We Are Becoming a Family of 3!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Backdating Posts

I'm still trying to catch up with blogging on entries from the second week of January. I have put up 2 backdated posts so far.. I will continue to put up some more posts over the next couple of days.

So for now do scroll down past the next entry below to read my updates. Hopefully I can catch up by the end of the week.

cheryl

Monday, February 1, 2010

To Our Friends in Penang

While the last 8 days has been rushed, to us I think it has been quite rewarding because of the amount of things we accomplished, not to mention the things we bought for a cheaper price compared with buying it in Australia. Yes, we definitely went overboard with the amount of things bought for the little one (little Alex as I call the baby since we have yet to ascertain the gender - be it Alexander or Alexandra) but in the end, I think it was worth it. Cheryl will definitely be a pretty hippest mum on the block when little Alex arrives.

It has been a rushed trip but it was great to catch up with the friends that we met up with. It's nice to see familiar faces in a city that I have been to now for about 7-8 years (I think that's when I started dating Cheryl... :P). Anyway, I know that it meant a lot for us to be able to chat about everything again. The meals we had, the fellowship we shared, thank you.

To my sister in law Debbie, Ying, Macy and Pin our dear friends, thank you for organising an amazing baby shower for Cheryl during our quick visit here. We had some hilarious moments and to this day, I'm still amazed that my masterpiece was guessed correctly within the allocated time. Seems like my drawing ain't that bad after all! :P Hopefully there will be more baby showers to come. They are fun. :)

8 days have past since we arrived in Penang. 8 days since our last adventure on Air Asia X, 8 days since we last saw Australian shores. I know in a way it'll be great heading back to Canberra and getting back in the swing of things but in another way, I wish holidays like these would never end... I think that I have developed a liking to Penang over the past 7 trips. It seems harder to leave every time. Guess I better come back more often! There is one thing I definitely won't miss. Its the traffic and the drivers that go with it. Sorry guys, but Penang drivers can be nuts!

While our next trip to Penang isn't planned yet, that doesn't mean that you guys can't come and visit us in Canberra. Little Alex may not make an appearance in Penang for a few years, but everyone is welcome to come visit the newest addition to the family. There's plenty of room. I can help with looking for cheap fares!

So thank you, my dear friends in Penang for a memorable trip. Thank you for the gifts, well wishes and memories that we'll be taking back. Until next time when we hit the shores of Malaysia... God Bless you all. :)

Before I forget though: GO TEAM FOETUS!! :D

Alex and Cheryl, +1 (the newest addition to the family)

PS... I'll post up photos of the trip soon.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Pregnancy - Week 12, 13

Most of these 2 weeks have been spent shopping and packing our luggage for our upcoming trip back to Penang. My appetite has shown signs of getting better although the burping hasn't stopped. Nausea comes intermittently but it showing signs of decrease. So I'm very much looking forward to the coming weeks. Hopefully it disappears forever.


And the weight gain trend continues... 1kg total gain so far but I am sure this number will skyrocket once we arrive in Penang. I have a long list of food places to visit. Lots of eating will be happening especially since it will be at least 1.5 years before we return to Penang. So this trip is extra precious and we are looking forward to arriving on Saturday night.



cheryl

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

The First of Many

We bought our first baby stuff this week. It felt a little foreign at first to step into the baby section of the store as neither Alex nor I ever gave this section a second glance before this. It really became obvious to me as we walked in how I was completely blinded to this section of the sales market.

The most important purchase we made today was this.


I can continue wearing all my jeans and work pants with this brilliant belt :) It joins the button on one side of the zip to the button hole on the other side hence no matter how much your belly expands, the belly belt has the gap covered. There are 4 pieces in each pack. One for when your belly is still small and three for when your belly has grown so much that even the zip can no longer be pulled up. The 3 come in blue, black and white so that covers jeans, work pants and casual white pants. This is the best purchase for any mom to be.

We also bought a swaddle blanket and a waffle blanket for the bub. Since we do not yet know the gender of the baby, we are buying gender neutral colors for now, favoring yellow.




As we were walking out of the shops, we spotted this really cute T-shirt and had to just buy it.


Cute yes?


cheryl

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Pregnancy - Week 9, 10, 11

I had 4 days in week 9 of "Great! I can eat again!" A lot less nausea and food didn't seem so unappealing in the evenings. I was about to start the celebrations of having control of my body back when I got hit with a massive wave of nausea on Monday. So we are back to square one. I can't wait for this phase to diminish. I have been pretty blessed so far to only suffer from evening sickness and not a morning one. At least I can still function at work for most of the day before I start showing signs of fatigue and holding down the contents of my stomach. I have been told of a relative who suffered from ALL DAY sickness right up to the end of her 2nd trimester. That is half a year long! I'm just waiting for my 2nd trimester to start and hope it means that I will have my normal appetite back plus no more nausea. For now, I am still a burping machine and still semi constipated. Toilet visits are now once in two days.

As for week 10, I have discovered that it is better if I continously eat throughout the day to avoid having gas build up in my tummy. Over the last 2 weeks I have noticed a change in my sleeping pattern. I used to sleep all night on my back. Now I fall asleep only on my side, then I flip onto my back and then I flip over to the other side. Its a 3 side rotation all night and I keep having to wake up to do it. Waking up multiple times through the night is really annoying.

I can now barely fit into my shorts. Though outwardly I don't look pregnant, my clothes sure feel very different to me. Things just don't fall in the right place anymore.

Oh and I felt like having dim sum over the weekend so the family headed to an all you can eat dim sum lunch. I weighed myself the following morning and gained 2 kgs!

Thankfully, the weight didn't stay on. After two days it dropped back down.

In week 11, I threw up for the first time. I have been having some trouble when I brush my teeth for the past few weeks. Each time mid brush I start feeling the heaving of stomach contents. Because brushing is the first thing I do after waking, I have no stomach contents so I end up dry retching. So far I have been able to take deep breaths to hold it down but this morning, I was unsuccessful and heaved up stomach acid. Real gross. But I can't complain much since I have only 'vomited' once all pregnancy. Baby has been good to me.

After 11 weeks of pregnancy, I have officially gained 500gs. I think if it wasn't for the dim sum binge, I may not have even gained the 500gs. I must say though I am looking a lot more bloated even though the weight gain is minimal. Wonder why....


cheryl

Monday, December 14, 2009

Pregnancy - Week 8

1. I am a burping machine.

2. Constipation is the theme of the week

I'm glad the hubby hasn't fled from the home because of my excessive burps and belches. In fact I think it has given him the freedom to do so himself around the house. I used to glare at him whenever I hear a runaway fart or burp. For me, expelled wind is now coming forth from both ends.. top and bottom :) I don't quite know what is causing it but it comes hand in hand with my evening nausea. The build up of wind is actually quite uncomfortable and I wish I could get all of it out in one go but no matter how loud the belch, there is another no less loud one coming along in under 5 minutes.

As for things I can stomach, I am leaning towards basic white porridge cooked with lots of water, served with a small portion of fermented tofu, a fried egg and a dash of soy sauce. If I could get my hands on Bovril (a beef extract) and stir some through my porridge I would. I used to have Bovril and plain white porridge when I was a kid. And I think it has somewhat become a comfort food for me.

Apart from that I like very basic soups, mostly with tofu. I have also discovered that I can't have bananas. It makes my nausea much worse and the gas, absolutely monstrous. I still can't really cook at night for dinner. So the hubby has had to make do with subpar food for dinner.

As for being constipated, I have noticed that I am only going to the toilet once every two days. Either I'm not eating enough to have excretion or I am not drinking enough water. I think I am averaging at only 6 cups a day. So note to self: Put in a concious effort to drink more water.

And this is the progress of the chart for this week.



Still nothing yet. I'm not complaining.

cheryl

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Pregnancy - Week 7

I have only one craving. My first craving in this pregnancy. I want fruit. I want fruit in the morning, before lunch, for lunch, after lunch and for dinner. I think it is the juice and the sweetness in fruit that I am actually craving for. My tongue feels like yucky tasting sandpaper and sugar seems to help. One fruit that stands out at the moment are cherries. I am hooked on cherries. I have eaten 2 boxes of it so far and I am also loving pink lady apples, oranges and plums. Bananas are pretty good too though I'm not jumping up and down for it - maybe because it is less sweet compared to the others.

I am still having bad evenings. I am still unable to cook. I do force myself to do it but its a very difficult task to complete. I have also realised that I cannot eat cheddar cheese. By that I mean the solid blocks that one buys and cuts up. I think it could be the high fat content that makes my stomach turn. Kraft's processed cheese slices are fine with me.

Unfortunately being pregnant means I cannot have my other favourite cheeses like Brie, Camembert and Roquefort for fear of listeria. That is worth a mourning. This also means no more sashimi or sushi either. I now wish I had eaten all of that to my hearts content prior to November. Its going to be a LONG wait till August when I can have those again.

I have been keeping tabs on my weight to make sure I don't gain weight too early in the pregnancy and also just because I'm curious about how this 'blowing up in size' is going to happen overnight. So I have been religiously weighing myself every morning after I wake up, used the toilet and brushed my teeth. Every morning without fail, with the same one piece of clothing on, I hop onto the machine. And since I am keeping a close eye on the moving needle, I thought I'll create a chart recording the changes and share it with you guys :)

Here is the chart thus far:-


No weight gain as yet :)

cheryl

Monday, November 30, 2009

First Baby Book and other related details....

Some of you who are reading this blog might be thinking, " Hey, where is Alex in all this pregnancy blogging? This is the Alex-Cheryl blog and not just a Cheryl blog. Doesn't the father to be have something to say?"

Well I must say that my hubby is a man of many words - in speech. While I am a woman of many words, it is more so in print. I am fairly less chatty in person (although some friends beg to differ) but really I'd rather observe people than talk up a storm. Alex on the other hand is usually the source of the storm. And this is good. Our differences here balances the equation.

Anyhow, I digress. The point I was trying to make was, although Alex hasn't blogged much, he has made several attempts, evidenced by the fact that I have 3 drafts sitting in my list of posts, none of which exceed 3 sentences :)

This father to be has been a very dedicated father-to-be. I didn't realize how seriously he took the pregnancy until he dragged me to Borders Bookstore one Sunday and was super insistent about buying this book.



Apparently this is the best book to read for expectant families. It has become Alex's duty to read this book, updating me about what to expect throughout the pregnancy on a week to week basis. Having your man involved is great because it gives the man another way to connect with the pregnancy experience through the 9 month period. While men can never experience nor really understand the difficulties of carrying a child, it is good to involve them in the entire saga. This is not only because us women need their emotional and physical support, it also gives them a sense of responsibility plus refreshing the fact that they played a major role in bringing about this bundle of joy.

Alex has been much more serious about our pregnancy than I have been. He has been very strict about me staying away from raw and cold foods. So no sushi, no salads, nothing that has been kept in the open in the fridge, no mayonaise ...etc. One exception - I have been insisting on deli meats because I do so love my cold cuts and he has given in (only for deli meats) as long as I zap them in the microwave first. He has also been making sure I have a sip of water at 11.30pm plus my nightly folic acid supplement without fail even though I kick up a fuss about having to swallow any form of pill. (My mother can tell you how much a pain it is to try and get me to eat supplements. She has been on my case for years about Vitamin C, Evening Primrose Oil, Fish Oil - I actually don't take them at all)

Alex has been very faithful (or I should say stubborn) about making sure I eat the supplements for the sake of the baby's development. He has been waking me up nightly at the same time to take it. You might be wondering why he has to wake me up. Its because I normally crash at 8.30pm while he only sleeps at 11.30pm. So before he gets in bed, he brings up the water plus pill and gives me a quick wake up for them.

Though I'm singing praises about my husband's dedication here, I secretly think he enjoys watching me pout, kick and complain about having to take the folic acid supplement. The thing is FOUL. Tastes absolutely gross. Its a folic acid plus iron supplement and the iron content in the pill makes me feel yuck.

But I guess since he is going to so much trouble in making sure I take the pill, I can easily do my part by just swallowing it :)


cheryl

Friday, November 27, 2009

Pregnancy - Week 6

I think I have the reverse of the morning sickness. I have noticed a pattern over the last few days. I come home from work and basically lie around groaning trying to hold my stomach down. Nausea is a nightly theme so all thoughts of eating dinner has been thrown out the window. I tried some lemon and hot water. No sugar. It seems to help. Once I stop sipping it seems to come back fairly quickly.

To try eat, I seem to only be able to stomach instant noodles. And I think going with the sour theme of the lemon, I am able to have instant spicy Korean noodles with lots of tabasco sauce and a large squeeze of lemon juice. Instant chicken flavoured Cintan mee is also working.

So most nights I am unable to eat anything and when I can, its instant noodles or bust. I suppose some form of nutrient is better than none at all. I hope this improves soon.

cheryl

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Pregnancy - Week 5

So I'm going to start writing weekly posts about our pregnancy on this blog. Mainly to track my bodily changes on a week to week basis, to keep a journal of my experience that I can come back to in the future (who knows, maybe baby will get to read this when he/she is older!) and also for friends/readers of this blog who may appreciate some basic info about what to expect when pregnant.


I am feeling a little out of sorts at the moment trying to embrace the new me and the fact that our family will have an extra member really soon. The news is still sinking in. I'm usually quite confident about decisions that I make and am organized about things that I have to get done but in this case of being pregnant, I am feeling rather overwhelmed, very green around the ears and kinda wish I had a software that I could install in my brain called 'All you need to know about pregnancy and children'.


I suppose most of my trepidation comes from the fact that I am in Australia and all I know about raising children is based in Malaysia. Things like health care, maternity stuff, childcare, clothing for changing weather, bedding for changing weather, car seats, capsules, maternity leave, work arrangements, money... all these things are blinking like crazy neon lights in my mind. To say that I feel equipped to raise a child at this moment is wishful thinking but I guess all first time mothers feel the same way?


Anyhow with that said, we had my blood tests done this week. All my health indicators are good. I have a rather high iron level (0.1 higher than the normal range) and best of all my cholesterol level is now at an all time low of 4.8! I am so happy with that result. To explain a little, I am super happy with that result because while I was with Intel my cholesterol level was 6.5 for two years. After the second high reading, I decided to do something about it and started exercising at the gym during my lunch hours. After 4 months, I had another health check and my cholesterol levels had dropped to 5.8 which was a fantastic reward for all my efforts even though the number was still above the healthy range. Since then I had not had another health check but I have kept to some form of weekly exercise. And now its at 4.8! Woohoo! I think it could be stress related. I didnt use to feel stressed while at Intel but I must say that out of 10 colleagues, 7 of us would be diagnosed with high cholesterol. So my conclusion is that our high levels must have been stress related.


As for how I am feeling this week, I am extremely tired when I come home from work at 5pm. I am unwilling to cook, mostly because I have no appetite (and as people who love to eat know, you can't cook a good meal unless you feel the passion and desire to eat it) I struggle to keep my eyes open for a couple more hours because if I fall asleep at 5pm, I would then wake at maybe 3am the next morning and boy, will I pay the price for it the next day. After my very valiant efforts of staying upright, I usually collapse by 8-830pm and sleep till 7am the next day.


There is not much body change other than a lack of appetite for dinner and extreme tiredness for this week. More soon.


cheryl