vanstels

It's Friday already! Another week has passed, another week the bub has grown. Anyway a recap of the past week so that at least I'll have an entry of how, at least one week of maternity leave went by.

Mon - Reuben was fighting the zzzz monster almost the entire day until he was strapped in the carrier at 5 plus so that I could head over to my mum's place. I knew the carrier would work but I didn't want him to get too used to that and only preferring to sleep in it. He played with my mum and was cranky after. At least there was another pair of hands to help me especially on days like that

Tues - I met with the mummies! Yay! So happy to firstly, meet them again after a horrible day the day before and secondly, to be out of the house. This was an interesting meal with 6 mummies, 3 babies and 3 toddlers! Reuben slept most of the time cos I'm sure he didn't get enough sleep the day before.

Wed - Another stay at home day. This time the bub woke up at 7am! I know it's normal but it's not his usual wake up time. Plus, I was craving for more sleep. I was just too tired. He had his naps, which I was thankful for and in the evening we went to my mum's place again. Mum is leaving for her work trip for 3 weeks so I thought they could entertain and amuse each other before she goes.

Thurs - Ok, this is probably sounding very boring by now. We stayed home too! I wanted to head out however, Reuben was having his epic long nap in the afternoon that I didn't want to disturb. I thought of walking in the park with him which didn't happen cos the sky didn't look so good.

Fri - Today! I'm determined to get out. If he is not going bonkers, I am. Will be heading to the library to drop off some books and then meet a friend!

And just like that, the weekend is here!

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

vanstels

I'm up at 4 in the morning to nurse the little one and wow, there's plenty of lightning and thunder that I feared would wake Reuben with screams. The first time he heard it, I was having a tough time in the afternoon getting him to sleep and I was changing his diaper that he wailed so loudly. I had to comfort him several times. By the third time the thunder rolled and lightning struck, he didn't cry. I guess he's learning the ways of the world.

I should head back to sleep although my mind is rather awake. It's nice to hear him breathe and watching the rise and fall of his chest. Ah, I miss him when he's sleeping but when he's awake, I wish he would sleep more. Argh! I don't know what's wrong with me!

Ok, back to zzz land.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

vanstels

It's been two weeks since Reuben's arrival and I thought I'd better pen down his birth story before I forget.

His due date was 24 Jan 2013. By my 39th week check up, it seemed like he was really comfortable in me and that was when I decided for an induced birth. I remember it was a Friday when I saw the gynae and the moment I entered his office I asked if I could be induced that very same day! That was how impatient I was! He told me that it was not a wise idea to deliver over the weekend cos there may be fewer nurses on duty. Heh! So then it got me thinking about the date. Eventually, I chose the 22nd of Jan because 22 was the date I was born too!

So on that morning, the hub and I woke up real early. It was raining and I feared there was going to be a jam as we made our way to the hospital. I was to report to the delivery suite at 830am but we managed to get to macs at 8 so I could have a light breakfast.

Once we reported, that's where the action began. I changed into their robe, answered a ton of questions and was given the fleet enema. That made me feel so queasy. The nurse told me to hold it in for 5 minutes but I couldn't take it and ran for the loo after 2 minutes.

Back on the bed, the CTG belts were strapped around me, nurses fussed around me and then the anesthetist came in. She took my blood and administered the epidural. I was put on the drip too, which I guess was to help induce the birth. My gynae came through shortly after to break my water bag and so the waiting game started. This was roughly 10am. When I asked the nurses how long I was going to be in labour, she said at least till 10pm. I gasped in horror! I was only 1cm dilated.

In between the nurses checked on me often enquiring what the pain scale was. 0 being painless and 10 being very painful. I kept telling the nurses 4 or 5. They were rather concerned though because with the epidural, I shouldn't be feeling any pain. I told them my legs didn't feel numb and they could pinch and press my legs and I'd feel something. I was really clueless as to what kind of pain I should be feeling. As it was, the contractions came and they were rather uncomfortable yet painful at times. Anyway, the nurse called the anesthetist in for a check. She got me to turn so she could check the catheter and said it was fine. However, the moment I turned back, I was feeling giddy and light headed. I reported that to her and she got concerned. She took a look at the tube and realized there was blood flowing through. That moment felt a little like an ER scene. The nurses and anesthetist were mumbling some stuff while I broke into tears! At that point, I had to make a decision. To reset the epidural insertion or to take e jab for pain relief. I didn't know what to say and to make a decision there and then wasn't an easy one. I was consoled by the anesthetist that such incidents happen and the needle probably hit a vein and asked if it was ok to reset. I nodded but feared the process. My poor hub was holding my hand all that while feeling very sorry for me. He saw the entire process with the huge needle poking me again. This time, the epidural kicked in pretty quickly.

Shortly after about 2pm, the gynae appeared. He checked and said labour was going very slowly cos I was only 1cm dilated! I gasped again. We continued to wait.

After the clinic was closed, the gynae came through and told me I was 4 dilated and I thought yay, at least it's moving albeit so slowly.

Anyway, after that, labour progressed quite quickly. By 7pm or so I was told I was about 9cm dilated. The nurses on duty were prepping the room and checking on me rather frequently. Baby's heart rate was monitored too.

Finally by about 815pm, the nurse told me to try pushing as she could feel his head. Each time there was a contraction, she got me to push. The hub learnt the ropes really quickly, looking at the contractions on the screen and getting me ready to push. When the nurses were busy, he was counting to ten for me to push. I must say that I was rather tired by then, having nothing to eat since 8am, I had no idea where the strength and energy came from.

The Graph

The gynae was called and he did his thing. I remember asking if the air conditioning could be cooler in between pushes! Haha! Finally at 8.58pm, little Reuben was born!

What a relief!

On the warmer

We waited a long while before we were cleaned up and moved to the ward. The nurses were changing shifts while I puked lots of bile possibly due to the epidural.

We got to the ward past midnight and I was so eager to eat and drink. Reuben was brought to me after that for breast feeding and by the time we slept it was past 1am. We were really blessed and loved that delivery was smooth and we could finally hold the baby in our arms!

In the nursery at Mount Elizabeth hospital

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

vanstels

During my confinement month, I had a confinement lady who would prepare all my meals and take care of the baby. However, when she left, we had to make some adjustments and arrangements especially with regards to my lunch. We were not worried about dinner since the Ry would be able to buy back after dinner or we could meet outside, however, lunch was a bigger issue.

We had some options. It was either I cooked, buy from the nearby coffeeshop or order catered food, otherwise known as tingkat. I can cook but being new to caring for a baby, I wasn't sure I was up to it. Plus, the waking up every two hours was already taxing enough. I would rather sleep than cook. Buying was possible but that means lugging the baby out everyday, which can be tiring. So, the last alternative, ordering catered food seemed to be the best option.

There are several tingkat companies around i.e. Neo Garden, Select, Empire, etc... a Google search would show various catering companies. I would have tried some of these but there were limitations. Some do not cater lunch, others only deliver to selected places in Singapore, which left me with very little choice. Chu Wei San Tong was the one I went with since it could cater a 1 pax meal and deliver to my area. In addition, I could choose either 3 dishes and 1 soup or 4 dishes. I'm going to list some of the pros and cons with ordering catered meals.

Pros
First, as it is catered, it is convenient! It is delivered right to my door step. All I needed to do was to hang a S hook on my grille and the delivery guy would hang the bag on it.

This company allows a choice of either using the traditional tiffin can or microwaveable containers. I chose the containers since I can easily heat up the food in the microwave when I wanted to eat it. If I remember correctly, there's no extra charge for the containers. Another plus is that I can easily dump all the used containers once I'm done with it. Yes, its very easy but not environmentally friendly. But of course, you can always wash and reuse them.

The food arrives between 1030am to 11am everyday which is good for me. If the little one is still sleeping, I can quickly gobble my lunch (more like breakfast) once it arrives. Otherwise, I will wait till later in the afternoon when I can get to eat.

Service wise, its not too bad. Since there is an option of choosing 3 dishes and 1 soup or 4 dishes, I trialled the 3 dishes and 1 soup for 10 days before deciding to continue with the 20-day package. Also, just a couple of days before the trial expired, they gave me a call and asked if I wanted to continue. I didn't give a firm answer and in my busyness, I forgot to call them back. One of their service staff texted to remind me and that it was so easy to reply.

Cons
You don't have a choice of what you want to eat. Whatever is cooked and served for that day is what you will get. Which brings me to the point about taste. The soup was most of the time tasteless that i felt it was like plain water with some ingredients. The other dishes tasted alright. There were times when the dishes were food that I don't eat or it's not to my palate. So, I keep some snacks around the house so that I won't be too hungry.

The food arrives cold. You will need a microwave to heat the food. However, I guess with NEA guidelines, there's an indication of the time the food needs to be consumed, which is good.

So after the trial was over, I continued with them but I changed the soup to another dish. Like I mentioned, if I could I would have tried out another company but so far, so good.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

vanstels

I look forward to weekends! Don't all of us?! More so now actually cos the extra sleep and rest does me so much good. Plus R is around to help with the housework and we generally have something that we can do together or be in each other's company.

He suggested clay modeling! I agreed and didn't mind playing with clay since its been a very long time I had clay in my hands. This is what we came up with.

They weren't easy to make and also not perfect but the sense of satisfaction was great! I'm sure we'll be making more of these when the little bub is big. We didn't need to paint them. It's colored clay that can be bought at Popular! I was rather amazed with the technology these days cos this did not seem like clay but play doh. Now, it's hard yet light, far from the white, messy clay I played with in primary school.

We also have fun eating! Yummy food from Spruce. The banana hot cakes are to die for. Their brunch menu is pretty good too and it's till 3.45pm on the weekends. Situated at Phoenix Park, it's a chillax place, nice to relax and have a slow meal. It's often packed so reservations are encouraged.

It's also wonderful to have time with family. I celebrated my birthday last month with a huge pizza for supper. It's not really the food that matters but the company with family.

My in-laws brought me out for a birthday meal too. This huge platter shared among 4 at Brotzeit was really amazing. Pork knuckle, sausages, schnitzels together with sides. We were really stuffed. Again, I enjoyed the company and time to be with family.

Have a good weekend everyone! Spend time with the people you love!

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

vanstels

Sometimes I wonder why can't the weekend be three days. Why two? It's never enough really. But whatever it is, we've gotta make the best use of it to make them count. I try to make mine exciting and fun though many times I just wanna crash to bed and catch up on sleep. Perhaps, I'm growing old. Heh!

Dinner last night with R and my brother. After receiving my membership card and some discount coupons from Coffee Club, I thought it was a good opportunity to make use of them. 2 mains plus one free. Not bad huh? Subsequently, we proceeded to Cold Rock for ice cream. It was super sinful. It's rather nice to chill out at Holland V though it can get quite crowded probably because every other bar/ restaurant was showing a soccer match. It's definitely a great way of attracting customers. That, and cheap booze. I'm sure we'll return to the area for some chilling out.

Seeing the dogs at my in-laws place was a nice change. This particular dog, after so many years is still getting to know me. If he likes you, he'll sit on your feet. If not, he'll bark at you the moment you leave the seat. He's never consistent. Just as you think he's getting friendly with you, he'll bark at you the next minute. Today he must have been in a good mood cos not only was he sitting by my feet, he allowed me to snap several pictures. Very rare indeed.

Apart from hearing some not so good news, I'm glad I rested this weekend. Have a good week ahead people and take care. Life is short.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

vanstels

So when I'm in the mood to write, I can go on and on.

Here are some pictures of our honeymoon in Taipei. It was a free and easy trip for most of the part except the first two days where we toured some parts, which very honestly, we could do without. Nevertheless, it was enjoyable but tiring. Lots of walking and eating as you'd soon realize. By the end of it, I was more than happy to return home. Very unusual of me to say that but I was exhausted right after the wedding, then packing for the trip and walking so much after.

Steamboat on the first day at the hot spring resort.

At Ta Shee Blooming Oasis. It was winter but there were lots of pretty flowers. I reckon it would be nicer in spring.

At the Shilin Market. Ah, wonderful food.

I loved dressing up. Layers of clothes, boots, leggings and scarves.

DTF rocks there. Service was top superb. Much better than what we get here.

Somewhere along the Fisherman's Wharf

Afternoon tea at the Red Castle. Another chillax place where the cool wind kept blowing in our faces. Tea became cold within seconds.

All sorts of food. Street food was what I enjoyed. Cheap and good.

Pancakes. Reminded me of our roti prata.

This huge squid was an experience. Not only eating it but the process of getting it. As these hawkers are illegal, the minute they saw the police, they'd push their carts and run. So we ran to get our squid in Ximending.

Quail eggs. Would have had another stick if I didn't care that they are high in cholesterol.

Famous meatballs in Jiufen.

More street food and mushrooms in Jiufen. Unfortunately, it's such a touristy place. We went on a weekday hoping to avoid the crowds but there were bus loads of tourists and what made it worse was it was raining.

Heard of this place before? Here's what they sell....

Really cute stuff. We went a little crazy buying these as gifts for fun.

The trains were our best friends. Transportation is cheap and people actually queue at the platforms.

Finally, my favorite picture of us :) I know, some day we'll return and venture to go other parts of Taiwan.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

vanstels

It's been some time. I feel like I've lost touch writing here.

Anyway, just some pictures of our date nights & weekends since the year began. We've made it a point to hang out somewhere on the weekends to chill out. We really enjoy it and I'm sure we'll keep at it for awhile. :)

KTV with R's buddies

Wicked which was really good. Catch it if you haven't if it's still going on.

Super shiok beer at Brewerkz

At the Wine Company on the boardwalk towards Sentosa. I love this place cos it's an ultimate chillax place where there's wind, water splashing & it's pretty romantic. ;)

Super yum Japanese curry cooked by R for V day. Ah, this was heavenly really.

Dinner at Marche

That's all for now :) We're always on the lookout for new places to dine and chill. The crowds & noisy places are not our favorite places these days. I'm not sure, perhaps we're growing old. So if there's any place to recommend, do holler!

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

vanstels

It's that time of the year where I reflect and be grateful for everything that has happened.

2011 has been a wonderful year for me that I wish it didn't really end. There are so many events I want to pen down but I'll highlight those that were memorable.

1. I got married! Woohoo! After planning for many months, I was so glad it came. I am even more thankful for certain things that happened which went smoothly even though I was affected by them before the wedding. I thank God, R and our families for the great day.

2. Our families. The renovations of our house would not have been possible without them. The unfailing support and love we got from them was immense and I really cannot thank them enough.

3. 2011 has been a big year for R and I. Getting our house, going through the renovations and dealing with preparations for the wedding. I thank God for someone like him, always more patient, more forgiving and more loving than I am.

4. Work this year has been great. I loved my class that on the last day I cried. No doubt I'll still be teaching some of them next year, I'll definitely miss the chemistry and bond that I had with my class.

5. Friends and colleagues have played a huge part in my life this year. Meeting some angels at work was the best thing ever.

I'm truly very grateful for what I've received, how far I've come along and everything else in between. It has been a fulfilling, productive and wonderful year. I'm not sure what 2012 will entail but nevertheless, I'm looking forward to it.

To all my readers, here's wishing you a blessed and fruitful 2012!

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

vanstels

I'm sitting on the sofa at my mum's place waiting for my hair to dry. I should really use the hair dryer but after running around most of the day, I like a short break. Plus, I really want to savor my last few moments of being a single. Tomorrow will be a new journey.

After getting my nails painted this evening, my bridesmaids wanted to get some stuff. But, they led me into a Oriole at 313 Somerset. I was surprised to see my family and relatives sitting and waiting for me. They said it was my bridal shower! We had some snacks and drinks, some chitter and chatter and we were off.

An hour or so ago, I was doing some chores and finally showered. I'm a bunch of nerves really. And I should get to sleep!

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.