Dearth in posting

Goodness! I know! My blog is DISGUSTINGLY back dated!

Joyanne is no more the wee little baby that obediantly lies in her cot or our couch and gurgles to herself. She is (although still a wee little baby) VERY much more mobile (eeps!) and has become VERY vocal (in getting our attention or telling us she DOES NOT WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE!).

Janine, if she is not smoothering her mei mei to death with her hugs and kisses, is busy thinking of ways to give me heart attacks. Like doing acrobatic "tricks" in a slippery bath tub or CARRYING her mei mei around the house BY HERSELF! She has also blossomed emotionally. Suddenly, she is no longer a little doll but a little GIRL with a lot of feelings.

WHERE HAS ALL THE TIME GONE?

I so want that uber cool remote control on Click for Christmas.

Ok...back to work! Will (do a back) post when I come up for air again...hopefully sometime this century?

My Reward

More often than not, this is the expression I get after Joyanne has finished feeding.

Such bliss. And at 3, 4 or 5 am in the morning, that happy and contented look makes all the sleep depravation and efforts to totally breastfeed WORTH IT!

Happy Mother's Day!

Albeit 3 days late, but I am still happy as a lark with the little present and more so because the minute she came home from school, my little girl makes a bee line for me, hands me the flower, whispers "Happy Mother's Day Mommy" and plants a kiss on my lips. Awwwww....such sweetness :D

Needless to say this is going to go into my "treasure trove"

On that note, the kids in the hall also gave all the mothers a treasure box of sorts. Inside the heart shaped box were paper flowers and little notes from the girls telling u how much they appreciate what we the mothers in the hall have done for them. Sigh...who can ask for a better Mother's Day gift than these?

For all the tantrums we have to endure, the heart aches from discipling, dripping noses to wipe, hot feverish foreheads to cool, little butts to wipe, hungry stomachs to (force)feed, and more mommy stuff, such little presents adn gestures make it all worth while. And makes u appreciate all that YOUR OWN MOTHER has done and sacrificed and is STILL doing for you. We love you Mom!

Janine's Gallery: Of Fairies, Mermaids And Princesses

Of late, my little artist has been very preoccupied with all things that exist in fairy tale land and it's reflected in her drawings. Most of the time, I will find her doodling princesses with long flowing gowns and tresses. But recently, she has expanded her "interests" to encompass fairies and mermaids as well.

Title: Fairy With Crown
Artist: Janine Ling
Medium: Paper, Ball Point Pen, Colour Pencils



Title: Mermaid
Artist: Janine Ling
Medium: Paper, Felt Tip Pen

I just love the way her faces are drawn with no "boundaries" - the eyes and mouths are suspended in space.

Growing Expectations: FINAL appearance

*WARNING! This is a LOOOONG post*

Ahhh! Finally! Some time to pen my thoughts and put down on record how no.2 made her "grand" entrance into the world and into our lives!

Let's just say while we were anticipating her arrival and had great expectations of HOW she would arrive, like since she is no. 2, I expected the labour process to be faster as how it usually is with second and subsequent pregnancies, no. 2 goes and throws us a curve ball. While she is eager to meet the world, she sure TOOK HER TIME to do it! :P

Contractions

I starting having contractions at 3am on the 21st. It was more like a tightening feeling around the tummy and what made me realise it was contractions was that this tightening feeling came at pretty regular 5 min intervals!

Honestly, I would have still gone to work that morning BUT the only thing was that when I went to the loo, there was quite a bit of show! So that sort of set the alarm bells off in my head. No. 2 could be here TODAY!!! And I haven't packed my hospital bag yet! and darn! Looks like I won't be able to have my free cone at Ben&Jerry's today. Lol!

Needless to say the whole family was woken up by the "commotion" I was creating :P KY (obviously) couldn't go back to sleep and my dear Janine got woken up by all the shuffling I was doing up and down the bedroom trying to throw my things together.

Skeptism

I was so sure that with no. 2, things will progress very fast. And being such a coward when it comes to pain, I wanted to make sure I make it to the hospital in time for an epidural! So I insisted on going in to the hospital...just to be on the safe side! But despite having contractions, I was still able to get Janine ready for and even send her to school and THEN make our way to TMC. Hence, KY was very skeptical about this whole "baby may be arrive within the hours" thing. He kept asking me SO MANY times whether I was really having contractions. "You don't look like you are in pain you know". Apparently he wasn't the only one with doubts (you know who you are!!!). My answer to him was a slit-eye look and a curt reply that "I don't want to give birth in the bathroom or in the car ok!". But it so happens that his hunch was right (again).

Choices

We initially though of calling my gynae for her advice on whether to go to the hospital or not. But for some strange reason, her clinic line was diverted wrongly. So we couldn't get her. Then, since we are a few minutes drive away from TMC, we decided that we might as well go there and check instead.

For all the tightening and cramps that I was feeling, an internal check from the nurse only revealed that I was only 1.5 cm dilated! So we were given an option to either go home or walk around a bit to hasten things along. We opted for "home" and the rest of the day was spent enduring the little squeezes that were getting stronger in the comforts of home.

It was a good thing we opted to go home, as it gave us more time to put our things in order, spend one last precious evening playing a board game with Janine, making child care arrangements with my parents and getting some rest before our world as we know it gets turned upside down.

Finally?

After a restless night, we (I) decided to make our way again to TMC. The contractions were a bit closer and definitely more intense. I thought after a whole day of enduring contractions, I might be too far along to get my epidural so imagine my relief when the nurse checked me and found I was 5cm dilated - still VERY VIABLE for an epi! Lol! I guess God knows how much I can endure! And if KY wants another 2 more, I better make sure bringing them into this world is relatively easy peasy!

At 6.30am, after all the preliminaries were settled, I got my epidural and was EXTREMELY happy and relaxed. Little surprise why this jab in your spine has earned the nickname "happy-dural" :D I tried to get some sleep while in the labour suite but was distracted by HBO! Tsk tsk...we obviously aren't taking this baby business very seriously eh!

At 8.30am, my gynae, Dr Tan, comes in to take a look at me. STILL 5cm dilated!!! Goodness! So she breaks my water bag and puts me on a drip to regulate my contractions. After being instructed by the nurse to call them should I feel like I need to poo, I go back to sleep.

About 10am, I could feel some pressure at my bottom with each stomach squeeze, is no. 2 so I call for the nurse. The first one comes and tells me the pressure I am feeling are contractions and they are coming along fine (duh!). Thankfully, another nurse, the same one that attended to me with Dr Tan, comes in shortly, checked me and pronounced that no. 2 is ready to say hello! Wohoo! So she goes and calls my gynae.

About 15 minutes later, Dr Tan waltzes into the labour suite and engages us in some casual conversation while she preps herself and the nurse preps me. Because I am in no pain and this is the second time we are going through this, it all feels very surreal. We are feeling no anxiety, no nervousness, no fear, maybe a tinge of excitement but otherwise, it just feels like we are standing in line waiting for our number to be called so we can go "pick up" the baby.

Finally, when everything is in place, we do a few "practice" pushes. I am so relaxed that I can still grin while I push so the good doctor thinks I am not taking all this seriously. Tsk tsk! So I put a lot more effort in until my whole face turned red.

One push and no. 2's head pops through and I think she tried to nibble on Dr Tan's fingers while she was clearing her airways.

Second push and Joyanne slips into the waiting hands of Dr Tan at 10.33am! She gives a loud cry as Dr Tan places her on my tummy and for a second, my eyes water out of relief and joy as I behold my screaming daughter. The nurse then whisked her off to the baby warmer to clean her up and take her measurements.

And THAT's how Joyanne made her debut appearance. A little bit of fanfare at the beginning but a smooth and no fuss delivery at the end. So while I don't get to have a Ben&Jerry's Free Cone Day baby, I got an Earth Day baby. Haha! Either ways we are elated at her arrival and thankful for His guidance and providence throughout this whole pregnancy. Now we seek his wisdom as we bring up and parent our 2 little girls!

Sunbathing

I don't like to sun bathe! *scrowl*

Although her jaundice level is low enough for us to bring her home, that doesn't mean she has no jaundice. So, we have been advised to let her sunbathe when we bring her back to help bring down the yellow-ness. The best time to do so is in the mornings before 11am and for 15 min to an hour. But looking at my daughter's face, coupled with the fact that she screams blue murder when we undress her to bake and CONTINUES to scream even when we sunbathe her INDOORS and FAN her at the same time, 10 minutes MAX is all she will tolerate. Lol. This baby is one chilli padi I tell you!

Yellow Yellow Yellow!

Do I look cool or what?

Hmph!

Our no.2 has gone the same way her older sister did when she was born. Despite, NOT consuming much ginger in the last month of my pregnancy and even the last few days after delivery, supplementing her with glucose (in other words, plenty of fluids) while waiting for the milk factory (aka me) to get started, PLUS sun bathing her in the mornings, our precious Joyanne's JAUNDICE level still sky rocketed and she has to be re-admitted to the hospital. For TWO days.

Bah!

Apparently, it is very usual for babies on the fifth day after birth to develope high jaundice levels. Oh well, we WERE hoping with no. 2 that things can swing in another direction i.e. NO jaundice AT ALL.

Although this is sort of a run-of-the-mill kind of thing for newborns, having to hear from the doctor that your precious has to be re-admitted because her jaundice level is bordering on dangerous and then leaving her behind at the hospital in the blue room with other screaming babies similarly afflicted is heart wrenching! It definitely doesn't help the fact that for the next 2 days, she will be sleeping in a little plastic box (so not comfortable) and that she may be left to cry her lungs out while she is there :( I was close to tears as I gave her a little kiss and stepped out of the room. Argh! Talk about having to steel your resolve! :P

It's a good thing we are staying very near the hospital so I can do milk deliveries for the little girl. Whatever little breastmilk I can offer her now is like a part of me that can be there with her, comforting her. Bleah :P Only two days! Thank God it's ONLY two days!

Janine's Artwork: A Self Portrait

Title: Me
Artist: Janine Ling
Medium: Paper, Marker pens

Drawn on the her last night as our ONLY child.

Growing Expections: FINALLY!

"Hello!"

We proudly present our little bundle of JOY (literally) - Ling Hui Xi, Joyanne.

She made her debut appearance (a little earlier than expected) on the 22 April 2009 at 10.33am weighing a petite 2.9kg and measuring 49cm long.

We feel so blessed and loved by all the well wishes and gifts that have been showered upon us and little Joyanne. Thank you everyone!

Growing Expectations: Week 37!

Its week 37!!!

We are counting the days!!!

More quick updates on the little one:

- She is now 2.8kg
- Mommy is apparently ONE cm dilated but no contractions yet :P
- Mommy has to monitor the little one's movement (10 movements in 10 hours...something like that)
- Technically, after next week, anything goes! How exciting!

Janine's Artwork: First Humanoid Drawing

Title: Princess with long hair
Artist: Janine Ling
Medium: Paper, Marker pens

Joy Luck Club Lunch :)

Ahhh...its always good to meet with long time friends on a whim. And when GOOD company is mixed with GOOD food, its the PERFECT formular for a GREAT time.

We thoroughly enjoyed the unqiue fare at Putien. The lor mee was delicious and while filling, was very appetising! The bamboo clams we had was also very yummy as they weren't overcooked or rubbery. Another interesting dish was Putien's kong bah bao. The fatty pork was sliced up and fried till they look like "worms". And mighty succulent "worms" they were! Hohoho

The other fantastic place we had lunch was Seventh Heaven. I think I enjoyed it more for all the ICE CREAM they offered! Hohoho! While they serve top notch ice cream, both alcoholic and "normal" variants (ya, I snitched some of the lychee martini even though I am pregger!), they also serve a VERY decent mushroom soup and delicious sandwiches!

If not for the recession, I dare say we might want to lunch together more often! Hohoho! Then again, as if we let something so trivial like "recession" come in the way between us and our love for good food and good company!

Growing Expectations - Week 35 and About Cravings Among Other Things

Just so I will remember FOREVER.

For the early part of both pregancies, I had morning sickness - the ALL DAY queasiness that, under certain "triggers", can cause me to throw up. I couldn't brush my teeth without gagging from the bristles brushing my gums. Certain smells and even perfumes would put me off.  My favourite foods like bread and chocolates became unpalatable because they would leave an unpleasant after taste. Overly sweet things were also a prob. Needless to say, during those early months, I lost some weight.

Thankfully, by the second trimester, my appetite would return and I can once again indulge. But then my tastebuds would be somewhat different. Things I normally will not eat, I will eat in great abundance :P

With Janine, my "favourite" food items would alternate between noodles, particularly wanton mee, and curry. ANY kind of curry! The spicier, the better!!! In fact, I was slurping up so much curry, that my tolerance for spicy stuff went up. But only in the curry department. Eating cut chillies or belachan for that matter was a totally different ball game. I attribute my curry and noodle loving phase to the fact that both food stuff didn't leave a funny taste in my mouth.

For No. 2, while I don't have any cravings in particular I do have a steeper inclination towards things that are NATURALLY sweet. Other than that, there have been no foodstuff that I particularly yearn for :P So I have been, until recently, been able to eat moderately and not excessively. So weight gain has been very controllled. HOWEVER, in the last month or so, I have become a carbo lover! Biscuits, breads, chocolates, sugars...I will snack and snack and snack on them! Who cares if I had a very filling lunch just an hour ago!

Good grief!

I do hope the fats I am accumulating now will "melt" away when I breastfeed No. 2!

Well, more updates on the growing little one:

- She is now 2.4kg
- She is still headdown and apparently pretty shy. We can't seem to catch her face on the ultrasound anymore :P
- Her movements, while still a lot, is not as vigorous as they were. I think she is running out of space so she can't really stretch her legs anymore! Hoho.

Tattoos

I like the fact that WE like the fact that WE have matching "Dora the explorer" tattoos on our arms. ^^

At the moment, I am going along with the idea that if she plays around with these temp tattoos long enough, it will eventually stave off any desire in her to ever get a REAL one. Methinks it's the forbidden fruit mentality - the more you object, the more she will want to do it. Honestly, I know this argument can both ways. But for now, we are having some fun with this stick-on tattoo business :P I am still praying though that I won't ever have to cross THIS bridge on REAL tattoos with my children ever *faint*

Great Expectations - Week 33 And The Name Game

So the NEXT question A LOT of people have been asking us is "Have you thought of a name yet?"

Yes...and no.

While, we have settled on the English name, we are having some problems with the Chinese one

Essentially, we want a name for No. 2 that means "thanksgiving"

Why are we putting so much energy into this name thing? Because I believe a name blesses a child with the attributes that that name brings. Furthermore, it also testifies to others what this child means to us.

However, because this is no.2 and I just LOVE to complicate and make things difficult for myself, I have also added OTHER criterias to the "perfect" name for no. 2. Like PREFERABLY should start with "J", have X no. of letters in the name, English and Chinese name should parallel each other, etc. Analism does that to you. Idealism too. Mix that with years of having your own or other people's name "mutilated" by "well-meaning" friends, teachers and relatives and even oneself! And, well, you get the "perfect" recipe of a mother with name issues! Haha!

Oh well, (less than!) 2 more months. Hopefully we will settle on something.

We better lah!

Anyway, more info on the growing little one at 33 weeks:

- She is now slightly more than 2kg
- She is still head down (good!)
- She is considered quite "low" already so she MAY come at 38 weeks? Well, let's see how eager she is to meet the world :P I don't mind. Don't exactly relish having to labour on my birthday :P

What Holiday?!

Just as the school holidays roll in, so does the flu bug! And so vicious is this bug that it steam rolls not just one person but two! And it CONTINUES on its destructive path by striking down whoever is within 1m of the last person it infected.

It first started last Sunday with Janine and I coming down with the flu. Janine was the worse of the two of us as she developed not only a fever that lasted a couple of days, but an extrememly congested nose that resulted in her hacking away, even while she is sleeping! Her coughing can get so bad that it would at times even cause her to throw up whatever little she had eaten those few days :( What a bummer for the little girl.

A trip to the doctors thankfully dispelled any fears that she could have developed some sort of infection (which would mean pumping her with antibiotics...yucks!) or bronchitis (which may mean even more serious medication...double yucks!). So all we have to do is give her "normal" medication to manage her leaky nose which is causing her incessant coughing.

And THEN, just when we are on the road to recovery, BOTH my mom and my helper are starting to feel that itchy scratchy feeling in their throats! BAH! So looks like this WHOLE week of supposed holiday will be spent nursing ourselves and the little girl back to optimum health. Whatever wonderful plans I had in store (like bringing her to Go-Go Bambini's this week) are flying out the window. Honestly, this flu bug couldn't have struck at a better time! *sulk* Then again, I guess I AM thankful that it IS the flu bug and not something more serious. And AT LEAST she managed to catch her Disney on Ice show last Saturday, which I hope makes up for this crappy week she is enduring. Sigh.

Random conversations - Just like you

M: Janine...what are you doing?
J: I am painting my fingers.
M (mock horror): Why are you painting your fingers?!
J: Cos I want to be like my Mama (KY's mom)...
M: ...

Disney on Ice: Princess Wishes

Ahhh...the school holidays are here! And what better way to begin it then with a trip to the Singapore Indoor Stadium to watch Disney on Ice: Princess Wishes!

I would have brought her myself only I had my gynae appointment to go to, so the task fell on her Mama (KY's mom) to take her. And, like with the Thomas show we brought her to last year, she was equally thrilled about going for the Disney on Ice show. She was telling EVERYONE that "I am going with Mama to see Disney princess tomorrow" [Note: Janine uses "tomorrow" for anything that will happen in the future. Hence, something that will happen next week will be classified as "tomorrow". Similarly, anything that happens in the past, no matter how long ago, is considered "yesterday". Concept of time still not there yet, but it's interesting the associations she makes between events and when they are held.]

So, did she enjoy the show? OF COURSE! According to KY's mom, she sat through the first half of the show without moving an inch from her Mama's lap and so enraptured was she by all the dancing and ice skating, her eyes were practically glued to the little ice platform in the middle of the stadium. She only decided to stretch her legs and "skate" during the second half but I daresay she had a jolly good time at the show. And to make the deal even sweeter, she SUCCESSFULLY managed to badger her mama to buy the "Ariel" mermaid doll after the show! She has this thing for mermaids at the moment, and the "Ariel" doll being able to shed her "tail" for legs only intrigued her more I guess. That and maybe the fact that Ariel was the star of the show? Well, she was one happy little girl that Saturday afternoon.

Here is the princess striking a princess pose!

Like how the Mastercard advertisement would put it:

Price for tickets - $XX
Price for buying doll at the show - $YY
Letting your daughter have a good time with her Mama and to see the smile on her face - PRICELESS

Some things money really cannot buy. That said, if it takes money to bring about that PRICELESS situation, then I say its money well spent and I will spend it again! Hoho!

Well, THANKS Mom for helping me bring Janine to the show! AND for the doll too!

NO WATER!

A water pipe burst somewhere on the school compounds today and has left us high and dry literally! Not a single drop of water is coming up from the taps in our block! That means no way to bathe, wash clothes, wash dishes, and even GO TO THE TOILET TO ANSWER NATURE's CALL!

Apparently some taps (and showers) in the other block are still dispensing life-giving water, so hopes not all lost for the 400+ boarders staying under our roof. AND there is a water truck, despatched by PUB, stationed outside for us to gather pails of water for our needs. So, conditions in the hall are still "liveable", a tad bit inconvenient and slightly chaotic BUT still can tahan! Lol

Nonetheless, WE (KY, Janine, our helper Janice and myself) have "uprooted" ourselves momentarily to seek "refuge" at my parents' place until this little crisis has blown over!

It's times like this (and sadly ONLY at times like this) I realise and appreciate just how blessed we are to live in a country where there is RUNNING WATER! Just turn the faucet and TA-DAH! Call me spoilt or a clean freak, but I cannot for the life of me imagine staying and living somewhere where CLEAN water is not so readily available. If ever I will have to "weather" such conditions, I REALLY pray God will give me the sanity to "endure" it all.

Mr Cane

There's a new "addition" to the family - Mr Cane!

If he is hanging at the back of a chair or anything, which means he is NOT being used, he is "happy". Otherwise, he will have a "downcast" expression :P

Yes. I am one of those parents who believe that if you spare the rod, you will spoil the child. So in our household (and BOTH grandparents' home!) you will definitely find the rotan lying around somewhere. Cruel? I think not. Afterall, "train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" (Proverbs 22:6).

Of course there is a fine line between disciplining out of love and disciplining as a knee-jerk reaction to a misdeed/misbehaviour or, horror of horrors, just because I was in a bad mood. Already I am finding myself crossing this line so many times that the line is blurring. No good. Hence a decision to take this disciplining matter to a more "creative" level.

I don't know how good an idea this is to "personify" a disciplinary tool :P But our mischevious little princess appears to like the idea and more importantly, she catches on that as long as she wants Mr Cane to wear a blissful expression on his face, she'd better be behaving :P

Let's see if this "novelty" will last long...hopefully long enough for her to learn good habits, practices and discipline.