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We wanted to take advantage of the sales that’s going on right now. Plus, we anticipated that we may be quite busy from September onwards due to some other projects. And I definitely don’t want to be waddling around in my third trimester frantically buying stuff at the last minute.

So…

We decided to start with the big ticket items…the stroller, car seat and breast pump…even though it’s really too early to start purchasing baby stuff.

We got some recommendations from friends on brands and shops to go to, and after spending two weekends folding, unfolding and pushing around strollers, we’ve more or less narrowed it down to these three:

It was actually a toss up between the Peg Perego Pliko P3 Modular System Tri-Fix and Quinny Buzz until I saw the Bugaboo Bee and read pretty good reviews about it. It’s probably the last one we’re going to test before coming to a decision.

As with most first time parents, we were totally confused at the beginning…there were a plethora of choices in terms of brands and different systems. 3-wheelers, 4-wheelers, infant carriers, car seats, umbrella fold…*faints* But going to the shops and testing it out for real, as well as talking to the shop assistants really helped.

We decided on the following criteria:

1. The stroller had to be light enough for me to carry…it shouldn’t be too bulky and unwieldy.
2. It has to be comfortable, ie. padded, of course.
3. We also decided to buy an infant carrier for the first 6 - 9 months, and then buy a car seat when baby outgrows the infant carrier. Hence, another must is that the infant carrier has to be able to fit onto the stroller, and of course, be light enough for me to move it from the car to the stroller.
4. The stroller also has to have an easy to open/close system that I can handle by myself.

All three brands that we shortlisted above fit most of the criteria above. Both the Buzz and the Bee can fit the Maxi-Cosi infant carrier, while Pliko P3 comes with it’s own infant carrier. We both prefer the Maxi-Cosi infant carrier as it’s lighter than Peg Perego’s, but the PP stroller is more versatile as there’s more space to carry baby stuff, shopping bags, etc.

Quinny Buzz’s unfolding system is a dream as it’s a one-touch hydraulic system (you’ve gotta see it to believe it). However, the stroller is really compact (which is not a bad thing)…but that means that there isn’t much place to put baby’s toys, etc. You can’t hang shopping bags on the handle as well because the Buzz is a 3-wheeler, and therefore, not as stable as 4-wheelers. Also, it’s a tad bit heavier than the Pliko P3.

So far, the Bugaboo Bee seems to be the middle ground between Peg Perego and Quinny. It’s compact, but has abit more storage space, and it fits the Maxi-Cosi infant carrier. We’re going to test it out this weekend…hopefully the real thing is as good as the reviews that I’ve read!

Price wise, Peg Perego is priced slightly lower than the Quinny, and the Bugaboo is the most expensive of the lot. Even with the sales, I think I’ll have to postpone purchasing my long dreamt-of Kitchen Aid mixer and/or ice cream maker for another year…

Oh, and it’s just a coincidence that the strollers are red in the photos above. We have no idea whether we have a baby girl or boy yet (another 2 months before we can find out!).

It’s been some time since I’ve updated.

Baby is doing well, we’re due back at the gynae (2nd gynae) early next week for another checkup.

Mummy isn’t doing too well though. Nausea…the symptom that I hoped would give me a wide berth, is getting worse. I’m now throwing up food. Yes…not only do I feel like puking all the time, I’ve actually been puking almost all the time. Some days are good days, some days are really bad. Suffice to say, I don’t think I want to eat lady fingers or popiah for a long long time…

I’ve been having some abdominal pains as well. My pregnancy bible, What To Expect When You’re Expecting, says that it’s due to the abdominal muscles (pfft…what muscles?!?) and uterus stretching to accommodate my growing baby, so it’s nothing to feel alarmed about.

Tiredness…still there. Yesterday, I woke up at 9+, had breakfast, read abit, went back to bed and snored my way into oblivion till nearly 2pm. Had lunch, went back to bed and slept again till late evening. I’m due back to work in one and a half week’s time…I hope the tiredness dissipates by then. I don’t think anyone would take kindly to me slipping below my desk for an afternoon nap…

Foodwise. My body has been acting strangely to some food. Newly added items to my ‘cannot eat’ list: Milo (causes diarrhea that comes and goes), any type of ice cream (causes immediate diarrhea, believe it or not), plain water (makes me wanna puke)*, mango (skin starts to itch almost immediately) - none of these used to give me side effects pre-pregnancy.

Other items on my ‘cannot eat’ list (mainly because it’s pantang or medically not recommended): pineapples, papaya…both of which contains some enzymes that causes uterine contractions, apparently…sotong/squid (this is pantang), shellfish, peanuts, big fishes like skate due to possible high mercury levels, raw food, prepacked salads, cold deli meat due to possibility of listeria, sharks fin…the list goes on and on.

Hubby commented that I’m already so fussy with food that I probably only eat 20% of what everyone else can eat…throw in the forbidden pregnancy food and the cannot-eat-coz-my-baby-doesn’t-like-it food, I’m probably left with…5%?

Life in the past 2 weeks seems to have revolved around what I should eat for my next meal that won’t make me puke, and when I can take a nap.

It may sound like I’m complaining, but I’m really not. All this is a small price to pay for the joy of having a baby growing in my tummy!

*: I found that adding a slice of lemon to my water helps me overcome the ‘taste’ (I know, water doesn’t have taste, but it does to me!), and helps to counteract the nausea slightly.

A list of movies that I’ve watched this year in no particular order…

Edit: I forgot about Made Of Honour!
As much of a fan of Patrick Dempsey as I am, I would be lying through my teeth if I said this was good. Sure, he’s really yummy eye candy but geez…the show was pretty sad, yes? A poor man’s version of My Best Friend’s Wedding (and even the eye candy couldn’t match up to the perfect comedic timing of George, played by suave Rupert Everett). And me no likey Michelle Monaghan either.

The Dark Knight
Nice, but I really don’t think it’s as great as (almost) everyone claims. Great story line, loved the Joker, hated Batman’s fake gravelly voice, hated Rachel Dawes/Maggie Gyllenhaal (she looks so old), wonder if the bombs in the ferry were really wired to blow up the other ferry or the same ferry the people who made the decision were on…hmmm…that would’ve been an interesting twist. Out of all of Christopher Nolan’s films, The Prestige remains my firm favourite.

X-Files: I Want To Believe
Oh my god, just rename it to X-Files: The Mulder & Scully love story. It was a total waste of 2 hours. Sucked big time. For something more interesting, go download these radio episodes (we were faithful listeners when we were in UK): The X-Fools…it’s a whole lot more entertaining!

27 Dresses
Two people I find highly overrated and overhyped (two because that’s all I can think of at the moment) - Ribena Rihanna….and Katherine Heigl. Never liked her in GA, didn’t like her here either.

The Other Boleyn Girl
The book was way better. Natalie Portman, as much as I like her, did not do justice to Anne Boleyn’s character at all. For a much better potrayal, watch Natalie Dormer in The Tudors. And wasn’t King Henry VIII supposed to be blond?

Iron Man
One of my favourites this year. Robert Downey Jr/Tony Stark is the man all girls want to be with and all guys want to be. So hawt!

The Incredible Hulk
Another favourite. Edward Norton as Dr. Bruce Banner/the Hulk really made me feel for the character. And I love love love the ending.

Hancock
Interesting, but not great. Will Smith and his pursed pouting lips didn’t do it for me. Quite an unexpected twist in the middle of the show though!

21
Boring.

Wanted
Angelina Jolie in her usual hot sexy bad girl role…yawn. But that car chase scene, and James McAvoy? Phwoaaarr! That show made me wanna learn to curve a bullet (although hubby commented he doubts I can even shoot straight in the first place).

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Yawn.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Indy is back! Yay! But Mutt is irritating, and did they accidentally wander on to the X-Files set at the end?!? Totally spoilt the story, sigh.

The Happening
OMG, this was one of the worst shows ever that I’ve watched this year. M. Night Shyamalan is, imho, a one hit wonder. It was downhill all the way after The Sixth Sense. And Mark Wahlberg has just proven, in this show, that he can’t act. He’s more wooden than a tree.

Two shows that I’m eagerly awaiting:
Australia & Time Traveler’s Wife. Baz Luhrmann & Nicole Kidman & Hugh Jackman - sounds like a movie marriage made in heaven. And Time Traveler’s Wife is a film adaptation of one of my favourite books of all time. I have my reservations about Eric Bana playing Henry DeTamble, mainly because I haven’t seen Eric Bana in any really good movies. Really have my fingers and toes crossed that they don’t screw this one up (ala PS I Love You gag gag and The Other Boleyn Girl).

…baby is now about as big as a fig. (Length: just over 1 1/2 inches, head to bottom.)

Photo and info from: Baby Center.

…baby, now barely the size of a kumquat, weighs less than a quarter of an ounce. (Length: a little over 1 inch, head to bottom.)

Photo and info from: Baby Center.