May - The Month of Celebrations

Seven years of marriage. One 23-month old toddler, a 34-week fetus and still married! Who would have thought our life would turn out this way. *hahaha* Not the 'still married' part but the kids bit. It's crazy how we managed to conceive naturally despite all the reproductive hindrance. We count our blessings everyday minus my difficult pregnancy [and his exhaustion].  

I've been stuck in the hospital bed and Meyer's energy level is depleted from being a single parent to Ewan the past weeks. We could not possibly have anything special planned for this year's First of May anniversary. The most memorable part of our 7th anniversary is a photoshoot by Edmund, our resident photographer, in the hospital. 

Some thought, "how can the pictures turn out good?" A hospital setting is sterile, stressful, downcast and cold. So I created a little magic, brought colours to my lifeless room and left the rest in the hands of our photographer. 

A new spread of bedsheet, a change in clothes, a self-made make-over and an English Rose hair garland simply did it. What Hospital! We looked like we were staycationing in a hotel and I definitely do not look like I'm sleep-deprived! 

Oh how I love this picture of little Ewan's hand holding onto my thumb as we take a threesome shot with babyf. Oh and how can I forget my best friend that is stuck to me like a prick. How can we ever forget her unwavering support.

Ewan and Meyer went home after the quick shoot and left me with my ladies for an afternoon of laughter. They threw me an English Rose Shabby Chic baby shower. It was pure coincidence that I pulled over a lilac bedspread, received a lilac hair garland from Sarah and a lovely planter of lilac flowers from my girls. Before everyone arrived, I did some last minute touch-ups and made sure that wild flower doesn't stick out of my head like a weed. *haha* and my only mirror was the self-take function on the iPhone.

They made every effort to match the theme from the invitation card down to the table runner. My nurses were so excited about the baby shower, they even prepared a dressy table for our food and removed all unneeded equipments to make space for eight mummies. I appreciated the gathering and the laughter that came with it. My mundane days were briefly shelved away and I felt alive once again (even though all I could do was sit in bed). 

The designer of the theme - mummy Serene! We all agree she should probably ditch her stressful job and go into party planning. She propped the table with her classic picnic basket and a beautiful table runner that shouts Shabby Chic! She designed the invitation cards, name reveal cards and even had the dessert table set-up so prettily. She had everything organised in less than a week just to make sure the baby shower is a go-ahead before babyF makes a pre-mature debut. Mummy Serene added "This is the first time I've ever planned a baby shower in a hospital!" You Did It!

Those home-made cookies and sandwiches from mummy Sylvia were delicious! Meyer stayed for one sandwich and he went, "Wow, it's even peppered!" and mummy Tiffany couldn't help but went for more servings of her cookies. It's hard work on her side with all the baking and prepping especially when this mummy is pregnant with her number 2. With a toddler, a Jack Russel Terrier, a hubby and a home to take care of, she still found time to have these amazing bakes out from the oven and into a pretty box. Definitely has her mother's cooking genes!

Mummy Iori came with wraps and cupcakes! Busied her way halfing the wraps and serving us our lunches. She got babyF some really nice and practical gifts too. I can't wait for the little girl to be born and fit into that outfit. Don't worry about the messed-up cupcakes dear. They still looked lovely!

While the room was being set up, I was to be blind-folded. It was so funny these mummies even thought about blind-folding me to create that suspense. It was a really nice gesture. I loved the way the balloons livened up my room! It was so exciting my heart was palpitating not from Ventolin but with delight!

But I took a cheeky peek! 

I decided to do a Name Reveal in exchange for all their love, creating such a beautiful First of May for me. There were five cards with different names that start with the letter F. Each mummy were to make their choice on babyF's name. Besides mummy Xiao Bin who already knew her name, the rest chose Fern, Faye, Faith and Felicity. No takers for Francesca. The winner goes to mummy Serene! They were then treated with a video by Ichiro Films with the correct answer. It ended with much glee and we had the video repeated four times just to enjoy the production starring Meyer and Ewan.

Mummy Xiao Bin was frantic when she heard that the theme was English Rose Shabby Chic. She texted Meyer and asked to borrow our duck egg Laura Ashley curtains for the baby shower! I had a good laugh when I heard about it and assured her that it really was okay if she didn't have any flowery dress to come in with. But she couldn't get pass herself for not trying. So, she went shopping. Thank you for making the attempt to suit the theme! I love your pastel flowery scalloped shorts!

I was told mummy Priscillia had to work on May Day! Gosh! I would really love a full attendance of my favourite mummies at the baby shower! It was a very pleasant surprise to see her through the door as she gave me her bubbly "HELLO!" She made special arrangements to change her work schedule with another colleague to be at the party! Sincerely appreciative of your efforts. 不愧是我的好 buddy!

Oh Tiffany mummy Tiffany. This is the second First of May you had to 'work' for my party. The first was in 2007 when Meyer and I tied the knot and you were part of the bridesmaid gang. The second was for this baby shower. You could have gone for a long birthday weekend out of the country but I had you here with me instead. Love, Hugs, Kisses and more Hugs. It meant a lot! This would be the first year we couldn't do a birthday lunch on me. Till next year!

As for mummy Diana, she's got a really tight schedule this public holiday. As a working mum, she would want to spend all her free time she could possibly get with her handsome 14-monther. She squeezed in a very early breakfast and rushed to the baby shower with her toddler waiting for her somewhere in Orchard Road. Thank you for making time for me!

The Thank Yous are not over yet! Three more people to thank! I cannot believe the amount of love and effort I am showered with.

How do you like this hand-made hair garland? Sarah from Poppy is a crazy, fun-loving perfectionist who never declined my requests if I needed help. She had this delivered to me the day before our baby shower. She gave her 100% with the setup of Ewan's first month party and his first year party. Right this moment, she is already in the midst of preparing babyF's first month party. All I had to do was to create a mood board for her based on my expectations and she will elegantly execute it to my liking. Sarah was even ready to personally direct my maternity shoot for me and Comel (a white pony I hired). Alas, my hospitalisation made this shoot impossible. If you are looking for a party planner, to set up a pretty dessert table, a bunch of beautiful flowers for Mother's Day or even a flower-making class, you can look her up at PasarBella! Just look for the fresh smelling stall with lots of beautiful flowers or contact her here: poppy_inc@yahoo.com.sg

Lastly, I have the men behind All the camera lenses to thank. They were activated at very short notice. In fact, I am lucky to engage them during this season with weddings at a high. They are swarmed with backlogs and current projects to run. Yet, they readily made plans and worked overtime for me. I must have been quite a good friend for them to make such exceptions. 

Moments by Edmund: he never once decline me and worked overtime to edit these few pictures so that I won't die from anticipation! *lol* I appreciate his friendship and professionalism. In return, I am not going to bug him for the full set of pictures until he is ready to have them edited. It is known that cameramen have the toughest job. Not only do they skip meals, they have to run about in odd angles under rain or sweltering heat to capture those moments that will melt our hearts. So my dear friend, thank you for your dedication. You can even turn a chaotic scene into something so calming. Just for you peeps to know, the hand in hand picture with Ewan above? It was actually a struggle. Ewan was wriggling like a worm and his hand was in fact forced into that that position. We had it there for only one second but Edmund did not miss that shot. 

Ichiro Films: shot on Tuesday, edited and produced the Name Reveal on Wednesday just so it's ready for Thursday. We agreed on a 1 minute animation due to the short notice. Even so, the editing and conceptual part of the production are time-consuming. Plus coaxing a not so well Ewan on the morning of the shoot. The uncles at Ichiro must be swearing under their breaths *hahah* and why must there be a downpour when they made their way to the hospital to have me included in the final product? So thank you, thank you and thank you! Lugging all the lights and camera for just a short production. I wanna say, "Yay! I have an Ichiro Film of my own to keep!"

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