milestone - the 7th month

Finally getting to the last trimester of pregnancy! It has been quite a journey up to 28 weeks now.. from the beginning when those achy, tiring feeling took place that made me suspect something was amiss to the very obvious fact that my tummy is ballooning quite vigorously. 

It's one of the reasons I turn to blogging, since I can do less and less chores without receiving disapproving frowns from my family. I was going to start earlier on to journal this experience, yet the pregnancy hormones turned against me and made me into such a lazy bum in the past couple of months.


As the months rolled by, I've collected enough baby scans now that when I looked at them, I see such a rapid pace of growth it amazes me to no end...

So I decided to compile and include them in with the scrapbook that I'm working on. I'd like to think of it as a flashback progress. ^_^ Can you see the picture clearly? the top left was my first scan at about 7 weeks, and the bottom left was one at 19 weeks.. big difference!!! 


Yeah, so about this scrapbook, before this, I've never made one, so I'm kinda dreading the end result. Hopefully it's not going to be that messed up...

getting there...

Glucose test today! thankfully it requires no fasting. (it's gonna give me a hard time otherwise, as I'm hungry every two hours recently...) I made my way to the Pathology center @ SJOG in the afternoon with a bag-full of books (I've been warned about the hour-long wait).

They gave me a soda drink 1 hour prior to taking my blood sample (*bleugh.. I haven't had soda for a loooong, loooong time now!!) and the rest of the waiting time was a blur, as the room has air-con and I had with me a copy of the Sandra Brown's novel... ^_~ 

Well, hopefully the test comes out okay, or I'll be {forced} to return to the same place for a second test that will take around 2 and a half hours.. I'd rather not! the worst case scenario is, I'd have to forgo all the nice, sugary, chocolate-y stuff til' the end of the term. I'd really, really rather not!!!!

Banana bread

Craving for sweets? Well, I have been indulging in one too many... I really have to limit my sugar intake after that last week's blood glucose test turned out to be quite high (yes, at times it sucks to be pregnant). What a bummer! and for some reasons I can't peel myself away from sweet confections. 

Well anyway, I have some left-over bananas from the other day and they're ripening so quickly because of the horrid hot weather we've been having, so naturally I thought of banana cake or something similar to bake. With a stroke of luck, I came across a beautifully written recipe by Fig & Cherry, where she came up with a mouth-watering banana bread recipe that sounded so simple to make. So I made an exception this time, and baked this wholesome creation (I only omitted the clove and substitute walnuts to almond)

  *quietly vows to only try a slice once the bread is done.....

BANANA BREAD

Ingredients

125 g butter, melted & cooled

3 over- ripe bananas

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

a pinch of cinnamon

1 1/2 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

a handful of raw almonds, roughly chopped (since they're one of the healthiest nuts around)

1. Pre-heat the oven to 175C, line a standard loaf tin with baking paper 
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt at least 2 to 3 times.
3. Mash the bananas, add in melted butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and cinnamon.
4. Mix in the sifted flour to the banana mixture until just combined.
5. Pour into the prepared bake pan and sprinkle with the almonds, if using
6. Bake for approximately 50 minutes to 1 hour until the bread rises and skewer comes out clean when inserted at the centre of it.

As I baked it, my whole kitchen smelled heavenly of fragrant bananas, cinnamon and almonds, it made me swoon! And once I took it out of the oven, the tempting loaf beckoned me to immediately cut it. I had to leave the kitchen and fast!!

At the end, I couldn't leave the kitchen too long before I came back to it, sliced the edge of the loaf, and slather a generous layer of butter on top... truly wonderful!!

Chocolate beetroot cake

Looking back, the past week has been quite an uneventful one, save from going to and fro from the airport to send my family members for their trip overseas. (yes, I'm envious, I won't be able to board a plane til' the middle of 2011.. anyways, it's just too far off to think about now)

Hence, my being in the kitchen to experiment with a few new recipes seems like a perfect diversion from all this Christmas holiday travels that everybody's talking about...

So I marched to the kitchen, looked into the fridge and amongst my meager fridge inventory, I saw a few fresh bulbs of beetroot, gleaming ruby red in color as if trying to scream "pick me! pick me!". So I did pick 'em, washed 'em, steamed 'em then this chocolate-y beetroot cake recipe came to mind soon after....

CHOCOLATE BEETROOT CAKE  

Ingredients: 

190 g caster sugar

50 g cocoa powder

180 g plain flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder 

a pinch of salt

270 g steamed, peeled beetroot (1 medium sized bulb)

3 medium eggs

200 g margarine, melted, cooled

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C, line a 15 cm square bake pan of medium thickness with baking paper. (you can also use 18 cm round/ square if you'd like)
2. Sift cocoa powder, flour, baking powder & salt together twice. Mix with the sugar, set aside.
3. Puree/ mash the steamed beetroot, add in the eggs gradually. 
4. Blend the flour mixture with the beetroot mixture with a spatula, adding the melted margarine & vanilla as you go. Mix until just blended.
5. Bake for approximately 55 minutes (depending on the pan's size) or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted at the centre of the cake.
6. Allow to cool in the pan before turning it out onto a wire rack.

This cake turned out to be quite dense and moist, and rather chocolate-y with the subtle hint of the earthy beetroot lending its sweetness to it. I simply dusted it with some more cocoa powder for a bittersweet finish, but I imagine it will also be delish if you have some fresh/ frozen berries to make compote to be enjoyed alongside the cake. It would then become more festive and even befitting of a Christmas season's dessert!

Not quite a greenthumb

I'd like to think that I'm a bit of  a green thumb, but so far I have yet to prove that I have a talent in gardening. Just recently I became more interested in tidying up and beautifying the backyard (probably due to the fact that the lawn is very patchy and the vegetation pretty much dying.. ^_~, but that's beside the point). So Bunnings and I naturally became close friends... I go there so often that I'm sure pretty soon the shop assistants there will be offering me a discount card or Bunnings' platinum membership card, if they have any...

Well, this story went back a few weeks ago, that's when Spring is in the air and all the pretty flowers are in bloom. Before, I always enjoy looking at a well-manicured and well-kept gardens, *the keyword here is looking* not doing it on my own.. Not for someone who hates insects so much like me, nu-uh! But this particular Spring I suddenly have this urge to try my hands on gardening. What causes it? I really don't know, I just blame it on my pregnancy hormones...

So to cut long story short, I started buying a pot of hydrangeas, lawn feeder, lots of potting mix and mulch, and so on. Diligently I toiled on early mornings and late afternoons to revive my backyard that has been wasted for a long time (my Dad is the only person who cares about the garden enough to mow the lawn and water the garden, but he's not always around...). I hand-watered the lot, replanted & threw away dead plants, and hacked the weeds & moss in-between the paved stones and on the lawn.

Today I look at the backyard and saw some improvements, thankfully, (though the lawn is barely surviving still) and my hydrangeas are blooming beautifully :) The pear, apple & plum trees that my Dad planted a while ago also seem to be thriving, and started bearing little buds of fruits now because of the regular watering & the food compost that I collect daily, all safely buried under the soil. Perhaps sometime next month we could even be harvesting the fruits!

As my pregnancy advances, I do less, even though there are so much still to be done in the garden. If it were up to me, I'd cut down some trees too! ^_^ oh well, it'll have to wait until after the arrival of the bub, maybe then I can further develop these set of not quite a green-thumb of mine!

Going to the ball

My husband's niece is turning one today! She is such a bubbly character and always full of smile, it's adorable..
Getting back into decorating cakes has its perks.. one of them is the fact that we get to eat the left-overs ^_~, usually I make a bit more than required so we always end up with some extra bits & pieces.. repeat this for a few times and you can easily gain a couple of kilos, so there you have it.. :P

Something simple and girly, without so much pinks, but purple instead, I opted for the Barbie princess option. Also, I had fun deciding what dress she gets to wear. Underneath the ball dress, we've got lemon & poppyseed cake, very light in texture and a little crumbly, perfect for those cholesterol conscious adults (less eggs!).. but the cake still holds pretty well for sculpting.

Lemongrass prawn

Losing appetite is normal during a hot day such as this one. I initially felt very uninspired to cook today because the sun glare was so strong I had to close the curtains in the family room, yet it didn't help much (thank goodness for air-con!), then I rummaged through the fridge and started taking out 'lighter' ingredients.. chicken as opposed to beef, plenty of veggies and prawn from the freezer. 

The heat makes me want to cook something that tastes a bit tropical, if you know what I mean.. things like coconut, lemongrass, and pineapple. (cross the last one out, I don't have it handy in my kitchen)  So, I decided that the combination of coconut & lemongrass will be palatable with the prawns, and the chicken will have to go with chinese cabbage in a light, soupy dish. I'm all set to cook!!

Lemongrass Prawn with sweet sesame dipping sauce - serves 2

150 g raw prawns, peeled, minced

2 1/2 tbsp corn starch

2 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp fish sauce

salt & white pepper to taste (approx 1/4 tsp)

3 tbsp dessicated coconut

3 stalks lemongrass, cut into 6 pcs 

1 egg yolk mixed with 1/2 tsp brown sugar (for brushing)

Dipping sauce:

2 tsp hoisin sauce

1 tsp light soy sauce

about 7 tbsp water

1/2 tsp sesame oil

white pepper & salt

sesame seeds, toasted (optional)

Pre-heat the oven (I used grill/ fan grill) at 180C, line a baking tray with baking paper/ greased aluminium foil.

Heat a small frying pan (without oil) to toast the dessicated coconut for about 3 minutes, or until it turns golden brown & fragrant, set aside.

Mix the minced prawns with corn starch, brown sugar, salt & pepper together. Add the toasted coconut last. 

Mould the prawn mixture onto the cut lemongrass stalks (use a little water on your hand to handle the sticky mixture)

Place the prawn skewers onto the prepared tray & brush with the egg wash.

Grill for about 10-15 minutes, repeat the egg wash, turning once as they brown slightly.

Meanwhile, prepare the dipping sauce: 

Mix all ingredients but the sesame seeds (if using) together in a small pan, stir occasionally until it bubbles and is thickened slightly. Turn the heat off, pour the sauce into a small bowl & sprinkle sesame seeds on top. 

Simple Cabbage soup

This is embarrassingly simple to make, I'm not sure whether I want to put it up here, but it offsets the slightly strong flavour of the prawns quite well, the key is on the chicken stock you're using. I feel they are nice eaten together... so here goes..

Chinese cabbage soup - serves 2

1/3 chinese cabbage leaves (small), separate & wash thoroughly

1/2 L plain chicken stock (I used a few pieces of chicken thighs to make this)

1 tsp fried garlic

salt & pepper to taste

1. Prepare the chicken stock in advance, add garlic & let it simmer.
2. Chop the cabbage leaves into slices, and add into the stock (cooks in less than 10 minutes)
3. Turn off the heat as the soup boils, season with salt & pepper.
 

Pan fried pork fillet in butter

This goes pretty well together with the kangkung...

Pan-fried pork fillets in butter - serves 2


For the pork fillet, I've used about 1/2 a pack (8-10 slices) only since it's enough for two people. Firstly, I marinated the fillets in light soy sauce and a little Chinese rice wine for 10 minutes. Then I heat up 2 tbsp of butter, adding in the marinated fillets as the butter sizzles away, turning the fillets once as it browns nicely. Set the cooked fillets aside. 

Using the remaining sauce on the pan, I added 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce, 1/2 tsp sugar and a little water to make the dipping sauce. Pour the dipping sauce once it bubbles away into a sauce dish.

After that, it only takes a few minutes to boil the soba noodle and scooped out the kim chee & squid out of their plastic containers. By the way, I love the organic Hakubaku brand, it's so versatile and tastes nice. Do try the ramen, somen and of course, the soba variety, you'll be hooked!

Stir-fried Kangkung

The Oriental market near our place has a great range of stock, and today when we were out and about doing grocery shopping, to my delight, I saw a perfect bunch of kangkung. I don't see them around too often, so Immediately I snatched it away off the shelf, along with thinly sliced pork fillet, and soon I was happily plotting away the dinner menu tonight.

Kim Chee shop just across the street was open then, and before we knew it we made our way there, only to come out a few minutes later with a few containers of kim chee and marinated chili squid. We never checked out the place before, but from the looks (and smell) of things, we'll probably be back there again soon :)

Tonight I'm cooking stir-fried kangkung with garlic and soybean sauce, pan-fried pork fillet marinated in soy sauce and butter, and serve them with cold soba noodle, the kim chee and the squid. 


When I cook kangkung, I like to cook the leaves separately, so that they won't get overcooked, but that's just me... below are the ingredients I use:

Stir-fried kangkung- serves 2 (starving adults)

1 bunch of kangkung, washed & strained
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium red chilli, de-seeded & chopped.
3-3 1/2 tsp soy bean sauce ( I used the white variety)
1 tsp dark soy sauce 
sugar, salt & white pepper to taste

1. Heat a few tbsp oil in the wok, add in minced garlic & chilli. 
2. Add in the kangkung (leaves last) in two batches (as they started off quite huge before wilting away)
3. Pour in the soy bean sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar & pepper as necessary.
4. As the leaves wilt nicely, turn the heat off and season with salt to taste.

Fragrant eggplant with pork

Aside from baking, I do most of the day-to-day cooking, especially when my parents are overseas (which is, most of the time) and there are only two of us at home. 

I like the spicy South East Asian foods, especially Indonesian and Thai, but I also enjoy the subtle combination of flavors in Japanese food, and everything else in between.

When it comes to cooking it, though, I mostly cook based on what we have on hand (I call it innovative cooking *grins*) or if I'm in the mood, I'm willing to try out new recipes and follow them to a 't'.

For last night's dinner, I tried out fragrant eggplant with pork, adapted from "The Food of Asia" and as the picture in the book suggested, it turned out great!

 Fragrant Eggplant with Pork - serves 4


1 medium sized eggplant/ aubergine
oil for deep frying
50 g lean pork fillet, minced
2 tbsp dried shrimp, soaked & finely chopped
2 tbsp chilli paste
1 tsp salted soybeans, mashed
2 tsp finely sliced scallion
1 tsp finely chopped dried shiitake mushroom
1 cup chicken stock
1 tsp chinese rice wine
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp corn flour mixed with a little water (as a thickener)

1. Wash and halve the eggplant. Slice each half into 1 cm thickness, pat dry.
2. Deep fry the eggplant pieces in hot oil for about a minute, set aside.
3. Pour out all but about 2 tsp of the oil to stir fry the minced pork until it browns slightly. Add chopped dried shrimp, chilli paste, salted soy beans, half of the scallion and the chopped mushroom. 
4. Add in the stock, soy sauces, sesame oil and salt and stir the mixture until combined.
5. Add in the fried eggplant pieces, then thicken with cornflour while stirring.
6. Serve immediately, garnished with the remaining sliced scallion.

The latest trend - pregnancy photography

Have you noticed that pregnancy photos are 'in' these days? the photographers are expanding their market rapidly and the photos sell like hot cakes, it's really interesting. 
I myself never thought about it until just recently when I came across a few (well, one was my husband's friend who just turned it into a side job..)  photographers whose portfolios are quite incredible. Perth professional photographers has displayed some great work on their site, but when it comes to pregnancy, baby & kids photos, I personally Fiona Rogerson's work the best. 

Check it out and see it for yourself. Perhaps if I have the time, I'd love to see her and get my pregnancy photos done too... definitely no nudes though, I'm really, really uncomfortable with the idea of dressing down to a slinky piece of fabric draped on my person and just that, and with a huge tummy to boot! ;P ... The (near) nude photos look great on her website though. 

Salmon Yakitori

Are you a seafood lover? I know my mom-in law is.. Apart from the ability to eat every part of the fish herself, including the eyes, the cheek, the skin (on certain fish), and well, not the bones, but all around it, she always makes sure that we have plenty of fresh seafood stocked up, and if possible, a portion of fish a day (wonder if it keeps the doctor away too? :D ) will be on the menu.

While she's travelling overseas like this time around, naturally we haven't been eating much fish at all, I admit that I'm not that great at choosing the best & the freshest fish, but I'm learning... Sometimes, I'd put up an occasional fish/ prawn/ scallop on the menu. (Crab is not on the list, because it's too fiddly to eat, ^_~)

Salmon remains one of my favourite because of its versatility; so long as they're not the farmed ones.. they look kinda artificial with their too-bright-orange coloured flesh (apparently dyed). Tuna is also good, but I have to travel further to buy a better quality, so normally I stick with salmon instead. Oh, and spanish mackerel steak is also great, but let's save it for another entry next time!!

Salmon Yakitori - serves 2

2 pieces of (fatty) salmon without skin, washed, pat dry. Cut into 2 cm cubes.

2 stalks spring onion, use the white part, cut into 3 cm length.

1/2 medium green capsicum, chop into similar size to the salmon.

8 bamboo skewers

6 pcs of portobello mushroom (or button mushroom)

oil for greasing the baking tray

 

Marinade & sauce:

1/2 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)

1/2 cup light soy sauce

2 tbsp raw sugar

pepper to taste 

 

1. Preheat the oven to 190C (I use fan grill mode, but I cover the yakitori as it grills, so they stay plump & moist)
2. Line baking tray with aluminium foil & grease with a little olive oil
3. Prepare the marinade: mix the marinade ingredients, put on medium heat, stirring occasionally until it boils. Reduce the heat to simmer and let it reduce & thicken slightly. Set aside to cool.
4. Slather the marinade onto cut salmon pieces, refrigerate for 10 minutes.
5. Arrange the capsicum, salmon & spring onion pieces on skewers. Cover with another layer of aluminium foil.
6. Grill for about 10-12  minutes, or until cooked to your preference; brushing once more with the extra marinade. 
7. Wash & remove stems from the mushrooms; fold aluminium foil to envelope them in, grill them for 5 minutes alongside the yakitori.
8. Prepare a simple salad of grated carrot & lettuce leaf while the yakitori's in the oven.
9. Arrange the yakitori skewers next to a mound of rice, salad & grilled mushroom; dress the salad with your favourite dressing. If you have extra marinade, it doubles up as the sauce for serving.

milestone - the 5th month

And.. it's a BOY! my husband & I have been mulling over a list of names for our baby, even though we didn't know its gender yet. After a while, looking at baby names made me sick -_-.. We decided that if the baby was a girl, my husband will find a name for her, and vice versa if it were a boy. So now the responsibility falls flat on me....

Recently, (after abandoning the quest for baby names for a few months), I thought of a name 'Rafael', and it has a beautiful meaning : God has healed. I pondered upon that and the more I said the name out loud, the more I liked it.. So unless I find a better alternative, I'm gonna stick by it like a plague.

Empal Kisi

Trying out something new is great when you have nothing to do, and for me now, cooking is an outlet to vent off the frustration of not being able to do much. (I have to constantly remind myself that I'm pregnant, even with the already bulging belly!)

My mom and I, we make a nice team because we share many similarities; and cooking with her is always a great fun. Today we're making empal kisi, an Indonesian marinated beef and ca kangkung (stir fried kangkong) for dinner, and as we chatted away, the lovely fragrance of spiced beef permeated the kitchen. Dinner will be ready very soon!!

Empal Kisi - serves 4

Ingredients

6 pcs oyster blade beef, trimmed

1 tbsp ground corriander, fry in a shallow pan (without oil) for a minute, set aside

4 cm fresh/ frozen galangal, grated

1/2 tsp turmeric ground

1/2 tsp sugar

salt & white pepper to taste 

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 (bake, not fan forced)
2. Boil oyster blade pieces,
3. Add in coriander, turmeric, sugar, simmer until the meat becomes tender and the stock is 3/4 reduced. Season to taste with s&p. Reserve the left over stock.
4. Pound the meat with meat tenderizer until it is slightly torn & thin.
5. Oven bake for approx. 10 minutes. Slather the reserved stock on the meat as it cooks.
6. Change the oven setting, fan-grill the grated galangal til' crisp - approx 10 minutes. 
7. Toss the crisp galangal atop the meat and serve immediately.

milestone - the 4th month

I detect no particular cravings up to this point, and I sigh with relief as I recalled many, many horror stories I've heard from others about craving the weirdest things. I abhorred garlic for the longest time though initially. Its smell made me nauseated and thus Chinese food was out of the menu for a long time!!

Luckily my parents are here, and my mom has been such a lifesaver during those difficult days where I was hungry yet didn't have any idea what to eat. *gasp* I've never been a fussy eater before, and yet, I'd refuse food suggestions left & right it wasn't funny.. 

Morning sickness was almost non-existent, but late night sickness came to visit quite frequently, so I devised a plan to nibble on plain snacks and crackers. Lemon and ginger flavored biscuits too, helped me survive those nights in between the unavoidable toilet trips. First trimester, ah, what a joyful time!

Top 5 snacks for pregnancy

Forget crackers, they weren't as filling enough for my rumbling stomach, and I had to resort to (most of the time) a bowl of rice in the end anyway. Here's the list of my most loved snacks during pregnancy.

1. Peanut butter on bread.
2. A bowl of oatmeal porridge. (simply salted or with a piece of banana)
3. Pumpkin flavored Cup-a-soup.
4. Dairy Farmers' mango & passion fruit yoghurt
5. Mc Donalds Quarter Pounder ^^,

I know that Quarter pounder isn't supposed to be on the list, but I was quite fond of it during my pregnancy. (My excuse was that I'm having a boy, thus the extra testosterone made me crave it :P). Aside of those 5, I often have warm Milo with milk, banana and avocado too.

Yam Cake

Spotted fresh taro (yam) at the market and since then I have been wondering what to make out of it.. It's great as a snack, usually I just steam it and sprinkle a little salt on it, but there are other ways to eat it too.. and I'm torn between trying to make a dim-sum style yam cake (wu tow ko), or the traditional Indonesian yam cake (we call it gethuk. It's mildly sweet and eaten with grated mature coconut flesh that is sprinkled with salt). 

I ended up choosing to make the dim-sum style, just because I've never made it before (and also because I love dried shrimp! - as a matter of fact, I love prawns so much my family nick-named me "the Queen of prawn")

Ingredients:

350 g  yam, peeled & cut into 2cm cubes

275 g rice flour

125 g corn starch

1 L water

150 g dried shrimp, soaked, then drained.

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tbsp salt

a pinch of white pepper

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp fried shallots 

1 stalk scallion, chop finely

a few tbsp oil

1. Grease a square baking tray lightly with a little oil, set aside. (choose one that will fit in your steamer)
2. Sift the flour & corn starch together, add water, mix well & strain the mixture.
   Steam the yam pieces for about 10-15 minutes or until slightly soft.
3. Heat the oil, fry minced garlic until fragrant. Add in steamed yam cubes, salt, pepper, sugar, mix well.
4. Pour the flour mixture into the frying pan and continue stirring until the mixture thickens (about 5 mins)
5. Pour the thickened batter into the greased tray and place back into the steamer for further 30 minutes, or until cooked thoroughly.

As you steam the cake, prepare the topping:

Heat another tbsp/ 2 of oil, add in the chopped prawns & chili & spring onion. Stir until fragrant.

Mix with the fried shallots.

When the cake is done, turn it out and cut as desired, and decorate it with the topping.
I cut mine into large squares (it made for quite a filling snack!)

It's been a long, long week

So here's how the story goes.. After the last HK trip I feel exceedingly tired (I thought it was because of the sun and the long haul flights to and fro), but as I settled back home in Perth, I still feel tired, rather nauseated, and generally... so un-like me. It lasts for almost a week now, and I knew something was off, and although I'm not fond of doctor visits, I guess this time I have to make an allowance. 

Before I even make it to the doctor though, I decided to stop by the chemist to get a cold medicine, and, before I realized it, a pregnancy test. I mean, odd, but I acted on gut instinct. That morning the test came back with a single straight pink line. I felt a little relieved, at least I know my condition isn't due to pregnancy. So I make a booking with my GP for the next afternoon.

The day went by and at night time, I still didn't feel any better. Tossing and turning in my sleep is highly irregular for I'm a deep sleeper; so against all odds, by 5 am the next morning, I did another test. Waiting for a few minutes felt like an eternity, and when I came back to check on the test, still bleary-eyed, I blinked. I blinked again. I rubbed my eyes and picked up the piece of test strip. I saw two pink lines. Huh... What?

It took me awhile to return to the room, and digested the information. Is it possible for the test to be inaccurate? two tests and two different results..  So I decided to tell my other half, who became wide awake after hearing my news. Well, cutting the story short, the GP visit that afternoon confirmed it; I am around 6-7 weeks pregnant; and those hormones are responsible for my slight discomfort. And I'm on my way to becoming a new mom, in, err.. another 32 weeks.

I gotta say I have a mixed feeling. More of nervousness and uncertainty rather than excitement; I guess I didn't know what to expect, and as I'm writing this, I wonder if other women feel the same way too? or are they all happy & excited when they find out?
Well, I confirmed the news with A, and he was happy, though he was as nervous as myself initially. My mom in law was happy for sure, I saw her grinning from ear to ear, *LOL* this bub will be her first grand..son/daughter? and my parents were ecstatic. After all, they've been bugging us for the last couple of years (subtly, of course...heheheh) to start thinking of family planning. 

Yeah, all that makes me really tired.. sleepy, even.. Yay, maybe now I can sleep better!! welcome to mummy's tummy, bub!

Pregnant?

HK Disneyland

This has got to be my last trip this year.. Not quite the right timing as it's just the beginning of summer in HK, but with the rest of the family's schedule, it'd have to be this time. I'm meeting my mom, sisters & my nephew & nieces there and I'm rather excited despite the heat-wave..

What a novel idea to stay at Disney Hotel though, as we were with the kids.. it's a charming hotel really, I lost count of the number of Mickey's head embedded on the floor, on the pillars and everywhere else in the hotel. Here's the view from the balcony of our room, it's quite lush & green and they have a maze garden too...

Inside the room, and even the bathroom, they are very thorough in all the little details. I love the bathroom kit they provide, it's very cute ( the mirror has Dopey engraved on it!! and the tissue box has Sneezy on it ^^, )

We stayed there for two nights before moving to the main island, closer to the shopping district. In the meantime, it was 2 days full of Disneyland. It was fun, yet very, very tiring.. especially with the whole group of us girls and 3 small kids to boot! Suddenly I felt very old.. ^_~

Look at the throngs of people, it's the Summer holiday and everybody goes to Disneyland,
it was super crowded!!! We had breakfast with the Disney characters @ the hotel, then made our way straight to Disneyland until late at night when they hold the fireworks show...

Then we watched the Summer Parade, and got water sprayed everywhere.. Oh, I spotted Chip & Dale!! They're one of my favorite Disney characters, besides Stitch.. :) 

Some of the shows like Golden Mickey, Lion King, and interview with Stitch were also very well done.. and so's the food.. Unlike in the US where we could only get hot dogs and the like, here we have Maxim, the dim sum restaurant! I found that quite amusing... Well, I'm pretty sure I have some videos of some of the shows somewhere in my hard drive, I'll upload 'em later..

Anyway, at the end of the day, we were deadbeat, I barely had the strength to drag myself to the bed!!