peanut's name is....

黄勇睿！
Huang Yongrui.

not exactly a common 字 but its supposed to match his birthdate and hour.
so here goes!

everybody's fine

caught this show with the husband tonight.
saw the trailer few weeks back and told myself i got to see this show.
the trailer made it out to be sorta like a feel good movie about a widower (robert de niro) being cancelled on the weekend gathering by his children (kate beckinsale, drew barrymore and sam rockwell). so deciding to do things for a change, he got out his luggage and travelled all over the states to spring them a visit surprise instead.
it seems that all of them are not doing as well as he thought and the trailer suggested some tears and bonding happening and all things end well.

BUT when i caught the actual show tonight.
its not really so. its actually quite a sad show.
its sad to see how lonely and empty one's life can be when your partner leaves you.
its sad to see how parents got estranged from their children.
its sad to see how kindness may not always get repaid in same.
its sad to see how everybody is struggling, yet said they are happy when asked.
perhaps as 1 review said, everybody's not fine. but life goes on.

well, it does have a good ending after all but it didnt come easy.
de niro is the star for the show and he gave a heartfelt performance as Frank Goode, the father.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780511/

updates on the lil' fella

my lil' cutie. who seems to be more handsome than the gor gor. heh.

getting more alert by the day

no escaping the....

post-natal blues.

even though im equipped with better help this time round, as well as being more prepared, the blues still hit me all the same.
different set of challenges this time round.
mainly from the juggling of being mummy to the 2 boys.

peanut needs alot of my time and attention as im trying to establish a breastfeeding pattern now.
and yz is trying to adapt to having 2 new people in the household too (peanut and the confinement lady). the end result is he starts behaving rather naughty and we've to start disciplining him alot.
which breaks my heart as he is already away from me for most of the day @ childcare and i dont wish to let his evenings end up in tears before his sleeping time.
BUT, its really hard not to for the terror can really come up with all kinda nonsense to test hubbi's and my patience. :(

AND i think my flowery legs is also acting up. i hate being confined at home.
AND im getting so sick of confinement food.
*sigh* another 1.5weeks to go! just have to tahan!
meantime, will start sneaking away with the husband or yz for some evenings since we've the confinement lady around. :P
anything to keep my sanity. bleh.

new addition to the ng family

everyone takes turn to take photo with the lil' one.
except for fatty bom bom mammy who is not ready for the camera yet. hehe.

peanut's angel smile. :)

no more P plate!

oh yah, just remember that it has been > 1 year since i got my driving licence!
passed my driving test on 18.12.2008.
so that means, the P plate can be removed from our jazzy liao.
yay.
yah lah, cheap thrill.
but, 你管我。:P

想太多。

i miss yz badly. :(
have not seen him for the past 2 days. *sobz*
i am feeling guilty for sorta neglecting him for the past few months due to my low energy level.
also, not to mention that i've not been carrying him for the past few months as well. :(
wanted very much to make up to him by spending tons of quality time once i discharge from hospital tomorrow.
but i know this is easier said than done.
peanut will need alot of my attention and time, even with my confinement lady around.
and i know being me, i will feel guilty towards peanut if i push him to the CL too much.
i know there will always be enough love for my 2 boys but when it comes to time and attention, there have to be compromise here and there.
sigh.
okay. hope its not my postnatal hormones giving me the blues now.
jia you! i can do it! :)
motherhood is really a journey of constant learning and adaptation.

the birth story - 18th Jan 2010

warning: long post ahead
as mentioned in earlier post, went for my 38w check-up on 11th jan and gynea noted that amniotic level was borderline.
so we scheduled another check-up on 15th jan to check on the fluid level as well as cervix dilation. if fluid level is low and im dilated, will schedule for induction on the very day!
i was decidedly excited during the week as im feeling so heavy and since peanut was already considered full term, i was eager to bring him out. :P

came 15th jan (fri) and i went for the check-up as scheduled. BUT, amniotic fluid level still at borderline (which means acceptable) and me still NOT yet dilated. gosh, i was actually a lil' disappointed. still, gynea gave me the choice if i want to induce on that day.
discussed with hubbi and we decided not to since we didnt want to run the risk of a failed induction and hence an emergency c-sect.
in the end, we arranged with my gynea to schedule an induction on 18th jan (mon) instead. hoping to give time for my cervix to dilate over the weekend and also to spend more time with yz.

weekend passed in a flash and sunday evening was here. dropped yz @ my mum's place, then hubbi and me went home to spend some time together watching tv serial (yesh, we are still hooked on heroes season 4! heh.) , bath, some last minute housework chores and then finally made our way to TMC for admission.

gynea has arranged for us to admit after 12midnight for induction.
12midnight: reached and taken to observation ward while hubbi went to settle admission admin.

12.30am: nurse checked and dilation = 0cm(!) and she inserted the tablet to start the induction.
contractions soon started for me about 5mins apart but still bearable.

2.30am: contractions were about 2-3mins apart and getting unbearable. so i got the nurse to checked and i was about 1.5cm dilated. hubbi and me were glad that the cervix did proceeded to dilate after all. i decided to try sitting out the contractions pain, given the (lousy) advice that second births are faster and may not need epidural.

3.15am: contractions were so bad that i decided that i NEED to administer epidural. signed the consent form and proceeded to the delivery ward to wait for the anesthetian to reach.
during the 20mins wait, i requested for laughing gas to tide me over the waves and waves of contraction pains. :(
blame my low pain threshold.

3.45am: epidural administered. *ouch* :(
left hand kena poked and put on drip. :( i really hate being put on drip! argh!
contractions become manageable.

5.45am: contractions became unbearable again. asked the nurse to increase epi dosage. cervix check done again and i was told that dilation was ard 3-4cm (!).
so disappointed. only a further 2-3cm dilation in 3hrs+. bleah.

7.15am: contractions came on harder and i can felt the pain again. asked the nurse to up the epi dosage again. but this time round, still can feel pain despite her saying that she had increased the dosage to the allowed maximum already.
cervix check again and i was dilated to 9cm! what a fast progression! whatever. time for pushing soon. :)
nurse called gynea and he was soon on his way.

8am: gynea reached and confirmed that im fully dilated at 10cm and ready to push!
this time round, as i can still feel the contractions and the pain. and without the stuffy nose when i was delivering yz, the pushing stage was actually fast and smooth. :)

8.20am: after 15mins+ of pushing, peanut was delivered!
this time round, never cried like when i had yz but still teared a lil' lah. hehe

hubbi cut his umbilical cord and followed the nurse to weigh and measure him.
gynea proceeded to collect cord blood, delivered my placenta and of cos stitched me up. :

9am: finally reached my ward. this time round, i suffered some minor after-effects of epidural. unlike last time where i wolved down a sandwich before sleeping, i was shivering and feeling nausea so bad that i only managed to drink some hot milo before sinking into a difficult sleep.

so there, thats my birth story. relatively smooth, huh?
but pls, no asking if there is going to be a #3.
for the time being, the answer is NO. gonna focus on striking a balance between the husband, the 2 sons and of cos myself. oh, my family & friends too.
gosh, its not gonna be easy.
but with effort and some planning, im sure ive something worked out.
wish me luck! :)

ok, here some photos of baby peanut! :)


baby peanut at day 2 with his eyes wide opened. :)

arrival of peanut on 18th Jan!

hello, everyone!
i'm peanut and i've arrived on 18th Jan 2010, weighing a healthy 3.52kg and measuring 51cm long! :)


fresh from my mummy's tummy! im a very clean newborn, huh?! :)

NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU!

caught my 1st movie for the year today - New York, I love you.
a similar project to "Paris, I love you" which i sadly missed a few years back.
New York, I love you is made up of 10-odd segments by different directors.
the result:- a mixture of different stories with the common theme of love by many, many actors/actresses coming together in the big apple.

im not sure about Paris, I love you. but New York, I love you definitely seems to have more misses than hits.
still, there are a few segments which i think are brilliant.
1) Directed by Yvan Attal; Written by Olivier Lecot and Yvan Attal; Starring Robin Wright Penn, Ethan Hawke, Maggie Q and Chris Cooper
Robin & Chris's story of 2 strangers cosying up outside a restaurant joint for a cigarette break has an unexpected twist that makes one's feelings swing from the depressed to the hopeful. very delightful.
the short exchange between Ethan (the writer) & Maggie Q (the hooker) gives the most realistic snapshot of NYC to me. it has a lovely twist at the ending too. :)

2) Written and directed by Fatih Akin; starring Burt Young, Ugur Yucel and Shu Qi
Shu Qi was gorgeous in this piece, sans make up. the director has a way of capturing her natural beauty. or rather, she is really beautiful. or maybe i never notice it till now.
the obsession of the painter with her left a weird taste in mouth yet the story intrigued me.
the ending was abrupt, as life is.

3) Directed by Jiang Wen; Written by Hu Hong and Meng Yao; Starring Hayden Christensen, Andy Garcia and Rachel Bilson
Jiang Wen! what a surprise. but as expected, his story can happen in any city. not necessarily in NYC.
aside from that, this segment is not without its appeal.
the battle of wits/skills (?) of the old against the young man was particularly exciting to watch.

and that's about it.

the rest of the show plodded along with mediocre to really meaningless/senseless parts.
still, i encourage you to catch it if possible.
for this is really an interesting project, differing from the usual run-of-the-mill shows.
showcasing exlusively @ cathay nia.

the waiting game continues....

peanut is still very comfy in my tum tum.
went for my 38w routine check up this evening.
peanut: est. 3.3kg!
me: +16kg (the weight just escalated for the past 2 weeks. scary. lucky passed the sugar test. :P)
amniotic fluid level is still @ borderline level but not considered low enough for gynea to recommend me to induce.
so i guess, the waiting game continues.....

i think the big day is really nearing so for the past few days, ive been trying to get things done plus indulge in my cravings (that explains the weight surge!).
- hair cut
- beef + baked potato @ jack's place
- yami yogurt
- ice-cream
- fast food etc.
- spending quality time with the husband and son
- eyebrow tweezing
- DIY face scrub & masks
- new clothes for the son
- catching up on tv serials etc

haha. but the energy level is really dipping. i think im gonna start my maternity leave by next week soon.
really cant drag myself to work anymore...

where to go?!

today, the travel bug in me got tickled by someone fishing advices about some past places that i've visited.
so with the husband kena recalled back to camp and the son soundly asleep in his room, fattie me begin to daydream again.
it's always to good to plan ahead. *nods head in affirmation*

1) another europe trip with the husband!
- switzerland+germany,
- germany+netherlands or
- UK+paris
this may need to wait till 2012 and beyond. my parents need to be able to take care of both the kids during our absence. :(
2) a trip to the down under with yz and the husband!
be it perth/melbourne, would love to do a laid back trip that involves farmstay, animals, sight-see and shopping for all of us! :)
3) to disneyland HK & macau
disneyland for yz.
would love to bring my mum along for the good food+ good shopping and of cos the extra pair of hands to handle the kids. hiaks.
this may have to wait till peanut is at least 1 year old or not bringing him at all. :P
4) a short trip to somewhere near like sunway lagoon or bintan with yz.
5) hokaiddo with yz and the husband!
the food for hubbi, the shopping for moi and the experience for yz!
but this needs both planning and budget. wonder when we will actually actualize this trip!

ok, enuff of daydreaming. i wonder how many trips above will materialize in year 2010?

the counting down begins!

im so glad that i've reached 37weeks of gestation as of today!
was very worried that i will go into premature/preterm labour previously as i was feeling more tired this time round for this pregnancy.
perhaps its age.
perhaps its the toll of taking care of a very active toddler as compared to when i just lazed around and sleep all day when i was carrying yz.
anyway, now that at 37w, peanut is considered full term and i can expect myself to pop anytime soon!

went for routine check-up yesterday:
1) i've gained 15 kg so far! *tsk tsk*
2) not sure what peanut's weight is at the moment for gynea said it wont be that accurate so no point measuring. boo. i was really interested to know but i know he was right.
for yz was measured at approx. 3.2kg on the day we chose to induce him and he came out at 3.515kg the very same day. LOL.
3) amniotic fluid level is assessed to be at borderline level. will further assess during next week check-up.
if it's low, may need to go for induction at 38w provided i've started dilating.
this is similar to yz when i was asked to go on induction when he was 38w5d as i've dilated 1cm and aminiotic level was assessed to be low on 26.10.07!
4) peanut is already engaged! kinda surprised for yz only engaged himself during the delivery process and i thought for #2, the process of engagement will be later?
no wonder been feeling sharp pains around pelvic area and getting some lower back pains from last week.

if going by old wives tales, delivery may happen very soon once baby is engaged and going by the theory that #2 is normally earlier than the 1st one.
i hope this is not the case for me!
for hubbi is away for reservist the whole of this week. he can only book out and reach home late evening everyday. @_@
and he will fly to his camp early each morning at 6+am. :(

so for now, im superwoman/mum taking care of yz alone in the morning - making him milk, preparing himself for childcare and myself for work, and then sending him to childcare before driving to work myself!
haha. only for today lah. will be ta-baoing him to mum's place from tomorrow onwards.
really hard chore to handle himself without the husband in the morning!
hope peanut can guai guai stay inside my tum dum till hubbi book out for good this friday evening!

this morning got false alarm somemore. contractions that hurt and feel like the real thing!
was sitting alone in the living room timing them at7+am only to find that they taper off.
pui.
really unnecessary scare.
ok, gotta rest well for the rollercoaster mth to come when peanut arrives!
wish me stength and luck!

welcoming 2010!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, WORLD!
2010 WILL BE A GREAT YEAR! :)