My resolution

This week, I’ve read that my baby is the size of an avocado.

Another source said baby is the size of a turnip this week...

Jasmine asked me why the websites always compared the size of the baby to fruits. Hmm… Beats me.

Anyway, I guess the turnip and avocado are about the same size. Baby is about 12+cm long this week. And I also read that he/she will be doubling in size very quickly over the next few weeks.

So, today I made a resolution. To start eating healthy for the baby. I mean it’s really not that difficult for me. :)

I decided to eat 2 servings of fruits each day and decided to get it cheaper and fresher from the supermarket instead of the pre-sliced fruits I get outside (Goodness knows how much Vitamins are lost after the fruits are left sitting there all day!)

Ooh, don’t you just love the colors? Tip: Remember to get fruits that are deeply colored. They contain more vitamins compared to their paler counterparts.

I also decided to prepare my own healthy and cheaper breakfast. Every time I get my breakfast from Suntec, I spend at least $3 on breakfast… and that’s not too nutritious. Think toasted Yakun bread with the thick slabs of butter, fried french toast, butter/sugar buns.

So I bought these from the supermarket too!

So, I wish myself all the best as I try to consume all the nutritious foods as I can for a healthy baby. I am sure the occasional snacking would not hurt though. :p

Ending off, here’s a picture of my tummy at week 16. I think I am starting to GROW quickly as I proceed to the 2nd trimester of my pregnancy!

My thoughts on *Loyalty*

It’s been a rather long day at work… just finished my monthly end-of-month work, ISO audit and a CG BBQ outreach. Phew!

I thought and expected that I would crash into bed tonight but surprisingly I did not. In fact, i suddenly had thoughts… Thoughts about loyalty. I guess many things had happened around me, not to me though, that had triggered these thoughts.

“Character is more important than talent”

~ Edwin Louis Cole

“Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. I will go where you go and live where you live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” ~ Ruth from the Bible

“The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him”

~ 2 Chronicles 16:9

As I think back on my life, I realized I had only grasped the concept of loyalty 10 years ago – The time I got serious with God.

I guess you take after your ‘father’. Father God is most loyal.  

I am glad I have and I know the few causes in my life which I am loyal to. Do you have? Doesn’t life become superficial, meaningless and perhaps uncertain when there are no causes in which you would ‘die’ for?

Well, I can say I am loyal to God, my husband and family, my church for sure. I am also dedicated to my work and ministry a.k.a my calling, my leaders and close friends.

What is loyalty to me?

Loyalty is loyalty when you don’t feel like being loyal.

Loyalty is when you know the cause you are supporting is right and you support it even if you are the minority.

Loyalty is thinking for the person you are loyal to, putting yourself in his/her shoes.

Loyalty is when you speak up and defend your cause when truth is not being spoken.

Loyalty is when you act even during times of difficulty, pressure and inconvenience.

Loyalty is doing what you promised you would do.

Loyalty is going the extra mile at no cost.

Loyalty is spending your time, energy, $$ not on yourself.

Loyalty is unselfish.

Loyalty is laying down your life.

Loyalty is true love.

Loyalty is a choice.

To me, my life is worth living because there are people and causes I am loyal and committed to. I chose and continue to choose to be loyal. And I am so thankful to God, that I live in an environment whereby I am surrounded by loyal people. I also have full confidence that I have a God and family and friends whom I know are loyal to me. My beloved hubby, my siblings, my super loyal leaders, my colleagues, my peers in church. Amazing…!

So tonight, I am tucking into bed… happy and contented with life. :)

Good night!

Baby J at 15 weeks!

We were really excited to see Baby J once again in an ultra sound scan today, after 4          whole          weeks!

Took my weight and I finally gained 1.1 kg from my last visit 1 month ago. Dr Tan actually advised me that there’s no target weight to achieve for pregnant mothers. In fact, trying to achieve set weights may result in excess weight that’s hard to lose after pregnancy. Like in my case, the weight gain is small but baby has been growing steadily and healthily! So that’s good news for me!

I also asked Dr if it’s normal to experience the occasional dull and even sometimes sharp pains in my stomach. He said that it was normal and should be of no concern at this point cos it’s the baby and uterus growing. PHEW!

So, here’s the picture of the scan of Baby J. It really brought tears of joy to see him/her again!!!

It’s amazing how baby has doubled in size in the last 4 weeks! He/she is now 10 cm long and weighs about 40grams! Size of head, tummy and the heartbeat are all very normal. :) Jared said baby seems to have grown too big and the amniotic sac aka his/her bedroom now is getting too small for him/her! If you can see, the full black areas is the amniotic sac. So it seems I really got to ‘upgrade’ his/her room quickly!

Dr then commented that baby is enjoying the ‘view in the sky’ at the time of the scan. HAHAHA!

Last of all, ending with this picture of Baby J waving goodbye to all… :)

Tada!

For Steamboat Lovers

Do u love to eat Steamboat? My hubby sure does! He has tried I believe almost all the steamboat restaurants at the Bugis area and he still loves… XIAN DE LAI 鲜得来。

It’s situated at Liang Seah Street.

Here’s our favorite soup base there.

The red, spicy one on the left is the spicy chicken base. It comes with a serving of fried chicken with dried chilli padi as ‘appetizer’. Absolutely delicious!

Trust me, it’s not as spicy as it looks! Jared and I will always try to dig and hunt down all the chicken bits in this bowl.

And here were some of the food that we ordered.

Must trys are:

Special taste pork ribs, special taste chicken wings, special meat ball. The rest of the food were of average quality.

Price: $18+++

Ambience: Fully air-con, cosy and comfortable, hygenic.

I know many of you had asked me now I am pregnant, what I crave or dislike. Well, I kinda like eating carbos now. But 1 thing I really dislike now that I used to like is - boiled chicken chunks. Like this:

Obviously, Jared ordered this… NOT ME!

Even looking at this picture of the chicken for more than 3 secs make me feel nauseous! Don’t ask me why!?

Anyway a few days ago, we also tried out Mushroom Hot Pot at Kallang. it was our first time to this place. AND it was EVEN BETTER than Xian De Lai in terms of quality, taste and variety.

In fact, cooked food was also offered on the buffet menu!

We ordered:

Fried man tou…. Nice!

Fried shitake mushrooms. Absolutely delicious to the mushroom lovers. The taste was however too strong for me (I do not really like such mushrooms).

Scallops in teriyaki sauce…. Yummylicious!

Their fried ee-fu noodles and kungbao chicken was also very very good.

Their soup bases mainly boiled with mushrooms were VERY tasty (no mushroomy taste I assure you… especially after cooking all the ingredients)!

Must try: The cooked food, fish paste, and generally their raw food were of very fresh quality. Delicious!

Price: $27++ (but we enjoyed a Ladies’ discount of 20% on weekdays’ nights)

Ambience: Mid-range restaurant setting. Comfortable and fully air-con.

So, if you are a steamboat lover, do go down and try these two places! :)

My husband’s new mistress

Her name is Goldie.

She’s worth alot to my hubby.

My hubby adores her right now.

My hubby wants to bring her everywhere he goes.

Yes…. my hubby’s got a mistress.

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Yes! This is a very welcomed addition to the Lim family! Even before Baby J comes along. :)

It’s a Nissan Latio Sports and it’s a ‘J’ car too cos the car plate number is SJJ XXXXX! Isn’t it such a coincidence? And the interior is very spacious for its size.

We are definitely very satisfied with our purchase (of course)!

Hooray to days of less-waiting-for-taxis and more-chauffeuring-by-hubby! :)

Clothes for a BIGger me…

That’s what some people have commented. That I’ve grown. Hopefully just my stomach that they are referring to??

Well, my appetite is not really fantastic but I must say I’ve improved. :) Maybe because I have started to eat desserts just like these yummilicious egg beancurd with pearls from Chomp Chomp. And I had them past 10pm… :p

And so, my clothes are also really getting a tad tighter, especially my bottoms. I am already stacking more and more of my clothes in my wardrobe away as I can no longer squeeze into them. :( I pray I can dig them out again after my pregnancy!

I also then decided to do a little window online shopping just to get inspirations for non-maternity BIGger outfits that I can get …perhaps soon.

Why non-maternity? Because I think maternity outfits are generally very pricey and most of them not as fashionable.

Here are a few which I liked… and can last me, for awhile?

 

Actually and honestly, I don’t really have any cravings to shop these days. BELIEVE ME. Maybe, because it’s BF season… Or maybe I have lost interest?? Jared will be soo happy to hear that!

But another reason is definitely because of my current size… I know I am unable to fit into many clothes either now or very soon too! *Sob  sob. So, I am abit sian to go shopping these days. Let me show u what I mean.

So here am I in a confused state. Happy to see my stomach growing and yet not too happy to be unable to fit into my clothings. And so I comfort myself with this: NO PAIN, NO GAIN. To gain means one have to definitely incur some pain…. Hmmm….

My Hair Bangs

My hair was in a bad state. Very long and it seemed to have become drier and knottier (also naughtier) during my pregnancy.

So, I made a decision yesterday to CUT my hair.

1. Since I can’t dye my hair, I left it alone. There are reports that have shown that the chemicals in hair dyes can harm a baby, resulting in birth defects. Nothing is more important to ensure your baby’s health… not even vanity for the mere 9 months!

Anyway, my original black hair is growing out and black is a much more healthier looking color than dyed hair. I hope I don’t look fiercer though!

2. I snipped off what could be more than TWO inches of my hair… snipping away all the ‘dead’ hay.. I beg your pardon, I meant hair. Now my hair is slightly below my shoulders.

3. I got my hair treated. Now I can finally comb my hair without any knots!

4. I cut my fringe and got BANGS.

So, tada! My hair (uh-um, not face) looks something like this now-

(picture taken from http://www.beautytiptoday.com/2008/12/hollywood-hairstyles-gone-bang-crazy-in.html)

As a result, I feel cooler, lighter, neater and younger (due to the bangs)! Even my hubby who prefers me with long long hair likes my new hairdo *yeah!*. He says it’s cute *blush*…

So well, I can and should and will try my best to look as clean and neat and energetic as possible during my next 6 months of pregnancy! ….Till lethargy and can’t-be-botheredness sets in! ;p