Merry Xmas and a happy new year!!!

So many blessings to close the year 2013!!!

Just in the month of December, we were blessed with lots of free gifts!!!

All these I won in different kinds of contests

.2 theater tickets to Notre Dame de Paris at Marina Bay Sands Grand Theatre ($58x2=$116)

.2 tickets "american hustle" preview movie screening ($10x2=$20)

.christmas turkey with chestnut sausage stuffing with cranberry and Madeira sauce with sautéed vegetables (worth $138+) from pan pacific hotel

.2 tickets to Xtend Barre class ($40x2=$80)

So happy that mr. Hubby  and I were able to attend a few of these events with the help of gong gong who came to visit us for a week... He was the babysitter for us at the right timing...

Mr.hubby and I attended our first theater together as a couple. We watched Notre dame de Paris  at marina bay sands grand theatre... We had a red carpet arrival as we walked in because it was the opening night... It was hard to understand what was going on as the thespians were dancing and singing all at the same time...but just being there to enjoy the mechanics and efforts that were involved in it...were just amazing....gong gong and baby Si spent time enjoying the view outside MBS and then were joined by chiu chiu Jason and baby Si's cousin, ha- min! 

We also managed to squeezed in a lil' "us" time together by watching the movie "hunger games 2"... The last "hunger games" movie was a movie that we both watched together right before baby Si was born! So this time, it was just right to watch the 2nd of the trilogy before baby KarMie2 pops out.

Baby Si had her first ever dental checkup at Thomson dental... The dentist was way too nice that he wasn't able to get baby Si to budge open her mouth! Baby Si cooporated by sitting and lying down. She was taking in the lights, dentist mask, tools, etc... But was just too afraid to open her mouth. So the most that the dentist could do was lift up her lips to check her front teeth and gave it thumbs up!

Gong gong was there to baby sit while mummy's turn to have her checkup. Then right after, mummy went to her gynae checkup while gong gong babysat baby Si at the nearby mall...

Baby Si attended her first indoor gym class at MyGym with daddy!!! Mummy n gong gong were there too to capture the moments on camera... Baby Si enjoyed it very much, running and jumping around. She was the youngest in the class. She was scared to participate in some of the acrobatics stunts...like doing the tumbles, hanging from the bars, etc... After that we all had dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant... It was the last night before gong gong had to leave! 

We were happy that were able to enjoy our blessing with others!

Mr. Hubby is not a big fan of turkey...so he commented that if we didnt attend our Xmas party with church friends, I would have to finish the whole turkey all by myself!!! Gessshhhm that turkey was bigger than my preggie belly! Heavier too!!!

We had a great time at the Xmas party... Enjoying good food, good company, good games, exchanging of gifts!!! Baby Si also got presents from all the lovely aunties and uncles...thank u sooooo much...baby Si loves all the new toys n it kept her busy busy busy...

Too bad this mummy cannot enjoy some of these free gifts like

.2 tickets "american hustle" preview movie screening (who wants to babysit baby Si???)

.2 tickets to Xtend Barre class (don't think they want a 33 weeks preggie lady jumping n prancing around)

Who wants to "date" mr. Hubby? 

Who will be the "lucky" one to enjoy these blessings??? 

These are just snippets of KarMie's blessings as we have the whole full list of KarMie's 2013 blessings that we keep...we do this every year to count our blessings...do u have one as well???

The NAGAS wanna wish u a merry Xmas and a happy new year!!! 

Can't wait to see what God has in store for us in the year 2014!!!

More pics can be found on mr. Hubby fb link here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101972863627529.1073741844.25805776&type=1&l=a48e8952dd

Push present??? What is it...

Ever heard of the term push present? Well most Asians wouldn't know it as it's only common in the western world... I learnt it from my american friends when I spent 6 years in the US...

So let me educate all u preggie ladies out there ;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push_present

"A push present (also known as a push gift, baby mama gift or baby bauble) is a present a father gives to the mother to mark the occasion of her giving birth to their child. 

The tradition of gift-giving to commemorate a birth has long roots in England and India."

Funnily enough, my "Indian"/"American" hubby have not heard of this before...

But after being "educated", he surprised me with a new "atas" camera which was the perfect gift as we got to capture all of baby Si pics since day 1 (fresh from the oven) and been using it for this blog and fb pics for all ur entertainment ;)

I wonder what's next for baby KarMie#2??? Hehehehe....

It doesn't have to be expensive...just the thought that counts (knowing that ur hubby appreciated the 9 months of carrying ur baby)!!! It can just be as simple as a "whole coffee or choc cake" to satisfy ur cravings before the start of yucky tasting confinement food...*hint hint from Bengawan Solo plz*

I've even heard that some mothers get diamonds... One diamond for each baby being popped! Hmmmm, but I wonder how many diamond rings can one wear? I'm happy wt my perfect diamond engagement ring :) plus, don't forget that diapers costs $$ and baby stuff too!!!

P/s: cant neglect the expecting fathers too for putting up with us...hormonal changes, mood swings, food cravings, back massages, foot massages, indigestion, nausea, morning sickness, sleepless nights, itchiness, bit*hiness, etc... Hehhehehe....

Honeymoon, BABYMOON , BALImoon!!!

Honeymoon, BABYMOON , BALImoon!!!

Call me crazy??? 30 weeks preggie and we were off to Bali... I actually bought tickets to Bali for next year (end of January ~> 2 weeks before my due date...) but after family and friends have said how absurd the idea was...we decided to forgo those tickets...dun wanna deliver baby KarMie#2 in Bali right...hehehe... So anyone wanna date mr. Hubby to Bali end of January...to be exact 21-24 jan??? He wants to go to "pet" those lions and tigers!!! That is what I will call CRAZY...

So we spent a well deserved relaxing vacation in Bali from 6-10 dec!!! I really needed this break before baby KarMie#2 comes out...coz once the baby is out...is back to hard work and sleepless nites!!! The easiest part is when the baby is nicely hibernating in my belly ;) 

This the first time baby Si stepped foot in Indonesia...me and mr. Hubby went there almost 5 yrs ago for our honeymoon!!! Although we were there for honeymoon, but we managed to cover all the touristy spots and went all around the whole of Bali... So this time, with a huge belly and baby Si in tow...as mr. hubby  puts it "extra human baggages".... We decided just to stay put and relax!!! And that is EXACTLY what we did...eat, sleep, shop, massage, swim; eat, sleep, shop, massage, swim; and the cycle goes on!!!  

Comparing Thailand to Indonesia:

.Food wise - Thailand has much better variety of food ... Lots of street food...whereas in Bali, no street food??? Went hunting for a "pasar malam" / night market but couldn't find any despite asking locals around... I liked the local "nasi Padang rice" with the yummy varieties of spicy "sambal"... But without the sambal, it's not as nice and tasty. So mr. Hubby didnt really like it since he can't take the spicy sambal...

We ended up eating all sorts of other cuisines...Greek, Italian, Indian, Thai, etc.

The food in Bali is more expensive than Thailand...

. Massages - Balinese massage is way better and soothing than Thai massage... And cheaper too!!! Not that massages in Thailand is expensive either... 1 hour for 60,000 rupiah = 6usd??? Gessshhh... No wonder mr. Hubby went for 2 massages in a day...one in the afternoon during baby Si nap and another late at nite!!! Unfortunately this mummy was warned by grandma to not get any massages... But hey, I did enjoy some spa time while mr. Hubby babysat baby Si in the hotel... Hair cream, bath spa, body scrub, head massages, etc... Since mr. Hubby had so many massage opportunities, he decided to be adventurous and tried out all sorts (hot stone Swedish, 4 hands, shiatsu etc...)

.beaches - kuta beach is very very crowded... Mr. Hubby and me decided that beaches in Thailand is way better than Bali... The water in Thailand is cleaner, blue-ish, clearer, more scenic... Bali beach reminded me of port Dickson or Penang...

. Shopping is also better in Thailand as there's more variety of different things being sold...whereas in Bali every stall seems to sell the same thing. But there's a local mall called Matahari which sells souvenirs, clothes,shoes, etc at a cheap decent price without the hassle of bargaining and in the convenience of air conditioning

Mummy tips: 

. Definitely stroller friendly in kuta area...the sidewalk pavement is well paved.

. Baby friendly with high chair provided in restaurants and food court.

. Diaper changing area only in malls.

. Mini marts everywhere... Can get daily necessities easily.

. Public transport - we walked mostly everywhere. Our hotel provided free shuttle to kuta square... So we had them drop us at the kuta square every evening and leisurely strolled home. Public taxis are easily available with trust worthy meters. But don't get stuck in traffic though.

I would strongly recommend a short getaway at least once a year!!! 

Here are the reasons why:

http://www.babble.com/relationships/15-reasons-couples-should-go-on-vacation-instead-of-buying-stuff/

Me n mr. Hubby hardly give expensive gifts, as we rather spend the money on a vacation!!!

More pics on mr.  Hubby fb:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101927501902789.1073741843.25805776&type=1&l=58b2f70aa6

Our honeymoon pics (back in the days):

Part 1: 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.56210130941.80612.500020941&type=1&l=ec20ee2d5c

Part 2: 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.56213750941.80615.500020941&type=1&l=af7e176249

Part 3: 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.56214970941.80616.500020941&type=1&l=e942199801

Part 4:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.56216140941.80617.500020941&type=1&l=427d28b8fd

Part 5:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.58045285941.82271.500020941&type=1&l=8e6aa81712

Happy 20 months baby Si!!!

Happy 20 months baby Si!!!

Baby Si turns 20 months on 6th dec 2013!!! Which is tomorrow....yeayyyy!!! 

For the first time, this mummy is early to post :)

(19 months old post <~ if u missed it)

Hopefully baby Si pics will cheer up ur day!!! It did cheer us up when snapping these pics... :)

Milestones reached:

. Able to take off pants and diapers when instructed...

. Able to throw rubbish/diapers/anything "icky" into the rubbish bin on her own... (She did this a few mths back-this mummy forgot to record it)

. Scared of anything "icky" and will point it out to mummy!!! I guess this mummy will b busy cleaning the floors nonstop... I need one of those automatic robotic vacuum to catch up!

. Finally reached the 9+kg mark...for the longest time she was at the 8kg range...but this mummy after some time couldn't care less about her weight...many had commented she's skinny, need to feed formula milk, weight gain milk, etc...but as long as she's eating well (which she does cause she eats non-stop but small portions throughout the day), active and poo poo well (3-5 times a day)...

. Demands that she holds her own straw n cup while drinking her milk

. Role plays with her soft toys...pretend to feed them, put diapers on, etc...

. From 2 naps down to 1 nap time

On a side note:

Just the other day, we were watching the movie "monsters inc"...

(my 2nd time, mr. Hubby's and baby Si 1st time)

And no kidding, baby Si thought that the little girl in the movie call "Boo" is actually her!!!

She kept saying "na na" and pointing to "Boo"...

Mr. Hubby said, "oh, maybe sienna thinks all babies are na na"

But I said no way..sienna knows who sienna is and who other babies are...

Then while watching the movie, baby Si kept saying, "monster carry na na"... "Na na peekaboo"... "Na na where???"... "Na na "ku"- cry in mandarin"

Ok let the pic speaks for itself...

More pics can be found on mr. Hubby's fb...

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101905698117749.1073741842.25805776&type=1&l=3034227560

Oh yeah we will be leaving for our well deserved short getaway very very very soon!!! BABYMOONing!!!

Can't wait... 

Stay tune to find out where we went :)

4 babies????

Not only are we blessed with baby sienna and lil bro baby KarMie#2, but we actually have 4 babies in total!!! 2 of which are so grown up now...we had them when they were just kids!!! Now they are teenagers...wowww how time flew by...

Let me introduce them. They are angel yunita (13 yrs old) and vinotha maruthupandi (11 yrs old). Angel is from Indonesia and Vinotha is from India. We chose to "adopt" from these 2 countries as its the closest to where me n mr. hubby originated from. We couldn't find any child to sponsor from Malaysia...we've had them since we were dating and never regretted...it's so heart warming everytime we received letters, pics and updates from them... Knowing that our $$ has been well spent and put to good use!!!

I would encourage each and every one of u to do ur part and help a lil' one in need... 

The world would be a better place if each one of us play a part in it! 

After all we are all gonna die some day...

If $$ is the issue, Just skip ur weekly Starbucks coffee sessions :) 

God has been showering us with blessings upon blessings so that we can be a blessing to others!!!

It's never too late to start...just take a look at their website... there's so many children waiting for u!!! also there's babies being born everyday that need our help! 

Sign up at Compassion international....http://www.compassion.com/

Don't worry ur $$ will go to ur sponsored child...

"Compassion has been a trusted charity since 1952. 

Numerous financial accountability groups and accrediting agencies have recognized Compassion for superior financial integrity." Quoted from compassion website...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone!!! Lets be thankful and contented with what we already have :)

P/s: Oh how I miss Black Friday shopping back in the USA... Lining up in the cold winter in the wee hours with mr. Boyfriend back then to score good deals :) happy shopping!!!

Outings to the Science centre and Singapore navy ship

Okayyyy due to pregnancy brain fart, I announced (in my previous post) that I just entered my 3rd trimester!!! But then soon realized that it wasn't the case...am at 27 Weeks and 1 day...

And since I'm still in my honeymoon trimester, yeayyy, I have been out and about enjoying just being OUT with the FAM...

We went to the science centre... Ok ok, before being all jugdemental... Firstly, We aren't nerds! But since me and mr. Hubby are both computer science major with (MBA - mr. hubby, Maths and MIS minor - ahem...me), we decided why not expose baby Si at an early age :p

Ok ok in actuality, the science centre had its 35th Anniversary Open House!!! 

Admission was FREE and its nearby mr. Hubby's office and our home... 

So there wasn't any reason to not go...

http://thenewageparents.com/science-street-fair-2013/

From the looks of the pics...mr. Hubby enjoyed it more than baby Si! 

I guess baby Si is way too young after all...

Then we headed for dinner at our favorite "dating" restaurant... It has been a while Chillis!!! So as a revenge, we went all out and ordered an appetizer, "Chips and Queso"... 2 main meals, our all time fav "Cajun chicken sandwich"... Those breaded onions on top of it makes it so worthwhile... And best of all, baby Si got her 1st ever kids meal!!! We ordered chicken nuggets and corn on a cob for her...but sadly, she didn't like it...(trying to expose her to outside food, but I guess she still prefers mummy's home-cook food)... So baby Si kid's meal ended up in mummy's tummy for baby KarMie#2! And best of all, the kids meal was FREE!!! Free kids meal if u were to dine in before 6pm...great marketing skills...we will definitely be back for more... Not that we wouldn't... Felt like we were in a buffet! Thankfully we weren't ambitious enuff to order dessert...

2nd outing was to see "The BIGGEST hardware display in town"!!! 

THE Singapore NAVY ship named "RSS ENDURANCE"....

Okayyyy...am not a big fan of this...

but since its a once in a lifetime opportunity and we had to BALLOT for the tickets (and successfully got it).... I thought to myself, must be something worth going to! Even though the fine print says, "There are steep staircases on the landing ship tank. Pregnant women, children below 0.9m, and those with infants in arms or with mobility problems may face difficulties moving around the ship."

Well, when we got there, we found many mummies and daddies baby wearing their infants and toddlers in tow... But boy was it steep navigating my huge belly up and down the steep staircases...and the tiny aisles... I told mr, hubby that I will never be a sailor women! Claustrophobia got the better of me... And those tiny little bunk beds and tiny tiny long long aisles and staircase u have to walk thru... Ishhhh...nightmare!!! 

But put me in a $exy uniform and a cabin tube 20,000 feet up in the air (with good looking passengers of coz)... Hell yeah!!! Anytime baybehhhh...

We talked to some navy men and they said they can be away for 2 months at a time!!! Can u imagine no Facebook??? Gessshhh, they be so "lost" at "sea" by the time they see land... At least up in the air, u are gone at most 10-12 hrs before having to come down to land to refuel...

Baby Si had an unforgettable experience...

She still till today will say...."airplane...fan fan fan... Turn turn turn...sit with papa" 

<- sitting with papa in the helicopter...

We ended the night by treating ourselves to Marche...German sausages, potato roschti, chicken crepes, minus the German beer...yumz!!! Was tempted to try the ginger beer though...hehehe 

Oh btw, we are also planning on a short getaway soon...BABYMOONING...before baby KarMie#2 pops out!! Who says 3rd trimester cannot be a honeymoon trimester :p

More pics can be found on mr. Hubby fb...

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10101865940941449.1073741841.25805776&type=1&l=b5e75d270e

Happy 19 months baby Si!!!

Happy 19 months baby Si!!!

Baby Si turned 19 months on 6th nov 2013!!! Which is today....yeayyyy!!! 

(18 months old post <~ if u missed it)

Sadly, we decided to stop doing our monthly family tradition of taking Polaroid pics 

(running out of fridge space to display her pics...)

18 mths was the last one and a good place to stop...so to be continued once baby KarMie#2 arrives...stay tuned!!!

Hopefully baby Si pics will cheer up ur day!!! It did cheer us up when snapping these pics... :)

Milestones reached:

. can wear and take out her own shoes

. Say big words like "playground", "bicycle", "exercise", "container", "alamak" but still struggling to say her name "sienna"... She calls herself as nana!

. can say poo poo coming!!! time for mummy to start potty training? *lazy mode* but need to start before baby KarMie2 arrives..since baby Si poo poos 3-5 times a day!!!

. Can use a fork on her own to eat cut fruits

. Can sing happy birthday!!! In her soft singing voice...

HAPPY DEEPAVALI from us...the NAGAS!!!

Thanks to uncle viswanadhan and aunty geetha (karthik's sister's in laws) for baby Si first Indian outfit...

Baby Si liked it so much that she was dancing in front of the mirror and prancing around showing off her dress very proudly when we were out n about... 

We celebrated deepavali by eating Indian food the whole day!!! Breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper...

Mr. Hubby was a happy man..."happy belly, happy hubby"!!! And this mummy n baby KarMie#2 were also happy customers as I found the best Briyani in Singapore so far... It comes with "melt in your mouth" mutton and the spicyness level was just right for me which was SPICY!!! And best of all, it is nearby our house! Double, triple yeayyyy!!! 

Was reminiscing with mr. Hubby and still remember the best Briyani we had was in USA...downtown Indiana and not to forget our friend (kas and niaz) home cooked one... 

But I still heard comments from friends that the BEST of the BEST can be found in LOndon...excuse to go to London, mr. Hubby??? So funny that I've been all over the world but have not had the chance to tour London? Just made a pitstop for a few hours there :(

Can't wait to go there once the "babies" are bigger and this mummy n daddy can go on a longggg getaway!!!

Baby KarMie#2 is a Boy? Girl? Boy? Girl? Boy? Girl?

I am officially in my 3rd trimester!!! no more HONEYMOON trimester :( (2nd trimester is alwiz the best)

You guys must be wondering why we haven't posted any updates for the past month? What more the gender of baby KarMie#2???

Well, me n baby Si have been hibernating at po po and gong gong's house in Malaysia for the past month while mr. Hubby was off to Europe and USA for his business trip + holiday to visit his parents, sister and new niece!!!

Being in Malaysia is bad bad bad for this mummy! Coz the past 2 times I have been back, I have gained too much weight in too short of a time!!! My gynae knows right away every time I visit Malaysia just by looking at my weight gain...

As for the gender, we were suppose to find out at our last checkup but baby KarMie#2 was too "shy"!!!

So after the longgggg awaited time, we finally rushed to see my gynae as soon as I got back to Singapore! And guess what we are having??? Baby Si will be getting a baby BROTHER!!! *yeay*

But not to get overly excited yet as my gynae said he is only 80% sure as the umbilical cord was in the way!!! But for this mummy n daddy, 80% sure is good news to our ears!!! 

So how did we celebrate this joyous occasion? We went out and got a cake from "Awfully Chocolate"! Not just any ordinary cake but a sinfully delicious one (mocha fudge supreme using Nescafé dulce gusto coffee)...it was more for "me" than for "us"! This mummy got to indulged in lots of coffee cake!!!

I guess we have to start thinking of BOY names? There isn't many BOY names which sounds nice and starts with the letter "S"???

Any suggestions? 

Let's do a giveaway... Suggests as many names as you like for Sienna's lil' brother. If your suggested name is being picked as the winner, we will send u an appreciation "gift" (will think of the gift later)... What more, u will be part of naming "baby KarMie#2" history!!! How exciting...Hehhehehe

P/s: it doesn't have to really start with the letter "S"...

More pics...? Click here

Mr. Hubby USA + Europe trip pics...click here

Happy 18 months baby Si!!!!

Happy 18 months baby Si!!!!

We celebrated early by bringing baby Si to attend a mid autumn festival celebration at our nearby community centre. She got to eat her first moon cake, played her first lantern and saw her first lion dance!!! The lion dance was daddy's favorite part as he get to see up close on what goes on behind the scene (underneath the lion's costume)... The hands and feet coordination was just amazing!!! Mummy and baby KarMie#2 enjoyed all the junk food that were given out...ice cream, pop corn, candy floss, etc...

Baby Si turned 18 months on 6th Oct 2013!!! Which was yesterday....yeayyyy!!! 

I can finally tell people that baby Si is 1 and a 1/2 yrs old...instead of by months ;)
(17 months old post <~ if u missed it)

Here's our monthly family tradition of taking Polaroid pics.
Hopefully baby Si pics will cheer up ur day!!! It did cheer us up when snapping these pics... :)

Milestones reached:
. Able to eat chicken with bones and skin it clean better than daddy...
. Able to understand that she's a big girl now and there's a baby in mummy's tummy... She will kiss and stroke/"sayang" my belly every now and then without being ask to...
. Mummy is finally able to tie all of baby Si hair...like finally!!! Her hair grew fast in the beginning but because it curls at the ends, it took forever...on the positive note, that means baby Si will have nice hair without needing to perm and waste money!

more pics...Click here!!!

                            

                             

Welcome to this world princess Elsa!

So happy for my good friend from my flying days Jetstar!
She's the few that I still keep in touch with...
She just delivered her princess Elsa Wang...weighing 3.4kg!

Happy that I got to finally meet her lil bub! Baby else has the chubbiest cheeks I've ever seen...
Been seeing her growing in her mummy's belly for the past 9mths...And baby Si was delighted to finally hangout with a friend younger than her. So far she's been hanging out with people older n taller than her!!! Now baby Si has a younger playmate to hang out with...

Made Elsa a diaper cake!!! with a princess theme...
This is my 3rd attempt making a diaper cake...
1st and 2nd diaper cake, click here...
Sorry mummy Elly, no real cake for u....will treat u to it after your confinement ok?

Elsa... What a unique name!!! That's cause it's a combination of both the parents name...Elly and Samsu. Just like KarMie... (Karthik & Jamie)! Friends were asking if we were gonna name our first baby... KarMie? We realized its not a boy or a girl name... But according to mr. Hubby, in Indian culture, if the name ends with a vowel, it is usually a girl... So I guess we could have named baby Si, KarMie!!! But then the next question is what will we name baby KarMie#2?

So what would elly name her next baby...hmmmmm? I'm sure she's not thinking about baby no2 for now!!! Hehhehee.... Welcome to the world of motherhood!!! It is a worth while journey...

I guess I will reserve the name "KarMie" for our future puppy *still dreaming*...

Malaysia and Bangkok, Thailand for 1 month!

Me and baby Si went back to my hometown Malaysia to visit my parents and it so happen to be in the month of August where Muslims celebrated hari raya aka Eid. Lots of open houses to attend which meant lots of eating good yummy malay food and snacking on snacks, cakes, desserts.

My mum n I are both durian fanatics! N so happened to be the start of the durian season...this time round Baby Si tried it and loved it!!! She is a true blue Malaysian...unlike American daddy...
n my mum bought durian every week for 3 weeks straight! We had a stashed kept ready to eat in the fridge...so that we could eat it daily...n yes, baby Si and mummy gained lots of weight! Good fats... Good for baby Si but bad for mummy!!!

Chiu chiu aka uncle Jeffrey had us over at his bachelor pad and this time he did cook for us (the last time he FORGOT...Click here!!!)! And it was his first time EVER cooking for us...if u consider roasting/grilling in the oven...cooking :) but I must say we were all impressed!!! The ladies (mum and I) preferred the roasted pork and the guys (hubby and dad) preferred the roasted chicken...sienna was just munching away on the carrots from the salad. I guess chiu chiu's years of watching License to Grill on the cooking channel paid off!!!
We were all full to the brim that we didnt have to go out for desserts or coffee after...we just stayed and chitchat while watching my graduation + family trip to the US! And oh boy!!! Did we laughed non stop...mr. Hubby got a very good laugh watching his wifey (this was pre KarMie days- before getting to know his wifey) and trust me he did get to know his wifey and family true colors from this video! OK this video better not get leaked out in YouTube...OKAYYYY mr. Hubby???

Again we were off to Thailand... This was baby Si uncountable times to Thailand!!! And this time, it is no where near the beach, sand, palm trees...it is in the heart of the city of Bangkok! Po po followed us this time... It was the perfect timing as my nausea and puking streaks were over!!! Yay to my most fav cuisine in the world....THAI food! Extra spicy, sour, salty with a tinge of sweetness!!! This time mr. Hubby didnt wanna tag along coz of course he has to go back to work but also we've been together to Bangkok twice n he found it boring as it was all about the shopaholics! I thought I wouldn't enjoy going to Bangkok while being preggy as preggie women cannot do massages especially Thai massage where they crack u up! Literally!!!
(On a side note: but preggie ladies can enjoy a soft oil Balinese massage...does that mean we can go babymooning to Bali before baby KarMie#2 comes out? *hint hint*)
And shopping is a put off when ur belly is growing and everything doesn't fit u...but me n po po ended up shopping like there's no tomorrow and money flowing out of gong gongs wallet! Baby Si was busy keeping gong gong entertained to realized the damage the ladies had done!!!

This time round gong gong wanted to visit Chinatown as he saw a travel show on TV about it and plus we've never been there before and neither had I stumble on it while researching and friends never mention it.... True enough, you can skip it!!! If u are walking around the city of Bangkok itself, it is CHINATOWN!

Also a MUST EAT while in Bangkok...it was the first time I had it before! My mum, bro n dad had it before and they recommended it. But the last time me n mr. Hubby went, we walked around and couldn't find it coz it is only open from EVENING onwards!!! Let me tell u the exact location... Walk from platinum mall towards central world (less than 10 mins walk) and you would NOT miss it...it is on the sidewalk...not for the faint hearted and unadventurous eater! It is the yummylicious salted grilled fish with the most amazing green chilli dipping sauce...I'm not sure how they make it (plz teach me) but I believe they must have added lots of MSG for me to keep going back there for more...hahahhaha....

Mummy's tips on bringing a baby to Bangkok:
. Plz bring a baby carrier n a LIGHTweight stroller!
We only brought a stroller as our hotel was a 10 min short walk to the platinum mall. Bad idea!!! The 10 mins walk ended up to be 25 mins walk as the sidewalk was horrendous and the streets were too narrow as cars, motors, tuk tuk, people were scattered everywhere! Would have helped if I brought my baby carrier as well then I could baby wear baby Si and then use the stroller comfortably at the mall!

.dont bother taking the BTS aka train
as there weren't any escalators nor lifts! We took it once and regretted as we had to walk up and down not 10-20 steps but more like 50! With baby and stroller in hand of a preggie mummy n gong gong!!!

.no diaper changing rooms
Unless u are going to the posh high class mall like paragon mall.

Sorry not many pics taken in bangkok as we were too busy shopping and eating!
Didn't even take pics of our shopping loot!!!
We also didn't cover any touristy spots (e.g kings palaces, temples, laying Buddha, floating market, river cruise, tiger and elephant camp) as we have been there and done that before. So this trip was purely eating, shopping and massages!

Oh yeah when I got back to Singapore for my next gynae checkup...u would not believe it! I gained 4kgs in 1month!!! Bad bad bad...
My gynae said in the most comforting way, "it's ok, pregnant women are suppose to gain weight".
Mummy: *Yeah but not exponentially!!! -Ok end of rant-*

more pics...Click here!!!

Happy 17 months baby Si!!!!

Happy 17 months baby Si!!!!

This is gonna be a super duper short post as the last post was super duper long...
Happy FRIDAY!!! TGIF :)

Baby Si turned 17 months on 6th Sept 2013!!! Which is today....yeayyyy!!!
(16 months old post <~ if u missed it)

Here's our monthly family tradition of taking Polaroid pics.
Hopefully baby Si pics will cheer up ur day!!! It did cheer us up when snapping these pics... :)

Milestones reached:
. Successfully weaned off baby Si from (.)(.) aka nen nen... *not sure if its a milestone, but yeah*

The END...*sad**happy**sad**happy**sad**happy**... mixed emotions till this very day!!!

The end to my breastfeeding journey.... it is indeed a bittersweet moment!
didnt plan to totally wean baby si off but i guess baby Si self weaned herself.
On aug 5th, (after seeing my gynae 3days before, and my first day back in malaysia), I started to drop baby Si day feed but still continued to bf her during throughout the night. She would still ask for (.)(.) aka nen nen during the day but I told her that she's a big girl now and big girls drink fresh milk!!!
Tips: baby Si went on a milk strike... So this mummy decided to add some chocolate milk to her fresh milk, and voila... She's loving it :)

My gynae had mentioned to stop breastfeeding right away as it is harmful for baby karmie2 which I don't totally agree with him cause in my case, I am not a high risk pregnancy and neither was my 1st pregnancy with baby Si...and many mothers has successfully tandem breastfeed while being pregnant! Oh well, I thought I needed a break after breastfeeding baby Si for 16+ months!!! And thinking and planning well ahead what will happen once I'm in hospital to deliver since baby Si doesn't take formula milk and plus she doesn't take bottle feeding and I have surrendered my pump, sterilizer long long time ago!!!
My gynae even prescribed me a hormone pill (Duphaston 10mg-42 tabs..1 tab 3 times a day).
He mentioned that it will strengthen my womb... So my next qs was, is it specific to my case? Is something wrong with my scans that i need it? His answer was no... Just in general it is better to take it for all pregnant mothers....
Shesshhhh....
Note to self: no drugs while pregnant...actually say no to drugs!

I thought it would be hard to wean her off night feeding as she's addicted to it...ever since she was born, every2 hours (on the dot) she would wake up for nen nen...then at ard 8-9 months, it increased to every 3 hrs and finally ard 1 yr + it went up to 4 hrs! Imagined how this mummy has never slept more than 4 hours straight!!! *zombified*
Then once I started dropping her day feed, she miraculously started to SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT (STTN)!!! U wouldn't know how it feels like to finally get my beauty sleep!
I never plan on totally weaning her off of breastfeeding! But I guess God has His plans and His timing! On a positive note, I get to rest well during the night while being pregnant (this 2nd pregnancy is much harder - morning, afternoon, nite, midnite puking sickness, feeling nausea the whole day)...

I'm glad baby Si transitioned amazingly well... I read a lot about how other mothers have to resort to using lemon or vinegar on their (.)(.) to discourage their lil ones, how their (.)(.) will get engorged which then leads to high fever and shivers, block ducts, mastitis, using the cold cabbages method, hot/cold compress, drugs, etc...

I was just thinking the other day how a gadget can be 100% loved by working mothers and yet at the same time 100% hated by stay at home mothers...it is the BREAST PUMP!
Can u think of another gadget?
Don't mention iPhone vs Samsung! Coz some iPhone users would like some features of the Samsung phone and how some Samsung users secretly wished they had some of the iPhone apps! Some are even converts... :p

To all the mothers soon to deliver (including me)... Breastfeeding is NOT EASY... U need to be surrounded by supportive family especially hubby! U need to have determination, perseverance, hard core, commitment, hard working, strong willed, "kiasu", etc...
But let me tell u, it is soooo WORTH IT... All the best... "Jia yu"... "GAMBATEH"... "Fighting"!!!

Baby Si has only fallen sick once! All thanks to the wonders of this liquid gold...
*sad**happy**sad**happy**sad**happy**... Arghhhh mixed emotions till this very day!!!
I miss my bonding sessions...only bf mothers will understand ;)

Next milestones:
.Wean baby Si off her "drug" aka pacifier (goal: before 2 yrs old)
.potty train (goal: +-2 yrs old)

Surprise...surprise...surprise!!!

Some of you might be wondering how come there wasn't any Father's Day post (since there was one for Mother's Day )? Did i miss it?Well...this mummy didn't forget...just that we celebrated it in a low key manner... Got daddy a key chain!!! Muahahhahah.... (No pun intended)
The personalized keychain was a present from baby Si (with a pic of her n daddy) but the best present came from mummy!!! SURPRISE!!! Surprised daddy with the pic below on Father's Day :) daddy aka mr. Hubby was speechless... Thought he would be a pro by now... But still managed to make his speechless 2nd time round...

I'm sure many of our fb friends already knew about it as mr. Hubby just made it official and revealed this "secret" once I hit the mark and past the unstable period :)

Dear mr. Hubby aka daddy Si,
Hope this is the best Father's Day present ever!!!
Xoxo,
Mummy n baby Si...

Also this Father's Day was special as baby Si not only get to celebrate with her dad...this mummy also get to celebrate with my dad!!! 2 in 1 celebration!!! We had a good hearty mexican meal at "cha cha cha" restaurant at Holland Village with lots of quesadillas, nachos and burritos... Baby Si enjoyed her first taste of beef quesadillas!

Thank u papa for alwiz being there for me and keeping me company with all the "jalan-jalan" and ur useful advices!!! baby Si is also enjoying gong gong's company... Now I know where baby Si gets her traveling genes from!!!

Baby’s Day Out 2013 – My First National Day Party

Baby Si had the privilege to attend her First Baby’s Singapore National Day Party which was held on 3 August, Saturday from 5.00pm – 8.30pm (Registration started at 4.30pm) at The Lawn @ Marina Bay. This event was organized by NTUC, U Family. Mummy got free tickets :) daddy was hesitant at first as he thought he won't be involved in any of it and plus daddy is not Singaporean (so is mummy n baby Si :p...) but mummy had the chance to participate in a Simultaneous Mass Breastfeeding activity (in conjunction with World Breastfeeding Week). Whereas baby Si had lots of her "friends", activities and goodie bags all lined up for her...each family was given a goodie bag which consisted of diapers, snacks, foldable picnic mat, hand held fans and disposable rain coats (in case it rain). Very considerate and useful... The weather turned out perfect...not too hot, not too humid, windy and it didn't rain.
Each family was also given 10 activity coupons (1 per activity) for the fringe activities available. Daddy was excited as he got to play lots of activities with baby Si.

This was mummy and baby Si's first time participating in a Simultaneous Mass Breastfeeding activity. Participants (Breastfeeding Mummies only) was given a wrist tag for identification. And we got to sit in a VIP area, designated area on the lawn for the breastfeeding activity. The Simultaneous Mass Breastfeeding activity commenced at 5.30pm. Participants was asked to latch-on their babies for 1 minute with the signal from the emcee. After the activity, participants may proceed to the registration area to redeem their gift with the wrist tag for identification.

Mr. Hubby and me both agreed that this event was wonderfully organized to keep everybody engaged all throughout. It was reported that it was the biggest baby bash yet, which saw a record participation of more than 5,000 parents and babies. In conjunction with World Breastfeeding Week and in line with U Family’s advocacy on stronger support for breastfeeding mothers, a Simultaneous Mass Breastfeeding activity was participated by 250 mothers.

There was a musical performance, fringe activities galore, fun stage games, Baby Race and National Day Mass sing-along to entertain and engage the toddlers, babies and parents.

Daddy aka mr. Hubby was not being left out at all...as he was one of the 3 chosen ones to be invited to be part of a Stage game called"I Speak Baby-Talk!".... Basically they played a recorded baby "talking" and the contestants have to decode it. The fastest one with the correct answer wins a point. It wasn't easy but Daddy won 2nd place! Yeayyy... Products worth $350 sponsored by Philips...

It was indeed a fun filled family day! Can't wait to attend next year... :)

More pics click here...!!!

Happy 16 months baby Si!!!!

Happy 16 months baby Si!!!!

Baby Si turned 16 months on 6th Aug 2013!!! Which is today....yeayyyy!!!
(15 months old post <~ if u missed it)

Here's our monthly family tradition of taking Polaroid pics.
Hopefully baby Si pics will cheer up ur day!!! It did cheer us up when snapping these pics... :)


Milestones reached:
.helping with doing the laundry...
when baby Si was 14 months, I told daddy aka mr. Hubby that baby Si willingly helped mummy do the entire laundry but daddy didn't quite believe it...so one day daddy happened to be home but unfortunately mummy was doing the "adult" laundry so baby Si couldn't really help as it was too heavy! But just a few days ago, daddy witnessed baby Si helping with the entire laundry as mummy did baby's laundry... Daddy can now sit back n relax as mummy has a new helper!!! Yeay to mummy's new cute lil' helper!!!

Better watch out for child protection services knocking on our doors :p

(baby Si doing laundry video)

All about daddy aka mr.hubby!

Okay, this post will be all about baby Si's daddy aka mr. Hubby!

Congratulations on your graduation in obtaining your MBA at NTU (nanyang technology university) business school, Singapore... Class of 2013. One of the top 25 MBA Universities in the world!!!

We are so proud of u...
Being able to work full time and take classes part time. All these were done in the midst of moving into our first apartment (where we built a HOME), numerous business and leisure trips all around the world with wifey, created a family with the arrival of baby Si, changed positions in your job with Cummins, changed jobs to a new company (after 10 years of being loyal to Cummins), etc...

Just a few days after mr. hubby's graduation, me n mr hubby were talking and came to realization that all these just fell into its own place, at the right time. From choosing and picking the right uni (being offered a few), choosing between Masters and MBA, etc...We counted our blessings and God's guidance in getting to where mr. Hubby is today. Coz if it was a different decision, things would turned out differently. We believe God has helped us make the best choice.

"God opens doors (where no men can shut) and closes the doors (where no men can open)!!!"

Oh and the graduation turned out to be an event where baby Si was able to sit in... Coz we initially thought that we could not enter the auditorium as it was clearly stated on the invite that children below 6yrs old was not allowed in. And mummy thought we would have to miss it and sit outside to watch it on the big screen TV. Thankfully uncle niño was adamant and smooth talked his way to get us in promising that we would head out as soon as baby Si makes any noise. But guess what? Baby Si sat through the whole convocation like a trooper! Uncle niño made more noise than baby Si!!! Thanks uncle niño for being the photographer and manny for the day!!!
U made karthik's day...(from his gummy smile in all your lovely pics)

The convocation ended with a party where food and wine were served, speeches and awards were given and more photos taken...

more pics...Click here!!!