Father and son time

...giving Isaac classes on how to be a music conductor



















...playing Chopin to Isaac

... being sleepyheads together!

First...

Nursed Isaac for the first time in public at Furama Hotel after a dim sum lunch. He is a noisy and impatient drinker...made lots of noise as he suckled... so I was a little embarassed!

Brought Isaac out shopping for the first time. Not a good idea...strollers and crowds don't go well together!

First church outing for Isaac

We had a wonderful Christmas celebration in church this morning. Got up especially early to bath Isaac and prepare him for his first church outing (yes, we were both recently liberated from my postnatal confinement, remember?). YL had to go to church early, because he had rehersal for the church worship and outreach event (he was playing the keyboard).

There were so many children in church today! Not only the children of fellow adult church members, there were also a lot of visitors, many of whom were children. Isaac basically slept through worship and the kids' skit but woke up or milk just when the kids outreach video cartoon began. Thereafter, I spent most of the time outside the meeting room with other nursing mommies, and received a lot of tuition on how to parent and take care of Isaac's needs. Can u believe it? Within 2005, there were already 6 babies borned amongst the church congregation!! It was quite a sight today, seeing all the prams lined up!

Isaac received several christmas gifts from the different uncles and aunties in church. But he was oblivious to that. Instead, Isaac took great interest in the bright lights in the ceiling, as well as those on the huge Christmas tree just outside the meeting room and stared and stared at them!


A photo after church with our good friends - Chye Hee & Aik Kor, as well as their little princess, Natalie (at 3+ months), who is also going to become Isaac's playmate!! :)

Merry Christmas to all!!!

YL, myself and little Isaac would like to wish everyone a Blessed Christmas. We continue to remind ourselves that the reason for the season is Christ and we rejoice in His love for us. May u all experience God's love in your hearts too, in a very special way.

Christmas eve

Our family spent Christmas eve with YL's extended family, enjoying a sumptuous meal cooked by YL's sis, Christel.

We returned home pretty early (for Christmas eve) by 9.30pm. Unlike the past three years, we did not spend Christmas gallavanting in the streets of a European country, enjoying a white or icy Christmas, or drinking mulled wine. And unlike the years before that in Singapore, there was no Christmas countdown with friends or participating in any external Christmas celebration. Because this year, we have Isaac with us, a little baby which we realised, should not be overly stimulated at night, so that he can have a good night sleep.

Well, we believe this is a temporary adjustment that we have to make, but one which would not stop us from feeling thankful for Christmas, or celebrating the birth of our Saviour in our hearts. And one day, may Isaac be genuinely thankful for Christmas too, not because he thinks that Santa is coming to town to deliver him a gift, but because he understands that he has already received the gift of Christ and God's love in his heart.

vital statistics

At one month, Isaac currently measures about 54cm and weighs approximately 4.5 kg.

Since birth, he has already gained approx 5cm in height and 1.2kg in weight....

One Month Old Today!!

In celebration of Isaac's full month (yes, time flies, he's already one-month old!!), we gave the traditional elements of "cakes + ang ku kuahs + red eggs" to our elders and relatives. For our friends, we chose the modern and convenient method of sending them Bengawan Solo cake vouchers.

We wanted to let our friends and relatives who might not have the opportunity to meet Isaac yet to be able to have a preview of our little boy. As such, we designed a photo card of him (as shown above) to be enclosed in each of the cake boxes/cake voucher envelops. :)

The photo shows a 3+ week old Isaac, with full blown milk rash/baby acne on his face. We decided against photoshoping away the rash/acne because that was the reality...Yes, whilst he may not look "perfect", we still love him with all our heart !! Ain't he cute?? [Parental pride gushing out...]

:)

(p/s: Mummy is also officially out of "confinement" today!! yippy!!)




Isaac at one month old. Its a real challenge to get little Isaac to stay still for any sort of photoshoot!



Isaac and mummy with the Man Yue cake, two red eggs and the ang ku kuahs...

The Injection

Took Isaac to the family doctor (who is also sze's uncle, and therefore Isaac's granduncle) today for his 2nd dose of Hep B injection... Image above summarises his mini-adventure:

a) Calm before the storm - Isaac happily playing in Papa's arm, not knowing whats about to happen!

b) Granduncle administering the injection (we wisely kept the needle out of Isaac's view)!

c) The poor boy screaming in pain (check out the tomato-like redness/flushes on his face!!)

d) The brave boy stopped crying soon and made peace with his granduncle!! :)

A reminder to ourselves

I was clearing my email today when i came across one from a dear friend, SM. In the email, she wrote a sentence that really touched my heart and is possibly one of the sweetest comment that YL and myself have ever received as a couple:

While one would typically be focussing on the baby, I thought I would tell you I really find great encouragement in the continual dedication yuan liang and you have for one another. Its just so refreshing and I pray that character would be unchanging as more "arrows" are added to your household!

Thanks SM. That was indeed what was happening in the first 1-2 weeks of Isaac's arrival. Apart from caring for Isaac, we were both really concerned about one another, wondering whether we are able to cope as individuals. But recently, we have both been so tired taking care of Isaac that I realised that we seem to be chatting less and less about each other's day, whats going on in our minds, etc. Everything seems to be wrapped around Isaac.

So seeing SM's email today reminds me of the need for YL and myself to try and take time aside to care for one another as individuals too and to feed our souls (e.g. do bible study together or just go on a date together) ... basically to continue building up our relationship as husband and wife, which we believe to be the key foundation of a strong family, one which Isaac could grow up healthily and securely.

Huge appetite

Isaac has a HUGE APPETITE.... he's always crying for milk, milk and more milk...
On average, he's "asking" for milk every 1 to 1 1/2 hour, and he can drink up to 100ml every session!

oh no, my worry now is that my milk supply cannot meet his demand!!

Postnatal Massage

Had the first of my one-week postnatal malay home-massage today from this gentle lady called Aunty Sue. One should really not judge a book by its cover. Although Aunty Sue seems rather small-built, her arms are really powerful!! She massaged me with lemon grass oil and as she massages, she would be on a keen lookout for all the expanded veins (due to pregnancy) on my body and tackle each one of them with her skillful massages to contract them. Also, her massages supposedly expel out any "wind" in the body so that the body relaxes and would not feel bloated.

I thoroughly enjoyed every of the 2 hour long message session. I find that it really relaxes me and at the same time serves as a much appreciated form of "escapade" from tending to Isaac. During each 2 hour session, my lovely mum would tend to Isaac, with my bottled expressed milk on standby to feed the hungry baby!). With the radio on my fav radio station (Classic FM), I would just lie on the bed (and at times shuttle in and out of dreamland), allowing Aunty Sue's strong yet gentle hands to tackle every of my tired muscle.

Aunty Sue would really massage me from the top of my head to the tip of my toes (literally!). And at the end of each massage, she would wrap my tummy tightly round and round with a very long piece of clothe, so that hopefully at the end of the week, my postnatal tummy would look much less flabby and more lean!! :)

breastmilk is best...

Fell ill on Friday night. Think I caught mum's "runny nose" and my nose was dripping the whole night non-stop. Felt really miserable and had to pop a pill to try and stop the "tap"...was worried whether I should continue to breastfeed Isaac, in case the medication is not suitable to be "transmitted" to the new born. So, we decided to feed him the standby ready-made formula milk. Little did we know that this standby ready-made formula milk caused the little one to suffer from constipation the next day....which got him even more easily irritated and got him crying on and off the whole night!

Thank God that my runny nose was not serious and that the doc confirmed that the medication that I took was safe for breastfeeding. So I returned to breastfeed Isaac and the little one returned to a better bowel movement thereafter! So, breastmilk is best afterall!!

BTW, breastmilk is best for the following reasons (highlighted from this online article Breast-Feeding Best Bet for Babies):

a) The primary benefit of breast milk is nutritional. Human milk contains just the right amount of fatty acids, lactose, water, and amino acids for human digestion, brain development, and growth. As such, breast-fed infants have lower rates of hospital admissions, ear infections, diarrhea, rashes, allergies, and other medical problems than bottle-fed babies.

b) Breast-fed babies have fewer illnesses because human milk transfers to the infant a mother's antibodies to disease.

c) Sucking at the breast promotes good jaw development as well. It's harder work to get milk out of a breast than a bottle, and the exercise strengthens the jaws and encourages the growth of straight, healthy teeth.

d) Many psychologists believe the nursing baby enjoys a sense of security from the warmth and presence of the mother, especially when there's skin-to-skin contact during feeding.

In addition, breastfeeding could help the mother to lose weight as well!! While one is pregnant, the body automatically layers on extra fatty tissue so that the mother would have enough fat stores to begin and support breastfeeding. After delivery, however, if what one eat is varied and well balanced, breastfeeding can help one to lose pregnancy weight without compromising either one's health or the baby's by dieting. And one would naturally burn calories to make breast milk every time one nurse!

Lessons learnt from a rather hard week...

OK. Am going to say this in all honesty (and perhaps break many people's fairytale imagination about parenting...) .
Parenting is tough...and i am only at the newborn stage! :p

Don't get me wrong. We still believe that Isaac is a gift from God and we are delighted with his presence and love him very very much. But the little one has been testing my patience lately. While he was in the womb, I had prayed that he would be someone with a pleasant and gentle disposition, but that "gentleness" seems rather elusive at the moment...

One thing is for sure. He has been endowned with really good lungs, which can be testified by his ear-piercing screaming whenever he wakes up and cries for "food" as well as his marathon-like suckling whenever i nurse him. He seems somehow to be lacking in patience... and would just continue to cry out loud till i present him with either of his "food source". And even then, there still seemed to be a lack of gratitude shown (but then again perhaps thats too much to ask for from a 2+ week old baby!). Instead, the little one would sometimes choose instead to take his time to lick the "food source" like a connoisseur, slowly tasting the milk, taking his time to gurgle a little in his mouth before finally proceeding to suckle at it!! This is all fine if it is done in the day when mummy is much more energised and awake, but imagine it done at 12am, 2am, 4am, 6am...during the night feeds! Also, the little one doesn't understand that sometimes Mummy has his interest in her heart when she withhold giving him too much milk at one go, choosing to take some time off in between each suckling to burp him, so that he doesn't end up suffering with wind in his tummy. What does he do instead? Yes, he decides to protest by "screaming even louder" ("I want my food nooooooooow"!!!).

Sigh!!!

So every morning after waking up and evening before sleeping, I would pray that God would slowly help us to impart in the little one the Fruits of the Spirit (as spelt out in the book of Galatians in the Bible - love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness & self-control), particularly that of "patience". Through this, we are also beginning to empathise a little more with how God must be feeling about us. We are just like little Isaacs. We often lack patience and keep pounding on God's door to ask him to "give us this and give us that and give them to us NOW!!!" It is easy to sing the beautiful song "In His Time", but how many of us truly appreciate the lyrics "He makes alll things beautiful in His time"? Waiting is something that doesn't come naturally to most people, especially waiting upon God to hear of His words and to understand the value of Him knowing what is best for us.

Another important lesson that I am beginning to understand is that while the little one may test our patience to the extreme (imagine sleep-deprived mum trying to hurry son through the numerous night feeds...), it is unthinkable for us to ignore his needs and his cries for help (or food) 'cos we love him too much. Same thing with God. Whilst He may get "fed-up" sometimes with our numerous complaints and even us ignoring him, truely, He has said that "Never will I leave u nor foresake u" (Deut 31:6)!!

Itch!!

Sze is not a happy person today... :(

Woke up last evening from my afternoon nap (having to wake up every two hourly in the night to cater to Isaac's night feed means that i can only catch up on my sleep in between his feeds in the day), and found myself covered with large pink spots/rashes all over which were unbearably itchy (and very ugly too) !!

Went to my family doc this morning and doc diagnosed it as a bout of allergic reaction to something which i've either eaten or touched. I recalled yesterday's event and remembered that my mum gave me this little cup of D.O.M (hard liquor that is apparantly good for ladies in confinement to build up their strength) to consume, to which i dutifully obliged. My suspicions is that it must be the hard liquor to which i was allergic to!! :(

Anyhow, have been given some medication to consume and apply to the rashes. Praying that it will really stop the itch and make the rashes disappear quickly! Thankfully, the rashes are not contagious and I can continue to nurse little Isaac. What will the little one do without his "human vending machine"??

;)

Thoughts from the new mum

A friend had asked me in an sms whether i was a super cool mum or the kan chiong type. Well, I thought i was a super cool cucumber mum until last evening when Isaac seemed to be crying non-stop for quite a while (doesn't help as he has quite big lungs!!). Then I got a little kan chiong and nearly cried myself in perplexity. But things soon calmed down, thanks to help from my mum...apparantly his diaper was full of shit making him very uncomfortable! Well, i think his reaction is typical of anyone who finds himself in deep shit (!) ;)

At first I was a little stressed, not so much over Isaac, but more of Yuan Liang because he was trying to be this "super-on" papa. He was reading up about everything and then worrying about this and that...rushing through his dinner so that he can quickly go into the room and watch over Isaac...and waking up with me everytime Isaac needs his night feed!! As a result, he became super tired, and made me worry about whether he would be alert enough to drive to work each morning! But now he has become a bit cooler, so thats good and i have one less person to worry about! But really, I wanna' thank God for him for being such an involved father and loving husband!! :)

Anyhow, its been a time of adaptation, after the elation and relief of Isaac finally joining us. The late night feedings were a bit siong at first, but i guess we kind of got used to it now...

And then there is this whole breastfeeding thingamy that i am trying to understand. The good news is that i seem to be overflowing with milk and can satisfy his hunger (he's got a huge appetite!). The bad news is the "overflowing" bit (well, i don't think i need to explain further...). Somehow, I need to learn how to try and send the right signals to my brain to request for a lower level of milk production!! Any mother out there with any tips to share? =)

Oh oh....i hear him making his little noise again....time for yet another feed!! ciao for now...

1 week old!!

Thoughts as a new father

Here are some random thots from YL.... :
(He has been missing lots of sleep and has difficulties organising his thoughts logically...)

1) As I was with Sze in the delivery room, a great sense of affection towards her seemed to overwhelm me as I witness what she had to go through.

2) The emergence of Isaac's head is a most miraculous event and hearing his first cry is sublimal. It took a while for me to realise the fact that this boy is my son(!) whom Sze has been carrying for the past 9 months...then it is this unconditional compassion and affection that you suddenly have for your son that comes flowing!

3) Enduring through the sleepless nights assisting with feeding, burping and changing diapers has been most trying for me...To me, it seems harder then doing a PhD. In London, I thought that the sleepless nights I had struggling with quantum theory had been bad but this seems even more trying...Here, you have a human life placed in your hands! But as for Sze, she seemed to possess this superhuman ability despite her relative physical weakness...maybe its the maternal instinct that God has gifted to all mothers!

4) Holding Isaac in my hands and telling him that I love him suddenly made me realise that maybe thats how God feels about us. God wants us to know but our limited human ability and stubborness makes it hard...and we will have to grow and learn through experience in order to appreciate His love more fully... Its the same for Isaac. For right now, he doesn't know that the people who love him are his parents.. but he will surely learn and understand as he grows up...

5) Suddenly, you appreciate your parents a lot more!

6) Anyway, I like his chinese name, 家乐 (pronounced as "Jia Le", which means "Joy of the Family".)

7) What always sticks to my mind is the scent of the newborn baby's head....(which is a lyric from a U2 song... "Freedom has a scent like the top of a newborn baby's head")... the first thing I did instinctively was to smell his head.

Recalling the Birth

It was Monday morning (21 Nov 2005). We were indecisive about whether I should still go to work. But having decided the night before that we will go for a checkup at the hospital and see what the doctor says, we made our way to the delivery suite in KK hospital early in the morning at 8am.

The nurses strapped me to the CTG machine again to monitor my contractions and the fetal heartbeat. There was still NO PAIN at the moment. After half an hour, one of the on-duty doc came and told me that my contractions were every 5 min apart and I was 3.5cm dilated. The doc told me that they will break my water bag to hasten the labour, and the baby would be out in 7-10 hours!

I was at first hesitant about the breaking of waterbag as we had heard that the contractions would be rather "unbearable" thereafter, and many of our friends who had opted not to have an epidural had succumbed to the pain-relief after having their waterbag artificially burst. But, since we didn't want to play the "waiting game" any longer, we thought we will just go ahead with the doc's suggestion and pray for courage. :)

9am: This houseman came by to administer the drip. He wasn't very good at it and only got the procedure right after the 3rd attempt, having burst two of my blood vessals on the veins of my hands in the first 2! YL was eyeing him angrily and wanted to "box the doc" for hurting his wife! I was ok, given my high threshold of pain...

9.30am : My gyne Dr Ben Tham came to the delivery room and broke the waterbag.

10am: The contractions came stronger and were approx 1-2 min apart, and i finally felt "pain" but they were still bearable...

10:30am: I now felt REAL PAIN and was coping via "will power" and lots of prayer.

11am: I was (only) about 4cm-ish dilated. The nurse (Sister Seet) gave me the "laughing gas". We forgot to ask for it earlier!! At this time, I could still administer the "laughing gas" by myself, but I was certainly NOT laughing!

12pm: Two nurses took turns to come in to encourage me...YL was cheering me throughout. With one eye on me and the other on the CTG monitor, he was telling me when to expect the big contractions and when they were "fading off". By this time, he was also administering the laughing gas to me, by bringing the mask over as and when he sees the contractions coming. I was in too much pain and too "weak" to do it by myself.

1pm: "Breathe hard and fast" YL would instruct, whenever he saw the "pain index" on the CTG monitor peaked. I was in a state of delirium and couldn't think straight....all i could do was to obey the instructions, putting all my trust in my man.

2pm: "Dear, you are really doing very well...I love you" YL whispered..... And I could only moan in response.

3pm: The nurse came in and got me to start "pushing"...Dr Tham soon joined her too and gently but firmly instructed me on "how to push and breathe". In between repeating the breathing instructions, YL was giving me a running commentary on the progress that he was witnessing.

3:30pm: I was soooo tired, that deep inside, i wanted to ask for the epidural. I didn't, for i don't want to give in and also know that it is way too late. I gave the additional push where I felt I could. And when I felt I couldn't push, I just ignored the instructions from my cheering team.

3:45pm: Nurse Seet told me, "We're not lying to you!...you've come very far, even though you may not feel it". YL added excitedly "I can see the head crowning!! So much hair!" Deep inside, I was going, "hah? crowning? So? Is it going to be over soon??"

4:09pm: Nurse Seet, Dr Tham and YL in unison, "He's out!!" and I hear the cry of our child for the first time! I couldn't respond in words, and just collapsed back on the labour bed, totally drained... YL gave me a big kiss, went over to stare at our son and then came back and whispered to me, "He's a handsome chap". He then took out the camera and started to snap numerous photos of our son, Isaac Lim.



The Lims welcome our new addition after 7 hours of hard labour.

Announcing the birth of Isaac Lim!!

Yep, he's finally joined us!!

Some brief details of the birth first:

Hospital : KK Hospital
Date Arrived : 21 Nov 2005
Time Arrived : 4.09pm
Time taken for delivery : Approx 7 hours
Mode of Arrival : Natural Birth & WITHOUT Epidurum (Brave mama!!)
Weight at birth : 3.32kg
Length at birth : 49cm
Looks : Handsome (but we're his parents, so we're naturally biased!)


More details soon... :)

Still labouring. :)

Last night, we had planned to go to church this morning if we are not already in the hospital.

However, I think the excitement of the day before (being told by Gyne that we are in labour) got the better of us and we woke up real late. I also felt some menses-like cramps and so thought that perhaps we had better packed our hospital bag and be on standby.

Thereafter, we went about very much like before. Had lunch, went out to my parents' place and went to YL's parents' place for dinner.

For the whole day, the contractions were still PAINLESS and I thought pretty much mild, so much so that I got used to them and very much ignored them! That in itself could present a problem, as I have no idea if they were getting closer in between. It really takes lots of discipline under these circumstances, to monitor the contractions.

Then we were wondering if there is any decrease in fetal movements. Thats also quite difficult as after a while, I got rather confused between fetal movements and contractions. But the little one did give me a few big kicks now and then to tell me that he is ok.

At 9pm, we were contemplating on going to KKH's labour ward for checkups to see if they can tell us if I am further dilated (beyond the 2cm that we were told yesterday). After a long discussion, we decided to put things on hold, as we are really not in any distress.

We prayed together, thanking God for His grace so far (the painless contractions) and asked that He would give us very obvious signals to indicate when we should proceed to the hospital.

YL is imagining that there would be something dramatic happening at night, either the water bag breaking or I would get much more intense (but still painless!) contractions, and then we could rush ourselves to the hospital....well, we'll see.... :)

Supposedly in Labour

Went for weekly checkup with Gyne today. Its the 39th week...and we've got just one more week to go before the estimated due date of 26 Nov!

Did a CTG scan, which required me to lie on the clinic bed for half an hour with some straps and doppler-like discs around my tummy that translates signals to this machine which records and prints. Being the inquisitive physicist YL was, he was trying to understand the signals and noticed that one particular plot had a curve that rise and fall every so and then. He tried reading the scale and noticed that it was measured in KiloPascals or in units of a thousand Newton force per square meter. Hmm, you mean that is called contractions? What was puzzling to him was that I didn't seem to be in discomfort. People seem to always associate labor contractions with pain. Anyway, he had a fun time telling me that i am supposedly having mild contractions every 8 minutes or so!

Half hour later, the Gyne came in, saw the charts and happily announced that he thinks the next time he sees us, it would be in the labour ward! He then proceeded to give me an internal examination and ultrasound scan. To his (and ours too!) surprise, I was supposedly already 2cm dilated! The ultrasound however revealed that Isaac is still happily nesting within me (currently weighing about 3.4kg) and not in a particular hurry to get out to see the world yet.

The Gyne told us that "technically, I can admit you into the hospital straight-away, and you can have your baby delivered by TODAY!" He then went on to say that since the baby is fine, might as well let him stay in the womb for a few more days, and then we can deliver him. He even told us that we can choose a "convenient date" to deliver him. Immediately, the option of "choosing" his birthday becomes a reality. The Gyne explained that labor can be induced anytime from today. However, we chose to let nature takes its course.

We then discussed about pain relief, and told him that we only wanted nitrous gas. As such, we would rather not have the labour induced (as we heard that it would be a lot more painful). During our chat, he told us that for some people, at the stage of 2cm dilation, they might already be feeling pain (and asking for the epidural) and it is indeed good news that i am able to tolerate the pain. In reality, I really do not feel any discomfort, just the tightening of the womb now and then.

Since there has been no "show" (otherwise known as "spotting"), the Gyne said that it is unlikely that there would be any of that for me since the cervix is already opened. He told us to go back and only check ourselves into the hospital when either of the following happens:
a) Leaking of the waterbag / or more dramatically, should the water bag burst!;
b) When I can't endure the discomfort/pain from the contractions; or
c) If I sense reduced fetal movement from Isaac.

So, we went about our daily ritual, wondering when the cervix would be totally dilated and when we would meet Isaac. Meanwhile, the contractions continues, going on and off (about 7-8 minutes apart now and then). And there is still no pain (PRAISE GOD FOR HIS GRACE, ANSWERING OUR PRAYERS SO FAR!!)

And, we're still waiting. :)

Image shot in a chinese restaurant...
gearing ourselves up for the real labour that is to come...

Back from DND

Just came back from DND and came out of the shower.

YL was sweet. Fetched me to DND at Grand Hyatt and then loitered around Scott Road (hanging out at his fav hunt - Borders Bookstore), whilst waiting for me to be done and then fetched me back home.

i looked like a orange whale tonight...hilarious!

No sign of baby yet, though i think he seems to be in the process of getting "engaged". Felt lots of movements and the tummy seems lower than before.

Gonna' get some sleep now.... there's still gyne appointment at 9am later today!! gulp!

[p/s: didn't win anything at the lucky draw during DND but had a good time.]

DND tonight

Its my office DND tonight!

The theme is "Around the World" and its along the line of different nationalities/ethnic group and travelling. I was just remarking the other day that given how I look now (pregnant tummy and all) it would be hard for me to find something to wear that might fit the theme!!

Then, my colleague and friend Joyce brought up the idea of me wearing a punjabi suit (which is supposed to be loose fitting generally) that her friend had lent her....and guess what? I will be wearing it! Its orangey and bright and very cheery....

Lets just hope that Bambino stays in the tummy for tonight and doesn't decide to make his grand entrance into the world as yet....technically, he's still got about a week to go. However, I think I have been feeling very slight and mild cramp-like contractions since yesterday. Not sure if they are "real" contractions as they're not painful at all...well, we'll see! :)

Weight gained

Just wanted to record this before i forget.

Pre-pregnancy : 55-56kg.
Last Saturday's measurement at Gyne's = 67.7kg.
Thus, overall weight gained = Approx 12 kg.

Bambino's estimated weight based on ultrasound measurement (last saturday) = 3.2kg.

Taking into account Bambino's 3.2 kg, the deduction is that:
a) I have not seemed to gain that much weight.
b) Most of the nutrients i've taken must have gone to Bambino! (Lots of people have commented that apart from the obvious bulk gained around the tummy and hips, I don't look that pregnant, looking at my face, arms, etc...)
c) Therefore, I will hopefully have an easier time regaining my pre-pregnancy weight after the delivery....

...yippy! :)

why is everyone so kan chiong?

I just realised that since we've returned back to Singapore, I've received countless similar comments:
"You're so mobile!!"
"Wah, how come you are walking so fast? Should u be walking so fast in your state?"
"You're the most agile pregnant woman i've ever met!"
"Stop, don't move that chair (its actually just a little stool)...let me do it for u!"

Aiyoh, i really don't understand why everyone seems to be so kan chiong and amused at my state. And I really also don't know what they think that i'm moving fast...i'm just moving around in my normal speed (i don't run about).

But then, I supposed i should take time to really thank God for my relative mobility. Its true, I feel heavier, but not so heavy that it impedes me when I walk (only sometimes when Isaac seems to be kicking about or when I am having those once-in-the-blue-moon practice mini-contractions lately). Thank God that I feel fine.

Now, am just waiting for Isaac to quickly engage so that I can "download" him. :)

The Birth Plan

In UK, because there are so much choices on how you want to deliver your baby (e.g. go to the hospital or do a home birth; deliver on the hospital bed or deliver in a birthing pool, etc...) there is therefore much talk about writing out one's birth plan as the due date draws near.

Well, though we have much less choices here, I thought we will nevertheless write down our birth plan ....

So, this is our plan:

a) I will deliver Isaac at KK Hospital. We have decided to opt for the Classic package and opt for Class A ward (single bed - for more privacy, this being our first child).

b) I will be delivered by my gyne Dr Benjamine Tham (hopefully he wouldn't be away or busy dealing with another delivery!)

c) I will only go to the hospital when the contractions are at least a regular 10 minutes apart...I do not wish to be strapped immediately onto the monitoring machine as I heard that its very painful and would make me less effective in coping with the pain.

d) I will not go for epidural and only request for "laughing gas" (otherwise known more professionally as "Nitrous Oxide Gas") This is because the gas will neither build up in me nor in Isaac's body. It is known to be the safest pain relief method, as opposed to epidural where there is a higher risk due to the spinal injection.

e) YL will be in the delivery room with me throughout...apart from being a loving husband/father cum cheerleader cum prayer warrior, his role is also to remind me what is happening at each stage. Our belief is that knowledge drives out fear and as a result, minimises pain.

f) YL, whom i believe is generally the more sensible one between us both, and definitly going to be the more alert person at the time of labour, would take charge of all the major decisions, should any be required during labour.

g) YL will cut the umbilical cord (he is so looking forward to that!!) connecting Isaac to me.

h) YL will bring the camera into the delivery ward, but would not photograph grotesque and overly bloody images of the labour process!

Feeling so exhausted now....

Isaac is definitely growing and i have problems turning from one side to the other when i am trying to sleep at night 'cos his weight just weighs down on me! One flip to the next probably takes at least half a minute, me manouvering all 3.2kg (according to gyne's measurement at the antenatal checkup this morning) of him.

The gyne said that Isaac is measuring very well, but i am to still keep to my proper diet, and not snack on fries and ice-cream too much.... (guess what? i just ate a "jolly lolly" before starting to type this entry! shh...don't tell the doctor!). He also told us that Isaac isn't quite "engaged" yet (his definition of "engagement" means "the baby's head should be at least 60% into the pelvic area), but that Isaac has definitely positioned himself well and in the process of doing so.

After the gyne checkup, we drove to this 2nd hand baby store's showroom, called "BabyTown". It was not a very big store but had loads of 2nd hand stuff...I was quite keen on some of the items like one of the baby bouncing chair, etc, cos they were about half price and I thought they were in pretty good condition, though there were some dust and tiny stains here and there which i thought could be easily removed by giving the fabric a good wash. However, YL kept giving me the "lets not buy them" look, 'cos he felt that he wanted to buy Isaac new ones...!

So we left BabyTown not getting anything, but i would certainly be returning there to purchase their 2nd hand toys when Isaac grows bigger, cos many of them were in really good condition, and pretty cheap!

We went to Mothercare 'cos there's a big sale on now (about 15-20%)....got a few nursing bras, nursing gowns, a brand new bouncing chair and an Advent breast-pump! Felt quite satisfied thereafter... as true blue Singaporeans, nothing beats a good bargain! :)

We were discussing tonight about the impending arrival of Isaac, and wondered how he would look like! 'cos YL and myself are rather different:

• Hair - We've both got lots, but YL's tend to be curly and mine's generally straight!
• Eyes - We've both got two, but YL's tend to be slightly smaller, and mine's pretty big!
• Skin - YL's darker, and I am much fairer!
• Complexion - YL's got dryer complexion, whilst mine is slightly oilier. YL's got an unblemished smooth face, whereas mine have got a few blemishes here and there!
• Body - YL's tall and lean (eats a lot but can't get fat), and I'm just not tall and certainly not lean (ok, i'm actually little on the plump-ish side)!

And we continue to wonder...
...two weeks more, and we may just have a much better idea! :)

i have been naughty...

...had eaten a bowl of yummy "Special laksa" today at Challenger during lunchtime, and then YL brought me to Parkway Thai during dinner time to have yummy otah in coconut plus all the other thai delicacies....

Oh no...hope the gyne doesn't tell me that Bambino is still growing too big during tomorrow's checkup!! gulp! :P

YL's contact number

My office colleague, Lynn is getting very excited for me about the impending birth. She just made me write down YL's contact number on my cubicle white board so that she can easily phone him should I suddenly go into labour!!

Big Baby!

Went to our gyne, Dr Benjamine Tham, at AMK's KK Women's Clinic for our 37th week checkup today.

The queue was so long at the clinic that it really felt somewhat like a supermarket with kids swinging around chairs, etc, and the nurses, pharmacist and cashier calling out the names of patients, trying to compete with the voices of the screaming kids....quite amusing!

It finally got to our turn to go into Dr Tham's consultation room, and in his usual chirpy and charming voice, he asked "How're you and your darling doing today??"... After all the procedural question and chatting, we finally got to YL's favourite activity, going onto the ultrasound machine (so that he can wave and say "hi" to Isaac!).

Dr Tham was measuring Isaac at various positions to estimate how much he might be weighing....To his astonishment, he proclaimed that Isaac had grown lots since the last time (3 weeks ago) he measured him (at 2.2kg). He said that based on the measurements, the conservative estimate of Isaac's weight is 3kg, and said that the ideal weight for a baby to come out naturally should be around 3.2kg.

So I was ordered to stop taking in any tonic, ice-cream and french fries (sob sob!!), not to take too much rice, noodles nor bread!! In my mind i was wondering what then can i eat??? :(

But I also feel that Isaac has grown heavier. Its not so much how my tummy look (cos it still looks pretty compact to me and i am still pretty mobile!), but that i can feel him weighing me down when i sleep at night, if i happen to lay on my back.

According to Dr Tham and the ultrasound machine, Isaac has apparantly began to prepare himself for the big landing, having shifted his position. His head and hands are now on the right side of my tummy, and his legs on the left side of my tummy. No wonder, I felt the little boy gave me a really strong kick at the left side of my tummy yesterday, making me nearly double-over in pain (its the first painful kick that he gave!). Also, now we can really see the obvious movements of his legs on the left side of my tummy...

Oh dear....YL just told me that I need to go on a diet!! sob!

=)

Bassinets

We finally set up the bassinets at both our Marine Terrace apartment (where we are living) and my parents' place at Palm Drive (where I will be having my confinement)! Thanks to Christel and Lynn for lending them to us!!

Contrary to what we thought earlier, a bassinet is NOT a small basin/tub to bathe our kid. It can serve as both a play pen as well as a sleeping cot!

Looking at the bassinet sitting happily in our bedroom brings the reality of the impending newcomer back even closer to home (literally speaking too!).... :)

Prayer received for Isaac

Was in church today and decided to "go up to the altar" and respond to the Word/sermon of the day.

Pastor Adrian prayed for me and then later Pastor Pauline came over to pray for me too (so blessed to have 2 pastors praying for me one after the other!!). Pastor Pauline released to me a word/vision which she felt she had received from God and then proceeded to pray for little Isaac in my tummy. She prayed that Isaac would have the character of David - one who loves God and pursues God...who holds His word to his heart.

Well, its really nice to receive prayer for our little one....also reminds me that we need to prayfully bring up the child, that at the end of the day, he really belongs to the Lord and yl and myself are mere stewards of God's child.

Researching...

With Bambino due in about a month's time, we thought that we should start researching on baby products. We are blessed with YL's sis - Christel, who is passing us several stuffs which her son Joel and daughter Glory have used (and outgrown), such as playpen/bassinet, bath basin, and several baby clothings.

We just went to two big baby supermarkets in an industrial park in Kaki Bukit yesterday night to research on baby car seats and strollers... It was really 大开眼界 for us as the salesperson patiently explained to us the various versions and models and what we should consider in making our decision on what to buy. The prices were also "eye-popping"...the strollers can cost anything from less than S$50 to S$700!!! And the car seats could also cost between S$70s to S$400+!

Well, YL was insisting on keeping the cost reasonable and taking into account the practical aspects of the products, whilst my pregnant mind got rather excited about the potential of the various "cool-looking" models! :)

Will I be able to go or not?

....question pertains to my office Dinner and Dance on the 18th Nov (Friday).

Estimated due date is 26th Nov (Saturday), and I am just not so sure if Isaac would be on time or would he want to meet the world much earlier! Heck, I'll just sign up for the DND, and see if I could turn up. Just praying that Isaac doesn't decide to "pop out" during the DND itself! :)

A month's worth of update!

Gosh, its been more than a month since we've last updated the website. All due to the lack of ease of access to internet connection in our new home. But now that we've got the broadband set up, we're back online again!! :)

A couple of things have happened since:

1) FLIGHT HOME (24 - 25 Sep) : We flew across continents back from London to Singapore. Having called London our 2nd home for the past 3 years, it is with many mixed feelings that we're returning back to Singapore for good. We're gonna' miss the weather, the picturesque countrysides, hill and mountains, as well as our several good friends in UK! Before flying, we had prayed to be upgraded to business class with our Kris miles. Well, that didn't get answered but the important point is that sze travelled without discomfort in the economy class....which would have been better than having the business class upgrade but still with discomfort.

2) FAMILY : Our parents were naturally delighted to receive us back as well as being with us with the impending delivery of Bambino. Sze's exuberant mum was so excited that the first thing she did upon seeing one another back in Singapore was to rush to sze and hug sze's tummy rather than sze herself (shouting in joy "welcome back my grandson")!! Sze was naturally amused and somewhat embarassed in the airport, a very public place! YL's mum's showed her joy in her beautiful wide smile as she was hugged by YL when we arrived at the airport.

Since our arrival, we've been spending loads of quality time with both sides of the family, having dinners at their place, going out together and chatting to one another... :)

3) BAMBINO : We visited the gynae twice, first without ultrasound and the second time with ultrasound. YL asked our gynae to reconfirm the baby's gender. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence until the gynae broke in and asked " What did I tell you the last time, boy or girl?" Sze said, "you've never told us anything before this!". Instantly, the gynae heaved a sigh of relief, "I must have confused you with another patient! I thought I'd told you before that the baby was a girl but he is obviously a boy!" We all broke up in laughter and relief. This is a strong double confirmation. As is in YL's trait, he likes things to be reconfirmed again and again.

The gynae confirmed that the baby is growing "on target" and doubted that Bambino would arrive anytime before the estimated date of delivery - 26 Nov 2005! We're still hoping that he would arrive a couple of days earlier, so that sze need not be "confined" over christmas day! :)

Latest ultrasound image shows the ever maturing facial features of Bambino (shot from the left side of his face)!

Meanwhile, sze has been feeling the even stronger kicks and flips of Bambino. One day, whilst working, she saw that the office tag that she usually wears around her neck which was resting on her tummy (as she sits and types away on her office computer) was moving around, and realised that it was actually caused by the "tremours" that Bambino is creating in the tummy...it was a most amusing sight!

[p/s: Another of Bambino's playmate has arrived! Sze's good friend YN has delivered a pretty baby girl in mid October....!! Congrats to the lovely family!]

4) WORK : We've both started work!! YL had 5 days of disembarkation leave (starting from the day we flew from uk) and started work on 29 Sep. Sze on the other hand, had a longer break in between to adjust to the time-difference as well as the hot weather! She started work on 10 Oct, but fell ill two days later and received a two-day order of rest (MC) from her doctor! You should have seen the look of embarassment when she submitted the MC to her boss and sheepishly joked that she must have been allergic to work!! (well, who isn't??? hahaha!).

5) CHURCH : We've quickly settled down in church and even cellgroup. We're now attending a relatively new church called Riverplace Church which meets in one of the function room in Merchent Court Hotel. The church is pastored by Pastor Adrian (who incidentally married both of us when we were in FCBC!). We could feel the presence of the Lord as we worshipped there and learn the truths of life from the bible through the weekly sermons. YL has also volunteered himself in the church band, sometimes playing the guitar or the keyboard. Steadily, we're getting to know the brothers and sisters in the church. We've settled down in our good friend, Melvin's cell which meets largely in the Tampines/Simei area (where nearly half the cell members stay there!).

One thing that struck us about the church is that it is full of kids and babies! Think it must be the anointing of Pastor Adrian, who himself with his wife Lynette has 4 children! We think that the church is going to have a really strong children ministry! And with so many mothers around, there were much advice generously dispensed to us on how to prepare for labour and bring up little Isaac! :)

Last visit to UK gynea

Last sunday church service in London

Its our last sunday attending church service in London, before flying back to Singapore next week. We attended Dunamis Church service together with our riverpark church, which we have been part of over the past 3 years.

All 3 of us (YL, Sze and Bambino) got prayed over, and its really wonderful to think that we are bringing blessings of fellow brothers and sisters-in-Christ across different continents back with us to Singapore!

We will certainly miss the different people from both churches, whom we have had the good blessings to know...

a series of farewell to friends

We're uprooting from London next Saturday! Apart from all the last minute intensive packing, the week ahead is going to be filled with a whole series of "farewell" get-togethers with friends in UK.

We had one this evening with the Lethams - Rab and Mel. They're great friends whom we have met from a photography website. Look at the funny picture we took below using the self-timer on the camera...sums up our friendships - one full of joys and laughter!! They've also taught us both a lot, from photography to boxing to jujitsu (lol!) . More importantly, they've encouraged us to live our lives to their fullest! :)

God willing, if we are able to bring Bambino (Rab calls him "little Gym-Ghengis") over to London next April to attend YL's convocation, we will definitely wanna' introduce Uncle Rab and Aunty Mel to Bambino! :)

Dad's dreaming...

YL loves travelling...especially independent travelling.

This morning, I saw him surfing the net for ideas on overseas trips.
Instead of looking into his usual categories such as "independent travel" or "adventure travel", he was looking at the one labelled "family travel"...
specially taking note of the minimum age for accompanying children.

...Ahh...already becoming a family man...dreaming of the trips that he would be making with his bambino! :)

Thanksgivings!!

(1) All's Normal!

Yay! The results for the urine sample that the clinic had sent for testing has come back:
"All Normal. No further action required."

Praise God...prayer works! :)

(2) Increased baggage allowance

Wrote an email to SIA's office to enquire about their baggage allowance, explaining to them that YL had finished his postgraduate studies and is returning to Singapore for the final time. This is their response to the email:

"Thank you for your email regarding excess baggage. Returning final year students are entitled to an extra 15kgs baggage allowance if a headed letter from the college/university is presented at check in. The letter must state that the passenger has completed their studies and will not be returning. On presenting this letter you will be entitled to 35kgs plus 1 piece of hand luggage at 7kgs.

If you do not have this letter or are not a final year student, you will be only entitled to an extra 5kgs to bring your baggage allowance to 25kgs in addition to the hand luggage allowance."

This means that we managed to secure at least 15kg more baggage allowance! Yippy!! Every little counts, you know! ;)

However, on the front of trying to get ourselves upgraded to Business/Raffles class, we think the chances are growing slimmer and slimmer... But nevermind. We just need to pray that sze will somehow be able to find herself a comfortable position on the economy class seat and be able to rest properly during the long flight back home!

29th week pics

Bambino nestling happily in mummy's tummy...

approximately 10 more weeks to go.... :)

mummy seems happy too... :)

opps, but mummy just noticed that her face seems to have put on a bit of weight! :(

29+week GP checkup

Had my 29+ week checkup today...Just realised that this is also my last midwife checkup in UK before we fly back to Singapore for good!!

Everything is fine (as usual, the midwives commented that i have a really active baby...) except that there was some concern over the urine sample that i had provided. The midwife decided to send the sample for further test. I think the concern was that I might be having some urinary tract infection, which is apparantly rather common in later stages of pregnancies.

According to the book What to expect when you are expecting:
"UTIs are so common in pregnancy that 10 percent of pregnant women can expect to develop at least one, and those who have already had one have a 1 in 3 chance of an encore! ... This occurs more often in the last trimester and can lead to preterm labor."

Whatever the case, I am not too worried at the moment. Gonna' pray that God will heal me of it, and am gonna' drink loads of water and cranberry juice to flush out the bacteria. Well, this also means that I will be heading off towards the toilet even more often!! :P

Another of Bambino's playmate has arrived!!

Yay, another of Bambino's playmate has arrived! Our heartiest congratulations to AK and CH on the arrival of their little princess!! We're so happy for you three!!!

Apparantly, the birth was really quick. The couple called us this morning at close to 9am to say that AK has been confined to hospital, and was dilated halfway. By 11-ish am, I received a text from CH announcing the arrival of Nathalie. Wow!! AK seems to have the anointing of quick labour...must get her to pray over me when I eventually go into labour... :)

So happy that the Tans are now enjoying their little one...

We're looking forward to getting to meet our Bambino soon too...in 2.5 months' time!

Packing up...

Have been busy with lots of packing up.

We're flying on 24 Sep (Saturday), and that gives us less than 2 weeks left in London!! Goodness, i can't believe we're going back after spending 3 years of our life here...

yay...new tops!

YL took a morning break from school and went shopping with me this morning at Ealing Broadway (our neighbourhood's high-street shopping centre), even though he was still visibly tired from the events of the past few days...

I realised that I am quickly outgrowing all my big t-shirts and its high time that I upgrade to bigger, more stretchable and proper maternity tops. So I went on a hunt for for budget and non-ostentatious maternity wear. Thankfully, I managed to find four decent maternity tops all at very reasonable prices from Mothercare as well as Next 2 Choice (the boutique that sells out-of-season NEXT clothes).

Nowadays, our eyes seemed to be addicted to cute baby wear... we couldn't help but took the opportunity to also purchase a few baby tops for bambino, his playmates, as well as our niece and nephew.

:)

Sleepless nights...

The night before his viva, YL only managed to sleep at 4.30am in the morning, because he was slightly anxious.

This morning after his viva, YL woke up at 4.30am in the morning, because he was too excited now that his viva is over!!

He mentioned this morning that he had told his examiners during his viva yesterday that he had only had about 2.5 hours of sleep before the session. One of the examiners laughed and told him that this is "practice" for him before Bambino arrives!

YL then said this to me, "Dear, although I've complained about the sleepless nights due to my concerns with physics during the past three years, I am more than ready to embrace the sleepless nights over the next few years for the sake of Bambino and yourself!!"

sweet. :)

woo-hoo!! he's passed his viva!!

Yep....finally received YL's call conveying the good news!

"Dr. Lim" said the viva lasted nearly 3 hours...he's exhausted but really happy. Officially, he's received a "pass with no revision", which was the best category in his college's system, and also what he had prayed to God for!! He even received a bottle of champagne from his supervisor... and is going to have celebratory drinks at the pub with his colleagues tonight!

Thank you Lord for your grace to us! :)

When Dr Lim came home: slightly drunk, very tired, but overjoyed & extremely relieved!!

p/s: Update (9 Sept) - Apparantly, the examiners liked his thesis so much that they suggested quite a few editorial refinements to it so that it can be even better and more comprehensive for publication on the internet archive for physics PhD thesis! So, this weekend shall see YL continue to slog over the thesis (post-exam!!) trying to "perfect" it!!

just before the viva...

Just prayed for YL and kissed him goodbye, as he sets off to school for his viva.

He had a restless night. Though tired, his heart and mind were so "pumped up" with the excitement of the day's event ahead, that the poor chap found great difficulties falling asleep! In the middle of the night, when I flipped my body over on the bed to face him after getting a restful sleep on one side, he gently whispered to me, "I still can't sleep...".

I opened one of my eyes to look at him, and then took a look at the clock, and realised its already 4am in the morning! I got up and made him a nice malt Horlick to hopefully warm him up and help him to sleep. He drank it gratefully and we got back to bed again. I told him to wake me up if he still couldn't sleep. Thankfully, when my eyes winked open (temporarily) at 6.30am this morning, I heard that reassuring sound of his breathe inhaling and exhaling, knowing that he did eventually fall asleep.

He woke up at about 7.15am. I asked him if he did catch some rest, and he said that he prob fell asleep at about 4.30am. So that gave him slightly less than 3 hours rest. He made his own breakfast, surf the net for a while before washing up. I got up thereafter to help him dress in his formal suit and tie...before eventually snapping a photo to commemorate the "Before viva" moment.

After seeing him off at the door, I sat down and thought about the events...what would it be like to see off Isaac when he goes off to take his first examination in a few years time? Would he be as excited and somewhat anxious as his father? I smiled, and drank my morning beverage. :)

Prior to the viva: Forcing a smile after a sleepless night...

random thoughts

Thought #1: Viva tomorrow!!

Its YL's PhD viva tomorrow!! 3 years of mental toil in London is finally culminating in this important oral examination, to determine if he is to graduate with a "Doctor of Philosophy" in Physics. At 9.30am (UK time) tomorrow, he has to stand in front of two examiners and be critically questioned on his thesis.

YL is naturally rather anxious about it, even though everyone around him (his supervisors, many of his colleagues, friends, family and myself) have got faith that he will pass the viva without any problem. Many people believe so because they think that YL is good in what he does and I've too witnessed his discipline and the hardwork which he has invested in his research. So, "naturally", he should deserve to pass! But for me, the more crucial point is that I trust in God. I trust that our faithful Lord who has brought him through all the ups and downs in his research over the past 3 years will definitely see him through to the end!

Someone in cellgroup lastnight mentioned about how God had blessed Moses in the old Testament with the right words to speak and I am praying that for YL too. When Moses told God in Exodus 4 that he is not eloquent and slow of speech and tongue, God responded to him with these words, "Who gave man his mouth? .... Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and teach you what to say". May the same be with YL, should he be asked difficult questions by the examiners!!

We're also claiming Psalm 121 : "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth...He will not let your foot slip - He who watches over you will not slumber....The Lord will keep you from all harm - He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more!!"

Go YL, go!!! Bambino and myself will be cheering you on in prayer!! :)


Thought #2: Thanksgiving

The nagging wet cough has been bugging me for more than a week already. It was particularly bad on the Monday night that just passed, so bad that my sleep was interrupted at least 5 times in the night by sudden long outbursts of coughing. After each coughing "burst", I then had to pick up my heavy body and crawl out of bed to get to the toilet to get rid of the phlegms that kept building up!! I was still dead tired when I finally got myself up in the morning and feeling really miserable.

So I got on the phone with the GP at the clinic and told her my problems. Whilst sympathetic, she was reluctant to prescribe me anything in view of the pregnancy and also that my phlegms have seemingly turned from greenish back to whitish. She also noted that I wasn't running a temperature and there is therefore no need for any course of antibiotics. She suggested that I inhale steam instead to try and unblock the nasal passage.

Well, I was still upset and prayed really hard that God will just take away the whole "suffering". I also got my friends during cellgroup meeting last night to pray with me on that...

Praise God!! I only had to wake up ONCE last night to clear my throat. Otherwise, my sleep was pretty undisturbed and I had a rather decent rest for the first time in days!! :)


Thought #3 : On Waiting List

We've booked our air tix back to Singapore! Leaving London on 24 Sep (Sat) and arriving in Singapore on 25 Sep (Sun). We are trying to get our seats upgraded from Economy Class to Business/Raffles Class, based on our mileage, so that I will have more space on the seat to accomodate my bigger size (I should be about 31-32 weeks with Bambino by then) during the long 12-13 hours flight back! Also, if we do get the upgrade to Raffles class, we will be able to have a baggage allowance of 30 kg each, instead of the 20 kg allowance for Economy class. That makes a very BIG difference of 20 kg in total for a couple that is shifting back their stuff from one country to another, having stayed in the first for 3 years!

However, as there are limited seats for such upgrades, they have put us on the waiting list for all 3 flights on that day. So, its no guarentee that we will be upgraded. Please pray with us that we will eventually be upgraded...

First purchase for Bambino

We made a first purchase for Bambino today!

Went to Baby Gap 'cos they were having a sale. Its the first time that we actually enter into a baby clothing store, inclining/ having a reason to buy something. There were so many CUTE little babies' and toddlers' wear there. Being first time parents, we realised for the first time that baby clothes may be divided into the following age ranges:
0-3 month
3-6 month
6-12 month
12-18 month ...etc...

There were quite a few nice items on sale, but a lot of them were autumn wear and a bit too impractical for the hot singapore climate which Bambino would be living in! So we concentrated browsing amongst the limited 'summer wear' (since summer was ending soon). YL immediately set his eyes on this "polo-t" bodysuit with a teddybear emblem on it. We then debated whether to get the 0-3 month or the 3-6 month one, and ended up buying the latter 'cos we figured that there was greater mileage, as we would probably bring him out more often when he is slightly 'older' rather than in the tender first few months. :)

When we came home, YL kept picking up and staring at the little polo-t and bringing it near my tummy (as if measuring if it would fit Bambino... of course it wouldn't yet lah!!). I supposed having purchased something for Bambino brings further home to him the fact that he's indeed having a baby!! :)

Can't reach...my toenails...

Was telling YL today that the tummy is really getting into the way of me and my feet:

Example:
a) Need to sit down rather than to bend down to wear my shoes; and
b) Am not very flexible in the first place (sit-and-reach was never my forte in PE lessons)...and now with the growing tummy in the way , I find it really tiresome to try to bend further to reach and trim my toenails!

YL said that he would trim my toenails for me when I find that I absolutely cannot reach them. Hmm, I don't ever remember anyone but my Mummy (when I was very little) trimming my toenails for me. I guess its down to trust...whether I trust someone else to handle those tiny little vulnerable toes of mine and to properly trim the toenails, since I am quite particular in the way I trim them - you know, must be neat, cannot have angular edges, etc...!

But thats still a very sweet offer from YL, and I may find myself accepting the offer without much of a choice very soon as Bambino grows bigger and takes up more space in between!!

p/s: I did consider pedicures, but think that its ridiculous to spend money on them just because I can't reach my own toes!!

cough cough

Have contracted this irritating cough.

My throat is full of phlegm and i am constantly trying to get rid of it. Worse still, the phlegm accumulates and comes down to tickle my throat whenever i lie down on bed, causing me to get into a coughing fit. This added to the difficulties of me trying to fall asleep, despite pilling up pillows under my head.

As it was, it was already rather difficult to find a comfortable position to lie down with the growing tummy. Everytime i try out an "innovative" position while lying on the side of the stomache and if it seemed to obstruct the tummy a little, i would find Bambino nudging me from within in protest! He certainly loves his space!

Anyhow, back to the cough. We are avoiding taking any medication for fear that it may negatively affect Bambino. So have been taking the chinese herbal syrap Chuan Pei Pi Pa Gao, elderflower drinks, as well as self-brewed "chrysanthemum cum Luo Han Guo" drink hoping that they would be of help. I think this is going to be a really slow healing process. Praying that God will somehow speed it up!

Meanwhile, am hoping that Bambino wouldn't think that he is going through an earthquake everytime i get into a coughing frenzy!! :)

p/s [updates]: A medical doctor friend of ours has advised me to stop taking milk, cold water and orange juice (anything acidic). He also informed us that Chlorpheniramine has been found suitable for pregnant women suffering from my condition. We happened to find some of these tablets in our medical box and having taken it, I found it rather helpful in drying out the drips from my nasal passage to my throat, thereby reducing my cough and giving me better sleep... Cheers M! :)

p/s/s [further updates] : Just realised that whilst Chlorpheniramine seems to work in drying out the drips from my nasal passage, its also giving me some mild diarrhea... Well, I'm either mildly allergic to it, or it may be because the tablets that we've got might have been outdated (afterall, we brought them over with us 3 years ago when we first came over to London)... Whatever the case might be, I've decided to stop taking it... So, its back to relying just on prayers for full healing...!

27+ week checkup

Went for another midwife checkup at the GP this morning...

We had the privilege of seeing two midwives at one go: a professional British midwife and another midwife intern from Germany. After the routine blood pressure and urine sample check, I got up to the bed for the midwives to have a feel of Bambino through my tummy... YL loves this part as he gets to hear Bambino's heartbeat again.

The midwife intern tried to listen to Bambino's heartbeat through this silver micro-gramophone look-a-like equipment, which didn't seem to work very well...she gave up on that and went for the electronic doppler instead which yielded some sound, but she said that those were the sound of the umbilical cord, etc. She commented that Bambino was moving a lot resulting in her having problems locating his heart!! The professional midwife took over and after some adjustments, finally managed to track Bambino's heart and that familiar strong "boom boom" sound once again resonated through the room!

I asked her where Bambino's head and bum is and after some very professional caressment of my tummy, she located his head and butt (he was once again head down and butt up, diagonally across my tummy). She mentioned that he seemed extremely active and said that she wouldn't be surprised if he somersaulted himself the other way by the afternoon! (In YL's quantum physics research term, this is known as a "spin flip".)

Indeed, I feel that Bambino is getting more and more active....his kicks have been stronger these days. Also, i think he is developing that quirky sense of humour that YL had hoped for... Now, whenever i feel him move and tell YL, and YL puts his hand on my tummy, instead of following YL's hand, Bambino would stay quiet! But when I put my hand back on my tummy, he would resume his activity again! Haha...he's playing hide-and-seek with his Daddy!

Pee-ti-full !!!

Soon entering into the third trimester (last one...yay!)...

Bambino's having lots of fun jumping up and down on my bladder...
therefore have to consciously be on a look-out for the nearest loo...sigh!

Hiking up the Malvern Hills

The Welsh side

We went up the Malvern Hills today....YL could only drive up mid-way and we have to track up to the summit.

After a very good lunch of gourmet beef burger at a local hotel, YL drove to the nearest carpark. We then tracked very slowly through a gentle gradient track, as I was feeling rather heavy (due to the yummy lunch and ever-growing Bambino). The hike was well worth it when we reach the summits. We could see Wales on one side and on the other side we could see England. It was beautiful! :)

Fossil Hunting at Jurassic Coast

YL fossil-hunting along the Jurassic Coast

YL's a romantic.

Today, he has decided that we should go "fossil hunting" at Lyme Regis along the Jurassic Coast. After a long drive of about 2 1/2 hours, we finally arrived at the Southern coast of England. After a yummy late lunch of seafood, YL immediately joined in the many other beach-combers, hoping to chance upon a jurassic age fossil. The idea was definitely romantic, but alas, he was not equipped with tools to open up the many rocks and stones on the beach to check out if there were any hidden fossils within. Of course, I doubted whether there would be any significantly whole fossils left for him to find, but like they say, you've just got to go along and be a supportive spouse! After about an hour of futile search, we decided that we would be better off visiting the fossil shop 'cum' mini-museum just up above the beach. Finally, YL got to feast his eyes to contentment on these aged fossils... :)

Psalm 139

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

(Psalm 139:13-16)

I always make it a point to read and meditate through the whole of Psalm 139 from the bible on my birthday. Verse 13-15 provides the beautiful imagery of God as a skilled and thoughtful craftsman at work. He had painstakingly created me as one of his masterpieces 31 years ago, and is in the midst of creating and developing Bambino in my womb as another of his masterpiece!

The psalm too celebrates God's plans for us and his comforting presence and fellowship with us as we walk our lives. Till this day, the master craftsman continues to mould me (mending all the dents that I have inflicted upon my character!) to become what He intended me to be.

I like how the psalm ends:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

(Psalm 139:23-24)

As me and YL prepare ourselves for parenthood, may God help us to deal with any anxieties, knowing that He is faithful and will guide us to be good parents to Bambino, and in the process better appreciate the love of God as a Father to us.

p/s: Thanks YL for the three sunflowers (he says, "one to symbolise me, one to symbolise you and one to symbolise Bambino!") and the special meal of yummy vietnamese beef pho that you'd created...! Thanks Dad and Mum for sending me the birthday e-cards, one from you guys and one on behalf of Bambino!! :)

Bambino's alternative music exposure

Made a day trip to Peak District today! YL was superb, driving so many miles there and back!

Thank God for the fine weather that we had. The whole trip was most enjoyable. I even managed to walked up to the middle of a small hill. I encouraged YL to walk all the way up to the peak by himself, whilst me and Bambino enjoyed the freshness of the air, the beautiful scenary and the "baaah-ing" of the sheeps around...

We blasted U2 songs, Jay Chou's songs and Sun Yanzi's rock songs on the car's cd player as we drove...it was fantastic! And we realised that this was the first time we have "exposed" Bambino to so much alternative music other than the classical music that we've been playing at home. I think Bambino felt truely excited by this new experience...he was "bouncing up and down" in the womb throughout the day. :)

Backache

Suddenly had a very bad backache today... will elaborate more later...

We collected a cool orange Kia car from Budget Car Rental, having rented it for a whole week. YL planned to relax for the week ahead (having just submitted his thesis to the examination board), so decided in the spur of a moment to rent a car so that we can spontaneously go anywhere we want!! With the luxury of a car, we decided to eat out and go grocery shopping at the Oriental City! YL wanted to buy "posh" food ingredients such as shabu shabu rib-eye beef slices as he wanted to cook a special meal for me on my birthday! I also managed to buy 4 fresh razor clams (so cheap, they were so big and fresh and cost only 4 pounds in total!) and fresh sardines, so that I can cook him a special dinner for the night.

Anyhow, he ate authentic singaporean chicken rice, whilst i ate my authentic Malaysian beef rendang nasi goreng at the big food court (probably London's closest singaporean-style foodcourt). The food was most yummy but gave me heartburnt! And worse, I suddenly developed a severe attack of backache on the way back from Oriental City. On reaching home, I just had to lie down on bed, and had great difficulties finding a comfortable position to stay still. I felt like being hammered on my back repeatedly! YL tried to give me a massage rub down on my back, but it made little difference physically. However, I was so glad emotionally to have him there to just soothe me with his presence and comfort! We just kept praying that God will quickly take the pain away.

YL was saying that seeing me like this, it really reminded him how 伟大 women are to go through such pain and discomfort in the whole child-bearing process. He then said, "When I call home tomorrow, I must remember to thank my mum for having gone through all these pain to have me!" His comments really made me smile! :)

Thank God, the pain did ease after a few hours of bed rest. I then insisted on cooking dinner despite my aching back, which resulted in a sumptuous meal of steam chilli garlic razor clams and grilled sardines! Dinner was accompanied by a live TV telecast of an awesome recital of Beethovan's Nineth Symphony (Ode to Joy) by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choral at the Royal Albert Hall. The endorphins released by yummy food and a wonderful piece of music further erased the pain! Praise the Lord! :)

Prayers are very important for pain relief, but endorphins created by a yummy meal may also help! :)

Sen's suggestion of chinese name for Bambino

Had a superb Korean meal at Arang Restaurant with our good friends Sen and Emily on Friday night, in celebration of YL submitting his thesis to the examination board.

Earlier, we had asked Sen to help us brainstorm of possible chinese names for Bambino. Having given it some thought, Sen took the opportunity to share with us his suggestion:

林乐扬

According to an online chinese-english dictionary:
the meaning of 扬 [yang2] = /hurl/to raise/to scatter.

As such, a literal translation of the name 乐扬 would mean scattering/raising joy.

We really do like the suggestion a lot.

Firstly, the name has got a 'bright' ring/tone to it!

Secondly, the way we saw it, if we take 扬 to be the short form of 宣扬 (xuan1 yang2) which means 'proclaiming', the name 乐扬 would mean proclaiming joy! To us, it would mean to be proclaiming the Joy of the Lord!

YL's earlier post had also explained that he had decided to name Bambino Isaac, in the hope that Bambino would appreciate laughter. As such, the name 乐扬 would certainly complement the meaning of his english name, i.e. to proclaim and spread the joy that comes from knowing God!

We love it! Must remember to tell YL's dad about Sen's suggested name when we call him long-distance later! :)



p/s: Sen - Thanks a mil! Regardless of whether 乐扬 is finally chosen as Bambino's chinese name, do know that we are very touched by your thoughtful suggestion. Oh yes, and thanks a lot for your gift to Bambino - "Classics for children"! We've already been playing it on and off for Bambino to listen... :)

I want you to appreciate laughter...

My dear Bambino,

After much thoughts and prayers, I have decided to name you Isaac because I want you to appreciate laughter. You are a miracle and a sign from God that He is faithful to His promises to me and your mummy. God will do incredible things for us and through us, so much so that people will rejoice and laugh with what will happen. (Gen 21:6)

"It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring." Romans 9:7-8. In the bible, Issac is a child of promise from God to Abraham. And you are a promise from God to me... I hadn't told your mummy this before, but I did prayed for a son as my first-born. :)

I pray that you would be joyful and bring laughter to many people.

I would love you to grow up happily and, God willing, even have a quirky sense of humour!

And so, your name shall be Issac Lim or Yitzkhak Lim, whichever you prefer to call yourself! :)

With all my love,
Daddy

p/s: Amen!! May our journeys with one another as a family and with God be always filled with much love, much joy and much laughter, in all circumstances... Love, Mummy. :)

pps: This post was posted whilst your Daddy was helping mummy to squash bananas to bake banana loaf again, closed to midnight!! Daddy loves to eat banana loaf for breakfast! :)

he shall be called "Isaac"...

...so says Bambino's dad!

After much thoughts and prayers, YL has decided to name his soon-to-be born son Isaac Lim. We have not decided on his chinese name as we would like YL's dad to name him.

There is this interesting website that we came by called "The Baby Name Wizard's Name Voyager", whereby one could find out the popularity of most english names. See the image below on the popularity of the name "Isaac".

YL will soon follow-up with a short entry on his reasons for choosing to name Bambino 'Isaac'.

:)

Food Cravings

I've mentioned before that thankfully I didn't have much food cravings as a result of the pregnancy, because most of the food that I would crave for can only be found back home in Singapore! (e.g. durian, chilli crab, dried mee pok, etc...)

But then again, I thought I will document down some of the food that I've subconciously developed an inclination for and would and could keep eating them again and again whilst in London during this period of time:

a) Breakfast Milk (from Jersey and Guernsey herds)
- Since young, I've really dislike freshmilk and often have to mix it with honey to give it a sweeter taste and less "raw feel"... this was until we discovered this brand of breakfast milk that YL would buy from Waitrose. The description on the label describes the milk as "The champagne of milks! Breakfast Milk comes from fully traceable, pure bred herds of Jersey and Guernsey cows and is naturally high in calcium and protein..."

b) Ben & Jerry Cherry Garcia Ice Cream
- Loved it, loving it...

c) Loh Bak
- I keep making this at home for dinner (nearly once every week!)...Loh Bak (pork cook in dark sauce and various chinese spices in pressure cooker till really tender) with tao pok, chinese mushrooms, and whole hardboiled eggs.... yum!! Thankfully YL loves the gravy and doesn't mind eating it for dinner every other week!

d) Xiao Long Bao (小龙包)
- I've been craving for this for a long time, and thanks to my dear gourmet cousin Aileen who's also here in London, I've been recommended this restaurant in Chinatown called The Chinese Experience, which is apparantly one of the best place in London to get authentic hot steamy Xiao Long Bao. Ate it last friday with her, and it was most yummy, each bao retaining much of its soupy juice within. Yum!! 1 basket (8 pieces) of Xiao Long Bao costs GBP5.80 though. Yep, its not cheap, but now i've got its 10% discount card...yay!!

e) Clementines
- The bags of small easy-to-peel clementines that we get from Waitrose are refreshingly sweet, bursting with juice and full of vitamin C and folic acid. I've been consuming at least 4 of these clementines daily!

f) Vietnamese Pho
- Have craved this for a long time (especially the ones from Cay Tre and Song Que 'cos of their really delicious broth) but still haven't had time to get there... must go soon!

Regular checkup at the clinic + Hearing Bambino's heartbeat!

In Singapore, one basically sees the gynaecologist all the way throughout the pregnancy, sometimes once every month, if you can afford it. The key here is that we pay to see the gynae.

On the other hand, being in London for the large part of our pregnancy with Bambino has allowed us to experience the oh-so-good and FREE NHS maternity system.

I've already explained in my earlier post that in UK, one primarily deals with the midwives (rather than gynaes) for all our checkups, tests, and pregnancy queries, unless one's pregnancy is diagnosed to be problematic, or when one is about to give birth. This is not surprising, considering that the system is free-of-charge and resources such as gynaes need to be distributed according to the level of complication of the pregnancy. Having said that, I think that the midwives here are generally very professional, reassuring and as capable as gynaes in dealing with most general antenatal conditions.

The system's workload is split between the hospital's maternity department and the General Practices (i.e. clinics). For a typical problem-free pregnancy, the antenatal checkups are as follow:

• First booking Checkup : Hospital
• Level 2 Detailed Checkup (21/22 weeks) : Hospital
• 24th week : General Practice
• 28th week : General Practice
• 30th week : Checkup at General Practice + Bloodtest to be done in Hospital
• 32th week: General Practice
• 34th week: General Practice
• 36th week : Hospital (Detailed checkup)
• 38th week: General Practice
• 40th week: General Practice
• 41th week: Hospital

What happens is that every two weeks, midwives would be dispatched to the local (non-private) General Practices and conduct antenatal clinics. So all I need to do during those odd weeks would be to visit my local clinic to have my urine sample checked (for sugar level), blood pressure checked, as well as for the midwife to physically feel my abdomen to determine if the size and position of the baby is normal.

We visited our local clinic this morning for the first of our regular checkup with the midwife at the GP. The midwife commented that all was normal and my bloodpressure recorded exactly the same as when it was last checked in the hospital. I told her that maybe because I do not work, I am therefore not too stressed, so it should be quite normal and constant...she laughed! :)

Whilst we may not have the luxury of a sonogram image scan in the clinic, the midwife had brought out a doppler. A doppler is a device which employs ultrasound to listen to the fetal heart, via the abdomen. We had only used to see Bambino's heartbeat on the ultrasound imaging system, but never had the chance to actually hear it! So, for the first time, we heard his heartbeat loud, clear and fast! One can see the heartrate recorded every second through the doppler's digital screen and Bambino measured the normal rate of between 110 - 160 beat per minute. The midwife explained that as babies are growing fast, their heatrates would normally be twice as fast as normal adults.

YL and myself were pretty intrigued by bambino's heartbeat resonating from the doppler...they certainly sound like drumbeats! :)

"Papa" makes special mention of Bambino in his thesis acknowledgement!

After months of hardwork, YL has finally printed out his thesis and sent it for binding today, preparing to submit it to the examiners. Last night, he was editing the acknowledgement section of his thesis and below is an excerpt from the section:

"I thank my wife Puay-Sze for her neverending patience, support and love which has been so crucial to me. I also want to make special mention of my soon-to-be-born son, Isaac, for the joy and additional motivation that he brings to me during the last lap of my thesis-writing!"

Awww....sweet!

:)