Pregnancy feeling update

I'm 18 weeks pregnant now, second trimester, and I'm feeling so much better!

No more nausea feeling. I'm just occasionally tired. And I even have enough energy to bring my boisterous little 17 month old to play at the playground, to NEX shopping mall for his Barney Che che rides, and to Isetan and other shopping places for him to shop around the toys department. He will always go "Choo choo train!!!", picks one favourite, says "Mine!" and then carries it around as he explores the shelves and shelves of toy paradise until he saw another one that interest him more, and then he will shout "Big big truck!!! Mine!!!" and he puts down the train and carries the truck around instead. Mummy is very very smart. When its time to go and he needs to be strapped to his stroller and go elsewhere, I will wait for him to feel bored with one toy and then tell him, "Come, if you sit on your stroller, mummy will give you a nice sweet/biscuit/xiao man tou/seaweed (depending on what treats I have for him)." and he will usually be trilled to be put on the stroller and enjoy his lovely treat.

So its a No Tears method for mummy and Kieran. Off we go from the Barney Che Che to the toy department to buying a Japanese baked "fish" shape chocolate cake for mummy and Kieran (coz I'm hungry), and then we go home. Lucky the rain stopped before we set off from NEX. I brought him to my parents house which is quite near NEX. And now he's having dinner with grandparents while I relax and do some online shopping in the room.

A nice nice day for mummy and baby. And most probably for the little one inside me too!

Some complaints

Daddy has to go for the National Service tonight which deprives us one evening of family time... sigh. I wish the government won't force guys to go for so many years of National Service even after they complete their 2 years of service. Its such a waste of time, and disrupts our family life. If there's a chance Kieran can study or work overseas and he has a future there, I hope he can then decide to spend his life elsewhere and not have to come back to do National Service. I don't think the 2 years is a problem... its the continuous going back for tests and one or two week services that is really disturbing. If this little one is a girl, then she's lucky she won't need to go through it! Haha. Anyway in many years time, our social fabric is going to undergo a big change where native Singaporeans will be replaced by foreigners and newly converted citizens. One question how diluted our National identity is going to become with it becoming increasingly diluted with too many non Singaporeans joining the country and citizenship too quickly. Sometimes even a stay at home mom like me wonders what the hell our government is thinking. Some years ago, life is still bearable, but now, the "crowded everywhere" feeling and the "non Singaporeans" everywhere feeling is getting quite prominent to ignore. Oh well. Next year, I hope to rejoin the workforce soon, and I hope by that time, everything will be better! Better childcare policies, better protection for working mothers, better family life balance in the workplace.

Talkative little boy

He never stops talking. If he isn't talking, he's making "vroom, bi bo bi bo, or eee orr eee orrr" noises of cars, bikes, fire engines, police cars, ambulances, etc. These are his latest craze. Oh and "choo choo trains" too.

I've been teaching him to love the baby inside me even before she is born. I teach him that inside mummy's tummy is a baby. He knows how babies look like. He saw videos, pictures and real life ones on the MRT, and he loves them. Today he pointed to my tummy, kiss baby by kissing my tummy, and sayang baby by gently stroking my tummy, and said "Baby, baby..." Then he saw a picture of a baby on the video on iPad. He pointed to the baby on the iPad, pointed to my tummy, and said "Baby. 一样 (mandarin for "Same"). Same." So smart! He really surprised me as I didn't know he understood what I wanted to teach him so well, and that he can verbalise the words so clearly.

At 17 months, Kieran can say many things clearly. Today, he told me he wants to "sleep" 睡觉 in mandarin. And he pronounce "giraffe", "lion", "apple" all these words very accurately. Just last week, he could only call them "raf", "arghh (to show lions roar)" and "per". How fast children develop!

He can walk very steadily now and he can carry a heavy toy fire engine as he walks. My little toddler has come a long way from being a babbling and crawling baby to a big boy who can talk and walk and very soon, run!

He loves to learn names of objects. He points to things and will look at me and say "emm" if he wants to know what they are called. I will tell him their names and he will repeat it and record it in his smart little brain and then from then on, he know what they are and will tell people the names of the objects if people ask him to. The billions of neurons in his brain is certainly working hard day and night! When I point to an object and ask him what it is, and he doesn't know it, he will also look at me and say "emm", and patiently wait for me to teach him.

Today he did something funny too. He was going to sneeze but the sneeze was gone half way... so he went ah ah ah... and the "choo" didn't come. I was staring at him and waiting for the sneeze to come. When it didn't, he looked at me, and I looked at him, and then he suddenly said "Ah choo." I laughed and laughed and he laughed too. Super funny little guy!

Update on the little one

Oh, I have to update the progress of the little one inside me too eh? Here's a picture of her curling up nicely. She's 4 months old waiting to be born. And I'm feeling very much better at this stage. 

She's now starting to move around and I can feel her at night when I lie down and nurse little Kieran to sleep. I asked hubby to put his hand on my tummy today and he felt baby moved too.

Kieran having fun!

Being with Kieran can be really tiring but it is a lot of fun too. When I look back (not too far away), watching him grow and learn is very rewarding and exciting.

Just yesterday, he was using his counting beads and saying out one to ten in mandarin as he moves the beads from left to right with this little fingers. I was trying to hold back my amazement. Hubby and I looked at each other wide eyed. I have been showing him how to count one to ten in mandarin as I count the beads since many months back but I didn't know he'll register them all in his brain so quickly and could display his skills to us now. I have to say this is quite something for a 17 month old!

Here are some amazing pictures of Kieran having fun! He has fun while he bath, he has fun while he play, he has fun while he read books, he has fun while he eats... he would enjoy everything in his life and he will even drag me to the shelf and kept asking me to "read books" to him. I hope all these good habits stay... even when one day, he starts to get addicted to computer games, he will still think books and learning, and the great outdoors are fun and exciting.

Playing "cooking" at the playground nearby our flat, and having fun with a twig he found on the floor.

He has discovered a new way to play with the exercise machines at the exercise corner. 

Having lots of screaming and giggling fun at the water playground at NEX rooftop

Reading in Bishan National Library

Having fun riding one of the fun chair cum rocking horse at the Central Borrowing Library. Hee Haw!

Baby can call his own name!

Papa and mummy were amazed when our little 17 year old started to call himself his own name! We usually calls him by his Chinese name "Yun Xuan" (允軒), so he also learn to call himself this name. He couldn't pronounce it correctly and mispronounce his name as "Yi Dian" but its still super cool! Haha.

This weekend is very busy but we really enjoy our time with our little one. Despite me being 4 month pregnant, I can still carry Kieran in my Ergo carrier! Well, I know some people will chid me for doing so but then it feels ok to carry him like that and I do have to hug and hold him at times. I don't want him to think just because another little one is coming, he cannot have mummy's love anymore, and at times, he needs my comfort, like when he's sleepy outside and wants to be carried or when he feels scared and insecure, especially when the kids at the Smart Kids Education Fair shouted for "Dora!" and he got scared by the noise. But after that he too start to keep saying "Dora" although he had never watched the animation before. He said "Big big Dora" coz the Dora which stands on stage for photo taking with the kids is really big.

Here's a picture of our little Kieran who took part in the New Age Parents' cover page contest at the Education Fair at Expo on Friday. Papa and mummy kept asking him to smile at the camera but he refused to, and after many tries, he finally smiled but its at another jie jie who's taking pictures of 2 girls standing beside him! Smiling into the wrong camera... sigh but nevertheless, its a cute cute smile!

toys!

Mummy is absolutely trilled! She has found places where she can buy lovely things to engage little Kieran!

I was going through an anatomy book with Kieran, not purposely but he asked to "Read book" and he found this on the shelf. Its a children's anatomy book with lots of pictures.

I taught him the names of various body parts, including parts of our digestive systems, cells etc.

We were sitting down and flipping through books one day and Kieran pointed to a picture of a neuron and said to me "Neuron". I told hubby and he was amazed. It pays to watch after the kids yourself eh? Imagine if Kieran were to be looked after by my parents or in laws, that will never happen. He will probably become a TV junkie!

Today I showed him a picture of a snowman and told him its call "Snowman" and later when he spotted one on the tv, he told my sister "Snowman". Wonderful learning ability and memory!

Well, this prompted me to look for more activities, and educational toys for Kieran.

Here's what I am going to get for him:

This one is a magnetic fishing frog game which cost only $9.90. He can start to play with it now!
http://enrighten.com/buy/educational-toys?gclid=CMiWzaKg-rUCFdFt6wod5x8ARA#!/~/product/id=21189321

Anatomy puzzles of animals
http://enrighten.com/buy/educational-toys?gclid=CMiWzaKg-rUCFdFt6wod5x8ARA#!/~/product/category=3534040&id=14964242

wild animals
http://enrighten.com/buy/educational-toys?gclid=CMiWzaKg-rUCFdFt6wod5x8ARA#!/~/product/category=3534040&id=14964751

Fractions puzzle $9.90. Will get for him now but store it for later use.
http://enrighten.com/buy/educational-toys?gclid=CMiWzaKg-rUCFdFt6wod5x8ARA#!/~/product/category=3534030&id=14975066

Another fraction puzzle to consider but more expensive
http://enrighten.com/buy/educational-toys?gclid=CMiWzaKg-rUCFdFt6wod5x8ARA#!/~/product/category=3534030&id=14964220

Bear math balance. Very interesting! Will buy and let him play with it when he's older.
http://enrighten.com/buy/educational-toys?gclid=CMiWzaKg-rUCFdFt6wod5x8ARA#!/~/product/category=3534030&id=20631014

Another balancing math but more expensive
http://enrighten.com/buy/educational-toys?gclid=CMiWzaKg-rUCFdFt6wod5x8ARA#!/~/product/id=14964567

There's also this wooden toy. I think they have a series of vehicles. Will consider which one to get for him. He has too many fire engines... Maybe not another fire engine.
http://enrighten.com/buy/educational-toys?gclid=CMiWzaKg-rUCFdFt6wod5x8ARA#!/~/product/id=14964916

Also wants to get this for my active little boy. Little Tikes Slide. $200.
http://babymart.com.sg/shop/little-tikes-easy-store-large-slide-4972/

Yellow truck for him to ride in. $229
http://babymart.com.sg/shop/pick-uptruck-yellow-4080/

A playhouse! $449
http://babymart.com.sg/shop/little-tikes-playhouse-4697/

And a beautiful kitchen to keep himself busy! He loves cooking now. $239
http://babymart.com.sg/shop/gourmet-prep-n-serve-kitchen-619717/

So nice, right! All the toys! If I get them all, my house will probably become a childcare centre. LOL

Ok, now its sleeping time. I'm going to the Takashimaya baby fair to see if there's anymore nice stuff I can get for my beloved Kieran and Caitlin, and going to Education fair on Sat to see if there are nice courses suitable for little Kieran to sign him up for! Yeah!

Upset mummy

Mummy is feeling a little bit down lately. Everything seems to go wrong.

Well, 4th month check up, and baby curls up tightly, can't see the gender yet :(
And doctor seems bz as he needs to go for delivery, n the new assistant seems to be pissing him off, and she look pretty stressed up. Ambience isn't good. She did pissed me off last visit, giving me confusing instructions when I'm in the clinic getting ready for the scan.

Then hubby comes home seemingly swayed in opinion by his friend who's an insurance agent n who told him stuff that is going to inconvenient us as a family. I am pissed! Hubby is too  感情用事 when it comes to this. I'm paying for this insurance with my hard earned money. Why can't I do my research n consider properly? Why buy just because I trust this person n because he can sweet talk?

A life lesson I learnt is humans cannot be trusted, no matter how close you are or no matter how nice the other party is.

Can you even trust yourself? One minute you are in heaven and one minute you are in hell. When you are in heaven, you can make all kinds of wonderful promises, but when you are in hell, unpredictably, can you still honor your promises? Only the saints can do that... Jesus, Buddha, etc...

Well, mummy is feeling down also because little kieran is sick n hubby isn't capable of taking care of him at night so that mummy can wean him off night feeds, n mummy is dreading the day she has to breastfeed both babies at night :'(

She's also feeling down because she couldn't get the scrapbook album refill, n possibly buy some nice papers for making the scrapbook of kieran n the upcoming baby.

She's feeling down because she's really tired n disappointed with everything in general.

Need some love from parents, n some break from baby care. Need to go somewhere n do something while being assured that baby is in good hands.

Good night.

Good luck to me. Hope kieran's illness don't get passed to me or anyone else in my family.

A long time ago I was afraid of death n thought it a pretty cruel thing that God does to people. Now when I hear of deaths, I don't feel it is a very sad and miserable event... In fact I wonder when my duty will be done n I can go. This is how old and exhausted my soul is. People used to think if they work hard enough, one day, they will spend their lives relaxing n be free n happy. I think it's the worst illusion. We r never free the moment we are born, and we will never be released from misery until death do us part... Part from our body, but then again, who says death will bring us to a world without pains? Without physical pains perhaps but I don't know abt the rest...

4th month check up tomorrow!

I'm excited because tomorrow I'm going for baby's 4th month check up.
Previously, we knew Kieran is a boy when I was 4 month pregnant. Perhaps this time we will get to know it too?

I really have a feeling this must be a girl. Please please let it be a darling little girl! Hubby and mother in law will be super happy as they have been longing to have a baby girl.

When I know the sex of baby, I'll be going around looking out for pretty little baby girl's dresses and accessories! Taka baby fair is on now. Oh please let me know and then I can at least grab some girl's stuff at the fair. hehe