Full Term 37 Weeks

Yesterday was my last day (until next Feb anyway) as a corporate hamster and words cannot describe how relieved I am that I am officially on leave/ annual leave! What a luxury not having to log into my work laptop this morning. 

On my to-do list this weekend:

1. Pack my hospital bag -  37 weeks today so Izzy can arrive anytime and we'll need to grab and run. In addition to my kindle, camera, maternity essentials (nursing bras, maternity pads, nipple cream, breast pads etc), toiletries, PJs, bedroom slippers etc, I also packed Bunny - he's kinda a family pet and needs to be there with us, heh.

2. Wash Izzy's clothes - there's A LOT of laundry to be done since we received tons of hand me down clothing. Look at how pretty the "little me" clothes look hanging on the balcony!

3. Plan how to maximise the time I have before she arrives. Lucky for me I have about ten days of leave to clear before taking maternity leave. A lot of my mummy friends have advised that I spend this time wisely. So yes, plenty of "catching up on sleep", "getting me-time" and "body maintenance" - getting the pedicures and facials before life as I know gets chaotic. 

Exciting times ahead!  

35.5 Weeks and Work-Life Balance

I really need to be more dilligent about maintaining this blog, hopefully I'll have more time when I start clearing my annual leave at Week 37.

1.5 more weeks to go! Work has been seriously, ridiculously bad. I am still clearing the backlog of work from the 4 months I was away (so much for having a person to cover me), and on top of that there's still new stuff pouring in. My heart sank when the boss handed me a new model to build last Friday. I seriously need to consider my priorities after the baby is here. It's not healthy how I've been staying late in the office and/or logging in after dinner EVERY NIGHT to work. And let's just say the boss isn't the most appreciative person around. It might just be the hormones, but I was so stressed and exhausted last night I almost broke down when chatting to B about my day. At the rate I am going, Izzy is going to be born one high-strung, anxious kid! Cry.

Dear Lord, please give me the strength to finish up the current work to the best I can, and importantly, give me the courage to say no to new tasks. Give me clarity in my priorities as a wife and soon-to-be-mother, and help me weigh life's challenges in a manner that brings glory to you. Thank you for all that I am blessed with, and remind me each day to show the people I love and who love me just how much I appreciate them. Amen. 


   

Week 20 - Team Pink!

We had our 20 week anomaly scan today. Don't want to bore you with details, but it's a thorough (took almost an hour) scan that looks at the baby to check that it's developing properly (major organs, fingers, toes, spine, facial features etc) and also at where the placenta is lying in the uterus. Baby looks fine (yay!), but I have marginal placenta previa. This is when the placenta attaches too close to the cervix which might cause bleeding. But doc reassures me it's quite common at 20 weeks, and there is a high chance the placenta moves up later. Just in case, I'm told not to carry heavy things (yes mdm) or walk too much (hmm a bit hard for me). Doc also gave me some progesterone pills to standby when I travel next week. 

Thank God for watching over my little one and keeping her safe and healthy. Yes, it's a little girl, the scan confirmed it! I am so happy, it's like the cosmic pieces of the universe have come together in my belly and I feel "completed" in His blessing. 

I also weighed myself at the clinic. 47.8kg, which means I've put on slightly more than 4kg of pregnancy weight. A quick check here shows that at 20 weeks, my minimum weight should be 48kg, maximum should be 50kg, and average weight should be 49kg. Although I'm on the lower end, it's still healthy whew. 

B and I had a very quiet Friday night, just the two of us and simple dinner at Great World City foodcourt. We made our first two big ticket purchases for baby - the Stokke Mini and Sleeper cot, as well as the matching changing table. 

They weren't cheap but we loved the cot from day one, so it was definitely a carefully considered indulgence. The expense can also be looked at as a long term investment because both the cot and changing table are designed to adapt and transform as the baby grows. 

The Stokke Mini (#1) sleeps an infant up to 6 moths, then it can convert to the Sleepi Bed (#2, 3) for up to 3 years old. The base can be lowered, so it is ideal when the baby is standing or sitting on its own. Then for toddlers and up to 7 years old, you can further convert to the Sleepi Junior (#4,5). Finally, you can just convert to a chair. 

The Stokke changing table too, can be converted into a study table for junior and later a bookshelf or rack. 

Can't wait to make more purchases for baby!

Apple and Poppy Seed Coleslaw

I've been cooking a lot this sabbatical but not posting the food here. But this simple gem of a recipe I found on this website is too good not to share. So easy but so delicious and refreshing. There are a lot of commercial coleslaws out there but nothing beats home-made goodness. I tweaked the recipe by adding an additional splash of apple cider vinger because I like my coleslaw tangy. Perfect! I feel happy just looking at the pretty bowl of coleslaw. 

Yield 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 cups shredded green cabbage

1 1/2 cups shredded red cabbage

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1 Granny Smith apple, julienned

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large bowl, combine the green cabbage, red cabbage, carrot and apple.In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, poppy seeds, salt and pepper, to taste.Pour mixture over cabbage mixture and stir using a rubber spatula until well combined. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour.Serve cold. 

Kin Kin Chilli Ban Mee

I'm a couple of months late but I finally made it to Kin Kin! The popular stall from KL opened its first outlet in Singapore, and from what I've seen on social media, the queues were just crazy long the first few weeks. The good news is that while the restaurant was quite busy last Saturday afternoon, we easily got a table, placed our orders and got our food in less than 20 minutes. 

The bad news is that I felt a bit cheated by the price. I can accept paying $5 for a basic bowl of noodles but $3 more for 4 miserable clams leaves a bad taste. Notwithstanding the poor value, the food itself was pretty tasty. The noodles were fresh with a good texture. The chilli was the star and packed enough omph. Together with the oozy egg yolk and minced pork, it made for a fairly satisfying meal. 

We ordered pork and fish balls to share. The pork balls were ok but the fish balls stood out. Softer than the usual fish balls I am used to, a bit like tofu. Interesting in a good way.

Would I go back? To be honest, I don't think so - Macpherson is a bit out of the way for me and I've had better ban mee elsewhere. I suppose the fact that I had the runs that night also make me hesitant to return, haha.   

Marimekko for Banana Republic

Happy day - I am on a shopping high!

Banana Republic's hot collaboration with Finnish fashion house Marimekko has been on my radar since it was announced. Think bold prints and over-sized polka dots in bright cheery colours! It launched TODAY in the U.S. and will be in Singapore shops later, but guess what I did?

I logged onto the Banana Republic website and bought my pieces online. No need to jostle with the crowd for my size 0 petite (yes for short people like me!). But wait, that's not all. The best part was that I got 25% off my purchase - woohoo! 

Here's a hot tip. The BR website is giving a discount for "first timers" and once you register, they email the discount code to your email address. Here are the pieces I bought, the Siirtolapuurtarha dress, and the peplum top with shorts. Love the print! 

Inspiration to lose my baby weight to fit into these. Going for a run now, before dinner, haha.
    

New Lor Mee Find at Eunos

I've been taking driving lessons at Ubi driving centre and since I'm on sabbatical (i.e. have no income), I've sensibly been taking public transport. Which means a home-Somerset MRT-Eunos MRT-home route. And luckily for me, I was particularly famished after my lesson today and so I headed directly for the hawker centre at Eunos MRT for lunch. 

It was a no brainer picking this stall. "Fu Chun Laksa Lor Mee" it was called. The queue moved quickly, which I was grateful for. Not making excuses for my gluttony but these days when I am hungry, I need food asap!

It was only 12 noon but the laksa was sold out. No matter, I love lor mee. 

This bowl of lor mee was $3.50, very decently priced for what it was. Lots of noodles and ingredients - 1.5 stewed egg (I asked for an extra), 2 good sized battered fish pieces (very tasty and crispy!), 2 ngoh hiang balls and some pork slices. What I also liked was the flavorful sauce and the consistency was just right, not too thick and not too watery. I was very satisfied!