My sweet girl :)

Precious baby..

I don't know if its a bit too early to say so... but to this point in time, mummy really feels that you are a fantastic lil' girl! =)

Since birth, darling has been a well behaved girl.. When you were younger, you'd sleep for hours right after a feed without stirring.. until it was time for the next feed. Day or night, it didn't matter..

And when you became a little older, your awake hours gradually increased.. But thank goodness, most of the time you will be satisfied lying in your rocking chair and playing with your hands.. Or looking at the animal prints on the side of the bedding..

But what really helped daddy, mummy, 外公&外婆the most was that darling has been able to sleep pretty much through the night these days! =) Darling would usually have your last feed at about 8 or 9 pm.. then you'll Zzzzz..... till about 5-6 am before you wake for another feed.. And to be able have 5-6 hours of uninterrupted sleep is definitely a big big bonus for us!=) Not to mention that you never fail to flash us a superrrr sweeeet smile whenever you wake up from your naps, making our day... Totally melts all our hearts.. :)

Not only that, right after your feed, all we need to do is to lie you down, wrap you up snugly and darling would doze off on your own... No need to hold you in our arms to pat or rock you to sleep.. Sounds simple enough yar?? But you have no idea how much mummy appreciates this!! Cos things were never so easy with your sister.. With her, mummy always run the risk of having her being wide awake after feeding her... in the middle of the night!! And your sister didn't quite sleep through the night till she was a bit older.. So that basically translates to feed her, play, rock her to sleep... and soon time to feed again! :S

(We always wonder if her being active at night has to do with her being born in the wee hours of 1+am! Hahaa... )

Of course, darling has your lil' tigress moments too!! Usually darling will doze off once your're tired.. But no thanks to your sister who's always so loud and trying to 'entertain' you when you don't need it, you always end up drifting in and out of sleep.. And after a while, darling will become angry and cranky and start 'roar-ing' away.. Daddy and mummy will then have to 'read' a bedtime story to you or sing to you to get you to calm down and drift off to lala land... Oh, i should mention that you are extremely PARTIAL to daddy's voice! Just yesterday, you were in 1 of your moods and the moment you heard daddy's voice, you stopped your roars and kept turning your head trying to search for your favourite man.. =)

"Time and tide waits for no man" - indeed that is true.. My precious baby is alreay 4 months old! Every now and then, mummy will still reminisce about those early days of your life.. our few months together.. Before I know it, my baby's gonna be all grown up..

Precious Chloe, thank you for being who you are.. thank you for being such a lovely girl... and thank you for being daddy and mummy's lil' gem.. =)

Love,
Mummy

Counting down..

Precious Chloe,

Very soon, mummy will have to return to work.. =( These 16 weeks seemed to have gone by faster than the 12 weeks I had with your sister.. How I wish we could have more time together.. Mummy is absolutely hating the counting down... 2 more days only =( To top it off, mummy had to fall sick this week.. Sigh..

The past 16 weeks had been so fulfilling with you by mummy's side.. This maternity leave is very much different from mummy's previous.. Even though this time round mummy was pretty much on my own most of the time, everything seemed so much more manageable than my 1st ML.. =) Maybe experience helped a little.. But to be fair to you, mummy really feels that darling's fantastic behavior deserves the most praise! :)

Mummy will miss our times together when I head back to the office.. Miss our mother-daughter 'chats'.. miss how you always look affectionately at mummy when feeding you.. miss playing with you.. miss your hugs.. miss everything about you..

Precious darling, mummy's so glad to have you in my life... Mummy loves you..

Love,
Mummy

Jabs.. again!

Dearest Chloe,

On Monday, we brought you to the hospital for your check up and vaccination again.. At 16 weeks old, darling was 60cm tall and weighed 5.8kg.. Well, frankly, mummy felt you were pretty much on the lighter side.. Also, you didn't seem to have put on much weight since your last visit to the hospital at 6 weeks old..

When it was our turn to see Prof Ho, the moment daddy sat down with you in his arms facing Prof Ho, darling gave Prof Ho a super sweet smile.. =) Aww... Darling, if you had thought that the smile might have spared you the jabs, you thought wrongly then.. ;p

Anyway, after a series of physical examinations, measurement of head circumference, testing of motor skills, neck strength, Prof Ho seemed to think that you are progressing remarkably well.. Well, I guess if darling's healthy and happy, mummy shan't be too obsessed with making sure you become as chubby as your sister when she was your age.. =)

After the consultation, we headed to the treatment room for your 2 jabs.. Again, mummy must mention that we are so proud of you! *1st jab* Darling was pretty much oblivious to what the SN was doing to you.. And daddy proved to be a very good distraction! =) But 2nd jab.. We weren't so lucky.. Nope, darling didn't cry... But darling decided to give us all a lecture! If I could add words to your baby language, it'll probably be "Yes, I tolerated it the 1st time.. But it doesn't mean I'm giving you people permission to do this again to me a 2nd time!!@#$*&... *angry scowl*"... Hahaa.. But the moment daddy picked you up from the bed, you were all quiet again. :)

Thank goodness, your temperature didn't went up that high.. In fact, mummy's fever went higher and outlasted yours!

Precious lil' darling, continue to stay strong and healthy yar?? =)

Love,
Mummy

Check-up..

Dearest Chloe,

Happy 6 weeks old! =)

Today is darling's first visit back to the hospital since your discharge.. It's just a routine check plus to get your vaccination.. :) But mummy, 外公,外婆 and your sister were all with you to give you moral support!!:) Daddy had to attend a course today and so couldn't make it down to be with you..

Okay, some updates on darling's progress... At 6 weeks old, darling 'stands' at 53.5cm and weights 4.58kg! Yes, finally some signs that the milk is doing its job! Though you still look so slim to mummy.. :)

During the check up, mummy took the chance to ask Prof Ho regarding your 1x/wk poo.. Mummy was expecting him to be appalled at that revelation and be shaking his head in disapproval.. But I almost fell off the chair when he said that's NORMAL!

Well, basically Prof Ho said every lil' angel is different.. Some poo after every feed (reminds mummy of Aunty Kat's description of Jude 弟弟.. hee..), while others will be like darling.. poo-ing so infrequently.. But, he said, as long as darling is eating well (which certainly is the case!) and the stools are not hard (..this too..), there's no real cause for concern.. He also advised us against giving you medication for that.. (Oops.. I didnt mention lactulose.. But he sure knows what goes on in the minds of paranoid parents!) Just so that your muscles don't become lazy... Yup, we are supposed to let 'nature take its course' and let your muscles build up and be strong enough to pass out what oughta come out.. So don't be lazy huh, lil' muscles! :)

After the check-up, mummy brought darling to the treatment room for your 6-in-1 jab.. Well, it wasn't nearly as traumatic (for mummy) as when mummy 1st brought your sister for the jab.. Cos darling seems to have a pretty high threshold for pain.. You merely cried a few seconds.. then pout your signature pout.. and went back to sleep.. =) [To justify my claims, mummy should mention that when daddy and mummy brought you for your jaundice check when you were merely about a week old, you didn't cry.. not even wince in your sleep when the lab technician poked your lil' foot to draw blood for the test!]

Right now, darling is sleeping peacefully... with a huge cool pad on your small forehead.. (I wonder if it's cos this brand's cool pad is bigger or darling is just so tiny..) A low-grade fever coming on...

Precious lil' one, sleep tight and stay cool yar.. Sweet dreams..

Love,
Mummy

Happy one-month old!

Precious Chloe,

Happy one-month old!:)

Mummy can't quite believe it's been a month since your hatch day.. Or rather, it feels as if we've been together for much longer! Wonder why.. Because you and I go way back to the time when you were still growing within mummy?? Or because days have been much longer since your arrival (i.e. mummy's awake time)? :)

For the past one month, daddy and mummy have been diligently trying to catch all your habits.. learn your language (yes, that equates to deciphering the different types of cries) and make adjustments to our lives, just so that we can take better care of you..

Well, I must say that darling has been performing quite well so far.. The 1st hurdle to cross during your 1st week of life was jaundice.. That didn't give us much problem.. It took all but 2 visits to set our mind at ease that your levels were on a downward trend.. And even at your highest, it was nowhere near your sister's level at the beginning of her creep! Thank goodness for that! :)

Subsequently, darling didn't give us too much problem too.. Well, at least not yet! No problems with diaper rash, milk rash, heat rash so far.. Mummy and daddy would love to think that it was with experience from looking after your sister that helped us take better care of you this round.. (Yes, unfortunately, your sister had all those problems that mummy mentioned above..) Either that, or you are blessed with good skin.. :) It is actually quite a miracle that you don't have any outbreaks on your face yet.. Judging from the way and frequency that your sister plants kisses on you.. Or maybe you should thank her - think swallow's saliva vs jie jie's saliva - Who needs bird's nest these days?! Haa.. As for heat rash, or the lack of, mummy suspects that it's cos darling is on the slender side.. and so not so prone to sweating?? (Yes, again as opposed to your chubby sister who is perpetually feeling warm and sweaty...);) Daddy also noticed how mummy needed both the fan and aircon at full blast while expecting your sister but not for you.. Haa..

Whatever the reasons are, stay this way yar?? For both our good... =)

So far, the only problem we have with you is your bowel habit!! Darling poos only 1x/3-4 days!! Just imagine that.. 3-4 days worth passed out in one shot... Can you picture the 'mountain of gold'?? :p Granted, we get to save diapers, wipes.. But by day 2 of 'no-poo', darling would usually show some signs of crankiness.. fidgeting and squirming when drinking milk.. episodes of crying out of the blue.. And it usually gets worse with each no-poo day.. Sigh.. Darling just 'celebrated' your full month by breaking your record.. 4th day with no poo despite lactulose! Right, what next? Suppositories??

Another thing that puzzles mummy.. Darling is drinking 110ml every 3-4 hourly.. Everyone is telling us it's too much for your own good.. But when darling doesn't have enough, you'll get angry.. Suckling right up to the last drop.. And when mummy pulls out the bottle to avoid your sucking in air, your signature pitiful face will appear (mummy is really quite amazed at how you can curve your lips downwards so adorably!), followed by cries of displeasure.. Sigh.. We have no choice but to pacify you with what else but the pacifier! (Cos daddy and mummy have been seriously warned against feeding you too much!)

Mummy hates giving you pacifier cos your pacifier sucking skills ain't that good, really.. suckle suckle, drop out, cry... put back, suckle suckle, drop again, cry.. so basically mummy has to park myself next to you and hold it in place for you.. And that can sometimes go on till its time for the next feed!! Usually, mummy would be happy if you slept past your feeding time.. But on occasions like this, 'Thank god it's feeding time!!' Mummy can officially feed you without breaking 'rules' and darling would then drift off to sleep... Either from satisfaction or the lack of sleep for the past few hours.. Phew... Small but frequent meals aren't your style huh??

Okay, realized I've drifted off topic.. What puzzles mummy is that despite drinking 'too much' for your size and age.. darling still seem to be so puny?! Where has all the milk gone to?? Or are you one of those blessed with 'never-grow-fat' genes?? Well, whatever the case is, continue to stay healthy yar? =)

Lil' sweetheart, hope you are loving life as a lil' earthling.. and more so because you are Our lil' earthling :)

Lots of love,
mummy

Lovely sister :)

Dearest Chloe,

Below is a blog post which mummy had written for your sister, Raeanne.. Mummy has decided to post it on your blog too cos mummy wants you to know how much your sister loves you, even though she's just a 20 months old lil' girl.. :)



Precious sweetheart,

It's been exactly a week since the birth of your lil' sister, Chloe.. And I must say, you have been a very sweet sister! :)

Darling's 1st encounter with Chloe was through Skype.. Mummy was still in hospital then.. and your sister was just a day old when you 2 met.. That wasn't how we planned to let you 2 meet for the 1st time though.. But daddy and mummy missed you.. and we thought we could also let your 外公,外婆 and 阿姨s meet lil' Chloe since they couldn't come to the hospital to visit mummy cos they had to take care of you..

But things didn't go too well that day.. Darling was not your usual self that evening.. You were exceptionally quiet when we introduced lil' Chloe to you.. Normally when we talked to you about your lil' sister, you'd either display affection by kissing mummy's tummy or you'd raise your hand as though you want to hit her when you are in a bad mood..


You were neither that evening.. Darling was so listless and just stared at the computer quietly.. Daddy and mummy got so worried after that.. We were worried that darling was feeling hurt and sad.. Mummy's heart ached to see darling like that..

So mummy was really looking forward to seeing you the next day when mummy and Chloe could be discharged.. 外公 and 外婆 brought you back home.. Thank goodness, darling was back to your usual cheerful self and even requested repeatedly that you want to see your lil' sister.. And not just that, darling would always stretch out your hands and attempt to hug and kiss your sister.. :)

That was such a moving and beautiful sight.. :)


Daddy and mummy also finally presented you with the big carebear that we've been saving for this day! (Took mummy lots of effort to refrain from giving it to you before your sister was born!) And its meant to be a gift from your sister to you.. Well, this was supposed to reduce jealousy, if any was actually brewing within you..



But by the looks of it, we had worried needlessly.. On friday, after daddy and mummy brought lil' Chloe for jaundice check, we dropped by to see darling.. And darling was so happy to see us too.. Especially your lil' sister.. Darling's love for your sister was so overwhelming that we had to try and restrain you! Cos you kept attempting to hug your sister and carry her away from mummy.. Pat her all over and kissing her.. Offering her your fav yakult... and placing your fav handphone to her face asking lil' Chloe to 'Hello'! :) That really amused all of us.. Cos darling used to place your handphone to mummy's tummy asking your sister to say 'Hello'..

Precious lil' sweetheart, you've been an exceptionally big-hearted and loving sister.. and daddy and mummy are so touched by your love for your sister.. :) Sweetheart, daddy and mummy are really proud of you!:)
Love,
Mummy

Precious Chloe's Birth-Day! =)

Precious Chloe,

Finally we meet.. :)

Ultimately, you still chose your own birthday.. 8th Mar 2010 :)

Mummy was supposed to admit into hospital to induce your birth on your EDD, which happened to be 8th Mar.. However, when Dr Tan did a check for mummy that morning at 10am, mummy was already 3cm dilated.. Dr Tan said mummy was already in early labor and so there's no need to induce birth! :)

Excellent! Just what I wanted to hear! Though I didn't really expect to have such luck since mummy was still pukey as usual that morning and did not have the slightest bit of contraction pain nor any signs of going into labor like leaking of amniotic fluid or bleeding..

Anyway, we then proceeded to the labor ward. Once in the room, about 4 nurses started fussing over mummy.. getting mummy changed.. settling mummy comfortably.. asking mummy lots of questions... signing lots of documents..

In retrospect, mummy really wondered how did I manage all these the last time mummy was in labor.. All I can remember of that 1st labor experience was pain, pain and more pain.. Of cos, there were lots signing too.. But mummy was in so much pain then that mummy's ears could no longer register what everyone was mumbling around me.. so mummy just signed blindly.. Anyway, that's what happened when mummy was about to deliver your sister.. :)

Once settled down, at about 1130am, a lady MO came to break mummy's water bag.. That was to expedite your arrival.. But by 230pm, Dr Tan felt that our progress was still a bit slow.. So he started mummy on oxytocin.. (Dr Tan promised mummy that I'll be able to have dinner :) )

That was when mummy started to feel a bit of contraction pain.. Still bearable though.. Mummy could still watch the oscars live! Haha.. By about 3 plus, the pain intensity had increased and mummy had to use the gas mask.. and once mummy started on that, things started to become hazy.. cos it makes mummy drowsy..

By about 430pm, mummy had fully dilated and the pain was now unbearable.. the gas mask was no longer working its magic.. mummy got anxious and breathed in so fast that mummy hyperventilated and muscles went all stiff.. SN Kamsiah had to hold a paperbag for mummy to breathe into.. Daddy helped mummy massage my stiff fingers.. and Dr Tan was telling mummy to "Breathe in.. breathe out.. slowly.. relax"...

And then it was time to push.. i.e. time to let go of the gas mask.. well, doesn't really matter anyway cos it wasn't really helping already.. so daddy offered his hands.. Mummy squeeeeezzzeeddd daddy's poor hand when the pain came on.. But it probably wasn't so bad this time.. cos mummy didn't have anything to eat all day and was beginning to feel weak.. At one point in time, mummy really felt like biting daddy's arms! Haa.. cos mummy didn't have the energy to squeeze daddy's hands.. But daddy's lucky.. mummy still had that bit of sanity left.. so mummy only pressed my forehead against daddy's arms..

Push once... not out..

Push twice... and... :)

8th Mar 2010, 1656h, mummy and daddy's precious lil' gem was born :)

First thing mummy said to daddy was, "Pass me my glasses!" :) Hee.. Cos mummy couldn't wait to see darling... :)

Precious lil' Chloe, welcome to this world...

Welcome to our family.. :)

Daddy, mummy and jie jie love you lots... =)

Finale..

Hello precious lil' princess,

This is certainly going to be mummy's last entry before we meet... Officially! =)

As usual, mummy's entry is going to go back a few weeks.. Right, let's start from 25th Feb.. We went to see Dr Tan that afternoon.. Darling was then 38 weeks and 4 days old.. And Dr Tan's first question to mummy was, "So when do you want to deliver?" =) Looks like Dr Tan's more anxious than mummy to bring you into this world..

But after a check, we knew that darling wasn't ready to meet us yet.. Cos mummy had all but dilated 1 cm.. and according to Dr Tan, mummy still had lots of 'water'! Darling must be happily enjoying your spa huh?

Well, in order to wait, Dr Tan said we had to ensure that darling was still doing well inside.. So he sent mummy to the labor ward to have a CTG done.. Hmm.. within 30 mins, mummy apparently had 2 contractions.. but mummy totally did not feel it until the nurse told mummy about it.. And darling also decided to 'communicate' with everyone by being super active.. When the nurse saw the chart documenting darling's progress, she went 'Wow, very active baby huh.. Boy or girl?' :)

Anyway, Dr Tan was satisfied that darling was doing well inside mummy and so allowed mummy to go home and 'wait' for darling to be ready to meet us..

Another week passed... 4th Mar, we went to see Dr Tan again.. And this time, Dr Tan asked mummy,'So, fri or sat?' :) Mummy and daddy didn't want to choose your birth day.. We'd rather darling choose your own special day.. Eventually, Dr Tan relented.. because mummy still had a lot of 'water' and that darling seemed to be pretty happy inside still.. But he's giving mummy only up till either 8th or 9th Mar before he's going to induce your birth.. So daddy and mummy chose 8th Mar.. since that's your original EDD...

Daddy says darling is a very good gal... cos darling heard what mummy has been telling you.. 1st, mummy told you not to arrive too early so that mummy will have more time after my exams (due early june) to spend with you before mummy has to head back to work.. Then mummy told you not to arrive before 25th Feb.. cos that's the earliest mummy can go sign up an iphone for daddy... And after that, mummy further requested that you arrive only after 1st mar.. so that mummy will be able to celebrate your sister's birthday with her before mummy goes back to work...

Looks like darling heard mummy's every request and has accomodated every single one of them yar? :) Thank you darling.. You've been a very sweet and understanding lil' girl... But its really time for you to step out of your comfy lil' spa to meet daddy, mummy and your sister.. :)

Well, you've just 1 more chance to choose your birthday... If not, we'll most likely be meeting on the 8th yar?? :)

Looking forward to meet you, precious lil' one.. Seeya!

Love,
mummy

Lil' Fatty..

Hello lil' Chloe...

Mummy's finally back to update on your progress... Since the last entry, we've been to see Dr Tan on another 2 occasions. Once on 6th Feb, when you were 35 weeks old... And another time on 20th Feb, when you were 37 weeks old..

Let's start with the 6th Feb visit.. First and foremost, mummy must mention that darling has been such a dear.. Cos you had fully cooperated and turned head down by then! Or was it my threat that worked? :p Anyway, it was a such a total relief for mummy!:) Thanks dearie!

Besides that good news, we were also comforted by the fact that darling seems to be growing well.. Your head was 8.4cm.. Your weight was approximately 2.6kg already.. All sounded pretty good to me.. And of cos, Dr Tan was extremely satisfied with your progress too..

But mummy's relief was pretty short-lived.. Cos after we left the clinic, daddy starting commenting... 3 weeks ago, you were 1.7kg.. That means darling has been gaining like 300g/week.. So assuming darling were to put on weight at the same rate, you'll be like.... 3.5kg by week 38??!! *Faintz*

That kinda wiped the smile off mummy's face for a while.. Cos at 3.16kg, mummy had to try 3x before your sister decided to leave the comfort of mummy's womb.. So I really couldn't imagine you being even bigger than your sister.. Rather, I refuse to imagine that... *Shudders*

But then again, that's all postulation yar?? Maybe that was a mini growth spurt... In any case, better overweight than underweight, i guess.. As long as darling's healthy, that's the most important. :)

Okie, then the most recent visit.. 20th Feb.. This time round, Dr Tan didn't mention your weight.. He only showed us all your various organs.. which mummy couldn't quite see cos the monitor was quite dark that day.. Well, I must admit, I'm rather curious as to how heavy darling is already.. But then again, maybe I'm better off not knowing too. =)(Don't want to freak myself out and end up inducing labor there and then!)

Come to think of it, maybe that's why mummy's been puking AGAIN! Dr Tan says it's probably cos of the pressure... Hmm.. darling, please cooperate and stop giving stress to mummy's poor stomach and intestines yar?? I know you are growing FAST and BIG and you are running out of space.. But just bear with it for another week/few days?? If mummy gets to feast, so do you! So pretty please, do cooperate and let mummy eat yar??

Alrighty, that's about it for now. We shall be meeting again tomorrow at Dr Tan's office.. =)

Will this be mummy's last entry before darling makes your 1st appearance?? We shall see.... :)

Love,
Mummy

Heads-up!

Precious Chloe,

Mummy went for our regular pre-natal check yesterday... At 32 weeks, darling's weight almost doubled that when you were 28 weeks old.. Darling was already 1.7kg.. Frankly,that wasn't quite what mummy expected.. Mummy expected you to put on more weight!! Like maybe at least 2 kg by now?? (So that more of mummy's weight gain can be attributed to you darling!):)

Judging by your threatening kicks & punches, mummy was half-expecting Dr Tan to exclaim that you are too big for your own good.. Or for mummy's own good.. But oh well, Dr Tan seemed perfectly satisfied with your progress.. And on account that mummy's overall weight gain has slowed down somewhat, I shall let it pass... =)

But one thing though, darling has decided to give us the heads-up, again! Usually, heads-up are good.. But not when lil' one is literally head-up! 2 visits ago, darling was heads-up.. Then at 28 weeks, darling decided to cooperate & turn back down.. But your recent 'adventures' in the womb are going a lil' too far, lil' lady... And I thought you had stopped your 'washing machine - tumble dry' mode already?? So do cooperate and turn back down k?? Most importantly, STAY DOWN! Cos Dr Tan said something about having to decide the delivery method by next visit if lil' missy still isn't going to cooperate..

Mummy's mind was in too much of a frenzy to listen carefully then.. All that came to my head was caesarean... *Shudders*... And nope, lil' missy, you are not going to do that to mummy k? So mummy's giving you a deadline.. You can have all the fun that you want.. tumble dry, belly dance, karate chops, hip-hop dance... whatever... BUT! By 5th Feb, you better get into position & stay that way, do you hear me, lil' lady??

Love,
Mummy

~ Chloe ~

Yes lil' one... After much deliberation, mummy has decided on Chloe. :)

Actually, this name has been on my mind for ages.. But when mummy first mentioned it to daddy, well, his response wasn't exactly that enthusiastic.. Not like when mummy told daddy your sister's name, Raeanne. Daddy didn't actually say so, but mummy thought maybe daddy prefers a name that's closer to your sister's.. Like a name starting with 'Rae' or at least 'R'.. So mummy continued to ponder and ponder...

Well, I really couldn't think of any name starting with 'Rae' or 'R' that was to my satisfaction... So mummy changed tactic.. Maybe something with 'anne'?? And so came the name 'Leanne'... Daddy was ok with this name. But after mentioning this name a few times to a few of mummy's friends, it kinda turned out quite disastrous.. Aunty Wendy heard mummy wrongly and thought we had named you 'Lian'...

To be on the safe side, mummy decided to put 'Leanne' on hold.. I really didn't want to risk darling being teasingly called 'Ah Lian' in future..

No matter how many baby names i go through each day, mummy found that 'Chloe' was never far from my mind.. And so, a decision was finally made (of cos with approval from daddy)! =)

So precious lil' Chloe, hope you'll like this name that daddy and mummy have given you..

See you in 2 months time!

Love,
mummy

Xuan xuan is 1kg!

Precious darling,

Mummy can't quite believe that in less than 3 months, we're going to meet. And.. *guiltily*... this is only mummy's 2nd entry for you..

Somehow, this pregnancy seems to pass by so much faster than when mummy was expecting your sister. Before daddy and mummy knew, darling's already wat.. like 28wks old??!! And we haven't bought a single thing for you.. haven't started preparing anything for you... worse of all, mummy still can't decide on your christian name..

Sigh...

Sorry darling.. It's almost as if you really do know that daddy and mummy haven't been as attentive towards preparing for your arrival than when mummy was expecting your sister.. So day in day out, you've been serving up all your punches and kicks.. without any reservations, if I may say so.. These days, daddy doesn't even have to place his palms on mummy's tummy to feel your kicks.. All he needs is eyepower! Daddy can actually see the 'tsunami tummy waves' created by you! Just imagine that..

Well, I guess darling's running out of space ya? But then again, by the end of 2nd trimester, mummy has already been mistaken twice to be about to deliver.. -_-" Just imagine how big mummy's tummy is.. But apparently that still isn't enough space for you huh?

Just this thur, daddy and mummy went to see Dr Tan again.. When Dr Tan took a snapshot of darling's head and did some measurements, he went like "Wow, not bad huh! 你很厉害啊!" Erm.. it's probably a good thing thar darling is developing well or a bit ahead of well.. But after going through one delivery, mummy knows better than to be ignorantly happy.. Cos darling's big head means mummy's gonna need more energy to push you out (alternatively get cut a bit more).. *shudders*

But there's something else which mummy's definitely happy about.. Darling is 1kg now! Barely 2 weeks ago, darling was only 600g.. Mummy's glad you're gaining weight so fast now.. for 2 reasons.. The first obvious one is definitely cos darling is growing healthily and hopefully as chubby as your sister was when she was born.. The 2nd reason.. ahem.. is cos, mummy's glad I can attribute that 1kg of weight gain to you! Looking at my kilos pile on is getting quite scary... I wonder how some other mummies can put on only half as much weight as mummy at the time of delivery!

Anyway, just keep on gaining weight, won't you darling? :)

Love,
mummy

Life story...

Hello there, mummy's precious lil' one..



This is mummy's very first entry for you.. After a long long wait.. But finally, mummy's 'nausea-free' time is long enough for me to sit in front of the laptop to pen down my thoughts and feelings for you..

18 weeks and 6 days... That's exactly how long you've been with me and these 18 weeks and 6 days have been fraught with so much ups and downs. Both physically and emotionally.

Well, get yourself ready and gear up for a long, long story... :)



~27th June 2009~
Daddy bought a pregnancy test kit for mummy cos mummy had been unwell for the past few weeks and more importantly, mummy's menses was a week late. But, the kit showed a negative result.

~2nd July 2009~
Mummy's menses was still late. So daddy bought mummy another test kit. We wanted to be sure cos mummy had to go for a medical check-up and we did not want to risk having darling go through the X-ray. And...ta dah! This time round, 2 blue lines finally showed up. =)



~7th July 2009~
Daddy and mummy went to see Dr Tan, the same gynae who delievered your sister... Theoretically speaking, darling should be about 6 weeks old already.. Our main concern now was, your viability. i.e. whether your heartbeat was present. Unfortunately, Dr Tan couldn't see your heartbeat. However, he explained that darling was probably only about 4 weeks plus then & that we would have to wait for another week to have another ultrasound done to check on your viability... To top it off, Dr Tan added that there's a cyst beneath the placenta. Though Dr Tan said that before 12 weeks, it is usually not an issue cos it was probably due to the hormones raging inside mummy's body. Even with his reassurance, mummy was still worried. Not so much for myself, but how it might affect darling's growth. That day, daddy and mummy went home with a heavy heart.... Worrying and worrying and worrying... Worrying that we might not be blessed with precious lil' you afterall..

~13th July 2009~
Mummy started spotting.. Day after day, the spotting increased.. Mummy and daddy were so worried that we were losing you...



~18th July 2009~
Time to go back for the scan. Thank goodness! Mummy saw your lil' heart beating away furiously! You have no idea how relieved daddy and mummy were... To see your lil' heart beating, that was a gift from heaven... And so, at 6.3 weeks old, darling had your very first picture taken... =)

~20th July 2009~
This marked the start of mummy's much dreaded morning-sickness... Or I should say, all-day-sickness... Sigh... Vomit, vomit, vomit... Retching, retching, retching... (Whoever promised that the 2nd pregnancy would be better huh?!)



~27th August 2009~
2nd photoshoot time! :) Daddy missed this one. What a waste! Cos mummy's precious lil' gem had grown so much since the last time we met! And whoa... was that you waving at mummy?? Haahaa... Indeed, darling was actually dancing away and waving at mummy!

~11th September 2009~
That fateful night, mummy received a letter from the hospital asking mummy to go back to the hospital ahead of our scheduled appointment to see Dr Tan. Bad news. Daddy and mummy knew this meant something must be wrong. We could not digest the news. When mummy went for the last scan, Dr Tan had given mummy the all-clear. Darling was perfectly fine. And now, what could it be that they found from the blood test that would prompt such a call back? Deep down, daddy and mummy knew what we were going to be told. Darling is not doing well. Yet... Mummy still prayed.. prayed that it was something to do with mummy. And just mummy alone. Let it be something about mummy's health but yet would not affect darling. Mummy couldn't sleep that night.. I silently prayed and prayed... Prayed that the bad news only referred to mummy.. Prayed that only I alone had to bear the consequences of whatever it was...

~14 September 2009~
Daddy and mummy went back to the hospital to see Dr Tan.. And our worst fears were confirmed. We were told that darling might not be doing very well.. Yet, that was just a risk estimate, not definite. And so, daddy and mummy were given 2 weeks to decide whether we want to go for further testing.. Before we left the clinic, daddy and mummy's precious lil' gem again waved at us and danced around.. It was as though darling knew we were worried and was trying to say " Look, daddy mummy! I'm fine, don't worry. See how I can flip myself upside down!"... That sight was more than mummy could bear.. How can such an active lil' gem be unhealthy? How can I stand losing you, who is already so alive and happily swimming within me? I simply couldn't believe it...



~28th September 2009~
We decided to go for the test. Though it was invasive, daddy and mummy needed to know. When mummy was lying on the bed, I was overwhelmed with very bad thoughts. It was supposed to be only a test... Yet, to mummy, it felt as though darling and mummy would be separated after that.. That very moment, mummy knew very well that mummy wouldn't be able to go through the process of losing you... It was far too much to bear. Dr Tan probably saw mummy's anxiety.. So he told mummy to close my eyes during the procedure. But daddy witnessed it all.. The needle going in.. and seemingly within reach of darling.. As usual, our precious lil' gem was actively swimming at that time & daddy said you looked as though you might reach out for the needle that invaded your 'room'! It was probably a wise decision to close my eyes, or mummy would have freaked out at that sight of darling playing with the needle! Mummy opened my eyes only when it was over.. It was a beautiful sight that greeted me... Mummy's precious lil' gem waving at mummy from the screen... However hard I tried to control my tears, they just rolled off my cheeks... Dr Tan thought mummy was in pain where the needle went through. Indeed I was... But it wasn't where he poked. It was in my heart...

~7th October 2009~
After a painful week long wait, mummy could finally see the silver lining that I'd been waiting for.. Though not quite the way mummy had expected it to arrive... When mummy went for the test, we were told that if it's bad news, they will call to inform mummy personally. But if its good news, then they will simply post out the result by snail mail... So when mummy's handphone rang and registered the number 6326... Mummy's heart dropped. Cos I recognised that as the hospital's number.. Reluctantly, mummy answered the call... Heart sinking deeper and deeper by the second... So when the nurse told mummy the good news, mummy could barely register it! Mummy had to ask her to repeat.. And she explained that Dr Tan had asked her to call mummy so that mummy and daddy could set our mind at ease even before the letter arrives. :)

It was also then that she let on the news that mummy and daddy has another lil' princess on the way!! =)Mummy was so on top of the world that day! So much that I wish I could hug you in my arms right away..



That afternoon, mummy happened to be in town for a meeting and so mummy grabbed the chance to go shopping for a gift for lil' darling.. And when mummy saw, Twiggy... I just knew I had to buy that for you. =) So here you are darling Rui Xuan... Here's mummy's very 1st gift for you.. For being such a brave and strong lil' gal.. Hope you like it! (Cos your sister certainly does!;))

And yes, daddy and mummy had long decided on your name for you... Our precious lil' gem, Rui4 Xuan2... =)

Only 149 days more till we meet!:)

Love,
Mummy