Week 37 : 3rd trimester scan II

Baby is the size of small watermelon!

Everything is still going fine except that my ankles started to swell,

then it was my feet and calves.

It literally looks like pork trotters.

I was fearful that it could be pre-eclampsia,

since my sister had it

and gestional diabetes often goes hand in hand with pre-eclampsia.

Thankfully, my blood pressure was fine,

protein in urine is normal

and no other signs

so midwife and gynae just brush it off as normal water retention.

As planned previously,

this is the final scan to determine whether:

- Baby is still growing too big

- I am to be induced on the 5 apr

Good news is that baby is now 2.96kg

and she is only 80percentile for her size,

which means she is not too large!

However, due to my gestional diabetes,

gynae still suggest that wego ahead for the induce on 4/5 april.

The actual date will depends on my next appointment on 3 april.

If by then, im not dilated enough

I will need to be admitted on the 4 april evening

and be induced viaginally.

Problem for this induce method is that,

it will bring on intense contractions

but im not a1lowed to be given epidural!

So it will be bare suffering till im dilated enough

or im given induce via iv,

then ill be able to have epidural.

If by 3 apr, im dilated enough,

i will only be admitted on 5 apr morning

and to receive induce via IV.

It will also brings on intense contractions

but ill be able to receive epidural.

Definitely, this will be a much better choice than the previous.

Gynae informed that im already dilated 1cm,

so she is quite hopeful that i will be dilated enough on 3 apr

and be induce via IV on 5 apr.

Or that i may even be in labor earlier than the induce date

and i am to check in hospital if i have the labor signs.

As much as i hope to walk more etc to help dilate more naturally,

Im worried as well to do too much and deliver earlier!

I guess all i can hope and wish is a smooth delivery and healthy baby!

OCD mummy waiting for the baby!!

Week 36 : Baby Salon

Baby is the size of celery!

Every year in paris, normally in march or april,

there is the baby salon / expo.

Husband was unsure whether i will be up to it to visit

since i will be in my 36 weeks.

In order not to miss collecting freebies or buying baby things at cheaper price,

I still went ahead to buy the tickets online...

Because it costs 6eur/ pax online

and 11eur/pax if you buy on the spot!

Since it is a baby salon,

i expected it to be well catered for kids and pregnant women...

meaning lots of seats and toilets!

Crazily, there was not much seatings and toilet queues were a nightmare.

I think im 1 of the rare heavily pregnant women,

most were parents with kids

or women in early pregnancy.

Most of the booths didnt applied to my current pregnancy

eg pregnancy apps, maternity clothes...

so we skipped most of them

Luckily, the salon was not too big

and i already bought most of the required stuff 

so we managed to finish in about 2.5hours.

The happiest thing is collecting freebies!

As expected, I knew that we will probably receive freebies,

not as much as if we were in baby expo in Singapore,

but is still rare to receive freebies in Paris..

Anyhow, im glad that husband can be quite kiasu and kept asking for freebies

that we will probably collect less if he didnt kept asking!!

last night in Singapore

Just realize is my last night in singapore
As much as I miss husband and paris
Is strange to feel sense of loss
To leave singapore tomorrow

I know ill be returning singapore
This will not be my last trip
But probably not possible 
to stay as long as this trip
Or as frequently

Maybe thats why memories came
30 years of life
Ups and downs
laughter and tears
joy and grief

I know a new stage of life 
is waiting for me in paris
But I guess for just tonight
I shall immerse myself
In singapore 
and memories created here

Barcelona: The last singles trip!

i was really excited when Aven was coming paris

to attend our wedding

to and fro msgs on what he will be doing for other days

led to a discussion for a trip to barcelona!

it will be the first time im going other parts of europe

my final travel as a single (or rather unmarried) woman

first time taking internal domestic flight

a good break from wedding preparations 

Bracelona in spain..hmm sounds like a sexy place

so off we go...

we will supposed to fly on monday afternoon

return wednesday evening

in time for any last minute wedding preparations

and of course, back for the wedding, hehe

however, our monday flight was delayed

we were stuck in the plane for about 2 hours

and end up reaching our hotel at 8pm

so half a day was gone

but on the way to hotel

we passed by the incomplete Sagrada Familia

which i think has been buiding since the 1800s

anyway im not really a big fan of it

especially with the constructions around it

we just had a huge tapas dinner at a nearby bar

tapas is like many small dishes of different food

a little like mixed vegetables rice in singapore

just without rice

a great sangaria and a tired me

The great blessing was having a bathtub in hotel

i think both nights i was soaking in hot bath

with free wifi!

we didnt have much time to research what to visit or do

probably just eat, going to a club and visit the famous gaudi buildings

so to catch up with lost time

we woke up early on tuesday

and start searching for the gaudi buidling

this is when i discovered that barcelona is a big shopping paradise!

things are cheaper than in paris

many sales were going on

and factory outlet of spanish brands like mango

so shopping was the new plan!

Anyway, not researching about the stories behind the gaudi buidling

and being cheapo

we didnt pay for any tour inside the building

and was more of searching the buildings 

take a photo and leave

we were supposed to visit a building on the mountain top

captured by the photo above

the tiny castle-like building on a hill

however, we spent too much time shopping and eating

that we were too tired and it was too late to go out

more tapas and sangaria for the day

and we tried the seafood rice

i cant remember the actual name

is nice except ill prefer the chinese soft rice

the rice is half cooked risotto style

but being near the sea, seafood was great

a rare treat that is hard to find in paris

  

 

i was very excited by the fountains

unlike in singapore

fountains played a huge part in europe history

as the households water source

i was amused that with pipes to everyone homes

the fountains are still functioning!

although i dont know whether people still uses the fountains

we managed to find a market after lunch

it was full of fresh fruits and grocery

too bad we were too full

wish i could buy them back to paris

however we did bought the strawberries 

they were so huge and sweet

we ended the night at a pub

however it was tuesday

there were only 5 of us inside

so we left after a beer

wednesday was a short last minute shopping

and back to paris 

where the fiance was happy to see us

ps joke of the trip

i saw a trip santa monica

and kept singing the song

santa monica by savage gardens

although we know that they are probably not singing about santa monica in barcelona

okay, i googled..it was about santa monica in california

it was definitely a rushed trip

but never expect myself to be hanging out with aven

at barcelona and not a kopitiam

looks forward to more europe adventures in the near future.

Thank you aven 

for the expenses paid trip..haha

dealing with the pre-wedding anxious bride

and bringing me back safe and sound for the wedding! 

Our Wedding Venue!

Finally, we decided on our wedding venue!
it was the last venue that we were visiting
as usual strange luck brought us here
initially i didnt want to check the prices for this venue
it was a chateau
definitely over our budget
however, fiance went ahead to call them
and to our surprise, it was within our budget!

As the chateau was closed for christmas
we can called them only on the Saturday morning 
that they reopened
initially they rejected our visit appointment
as the staff was busy
but end up they squeeze an appointment for us in 1hour
so we quickly prepared and went down  
 
The exterior was beautiful
and 2 rooms for our selection 
even before going in, 
we were hoping that all will be fine

Room 1
it was a big room
that if we used it
a partition will be used 
to make it into 2 rooms
which will be strange and noisy
if another function is happening
the room has many animal heads on the wall
it was the first time i see heads on walls
my future mother in-law informed that is common in chateau
okay, i hope no deer or beef for the dinner
else the animals will be staring as we eat!

Room 2 is smaller and more suited for us
but hunters have priority of the room
lucky, it was available for 15 feb
the room was with lesser animal heads
attached toilets
and a fireplace!
it really fit into our expectations...

Fiance was happy with the menu
and we loved the place
not much hidden / additional costs required
In addition, there was a beautiful garden
and we can add a tour on the wedding day for the guests

So, we immediately decided
and paid for deposit to reserve the room!
And they had a beautiful hotel opposite the road

With the wedding venue decided
we finally can breathe better!
next will be preparing the invitation card and food tasting...

Bisous!

Possible wedding venue

During Christmas
we took time to check out another venue
for the wedding

It was a resturant
with a big carpark opposite
and b&b hotels around 
it has 2 rooms available for selection

 

Room 1:

 

Fiance likes the room
but i was not keen
I dont really like the color of the wall
gives me an old, dull feeling
and as usual we love the fireplace

Room 2:

For me the room 2 was nicer
the walls are brighter
and nice decorations
fiance felt the room was too small
as we cant have a dance floor
but fireplace was good again

Reviews:
the price was within budget
fiance felt the food was average
but place was nice
he preferred it than previous venues

toilet was a concern for me
it will be shared with the resturant
and its on 2nd level by a steep stairs
i cant imagine walking up to the toilet
and queue in my wedding dress
oh, when i told my future father in law about toilet location
he said that when he is drunk, 
he will have problem climbing to the toilets
haha, i was thinking more for me 
but he highlighted the guests' toilet woes

Overall: 4/5

After the visit we were panicking
that we cant find a wedding perfect venue
within our budget
so, we decided that we shall visit 1 more venue
and make a final decision
time is running out...