Our Lil’ One

Just a couple of days back when I heard the news about the baby bonus thingy…I was rattling and lamenting away….and how frustrating it was for me…to may have missed the baby bonus

….Wow…low-n-behold…, yesterday while watching the 9 pm news on Channel U…o.m.g..I couldn’t believed my own ears man…! I was in a moment of shock and asked my sister : “Did u hear what I just heard?” …The news announced that the M & P bonus will be backdated to 17th August 2008 (that’s the day the Government announced the good news at the National Day Rally) instead of the initial date – 1st Jan 2009!!!!!…..I asked myself…”Did miracle just happened?”.

I was really in utter shock…cos if you have read my previous post…I have mentioned already …..unless a miracle happens….otherwise it is not possible for us to enjoy the baby bonus….wow….amazing…

I really pitied our Lil’ One….cos eversince I heard the news….I was so down..and every now then I will start telling him…”You got to be cooperative ok….come out only in Jan 2009…and not late Dec..ok..?” I bet he must be using his two index fingers to shut off his two ears…man…and says (if he can lah..) : “Mummy will u just stop complaining…I got ur message…said once is enough…”  Just when mummy’s lamenting is not enough…daddy joined in the crowd….too…hahaha….poor Lil’ One….
I am very certained that he is even more relieved to hear the news than anyone one of us…can be man….! Sorry Lil’ One….

Well…miracle or not….I really dunoe…but I do know for certain…that…alot of pregnant mummies…whom are affected by this baby bonus thingy…have written in to protest…(at least that’s what I read from the Channelnewsasia.com…how true I am not sure.) ..hahaa…maybe in a way that is a miracle bah…

Suddenly the song of U2 came haunting at me……”So Close & Yet So Far Away“…., after hearing the 1 PM News Brief on Channel 8….*sigh*…My heart sank….

Early this morning…two persons still told me…wow…u r so lucky….u will enjoy…4mths of maternity leave……n blah blah blah…..yah…and that was before the Government announced when the bb bonus will take effect….and I was like … keeping my fingers and heart crossed…reeeaaaalllll…tight….ever since I heard about it….in the hope that we will benefit from it….! Hoping that the bb bonus thingy will take effect from 1st Oct 2008.

Hah! Yah right… lucky my foot ah….I was so right…man…I knew I will never be so lucky…lor…i still told these two person…nah…I won’t be so lucky…cos I knew..the bonus thingy will only kick in after I have given birth…..and my gut feelings is half rite….for now….

Why half rite?….well….we still got a 50-50 chance of enjoying the bonus….and it all depends …when is Lil’ One arriving…although the EDD is like 3rd Jan 2009…and yah…most of u all will think …sure…can get the bonus one lah….but past records has shown that usually bb boys will arrive earlier than the expected date. Ok brushing aside the past records thingy….so..and ….again…my stupid gut feeling….is that Lil’ One will arrive sometime…in late Dec…just a few days before 1st Jan….wah biangz…aye…dat will be SUPER DUPER AI WAN….man…! Argggghhhh….the thoughts of it really drives me crazy….what if…my gut feeling really came true..??????!!!!!!! Should I cry or what….? It’s a mixed feelings….but what can I do…? I can bring him into this world earlier but not later rite….*sigh*…

Why am I feeling so frustrated…??? Well….mind u it is a lot of difference ok…..and if my gut feeling came true….it would be such a waste…..man…my dear bb has just missed the boat…And here is an extract from Channelnewsasia.com:

“SINGAPORE: More tax breaks, cash payouts and parental leave will be given to encourage Singaporeans to heed the stork.

They are among a broad range of measures to be delivered from 1 January 2009, in the hope of boosting the Republic’s flagging birth rate – one of the lowest among developed countries.

The government is allocating S$600 million to improve existing tax benefits.

For families with two or more children, they will get 50 to 100 per cent reduction in taxes they pay for the first 10 years of the child’s life.

Parents can also spend more time with their kids as paid maternity leave will be extended from 12 to 16 weeks.

And each parent will be entitled to six days of paid childcare leave a year and up to six days of unpaid infant care leave.

To help defray the cost of raising children, S$400 million will be set aside for the Baby Bonus scheme, including a cash gift of S$4000 for the first and second child.

Childcare and infant care subsidies will also almost double. “
Source : http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/print/369936/1/.html

I just pray that miracle will happen…am I asking too much?

Right after our visit to Dr Ong’s clinic, we headed across to Takashimaya Square for our brunch and of cos..the Baby Fair! It had started since 8^th August and till 24^th August. I have been waiting for this fair for a long long time, cos I have been told that there will be fantastic deals at this fair.

We got our brunch fixed at Crystal Jade Kitchen, where I had my favourite roasted duck noodle. Strangely enough, I had never ever eaten such dish at any eateries, but ever since I became pregnant I have learned to appreciate the fragrance of roasted duck and its nice succulent meat…and each time I order I will make sure I ask for the hind part of the duck somewhere near the thighs…not much meat…but a bit bony…but that’s the part I like it…hahaha….this is just one of the many crazy things I do ..during pregnancy ..I called that metamorphosis…hahah

Ok after the brunch is fixed…we headed on to the Baby Fair. Good thing that I have been doing my market surveillance ever since we learned about my pregnancy. When this fair started immediately I was able to recognise which are the good buys…hehehe.. Within 30 minutes, we managed to grab 3 big ticket items…and some small ones…and made payments for it. We knew that these are essential items and do not even think twice about buying them.

So what did we buy…? We bought a pigeon steamer bundle set, an Avent IQ UNO breast pump bundle set, a convertible car seat…some glass milk bottles and some cleaning detergents for milk bottles. As it was a Saturday, the fair was crowded and after getting what we wanted…we scrammed…cos we are too tired to continue shopping with such a crowd. We had wanted to look at other big ticket items like the baby cot…play pen…etc…but energy depleted liao…so bo bian…have to come back again on another day when it is less crowded….

We had also wanted to visit the Salvation Army to scout for another baby cot and play pen…but that would also have to be strike out from our itinerary as well..So that’s the end of our shopping spree….for Lil’ One.

We are always looked forward to each n every gynae visits, just like any new-parents-to-be.

During my last visit @ the 16^th week mark, I had forgotten to ask Dr Ong to show me Lil’ One’s limbs to see if they are visible. I became so paranoid and worried…and kept asking myself why I couldn’t see any on the past scanned photos…? Why didn’t Dr Ong mentioned anything…? I was plain worried and it was not uncalled for …since I have been taking so much medications…n so much so…that Kelvin had gotten worried too…hahahaha…..To console ourselves, we thought if really no limbs…Dr Ong would have mentioned it rite…? …????? were all over our faces.

So the judgment day came…on a rainy Saturday, ..sounds dramatic..hor…First thing first..I asked Dr Ong to look out for Lil’ One’s limbs…I bet he must have thought…what is happening…why the reacion?

To ease our worries…he showed us the limbs…one by one…and being cheeky I guess…Lil’ One waved ‘Hi’ at us…hahaha…that heavy stones of ours were straight away lifted from of our hearts and thrown out!

Besides showing us the skinny limbs, Dr Ong also showed us Lil’ One’s buttock…and cute side view..the round round head and tiny little nose…He did a measurement of Lil’ One’s tiny foot…and is only a mere 2.8 cm…so really tiny…then he showed us the most vital part…Lil’ One’s private parts….hehehee..

He just looked so cute…yes Lil’ One is a he…are we happy..? Yes we are truly happy and grateful…not because he is boy…but he is growing fine…and…well so far. Honestly speaking, right from the start, I have been worrying about the growth of Lil’ One. I have been in guilt and blaming myself why do I have to fall sick..n taken so many medications …and of all the times….but now. I told Kelvin..all I asked for is a healthy Lil’One…and nothing else would matter. I guess this is a bonus to us..and we are keeping our fingers crossed that Lil’One will continue to grow progressively and be fine.

Here’s Lil’ One’s vital stats…as of 16 August 2008, Week 20 and day 1 :

CRL : 13.04 cm (lagging behind hor…)

Weight : ~ 300 gm (Mummy thinks I am overweight…hahaha…just like her!

Length of Lil’ One’s foot : 2.8cm

As for me, my complains now are mainly..some nose bleed (i think the mucous membrane too dry liao and there is crack…within the nostril..hence slight bleeding) and traffic jams in my colon system. It started just a week ago…when my bowel movements became not as smooth and as sensitive as before, regardless of all the high fiber food that I have eaten. So bo bian lor…have to get something from Dr Ong…and Dhactulose came to my rescue…hahaha….Just one dose it helps to loosen my stools…and eased the congestion in my colon system (disgusting rite…?) Wah say its parts n parcels of pregnancy mah…

At the end of the session, Shirley made two appointments for me…on the next upcoming two months. In September, there will a detailed scan and in October the GTT..(yucks I hate that..downing the high conc sugar drink!) So long…and till then I will update again…on our visit to Dr Ong’s clinic.

Call me insensitive.. or oblivious… or perhaps the more apt description would be inexperience…I just can’t differentiate between a kick or a box from my stomach flatulence…cos’ the ‘air’ is churning in there…

I am so suffering from a serial of “gas out-break”… n poor daddy.. he just have to tahan the air pollution..heheh paiseh..and maybe for an indefinite time..I guess… so u tell me lah..how to differentiate…rite.?

Have-been mums told me..or the Internet said that..some have reported to experienced the “butterfly fluttering sensation”…and etc lah…but I didn’t notice any of these sensations…hahaha..skin too thick liao…

Ok..so..on the 17th week and 3rd day of my pregnancy, on this significant day – 30^th July 2008 (Wed) and on this significant moment @ around 12:22 PM, I was traveling along with my colleague for a field work…suddenly…! I felt a slight ‘kick’ on the left side of my lower abdomen…and seconds later followed by another one… huh?..Based on my analysis, I supposed it could have been lil’ one’s kicking…

The reason for the kick…? I don’t know…but based on my assumption it could be due to..HUNGER..hehhehhe.. Cos I was feeling hungry at that moment…but little did I expect the kick! Protesting…liao..

When I told daddy about it…he was so amazed by it… and kept asking lil’ one…whether it did kick me…hahaha…so cute…Too bad..he could and will never be able to experience this sensation…(unless miracle happens..) Right, mammies 们?