Baby's Movements.

It feels like a little bit of pressure on my uterus--almost like a tiny hand pressing there. Sometimes it feels like I have a tiny goldfish swimming near my navel, at sometimes it feels like my stomach has been sort of "lifted" and dropped, as if I've been on a roller coaster or driving up and down a hill.

Well, all that rumbling and moving could just be ga, may be.

Week 21.

Another 19 weeks to go. Halfway through the pregnancy. Everyone has start to notice the bulge on my tummy :)

My baby is now so active, I can feel the kicking and punching every 2-3 hours.

The baby has own rhythm of sleeping and being awake unlike the outside world. He/she can be having kickboxing session during my sleep and I can be suddenly waken by the baby's furious kicks, telling me: Hey mom, lets play!!

Yes, I play with my baby, at least 5-10 minutes a day. How? you might be asking.... Well, when the baby starts making kicks and punches, I tap my stomach on every kicks/punchs. Sometimes, I reply in double or triple taps or music rhythms... The baby loves it and "reply" back. Of coz, will stop after 5-10 minutes. Guess that the baby sleeps every 1-2 hours and play for 5-15 minutes, then falls back to sleep again.

1. Extremely sleepy = no more

2. Tender breasts = no more.

3. Feel warm = yup

4. Sluggish and lazy = no more.

5. Gassy stomach =yes

7. Bloated lower Abdomen = nope

8. Frequent urination = nope

9. Nausea = no more.

10. Hungry = yup

11. Food = Moist flourless chocolate cake.

12. Water = usual, always feeling thirsty.

13. CONSTIPATED!

Chocolate Truffles.

My hubby just loves Truffles. He has been searching high and low for truffles every time we goes to a supermarket or grocery store. But tell you, the selling price of these truffles are darn expensive. eg. RM80 just for 10pcs of Truffles!!!!! Can burn a hole in your pocket for such cravings!

So I have searched in the net for the recipe. I didn't know that chocolate truffles are soooo easy to be made. You will need just less than 15 minutes of cooking and less than 10 minutes to prepare the yummy truffles.

I have found the recipes posted on the net are quite sweet. So I have amended the sweetness to my liking by adding yogurt.

Basic Truffle Ingredients:

• 8 ounces of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (high quality, 62% cacao or higher), well chopped into small pieces, I used Van Houten baking chocolate (about RM7++)
• 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream / thickening cream (about RM6++)
• 1 tbsp plain flavourless yogurt (optional if you think you can take it sweet) (1 container cost about RM5+)

Truffle coatings:

• Cocoa powder
• Finely chopped walnuts (optional)
• Finely chopped almonds (optional)
• Raisins (optional)

Method:

1. Place the baking chocolate in a pyrex bowl. Placed the bowl over a pot filled with water using the lowest heat. Or you can use double boiler.

2. When the baking chocolate almost or fully melted, add in heavy whipping cream / thickening cream and stir till smooth.

3. Add 1tbsp plain yogurt and stir.

4. Remove the pyrex from heat, and let it stand for at least 1 minute so that the pyrex bowl cools down. You can add raisins at this time.

5. Pour the mixture over a baking tray. Be sure to line your baking tray with aliminium foil or baking sheet.

6. Place the baking tray in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. (2 hours also can, but mine works well after 6 hours)

7. Remove from refrigerator. Remove the chocolate from the baking tray. Cut the chocolate into squares and place them in a cocoa powder (with optional chopped walnuts and almonds) filled plastic container. You have to do this quickly before the chocolate just melts in your hands. Once finish cutting, close the plastic container and shake it so that cocoa powder coats all of it. Viola, you can start to indulge in this yummy treat.

Cost: Less than RM20 for a bar worth of truffles which can be finished in 10 minutes by 2 person!!!

I call it "sinful desserts"! haha.

My ingredients:

Week 20.

Went for check up on 16th June Tuesday.

Glucose blood test shows that my iron / hemoglobin level is too low. Gynae is curious to know whether I have Thalassemia family history. Not that I know of... "I have to double up your iron dosage." Huh, I'm already constipated, more iron?!?! Oh gosh.. "What to do? Your hemoglobin is too low. Take more vegs and fruits!!"

Then I ask to have my hubby enter the ultrasound room as well. He has been asking to see the ultrasound scans in person rather than seeing printed pictures instead for the past few checkups.

So, my husband is eager to know the ultimate question: Boy or girl???

The gynae had just trying out a new 4D ultrasound machine, but the baby is not cooperative enough. Keep on having kick boxing session, plus the baby is not lying on its back. After checks on the heart's 4 channels and femur length, healthy he said, time to check the baby's gender. "Your baby is not cooperative enough.... Aren't able to see the baby's gender.... probably is a girl...." Yeeahh, I win I said. I was so happy to hear that, but my hubby was speechless throughout the drive back home..... :P

But still can't be sure, I can't start to buy baby cloths and stuffs until confirmation is given in the next checkup...

Aiya, boy or girl also our own flesh and blood, mah.....

Week 18.

Oh, Help!
I'm severely constipated.

My stomach is so bloated with wind and "shits", my tummy is getting more and more heavy everyday. Unless I "release" some weights every time I sits for more than 1/2 hour in the toilet. URrrggghhhh. Then the cycle starts again when I put in more food every meal!

Plus the orange vitamins and calciums that I took every day it making me miserable. Apparently the vitamin pills has iron in it. When Iron + calcium, constipation will occur. Then What am I gonna do???

I have tried drinking prune juices, fruit juices, fruit enzymes, yogurt, eat lots of vegs and fruits, ......... what else, finally have to resolve to probiotic powder and stool softener to ease the "pain"!

Oh Yeah, try taking the vits and calcium at different meals. Helps a bit, though.

1. Extremely sleepy = nope

2. Tender breasts = nope

3. Feel warm = yup. Aircond of 20C is a must and must have it everynight.

4. Sluggish and lazy = nope

5. Gassy stomach =yes and constipated too.

7. Bloated lower Abdomen = nope

8. Frequent urination = nope

9. Nausea = no more.

10. Hungry = yup

11. Food = Love chocolate cakes.....

12. Water = usual, always feeling thirsty.