Hello, 3rd Trimester!

The long awaited third trimester is here! It's kinda scary when the countdown app shows that it's less than a 100 days to Baby Y's birth. Meaning, the day is drawing really near.

I entered into the 3rd trimester last week and whoa, it seems like a new ball game altogether! :D

New experiences: I experienced cramps for the very first time on Sunday (19 Oct) while shopping at the supermarket. It was a shock as I've never experienced any cramps during my first 2 trimesters. I guess it's what many called to be Braxton Hicks as the cramps were very short lived and felt like those experienced during menstruation. I also felt slight tightening sensations at my tummy area while lying down, like as if someone was pulling a string down at my tummy. Uncomfortable but still bearable.

Baby Movements: Baby's movements have become much more frequent and strong. It kinda worries me because the timing in which baby is active is making me wonder if he's a night owl like me! Go to bed when it's late, baby! I've read somewhere that the timings when the baby is active could be a reflection of his/her active timings after birth as well. Guess I should cultivate good sleeping habits so that the baby would sleep well too. :p

The movements of the little one is getting stronger and I can see my tummy's shape changing as he moves. He loves to move more on the right side and is much quieter on the left side, hence the bulge is usually on the right side as well.

Food Preferences: during the initial period of pregnancy, I really loved salty and spicy food. However, in recent weeks, I've graduated to become a sugar monster. Throw me anything sweet and I would chomp it down happily. A bar of Crunchie? Sure! A bag of mini Snickers bar? I'm game! Ha and did I mention that I love soft drinks? I've been trying to cut down on sweet stuff, but it's not easy. One step at a time! :)

Weight gain: My weight has been climbing up! I'm so happy! Right now, it's around 68kg, about 5kg gain from pre-pregnancy. :)

Sleeping patterns: I have not been sleeping well in the night. I would always toss and turn and wake up in the middle of the night. While I could still go back to sleep, I feel slightly frustrated. Probably also because I feel much warmer than usual and at times, I would switch on both the air conditioning and fan before I could fall asleep.

My favourite sleeping position is on my sides. Not because of the baby's weight but it has been a habit already. Baby doesn't seem to prefer my side-sleeping habit as he would always kick me on the sides. Hehe, maybe mummy is too heavy for baby!

Well, as we progress into the third trimester, it's a lot of excitement counting down to baby's arrival. I'm also thankful that the aches in the butt is gone and hasn't returned. I'm thankful that I don't suffer too much bodily discomforts like backaches etc. I'm really thankful for this. The only more common discomfort would be my inability to stand for too long or walk too much as I tend to tire more easily.

May our little one continue to grow healthily and happily in mummy's tummy! Daddy and Mummy love you and we are looking forward to.your arrival! :)

Hello, little one!

Hello, 26th!

Say hello to the 26th week of pregnancy! :)

It seems like it's just yesterday when we first found out that I was pregnant. Being the excited first-timer I was, I was busy counting the days and eagerly striking weeks off the first trimester. Now that we are in the 2nd-turning-3rd trimester stage, things seem to have been fast forwarded significantly.

Current weight: around 65kg. It varies but it's usually the water weight that makes it go up-down a little. Still not much weight gained compared to my pre-preggy weight but I'm thankful that Baby Y is growing fine. :)

Tummy Updates: the tummy has ballooned significantly in the past 2 weeks. It was like a sudden thing and it has been making me feel itchy at the tummy area. I haven't been regular in applying the stretchmark prevention cream, thou!

The tummy shape is more rounded than pointed and I'm still carrying the bulge quite low.

Baby Movements: Baby has been significantly more active in recent weeks and the movements are stronger. Sometimes they feel like punches/kicks, and sometimes they feel like a carnival is taking place inside, with Baby Y going swish and swash. The feeling is really amazing. :)

Daddy has managed to feel Baby Y's movement a few times already but Baby Y seems to know that it's daddy when O's hands rest on my tummy and he would usually stop or reduce the frequency of movement. Hehehe!

Baby Music: to the horror of everyone in the family, I've been playing some nursery rhymes during the weekends. So, we hear some usuals like Do Re Mi and Baa Baa Black Sheep, but we also heard a few interesting ones which sent us laughing really badly. Is there such a thing as bad nursery rhymes? As the songs are pretty lively, the hubby warned against playing them, for fear that it may make Baby Y too active. I've since switched to playing gospel instrumental music or pieces from Yiruma. But... Baby Y seem to be more receptive to the lively children songs! :D

Food Preferences: I've been wanting to eat a lot of sweet stuff and carbs. I can have a full meal of pasta and down it with milo thereafter. Well, I know it's not the best combination but they almost seem like comfort food to me. For a while, I drank a lot of milk and every night was a routine of 2 packets of Oreo cookies with a glass of milk. Will have to be more watchful of my diet!

Discomforts: I felt pain at the weirdest of places. I've read about backaches and aches at near the lower abdominal area, but never in my imagination would I expect myself to go through aches at one of my butt cheeks. And you can imagine how awkward it was having to turn around, butt-facing Mr. Gynae,  complaining pain at that area that's seemingly very much unrelated to pregnancy. Further research online led me to a specific term that seem to fit the discomfort I'm feeling - Pelvic Girdle Pain.

At times, I would feel sharp jolts all of a sudden at the said butt cheek and I wouldn't be able to move for a while. Moments like this would come when I bend down to do the dishes or brush my teeth, or even a very innocent turn of my back would lead to such jolts of pain that would render me motionless. Moments like this would throw us into fits of laughter as 1) it's really quite funny, considering the circumstances and 2) M would shout out loud to O, saying, "Papa, mummy cannot move!!!!!!!"

And, consider the time when I was in the office doing some photocopying and the oh so loathsome pain struck. I couldn't reach out to massage my butt (not in the office!!) and I had to slowly move around like a penguin. Sigh!

So, upon reflecting, I figured out that the condition could have been triggered due to excessive walking that week during work. This week, with lesser movement, the pain has become less frequent and more bearable. :)

The Hubby: Hubby O has been nothing but an angel and constant blessing during my pregnancy. Well, some might say it's a given, since I'm pregnant and he SHOULD take care of me. I don't think anything should be taken as an entitlement just because I'm pregnant, hence I think O has been very loving, kind and patient towards me. Apart from doing the laundry, doing the usual cleaning at home, he would always cut fruits for me to ease my constipation woes, remind me to eat my supplements, prepare breakfast for me every morning, send me to work, cook for me occasionally and boil yummy soups to nourish my body. I'm thankful for him every.single.day. :)

Baby Tales: Week 23

According to an app. that I have, baby is currently about the size of a pomegranate. How cute! :D The app would give me updates every week, and some of the fruits they chose to represent the baby was really cute (say, banana!)

So, what's up at the 23rd week? :)

BABY GENDER:
It's a BOY! We found out about the gender during our detailed scan on 3rd Sept. =)

BABY BUMP:
My bump is finally big / obvious enough for people to recognise that I am actually pregnant. For the very first time, a lady gave up the reserved seat to me and I'm very grateful for that! :) Before pregnancy, I didn't think that women in their early pregnancy would need a seat that much since their bumps would still be rather small. However, now that I'm pregnant, I would say it's not only the bump that would make us feel tired, but generally, tiredness sinks in easily throughout the day and for whatever reason, the legs don't take to our weight that well anymore. I remembered there were a few occasions during my T1 when I would just plonk myself onto a seat on the train and be knocked out completely as I was feeling really exhausted.

APPETITE / CRAVINGS:
I must say my appetite has returned to normal. Or should I say, it's back with a vengeance! I eat normally during meals and I can't stomach extras, but not long after my meals, I would be wanting to eat other stuff like cereal with milk, fruits and chocolates. I think it's these snacking tendencies that are contributing to my weight gain. Craving wise, I still do not crave for any food that's sour in nature. I still very much favour sweet or salty food stuff - one of my favourites is a mini Snickers bar! <3 I'm still very much I love with fruits and I could finish half a pomelo on my own. Apples (Esp. New Zealand Apples) are my favourite! Crunchy, sweet and fragrant, they are also a big help in regulating my bowels!

WEIGHT:
My pre-pregnancy weight was around 63.8kg and I went down to the 61kg range during my T1. Currently, I'm back to the 63kg range but it's still fluctuating.

DISCOMFORTS:
So far, I've only suffered one incident of leg cramps in the middle of the night. It JOLTED me right from my sleep but funnily, I went back to bed easily right after that. Hubby was overseas during that particular night, hence there wasn't anyone else to whine to when it happened. :p

I also suffer from haemorrhoids. It's terrible. And they come to be pretty fast - like if I don't eat fruits for a day or two? The initial few incidents were mild but the last one I had was so bad that the amount of blood present was like I was having my period. It was scary. For me, these were individual incidences and the bleeding stopped once I've done my big business in the toilet and I have realised that higher fibre and water intake do help me to reduce / prevent such occurrences again. If you do suffer from haemorrhoids or find blood in your stools during pregnancy and if you are worried about it, I would say it's best that you consult a doctor, just to set your mind at ease.

DRESSING:
I've since bought a few maternity dresses and home wear. I'm careful to not spend too much on them as I am unlikely to use them again at least till the next pregnancy. So far, I like the maternity dresses from ASOS and they are what I would wear even after I've given birth. I'm trying not to dress too casually or look too frumpy but sometimes, comfort is still my priority. I've since been wearing Crocs sandals in a regular basis. :D

BABY INTERACTION:
I could feel flutters at my tummy/ womb area since week 18. Initial few experiences were very subtle but I was very sure those were it! :D The movements have been getting stronger and hubby managed to feel it for the first time on 14th Sept. =) Baby seems to have a routine and I would know when he is likely to be awake. He seems to be able to recognise my voice and call my crazy, I have a feeling that he recognises some words! Well, I'm not sure.... but this is why.... I often speak to him using the same words and able the same things and he would respond very quickly when I'm addressing him directly. Say for example, I would say, "Baby YY, are you awake?" and his response would almost always come within 5 seconds or so. Sometimes, it's so awkward to be caught talking to your baby by others, and sometimes, I find that I don't have really much to say. What do you usually talk about with you baby?

Okay! We are heading out in a few moments, so I shall sign off for now! =)

Baby Tales: 1st Trimester

I have been wanting to update the blog on my pregnancy but was always too lazy to do so until now. Guess you could gauge my level of procrastination as I'm currently already in my 2nd trimester. :D

The hubby and I discussed about it and we decided to let pregnancy take its own course and embrace it when it comes our way. Frankly speaking, I was hoping that a baby would come our way soon and I'm thankful that God has blessed us with one. =)

TRIMESTER ONE:

So, how was Trimester One for me? I took it easy, actually. Looking back, perhaps, I should have been more cautious. I had a change of work environment and there's no longer a lift in the building. I have to be very mobile during my work and hence, have been climbing up and down very frequently. Perhaps, this is good exercise for me! :D

FOOD:
I avoided raw meat as much as possible. Hubby brought us out for a celebration during my early pregnancy and he reluctantly fed me a slice of sashimi after seeing my pitiful face longing for them. I also had some medium-rare steak with blood oozing out during one of the meals, but that's about it. I've since made a point to avoid them totally. I was craving for sashimi so badly one day that I was contemplating smoked salmon as an alternative. But that was also a no-go since there are mixed info. on whether it's safe for pregnant ladies. *Sigh* Well, anything for my baby. ;)

DRINKS:
I haven't been able to avoid drinking cold beverages. As much as my family and relatives have been nagging at me, it's something that I enjoy and it kind of helped me to feel better when I had morning sickness. I was told that having too much cold stuff would result in the baby having poor health, hence I've tried to cut down on it recently. I also reduced on my caffeine intake, limiting myself to cup of tea a day and perhaps an occasional Coke. However, coffee is still decaf-ed for me. I've been turning to caffeine-free alternatives like chamomile to warm my stomach.

During the first trimester, I didn't have it easy. My appetite was poor and I couldn't eat well. Mornings were the best as I could eat more and with better appetite, hence the hubby insisted that I feed myself more in the mornings. In the afternoons, I would often feel the gas creeping in and I wouldn't be able to have a full meal, but it's still better than nothing. Rather than morning sickness, I would say mine's a case of evening sickness. Whenever evening kicked in at around 5, my stomach would be filled with gas and eating was excruciating. I burped very frequently and I took forever to finish my meals. Force feeding would likely result in vomiting but I'm glad that never happened. The nauseating feeling was so bad that I resorted to wearing seasick band to ward off the evening sickness. I will talk about them in another post! =)

CRAVINGS:
I didn't really have many cravings as my appetite was poor most of the time, but the rare ones which I could remember were durians, crabs and potato chips! :D The cravings were quite manageable as it wasn't like I NEEDED to eat them. If we couldn't get them, I could move on with life and sleep as normal. HEHE! But surprisingly, I started to eat more vegetables and fruits and actually LIKE them. So, because of the evening sickness and the loss of appetite, I lost a few kilograms in my first trimester and I have yet to gain them back until now. But it's okay, I believe with my current eating habits, it's only a matter of time! :p

DRESSING:
I could fit into all my normal clothings in Trimester One, but the leggings got a little tight nearing the end of T1. My baby bump was close to non-existent and I thought I looked more fat than pregnant as it was just like I had a fuller meal, that's all. :D

MOOD:
I was pretty much my normal self with no changing moods or extreme mood swings. I was pretty cheerful throughout and I think it's a very good thing! :D If I must, the times when I would feel grumpy or moody were probably during meal times. :p

SKIN QUALITY:
I had pretty bad breakouts during the first trimester. It could be because I did not go for any facial treatment since my wedding (In March) but really, it was really bad. I felt like my face was full of clogged pores and white heads. EEEK!

Alright! That's all for the post on my Trimester One. Let's hope I'll find more energy to continue with updates on Trimester 2! :)

Thank-you notes for guests

What's a wedding without the guests? The ones who specially come to shower us with blessings, share our joy and lend a hand in the process; they are very precious to us.

We decided to keep our wedding small and limited the guess list to about 55 people, hence those who came were our closest family, relatives and friends. We wanted our guests to feel cosy and involved during our wedding, to be able to relate to us and our story and enjoy the moment with us. As such, thanking these loved ones for their presence was very important to us. :)

We wanted to keep the appreciation simple and sincere, hence it took quite a lot of brain picking initially.

Using the invitation cards from the hotel, we transformed them into appreciation cards instead using a rubber stamp. We also printed photos taken by our event photographer for our guests and wrote each a personalised note before sealing it with a sticker. :)

We hope our guests like them! :)

Our Wedding Invitation

Wedding invitations - the first item that any guest would come across before the actual wedding. A wedding invitation could reflect a couple's story, reveal hints on the theme of the wedding or even let you know more about the couple's personality, likes and dislikes.

For me, it's very important that the design of the card is to both of our liking and that it is affordable. Our hotel did provide us with cards, but we thought they were too plain for our liking and decided to source for something else instead. Coincidentally, we were to go on a trip to Guangzhou, China at around that time and decided to look out for wedding stuff over there.

We came across an area selling lots of wedding stuff over there and were blown away! Whoa! From gowns to shoes and accessories, there were so many things available and we were spoilt for choice. We came across a few shops specialising in wedding invitations and they had quite a few designs we liked. It could be because we did not know how to bargain, I didn't find the prices attractive and were quite hesitant to confirm our purchase. Furthermore, we had to furnish them with details for printing and I was also worried about the lack of reaction time for any errors in printing as our stay in Guangzhou was quite short. To cut the story short, we decided to go the Do-it-Ourselves way again. We bought the ready card stocks (choices were more limited) and decided to do the printing ourselves.

We settled for the gold design which would match our Gold Theme for the banquet. =)

The process of doing up the card was quite tedious. We took some time to finalise how we wanted the wordings to be, the exact content, the font style and size, etc. We also took some time to adjust the printing dimensions since it wasn't the usual printing dimensions. The biggest blow came when we realised..... THE ENVELOPE WHICH WAS GIVEN TO US WAS TOO SMALL FOR THE CARD! *Tears hair*.

To be honest, I was very upset about it. How could they give us envelopes that are too small? Where in the world were we going to find affordable envelopes for so many invitations? Would we be able to find envelopes of the matching size and color (GOLD!?)? I was worried and upset and was all prepared to use the cards from the hotel if we found no solution.

Thankfully, I started to buy from Taobao not too long ago and decided to try my luck. I must say I was really lucky. I managed to find one seller who had envelopes of the size and color I was looking for. ONE! :D *yay!* We also ordered a wax seal to complete our little project.

Here's close-up of the final outcome. We love the envelopes as we feel that they gave a pretty classy feel. I had always wanted to play with wax seals and am happy I managed to buy one customised set for around $6. The hubby chose the classic "Xi" design :). There were many compliments on the seal and we were really glad that our guests liked it. =)

We had to print. cut, stick, pack and seal before one invitation could be completed. It was a lot of fun and we are really pleased with the outcome. =)

I'm not sure how much was spent on making the cards, but a good estimate would be about $1.50 for each card. =)