It's X'mas Eve!

I can't believe that it'll be Christmas tomorrow! 2008 passed by in a flash. One year ago, we were at Insadong, having a lovely BBQ dinner with Korean friends, followed by Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at the lobby of our serviced apartment, soaking in the lovely wintry atmosphere.

This year, I'm spending a quiet X'mas eve at home. Baby J slept early, and R&C will be going to bed at 10 pm or so. Probably me too - sleep is so precious to me nowadays! haha - I'll have to wake up at 3-4 am! :P As 2008 draws to a close, these are some of the more memorable momentsthis year: C starting primary school, the closing of our online store The Velvet Cat, and last but certainly not least, the arrival of Baby j!

Baby J is growing real quickly, she's so cute to play with sometimes, responding when you talk to her or sing to her, and smiling when carried in a standing position on my shoulders! I'll post some pics soon to update!

School resumes in a couple of weeks for R and C (Where did the loooooong holiday go?) and then it's back to the daily schedule/grindstone. While that adds certain structure to our days, I'm sure I (and they) will miss the holidays dearly. Days of doing nothing except playing (for them), sleeping (relatively) late for me.... sigh.. we must look forward to the March school holidays!

This Christmas, I hope for peace and happiness for everyon and that my children grow up strong, happy and healthy. I'm still thinking about my 2009 resolutions - hopefully I'll have something to post on New Year's Eve!

Merry Christmas everyone!

ETA: I've been using my new bag. It feels great to carry it, is big enough to fit my necessities (big fat overloaded Ferragamo wallet, handphone, exploding card case, tissue, lipstick, and small card holder.) And...no scratches yet! *touch wood*

I did it.

I took the plunge and got my Xmas/Bday/Anniversary/Baby present yesterday. I'm glad I did - no more agonising about stock and what material/colour etc to get it in. After all, it's probably something I would have paid full price for. I love it, the soft leather, the gleaming metal hardware, the size, how it looks on me - it's perfect! hahah! There're no pics for now, because it's nicely wrapped up in Chanel wrapping paper and also because I am a tardy photo uploader!

I'm grateful for DH's decisiveness ("just get it, lah, then you dont have to think so hard everyday!") and also his supportiveness in my choices. ("Just get the material you love, so what if it gets scratched. It's worse if you don't use it.") Sometimes marrying someone so different from yourself makes things easier (though it also makes things hard sometimes). In difficult decisions, I always find myself asking dh what to do, and often, the ease with which he makes the decision makes the whole thing crystal clear to me too.

ETA: Credit also to my friends who goaded me to the right decision! haha!

So...for my bag, I'll use it! No keeping in the cupboard etc. :) I can't wait until Dec 16th when I can open it! Heehee!

All I want for Christmas is...

...this. A jumbo classic flap in lambskin with gold hardware from Chanel. (The picture is more of caviar/calfskin material I think). I am agonising long and hard about it. It costs a lot (probably the single most expensive item I own aside from my house I think!), and comes in so many variations. Should I get the medium or large/jumbo? Medium would be great for evenings, whereas the large would also work well for day time. Should I get it in calfskin or lambskin? Calfskin is hardier and more scratch resistant, but lambskin feels soooooo buttery smooth and looks so nice. HOwever, it is prone to scratches and needs more baby-ing. Should I get the gold hardware or silver hardware? I thought silver would be it, but when I tried on the gold, I was also attracted by it.

What makes the decision so much harder is the price of it. Should I get something where I would use frequently to amortise the cost over time? Or something which I use rarely due to the high cost of the item?

After a few days and nights of thought, I kind of decided on the size, material and hardware colour of my 4-in-1 present (J's birth, my birthday, my wedding anniversary, and Christmas). Now, thinking whether I should get it this weekend, or wait for the DBS Black Card sale..what if there is no stock?? Decisions, decisions...

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.

To me, at least. I'm planning to set up the tree today, plus i've got part of my gift/shopping list sorted out! *yay* With the economic downturn, my budget this year is smaller (not that I ever really had a budget, but just trying to be prudent here :P)... C gets a box set of Mallory Towers books, R gets a Titanic book, and I'm still thinking about some others. Hehee maybe just a cheap surprise for them to open on the actual day? Baby J will probably get some rattle-y toy or a car seat (that's more practical than anything!)

Dec is also my birthday month, so here's my wish list:
1) An eyebrow shaping package
2) A belt (my clothes don't fit well nowadays :( )
3) Unlimited retail therapy (any sugar daddies/mummies out there? hahaha!)
4) Some really good books
5) Some hair/makeup related stuff
6) Something unique/handmade that I can use
ETA:
7) A state of the art laptop with all the relevant bells and whistles (preferably lightweight and nice to look at too)
8) A holiday to Australia (I'll take a raincheck till next year!)
9) A new wardrobe!

On the not-so-fun side, I went back to work last week, with J in tow. She proceeded promptly to have a fever and swelling on her thighs after her vaccinations last week. She's better now, but still not very used to the office I think. Of course, it doesnt help that C and R are having school hols now, so the maids can't handle all three plus housework at home. So I'm stretched trying to give equal time to all. Sometimes I wonder whether I can do this, but when I see my kids happy (even J, who can give a great smile now!) it's all worth it! Just have to grin and bear it for a few more months and things will get better!

Talking abt J, she did well in Bintan (her first holiday!) Spent most of the time sleeping, even at night, so that was good! I hope to visit Australia when she turns 6 mths next year. Hopefully it will be even easier then! She's not really sleeping through the night yet, although she can manage 5-6 hours a stretch usually at night. This too, will pass!

So...what is on your wish list this year for the holiday season?

We're going on a holiday.

Yep, it's the school hols! At least, it's begun for C, while R's will begin in less than 2 weeks time! We're going to Bintan (again) as we managed to snag a good deal for the Angsoka villa. Then again to Sentosa in December. I'm sure the bigger kids will enjoy themselves as usual. As for baby J, I'm not sure how she will take to it. Me...i've got a packing list about a mile long I think! Diapers, milk bottles, inflatable tub etc etc. I've never travelled with a 2 mth old baby so it will be an experience for me too.

Here's baby J's passport photo (taken by me, no less. ahah!). Doesn't she look adorable? Actually, I think she's turning out to look more like her brother. heh..they have this 'old' look about them. :)
She's 7 weeks plus now, and last week, she actually slept through the night. It's not a constant yet (she still wakes up once a night most of the time) but definitely an encouraging sign! She also has more or less set her body clock to wake up at 7.30 am, so I'm quite pleased at how things are going. Time flies, and I can't wait for the day when she can sit up unassisted, crawl, and play with us.

The past couple of weeks also saw the two elder ones having their concerts. C's was a relatively low key one held at her school hall, while R's was the typical Ascension concert, lots of glitz, music, makeup, and as usual, a great show to behold. Here are their pics taken with Mummy:


We also had a blast on Halloween, visiting Woodgrove Avenue near the American school. We're definitely going back again next year, and that means, I have ONE year to think about my costume for next Halloween!

Pictures of my little princess

Well, blogger is taking eons, so please go to my facebook account to see more....

Jamie's here!

Baby J finally made her entrance into this world on Sept 16th! Just for posterity's sake, here's her birth story....

We checked in the delivery suite at about 730 am after dropping C off at school. Shortly after, drips were adminstered to induce delivery (due to gestational diabetes) and the anaesthesist came to inject the epidural. A combination of these drugs left me very sleepy the whole time - I didn't have the mood to read my book or watch Heroes / TV, and was mostly sleeping. It didnt help that I couldn't eat anything, in case I had to go for emergency C-section. Things progressed rather slowly and at one point I was told that she could be delivered as late as late evening only!

But as fate would have it, during an examination at abt 3+ pm I was told to start pushing. Just a few (painless) pushes later, Jamie came bawling into this world - all gangly arms and legs! heh.. I felt more relieved that anything, that she was ok and normal.. and that's when I started feeling the full aftereffects of the epidural. I developed a fever promptly, started shivering uncontrollably (not that I was feeling cold at all!) and itchy all over (no manifestations of rash, just itch!). To help, the nurses gave me some meds, which I proceeded to puke out (another after effect of the epidural). Even when they wheeled me back to the ward, I was still having the fever, and it eventually only subsided the next morning, which left me sweaty and feeling horrible the whole time. I remember thinking, while waiting to leave the delivery room, " I feel horrid! Sweaty, immobile, and sick. How am I going to do this?" For the record, Jamie was born at 3.19 kg - hardly the "giant" baby Dr Doom expected! :)

Thankfully, things developed at a fast pace once the night passed, and my fever subsided, I started walking around and eating food. DH even snuck me in a cold Pepsi, which I so craved. We were discharged just 2 days later, and came home with Jamie! The next 2 days I had a splitting headache each time I sat up / walked (no thanks again to the epidural), but that gave me a good excuse to indulge in some Coke (the doctor said caffeine and paracetemol will help!) in this humid weather!

The first couple of nights were rather tough, she stayed awake from 2 am-4am, but last night she only woke once at 3.30 am for a feed and slept right back. I'm telling myself to enjoy it while it lasts - the wrinkly hands and feet, cherubic face, curly wispy hair and the whole small-ness of it all, because it'll all be gone before I know it.

I've taken quite a few pics, but haven't got round to uploading them yet. Stay tuned!

16 Sept.

Yup, that's the day Jamie will be born, provided she doesn't decide to come out earlier! I'm looking forward to this last weekend of shopping & eating heh heh!

At today's scan, her weight is estimated at 3.4kg currently and her birthweight is estimated to be between 3.5 kg to 3.7kg. Turns out she's not going to be an oversized baby after all *phew*. I'm really looking forward to seeing her, but kind of dreading the delivery and recovery process! heehee. I'm no heroine, so I'm definitely opting for the epidural once I reach the delivery ward.

That's it for now, folks. Wish me luck and I'll be back soon, hopefully with pictures of our new addition!

September's here.

...which means, soon I'll be a mum of 3 instead of 2! :) It also means the Mooncake festival, the nearing of the end of school, and the end of another year.

This year has flown by so quickly, I can't believe that C will be in Pri 2 next year, and I'll have to register R for Pri 1 next year. Of course, baby J's arrival will also mean a whole lot of adjustments to our daily lives. I sometimes wonder how I'll cope, but I know that somehow, we'll manage.

The kids and I can't wait to see Jamie, and we're guessing who she looks like! In the meantime, I'll waiting out the rest of this pregnancy, with its related woes while telling myself to enjoy it while it lasts cos life will never be the same with 3 kids, and I may never be pregnant again! heh... still, the mix of anticipation and impatience is hard to bear!

Next week, we scan Jamie to see how big she is again, and probably will make a decision when to bring her into this world. Dr Doom is not in favour of bringing her to full term as she may be too big for a natural delivery, so we'll probably have to fix a date. :P

Till then....enjoy what's left of the school holidays!

Updates

Again, it's been a while since my last update. Most of the time, just can't find the inclination to blog or upload photos (my D40's been acting up since Perth and I haven't fixed it. Bleah!)

My dear daughter turned 7 last week, and we had a great weekend at Sentosa! (It's now her favourite place in Singapore!) She had a party for her classmates at Build-a-Bear Workshop the week before, so that concludes the birthday celebrations! I can't believe she's already 7, when I look at her, she still has the same baby face, but now more defined facial structure and framed by longer and fuller hair. The next thing I know, she'll be getting married I think! :P

Jamie weighed in at 2.5 kg at 32 weeks, which according to my doctor (aka Dr Doom) is too big. So, I was tested to gestational diabetes and it seems that I *do* have it. Bleah! So, I have to go for some clinic next week to learn how to manage it, or else I may end up with a 4 kg baby at birth. This doc of mine really knows how to bear the bad news (he's always telling me about worst case scenarios), I really regret changing to him! (my previous gynae doesn't do deliveries anymore...sob sob) Anyway, another few weeks to go, and I won't have to bear with him anymore!

Sick

Yes, that's what's been bugging me the past few days. Started off with a mild sore throat last week, then developed into a night-time-only running nose, then finally erupted into a full-blown blocked-runny-nose-sore-throat-cough illness two days ago.

The worst thing is that while there are many medicines out there capable of controlling these symptoms, many of these medicines contain drugs not suitable for use in pregnancy. The doctor has prescribed some safe medicines, which don't really do the job, but I guess I just have to hang on and hope it will pass for the sake of baby j!

On the home front, C & R have taken to my ballooning waistline well. The son calls it "the biggest tummy button in the world" and my daughter says "it's even bigger than a house!" That's not really true, in fact until a few weeks ago, some people I meet regularly did not even know I was preggie! Heh heh. I don't want to put on too much weight this round, in case I never lose it all! :P So far, I've gained about 7 kg, but the doc says in the last 2 months, I might gain another 5-6 kg! Bleah!

Back to Sunny Singapore

Yes, time has flown and we're back from our trip to Perth, Australia! It was a fun-filled 4.5 days for us, and what an experience it was. It's not the first time we've been to Perth, but the couple of days we spent at Pumphill Farm were really eye-opening. Think gathering firewood in the middle of the night, kindling your own fire, and having a whole variety of animals just a stroll away to feed! The farm and cottages were nice, but the drive was really long! For some reason, I can't post pictures from the office, so that'll have to wait.)

The next couple of days were spent in Perth city itself. We're really city folk at heart (I think) and by this time I was really looking forward to seeing some shopping malls. Not that I bought a lot of stuff, but I didn't have to touch my credit card till the last half day! Not bad eh! (No thanks to the extremely high exchange rate and winter season.) I was happy I got a few flannel blankets for Jamie, 'cos I was having difficulty finding them in Singapore. I also got some Jurlique stuff from the duty free store (yah, can't stop shopping even at the airport. I swear I can't walk through any duty-free store without picking up something...anything!) and they're really divine!

Back to reality though..and school starts in a few days. Now, where did all the school holidays go!?

Shopping and selling!

We did some shopping the past couple of weeks in preparation for Jamie's arrival. Recently I haven't been feeling so tired, and on the contrary have been feeling rather energetic! Hence, I've also been decluttering the house a bit, getting rid of stuff which I won't be using / have not used. It feels quite therapeutic but frankly, my heart also aches at the amount of stuff which I threw/gave away....

I'm also selling some old toys and stuff on a forum I frequent, and will list them on ebay as well! (Or I hope to do so today :P) I hope I can sell some of them to finance my new purchases, which include a new cot, new feeding stuff, new baby bath tub etc. The list seems endless but I think I have got maybe 75% of the stuff sorted out! Phew! here are some pics of the stuff I'm selling:

Aprica Pram:


Glenn Doman Flashcards:Thomas the Train Play Table:

Interested in any of them ? hehe... drop me a note if you are! (ETA: i can't seem to sell them on ebay!! Bleah!)

We're headed to Australia next week and I'm looking forward to it! The kids have been enjoying their school holidays, mostly either at the office or at home, but whaddya know, in just 2 more weeks, it's back to school again!! Bleah!!

Baby J!

Today we found out that no. 3 is a girl! We'd decided on a name starting with 'J' and since it's a girl, she will be called Jamie! I'm not too particular what the name means, but it's like the only one that me & dh can agree on at the moment, so that's that. :) We did not want a name that was too common (for example....Ryan :>) and something that no one would have difficulty pronouncing. And most importantly, somethingthat sounds nice to us! So, Jamie it is for now.

Today, I bought her first piece of pink clothing! I'm going to be careful not to overbuy this time (especially clothes - because who ever stops shopping for girls' clothes right?) but I do plan to stock up on baby equipment during the upcoming Great Singapore Sale!

Any ideas where is a good one-stop place to shop?

Back.

We got back from KL on Monday afternoon! All said, it was a good trip! It was the first time that I took a bus up to KL and the experience wasn't half bad! :) The kids had a good time at the theme park and the bus (with the other kids), and for me, the best part must have been the time I spent at Pavilion shopping mall...where I escaped after merely 45 mins with 1 pair of shoes and 4 tops! (that's what speed shopping must be like, without kids!)

Tomorrow, I will be going to my scan, and hopefully I will be able to find out if no. 3 is a boy or girl! (I'm into details like that.) My bet is on a girl, as I've got nice complexion and no swollen nose so far, but maybe every pregnancy is different. I've no real preference, as long as baby is normal and healthy.

One more month and we're off to Perth. I can't wait to stay here, and escape the searing 30+ degree heat that has been torturing us! Grrrr...

And just because I haven't posted a picture for so long, here's one of a Ryan's bedtime buddies in his kindergarten uniform:


Happy Wednesday and rest of the week!

The tooth fairy will be coming!

Today, Chelsea dropped her first tooth. It's the bottom left front tooth! Strangely, she never mentioned anything about it being shaky, and during breakfast this morning, the maid passed me the tooth saying it dropped out! There was no blood or anything, and no pain (according to her), just a dropping of the tooth.

C's a bit nervous about the whole thing, although I've reassured her it's part and parcel of growing up! (After all, many of her classmates even in kindergarten have dropped teeth already!). Anyway, I told her the tooth fairy will be coming tonight to exchange her tooth with a present (courtesy of Page One at Vivo City haha!) and she is kind of looking forward to that.

Photos to come! (It was just too early at 6.10 am to be taking pics! :P)

ETA: (21May) Sorry, still no pics :P

On an unrelated note, I've been starving the whole morning! Even after I had a tuna sandwich at 6 am, and beehoon courtesy of Lisa at 8.15 am. Grrrr! (that's the sound of my frustration, not my stomach growling!). I hope to visit Tangs later today, to enjoy their 12% rebate for card holders. heh heh. All this shopping even though we're headed to KL this long weekend!! I guess I am really incorrigible!

Latest crazes.

Recently, I've been caught up in all kinds of beauty-related crazes. Now I don't spend so much money on clothes, I tend to spend my money elsewhere. (This is horrible, right? Why can't I just save money instead of spending it!)

Things I've been crazy about:
1. Make up. All kinds, from mineral make-up, to cheap drugstore brands, to expensive department store brands, to false eyelashes (yes, I can barely believe it myself).

2. Hair care products. Having just coloured and permed my hair in the last 2 months, I've become rather obsessed with having the right conditioner and shampoo to maintain my hair. (My hair costs me quite a bit so I figure, just spend a bit more to maintain it! Is this called rationalisation?)

3. Skin care. I just blew quite a bit at Metro's 20% storewide sale last weekend. All in the good name of stocking up since it's 20% off and you hardly get 20% off for skincare right? (Rationalisation again?)

I should be saving up, especially with another kid on the way. I have given/thrown away most of my baby things like cots, playpens etc, and probably need to 'invest' in some capital expenditure for the kid. But, I haven't bought anything for the baby yet, wondering if there will be another "Sale Worth Waiting" for between now and September?

My next doctor's visit is on 22 May, and hopefully I"ll get to find out whether I'm having a girl or boy. I half suspect it's a girl, 'cos my skin has been glowing and nice, but then again, it could be due to the large amount of skin care products I've been lavishing on my face and the copious amounts of sleep I've been getting each night. haha! I've started to feel the baby kick since last week, especially when I settle down to sleep. Quite an incredible feeling! :)

And then there were 4...

As many of you may know, I used to have 5 cats at home. In chronological order, they are Tora, Max, Dusty, Snowie and Bonnie. About a month ago, Tora disappeared. She just did not return home for dinner one evening and never returned again. She seldom left the house, and despite a few cat-hunting trips, she never surfaced. It is kinda sad that I probably will never see her again, and I am a bit guilty at not spending enough time with her in recent years. My own conclusion is that she probably was ill and decided to go away to rest in peace. I'm not an animal expert, but Tora is about 12 yrs old this year. Wherever she is, I hope she rests in peace!

On the bright side, I'm happy to report that Chelsea & Ryan will have another sibling come September! Unlike my first two pregnancies, this one was rather difficult and at some point I resigned myself to fate, that whatever would be would be. (I still do.) I'm hoping for the best..now I'm into the 2nd trimester and hopefully everything will be smooth from now on!

Till the next update!

Ryan is 5!

Heehee, this post is a little late, but better late than never right? Ryan turned 5 on 2nd March and we celebrated with his school friends and other little ones (and big ones) at our home! Here is a picture of the lovely cake , and the even lovelier boy :


The yummy and lovely cake featuring Pokemon characters was from Glad. Here are 5 little known facts about Ryan at 5 years old:

1. He is very accident prone. We've been to the A&E for X-rays 3 times since he was born.
2. He has a bag-ful of dolls to sleep with (Patrick's House, Bunny, Toaady, Piplup, Pikachu & Starly.)
3. He loves aeroplanes. He has 4-5 A380 models at home.
4. He currently sleeps in Spiderman costumes (yes, those from pasar malam) every night without fail.
5. His favourite food is sausages.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

Home with my kids.

These few days, the people I have been spending most time with are my kids. Afternoon is usually our time together, when they have gotten back from school. We'll have a simple lunch together, followed by some play time, then getting the inevitable homework out of the way, then play or relaxation time if they've got nothing else on.

I have come to realise I really enjoy hearing them laugh and play, especially with each other. Sure, sometimes they are unbearable cranky (or sometimes I am) but for the most part, I really enjoy being with them. I spent yesterday afternoon watching "Home Alone" with dd alone. (Ds was busy assembling his Lego robot.) It's a really old show, but most of their generation have never heard of it, so she had a great deal of fun. I hardly spend much alone time with dd, because she spends so much time at school now, and during her free time, her brother is usually around too. But some girly time together was great, and I shall plan to catch Home Alone 2, 3, and 4 again with her soon (Yes, I got the DVD box set!)

You never know.

You never know when your plans may change or why. I guess we just have to make the most of what life throws at us.

For the next few days, I'll be at home, reading, surfing, playing Nintendo, sleeping, watching an inane amount of TV (including old Mediacorp re-runs, JAG, and B-grade-but-still-riveting movies on Hallmark channel and HBO) :) And if the urge hits me, there's always online retail therapy! heh heh! Great stuff here and here. I simply love this too. (If anyone is feeling generous, I like the white, and in size 7.5 C please. If you're feeling EXTRA generous, might as well get me the black as well.)

Last but not least, I'm so inspired by this. Simply beautiful!

Oh, and before I forget, Happy New Year of the Rat! May this year bring prosperity, happiness and health to you and your loved ones.

Hello 2008!

So, I realise, it's about 23 days too late to welcome 2008! Better late than never I guess! I haven't updated my blog in eons because I thought nobody reads it, but over the last weekend, a few people asked me, "How come you haven't updated your blog for so long?". That's when I was pleasantly surprised that people do read my blog hehe! (if you're one of those, please leave a comment!)

So far, it has been a rather eventful 2008. C started P1 in her new school, everything was great except for a school bus incident last week. I won't say more because talking about it makes me tear.

Then, there was the decision to wind down The Velvet Cat. It wasn't an easy decision to make, but I felt we weren't quite devoting the time and attention it really needed to grow well. We had our last open house on Saturday, and I must say I will definitely miss these events and the people we have met throughout the past 18 months or so. (Sales pitch: Do check out our online sale which starts tonight!)

On the crafty side, nothing much is happening, sad to say. The personal entertainment side has been much more enriching. I've read a couple of great books (The Overlook and Momzillas most recently) and watched an exciting drama serial (The Golden Path). I am also hooked on The Legend of Zelda - Phantom Hourglass! I played the long-ago version of The Legend of Zelda and playing this just brings back fond memories! Of course, this version for the Nintendo DS is even more fun, because it really exploits the features of the DS such as touch-screen, mic etc!

Ok, does this long post make up for lost time? :) I will try my best to update my blog regularly this year!