Christmas with Living Fountain

This blog is overdue, so i thought I'd better complete it before the year ends...

This year Living Fountain had an early Christmas Celebration on Sunday, 14 Dec 2008, at simon & wy’s place as it was the only date that everyone could make. We had a good time of fun & fellowship as some of us have not met up for some time. Getting the kids together and listening to them talking, screaming, laughing, crying, fighting etc. was just music to my ears. The food was good (oops forgot to take a pic) especially the satay, one of my fav food, which I have not eaten for ages.

One thing I found out is that Arielle has a fear of balloons. I knew she was afraid but I did not know that it was that bad. That night she was crying and screaming whenever she saw a balloon even though it was a distance away from her. She probably developed it when one balloon burst right in front of her when we were decorating the house for her first birthday party last year. Wah…difficult la to attend kids’ parties in the future. I searched the net and found that such a phobia is called globophobia. Even an adult can have that. I hope this is a phase and that it will go off as she grows.

Some pics of the kids, our next generation….

Christopher with his finger lickin' good milo bar

Cynthia with mummy Mei Yan

Isaac with Daddy Sin Loong

The Yoong girls doing their special performance

Zoe doing her masak masak

Arielle & Zoe , trying to be part of the che ches performance

Aaron trying to snooze in the midst of all that

Let’s have another!! Yam Sem (Yum Seng) as Arielle put it.

Relaxed & Playful Aaron

Aaron loves to turn and stay on his tummy nowadays. Like Arielle before, he is sleeping less in the day time as it seems he wants to "kay poh" around...

Hungry Aaron

Arielle used to suck her toes as well....

Our Christmas Tree

We finally have a Christmas Tree! Bought it at 80% off from Metro after last year's Christmas and carried all the way from Bukit Bintang Plaza back to Times Square. I was 3 months preggy then with Aaron. The decor was also purchased last year at up to 80% off as well. So after sitting in the store for almost a year, it is finally out. Asked Jon to fix it in mid november already for fear I forget about it and then will have to wait for the next Christmas..hee hee.




The theme colour is gold..will try to add on more colour next year

Lighted up

Not as nice as this one at IOI Mall though...

Berjaya University College of Hospitality

That's where I have been working since 1 August 2007. Berjaya University College of Hospitality (Berjaya UC) will open its doors to a new intake on 7 Jan 2009. It is the only University College speacialising in Hospitality, Culinary and Tourism. The team has been and will be busy this month as it is the recruitment period and we hope to recruit 200 students by January 2009. That explains why I am working today. My staff worked yesterday, so today is my turn. I miss my kids when I work weekends.



Anyway, back to Berjaya UC. The UC is located on the 11th and 14th flr of Berjaya Times Square. The 11th flr houses the corporate office, classrooms, auditorium, and computer labs while the culinary kitchens and the training restaurant is located on the 14th flr. The facilities offered is really state of the art and my boss will not settle for anything less. My boss, a trained chef, with 20 yrs of experience (10 yrs KDU & 10 yrs Sunway), is a very detailed person and knows what she wants to bring Berjaya UC to great heights. Log on to http://www.berjaya.edu.my/ to find out more about us.

Campus Lobby

Happy Birthday Sweetie

Arielle turned 2 on 29 Nov. We organised 2 parties for her - one at the home of her foster family @ babysitter and the other one with us. She really enjoyed herself and kept on singing happy birthday to herself.

Arielle's first birthday cake

Arielle's foster family on 28th Nov


Arielle with her 2nd birthday cake on the morning of 29th Nov

Birthday Feast

Gorgeous smile


Happy birthday Arielle. We thank God for you and love you very very much!

Complete Turn

Aaron has finally managed to turn and lie on his stomach yesterday after a week of half turns. No more bouncer net for him..have to vigilantly keep watch now...

Aaron having a good time with che che

Push & Beat

Arielle's favourite word now is "push". She keeps wanting to push other kids...whether she is at music class or at sunday school. Sometimes the other kid cries sometimes not. She knows its wrong cos she would say "push .....(the other kid's name)" and when I said cannot she would say "after ..... cry , how?" but still does it. Sigh. I had a discussion with Jon re this issue and he said it started after she was pushed by a koko (bigger kid) at Tesco and she fell down. So I guess this is her way of self defence - pushing other kids before they get to her.

She also developed a habit of beating other kids. She probably learned from us cos we would beat her fingers on and off when she is naughty. I spoke to a few parents and they say the same. So, we have stopped smacking her ..improved slightly..last weekend no beating other kids.

I wonder why she does that and hope that she does not grow up to be a bully. Surprisingly at babysitter's place, she neither push nor beat. Well, I hope it is phase which will phase out soon.

Quick Updates on Arielle & Aaron

Arielle is turning two this Saturday and growing cheeky by the day. She is learning more and more words trying to imitate when people around her talks. Its such a joy to be with her. Well as what her babysitter said, she is very good in talking but come to "she she"...dunno how to say yet...Sigh!..At least can say "ng ng" la. Saw her sitting on her milk tin and decided to take some pics..good ad for "Enfagrow A+" eh?

Aaron is 3 and the half months and is growing stronger by the day. He is starting to turn and very curious re his surroundings. He has started to sleep longer hours at night...Thank God that he has been in good health since he was discharged. His V shape birthmark on his forehead is his trademark.

Between last post and Now

Time flies and I'll be back to work on Monday...

Between my last post and now...

1) We had a full moon party for Aaron at our house on 30th August 2008. Although many people whom we invited could not make it because of the long weekend, many did turn up and both Jon and I was overwhelmed with trying to talk to many as possible especially old and good friends which we have not seen for ages. The food which we catered was however a bit disappointing. The portions were not as expected and the quality was not as good as what I have tried. Feedbacks given were not so good..so was rather sad. Not many photos were taken cos we were too busy. WY as usual being helpful did help us to take some photos.

2) The following weekend on Sunday, 7th Sept 2008, we had Aaron's baby dedication at church conducted by Pastor Swee Tsung and thereafter celebrated his full moon with church members during refreshment time with red eggs and ang kuh kuih. During that time, Gracia, Kok Ming & Yit Sean's daughter also had her one-year old birthday celebration. The cake which they oredered from Cake Sense was really yummy.

3) On 10th Sept 2008 evening, Jon felt that Aaron's body was really warm and his body posture was weird. I didn't think any of it but when I measured his temperature using my all reliable crystallised thermometer, his temp fluctuated between 37.5 and 38.5 degrees C. I was worried and did some sponging on his forehead and put him to sleep with the Kool Fever Pad. He was groaning and groaning most of the night but I thought he was just hungry, so I asked him to go and sleep but he could not. At 4 a.m. when he cried, I tried to give him milk but his whole body stiffened and his eye balls just rolled to the middle. I somehow knew he was having some sort of fits. I quickly woke Jon up and rushed to the SJMC Emergency Room. We took Arielle with us. The Dr on duty said that it was unlikely for a baby below 3 mths old to hv such a high fever and said we have to admit him. They called Aaron's paed and took some bllod from him for blood tests. All sorts of tests were carried out and finally he was diagnosed with having Meningitis. Dr said that he probably caught the flu virus from someone. Sigh...so my mum was right..never expose the little one to so many people. For Arielle, we were staying with my parents, so she was protected most of the time. Jon & I was really worried. First 4 days his temperature fluctuated between 38.5 and 39.5 degrees C. We had many visitors and calls and prayers. Thank you very much to all. His fever came down after that but had to stay on till Sunday , 21st Sept 2008 for the anti biotic treatment. I stayed with him the whole week while Jon took care of Arielle. Thank God for his strength and healing.

4) On the morning of 20th Sept 2008, my babysitter who had earlier agreed to take care of Arielle sent me a text message and said she could no longer babysit my kids. I called her and she explained that her health is not so good nowadays and has decided to reduce the no. of children under her care. Further more, Aaron is not well and she cannot give full attention to him. She has another baby abt Aaron's age under her care also who is not so well. So she said that I shld find someone that can tk cr of both my kids so that the siblings are together. She said she will help me look for one and I agreed. I was really depressed as she is a good lady and committed to the kids. I discussed the matter with Jon and he asked me to negotiate for her to con't to tk cr of Arielle as she will not get used to another, and we will find Aaron another. So in the end, my mom offered to tk cr of Aaron and Arielle will go back to her babysitter. Thank God for my mum who is so ever willing to lend a helping hand when it comes to her granchildren.

I don't think I am emotionally ready to go back to work - still tired and recovering from the past month of emotional events. But I have to toughen myself and start getting myself into a routine again.

Thank you to all my caring cell group members and friends who have helped the Gohs in one way or another esp WY who has done much more beyond my imagination.

Sleepless nights

Eversince my cofinement lady (aunty) left, Aaron has not been sleeping well at night. Last 3 nights have been the same routine for him. He falls asleep in his cot and just when I am about to sleep, he cries for milk. I breast feed him directly but seems like its not enough for him. He then continues to cry or be agitated until about 3 to 4 a.m.. It may be the wind in his tummy during that period of time as after the 3 a.m. feed, he will poo poo, burp and then sleep. Maybe he misses aunty as at the time when aunty went home, he had already stop poo pooing at night, now he is back to it again - at least twice a night. Well am going to try a different method this time. Will feed him breast milk via the bottle so I know how much he drinks, so he cannot claim that he is still hungry, then see how. Also, I must remember to feed him wind drops.

Well, nowadays I really fear when bed time comes. Dunno what to expect. Pray that Aaron's sleeping patterns will stabilise soon.

Mum

Well, I wanted to write this post for quite sometime already but have been distracted with so many other topics.

I am not close to Mum and many times throughout my life I have had clashes with her. She longs to be close to her only daughter but certain things that she does and say just dun agree with my principles. However, ever since I moved out from the family home, our relationship has improved. She really has a good heart and does things for the good of her children. I guess her past history has shaped what her views are today. She comes from a family of 13 children and most of her life she has been bullied by one sibling or the other as she is the only one that is not really studious. During the younger days, since she was a housewife, her sisters who stayed around the Klang Valley, left their kids to her during working hours. She has been really generous to her nieces and nephews and always do things for their own good although she gets no returns. I don't know, but I have always had this thought that maybe that's why our family has been poor all this while, supporting others , besides the amount spent on educating us in Singapore and besides being cheated by a sister. When she took care of her Dad when he was ill, all siblings accused her of all sorts of stuff. Its really not easy taking care of an elderly person who is sick, yet she was not appreciated and led to all sorts of accusations. All these has led her to be insecure in her life. I was a guilty party of not supporting my mum during that time but I really admired my ko who supported her all the way against all the uncles and aunties.

Even at this age of 62 now, she is still enthusiastic about learning new things, buying heaps of books and CDs to improve her knowledge. I must admit that she gives good advice and I have come to respect my mum of who she is and I will try my best to improve further our relationship before its too late.

I am extremely thankful that she is able to take care of Arielle for us during the weekends. It is really such a great favour and even now she takes such pleasure in cooking and feeding Arielle, making sure Arielle gets the best nutrition base on books that she has read. Together with babysitter caring for my little angel, she has grown taller and bigger.

Missing Arielle

The first night at the hospital, I had to let Arielle spend the night with her babysitter (first night ever she slept away from home) as Jon spent the night with me. She was ok apparently. But I was told that the next day her mood just changed. She refused to eat, refused to sleep and so on. So that the second night, Jon decided to bring her home. When Jon told me, tears just weld up in my eyes...my poor little girl. She was over the moon when Jon went to pick her up. She could not wait. Jon was told that every few minutes she would be going to the gate to check if Pa Pa had arrived.

I am missing spending time with Arielle the most during confinement. I miss being with Jon and her on our weekend nights out. I miss holding one side of her hand and her look as she looks up to both of us with a sweet smile telling us that she is enjoying her night out. I miss carrying her whenever she said "pau pau" as I can't carry her right now until my wound is fully recovered. I hope she understands that and not think that I do not want to carry her anymore. I miss being with her at Sunday School and Musikgarten class but its also good time for Jon to spend much more time with his daughter. I have got two more weeks to the end of confinement and I pray I will be totally recoverd by then to spend time with her. But then I have Aaron to care for so I am not sure how my routine will be. Oh well, take one step at the time and leave the rest to God.

Search for a Confinement Lady

This time round we decided to get a confinement lady (CL) as my parents find it really tiring to do it all over again and we have Arielle to take care of. We already decided this in January but me being last minute only decided to act on booking one only in May, 2 mths to delivery, which is already quite late. I did search the Internet though and did obtain certain contacts from various forums and blogs. A friend of mine who had her son in February did forward me a list of CLs, also from the net. But I did not get round to calling them. I wanted an English speaking one and based on the names I gathered that none of them could speak English. Furthermore I was advised not to get someone of which I could not have references for. So I procrastinated. PN gave me an English speaking contact but when I called, she was already taken. Then I remembered, one of Jon's ex-ex housemate telling me that she was going to stay in a confinement house in Puchong which also do provide CLs. I called her, asked for her opinion and also contact of the confinement house. Its Fong Chai Confinement Services at Puchong Jaya. Its owned by an elderly lady by the name of Mrs Wu, who do not know English but her daughter, Jeslyn, can communicate in English. Jon & I dropped by the place, met the owners, and a few days later decided to put in the RM500 deposit for a CL. Our condition was..try as hard as possible to get an English speaking one though haed to come by. What was good abt this was, if we are not happy, they can send in a replacement. Apparently I was also not able to meet the allocated CL before hand as she was on other engagements. So all I could do was pray for a good one.

God answers prayers! My allocated CL can speak English and she is pretty good especially in cooking and taking care of the precious little one. She is Aunty Cheong. She has been in this line for 4 years already and being a CL is a calling from God. She is a Christian and she shared with me that she was a cook before in a household but she wanted to give up the job as she found it difficult to serve the various needs of the membrs in the household. She prayed about it and twice in a 6-mth period she saw the words of "cho pooi yee" (be a confinement lady) and since then she started to be one. She helps to clean and wash the clothes daily and is efficient in preparation of meals. She cooks heaps of food so much so I have no chance to feel hungry. In fact I am stuffed all the time and I am supposed to be loosing weight! She also takes care of the little one really well - bathe him twice a day, changes his diapers regularly etc. She also prays a lot so its good.

However, there are certain downsides to having a CL - all my standard operating procedures of running my kitchen has been breached but I have to close one eye lor. No 2 cooks can survive in one kitchen. So this month its my CL's kitchen and next mth I will have it back. Like washing the oily dishes...I normally wash at the kitchen sink at the back but she washes in the sink of the dry kitchen, the back grill...I like to keep it closed but she likes to keep it open for convenience as she goes in & out very often. I dun want to tell her as I want her to be comfortable working here. If I told her I know she will follow. Anyhow, she is doing a good job with baby and that is the most important thing. This month is truly a "holiday" month...lots of relaxation and good food!

It is not easy to be a confinement lady - need to cook, take care of baby and the mummy especially if you dun have a good night's rest.

My Gynae

I was introduced to my gynae about 2 years ago by WY who was introduced to him by an ex-cell group member. Before I even met him I have heard stories about how strict he is, both in terms of looks and dealing with patients. I was told not to ask any silly questions. I was also told that he prefers planned deliveries instead of the non-planned ones, so that would mean induced delivery or the pre-booked C-Section.

My first appointment with him was actually to do the normal check up to see if I should take any precaution if I were to get pregnant. My first impression of him was just as what I was told. Strict and not so friendly, "get the job done" type kind of person. I was, however, intrigued by him and continued with him when I was pregnant with Arielle. Moreover, his clinic was rather convenient and I could go for my appointments on Saturdays without causing disruption to my work schedule. I did ask him questions about the pregnancy and he did answer willingly although his smiles were hard to come by.

WIth Arielle, at 39 weeks, he suggested an induced labour as he said that my water level was low and that was a danger to the baby. I did ask him if I could wait till the EDD before going for the induced labour but he expressed concern for the baby, so, Jon and I say ok. So maybe I thought he wanted my delivery to be a confirmed date and did not really know the seriousness of a the water level being low until I read recently in a magazine that, that was one of the reasons for induced delivery. As in my previous post on Arielle's birth, I was induced on the first day from 7 to 12 p.m. but still could not dialate , so I heard my gynae scheduling me for a C sect already on that day. I then requested to give another chance for natural labour and surprisingly, he did allow me to try again the next day, but with a wry smile which sort of read that no matter what I may still have to go for the Op. But when I could not take the pain after the burst of the water bag and when he found that baby already poo poo in the womb, the next day, he wheeled me in for the C. During Arielle's time, when I went back for a postnatal check up and he found that my feet were swelling, his face showed genuine concern and told me there was a possibility of blood clot and asked me to go back and lift my feet up. All went well after. Oh ..and I forgot to mention that at the hospital he wears this cute little bow tie, most of the time its maroon I think...:)..looks quite cute.

When I found out I was pregnant with Aaron, I wanted to change gynae as I was of the impression that my current gynae would not allow me to try natural (he did inform me that since I had the C for my first one, I am not allowed to deliver again before 1 year is up) as all the time in my mind, he will take every opportunity to schedule deliveries so there is a possibility that he might just ask to do the C straight away. So I did visit a hospital near my place to see if the gynae and facilities were ok. The hospital was too new and there were only 2 gynaes, and I was not so comfortable with them after reading their profiles. The other option was a private medical centre at Taman Desa which was rcommended by a friend, but that was too far. So back to my old gynae I went. After all have only one dr seeing all of me rather than having so many other. Ha ha. My appointments with him were quite good and he did smile often. No mention was made about the mode of delvery until the 37th week when he asked and I indicated the fact I wanted to go for natural. He allowed but he did warn me when I was at 40 weeks and not in labour yet that there was a possibility that even when I go for induced labour, there was a possibility that my cervix will not dialate as what happened the last time, and I guess being an experienced Dr with over 30 years of experience, he predicted correctly. He told me during the op that Aaron's head was already engaged and that if my cervix was loose enough, I could have delivered Aaron normally. Sigh! Well at least he gave me the opportunity to try for natural delivery. Recently when I went for my postnatal checkup, he found certain parts of my wound swelling and he had this genuine worried look on his face, gave me antibiotics and told me to see him at the hospital in a couple of days.When I saw him at the hospital, he found my wound to be much better and when he said it I could hear the true happiness in his voice. He prescribed me some antibiotic cream and I will have to see him again this Thursday.

To summarise, I think my gynae will not make decisions base on his convenience and will advise accordingly base on each of his patient's medical condition. He is genuinely concern for the welfare of each of his patient and is quick to act in emergencies. I admire him and I think he is worth it to go to. I did ask him when he will retire during the op and he gave a rather interesting answer.."when I am unable to see". I guess he is indeed passionate about his job, not just the money in it. Keep up the good work shang's gynae!

Aaron at birth & few days old

Arrival of Aaron - 30 July 2008 - II

I was finally wheeled into the OT at 2 p.m. (I assume so as that was the scheduled time). The OT staff transferred me from the moveable bed to the operating table. I wonder how many OT staff it took to carry me as I was almost 71 kg at that time. The operating table was so narrow, I was wondering if I could fit. The anaesthetician told me to sit up straight so that she could administer the epidural. I could not as I was still in pain from the contractions that still continued to come. I could hear her said “she is still not sitting up straight enough, her spine is crooked”. With the OT staff trying to adjust me I also tried myself to sit up straight but still I could hear “not straight enough, not straight enough”. At one point, I got worried and told her, if cannot, just give me full GA as I was worried that if the epidural was not administered correctly, there was a possibility that I could feel the cut. I could hear her say gently “you’re changing your mind again?”. I replied “only if it is not possible to administer the epidural”. Then I felt a few ant bites at the spine and then a sensation of ants crawling all over the lower part of my body (one would say “semu-semut” when one get that numb feeling).

The anaesthetician then asked me if I could feel my feet moving and I told I could. Heard my gynae’s voice and I started panicking as the operation was about to start and I could still my feet moving. I told her “I can still feel my feet moving (x2)”. She held my hand, calmed me down and used a needle to test my sensation. She poked me at the numb area and asked me to compare the feeling I had with the upper part of my body. Though there was a difference, I could still feel the poke at the lower part of my body and I told her so. She then told me I was already being cut and asked if I could feel. I did not want to imagine myself being cut as it was a scary thought, but yes I could feel the poking needle like sensation as I was being cut. I just shut my eyes and concentrated on other stuff like chatting with the anaesthetician. She was really nice, such comforting voice and we were just chatting like old friends. My gynae also joined in as he was operating on me.

As my gynae hardly have the time to chit chat, I took the opportunity to ask him questions like “when do you think you will retire?”, “where are your kids?”, “are they practising to be doctors as well”? and so on. I also asked him which is better – natural or C and he said natural as the cut is not as big as that of C but I guess it depends i.e. in natural if the labour is not managed well and there is a tear, it would indeed take a longer time to heal compared to a cut. The anaesthetician also asked him why some cervixes cannot dialate and he said it was due to deficiencies in elasticity fibre. We also discussed the difficulties in teaching kids nowadays.

Suddenly I felt my whole body moving like someone’s playing tug of war with my body pulling me apart. I could feel pulling at the lower part of my body and pushing at the upper part of my body. This went on several times and then I could hear my baby crying. I imagine my baby being pulled from the opening while being pushed down from the top. During that moment I just felt I could not breathe, that my heart was being suffocated. I told them I could not breathe but after for a while taking a few deep breaths, I was ok. Aaron had a harsh manly cry…so I asked “why my baby cry like that one?”. Well the answer I got was “He’s got liquid in his lungs now being sucked out” but after that his cry was also the same. I guess he is going to have a harsh voice. The mid-wife then brought my son to me, showed me the tags on his feet to ensure that the tags are of the same number as mine on my wrist. She pointed his birth mark out on his forehead to me. Made baby kiss me twice and off he went to daddy.

After that heard all the sucking sounds of the equipment used to clean the inside of me I guess..while three of us continue to chat. Before I knew it my gynae said “ok, all done”..what a relief I was. They wheeled me out but had to stay at the surgery dept for an hour for observation. I was just lying there and thinking….no!..am not going to have another kid…too painful as in my case, the third would be C straight away – gynae told me during the op. The initial stages of recovery for a C-sect op is really painful!

Anyway, after the hour, I was wheeled to my room and met with Jon there. He was already getting worried as I was away for some time. He thought I had complications. As the epidural was still effective I could chat with him and could even breastfeed Aaron. But as the epidural wore off abt 4 hours later from the time it was administered, great pain set in and I asked for a painkiller. The nurse gave me a penidine injection but it was useless. Simon, WY, Ann, Kevin and their kids visited at night but I was too much in pain to speak with them. WY - thanks for bringing dinner for Jon, Ann – thanks for the bread which he gobbled it down also as he was really hungry..he din have lunch except for the kaya sandwich prepared for breakie.

Was discharged on Friday- 2 nights later. Jon came with my confinement lady to pick me and Aaron. Was told by nursery that Aaron had slight jaundice and so we had to wait for a blood test to be done to determine if he could go home with us. Thank God the reading was low enough for him to be discharged.

Hmmm recently, I find myself thinking, it would be nice to have another girl – probably because, my wound is healing and there is less pain now.

Arrival of Aaron - 30 July 2008 - I

Aaron was supposed to be due on 27 July 2008 but as of 26 July, when I went for a check up, there was still no signs of labour. My gynae then said that if by Wednesday, 30 July 2008, if I have not gone into labour yet, I should check myself into the labour ward, SJMC, at 7 a.m. in the morning for induction. We waited and waited but still no sign of Aaron's entry.

So on the morning of 30 July, after dropping off Arielle at the babysitter, we headed to SJMC. By the time we arrived it was already 7.30 a.m. cos of the usual morning jam at the federal highway. I was really getting very "kan cheong" more of the fear of pain rather than anything else. The nurses got me ready and by 8.30 a.m. I was on drip to induce Aaron out. Note that this time round there were quite a number of student trainee nurses around, apparently under schorlarship and bonded to the hospital. So it was rather irritating to hear the more experienced nurses teaching the trainees esp during the painful periods.

Anyhow, mild contractions came every 15 mins between 9.30 a.m. and 10.30 a.m. Gynae came to check and only dialated one finger tip..:(. From then on I prayed hard for the cervix to loosen up but I guess God had other plans. The contractions came stronger every 5, and then 4 and then 3 mins until about 12 p.m. when the mid wife checked and found no progress at all. The next moment we knew, they took me off the drip and told me I am headed for the op theatre (OT). We looked at each other in surprise and told the mid wife that we wanted my gynae to check and tell us his opinion directly. The mid wife told us that she will call the gynae but normally he would trusts their judgement. I was prepared to be bundled to the OT by 4 trainees who was asking each other how to trasnfer me to the moveable bed and there I was writhing in pain from the contractions. Jon jon and I got kind of cheez off and told them to get in the more experienced nurses.

Arrived at the OT for an apparently 1.30 p.m. schedule but was then told later that the op would be at 2 p.m. Contractions were still coming and I was really getting impatient. Heard the mid-wife complaining that she was told that it was 1.30 p.m. if not she would not have wheeled me down so early and that she has another patient to jaga, and her shift is only until 2 p.m...unfortunately did not manage to eavesdrop on any hospital hot gossips ha ha...

Finally the anaesthetician arrived with another confusion. Apparently it was written down that she was to administer the epidural i.e. only paralysing half the body. The mid wife told her that I have not been asked and no explanations have been given re the choices. The last time with Arielle I took full GA as I was already in so much pain and was fearful to go on half. This time round actually I told Jon that if I was not on a position to decide at the time of entry to the OT pls choose half for me, so I thought it was he who did the selection for me. But while waiting for the op I changed my mind and requested for full, again cos of fear that I can feel the knife. The anaesthetician got confused and informed that all have been prepared for half. Went between half and full several times but thank God for a patient anaesthetician. Finally I agreed to go for the half.

2 p.m. and in I went....more at the op table later....

Natural vs C-Sect

When Arielle was born via C-Sect, I was kind of disappointed as I wanted to go through the natural birth process. So this time round I have been praying that my gynae will allow me to go through the natural process as long as the baby is safe. But I will leave it up to the Lord as to which way His will is for me.

Well 2 years ago when I had my first, it has been said that the recovery process for natural birth is faster and within the month, the mum will be back to where she was before the delivery. No side effects being mentioned. Furthermore, the mum can have more & more kids if wanted and no time limit between kids. C-sect is like a major operation where it is expected to take a longer healing process and the mum cannot go through another delivery within the year of the operation. Number of kids will also be limited.

However, recently, I heard views that C-Sect is probably better than natural birth. I have heard that there are serious side-effects after natural birth due to all the pushing required. The internal organs of the mum apparently 'drops' from the original position causing everything to be loose. One of it is the bladder. Apparently, that can no longer be controlled as well as before. Even with a sneeze, the bladder will just release itself. Also, the intense pain experienced by the mum during and after. To quote a lady whom I recently spoke to 'the pain just pierces my heart'. Her first one was C and the second , natural. With C-Sect, so far my organs seem ok..just a scar at my bikini line that itches on and off.

Oh well, whichever way, the pain is inevitable. And whichever route it is, I leave it up to you Lord cos you are forever faithful.

Just can't wait!

Tomorrow, at my next Gynae appointment, I will be officially 38 weeks. I have put on heaps of weight (abt 17 kgs) and am bigger compared to my first pregnancy. My estimated due date is 27 July 2008 and I cannot wait. I do not know how my delivery is going to be like but I trust that God will be there with us every step of the way.

I really can't wait for delivery. The skin at my abdomen area is stretching too much already. I can no longer bend without being in pain. So I have just started applying cocoa butter though it may a bit late :) ... I have been feeling sick these few mornings after breakfast maybe because I overeat when my stomach has shrunk. I guess I am afraid I will feel hungry so I tend to stuff myself with food. You see during the first trimester I get so hungry in the mornings I sometimes feel I could just faint. And then the ongoing constipation problem that I have always been facing throughout both pregnancies just zaps all my energy. And above all I cannot wait to get back my taste buds. All the good food now just taste terrible in my mouth.

Of course also I cannot wait for the new addition to the family and to see how the little bundle of joy looks like. I almost cannot remember how to hold a tiny baby already so I hope when the little one comes I would become a natural again like with Arielle.

See you soon!

Cord Blood Banking

We recently decided to store our second kid’s cord blood with stem life as a form of an insurance policy for him. It doesn’t really cost much and we thought that since we did not store for Arielle, at least we have the opportunity to store for this one. Cord blood banking is pretty new in Malaysia, only made available since about 6 years ago. Research and use of stem cells therapy to cure diseases has been ongoing in the Western countries and Asia is beginning to catch up with it. Two of my friends stored their babies' cord blood and I recently saw some brochures on it. So when I asked Jon jon, he was all for it. He said to at least store for one of our kids in case we require it.

Did some research on the use of stem cells to determine if it is worth to store or not. Initial questions revealed that should store only if need to use it to cure any leukemic or thalassemic conditions currently existing within the family. Either that or if the family has any history of such conditions and the likelihood of the child getting it is high, it would be good to store. Further investigations revealed that stem cells can also be used to treat the following diseases which are really not common and unheard of except for the cancer bits :

Myelodysplastic Syndromes
• Amyloidosis
• Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML)
• Refractory Anemia (RA)
• Refractory Anemia with Excess Blasts (RAEB)
• Refractory Anemia with Excess Blasts in
Transformation (RAEB-T)
• Refractory Anemia with Ringed Sideroblasts (RARS)
S tem Cell Disorders
• Aplastic Anemia (Severe)
• Congenital Cytopenia
• Dyskeratosis Congenita
• Fanconi Anemia
• Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH)
Myeloproliferative Disorders
• Acute Myelofibrosis
• Agnogenic Myeloid Metaplasia (Myelofibrosis)
• Essential Thrombocythemia
• Polycythemia Vera
Lymphoproliferative Disorders
• Hodgkin’s Disease
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Prolymphocytic Leukemia
Phagocyte Disorders
• Chediak-Higashi Syndrome
• Chronic Granulomatous Disease
• Neutrophil Actin Deficiency
• Reticular Dysgenesis
Liposomal Storage Diseases
• Adrenoleukodystrophy
• Gaucher’s Disease
• Hunter’s Syndrome (MPS-II)
• Hurler’s Syndrome (MPS-IH)
• Krabbe Disease
• Maroteaux-Lamy Syndrome (MPS-VI)
• Metachromatic Leukodystrophy
• Morquio Syndrome (MPS-IV)
• Mucolipidosis II (I-cell Disease)
• Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS)
• Niemann-Pick Disease
• Sanfilippo Syndrome (MPS-III)
• Scheie Syndrome (MPS-IS)
• Sly Syndrome, Beta-Glucuronidase Deficiency
(MPS-VII)
• Wolman Disease
Histiocytic Disorders
• Familial Erythrophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis
• Hemophagocytosis
• Histiocytosis-X
• Langerhans’ Cell Histiocytosis
Inherited Erythrocyte Abnormalities
• Beta Thalassemia Major
• Blackfan-Diamond Anemia
• Pure Red Cell Aplasia
• Sickle Cell Disease
Congenital (Inherited) Immune System Disorders
• Absence of T & B Cells SCID
• Absence of T Cells, Normal B Cell SCID
• Ataxia-Telangiectasia
• Bare Lymphocyte Syndrome
• Common Variable Immunodeficiency
• DiGeorge Syndrome
• Kostmann Syndrome
• Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency
• Omenn’s Syndrome
• Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID)
• SCID with Adenosine Deaminase Deficiency
• Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome
• X-Linked Lymphoproliferative Disorder
Other Inherited Disorders
• Cartilage-Hair Hypoplasia
• Ceroid Lipofuscinosis
• Congenital Erythropoietic Porphyria
• Glanzmann Thrombasthenia
• Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome
• Osteopetrosis
• Tay Sachs Disease
Inherited Platelet Abnormalities
• Amegakaryocytosis / Congenital Thrombocytopenia
Plasma Cell Disorders
• Multiple Myeloma
• Plasma Cell Leukemia
• Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia
Other Malignancies
• Brain Tumors
• Breast Cancer
• Ewing Sarcoma
• Neuroblastoma
• Ovarian Cancer
• Renal Cell Carcinoma
• Small-Cell Lung Cancer
• Testicular Cancer
Autoimmune Diseases
• Evan Syndrome
• Multiple Sclerosis (Experimental)
• Rheumatoid Arthritis (Experimental)
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Experimental)

What is the probability of our kid contracting one of the above especially if we do not have such conditions in the family tree? What else can stem cells be used for? Did a google search and found out that potential treatable diseases includes the more familiar conditions like :

• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Diabetes
• Heart Disease
• Liver Disease
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Spinal Cord Injury
• Stroke
• Knee Injury

More research are being carried out to expand on the use of stem cells to cure other diseases and also on how to "multiply stem cells". The amt of cells in the cord blood may be insufficient to treat an adult, so as the kid grows, the cord blood may be insufficient to treat his or her ailments and donors may be required.

Of course we always pray that both our kids will be blessed with good health and will not require to take out the cord blood.

Doing a google search with words like "cord blood banking" and "stem cells therapy" can provide lots of info on the topic.

Wedding Anniversary

4 June 2005 - It was the day that the City Girl married the Kampung Boy. 3 years have since passed and we have little Arielle and another addition on the way. God has been good to us showering us with loads of blessings. Of course there have been unhappiness and conflicts in that 3 years but we have managed to overcome them with prayers and support from friends.

Married life is not that easy - so many responsibilities and commitments. It is just tiring to think of what is to be done. But come to think of it I will not give it up for anything in the world. What will my life be without Jon jon and Arielle and the little one?

Happy 3rd Anniversary Jon Jon!

Double Fright

Arielle had a double fright yesterday and so did we. She fell off the dining table chair yesterday afternoon while trying to reach for some stuff. I could not reach her in time as there were two chairs in between us. She fell on her back and I heard her head hit the marble floor after she landed on her back. She cried for a good 20 minutes I think more of fright than of pain. I felt really terrible. Recently under my care, she has been getting hurt quite often. I made her walk after that to make sure no bones were broken. Thank God she could still walk straight. After that she slept for four hours staright..she must be exhausted.

Then later in evening at about 9.30 p.m., on our return home, a huge van was blocking our gateway and we could not drive in..so i came down from the car to go into the house. While carrying Arielle, I tripped over some uneven tar, could not balance myself and fell knees first, i saw Arielle going down so i quickly twisted my body to cushion her but she still ended on the road. Hubby came rushing to us and grabbed Arielle. Thank God she was not hurt just got scared..She cried a bit and stopped after 1 min. As for me, I had bruised and scratched knees..had those almost 10 years ago. Hurt all night but otherwise...am doing great ..baby was still active..so all ok.

Well at the end of the day, before she slept,she pat her chest and said to me "pah pah" (mandarin for scared). Poor Arielle. Mummy din jaga baik baik.

Arielle in Marudi

Here are some pictures of Arielle in Marudi. I think she enjoyed herself immensely. She was so tired out by the end of the day that she slept early and we had no trouble at all putting her to bed. Over the week she has learned to say “bye bye” and to take my hand when she wants to “hold hands”.


Balancing Act at home



Enjoying the Canopy Walk at Marudi Park



Cheeky look



Running around the huge compound

But when she got back, she has been so “manja” with us. When I put her at my parents’ place on Monday, she was difficult. I guess after spending the whole week with us, she just wants us to be around all the time. With babysitter, she just din want to sleep. Oh well, I hope she gets back into her routine soon.

Home Sweet Home

It’s good to be home and sleeping in my own bed. Such a good feeling to have a complete sleep. Almost every night while away, my sleep has been broken. At 2 a.m. MIL wakes Jon up by loud knocks on the door to help in the production of noodles. At 5 a.m. he finishes his duty and creeps back into bed. At 5 something or so, the nearby mosque starts its morning prayers over the huge microphone. At 6 something the rooster starts crowing. Then, finally at about 8.30 to 9 a.m. when Arielle wakes me up. Well that is the kampung life for you.

CNY 2008

We had the usual traditional reunion dinner on the eve with MIL cooking long life noodles and several dishes even though some of them will not be touched for the night. As usual greedy me will dig into all the dishes to try. After the dinner, elder bro-in-law (BIL) lighted the traditional fire crackers at the entrance of the house which lasted for a good 5 mins to usher in the New Year.

Long Life noodles

Fireworks to usher in the New Year

Just a bit of side track….Sis-in-law (SIL) (married to Jon jon’s elder brother) did all the mopping and cleaning up. I was feeling rather lethargic this year so did not offer to help. I just helped out in the normal kitchen duties like washing the dishes and cleaning up. I hope SIL did not mind. She just has so much to do every day while taking care of two kids. SIL is really a great help to MIL when Jon jon’s sister left the household after marriage. She helps MIL to wash and hang the clothes, prepare all the meals, wash up, sweep and mop the huge house. At times also helps MIL in the noodle business. She wakes up early in the morning, has an occasional nap in the afternoon and then off to bed with the kids. I would say she is a blessing though people complain that she puts on a sour face all the time. That’s because she has heaps to do.

Anyhow back to the topic…at the stroke of midnight firecrackers went off everywhere…..front back and sides. It’s like bombs being let off. The neighbourhood was covered with smoke. Bomba and police patrolled the place in case of any incidences. I guess since they cannot stop the residences, they just have to make sure that nothing happens. Fire crackers were let off for at least half an hour and thank God Arielle slept through it all.


The next morning, on the first day of CNY, MIL made mee suah and all have to eat together again. After that, firecrackers rolled in red paper were let off again at the entrance of the house. At about 11 a.m. we started our visits to all the relatives. Came back for a rest and then continued till evening. Nothing much on the second day. Just laze around which is not good at all. Really making me lazy.


Surprisingly it has been raining non-stop throughout the whole New Year. Its normally very hot and humid here.


One more night to go and we’ll be back to KL…Yippee…but I guess Jon jon will feel sad. After all he grew up here and everything here is close to his heart even though he has left almost twelve years ago in search for greener pastures. Don’t worry Jon jon we’ll be back next year.

Off to Marudi for the New Year

The long awaited trip is finally here. We booked tickets since August last year. Jon jon must go back every year as it is a once a year affair with his much loved hometown and mummy of course. I have not been back since the Chinese New Year of 2006 as Arielle was born at the end of 2006 and everybody reckoned that she was too young to fly. Her young fragile ear drums may not be able to take the pressure and the sound. You see to go back we have to take first a 2 hr 15 mins flight to Miri (Sarawak, East Malaysia), and then either a 2 hour boat ride along the windy Baram river, a rough jungle 4 wheel 2 hr drive ride through the forest, or a breezy 15 mins flight on one of those small twin engine planes. With a baby the flight would be the best choice but then the ear drums were at stake…so we decided to forgo my ticket last year.

We left KL on an early Saturday morning (2 Feb 2008) flight to Miri. Our Pastor offered to take us to the airport at 5.15 a.m. in the morning as he was sending his nephew who was going back to Sabah at abt the same time. Woke up at about 4 a.m., did some last minute packing, and grabbed Arielle on the way out.

Arielle had fever of 39 degrees C the day before due to a bad throat. Jon jon must have been feeding her too much baby bikkies. She had refused to eat her solids and wanted milk only. We took her to see a Dr. and her fever subsided after medication. However, on Saturday morning, while on the way to the airport her fever returned. My ever faithful crystal forehead thermometer showed her fever increased back to 39. Boy were we worried. Quickly gave her medication at the waiting lounge and prayed hard. She was good on the flight. Played a bit and then slept…guess she was really really tired. I don’t think she had pressure problem in her ears on that flight but she had on the other as she was touching both her ears then. She did not cry though..Good girl darling Arielle. She developed a slight diarrhoe after the 4th dose of antibiotic on Sunday. I really prayed hard for her healing and God placed His healing hands upon her. The next day which was a Monday..no more watery poo poo, and eating solids again. Thank God, He is forever faithful. Since then, she has a good appetite, poo poo well, play well and really sleep well even in the midst of the loud bang of firecrackers.

Marudi is still the same - the food, the people, the lifestyle. Thank God I have been kept busy with Arielle else I will really be bored to bits like that of previous trips and Jon jon will be hearing the City Girl nagging at the Kampung Boy for not entertaining her enuff. Hee hee. One thing I can’t wait is New Year’s Eve – the firecrackers and the reunion dinner, it just puts everyone in the mood. Then the New Year cookies and the visitations. At the moment I can sniff the prawn rolls being toasted by sis-in-law. My favourite New Year goodie!

Hey one thing new I learned about Jon jon…he has a skill which I never knew he had – slaughtering chickens. He helped MIL to slaughter 8 kampung chickens today, some to be sold and some for us to bring back to KL. Yippee. WY, teach me how to make Chicken essence ok?..
Well more updates later.

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!!

2nd Gift of Life

God has given me a second miracle in my life which is due at the end of July this year. I did not expect to come so soon but His timing is always great. You see, we prayed for our second one when I was pregnant with Arielle and He is indeed gracious to grant us the answer so soon. Maybe God is telling us “it does not take long to get prayers answered, you know”. I remember during my Uni days in Australia, a very good friend of mine told me that I should start praying for my life partner. I was about twenty then and only got married thirteen years later!

At this stage I am about 14 weeks and have put on 4kg. I just keep feeling hungry. It’s like a vicious cycle. Hungry hungry hungry, eat eat eat, after that feel like spewing. But we are really excited and up for a challenge of taking care of two young kids while working and without a maid. Thank God that He has provided us with a great babysitter who can be totally trusted and what is most important trust in God and can speak English.

We pray that the baby will be a healthy, normal baby whether a gal or a boy boy. Thank you Lord for this miracle!