Knitting Baby Blanket

After a really tiring and sickly 1st trimester...I'm glad to be feeling much better now.
Have most of my energy back but since now I'm bigger and heavier...I'm getting clumsy.
Doesn't help that Marcus boy is a hyper toddler!

Was thinking of my 1st gift to baby no.2 and I thought since I made an ABC Baby Afghan for Marcus, I'm going to stick to the theme and decided to knit a baby blanket =)

Made my way to the knitting shop in Subang Parade and got myself started on the blanket last week.
When finished, the baby blanket would be white with brown stripes and brown borders.
Hopefully it'll turn out nice and comfy.

My knits are not very even, have to work on the tension

2 rows of stripes so far...many many more to go

Not sure how long it's going to take me to finish this blanket, but definitely it's getting done before baby no.2 arrives.
I think I caught the knitting bug...so I've been looking around online for yarns to make more baby stuffs. There's so many beautiful yarns in the USA....and cheap too *sigh*

Anyways, I already have my next project in mind. Not knitting but cross stitch =) That would probable have to wait awhile until baby no.2 is a little bigger.

So now we're just counting down the days till baby pops and I shall update my progress on the blanket soon!

Whirlwind of Changes

Marcus boy turned 5 months old a few days back.
Can't believe how fast he's growing up.
Now...he screams when he's playing...when he wants something or when he just needs attention.
He can also roll over onto his tummy by himself pretty well, he just doesn't know how to roll back...hahaha
When he gets tired of being on his tummy he'll scream so we'll come to his rescue.

We have also start feeding him a little Cerelac daily.
OMG...he loves it!
When he's having Cerelac, you have to keep feeding him without pausing.
When you are slow..he'll scream =P

Marcus boy could also sit pretty well assisted and loves going for walks outside.
We reckon he's about 8+ kgs now...will know for sure when we take him to the Paed for his jab next week.

Since Marcus boy pop into our lives, everyone has been saying he looks like his pretty Mummy.
Now...he's slowly looking more and more like his Daddy!
I hope he'll be as tall as his daddy but have Mummy's teeth =)

Marcus boy is just too cute for words.
And being spoilt silly by his grand parents, grand aunties, aunties and me =P

Anyways, have been experiencing some changes in my career.
Changed jobs recently and it came as a surprised to everyone...including me.
Was headhunted and within a week, I went for an interview, got an offer and resigned.
Started working for my new company almost immediately.
I feel kinda guilty leaving my team so abruptly...but I believe they are trained well enough to manage without me....or at least until my former manager comes back after her maternity leave.
Took a guilt trip as well for leaving right before my ex-manager was supposed to deliver her baby.
Happy to report that mummy & baby are doing well =)
And we are now even friends on FB.

Just completed my 1st week in the new company.
Am still trying to find my equilibrium, stumbling around.
Hopefully things will be better soon *cross fingers*

My Cloth Diaper Stash

Recently, I've gone a little overboard with my online shopping spree....hehehe
Eric doesn't know the extend of it yet so sshhhhhhhhh...
The temptation was too great I tell you...so I ended up with some adorable cloth diapers for Marcus boy =P

My new Grovias <3 Mod Flower & Owl AI2 (all-in-2) and Nature AIO (all-in-one)

Happy Heiny Cow and Blueberry Minky Green Camo...love love love the minky fabric!

New and ready to be prep...they've gone through their first wash today...

Got myself a Planet Wise wet/dry bag in Art Deco print as well. Read super good reviews about them...crossing fingers that it lives up to the hype.

My current Ice (Blue) & Mandarin (Orange) Grovias joining new Grovia comrades for a photo shoot. I love the hook & loop (velcro) but decided to go with snaps for the new diapers just to try it out.



I was contemplating whether to get the Owl or Planes pattern as both got popular votes from Mummies & babies everywhere. Went with the Owl and they are oh-so-so cute =)

Cloth Diapers stash I have at the moment. 2 Bamboolite pocket, 5 Grovias, 1 Happy Heiny & 1 Blueberry Minky.

Since I'm really new to cloth diapering, it's advisable to try out different brands of CD (cloth diaper) to find the one that works best for my baby.
Babies are all unique so some brands will fit better than others.
I started out with Grovia (I just love the colours) and Bamboolite (was on promotion and made of bamboo which has antibacterial properties...made in M'sia)

Saw Happy Heiny(HH) & Blueberry(BB) on sale and decided to try it too...I really really wanted a CD made from minky (fluffy fabric). Saw the super cute camouflage print and I'm sold!!! =P

HH, BB and Grovia AIO are being prep at the moment...would have to go through a few more washes to get the absorbency up and then I'll try it on Marcus boy.
Even without putting it on Marcus...I already know I'm going to love my Grovia AIO.

I can't wait....to get my hands on more cloth diapers =P
Itti Bitti...I have my eyes on your fluff!

Marcus Baby Photo Shoot

Not long after my Maternity Shoot, out pops Marcus Boy <3
When he was around 3 weeks old, he had his first photoshoot...also by two-pixels.



Hello world

I <3 Mum baby socks...so cute

My lil cheeky boy

Count my lil toes mummy!



Daddy, Mummy & Marcus makes 3



Hi there pretty girl *wink*

 

Baby model pose





My lil' baby is growing up so fast.
Seems like it was just yesterday we brought him home.
Oh...how our lives have changed.since Marcus boy arrived.
Wouldn't trade it for the world <3

My Maternity Shots

Back in January when Marcus Boy was still comfortably cradled inside me, I had my maternity shots taken by Two Pixels.

You can only go through your first pregnancy once...you know, like losing one's virginity.

Must cherish the once in a lifetime experience.

So I decided to have pics of me taken while I look like a penguin for memories.
If I'm gonna look like a penguin, might as well be a beautiful one =P

And also I get show them to Marcus Boy when he's bigger...let him know what he did to Mummy's figure!

There were many shots taken...alas, I only look good in some pics.
In many pics, I think I look too BIG, smile not nice enough, hair too messy, looked too tired...etc.
Hence lots of pics of only the baby bump =P

I'm glad I have many beautiful pics as well =)
It just seems so surreal...that I was once that big with Marcus Boy growing inside me <3

The Stages

The easiest part in the whole wonderful experience of having Marcus boy...is the 'baby making' stage.
It's fun...and pleasurable ;P
I'm sure nobody minds going through this stage over and over again.

Then the 'pregnant' stage hits. It ain't so fun anymore.
Nausea and vomiting.
Followed by cravings, weight gain, tiredness, swelling feet and sweating all the time.
Not too mention unattractively waddling around like a penguin and needing to pee ever so often.

Just when I've had enough of being mistaken for an Asian penguin...
The 'birth stage' was a welcomed relieve.
That is...until the contractions started and let me tell you...you never knew pain until you had a baby.
I can't even describe the level of pain we women have to bear in childbirth (the natural way and not Cesarean)
Yup...It was freaking scary.
Was it worth it? Of course!
But a little less pain would've made it a more pleasant experience!

Now we're at the 'bundle of joy' stage.
Marcus boy is the joy of my life...just seeing him smile makes my day.
But I could do with more sleep.
I am exhausted from lack of sleep and rest.
The cycle of taking care of Marcus during the night to working during the day is taking a toll on me.
Finding it really hard to focus at work when I miss my baby.
And finding it hard to spend quality time with my baby when I'm exhausted.
I do feel guilty for not being able to spend more time with him...what can this Mommy do?
There is only so many hours in a day...and they're never enough =(

I miss my baby.

2 months and counting

Oh how time flies!
At the blink of an eye...my little baby is now such a big boy.
He has started cooing a lot when we talk to him...so cute *melts*
My oh my...what can I say about his toothless grin and adorable laugh?
Breaks my heart to leave him this morning and go back to work =(

I'm still expressing breast milk for Marcus. He takes it during day time while night time we feed him formula (we chose Snow as it was highly recommended).
This way we could also soften the weaning process when I stop having breast milk and let him go on formula full time.
He seems alright with such an arrangement...not too fussy about it but he does prefer breast milk =)
Not sure how long I could keep up with milk pumping while working at the same time though.

Have also started cloth diapering Marcus part time.
Since I only bought 4 cloth diapers (2 Grovia s& 2 Bamboolites) to experiment, he uses them all up in 1 day.
So far so good...I do prefer Grovia All-in-Two as we just need to change the soaker (we have 4 soakers and 2 shells) when it's wet compared to Bamboolite's pocket.
Even Mum prefers Grovia as she said Bamboolite is too bulky and thick.
Hopefully I'm able to get a good deal on more cloth diapers during the Baby Fair in May then Marcus could be cloth diapered full time, which is my goal.
The only problem is cloth diapers doesn't come cheap *sigh*
Same goes for formula milk =(

Wish I didn't have to work.
Somehow...I feel as if I'm neglecting him by going to working.
I hope my baby knows that if I could, I would stay home all day just to cuddle him <3

Meet Baby Marcus

Jr. is finally here! And we named him Marcus =)

*suck suck* I want milk Mummy

Daddy & his Lil' Boy

I'm a Lil' Jedi

Mummy's lil' darling

Incubating....still

So...we said 'Bye' to Tiger and 'Hi' to Rabbit.
We waited anxiously everyday for the pass month or so...
"D"(due) date came and gone...
and Jr. is still happily incubating inside me.

Geez...all that anticipation...and now we are faced with the possibility of having a big baby (coz babies puts on weight really fast after they're due) which will lead to a C-sect instead of having him the natural way.

I was really hoping to have Jr. by natural birth and without any epidural (too many side effects that bothers me) but I never ruled out C-sect just in case the situation calls for such intervention.

Doc gave Jr. another week to make his grand entrance into this world by himself...if he still refuses to budge...then we're left with no other choice.

What a dilemma =(

My Baby Daddy

This post will be about my baby Daddy <3

Yesterday

I'm still working (unfortunately) but this will be my last week and then I'm off to wait for Jr's arrival away from all the stress.
Eric just got back from a trip overseas and had a few days off so I rushed back from work to hopefully spend some alone time with him (I barely get to see him when he's working such long hours)

When I got home, the door was closed tight and no one was in sight.
I thought Mum and Eric both had gone out and not gotten back yet.
I was feeling a little dissapointed at that point.
Decided to go upstairs and change my blouse as I..erm...kinda ripped it a little at work =(
When I got to our room, I realized Eric was home afterall. Yay!

I peeked inside and I saw him standing in Jr's nursery.
He was folding small little shirts and pants with cute booties scattered around *melts*
It was such a lovely sight...this man, this big strong man was surrounded by baby stuffs everywhere and he's taking such great care in folding this small little shirt.
I wish I took a picture of that very moment...I was speechless and I was tearing up (damn those hormones) just staring at him.

He even organized the drawers. Telling me why he placed clothes, diapers, washclothes, bibs..etc in each particular drawer.
All this from a guy who doesn't even know what's in the drawers of our own closet after so many years!
I was surprised he took it upon himself to fix the baby bed and even knows how many milk bottles we already have for Jr.

Maybe I've misread how excited he is about Jr's arrival.
All this while he seems cool and not crazily over ethusiastic happy like me when we first saw Jr during an ultrasound....or when he felt Jr kick & move for the 1st time.
He doesn't read the parenting magazine or baby books that I bought many moons back.
He doesn't ask the gynea any questions.
Heck...even when we're out shopping for baby stuffs, it was done in record time.

But now...now, I'm in awe.

Cross stitch : ABC Baby Afghan Complete

Previous
ABC Baby Afghan Update 4
ABC Baby Afghan Update 3

ABC Baby Afghan Update 2

ABC Baby Afghan Update 1

Completed afghan with maroon backing and knotted edges

When I found out I was preggers with Jr., I finally made my way to the textile shop and bought some material to complete my baby afghan.
Chose a soft dark maroon cloth as the backing.
A dark colour will be able to hide any stains in the future...we are using it for a baby, stains are inevitable.

Took the afghan and backing material to a tailor and he sew it for me.
Then made knots for the edges.
And it's complete =)

I hope Jr. would love his afghan...my 1st present for my little prince <3

Baby Nursery Checklist - Pt.1

Everyone knows having a baby doesn't come cheap these days.
There's so many things to consider from baby's clothes to cute lil' booties.
Not forgetting insurance policy and future education fund.
Among all the happy anticipations of Junior's impending arrival...there's a whole list of things to prepare for him...started pretty late on this checklist, but as they say, better late than never =)

                                   Cot and Bedding                                 

We've considered getting a travel cot cum playpen. But after visiting Ikea, we've decided on a toddler bed with guard rails instead of a baby cot. I know it's kinda out of the ordinary to do so but I've heard so many stories about babies not liking sleeping in a cot and it's a waste of money. Hence, we got a lil bed that Junior could use till he's about 7 or 8. Hopefully we made the right decision as it doesn't come cheap. Got him a nice mattress and plain sheets to start with. Have read that babies don't need any pillow or bolster as it might cause Sudden Infant Death Syndrome(SIDS). So we'll add accessories to his bed when necessary.

Needs

(√) Baby Bed
(√) Mattress
(√) Mattress protector
(√) Waterproof Mattress Pads
(√) Fitted Bedsheets
(√) Blankets (a cute alphabet cross stitch blanket I made earlier)

Nice To have
- Swaddling Blanket (can be substituted with cloth napkins)
(√) The First Years - Close and Secure Sleeper (as I'm planning to breastfeed Jr. through the night, it'll be nice to have him really close by ie. next to me on the bed...lets see if Eric joins us)

                                         Diapering                                       

We're planning to use a cloth diapering system for Jr. It's the modern kind of cloth diapers and they're oh-so-cute (not the kind that our mommies and grannies used in the olden days). Why you ask? Well, we (or I actually) have some pretty good reasons for considering being a cloth diaper(CD) mommy.

1st - Save lots of $$$. It's cheaper in the long run (but that also depends the brands/types of cute diapers I can't resist buying) as these CD are washable therefore reusable which means...

2nd - We can use the same CD for our next child! Saving us more $$$.

3rd - CD will keep baby's bottom smooth and itch free. Heard of diaper rash caused by disposable diapers? Yup, it's painful for babies and agony for mommies.

4th - Save the environment. I'm trying to contribute my little bit to save the environment. Just imagine the amount of disposable diapers that goes into our landfills daily. It's not a pretty sight.

I'm not naive, I know it won't be easy to CD a baby when there are so many other things to do. Anyhow, I'm determine to give it a try and see how it goes =)

Needs

(√) Baby Cloth Napkins for various uses (nappies, swaddling...etc)

- Nappy Liners

(√) Baby Wet Wipes

- Changing Mat

- Baby Hypoallergenic Detergent

(√) Disposable Diapers (have read that it's best to use disposable for the 1st month)

(√) Cloth Diapers (So exciting...bought GroVia and Bamboolite)

Nice To Have

More Cloth Diapers that makes me wanna pinch baby's bottom!!!
(Gro Via, Happy Heiny's, Itti Bitti, Cushie Tushies, Bum Genius, Moo Moo Kow, Baby Kangas, FuzziBunz, Rumparooz, Knickernappies )

 

                                       Baby Clothing                                   

We're going economical on these as babies do grow pretty fast. Will buy Jr.'s clothes as and when needed.

Needs

(√) Booties and mittens

(√) Short sleeve shirt 

(√) Long sleeve shirt

(√) Long Pants with/without feet cover

(√) Bodysuits

(√) Newborn Hats

(√) Handkerchief

                             Baby Care/Bathing Needs                          

Needs

(√) Baby Bathtub (Thanks to Aunty Audrey)

- Baby Bath Wash

(√) Wash Cloths

(√) Cotton Buds

(√) Bath Towels

- Baby Lotion/Oil

Nice To Have

(√) Baby Monitor (Thanks again to Aunty Audrey)

                                  Feeding Supplies                                 

 

Needs

(√) Baby Bottles - Currently have Nuk (cause I'm really convinced by their nipple shaped orthodontic teats) & US Baby glass bottles (Thanks to Aunty Melaine)

(√) Bottle Brush

(√) Liquid Cleanser for bottles & teats

(√) Little Bean Sterilizer
(√) Little Bean Food Warmer (mostly for stored breastmik)

                                     Breast Feeding                                   

Needs

(√) Medela Swing Breastpump

(√) Breast Pads (in case of leaks)

- Nipple Cream (not sure if I need this...but cracked nipples sounds super painful)

(√) Nursing Bra

- Nursing Tops

Nice To Have

- Nursing Pillow (not sure if I really need one. I'm considering My Best Friend Breastfeeding Pillow but Eric says I can just try with a normal pillow on our bed) 

                                          Toys / Play                                        

Nice To Have
- Bouncer (Considering BabyBjorn but they're super expensive *sigh*)

                                       Out and About                                     

Needs

- Baby Stroller (considering Quinny Zapp Travel System but again...it's super expensive)

- Head Support Cushion

- Travel Changing Mat

- Carseat

(√) Diaper Bag (thanks Aunty Melaine for a cute diaper bag. But I'm still hoping to get my hands on a  Mrs Smith's Bag )

Nice To Have
- Ring sling (considering JumpSacBaby which is made in Malaysia)

For now, my checklist is lacking some stuffs that we may need.

So hard to decide if we should get the more expensive version of stuffs which have super great reviews (i.e QuinnyStroller, My Bestfriend Pillow & Baby Bjorn Bouncer) or just go and buy cheapo ones which I might just regret later as they don't work as expected.

Decisions...decisions...decisions...

Happy New Year 2011

Once again the year flew by and we're ushering in a New Year.
And this year, we're saying "Hello" to 2011 with a 'bun-in-the-oven' =)

Yup, we're having a baby soon...and yes, I look like a whale now at 8 months.
Junior is getting pretty big...and so am I =(
A truly unfortunate consequences of having such good appetite while preggers.

I know I haven't been blogging for a long long time.
Working & being preggers at the same time doesn't leave much time for much else (it's tiring lar waddling around like a penguin everywhere)
And now we've been busy shopping for Junior's essentials when he meets us next year.
So many things to buy for a baby...and they're not cheap either *sobs sobs*

So...did I have morning sickness?
Of course lar...but it's probably on the mild side compared to some other preggers mummy I've seen.
I was nauseous (it's like having a permanent hangover after a night of partying) and was prone to puking.
My face also broke out like crazy (damn those pimple causing hormones!) and nothing could help =(
Thank goodness the nausea, puking and pimples all went away when I got into my 4th month.

Did I crave for any special food?
Yup...no doubt about it.
I consumed food like a hungry horse (which contributed to me looking like a whale now).

Mostly it was fast food. McD's are my fav (I can smell the fries...*drools*).
Pizzas too but I try not to have them often.
I was also craving durian and I had lots of them thanks to my father-in-law until suddenly durian season was over =( Those thorny fruits were no where to be found.
I also craved for longan which was in season..then wasn't and now in again?
BUT...my ultimate cravings was for Lychees!!! *drools dreamily*
I want those fresh lychees with red red skin and juicy juicy flesh.
Those in cans from supermarket won't do. No thanks.
I'm still craving for lychees but damn they're not in season *sigh*
Guess I'll just have to make do with McD's then =P

There's so much I wanna blog about...just have to find the time.
For now...Wishing Everyone a Happy Fabulous New Year!

Jin Yuan Restaurant @ Charming Hotel, Zhuhai

A few nights back Eric and I were in Zhuhai to have dinner with his colleague.
Charming Hotel is located right outside the Gongbei Bordergate...once you get out of the China immigration, you'll see the hotel on the left.
Take the elevator up to Jin Yuan Restaurant.

Appetizer tasted like pig's stomach soup. The lotus roots has a nice bite to it and it's yummy.

First time I'm trying a corn drink. It's hot and tasted like well...corn. The texture is smooth and not too thick which is quite nice.

One fish for each person at the table...

...'cause the fish is only as big as my bowl

Mantis prawn with lots of fried garlic

Mui choy kau yuk (pork belly with mushy vege)

One crab per person too as it's only as big as my fist.

Not much meat but lots of eggs in the crab and it's yellow. Normally I don't eat crab eggs but this one is pretty yummy.

Looks like normal stir fry vege but the secret is...it's fried using pork oil =P This is how a healthy dish become super sinful.

Deep fried carrot cake stuffed with meat dessert which was too chewy for my liking.

Mango pudding with evaporated milk. Me likey mango =)

Deep fried durian ball turned out pretty good. The skin was oily but the durian filling has a creamy bitter after taste.

Recently, Eric's sister was in Macau and she was craving for some exotic dish.

We went searching for the shop and found it near St. Paul's Ruin.

It's a tiny shop with just a few tables and that's the chef in the one man kitchen.

Guess what's in this bowl of dark starchy soup?

This is snake meat soup =D

The taste of ginger overwhelmed my tastebuds and it made me wonder if it's to mask some weird smell of snake meat. The snake meat itself didn't taste weird ('cause all I could taste and smell was the ginger lar) but the texture was extremely rough and dry. Kinda like overnight chilled old chicken breast meat. If you're in Macau and feel like having some snake for snack time...this is the place.

Meet Goofy the toy Poodle. He's so cute isn't he? Goofy is Joe's doggy and we met him when Joe invited us over to his house for dinner last night.

So much food for just 5 people. I almost fell asleep on the couch after dinner...

Goofy joined Eric and I on the couch and took a liking to Eric's hand...*lick lick lick*

He even held on to Eric's thumb to to keep it steady...so cute <3

And more cuteness....

Braxton at 5 months old! He's so heavy already and so friendly*hugs*

The weather in Macau is super depressing.

Cold and wet the whole day =(

Will be super duper busy for the next few days and the I shall be in shorts again!