South of France

We had a very long weekend last weekend and DH was planning to visit our friends in Chamonix and then a visit to Milan but turned out that we have to change our plan as our friends have some visitors for that busy weekend... so in the end, we decided to go to Cote D'Azur area in the South of France.

The weather forecast didn't show good weather but we went ahead with our plan. On the first night we left at about 5.30pm and the night was cold and long. The first stop is Montpellier which is about 3 1/2 hrs away. It was a wet night... the wind was strong with heavy downpour. It was quite difficult to drive and the temperature was about 5 degree C. It was freezing for me and it was tired for Matthew. Finally we came to the hotel. It was in downtown Montpellier. It's a small local hotel with basic essential but the staff was quite friendly and helpful. We were very tried and sooner than we know, we were asleep.

We woke up pretty early as Matthew is an early bird recently... Around 7am, we were all awake. Getting ourselves ready, we are all set to explore the town. It was a quiet morning, we left the hotel at around 9am and most of the shop are still closed. Nice and peaceful, we have a very nice morning walk to the Cathedral, the market place and Place de la Comedie. Next we went on the tram that take us to the Polydone and Antigone and before we know it, we had reached the Esplanade de L'Europe.







By the time, we finished our lunch (we had subway sandwiches for lunch), it's about time to leave for Marseilles. The weather was great... unlike what the night before. Marseilles is a well-known port and with good weather, it's pretty. We took the petite train all the way to the Notre Dame Cathedral at the top of the hill... it was a nice view from the top but the journey was a little bumpy for me!
We had bouillabaisse for dinner... a well known Provencals fish-stew that originate from Marseilles' port.







On the following day, we had a scenic drive along the coastal area - the Famous Cote D'Azur. It was indeed very Scenic and with good weather.. it was prefect!






We arrived at Cannes that night... it happened to be the Cannes Films Festival... but of cos we didn't have the ticket and didn't see any celebrities but we did took picture at the "red carpet". We left for Nice the same night as most of the hotel are either too expensive or fully-booked.





After a restful night, we drove to Monaco from Nice the next day. Along the way, there are some pretty site too.




Monaco is having the Formula 1 car racing that weekend, so it was packed with fans all over... it's quite common to see luxury sport cars like Ferrari and Bentley. Again, we didn't have any ticket and we just happen to be outside the race track...


We had our dinner at Old Nice which is pretty nice...



On our way back to CF... it was a long drive with the strong wind and the heavy traffic... it took us about 10hrs to get back from Nice - including lunch break and many pit-stops!

The famous Milau bridge on the way back...

An adventure month??

It's almost end of April... it seems like time passes faster when we're on vacation. Having the spring break is definitely a good time to rest but most importantly - good family bonding!

April is a month full of mystery and adventure for us...firstly, I'm officially into my 2nd trimester. The first appointment with the new gynaecologist turned out to be great despite the long waiting time. She did a very detailed scan, measuring the size, heartbeat, length, age of the baby and etc. All the result turned out to be good... I feel so blessed and thankful to have come to this stage! God always do amazing things in His way...

Another big event is the vacation in Egypt. Initially, I was quite worried as there's always warning about going to Egypt - water, food, safety, especially since I'm expecting. But it turned out to be the most relaxing tour we had so far. That's the difference when you joined a guided tour with a private driver and a personal tour guide, being taken care of everything. It's just meant for the 3 of us. It's no doubt the most expensive trip we had so far but I think it's worth the price. DH enjoyed a lot as he doesn't need to drive around in the crazy traffic of Cairo.



Being able to visit the Pyramid is a dream come true for DH!







Matthew enjoys riding the camel with Daddy. It's a wonderful experience riding the camel in the desert! I would love to do so too but the guide said the ride might be too bumpy for me.



Taking the cruise on the River Nile is a very relaxing experience.


View of Cairo and River Nile

The food is not fantastic. We almost had the same kind of food everyday that we all agree having McDonald is a better choice!





Having McDonald meal while waiting for our train.


The overnight Train ride to and fro Aswan and Luxor was worse than the turbulence in air. It took about 11 - 13 hrs and I can hardly sleep




Overall the trip was great. We had a few days of extremely hot weather 40 degree C/ 104 degree F. I almost got into heat exhaustion at the valley of the kings, having signs like nausea and dizzy and feeling breathless. Matthew and I had to stop after visiting only one tomb while Daddy and the guide continue with the rest. It was even too hot for the guide but Thank God, we survived!

Here are the rest of the photos if anyone is interested!

It was a long tough month!

Praise God for His protection! All have been good so far even though it was tough. Having those sleepless night and the morning sickness wasn't fun and it really drained me out. The pain wasn't that great too. I was basically resting and doing nothing most of the time. Thank God Matthew has been very good, playing on his own and letting me rest as much as I need. I had a doctor appointment last week cos I was having really bad pain. Again, thank God for His blessing, everything seem ok. I had an ultrasound and the doctor showed Matthew the baby's legs and arms... he was amused and of cos very excited about it! We're overwhelmed by His miraculous touch and can't stop praising Him

As usual, DH is away... but soon he will be back. And hopefully he will stay around for a while without having to travel so much. He did help me with the housework that he had never done before... I'm thankful for him and love to have him around to lighten my workload. Matthew misses daddy very much as I can't do much with him now. We have been counting the no. of days left before DH is back! :)

Pretty soon, I will be entering into 2nd trimester and I'm looking forward to having my energy back. It was tough but definitely a good start!

It seems like a dream...

We're having the winter vacation but we can't go anywhere due to my condition. I need bedrest most of the time and can't walk for too long. That's a very tiring task for Matthew as he has to bear with me at home practically doing "nothing". On top of that, DH has so many trips these 2 months... he's not at home all the time. He was in Russia 2 weeks ago and is now in Brazil and will be there for 2 weeks and will be back for a week before leaving for China again. But good news is there won't be much travel for the next few months. :)

Right now, I'm into my 8th week. I feel tired all the time. 10hrs of sleep is never enough for me and sometimes with the queasy feeling, it makes me worse. I haven't been feeling good and had some cramps... it always freak me out, especially when I see the spotting/bleedings. It was all well until 2 days ago, I was bleeding again... more this time and DH is away again...I was very discourage and upset, don't know whether is it going to happen again. I tried to keep my mind at peace and rest as much as possible. I know I have an appointment with the doctor today and waited patiently.

And guess what??? I saw it this morning!!! There's someone in there.... the doctor smile as she said it to me! She is very concerned too as I was bleeding abnormally but when she saw the flutter on the screen, she said it is good. I was very excited as she showed me the screen... I couldn't believe my eyes, there's a heartbeat and it's fluttering. This is the moment when I know it's HIM... Thanking and Praising God as He is the only one who can make this possible.

I can't thank all those who have been praying for us...I'm really excited to share God's blessing with you. I love you and May God's glory and blessing be with you too! I know it won't be easy for the next few months but I'm sure He will see me through! AMEN!

The Power of Prayers!

Do you believe in the power of prayers? Yes, I do and will always do! So many friends have been praying for us for my situation, even my Matthew has been praying for me and the baby to grow well. He's such a sweet and tendering child. I strongly believed that God's working on me! God is good. He hears us and He is doing miracle on me!!!

Remember the blood test that I'd mentioned? I did it and it was postive again... and of cos doubling... that's a good sign according to the doctor. What a joy that God's giving me in the midst of the struggle. But the scary thing is - I was still bleeding/spotting even till now. I woke up on Tuesday morning, noticing the increased amount and the cramp, it really freaked me out. Trying to stay calm and hope for the best, I carry on the day. The clinic called to inform me of the pleasing result and when I told them I am still bleeding, they said otherwise. The doctor ordered another blood work to be done on the following day. That night, I could hardly closed my eyes, I was so worried and cried and cried and thought that something bad is going to happen again.

the result came yesterday... Thank God, it was still good and doubling which is a very good sign. I will have my first appointment next Tuesday at the doctor's office. I'm hopeful and still praying for the best to happen this time round. It's really getting my nerves as the last 2 miscarriages were only diagnose after the 8th weeks. And now, I'm only in my 5-6th weeks. It's really too early to tell if everything will be alright but I'm praying and I believed that God will see us through this time round.

Will you join me and pray for us?? Do not underestimate the power of Prayers.... It's wonderful!