New Addition - Baby Ying

The girls just love to take their own sweet time, don't they?

Baby Ying's delivery was a planned one, as contrary to her siblings who both decided to make their way out when they hit 38.5 weeks, she simply refused to make her entry, even when it got really cramped in Mummy's tummy, and Mummy was practically finding it a chore and pain sleeping. Perhaps, being frequently squashed and squeezed, coupled with all the noise even with the insulation, she decided it was safer to stay within. So, it was decided she should be hurried out on 9 Sep 2011, and we should report early at 7am in the morning at the Delivery Suite (just 2 days short of her EDD).

With every delivery, the time taken should be shorten right? At least that was what happened when Kang came along (approximately 6 hrs vs En's >12 hrs). Alas, this theory was totally taken apart, when she proved that she must beat her sister in the competition to resist leaving the comforts of Mummy's womb. And she certainly didn't do too badly. I would say she more or less evened the record.

Schedule of events:-

Slightly before 7am: Reported at Delivery Suite.

Ard 9am: Inexperienced Doc came in, took hell of a long time and a great deal of PAIN, did 2 blotched-up needle insertion on both my hands (which is still bruised after > 1 week), before announcing he would get his senior to do the job - faster, lesser pain and most importantly EFFECTIVE!

937am: Here comes the glucose drip.

1245pm: Dr JT broke the water bag. Oxytoxin followed soon after.

2pm: Started epidural.

Ard 430pm: Doc came in to check. Approximately 4cm dilated. Still not ready. He mentioned it'd be fast once it crossed 5cm.

718pm: Finally, OUT!

Within a span of 2+ years, much has changed at KKH. Now, they encouraged bonding by placing naked baby (san diapers) on Mummy's body right after wiping her clean. Mummy and Baby will then remain together in the Delivery Suite for about an hour before moving to the ward, where Baby will be moved to the Nursery. That was when dear Baby Ying decided to poo, letting Mummy touched her first pot of "gold". Another obvious change was in the renovation. The ward must have been updated recently to the likes of a 5-star hotel. What greeted me was a huge 40" (or 46") LED/ LCD tv. The decor exuded a luxurious and cozy feel. Best of all, for the accompanying Daddy, he didn't have to squeeze into the not-that-big wooden, make-shift "sofa bed" anymore. It had been upgraded to a larger leather-like day bed type of settee.

However, I certainly hope this will be my last stay there......

Zoo again

We had been to the Zoo many times this year, since we got the zoo pass (short, frequent trips to accommodate the boy's napping), but never really got to use the waterplay area (except for En who did it once).

So, this was the first time Mr Kang got his chance. Oh boy! He had THE time of his life (and yummy cheese n ham sandwich from Ben n Jerry's for lunch. We had KFC)!!

This time round...

...frankly speaking, I'm not looking forward to it. B'cos:-

1. We will not be going.

2. I'll be stranded with 2 kids 24/7.

3. He's leaving in early June, missing the school holidays (they actually wanted to whisk him off on his son's 1st birthday!!).

4. It will be for a good 3 months, I foresee (It was bad enough when he wasn't around for a month the previous time).

The only silver lining that I see -- (online)shopping in US, fully sponsored (I hope)!

My family is "breaking apart".

5th Birthday

This year, the Princess's birthday coincided with Good Friday. So, we decided to do away with celebrating in school and just have our own little family fun. However, Ah gong mentioned that they would be doing their tomb-sweeping on that day (but ah ma ordered us to stay away as she felt it would be too smoky for the kids), and the grand uncles and aunties would like to hold a little celebration for her after that. Thus, she had double FUN!

In the morning, we went to the zoo again. This time round the weather was great, simply perfect for our objective - to let her have a go at the Rainforest Kidz Water Play Area. Therefore, our route was planned along that line and we made a couple of stops at the cheetah enclosure, polar bear cove, giraffe holding... before we finally saw IT!

While Sister changed and got ready for her Splashing moments, Mummy had to feed Brother (which was convenient, as there were nursing facilities right there). This was by far the best Water Play Area that I'd encountered, much bigger and varied than the one at Science Centre. She went on the playground, down the slides, through the tunnels, between the fountains, under the showers, on the wet ground.... She was truly entertained and enjoying herself. The best part was, she showered herself so Mummy did not have to get wet :).

Everyone was tired, especially the baby. So we went home for a rest after our lunch at KFC.

Afternoon arrived, we made our way to Taigong's house. This was probably going to be the final gathering there, as it was recently sold (time flies, my dear grandpa had passed on for more than 2 years). We were late as due to brother's nap (really, really apologetic for making everyone wait). Brother had some fun with his little cousin, N, who was a month older. Sister was totally pleased with all the presents and Ang Bao she received. But she was most delighted as she got to play with her favourite cousin, C and his sister C (double Cs haha). They are a year apart from each other, with Sister being the middle one.

All in all, Sister had a great day. However, she mentioned she will want a celebration in school again for her 6th birthday. Sigh... more work for Mummy...

Finally fulfilled my promise

Last year's March holidays, I brought En to the Science Centre. That was our first visit. Well, technically speaking, we only made it to the Admission counter.....

I was into my third trimester then. By the time we made it through the MRT ride, walk from the station to the SC in the extreme heat and humidity, I was half-dead. To make things worse, the queue at ticket counter was LONG. After standing in line for a couple of minutes, I really felt like fainting. It was worse than the walk there, much much worse. Somehow, I just couldn't tolerate standing still during my last pregnancy. My heartbeat would always race like crazy, and I would feel totally breathless and faint. In the end, we decided on McDonald's :p.

This year, I was determined to pay it back. Indeed, we made it, with both the Princess n Prince in tow. Though it wasn't a long visit, she didn't manage to play at the outdoor Water Play area (as I was the only adult and the weather wasn't permitting too) and Mummy wasn't able to walk/ talk her through all the exhibits, nonetheless, she really enjoyed herself (asked me to bring her there again on 2 separate occasions). The space exhibit, with the interactive corridor and pond, was one of her favourite. Of course, we spent a considerable time in the nursing room hehe (rather well-thought out, with toys for accompanying tots, even comes with shower foam and powder in case u need to cleanse the baby).

Tuesday was spent at the home of an ex-schoolmate (from N Kindy) as T, the mum of a pre-nursery kid, was going back to US this coming Easter. Another short visit but it's great to know we have made some long-term friends :). It was really thoughtful of M to organise the event.

Wednesday was another gathering session with my NIE kakies P n M. It was really nice and accommodating of them to come all the way to YT to meet me, as I had to lug both my darlings along as usual. En tried to behave and was generally ok while Kang was quite a handful. So I had to let him play with some plastic spoon and plates, while clutching on to him all the time, making sure he kept his hands off whatever that's on the table, nor diving off the bench etc... Truly tiring but definitely worth it.

Hmmmmmmmmm, what did we do on Thursday?? My old, hazy brain can't quite recall... Was it swimming or something else??? Anyway, I'm quite sure we had some entertaining activities...

Friday was the grand finale, when I finally didn't have to be the ONLY adult. Daddy took leave and we had our sandwich-making session in the morning before we set-off for the zoo! Although we didn't get to do much again, besides the tram ride and one show (thanks to our wonderful weather), at least we got the zoo pass! So, we're going this Friday again, to celebrate En's 5th birthday. Yeah!!

Let's hope that was a good start and I'll continue to bring them around during the school holidays despite them being so energy-draining and challenging.

再出发

送走懒洋洋的牛，迎接猛虎的到来，是重新出发的时候了。这一年多的光景，对他而言，应该是卧薪尝胆的体验。如今，也是拨云见月的时机了。无论如何，相信这会是个好的开始。希望接下来的日子，他能够如鱼得水，再创高峰，活得更快乐、更自在。

对于小公主，妈妈还是要对你说“对不起”。你可能会以为妈妈对你的爱少了，越来越没耐性，也没什么时间陪你。其实妈妈心里也感到很抱歉。请你对妈妈多点忍耐与包容，等弟弟大一点，妈妈再好好补偿你。

小王子呢，你就像姐姐baby时，一样可爱，也是个万人迷。性子跟妈妈一样急，超好动，也老爱自顾自地玩，妈妈教你做什么，你都好似“你教你的，我做我的”。也无所谓啦，只要你开心、健康，未来的日子还很长，就慢慢来。

妈妈呢，请你收敛收敛你的脾气，对孩子多点耐心，少点责备，对老公多点体谅，少点埋怨，对父母多点孝顺，少点理所当然，对公婆多开一只眼闭一只眼，少点挑剔。这样，别人多点开心，你也少点烦恼。

也希望所有人能多多包容妈妈，关怀妈妈，让她在忙得没时间照顾自己，睡眠超不足，越来越像黄脸婆的同时，知道还有许多人爱她、appreciate她。

My Baby Kang, soon u'll be 4 mths old......

It's been quite some time since I last blog about my little Princey, least talk about uploading his pictures. 2 more days n u'll be officially 4 mths old......

From the tiny little guy plagued by jaundice, frequently feeling tired n spending most part of ur days simply feeding n napping, suffering from colic n reflex thus wailing during almost every feed, wanting mummy n daddy to carry n rock u to sleep everytime and that BIG hernia on ur tummy...... it had been a TIRING yet truly FULFILLING time, especially having to struggle with another kid who needs equally much attention.

Today, the hernia is almost gone (merely a small stubble as compared to the 1 inch budge), u've gone from a tiny 3kg kitty to a respectable 7.7kg (as of last Fri). Although u're still pretty "gassy", it rarely bugs u. Much as I would like u to be able to sleep on ur own or through the night, u still need some help like swinging in sarong, breast feeding etc, however, I'm seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. For e.g., after u wake from a feed on the bed, sometimes u can go sooth urself to sleep again, though the frequent shaking of ur head against the bedding is probably going to cause some balding =P, u went to sleep this morning (n last evening) in ur rocker while I was making a rackets with the toys on them (Funny boy, with all the noise...).

Oh boy, some thing has not changed since Day 1 - u r one Greedy Pig. The Princess always needed to feed for at least 45min, even from the bottle. While u, my darling, needs just 5-10mins to finish ur meals most of the time. Good news is, u know when u're full and reject whatever attempts to feed u after that. But do u know that u can be really impatient during feeding?  Nowadays, everytime b4 Mummy's milk let down, u'll be frustrated till the milk comes flowing fast. Baby, I'm not a TAP. Just look at u staring at others eating. U're not ready yet, at least not for another 2-3 mths. Look at u gulping down ur probiotics! I can't catch up with u with a spoon!

Ur plump little hands, they are OH SO CUTE! To think Mummy hid them behind tiny mittens for a full 3 mths, all bcos u scratched urself so badly with those razor-sharp nails and we were too scared to trim them, in case we snipped ur little fingers (Daddy was guilty of that :( ). Once they were out of their little prisons, it didn't take them long to go on their escapade of exploration - aren't they beautiful? U never stopped marveling at them. U love to hold them together, as if u're praying, whenever u're feeding at my breast (thanking God for Mummy's milk??). It's ok if u love to tug at my shirt, bra etc but please my darling, don't PINCH me... sob sob... It'll be great if u can spare whatever u can get hold of from that little mouth of yours. Having ur little digits n clothing soaking wet with ur drool is more than "appetising" to look at already.

Mummy know that u do not like to be on ur tummy n hasn't quite gotten to flipping over yet, but u'd been doing a good job turning, getting on ur back from ur sides since u were 2 mths. Must be due to ur round, fat limps (like rolling a ball haha). And those back muscles, aren't they strong, trying to do sit-ups in ur car seat, rocker etc. Opps! Be careful! And u fell flat on ur face while sitting on the bed. Who asked u to lean forward?!

Soon, u'll be as big as jiejie. How I'll miss ur baby antics then...

(Been trying to upload pics n videos but can't seem to do so... sigh)

家有贱狗

很少提到我的长女--Fur Fur。

其实，有关她的故事还真不少！

这小捣蛋贪吃得很，只要一有机会，决不放过任何夺取食物的良机，即便是骨头，一旦被她刁到，你甭想能从她嘴里搅出。每当看到某人在进食，她一定凑过来，目的有两个：博取同情，摆出可怜兮兮的样子，盼能骗得你施舍些许食物给她。其二，则是趁人不备，从对方手中抢夺，并以迅雷不及掩耳的速度，将战利品吞食入肚。所有人都曾哉在她口下，特别是恩较小的时候，就常因此与她发生“口角”。

更厉害的是，她总会等到家无一人之时，跳上餐桌，只要让她嗅到一丝食物的气味儿，她一定用尽一切方法，将之取出，我们也因此折损了好几个塑料盒/罐。

不仅如此，她的性子跟一般小孩儿一样，如果太长时间被忽略，便会开始作“坏事”，如乱撕报纸，随地拉撒等等。最近一次，就发生在昨夜。我们吃了晚餐回来，一打开门，便看到满地的奶瓶盖、奶嘴......原来她弄翻了灭菌器，还刁走了瓶奶头去玩。这已不是第一次，在恩小的时候，她也曾偷过恩的奶嘴去吮吸，那画面还真搞笑！平时，她破坏一番后，一旦有人回来，便会“识相”地找地方躲藏。这回却更胜一筹，居然还搞离家出走，夹着尾巴头低低的往门外钻，不敢回来，直至她老爸把她抓回来。一进屋，便躲到长椅下，想必她也知道这次的篓子可闯大了！

可她也有可爱的地方。由于她是个大声婆，又挺“鸡婆”的，不管是电话响，还是有人回来，或是水沸了，她都要大声报告，结果不是吓倒康康，就是吵醒他。下场呢，就是被“封嘴”。一到下班时间，或是任何时候，我们事先知道会有人到访，一定会先裹上她的嘴，从那时起，她会变得惨兮兮、无精打采地趴在地上。通常她一看到有人拿出她的裹嘴带，便会找地方躲。今天，她却一反常态，在恩的爷爷来接她上学之前，竟然自动自发刁了她的裹嘴带给我老爸。难道她是要为昨天的过失赎罪？还是已经认命了？

真是家有贱狗！

Why is there such a person????

I really don't understand, is it so difficult to respect other's privacy, leave them some breathing space?

Why? Why? Why? When I show u some degree of friendliness, u have to test that limit, comes over everyday, always around dinner and to top it off - WITHOUT INFORMING ME!

Can't u learn to respect other's time? I may not be free, I may have to feed my baby, I may want to go out?

Can't u respect other's space? I may not wish to entertain guests, I may want to do my own things, I may simply want some quiet time.

It's really dejavu, cos I had seen these images clearly in my mind before, and it's happening real time now. And I'm absolutely pissed cos it has been proven again that he will always be someone else's son.....

18

Today is K's birthday and baby's 18th week. I had planned for a night at Sentosa's Siloso Beach Resort's Roof Top Garden Jacuzzi Room. The initial plan was a getaway for just the 2 of us. However, with K starting work at his previous company (which demanded that they put in at least 120% of their stipulated working hrs, n 1 of their weekend/ week or 后果自负), and En in the afternoon session (which meant she had to drop her afternoon nap), thus having to sleep early, father and daughter hardly get to see each other. So, he requested to bring her along. Anyway, we didn't get to do much except for lazing in the room, making use of the roof-top jacuzzi and outdoor rain shower, venturing out for meals and just a short shopping trip at Vivocity.

I have been feeling really tired ever since I had Baby No.2. Though I'm into my 2nd trimester, the discomforts that I encountered during first trimester (tiredness, vomiting, insomnia etc) don't seem to be going off, while the symptoms for 3rd trimester like back ache etc are appearing earlier. In fact, this pregnancy is rather different from the first time where my morning sickness lasted only a while and my 2nd trimester was a breeze - no constipation, even my prob of gastric wind etc disappeared and I had a good appetite.

Baby No.2 is also much more active than En. I started feeling his movement while I was in my 16th week. At 18th week now, I can easily feel him moving, esp ard 10pm at night. The movement is usually quite obvious and it will come on and off for the next half hr or so, unlike En who usually just produced some light kicks here n there n would stop after that. Am I more sensitive or is he going to be one rambunctious rascal???

Anyway I'm wishing for a more comfortable pregnancy ahead and for K's company to show more 人性 (which is quite unlikely, with news of further pay cut etc... wonder if he should have just taken the severance and left initially. Well, I guess things will work out in the end. Just have to rough it out through this bad times).

送老公上飞机

临晨两点多就起床，K也已与周公说bye bye。再也无法入眠（that's me, insomnia type ;p)，一直到了3.25am左右，便起来梳洗。小瓜也被我的抚摸弄醒，于是便决定带她一同送爸爸上飞机。

到了T1，足足花了45分钟左右才办完登机手续，班机虽然6点起飞，但5.05am就开始登机，结果连一家人一起坐下来吃早餐的时间都没有......

K的眼睛开始发红，接着泪水不由自主地落下。他之前一直取笑我，说登机时不要哭，也不太愿意让我送他到机场，所以我决定不哭的，他却先“投降”，害得我也掉了眼泪。虽然只不过是短短的3个多星期，但自我们在一起之后，也从没分开那么久，特别是有了家庭之后，这么说来，这3个星期还算是漫长的......he won't be around for my birthday, he won't be around for X'mas......

就这样，他带着不舍离开，我带着不舍目送他独自飞回遥远的美国......唯独小瓜，依旧non-chalent......

KJE, BKE, PIE - 3个人的路程，PIE, BKE, KJE - 两颗心的期待。

Temple Square @ SLC

This is the second time En n I went to Temple Sq, the first for K. Our first trip was in Dec, with K's colleagues. This is the site where the Temple of LDS Church is. It's a historical ground for Mormons, where you'll find the Beehive House (where Mormon pioneer, Brigham Young stayed), Tabernacle, Salt Lake Temple, Joseph Smith Memorial Building etc. For more information, visit http://www.visittemplesquare.com/.

Pictures speak a thousand words.....








Though Beehive House looks small from outside, the interior is huge, with many rooms and the furnishings are really exquisite, with some being imported from France.

Cottonwood Heights Outdoor Pool

Heard from a mummy here that Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center has a huge outdoor pool, so we decided to give it a try before it closes (the outdoor pools here generally close by 1 Sep Labour Day).

True enough, there are quite a number of pools there, including kids play area, slides and even diving platforms. Though it was a summer day, I wouldn't suggest those who are afraid of cold or have too little fats to insulate them to give it a try. Reason being, even though it's hot and sunny, the wind can be quite a chill.... K certainly didn't enjoy it..

What about En? She had a thing for the kiddy slide. She went on it for so many times, I lost count (of cos after the initial "I'm scared, I don't want episode").

Community Party@ Monarch Meadows Apartment

Ever wonder when my entries about FREE summer activities will end?? Certainly not yet!!! Haha ;p

Monarch Meadows Apartment held a Community Party on 13 Aug (6-8pm). It was a great opportunity for residents to mingle and mix and the best thing was, we got to have FREE food, drinks, snacks and plenty of playing for the kids!

Though En was kinda a scardy cat. She only got on 1 Bouncing Slide with a big koko.

Well, she climbed this ride about 3x but never went through with it...

Happy Family

Little friends

Beautiful summer evening...

Sandy Balloon Festival

If I'm not mistaken, this should be the 2nd Sandy Annual Balloon Festival. We missed the morning events but decided to go for the evening session. However, the weather wasn't that suitable. Though it was rather rare to be caught in the rain in Utah, especially during summer...





Luckily, there's a Super Target nearby, so we decided to avoid the rain there. An hr or so past, luckily the rain stopped. We proceeded to the Carnival ground. There was a concert going on. This little gal of mine decided to show her stuff...

Finally the wind had settled enough for the balloon to fly! Phew, wouldn't it be a waste to come to the Balloon Fest with no balloon in sight??

While they were trying to inflate the 2nd balloon (which seemed to be in the shape of a dog), the wind started blowing furiously, so the task had to be aborted. They deflated the 1st balloon too, as it can be a potential fire hazard. There was a fire engine on standby. The crowd started to disperse soon after... our 1st balloon fest....

Park Silly Sunday Market @ Park City's Historic Main Street

Park City - The PLACE that gets me really excited!! Why??? Bcos that's where the factory outlets r - CK, Osh Kosh, Gap, Banana Republic, Ralph Lauren, COACH, Aldo, Nine West, Nike, Adidas, Tommy Hilfiger, Fossil, Gymboree, AE, Aeropostales....... discounts, discounts, promo, promo... now u know y we ran out of drawer space ;p

Don't be mistaken, that's not all of Park City. This is where most of the Ski resorts are located. We are talking about the official location of the 2002 Winter Olympics k! That doesn't mean there's nothing to do during summer (besides outlet shopping).

There is ONE thing that can only be found during summer - Market Place. Farmers' markets, artist markets, weekend markets.... So here we r at the Park Silly Sunday Market. It opens from mid June to mid Oct only. The stores feature many unique items like bags made from recycled material, hand crafted bibs, handicrafts, unique children's clothing, art work etc... of cos there must be food - BBQ stores, beer....

Movie in the Parks

Yes, summer is HOT!! However, it's also the time for many activities, some unheard of in Singapore, for e.g. Rodeos (we'd been to 1, however, we weren't prepared for the cold. Rodeos usually starts at 8pm. When we saw the locals showing up with blankets, quilts, fleece throws etc. we were truly caught off-guard. Besides the location was 2 hrs from home... so we left abt an hr plus after event started. Too COLD!), farmers' markets, fairs, city days and FREE movies in the parks!!!

Just went for one at Monarch Meadows Park, within walking distance of our apartments on Fri. Movies usually starts at dusk so we brought our fleece sleeping bag, which can open up to be a throw, water n snacks with us. There was already a moderate gathering there, many brought quilts, pillows, blankets, chairs, even air mattresses!!!

We met K's colleague and she had her little gal who was same age as En with her. Well, En was in her generous mood and shared her shrimp crackers down to the very last bit... so proud of her generosity :).

The movie we were watching was Waterhorse. En commented we tried to catch the show, but it had already ended (which was true. We did try to catch it at Cinemark 24. However, they had stopped showing the movie). Sometimes I do marvel at her good memory...

As the movie started, the smell of buttery popcorn started filling the air. Initially, I thought it probably came from people eating popcorns around us. Then I realised there was a snack vendor at the pavilion besides the playground.. Too bad, we didn't have any $$ with us..

It was a wonderful feeling, sitting under the starry night sky... taking in the night breeze, just relaxing... It's very different over here in Riverton, or generally Utah, as there was hardly any streetlamps, even in the parks. Because of the darkness, the sky always seem particularly filled with stars. It's almost quite impossible to have such starry nights back home, not even at East Coast.... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Midway through the show, the screen toppled hahaha... Well, it was actually like a blown-up kind of screen. This was quickly resolved as the men in the audience went to help.

Well, we didn't stay through the show as En needed to wake up early for Gym next day. To me, that wasn't important. This was a life I'd never get to experience back home, truly a relaxing, family time.....

Go Wild Animal Planet Expo @ SLC Liberty Park

Ahhhhhhhhhh.... here's me posting about the beauty of summer AGAIN (minus the stuffy nose, itchy throat, coughing etc... sigh, it's the season with highest level of pollen etc in the air, so my allergic rhinitis is here to visit again)....

Animal planet held the Go Wild Expo to create awareness of the wildlife and to inculcate value of environmental protection. Needless to say, they brought in some exotic animals that can be found in the wild, as well as well-loved domesticated pals like dogs n cats. Animal shows, stage activities, kids play area, mist spraying tents, games stand, food kiosks.... u name it, they had it.

Best of all, FREE stuff again - face painting, game booths, shopping bags....

Animal friends



I'm on top of the world!


Can I win that Panda........................ YES!



How I got my Fairy Face




New friends (Dad bought Doggy n En won Panda)



More pics...



We waited for about an hr before En got to paint her face. Free mah... But Dad took a longer time buying snacks -- 1 1/2 hr!!!! My wallet, hand phone, $$$ etc were with him. Getting worried, I approached a staff, who pointed me to the sheriff for help. In the end, who assisted me??? Member of public who lent me his phone to contact K.... Gosh, strange world. The people you were expecting to be of assistance “无能为力”, while someone who absolutely had no obligations lent that helping hand... Geez...