My babysitter the 'Chicken Little'

Of late, my little monster is very much into Chicken Little. We bought a couple of cartoon CDs for her sometime back (Brother Bear, Madagascar etc) and out of the many, she chose Chicken Little. And since then it has been Chicken Little in the morning, afternoon and night.

She even know how to put the CDs into the player and play the CD herself.

I know too much of TV is bad for a kid but whenever she is watching Chicken Little, we get an hour of peaceful time doing whatever we want to do - cooking, laundry, dishes etc. She will actually sit in one place for the whole hour which is something EXTREMELY rare and we don't need to worry if she's up to some mischiefs if we have our backs turned on her. Even Barney didn't have this impact on her.

For parents without any domestic help at home, this hour is really precious :-). I hope she will not get bored of Chicken Little that soon hehehe

Bun at 5 months

Last Wed we went for a check up, Bun was at 19 weeks and I gained 3kg! Yes 3 huge kg in 3 weeks. I am now at 50.8kg. I better control my diet else I will be in serious trouble.

As for Bun, everything is well except that my placenta is a little low according to Dr Lee. And that explains why I am having pains down there for the past few weeks and the pain have become more and more unbearable. It felt like the pain I had when I was at 9 months with Hayley, like she's about to come out from down there that kind of pain, like some veins are being pulled down there.

Dr Lee said there are 2 possible reasons for the pain:

1. this was my 2nd child and my uterus have expanded before and therefore higher chances for the placenta to be lower this time causing the pressure pain.
2. I had a c-sec the last time and during the c-sec some of my veins or whatever is in there may have been tangled or stuck together and therefore with the baby continuously growing, the veins may be pressured hence causing the pains which felt like the veins are being pulled.

Thankfully I only felt the pain when I walk or when I move. If I stay still in bed or sit in a chair, there will be no pain. I just hope the pain will go away soon. I don't know how I am going to deal with it if I have to live with it for another 20 weeks!

During the check up, I also had my blood test done for HIV and infections. The blood tests cost us an additional RM100. For my next check up in 3 weeks, I was advised to go for the detailed scan which will cost us RM220 to check and ensure that Bun's organs are developing well. Although this was my 2nd pregnancy, the detailed scan and the NT test mentioned here are all very new to me as my previous gynae never recommended or mentioned about them.

Now all I hope for is that the pain will go away so I can plan for a short trip in the next few weeks before we are being grounded at home for the next 2 years!

ZEE or ZAK

OK, what is the right way to pronounce the alphabet 'Z'?

In Barney and in most educational CDs, they pronounced it as 'zee'. But I know many Malaysians, in fact I remember being taught in school to pronounce it as 'zak'.

The reason why I am asking is because I taught Hayley the ABC song and she will pronounce it as 'zee' and all of a sudden in the last couple of days, she started pronouncing it as 'zak' and when I corrected her she got confused. Then I realised that the babysitter has been teaching her 'zak' all along... aiseh....

I find it hard to convince her Z is for zebra or zoo when it doesn't have the right phonic sound... every since she pronounced it as 'zak' and when I ask her what is Z for, she stumbled... whereas in the past, she will proudly tell me Z is for zebra.

So how now? Zee or Zak? Can some clever mommies out there please guide me?

Me at 19 weeks

• I have gained 3kg at my last check up about 3 weeks ago. I expect at least another 2 -3 kg of weight gain next Wed (my next check up)
• I am losing a lot of hair. Weird huh?! I thought we will lose our hair 3 months after child birth? How come I am losing hair now? die la, going to be botak soon
• I have very good appetite. I don't seem to feel full, I can eat and eat and eat like there's no limit.
• My baby bump is very obvious now, people have started asking me if I am pregnant.
• I am not getting enough sleep because I have to wake up at least once or twice a night to clear my bladder and then will struggle a little bit before I can get back to sleep.
• I have a BIG zit on my nose, it lasted about 2 weeks but thank God it's almost gone now. I don't usually have zits on my face so this is quite shocking. Right in the middle of the nose some more leh....like Rudolph.
• Bun is moving and kicking a lot inside there, I can feel it many times day. Thankfully so far it didn't interrupt my sleep.
• My belly button is all the way out, it looks so funny. Even Hayley thinks it looks funny.
• I can still fit into my usual jeans but have to unzip it all the way down and my shirt must be long enough to cover. It's getting more and more uncomfortable wearing it though.
• I have no cravings or preference for any special kind of food, can eat and drink anything. Thank God.
• I think the baby bum is a little low this time so constantly I am feeling some pressure down there, like something is pushing down there. Not sure if this is a good or bad sign.
• I need at least 1 nap a day to recharge myself. I don't get to nap on weekdays due to work so we hardly go out on weekends as I need to nap!
• And oh, my breasts have increased at least by 2 cup sizes :-)

Would you donate to a stranger?

That is what I did today. I donated RM100 to someone I didn't know. Not my first time though. Am I stupid or silly for parting with my RM100 hard earned money to someone I didn't know? I hope not. I hope the money is actually and truly helping someone in need.

I read on my friend's facebook today about a posting her friend wrote. Her friend is actually helping a couple to raise money for their son's surgery. The son, ie a baby is slightly more than a month old. The boy had various conditions and needs to be operated immediately. The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow and they were interviewed by some chinese press today to help them raise money. The surgery will cost about RM45,000 and this excludes all the other hospital expenses incurred. They are currently at Gleneagles Intan. I don't know if all these infors are true as they are found in the posting itself.

The story came with lots of photos, copy of reminders on outstanding payment from the hospital, letter of reference by hospitals as proof that it is not a scam. He is merely helping his friend.

Genuine or not my heart cringed when I saw the photo of the little baby covered in tubes and another photo of the mom wearing gloves and plastic apron touching the baby's face. The parents are not allowed to have any skin contact with the baby. Imagine that my friend! You can't even touch or kiss your own flesh and blood. I cried when I saw the photo, my eyes are watery as I am writing this.

I did wonder if this was a scam but then I asked myself, what if that was me. Thank God it wasn't me and I thank God for blessing me with a healthy little girl. To thank God for the blessing, I decided that I should help someone else in return. Although the amount is not something to shout for, I do hope it will contribute in helping the baby get better and eventually leading a normal life. I have been through the same situation 5 years ago when my dad was hospitalised. He was in a coma and was placed in ICU for 3 months in a private hospital. We received reminders and 'friendly' visits every week from the accounts department. We are constantly worried if our savings will be able to cover what seem like a never ending journey. Friends and colleagues helped. The hospital bill came up to about RM300k when it was over. So we know how it felt to be in that position, to be uncertain, desperate and worried.

Half of me is happy for doing what I did, the other half of me is wondering if I have been a victim of a scam. Whatever it is, I know God is watching from above. If this guy decides to scam us using such dirty tactics, he will receive his punishment. That I am sure. But if he is genuinely helping his friend, God will also see it and he will be blessed for having such a kind heart.

As for me, I hope little baby Matthew gets through the surgery tomorrow and that he will grow up to be a healthy and happy little boy who will in return help others!

UPDATES: I tried to log into his FB page to verify some infor but I can't find his page or the link anymore. I added him as a friend 4 hours ago and we exchanged some comments. Could it be some technical issues with FB or have I been scammed? My heart will be so shattered if I got scammed simply because I was just trying to help ...

UPDATES on 11 June: Apparently the father of the baby works in Public Bank and my sister who also works in PB received an internal memo this morning asking the bankers to help their colleague. Same story, same photos were shared. My sister also confirmed the father's name, ie the name of the account in PB that I made my donation to.

OK, this makes me really happy. At least I am highly convinced that the donation drive is genuine. Still don't understand why the friend who initiated the drive on the first place on his FB would disappear just like that.

Anyway, I hope baby Matthew pulls through the surgery today!!!!! Pray pray pray!!!

UPDATES on 12 June: I added baby Matthew's father on my FB list and he announced that the surgery went well yesterday but little Matthew will need to remain in ICU for 3 days for close observation. That is excellent news!

And the friend who disappeared from FB didn't really disappear. For some reasons (maybe they thought he is a scam), FB closed his account and removed all the links in relation to baby Matthew's story. He's now back using a diferent login profile :-)

A reward for Papa

In conjunction with Father's Day next Sunday and papa's decision to quit smoking (happy to say that he's still nicotine free since the day he decided to quit), I have decided to reward him. Actually I owe him.. so I am killing 2 birds with 1 stone hahaha.

You see, every year for his birthday I asked him to choose a gift (yes we are hopeless romantic, no surprises, choose what you want and I'll pay for it kind of thing). Every year he will say he wants a new mobile phone but he always end up not getting any (love him to bits for helping me save :-)). For 2 years I didn't buy him his birthday present although I always got mine [big grin].

Although his birthday is in Oct, this time, I insisted that he must get one now for 3 reasons:

1. his current Nokia phone is already 4+ years old and its showing symptoms of old age
2. it will be a reward from me to him for quitting smoking
3. so I will feel less guilty that I finally got him a birthday present

I tried to persuade him to get an iPhone cause that's the 'IN' thing now but being a Nokia loyal supporter all along, for some unknown reasons (I think he finds iPhone without the plan very expensive), he prefers another Nokia. In fact he chose this model himself out of the many other available models out there. The damage to me is RM1300+.

I am really happy that he finally got a gift from me and I hope he will enjoy using it.

Keep up the good work babe!

A day trip to Genting

On Wesak Day holiday we decided to drive up to Genting to enjoy the cool weather and have a little family vacation. The Karak highway was slightly congested as expected but thankfully the journey was smooth thereafter all the way up to Genting. The weather was great too, cooling and misty, just the way we like it.

We got there in time for lunch and spent a couple of hours in Genting First World. We took Hayley on the indoor boat ride, had coffee and sandwiches at Starbucks, walked around the mall and let her snap photos (oh yes, if she see something she like, she will ask for my camera), papa even got some contribution from Uncle Lim (he went to the casino, played one game and the entire expenses for the trip was sponsored by Uncle Lim, we're not greedy :-)) and also took a walk outside to enjoy the cool air. Hayley as usual behaved like someone who just got out of prison - she got all excited with a dirty pond, birds, and even other little kids. There was a boy who is almost 3 at the pond and she tried to go near him, befriend him, talk to him but the boy was too shy and hid behind his father and eventually walked away. My poor little girl played with us or by herself in the end.

All the other people there were staring at us smiling, they must be thinking 'oh this girl is just so happy and friendly' and then 'oh I really pity the parents, they must be exhausted looking after her'.

We left Genting around 6.30pm and got home in time for dinner. It was an enjoyable day for all of us and a great breakaway from the KL heat.

These are all taken by Hayley

Outdoor

Row, row, row your boat

At Starbucks with her all time favourite pose

Bun at 4 months

Last Saturday I went to see Dr Lee of SDMC for my regular check up. Bun is at 16+ weeks but my tummy looked like I am 5 - 6 months pregnant, no joke, I am huge this time if compared to the first. Even my colleagues who saw me when I was pregnant the first time said I was huge this time around, even papa said so too.

Anyway, happy to know that everything went well and Bun is active as usual. Kicking and moving non stop during the short ultrasound so unlike Hayley who was normally very quiet and still (but came out totally the opposite). However, Dr Lee mentioned that from the ultrasound, Bun's length and size of the head looks more like an 18 week old baby and if this goes on, I'll most likely have to go under the knife again instead of a natural delivery. He said the size of the baby is more or less genetic so nothing I do would make a huge difference. Anyway, we have agreed to see how it goes during the last trimester and discuss again closer to the delivery.

Dr Lee also mentioned that from this month on my check ups will be at monthly basis, hurray. I have also started on pre-natal vitamins and calcium. Currently I am taking Caltrade (Calcium), Obimin Pluz and Neuro Gain. I've taken Neuro Gain at my own expense when I was pregnant with Hayley so I am going to do the same for Bun. Some say Neuro Gain makes the baby smarter, cheekier and harder to manage, I don't really care. To me, both my babies deserve the same.

During the check up we also found out Bun's gender but we're planning to keep it as a surprise to everyone else, except close family. Hope we won't drive you nuts :-)

Now my only hope is that Bun continues to grow healthily in me and I continue to have a problem free pregnancy. Can't wait to see Bun again during the check up in a months' time.