2013

Happy New Year!

2012 has been wonderful, and in 2013 my goals are:

HOME
Spring clean and get rid of unwanted/unused items
Get more furniture and decor

WORK
Get Hanen workshop up and running

TRAVEL
Go back to Singapore in September
A short getaway trip somewhere

And of course lots of enjoyable moments with dear hubby and baby!

Merry Christmas!

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

37 weeks

Hello full-term! :)

Starting to feel quite uncomfortable. A couple of days ago my ankles and fingers got swollen and that's how they've been ever since. Got my blood pressure checked yesterday and it's normal, so.. guess I just have to put up with these stupid swollen fingers.Thankfully it is Labor Day holiday on Monday and I have a pretty slow week at work next week.

Scored a GREAT DEAL at Target online yesterday! Ordered a Medela Pump in Style for $202, including free shipping. A nice $50 savings from the regular price. :) I hear it sells for $700 in Singapore... whaaaat??? Also finally got our stroller and carseat, although they are still sitting in the garage. And my dear handy husband also put our glider+ottoman together and I've been having fun rocking and reading in it. Feels good to prop my legs up.

Had two baby showers last week, one from my coworkers and one from Troy's. Everyone's been soooo generous, and so we got lots more stuff off our list. Like a Boppy pillow, bathtub, play gym, etc. etc.

And of course, THE GREAT MINNESOTA GET-TOGETHER! It's been our tradition to go to the State Fair every year and I wasn't going to let a huge 37-week belly stop me from getting my deep fried alligator, corn on the cob, hot apple dumpling and vanilla ice cream, elephant ears, potato skins, and... sushi. Ha.

Next time I update, baby will probably be here!

32 weeks!

I am getting BIG. I have had quite a few comments from parents these last two weeks, so I guess I must be looking obviously pregnant and not just is-she-or-isn't-she anymore. Actually a 10-year-old boy with Autism told me last week "You have a big tummy", and a 5-year-old asked me if I was pwegnant. The best part about being pregnancy is hearing all the funny things kids have to say about it. I almost died laughing when a 6-year-old boy stuffed balls down his shirt so he could have a baby in his tummy like me. ;)

Had an ultrasound last Wednesday, and thankfully everything looks good. My OB wanted me to have an ultrasound to check on baby's size because she was concerned he might be small. Well, turns out he is not only NOT small, but measuring two weeks ahead. Whaaat?? He has somehow managed to go from 25th percentile at 20 weeks to 78th percentile at 32 weeks. So now I'm worried he'll be too big. :P

Mostly I still feel pretty good. Third trimester has been a bit more uncomfortable than second tri, but still manageable so far. Starting to panic a bit because there are still a lot of things I have to purchase, like a stroller, glider, diapers, etc. I am strongly considering cloth diapers, yes I am. But I have yet to take the plunge and actually buy them. I did order a Pack N Play from Amazon today for $20 off. AND I signed up for free Amazon Prime for 3 months so I get 2-day shipping on everything. It's pretty sweet.

BUT on the bright side, we did find a daycare provider, which is a big relief. I was starting to panic because its very hard to find openings for infants and some of the ones we toured we just atrocious. Anyway, we found a very nice in-home licensed daycare for a price of $150 per week, which is the norm around here.

Also found a newborn photographer! I saw her photo of my ex-coworker's baby on FB and decided it was the cutest picture ever.

Come on, HOW CUTE IS THAT? Her baby is half White half Asian too. Totally worth $250 right. (Trying to justify it to myself).

Eight more weeks, yikes!

21 weeks

It's a boy!!!!!!!

Yes, we had my anatomy scan last week @20 weeks, and the prediction @13 weeks was confirmed. As usual, I worried myself silly the night before, but the ultrasound went well and no red flags came up. PHEW. I really should stop reading online horror stories about all the things that could go wrong with the baby. The tech said the baby measured in the 25 percentile, which is just splendid. Troy had a hard time believing it because he was a freaking 10 lbs baby, but hey, this baby is half-Asian after all.

So, after finding out that it's a boy, I hit several baby stores and garage sales... and ended buying NOTHING. Why, you ask. Uhh, because there are about 25 million baby products available and I get SOOO overwhelmed by all the options. Most of the time I have NO idea what the product is even for! Do I need a swing? Bouncy seat? Exersaucer? Pack N Play? Bassinet?? Who the heck knows?!

I'm definitely getting bigger and bigger! My tummy is starting to become a little bit of a hindrance. These days it's been a bit tricky for me to get up from sitting on the floor, carry kids, and have kids on my lap. Coworkers tell me I'm starting to get a cute little bump! But, I still get frequent comments that I don't look pregnant. I told several people this past week and they were all completely shocked. Ummm okay. Troy says its because Minnesotan women all have big guts and now I just look normal. ;)

19 weeks

Hello! Still feeling pretty normal, yay! Bought some more new clothes for the growing bump. Not maternity clothes, just regular clothes in bigger sizes. Love people telling me how small I look. Yes, I am in De-ni-al.

CRAZY busy at work these few weeks. Sucks. One of the speechies quit a few weeks ago, and guess who ended up with lots of her kids?! We've hired someone who is very nice and awesome, however since she's still new and training.. looks like I still have busy busy May ahead. And then it'll be summer, which will be just as crazy. Fun times. On the bright side, work has been much happier since some XXX people left the company. :)

Hubby and I went to Red Wing last weekend, just to chill out, rest, and relax. Left the puppy at the dog hotel for two days, where he had the time of his life and could barely move for 3 whole days after. He is still sleeping like a good dog now. :) Totally worth the $80 right.

Have to renew my green card soon. Can you believe I've been a PR here for almost TWO YEARS? Time flies.

Oh, and Troy got a new job, yay! Better pay, and more flexible hours. Planning ahead for when Baby G gets here. Speaking of which, I finally get to find out if its a boy or girl in..  10 days!!!

Going to big baby sale today. Hoping to pick up some good deals, we'll see. Have hardly bought anything so far. Like I said, still in denial.

15 weeks

Hey, almost half way there!

Had my 2nd OB appointment today. Nothing much to report. She felt my belly, we heard the heartbeat, answered one question, drew blood for the quad screen. Whole appointment took about.. um, 15 minutes, which I'm sure I'll get charged $250 for. Thankfully my insurance has been covering everything 100% so far, and I have yet to fork out a penny. Yay for health insurance!

I've been feeling pretty ok. Some discomfort at night, cramping every now and then. I've put on 8 lbs (!!) so far, but OB still says I'm tiny. Everyone at work still tell me I'm not showing but I feel sooooooo fat. Oh well at least the baby won't have low birth weight, which recent research shows is linked to Autism. There is NO END to the things I have to worry about in pregnancy. :(

Guess what?

Ever since I found out 2012 is the year of the Dragon, I decided that I really really REALLY wanted a dragon baby. Not that I am actually that pantang, but, how cool does a dragon sound?! Waay cooler than a snake. Besides, I won't really have to worry about the competition etc. over here.

Thankfully, things did go as planned, and I'm pleased to announce...

Baby G, arriving September 21, 2012!

It has been quite hard keeping it a secret these last few months. ;) But now that we heard the heartbeat and actually saw it on ultrasound, plus I am ALMOST in 2nd tri, guess I can finally announce it to my faithful blog readers! I'll tell work and the rest of the fb world on Monday.

My journey so far:
4 weeks - Mid Jan, POSITIVE! Took a traditional test plus a digital pg test since Troy wasn't convinced the faint line was actually a real line. ;)

4-5 weeks - Nothing. Hoped I was one of those lucky women without morning sickness.

6-10 weeks - No such luck. Didn't actually throw up but felt queasy ALL THE TIME. Wished I wasn't pregnant. Decided I wasn't having any more children. Complained non-stop to poor hubby. Wanted to die.

7 weeks - Had blood drawn for a bunch of tests. Attended a class at obgyn' office, which was totally dumb and learned nothing.

10 weeks - First appointment with a REAL DOCTOR! Unlike in Singapore where pg ladies apparently get doctor's appointments and ultrasounds every other week (or seems like it, from my fb friends' posts), over here they won't even see you until 10 weeks unless you have complications or are high-risk. Which I guess I am thankful that I'm neither.

Ob-gyn was very nice! Had a physical exam and heard heartbeat of 160!!! RELIEF! She said everything looked good, I am super healthy. Then she said I can pretty much eat whatever the heck I want because I'm so tiny (by American standards, I'm sure), so we went for McDonald's right after the appt. :))

11-12 weeks - Starting to feel better! Just REALLY REALLY hungry. ALL THE TIME. But since the doctor gave the go-ahead.. I haven't really been feeling guilty that I eat 3 meals and about 10 snacks a day. Nom nom nom.

12 weeks - Woke up one morning to ENORMOUS bump. Yikes!!!!! Didn't think I would be showing so soon. Went to Motherhood and bought some nice skinny jeans for $30. Sales lady said I was soooooooo tiny (I am still XS in maternity wear), and I said, are you kidding!!! She comforted me by saying it's because I'm so thin that I'm showing sooner, and it'll eventually even out. Made me feel a bit better.

13 weeks - Optional NT scan for genetic abnormalities. I opted for it only because otherwise I would have to wait till 20 weeks! Yes, prenatal care in the USA apparently consists of only ONE ultrasound at 20 weeks! Ridiculous. By this point I had worried myself into thinking my baby had no skull or was missing an arm or a leg, or that I was carrying multiples, so I really wanted to SEE something.

Again, big RELIEF that everything appeared well. Only ONE baby, thank goodness, and with a skull and everything. (Very worried about baby not having a skull ever since I read about it online) We even got the cute picture above, and two other ones that are not as cute so I won't post them. In fact I think the 3D one looks too gross for words. During the ultrasound, I kept telling Troy and the tech that baby looks like an alien.

I think she said heartbeat was 145, which is normal, and the fold was under 2.5mm, also normal. We'll get the full results next week, hopefully. Then she asked if we wanted to know (absolutely!!!!), and she took a guess of 70-80% sure it's a.... BOY!!!

We both have no preference for boy or girl. I just really want to know so I can start buying some too-darn-cute clothes!!! Of course, it's still a guess at this point, won't know for sure until the big ultrasound at 20 weeks. But I'm thrilled!!!!! Slightly disappointed that I can't buy cute girl dresses, good thing they also have lots of cute boy stuff these days. In any case, I'm going to stay mostly gender-neutral for the big things like stroller, crib, etc. for future recycling.

Although I feel a lot better now that I've seen baby, still plagued by worry every now and then. Doesn't help that I work in an environment where I'm reminded daily of all the things that could possibly go wrong with my child. Guess this is pretty typical feelings of first time parents? *Praying for a healthy baby!*

新年快乐！

5th year without a traditional CNY celebration. Booo. BUT the plan is to go back next CNY, if all goes well. Looking forward to strolling around Chinatown, all the goodies, meeting up with people, new clothes, even family gatherings with all the auntie unkers. Heh.

So, I made a couple of New Year's resolutions this year. One of them is already met, check! The rest.. 1) Going for Floortime/DIR training (for work), 2) finish decorating master bedroom, 3) finish decorating guest bedroom. I think that's it.

祝大家身体健康，龙马精神！

Happy 2012

Photo updates from the last few months of 2011:

Very proud of my very first jack-o-lantern. Forced puppy to take a picture with me.

Equally proud of my table setting..
and Thanksgiving dinner! All by myself! *brag* Merry Merry Christmas! Don't think my giftwrapping skills are that bad, but hubby's puts me to shame every year. :P

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have been feeling very much in the HOLIDAY mood lately. It's Thanksgiving break tomorrow and then very soon after that... Christmas!!! It's the most wonderful time of the year! :))

We got our first snow on Saturday, which has been a long time a-coming. Skylar absolutely loved it and had a blast running around in the snow and eating it. Maybe it reminds him of Siberia. ;) I have to confess that I got a little bit excited too. First snow is always so romantic and beautiful. Walking hand-in-hand in the snow, sipping hot coffee.. one of those magical little moments in life. :)

Sunday, we went to the Vikings game at the Metrodome! First game for me. We lost, but it was sooo much fun anyway!!! Next time we go I'm going to get face tattoos. Can't wait. ;)
So, Troy and I get to host Thanksgiving dinner this year and here's what on the menu:
1. Turkey
2. Stuffing
3. Cranberry salad
4. Green bean casserole
5. Crescent rolls
6. Scalloped corn
7. Cheese potatoes (Troy's parents are bringing)
8. Pumpkin pie
9. Apple pie

I'm pretty confident about all the above except turkey, which I've never made before. However, everyone I've talked to has assured me its a piece of cake. My only other worry is how I'm going to make all of the above with only one oven and the turkey takes 4 (?) hours to cook. We'll see how everything turns out!!

After watching 《来不及说我爱你》, I've developed what Troy calls my "Wallace crush". Yes, its true, 最进疯狂爱上钟汉良. :) Which is funny because I've known of him for years and years and never particularly caught my attention. But that's what I like about TV shows more than movies, is that you really get sucked into the characters.
Anyway I highly recommend this show, best I've ever seen. Very impressed with the director. There are some war scenes but not too many, I just skip them.

I also finished watching 《法政先锋III》 lately. Had fun picking up some Cantonese, just in case I meet Wallace in the future ha ha ha. :)

Hallo October!

OCTOBER already!

I am still in denial about Fall and have not put away my summer clothes yet. It's still relatively warm now anyhow.

Here's some pictures from September:

Minnesota State Fair!! What I look forward to every summer... NOM NOM NOM.After the state fair comes.. our anniversary. Happy 1st anniversary to us! :)To celebrate, we spent a night in a hotel in downtown Minneapolis and went to see a play at the Guthrie theater.We had a couple of chilly days in September so my dear hubby made our very first fire in our house. This is our upstairs fireplace and Troy is supposed to make me shelves and a mantel to hang our Christmas stockings. Ummm probably not going to happen by this Christmas. :PAnd finally, this is Skylar puppy saying hi! He's been such a good dog lately. :)Yes, I am the only one in our house who doesn't have blue eyes. :(

Happy October, everyone!

July

Can you believe its July already?

Lots of changes the last couple months.. happy changes. :)

New Job is still going well. Of course, no job is perfect and my new boss is all about CUTTING COSTS and being extremely CHEAP, but aside from that I am enjoying my job a lot. I don't wake up in dread every morning anymore!

New House!
We closed on June 10, and moved in June 11. Why no pictures? Because I don't have everything all nice and pretty yet. In fact most spaces are still unfurnished although we DO have a dining room table (yay!) and couches for the living room that just arrived yesterday!!! :) I really want to get more stuff, but then also very worried about whether it will 'match' the other pieces, the feel of the room, etc etc. As a result, have not purchased anything else or decided on paint color. :P

New Dog!
We adopted a 5-month old husky from the Minnesota Unwanted Siberian Husky Rescue! NEVER EVER EVER thought that I would have a dog, because I have been deathly afraid of all animals since I was a kid. But then I figure I should be brave because Troy wants a dog sooooooo bad and marriage is about compromise right. :P

It's actually been pretty fun, although having a puppy is exhausting. Kinda like having a baby?? Waking up in the middle of the night, potty training, keeping him entertained and out of trouble... He is a very sweet, smart, and friendly dog but gets into trouble every now and then (mostly trying to steal our people food, pooping in the basement, chewing on things that are not his). Good news is he doesn't chew on furniture or anything important, but every now and then he will grab a magazine or some other thing and rip it to shreds.

Still lots to unpack! But very fun putting our house together! :)

Happy Spring!

Hello! Feels like there's been a lot of changes since my last post. I am glad to say that things are new job are going WELL and I am feeling very happy. I am glad that I took the risk, because guess what, even in this stinky economy, there is still something better out there!!! FIGHT THE FUTURE!!! I WANT TO BELIEVE!!!!

We bought a house!!! I am soooooo excited. We met our mortgage broker last week and he asked me how much housing costs in Singapore.

Me: I think a small condo in Singapore costs over 1 million dollars.
Him: HOW do people afford it???
Me: I really don't know!!!!!!!

After reading sooooo much about the elections in Singapore.. I didn't get to vote, obviously, but if I did I would probably have voted opposition just because I think there needs to be more diversity, more TOLERANCE of diversity, and PAP needs to stop thinking they are God.

Having said that, I do not like it when people kbkb about foreign talent. HELLO THIS IS THE 21ST CENTURY. Globalization is a fact, you can't fight it so you better embrace it!

House hunting Week #2

We found a house!!!!

http://www.edinarealty.com/MN/Little-Canada/55117/homes-for-sale/566-Allen-Avenue-57683075Check out the link for more detailed info.
What we love:
1) Huge deck
2) Huge living room
3) Huge deck and yard
4) Huge basement family room (that can be divided to make a 4th bedroom in the future)
5) Huge bedrooms
6) Move in ready
7) Huge 2-car garage
8) Good, safe neighborhood
9) Roseville school district
10) 2000 sq. ft.

This is the first house Troy and I both love. :) We're going to make an offer next week! Keep your fingers crossed!

Happy Easter everyone!

House hunting, Week #1

Dear hubby and I went to look at 7 houses this weekend with our realtor. It was a lot of fun, but I haven't felt like I've found THE ONE. Troy was about ready to jump and make an offer on this one, listed at $149,900. He absolutely loved this house!! Mostly because it is 2,200 square feet, which is by far the biggest house we've seen so far. Me, I wasn't really feeling it, because 1) I don't like houses on slopes, 2) It has a flat garage roof, which is just totally idiotic in MN because you will spend your whole winter clearing snow off the roof, 3) I'm not too fond of the city of Maplewood, which is not as good as Roseville. So, no go.

We looked at two short sales, which were extremely disappointing. Houses were in very poor shape, and also the realtor said its a long and frustrating process to purchase a short sale because it depends on bank approval which could take months.

Got a call from the mortgage broker today we said we are qualified to purchase up to $200k or even $220k. But then Troy and I decided that we'll still stick with our lower budget of about $150k so we can have more extra money to have fun and future kids AND most importantly so we don't get foreclosed. Looking at several of the foreclosed houses really scared the heck out of us - what a horrible horrible thing to have to go through!

House hunting is fun. :))

House hunting fun!

Going to look at some houses tomorrow! Here's some more on the list:

These 2 are listed at about the same price, $160k. They are in Falcon Heights, 3 bed, 2 bath. In good neighborhoods with finished basements, but no guest bedroom. :(

Love the exterior of the first house!! Dunno what this style is called, but I love it!

House hunting fun

My coworker Sara introduced me to her cousin Jason who is a realtor. So, we are currently semi-seriously looking for houses. I say semi-seriously because although I enjoy looking at listings online, we have yet to take any steps to get pre-approved for a mortgage.

My my my, do I feel old and RESPONSIBLE. First getting married, and now.. buying a house?!

Here's our wish list: (I didn't want to have super high expectations, but the realtor says in today's market we can have everything on our list and more ;))

1. At least 3 bedroom, preferably 4
2. At least 2 bathrooms
3. 2 car garage
4. Finished basement (for Troy's man cave)
5. Livable condition, no major repairs needed
6. Good school district
7. Not-too-ugly exterior
8. Obviously, GOOD AND SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD

Anyway, Jason already sent me a list of 6 houses in Roseville, which is my preferred suburb.

I like the exterior of this house. I think it looks very homey and cute! Listed for $134,900, which is an awesome price! I don't like that it is in the St. Paul school district. This one is listed for $149,900. It has a huge private yard and huge basement, and is in the Roseville school district. I don't like the exterior quite as much though, kinda squarish and boring. Guess that can be updated though.Those are the only two worth considering so far. He sent us lots of houses in Maplewood, but in my opinion that is a less desirable suburb, so who wants to live there.

Online house shopping is fun. ;)

Almost spring

Springtime! Springtime! Oh glorious sun!!!!!!! :)

It's been pretty nice and sunny these two weeks! Oooh do I love the SUN. Maybe now I can finally get some REAL sunshine instead of having to take vitamin D pills!

Unfortunately springtime means lots of pollen which means ALLERGIES, which suck. I was sniffling all of last weekend and had a horrible sore throat. I feel much better now though.

New news.. I quit my job today. I never really thought this day would come, but alas, my job has really been really going downhill since the start of this year. I have to be at FIVE different locations and all the traveling just plain sucks. It is hard to leave Capernaum because its a great company and the people are great and everyone was soooooooo sad today when I told them. My boss was really sad and sorry that I'm leaving, but I said I would still work for them part-time so its not like I'm leaving completely.

SO, I start new job in 2 weeks. I'm praying and hoping that its the right decision and the new place will be a great fit for me. I've heard good things about the place from everyone so keeping my fingers crossed. I am excited and nervous at the same time. :P

Sooo... I'm going to start working about 45 hours (40 hours at new job + 5 at old job), which will be tiring but then extra money will be VERY NICE. :) Poor Troy has been picking up some extra night shifts too cos he gets paid A LOT for OT. It will be nice to be able to afford some furniture for our house, maybe a dog. ;) Best time to make money is when you're childless, right?

It's the weekend!!!!

I love Saturday mornings. I love waking up early and looking forward to the two whole days of nua-ness I have ahead of me. :)

Yesterday was a productive day. Troy and I met with a financial advisor who was recommended to us by an ex-coworker. Wasn't expecting too much, but he turned out to be quite a good fit for us. I liked that he wasn't too pushy and also explained things in a way that we understood. We are meeting with him again in two weeks and he's going to churn out the numbers for us. Told him we don't know much about investing and don't really care about the details - we just want him to tell us where and how much to put our money so we'll be good for the future! ;)

We were going to see the King's Speech after that, but couldn't find a parking spot!!!! So, decided to skip the movie and head to Fridays for dinner. Guess I can wait till the movie comes out on Netflix. Everyone's been saying the movie is really good and I'm pretty curious. Who knows, might give me some helpful tips for working with my stuttering kiddos!

Oh yeah, I should blog about my medical adventure, just so everyone can laugh at the ridiculously-priced American healthcare. ;)

Urgent Care visit (Saw doctor for 10 mins) - $903
ER visit (8 hours in ER for my CT and MRI scans) - $6169
Visit to family doctor - $144
Visit to Neurologist (who told me nothing I didn't already know) - $759

Total: $7975 to find out I had a migraine and I should get over-the-counter meds if I have another one.

Guess I should be thankful they take my health so seriously? Troy knows someone our age who died because she had an aneurysm and they sent her home without running the tests. All in all, I am thankful that I am fine AND that I have health insurance to pick up most of the tab!! My company just switched to a new insurance plan that has a $1600 out-of-pocket maximum per year and they pay everything else.

Happy weekend everyone!