After seeing my parents off at the airport on 29 August, we went into standby mode for the arrival of baby Joel. Mom-in-law helped got Jonathan and Jillian ready for school on Monday. Tue and Wed were public holidays in Malaysia due to Hari Raya Puasa, and Thu was a holiday too, to make up for National Day which falls on 1 Sep.
Went to see my gynae on Mon evening and baby was still in good position, since two weeks ago. status quo. We told gynae most prob, we will go to the hospital on Wed, 31 Aug, and hope to deliver a baby on Malaysia's national day. But going by past records, I thought Baby Joel will have his own timing
On Tue, no contractions, so we spent the day at home relaxing, or screaming at Jon or Jill whenever they were up to mischief. Then on Wed, we woke up early and prepared to go into the hospital. Jillian woke up early, so I had a few minutes with her. Then Jonathan decided to wake up early even though it was a holiday. I told him I was going to the hospital and will come back with didi for him. He hugged me and waited with Jillian and Mabel for grandma to switch on the morning cartoons for them. I was happy to leave for the hospital after seeing my kids and them not crying for me!
Simon and I went to a nearby coffee shop for breakfast. Arriving at 7.45am, Simon was surprised to see so many people having breakfast. It's a public holiday after all. He wondered what they would do after breakfast, I told him either go visiting, or shopping or back home for a morning nap. After having my breakfast of kway teow, yu tiao and some dim sum, and ice Milo (I will not be having cold drinks for a whole month!), I went to the hospital for the longest wait of my life.
My gynae was already helping another lady deliver in the morning. I found this out coz another friend was waiting in his clinic and smsed me that he would only be out around 9.30am. Turned out he was back at the clinic at 11.30am. Then he saw his patients before coming to see me at 12.30pm. He said my cervix was soft and he need not break the water bag. He inserted half a tablet to induce me and said as it was my third delivery, it would be quite fast.
Turns out not. For delivery of Jonathan, I had a full tablet that brought on contractions only 24hours later. That's why I missed delivering him on Aug 9, Singapore's National Day. After inserting the tablet, Simon brought our lunch - pizza!! and I didn't feel any pain at all the entire afternoon. Oh no! That means the earliest I would feel any contraction would be 6hrs later (6pm) or latest 12hrs later (12am!). Aiyo, looks like Baby Joel will arrive on 1 Sep.
Around 6pm, a nurse told me my gynae instructed after dinner, I was to go get the catather for my epidural inserted and then he would come to burst my water bag. Ahhh, maybe got chance of having a baby before Malaysia's National Day ended?
After dinner around 6.45pm, I felt contractions. I thought the nurses were changing shift at 7pm, and told them to get me after they changed shift. Then another contraction came at 7pm, and another at 7.15pm. OK, I was getting nervous and went out to check, the nurses said not yet. I went back in to watch telly with Simon. This time I was getting anxious and asked Simon what to do. He said since I was getting contractions regularly at 15-min intervals, we should let the nurses know. I sent him out coz I didn't want them to think I was impatient or worse fierce, like nurse thought of me when I delivered Jonathan. Simon went to inform them around 8.15pm.
Two nurses came in at 8.30pm. Wa lau, you mean things are so slow in Malaysia until they took one and a half hours to change shift? She asked me about my contractions and she said now the pressure is on her coz I am feeling contractions. While we spoke, we realised the nurses changed shift at 8pm!!! Ah yo, the nurses in the second shift must be wanting to go home, so let the nurses on the third shift handle the delivery lah. Please, I just wanted to let the anethesist insert the catather, which at most would take half a hour!! Never mind, the nurses, calmed me down and said let them handle.
I am glad for the nurses of the third shift, Ngek and another nurse who didn't haev ner name tag. They were the nicest nurses ever, so encouraging and chatty! Dr Ling, inserted the epidural at around 8.40pm (he reached the hospital within less than 10mins on the nurse calling him). I waited till 9.30pm for my gynae Dr Mattu, to burst my water bag.
At 10.15m, I felt contractions and the nurses were surprised. They said by right I shouldn't feel a thing. I waited for a couple of contractions to ascertain if I needed topping up of the epidural. In the end, I said let's get Dr Ling. oz what if Baby Joel comes early and I couldn't bear the pain? Wasted the rest of the epidural, right?
But after the topping up, I felt light-headed and woozy...and even nauseous. Ooops, a bit too much of epidural. But I forced myself to take a nap, coz otherwise, I wouldn't have strength to push baby Joel. And I slept for a good 2hrs.
Just before 1am, Dr Mattu came and checked on me and said let's get started. OK, no turning back now. By then, my lower body felt nothing. Again for the third time in my life, I knew what a paralysed person felt like. I didn't like the feeling at all. And because of the epidural, I threw up twice before I started pushing, twice while I was pushing.
But this time, with everyone's encouragement, I pushed at correct timings, albeit out of breath (coz my nose decided it was the right time to be blocked). And for once, I feel a little of something coming out of me, Dr Mattu carrying the baby, the umbilical cord being cut (by the mid wife, and not Simon), the nurses bringing Joel for a quick clean up, and the best part of it, I got to cradle Joel for a good 10mins or so, while Dr Mattu cleaned and sewed me up, while the nurses did their thing.
It's the most wonderful feeling, holding Joel in my arms. He's finally out, all 3.9kg, 55cm of him! A whole load of emotions came gushing over me, happiness, love, tears of joy, sadness (coz he's no longer inside me and connected to me in a closest way), amazement, wonder (he's a big baby and to have him come out of me naturally, Wow!).
Joel looked just like Jonathan, except from the lower part of his face onwards, he looked like Jillian.
They took Baby Joel away to be cleaned up some more, and Simon made sure I was all right before heading up to catch some zzzs and to help with the kids for breakfast before bringing mine. I was so groggy and felt nauseous, but I forced myself to sleep. And slept I did till around 5am. I also asked the nurses to give him some formula milk first while I rest. They came with him around 7am to let him suckle at my breasts. I kept him with me until 8am before they whisked him to see the paediatrician.
Here's Jonathan with my breakfast. The sweet boy asked me, "What happened, mama? What are you doing?" I told him baby didi came out already. Then I coughed. Jonathan comforted me by patting my hand and my tummy, which I was holding. He asked me to eat my breakfast and if he could watch cartoon. I told him to go see didi with Simon. He said no, papa go see didi. he will stay with me and watch cartoon. He did go see Joel and was a little frightened at first, coz there was a crowd of people to see a pair of twins just delivered by my gynae.
I stayed at the hsopital for another night and we went back on Fri, 2 Sep. Jonathan and Jillian were awed by baby Joel. They didn't touch hime, but came near to see him. Jonathan was more responsive now than when he first saw Jillian. Well, he's 4yrs old now, 2yrs older. And Jillian was like him, but she kept smiling at Joel.
but when Joel sneezed or moved a little, Jillian was quite taken aback. Guess this is the first baby that she's seen. Will take a little while to get used to.
One week has passed since I delivered Joel. Milk is slowly, but surely coming in. I pray he has the patience to wait and suckle. and for me to have more milk this time round.
I also pray we can handle the confinement period well, coz MIL is taking care of Jillian and cousin Mabel on weekday afternoons, after school. Then Jon comes home at 4.15pm. And depending when the girls wake up, they would be a handle during the evening time, when they get washed up and fed their dinner. Sis-in-law comes back from work around 6+pm or 7pm. before she brings Mabel home around 8+pm. But come Sat, when all three kids are around without Simon (he works on Sats), would be another chaotic day. We'll just have to manage.
Ordered a simple cake in the shape of a star and had some decor pieces on them. Enough mini balloons for the kids - Jon, Jill and cousin Mabel. Cousin Qiqi was down with fever due to teething too. 
Jill was a little frightened of the firework candles and that kept her from going at the cake to lick the icing. But once the candles died out and I cut her a slice of the cake, she immediately wanted to eat it. She loves cakes...just like her daddy who likes sweet stuff (but not cake). 
She received a baby doll from one of our friends. Thought she wouldn't really play with dolls coz she wasn't interested in Mabel's baby doll. But she proved us wrong and immediately put the pillow under the baby's head and gave it a pacifier while I was trying to pry the fake milk bottle from the box. Ahhhh, girls have this instinct to play with babies huh? Well, not proven with my three nieces. This one still has hope! haha
Here are photos from her celebration at school the next day. She was one happy girl, and smiled so widely till her eyes disappeared. 
Jonathan enjoying his long, long you tiao at Whampoa Market. I used to eat here when I was a kid after seeing the doctor there. 
She had it much worse than Jon coz of her mild eczema. But on day 4, Jon's looked just as bad. I recalled a friend asking if we should give our kids the CP immunization, and I said no need lah, since they have so many jabs (plus not compulsory). Well, after this, #3 is definitely going to get his jab when he turns 18months!
She was so happy to go to nursery. But she doesn't want her milk and water on the first day...too excited and stimulated. Thankfully she took water over the next few days. I tried to give her water from a bottle, but she just doesn't know who to sip water from the straw. Strange coz she can sip our drinks with the straw. How to solve this? 
Simon and I celebrated out 10th anniversary with a quick dinner at a local Italian restaurant. Pity we didn't try Salt at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. But this will have to do.
Then we also celebrated Simon's birthday in Jul. The kids just loved birthday cakes. Look at them trying to grab at the cake, and Jon blowing his biggest breath ever to help his daddy blow out the candles. 
It's 7 weeks countdown till number 3 arrives. But my tummy is super low. People keep asking me if I am going to give birth soon. When I had Jon and Jill, they were pretty low too, but #3 is the lowest.
We had a buffet lunch upon reaching there on Sunday. After lunch, only one room was ready so we went on a tour of the placed on a trailer pulled by a huge tractor. Jon loved the ride, and was very obedient throughout. 
We also went off trail to see some small waterfall, where the water dripped down from some vines. Local myth was that if you wash with the water that had dripped from the vines, you will look five years younger. We didn't really believe but splashed our face with the refreshing cool water.
Then we went on a boat ride and the tour guide feed the fishes so we can see them up close when they came to feed. We also saw two guys on a boat with their huge catches. Was wondering if we would have those fishes for dinner, haha!
The next morning, after breakfast, we went to play at the water park again before heading for home. Yay, so happy to see Jillian. 
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