26 months - animal feeding trail

oh we are such suckers for the animal feeding sessions at the zoo now.... proximity to zoo + the thrill of hands-on feeding + an unafraid toddler makes for spending lots of moolah on several pieces of veggies. :p

we got to the zoo early enough to catch the elephant feeding session today (9.15) and it was a fun experience for h feeding bananas, apples and carrots to two hungry gentle asian elephants ... or rather, feeding their trunks. she's really not frightened of big creatures which I think is uncommon for kids her age judging by the reactions of others who look her size. 

then after a breakfast pit stop where she more or less demolished a large portion of my nasi lemak, we went to feed the giraffes and there again she was all excited and loving the fun of having the giraffes roll out their tongues to get the carrot and sweet potato sticks but pulling her hand away fast enough so that she didn't get licked. she amused the watchers-on with her reactions.

and then the goats. we didn't pay to feed them this round though and made do with the leaves that are hung out during non-feeding times. good fun.

looking forward to the farmstay in albany this round as i think she will really enjoy herself there.

25 months - in conversation

"mummy, how come you wear these clothes to work?" - i went for a swim after work and came back in tshirt and shorts

"did 林老师 come to school today?" "no" "where did she go?" "she went to work" - because everyone who doesn't go to school goes to work.

"where are we going?" - she asks this without fail when we get into the car

"later i buy a new one for you. i buy you TWO!" when she wants to take my biscuit/sweet and i am left with none.

"the farm has no animals!!" - reporting to me after school one day in a you-should-have-told-me-earlier tone. she had been all excited to go on a class trip to a hydroponics farm, but she probably assumed it was an animal farm because all her farm storybooks are about animal farms. i think she felt a bit cheated. 

15 weeks - chubby baby???

went for a check-up yesterday and the doc said "this baby is quite chubby!" really? can tell? it was nice and quite reassuring to see baby move about on the screen too, given that i still can't feel his movements that regularly for now.

looks like a c-section is on the cards as well unless my cervix isn't so stubborn this round :( 

broke the news to the team at work and i think they were quite stunned ("bombshell!" said one) because they weren't expecting it and because they all assumed i would "outlast" them in the division. waiting for a chance to tell the boss.... but he hasn't been in much. wonder what his reaction will be?

 

14 weeks - it's a ....

the clinic called on monday morning to tell us that the harmony test results were in (much earlier than i expected) and we were in the low risk category. what a relief! and so thankful! 

the clinic staff also asked if we would like to know the gender, and when i said yes, she said "it's a male" in a very matter of fact way. i think said, "what? again?" heh. 

what a different way of finding out baby's gender! from a blood test and over the phone instead of a scan where both parents hear the news together.

i am hoping my nose isn't going to grow big over time, something that i have often observed among ladies expecting boys.

25 months - balloons and kitchens

attended a twins birthday party over the weekend and h was all cooperative in the lead up to the afternoon party because of the promises of balloons and birthday songs. she even acquiesced to wearing her flowery green dress (there was a flowers theme) when she's usually insisting on peppa pig everything.

she showed enormous patience waiting for her turn in the balloon sculpting line, where the balloon man was taking awhile to make elaborate Disney princesses for the older girls who were naturally louder and more demanding. 

she on the other hand wasn't too impressed with her balloon flower corsage and asked subsequently for a blue elephant. blue. elephant. not just any coloured elephant. 

i didn't think the result looked anything like an elephant but it pleased her a lot and she went everywhere in the party room with the elephant. even into the ball pit. thankfully the balloon was rather hardy.

later came across a very nice play kitchen set at the ELC store at forum and got it for her. have been on a look out for a decent play kitchen for awhile now but didn't find one that was nice and sturdy enough but within reasonable price range. got hers for $229 after some store discount, and i guess that's quite reasonable considering that the fisher price one i had oh so long ago cost $199 if i recall correctly.

there was a display set in the store and the first thing she asked after examining the set was "where is the food?" because the play food accessories were not on display. so funny.

glad we got her the kitchen as she is smitten. she got down to "cooking" once we assembled the set at home and served us our first meals. she's also saying things like "no more (tomato soup) already. later i buy new one for you" and also pretending to add pepper and salt to her food and feeding her soft toys. one thing though, she's cooking her food in the kitchen sink, not on the stove. heh.

this morning there was no sound from her room except for the clicking of the stove dials... usually she'll call for us quite soon after she gets up at 7ish, but not today because she was too busy in her kitchen.

WIN! for everyone. :D

25 months - no more emo

baby seems to be slowly getting over her "emo" phase, both at school and home. today was the second day after a long while that she didn't cry when we dropped her off at childcare and the first when she actually waved bye to us and SMILED! wow. little things to be thankful for. 

let's see if she gets over the "i don't want to go to playground school" part that happens the moment she catches sight of me bringing her school uniform into her bedroom. slowly, slowly.

so this is the terrible twos .....

13 weeks - physio

have been getting some positive results from the physio and all the physio homework i have been doing! i think my range of movement has increased, and i also can stand straighter although it is still not without pain. but it is progress considering i have been bent over for quite awhile already.

still not sure if tennis ball torture is actually working, but will persevere for a bit longer.

25 months - outdoor water play

found a neat hidden gem water play area alongside the lower seletar reservoir. we spent so much time there that it was way past baby's nap time when we got back. we will be back on a hot afternoon/evening.

---

photos from our second visit to the reservoir park. this time we were there for a good two hours hanging out with d&p and baby maya while having a huge breakfast feast in between having to watch h play at the water play area. it's a pity there isn't much shade near the water feature ... 

12/13 weeks - growth spurt??

went for the harmony test blood work today and the doc did a scan prior to make sure baby 2 was ok before proceeding, which was nice. and he also waived the scan and consultation fee, which was also nice.

based on the CRL measurements, baby 2 is 13 weeks 0 days along. whaaaa? based on the first scan, this should only be 12 weeks 1 day. anyway, doc didn't seem concerned. i also hadn't put on any weight since the check-up last thursday (64.4kg) and this time i weighed in wearing jeans rather than office wear. oh well. it probably is due to more exercise and less snacking. good for me! :D

10-14 working days before the results come back. i hope we can breathe a little easier afterwards and just concentrate on growing baby and getting my back all better.

just went for my first physio session yesterday at focus pilates and felt quite good about it. the physiotherapist said all the muscles around the pain points in my back and buttocks have tensed up as a natural reaction to stop me from moving so much. her massage to relieve these muscles was super painful ... especially on my right side where all the pain is occurring. also went away with physio homework to do at home - breathing exercises to strengthen the core, pelvic tilts, stretches .... it's actually hard work as i found out yesterday night. oh well, anything to get this protruding disc issue sorted out before i get too heavy.