What I have been up to this holiday...

Bought some craft books quite a while back and they have been left to collect dust, until I picked them up one day while cleaning up the room. I came across a doggie plush toy in one of the books and I like it very much. The thought of a handsewn toy for Christmas sounded wonderful and it kind of lingered around long enough for me to take it seriously. So, I started my first sewing project one Saturday afternoon while the baby was having a nap. On and off it took me three days to finish the project.

I used my old t-shirt and jeans, as well as a pair of new socks that I don't think I will ever wear. As for the filling, I used the old polyfill from a cushion. It's good practice to use recycled materials and reduce waste. :D

Since it was my first sewing project, my work didn't turn out quite perfect. But again, that's the beauty of handcrafted stuffs, right? They're supposed to be one-of-a-kind, aren't they? Hahaha... Anyway, I'm so happy to see something from paper turning into a real toy. I couldn't wait until Christmas to give the toy to baby... and have been very show-off with it. ...hehehe...




I guess my baby is a bit too young to know how to play with a plushie, as the first thing she did when she got hold of the toy was pounding it on any surface she could find and shook it =.= ... poor little doggie... And, she still does it, sigh! Well, I take it as she likes the lil doggie her mommy made for her. :P


I get sort of hooked on to the sewing and so I made a pair of bootleg jeans for the lil doggie. So proud of myself now, wahahaha!

By the way, her name is Snow Pea. :)

How to fold clothes in 2 seconds

It seemed like I always spent forever on folding clothes, yet I could never get them right. It's either asymmetrically folded or one of the sleeves slipped out, dangling there like a corpse's arm... (Mind you, I can be a hopelessly terrible perfectionist sometimes...)

Found this on YouTube just the other day. With much skepticism, I tried it out and it works! It has literally saved my day. Yoohoooo! Check it out, you'll be glad that you did.

Baby blues

I've read about and heard of "Baby Blues" before but I didn't see myself in such situation nor did I think that it would ever happen to me. After the delivery, I was exhilarated and that blissful feeling was with me until now... after 3 months. Even though I have a little mood swing now and then, it usually go away shortly.

Lately, I've had quite a few mood swings and episodes of meltdowns... sometimes tears just rolled out, for seemingly minute matters. I figured this shouldn't be overlooked so I did a little research and do a self diagnosis.

Depression that occurs within 6 months of childbirth may be postpartum depression. There is also what is called "Postpartum Depression with Anxiety/Panic Disorder". Here are some symptoms of postpartum depression:

• Loss of interest or pleasure in life -- too busy to think about this
• Loss of appetite -- well, I eat like a horse
• Less energy and motivation to do things -- true, sometimes I need to drag myself out of bed...
• A hard time falling asleep or staying asleep -- not a bit, I fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow
• Sleeping more than usual -- I'd love to ...
• Increased crying or tearfulness -- hmm... this is close
• Feeling worthless, hopeless or overly guilty -- haven't gone this far
• Feeling restless, irritable or anxious -- all the time... now, can we do this faster?
• Unexplained weight loss or gain -- how I wish I can lose weight faster...
• Feeling like life isn't worth living -- this is serious... I'm glad that I'm still alive
• Having thoughts about hurting yourself -- my threshold for pain tolerance is way too low to do this ...
• Worrying about hurting your baby -- can't possibly think of this one

In addition to having symptoms of "Postpartum depression", the new mother may experience:

• difficulty concentrating and remembering
• difficulty making decisions
• difficulty completing simple tasks such as doing the dishes or the laundry
• insomnia
• exhaustion
• loss of appetite
• may have suicidal thoughts
• Anxiety/Panic Attacks

A lot of the same symptoms just a bit more overwhelming, as the panic attack is added to it. Although the panic attacks are discrete episodes, the individual may develop varying degrees of nervousness and apprehension between attacks characterized by tension, agitation, vigilance and scanning.

A panic attack is, a discreet episode of intense fear reaching its peak intensity within 10 minutes from onset. Often associated with or accompanied by feelings of impending doom.

At least 4 of the following 14 symptoms are present during an attack:

• shortness of breath
• choking or smothering sensation
• palpitations or accelerated heart rate
• chest pain or discomfort
• sweating
• faintness
• dizziness, lightheadedness or unsteady feelings
• nausea or abdominal distress
• depersonalization (feeling disoriented or that the world has become unreal)
• tingling sensation (parasthesia)
• hot flashes or chills
• trembling or shaking
• fear of dying
• fear of going crazy or doing something uncontrolled

Philosophy of Housecleaning

Came across this in the fabulous Baby Corner Pregnancy & Parenting Message Board and I just hafta share...

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PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSECLEANING

I don't do windows because... I love birds and don't want one to run into a clean window and get hurt. (I am compassionate.)

I don't wax floors because... I am terrified a guest will slip, hurt themselves, I'll feel terrible and they may sue me. (I am careful and poor.)

I don't mind the dust bunnies because... they are very good company. I have named some of them, and they agree with everything I say. (I am imaginative.)

I don't disturb cobwebs because... I want every creature to have a home of their own and my family loves spiders. (I am kind.)

I don't Spring Clean because... I love all the seasons and don't want the others to get jealous. (I am fair-minded.)

I don't plant a garden because... I don't want to get in God's way, He is an excellent designer. (I am courteous.)

I don't put things away because... my family will never be able to find them again. (I am considerate.)

I don't do gourmet meals when I entertain because... I don't want my guests to stress out over what to make when they invite me over to dinner.

I don't iron because... I choose to believe them when they say "permanent press". (I am trusting.)

I don't stress much on anything because... "A-Type Personalities" die young and I want to stick around and become a wrinkled up crusty old woman!!!

Here comes the baby...

Well, the baby arrived earlier than we expected -- 16 February 2007 instead of 25 February 2007. I had a surprisingly smooth labour experience, considering the fact that I'm 33 years old (oops! spilled the beans... :P) and it's my 1st baby.

Note: The following serves more of a personal recount of events related to childbirth so do skip this post if you're uncomfortable with this info...

The "show" turned up when I had an unexpected bowel movement at 3am! For a moment there I was confused as my obstetrician was so positive just 15 hours ago that I wouldn't be in labour in the next 48 hours. Anyway, the contractions started right after that but they're irregular. Thus, I went back to sleep and didn't get to the hospital until around 7 am.

When I arrived at the hospital, I was admitted to the labour room straight away. There I was, strapped onto the bed and inspecting the ceilings for possible cracks. :) My contractions were not very intense but the dilation took place anyway. By around 9 am, my obstetrician instructed for the drip to be given. Now the contractions turned more intense, longer and with shorter intervals. @#$%^&*! I know, it's to speed things up but it hurt so much that I could tear off the rail no doubt about it. My DH was there all the time and I appreciated every bit of it. (You're so brave and supportive. Love ya!)

I started to push at around 11 am but no progress. Later at around 11:30 am when the obstetrician arrived he found out that the baby's presentation was a little off. Thus, he turned the baby's head to have it properly aligned. He joked that the baby was rather resistant towards that change of orientation though. Well, the pushing became easier now and I could sense the baby moving down the birth canal. By then I started to feel dizzy and blacking out because I didn't have my breakfast that morning! So I was given the glucose solution to boost my energy. Well, the lesson here is NEVER skip your breakfast, no matter what! ;)

After pushing for about 1/2 hour or more, the baby was still struggling to come out. The "crowning" took place many times but she just wasn't quite out yet... That's when my obstetrician suggested the forceps should the baby's not out by 12:30 pm. Ok, I gotta admit that I freaked out on hearing the word "forceps" and couldn't bear the thought of those going into my body! It did work as the best "motivator" though, I pushed as hard as I could and there she was, my lovely baby gal, literary popped out of my body at 12:18pm. She was so pale, wrinkled, pink and small... She didn't cry much and I was so overwhelmed when she was left on my chest for that brief moment of skin-to-skin contact. Wow! our little princess... that was truly love at first sight.

When I was trolleyed to the ward, I was so exhausted and ached all over. It felt like I was hit by a truck... Nonetheless, I've never been so content in my whole life. Thank you, Lord! Thank you, my DH and thank you, my princess Eva!

Quick updates ... Continued

Okay, I'm back here in front of the PC. Where was I? hmm... ohya, I was working as a temp. Then I found out that I was pregnant in June 2006. That was overwhelming -- have been trying to conceive for the last 2 1/2 years since getting married. Not that we tried out every method on earth... sometimes I think that my DH and I are not the most proactive persons we would like to be.

Anyway, thank goodness the pregnancy went on smoothly and the EDD was 25 February 2007. The scan results revealed that a baby gal was on her way in October. The baby has been very nice to me, no morning sickness or any major discomfort throughout the pregnancy.

Then my contract ended in November and so I started to get ready the baby stuff etc. Enjoyed those shopping trips entirely. It's a whole new experience to finally venture into the baby department... hehehe...

Oh well, gotta feed the dinosaur now (that's what my DH calls her...). Will catch up again.

After sooooo long......

Well, it's been a looooooong time since I last put on "A" post here... thought the blog has been long erased or deactivated somehow. What a surprise when I searched the site and found the embarrassing single-posting-blog that's right there staring into my face!

Anyway, just to jot down a few things about my life last year so I don't forget :) As a matter of fact, it's been quite a happening year when I compare it with what I mentioned in the very first post...

Okay, not long after I created the blog, towards the end of January 2006, I was offered a temporary post in a local high school. So I gladly accepted it and worked till early November.

Oh! Something came up and I gotta go. To be continued ...