Why,it's a Wii!

Hubby and I were excited to go to his company's picnic (though it was not really a picnic this year as it was held indoors!).The venue this year was The Legends at Fort Canning Park.Though we were not late,hubby drove like a race-car driver and we reached there way before 9.I was surprised to see a handful of his collegues were already there...I thought we had to wait upon an empty ballroom...They were far different from my former collegues,I guess,who loved a superstar grand entrance.haha....

Met his friends again and was introduced to some who are new in the company.There were a lot more employees there now since the company's doing rather well and employing more (which means more work for hubby as he needs to train them!).After about ten minutes or so,I was craning my neck to see if breakfast would be served for us.I was famished!Oooohh yes,what a delight when I saw carrot cake and sandwiches being served to my rumbling tummy.I wasted no time....and even had triple servings.*grin*

The rest of the morning was spent playing telematches.Darling son kept running forward to his daddy when he was playing those games and protested when I took him away from daddy so I had to amuse him with other stuff.Other older kids get to paint clays at the kids' area but since he's too young for that,I enticed him with those free-flow chocolates and raisins.

I was getting hungry (yet again) by 10+.Fortunately,more food was served soon after.I had some rice,noddles,salmon,chicken,mutton and vegetables....apart from chocolate eclairs!The food was yummy!But the eclairs can't beat the ones from Thomson Catering.Later,I had more fill of course...hey,I'm eating for two,ain't I?!

We were all anxious for the Lucky Draw....that's the hightlight of the entire event!Winners after winners were announced....hubby and I were quietly hoping that his name would be picked,though not so soon.He confidently whispered that we'd win the top 3...hmmm.....and so WE DID!Alhamdulillah!When the MC announced the second prize winner's name starts with 'I',hubby was beaming!So we got ourselves a cool......

...Nintendo Wii Sports!

We were gleaming....But we had decided that as fun as this could be for us,we don't really have the time for this (we are not 'gamers' or so to say too....),what with our young son and another baby coming up,it's not the time for this...maybe,when our kids are older,heck,yes...it'd be fun!

So yup,we have decided to put this up for sale (like our prize last year...hehe...).Hopefully,when hubby gets back from New Zealand (yes,I'm all missing him now!),we'll get a buyer and a good sale for this!

Anyone interested? : )

Babies

My sleepless nights have crept back again.Though I'm tired and sleepy,I'd be waking up several times in a night for no rhyme or reason,then it'd be difficult for me to fall back to sleep.I'd be looking at hubby fast asleep (oh how I envy him)....then I'd turn to the other side and watch my son sleeping soundly.Sigh....By the time it's morning,I'd be like a zombie.And when noon comes,I'd be all ready to sleep again.

I don't like this feeling of fatigue at all and I hope it'd go away soon (2 weeks till my first trimester is over!).Anyway,I was soooooo excited to meet my gynae.We even reached the clinic at 10 minutes after 11 when my appointment is at 11.45.My son was exploring all over the clinic of course,so his daddy was anxious to get this done and over with.

It was finally my turn.....and I was grinning like a Cheshire cat when my eyes met this.....

That's my baby right there! : )

Baby's 10 weeks now....and she/he woke up and stretched her/his hands when we were doing the scan,as if waving hello!We could see its heart beating,legs,hands and all.This may be our second baby,but we are both as excited as when we first laid our eyes on our first baby.

Now,I'm counting down the days till my next appointment....in 5 weeks.....can't wait to see how much my baby would have grown.

We received another baby news today.Our friends Liz and Fendy have just welcomed their second baby...a cute,chubby girl (who looks exactly like her sister!).We were itching to visit them (Alhamdulillah both mummy and child are fine) so off we went to KK Hospital in the afternoon.I picked up their baby girl and ooohhhh,I couldn't put her back in her cot.She cuddled nicely next to my bosom and I kept looking and kissing her!I told hubby I'm just soooooooo excited for OUR baby to be born.I don't miss the labour of course,but I'd love to have my newborn baby in my arms soon.

It's all a crazy thought....I have to wait patiently till December or January to see her/him!

Oh,and a huge congratulations to Fendy and Liz!!! Liz,welcome to my club...hehe....

P.S. In all my excitement,I have apparently forgotten to take a photo or two of their baby.Duhh...

Feeling better now.....

A lot of stuff has happened since I last blog.Hmmm...where do I start?

Well,I had been feeling lousy past few days...fatigue and laziness to the max.I'm feeling sooo much better now,alhamdullilah.There was a day sometime last week that I saw stars in the day!Yup,I was washing some dishes when suddenly I saw stars everywhere.I was like,oh oh....what's going on?!I was worried that I might faint,especially when there's no one else at home except me and the little one.A thumping headache ensued so I quickly get my son into the room.Put on Hi-5 for him while I laid on the bed.When the headache didn't go away,I popped some panadols....which about 15 minutes later,came out in a very messy way!Ohhhh you can't imagine what it tasted like having mashed up panadol crawled back up in your throat.Yuck!That was the first time I threw up during this pregnancy.I guess I didn't take a good breakfast and whatever else that I consumed later on an empty stomach,couldn't stay in.Same theory during my first pregnancy.....

Anyway,my sweet sister-in-law came by my place later on,bringing me some yummy tomato rice!That definitely brought a smile to my face.....

On a low note,an uncle of mine passed away a week or so ago.I was with my son at the playground when I got the news.A part of me felt a tinge of regret for not being able to visit him in the hospital before.I only knew then that he was diagnosed with lung cancer.

That night,I saw his face in my head.His laughter and his voice....He was a nice man,who took care of his family and often has a smile on his face.I saw him for the last time the next morning....I cried when I saw my aunt and I couldn't help my tears when I saw him.Looking at my aunt,I wondered how she was feeling then....to lose your loved one,your friend,your strength,your husband of many wonderful years....to know that you can't see,hear,touch,smell,feel him again.....waking up not having him beside you....It's so hard,but this is Allah's will....and I hope that she would be granted with much strength and patience.Insya Allah.

The past few days had crawled on slowly for me.Yup,darling hubby's away on a business trip again.Korea,this time.But just in a few hours,my son and I would be jumping for joy cause he'll be back!My baby has been calling out for him so much....each time the door opened or the doorbell rang,he'd think it was his dad.He'd looked for him on the bed in the mornings cause his daddy always give him his baths.Poor baby,he must have missed him a lot (so do I!boo hoo!).

Before hubby's next trip to New Zealand end of this month (dear,I wanna go too!!!!),we'd better have tons of fun.....like the roadtrip we are taking soon!Can't wait!!!I want to eat lots of yummy seafood!

Breastfeeding while pregnant

I have heard and am still hearing different schools of thoughts on this : Is it ok for pregnant woman to breastfeed her child when she's pregnant?

Two friends (one who is about to give birth to the second child and the other who has just gave birth to her third child) told me recently that their doctors had advised them to stop breastfeeding their 1+ old toddlers when they are pregnant.And just today,one of my sisters-in-law advised me to do the same.They believe that it may be harmful to the unborn child or that the child may not be getting enough nutrients.

I checked on a baby website that I've religiously read since I was pregnant with my first.This is the excerpt :

Is it still possible to breastfeed my son while pregnant with my next baby?

Yes. Your body will carry on producing milk throughout your pregnancy. It's even possible to continue feeding your son after your new baby is born - this is called tandem feeding.

Breastfeeding during pregnancy is fine for most women, although it's important to eat well. Hormonal changes in the early days may give you sensitive nipples making breastfeeding difficult. Nipple stimulation through breastfeeding or making love will cause mild uterine contractions, but, for most women, these are not strong enough to create a problem. However, if you have a history of premature delivery or miscarriage,or if you are bleeding, then you might need to think about weaning your older child.

During the fourth or fifth months of your pregnancy, your milk reverts to colostrum (the nourishing pre-milk produced by your breasts in the first few days after birth), so the taste changes and volume decreases. Some children decide to wean themselves at this point, although others persevere. If your son wants to continue, don't worry about using your colostrum up; your body will continue to produce this special milk until your new baby needs it. If your son is under a year old, and therefore nutritionally dependent on your milk, you might need to keep track of his weight gain at this point.

It is also worth thinking about whether you want to continue feeding your son once your new baby arrives. If tandem feeding is not for you, it will probably be less traumatic to wean him while you are pregnant rather then waiting until the new baby arrives and he is in danger of feeling usurped anyway. If you are not yet pregnant, but trying, bear in mind that it can be harder to conceive while still breastfeeding, as some women find they don't ovulate until they wean.

I have yet to hear what my doctor has to say on this.I am,of course,still breastfeeding my son,but on lesser occasions even before I conceived my second.I only breastfeed him once before his nap,and two or three times during nightfeeds.

I would love to hear comments from mothers out there who are or had been in this situation.

I'm not fat,I'm pregnant!

It has been more than a week since my last entry.I have not even been checking and replying my emails much.I was quite alright initially,but these past few days,I've been feeling extremely sapped of any energy in my body.I'm fatigued and sleepy most times and oh so lazy.All I want to do is be in bed...with the aircon in my bedroom switched on and the fan blasting in my face.I don't like feeling this way really....I've been putting off doing my housework and I only cooked once this week,and that was because I was soooo craving for home-made spaghetti bolognese.Other times my dear sister in law had been sweet enough to cook a bit more for me and hubby.

I used to dislike taking a siesta when my son's napping as it robs me of any chance to catch up on my reading or doing housework....but now,I can't resist slipping onto my soft sheets and pillows.The laundry has not been washed but at least I wake up feeling a tad refreshed.
And I'm glad hubby has been so understanding (as always...)

Night time has not been treating me well....I wake up at least 2-3 times a night as I need to use the toilet (due to growing uterus pressing on the bladder and hormones affecting the balance of fluid in the body,I read) apart from my son's once or twice nightly wakings.I am sometimes awaken because of my hunger pangs too,so now I've started to have a pack of strawberry milk on my bedpost,in case my tummy rumbles.

My nicely-fit Dorothy Perkins jeans are too tight for me (I can't even zip it up!).My slightly loose Levi's jeans are now getting a tad tight...oh oh...I guess it's time I rummaged through my very loose Ralph Laurens and some of my old maternity wear tucked in that dusty box in the corner.Personally,I don't really like the first trimester....it's when your tummy bulges a little and I'm always so paranoid if people think I'm fat or round in the middle,you know....They won't think you are pregnant...or maybe they'd be too afraid to ask if you are really pregnant or just have fats bulging in your tummy.haha....At least,when you are at four months or more,everyone (except for those young and burly commuters in the train or bus who magically fall asleep upon seeeing any pregnant lady...*roll eyes*) knows that bulge equals baby!

If you think I'm complaining about my pregnancy,well,I'm not....just sharing what I'm experiencing right now.For all the 'not-so-good-stuff' that happens,I love being pregnant.I love knowing that my little baby is growing in me and rubbing my belly makes me feel all fuzzy inside. I'm glad that I do not experience any bouts of morning sickness and am hoping it'd stay that way.

I have yet to see my baby.My appointment with my gynae is on the 14th of next month coz the the clinic's nearly fully booked.I can't wait to see how she (can I use 'she'?! *grin*) has grown.I don't even know my edd yet (except for my estimated calculation).

Meantime,I'm sooooo craving for that triangular mutton 'karipap' dipped in delicious sweet spicy chilli sauce from Har Yasin.....*drool*

Disney Naturally - Halal Themed Restaurant

Though it was opened a few months back,I was only in on the news yesterday-thanks to a good friend,who incidentally adores Disneyland and whom I ventured with many years ago when we were still single (and much younger!).We had a great time in Disneyland California and this simply brings us back fun-filled memories!



Disney Naturally is apparently the first Disney food and beverage store outside a Disneyland Park.It promises healthy,tasty (and halal!) and a magical experience for all fans,regardless of their age.It's located at Anchorpoint Shopping Mall,370 Alexandra Road #01-05/06 (opposite Ikea).Opening hours :11am to 10pm.This is an excerpt from their site :

It’s the place where the kids are in charge, great for families to meet and share, or youngsters to hang out and watch a Disney movie. It’s a place to order our famous Mickey head shaped pizzas with pizza crusts full of healthy spinach. Drinks include Prince Charming Kiss – a strawberry and mango fruit blend drink; moo moo shakes rich in calcium enriched milk and Disney Juizz and Disney themed ice cream cakes. Check out our in store monitors for daily specials including a choice of healthy soups and pastas. All our food and beverages products conform to Disney’s published nutritional guidelines.

There are Disney movie screenings (the movie schedule is displayed at the storefront) and fancy game sheets for kids to engage in.The restaurant is decked with life-sized statues of the famous Disney characters-Mickey,Donald and Goofy.Not only the seats are shaped like mickey's head....



....even the pizzas too!



Fancy names for the pizzas....

• mickey’s classic
• daisy's garden
• donald's legend
• minnie's secret
• pete's pan
• pino's fancy
  

They serve mainly pizzas,soups,ice-cream,fruit blends and juices.Some patrons may find the prices for the food a bit on the high side,but I guess you have to 'pay' for the ambience too,eh?Other comments that I came across were that the food were pre-cooked and microwaved before serving (that won't taste good if this is true) and some were thoroughly disappointed with the taste.

While some enjoyed bringing their kids here (and others hated it),I guess I have to venture to this Disney themed-restaurant to give my two cents worth....though I'm already a tad biased as I'm sure it's not close to being at Disney's Restaurant in Disneyland itself.....

Yay!Another one!

I'M ELATED!!!!!!!!

Alhamdullilah.Hubby and I are smiling from ear to ear....and back!haha!

The news are on BBC,CNN and ChannelNews Asia,that is,mum and dad,dad-in-law and sisters-in-law are already in on the news.I couldn't wait to tell them of course!

I'm well,alhamdullilah,except that I'm more sleepy these days.My appetite...the same,I guess,I'm nearly always hungry (thanks to my metabolic rate!).Hmmm,no wonder my darling son has been wanting to sleep on my chest the past few weeks...perhaps he knows : )

Mother's Day weekend.

To me,being a mum is the most precious thing.It's an undescribable euphoria when you hold your baby for the first time....and for a million times after that.It's the smile on their faces that keeps you going even when you are too tired.It's the sacrifice you make that you don't even mind.Being a mum is a blessing!

So Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mummies out there!You rock!hehe....

I read with much amuse when I saw the cover page of the Sunday Times....

$23,000 a month-An HR expert says that's the amount a stay-at-home mother would be paid if you consider all the jobs she performs.Agree?

The 'jobs' that were listed were executive housekeeper,childcare teacher,chef,personal assistant and driver.Wow!$23,000 a month to do what I'm doing now?I think you'd see me shopping every other day instead.haha!When I told hubby to read on this,he rolled his eyes till I couldn't see his irises!

Mother's Day weekend was busy for me,not so much of doing chores though (luckily!).We spent our Saturday across the causeway since it had been months since we last drove over.The little one's diapers and Anakku wet tissue stocks were depleting so we braved the jam a bit to get across.Fortunately,it was not so bad after hubby manoeuvered over to the Second Link instead after we saw a sign stating that there was a bad jam at BKE going towards the checkpoint.

We filled our rumbling tummies at Kenny Roger's once we reached out destination.The service was bad,I tell you.Apparently,they don't serve water (they won't inform us immediately when we ordered for it,so we waited until we nearly choked on our food and asked for it again,it was only then they would tell you that they don't serve water).We had to do waves and dances before we could get any attention from the waiters.The food and drinks came after a long wait.Fortunately,the food was ok (I love the banana muffin.yumm!).

We didn't shop for many groceries this time round as it seemed that most of the things that we wanted to get were priced much higher than they were in Singapore.Or perhaps,we should have gone to Giant instead of the 'grand' building of Jusco.Next time perhaps.....

I was truly looking forward to yoga on Sunday morning.A lesson was missed last week as hubby couldn't be home to look after the little one.This Sunday morning,I was raring to go.I had not been to any exercise class since I got married!It was sooooo bad.I used to take up kickboxing for a few years and yoga for about a year.It was truly therapeutic to put on those gloves and do your sidekicks and punches and simply go crazy.Since I couldn't take that up now,yoga is the next best thing.Of course,for those who have done this,you would know it is not as easy as it looks.

Though my former instructor,Rai,was better than my new one,I enjoyed my new class tremendously and it was only later in the night that I began to feel some aches because of those cactus,cobra and camel poses that I did!



But I feel really good! : )

Charco's "the flaming chicken"

Feeling extremely lazy and sleepy today.

Blame it on the really good massage I had this morning.Yup,I finally had my personal masseuse came over after more than two months of 'non-kneading' my body.Hehe.I'm addicted to her massage,I tell ya.Today,I had to bear with a lot more pain,on my left arm,legs and shoulderblades.But it was worth it!

And what was more pleasurable was right after a cool shower,I curled up with my new Paolo Coelho's Veronika Decides To Die and I eventually fell asleep.....

I woke up only to serve my rumbling tummy.As darling hubby suggested that I didn't have to cook today (hooray!),we got ready for a lunch-out and decided to drive all the way to Ang Mo Kio Ave 5 to try Charco's-a sprouting new eating place.



There were not many people there,probably because it was a tad too late for lunch and too early for dinner.I was under the impression that it was of a restaurant or cafe type but it was more of a kopitiam/coffeeshop.But it took up a big area where it showcased its salads (caesar-halal of course,coleslaw,potato,seafood,etc) and chicken (charco's and portugese).It looked really appetizing.



After walking back and forth a few times to see which ones got us salivating the most,hubby and I decided to order two different sets-rack of ribs and 1/4 portugese chicken (as opposed to charco's,as the staff claimed the portugese is nicer as it has more spices and a bit more spicy.) We had fries,coleslaw and a corn cob with them.

Our verdict?

The chicken was very nice.Tender and juicy,with just the right amount of spice.It was not really spicy.Hubby really liked it dipped in barbecue sauce.The fries were thick and crispy on the outside.I liked the fries...so did the little one.Hubby didn't really enjoy them as he prefered thin fries.The corn cob was nice too...sweet and soft.The rack of ribs?Hmmm...I didn't like them at all....so did hubby.A bit too hard and well,the taste just didn't do for us.

After having two sets of food,we felt we could eat some more (trust us to eat!hah!) so hubby ordered a chicken kebab which happened to be one of the best we've ever tasted!The downside was that it,too,came with fries....so now,we had a loadful of fries that we couldn't finish.

All in all,we had a pleasant dining experience.We even had half a chicken packed for home : ) Charco's offers a variety of food to choose from-kebabs,burgers,schnitzels,wraps and even briyani (rather weird though).The prices won't burn a hole in your pocket too.The staff were nice and friendly.We even 'interviewed' them about Charco's.It is Australian-owned and apparently,they are considering to have an outlet in the east (yay!),possibly in the first quarter of next year.

The downside?Well,it's not a restaurant or cafe so no AC for us.We had to eat in the sweltering afternoon heat,but fortunately,the place is somewhat covered and ventilation was not bad.Just have lots of icy,cold drinks with your food.There were also many birds who flew in to peck on patron's leftover food so it was rather disturbing.But my little one descended into an uncontrollable fit of giggles when he saw the birds pecking and flipping fries with one another.He was so amused looking at them!

So we drove back home with happy tums...but I was still thinking of the big slice of apple pie that I saw at the showcase.Though I was way too full to have that,it couldn't stop me from thinking of it.hah!Anyway,perhaps sometime in future,other rotisseries like Kenny Roger's and Nando's might consider having outlets here...halal ones,of course.Now,that would be awesome!

A date at Fig & Olive

After several attempts (what with the men having to work,some hit by the flu bug and other commitments) for the past few weeks,we eventually met up!But it was not before having to fight through the crazy traffic going towards VivoCity.It seemed the whole nation were heading there!When we finally parked our cars,our tummies were rumbling rather angrily as it was nearly 3pm.

We had decided to try Fig & Olive.Fendy ordered a bowl of salad while Liz only picked on some items in it that she liked (a bit like me too...hehe).Hubby and I didn't have the habit of ordering salad if we eat out so we zoomed in onto the main course-Zafira Zaytoon Steak and Olive Grill Lamb.

The lamb was not bad but the olive rice was hard and grainy and none of us finished it (hubby and I both agreed that Swenson's was soooo much better.)We had a great conversation with Liz and Fendy and exchanged our parental experiences.Looking at Deana,I guess hubby and I are not the only ones who have a tough time during the little one's mealtime.For a moment,we didn't feel so alone.Hah!The two tots were hooting,laughing,bouncing,banging,tapping,twisting and turning all the while their parents were trying to put food in their tiny mouths.They chose what they want to eat (it drives me up the wall sometimes) and stuck out their tongues to splatter back what food were in their mouths.

We took out a loadful of food from our bags to satisfy them....raisins,gummy bears,cheesestick and various biscuits.Eventually,Zubayr was sharing his Graduates star munchies with Deana....extending his arm across the table to pass a star to her.Deana,with a huge,cheeky grin,took it and put it in her mouth.It was such a cute moment!

Deana tearing off the wrap-around placemat...Zubayr did the same of course!

The happy threesome...next month,it's gonna be four!

My precious.....

We walked around a little bit at the waterpark and the play area there but didn't commit our babies to play.There were many kids around and hubby decided to be a little cautious since HFMD is prevalent.Time was not on our side either and our two tots seemed to be tired.Hubby,our little one and I had been out since 9am to go shopping at Expo (in which I grabbed 5 good books by Paulo Coelho and such,bought footwear for the three of us,curtains for home,hubby got a blu-ray player for office and other 'damages to the wallet!)

So we said our goodbyes before heading home.It was a good time spent with friends (and babies!) and hopefully,we get to do this again soon! (soon means after Liz gave birth,undergone confinement period and all...hehe).