Couplehood

I LOVE THIS CUTLERY! (And Other Matters)

Seen here, guys.

Cutlery, Yeah.
Love at first sight. I'm thinking that these would make perfect cutlery gifts for anyone (well, I'm thinking more about gifts for David, but hey, who can resist these?). Go here for more.

A Rush All Over, Yeah
Gee, it's nearly the end of the week, and I'm all out of time for now. I've got a few articles to work on before the end of the week, and I'm cleaning out some admin from my old job (it's... um... a little messy, to say the least). I've found, consistently, that the hardest part is leaving the really good buddies behind. See you around, chaps. It was great hanging out.

The Article, Yeah
So I'm writing an article on Fatherhood. More specifically, an article on "How Fathers Need Help". It's resonating deeply, this one. More about that when the article's published. (By the way, I've been published on another site, called Whakate. The jump will take you to the article I researched and wrote for. I've received plenty of pleasant comments. Very encouraging.)

So, It's Getting Busy, Yeah.
David's on the way, and with a couple of new things coming in, this month's looking to be a busy time. I'll still be around though, with the Monday Faithfuls, so do drop by to find out the latest with us. Especially, keep Angela in your thoughts as she goes through a really challenging time. Her feet were so swollen yesterday, she couldn't fit into her shoes. A little massage with lavender helped:).

The Monday Faithful: The Peace Before The Storm

"We're hoping you'll be a good man"

A Relaxing Week
We had a great week spending time together, mostly staying home and cooking our dinners and lunches. I'm surprised at how fast the Missus has picked up  cooking from her grandma, a large deal of it over the phone. Grandma-in-law's a bit forgetful when it comes to the details, but in the end, the stir fried veggies, herbal teas, and sardines turned out marvellously. I think she'll make a lovely cook, with more practice.

This week, maybe we can do some pizzas. While we can.

"I Hope You Grow Up To Be A Good Boy; No, A Good Man."
We were in the car, and suddenly, the topic of little David's character came up. We were talking about the worst in each other's personalities, as if bracing ourselves for a worst case scenario; she being stubborn and I being a reviled public enemy of teachers (and some fellow students, which I apologise for). God help us not to raise a evil mule-headed rascal. Maybe he will have the best of us, which means he'll be a lot like his mum.

8 Months Later, And A Wedding Day Video
Tim Lee, my friend, brother-in-Christ, and videographer (pretty good one at that), just completed a special segment of footage which didn't make the cut for the final wedding video. There are segments to it that I wish I could have used for the actual day, but hey, I'm mighty glad that it's put together so nicely still. Maybe I'll let the wife see it on 1st December 2009 - she had a sneak peek, but I've not let her see the whole thing. Don't you think it'll make a nice first anniversary gift? I'll be sure to show it here after that. Wait a while, you'll see!

[Next posts: sneak peeks and more on fatherhood - mostly because I'm writing an article for it.]

Are Your Sleep Phases Out Of Sync With Your Life?

A Promise I Need

I've Had Mostly Bad Experiences With Sleep - Like Some Of You
I'll leave those memories of sleeping between 3 grotesquely corpulent people on a bus to Scotland out of this - but yeah, I've been having trouble with sleep. A while back ago, I gave sleeping and rising early a shot. To this day, I've had some good experiences but mostly bad ones waking up in the morning. It was particularly bad today - I felt like a ton of bricks just hooked itself to my eyes. So, it's enough for me to do a little research.

Do You Have DSPS?
Or, "Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome".You see,

"Delayed sleep-phase syndrome (DSPS), also known as delayed sleep-phase disorder (DSPD) or delayed sleep-phase type (DSPT), is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder, a chronic disorder of the timing of sleep, peak period of alertness, core body temperature, hormonal and other daily rhythms relative to the usual norms. People with DSPS tend to fall asleep some hours after midnight and have difficulty waking up in the morning."
- Wikipedia (which also matches other medical sources)

Well, historically speaking, I don't get sleepy until 3am. Ask the wife, I'm an energizer bunny from about 9pm - 2am. Lying in bed at 11pm is dreadful, because I toss about in bed until a light sleep kicks in at 12mn. I was thinking, "maybe it's jet lag!" but I haven't been travelling to far away countries at all. In fact, when I did do some travelling last year and the year before to distant time zones, my body adjusted to my malfunctioning sleep phase cycle. Curses.

Maybe You Have ASPS
That's Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome. Which means,

Advanced sleep phase syndrome (ASPS), also known as the advanced sleep-phase type (ASPT) of circadian rhythm sleep disorder, is a condition in which patients feel very sleepy early in the evening (e.g. 18:00-19:00) and wake up very early in the morning (e.g. 03:00).

Nah. Definitely not me. You guys who have this are lucky.

"Just A Few Problems, Off The Top Of My Head."
With David on his way out, we're going to be spending A LOT of time awake looking after him. This is why it's more of a concern now for me than ever before - if I've got a messed up sleeping cycle, I should start to look for ways to make sure it doesn't stay that way.

Hey, if it's like that for you, I recommend fixing it too.

Curled Up and Bent In Half

My Boy

My Boy's Bent Over Like a Clam
And he's all snug and hugged over. I took a look at the photos, and the wife and I couldn't stop giggling. It's true, what the website said about "extended breech babies" - their feet are at their ears. Can't see what's so funny? Try doing it! (Hours of fun)

We Were A Little Worried
We were looking forward to a natural birth (okay, more me  than her), seeing how caesarian births tend to out the baby at risk. But we're sure the Good Lord is in control. What ever the outcome may be, He's brought us so far, He won't let us down. No matter what.

I've Yet To Scan In The Photos
But when I do, I'll post them up here. Wait for them! And, keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We'll need them.

"Your Name's Too Popular."

Ranked "12"

The Truth About Your Name
Here's an interesting resource for you preggers looking for names: an interactive graph showing the trends in baby names in the US of A. Our boy's name has fallen in favour somewhat after the spike of popularity in the 1950s. Which explains why my dad-in-law tells me that "so many of his clients are called David".

We saw it at this site, but the graph's over here. Just watching it loads made my geek-day.

(Andy, Yuling, go have a look! And Eva, you absolutely have to check out the stats on your name. Shocking!)

The Monday Edition: Dilemma

by the_moment

A Husband's Dilemma (The Morning's Latest)
So the boss walks into the room and suddenly counteroffers me. It's enough to stun me for a moment. It was long enough for him to believe that he might have a case. I'm not sure if he does. Walking out of the office, my brain's scrambled. It's going to be a long Monday for me. More about that later.

The Wife Grew, And Grew, And David's Bouncy
The wife's looking more adorable; a little puffy, a little rosy, and very much in good spirits. The nausea from a week back is gone now. I'm amazed at her good temper. David's been busy prodding her stomach and pelvis, mostly because he's turned around (we think) and descended. That's good news - for all you un-preggers, or as-yet preggers - because it means he's positioning himself to be born the good ol' fashioned way. We'll know more about that come later today.

Pizza With Friends (I Wish It Were Not Pizza Hut)
We had pizza (which I love with a passion) for lunch on Sunday, hanging out with the brethren from Church and some friends of mine. Nice time, not so nice food (the wife craned over to my ear and said, "hey, I really think Sarpino's is much, much better," to which, I agree). Pizza's like people - when they start compromising on what's right, it loses itself. No amount of justifying can justify a lousy pizza. Sure, maybe the pizzas back in the day weren't all that great, but at least they were done right. And I was hooked. 

[Stay tuned! Coming up this week: The all-revealing ultrasound scan, and the final decision on the job!]

It Affects Half Of All Mothers

Originally Taken by ndanger

So they claim.

With news like this, it's definitely something every parent team should take note of. We'll be keeping each other close.

Have a safe and happy weekend!

Thank God We Got Hitched Before Stagflation

Don't Think So.

Check this out from asiaone's website:

WHEN you attend a wedding dinner next year, think twice before you seal that hongbao.

The money you put in may not be enough for the bride and groom to recover the cost of their wedding celebrations, let alone have a little extra for their honeymoon.

Yes, young couples planning their dream weddings are finding themselves priced out of their dreams.

More over here.

On one hand, having had an very pleasant experience getting married, I do hope people have the wedding of their dreams. It's something never to forget. And it shouldn't cost an arm or a leg to make it so.

Well, okay, by estimates from insurance payouts, maybe two pinkies and a toe. 

The Monday Faithful - An Almost Late Edition (Forgive Me, I'm Catching Up)

It's the start of another work week, and before it slips my mind, I'm blogging in this one in. I'm still catching up on some work that I neglected over the weekend, you see. Zug zug.

Swollen Mellon Belly
The lady's growing very large. It's nigh-freakish, because you can actually see David move under 3 centimetres of flesh. He's been particularly active these days (can anyone say, "Bouncy Baby"?), much to Angela's discomfort. He's in a breech position now ( meaning he's suspending upright), and we're trying to find ways to turn him downward. Check this out:

Step 3: Use music and lights to encourage the baby to turn. Get on all fours with your head lower than your pelvis. Place a lit flashlight directly against your skin low on your stomach. Turn on your iPod or Walkman at a medium-high volume and put the headphones against your skin at the base of your stomach. The baby may be curious about the lights and music and turn to that direction.
(from ehow.com)

You can see that's it's a two-person job, that resembles deep-sea angling. Yes, these guys are serious. 

Sunken Flabby Belly
That'll be me. I'm just about fully recovered from the bad episode of stomach trouble. I'm sensing I'm deficient in some essential mineral or somesuch, but I can't seem to place it. I've lost so much water, my wedding ring's looking loose. No worries, though, with the way I drink water, I'll be water fat in no time.

Phew. Off my chest. :)

Blogging Forward
Just about 2 years into starting this couple blog, I'm looking to rework some portions of the design, as well as refine some of the focus areas. Any suggestions? I'm open. Email me or something. Oh, on another note, I'm also looking to launch another blog - it's handy now that I've finally decided to upgrade this account - but more on that another time.

Beat Down By Belly-Sickness

Originally uploaded by mary hodder

I Think I Ate Something Bad
I've spent a good part of this week in the toilet, and resting on the fleshier side of my forearm. It's the second worst bout I've had with food poisoning. It's not pleasant, I tell you. For the past 4 days, I had trouble stringing intelligible sentences together (I'm better now, danke). Seeing how the last bout changed my eating habits forever - I now eat white porridge with 腐乳 - I'm wondering what's going to happen next. Maybe I'll start to not hate stir-fried bittergourd. Nah.

Out Of The Bedroom, Onto The Couch
Thank God for the wife though, who's taking care of me. I'm trying hard not to spread it to her. Self-imposed exile stinks majorly, but I'll be most relieved if I don't add to the nausea she's been experiencing. Back to healing.