Monthly Archives: January 2014

Saturday in the Park

We have been spending quite a few of our Saturday mornings at West Coast Park because Anya has her inline skating lessons there. West Coast Park is a really lovely place to hang out. It’s pretty near us and is spacious and never feels uncomfortably crowded, unlike East Coast Park. There are several playgrounds suitable for different age groups and open spaces for kite-flying and such.

We usually rush off after her inline skating lesson because our weekends are always packed full. But Anya wanted to have a picnic so we brought along a ground sheet and made ourselves comfortable at one of the sandy playgrounds the Saturday before I was due to deliver. I wasn’t really very mobile by then so we were taking things easy and didn’t have a full day ahead of us.

We had plans to make sandwiches but didn’t have time so we bought some food from McDonald’s instead. The kids had a lot of fun digging in the sand while Adrian and I lazed about. A really wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning, I would say!

sand play

sand play

turning back to say hi

turning back to say hi

hash brown break

hash brown break

making himself comfy on Daddy

making himself comfy on Daddy

Anya joins Adam on the 'park bench'

Anya joins Adam on the ‘park bench’

Swensen’s Disney Princess Ice-Cream Cake (Plus a Giveaway!)

Anya really loves her Disney Princesses. Her favourite Disney Princess used to be Cinderella, then she decided that Rapunzel was way more interesting, and now it’s all about Elsa from Frozen simply because her dress is so gorgeous! We spend a lot of time watching the Disney Princesses on DVD and Adam can name quite a few of them too.

So when I showed her pictures of Swensen’s newest range of Disney Princess ice-cream cakes, her eyes lit up and she spent lots of time looking through the images and deciding which one was her absolute favourite. The day after I got home from hospital with David, we surprised them with the cake and we had a little celebration. The Disney Princess ice-cream cake was a feast for the eyes and tastebuds! The kids were delighted with the beautiful cake and ate it with glee.

Depending on the weight of the cake, the Disney Princess range of ice-cream cakes comes in different shapes (round, heart, square, rectangle) and you can choose from 24 exciting and delicious ice-cream flavours. We ordered the Swensen’s Special (vanilla, chocolate and strawberry). Personally, I love Ol’ Fashioned Vanilla and Sticky Chewy Chocolate. :) Prices start at $47 for a 1kg cake.

Stunning Princesses

Stunning Princesses

waiting in anticipation

waiting in anticipation

Adam is trying to make the peace sign

Adam is trying to make the peace sign

yummy!!

yummy!!

GIVEAWAY! :)

One lucky reader will win a 1kg round Disney Princess ice-cream cake from Swensen’s! You can choose from 24 yummy ice-cream flavours: Swensen’s Special, Butterscotch, Chendol, Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Buttercup, Coffee, Cookies ‘N’ Cream, Frosted Chocolate Malt, Hazelnut, Lime Sherbet, Mango, Milo, Mocha Almond Fudge, Ol’ Fashioned Vanilla, Rocky Road, Salted Gula Melaka, Sticky Chewy Chocolate, Strawberry, Strawberry Sherbet, Thin Mint, Vanilla, Yummy Raisins, Macadamia Nut and Durian Supreme!

To qualify, simply do the following by WEDNESDAY, 5 FEBRUARY 2014, 2359H (Singapore time):

1. Like the ‘In the Wee Hours’ Facebook page.
2. Like the ‘Swensen’s Singapore’ Facebook page.
3. Leave a comment here with your email address telling me (a) which Swensen’s ice-cream flavour is your favourite and (b) which Disney Princess ice-cream cake design you like the most (you can see the design name when you mouse over the image)!

RESULTS! :)

Swensen's

Congrats to Waiwai! Thank you to everyone else for taking part. Do try your luck over at my Disney On Ice: Treasure Trove giveaway (ending on 11 February)!

Disclaimer: We received a Swensen’s Disney Princess ice-cream cake for review. All opinions are my own.

Logos Hope – Bringing Knowledge, Help & Hope

Logos Hope is the world’s largest floating book store with more than 5,000 books available for sale and she is in Singapore for the CNY season. Adrian took the older kids yesterday while David and I were stuck at home. Would have loved to go too but at least Adrian took some photos for me to see what it’s like.

Logos Hope

Logos Hope

on board

on board

trying to drive the ship

trying to drive the ship

the cafe (wasn't open yesterday)

the cafe (wasn’t open yesterday)

Kids Area

Kids Area

playing and colouring

playing and colouring

with one of the crew members

with one of the crew members

what's in the suitcase?

what’s in the suitcase?

let's take a look

let’s take a look

stowaways!

stowaways!

saying bye

saying bye

books and some souvenirs

books and some souvenirs

A friend of mine blogged about the last time Logos Hope visited Singapore in December 2011 and shared her thoughts about the other programmes on board the ship. You can read her post here.

Logos Hope is open to the public at The Promenade, VivoCity until Sunday, 2nd February. Entrance is free; children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.  The ship will be open from 10:00 am – 10:00 pm, Wednesday to Saturday; 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm on Monday & Tuesdays and 1:00 pm to 10:00 pm on Sundays.

Review of My Baby Gift Hamper

We were very blessed to receive some flowers, a few hampers and other gifts to congratulate us on David’s arrival. The hamper that really stood out for me was the one from My Baby Gift. The box came tied up in a pretty blue ribbon and the kind people at My Baby Gift sent him a blanket, a pillow, a bib, a bodysuit and a little pony rattle. It was very touching to see David’s name embroidered so thoughtfully on the items in the box!

what's in the box?

what’s in the box?

My Baby Gift

My Baby Gift

My Baby Gift is an online gift boutique for mummy & baby offering premium hampers with products imported from international designers such as Sophie the Giraffe, Gaia, Mothercare, Petit Bateau, and aden + anais. You can choose from specific hampers or create your own hamper according to what you think the recipient will like. You can also choose to get the items customised with the baby’s name (for free!) for that extra personal touch.

blanket, pillow, bib, onesie and little horse

blanket, pillow, bib, onesie and little horse

The items in the box are made from 100% cotton and so incredibly soft! The adorable striped pony rattle has little ribbon tags to keep his fingers busy. Once David is old enough for the pillow, I’m sure he’ll enjoy a good night’s sleep on it every night. The pillow case is easy to remove and wash. The blanket (90x100cm) is large enough to also serve well as a stroller blanket to keep him warm when we’re out and about in air-conditioned places. I can’t wait till he’s big enough to fit nicely into the comfy onesie!

David 'modelling' some of the items!

David ‘modelling’ some of the items!

My Baby Gift is perfect for baby showers, for welcoming newborns and for 1st month celebrations! The personalised items are practical, but make wonderful keepsakes as well. You can enjoy $10 off any hamper on the website by using the coupon code WEEHOURS (valid until June 2014).

The Kids in School

I wanted to write about Anya and Adam in school but didn’t get around to doing it before my delivery. Anya’s in K1 now and went to class on the first day with no hesitation whatsoever. Adam started pre-nursery a few days later. He was quite happy to play and sing along on the first day but wouldn’t let me out of his sight.

By the second day of the orientation, some of the parents managed to slip out of the classroom and stand at the windows but Adam would cry whenever I tried to go outside! He wanted me by his side the entire time and was only willing to wander off on his own when it was playground time.

It was like that for the rest of orientation so I decided not to be around when Adrian dropped him off for his first unaccompanied day at school. There were tears but I think he was much better after a couple of days. Now he goes to school very happily every day! So proud of him!

first day of K1!

first day of K1!

making her way to class with daddy

making her way to class with daddy

Adam's first day of school

Adam’s first day of school

a photo with his sister

a photo with his sister

looking at the rabbits before class starts

looking at the rabbits before class

walking with daddy

walking with daddy

playing with some blocks

playing with some blocks

busy in the kitchen

busy in the kitchen

bartending?

bartending?

my little boy!

my little boy!

with daddy

with daddy

singing the goodbye song

singing the goodbye song

with his new school bag

with his new school bag

snack time on a separate day

snack time on a separate day

participating in class

participating in class

his favourite bit: playground time!

his favourite bit: playground time!

David’s Birth Story

We were planning to have the elective C-section for David on 18 Jan but moved it forward to 15 Jan because he was putting on weight too slowly inside. Long story, but it had something to do with my placenta being resistant to delivering nutrients to the baby. Meh.

So on Tuesday night, we headed to Balestier for some bak kut teh before going to the hospital just after 11.30pm. I was supposed to stop eating by midnight so I sat in a corner wolfing down tau huay while Adrian got us registered. We were shown to the room very quickly and after checking the baby’s heartbeat and my blood pressure, etc., we settled down for the night.

one of my last pregnant photos!

one of my last pregnant photos!

I was woken up at 6.30am and prepped for the operation. Although I knew what to expect, I was really very tense and nervous. After the drip and epidural were put in, my doctor came in and Adrian appeared shortly after. I made the mistake of looking up at the reflective bits of the lights above me and briefly glimpsed my bloody insides and instantly felt like throwing up. With great effort, I managed to keep last night’s supper in my tummy. I was shivering quite a bit from the epidural though.

on the way to the OR

on the way to the OR

I wasn’t in any sort of pain but was a bit uncomfortable. But all that was forgotten when David made his appearance and was quickly cleaned up, wrapped up and deposited on my chest. Such a relief to have him out safe and sound! He was healthy and also heavier than hoped for. Thank God!

our first family photo

our first family photo

getting cleaned up

getting cleaned up

Adrian followed David out of the room and my doctor continued the operation. However, there were some complications. The scar tissue from my previous two c-sections kept on bleeding when she was trying to close me up. The area affected was also above the epidural area and I kept wincing from the discomfort, so eventually my doctor made the decision to put me under GA.

The last thing I heard her say was, “Cancel all my appointments!” and she worked on me for about 2 hours, while back at her clinic, her clinic assistants prayed for me and the bleeding stopped. Phew! She called Adrian when she was done, and because it had taken so much longer than expected, he thought she was calling to say I had died or something along those lines!

the kids came to visit

the kids came to visit

When I eventually woke up, I was feeling really groggy and out of it. Took a few more hours before I felt clear-headed. Was very happy to see the two older ones though. They were so enthusiastic about their new little brother and couldn’t get enough of him. Thank God that Baby David arrived safely and that everything turned out well! This is the start of an amazing journey. :)