Thursday 25 February 2010

Tuesday 23 February 2010

Why us?

Okay, I have been meaning to write about this for quite some time... From the time when we realised that we were having twins, actually...

Those of you who read my earlier posts would know that it was only at the 2nd gynae visit that we realised we were carrying twins. Thus is was really quite a surprise for us. It was a pleasant surprise though, for it has always been a dream of mine to have twins.

Even back then before we were pregnant with Isaac, hubbs and I would talk about kids, and we would fantasize "If only we can have twins, then pop pop two babies at one go! steady!" Then we became pregnant with Isaac. No, we weren't disappointed that it was a singleton and not twins, we were just happy to be pregnant at all - we had been trying for some time.

And when Isaac was born, boy were we glad we only had one baby! It's no joke being first time parents - we can't imagine how tough it must be for first time mums to have twins! (Kudos to Clarine!!!)

This dream of having twins is a dream many couples have. But it's like an "impossible dream", a "it'd never happen to me dream". One talks about having twins and triplets "if only I can have twins!" in the same way they'd say "If only I can strike 1st prize lottery this weekend!" or "If only I can marry a handsome and rich prince and live happily ever after" or "If only I can marry the prettiest and sexiest woman in the world!" It's like "yeah, right, it'd never happen to me!"

But it DID happen to us! The twins that is. Woah, what a rush it gave us when we first found out we were carrying twins. It was even better than striking 1st prize in lottery! hubbs and I would sometimes just daze and gaze off into the distance just thinking about it.

We had conceived the twins naturally, so the chances of it happening was pretty slim. So I kept thinking: "Why us?" It's like, why were WE, out of so many other couples, chosen to be parents of twins? We felt very very blessed indeed.

So in true pammie fashion, I started thinking of all the possible reasons of why WE were chosen to be parents of twins...

WE HAVE GOOD KARMA!
You know the song Something Good from the Sound of Music. There's this stanza that goes:

Nothing comes from nothing

Nothing ever could
So somewhere in my youth or childhood
I must have done something good

So maybe we had good karma, so good begets good, so here we get a double dosage of good - twins! Seriously, during my first trimester, I was constantly subconsciously singing this song in my head!

WE'RE GOOD PARENTS TO ISAAC!
Then I thought, maybe God thinks that we're doing a pretty good job with Isaac, and so he decided to we could handle twins!

DELAYED RESPONSE FROM GOD
Another frequently asked question we always get is "How did you do it?!" - well the person/people who asked were obviously not asking about how the sex act was done, but how did we get twins? Which I thought was quite a silly question coz, wah liao, how I know?! Chance lah! But then, I can't be rude, right? (So rude!) So, I usually reply "Oh, pray lor. Hahahaha..."

Then someone asked "Really? You prayed for twins and you got it?" Frankly, I can't recall who it was who said this, but I recall the expression on the person's face - like it was the model answer to a very tough exam question - like, all you had to do is pray for twins and you'd get it.

Then I thought about it. "Actually, no, we didn't pray for twins." (The person's face fell, when I said this.) Yeah, well, we didn't. Not before this 2nd pregnancy anyway. We were just praying very hard to get pregnant, but we didn't pray to have twins.

But I do recall that before we got pregnant with Isaac, we may have frivolously prayed to have twins. So, that could be another reason why we have twins... God was behind in clearing his prayer-emails and answered our prayer a tad late... :p

FOUR KIDS BY 35
Or perhaps it was this other prayer! We had always wanted to have 4 kids - eventually, not all at once! And I had always hoped that I can deliver all 4 kids by the time I hit the age of 35. Ambitious, I know, but since I got married at age 27, it technically is possible to have all 4 kids by age 35.

But by the time we had Isaac, I was 29. By the time Isaac hit 2, we were frantically (almost!) trying to get pregnant coz we didn't want the age gap between the kids to be too big. I had almost resigned myself to the fact that it would be quite improbable for me to have all 4 kids by 35 years old. 3 kids perhaps, but certainly not 4.

But then, with the twins, we now already have 3 kids - with me turning 31 this year. So, technically, even if we wait 3 or 4 years, I could have the 4th kid on my 35th year! Wow! Just in time!

SAVE MONEY
Then again, maybe it was this OTHER prayer... (hahaha yes we pray for everything!) It was becoming apparent to us that bringing up kids was very costly. Not just with gynae and delivery fees, cot/stroller and other baby-fixtures, clothes, diapers, food, but also child care or school fees, enrichment/tuition classes, university fees... endless!

We were starting to think that maybe we couldn't afford to have as many as 4 kids. So, we thought to ourselves, we'd have one at a time, and see how it goes. With each additional kid, we'd see if we can handle them and afford them, before deciding whether to have the next kid. We were especially thinking about the finances, and so started to pray (frivolously again) to God for us to strike 1st prize lottery. hahaha...

Of course, we know, it is not impossible to afford 4 kids, it's just the standard of living that we have to adjust that's all. But I'm sure everyone prays the "4D/Toto prayer" at some point in time. "Let me strike, please! Let me strike! 1st prize! One time can already! Strike big big! Please please!"

So, my theory is... God had too many of such "Let me strike 1st prize!" prayers on his hand already. There's only so many he can grant, right? But being the great being He is, instead of giving us money to spend, He decided to help us save money! He gave us twins!!!

You see, with twins, there kinda is economy of scales. Like our gynae didn't charge more - we only paid for the elective c-section. Even if there was an increase in fees - like the 5th month detailed scan by the hospital sonographer, it wasn't double the price, but only like 20% more than the scan costs for singleton. Only certain things we had to pay double, like for 2 beds in the nursery, and the paediatrician charges for each kid separately.

For future costs, I figured, assuming that inflation exists, cost of everything is alwasy increasing. Thus, even paying double for something now, would definitely still be cheaper than paying for 1 kid now and MORE for the next kid a few years down the road (assuming it was one kid after the other instead of twins - two at the same time).

Thus, by giving us twins, God didn't have to grant us the 1st prize prayer... He very smart ah!!!

SLIM SLIM ME!
Though lately, I am thinking it's this fervent prayer of mine! I have been praying to God to please let me slim down after this pregnancy. With Isaac's pregnancy, I never got back down to my pre-pregnancy weight, much less my idea weight level which happens to be the weight I was on my wedding day - 50kg. HAHAHAHA... This time, I am aiming to be a svelte 49kg by the time I go back to work.

Don't know if it'd happen, but it can't hurt to try, eh! hahaha...

I was 60 kg just before I got pregnant with Isaac. I gained 21 kg and was a whopping 81kg just as I entered the delivery ward. After that, I hovered around 66 to 67kg post-pregnancy... Just before I got pregnant with the twins, I gained a bit of weight and was about 70kg when we made our first gynae visit. This time round, I only gained about 13 to 15kg - think I was about 84kg just before I delivered. So, even though I gained less than with Isaac, I was heavier to start out with, so I ended up at about the same weight when I delivered.

Just went to weigh myself... now, at about 7 weeks after delivery... I'm tipping the scales at 65kg! yay! Not too bad eh!? Family and friends who saw me recently also commented that this time round I dropped the kilos much faster.

Wait, before you start to 'scold' me, I must first qualify that I haven't been starving myself, nor going on any fad diet. I've been eating pretty normally. In fact, have been eating quite a few new year tarts and kueh kueh in the past week :p Must cut down on that after this week... kekeke...

So, it seems like it's taking care of the twins, and breastfeeding them both fully, that's making the kilos drop off faster this time round, I suppose. kekeke... fine with me!!! So I figured, God must have been so sick and tired of hearing me nag him about losing weight, that he sent me a pair of twins! Like "There you go! Twins for you! Now stop nagging me about your weight loss!" hahahaha...

Oh wait, I have to tell you about this friend of mine - Yin Horng. She's one steady mother. She was 42kg before being pregnant. 55kg at full term. Delivered a 4.20kg baby, and 2 weeks later, she was 44kgand could still fit into XS tops! Steady, right?!

PamMI Pte Ltd (PamMI - Pamela Milk Industries)
Speaking of milk... As you guys might already know, I have lotsa milk. kekeke... yes, my supply is plentiful (Thank God!!!) but even with Isaac it was so. Back then, I recall even saying it, that coz I fed Isaac and pumped the other side at the same time, I was technically able to feed twins. I actually said that.

And now I have twins to feed!!! It is most gratifying to see my milk being drunk, rather than being frozen. I still have surplus to freeze now, but it not a lot, perhaps a pack of 150ml a day to freeze. Most of the rest of the EBM (expressed breast milk) is being drunk by the twins. I say "most" coz, not all is drunk. Sometimes they are too full from drinking from me (they latch on), that we can't "top them up" any further. So the milk gets wasted - coz we can't warm it and keep it out for too long.

Last week, we brought the kidzes to the paediatrician, and guess what are ther weights?
Isaac - 13 kg @ 2 years 7 and a half months (3.220kg at birth)
Asher - 5.1kg @ 6 weeks (2.770kg at birth)
Shawna - 4.6kg @ 6 weeks (2.815kg at birth)

Not bad eh?! :)

CONCLUSION
So... what is the conclusion? I dunno. Maybe it's really just chance. Probability. We kenna twins. That's just it. No reason. But nah, I think it's probably ALL OF THE ABOVE!!! hahahhahaa... But whatever the case is, we're really thankful for this great blessing. Thanks for choosing us, God!!!

Monday 22 February 2010

FAQ: So now you have to buy two of everything?!?!

Yes, a frequently asked question we have been answering since people knew we were pregnant with twins, is: "Now you have to buy 2 of everything!" As you can tell, it usually doesn't get presented to us as a question per se.

It seems like most people just assume that we need to get two of everything. Two baby cots, a double stroller, are the most commonly cited items...
pic above taken on 6th February 2020
Asher & Shawna @ 1 month exactly

Well, the answer is No, actually. We haven't exactly bought anything this time round. that's coz with Isaac, we already collected 2 of everything! Hahaha... I say "collected" coz our family, friends and colleagues were all very nice and passed loads of stuff to us when we were pregnant with Isaac.

Thus, we already had 2 cots, 2 strollers, many types of baby rockers, varied designs of baby carriers, tonnes of clothes for boys... And as you know, my sister has 3 girls, the youngest of whom is the same age as Isaac, thus, girls' clothes for Shawna is not a problem at all...
pic above taken on 9th February 2010
Asher & Shawna @ 4 weeks plus
Clothes thanks to Xiuping! They're really cute!!!

It's really been very heartwarming for us, coz even people who are don't know us directly (like relatives of relatives, or friends of colleagues etc) would even pass us stuff for the kidzes. Especially since we got pregnant with twins, people have been offering us stuff all over again, coz they know we would need double of some stuff.

Like carseats! Hahaha... can you imagine how many carseats we would have to have in our car?! (Actually you don't have to imagine if you can count... :p) THREE! Yes, that's right! We have since also picked up a few more strollers - more choice is always good! hahaha...

But yeah, you can imagine how cluttered our place is right now. Just had a gathering at my place recently, and the moment Hweech stepped in, the first thing she said was "Your place is unrecognisable!!!"
Some friends have also kindly gotten us matching outfits for the twins. Which is great, coz I haven't been buying matching outfits for them. I always thought it was quite DUH for twins to wear exactly the same. But now that I have my own twins, I must say it is quite cute for them to wear matching outfits, since they're a set of boy/girl twins.

The sleepsuits in the 2nd pic were from Xiuping, and the two white Zara onesies in these two pix are from Helena. Pei Teng also bought the twins matching disney sets that would probaby fit them in only a few months time.
two pix above taken on 22nd February 2010
Asher & Shawna @ two days to 7 weeks

Well, guess the only stuff that we really need double of are... DIAPERS!!! Geez!!! You can't imagine the amount of diapers we go through! It's really amazing! So you see how I really know that they're my kidzes? Coz they're so full of shit - like me! HAHAHHAA...

Thursday 18 February 2010

FAQ: How's Isaac taking it?

My Isaac! :) At exactly 2 and a half years old on the day that the twins were born, most people say that he "looks very different" - from what? I don't know. I am guessing from the many months ago, coz I'm so behind in my blogging.
I guess he does look kinda different, afterall, he's all grown up now. Big boy! :)
So everyone's been asking: "How's Isaac taking it? How's he reacting to the twins? Is he J(ealous)???
Well naturally, he is a little J(ealous). Afterall, he had our 100% attention previously, but now that's kinda watered down. But yet in a way, we pay more attention to him now more than ever before.
Hubbs would often bring Isaac out with him alone, to give me some breathing space. And when Isaac is home, he'd want a lot of my attention, so I give it to him as much as I can, and more intensely so...
Meaning, he gets loads more hugs, kisses and snuggles more than ever before... So I wouldn't say we're neglecting him at all! Though I guess Isaac might beg to differ. I guess, it's not so much that he doesn't get the same or less quantity of attention from us, but rather the difference is that now he doesn't get our attention IMMEDIATELY.
So, when Isaac is in a cranky mood, and he sees me feeding Asher or Shawna, he would insist that it's his turn right now! to be carried. He would refuse to wait. He'd ask me continously:"Mummy, are you done yet?" "Mummy, are you done yet?" "Mummy, are you done yet?" and when I say No... he'd go "yes! Mummy IS done! Mummy IS done! Now, Isaac's turn!!!"

But if he's in a good mood, he'd be very good about waiting for his turn to be carried. He would tell me "wait awhile, right? Asher/Shawna is drinking milk..."
But to the twins, he's been very good. He would sayang them by stroking their heads and I have not seen him intentionally hit them before. When we first came back from the hospital, whenever Isaac heard the babies cry, he would stop whatever he was doing and say "Ooops! Babies crying!" and he would run into the room to look at the babies.
During Chinese New Year, when relatives ask Isaac whether they could bring the babies home with them, Isaac would shake his head and say "No." or he would reply "No, babies is mine!". I was really amused and relieved when I heard him say that :) I guess deep inside, I was afraid he'd want to 'get rid' of the babies.
Yesterday, I was feeding Shawna, and Asher was in another room. Asher started crying, but no one attended to him, coz they thought it was Shawna who was crying, and they knew I was with Shawna. No one but Isaac. Isaac ran into the room, climbed onto the bed to be next to Asher, and he held Asher's hand, to comfort him. hubbs saw.
Overall, Isaac's taking it alright I guess, and he's been a great kor kor, and we constantly tell him so. Hubbs told him last night "Isaac, that was very nice of you to hold Asher's hand and take care of him coz he was crying."
When Isaac is patient and would wait for me to be done with feeding the twins, I would tell him "Thank you Isaac, for being patient and waiting till Mummy is done with feeding Asher/Shawna. You are a very good kor kor..."
I guess in time, he'd take to the twins even better. Especially when they can walk and talk and be his henchmen! :) In the meantime, we'd have to try our best to address his insecurity, and pray that it goes away real quickly!
pix above taken in January 2010
Isaac @ 2 and a half years

Saturday 6 February 2010

1 month old!

The twins are 1 month old today!!! Hurrah!!! Quick re-cap - who is this below??? Asher! And who is this below???
Shawna! Piece of cake yah?! hahahhaa... Now to reward you, I have caught Asher in a compromising position below for your viewing pleasure!
HAHAHAHA... The neck hole of this particular sleep suit is very big, so his arm kinda slipped out of it... Ain't it hilarious?! hahahhaa...
And here's pictures of Shawna with her eyes open...
And her lovely smile! Shawna is very smiley, more so than Asher. It has been tough trying to capture their smiles on camera though!
Who's who? :) I've been breastfeeding them using a breastfeeding pillow - My Brest Friend - which is meant for one baby. I found out that there's actually a breastfeeding pillow meant for twins, and promptly bought it online. Sent it to my dear friend Ian, in California, as he has so kindly agreed to bring it back for me. Can't wait to get it!
[Asher above, Shawna below] And now below, are picture of Asher with his eyes open.
It would appear that his double eyelids are "internal" as well. Which means that, out of the three of them, all have double eyelids, but only Shawna's is "external" and hence more obvious.
Can you see the shadow of the dimple in the pic above? Been trying to catch Asher in a picture with his dimples, but seeing it is rare enough, much less capturing it on film! Here he is smiling below though :)
I like this shot - with Shawna looking at the camera :)
And here's our big kor kor Isaac, taking a picture with Asher. Isaac likes to ask us to let him carry the babies, so we would sit him down and sorta place the baby in his arms.
Ah! Starting early, here is Isaac challenging Asher to arm wrestling!!! Not!!! hahahaha shaking hands was what they were doing, as I did not want Isaac to touch Asher's eyes - something which he likes to do.
I like this pic below too. Shawna in a brooding, intense look...

Who's who???Asher left & Shawna right...
Ah yes, another smiley picture of Asher... smiling to himself after drinking milk...
The kidzes have grown quite a bit this past month. Especially Asher who now looks larger than Shawna. The two pix below were just taken last night.
I recall how my mother commented that the kidzes' face was the size of her palm, when they were born. Now I look at them, Asher's face is the size of my whole hand - palm & fingers!
This morning, my liberation day, we brought the kidzes out for a walk downstairs.
We were supposed to bring them for a walk around the block, and say stuff like "Be good babies... Grow big and well like this huge tree here... Be hardy like the green cow grass that pops up everywhere... Float like a cadillac, sting like a beemer..." ya know, things like that.
Kinda silly superstitious stuff. But ah well, it was relatively harmless and not much out of the way to please the old folks, so what the heck. I needed out of the house anyway. Can't believe I've been confined for a month!Ah, this pic - I just took and uploaded. See, Asher looks much taller than Shawna now, doesn't he? He was actually born 1 cm shorter than she was. It's very gratifying to know that I have been their sole source of nourishment, and that they're doing well on it :) Stay tuned, to watch them grow!pix above taken between 15th January and 6th February 2010
Isaac @ 2 and a half years old
Asher & Shawna @ less than a month

Friday 5 February 2010

July 2009 posts

Catch-up resumes with the July 2009 posts... scroll down to 27th December 2009 for the posts... or click below...

Old car - New car
Playing with cousins again
The moving Thomas kiddy ride
Isaac's car car
Reading
Playing with the girls
Eating bread

Monday 1 February 2010

Gross you out!

hahaha! This Monday morning, I am going to gross you out!!! Why?!?! Coz I can!!! hahahaha... Well, you've seen my humongous tummy pre-delivery of the kidzes. Well, here's my tummy approximately 2 weeks after the delivery...
Looks like a volcano crater, doesn't it?! upon closer inspection, it's really as though my skin's like the earth's crust that split in a shift of the fault lines. hahaha...

My tummy was really hard to live with after the delivery - it was flopping around like a balloon filled with water. My tummy muscles felt very sore and flopped-around. The hospital issued a tummy binder that was supposed to help hold my floppy tummy in place, but guess my tummy was so huge that the binder didn't make as much difference as it should have.
On the day I was discharged from hospital, we bought another tummy binder from the hospital and I wore both together. Thus, all the way from just below my wound (at the bikini line) to just below my busts, I would have to wear the 2 tummy binders.

I'd never thought I'd say this, but I felt so much better with the 2 tummy binders holding my tummy in place - in my body, where they belong, instead of hanging out like a saggy balloony thingy. So two weeks on, we have this crater like thing which we thought was quite incredible - that the human skin could stretch and contract like that. I only hope that it continues to improve and I end up with a decent tummy!
pix taken on 23rd January 2009

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