Tucked in Bed

I am warm and cozy tucked under the doona. My eyelids are slowly getting heavier. It is way past midnight. I have to stop sleeping late. But it is the only time I have to myself.

When everyone else is asleep, I enjoy some peace and quiet. I need this me time. To regroup my thoughts and just enjoy silence.

And now, under my doona, I enjoy the night and my son's breathing is all I can hear. Inhale. Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

My eyes close and I am at peace.

Masterchef Gone Wrong

All I wanted was for you to laugh at what had happened and then help me clean up the mess. Maybe say something like "Here, let me help you clean it up." And maybe we could laugh together while we joke about my lack of kitchen finesse.

What I got was a string of criticisms and no help at all. And I had my cry when you went away.

Kinda like Masterchef.

Meet and Greet

This morning I am the first point of contact when patients come into the operating suite.

I smile and introduce myself.

Go through the pre- operative checklist.

Take them to the rooms.

Start all over again.

What did I do to prepare? Put on lip gloss so I look presentable.

God, I'm so shallow sometimes.

Cramming Candyland

When I was planning my son's 1st birthday party, I had a whole system going. I had personalized stamps, personalised balloons, I had research done and even had a folder to keep all my paperwork in.  The party was held in our house.  Lawn was newly laid.  I hired chairs and tables.  We had ball pits.  We had gazebos.  We had the works.  It was a big party.  Theme: CIRCUS!

Fast forward to my daughter's 1st birthday party....

Party will be held at a buffet restaurant.  Invites still being done as we speak.  Hoping to get them out by Monday. No personalised stamps.  No folder.  I try to do things in between feeding the soon to be birthday celebrant and helping her big brother tie his shoelaces for school. But we do have a theme - CANDYLAND!  And it is still big!

Funny how life changes in 6 years.

Lucky Nine

Happy 9 years of wedded adventure to my hubby.  It was April 13, 2002 when I uttered those two words that have divided the world - "I DO".  After that day, life went on super speed and have not stopped since.  Two kids later, we are still here.  We have been through a lot. Yet, we are still here.  I'm glad we did not let go.  I'm glad we held on and had chosen "us".  Here's to many more years of adventure!

My Kitchen Rules

Currently watching a pre recorded show of My Kitchen Rules. Nail biting! And I'm hungry.

Reality: we are having leftovers.

TV - 1
Reality - 0

Stuck

Currently made the mistake of letting 9 month old daughter have a nap on me. She fell asleep as I surfed the net. Then my leg went numb. And now typing with right hand. And I am thinking that I should really be making dinner. 5 year old son being entertained by the PS3.

Help!

2011

Ummm... I have no excuse really.  I hang my head in shame.  My excuse? Having 2 kids? Not organised enough? Just forgot I even had a blog?

Well... this year, and i know i say this every year, I will endeavour to write more.

Okay it is set in stone.

I
will
blog
more
for
2011.

M.I.A.

Wow - has it been that long? Poor blog... have been neglecting you. Well... my attempt at blogging everyday along with my photo a day has gone kerplunk. Ooops. Mind you the photos I have kept up but due to mommy duties, I've been unable to upload them. They are all in my laptop or in my iphone. Somehow, time escapes me. It's like I woke up from hibernation, spring is over and summer is on its way in AND CHRISTMAS IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER! AND my daughter is now doing a whole bunch of new things.

TIME! Please slow down just for a bit.

And while we are at it, can I please turn you back. Back to 2004. I need to tweak a few of my decisions and would like to start again.

Thank you.

Sunshine and Teardrops

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A very dear friend of mine sent me a text message in the morning saying she was taking her son to the park and if I wanted to join them. At first I was a bit hesitant because I will be taking my son and baby daughter with me and this will be the first time I will be doing it on my own. On top of that, the sleepless nights were weighing me down. I have to admit I considered just staying home but it was such a lovely day outside that I readily agreed. I figured if I don't get up and go now, I may just never do it.

Boy was I glad I agreed! The sun was out in full force and was such a beautiful warm day for winter. My son played in the playground and ran around, enjoying himself. My daughter slept in the pram the whole time. My parents even joined us as well so they could see the grand kids. My mother and I had a talk which lead me to cry and vent and basically voiced out some unsaid things. Problems that arose are no where near resolved but I was glad to say a bit of my piece. I hope she listened and went away thinking about what I had said.

After two hours, we went home to have a late lunch.

Sunshine and teardrops were what I needed on that sunny day. And a friend and parents who care.

Somewhere Between Sleep and Zombie

I am somewhere in between getting sleep and being in a bit of a zombie state.  Lack of sleep.  I had it much worse I think with my first child.  The second time round, it seemed easier but I still get the occasional curve ball my new daughter throws at me and just when I think I will be getting some sleep, she dictates otherwise. She is only 2 weeks old.  I can not even remember what I was like when my son was 2 weeks old, 5 years ago.  I know this time, I am at least functional.  Last time, I was asleep when he was asleep and I was up when he was.  Maybe I should save my reserves this time round and still sleep when the baby sleeps.  I am a bit cocky this time round just because she sleeps 2-3 hours stretches at a time. 

Conclusion: Get more nap time for me.  

Birthday Bash - Left, Right and Centre

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This week has been a birthday week. First my dad turned 60 and we had a low key dinner to celebrate. My father is very unassuming so nothing extravagant suited him just fine. Then my niece turned one a couple of days later. Had a mini celebration again with lots of food, cake and more cake! Yum! On the weekend, we have 3 more birthday parties to go to plus a baby shower.

Celebration of life! The best celebrations by far.

We Survived The 7 Year Itch

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My hubby and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary yesterday. We survived the seven year itch! Last night, we had a family dinner to celebrate - restaurant was chosen by my dear son so it was our usual jaunt, a local Vietnamese restaurant. Enjoyed dinner - it's like comfort food. Crispy chicken egg noodle soup, coconut juice and some porkchops and rice. We went to bed happy.

Today, we took our son to pre-school and then headed off to Manly. It was a glorious day - for lack of a better word. The sun was out in full force, the skies were blue - the day was just perfect. The seas were rolling, people were out and about and my hubby was in a foul mood because he woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I could almost see his temper escalating! First we missed the turn off. Then what followed was a litany of an annoyed man who couldn't get out of his cranky mood. It was almost amusing but I dared not say anything or let out a giggle. He eventually snapped out of his mood once we walked it off a bit and eventually made our way to the restaurant.

Restaurant in question is Garfish. I do not know exactly where I heard of this place (could be anyone at this point) but I'm glad I knew of this place. What ensued was one of the best meals I've had in a while. Hubby ordered fresh oysters for entree (YUM - I looked on enviously but eventually caved in and ate 2). For mains he had the salt and pepper squid with a side of chips. I had the wood roasted whole baby snapper served with sauteed kipfler potatoes, pumpkin, portobello mushrooms and olives with truffle butter. OH EM GEE! The snapper was cooked to perfection. Each mouthful melted in my mouth and the side complimented it beautifully! The snapper was so delicious! I've had snapper before and was disappointed at the lack of taste but this totally made up from the abysmal experience! Hubby and I want to go back and take our son to experience the culinary delights this little place had to offer.

After our meal, we headed off to Ben and Jerry's for dessert. I have been waiting for this moment! When we got there, I tasted tested three ice cream flavours before I made my choice. After much deliberation I decided on Chocolate Therapy and New York Super Fudge Chunk! I was in chocolate heaven! Hubby had the Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz. That was awesome too!!! The chocolate chunks are huge and every spoonful was heaped with just a luscious sweetness. This is coming from someone who has been deprived of sweets because I am suppose to be watching my sugar levels. OH EM GEE! I loved that little naughty dessert.

Overall, I rate the day a 20 out of 10! Even though hubby had his cranky episode, the great day that followed once he got over it was awesome! Date days are always so much fun. I love it!

Sweet Cupcake Child

11-4-10, originally uploaded by rhee1975.

My son and I decided to bake cupcakes today. We've been stuck at home so much this week (recuperating from a bad case of the cold) that I am getting bored. So we made cupcakes.

Guess what he ate the most of? The icing from the bowl and the left over sprinkles.

He ate one cupcake and so did I. The rest is sitting on the kitchen bench top. Hopefully, hubby will eat some. Knowing him though, he might pass. He's not big on sweets.

Oh wells. Maybe if we are still in our self imposed house arrest, we could sell it. Instead of a lemonade stand, we'll have a cupcake stand.

Anyone want cupcakes?!

Sleepy Head

10-4-10, originally uploaded by rhee1975.

Slept in today. I haven't had one in a while. It was nice to just sleep, sleep, sleep. Although, I did wake up from a bad left leg cramp. How bad? Well, first I started whimpering because it hurt. I whimpered loud enough that my hubby woke up to ask what was wrong. I managed to utter that I had a cramp and he started to massage it. The pain intensified and I started to say "OW" quite loudly. When saying "OW" just didn't stop it, I started to cry unabashedly. Eventually, hubby massaged it out and funnily enough we both just went back to sleep without much drama.

Then the phone downstairs rang, answering machine picked up, no message and for some weird reason I thought the answering machine was broken because all I could hear was the word "message" over and over again. Like it was a broken record. In hindsight, I think I was half asleep and it was actually my son's breathing that I could hear. He managed to sneak into our bed. Somewhere between my thoughts debating whether it was really our answering machine broken or just my son breathing, I fell asleep again.

Finally, I woke up wedged in between my son and my hubby. Glanced at the clock and it was 10am. WOOHOO! But my left leg muscles felt like I ran a marathon and did tae kwan do all the same time. It was sore!

But I was so happy I had a sleep in! The rest of the day was spent recuperating some more from this terrible cold we got. I have not stayed home so much. However, need to focus on getting ourselves the healthiest we can be for the arrival of lil' bean. So I happily stay home.

Does chocolate make colds go away? I hope so! I have eaten 5 chocolate eggs today! Oops. Burp.

Still Sick

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Don't feel like blogging much. Still sick. Cough. Cough. Splutter. Splutter. Ack.

And to add to that, I just digested an unpalatable idea. Makes me nauseous just thinking about it. Ack.

Ack.
Ack.
Ack.

CRAP!

Lunch Date

31-3-10, originally uploaded by rhee1975.

My husband and I don't often go out on dates these days. I love dates! Just me and him - just like before.

Today, we took our son to pre-school and headed on to the city to check out a baby store my friend had recommended (cheaper than the other baby stores). We bought a change table for Lil' Bean (the one we got for our son had been given away too prematurely) and my husband bought me a glider chair (for breastfeeding and later on when baby is older, can be his "daddy" chair). I really, really wanted a bassinette and a new pram but logic prevailed (and the budget). But I still think those cute frilly bassinettes are still so gorgeous! And I still want a bright red and pink pram ha ha.

Afterwards, I was hungry. So off we went to the Bondi Westfield. I have not been there since forever. We found a Japanese restaurant we liked and got a table. I saw the wagyu beef and had to have that! I have kind of turned off sushi since this pregnancy so I left that alone. I also ordered zucchini flowers tempura stuffed with tofu, pumpkin and sweet potato. Had to have my endamame and soft shell crab karage too. They were all so good! Hubby polished off seven sushi plates all by himself. We were happy campers after that meal.

As if that wasn't filling enough, I tortured myself by looking at all the yummy pastries and cakes and cheeses in the David Jones food hall! I miss my soft cheeses. Most especially the soft blue cheeses and the triple crème brie! Ahhhh, soon enough my loves.

The best part of this day was that I could just extend my hand out to the left or right of me any time and it will find its way into my husband's waiting palm, which in turn will hold onto mine. Yep, that was the best part of the day indeed! Holding hands.

Girly Bits

30-3-10, originally uploaded by rhee1975.

Went to have my ultrasound today to make sure that the placenta is not blocking the cervix. It is not! YAY! No caesarean section. I also got the doctor to double check that our baby still has girly bits. She does! YAY!

I took along my mum and dad and my son.  My dad and my son were having so much fun playing with Mr. Potato Head that they stayed outside during the procedure.  I could hear my son getting excited and talking louder than everyone else from the ultrasound room. Made me smile. He gets excited like I do - we get loud!  

Anyway, all is well in uterus land....

Kindergarten Already?!

29-3-10, originally uploaded by rhee1975.

Today, we had an early start to the day. I had an 8am appointment with my obstetrician. From there, dropped off my weekly blood sugar results at the clinic in hospital. Headed straight to the post office afterwards to pick up a package and send one off. Lastly, we handed in my son's kindergarten enrolment forms at our chosen school.

We were lucky that the principal was there and not busy so he actually took us on a tour of the school. It was nothing like I have ever seen before! The set up and concept of the school was definitely different from what I grew up with. I like how involved the parents are too (there were a couple of parents who were reading to the kindergarten kids and a few more were due to start the cooking class). It was an open plan set up for the classroom - yes, you read right - I said classroom... singular! One big area where the students were divided in "stages". One to three stages plus a special one just for kindergartens. I loved how everyone was in one area, yet, everyone was well behaved, quietly working but part of a cohesive group. Each group had their own areas and were doing different things. I also liked how there weren't many students in one class either, meaning the teachers had more time with each student. They had two teachers per group as well. I was suitably impressed. I hope my son gets into this school. I feel that he will benefit a lot from this school. I have a good feeling about it!

At the end of the tour, I thanked the principal for showing us around and answering my questions.  I walked away with a sense of excitement as my son enters a new phase in his life next year.  I also couldn't wait to tell hubby about it.

By 10am - we were home!  We still had a whole day ahead of us.  It is now time to vacuum... blah! But I am thinking a  nap to follow will be just perfect!

Next Stop, Level Three

25-3-10, originally uploaded by rhee1975.

Walked to work today. It was hot. My lunch bag weighed a ton. I wore a long dress. What was I thinking?! I got to work in one piece and decided to catch the elevator up. I figured if I walked up the stairs, I might collapse.

Des greeted me when I got to work and she gave me some banana bread. Yum! Will have to ration it and not eat it in one go - got to watch my sugar intake.

Work was fine.

Then, Jen offered to do my on-call tonight. Yay!

Thank God for good friends. What would I do without them?