Fur

The oddest things can trigger a memory. Today I was hanging up some clothes in the closet and caught sight of an old shirt that has not been washed since before my dog, Lavander, passed away. It had her fur all over it and made me think of her again.

Back then, most of my clothes had her fur on them, simply because she was always near me.

Yishun Greenwalk - The Beginning

We applied for a Build-to-Order (BTO) flat in Yishun years ago.

Well, ok not YEARS ago, it was in 2010. We had been applying for various BTO's before then but were not lucky enough to get one. There was a real housing crunch and there weren't enough flats for the growing population. So when we received the HDB letter saying that we were being given a chance to select a unit at Yishun Greenwalk, I was ecstatic. Doubly so since I was also expecting toddler E and I did not want to live with the in-laws forever. Don't get me wrong, the in-laws are great but I like having my own space.

So here are the floor plans:

We selected a 5-room unit (blue floor plan) because the extra space would be nice to have with toddler E running around.

I follow a Facebook page set up by a kind soul who's been taking weekly photos of the construction site to share. This saves me making a physical trip down to the area to have a look at the progress and right now almost all the blocks are complete and some have even been painted. I read that we could potentially get our keys at the end of this year (2013) and that has spurred me on to research how I would like my kitchen to be. The husband is in charge of the rest but the kitchen is my domain.

All I know right now is that I would like to have an undermount stainless steel sink. But, I also know that it will be more expensive than a drop-in sink. I also need to start thinking about what type of counter top (quartz vs granite and a host of other choices), cabinets, faucets etc.

I'm excited!

Real Men Carry a Pink Diaper Bag

The hubby has resigned from his 9-5 job in a bid to regain his sanity and work-life balance. And the stress from his work was showing in  his constant shoulder aches which prompted many a visit to his trusty sinseh (Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor).

He's been putting an effort into spending more time with toddler E which is great. For me. I finally found time to go for a facial treatment while the hubby entertained toddler E at home. Plus he's been pretty good at picking up the slack in child-caring duties. 

I even have photo evidence!

13 June: Backpack courtesy of my sister

Who's Your Momma?

Not me.

There are days when being a mother really gets to me. Especially when it's that time of the month and PMS hits me hard.

Unfortunately the hubz is pretty sensitive to hormonal changes (he had morning nausea in sympathy with a pregnant colleague at a workplace a few years ago) so when I'm tired and achy with a nagging pain in my lower back where I had the epidural, he usually has some aches and pains at the same time.

Now this bugs me because when I'm down like this, I'd like to be able to depend on my partner to have my back and step in with todzilla instead of moaning and groaning about his bad shoulder acting up.

So once a month, I wallow in self-pity and resentment at the hubz and todzilla.

I need to work on that.

Hello 2013 (I know, I'm late)

I guess this is the time when most people start reflecting on their lives in 2012 and write down what they hope 2013 will be. So I shall join the bandwagon and do a post like that as well, albeit rather late as it's already halfway through January 2013 but here goes.

What was 2012 like for me? Well, baby E and I took our first big trip without the hubz because work could not let him go. We went with my parents and sister to visit her boyfriend (now fiance) in Las Vegas and spent 2 weeks there. Baby E took to plane travel like a champ, flirting with the female flight attendants and charming the other passengers with his sunny smile. He did get a bit grumpy towards the end of the return flight and I was tired and could not find the strength to keep him entertained so I just nursed him and hoped for the best. It was the longest 6 hour flight of my life (Seoul to Singapore).

During the trip I received news that Lavander was sick and not eating her food. I asked the hubz and my godfather to check in on her and he sent me pictures of her. When I got back to Singapore, we (baby E, the hubz and I) took Lavander to the vet and the rest is in my previous post.

Then my sister's fiance visited in October and we went to Koh Samui with my parents (again, the hubz could not get time off work) and baby E had the time of his life. The sun, sand and sea really agreed with him and he LOVED feeding the fishes off the boat we hired.

We ended the year with the usual Christmas celebrations with my family and baby E was old enough to stay up a bit later and handle all the stimulation that comes with seeing relatives and opening presents. He did not have a single meltdown and I'm so proud of him for that.

I won't deny it, having baby E in 2010 and adjusting to life after that was really difficult for me. He was not (and still is not) an easygoing baby who keeps me on my toes. The hubz made a point to spend lots of time with baby E during his Christmas vacation and I can see the father-son bond growing already. Who knows, maybe someday soon the hubz will be able to put baby E to bed at night without me!

What am I looking forward to in 2013? Having our own home! Our flat should be ready by the end of 2013 and we could potentially move in before the middle of 2014. Our first home together, that'll be an adventure!