Welcome Baby Kristian!

Sat, 3 November 2012
I had this sudden crampy feeling in the abdomen and it felt exceptionally heavier than normal. But it wasn't really the feeling of contractions. So I called my cousin to check and she said that it could well be the start of it. So I decided to call the labour ward, only to be told that it's hard to tell over the phone (duh!) and to just head down to the hospital since it's number 3.

We headed over to Thomson and upon checking, I was indeed having contractions and was 2 cm dilated.

You know how everyone says that each baby will take a shorter time to come? And that there will be no time for epidural, so the pain will only last for a short while, so no need epidural? And how people tell you that even with the water bag burst or the start of contractions, you still have time?

I'm glad I decided not to heed all those and just went in super early and asked for epidural super early.

I admitted myself at 9pm, and Dr Tan came in at 10pm to burst the water bag. Epidural was admistered at about 930pm.

And then I was dilated at 2cm for the longest time la! And like before, the epidural was only working on the right side! At 1am, Dr Tan came in again, saw me in pain and asked if I wanted to redo the epidural. REDO? It's really quite painful you know. But she suggested that we redo it as I was still only 2cm dilated. So the epidural was redone at 2am, and thankfully, this time it worked fully.

At about slightly past 3am, the mid wife came to check and I asked her if it has progressed. And she said: "Ya. 9cm." Then she started preparing stuff and said that I can try to start pushing. "But you have to call Dr Tan first. What if the baby comes before she's here?"

9cm???

Thankfully Dr Tan arrived soon after and within about 6 pushes Baby Kristian came out.

And as of Nov 4 2012, we've officially become a family of 5. :)

Trick or Treating

Kieran had fun at Halloween last year.

So this year, I decided to open our house for trick or treating as well. Kaitlyn is also old enough to go round trick or treating. The neighbourhood committee had also arranged so Halloween activities for the residents.

So here's our decorated gate....

As expected, not all the households opened their place for trick or treating. Like last year, it was mainly the expats who did it. I guess Halloween is still quite an "ang mo" thing.

Check out some of the costumes that were donned by the kids and adults....

 This last one got my son scrambling and my daughter in tears! It actually is quite scary!!!

The main draw for my kids, really, was going round to the houses collecting their treats.

Happy Halloween everyone!

24 June, Sun - Day 9, Melbourne

Headed down to Flemington market with my aunt and cousin Steph. Bought a painting and some wooden craft stuff which we plan to put up at our new place. If they don't fade by the time our place is ready, that is. :)

Lunch was Hong Kong fare at Box Hill and then we headed off for last minute shopping at Target again.

After shopping, it was off to Steph's place for some tea. Check out Kieran enjoying his jam doughnuts....

Headed for a quick Thai dinner (notice we've been eating Asian food throughout. The Asian food here is really pretty decent), then it was back to pack all the shopping and head to the airport. Would have loved to pack one more thing in, but alas, I think it would have exploded in the plane.

Why don't they have Schweppes Agrum in Singapore???

23 June, Sat - Day 8, Melbourne

This morning, Uncle Jerry took us to Grants on Sherbrook so that the kids could feed birds - another activity they were looking forward to. We had gone on another day to another park but that particular park had stopped the bird feeding.

To my surprise, the 2 kiddos had no qualms about the Cuckatoos and Rosellas landing on their heads, shoulders and arms to feed!

Lunch was yum cha with my aunt, uncle and cousin-in-law James. Thereafter we headed to Costco - this giant hypermart that sells everything (almost everything) in bulk and humongous sizes. The thing is, at Costco, you need to be a member to shop there. Funny, right? Pretty fun place to shop. We bought a huge (I didn't take a picture, but believe me, it was huge!) pizza for dinner that cost us only A$14. It's so huge you can't fit it into a standard oven. We had to cut it in half! Also bought fresh oysters, as my aunt planned to make "orh lua" with them!

So dinner was another yummy affair of salad, pizza, orh lua, and of course, on the way back home, we had to buy Nandos!

22 June, Fri - Day 7, Melbourne

Today's plan was snow play at Lake Mountain. Lake Mountain was a 2 hour drive away, so we had wanted to start out early so that we could get back before it gets dark, which happens at about 5 plus.

But with such wonderful weather, the kids woke up late again and by the time we were ready to head out, it was already past noon.

By the time we got our rental snow gear and reached Lake Mountain, it was already 3pm! So we gave ourselves a maximum of an hour to play in the snow, return the gear and then head back home. Check out the scenery at Lake Mountain....just beautiful!



Making Ice Kachang



Dinner was pho yet again (we never get sick of it!). This time at Box Hill. Then it was off for dessert just down the road. Unfortunately, this place didn't serve iced desserts, cos as the waitress told us, "It's winter. It's too cold for iced desserts." We were like, "Huh???" Anyway their red bean pancakes and waffles pretty much made up for it.

21 June, Thur - Day 6, Melbourne

Another fun day for the kids.

Today's plan was to head to Chesterfield Farm where the kids could feed the animals and go on tractor rides. The weather was too cold again cos of the wind. But I think they had fun nonetheless.

Then it was back home for steamboat dinner prepared by Uncle Jerry! Steamboat is heavenly in temperatures of 6 degress celsius!

20 June, Wed - Day 5, Melbourne

Rain! And a long drawn one at that. Kept us in most of the day.

We had planned to go to Lake Mountain for some snow, but the weather did not permit. Ended up shopping at Knox City for some shopping at K Mart. Ended up buying things we didn't pick out. Didn't realise it till we unpacked the bags back home! Kaitlyn had picked out 2 extra tees! Then I recalled that she was having a whale of a time picking and putting things in the trolley. We initially pulled out the items she put in, but totally missed out on these 2!

When we got back, I was browsing through some catalogues that came in the mail. There was a sale at Target beginning tomorrow! Then my cousin Steph mentioned that the sale starts tonight actually. So we made plans to meet at Target, Knox City after dinner.

Dinner was at a Chinese noodle and dumpling restaurant at Bayswater. Then it was off to Target for more shopping! Kieran had already picked out what he wanted from the catalogue and was holding on to the catalogue all evening. So we eventually lugged this all the way back!

My husband thinks I'm mad. But Kieran gave up a Thomas tent for this! So he must really like it right? Kaitlyn enjoys it too! And with another one on the way, it's really the cost spread out by 3, no?

19 June, Tues - Day 4, Melbourne

Puffing Billy was the plan for today. We drove to Belgrave Station to catch the 1215 train for a 1.5hour train rider to Lakeside Station. It was freezing cold as we were in an open windowed carriage. Kaitlyn fell asleep. Kieran, with his love for trains (what more steam engines which resembled Thomas and his friends) thoroughly enjoyed it.

Honestly, if it were just Ron and I, we wouldn't have planned a ride on Puffing Billy. We got all sooty and there was really nothing much to do at Lakeside Station before catching the train back to Belgrave. The things we do for our kids. Thing we never thought we would. :) But the smile that our sacrifices put on their faces is just priceless.



Waiting for the train to depart at Belgrave Station



The Steam Engine we took

18 June, Mon - Day 3, Melbourne

Drove to the city today to visit the Melbourne Aquarium as we weren't sure if we sould make it to Phillip Island with weather so cold. So a visit to the aquarium would at least satisfy the kiddos' penguin viewing ( and it's prob closer than they can get to the penguins at Phillip Island anyway).

And then Kaitlyn decided to pull a starfish out of the water!

Then it was back to Olga Street for a nap.

Dinner was home cooked chinese food by my aunt. Yummers!

17 June, Sun - Day 2, Melbourne

Still recovering and adjusting from the time difference and lovely weather, the kids slept till almost 12 noon! As such, today was again spent just shopping at Knox City.

Dinner with my aunt, uncle, cousin Steph and her husband James at Glen Waverly. Had crab noodles, then headed to Dessert Story nearby for dessert.

Waiting for dessert.....

Strawberry Snow Ice has to be Kieran's all time favourite, even in the freezing cold weather!

16 June, Sat - Day 1, Melbourne

After a horrifying plane ride of puking, crying and pooping, we finally arrived at Melbourne at 6am on the morning of 16 June.

This was the start of a totally no-itinerary-planned holiday. It was planned as such, cos with a 1.5 year old and an almost 3 year old, we decided to play by ear.

So we arrived at Uncle Jerry's and Aunty Puay's and planned our itinerary, or what we could. No typical visits to the Great Ocean Road or Yarra Valley as most couples would have planned....it was a totally kiddy itinerary. Still fun nonetheless. :)

Today, we set aside for recovering from the plane ride with a little bit of shopping at Knox City, Vietnamese Pho at Bayswater for lunch and Nando's chicken for dinner (the peri peri sauce is yummers!).

Check out how knocked out they were on the car ride from the airport back to Olga Street.

The Things My Almost-3-year-old Says

I was down with a flu a couple of weeks back, so I was wearing a mask around the house.

Kieran: Mummy, take out the tissue.
Me: It's not a tissue. It's a mask. I need to wear it because I am sick and i don't the germs to go to you.
Then my mother added: "Yes, don't go so near mummy, cos she is sick."

The next morning, my son woke up and said, "Mummy, you are not wearing the mask. You are feeling better already?"
Me: Yes, a little bit better
Kieran: So I can come near you?
Me: Not yet darling. Let me get fully better first ok?

Then again the next morning.... Kieran: Mummy, your germs finish already?

From Hubby and the Brood

"Adeline Sim!" the office despatch uncle called. I looked up and saw him walking toward me with a bouquet of flowers.


And with the flowers was attached this card....


And then it hit me why my hubby and I had this conversation last week.

Hubs: Is my wife working on her birthday?

Me: No. But if my husband wants to take me out, I can try to apply for leave.

Hubs: He is taking you out but at night.

I am normally quick to pick up such sussing out by my husband. But somehow, this time, it totally slipped me. I really thought he was asking me out for dinner.

So, the flowers arriving at the office was indeed a surprise. :)

Conversations with My Son

Here are some excerpts from conversations with my two and a half year old.

Me: Do you want to go over and play Hide & Seek with the je jes?
K: No, I don't want.
Me: Why?
K: Because hide and seek I cannot find them!


K: This doughnut is good.
Grandpa: No la. Doughnuts are not very good.
K: It's good, Grandpa.
Grandpa: No la. Not good.
K: Don't talk. You don't talk.


I had a glass of coke and Kieran wanted to drink it. And our conversation went like this:

Mummy: That's iced coffee.
K: No, it's not coffee.
Mummy: It is. And children cannot drink coffee right?
K: It's not coffee.
Mummy: Then what is it?
K: Coke!
Mummy: No. It is coffee.
K: I need to try.
Mummy: No need to try. It's not coke,
K: Please, mummy, can you let me try?

How to not let him try like that????


Grandma: Kieran, can you bring the contol here for Grandma? That one.
Kieran: Grandma, don't say "one". What is "one"?

This one was picked up from me. He learns really fast. But speaking proper English starts when they are young right? I hear SOOO many people saying "That one. This one. The blue one." Seriously. WHAT IS "ONE"?


My father was singing the zoo version of the birthday song for me and....

Grandpa: Your mummy is like the monkey in the zoo
K: Mummy is not monkey.
Grandpa: Oh. She is like the donkey.
K: No Grandpa. Mummy is not like donkey.
Grandpa: Your mummy is like the elephant then.
K: No. Mummy is not like elephant. Mummy is not anything!


Here is my oh-so-cute-and-clever 2.5 year old! :p