36 weeks already

Went for my O&G appt today. Everything was fine. Baby Marissa is already 2.9kg. Myself - 70.9kg. Will be doing the vaginal swab on Friday June 6th on my own and then send the sample to PathLab for analysis. Next O&G appt will be on Tues June 10th instead. The results should be out by then... and if there's still Strep B.... will have to schedule for Caesarean. If normal delivery - is possible but need to be hospitalised for 5 days to clear the infection and baby will also be hospitalised for 3-5 days too and will need antibiotics. Definitely not very good. Praying hard that I will be able to give birth naturally!

33 months old

Evan lounging on the sofa watching TV.

Bringing Elmo on a ride on his bike that Kung Kung bought.

Getting ready to go out to KLCC for Dim Sum brunch at Lai Po Heen, Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The dim sum was nothing special anyway. It was an early 5th Wedding Anniversary Celebration for us on 19th May 2008 (actual date : 21st June 2008).

Pregnancy Progress

I'm now 35 weeks into my pregnancy. Went for my gynae appt as usual on May 15th. Dr. Yap took a vaginal swab to check on me. The results came positive for Group B Streptococci - which is not good..... Started on a course of antibiotics (Augmentin 625mg bd 1/52). If the bacterial infection doesn't clear, my gynae advised that it's safer to go for a Caesarean as the baby may get infected with the bacteria causing pneumonia as it passes through the vagina in a natural birth. My next check up is on May 29th.... so will most probably be sending another swab sample to the lab for testing.... hopefully everything will be cleared!

Now, I'm tipping the scales at 68.5kg (baby Marissa weighs 2.4kg already). My feet has expanded due to water retention..... getting harder to walk fast and tire easily. Sleeping also can be quite uncomfortable! Wishing everything will be over soon!

My Birthday Photo Shoot

Well, since I took a photo package when I was 7 months pregnant with Evan, decided to do the same too this time around, except that I am now 8 months pregnant.

Estee Lauder is currently having its Model Search at Mid Valley Megamall from 12-19 May... so I purchased a voucher for make-over and photo shoot at RM300. The voucher is redeemable for RM250 worth of Estee Lauder products from Metrojaya, the make-over, hair-styling and photo shoot (one copy A4 photo), plus FREE mascara & eyeshadow gift set and some promotion vouchers from sponsors (Sony, Eclipse & Pick A Brush Make Up Academy). I can actually submit my photo for the nation-wide model search but I declined (of course!). This A4-size photo was printed and laminated instantly on the spot.

I also purchase the photography package for RM150 which includes a photo frame, 2 copies 5R photos, 4 copies 2R photos and a CDR. All that will only be ready for collection 30th June. The entire make-over/photo session took about 1.5hrs.

31 on 13

I will be celebrating my 31st birthday on 13th May 2008. Since Bread Story Bakery is running a promotion in conjunction with Mother's Day, I celebrated my birthday and Mother's Day earlier on 8th May instead. With the promotion, any mother whose birthday falls between 1-11 May is entitled to a 50% discount on their special Mother's Day cakes. So I managed to get my mother's photostated IC (her birthday falls on 7th May) and purchased a Blackforest Cake for RM32.50 (normal price : RM65). Bought my mother an oven for her birthday and Mother's Day when we went back to Segamat for my granny's funeral. She was pretty excited about the oven but was so busy that she has yet to open it!



















Here Evan helped me blow out the candles the cake. He really enjoyed eating the cake too all by himself! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all mothers!

Granny's passing

My maternal grandmother, Mdm Ooi Soo Cheow, passed away peacefully on 30th April 2008. She was 96 years. The funeral was held over 3 days at my home in Segamat. The photo here shows the altar - the funeral was according to Buddhist ceremonial rites. She leaves behind 2 daughters (my uncle passed away >10 years ago), 10 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. She was buried in Nilai Memorial Park on Friday May 2nd 2008.

My granny was from Penang. She married and later settled down in Teluk Intan. She had 3 children : eldest, a son and 2 daughters (my mother being the youngest). I only get to visit my granny during the school holidays when my family would travel up north. However, I was not very close to my granny as I can't speak Hokkien very well..... but no problems with understanding the Hokkien conversations. My granny was then already a widow and she lived in a 3-storey shophouse together with my late grand-uncle and his family. Her main duty was to prepare meals for the workers there (My late grand-uncle has a 'kiam hu tiam' business).

Things changed after my grand-uncle passed away, as my granny was no longer needed to cook, so she stayed with my aunt (my mother's sister) in Teluk Intan for a few years. Then she came to stay with my mother in Segamat after my aunt was not able to take care of her. My granny stayed in Segamat for a few years - she was healthy and even able to walk even in her early nineties. When I got married in 2003, she was able to make the trip up to KL for the tea ceremony and wedding dinner. Soon after that, she had a nasty fall which confined her to a wheelchair. That was when she started to become weaker and weaker and eventually she became senile and bedridden. An Indonesian maid was employed to take care of her.

I really respect my granny as I find her a strong and capable lady - she had gone through a lot especially during the World War II period without her husband by her side - and raising 3 children in those difficult times.

Pregnancy countdown

Was at the gynae on 29th April for my 32 week check up. Everything was normal - baby Marissa weighs approximately 1.9kg. As for me, I'm 68 kg. Hoping very hard not to reach 72 kg (that was what I weighed at the end of my pregnancy with Evan). Rather uneventful pregnancy this time compared to Evan's....... ovarian cyst, low amniotic fluid levels and low fetal weight. Will be going every fortnightly now, so next appointments on May 15th and 29th....