Ashton is 12 days old..

time flies when one is so busy.. DS is now 12 days.. but he developed pustales.. look like pimple outbreak!! n so near his eyes....painful! these are supposed to be normal, but his is very big and numerous and spreads all over face, back, body, eyelids... sob sob..

even jadelle is concerned.. ask me to put cream on didi's eyelids!

we have been to PD, even he got a shock.. but still insist iz normal. just that he had it really bad. & was given cream to apply to the areas around the eyes, as well as areas on his body & neck..

other then this, he has been a good baby.. latching every 2-3 hrs and sleeping in between.. pooing & wee wee as per normal.. i can grab 3-4 hrs of sleep in between at night.. about 1am to 5am..he wakes up 1am, 4am, 6am and 8:30am.. but not much interrupted, as when i am sleepy, i juz give up and ly down and feeding him at the same time..

so different from jadelle's 1st 2 weeks of life!

Aside from latching him, i am expressing on average an extra 70-90ml every day... this amount, i only give him when he is really fussing.. otherwise, trying to boost up supply and ensure i have advance supply in excess for him..

things are so much easier this round..

1st day and night at home with Ashton..

Ashton's home finally.. he had to stay one more night as he had mild jaundice.. was relieved when his level dropped and allowed to come home..

as he did not poo much initially, AK & I decide to let him take abit of FM in hospital, while i try to express colostrum/ EBM..

he came home sleepy leh.. looks like 60ml is too much for him..lasted him from 8:45am to 1pm!

we had an uneventful night. latched him every 2-3 hrs.. (each breast). his last feed @ 12am, i latch him 2 sides so that he can sleep abit longer..and his next feed was dragged until 5am. with a poo & wee wee in between.. crossing fingers that this will continue..

Maid wise, so far so good.. maybe i ain't demanding much lah..

now blogging as i am using my medela freestyle.. hmm.. suction is good.. but but.....milk supply still stuck inside breasts.. can feel the lumps still.. sigh.. each time expressing only 20-30ml, even on a full breast.. why like this huh? i really tried liaoz.. still cannot, i pump only when i go back work liaoz.. sigh..

visiting time.. and jadelle's first view of her brother..

After sending out announcement messages.. visitors start arriving.. who came?

jason, priscillia, joanne, mum, dad, francis, cynthia, huaqing, wenqi, lilian, hing, maderick, AK's parents.. nora.. and of course, the most important visitor to us at this point, JADELLE...

asked wenqi & gang to help take pictures and to hide the baby first.. so that i won't be carrying baby when she comes in..

She was so happy to see me.. i asked her to touch my tummy.. ask her where is didi? then i whispered to her that doctor persuaded didi to come out already. and he is ready to meet his big sister.. and that he bought a present for her.. does she want to know where he is? she stared around, sitting next to me.. my girl's eyes were so big..

then AK pushed in the baby with a present inside meant for jadelle.. he told jadelle that she has a present for didi also.. and say that didi has a present for her.. does she want to give didi her present?

she nod her head.. and we told her that didi also has present for her.. does she want to know wat didi give her?

she nod yes.. and took it.. and say thanks to didi.. and i helped her open it up..

she like the goofy baby towel.. and later on, we taught her how to carry didi.. mum helped.. she kissed him! i was soo relieved.. hope this last..

then when Ashton start to wail.. she exclaimed.. don't cry!! we all laughed.. i hug her and praised her..

NEXT Hurdle: her acceptance of me breastfeeding the baby..

I ask her.. jadelle how? didi so small? how are we going to feed him? he need energy to carry milk bottle.. and milk bottle too big now..

i ask her ok to feed milk milk? she say yes.. feed milk! i ask her: but where to get milk from? she looked around for milk powder.. so i said.. remember when u baby, where you drink milk from? so can mummy feed didi nan nan? she nod yes..

Drew the curtains. i latched the baby as he was crying.. and i ask jadelle, is this correct? u tell didi.. he still learning..jadelle nod head yes.. correct.. and asked to carry.. so i tell her still not yet drink finish.. wait a while..

she left me and didi behind, saying good night.. and knowing she will come find me tomorrow.. i miss my princess already..

Announcing baby Ashton's arrival...@ week 38, 5 days..

I have yet to update about the past week's event, and have already pop.. so much happened this last week..

Jadelle was ill with phlegm and running nose.. and cried for me at night and vomit out phlegm at night..

Then maid arrived on Saturday.. so much to teach her..

Sunday was reunion's dinner with AK's extended family.. we joked about me eating the good stuff before i pop.. ate crab, yusheng, seafood etc.

Observed Nora, my new maid.. abit slow and not much detail about caring for my girl.. but need to give her time, only 2nd day.

Hope Lily can help out more when i am back home.

my birth story:

1:30am: tummy ache.. no pass motion past few days.. cleared my bowels 2x.. but still feel like going toilet..

6+am: wake up to go toilet again... poo another 4x.. but still feel unclear.. and totally unlike jadelle's time of menstrual cramps..did not associated it with contractions.. until.. the feeling stretched until the spine..

7:30am: Woke up AK, he was due to wake up for work anyway.. "dear, i think i having contractions leh.. past 1 hr got min. 6-8 times.."

but not sure of how regular it was, so asked him to shower n i monitor.. 7 minutes interval..

8am: called gynae for advice.. pretty confirmed it is contractions! but no show, no water bag bursting.. by this time, Jadelle has woken and knew that something was up! she had abit of biscuits with mummy..who gobbled down cereal oats and bird's nest..

9am: by this time, Lily and AK's parents came over already.. we gave Lily a list of instructions to show Nora basic stuff done in blk 38... hope we don't overwhelm her..

9:45am- 10am: we leave blk 38.. Jadelle cried.. wants mummy to go with her to ye ye's car.. mummy whispered to jadelle that doctor wants to help didi to come out from mummy's tummy.. so we go find doctor first.. later, didi will say hi to her..

10:30am: told AK to turn into Geylang Bahru hawker centre.. it's my last chance to grab watever i want to eat! Ate Thai coconut, mee rubus, chwee kueh.. and suddenly we both missed Jadelle.. feels upset without her being around.. until contractions hit.. every 6-7 minutes.. AK & I contemplated going to the clinic first or straight to Mt. A..

11am: decided to go straight to mt. A.. by then, i was moaning softly and grabbing AK when contractions hit.. every 5-6 minutes.. but still tolerable.. checked into delivery suite 8.. 5 cm dilated! Nurse say it's my last chance to decide for Happidural or not.. i knew i can go without it.. but was afraid that i will push too early.. the urge to poo.. very strong.. so i opted for it.. but this time, not much time to rest..told anesthesist about last round's event to warn him.. he was confident not due to epidural.. i ask for normal dosage.

12 noon: AK start to get nervous..he estimated another 3-4 hrs?

12:30pm: Chandra checked me.. burst water bag.. Iwas surprised at the lack of water.. so much for expecting a gush like jadelle's time into the toiletbowl!

1:45pm: suddenly felt contractions through the epidural.. was surprised.. as the screen did not show any contractions.. was very puzzled.. intercom the nurse.. she checked..10 cm dilated.. flurry of activity suddenly.. all nurses started to panic and get busy... my bladder was super full from the coconut.. and um, caught the nurse by surprise.. the floor was wet before she can capture it properly into the urine bag..

was quickly taught how to push..

next wave..push push push.. was surprised.. it all came back naturally.. baby head became juz behind perinium..

one more wave.. push push push.. every one got excited..

another wave.. chandras say it is going very well..

and another wave.. chandras say likely he can stretch me without episiotomy.. ask me to push gently.. but he overmotivated me.. so happy can go without episiotomy.. i push too hard.. and got a little tear.. everyone got a scare.. thought the baby will fly out.. darn! stitches again! heng this round iz small stitch!

1:56pm: Baby Ashton Kwok arrived! 3.020 kg, 47cm tall, double eyelids.. screaming into the world.. Chandras put him on my lap.. this round, i am much more lucid.. saw my boy arrived. saw the placenta.. didn't know it was so small..and saw umbilical cord.. i thought i saw it around his shoulder..

AK asked gynae to cut the cord.. everyone was puzzled and he explained that he gotta be fair to Jadelle as he did not have the chance to cut her cord.. OOHH... the labour ward's team's reaction... AK was so relieved that this round was so smooth..

i latched Ashton's on once the epidural tubes were removed.. he is a good learner.. looks like i dun need to pump so much if i want.. will try to do tandem pumping to increase milk storage supply.. otherwise, i will be darn tired in the months ahead.. not used to carrying a 3+kg baby again..

We rested and waited nervously for jadelle to come.. next story..

am officially week 36...... and the wait begins..

So far, i haven't post much about how Baby A behaves inside my womb.. maybe, now i will do it.. before i forget..

He has been a strong baby.. resilient (= no early bleeding) and has been giving me a relatively hassle-free pregnancy (i was walking about and rushing all over the place for work, study and time with Jadelle) and am non the worst for it.

Juz drove my BMW again today as i had no choice but to go up to sembawang for a meeting.. the bmw makes driving with a huge tummy relatively painfree, bump free and easy cruising.. of course, i kept to the speed limit and dun drive like my normal self.. ah.. almost lah.. keke..

last time with Jadelle, i stopped driving the Marchie @ week 28...

Baby A, he loves to play in the evenings and at night.. hope he can reverse this.. and he love the sound of his sister.. cos he kicks whenever she is talking to him or when i am talking to her. hmm.. maybe fighting for attention?

Jadelle is getting aware of baby A's pending arrival.. I am trying to put things in a positive note to her.. like how didi when he comes out, no strength hold milk bottle, so mummy gotta help, jadelle can help also..and teach didi how to drink milk from mummy.. also telling jadelle that soon she will have her own baby brother to play with and no have to wait to go out to see other babies.. which she fully agree with me..

Am also preparing her for her N1 classes.. am talking to her positively about it.. gotta prepare her Barney bag, her mickey mouse water bottle.. and some comfort stuff like her mickey pillow, her favorite rabbit pampers (drypantz pull ups).. and likely i will put in stuff that she can opt to share with her new friends.. like biscuits in her barney lunchbox?

Am sad that i am unlikely to go with her. Will get Daddy to bring her on her first day with Grandma.. My girl going to school ALONE, UNACOMPANIED.. will i get used to that??

next round, when she go N2 and K1, i'll make sure i will be able to make it.

As i am typing this, she is sleeping soundly.. on my bed.. when will she be out of my bed? probably when i can get over my addiction to her? keke.. it is more mummy & daddy who are reluctant to give up cosleeping.. looks like i should have bought a KING size bed instead..

photo shoot pictures are out..

Can be viewed at http://www.slide.com/r/zBngdCB55D_KhFpGiD8DBrYbnVnomHiy?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

maternity shots for Baby A

Exam results out!!

Academic Year
Semester
Module Code
Module Title
Grade
2008/2009

RE5001
REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT
A-

RE5002
LEGAL & INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK
B-

RE5003
REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT ANALYSIS
A

Passed everything!! Yah!! Really surprised at the results, as Real Estate Investment Analysis was my preeve.. the study group really helps.. am grateful for such support from my classmates when AK was down with dengue etc...

ver pleased with my 2As..

My exam results

Baby A is 2.3kg, very low down, but anot yet engaged..

At 34 weeks plus.. Baby A is quite on par with jadelle's weight @ similar timing.. the only diff? He is not in OB position, so delivery this round likely to be easier.. and he is much lower then expected, so Dr. Chandras expect him to arrive earlier.. latest is 1 week before EDD.. but since i am 10 more days to week 36.. he say, anytime also ok.. gotta prepare everything liaoz.. this means that Baby A will be lighter then Jadelle..

I hope he can latch on well, i can pump out more milk this round, he will be a guai guai bb boy and dun keep crying so that i can cope better with jadelle's transition to a big jie jie..

oh dear.. the chinese medical stuff.. i super blur what to prepare leh..

Haven't got the prezzie for jadelle ready... what to get her?

kitchen playset? mickey mouse watch? if watch, digital or clock face?

next check up will be on 5th Jan..

meantime, unsure what to do about my work. Do i start my maternity earlier? how much earlier?

week 34.. and back from a well deserved 2D1N break with AK @ Batam Turi Beach..

Am in the holiday mood.... and also brooding over the pending arrival of Baby A and the changes he will bring along to us..

Took a well deserved 2D 1N break with AK.. it was a good choice.. selected Turi Beach resort.. and upgraded to their new rooms.. which AK likes alot.. and less mosquitoes.. (he is fearful of mosquitoes now!).

It was the 15th of the Lunar Month and the moon was bright and gives a nice romantic sheen to the short holiday.

We deposited Jadelle with MIL on Friday morning.. and told her she will be spending her night with grandma, which she understood.. we then decided to drive straight to the ferry terminal @ tanah merah, and parked our car overnight (cost us 23 bucks, equal to taking taxi to & fro!)

Ferry ride was uneventful and we sat in aircon area for 25 min. Arrived at hotel by 11am Indonesian Time. We were given our rooms early.. it was a standard room in the Riani wing.. hmm.. very very basic.. and dim and there is this strong insect repellent smell..

we decided to explore this resort first.. and discovered a new Tirta wing, which is soooo nice.. fell in love with the view and the room's design.. we enquired and just have to top up 60 sgd to upgrade.. after some discussion with AK, we decided to take the upgrade.. and while the rooms are being prepared, we decided to take a taxi to Batam Centre (90,000rupiah = ~14 sgd ) to explore one of the shopping centres called mega mall.

Being Friday, it was very quiet and business was poor.. We bought a rootbeer float from A&W (We really missed that!) and went up to check out the movies in the cineplex.. and got a pleasant when we realise that they were showing the latest movie: the day the earth stood still/ keanu reeves. and best part? it cost only 2+sgd per pax! We immediately bought tickets! after the show, we went to grab a twin personal pan pizza set from pizza hut.. (6 sgd), 6 J Co. donuts (6 for 4 +sgd) and bought some cheap cartoon dvds for jadelle and bought 1 packet of fishballs.

Went back to the resort. checked into our new room (we got a further complimentary upgrade to pool view, which gives us a seaview plus nearer to the pool), and had our dinner in the room..

Chit chatting was like such a treasured time, we didn't have to rush through dinner, and we both mutually discovered that it has been 2 years + since our last trip to Hong Kong/ Macau since we travelled alone!

Eversince, we never travelled without Jadelle! Of course, after that, i did make solo trips to Shanghai, Australia etc.. for work & with Joyce.. but not together with AK.

It was a full & satisfying dinner, with sea breeze, moonlit night etc. After dinner, we decided to take a walk to the boardwalk/ jetty. had the sense to grab my cardigan.. the night was nice and breezy and under the moon, it wasn't that dark.. saw the local hotel staff fishing off the end of the jetty..

Finally turned in at close to midnight.. we had an uninterrupted sleep (no Jadelle whining to us to pat her or give her milk!) and woke up for breakfast..nothing special, but they had omelette.. and coffee was nice.. overate.:(

decided to go for a swim at the pool.. there are 2 pools.. we decided to take the one closer to our room, what i called the honeymoon pool as it is more picturesque and deeper and no kids.. and to my surprise, they have piped music surrounding that pool! That made alot of diff!

The sun was out, it was not as cloudy as yesterday.. and we spend like ~1 hr there.. the view was nice.. and basically, my brain stopped working.... it has been so busy over the last few months!!

Can see that AK also was enjoying the break from routine.. especially after his bout with dengue.. he has been stressed up with workload also..

Well, at least we are fair to Baby A, cos we did go to Hyatt JB when i was pregnant with Jadelle..

People at the resort are pleasantly surprised at me being pregnant.. some initially did not realise that i am pregnant..

oh.. after our breakfast and swim, we showered and packed our stuff and checked out.. Wandered around and realise that the spa in the hotel is actually reasonable ( SG rates, like 58 sgd for a 1 hr body massage?), definitely cheaper then Bintan!

But of course, Batam Centre offers cheaper rates for manicure & pedicure (4 sgd each?) and am sure that massage is half this price! No.. we didn't have time to do massage, and no way, AK will let me do it!

Next trip, will bring jadelle when baby A is older..:) missed her alot when we were there.. if i ain't heavily pregnant, would have brought her along..

Took the ferry back and decided to sit out at the top to enjoy the seabreeze and sunshine back on the ride back home.. It was less choppy, but of course, i had to climb to the top of the flight of stairs on the ferry. but it was a good end to the short holiday.

Now that it is over, it is time to get down to work and prepare for Baby A's arrival.

At week 32, i am so darn light @ 49kg!

Its been almost 2 months since my last posting.. life has been tough since.. with hubby down with dengue, at the worst possible timing ( i was rushing my masters' projects, my work projects, preparations for exams etc.).

And i managed to survive through all my examinable papers...1 was better then expected as i was initially soooo worried about it, the other was worse then i expected.. sigh..

Now 23rd dec, i will know if i get the min. CAP score of 3.0 or an equivalent of B-......... geez.. this is WAY WAY far off compared to undergraduate times when even a B+ doesn't satisfy me!

oh, i went for gynae check up last night.. Baby A is now 1.71kg.. average size.. he should not be a big baby when i pop.. hmm.. hopefully next visit @ 35 weeks, he can be close to 2.5kg.. likely he will be ~2.8kg when i pop.. lighter then jadelle who was 3.19kg..

so far, i gained 7kg.... we shall see..

Maternity shots coming up on December 20th... a good chance to document jadelle's growth too!

And, to take my break before the bedlam hits... will be finally going for an overnight trip to Turi Beach resort with AK alone on the 12th December...without Jadelle.. we both need a break..

Stuff that we have added on so far for baby A:
- maxi cosi infant car seat ( to clip onto the ZAPP)
- Stroller padding
- more polo ralph lauren clothing!
- Bedding sheets from IKEA (blue bubbles as selected by his big sister Jadelle)
- more cute rompers from Song & Song (3 sgd each!)
- disney rompers from Bendemeer factory outlets (8 sgd each!)
- milk bottles (NUK, Pigeon, AVENT)
- breastpump (PIS advanced & Avent Isis from USA @ 20% off.. i both both pumps @ 450 nett, inclusive of alot of other stuff also.. am not expecting to latch so often as may not have time!)
- pigeon pacifiers (yes.. decide to succumb, cos i dun want him to disturb jadelle's sleep!)

Gynae asked if we have any questions.. and checked that i have reserved my ward already.. i start to panic.. am i that close to popping? I was asked to stop driving by next gynae visit @ week 35.

Oh yes, took my urine test yesterday and my glucose shoot up, but since Baby A is average size and the amnio fluid is ok level, ain't in much danger yet of a super big baby.... i blame it on the coffee & durian ice kacang and curry puff and.. tapioca chips i snacked on that day!

week 24+ and upheavals worldwide...

its been an exhausting week, with the financial turmoil playing havoc on our mundane lives. classmates in the masters' class are affected negatively and our personal portfolios have plunged like 30%?

Economy suddenly turned into recession.. and this in turn worries us, the man on the street.. Already grappling with inflation and higher cost of living since last year, suddenly, job security becomes the new "in" word again.. so ironical as it hits 10 years ago in similar situation as students..

Having changed jobscope, i find myself struggling for the last 3 weeks to come to terms with the fact that i have returned to the construction industry by chance without any practical experience post graduation, until now.

The last 2 weeks been so hectic.. i feel like i am constantly fighting fire. Seems like in the initial period at least, i have zero time to rest, in between balancing and trying to finish all my masters' projects, my work and still have time for my Jadelle and Andy..

We went to T3 today for dinner and jadelle went nuts.. i think she took too much sugar and was hyperactive.:( She has been growing really fast.. soon, i think we will be arguing with her on what she can/ cannot do. and her temper and stubborness is as bad as us. sigh..

Weighed ourselves at the weighing machine there (meant for luggage!) and i weight 47.4kg.. jade weighs 11.7kg, and AK 71.4kg..

This means that in the space of 1 week, i put on additional 1.5kg! i think i will end up with 10 kg manz..

week 23+ and baby A is 589 gms!

Had a rushed visit to gynae on my b-day during lunch time..

Baby A is confirmed 100% boy, and all clear for the detailed scan on all aspects. He has started to turn around but still might turn again..

He was active as usual and cheekily showed his genitals to gynae, who laughed cos he says that for me, the gender is sooo obvious. I was surprised as i thought that boys are normally super obvious, but he says not all the time!

tummy is bigger now and getting more tired also and movement getting more clumsy. So far, weight gain is 4kg...

wondering how much more i will put on..

Meanwhile, work is hectic since transferring to the new division. My worse nightmare has arrived:

1) working on construction projects
2) ACTUALLY doing tendering
3) MANUAL taking off of required material qty
4) Manage payroll to 50 foreign workers
5) Site operations co-ordination.
6) Doing everything from top to bottom unlike in AMSI, where work is segmented and well organised.

The only thing that makes it abit better: -

1) more moolah compared to before
2) Am learning so much more from top to bottom
3) I have direct impact on profits and let's face it, if all done well, i can easily ask for more moolah, shares, profit sharing etc, especially since so little headcount under this division
4) Bosses and directors are supportive and willing to share and teach
5) CEO 100% behind me
6) I still have remote support from HQ in terms of structure and legal stuff.
7) This new division co. is 100% profitable and DEBT FREE
8) Right now, in the face of all the global and local financial crisises, construction is the only bright spot for next 2-3 yrs...

baby A's damage to our wallet so far..

Hm, decide to pen this down before i forget:

1st gynae visit = 100 sgd
2nd gynae visit = 50 sgd + 50 sgd (DHA)
3rd gynae visit = 550 sgd (prenatal package)
Blood test = 120 sgd
Detailed scan = 220 + 50 sgd (3D photo)
BB clothes bought so far todate = 32 sgd


other stuff pending and to slowly get:

1) new milk bottles
2) pacifier
3) maternity pads
4) towel (bathing)
5) booties & mittens (jade's ones are loose already after constant wash and wear)
6) avent duckbill valves (replacement) and i need to check the damage SIL did to my manual pump, maybe i get another one.. do i need a double pump? this round, maybe have to latch less and pump more..
7) toddler bed/ playpen?
8) nursing clothes
9) a prezzie from baby A to Jadelle
10) cotton wool
11) herbal bath packets
12) no rinse shampoo
13) book massage lady

ah.. can't remember what else!

Week 21 and detailed scan over!

All is clear!! Baby A is drowsy after a heavy and nice lunch with mummy & daddy @ Waraku.. but he perked up after constantly getting pressed by the radiologist..


phew, but we managed to take a 3D photo this round.. Jadelle didn't have one as she was hyper active that time!


And again, poor daddy no get to see the scan leh..

Hmm, from the photos, feel that um, he got his daddy's lips.. nose looks like mine and oh dear, i think his eyes are as small as mine, but then, his eyes were closed, so not sure leh..

Anyway, we cleared the detailed scan in 1/2 hr - record time! And he is perfectly fine in all aspects!!

Showed the photo to my MIL & jadelle also.. i think the photo looks abit scary leh..

Studying, Pregnant, New work environment and.. change job portfolio after only 6 months..

I never thought that my life would have change this way..it used to be so comfortable in the old job, prestigious but lower pay and 9-6pm job mostly, unless i am travelling.

It reached that stage that i asked, there must be more?? I wanted more..more EVERYTHING! As usual, i want to have my cake and eat it..

Took the plunge and jumped into a totally different industry.. New product sales were tougher then what was anticipated due to supplier's resistance and lack of support..but track records are starting to build..

And getting pregnant was unexpected.. job security was a worry.. i wondered how my CEO looked at me.. i took it day by day..

This week, got confirmation from CEO that he wishes to halt pursuing this product but was happy with what I did in the circumstances and wishes me to join another company in the Group doing marine scaffolding, which is his best division.. whole new game! and definitely further and further away from steel... and into smaller and smaller firms..

My colleague reacted jealously to the news.. very unexpected, coming from a veteran with 27 years of working experience.. I guess

Yet, the exposure.. the learning never stops.. i wonder if i know enough.. i worried when i don't.. i hope the new male boss is supportive.. the lady director seems suspicious of me, after all, i am sent over from the biggest shareholder to sit into their company as their eyes and ears.

2009 will be better right for Horses?

And i hope Baby A will be healthy, guai, easy to jaga, and Jadelle will love him to bits..He will be an Ox? or a Rat?? Hopefully Ox..

Week 20 check up coming up next week, followed by detailed scan.