Thanksgiving For Little Things in Life

1 Thessalonians 5:18 

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Looking back on the past few months since I found out my pregnancy, I have been contemplating a lot lately. There are so many little bits and pieces of life that I have to thank God for and I sometimes take them for granted when I don't look hard enough for them. Simple things like being able to bear a child for Hubby Ng, good blood test and scan results during the Oscar Test and the ability to feel Little Bub moving and kicking a lot earlier than I had initially expected.

So I have decided to include little "Thanksgivings" at the bottom of my entries. I am excited to see where this would lead to as I consciously search out His goodness on a daily basis.

Thanksgiving:

- For having such a supportive and loving husband.

Not A Good Monday

I am not having a good Monday and had a terrible night of tossing and turning, rubbing tummy, waking up for water and some weird dreams.

Fish & Co.

Yesterday evening was also the evening Hubby Ng and I went to IMM for some shopping with the in-laws and for a belated birthday meal for the mother-in-law at Fish & Co. I was already having a bit of a sore throat from the BBQ session on Saturday, but what the heck. Since Hubby Ng and in-laws like Fish & Co, I was okay with it too.

Dinner was Seafood Platter For 2 and Mussels Pasta in Cream Sauce.

We all love the mussels! But the BBQ Calamari in the Seafood Platter had an odd taste... Sort of like they were soaked in ammonia water for preservation before being taken out to be BBQ-ed. Urghhh!! The staff were nice enough to have those changed to fried Calamari instead and those were a lot better. Overall, dinner was really satisfying. :) But of course, my throat suffered after such a feast, although I am sure Little Bub enjoyed the food just as much as I did!

Baby Shoes

We went to look at baby shoes at Colettee, and I absolutely ADORE them! They were sooo adorable and I wanted so much to buy, but I have no idea if Little Bub is a baby boy or a baby girl. So I just settled with ogling at them...

Little Bub's 18 Weeks Old!

I am officially 18 Weeks pregnant today. Hooray! Two more weeks to go and we will be halfway there. Little Bub's growing stronger with each passing day and even the once tiny, elusive kicks are getting stronger too, as the bones are in the process of hardening and strengthening up the next few days. I am also very certain that baby can hear my heart beating, my stomach growling and even my voice! Not sure if it hears Hubby Ng's voice though. But anyway, I love it when Bub kicks me. It is like being tickled from the inside out. I don't think I will EVER get tired of this feeling...

Sometimes, I wished time would pass by faster till I get to hold Bub in my arms; other times, I wished for time to go by slowly, just so that I could enjoy pregnancy (especially right now) and having Bub so close to me for a while longer. And I simply cannot wait for Week 20 to come! Because then, I would know Bub's gender through the detailed scan. :)

The Surprising Little Bun in The Oven

Hubby Ng and I had just went through our customary wedding for less than 2 months before we found out that we had a bun in the oven! It came as a huge surprise to us during the Chinese New Year (I was about 5 weeks along then), less than a month after return from our honeymoon destination - Taiwan! We figured that little bub was conceived during our honeymoon, and that is exactly what made it ever more meaningful to us, having our very own Honeymoon Baby!

The Symptoms:

I was really tired throughout the CNY celebrations, when I followed my beloved Hubby Ng and the in-laws to Malaysia for very first time. It was quite an adventure and I really love my new extended family. Anyway, I should be about 4 weeks along by then and little bub's existence was still unknown to me. I recalled that I was wiped out all the time and sneaked in little naps whenever I could. It was the kind of tiredness that blanks out every single thing on my mind and all I could think of was SLEEP!

Worse, I developed a mysterious rash on my face. I looked horrible and felt downright horrible as well but thought it was just the seafood I had although I was never allergic to sea critters of any form. On top of everything else, my period was more than a week late. And I never missed one. The irony was, I thought it would "arrive" the moment we return home and I stocked up on at least 4 months worth of sanitary items!

The Discovery:

So we were back home on 18 February and I was in bad shape with the rash and running a fever. The next day I was better and went back to work. In the evening back home alone, it suddenly hit me that I might be pregnant and I did a pregnancy test. I was ecstatic and could not believe my eyes when it turned up positive almost immediately!

Here is my conversation with Hubby Ng who was still at work:

Me: "B... guess what? I am pregnant!"

HN: "Huh??"

Me: "I said I am pregnant!"

HN: ... (pause) ... "Hahaha! Really arh!?"

Me: "Yah! I just tested, can't be wrong."

HN: "Okok, we talk tonight. Show me the test later!" (He was really over the moon!)

The Worries & Doubts:

Of course, it was not all smooth sailing at all. Hubby Ng and I were wrought with worry during the initial weeks of the intense 1st trimester. I spotted on two occasions, between Week 7 and Week 9. There was the constant worry that we would end up losing the baby before the 2nd trimester. However, our faith kept us strong as we prayed and interceded for little bub daily. I was very careful at work, wearing only flat pumps and sandals. My favorite high heels were banned, so were coffee and tea!

The Signs (and Wonders):

I must be one of those lucky few blessed with mild morning sickness. I merely started feeling queasy around Week 6 onwards. No, I did not perform the "Merlion" and no, I did not get acquainted with the toilet bowl either. My appetite was superb. I ate, and I ate, and I ate! There were the occasional bouts of queasiness and they were easy to deal with. :)

Naturally, with all that in-take of food, I literally boomz-ed. First the waist and lower abdomen, then the chest and then the dreaded hips too! But the nasties came too - fainting spells and shrunken bladder. Fainting spells are what I dread the most. I blacked out in church, nearly fainted on the MRT platform, MRT station, at work. I just thank God that I have not hurt myself at all! The shrunken bladder was annoying, but much less of a worry.

The Amazing Little One:

Honey, I have a bun in the oven!

I may be smaller than a mustard seed (yes, the tiny black dot), but Daddy says I will grow big and strong!

Look, mom! I am 7 weeks old now!

This little bub is 8 weeks and 4 days old, with a tiny beating heart and little arms and legs.

See how I've grown! I am now 13 Weeks old and a far cry from a tiny mustard seed! I am lounging in mummy's tummy, all nice and snug...

The Wonderful Hubby:

He vacuums and he mops, brings out the laundry, tidies up the house and irons the clothes. He is the one who gives me reassuring hugs, kisses of appreciation for making him a baby, words of encouragement when I am feeling down, prayers of comfort when I need it. He is the one holding my hand, blocking my falls, carrying my heavy bag and allaying my fears.. He is Hubby Ng, my Superman!