Week 30

I have hit Week 30. It felt like it took forever to get here and now there's only 10 more weeks to go.

This will be a whiny report so, if you are looking for jolly pregnancy stories, do check again in a few weeks.

I'm discovering, quite late, how some foods simply don't agree with me - mostly things that have gone through some form of fermentation process: cheese, tofu, yogurt. They make my stomach feel all queasy, but, thankfully, no vomiting. Spicy food also does not agree with me these days. I vomited after having my weekly prata a few weeks ago so I've sworn off roti prata for now.

I am now tired, tired and tired all the time. When the tummy is queasy, I would think that a good walk will work things out. Unfortunately, a short walk leaves me tired and breathless. I need to walk very s-l-o-w-l-y which is most annoying. And when I see a bench or a bus stop or anywhere where I can stop to rest, I will. I get THAT exhausted.

And, after walking from my mom's place to mine just now (The Husband asked a few times if I wanted to just cab it but I needed to calm my queasy tummy so I insisted on walking), I was so very spent. My muscles were aching - even in places I didn't know I had muscles. I just had to lie down by 7.30pm. But, I had to make sure I woke up less than 2 hours later. Otherwise, I'll wake up at midnight and will not be able to fall asleep til 4. Which was what happened a few nights ago.

Sleeping is not too easy these days. I take a long time to fall asleep and when I am finally asleep, I keep on waking up at all hours. I don't know if that is pregnancy-related or something else. Whatever it is, it is going to be difficult to wake up at 5.30am when normal working hours begin next month.

There is one other thing that's bothering me somewhat about this pregnancy. But, I'm not going to worry about it for now and will wait for the 32-week scan next month to ensure everything is okay.

So that's it. Week 30 and counting.

I'm so disappointed because...

...the lift won't be ready by January!

Months ago, when the lift upgrading programme started, I called the number given and asked when the expected completion date is. January 2009, they told me.

Being kiasu and excited and all, I called two more times and was told the same thing: January 2009.

This being very efficient Singapore, I naturally expected the lift to be completed by December, a bit ahead of schedule. I had visions of my very pregnant self waddling to the lift instead of struggling up the flight of stairs.

However, at this point, things still do not look complete. And so I called them again. This time, they told me: Oh, we've just revised the schedule last week and the lift in your block is expected to be ready sometime in the second quarter of 2009.

WHAT??!! That's anywhere between March to June. I would already have given birth by then and my pregnant self would have to go up the stairs throughout my entire pregnancy? Not even the possibility of a short reprieve towards the end of the pregnancy? Sigh.. I is very very sad lor.

It's the final week...

... before I go back to work.

I have enjoyed this short break. It was rather short, compared to what I used to get. But, in these tough times, I should not complain.

Talking about tough times, it is a wee it depressing reading/listening to the news these days. Everything is about yet another financial institution collapsing, how bad the situation will be, how we must all tighten our belts and on and on and on...

Sigh.

I suppose, in the next one to two years when I won't be drawing a salary, I should really, really cut down on my expenses - the biggest of which goes to transportation (which sounds really legitimate when I put it that way but not so when I spell it out as t-a-x-i).

Other than that, I don't think I am inclined towards big expenses. I have somewhat lost interest in bags (momentarily, perhaps?) and I am not really inclined towards the high life (other than good food but halal good food is, thankfully, not as easily accessible here as it is in KL so that doesn't really count). In other words, we should be pretty sheltered against this recession? God knows. Still, it's wise to cut down on unnecessary expenditure.

What a dreary topic that was.

Now, moving on to more exciting stuff. The Baby has a name! Heh heh heh. Must seek clearance from the higher authority (ie, The Husband) to announce the name to all. But, it will be revealed soon, if I have not already told you la.

And more about Huda's school - She's adjusting extremely well to school. Even the principal commented that the 2006 babies are adjusting well to school. Occasionally, she will protest about going to school in the morning but once in school, she'll be okay. She is eating well in school. She even takes her naps without complaining. This, after I regaled her teacher with all sorts of horrifying things that Huda would do to avoid naps. When I picked her up on the first day she stayed in school past naptime, the teacher told me that when Huda finished drinking her milk, she rolled over and fell asleep. No fuss. Saboteur or what?

And today, after her evening bath, I decided to give toilet-training another shot. And, oh my oh my.. She peed in the toilet three times!! Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! (Yes. Wee, indeed.) No accidents! (I was also inspired to do it thanks to that nasty nappy rash she had on our return from a trip up north.) The only problem is, she insists on pee-ing standing up. No squatting or sitting positions for my little miss.

That trip up north (where else but to KL) - I think there must have been about a million Singaporeans there last weekend. We kept on bumping into familiar faces. There were familiar faces that we planned to bump into but there were also a good number of familiar faces that we have not seen for years in Singapore.

We went to this swanky new shopping centre and they had clowns and other costumed characters. Huda was extremely scared of the clown. There is a word for people with a clown phobia but I'm just too darn lazy to click the next tab and do a search so I'll just call it clownophobia. Long ago, The Husband and I have decided not to invoke the bogeyman when it comes to disciplining our children. We have been successful - until three days ago. Our little clownophobic was behaving in the most unbecoming way and her uncle invoked The Clown. Immediately, she behaved and the time spent at the restaurant was most civil and pleasant, all thanks to The Clown. Will we use The Clown again? In most desperate of situations, if ever. But, we will use it very, very, very sparingly, I hope. 

I suddenly have lots to write about but gotta stop now cos I need to pee (the 745th time today).

(Psssst.. The date is wrong, okay? I wrote this last night, 16 December, but I wrote it over a draft I had written earlier. That's why the date for this entry does not quite correspond with the sequence of events. I know people will most probably not notice this but I am ngeow like that.)

Schoolgirl

My precious little one is now all grown up. Sob sob.

She started school on Monday.

She has been very excited about going to school as two of her cousins are there too and whenever her aunt comes over on weekdays and brings along only the wee ones, she realises that the missing older ones are at this place called school.

So, Monday morning came and she was jumping up and down chanting, 'Yay! Yay! Nak pergi sekolah!' (Yay! Yay! Going to school!)

She didn't cry one bit on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, when I told her that I was going off, little tears started rolling down her cheeks. But, the moment anyone looked at her, she would quickly wipe them away. Once she started her breakfast and was occupied, I left. Sigh.

Her teachers say that she's adjusting well. She had three portions of rice on Tuesday and today, after one portion of noodles for dinner, she said, "I want some more." This had to be the influence in school! She's eating more and asking for seconds! Wow! She's also brushing her teeth on her own and does not have to be forced into it. Wow wow! As I have been picking her up before her naptime, I do not know how she will react when forced to take a nap. That, I'll find out tomorrow as I will only pick her up after her naptime tomorrow.

My only grouse is she may pick up bad language habits from her friends. (Not that she's speaking all that well in the first place.. Hahaa!) But, what to do.. I can't keep her isolated forever, right? We just have to model the correct use of Malay and English to her.

She seems happy enough there and I am 94% happy that we made the decision to put her in school.