Pregnancy Updates : Life Changes

Well, it has been a while... but to be honest, life is hardly as fun-filled as it was in my pre-pregnancy days.

Not that I'm complaining - Sham & I couldn't be more grateful for the gift of a baby coming our way! OUR baby....woo hoo!

Truth be told, I'm still battling morning sickness, 7 months on.
But I guess I've learnt to accept it and be grateful for all the blessings in my life.

Considering the constant nausea, Sham & I seldom hang out socially these days or engage in much outdoor activities.

Instead, we spend a lot of time with both our families - having meals at theirs, putting up with them on weekends, etc. I can't be more grateful for the way both our parents have been there for us!

And I can't imagine going through these past 7 months without their constant, loving presence and support.

Indeed, we are blessed!

Sham & I are also bonding tremendously with our little baby!
She kicks, rolls, and moves around a LOT these days so it often looks like my tummy's 'dancing' about sometimes! Too funny!

Sham loves playing his guitar and singing to her and the best part is she'll respond by moving all about!
Sometimes, she kicks a certain part of my tummy and when I tickle the spot, she'll kick again. And on and on we go tickling and kicking, tickling and kicking.
Warms my heart no end and makes ALL the pregnancy pangs worth the while.

We really can't wait to see her - this baby God found us worthy to raise.
We constantly talk about how she'll look, how much fun we're going to have with her, the things we'll teach her, places we'll take her to.

Sometimes as I fall asleep, I close my eyes and imagine what it would be like to see her for the first time, to touch her and smell her!
And how awesome it must be to cuddle her close and feel her warmth - this baby that's ours!! Ours!

Babykins... already we are filled with love for you and await your presence with bated breath!

Pregnancy Update: Belly Shots!

Here it is, folks. Me at nearly 7 months... well, 27 weeks to be exact!

And with that, I officially enter my third trimester!

Imaginary Friends :D

I absolutely had to post this funny story from Rocks in My Dryer, a blog I love!

When You've Lost Control of the Imaginary Friends, You've Lost Control

My four-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Corrie, has an imaginary friend named Katie Mexico. Katie lives in our house, joined occasionally by her brother Mel Mexico (he tends to be in and out -- a vagabond imaginary friend, if you will). Katie may be simply a figment of my daughter’s charming imagination, but she is also wearing me out.

(Before I explain further, let me clear up that I am sympathetic to the importance of imaginary friends -- I had one as a child, too. Her name was Tonya, and she wore a dress remarkably similar to that of Scooby Doo’s Daphne. Come to think of it, she was often joined by her brother, Kimmy-ko, who tended to stop by only occasionally. I guess transient imaginary siblings must run in the family.)

I remember enjoying my “talks” with Tonya, and I remember how much fun it was to have a playmate who operated entirely by the dictates of my own imagination. So when Katie Mexico joined our family, I welcomed her. My daughter lives in a houseful of brothers; it seems natural she would desire a more sisterly companion. I love it that Corrie has an active and precocious imagination. To keep the lines clear, I’ve encouraged Corrie’s creative “Katie play”, while still pointing out that Katie is pretend.

Corrie agrees. “Yes,” she always says, “Katie is a pretend friend.”

But she’s a pretend friend with issues.

Katie is a mischievous little soul, frequently (as I’m told, by my wide-eyed daughter with a flair for the dramatic) pulling stunts Corrie is not allowed to do. Katie uses bad words sometimes (i.e. “shut up” and “stupid”), and she doesn’t clean up her messes. She tends to be bossy, and once she even crossed the street without looking first.

It appears my daughter is not only imaginative, she is clever: she is clearly using Katie as a guinea pig to test her own boundaries. She reports Katie’s mischief to me, to see how I’ll respond. Wanting to communicate to Corrie that our household rules matter to everyone, I’ve been thrust into the unique position of having to scold, correct and otherwise discipline a person who does not actually exist.

Yes, really.

I get eye-to-eye (I think) with Katie Mexico and tell her that she has to play by our rules, or she can’t play with Corrie anymore. Corrie nods self-righteously, for emphasis. I give Katie’s head (I think) a pat, and off the two friends go.

(They don’t prepare you for this stuff in Lamaze class.)

My tough-love strategy has worked: Katie (I’m told) has lately pulled her act together. Corrie and Katie get along beautifully now, holding tea parties and playing hide-and-seek (you can imagine that Katie has a distinct advantage at the latter, being, you know, invisible.) Last week, Katie was evidently struck by a nasty cold. “Can you take her to the imaginary doctor?” Corrie asked. “Yes,” I answered.

It was so pleasant sitting in imaginary traffic, finding an imaginary parking place and paying an imaginary co-pay, I’ve about decided my daughter is onto something after all.

Hmmm, I wonder if Sham & I will ever have to welcome a 'Katie Mexico' into our home?

Pregnancy Update : Guess What?

It's time to shop pink, pink, PINK!!

Cos we're having a GIRL!!!!

Pregnancy Update : The Journey So Far

Well, I'm at Week 22 now (that's 5.5 months). At my last post, I was at Week 16.

6 weeks have passed. And well... they haven't been easy ones!

Oh I WISH I was one of those women who glowed with pregnancy joy, wore cool, hip maternity clothes that showed off their cute bumps, and enjoyed rosy cheeks and lustrous hair thanks to all the hormones!

But I'm not. Life goes on. I have to move on!

So, yes, I suffered another relapse (details of which I hate to recount) but thanks to medical attention and a LOT of care from Shaman, my folks and my in-laws, I'm recuperating.

AND I am determined not to let this morning sickness get the better of me or cause me any more misery! I want to remember EVERYDAY that this pregnancy is a gift, something both Shaman & I wanted so very much and prayed so very hard for. And I'm almost desperate to enjoy it.

Some updates on my pregnancy so far:-

Weight Gain
Or should I say 'loss'? :) Needless to say, with all the vomiting, not only have I NOT gained wieght, I've lost weight! My gynae isn't too alarmed by this at all. The baby's growing well and that's what really matters!

It is a bummer though, that my baby bump, though it's there, hardly shows :( I can still fit easily into my regular clothes, although I do use maternity tops occasionally. Totally love it's loseness around my belly!

Just can't wait for that bump to start showing!

Food Cravings
Or should I say 'aversions'? :)) There's almost nothing that I crave for and PLENTY that I'm totally avert against. Burgers - YUCK! Steak - NO WAY! Desserts, Cakes, Sweets - BLEAH! Soups, Pies, Pastry - Ewwww!!

So, while planning my diet hasn't exactly been easy, Sham and my folks have been diligently suggesting and buying different types of foods and drinks to keep me constantly hydrated and well nourished.

Baby's Growth
Like I mentioned earlier, my baby's growing well, just well! For this, I'm ever grateful. We did a detailed scan of baby last week and everything's just perfect - every organ, muscle, bone. Praise God.

The best part of the baby growing, is that it's staring to KICK! They're more like flutters actually and I feel them constantly in my belly! Oh how I LOVE 'em flutters! It's feels like my baby's communicating with me and that's just awesome!

Morning Sickness
It's hasn't left me yet but I never stop hoping. I'll have great days without ANY nausea, am able to go to work and actually perform, go shopping, get my nails done, hangout with Sham and then the next day BAM! everything just falls apart and I'm well... getting sick all over again.

But like I said, after 5.5 months, I've decided enough is enough. The morning sickness may weaken my body, but it ain't gonna weaken my mind! And how am I gonna make that happen? More on that in my next post!

"Strength does not come from physical capacity.

It comes from an indomitable will."

~ Mahatma Gandhi

On Moving On... And Staying the Same!

We had a great time Friday night. Sham & I had our friends from church over for a (very) late housewarming party.
We didn't want to bother with sorting dinner out, so we catered.
Turned out to be a great idea cos we got to spend all our time talking and chatting and laughing and catching up with everyone.

We all met about 8 years ago, as singles or newly weds. The subject of conversations then were the latest movies, weekend plans, career ambitions, holiday destinations, etc.

NOW... here we were, all gathered together with pregnant bellies, diaper bags, toys stuffed into handbags, toddlers at the hip, talking about baby bearing, child-raising, home renovations, recipes, etc.

Yup, time flies. And boy, I can't believe how we've grown.... to people with serious responsiblities!! Us! We could hardly believe it ourselves.

What is great though (and a huge relief) is knowing that some things... don't change!
Like our ability to make each other laugh loud and crazy and have an AWESOME fun time together!

And for that, I shout a loud and hearty 'AMEN'!

Pregnancy Update : Getting Fit

Before being pregnant, I took weekly squash lessons and did kickboxing.
I loved the intensity of both sports and the workout it gave me and always felt so energized afterwards!
Both sports are a big no-no now since the plenty hip movements involved aren't good for the me or the baby.

So aside from some swimming I've started at the Club, some minor housework and the occasional walk around the neighbourhood with Sham, I've more or less been a lazy bum!!
Definitely high-time for some exercise!

So last night, I started Pregnancy Fit Ball classes at FitFor2 in Bangsar Village and I must say, I loved every minute of it!
Not only was it cleverly designed to greatly benefit expectant mothers, it was fun too. For a good hour, we bounced, stretched, marched and even got on all fours!
According to my instructor and all that I've been reading, the work out does help to ease delivery... so here's hoping!

Either way, I felt super fine after so this mama-to-be's definitely going back for more!