I have put on about 11kgs. There is a slight backache that comes on and off throughout the day too. Groin pain is still there, but lesser, probably because I am eased off being on my feet. But that's probably what is causing the backache.

I try and sit on the fit ball more often, firstly, because it is more comfortable and it encourages an open position for the cervix which will help in an easier labour later on. I try to also sit cross legged whenever I can for the same reason.

Just playing the waiting game now....

What do u think?

Antenatal classes, friends and people I have met have told me there are a few ways u can soothe a crying baby. One of the ways include strapping baby in the baby capsule and driving around in circles for abit. The motion is supposedly meant to calm a distressed child down.

I get a very strong feeling that may not work for my mini.

Whenever I am in the car, baby really active. He starts wriggling and I feel his arm/leg/back pressing extremely hard against my skin. U know that maneuver in cartoons where dogs and cats are so terrified and they stretch out all 4 limbs against the 4 corners of the box or whatever they are contained in? I hope you know what I mean here. But that's exactly how I imagine or rather feel baby is doing whenever I am in a moving vehicle! I imagine him with his eyes opened startled and wide, arms and legs stretched in front of him, trying to steady himself!!!

He's either loving or hating the car rides. I am guessing the latter.

Engaged at 37 weeks

Yes! Went to the doc last night and he says the groin pains I have been getting is due to baby moving further down and is now deeply settled into my pelvis. Meaning he is engaged! Finally! So really, ANYTIME now. And I can hardly wait.

Technically speaking, we still have 2 more weeks to go, since he is only due at 40 weeks, the normal gestational period. But, if he's ripe and ready to go, so am I! So baby, please don't get too comfortable inside (doubt he is, otherwise, I won't be posting this entry at 6am in the morning!).

Did somebody say eating papayas will bring about early labour? Mom just let me have a huge bowl of it to myself last night *shrug* We also have a watermelon sitting in the fridge *wink*

Recipe: Spaghetti meatballs

This post is for a dear friend who has asked for the recipe sometime ago, here you go D!

Hubby finds it amusing that I won't eat spaghetti bolognese, yet I will have spaghetti meatballs. Haha! Technically the same thing, just presented differently. I just prefer something to cut into, rather than digging into a plateful of slush.

We usually have beef mince in the fridge and canned tomatoes in the pantry. It is a no brainer and really quick to whip up. I happened to have carrots and some bacon this time in the fridge too, but you don't have to. It could be just as simple as mince and onions really. Just based on my own estimation on things as usual, so really, taste as u go ok?





Me and my pregnant brain forgot to include the bay leaf and egg in the photo LOL....AND I forgot to take a photo of the actual dish itself! *slaps head!*But u guys know how spaghetti meatballs look like right?

Seriously, this pregnant brain thing had better not be permanent!

Spaghetti meatballs

serves 4

400gm beef mince

1/2 brown onion diced

1 egg

splash of worcestershire sauce (I use Lea & Perrins)

bit of sugar

bit of flour

bit of water

1.5 tsp mixed herbs (I use masterfoods)

pinch of thyme (masterfoods)

1 bay leaf (optional)

carrot diced (optional)

bacon diced (optional)

1 can italian whole peeled tomatoes in juice (u can use diced ones as well)

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

1. Mix the mince with the mixed herbs, egg, water, worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt and pepper. I see how the mixture looks like and then I put in some water and flour if necessary, it gives it more bite with the flour and prevents the meatballs from falling apart, and the water makes the meatballs alittle bit juicier. (sometimes I cheat and I also use sausages from the supermarket into the mix, I just squeeze out the meat from the skins!)



2. Roll out into golf ball sized meatballs and set aside for abit.



3. Cook spaghetti in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente and set aside.



4. Heat generous amount of olive oil in pan, throw in all the meatballs and cook it until it browns. It does not have to be fully cooked inside at this point. Remove and set aside.


5. Drizzle abit more olive oil and sautee onions for a minute or so, throw in carrots. Cook until just starting to brown or softened. Add bacon and wave it around for a little bit.



6. Add the meatballs, canned tomatoes and moosh up the whole tomatoes. Throw in a couple of pinches more of the herbs, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Also throw in the bay leaf now if you are using it. Leave it to simmer, until the sauce thickens. If you have some fresh basil leaves from the garden, here's when you throw a couple of them in as well.



7. Plate up your spaghetti and plonk the sauce on top.



8. Serve.

36 weeks pregnant

This post is almost a week overdue. I am actually 37 weeks pregnant tomorrow!



I feel pretty much the same as the week before, but I get alot more braxton hicks these couple of days and they last much longer than before. I also get these twinges in between my legs, they hurt at times. Not too sure how to describe it but its like a nerve being pulled or stretched. It happens only when I am walking around.





There's alot more pressure down below as well now. Sitting with my leg apart isn't exactly lady like, even for a pregnant person, especially when you are out in public!



I can hardly believe how time is flying! How on earth did I get to 36 weeks?? This time next month, I should hopefully have baby in my arms! Complete with dark circles under my eyes from the lack of sleep, and in auto pilot mode feeding baby!



In my previous entry, I forgot to mention that some pregnant women may get a vertical line ( called linea nigra) over their belly. People tell me that you are more likely to get it if you are expecting a boy. Mine's really dark, I never had any pigmentation on my belly prior to this pregnancy! I really hope it goes away after!!!

Things they don't tell you about being pregnant

And there's heaps. So perhaps this post isn't for the faint hearted, click away now!


You know how some people tell you they luuuurve being pregnant. In my head, I roll my eyes when I hear people commenting that now. I don't mean I hate it but, I am certainly not totally luuuurving it either.


Did you know:

• that morning sickness does not just happen in the mornings? It hits me around 10pm at evenings. I also find that I get nauseous when I am starting to get hungry.



• your sense of smell is heightened. Hence the reason why some pregnant women are so put off by certain smells. I start retching at the smell of raw onions and fish!



• Ultrasounds scan can be both external (over the belly) and internal. Thank god, I didn't have any complications and no need for the internal.



• I feel that I get extremely thirsty. At the beginning I was going through 2 huge 1L bottles of water a day. I am still thirsty, but I try not to drink too much, because going to the toilet every 1/2 hour is a pain.



• First movements of baby are felt as little bubbles popping inside your belly. Then, they become little buttefly wing flutters. And then much later on? KUNG FU high kicks!!



• Watch what you say. Because baby can hear you (from I think around 20 weeks or so)! That's why they can recognize Mommy's voice and even Daddy's.



• Excruciating leg cramps!!!



• Constipation



• You will feel extreme exhaustion at the drop of a hat during the first 3 months.



• Also, towards the end of it all, because your belly is huge, it is uncomfortable to be lying on your back. So you will have to sleep on your side, which means your shoulders and hips may get a little sore from being in that position all night. And god forbid, like me you have trouble turning from side to side during the night.



• You have a tendency to have the pregnancy brain. There was once I almost poured OJ into my bowl of fried rice, instead of the glass next to it. And I asked hubby along the lines of "what are those things at the fast food place that has the beef patties in it called?" and "what is that thing at that thing, do you know what that thing is?"



• Towards the end of your pregnancy, you will develop a nesting instinct. Organizing, cleaning and planning for the birth of baby by rearranging furniture, scrubbing out the kitchen, etc, at ungodly hours! Like I did before!
• You are more likely to develop diabetes during pregnancy. It is called gestational diabetes and usually goes away after birth. According to my obstetrician, sugars that u consume go mostly to baby. So you have to watch your sweet tooth!

..............ok you get a second chance. Here comes the gross bits. So seriously, click away now if you don't want to know! Don't say I didn't warn you.

• during vaginal delivery, if it looks like you are going to tear yourself down there really badly, the doctor or midwife may give you a little snip. YUP. You heard me right. U know the spot in between your vagina and ahem, your 'chocolate starfish'? They cut it. And the procedure is called Episiotomy. You will have to be sewed back up after. NOT looking forward to that happening.



• You really give birth twice. Baby comes out first. Then the placenta. It is a flat disc that sits usually around the top of the uterus, and is about 3cms thick or so. I think they are about the size of a large dinner plate. But over here, after baby is delivered, you do 'skin-to-skin' contact with baby (to up baby's immune system by colonizing their sterile skin with normal bacteria,etc). And probably because you are so mersmirized by your new baby, you hardly notice the delivery of your placenta.I think.



• You bleed for around 2-6 weeks after delivery. It is called lochia, and it is because your uterus is contracting back to its usual size (about the size of a pear). Did you know they sell maternity pads? I didn't!



• Your boobies can get rock hard when they fill up with too much milk. And according to the books, and from word of mouth from friends, they will hurt! It happens when baby is not feeding enough yet or you forget to express your milk.



• And the twins may leak too. So you may need to wear breast pads. Yes, I only realised that they exist just recently.



• Braxton hicks contractions (I explained this before in a previous post)



• Breathlessness because as baby grows, all your innards are pushed up and against your lungs.



• Rib pain because they expand to accomodate for the above reason.

Have I put you off having kids yet? LOL!!! But there are good bits to it all of course.

• You get really nice hair and nails. Some of my friends and I did anyway.



• You can eat all u want, put on weight and have the perfect excuse for it!



• You get to live like a queen for a while at least. People naturally want to help and are extra nice to you! Especially when you start to do the waddle.



• I was told that your waters (amniotic fluid) don't necessarily gush out and you go into excruciating labour pains right away.I was starting to worry that it is going to happen in public like on TV. It really depends on the position baby is lying. If he's upside down already, and his head and body are blocking most of the fluid it may then it may just only be a trickle. Releasing just the fluids around his head. And the rest of it comes out in a gush only after baby appears.

You learn so much about your body when you are pregnant! And there are heaps more that you probably never knew about a newborn baby too, but I shall leave that for next time.

Starting the spring garden

Remember how I said we were getting the garden ready for spring? I sowed some seeds in and around the garden and they have just begun to emerge. My neighbour's cat, Taco, came over to suss me out when he saw me clicking away at a pot haha!

35 weeks pregnant

I have to admit I have started to do some things I have said I will never do. U know how in some TV shows, where the pregnant lady holds the front of her belly with one hand and has her other hand on the small of her back? I carry my bump with my hands. And I waddle.


I don't see the obstetrician until next Tuesday, but I hope he is going to tell us baby is now engaged. I swear I can feel his head in between my legs and doing this head shaking motion, trying to dig his way out.


Being pregnant is definitely much harder than I had expected. I thought was coping fine. Until this last trimester. I haven't worn heels for a long time. Not even before I was pregnant, I am more of a comfort girl these days and I prefer my flatties. But, when we attended a friend's wedding this past weekend I wore a low heeled pair of slip on heels with my outfit. By the end of the evening, my feet and calfs were so swollen! There wasn't even much walking involved either! We parked the car nice and close, so the only walking/standing I had to do, was car park to restaurant and chair to toilet during the dinner! I wake up every 2 hours during the night now to go to the toilet, which is soo annoying and exhausting. Every time that happens, I have to readjust myself on the pillows all over again! I believe its nature's way of preparing us for those late night feeds and cries.


Like I said in my previous post, I have started experiencing pre labour pains. They feel somewhat like VERY bad period cramps. I feel like there is a extremely tight band on the inside of my belly and there is also that crippling backache that comes along with it. I also feel extremely nauseous and I retch until my whole face turns red, I'm all teary eyed and I'm gasping for breath! So far, the contractions I have been experiencing have been irregular (hence pre labour pains, real labour is persistent). To cope with the pain, I feel the need to take slow walks around the house with hubby supporting me, as sitting down puts even more pressure on my lower back. Or at times, I lean forwards against a wall or over the arm of our couch. Somehow that makes me feel alittle better amidst all that pain.


I need to practise on my breathing techniques alot more I think. Hubby notices that I forget to breathe when I am in excruciating pain during the contractions. Apparently, I hold my breath when it happens. That's not good as it doesn't help with the management of the pain, and it decreases baby's oxygen supply too.


And I have just realised there are still a few things we have yet to get down to doing. We have still need to get a baby capsule for the car (it is a legal requirement here in Australia), and even though I am not looking forward to shopping anymore, I still need to go out for a hunt for maternity bras and nursing wear for use later on.


Time is drawing near!

Getting ready - the hospital bag

This post is really for myself to keep for next time. In the case that I don't change my mind about having a second child!
I am the type of person who makes lists way ahead of my travel plans and I am usually packed at least a week ahead. But with a pregnancy, you never know when that mad dash to the hospital comes along. So, being true to my style, my bag is now packed and ready for operation labour. I actually had it half packed a couple of weeks back, but it wasn't complete. But, I had a false alarm the other night, and that us into a frenzy inbetween the irregular contractions, rushing around the house and really putting things together.

I am 98% organized and prepared (my mom who is arriving in a couple of days has some of baby's clothes) . The bags (hospital have reccomended a labour kit and a post natal ward bag) are almost bursting with all its contents.
For myself :

• front buttoned PJs
• hoodie
• toiletries (Shampoo/conditioner, shower gel, fash wash, moisturizer, face cloths, cotton tips, non-fragranced facial mist,lip balm, toothbrush/paste,comb)
• socks and slippers
• maternity pads x 2 packs. Until I was pregnant, I don't think I ever noticed they have maternity pads? Nor did I know there were breast pads - for you know... the dribbles.
• Lanolin nipple cream
• bath towel
• Underwear
• hair ties/clips
• tissues
• plastic bags (for soiled laundry)
• some money and coins
• medibank/medicare cards

For baby:

• nappies
• cotton wraps
• baby wipes
• bath towel
• shampoo/body wash
• nappy cream
• rompers/ tops/bottoms
• face washers
• mittens/socks/beanie

For hubby:

• board shorts (australian birthing suites have huge bathrooms, for hot showers to ease labour pains, a nozzle for the back and another one for the tummy), he will have to come in with me just in case I fall off my chair in there!
• change of clother
• underwear
• towel
• camera
  

**Also need to make sure:

• petrol is always at the very least 1/3 full at all times
• mobile phones are always charged (hospital's emergency and obstetrician's mobile number stored into it)

I wonder if I have left anything out. I think I have the necessities for the labour at least, and I suppose hubby can always drive back home after the birth to grab bits and pieces if need be.

Double yolks

I have heard of eggs having double yolks, but have never seen it for myself! But look what I got for breakfast one morning! =)

Recipe: Lemon peppered chicken pasta

Hubby doesn't cook often, but when he does, he usually whips up something really tasty! He made this chicken pasta the other day for dinner. It was soooo good, I had seconds even though I was so full!

Lemon peppered chicken pasta

For 4 servings

5 chicken thigh fillets chopped into chunks

2 cloves garlic minced

1 red capsicum julienned

2 cups fresh button mushrooms sliced

a light sprinkling each of:

- lemon pepper

- cajun spice seasoning

- cayenne pepper

1 can diced tomatoes in juice

spiral pasta (however much u need)

salt to taste

olive oil

1. Marinate chicken chunks with some salt, all the peppers and a drizzle of olive oil. Leave for 30minutes.
2. Prepare pasta according to instructions. Remember to add salt to the water, no oil though! It coats the pasta preventing it from absorbing sauce later on.
3. Heat olive oil in pan, sautee garlic until fragrant. Add capsicum and wave it around for a minute or two, and then add in the chicken and cook until it just starts to get some colour.
4. Pour in the can of diced of tomatoes including the juice. Mix well until it starts to boil again. At this point, if you can add alittle water if it looks dry, not too much though, you don't want to end up with a soupy pasta and also because you're going to...
5. Add the mushrooms and mix it through until the mixture starts to simmer again.
6. Add salt to taste. If you think it needs more kick from any of the peppers you can put some more in again now.
7. Pour in the pasta, mix it through the sauce.
8. Serve.

So good! =)

34 weeks pregnant

Doc says that Baby K is already in position this week! He is now head down and will soon be engaged. His back is also against my belly button now, the ideal position to make his way down the birth canal.

Despite making an appointment, we end up sitting in the waiting room for an hour for most of the times. I usually have no complaints and only quick easy questions for him, so we are out within 10 to 15 minutes! I feel alittle duped! Most of the times, the obs end up asking the questions.

How is baby? Good!

Is he moving? Heaps, all day long. He even puts on a show for our friends at the dinner table.

Any complaints this week? Hmmmm, not really, I feel pretty ok.

Have you finished work? Yes

Enjoying your time off then? Going shopping heaps? Not really, I'm so over shopping. Besides, I've already done most the shopping for baby way before.

Are you taking regular walks? Uh. No....? It's still alittle too cold for me to go out for walks? (I didn't want to ask if going to the supermarket counted)


And then he does the usual blood pressure check, baby's heartbeat, baby's position and some other measurements. He sometimes also asks me how I am feeling about going through labour, and if I have thought about pain relief, things like that. And then, he goes back to his laptop and types in his observations and we're done!


I wonder what people discuss with their obstetricians during their consultations? Others seem to take forever during their consultations!

33 weeks pregnant

Obs said to expect Baby K anytime after 37 weeks. 37 weeks! That is only 4 weeks from now. Eeks! Am I ready?

I think so?

I have been truly blessed with a smooth pregnancy so far. I thank my parents for the good genes I have inherited, and also all the help from hubby, his parents, and so many of my friends during my pregnancy. Everyone has chipped with some form of help or other! I put on 9kg so far, and I can see most of it have gone to baby. I don't have too many complaints during my pregnancy. Just the usual morning sickness at the start, headaches, some leg cramps, breathlessness and alittle bit of reflux. All the usual signs of a healthy normal pregnancy. Now, I just need baby to turn the right way. For most of the pregnancy so far, he has been lying horizontally across. For the past couple of days, I have been rubbing the spot where I think his head is, hoping he will move away and turn upside down instead. But he seems to like a particular position and always resettles in the same spot! Sigh. I am hoping for a normal natural delivery, not really a cesarean if possible.

Everyone seems to think I am going to cope really well during delivery. Do I look so gungho? I didn't think so! Every time I bring up the labour process with the obs, he tells me that he truly predicts that I am going to cope with the pain really well. Uh huh.

Also, here is my new friend. Meet Mr Fit Ball. I can no longer sit for long periods in a couch because my back gets sooo sore, as does my coccyx (sp? I'm referring to that little tail bone thingie at the end of our spine). Sitting on the fit ball really eases the pain quite a bit.

Early bird breakfast

What does one do when her baby gets the hiccups at 6am and starts kickboxing? She wakes up grumbling, and makes a quick breakfast.

Hubby wakes up almost 2 hours later and is pleasantly surprised (trust me, it doesn't happen like this all the time).

9.30am now. Is it time for my nap yet? I think so.

Good night.

Bald for real

When I get a quiet moment, I end up wondering how Baby K is going to look like. I can only barely just make out his features in the 3D ultrasound taken at week 20. But the little bugger had his hands covering his hands the whole half hour the sonographer was doing his thing!

Hubby came out with a whole head of hair standing upright, and I was just simply bald. See why I overreacted when I found myself bald on farmville the other day? Never again.

Satays - An experimental dinner

With sucess!!! So I'm sharing my recipe! Not the best picture but we were salivating from the smell of it, so I just took a quick snap and we dived right into it.

My brain told me I had to make this one afternoon. I didn't really measure out the measurements when I did the marinade, the recipe below is just an after thought of what I think I put into it. So finetune it as you go along. After looking at a couple of recipes, I just simply chucked in the following spices and they turned out really yummy and yet so simple to do. The hard part was skewering the meats onto the sticks, not so fun. I made both the chicken and beef version, but I only had beef mince in the fridge so I just made do with that.

Satay marinade

5 Chicken thigh fillets sliced into strips (beef or pork will do too)

1 tsp Tumeric powder

1 tsp paprika powder

1 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp coriander powder (I figured out this needs more compared to the other powders)

1 1/2 tbsp curry powder

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

bit of water

bit of cornflour

drizzle of oil

Satay sauce

1/2 onion diced finely

1/2 can coconut cream

2 huge scoops of peanut butter

1tbsp+/- curry powder

small chunk of gula melaka (i'm sure brown sugar will do too)

water

1 tsp salt

1. Marinade the meats and skewer it onto bamboo sticks (soak them in a glass of water first to prevent it from burning later on) and leave it for about 30minutes.


2. Meanwhile, prepare the satay sauce. Heat up some oil in a saucepan, and sautee the onions until soft. Add peanut butter, coconut cream, gula melaka and some water (to dilute it to the consistency u like). Keep stirring it while bringing it to a slow simmer or until the oil floats on top. Add the curry powder and salt. Take it off the heat and leave aside.


3. Preheat the oven and have it on high using the grill setting, putting the rack close to the heat.


4. Pop the satays in and brush alittle oil onto it while cooking. Cook until browned.


5. Serve piping hot with some chopped canned pineapples, cucumbers and the satay sauce.

32 weeks pregnant

Where did time go?!


Baby's movements are different now, he's no longer doing his high kicks as much, however I can feel him squirming and turning alot more. I have a small frame, so I can imagine how squished he is in there, the poor thing! To me, it feels like he is shoving and pushing with all his might trying to make some space around him.


I have started getting my Braxton Hicks contractions.Double checked with the obstetrician and he confirms that they are usually painless. However they can be quite uncomfortable when it happens. The muscles of the uterus tenses and tightens up for 30 to 60 seconds, and it feels rock hard when that happens! Apparently they start at around 17 weeks, but we don't feel them until much later on.


Mini me still gets his hiccups, but not as often as before perhaps just twice a day now or so.


I have been feeling breathless alot more this past week too. Uterus is now pressing against my diaphram and I have to practise my breathing exercises when that happens.


My bump has also popped out quite a fair bit now, and I am really running out of things to wear now. I managed to get away with not getting any maternity clothes so far for this pregnancy. But I might have to. Sigh. Either that, or hope the weather keeps getting warmer so I can swish around in some dresses instead. So, I've been doing some window shopping online.



But u see, I got distracted and have been looking at these removable wall decals from forwalls. Too cute! I just can't decide which one to get!

Spring is here!

Spring is here to stay finally here to stay! I am LOVING the warm sunny days we are having here in Melbourne. We have been out doing up our garden abit more on the weekends these days, getting it ready with some spring colours! Its not quite ready yet, so until then here is a gorgeous bloom at a tulip farm we went to over the weekend.

Recipe: Condensed milk pound cake

There's nothing like the aroma of a sweet smelling cake wafting through the house, a condensed milk pound cake! I used to love putting condensed milk in my milo drinks, but since I no longer have any form of added sugar in my drinks, I decided to use up some of my condensed milk in the fridge. Plus, I had all the ingredients in my pantry and home on a rainy Saturday evening.

Condensed Milk Pound Cake

I got the recipe from here

120gms butter

25gms sugar (I used raw sugar)

1 1/2tsp vanilla paste

120gm cake flour ( I just used plain flour)

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking powder

2 eggs (70gms each)

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Lightly grease a loaf tin.


2. Sift flour and baking powder and set aside.
   
3. Cream butter and sugar on medium to high speed until pale yellow, light and fluffy.


4. Add vanilla paste and salt, then cream until mixed well.


5. Lower the speed and add the sifted flour in 3 batches until you achieve a smooth mix.


6. Add eggs one at a time, and mix until well combined.


7. Pour into loaf tin and bake for 1 hour.

Mine didn't seem to rise as high as the original recipe, probably because I substituted the cake flour with plain flour. It had a dense yet spongey soft texture. This recipe yielded a yummylicious cake which I will definitely be baking again!

Nesting @ 29/30 weeks

Pregnant women go through a phase called 'nesting'. There is this natural instinct to want to do things around the house to prepare for the oncoming birth of the baby. I am definitely experiencing this at the moment.



Here's what I got up to Sunday night and Monday.

• 10.30pm: I had this urge to tidy my bathroom cabinet. I sat on a little stool in front of it and dragged everything out from under the sink. Friends who know me know that I have enough skincare products and make up to last almost forever. I organized, cleaned out the bottles and tubes and even sorted them out by their use by dates. Knowing mom is arriving in a month or so, I even packed her a toiletries bag of skincare products so it is ready for her to dig into when she arrives on her morning flight. I packed myself a toiletries bag for my hospital stay. That probably took me an hour in all. But then, packing my hospital toiletries bag also reminded me that I could now start putting things into my hospital bag, and so I did. I spent another 15minutes or so pulling out little bits and pieces that goes into the bag. By the time I finished, I was exhausted and my back and shoulders were aching. Bedtime, finally...


• I'm not a morning person, so Monday after lunch I opened up 4 big boxes of stuff that needed to be put away in the garage for storage. So I cleaned packed and reorganized our documents and bits and pieces for 2 hours. I would have started hauling them into the garage myself if I had the strength! A little annoyed it will still have to sit in the study until the weekend where Hubby will move them.


• All that packing left bits of shredded paper and dust on the floor. I start dusting and wiping down surfaces in the house.


• Eeeks, floor is now all dusty, so I vaccuumed.


• While vaccuuming, I realised the laundry hamper is full, so I did 2 loads of laundry and put them up.


• Folded a basket of laundry


• Did the dishes

Yesterday:

• Swept the deck. Sounds easy enough, but carrying a 8Kg load on your belly and being bent over is exhausting. Especially when we are talking about trying to scrap off possum poop! That I think took me about 40minutes.


• Weeded some potted plants.


• Put drawers liners into our bedside tables and coffee table.


• Folded up more laundry.


• Finally remembered to call the local council and after a few phonecalls,finally got us upgraded to a bigger recycling bin (yay!)


• Cleared out an unwanted 4 drawer unit.


• Did dishes again.

Right now:

I have an urge to attempt to scrub away the bird and possum poop marks left on the deck, while the deck is still wet from the rain. (If you look closely, you'll see the poop marks even though I've swept it yesterday)

Damn u rain. I need to clean.

30 weeks pregnant

So I am now 30 weeks pregnant. A full term pregnancy is 38-40weeks. Anything earlier than 36 weeks is considered a premature birth. I feel similar to how I first felt during my first trimester, only without the morning sickness. I have put on about 8kgs so far, and my body isn't used to carrying so much weight 24/7. People tell me I am all baby, I haven't put on too much weight elsewhere. But I feel like a sumo wrestler.

My joints hurt like crazy. My knees and soles of my feet are sore when I stand. But my butt also hurts if I sit for too long. I just can't win! And now, to get off the couch, I need to physically grab onto something/someone to lean forward, then bum shuffle towards the edge to get up. I have started to feel that sheer exhaustion that I had felt during my first trimester again. It is as if there is an automated switch where I am fine the one moment, but then I would be completely spent the next. It does not matter whether or not I have been up and about doing something. I would wake up at 7am in the mornings, have breakfast, and by 9.30am I am back under the covers again. And then probably another nap in the afternoon again.

Another pregnant friend of mine has her due date really close to mine and she has already started to get Braxton Hicks contractions. They are like false labour pains to get the body ready for the real thing. They say I should expect them round about this time, but I have yet to feel any. I think.

Baby is still practising his acrobatic moves everyday. But he is running out of leg room to give me his hard high kicks so he wriggles and squirms more instead. And much to my discomfort, he loves wedging his hand/foot up against my ribs. He still gets hiccups daily! He used to kick and move around alot more when that happens, but I think he's finally realised there is nothing he can do about it. Sometimes I picture him rolling his eyes at himself haha!

I tell myself not too long now..... I will soon have my own little mini in my arms, we can't wait!

Baby on wheels

I have realised some time ago, that gone were the days where prams were primarily used to transport babies from point A to B, sometimes even doubling up as a shopping trolley by hanging your bags off the pram handles.

Has anyone seen those $1700 prams parents are now wheeling around these days? For that price, I was half expecting to find a spare wheel, climate control air-conditioning or indicators somewhere on those prams! I simply gawked at the price, had a quick inspection of it and walked away!!

I almost thought I was one of the rare ones who thought the brands don't really matter. As long as its easy to clean, sturdy and its easy to fold down and lift, its good enough for me. Until I read this today:

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/your-pram-cost-less-than-1000-you-bad-mother-you-20090913-fm4r.html

But I won't be superficial and say the pram we have purchased is cheap either.But, it is definitely less than a third of that $1700 pram! It is still pricier, compared to the ones the older generations used to use anyway. We live across a park, and I do intend to go for walks with baby in the future, so I wanted a 3 wheeler for a more stable ride. We purchased baby's pram brand new, but I know of a friend who has purchased hers for $80 via ebay, and according to her, it only needed a clean and its almost as good as new.

Now, don't even get me started on the accessories baby product manufacturers have come up with! Sun/rain pram covers, bath support slings, nappy disposal systems, etc. What happened to improvising and making do with umbrellas and blankets to keep baby warm and out of the sun??? Or simply supporting baby with your arm while bathing baby? Or using plastic bags to contain smelly nappies and then popping it into the rubbish bin for disposal?

And a new chapter of my life starts....

Yesterday I finished up at work! What an emotional rollercoaster ride the day was! I took time when I arrived to take in the last sights of my work surroundings and my workmates around me on my last day of work. I had expected to feel happy and perhaps even excited, but instead, I was feeling extremely nervous!

I have been working at the same place for the past 6 years of my life. The characters I have met, workmates and experience have given me so many fond memories to treasure and keep. I was extremely reluctant to leave at the end of the day, and without me realising how time flew past, I was still around 3 hours after I was meant to finish for the day!

For the past couple of years, I have gone into work every time, been an advocate for the brand I work for, planned and strategized for events and formed many new friendships over time. I am possibly one of those really odd weirdos you make a face at, when they tell you "I LOVE my work!"

Throughout the day, workmates from all across the company's departments came to say their goodbyes, tears rolled off our cheeks and we exchanged hugs and tummy rubs for baby. I was a wreck by the end of the day!

I have truly been very blessed with so many friends and a fantastic boss at work, what more could I have asked for?

A new chapter of my life starts from here on...

Why Winnie?

When I registered for our baby registry, the sales person asked me if I had a theme in mind for baby's nursery so she could list it for family and friends to keep in mind for. I said no I don't, and just to leave it blank.

But for a really strange reason, while going around with the scanning gun, I was drawn to Winnie to pooh everything. Winnie the pooh cot blankets, Winnie the pooh cot sheets, Winnie the pooh laundry hamper, nappy stacker, lamps, toys,wall decals, etc. They were put on my baby registry and had some gifts have started to come in.




You gotta understand I'm not one to go for cutsy stuff. Mickey and Minnie and Hello Kitty? So not me. I used to like Snoopy alittle when I was younger. But I'm more of an ET person. Weird. I know. But that perhaps, is for another post.

So there's a Winnie the pooh theme going on for his room in the future. Splashes of yellow for his clothing and furniture too. Yellow used to be a favourite colour of mine, maybe that's why?

But what if he ends up hating it?? Muahahahahha... too bad, he's going to be stuck with them for a couple of years. He might have a few yellow ducky friends for company too (Daddy seems to like them).

And wait. I just realised. Isn't Winnie the pooh a boy? So why is his name Winnie? All the Winnies I know are females.

Quick fix morning brekky

I don't like eating cereal with cold milk in the winter months. I've been waking up and making myself a quick bowl of warm oats every morning. Takes 2 minutes in the microwave. I usually have it plain with a small teaspoon of honey, but sometimes I like to throw in some fruits I have from my fruit bowl.

Recipe: Baked garlic herbed wedges

I made these extremely addictive, finger licking good wedges over a weekend. So easy to do with minimal effort. Wedges turned out crispy with crunchy bits of roasted garlic and I love how it made my house smell so good!

Baked garlic herbed wedges



6 baby potatoes cut into wedges, skin on

generous amount of olive oil

1 tsp cooking salt

2 cloves garlic minced (I put mine through a garlic mincer)

pinch of dried mixed herbs

sea salt to taste



1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees and line a baking tray with foil.

2. Bring a pot of saucepan with cooking salt to boil and cook potatoes for about 5 minutes or until potatoes are slightly softened. Drain away water.

3. Transfer wedges into baking tray and drizzle generous amount of olive oil together with the garlic, mixed herbs and sea salt. Mix until well coated with seasoning.

4. Bake for 30 minutes or until wedges turn crispy and golden brown. Making sure that the wedges are turned so they cook evenly.

5. Toss with more sea salt if desired. Serve hot!

I wonder if its possible to grow my own organic potatoes next....?

Good restful sleep is a luxury

Sleep. Need sleep. Week 29 this week, and I am definitely feeling baby's weight alot more. So my joints and back are now causing me abit of grief. If I am sitting or lying in a position that is uncomfortable for him, baby wriggles around quite a bit causing me some pain and discomfort sometimes. He has also found my bladder which he tends to use as a pillow or a foot rest in the middle of the night, which means I wake up in a hurry in the middle of the night, try to throw my body forward while lying on my side like a giant hippo and then heave myself off the side of the bed and shuffle quickly to the toilet.

Good restful sleep is a luxury these days. Way even before baby arrives. Even for hubby. My sleep routine every night:

1. Strategically position 2 pillows for my head at an angle, 1 more to support my belly/legs
2. Sit on bed, SLOWLY lower myself onto my side, supporting myself with 1 elbow/hand
3. Lie still for 10 seconds. Turn off bedside lamps.
4. Nope. Not comfortable.
5. Hubby turns his light on again, heaves me up and helps me adjust all the pillows once more.
6. Turn off light. Try to lie still and go to sleep again while huffing and puffing from all that moving around.

This process repeats itself about 3-4 times before I finally doze off, not because I found a comfortable position but because by the end of it I am utterly exhausted.

Winter baby carrots

Last week, I posted about how hubby harvested some carrots from our vegie patch. I happened to have all of the ingredients to make a quick and easy cottage pie for dinner, so cottage pie it is! Took me just under half an hour to quickly chop up some onions, throw it into the pan, wave the mince around with a can of diced tomatoes and some mixed herbs then throw it into the oven for 45 minutes or so.

There was a little too much for the baking dish I used to bake it in, so there was enough to make a quick spaghetti bolognese the next day for lunch too. Yummo!

Now that the vegie patch has been plowed and ready again for planting in spring (which is just only a few days away, yippee!), what shall I grow next? Well, preferably something simple, and its ok if I forget all about it like the baby carrots of course...

Caught bald and half naked

I'm sure people have heard about Farmville or the likes of it on Facebook. I have my own little farmland that I tend to and look what I saw the other day!!! I'm bald!! and half naked!! It's like my worst nightmare come true. Well almost... just not realistically..

28 Weeks Pregnant

I am currently 28 weeks pregnant, its amazing how time just flies. It seemed like just only last week I did the pregnancy test, and wondered if I am really pregnant. I remember when the 2 lines appeared, and because one was fainter than the other, I was questioning it. And spent the next 3 hours watching tv, and stealing glances at the pee stick on the coffee table to check that a line didn't disappear! It took another pee stick first thing the next morning to truly sink in, that I may truly be pregnant!

Bringing time forward, 6.5 months later, here I am sitting at my laptop typing away while feeling baby's king fu kicks on my right hip. Owww!! As hubby says, its surprising how a little bundle that so soft and squishy cause so much pain!? Baby has also recently discovered the space around the right side of my body. I swear sometimes he also knows he's tickling me when he reaches into that spot with his little foot! It's also alittle weird at times, being tickled from the inside. I also feel him pawing my insides with his little fingers or SOMETHING.



I felt his movements really early on, like little flutters in my belly, even when people say its probably in my mind. But now, feeling how active he is, I am convinced he was already trying to make his presence known at 14 weeks.



Baby also responds to touch now, when I rub my belly, I very often feel him trying to reach out and feel my hand over him through my skin. It is an amazing feeling, and we are so looking forward to meeting our little one when he is finally ready to make his way into our world.

Bobo snuffle-ofogus

A conversation that went on between hubby and I in the car one day:



Me: So when Baby is born are you going to call him K?

Hubby: No, that would be weird isn't it?

Me: Why would that be weird? It's his name!

Hubby: My parents don't even call me by my name.

Me: So you are going to call him "ah zai" (son in cantonese)

Hubby: Ya. And I can call him anything I want. I can even call him Bobo Snffle-ofogus if I want!

Me: *going into fits of laughter*





We ended up calling him Bobo for quite a while after that hahahaha!

Organic carrot harvest

It was a sunny warm winter's afternoon on the weekend. Hubby took the opportunity to tidy the backyard up abit. He spent so many hours out there weeding, mulching and even harvested some baby carrots!


I sprinkled some seeds into the vegie patch some months ago and waited, and eventually completely forgot about them until recently. They are not the size of the usual ones we get at the supermarkets, they are only just mostly thick finger sizes.

I am wondering how best to savour these cute little organic carrots! A later post on how they ended up on the plate.

About

Hello and welcome! I am Kelly, Mom to my son Kayden. This is my visual diary. I started this off as a way of sharing my journey of my pregnancy with family and friends who live overseas. It has now obviously expanded to include also my thoughts and experiences on parenting, food, travel,  home and other little bits and bobs I chuck under the random categories (because I am also lazy).

Singapore is where family (and the good food) is. The place I grew up, went to school and made many endearing friendships over the years I lived there. I now live in Melbourne, where I now call home.

Thank you for visiting my space.  Join me here, as I share my experiences of motherhood. And, if you like, drop me a message too! I'd love hearing from you!


Some popular posts


Kayden's birth story

Who needs chocolate when there's Vegemite?

The eating machine

Fresh is good

I am never good at keeping my new year resolutions. Specific goals like 'exercising twice a week' never worked and got simply forgotten. So earlier this year, I decided to try something different. Maybe being vague is better?


So I made a promise to myself that I will try to lead a healthier lifestyle this year. So far, I haven't done too bad of a job on cutting down on sugars and processed foods. I have a VERY sweet tooth, so that is a bold move. I have always eaten in moderation, meaning I eat anything I want to without restricting myself to any type of food (I love my KFCs, chocolate bars and chips!). But I am mindful to cut down on whatever I've eaten too much of after.Few days ago, instead of reaching out for some chocolate chip biscuits, I made myself a small plate of snack consisting of cherry tomatoes, tasty cheese and mashed avocados to go with a handful of rice crackers. YUM!


And just as well too. I fell pregnant in February and it was definitely time for an overhaul in my lifestyle. I stopped having my mochaccinos for a start, and I now no longer add sugar to my beverages. I try to keep my fruit bowl full at all times and I usually have around with me at least a 500ml bottle of water to sip on throughout the day.

Just don't tell the husband that I just bought a punnet of strawberries and I'm planning on dipping them in chocolate sometime soon.....

Ready? Set. Go.

Technically speaking, I'm jumping ahead. Life with my mini haven't started, yet. I am 27 weeks pregnant with my baby boy, and due in November at the moment.

Singlet is a very creative and special birthday gift from a friend earlier this year. I thought it would be nice to start recording little bits and pieces of life before the little one arrives.

My life is about to change, and I'm looking forward to it.

So here goes....