BabyChua The First: Month Four (January 2015)

Dear BabyChua,

And so we passed the first trimester. 

The all clear from Professor Raman meant that our Dr. Prashant signed off on you as well, leaving us to consider KL ObGyns that we would like to see up till your delivery. Every one that had been highly recommended was a student of Professor Raman's, classmates of Dr. Prashant. 

We went to see Dr. Guna at KPJ Damansara, since he also delivered your second cousins Enzo and Marco (we would later find out that more and more people we knew had gone to Dr. Guna and LOVE him). 

The first visit left us a bit underwhelmed. It was after lunch, and for the first time since we had begin the process of trying to get pregnant, there was no wait. Unlike Professor Raman and Dr. Prashant, he was subdued, a quieter more laid-back personality, nice and informative enough but nothing like the other two's bold confidence. He scanned you, asked if we wanted to know your gender, and told me all was good and to come back in a month. We decided we would see him again and decide then if he was 'the one', maybe he had been lethargic from a banana leaf lunch.

With regards to your gender, up until this point, I felt that you were a boy, and then the pronouncement that you are a girl! It took some recalibrating for both papa and I, but there was no less joy in your existence.

A little baby girl! I dubbed you princess tomboy.

Into the fourth month, I had few of the ailments listed for 16-20 weeks, the one that stands out is a few days of round ligament pains, my ligaments stretched and loosened and for awhile it felt like my uterus was floating/bouncing in my abdomen - when I couldn't take the pain I took paracetamol but it lasted four days at most. 

Some forgetfulness and stuffy nose, but generally smooth sailing . 

The beginnings of a bump

It was also around this time that we made the big announcement on social media, the below picture about having a bun in the oven (it was a bit too subtle or people were hungry and distracted by the thought of cinnamon buns first thing in the morning, and took some time to gain momentum).

Something about a bun in the oven- Uncle Ivan's idea for the announcement

Nana Chris and nana Mill came to visit us last week of January. Your main nana, my mother, passed away in 2009 - she had lupus and various complications (not just health), and it always fills me with sadness that she never got to meet your papa. She would have been a great nana to you as well. 

Still, we have her four sisters; nanas Chris, Mill, Pat and Nat, then of course there's grandpa and grammie Rebecca and your formidable Ama. Your Kong Kong, papa's dad also passed away from illness, but I'll let papa tell you about that.

Here they are helping me prepare root veg for one of our favourite meals, Root Vegetable Stew with Grilled Lamb and Herb Cous Cous, something I learnt while au pairing in Wales (Penny learnt while she was in Algeria)

Still, you're well covered on the grandparents front.

January was my last month at work, and papa and I planned a break for the long weekend end-January, a post-work and mini-babymoon to Bali, where we seem to find ourselves at least once a year.