My kiut kuddly kreetur kamping on ze karpet... If you're wondering what he's trying to do, he's not trying to pounce or jump or play or anything. He's just lying there motionless like a snake. Attempts to coax him and tease him were only met with this blank stare.

Today is one of those gloomy, rainy days, with the wind howling outside and when the best feeling is being able to cozy up on the couch at home with a hot drink and a book. Except that I'm not reading a book right now. Apart from TV, books, magazines, blogs and Facebook, one of my favourite forms of entertainment is sitting on a couch with my belly exposed, watching it move and wriggle. It's a surreal form of entertainment, and I'm hardly thinking about the fact that it's MY belly. I'm just completely absorbed in waiting and watching for the next twitch and jiggle. Hubby finds it entertaining to watch me entertaining myself this way. But sometimes he's also sitting next to me, exclaiming excitedly along with me every time we see or feel another pop. There are actually different variations of movements. I was curious to know what on earth the little man inside was up to each time he came up with something new. I came across this article which outlines the differ...

More baby shopping this weekend. This weekend’s task centred around assembling this… Hubby’s comment as he assembled the cot: “ It’s really dawning on me that we’re having a baby! ” So for me it took sorting through baby clothes , and for hubs it took assembling baby furniture and equipment. We are kind of still debating whether to set the cot up in our room, or establish a separate nursery room. We’ve been hearing pros and cons of both options from various people: Those voting for having the cot in the same room insist on the benefits of easy access to baby and convenience, especially for night feeds. Those on the other side of the fence are adamant that it’s better to establish a separate nursery from the start to avoid the difficulties and drama of transitioning to a nursery later on. Both sides of the argument seem valid, but we’re still working out which option is for us.

Last week I went a bit hiatus because I had some special guests: my dear mummy and daddy who came to spot check the progress of my pregnancy. I was pampered by plenty of home cooked food and goodies such as… Home-made ‘ ham ching piang ’ and ‘ tau sar piang ’ And fried Chinese radish cake ( chai tau kueh ) In turn they also had the privilege to enjoy yummy outside eats like: Brunch at the Fig Tree Cafe All you can eat Korean BBQ And chocolate fondue at the Chocolate Factory in Swan Valley Our poor neglected garden also saw some action during that very productive week. I don’t have any photos of the hardworking gardeners so have to wait until my dad posts them up. (Mum, don’t worry about the beetroot… MH has been faithfully watering them and so far they look promising. Will put up the photo evidence soon!) Baby must have been super happy enjoying this wide variety of different tastes and food all throughout the week. Plus mum left our fridge well ...

These days the latest news is all about engagements, weddings and babies. Talk of exams, universities and graduations belongs to a different set now. We are growing up! I was sorting out baby clothes given by a friend over the weekend, and as I was folding up the teeny tiny shirts, pants and onesies... it started to really hit me hard " I am having a boy... my goodness a BOY!!! ". The thought of being a mummy to a little boy is still something I'm learning to comprehend. Sometimes in my illogical moments, I wonder to myself "C an I really be pregnant? Maybe it's all in my head and I'm just going through a fat phase ". Of course with my burgeoning belly, this sort of illogical thinking is becoming increasingly easier for my mind to discard. An old childhood friend of mine recently became a father to a baby girl. Heaps of congratulatory messages were flying all over Facebook following the official photo release. I paused over an especially artistic ph...

After polishing the last book off my reading plate, I was ready to dive in for more of Han Suyin. I hunted this book up at the library… and can I just say how great the library system is here? when I requested the book on the online book search, it said they did not have it but offered the option to place a suggestion on their purchase list. A few weeks later, I received a notification that the book was now available! This story was so different from the other one I read by the same author. I was really keen to read this one after learning about the author’s history of how she had to leave Hong Kong and relocate to Singapore. This story revolved around the British colonial period and Malayan Emergency of the 1940s and 1950s. At the same time with the circus and drama going on in the Malaysian political scene, with old grievances being dragged from the grave and finger pointing games… the historical setting in the book really added some context and background to everything that was...

One of the times I look forward to the most every week is Saturday mornings. Not just because I don’t have to go to work, but it’s generally the time hubby and I have our ‘just us’ time. On Saturday mornings, instead of being jarred awake at the sound of the alarm before groggily reaching over to the bedside table to switch it off, my body clock nudges me awake gently and I let my eyes peek open to the glorious feeling of being able to snuggle under the covers as long as I want to. Then hubby and I exchange good mornings before we share some pillow talk… simply lying back in bed and just talking. Sometimes we talk about ‘important’ stuff like about the changes that will happen when little boy blue arrives or things we need to get done around the house or career plans; sometimes it’s very deep and chim stuff like our thoughts on a sermon we heard, a book ‘we’ (read: I) read; or casual stuff like something we chatted about to someone we bumped into or a funny joke we heard, a movie ...

About time for a pregnancy update. I’m about 23 weeks along. Bump is definitely getting more pronounced and really feeling the stretch. At 23 weeks baby is about 30cm long (head to toe) and weighs about 500g. Here’s a recent scan from a couple weeks back. Proof of baby’s blue status indicated by the arrow (courtesy of the ultrasound technician).

One of the frequent comments made to hubby following a Q&A session on how I’m doing is something along the lines of… “Are you looking after Serene?” “Make sure you pamper her lots and lots!” “Remember, lots of back rubs, foot rubs, any kind of rub” So here is evidence of hubby’s efforts to looking after me. Yes folks, my hubby can cook! Fried noodles… and it was yummy! Muaks, hon!

In response to the question at the end of this post