as our current car has been giving us major problems every other month (eg having to change the radiator!) and we were spending anywhere from RM800 to RM1000 per time on repairs, we have decided to get a new car. for those who know me well enough, you'd know that i don't really care about the type or model, just as long as there's a driver for me! so i left it to b to decide on which car as he is going to be the one driving it. he has decided on the new honda city (the more expensive one which makes it "feel and look" more sporty). but before we settled on the city, i did my own research on what to look out for in a car for a family. below are my tips:

tips on kid-friendly cars:

• car size - how many family members do you have now or are expecting to join the family in the near future? will a small or midsized sedan do? or do you need a minivan, wagon or a suv? remember too that the smaller vehicles offer better fuel economy (plenty of savings in terms of raising a child!)
• baby car seats - as we all know, car seats are bulky. so consider how much room you'll need for the seats. kids must always ride in the back, away from front airbags and always in the middle if possible. so ask if that particular car model supports baby seats in the middle rear (it's best to bring the baby seat to test out in the car if you've already gotten one. i know i would have had i had one already!). does that car model support all types and models of baby seats? (eg the safety belt system). best if there is more than enough room between the rear and the front seats as having your seat kicked from the rear by your child can get pretty annoying.
• cargo space - think of strollers, groceries, shopping, baby stuff, toys, etc. of course the bigger the cargo space the better.
• car seats - are they able to fold down for more flexibility for those times you might need to transport furniture maybe?
• blind spots - ask how far the vehicle's blind spots are. are they from the front or the rear of the vehicle? this is important as there are so many accidents involving kids being run over because the driver could not see them because they're so small and short. does the car have reverse sensors? (although this does not help in situations where the child is to small to be able to be detected, it's better than nothing).
• power windows - the safest power window switches are lever switches, whereby they have to be pulled up to raise a car window, because it is almost impossible to raise a window automatically. switches mounted on a vertically or upswept armrest are also harder to activate accidentally. two types of switches that are best to avoid are rocker switches (press one end to move the window up and the other to move the window down) and toggle switches (push up and pull down to move the windows). these switches are easy to activate automatically if a child should accidentally step or press on them. ask if the vehicle has window auto reverse sensors whereby the windows will automatically move down should it hit an obstacle on the way up (little fingers, etc.)

so as b was test driving the city, i went through this whole list with the salesman and checked out the interior myself. and since it satisfied everything on my list (except maybe for the lack of room between the front and rear seats) and it's what we can afford right now, we proceeded to get it. so.........i can't wait for our new car! : )

the first "weird" or rather unexpected pregnancy experience happened to me today. i woke up at 4:30am feeling extremely ravenous. so i got out of bed, as i really couldn't ignore my growling tummy anymore, and cooked a pack of instant noodle. after slurping it all down, i decided i needed another pack. so i cooked another pack and slurped it all down. guess what i did next? i went back to bed as i couldn't keep my eyes opened anymore! besides i was feeling so hot that i wanted to go back to our air-conditioned bedroom. so then i went back to sleep until 9:30am AND i slept like a baby. and throughout the whole time, b never once woke up! i hope and pray that this will be a one-off experience. can you imagine how much weight i'd gain if this continues?! eat, sleep, eat, sleep...............

another name given to me courtesy of p: "humpty-dumpty" (goes to show how round i am!).

b and i took a mini vacay for valentine's. we checked into hotel maya in town for an overnight-er for our version of paradise: lying in bed watching movies, ordering room service, never leaving the room - absolute bliss!

well, hotel maya is an extremely zen looking hotel, which immediately makes you feel like all your burdens have been lifted the moment you set foot in it. i've come to realise that in some situations, when the aesthetics are so pleasing, there is bound to be something else lacking - the service. when we were checking in (check in time is 2pm), we were told the room was not ready and that we had to wait 2 hours for it to be ready! this was totally unacceptable in our books (for we were only staying the one night and besides what were we supposed to do in the meantime?!). so, we politely but firmly asked to talk to a manager if we were going to be reimbursed in any form for the wait. 1/2 an hour later (which is a pretty long time in my books), the manager finally showed up and immediately upgraded and checked us into a junior suite (i guess it pays to stand your ground huh?). i was just glad to get a room as i wanted to lie down as the onset of a headache was already setting in.

guess what happened next? less than 10 minutes later, someone knocked on the door AND proceeded to enter the room without waiting for a response! (it was a housekeeping staff who wanted to check the minibar). i tell you, i was furious by now. i mean what if we were walking around naked getting ready for a bath?! i couldn't believe that this staff would just use the master key and enter the room without getting the ok from us! my oh my....................

the next morning when we went to the coffee house for breakfast, it was like a market. the wait staff was talking loudly non-stop to the kitchen staff through the service door! the wait staff even left customers waiting for a good 10 minutes before seating them because they were so engrossed in their own conversations!

well, it's a real shame really, for hotel maya really IS a beautiful hotel. it is extremely disappointing to receive service that is not on par with the status of the hotel. needless to say, we won't be going back at all!

www.hotelmaya.com.my

view from the sky lounge which is only accessible to hotel guests.

in all the books or websites on pregnancy, they all say that the first trimester is the worst, what with the sickness and all. they say too that the second trimester is the best whereby the sickness eases and one is not so tired anymore.
so.........when i hit 13 weeks last week, i was soooooooooo looking forward to it. i mean not to have nausea, headaches or even being tired all the time? it was going to be heaven! but boy oh boy, were the books wrong. in fact the whole of last week, i felt sicker than all my first 12 weeks combined! i was thinking, "oh no! am i gonna be the odd one out here?". some women are sick throughout the whole pregnancy and i was not looking forward to be one of them. but since now i'm into my 14th week, guess what? i do feel a whole lot better. i guess the books should say that the sickness does not just magically go away once you hit 13 weeks. it might take some time to kick in. not that is a fact.

this is actually a continuation of the previous blog. i realised that i left out quite a number of things (all courtesy of the famous "pregnancy brains"):

• CHANGES IN BREASTS - very sensitive and sore at the beginning, the areola darkens and gets bigger, the tiny glands around the nipples are elevated and veins under the skin around the breasts begin to show. all in all, the breasts and nipples are not a very sexy or should i say welcoming sight, if you know what i mean. besides, they hurt like hell and i would have probably punched b in the face if he ever came near them!
• LEG CRAMPS - this comes and goes for me. usually in the evenings and nights.
• GAS - this i have plenty of! but thankfully, mine all comes out as burps and not from the other end! this also could be one of the reason why i'm so bloated, puffy and swollen.
• BLEEDING GUMS - not a big issue for me. it's only sometimes and then also it's not as if i'm spitting out mouthfuls of blood, just a trickle here and there. only happens when i'm brushing my teeth.
• PREGNANCY BRAINS - this i suffer from. i've noticed that i have trouble sometimes using the right words. the word is in my mind but it simply won't come out. a lot of times now when i talk to b, i find myself stopping midway through a sentence only to have him finish it for me. i guess it's a good sign that he knows me well enough to know what i want to say!
• VAGINAL DISCHARGE - there's certainly been an increase in vaginal discharge. it's just that wet feeling and nothing a panty liner can't solve.
• FREQUENT URINATION - i can't believe how much pee i've got! i go to the loo like 6/7 times in an hour! you'd think that with all this pee-ing going on, i would not retain so much water still!
• CONSTIPATION - i guess my non-pregnant routine of moving my bowels 2/3 times after breakfast daily works well for me here. i am still a regular gal in this department.
• CRAMPS - not unlike period cramps. these are mild achiness akin to a pulling sensation on one or both sides of the abdomen because of the stretching of ligaments that support the uterus as it grows. mine comes and goes and it's never at any set times. it's just a sudden pulling sensation that appears and disappears just as quickly.
• DIZZINESS - i've only had this a couple of times. i usually sit down or lean on b when this happens. it passes pretty quickly for me.
• BREAKOUTS - this happens on a regular basis for me. it's just like before i get my period and it's not more than usual.

so there you go. the good, bad and ugly of being pregnant. i'm sure there are more changes that come with being pregnant but these are the ones that have affected me (which is quite a list so far!). so please don't use this as the complete guide.

below is a MY list of experiences with pregnancy symptoms:

• NAUSEA - throughout the day with very little actual vomiting (in fact up until now i've only hurled less than 5 times). also, with the nausea comes gripping hunger pangs - at the same time!
• HEADACHES - comes and goes. can be very crippling and constant on some days. it's almost as if this whole slab of concrete is resting on my head the whole time.
• SWELLING / PUFFINESS - started really early. i stopped wearing my wedding ring probably during my 6th week. all this water retention is sooo not on. p has even nicknamed me "e no-neck". so you can see how bad it is. just a little note: i swell up every time before my period too.
• TIREDNESS - have to get an afternoon nap everyday. can not go without one.
• CRAVINGS - meat, meat and more meat! also ribena non-stop.
• HEIGHTENED SENSE OF SMELL - am like a basset hound now. can not tolerate b's smell at all. he always, always has to shower when he comes back and before coming near me.
• STUFFED NOSE - i know this is a little known effect of pregnancy but this is true for me. my nose is always blocked.
• EXCESS SALIVA - also a little known effect but i do not suffer from this (unless i have been spitting on people when i talk which i don't know about! have i?!)
• BACKACHES - i suffer from my neck, shoulders all the way down to my lower back.
• LUSCIOUS HAIR & NAILS - my hair has always been thick so i can't tell. one thing i do know though is that i have to wash my hair everyday. it gets greasier faster than normal. i do notice my nails though and yes they grow faster.

so, there it is! i will update this list as i progress if there are any new ones ; )

two facts that have been proven true in subsequent pregnancies (for me at least):

1. you show a lot faster even if you are only in the first tri-mester
2. your boobs don't grow as much or as fast as in the very first pregnancy : (

just a note on the test we took:
the nuchal translucency scan measures a collection of fluid under the skin at the back of the baby's neck. babies with down's syndrome have a very thick measurement. these scans are usually performed between 11 and 13 weeks. this is a non-invasive test as it is performed via an ultrasound. hence this test is a good indication if a baby has down's or not.

at the beginning of the nuchal scan (a major test during the first trimester to test for abnormalities and down syndrome) baby was extremely active and moving his/her arms and legs about. he/she was even playing and pulling on his/her umbilical cord! it was so nice to watch. it made both b and i all warm and fuzzy inside.
anyway, when our doc wanted to start taking measurements, baby just immediately stopped moving and started sleeping and remained absolutely still! no amount of prodding and noise would get baby to move. talk about being stubborn! it happened in the split of a second! needless to say, we spent quite some time in the clinic. i was even made to drink a cup of milo because our doc believed that the sugar would wake baby up and get him/her moving around. guess what? it didn't work. BUT it did manage to get baby to change positions and we were finally able to do the tests (at one point baby even turned his/her back on us!). phew....................i was starting to think that we would have to re-schedule the tests.
so......after all the waiting it was all worth it. every thing's progressing as it should and the tests all came back normal. PRAISE GOD!

this is me coming out of the closet: yes, i am pregnant. i'm sure everyone have guessed it by now. i am now 12 weeks and all the tests came back perfect. now, for those who think that the reason i didn't say anything earlier is because i believe in the "pantangs" you're wrong. it's just that i had bleeding and spotting earlier on and it was a bit touch and go for a while and we didn't know what would happen (besides, the first trimester is always fragile). that was why i kept quiet about it. but now i'm glad it's out in the open!
as i mentioned in my earlier postings, b and i had stopped trying. and to tell the truth i was quite surprised with the positive reading on the pee stick! i had no inkling whatsoever that i was pregnant. for that particular month, we only had sex once and then also not on those specific dates. so imagine what a surprise it was (albeit a sweet and pleasant surprise).
this time round, the pregnancy has been a lot easier. i don't feel sick all the time (unlike the last two pregnancies). i do get nausea off and on and in fact i lost weight because i didn't really have the appetite to eat. besides that, no cons at all this time round.
one thing i've noticed though: i am just so relaxed and chilled with this pregnancy. i have stopped cramming facts from pregnancy books into my head and i even indulge my eating habits off and on. it's almost as if "oh, this has all happened before, so no big deal". i hardly even talk to my baby and obviously no reading bedtime stories to baby! i also am not thinking bout my baby 24/7. i'm acting so different from the last two pregnancies, that i myself can't believe it's me sometimes. it's almost as if there's no "kan cheong-ness" at all.
i am basically just letting it all be and maybe i'm in a different phase or i've changed. but that does not mean that i do not love my baby or that i'm not protective and excited about my bump. i believe everything will fall in place in good time.