Somewhere over the rainbow…

Expecting No. 2

My milk production was low for the past week, and I began to suspect that I maybe expecting another one. Hubby bought a pregnancy kit for me yesterday, and I only tested it this morning. It’s positive. I’m thrilled with the results. I wanted to have a surprise pregnancy, and am really glad that I’m expecting second one soon.
Told my close friends, and they asked isn’t it too soon? Well, the age gap is only 1 and a half year, by then maybe Justin’s not too keen to have a little baby yet. But I thought if they have a close gap, they can grow up together and be each other’s playmates.
Haven’t broken the news to my mum yet, don’t know what will she think? I think I better see my gynae tomorrow for confirmation. But still I can’t break the news too soon, old folks are pantang with announcing the pregnancy before 3 months. Mmmm…too bad I can’t wait to tell!
So Leecs, you’re right, I don’t have time for blogging then when no 2 comes along.

Shopping Day

Today, my colleagues and I all ponteng kerja and go shopping. But we’re from different centres, so won’t disturb the operation of the centres.
There’s a place called Ipoh Garden South in Ipoh where there’re a lot of boutiques. Most of the boutiques sell things with reasonable price, and the fashion is very updated. There’re also a few stores selling children’s clothes, but as far as I know, none is selling man’s clothes.
So we walked from one store to another store. It’s fun shopping with a bunch of girls, ahem, women. And one of us is pregnant.
At almost all of the boutiques, my friends tried out lots of clothes, but only bought a piece or two from each boutique. It’s really frustrating for the promoters who’re serving us because they needed to collect and hang back the unwanted clotes again. But hey, that’s what shopping is for, try until you find something you REALLY like!
After more than 5 hours of shopping and walking, we finally decided to stop. But done of us spent more than RM350, the least spender is my pregnee friend, who only bought a blouse. Most of the time, she’s sitting and eating at the boutiques.
It’s fun shopping today. I haven’t done this for some time, and today we could laugh and each other’s silly clothes choice. That’s the best way of beating stress for me.

Changing Look, too

Like Twinsmom and DG, I’m also a bit bored with my blog design. But still not sure how and what to change, so I just selected from the templates and use this for a while.
If I have time, then only I’ll “yin kao” how to “upgrade” my site. Just this is a new look for shopping mum…

So Much Time Online?

My friends asked why I have so much time online reading forum, baby care website, blogs, window-shop online, etc everyday, am I that free? Or are we bloggers that free? I have to ask 5xmom who multi-blogs a day this question, how she manage to blogs a few times a day and still can cook meals for her kids?
Actually I don’t have much free time for myself after having Justin. But I use his day-nap and sleeping time wisely, which means I try to do whatever I want during this precious time.
Justin is not a good sleeper, just like his mother. If he can sleep like his daddy (who can sleep like a pig), I can have more time for myself and probably learn how to cook! But no, since he’s a newborn, he hardly sleeps. I thought his sleeping pattern will improve, but that has yet to happen. Now at 8 months old, his naps twice during the day, for about 2 hours only in total. And he’s so active and talkative for the rest of the day. Then after 9pm, he’ll be totally exhausted and goes to bed.
So if I come home early after work, I can go online in the afternoon. If not, have to wait until he’s asleep. That also depends on how deeply he’s asleep. Some babies can really sleep soundly for a few hours, or sleep through the night, but my Justin will cries in his sleep for no apparent reason. So I’ll carry a baby monitor with me when I read blogs at night. Sometimes I have to run upstairs every few minutes when he cries until I’m also too tired or confused whose blogs I was reading. I can’t even finish some of my blogs, but got to disconnect and be with him. But then I totally forgot what I intended to write when I’m free, but also couldn’t be bother much about it.
Most mothers are like me, but I’m not complaining. It’s only a few years before Justin is old enough to go to school, and I’ll have my free time again! Then, shoppingmum can really go do what a shoppingmum will do! Shop!

Wedding Photos Shooting

I went back to Penang last weekend, and thought I would see my brother who’s coming back home on Sundays. But he called up and told my mum he wouldn’t be back as he wanted to shop for new shirt, socks, shoes, and etc for his wedding photos shooting today. That reminds me of my photo shooting which happenned 2 years ago.
I remembered we went bridal-shop-hunting once hubby and I decided to get married. Oh boy, the promoters were really good at convicing us to sign the package on the spot saying that the promotion would end very soon. I don’t know what happenned to hubby who used to be a rasional shopper who compares pricing before settling for a deal, he just signed up the first bridal shop we went in!
Ok, then we waited for a few months before choosing my gowns for the shooting. I remembered hubby looked at all of them with this blur look on his face telling me that “What’s the difference between the gowns?” So, the promoter helped us to decide on 6 different gowns and dinner wears. As for hubby, he didn’t have to try out anything, just remember to bring a few shirts and nice sparkling shoes will do. So easy for guys!
The night before the shooting, both of us slept early. We even stopped drinking water after 9pm, which made me damn thristy like hell the whole night. Why no water? To avoid puffy eyes the next morning, as told by the bridal shop’s promoter.
The next morning, we reached there at 9am, and started my make up and hair do. Hubby was a bit bored waiting for me, and the photographer to arrive. Only at 11am, we started shooting the photos.
We finished indoor session by afternoon, and went to E&O Hotel for outdoor shooting. It’s not easy to walk in high heals, so I changed into my slipper for outdoor shootings. But no one noticed leh because my gown’s quite long.
Then I was hungry as the lunch serving was too small for me, I asked if I could get a mocha ice blender at Goria Jeans. The photographer allowed me to buy a drink.
So here I was in a wedding gown and buying a drink at Goria Jeans. My gown attracted some of the customers or staffs’ attention, and some even came to congratulate us, and gave marrital advice.
I was nervous of drawing the attention and accidentally slipped my drinks of my hands and made of mess of the gown. It was so embarrassed, but the photographer said it’s no big deal. We could still take a few shots.
The only thing on my mind after that was should I pay for the gown? Luckily, I didn’t have to. Ahh…what a relieve. So pai seh of messing the gown.
We were glad that the photos were nice and lovely. But it’s very tiring that I had to redo the make-up and hair 6 times for different looks. But looking at the end result, everything’s worth it.
Mmmm…I wonder how is my brother’s photo shooting today?

My Maid

Hubby and I had thought for a while before applying for a maid. Firstly, my MIL doesn’t like strangers staying under the same roof with us, but since she’s getting old and can’t take care of 3 young children and doing the house chores, she finally gave the green light for us to get a maid. We applied only after Justin’s born, and it took almost 4 months for us the get a maid.

At first, she’s really hardworking. I was very scare of her harming my baby, so I treat her as well as possible. My FIL even gave her a radio and TV which are placed in her room. MIL or hubby will buy newspapers for her weekly, and I taught her basic Chinese to communicate with Xin Yi and Wei Wei who can’t speak Malay.

Everything was ok until we started bring her out during our family trips to Genting and KL. Then, she became very lazy, even my mum and SIL’s mother who came to visit also bueh tahan looking at my maid, they started to complain that we should dicipline her. Why? She wakes up later than all of us, and eats almost every 2 hours, helps herself freely to the fridge, watch “Tai Cheong Kum” on channel 8 on weekdays, ignoring my MIL’s instruction, and go in to her room almost after dinner to watch TV again. My house was a mess just after she came for 2 months. MIL was very unhappy but didn’t scold her because she’s afraid that my maid would secretly hurt Justin.

I took the courage to confront her and commented on her behaviour and laziness. I actually threaten to send her the the agency and replacing her if she still acts like that. Luckily she listened to me, and corrected her bahaviour. I was so worried when she acts like nothing happenned the next day after I briefed her. I rushed back home as early as possible to help MIL with Justin, whom my MIL has been taken care of all day because she’s also worried like me. But touch wood, nothing bad happens.
She’s doing fine, but occasionally still “snake around”. I just tutup mata sebelah, as long as my MIL is satisfied with the cleanliness and all the other children are doing fine.

Then, yesterday she did something that made me got so mad. I took Justin to see his regular paed at specialist hospital. Since there’re so many sick people queuing at the dispensary, I asked my maid to carry Justin and waited inside the doc’s clinic which is cooler with air-conditioning. After paying for the medicine, I went back to the clinic to get them. Then I found out that she actually left Justin with the nurses for a while when she went to the toilet. I was so mad, and asked her why she didn’t come to me and let me carry Justin, and she knows where I was. She just smiled and said sorry. I was very mad and started lecturing her about the possibility of baby abduction. She just smiled, which flames me even more.

I should be blamed for letting this incident happenned too as I trusted her so much, I think she can take a good care of Justin, that’s why I asked them to wait at the clinic. But I was wrong, if anything bad happenned to Justin, I couldn’t forgive myself. I hope she took what I lectured seriously.

I Hate Lizards

Lizards freak me out, and I don’t understand why it’s so hard for me to overcome my fear.
I accidentally touched a lizard in the middle of the night when I was younger. That stupid lizard was at the door knob of my room, and I was going to the toilet late at night. Even with the lights on, I was walking half asleep towards the door and put my hand on the knob, without realizing the lizard. Yaks, its slippery cold body gave me a fright and woke me up! I touched snakes, tortoises, iguanas, and other reptiles before, but I hate the feeling of touching lizards. If I see anyone holding a lizard on his hand, I’ll flea out of the room ASAP.
There’s another incident which happenned to me when I was pregnant. There’s a big lizard which stays under the “dish roller” which is placed on dining table. I don’t know what’s the thing called, you know, when you eat at restaurant, they’ll place the dishes on this round thing that you can turn to get the food? What’s that called?
Anyway, that lizard stays under it for years already. Sometimes, it’ll come out and run across the table, jump down to the floor and disappear. I remembered that day I was having meals with the family, then hubby suddenly shouted “Lizard!” and all I did was jumped up and stood on my chair immediately! I didn’t realized I was heavily pregnant, but my natural reflex had make me jump right up!
Then, I don’t understand why God has to create lizards to break their tails when they’re in danger to distract attention. Why can’t they break their heads? I’m getting cruel already. When I was young, those old folks lied to me that the tail will jump into my ear if I go near. I know that’s impossible, but it’s “geli” looking at it bouncing and bouncing and bouncing.
When I was busy reading blogs the other night, I saw a huge lizard in my study room. It’s bigger than the large tube of tooth paste, and with spots on its body. I can feel my “moh koon chang”, when I saw it standing on the wall. Luckily, it went and hide itself after that. I asked hubby if he has seen it before, he said he saw that big lizard a few times already. So I asked him why don’t he catch or kill it! He said it’s too big, he also scare of touching it. Hai, 2 cowards afraid of lizards, what to do? Live with them loh…

Justin’s New Skill

For the past 2 weeks, Justin likes to stand whenever he can. He stands with support during feeding, playing, crying, bathing in his tub (which I worried the most), basically, he’s standing when he can get hold of something to support him.
My MIL said he suppose to learn how to crawl first, then only stand. But Justin doesn’t follow the chinese saying of “zhek cho pak pa”, which means sits by 7 months old and crawls by 8 months old. That’s why he’s special to me mah…
He’ll stand in his cot until he’s tired then only he wants to go to bed. At least he’s making a good use of his cot which has been “abandoned” for a while. Now, the cot is his favourite toy.

Cars vs Bus Sekolah

I’ve been helping my friend who has just met with an accident to send her son to school every day lately. After sending the boy at noon, I’ll rush back home to send Xin Yi to school at 1pm.
Since most of the schools in Ipoh are located around Ipoh town, the traffic at each school is pretty heavy. Most parents prefer to send the kids by themselves but not by school bus. There’re more cars waiting by the side of the roads, either dropping off kids or waiting for dismissal, comparing to school buses parked. Needless to say, I’m one of the crowd too.
I remember when I was young, most parents will send the children to school by school bus. I went to school by bus from primary one until secondary five, every day, rain or shine. My mom just had to wake me up and then she’d doze off to sleep while I wait for the bus near my house. At that time, the road outside my school were filled with buses, and only a few students were going by cars. Maybe not many parents have cars back then, and of coz, the society is much safer with lesser adduction.
Now, I’m joining the crowd of sending children by car and get myself stressed out by the traffic 5 days in a week. Luckily I can blast myself with air-con, if not I’ll go insane!