Welcome 2010!

Sorry, my bad, I had so many things going on these past few months that I
didn't have time to update the blog...

A couple of days of Baby and Holiday Shopping
A few hours of Child Birth Classes
Tons of "General Cleaning"
Half a dozen Holiday Get-togethers
1 Baby Shower cum Despedida cum Birthday Party
1 House Warming
1 First Birthday Party
1 Wedding Shower
1 Wedding
2 Funerals

I don't know how I managed to get it all done, I'm just glad I did.

I'm now 38 weeks pregnant! No return, no exchange! Ready or not, the baby
is coming! I'm just wrapping things up at work and then I can finally say
that I'm "ready" for the big event.

Let me rephrase that, I'm ready to GO to hospital. I'm still bracing myself
for the giving birth part. And then there's the newbie mom angle.

2010 is definitely going to be a major year for me! Wishing us all more love,
peace, happiness, good health and success this 2010!

Refund for Baby Einstein Products

I've long heard that children under the age of 2 should not be
allowed to watch t.v. Of course, each parent has their own
opinion on this.

I for one do not agree that a baby should be allowed to watch
t.v. (educational or otherwise)... I'm currently a fan of the
Glenn Doman books. The "Teach Your Baby..." activities
encourage a lot of interaction between the parents and the baby.
No time for t.v. watching here... But let me give the final verdict
on this AFTER the baby has arrived hehehe...

Then there are those who think highly of the Baby Einstein
series. For those who like the products, you may want to
read this bit of news I got from The New York Times
regarding the refund Walt Disney Co. is offering
for Baby Einstein videos...

As they say, there are no instruction manuals for parenting.
There are no shortcuts to it either. And if it seems too good
to be true, it usually is.

"Cross-functional" Information

I briefly told L that my family and I recently had an animated discussion
on the future education of the baby. She was mildly amused as my family
had all these ideas. She thinks we're all excited as the baby is the first
grand child in my family.

She and her husband are a bit more relaxed when it comes to bringing up Z.
I am the type to make a "career" out of things. So naturally, I am doing the
same with the baby hahaha...

I really just want what's best for our child. I think every loving parent does.
We all just have different ways of going about things. We all have different
personalities, attitudes, cultures, information, experiences, upbringing etc.
I guess all these factors will play a role in how we will be as parents. No
right or wrong here. All we can do is try our best.

I still consider myself as a student of sorts. No I do not currently study in
a school (except I do take Mandarin lessons in a language center). What I
am is a student of life. I've been like this probably since my grade school
days. People have different ways of dealing with information that come their
way. I get a kick out of discovering information that have "cross-functional"
applications in life. I'm such a nerd! hehehe...


Today, I'd like to share 3 "cross-functional" examples with you:

a. Always bring a notebook with you.

It has been said that writers always have a notebook with them. One never
knows when inspiration will strike.

I decided to adopt the practice. But my notebook is not just for ideas. I also
use it to jot down facts, information, questions, quotations, computations,
recipes, etc. Anything and everything that MIGHT be useful. I emphasized
MIGHT because it's possible something in there might not get used. But
that's okay. What's more important to me is that the information is there in
case I have a need for it.

In the beginning, I only had one notebook. Now, I have one for my day to day
activities, one for the pregnancy, one for recipes I pick up here and there, and
one for my blogs. I'm sure I'll one day have a notebook dedicated to the baby.

The multi-notebook system just helps me organize my life better. The day to
day notebook is always with me. The others are by my bedside and get brought
around on a "as needed" basis.

Just a side note. I used the pregnancy notebook for both pregnancies. As both
pregnancies have been delicate ones, the information from the first pregnancy
helped me manage this pregnancy better.

b. Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Planning activities are part and parcel of corporate life. You plan for strategies,
budgets, targets, policies, events, activities, etc.

I feel it is equally important that we make plans for our life. H and I have an
annual goal setting activity of sorts. We also discuss our personal and project
budgets. On our fridge you will find our list of goals, list of expenses, menu
plans, shopping lists, etc.

This year, I also made a 2 year Calendar of Activities. I am anticipating a
busier life when the baby is around. I have planned to do some things earlier
than usual for them to be accomplished on time.

Planning has also come in handy in our community service. We have been
involved in the different activities of CFC. Sometimes we're just attendees, but
sometimes we help organize things. As such, the general principles on planning
still apply.

c. Measure to manage.

Schools have report cards. Companies have progress reports. We too can make
our own report of sorts.

There are different ways of going about this. Our personal reports vary; it
depends on what it is we're trying to measure.

The personal "business" is under Project Management. It has a budget, gantt
chart plus plus. For this, H and R check if we're on budget and on schedule.
There is a database for expenses related to this. In this area, I just take note
of the "executive summary".

For budgets, H and I generally discuss a) are we up or down, b) by what
percent, and c) the justification for variances.

For certain tasks, I make tables. The first column contains the tasks I am
tracking. The other columns contain the time periods. I then put a tick mark
when a task is accomplished. A blank spot or an "x" signifies that the task
was not done.

For other tasks, a simple to do list will suffice.


As you can see. I am not the type to just take things easy. I sometimes have to
make a conscious effort to stop and relax. I have also learned that sometimes
things will not go my way. Sometimes, God has better plans. At the end of the
day, what's important to me is that I know I did my best. Sometimes, life reminds
me that I need to practice faith; "to let God and to let go." If I did my best, then
it's easier to let things be.

I think I'm pregnant again

The pregnancy test revealed two stripes. H and I were anxious
and excited all over again! Unfortunately, it was too early in the
pregnancy for the ultrasound to detect the baby. Soooo,
we're back to praying, hoping and waiting... for 2 more
weeks... The baby should show up in the ultrasound by then...

In the meantime, I'm on bed rest again. And on Duphaston
again. There was some mild spotting a few days ago. Basically,
Dr. D wants me to take the necessary precautions to give the
baby a fighting chance.

Unlike the first pregnancy, I feel good ~ physically and mentally.
I'm hopeful and optimistic that things will go well this time
around.

The long and short of bed rest...

A lot of people have asked, what exactly does one do while
on bed rest? To the clueless, bed rest does sound like a
legitimate word for slacking off. But that's one thing it definitely
isn't.

Most days, I surf the net, watch t.v., read and pray... On bad
days, I just lie down. I literally have to pace myself for fear that
too much activity will affect the baby. Eat then lie down, shower
then lie down, you get the picture. And the days just come and go...

But I can't complain... This baby is a blessing! God's blessing to
hubby and I... You see, I have friends who're attempting to get
pregnant... I have friends who've had miscarriages... I have friends
who've spent a fortune on fertility treatments that have yet to be
met with success... This pregnancy may medically be “over
budget” but that's okay... So long as our baby is happy and healthy!

So, if you have a friend who's glum because they too are on bed
rest, tell her to hang in there! This too shall pass!

Happy 2009 to all!

Where to go when you're stuck in bed.

I have now been on bed rest for a week and a half. Ho hum, ho hum. I would love to go out and see the world. Christmas is my favorite time of the year! It would be great to see the malls all dressed up for the season! But nope, I still have to lie down and rest...


Thank goodness there are a lot of pregnancy and baby internet sites out there. One site that I've found useful is Baby Center. It's like a one stop shop for all my pregnancy questions! And no, I am not connected with this site in any way or form :D


I just love their baby calendar! Each week, I get news on what's supposed to be happening to the baby and I, for that particular week's stage of the pregnancy. This week, I am at week 7. By this time, my baby's hands and feet are forming. I, on the other hand, should feel normal that I am experiencing appetite loss. Oh yes, I'm encouraged to take a photo of my tummy now, it will be getting bigger soon...

Baby Center occasionally sends out bulletins as well. This week's bulletin contained a link to questions on stuff that are considered safe/not safe for pregnant women.... Some of the the questions listed were generic: “Is it safe to wear high heels when I'm pregnant?” Some were quite amusing: “Is it safe to get or have a belly button ring when I'm pregnant?” A few were a bit hilarious: “Is it safe to ride the bumper cars at an amusement park when I'm pregnant?”...

Check out the site and you'll see what I mean hahaha...

Good news!

After many months of waiting, I finally have good news! Hubby and I are now expecting our first baby!

Oh my, my first time time pregnancy is turning into an interesting experience...

I really thought I had my period! But I had this sinking feeling that things were not “normal”. I then decided to give a friend a call... Upon her advice, I got a pregnancy kit test --- I was pregnant! A succeeding trip to the doctor then landed me in a phenomenon called “bed rest”.

Bed rest is just that BED REST. No standing, no sitting, no doing nothing. It's quite challenging as I'm used to moving around. Thankfully, I now live in a day and age where everything is just a phone call or email away. I still work, somewhat, except I do so in the confines of my bedroom.

Apparently, one can only do so much work lying down! I have spent the rest of the time reading books ~~~

You see, Hubby and I do not have a TV nor an internet connection in the flat ~ and that's another story in itself. But we do have a good number of books and cooking magazines in our reading nook. In fact, these books and magazines are now sprawled all over the mattress. Hubby is quite surprised at the mess I have managed to create :D No big deal, it will all get fixed once I'm allowed to leave the bed, hahaha!

I have also tried to increase my prayer time. Lately, I've just been too busy to have an honest to goodness prayer time. Quite common really. And yet one must ask oneself, “If God gave me more time, would I use the extra time in prayer?” Now here I am, at a point in my life where God is giving me more ME time. I know this too is AN INVITATION to make my time more HIS time.

Hmmm, I've been told that this is supposed to be a nice relaxing time for me --- Ahhhhhhh, I can't wait for the doctor to give me an “out of bed pass”! :D