Jetstar vs AA

It was quite a great experience travelling with Nathan on the plane for the very first time. But I must admit I was very very nervous the night before the flight. Kept tossing and turning on my bed thinking of what’s the worst that could happen? What if he doesn’t stop crying throughout the whole journey (it’s no joke, I’ve seen that happening to other parents before) and to be travelling alone without having someone to help me to fold the stroller when we reach the departure gate when I have bags to carry! To make things worse, I usually get very nervous when I have to fly. Any slight turbulence I will turn pale haha. That’s how lousy I am on flights.

But everything turned out great, we checked in the same time with Gabe, he was with me till about 15 mins before boarding time and we met a young family whose daughter was 18 months and they shared their experience with me about flying with a baby. In general they are usually okay unless their ears get affected by the different air pressure when taking off and landing but the trick usually is just to feed them water or let them chew on something and I was SO prepared for that! Clearing immigration was easy, they weren’t so strict on the things you carry such liquid because they know it’s for the baby. Nate slept throughout the flight there and back but just to be on the safe side I fed him milk when the plane took off. So the ride was easy! J We flew AA there and Jetstar back because of the timing and also so that our flights will more or less coincide with Gabes flight schedule. Comparatively, Jetstar is a more baby friendly plane as to AA. We were given a baby seat belt on Jetstar and were given front seat for easy access. Also we were given the priority when boarding. Sad to say AA wasn’t very strict about baby on board whether or not they had a baby seat belt on and we weren’t given the priority to enter first hmph! But both airline flies in and out from T1 at the Changi airport J Im glad we didn’t have to fly into the budget terminal and didn’t have to use the tarmac when boarding and arriving J

Singapore was great. I love Singapore…think we’ve been visiting it yearly. Love how clean, safe and convenient things are there. And not to mention it’s also a very baby friendly country. At every restaurant we went too, they automatically bring us a baby chair and a plastic bowl and spoon the Nathan without us having to request. Very impressive! Also there were baby changing rooms (clean and proper once) at every mall we went too. Didn’t shop much but we were very blessed by our friends and family there. I think I only remember paying for one breakfast meal and they rest were covered by them! And every meal was yummylicious! From western to Chinese to great desserts and drinks by the marina! Talk about overflowing blessing J

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=200189&id=704691105&ref=mf

We're heading south!

It's gonna be his first plane ride and my first with him ALONE! So much anxiety about flying with a baby on board. i've seen babies and toddlers crying on board (sometimes almost throughout the flight) because of the different air pressure that cause discomfort to their ears :( So they say the trick is just to let him suck on his bottle during take off and landing. dear God pls help make this an easy one! guess this will be a good trial run before the long haul trip to melb end of the year.

we'll be in singapore over the the weekend. if you're wondering why are we not on the same flight, that's because gabes going for a business meeting so he's flying a better airline. mummy and baby have to resort to budget air. not that i'm complaining:) but it's going to be so different this time, even packing to go shows that having a baby means MORE BAGS and on top of that we have to bring over his stroller! but it's definitely a weekend i'm looking forward to! even if it means we come back empty handed. kinda went over budget with my spending for years anyways :(

anywhos will update again with pics (hopefully) when we get back! Merlion here we come!!!

We're back! maybe

I attempted updating this blog a gazillion times and obviously wasn't that successful. just realised the time ticker at the top of the blog says CONGRATULATION on your new born...guess wat, my new borns almost 1! i'm not even gonna announce that the blogs been updated. if you so happen to visit the blog, good for you, it's your lucky day! hah.

How time flies by when you're a mom! and it's such a joy to watch the little grow. although i must say i think he's growing up TOO fast! so much to do, so much to learn! and it's never ending. it gets very tiring at times, being a career woman and a FULL TIME mom! but i'm truly blessed to have great parents and in laws to help out around. makes transitioning to becoming a parent a whole lot easier!

It's true that when you have a kid, your kid becomes the centre of attention and you're just his "background dancers". oh well, not that im complaining :) what a blessed kid! showered with so much love, attention and gifts! i have to consciously tell myself daily not to spoil him. "spare the rod, spoil the child" so guess what i'll be buying soon? :)

here's something to make your day like how it has made mine :)

our little pride and joy :)

Coookiieeeee Monster!

Now who doesn't like cookies, choc chip cookies to be exact!? The only time I made cookies was either with my mom, which she did all the work and I just "helped", or with Pillsbury instant cookie dough. So the first time that I actually made cookies from scratch is with Eunice.

The first time was when we tried her so called "Famous Amos" secret recipe choc choc chip cookies. It actually turned out pretty good, but the ingredients were so expensive. So this time we decided to go for something simple, Choc chip oat meal cookies! There was something wrong with the oven temperature, so some of the cookies were too soft, but they all tasted yummilicious!

The cookie dough

Concentration very hard

Ready for the oven!

Bake bake bake bake bake....

TA DA! Hmmmmmm :)

Everybody was Kung Fu fighting...Part 2 (Eunice's account)

Gabe’s so much better with updating the blog. I on the other hand prefer to sit down and do nothing and watch the blog being update by him. J

So finally the baby’s kicking (Hee-yah!). They usually start kicking at 17^th-18^th week but most fist time moms will not realize till later in their 20^th week that was very true for my case. At first I thought I was maybe hungry and could be just gas in tummy but I realize that it’s NOT it’s the BABY. It was super exciting! Sometimes it really feels as if it’s his little feet that you’re feeling and Oh the JOY of feeling that. The cutest part of this is when he responses to the music when I placed the earphone over my belly. Not too long after the music is played he’ll start kicking keke. I hope it’s not too loud in there. My boy the kicker J

He also usually kicks at night when Gabe and I are resting and watching the TV. It’s as if he knows just when to be asking for attention. Gabe still does his baby talk with the baby. And when I ask what is it that he’s telling the baby, he tells me it’s a father and son secret so okay la whatever :P

4.5 months before we get to hold him in our arms!!!

Everybody was Kung Fu fighting...Part I (Gabe's account)

Its one of those things in life that will make you go WHHOOAAA! And its probably the first interaction that parents will have with their baby, while still in the womb. Its as though the baby is playing with you, trying to grab your attention. I must say, it definitely got my attention! As if its not enough that there is an actual living being growing in Eunice's womb, it then seems like its actually trying to bond with you using the only way it can. Haha..ya, I know I'm exaggerating here, but I'm just an excited father-to-be :)

When Eunice told me that the baby was kicking, moving, wiggling, moving..etc, in the womb, I thought, "Nah, cannot be lah, so fast?". So she took my hand (while I was driving), and placed it on the womb. I waited for a while and told her, "nothing lah", so she asked me to wait a while more. Then low and behold, I felt it! It was a soft and gentle flutter, similar to a rumbling tummy. So subtle, you sometimes have to even stop breathing just to make sure it wasn't you moving. Hahahaa..it was magical! Imagine, me and him, just a few centimeters apart, trying to touch each other. What a great moment it was.

Since that day, he has been kicking, moving, wiggling and moving more and more, and each time he does it, it brings gladness to my heart.

4.5 months to go baby, till I get to hold you in my arms! :)

Now..the update that everyone have been asking...IT'S A BOY!!

So, we went for our 3rd check up today at Adventist Hospital to see how the baby is doing, and of course the baby is doing fine! The baby is now 19 weeks old and we got to see all his anatomy forming just how its supposed to be. If I'm not mistake, the doctor said that the baby weights about 288 grams now. That's lighter than a can of coke.

Previously the doctor didn't want to confirm it, but he did this time, and its a BOY! Now we can start looking for a name and also buy clothing that would suit him.

This is 18SX stuff, but for you guys, I'll show it anyways, he he. I'm embarrassing my kid even before he is born...hahaha. Sorry boy, I'll make it up to you with some ice cream.

There it is....that's what a boy looks like. The doctor said that's it. I don't really see it, but I'll trust him

Ok, this is a clearer picture...hahaa...that it, 19 wk old IT!

The baby...ain't he cute!

Ok...hope we don't take too long for the next update :)

I've been lazy!...very lazy!

I've been lazy for the last 2 month or so in updating this blog. Anyways, just a fast recap on what has happened since June.

Jaden's 1st birthday! :)

Hooi Leng's XXth birthday! :)

Chor Ee's bachelor's night....haha...cute outfit!

One of the task for the night...he did well!

Another task..singing the night away.

The wedding day! Congrats buddy! :)

The beautiful bride.....baby, you are beautiful too ya :)

Off to KL for another wedding..don't we all look wonderful!

Congratulations Irwin & Vanessa! We had a blast! This pic don't do you guys justice, but its the best one that I took.

Some, but not all of the Ooi clan.

Having a good time!

In KL once again for Manchester United vs. Malaysia IX.

On the way there...taking the LRT

haha...konon old trafford

The MU fans!

WooHoo...Owen! Malaysia loosing with a respectable score 3-2

Ok...that's a photos highlight of what happened in the last 1-2 months :)

It MIGHT be a boy :)

So after one bridal shower, 2 wonderful weddings, and one football game, my immune system decided to give up on me :( TOO much of KL. Had been down with flu for 3 days now. But I know it'll be gone in no time with so many people keeping and ch'ng junior in their prayers :) I SPEAK HEALING IN JESUS NAME!

Gabe and I have been waiting on each other to update haha but I guess I finally gave since

1. he updated the post before (actually 2 posts before)
2. he's also falling sick because of me
3. he's in Bangkok
4. I love him and he's the father of my baby haha :P

So we went for our 2nd check 2 weeks back :P and the Dr say that little Ch'ng is growing just fine :) Right size at the right week. Although he didn't wanna confirm the sex of the baby but we kinda saw or at least we think we saw the little "bird" :) Well to be confirmed again on the 8th of Augugst! I'm beginning to enjoy the pregnancy thingy with the whole morning sickness almost over and my belly ballooning :) Still waiting for the first kick~

I would love to post up pictures but I don't have them in this laptop. Will leave that part to Daddy Ch'ng when he updates keke. Over to you now Gabriel Ch'ng :)

Sneak peak :)

How often do you get to see a 4.44 cm fetus, who happens to be your own flesh and blood? :) Not so often! Its was AMAZING seeing the baby for the first time!. Such a small, cute, little, tiny, micro, itsy bitsy living thing growing inside Eunice's body.

We decided to go for a scan at Aventist Hospital to see how the baby was doing, and was estatic to find a healthy and strong baby. The doctor said it was too early to know if its a boy or girl, but we didnt mind, we were just elated to have a glimps of him/her. I guess we have to wait another month before we know the sex of the baby.

Initially we were told by the doctor at a clinic that the due date was 20th January 2010, but Dr. Soon (our gynae) gave us a new and better date, 29th December 2009!! Thats like one month earlier, superb! According to him, the most accurate way to calculate the due date of a baby is to measure the CRL.

CRL?? Whats that? CRL = Crown-Rump Length. "Crown-rump length (CRL) is the measurement of the length of human embryos and fetuses from the top of the head (crown) to the bottom of the buttocks (rump). It is typically determined from ultrasound imagery and can be used to estimate gestational age." (courtesy of Wikipedia).

A bit about our gynae:
Name: Dr. Soon Su Seong

Age: probably mid 30s

Qualification:

General Medical Degree from University of Malaya

Obstetrician & Gynaecologist from Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - 2006

1 year training at KK Hospital in Singapore: 2007 - 2008

To the man I love :)

Thank you for putting up with my nonsense and my constant mood-swings J I cannot imagine what life would have been if our path had not crossed and I know for sure that you are God sent.

This is a man who would wake up to prepare breakfast for me every morning. Helps with the house chores, good poet (read the entry before J), cooks well (yeah!), makes me feel good when I don’t feel good and most importantly someone who Loves God!  I cannot ask for more J

I look forward to building this family with you! You’ll be a great dad like how you are as a husband and maybe even better! 

To my child...

Each day I pray to God that you will grow strong in your mother’s womb

Never have there been a day that I put you aside

You are a gift from God

A gift that surpasses all earthly treasures

Sometimes I smile to myself just thinking of you

The thought of you brings joy to my heart

I’m counting the days till I see you face to face

The sooner the better, that’s for sure

I may not carry you well the first few days or weeks

But I will from day to day

I’ll hold you firm and never let you go

I’ll shield you from harm both physical & spiritual

You don’t have to shout and cry to get my fullest attention

I will do it out of my love for you

I will give you the best of what you need

Even if it means not getting what I want

Until the day comes

Lord I commit both mother and child into Your hands

- Your earthly father :) -

Manchester United: The best in England, the WORLD, but not Europe

Best in England

Best in the World

Not good enough for Europe

Barcelona FC vs. Manchester United FC

2 - 0

The old saying goes, "All roads lead to Rome" but not all roads lead to glory.

So what can I say, you can't win everything. Having just watched 93 mins of what seems to be "The Barca" show, I have to admit that Barca truly deserved it. They scored in the first 10 mins and never look back, not even a glance.

I'm going to spare the detail, you can read it from http://soccernet.espn.go.com.

Now, time to get some sleep! ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

P.S. Don't get me wrong...I'm through and through a Manchester United fan :)

- Gabe -

Then came the vomiting

I don't mean to make pregnancy sound so scary. I mean some ppl do get them easy. NOT FOR ME :( With all the hormones changing (PIMPLES!ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh) and not to mention the constant feeling of needing to vomit (which I did today) Im just hoping that the first trimester will be over SOON.

My tummy's growing so that's a good sign :) I got a lil anxious to know how exactly does it look like right now so I did a lil googling and this was what I found.

Aww see that little thing :)

It's probably a size of an egg now and probably starting to form it's hands and legs. (Sorry I'm only referring to an it because we don't know if it's going to be a girl or a boy:) )

Well okay going to rest now. As small as an egg it's draining lots of my energy :S

To complete an ideal Saturday one would have to:

a. go walk around Queensbay Mall

b. go walk around Gurney Mall

c. watch a movie

d. step foot on UPR

e. go extreme mountain biking

f. play futsal

g. eat durians

h. ........its really up to you!

The truth is, there is really no one way to complete an ideal Saturday, but this was how my Saturday went.

1. Slept in until 10:30 am. I love to sleep! If you din know that, then u dunno me!

Would have been later if not for Eunice waking me up to go eat breakfast. Breakfast wasn't spectacular, we went to this coffeeshop near Tg Bgh market, which did have nice teh peng.

2. Cleaned the house. Nobody wants to stay in a messy house.

3. Went do to my dad's shop.

Highlight of that would be to be able to see my nieces Amber and Emily. They are quite the manace...but hey, I love them to bits.

Amber & Emily

4. "Toh Soon Cafe" Huh?

Some of you might go "Eh?" but I think this is one of the best kept secrets in town. Located in an alley just off Campbell Street, this place might not look like Starbucks, but it sure packs in a hell of a cuppa! A kopi peng, roti toast with kaya/butter and some half boiled eggs will only cost you less than RM5!

Don't let the "alley" throw you off

Old timer's hangout

Kopi peng, roti toast with kaya/butter and half boiled eggs

p.s. Watch out for the tau keh soh though. You don't wanna get caught in one of her mood swings.

5. Surprise BBQ party for 3 old friends.

1. BBQ = GOOD!

2. Company of friends, old and new = GREAT!

3. THREE faces covered with cream = EXCELLENT!

Hmmm..nice...I think he enjoyed it

Eunice & Mein

Chee Mun & Eunice

Well, that sums up my ideal Saturday! Hope you too had a good one.... :)

- Gabe -

First Trimester

I have to be honest, it's been terrible! :( As much as I'm excited about having this child, it's also been quite a tough. Feeling nausea practically the whole day. Getting hungry constantly and EATING constantly just so that I won't developed air in my tummy :(

They say it's usually it's just the first trimester when it's so bad and I HOPE THEY ARE RIGHT. I've been banned from drinking coffee. That my friend has been the toughest thing I had to do! SOb! (I did "curi-curi" drink a few cups sometimes) It's the only thing that keeps me going and NOT feel nausea!!!!

Yes I've developed cravings. I'm eating more noodles than usual. SO far, I've been craving for Hokkien Mee more than anything else :) CARBS CARBS CARBS.  

What's worse is that I have to start taking things I avoid when I wasn't pregnant. MILK :( EssENCE OF cHIcKEn :( YUCKKKK. and HErBAl SouP! 

 I'm starting to see the baby bump :D  For now it still just look like I have a big tummy :S  Clothings are getting a lil tighter. 

6 weeks!

The Gift!

First thing first...we need to blog more often. I dont think anyone wants to follow a dead blog! :)

Now, if you have not heard, or have been hiding under a rock...just kidding! I'll tell you something thats going to happen in about 8 month time. Just as God create Adam in Genesis and set every in motion, and while I had my grand entrance 29 yrs, 6 mths & 5 days ago. We would like to welcome a new life into this beautiful world. 

Yea, I'm going to be a father and Eunice a mother! How exciting!?! A chance to being life into this world and to be able to bring him/her up to be a wonderful person....another of God child. I'm not sure if this blog will be around long enough for you to read how happy we are to have you as our child. 

To some its a scary thought, and to some its a wonderful one. Let me say this, its a MIXED feeling actually. When you first find out about it, your heart sinks and it sinks even more, and you feel dazed and lost! You let it settle for a while and then like spring, you see something exciting and beautiful starting to grow right before your very eyes. Then something distracts you and once again you start to fall again, until you managed to focus on the awesome reality and then its helps you to float again. Its hard to explain, but its a wonderful feeling! Once in a while, you laugh and smile to yourself and you make sure no one is around to catch you doing that...haha. 

Anyways, I just wanted to post up something and will update more often from now on. 

so, please tune in to find out more :)

- Gabe & O -

Little Ch'ng in the making

I'm such a terrible blogger.  I blog then I stop then I try blogging again and then stop for MONTHS :P

But now I have a better reason to blog and will try to update  as much as possible at least for the next 9 months until little Ch'ng Junior is out :)

Thank you all for your well wishes and offering all the help we could ask for. This little one is definitely blessed with so much love and care even before entering this world. I will keep you guys updated from month to month as it progesses :D We welcome you to join us on this journey of discovering the JOY of pregnancy :)

It all started when I missed my period last month. But even before that I've had signs of being pregnant such as feeling lethargic, eating more than usual (actually finishing my meal which I usually don't :P) and a feeling nausea. At first I thought I was just PMS-ing but when I missed my period it became more obvious that I could be pregnant.

Told gabe about it and so we decided to do our little own test with the "OH SO MANY TYPES" of pregnancy test kit you can find at a pharmacy. We contemplated a few times whether to buy it or not. Walked in a few pharmacies over the long weekend but didn't actually buy one. I kept thinking maybe I'm just late. But my tummy started to bloat a lil, so I actually made Gabe drive to a Guardian near by to buy it. 

Came back, did the test and waited anxiously........

POSITIVE :)

The baby's now 4 weeks and 6 days old. Due date's 20th January 2010. Just 7 days before mine :) SWEET!

And oh guess what, we're collecting angpows again next year!!! Haha.

Till the next update :)

XOXO

Eunice and Gabe

4 months behind?

So I'm finally married!!! WEEeeee! Very common question asked now is " Sohow'sitlike??????". Just when I thought I'm done answering "How'syourweddingpreparationcomingalong????". Well life's been good, great, amazing. I love being married. Being able to bake together, cook and clean together and not needing to say GOOD night and Goodbye and worry if he's reached home safely :)

There have been arguments (like Gosh WHY DO YOU CHANGE SO MANY TIMES A DAY???)but hey life's not a bed of roses. It's all about working towards understanding each other more.  

So since I'm like 4 months behind since the last I blogged, I'll just do a fast re-cap along (check out the pics on FB :P). Wedding was awesome! I had a blast. I was super worked up that day though but thank God for great friends! Honeymoon was a blast too! 5 days in Phuket was amazing. Missing the motorcycle rides ard phuket with Gabe, watching the famous Simon cabaret show, having YUMMY THAI FOOD and my thai msg:(  

Staying with my in laws was a scary thought at first (who wouldn't be :P) but it turned out to be much much much more fun than I thought. (We're still moving out eventually kekeke.) Anyways

since I just started blogging again after 4 months, kinda lazy to write more kakaka. Looking forward to Langkawi this coming weekend with mein....woot woot!!!!! Cheap booze, tan in the sun yee haw! And OH (I'm so random) I baked today! For those who think I cannot bake, my yummy cookies will prove you wrong! :P

To my soon to be wife...

I once thought that the ideal age to get married was 25, but that was 4 years ago, hence it never materialised. When I turned 25, I thought, I should do it before I turn 30; it looks like I’m track this time. The truth is it’s not about how old you are, but who want to spend the rest of you life with. But of course there will be circumstances as you grow older, which I wont discuss in this entry, he he.  

For me, it wasn’t love at first sight, it wasn’t *Crash!*Boom!*Bang!* the first day we met, but it was definitely the best darn thing that has ever happened to me since…since EVER! (except accepting Christ as my Lord and Saviour)

Loving you has been pure delight to me. Seeing you smile is all I ever hope for, and holding you in my arms brings great joy to me everyday. Some might call it lucky, but I call it God’s grace and blessings. I wouldn’t trade you for ALL the treasures on this earth, nor will I let you go under ANY circumstances.

As our wedding day draws nearer, I want to assure you that for the rest of your life, I will be there for you, to protect and guard you, to watch over you and keep you from harm’s way, to make you laugh and to cheer you up, to support you in times of need and to pull through together when times are bad, to argue for the better and never let the worst stumble us, to always look to God no matter what happens, to walk in his way all of our days, to provide you with the best, to enjoy every funny moments and joy that comes our way, to  appreciate each other, to having our own family, to the day we grow old and death do us part, I will be with you. This is my life commitment to you!

Please do not be afraid, for I know God is there for us. If He is with us, no one can be against us. He will fulfil every promise that he has made, not just the big ones, but also the small. We will rest assured that He has a plan for us. Though we charter into unknown territory, there will be a light guiding us through.

I love you, Eunice Ooi Tsu Lynn! :)