Monday, December 29, 2008

17 weeks old

My little angel is about palm-size now, with a crown (or top) of the head to the rump (or bottom) length of about 5 inches.

This week, little angel is all about practice, practice & practice in preparation for birth. One important skill my little angel is practising is sucking and swallowing - to get ready for that first suckle at my breast.

3 Gorgeous Christmas Presents

I know it is a little too late to declare my christmas presentss. Well, I don't always receive christmas presents, but this year I am so happy to receive not only three of them but three GORGEOUS presents.

1) L'Occitane en Provence - from Chiao Ju
I received a mini collection L'Occitane products which consist of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, body lotion, soap and hand cream (phew!) from Chiao Ju.
They are simply marvelous. This is my first time using L'Occitane products and I'm already addicted to them. The after-smell is kinda like a 'baby smell' and I love it!

(notice the cute card came with it? It is a ballerina. Note those shoes. I love ballet shoes!)

2) Photo album with baby pictures in it - from Mun Yi
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw those photos. Mun Yi really took so much trouble to search for almost 50 different photos from the net and have them developed to put them inside the album. The baby photos are so cute. I can't stop looking at them!


Don't believe me? Look at some of them yourself...


3) Scrapbooking materials - from Mindy
Mindy got me pregnancy scrapbooking materials from Smidapaper. How thoughtful of her! Eh..mind u. Those few bits of papers/stickers are expensive! I laugh just by reading some of the stickers which read 'Push!', 'Timing the Contractions!', 'Finally Here', etc...hehe.
I can't wait to scrap!

(photos were taken using my Nokia mobile so they are not so clear...pls pardon me!)

This year no Christmas presents from darlin' as usual. Haha. No complains because I didn't get him anything too :P
Darl...I will be waiting for my birthday present next month! :D

Sunday, December 28, 2008

'Followers' widget

I added a 'Followers' widget at the top right sidebar in my bog. Those who are my fans can click 'follow this blog' and your small profile pic will be added into my blog.

Just wanna try this out. It should be fun to know who are my fans :D

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Langkawi Anniversary Photos - Sneak Peek!

Remember our Langkawi Anniversary getaway end of Nov? Well, thanks to Win Win and John Kay, we have some amazing photos.

I don't have all the photos yet, but below are some previews Win Win gave me:
Pls excuse my big tummy. I was 8 weeks pregnant at that time. :P

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Minor yeast infection / 16 weeks 5 days old

My checkup appointment was not due yet until 2 weeks later but I had some itchiness in my vagina area and thus wanted to seek out treatment before it got really bad.
And sure enough, Dr. Eric said there is a minor yeast infection. He said it is nothing serious and a tablet will clear it.

Little angel is now 16 weeks and 5 days old according to his size during the ultrasound. Dr. Eric saw his willy again. I couldn't see it as my eyes were not trained to read the ultrasound screen and when Dr. Eric tried to point it out to me and darlin', little angel got shy again and crossed his legs.



My blood test results are out and everything is normal which I am happy. :D

Friday, December 19, 2008

Mixed Feelings

I guess some people are angry at me for not letting them know I am pregnant before I announce it to the whole world in my blog. Am i bothered by them?
I would lie if I say No. I am actually. A little.

I actually told a handful of people about my pregnancy beforehand. This handful of people are mostly my family and relatives of course.

But then I still think I have the right to choose who I wish to tell it to. I should not let them make me feel guilty.

One of my friend told me she was hurt by not knowing beforehand. And when I told her the reason, she said I am giving excuses. Actually, everything that I said she felt that they are excuses.
Anyway, I realized that she was so busy feeling hurt and angry that she did not congratulate me on my pregnancy at all.

And now as we are all matured, i feel bothered by all these 'childish behaviour'.
Most of my good friends were not angry at me for finding out about my pregnancy through my blog. They congratulate me without hesitation the moment they see me online or they leave congratulatory messages in my blog comments section.
So why should she feel this way?

Anyway, I feel good to type this. It is a nice feeling to let this off my chest.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Island Hospital Maternity Package

Took a few brochures from Island Hospital during our last checkup. We wanted to plan our budget and thus looked at some of the maternity packages available.



The rates above does not include all the extras...not even forceps nor episiotomy. Everything else will be considered additional charges.

I would say it is rather expensive if we were to choose single room accomodation. We are not sure if husband are permitted to stay overnight if we choose 2-bedded room.

We plan to ask for a tour of the maternity ward sometime soon and we will then decide.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Updates! Updates!

Phew...time passes by so fast! In a blink of an eye, my CFP Module 1 exams is just around the corner. Sunday morning 14th Dec to be exact.
I've been super busy preparing for my exams (who believes me by the way? :P) that I don't have much time for anything else.

Suddenly, I feel like blogging. Blogging about all the updates in my life for the past few months. One by one....*drum roll* please....

2 Years Anniversary
Peter & I celebrated our 2 years of marriage (ROM) 2 days ago. We didn't actually go out for dinner. We just stayed at home to talk and hug and kiss. Nothing beats the feeling of being near your loved one.

Weddings - Carol & Chia Loon / Justin & Siow Sen
One of my best friend and also Peter's best friend's 'Picking Up the Bride' session fell on the same day 7th Dec 2008. It must be a very auspicious day.
We are so happy to see both couples tying the knot with their soulmates.

Lumut Trip with Family
8 of us spent 3 days in Lumut just for pure R&R. (Parents, Ah Yee, Min, Peter & I, Jia Li & Jia May) Weather was good and we caught many siput. Erm...correction...we did not 'catch' the siput. The waves just washed them ashore just for us! :)

Little Miracle in my Stomach
Last news to update all of you. Yours truly is now 14 weeks pregnant! :D
Didn't want to spread the news earlier because I was still in the 1st trimester and pregnancy was not stable yet.
Please don't expect to see me in pregnancy clothes or looking huge.
You can hardly know I am pregnant...you can hardly see the bump! :)

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

It's a BOY! - 14 weeks 3 days old

Dr. Eric showed us little angel's willy today. He spread his legs apart and we could see it clearly and it looks huge to me. ;0)
Then when I asked to see it for the 2nd time, little angel turned shy and crossed his legs and refused to show us anymore.



Mum said it is pretty early to know the gender as little angel is only 14 weeks 3 days old. But I guess it is easier to detect a little boy compared to a little girl as boys have willies.

Peter is so happy. He said he is gonna pass down all his cartoon DVDs (transformers, masked rider, iron man, pokemon, etc) to his son.
Dad should be happy too to have a grandson to accompany him to play pingpong many years later :D

Dr. Eric also scheduled me for a bloodtest for antenatal screening (he already instructed me to go fasting during the last checkup). The nurse at the lab is very good. Usually my blood veins are very slim and it is difficult to find it, but he did it after awhile (not long in fact!). Great job!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

12 weeks old

Little angel has more than doubled in size during the past 3 weeks and measuring (crown to rump) about 2 1/2 inches.

Little angel's digestive system is beginning to practice contraction movements (so that little angel will be able to eat) and the bone marrow is making white blood cells (so that little angel can fight off those bad germs).

Miraculously, the pituitary gland at the base of the brain has started producing hormones (little angel will one day be able to make babies of his or her own!). WOW!!!!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Lumut 20-22 Nov 08

Dad wanted to clear his leaves and so he booked an apartment in Swiss-Court Holiday Apartment in Damai Laut, Lumut.

It was a relaxing holiday with family. Surprisingly, my nausea was better the 3 days I was there. Maybe is because of the fresh air there or maybe because I felt so relaxed there.


Whatever it is, I am glad my mum persuaded me to go there in the end!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Hating my Supplements

Dr. Eric gave me 3 types of supplement capsules.

1st of all is the huge gigantic Calcium pill called Calcium Plus Bio-Enhanced by Abbott. My god, it is so big that if I accidentally swallowed it horizontally, I could actually feel the movement of the pill slowly in my throat all the way to my stomach. It's a nasty feeling.

Next is the Fish Oil capsule called NeuroGainPB. It is supposed to come packed with concentrated fish oil with all the good nutrients such as DHA, EPA, AA, OA, etc.

Lastly is the smelly capsule called Sangobian Capsule by Merck. It is supposed to be consists of folic acid, iron, etc. This pill makes me slightly constipated and causes me to have black stool. And when i burp, the smell of this capsule is yucky!!!



I am supposed to continue with all these capsules throughout my pregnancy...sigh!!!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

10 weeks 1 day old

Time to visit Dr. Eric again. This time the ultrasound shows that Little Angel is 10 weeks. Dr. Eric now uses the normal ultrasound where the mouse-like thingy is placed on my belly (no more vaginal probe).

I always feel at ease after my gynae visit. Don't know why. Maybe it's because of the reassurance I get after having a chance to peek into Little Angel's world.

After all, my stomach is still so small and I can't feel that I am pregnant at all. Oh ya. I lost another kg. From 47kg, i now only weigh 44kg.

However, Dr. Eric says this is normal as I have nausea. He advised me not to eat things that are too sour (laksa, pineapple, tomyam) for the 1st trimester and also no bak kut teh and other herbs food for the meanwhile.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Back from MIA!

Hey peeps...I will be updating my blog using blogger from now onwards. So please update all your links to me ;)

Peter & I just came back from our 1st anniversary in Langkawi. We had a marvellous time there! Weather was kind to us and it was total R&R in Casa Del Mar and Tanjung Rhu Resort. We were very sad to say goodbye.


Look at the clear blue sky.



Look at the low tide. You can practically walk all the way to the little islands.



We also made some friends there.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

9 weeks - Foetus

My little angel has by now officially graduated from embryo to foetus. This week, tiny muscles are starting to form which allows little angel to move his/her arms and legs.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Anniversary Langkawi 23-27 Oct 2008

We had this 1st anniversary Langkawi getaway planned very early on, even before my pregnancy. A little bit regret because nausea started kicking just a day before our flight.

We booked 2 different resorts this time.
1) Casa Del Mar (CDM)
2) Tanjung Rhu Resort (TRR)

We chose Casa Del Mar after reading about the good reviews in tripadvisor.com. Casa Del Mar means 'home by the sea' in Spanish. However, it turned out to be a big disappointment for us. There were renovation works going on near the poolside. Although they upgraded us to a Junior Suite, the renovation was just directly below us. When we asked for a change of rooms, they said the resort was full. So we were stucked there with all the knocking and banging sounds.
However, I would say that CDM did their best and they even whisked willing guests to a nearby island by boat for their sun-tanning session. I was not so enthusiast by it because I hate boats - they make me seasick.

We returned to Tanjung Rhu Resort after 2 nights stay at CDM. As expected, TRR was fabulous like last time. This time, we spent more time lazing around the pool eating ice-creams and fruit juices. Win Win and John even came to take anniversary photos for us. Luckily my belly is not showing yet! :D

All in all, I came back from Langkawi feeling refreshed and energized to face my oncoming pregnancy!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Change Gynae to Dr. Eric Soh / 7 weeks 2 days old

One of Peter's doctor friend recommended gynae Dr. Eric Soh to me. She said he is very gentle and patient and competent. As I have no comparison at all (as I only went to Dr. Nicholas Loh), I decided to give Dr. Eric Soh a try on my 2nd gynae visit.

Made an appointment and was one of the first few patients in line. The moment I see Dr. Eric, I felt so comfortable. He asked me many questions and was so thorough with me. (I like it! I like it!).
He asked for my health report, family health history, etc etc etc. He took his time talking to me and he didnt give me the feeling that he was busy and can't wait to say TATA to me.

Oh ya...because the pregnancy is still early, he did a vaginal ultrasound (endovaginal) for me. He 'probed' something which looks like a big pen inside me and - hey voila! I can see Little Angel - just a tiny dot with a loud and strong heartbeat. ' Lub dup lub dub'.
Dr. Eric said my ultrasound shows Little Angel is 7 weeks 2 days old.

I mentioned my breast lump to him and he said there should be no worries to leave it after my pregnancy - unless it grow really big and is troubling me.

I felt so on top of the world and feel so happy after this gynae visit that I'm sure Dr. Eric Soh is gonna be my gynae from now onwards.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Dental Visit

Went to visit my favourite dentist Dr. Khoo Joo Ean @ Penang Dental. My 6-monthly checkup is already due. I figured out that I might as well have good dental health when I'm pregnant. I should not neglect my teeth!

Dr. Khoo commented that my gums are more sensitive with more bleeding while she did the normal cleaning.

I guess my whole body is changing and preparing for my little angel! :D

Monday, October 6, 2008

1st visit to the gynae / 5 weeks old

We decided to go to Dr. Nicholas Loh from Loh Guan Lye Specialist Centre. A few of my friends recommended him after I told them I want a gynae who is not only competent but also friendly.
Dr. Nicholas turns out all right.

Dr. Nicholas say I am roughly around 5 weeks pregnant. My baby is about 5mm. the size of an orange seed.
He did an ultrasound on me and I saw a tiny black dot growing inside me. That is supposed to be my little angel!
I looked the the screen in awe...admiring the miracle of God. This tiny black dot is going to be our baby! Wow...

Friday, October 3, 2008

I got a BIG FAT POSITIVE confirmation today!

Dr. Sally Ong from Koe Clinic confirmed my pregnancy. I was tested again with the pregnancy test kit and this time, it is not a faint line anymore but a very clear positive sign!

So am i happy? YES, I AM! YES, WE ARE! Somehow I am no more so worried about the lumps in my breasts. Maybe because the ultrasound report shows that they are benign lumps. Or maybe because I've gotten used to the fact that my breasts indeed have lumps. Guess I've learned to accept the fact.

So now I am grinning happily when Dr.Sally Ong said that I am very much pregnant! She even said that my hormone levels are high. Usually the hCG level is only significant a week after their period is due, but mine was already very significantly shown in the pregnancy test kit even though I am only 1 day overdue!

I am now dancing and singing with joy in my heart!

Anyway, I won't be telling anyone yet besides my family 'til the 1st trimester is over when possibility of miscarriage is lower. Sigh....

Well....i'm still dancing with joy! Tralalalalalala...!!!! :D

Monday, September 29, 2008

Ultrasound Report

Went for ultrasound this morning at Loh Guan Lye Specialist Centre. Dr. Sally Ong referred me to Dato' Dr. Ragupathy (radialogist) and he is so good. He is also friendly and smiled and talked to me the whole time while doing the ultrasound on me.

He found some benign lumps in both my breasts. Actually, the computer says they are benign and should be. But we can never be too sure. To be 100% sure, the only way is to surgically remove them and have a biopsy on them.

But then I am glad the results turn out to be OK.

Am I Pregnant?

I woke up this morning feeling like using the home pregnancy test kit to see if I am pregnant. I know my period is not due yet for another 3 days but basically it has already reached the 28-days cycle, right?

Anyway, I read somewhere that it is more accurate to test it first thing in the morning during your first pee as the hCG level is higher then.

So, what did I get? A faint line line of a positive sign. Is it a faint line or is it not?

As I have not missed my period yet, I guess I should have been a little more patient and test it next week to confirm if I am pregnant or not!
Let's wait for a more accurate result next week!

Friday, September 26, 2008

Lump in my left breast

The little lump on my left breast is now getting harder and more significant. I used to have trouble feeling it there (because it is rather deep inside), but now it is so easy to feel it there.

Dr. Sally Ong just told me today to have it removed asap. But I need to be sure that I am not pregnant and I wouldn't know until sometime next week.

What an irony! Just until yesterday, I was hoping that I will be pregnant. And right now I am hoping not to be pregnant! God must be confused on what I want! :(

Sunday, September 7, 2008

http://tanshuyin.wordpress.com/

Click here http://tanshuyin.wordpress.com/ for my future blogging entries and updates!

From Blogger to Wordpress

Hey friends and family,

I've just spent many hours exporting my blog from Blogger to Wordpress. I like Blogger, but there are a few things which I am intending to try out on Wordpress. I like Wordpress 3-columns design. I like their fonts. And I like Wordpress having Pages.

I am still a newbie in Wordpress...still cracking my head to figure out what is what. So

Please click http://tanshuyin.wordpress.com/ for my future blogging entries. If all doesn't work out as I hope so, I will move back here.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Blogging about 'Normal' events

I'm talking to a special friend of mine when I explained to her the reason why all my blog entries are like my journal.
I blog about normal stuff - The places I've been. The things I've seen. The food I enjoyed. The company I treasured. No secrets.

I feel that by blogging these 'normal' events that is happening in my life, I somehow feel that I've freeze those moments that made my day!

I want to look back on my entries...years later...and see what I've done in Lumut for example. What I ate there and who went with me.

I feel that these things are important to me. These are the things that make me so happy everyday!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Aunt Flo visited me right on the dot

Mine is usually a 30-33 days cycle. This month around, it is a 30 days cycle which means Aunt Flo visited me right on the dot - same date as last month!

With a glowing health report, I guess I am ready. Just waiting for Aunt Flo to go... :D

Penang - Lumut - Setiawan - Batu Gajah - Penang

This is gonna be one long post. So if you don't have the time to read it, you better x this window now!

Our whole family have our own plans for the Merdeka long weekend. Dad went to Hanoi, Vietnam with his ex-schoolmates, Mum, Ah Yee, Peter & I went to Lumut while Min went to stay over at her friend's hse in Butterworth as she was working for the weekend. Wen is already in South Africa. Wow...all at different places! No one was at home!

Mum, Ah Yee, Peter & I started our journey to Lumut quite late. Altogether there were 10 of us going. Irene and Siew Phaik followed Loh's car together with his wife, Hoon and son, Jason. Chooi Ting drove my dad's Unser and fetched our family. We left Penang only at 6.30pm. Along with a few toilet and food stops, we only reached Lumut at 10pm.

We stayed in Swiss-Court Holiday Apartment this time because we have so many people. We even brought our own matresses, sleeping bags, and blankets.

We watched the sunset. I've always loved watching sunsets overlooking the seaview. So peaceful.




Siput korek-ing was nice though it was not my effort. Due to Sun being the 1st day of the month according to the Chinese calendar, it was high tide until after 7.30pm. So they went to look for siput until the sun set and used torchlight. There were so many siput. We cooked them for dinner that night.


I also had a chance to cycle. Haha. noticed how small is my bicycle? Actually, it is just right for someone like me who doesn't know how to cycle. This is so that I can just use my 2 legs as breaks when I am about to fall on the side! I managed to cycle some distance, but I still don't know how to make a turning. My palms hurt as I gripped to hard on the handles, fearing that I would lose balance and fall.

So do I know how to cycle now? Still NO...sigh. But getting better ;D

Managed to squeeze some time to go the Turtle Sanctuary in Segari town. Wow...the turtles were huge! And there were so many baby turtles...so cute!


(darlin' and me @ Turtle Sanctuary)


(grandpa turtles)


(baby turtles)

On Sun afternoon, we drove out to the nearest Lumut town to have lunch at a local seafood Restaurant Siang Seng. The food was okok. I like the herbal frog meat and also the goat's meat



(herbal frog meat)



(tender goat meat)

It was my first time seeing 'coconut tuak' - some kind of liquor made using fermented coconut. I did not even taste it because the smell was terrible. I could not bear it to be near me.


(the smelly coconut tuak)

We left the place at 10am on Monday morning after having maggi mee for breakfast. Drove all the way to Setiawan and stopped at the famous Gong Pian aka Hock Chew Peah biscuit stall. Waited for an hour before they were ready and the queue was long. Setiawan is the 'Hock Chew town' where everybody there speak hock chew dialect. Me, being a 'Hock Chew kia' could not understand nor utter a single word. Haha.

Anyway, these biscuits are being 'roasted' manually in a big urn, something like how they make roti naan.



(the famous gong pian aka hock chew peah)

Also a bought a bottle of the famous Kampung Koh chilli sauce. RM2.50/bottle.


We then went to search for lunch. Had seafood again at a recommended local seafood restuarant called Amu Coconut Villa Seafood Restaurant. The food was delicious. That is why i posted every single pic of what we ordered here.









With a full stomach, I slept in the car on our way to Kellie's Castle in Batu Gajah. Upon reaching, it was already near to 5pm. They told us we need to get out by 5.30pm because it is the Puasa month and they wanted to finish off early. We then hurried inside the castle after paying rm4/person.

So what is Kellie's Castle? According to Wikipedia, "The unfinished, ruined mansion, was built by a Scottish planter called William Kellie Smith. According to differing accounts, it was either a gift for his wife or a home for his son".






We had an enjoyable half an hour exploring the ruined mansion, looking at the architecture and design of the building. I was surprised to see the teak wood still so sturdy and strong (no white ants!) after more than 200 years. I was amazed to see there were lift shafts for the '1st Bucket Lift in Malaya'. There were also secrets tunnels, one of which leads to the Hindu temple through the Kinta River. However, this tunnel has now been sealed for safety reason.

After that, we headed back to Penang, stopping at Juru Autocity to pick up Min and also Jelutong for late dinner. We reached back home almost 10.30pm.

Exhausted.

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