It’s been the most packed and eventful year of our lives, and that’s no exaggeration. If anything it’s an understatement.

BUT I wouldn’t have it any other way!

It’s been hard work achieving all that we have this year. 2010 is a monumental year for us. From finding out our first child was on his way, to getting married, to welcoming baby Mylo with open arms. Those are the big 3… the 3 biggest events of 2010 that sit on top of a pretty long list of achievements and celebrations. We’ve been truly blessed in that even though some things took longer than expected, cost more than expected, or waited on other peoples decisions that could have drastically changed our lives… they’ve all had positive results.

Preparing for Carmens uk fiancée visa was the first huge application we sweated over. I had to make sure the application was as strong as possible to reduce the risk of it getting rejected. They can be really fussy and some of the supporting evidence required was a nightmare to get hold of… especially as I was in Singapore with no access to any existing uk documents. Optimistically, or should I say foolishly, we hoped it could all be settled within 4 weeks! It was clear this was going to take at least 4 months, let alone 4 weeks. Fairplay though we never got stressed and while enjoying a short break in Langkawi I got on to Skype and spoke with Chris from MediaClash whom I was finishing up some freelance for while in Singapore… he had offered a 3 month contract which I was about to decline because I needed to be in Singapore. Shockingly he said nah that’s cool you can work remotely!! RESULT! Working on a few web projects from whichever Starbucks I wanted enabled me to stay longer with Carmen and take up some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to keep active… HAPPY DAYS!

Anyway I’m getting lost now because there’s so much that has happened and so much to write about. I have to list it all out… it’s freaking nuts and I LOVE IT!

1. DEC 09 – Realise we have to stay in SG for much much longer than expected
2. Realise money is dwindling fast
3. Finish up some freelance for Mediaclash and hunt for more work… urgently
4. JAN 10 – Take a short break… for the hell of it
5. Land an extended 3 month contract with MediaClash that I can complete from SG
6. Discover Carmen is pregnant with our first child!
7. Plod on for the next few months while sorting out my finances in preparation for the fiancée visa application
8. Start reading up on babies, parenting and NHS qualification!
9. Our first few baby scans and we see the peanut for the first time
10. Continue to look for full time work back in Bristol
11. Carmen goes back to freelance at Figment while we prepare and wait for the visa
12. MAR 10 – Finally submit the fiancée visa… potential 3 month waiting time for a decision :’(
13. Visa approved!!! within 2 weeks!!!
14. APR 10 – Dare offer me a contract to perm role as senior designer
15. I fly back to UK to take up the job
16. The new job takes me to Vodafone HQ in Newbury 3 days a week… travelling = nightmare
17. Decide to hunt for a new job
18. After 3 interviews and a psychometric assessment (for the same job) I land the role of Art Director at Nameless in the centre of Bristol! SCORE!
19. Visit my first “nearly new” sale for babies… on my own feeling like a right mug… bought some awesome stuff… that will fit him in 3 yrs time :p
20. JUNE 10 – Carmen flys into the UK
21. Arrange midwife appointments and talk endlessly with various NHS people about getting treatment for Carmen and eligibility
22. JULY 10 – Register for our marriage
23. Settle into new job as fast as possible… with everything else going on it’s pretty hardcore
24. Get married ))
25. Buy the baby a pushchair and other essential items
26. AUG 10 – Hunt for new apartment
27. Buy more baby stuff
28. Sold the old sofa of Gumtree
29. Pack up ready for the move

Sooooooo in 2 days time we get the keys to our new apartment and can settle in before baby Mylo makes his appearance. We really have had a lot of good fortune this year and I pray it continues with the arrival of Mylo. I really can’t wait to meet him. Having watched him grow from a peanut to a bouncing baby inside Moons tummy… it’s magical.

I felt the pressure was shouldered on Nic but somehow he managed to multi-task extremely well (Whoever said men can’t multi-task?) Having to cope with his workload as well as worry about all the nicknacks of hunting down a new place, phone lines, internets, getting rid of unwanted furniture online must be a mental overload for anyone.. to have him come home with a smiling face every night after work is really a bonus… I am one lucky gal aren’t I Now, we are all set for the big move next week and once we are properly nest in, I would need to start washing Mylo’s tiny clothes to prepare for his arrival… busy busy busy!

Pregnancy has been smooth sailing so far (fingers crossed) except for the constant need to sleep every 30 seconds! I am shattered all the time even though I do not do much except for vegetate.. Age must play an extremely massive role on coping with another growing life within myself.. It was so much easier when I was pregnant with Easton 4 years ago.. I could be the spokesperson for Energizer or Duracell then! Now?! Ppffff… more like the spokesperson for Sealy Posturepedic! Anyway.. I am glad that I am not working at the moment and I can rest as much as possible during this period before the wailing boy joins our clan! Nic has made me feel very loved during this period of time where cooking the boy in my tummy is not exactly the easiest task one could ask for.. Tummy time before bedtime was the nightly routine for us each day without fail and I absolutely loved it as it makes Nic feel part of the pregnancy as well.. I am very confident that he would make a wonderful father.. Mylo is one very lucky boy

I guess it really does boil down to the fact that when one has found their soulmate, life becomes naturally easy with the level of communications bewteen both parties.. The willingness to sacrifice becomes second nature as well.. I am one contented girl

Its another 8 more days before I leave Singapore back to the UK for my long awaited rendezvous with nic, hence I am trying to suck in as much of Singaporean atmosphere as much as I can. My journey on the public transport is no longer just a commute at this point. Seems like every scene I captured has been visually ingrained into the folds of my brain as part of my photo library memorabile before I officially settle down in Bristol with Nic and become a mother of 2 beautiful boys. I no longer quietly moan about the long journey to and fro the MRT and not being able to get a seat these day. I am just happy to be able to hop onto a train as and when I want knowing how convenient transportation is in Singapore. The coffee shops that I have taken for granted all my life (in Singapore you cannot walk a mile without ending up in a kopi Tiam, I am sure!!) will clearly be missed a great deal when I am back in the UK.. Gone will be the days of midnight suppers where I can just pop downstairs to buy 2 cheese prata with fish curry and a packet of Milo Peng at will.. the beauty of industrious Chinese businessman!! Well, what can I say? You won’t appreciate what you have got until you lose it.. and it stands true to a very big extend..

 My day starts at 7am where I wake up and get ready for work. Once the irritating alarm goes off, I would jump out of bed almost in an instance (as lazing around would only prolong the reluctanance to peel myself away from the mattress) and head straight for the bathroom..By 7.45am, I would be out of the house dragging my feet to the bus stop headed for the MRT station. Getting on the train is another story altogether.. As my belly is not showing much now, fighting for a seat once the train arrives is a daily battle! I feel like one of those women stood outside of a Chanel flagship store on a mega sale day, just waiting to get my hands on that precious leather purse or whatsoever.. except, this is only for a seat on the train! Just the journey up till there would have been enough to wear me out! Upon reaching Outram Park MRT, it’s another 10 minutes walk to the office (including 24378 flight of steps that is!).. No wonder I am tired by 9am! Once at work, the need to multitask and kill more braincells leaves me mentally pooped.. By 6pm kock-off time, I am definitely ready for bed! Gosh! Just how tried can I possibly be?

I am also at this irritating physical stage of looking like I ate too much steaks and pies instead of being properly pregnant. Not the prettiest I would imagine.. I just envision myself to resemble a little like a frog.. skinny limbs with a tummy.. not sexy.. Having a proper bump would in fact make me look more normal, sad to say! Anyway I really have to stop writing this blog.. I am getting tired just typing away.. I need to start stuffing my face with some chocolate cake, pineapple tarts and fried fritters…

Digression: Yes I reiterated time and time again how exhausted I have been constantly BUT apparently my jaw muscles are rather unyielding and chewing IS never an issue MUAHAHAHAHAA..

I am nearing the end of my 2^nd trimester and moving onto the 3^rd. According to statistics and reports, the fatigue and sluggishness will slowly start to re-emerge and I am really dreading it. I was beginning to feel the exhaustion creep back for the past 2 weeks just by walking to work.. The most excruciating time of the day is definitely between 3-5pm.. That will be the time that I totally need to pry open my eyelids with toothpicks!

Mylo has been really active in my tummy and it absolutely thrilled me every time I see a “mexican wave” happening beneath my belly. I managed to capture a couple of short video footages of the movements to send it across to Nic.. It’s during times like these that I am so gutted Nic is not by my side to see his son rumbling in his cozy little home.. Sometimes Mylo would be moving so much when I sleep that he makes me wonder if I am even giving him enough space inside by hugging all my pillows and banana stuff toy so tight!

Life has been in Mono since Nic left for the UK, but the highlight of my week is definitely having Easton over and him just sitting next to me playing with the iPhone.. Sometimes he would just spontaneously stretch out his little hands and give the belly a rub.. its really a very heartwarming feeling.. otherwise the most exciting thing that has happened in my life till date since Nic left was WORK!! :s sad I know…

Now.. I have been eating quite a bit and Lewis has commented today at work that my face appear rounder (shucks).. but it seem that my body has not put on much weight.. Arggg… I hate having the fat face syndrome!! Anyway (just to comfort myself), it’s a pregnant women’s entitlement to get a little round at this period of her life I would say!!

It has been a year since Zech was born! Wow! Time really flies..  Sadly Nic and I were in the UK when Julie gave birth to Zechariah last year but I am so happy to be able to attend his one year milestone!

Julie has been planning for Zechariah’s party for the longest time and I must conclude that it was indeed no small feat!!! From the location of the party, to the cake, to  the door gifts and the catering etc. The theme of the party was “Cowboy” as Zech was born in the year of the Cow (according to the Chinese Zodiac calendar) and there were matching posters, cakes and door gifts! Too cute..

Unfortunately, Nic had to give this party a miss as well since he was already back in the UK hence it was just Easton and me I met Reese, Lewis and Yo Yo at Yio Chu Kang MRT last Saturday as it was just 2 minutes walk away from Grassroot club. The function room had an indoor children’s playground which was perfect for the party! Reese and I had decided to give Julie a small bouquet of lilly, on top of our presents we shared with a few of our colleagues for Zech, as this was also a day to remember the mother who gave birth to this little bundle of joy. Upon arrival, Easton took the flower to Julie and made a quick greeting before wasting no time to hit the slides and play area! Well, at least he still had the courtesy to ask me for permission before vanishing into the pool of coloured balls!

  It wasn’t hard to see how popular Julie was with so many of her ex-school mates, ex-colleagues and current colleagues showing up with their families for the event. Yup, and that is probably why I found her so nice when I first joined Figment. It was impossible to find a nasty bone in this girl really!

 Anyway the kids went wild at the play area while the parents all displayed paranoid faces from the fear of their kids falling down or getting into trouble! At about 1pm, everyone gathered round for the cake-cutting session.. Wow! The cake was really visually very pretty! It had cow patches on them and peanut cracker as hay sacks.. Alongside the 2 tier cake, Julie also ordered matching cupcakes.. (I did not get to taste the cake as Easton didn’t want any but apparently it was really nice Lychee Martini flavoured)! Just about after the cake cutting session, Lily Tan, the balloon sculpture arrived. Her balloon sculpting skills were just highly impressive and she crafted plenty of nice designs for the kids!

*actually I believe the adults were more keen on getting one than the kids LOL!

Anyway it was a really nice party and everyone had a blast on that eventful Saturday… especially Easton  :0)

Octopus balloon

Little green frog

Princess Chang-E

Crabs!

Baby with diapers

Zechariah's Goofy Cowboy balloon

Easton's super soaker

The cow themed birthday cake

Everything on the cake was edible!

The proud parents and the happy baby boy!

The door gifts for the kids

Easton having fun in the pool of plastic balls

Easton and Alston

Reese and me

Julie carrying her ex-polymate's baby boy Marcus.. He had so much hair and looked really cute!!

Kevin, Joanna and Lewis

MC, Erny and Kaylene

Reese and Yo yo

Andy, Wendy and Ashlynn

Adeline, Linda and Shuli

us

Nic’s flight back to Heathrow was due last Saturday on the 8^th May 2010 and we planned it to be just after his birthday and our baby’s gender scan. Everything gelled in nicely with when his full-time work would kick in as well. I had planned to work here in Singapore a little longer before I returned as  I could earn more pocket money and I would not get bored back in Bristol when Nic was at work during the day. Anyway, Nic’s flight departure was not till noon but with the 2 hour check-in in advance, we had to be at the airport by 9. We brought Easton along to the airport and had to wake him up at 8 in the morning. Luckily he is not a grouchy boy in the mornings by nature.. it just melts my heart to see him happily smiling even though he has swollen eyes and a head full of hair standing from the night’s sleep.. too cute..

After we were done preparing, Nic said a quick goodbye to my folks and my dad helped with the luggage down to the cab. It was pretty early for check-in but the gates were open and we wanted to get rid of the bags. My mum had packed a bag of baby stuff for Nic to take back but upon check-in, his own luggage was already 9kg overweight! Luckily he did not have to pay for any excess but the sad news is that I had to bring back the bag of baby stuff and sort them out into my own luggage when I go back to the UK next month. I hope most stuff is within limits as a lot of those baby clothes and seats would really come in handy for Mylo!

After Nic checked-in, we decided to have breakfast before he leaves. Most shops and restaurants were closed at Changi Airport terminal 3 (I wonder if it was due to the fact there were no morning flights). However Crystal Jade was open and we decided to have some noodles and Xiao Long Bao. That would be Nic’s last proper Xiao Long Bao before he descends back to the land of yucky Chinese food *snigger* The Xiao Long Baos were really good.. gosh! I think I could have 50 of them all by myself! Just the  thought of dipping the pipping hot Xiao Long Baos into the vinegar, coupled with stands of fresh ginger is enough to make me salivate!

Xiao Long Bao

After breakfast, we went to the viewing bay for some photos with the boy. It was a pretty crap viewing bay as we could only see the aeroplanes drive down the runway but not doing the take off.. Booooo!! Was thinking it would be nice for Easton to see that.. but alas!

I decided that I had to let Nic send us off to the taxi instead of us sending him off to the gates.. I didn’t think that I could handle my tear ducts too well.. Hence We proceeded to basement for a taxi.. gosh! The tears just flowed down like a tap at that moment! I did not even dare to look back when the cab drove off.. Easton was getting curious why mummy had wet eyes and I had to whip out my trusty iPhone to distract him from my teary face.. I am such a whimp

It has been 4 days since Nic has left and I am back home in my empty room typing out this entry without the love of my life beside me.. i really miss him a lot..

xxx

Our little family portrait

Easton playing with the phone at the viewing bay

Happy boy

Easton the budding photographer

Easton the budding photographer

Damn my out-of-office assistance!! Jeeze..

We had planned for Nic’s birthday to be a visit to the Resort world casino a week before the actual day as I was on leave that day for Mylo’s baby gender scan. After my appointment with the Gynae, Nic and I went to Vivo city to meet the girls for lunch at Marche. Leanne with Kayden, Gene with Gladys and Jessica with Jazel. Serene was suppose to be there as well but she was late and we didn’t get to see her. Everyone’s baby are all grown up now! Kayden can actually stumble along pretty much on his own! It was nice seeing the girls after sometime.

After lunch, Nic and I headed over to Resort World’s Casino for the fun of it.. *Pffff* $100 levy gone down the drain before I even got in, then we tried our hand at Black Jack (which was $50 a game) and lost $100 within 2 minutes. Next was roulette. That’s another $150 down the drain.. after that we decided that we hated casinos. Word!

That was Nic’s “supposedly” birthday trip we had planned. So came Wednesday night. Nic asked if I had anything planned and I just brushed it off saying I had to work. I guess he did not suspect a thing..UNTIL he told me that he sent me a mail to print out the SQ booking as well as the train tickets for him when I get to work the next day *BAM* My silly out-of-office assistance auto responded that I was on a 2 day leave! I was hungrily swallowing my dinner at that moment when Nic turned and looked at me calmly :”Baby, how come you are on leave tomorrow and Friday?” My jaw fell open and I was so angry that the surprise was spoilt! AIYO!!!

Then I had to spill the truth to Nic that I had plan to take him to Wavehouse on his birthday to try out the flowrider and we were going to stay at Siloso Beach Resort for the night.. what a bummer! I had initially planned to give him his present, cake and card come midnight and pretend that was it to the surprise.. Next morning during my usual routine to work, I was going to just turn to him to tell him that I was not going to work, instead we were going to spend the day at WaveHouse and the night at Siloso beach Resort.. What a wet towel!! Anyway I could tell he was still appreciative of what I had planned out

So it was off to Sentosa that morning of his birthday. We decided to be frugal and take the MRT down to Vivo and a train over to Sentosa island. We checked into Siloso Beach Resort about 12 (and we were so naughty to upgrade to the suite after saving peanuts on the cab fare :s) put down all our bags and headed straight to WaveHouse (and that was not after Nic panicked about forgetting his lunch appointment with Ryan as it completely slipped his mind from all the excitment) I am pretty gutted that I could not try out the Flowrider as the fall from the ride was rather harsh.. but I guess I will try it the next time I come back to Singapore with Mylo in our arms and Easton prancing around. Nic was pretty excited before getting on after seeing all those clumpsy fools looking all so silly.. We had a pretty good laugh actually..

Nic surprised me on the flowrider! He did very well for a first timer! I guess having good psychomotor skills comes in handy in any sort of sports! He just looked so cool on it and I am so glad he is not a surfer.. otherwise I would be busy fighting off all that bees around him everyday! Anyway It was scorching hot in that afternoon sun and we decided to relax by the pool for the rest of the afternoon. I already felt a little burnt from just that one hour of photo taking at Wavehouse but I shall not complain as I doubt I would be feeling much of the heat from the sun when I am back in the UK.

Digression: I guess after being in the UK for awhile, I have stopped complaining about the humidity and heat in Singapore like the rest of my friends. I definitely learnt to appreciate the usual stuff that I used to complain about.

Come dinner, we wanted to have buffet but there was just NO BUFFET dinner on that silly island! We went on a merry-go-round only to return back to Wavehouse for their food there. It was a good choice actually as their meals were rather delicious though costly.

The next day, we spent a little time at the pool before checking out during noon time. I wanted Nic to go and try the Megazip adventure park (as part of the other surprise) but as we were about to get the tickets, we realized that it only opens at 2!! That was waiting for another 2 hours! We walked to Delifrance to have a bite and decided that it was too boring to wait and decided to head back to mainland. Back at the MRT station, Nic panicked again… :s cause this time he forgot that Uncle Richard was supposed to be at my place at 2.30pm(which was at the time that he panicked!) I quickly made a phone call home only to realize that Uncle Richard was already at my place and my folks were already entertaining him. LOL! That’s like twice in 2 days and Nic attributes it to my surprise that made him forget all his appointments! We quickly rushed home in time to meet Uncle Richard. Nic was feeling so bad all the way home which made me feel bad as well cause I sprang the surprises on him! We caught a cab home from Lakeside and raced home.. it was nice seeing Uncle Richard chatting with my folks. We sat down and chatted with Uncle Richard for awhile and he handed us ang pows and bird’s nest from the Leo family before leaving. My parents were raving about what a nice man Uncle Richard was J

Overall it was quite an eventful two days and at least Nic got to try the Flowrider before he headed back to UK! It was a pity Nic had no more space on his passport or it would have been a mini holiday for him during his birthday.. but anyway my lesson learnt.. Not to set my Out-Of-Office next time if I want to spring on a surprise! Either that or I totally suck at lying! :s

First it was the prediction from Lyn, the medium lady, who spoke to Nic’s mum telling her she felt we were having a baby girl. Then came all the wild guesses from colleagues and friends who all thought we would have a girl as well (especially from our boss Jerry who decreed our peanut to be a girl with curls!) Next came all my pregnancy symptoms which beared complete opposing odds to when I had Easton. All that heavy morning, afternoon and night sickness, sweet tooth made me think maybe they might be right after all! Soon after, Nic and I began looking at all the adorable baby girl clothing at departmental stores and even bought a pretty little apple printed blouse :s I guess Mylo would not be terribly happy when he reads this in future!

Last Friday was my prenatal appointment with my Gynae and we waited a whole one and a half hours to see the doctor! It was the private suite but we ended up waiting twice the time then the regular clinic :s Anyway we were both really excited for this scan as it would determine the baby’s gender. When it was our turn, the Gynae did the usual assessment on sugar level, weight etc. and thankfully everything was normal. My results for blood test was also back and I am cleared off all diseases *phew* then off I went onto the scanning bed.. Peanut was not in the best position as he was breeched and his pelvis was sitting nicely into mine hence the Gynae had problems zooming in between the legs. Dr Wee suggested that we could either walk around for awhile and come in for another try or we could see check the gender during our next visit (Of course the latter would be highly frowned upon for Nic as he would be returning to Bristol this week LOL). Hence we went to get some sweets and curry puff to munch on while Nic tried to convince me to do a handstand. About half an hour later, we returned into the clinic for a second attempt. Peanut was still sitting in the same position but luckily Dr Wee managed to catch an angle where peanut’s penis was clearly showing! It was quite a laugh when the excited doctor exclaimed:” It’s a boy!!” and I just went …”oh..” LOL

End of the day, I have always wanted the peanut to be a boy as I thought the bonding between Nic and him would be easier than a girl. Seeing how Nic enjoyed flipping Easton into mid-air and weekend soccer sessions just makes me more ascertain that a boy as our first child would have be a better choice.. and IF our second peanut would ever be a girl, her two older brothers Easton and Mylo would be there to protect her from all the pesky lil boys!

Easton conforming into Nic

This week will be my monthly prenatal scan PLUS a gender confirmation. It is of no doubt the amount of admiration I have for expectant parents who choose to “tahan” (wait) till the day of delivery to know if they are having a son or a daughter.. the suspense!! Gosh! That thought of going team yellow (team blue equates to a boy, team pink a girl and team yellow are those who chooses to keep it a suspense) is just too much to bear! But I guess maybe some couples see the surprise at the end of the pregnancy as a form of motivation for the painful labour. 

 Nic has began the pregnancy with no gender preference, we were told by the medium lady Lynn that we were expecting a girl, but somehow he has decided by this time that he would prefer a girl. The Leo’s are mostly male dominated and having a girl would be a nice equilibrium to the family. As for me, either would be awesome! If we had a boy, he could be spending masculine quality times with Nic playing futsal, camping, martial arts etc. and if she was a girl, she would be the cutest thing in the world and Easton would have a pretty little sister to hang out with. Oh yes! And she will get all the prettiest clothes in the world and have the same “number 7” hairstyle as her mummy! Although we would have to worry more for the little girl once she hits puberty… BOYS!! 

Makes me wonder if all that Krav Maga and Brazilian Jujitsu that Nic has been learning all these while had a hidden agenda *ponder*  

I am very eager to meet her again this Friday after feeling all the active kicks for the past week. I guess it’s the same for all pregnant mothers, they feel a sense of warmth when their baby moves and adjust themselves in the womb. It’s a feeling that is hard to describe I must say! This is especially when I am having a tough day at work, just a tiny kick from the peanut never fail to remind me of her presence and lighten up my day. Hence, whenever Nic is beside me, I always alert him at the top of my voice to come feel Myla whenever she was getting active. This can be one of the ways that the father can be more involved in the pregnancy… 

.. 

.. 

.. 

..besides talking to the belly button :s 

Will our peanut be a "Myla"?

Or a "Mylo"?