(2007/02) February

[cherryale]

i thot I was the only goondu that have headaches with lunch, glad I am not the only one

charis/smurfy, A typically drinks about 650ml of milk a day but now its prob half of it. Each time he wil only take about 100ml or less and will return us the bottle. He takes two cubes of cheese and 1 tub of mini yoghurt everyday for breakfast plus cereal. He loves cheese so he will finish all these. Cos he is barely 50th percentile for height and weight, if he still go on milk strike, I think he will be 25th percentile soon

smurfy, the ikan bilis that you bought for stock - it is not anchovies right? Usually I will see various types in supermarket but dun know which is the correct one for soup stock/porridge. We are still using chicken or fish stock for A's porridge.

this afternoon I have decided to cook macaroni. A likes to eat this too so just nice, one dish can feed all 3 persons. But A will still have his porridge. He loves to feed himself the macaroni and we will feed him the porridge at the same time..

gig, u on leave the whole of next week? clear leave? when are u going for c-section?

the other day I had a big big scare. My tummy was so tight throughout the night from 8pm onwards. I thot meimei will end up having the same birthday as me. Thank God, she didnt decide to come out so early

That was the day when I was in office after a few days break and was rushing every single minute to clear the work . Really cant stand working.

 

[cherryale]

mummies, any feedback on crazy 8 quality?

 

[cherryale]

just saw that quite a few sprees cancelled due to poor response...maybe people are cutting back due to recession??

I just took out some new stuff that i bought for meimei to wash. still have tonnes in the cupboard. Should have enough time, another 3 more weeks

praying for her to come out at 37weeks, no earlier or later

 

[smurf_ling]

cherry
i dunno what kinda ikan bilis leh, i use 2 kinds for 2 different days, one is the silver fish, the other is the normal ikan bilis, will ask the maid to remove the head n inerts first before slight frying, then use slowcooker to boil from 9pm to next day's morning before she clears away the remains and starts cooking the porridge using the stock.. mrs wong say can use beef bones or pork bones.. all these very high in calcium.. but we dun use pork lor (coz hb's tua na lady say cannot cook pork for too long) and we dun take beef lor

 

[smurf_ling]

i stop buying clothes, Qy most comfy in sleevless and cheapo clothes.. and toys, he still like empty containers, and cheapo cars and trains.

 

[priviledged]

Giggler,
Here's my sample lunch list.....
Chicken macaroni soup (with spinach mixed in)
Prata (frozen) and dahl-cha - we're having this today
Fried eggs and steamed veges with rice
Mixed vege soup + fried tempeh with rice
za jiang mian
yong tau foo soup (with veges mixed in) + rice
hot dogs
cheese melted on toast
mashed potatoes with baked chicken and steamed veges
french omelette with bread
pasta and sauce
pan fried/oven baked fish fillets (from scratch, not the boxed types) + rice and steamed veges

those are generally the lunches I rotate around. Of course, there are variations in the meats, and veges and methods of cooking, but that's the general idea

Sometimes I make special treats like macaroni cheese, or quiche, or lor mai kai. Happy experimenting!

 

[smurf_ling]

pvl
wow lao. u making me hungry!!!

 

[cherryale]

PVL, how about dinner?? sample menu?? I still dun know what to cook for dinner tonight.

 

[giggler]

cherry, need to clear compliance leave. I haven decide on my c-section date leh. Feel like keeping bb in my tummy as long as poss.

Think you worked too hard liao, must slow down now.

PVL, thanks for your sample lunch, looks easy to prepare.

 

[chara]

Cherry..Really? Hmm..I dont know leh..cos not my turn to be preggy with girl yet..hopefully soon..hehe. But I guess having a pedi/mani is very relaxing lah..n when preggy can bend over to reach the toes right haha..but the acetone fumes are not very good for u n baby..so go easy on the the number of times u go for it.

Actually a good maid can be a really good help if have more than 1 kid..if can afford have a maid but take care of the kids yourself..then let her take care of all the housework. But like u, I dont feel comfortable with maid in the house..or any other stranger..that's why I dont let my hb rent out our spare room. I also rather get PT help.

Jelly, Cherry..Eh u know I also scratch head daily on what to cook for lunch n dinner..I dont really like porridge..I prefer to have our lunch out cos only me n Yael, easier..but dinner I usually cook..but now lunch also eat at home often..stuff are getting really ex.

PVL..Wah thanks for yr list..now got more ideas!
Ya lor..still bf..I tend to get fever with engorgement..just a way of the body telling me to FEED THE BABY..he's not ready to be weaned off..in fact I find bf very helpful in calming a toddler down when over-tired etc, plus he just refuses other milk..waste my money lah..I have a big packet of Nestle milk which he totally refused..any takers?
but as for bf, I may not be producing enough milk..he doesnt seem full..anyway I load him up on cheese! Though cheese is not cheap..no choice, I think this boy is in 25percent percentile..he's jus about 10.3kg.

Wed is good for me too. Huskie, Catz? Cherry u still on leave?

Cherry..Think u can cut down milk..cos he's going to be wasting it by not drinking most of it..then give him more cheese, yogurt or other high calcium snacks.

 

[cherryale]

charis, next wed I will be working. Even if on leave, got to accompany A to cc and see how he is doing so wil not be able to make it. All of you enjoy okie

I like homecooked food more nutritious too but not those prepared by maids. Honestly I hate Mon to Wed dinner at MIL's plc cos its all cooked by her maid. I hardly eat anything there. Plus the soup, I really cant believe it, they will add knox chicken cubes PLUS salt! I am for natural ingredients like ikan billis to give the taste and sweetness not such artificial stuff. My hb was shock to find out that his mum uses all these too,

 

[cherryale]

gig, really? I will want baby to come out at 37 weeks cos any more I also feel tired with this big ball in front of me. No choice at work, so much to do and my team cant do much without me around. But i refused to check emails when on leave, no point getting myself stressed out when I am officially on annual leave. Just let those people wait

 

[chara]

Cherry..I guess all these cubes are quick meals n cheap..if not hav to boil chicken bones n ikan bilis/fish bones for sometime to get the same rich taste..I try to do mine in big batches n store in freezer..n take out n heat up for a quick soup meal.

 

[giggler]

cherry, maybe to me, this really my last preg liao so dun want it to end too soon. Hehehe......

 

[priviledged]

cherry,
Wah, you want my dinner list ah? Hahahaha!!! Wait later if I have time then I'll post OK? Today I'm in a bit of a hurry. Have to quickly get Ben to sleep cos later we are going out. He's now on the toilet, giving him 5 mins.

 

[cherryale]

PVL, u can let Ben sit on the toilet alone without watching over him? wow, he is such a good boy. hey your dinner list is v long and varied huh? whenever it is convenient for u

I still dun know wat to cook for dinner or to order food instead. I hate to order fast food for dinner, gives me indigestion. Still prefer the soup, rice, dishes type of dinner

 

[cherryale]

mummies, i cant remember how many sets of clothes newborn should have. Is it ok for them to wear slightly bigger 0-3mths bodysuit instead of newborn? I only have 6 pieces of newborn bodysuits.

i just saw that in Jan thread one of the mummies gave birth this week, but luckily her baby doesnt need to be in NICU.

 

[priviledged]

cherry,
I just went to Mothercare on Wed and bought some shortsleeved bodysuits for new baby, as well as some more sets for 0-3 months. I think it depends on the size of you bb whether she'll swim in the 0-3 months or not. But like you, it's quite a waste to get too many newborn stuff cos they just grow like weeds at the beginning. Mothercare has some discounts and promotions at present, but the KKH store has very few new baby sized stuff left for boys. And a lot of the clothes are sleeveless.

Yes, Ben can sit on the toilet by himself, unattended. I give him a book or magazine. He can sit quite long to pang sai.

OK, you want my dinner list

.... I would attach it for you but it's in my old comp. Hehehehe
Usually I just make one meat and one vege. I don't plan the veges much - mostly stir fry, or soup. So I just include the 'meats' here...

PORK : Steamed pork balls, steamed mince with black beans, bak kut teh (Can be one-dish meal if you throw in the veges too), Tau yew bak, Babi Pongteh (Peranakan dish), Stew, Mapo Tofu (using non spicy bean paste), Mince fried with cubed potatoes, 1234 pork ribs, steamed ribs with black beans.

CHICKEN - herbal soup, stew, baked, oyster sauce, sioh (sorry - another Peranakan dish), Emperor, Parmesan baked, Kromak

FISH - Steamed with various toppings (crispy soya beans, soya sauce hongkong style, tau cheo), Sweet sour (seldom do nowadays cos too much work), Caribbean-style, crumbed and oven baked, baked in foil with spices, pan-fried.

OTHERS - Pasta with various sauces, stewed taukwa etc (like in kway chap), Yong Tau Foo (soup or fried with tau cheo), Fried Rice, Fried bee hoon, bak chor mee, steamed tofu with meat topping.

VEGETARIAN - roast brinjal/tomato with parmesan, spinach wontons, broccoli pesto with pasta, sayur lodeh, claypot tofu minus meat, popiah filling minus meat, vegetarian beehoon, chap chye, baked potatoes, quesadillas

That's about it, more or less.

 

[milkie]

charis, why cannot do housework leh? ask my husband do???? I don't think so man. He won't do housework lah. Besides, i don't know why also..but i got this strange urge to vacuum everytime i see crumbs on the floor. Besides that, i've been doing laundry almost daily and cleaning up the house. Somehow I feel very energized leh..i think i'm going crazy..hahaha

AND nope, YR's and TR's high jaundice has nothing to do with my diet cos my diet is very simple and non confinement type (so no ginger etc that causes jaundice). It's just a weird genetics lah..which the docs also can't explain or figure out why. Maybe they should take my breastmilk for testing hor?? hahahaha

Monday morning i still got to go send him for blood test again....i think my whole confinement spent at paragon lah...kns.

Catz or mums who do Gina Ford on their kiddos. Ask u....so far, TR is in tune with all that is said on GF except the part where his last feed is supposed to be at 230am ??? He will feed ard 945pm and then he will go to bed and wake up ard 2am for a feed. After the 2am feed, he will also wake up at 5am for a feed. But GF doesn't state that baby should get up for feed at 5am. So what should I DO??? So far, what I've been doing is give him a partial feed so that he will be hungry by 7am. Is that correct???

So far, his feeds are at 7am, 10am, 2pm, 5pm, 615pm, 945pm, 2am, and 5am.

 

[milkie]

cherry, TR is wearing 0-3 mths clothing. NB clothing will be outgrown in 2 weeks so no point buying so many pieces. I only got a few new pieces for TR to wear then the rest are YR's old NB clothing. But even then, he already starting to outgrow them....I think boys really grow faster than girls leh.

 

[jsmommy]

milkie ar u wanna get any branded goods or not?
i buying from europe cheaper, u wanna longbang>?

 

[cherryale]

PVL, thanks for the dinner list. Looks quite complex, think above my current culinary level

PVL, Milkie, I have given away most of A's NB's clothes, so meimei only has her own 6 sets. Saw gynae today, she is weighing 2.65kg at 33weeks. Think will be delivered earlier, gynae thinks she should be out by 36 weeks since i have been hving contractions. My only concern is the development of her lungs but gynae thinks it really depend, some babies who are borned at 36weeks where the lungs are supposedly well developed requires NICU but others borned earlier do not need. So fingers crossed and pray for the best

milkie, I think TR is sleeping and feeding well that's why he is outgrowing all the NB clothes. The NB clothes for mothercare stated the weight as 4.5kg, I think if baby is borned at 3.5kg, within 2 weeks will hit 4.5kg

You really got a lot of energy, most people I know who go thru c-section takes at least 2 weeks to 1 mth to recover even then the wound may still hurt when they move too much. You are ultimate, still can do housework.

 

[cherryale]

oh my jujube beprepared was delivered today! Very huge!! But good for bringing things out for two kids in the initial period where there are so many things to bring. Now will have to downsize once we get the hang of managing two kiddos

 

[catz]

Cherry, teehee... did they send via normal postage or courier? I ordered a BeTween and MiniBe for Bethany... hehe

Go get Packabe lah.. I brought it to the zoo and it held all the towels, swimwear, sunscreen, shampoo etc for Kidzworld outing

 

[bbchic]

catz,
i recieved my parcel today le...thanks!!

 

[cherryale]

catz, sent via courier. I am browsing website again

how is between? good size?

 

[jazzcy]

Hello! Havn't posted for a long time.

Milkie,congrats on the arrival of TR. Yeah, really admire how energetic you are.

Cherryale, when will you be 36 weeks. I am already 37 weeks as of last Fri so secretly hoping that baby will arrive next weekend. I am HUGE too. Difficult to tahan.

Speaking of maids, I am also looking for one. Although there are so many horror stories, I think my parents and in-laws really need that extra pair of hands after No. 2 arrive. Going to another maid agency later today... hope I can find someone suitable and settle the selection of maid asap.

For those with maids, can u pls let me know if you let them take afternoon naps everyday? If not, what time do they usually wake up every morning? tks for the advice

 

[cherryale]

Jazzcy, I was just thinking if you have popped! I will be 36 weeks mid dec

Another 2.5weeks, cant wait already.

Maids - last time my maid used to sleep in the afternoon whenever A sleeps but I think nowadays she doesnt. She is at my inlaws plc daily so no chance to slp, think she spent the time talking to inlaws maid. Her normal wakeup time in the morning is 6.30am and sleeps at 9.30pm when A sleeps. Last time she sleeps earlier when A was younger. But A has a last feed at 10.30pm so she will wake up and feed him then transfer him to my bed. On weekends cos we wake up later in the morning, she also tend to wake up around 7am.

 

[cherryale]

jazzcy, are u still working or on leave already? Got time to do lunch on thurs?

 

[catz]

cherry, haven't got my between yet.. waiting for them to contact me on courier/ reg mail. But it's hmm... about the size of a small messenger? Enough for a half day outing with the kids to the mall (for me la) but doubt it's enough for you unless you're just going out with A

Wah you now mega poster on this thread huh?

So I see you tomorrow for your ON/Gap stuff?

Jazzcy, wow, 37 weeks.. anytime already!!

PVL, wow, your repertoire of dishes is so wide... puts my er.. monotonous soups, stirfries and oven dishes to shame. Keke.

 

[jelly]

Catz... can pm me the contact of where u buy the JJB from?

Jazzcy, so fast u 37 weeks oredi! Anytime!!! Mummy_zeen is abt the same timing as u...

Cherry... I also wish my meimei will come out by end December when she is 37 weeks lei... Gg for gynae visit coming Sunday. Hope she will hit at least 2kg at 33+ weeks.

Milk milk, ur CL does not help u wif housework?

Winnie, have u found a CL?

My CL just called me last sat as she was wondering how come i did not contact her after my 1st call to her a few months back. Very happy to receive her call as this shows that most likely she will not fly me aeroplane. Gg to call her this weekend when i go back JB again to ask abt the tonic to be bot for the confinemnet.

 

[sophie]

Charis,
Wed is OK for me!

PVL,
You lunch and dinner lists have such good varieties! It's amazing how you find the energy to cook these things when you're pregnant and have 2 tods. Must really learn from you!

jelly,
Yes, the ergorapido is good and handy, but you still need to vacuum it yourself.
I also thought of getting the iRobot, but I didn't think Soph and the cats will leave it alone to do its job.

 

[chara]

Jazz..Wah u MIA so long..glad to hear that u doin well..must be very excited the 2nd one is on the way!

Cherry..Its ok..u can join us another time yup.

Milkie..U shouldnt be doing too much housework cos yr tummy is still healing..u had major surgery my dear! C-sect is major abdominal surgery..its not just the surface cut that needs to heal..its the 7 layers of flesh underneath that cut plus the nerves etc..so pls take care okie.

Huskie..Yr place or mine for wed? I'm ok with anything. Anyway, I dont mind having u all here anytime.
Eh how many cats do u have at home?! Doesnt Sop "terrorise" them? Cos Yael pokes, prodes, sits on, squeezes, etc on my parents' cat in W'lands! She's a mild creature of a cat anyway, so she doesnt scratch unless he tries to hit her face or pull her tail. She will try to avoid him too..so pretty peaceful friendship.

 

[sunsweet]

hello mummies,

been on a "long weekend" leave last week..

Milkie,
Hope you can post up lil TR's pic soon

As Charis said C-Sect is a MAJOR ops.. so please rest well and get your CL to help out more.. you play with YR loh

Re: Ginger tea
I dun think i like ginger tea with milk at the moment. i just don't like milk, this was the same as with Lil J. but i manage to take some strawbs with Yogut just now.. but still not sure on milk.

BTW walking pass bakery makes me wanna puke.. dunno its the vanilla or the milky/ buttery smell puts me off.. but i'm fine with eat bread.. kind of werid these days..

Question:
At such time of bad economy, when should I inform my boss that i'm already expecting ??

 

[smurf_ling]

sunsweet
why need to inform boss so early leh? if everything's is smooth for u, dun need to tell sooo early or prepare to tell him/her right? just tell the boss when a suitable occasion arises lor?

charis
QY oso terroise my friend's golden retriever..

cherryale
2maids in a households, my hb's friend solved this problem by getting maids of different natationality

jazzzy
no naps in the afternoons for her. i think they do get sufficient rest when they do things dilly dally right?

18th health assessment
i brought QY for his MMR, finally. can u imagine my disbelief when the new nurse click on "not contented and easily irrirated child" column when all that the poor lil QY did was to stick and koala on me and stare at her when she asked me questions. best of all, she told me to take note of his language skills... wowwwwww, i tot QY is an easily contented and happy child all these while? but how to challenge her when i got a sticky boy in my arms.

 

[sunsweet]

Smurfy,

cos I claim my gyne checks from co.

So if I submit my claims I will be in a way telling him loh .

Anyone knows how long can we wait before we submit recipts for medical claims?

 

[smurf_ling]

then u check when the latest u need to submit ur medical bills to ur hR lor? AND tell ur boss when he/her sign off.. but gynae visits sooo many, dun need to start claiming soooo fast right? ur company have a cap or limit for medical expenses right?

 

[sunsweet]

medical claims goes by calendar year.. so if can clear some this year then next year will have more rite?

but understand that only pregnant mums who are pregnant 5 mths and above will be proected by MOM to avoid co. from terminating her employment.

Limit for claims should be more than enough for a normal check-up.

 

[jazzcy]

yes, yes.... i can pop anytime but not too soon though coz my gynae only returns to SG on Wed. then i have the time to come in and chat more often somehow, Murphy's law is always true... just i am trying to clear my work this week so that i can go on maternity leave from next week onwards, i seem to have tons of work to clear and meetings to attend.

tks for the advice on domestic help. y'day, i found one that i thought i really like (she studied 2 yrs of midwifery and nursery in Philippines) but she turned down working for us. my feel is that the the maid agent scare her off with the list of things she had to do (which is not true!) now, i am recommended another domestic help... someone with a computer science degree from Philippines and she has been an office worker for the last 2 years. somehow, i just can't imagine why would a young single person like her want to come here and be a domestic helper. Sigh, i am not sure whether to try this other one.

 

[bbchic]

jazzcy,

juz to share dat alot of the domestic helper we haf here are college or uni grads...

my bestie very fortunate, her helper is a pediatric nurse from philipines. however, in my previous work experience wif a spa company...my filipina colleagues as a top medical sales person, came wif the gf to work as a waiter in the spa..earning 800 + commission...so opportunity is there....

your propect maid computer science degree, may sound like getting here...and possibly looking for opportunity like actual office work...so may be a little risk to take yah....but all depends on whether you willing to try...try to get them in earlier so dat they can help wif your confinement..

hope you haf a smooth delivery soon yah!!

 

[bbchic]

sunsweet,

i tot the govt when annoucing incentive change the protecting preggies from 6 month to 3 month?? you may wanna read again...dun think its 5 months...keke...honestly i rather not take the risk, the earlier receipts you can keep to claim from medisave (though still our money) but if its juz a couple of hundred can secure your job safety...then you may wan to consider "keeping" it from your company unless they are quite "pro kids"...but now wif all the companies cutting cost, you may wan to postpone the news??

i quite ridiculous, i managed to keep from my ex company till 5 months into the preg coz they totally hate preggies, they tot i was eating too much..keke..


mummies,
recently my boss's niece was diagnosed wif terminal stage cervix cancer...she's only 30..and she's fighting her last battle i.e prolong her life by another few months or years or die, its scary..so made me go take my pap smear..."the last time i did pap smear was after tyra"...haven't been consistent....relieve dat my results were clear...sounds very stupid...but its a great relief....so juz a reminder yah...kekeke

 

[catz]

jelly, I SMS'ed you but anyway, the website is babetitude.com, the local distributor.

fatbabe, yikes, so scary hor? Very sad.. hubby has lost quite a few colleagues to cancer... like here one minute, diagnosed, then gone in 4-6 months type. I'm regular with pap smears but it's the other cancers that worry me 'cos 3 of my 4 grandparents died of those other internal cancers.

 

[priviledged]

Good morning!
Charis, Catz, Huskie etc... is our playdate tomorrow on?

Yeah, cancer is a horrible disease. It's amazing how some wild cells can cause the whole body to waste away and be in such terrible pain.

 

[catz]

PVL, Charis & Huskie, yeah is it on tomorrow? Let us know what you need to bring yah?

Cancer is indeed horrible.. it's such a sneaky disease.

 

[jelly]

Morning mummies!!!

Huskie, the ergorapido looks good and handy! Saw a few models online. Which is the one u get? How much ha? The other time saw the spree on irobot roomba. Very tempted to get but not sure how to configure to local use so dare not buy.

smurfy, ha???? How come the nurse can just judge a child like that? QY is definitely not "not contended" kid loh.

catz.... did not receive ur sms lei.... So u got the bags from babetitude.com? Thot so too as saw from JJB webbie babetitude is one of their approved distributors.

 

[catz]

jelly, hmmm... maybe salah phone number Yeah from babetitude.com

huskie, actually I've read that the irobot can function with a full-grown 4 year old standing on top of it.. haha.. but it wouldn't work for me, too many obstacles and rooms downstairs and I'm a v light sleeper

Will just be happy with my Ergorapido.

 

[jelly]

The postman just delivered 3 big boxes (1 crazy8 and 2 ON/Gap) of stuff to me!!!

Sunsweet/Winnie/Chocbabe, please let me know how u want to collect ur items.

Milk milk, will post out ur stuff after i have sorted them out.

 

[sophie]

Catz, PVL, Charis,
Sorry, I gotta take a raincheck for tomorrow's playdate... clinic just called to say Soph's Hep A booster is long long overdue (I totally forgot about it!), and this week PD is only in clinic on Wed or Sat, but I don't wanna go on a crowded Sat, so need to go tomorrow.
You guys go ahead and I'll join you next week!

Catz,
Eh, I'm not worried about Soph standing on the irobot, more worried about her taking it apart!

jelly,
Yes, the ergorapido is really handy. I think the models online are the same... the code is different prob cos of the different colours?
There are only 2 models - the old one and the new one. The old one is not sold in many places anymore, so what you'll see at most places will be the newer model, which supposedly has a longer battery life, but a bulkier motor (I find).
But overall, the new one is lighter at 2.5kg compared to the old one at 3.7kg (if I remember coorectly).
The new one costs S$189 at Best Denki. Think Tangs sells it too.
Some Best Denkis are clearing stock for the old one which is only going for $139 (used to sell at $179 before the new model came out).

My friend bought the old one 2 yrs ago, and is still using it now. But the battery now goes flat faster, even after a long time of charging.

fat babe,
I feel so sad for your boss' niece... so young and supposedly have such a great life ahead.
Think I should go do my PAP smear too... I haven't done it since before Soph! Gotta find a new gynae first...

 

[sophie]

Catz Catz,
Saw you in the Dr Yvonne Chan thread.
Is PAP smear done by her painful?
How old is she?
You think she is pro-VBAC?

 

[catz]

huskie, don't think that it's possible for Soph to rip the irobot apart leh.. 'cos there are people with rottweilers and goldens who attack it and it's still OK

Yes I've been with Dr Chan since I was 14 years old. Nope, I don't find it painful but you can tell her that you are afraid of the pain. My sis practically has to be sedated for any procedure and she's lived through 2-3 of Dr Chan's pap smears already. Hehe. She um.. she's actually A LOT older than she looks.. would estimate she's mid-40s but easily passes off as early 30s. Love her to bits... she's a great gynae, very understanding and very skilled. Pro-VBAC.. hmm.. depends on the circumstances, I would say. She always puts mother and baby's safety first.