Top 5 Baby Items to buy!

Heard that there will be a few Baby Fairs in the month of March, so gotta start shopping around for the items that I absolutely must have!

*Ok, friends who are reading my blogs, I’m not trying to hint what Baby Shower pressies to buy, in fact, most of these items cost a few hundred dollars a pop, so… I’m just sharing with fellow friends and bloggers about the stuff that I need. *no pressure* ;P

1) Miracle Blanket

One particular friend SWEARS by this product. This piece of blanket has bought her precious hours of uninterrupted sleep. Anything that can buy me extra hours of sleep when screaming Beanie arrives, I’ll buy it. PERIOD. In fact, I'll most probably buy 3, in case Beanie pukes or poops in the blanket, which I can so see it coming...

2) Medela pump Free-style

This is a duo pump that according to my friends, is one of the best in the market. This piece of gadget does not come cheap but my rationale is: if I had already spent a bomb on a breast pump, I jolly well stick to breast-feeding to make my money worthwhile. Die die must breastfeed!

3) Ergo Baby Carrier

Remember the Koala mummy mantra? From my research, Ergo Baby Carrier is one of the few carriers that will allow me to wear my baby in the front or on my hip or on my back, ala “Ninga Turtle” style. And most importantly, Ergo carriers support a natural sitting position for babies, so allowing babies to be comfortable. Moreover, the design also balances the weight of the baby on the parent’s shoulders AND hips, saving the parent’s back muscles. For very young babies, I just need to buy a “baby insert” that can provide the required support to a newborn’s head. Viola, instead of carrying the baby around, I can have BOTH of my hands to run my errands and do my chores.

4) Cloth Diapers

Did I mention that I’m a tree hugger and I wana be a Koala mummy? So, I must live to my mantra right? Using cloth diapers save the environment AND money… so, I’m definitely going to give these modern cloth diapers a try. There will be mountains of poop to wash, so wish me luck!

5) ) Arm’s Reach co-sleeper

I’ve been searching high and low for this co-sleeper. But it seems that many shops no longer carry this product. I guess I just have to find a cot that can be adjusted to my bed’s height, and place the cot right next to my bed instead. I have the intention the let Beanie co-sleep in the bedroom for the first few months, I figure that night feeds will be easier for the both of us where I can just scoop Beanie from the cot (next to my bed) and breastfeed Beanie instead of running to the nursery every 2-3 hours.

There are still so many other items to buy, eg: stroller, bathing basin, bips, towels, baby's clothes, Baby's carseat, ear plugs, massage chair (for me, of course), slimming wraps... ...

Ok, buy the top 5 first!

15 hrs a day, how long can you last?

I’ve always wondered how do some people work 15 hrs a day, EVERYDAY?

We are talking about a competitive and intense environment where you eat at your desk during lunches AND dinners, with non-existence breaks. The only break is to dash to the toilet for 30 seconds and you are back slogging away at your desk.

We are talking about fellow colleagues being mean to each other and yelling at each other because everyone is just so overworked. The vicious cycle goes on and on… … …

How do these people do it?

I can maybe do something like that for say, 2 weeks max, and yes, I have had pulled such hours in my younger days, but not EVERYDAY. Only when I need to meet a deadline… …

But now, Hub is working 15 hrs everyday, Monday to Friday. The only consolation is that his weekends, so far, have been free. *touch wood*

Every time when I facetime Hub using the Iphone 4, I can tell that he is looking more haggard day by day and he is getting grumpier by the day.

I would also pull a black face if I have to work from 8.30 am to 11.30 pm EVERYDAY, with lunches at 3 pm at my desk and dinner at 10.30 pm at my bloody desk again.

I want to tell my husband that we don’t need a lot of money to be happy.

I’ll rather that we spend time with each other, stay in a HDB flat, and don’t drive a car (not that we have one anyway). We’ll just take occasional holidays to M’sia but we’ll be happy. I don’t need expensive handbags or shoes or any stupid diamonds.

Beanie doesn’t have to go to those branded childcare or expensive enrichment lessons.

I just want my husband to be his jovial self again. Less stress, less angst, more love and awareness towards himself and his loved ones.

I can’t wait for his posting in HK to be over. Haiz… 10 more months to go.

Preggy or simply a Telly Tubby?

Now that I have just a very tiny bump, I’ve encountered a few rather funny incidents while taking the MRT.

Firstly, I must applaud that most Singaporeans and fellow passengers are really quite considerate and gracious to give up their seats when they notice a Preggy is on board. So far, many had given up their seats for me, although some were unsure whether I’m pregnant or simply… a Telly Tubby.

Incident 1

I was on the train and stood in front of this gentleman. He took a look at me and immediately had this constipated look. I could literally see a bubble above his head, “Preggy or not? Hmm, I do not want to offend this lady by giving her the seat but only to have her snapped back at me because she isn’t pregnant!”

So to end his dilemma, I decided to help him out a bit by pushing out whatever tummy that I had and did a REALLY exaggerated rub on my tummy. Very theatrical, I know… but I really do need the seat ok!

He got my cue immediately and sprang up from his seat to offer it to me. So, we had a happy ending, he was feeling pleased about himself, being a considerate gentleman, and I was so glad to grab a seat.

Incident 2

So, once again I was on the train, standing just right in front of the priority seat. The train was really full and passengers who had seats were busy playing with their Iphones. I was feeling rather good until a man got into the train with a bad case of BO. On any other normal days, I doubt I could smell anything. But now, I have become Wolfverine and can smell a fart from 2 km away.

The BO was so bad (at least to me, everyone else didn’t seem to smell anything or simply too polite to make any faces), I couldn’t help myself but to gag… hrm, rather loudly. But it was totally unintentional lah.

Sorry dude, but… you were making me puke.

Thankfully the lady in front of me saw me gagging and immediately gave up her seat. I took it gratefully. With a seat, I could fish out a tissue paper to cover my nose and breathe through my mouth, and concentrate very hard NOT to vomit on the train. So, another happy ending, although a bit smelly.

All in all, I am very grateful to all those who had given up their seats to me. Thanks fellow passengers!

The weirdest way to lose weight

For the longest time, I've been trying very hard to keep my weight under 50 kg. At my fittest and leanest, I was 48 kg and that was when I got married. After all, I gotta be a pretty and svelte bride right?

Unfortunately, since then on, my weight had always been slightly above 50 kg, usually just a few kilos more, but enough to cause some anguish and motivation to hit the gym on a regular basis.

But ever since I got pregnant, I’ve been losing weight. I went down to a low of 48.5 kg, and as of this morning, my weight was merely 49.4 kg. The nurse, who took my weight, frowned at me and asked whether I was a heavy smoker.

“I do not smoke?!?!”

“You gotta eat more, young lady” as she stared at me with her disapproving eyes.

Trust me, I used to be SUCH A PIG before I have Beanie. I live to eat and I love my food. So much so that, it’s always Hub who has to remind me NOT to eat like there’s no tomorrow.

But now… I can barely look at food without gagging.

I miss my old, piggy self who can eat a big bowl of Bah Chor Mee, plus 1 bowl of Ching Teng and can still wolf down a medium scoop of Yummi Yogurt.

I’m really trying VERY hard to eat healthy and nutritious meals but unless I cook these meals myself, I just have to depend on take-aways and even with the take-aways, I can barely eat half of the portions.

Whenever I am slightly hungry, I can only eat a few mouthfuls and I simply do not feel like eating anymore. If I force myself to eat more, I will throw up the entire meal and that’s really counter-intuitive.

I know I should eat small meals, and that’s what I try to do. I’ll eat a banana here, a yogurt there, or some cornflakes with milk.

I just want to gain my appetite back! ;(

Volkswagen Commercial: The Force

Haha... after watching this commercial, I do want a boy! A mini Darth Vader is so cute!

Who’s going to look after Beanie?

Singapore’s workfare scheme is becoming too successful. So much so that, both my in-laws and my mother are all working either full or part-time in their so-called “retirement years”.

Both my mother and mother-in-law are in their late 50s and my father-in-law is in his mid-sixties. Both ladies are still actively contributing to our Singapore’s economy and even my father-in-law is working on a part-time basis.

Previously when my mom was bugging me for a grandchild, she volunteered to be the main care-giver and would babysit my kid(s) to encourage me to start a family.

Now, she is having cold feet.

“Hmm, actually my current company is treating me rather well…”

“My company recently sent me for many training sessions, y’know. And I learnt many new things…”

“Eh, nowadays got Infantcare centres and govt got subsidize rite…?”

“Hrm, I’ve not taken care of babies for a long time and I think I’m out of touch…”

Argh!!! Seems that my mother is having second thoughts about being a Babysitter to Beanie. She is still currently considering her options…

I’ve always thought that my mom’s current job is rather hectic and stressful. Now that my youngest brother has already started working, I’ve suggested to my mom to take things easy, either convert to a part-time basis or simply retire.

But with the highly successful campaign of “work-till-you-die-because-your-CPF-isn’t-enough-for-your-retirement-even-if-you-have-children-who-are-willing-to-support-you” scheme, my mom proudly declared that she is going to work till she’s 68 yrs old or until she dropped dead?!

I’m sure her job gives her a great sense of fulfillment and her interaction with fellow colleagues keep her busy and entertained. In addition to the fact that she can be financial independent as long as she keeps her job.

Not to short-change my mother financially, I’ve mentioned that I would pay her according to “market rate” for being a care-giver to Beanie. However, the notion of being a SAHG, stay-at-home-Grandparent comes across more as a sacrifice than a blessing.

Grandparents, no longer want to look after their grandchildren anymore. Yet, at the same time, they bug us for grandchildren for them to play during their “off-days”.

So, who’s going to look after the children during normal working hours?

A maid? I am very uncomfortable with that idea. Especially an unsupervised maid alone at home with a wailing baby.

Myself? I cannot afford it. Being a SAHM, stay-at-home-mom is out of question. Unless I can somehow run a small business that can at least pay for the mortgage, and yet allows me rock the cradle at home.

A Nanny? A super rare commodity in this time and age, especially a good nanny who is willing to take care, love and discipline your child as her own, is really, really, really difficult to come by.

I guess Infantcare will be the last resort. Times like this, I really wonder why the hell do I bother to have any children at all.