Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

We checked out the Picnic at the Lawn @ Marina Bay Link Mall today.

Totally LOVE the cloudy day, the breeze, the view, the grass, and the simple activities for kids that day.

And Anya, well … she’s found a new love for kite-flying!

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Click HERE to view more photos on Facebook!

Gee. Baby Brie is ONE month old in THREE days and I still have yet to find the time to blog about her birth story! (sigh, … hopefully soon)

For now, as a ‘prelude’ to the FULL story, here’re some photos taken by Wilson (using his Iphone) and an overall ‘summary’ of what happened that day yeah …

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Both Wilson and I arrived at Thomson Medical Centre just before 2 AM on Saturday, 21 May 2011.

[Wilson’s parents were scheduled to arrive at 10am THAT same day!]

We went to the hospital because I had a ‘pinkish discharge’ some two hours earlier (when I was squatting down and brushing the bathroom tiles, heh).

I casually called the hospital to find out if I needed to do anything (since there’re no strong contractions, etc), and the nurse advised me to come over to get myself examined as it’s my THIRD baby (read: delivery can happen real fast!)

After I got changed and wore this purple hospital robe, the nurse monitored the contractions and the baby’s heartbeat by placing these two straps around my belly. It’s commonly known as Cardiotocography (CTG).

They did a check too, and guess what … I was only STARTING to dilate (read: I was NOT in labour yet)

So I was asked to get some sleep in the ward.

My Doc came to check in the morning and I was only about 2cm dilated!

In the end, we decided to get my labour ‘induced’ since I was already in my 38th week of pregnancy and I was already in the hospital!

A pill (that’s supposed to ‘ripen the cervix’) was inserted at about 11.45am.

Nothing much happened after that, so I happily ate my lunch and updated my Facebook status =)

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At about 4pm, my Doc did an internal check and ‘manually’ helped to stretch the dilation to 3cm!

Since then, contractions were STRONG and only got increasingly intense!

I decided to not go for epidural again this time round, and asked for ‘gas’ to help and relieve the labour pain.

I think I started using my mask at around 5pm.

There were moments when I could still bear the contractions with the help of the gas, so I still shared real-time ‘labour updates’ on Facebook! =)

[I must say, updating my Facebook did help ‘distract’ me a bit, hehe]

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Contractions got stronger by the minute and my waterbag was manually burst at 9pm.

After THAT, my contractions were even stronger and more frequent (at least I knew it meant the whole episode would end real soon).

I didn’t get to eat dinner (contractions were too strong and close, I couldn’t sit upright by then). My whole body was fighting real hard to bear the pain too.

I know it was the THIRD time round, but for my case, it was totally NOT easier than the first two!

It was … indescribable.

Brie was FINALLY born (all natural) at about 9.38pm.

And this was how I looked, minutes AFTER Brie was born.

Super exhausted and my whole body felt like splitting apart.

And this was when I was being wheeled back to my ward, some 40 minutes AFTER Brie was born.

It’s the photo I posted on Facebook, and it was probably the ‘best’ one taken by Wilson where I didn’t look like I was going to faint from exhaustion, haha.

ANYWAY.

I am SO glad that it was all over, and that I managed to ‘survive’ such an intensive labour. It was totally God’s grace and I thank God for the strength and health given to me and baby.

I’m SO grateful for the many well wishes we received, and for the many prayers too.

Thank you all.

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I promise I’ll share more photos of that day real soon.

For now, here’s me wishing you all a GREAT weekend (and Father’s Day!!)

We hardly come to Millenia Walk.

To me, it’s more for those who work around the area.

We happened to drop by the area today though and their outdoor ‘wall fountain’ is one of those nice backgrounds you shouldn’t miss for photo opportunities! =)

See. I even nicely asked a passer-by to take a photo for all four of us! Hehe.

We walked around the Parco shopping centre there, and errr … it’s very quiet.

There were MORE people crowding around smoking behind the wall fountain compared to the number of people walking around inside the shopping centre! Really too bad actually, because the shops are offering quite a bit of sale right now!

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We walked over to Marina Square soon after and checked out their newly renovated food court, called ‘The Gallerie‘ (which used to be called ‘The Food Loft’)

Some renovation works are still being completed, but I must say it’s such a nice place now.

Nice layout. Nice view. Nice and new tables and chairs.

I can’t say anything much about its food just yet though, as I only had a bowl of Ice Kachang there, which tasted quite okay =)

Anyway.

Here’re some shots taken by Vai while we’re there! =)

[Errr … a view of my Ice Kachang too, hehe]
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Oh btw, did you know that Our Everyday Things is in the top 10 finalists in this year’s Singapore Blog Awards, under ‘Best Family Blog’ category?

If you like what I’ve shared here on this blog, or if you’ve somewhat been inspired by it in one way or another, it’d be SUPER great if you can support and vote for Our Everyday Things =)

Just click HERE to register yourself for free (if you’re not yet a member of omy.sg), and you can vote daily all the way till July 3rd!  You don’t have to be a Singaporean or live in Singapore to vote yeah! HUGE thanks! =)

I do sometimes wish that we have recycling bins more conveniently located at our apartment block, ie. At our lift lobby downstairs or something.

So that we don’t have to stack recyclables (in bags and bags) inside our home and carry them all over to the bins located ‘nearby’.

(I think they’re about … 100m away from our block. Errr, I’m bad with calculating distances).

I know. I could’ve just thrown those recyclables to the ‘usual rubbish bins’. But then I honestly would’ve felt … guilty. For NOT recycling them.

Then, you would probably say, I should’ve just taken that walk to the recycling bins every other day, or whenever I’ve filled up one plastic bag or something.

But errr, I’m honestly too lazy to do that.

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The recycling bins near our block are cleared just once a week (every Friday, according to the sign), and they are shared by 3-4 surrounding blocks, I think.

Sometimes I see rather empty bins.

Sometimes they’re so full that people just leave their bags of recyclables near the bins.

And looking at all this does make me wonder : Do households generally still recycle these days?

And, if the government made recycling bins more readily accessible at public housings, would people be more inclined to recycle if they haven’t been doing so before?

What do you think?

We had our family and ‘newborn’ shoot at home today.

The first time we ever had it done for our own family.

(Who says parents ‘always’ do less and less for their subsequent kids in the family? =)

We’re not into the ‘placing the baby in a box’ kinda shot though. Somehow we just don’t feel comfortable about such baby photography approach.

So we go for natural shots of the baby – who is exactly three weeks old today – sleeping on a blanket.

And for the first time, we’ll be having the shots we like in a nice PHOTOBOOK too!

*Excited*

[Will share more about it when they’re done =) ]

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Anyway.

Towards the end of the session, Brie was still sleeping soundly and so I grabbed our camera and took some shots too, hehe.

I personally like the above shot and the contrast between Brie’s perfect little fingers and Daddy’s hand.

Captured. Treasured.

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YOU created the deepest parts of my being.

YOU put me together inside my mother’s body.

How YOU made me is amazing and wonderful

I praise YOU for that.

What YOU have done is wonderful.

I know that very well.

Psalm 139:13-14

I’m SO enjoying the school holiday!

Well, especially THIS school holiday.

Because I don’t need to think about going through homework, reviewing for tests, and sending / picking up the kids from school! =)

Not needing to do all that helps a lot when you have a three-week-old baby around =)

But. I don’t want the two older kids to be stuck at home though.

I too will feel too ‘couped up’ if I’m home for days and days.

So.

Last weekend, we all went to East Coast Park so Anya and Vai could have some sand play fun.

They both did have fun in the outdoors.

They buried their legs with sands, and made sand castles (errr, I think they were castles, hehe)

Daddy played with them for a while. And sat down next to me to relax and chat.

I sat back with Baby Brie in a sling.

(She’s still sleeping a lot, and as I’d breastfeed her on the go as and when she asks for it, it does make going out and about with her so much easier for me =)

Anyway, it was a nice day out for all five of us.

How’s your June school holiday so far?

Hope you’re all well and are enjoying your time together with your loved ones …

I know.

I did consider if I should share this photo on my blog, as it does seem like our family is ‘breaking’ too many ‘confinement rules’ =)

Oh well.

Here’s our photo anyway.

When I went out with the three kids.

It was on 6 June, to be exact.

No pram. Just a sling.

And, it all went well! *happy*

We dined out together AND got ourselves some ‘Koi’ too!

(Read: ‘Koi’ refers to this milk tea with nice chewy ‘pearls’ =)

Yummmm …

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PS: We were stared at by people everywhere though somehow. And I did feel like asking them why … =)

Woohoo!

We’re in the TOP TEN finalists under ‘Best Family Blog’ category!

Soooo happy!!

=)

Now, the shameless part : pleaseeee vote for us, yes? =)

Voting phase is now open until 3 July, and you can vote for us once, every day! =)

[Click HERE to read the Judging Criteria]

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Some quick info for you:

– To vote, you’d need to create a free account with omy.sg  (Click HERE to go to the Singapore Blog Awards website. Go to the ‘REGISTER NOW’ at the top yeah!)

–  You do NOT have to live in Singapore to vote or to create an account.

– If you don’t live in Singapore, under ‘Your Personal Particulars’, just fill out your usual Identity number under ‘NRIC / FIN no.’

– Click ‘BEST FAMILY BLOG’ to find ‘Our Everyday Things’ (it’s right at the top of the list!=)

– Click ‘VOTE NOW’ to vote for us =)

– Please also help and share on Facebook and Twitter that they can also vote for Our Everyday Things yeah …

Ah, so there you go =)

I’m hoping that may be, just may be, this year, Our Everyday Things gets to officially win an Award. For the very first time =)

With your support.

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And while you’re there on the Singapore Blog Awards site … do check out soooo many other cool blogs yeah! (You can also vote for blogs in the other categories, if you wish).

Thanks everyone! =)