Partying at Peekaboo

Michael, Ayisha & I were out partying last weekend! Woohooo! But, errrr..with a place called Peekaboo, you know it's a kid's party yeah?

For the past year living in Bali, out of us 3, Ayisha has had the most invites for parties. Lucky for me, I got to join all of these parties. Michael, not so much. This is because almost all invitations that we receive for her specifically state 'for mums & kids only'.

It took me a while to get used to this actually. In Malaysia & even Australia, most kids parties (esp 3 years old and below) would include both parents or don't really specify otherwise as it's a gathering of family & friends. Like, how many friends does a 1 year old have? Or to be exact, it's actually an excuse for the parents to celebrate and have a get together, with the added excitement of a fancy birthday cake & a chance for us mums (yang over) to put together the ultimate party bags. I would find myself asking my friends here for confirmation 'mums only eh?' few times, just to be sure.

Firstly, I don't want Michael to be the odd one out. Secondly (and most importantly heheh), if he's not around, then I would not have any help with Ayisha. Which means I wouldn't be eating or gossiping as much. I mean, that's what spouses are for, isn't it?

So without Michael attending the parties with us, I would miss out on the girls' gossip because almost all of them have help & their helper would be the ones attending to the kids. Also, I won't be eating as much or it wouldn't be quite satisfying because I would be distracted from time to time. I wouldn't even finish a box of Teh Botol (a very popular party drink). Which is totally ok, because they are after all, Ayisha's parties anyway and and and.....at the end of the day, I would normally get extra food to take home (bungkus sih!) because the hosts would notice me not eating much. 

That's the best part here. They always have plentiful food leftovers and they're all oh-so good. So everyone would end up with something to take home and it's normally a full heavy meal consisting of rice, noodles, chicken, beef and a few vegie dishes complete with desserts, no matter what time of day the party was held.

So last weekend was one of the rarest occasion where we were ALL invited. It's Teagan's 3rd birthday party and her mum, Sri decided to make it a BIG one!

It was held at Peekaboo Kids Play & Cafe, a very huge, newly opened, fantastically equipped kids play centre in Sanur, just 10 mins from our house. It was absolutely fabulous! It is just a perfect venue for a kids (and ma & pa) party.

The place is so new, I don't think it's officially opened yet. It was owned by one of the mums at school and Sri's good friends with her so she opened it for the day, for the party.

The place is like kids' heaven. Lots and lots of toys to play with and explore. To tell you the truth, Michael & I were some of the excited parents that 'use' their child to 'explore' some of the wonderful toys there. I just love it. I was torn between joining my girlfriends who were laughing hysterically about something or joining Michael & Ayisha at the BBQ play station - it's THAT good.

Ayisha had a great time playing with daddy, with her friends or even by herself. Michael & I both had a chance to sit down and enjoy the party food and we took turns looking after Ayisha so the other could catch up & mingle with our friends. Well mostly me lah cos Michael only knows a few - what with the 'mums & kids only' invos. :p

Anyways, it was such a great day, we were there for hours. We could've gone on and on but the place was booked for certain hours so we had to let go of the BBQ station. Sri prepared all of the food herself - appertizers, mains, nibbles, desserts and the cake both for the kids & adults. They're all just so very good. 

The only thing missing was the bungkus/tapau part. The centre requires food to be packed & boxed and because almost everyone came and a lot of us stayed for ages, there's really nothing to take home. But hey, we didn't need to anyways. I left with a tummy full of extra desserts and 6 times of going back to the cooler box for Teh Botol, just because I can. :p

"quick daddy, do it now, no one's watching!"

mini carousel at the entrance

filling up for the 10th time

"I'll take this one please.."

"beb, we need a coffee break..these parents are too much"

"this is the way we wash our hands..."

kids' meal time at the kids room

"ok daddy, can I have a turn now"

lovely birthday cake for the lovely birthday girl!

high on my 5th Teh Botol

the awesome BBQ station - the lights lit up and made sizzling sounds! Ha had a change of clothes, that's how long we were there!

Almost Half Way There

I'm about 4 1/2 months pregnant now. Wow, that went by pretty quick.

I don't think I look pregnant yet but I definitely feel & look fat. I went for my monthly check-up last weekend and found out I've put on 2kg in a month. My clothes are feeling rather tight around the tummy and my arms. Don't really understand why the arms but they absolutely feel like at least a kilo fatter - my sleeves keep getting stuck at the elbows when putting & taking my top off. 

As discussed in my previous pregnancy as to the shape of the tummy, I think this time it's a watermelon too. Which means it's not pointy at all but rather spread out flabbily across (belambak gitu). Which means, when my friends see me they say 'hey, you're still not showing yet but you do look a bit chubbier', while poking my hips. Which also means, I think I'm having a girl. 

With Ayisha, we didn't find out the sex of the baby. The whole surprise element is apparently a very Aussie thing to do. Drove me crazy but I went along with it. This time, Michael told me that it's only fair for me to decide whether or not I wanted to find out. He of course, would still like it to be a surprise. We could find out on our next scan, which will be in another 2 1/2 weeks in Sydney while we're on our Christmas holiday. 

At first I thought it would be nice to have another surprise. But the more I think about it, the more I feel like I really wanted to know. One reason for this is because like last time, we're struggling to find a boy's name. Actually, this time we're struggling with a girl's name too. So at least if we find out, it's half the stress of trying to find a name that we both could agree on. So for now, I have decided that I would want to find out, but it would be a secret (ala2 Marion Caunter gitu..ahaks).

For the past few days, I've been feeling quite alright. I was feeling really good for 2 days straight, being able to cook breakfast, lunch, dinner and playing outdoor and swimming with Ayisha. But I bragged about it to Michael & my friends too soon and that 2nd night, I vomited like I've never vomited before. I'm still feeling nauseous and faint but it's not all day every day and I don't feel too weak to do stuff. I checked my diary from last time that I was still vomiting at 4 months but very rarely. So, pretty similar. 

The difference this time around is that I've been having some pain on my backside. It's literally, a pain in my butt. The right butt. I can't really point out the pain but when I'm moving positions and walking after sitting down and even sneezing and coughing, I can feel a stabbing pain. It's pretty bearable but it's just a bit annoying. My midwife Kim, an Australian who's been in Bali for more than 20 years,  said it's pretty normal. It's probably the age thing too. Urgh.

Another thing that's different this time is that I am pee'ing sooooooo much more, day and night. Sometimes not even a sip of water between my 1st & my 5th one! With Ayisha, I only started waking up in the middle of the night to pee during my 3rd trimester. This time, I started waking up constantly weeks ago. Actually, from the first paragraph till this very sentence, I've gotten up 4 times to do wee wee.

Other than that, I'm doing pretty good. I do feel a bit more relaxed & chilled this time around. Not that I care less but I guess having been through it all made me feel like it's all going to be ok and not worry and google about every single little thing. The anticipation and excitement are still the same. It still felt pretty awesome to hear the baby's heartbeat for the 1st time on my last check up and I can't wait to feel it moving. Kim said that I should feel the baby moving soon if not already, especially now with the 2nd pregnancy I would've known what to expect.

Honestly, I still have NO idea. Last time, I only felt for sure of any movements  at 23 weeks. So, if I'm still as clueless, it would be another month or so till I feel anything!

Either way, I hope it'll continue to grow healthily, strongly and safely and I'll continue to have a smooth and lovely pregnancy. Now excuse me, I gotta go pee...again!

Little Stars Christmas Performance

Today, Ayisha's school had its annual Christmas Performance. Last year, Ayisha was still new, having been only 1 month to playschool. She was about 17 months and one of the youngest in the youngest Starlet 1-2 year olds class. She didn't even get on stage because she was clinging on to me for dear life. Her class performed the Christmas Angels song, with the Starlets supposed to be wearing white. I dressed her in white pants and white t-shirt and was feeling so left out when all the other mothers dressed their lil girls in pretty lil dresses. What was I thinking? I still cringed a bit when I thought about that day but didn't matter. We were amateurs back then. :p

This year, she's in the Moonbeam 2-3 year olds class. Still one of the youngest amongst the other Moonbeamers, but hey, we've been to playschool for about a year now ok. We're seasoned playschoolers, hehe. Her class was supposed to be wearing white again this year and lo & behold - she's got the perfect white dress this time, a present from grandma for Christmas last year that she can still fit into.

I didn't know what song they're going to perform but I was so sure it's Jingle Bells because Ayisha's been coming home after school screaming 'Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way' and laughing her heart out after '..o'er the fields we go, laughing all the way..hohohoho!' the last few days.

We were so ready....

Starlets wearing green as Xmas trees

Or were we?

Moonbeams wearing white as snowflakes

I was straining my neck amidst the crowd of eager parents with my camera sticking out to see where she was but she's nowhere to be seen. Even the song's not even familiar. Can't remember what it is now but it sure wasn't Jingle Bells. 

Where was she????

I thought I saw a glimpse of her hair behind the curtains next to the stage, with her teacher carrying her but she didn't get on stage lah. She didn't even perform.

Soon after her class finished, I saw her with her teacher looking for me in the audience. She cried upon seeing me and came clinging with the saddest, whispering sobs, burying her face onto me. At that point, I was feeling so guilty for telling her last night how I would clap and wait for her to get on stage bla bla, making such a big deal out of it. Isk....When in fact, it doesn't really matter at all. I don't care if she gets on stage or not. She's been keeping me entertained almost everyday. 

I guess being the centre of attention, having to perform in public is just not her thing. Like mummy, bit shy mah. That's ok Squeaky, I'll take you Karaoke'ing soon enough :p (ok, I actually took her ONCE in JB when karaoke'ing with my sisters and she sang Justin Biebs' Baby Baby song...erk.)

I told her that it was really ok and that she can sing & dance for me when it's just the two of us. So the moment we stepped into the comfort of our home, she's as happy as she can be, showing me her moves.

The rest of the day was spent playing with our neighbour Ela, who was one of the Starlets performing in green. Ela & her mum Claire were sitting next to me while we waited for Moonbeams to come out and like me, she was anxiously waiting and cheering on for Ayisha. She continuously asked her mum when she couldn't see her on stage,  I thought that was so sweet :)

I had a wonderful time catching up with Claire and the girls had a lovely playdate - dancing, running, swimming, lots of eating and not forgetting, giving us the most special Christmas performance - Old McDonald Had a Farm..ahaks... I love u, Squeaky!

'oink oink here..oink oink there..' isk..apa2 jek lah! :p

Nusa Lembongan Island Getaway

Our friends from Sydney, Ces & Reanne, have left us this morning. It's been great having them around. Bit unfortunate that they're both a bit sick on and off. And few days before they left, even Michael got sick too. :(

However last weekend, right after they got back from Gili, we did get to go away and spend some time together. We went to Lembongan Island, about 20-30 mins boat ride from Sanur beach.

I'm not a big fan of boat rides, especially more so now that I'm pregnant. I wasn't sure how bad my sea + morning sickness would be even if it's just a short 20 min ride. But I was assured that the tide's low and the boat ride's fast and smooth etc. Plus the fact that Michael has already booked a 2 bedroom villa in one of the nicest resorts in Lembongan, so I sucked it up and went along.

The moment we arrived at the boat office, we felt like we're on holidays already. Complimentary drinks and being chauffeured for 2 mins from the office to the boat! The office (called Rocky, how's that for a boat company?) was really close to the beach so I thought we'd just be walking, but nope, they drove us to the nearest stop to the boat and carried our bags.

waiting for departure - that's our boat on the left

The boat ride was not too bad. It turned out to be quite choppy that day but I was so glad it only took 20 mins. Any longer and I'd be projectile vomiting and feeling awful the rest of the day.

Lembongan is very BEAUTIFUL. The water's clean and crystal clear, great for snorkeling. The beach was full of boats tho so there were no sun beds or umbrellas or people hanging and swimming at the beach. But of course, Squeaky and Michael had to have a dip in the water & play with the sand.

Lembongan beach

quick dip

Lembongan is a very small island, known for seaweed farming. It's actually very famous for its surfing breaks as well as diving and snorkeling. For people like me, it's just a fantastic place to chill. And that's exactly what I did for the next 2 days - reading, sleeping, eating and a lot of relaxing and doing nothing. I didn't even go check out the island with the others because it's so hot for me and I didn't want to slow them down (using the pregnancy excuse again! :p).

We stayed at Lembongan Island Beach Villas and booked the 2-bedroom villa. It is very comfortable, complete with kitchen and separate bathrooms. It also comes with a balcony and a lovely plunge pool. There's a LOT of stairs at this resort, the higher you go, the better the view lah. But I was so very glad that Michael requested the lowest one for me (not a big fan of stairs either!) . Even from there, we still got a pretty amazing view of the beach as well as the magnificent Mt Agung, the highest mountain in Bali, on a non-cloudy day. It's also a mere 5 steps to the big pool, breakfast area, lobby and into the other shops and restaurants. I think even Michael was grateful he didn't book anywhere up further. Or if we did, we'd stay put and order room service all the way through :p

balcony of our villa

view from the plunge pool in the villa

Mt Agung behind the clouds

our room with the yellow towel, close to pool & breakfast area

the main pool with an amazing view as well

Ces & Re very comfy on the day bed next to pool

those stairs go on forever!

 ready for a date with daddy whilst mummy napping!

Overall, Lembongan is a very quiet, slow paced, laid back, peaceful small island and very suitable if you just want to get away from it all. There's really not much to do there but just snorkel, swim, eat, relax and repeat. It's very easy to get to and with the short boat ride, I really wouldn't mind going back there again for a mini getaway if we feel like needing a holiday.

waiting for the boat back to Sanur

Upon returning from Lembongan, I made vegetarian lasagna for dinner (recipe from here). Well, Michael's boss was supposed to come for dinner but he cancelled at the last minute. Which is fine because I haven't been cooking proper dinner for my guests since they got here. Haven't made lasagna for ages, and oh my GOD..it's soooo delish! heheheheheh

Michael missed Australia cheese so much so Ces & Reanne brought a kilo block of cheddar cheese with them. I topped the lasagna with that cheese and it looked so good, I think it's the best looking lasagna I've ever made! :p