December 2018 - The Zhan Crew

Dec 27, 2018

My Cats Know I am Pregnant

December 27, 2018 0
My Cats Know I am Pregnant
I have been pregnant since sometimes between late March and early April. My cats have become extremely nice and gentle to me since then. I haven't been scratched for a very long time. I am so happy! The kitties always ensure that they don't step on my hair and my other body parts. Even when they play with me, they make sure to not show their pointy claws. As for my last month of pregnancy (Dec. 2018), I essentially live in the bathroom. Nonstop pooping and peeing! The kitties will visit the toilet with me to check on me. I am so blessed to have these wonderful souls in my life. They make my painful pregnancy experience more pleasant! Kieran is still not here yet, but he's been kicking! I can't wait to introduce him to my baby cats.

Selena, our guest cat, constantly accompanies me to the bathroom.
Another picture of Selena checking on me in the bathroom.
Selena, Kedie, Jupee, and Jedie lined up to check on me in the bathroom.
Kedie kisses Kieran through my belly. He makes sure his paws are not pressuring the baby.

Dec 25, 2018

Merry Christmas 2018

December 25, 2018 0
Merry Christmas 2018
Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year! Our Canadian family is also here with us! They brought the Canadian white Christmas with them to New York! Our house is very festive at the moment, so busy with food and gifts! Kieran has finally dropped. He was supposed to be a Christmas baby, but I guess he will be a new year's baby! My 4 kitties are also having their Christmas feast. They got the best wet food from Fancy Feast and the best cat treats from Temptations! They are so spoiled!

I designed this little metal ornament for our new Xmas tree.
I designed this stocking for the three of us! Happy family!
Merry Christmas from us! Kieran makes me look chubby, but it's all good!
Presents for my kitties - best wet food ever! They also got these Temptations cat treats!
As I am writing this post, Jupiter wants to snuggle!
All I can say is that I have the best family in the world: the three of us and our four lovely kitties!

Dec 23, 2018

My Ultrasound Baby

December 23, 2018 0
My Ultrasound Baby
15th Week Ultrasound

The first time when we met baby Kieran was on his 15th week. He was still a baby alien and sleeping peacefully in my womb. Oh, we still didn't know his gender at this time! Before this ultrasound, I had no idea how old he was because I rarely had any reactions when I was pregnant with him besides the missing monthly period (sometimes my period could be irregular). Kieran is such a sweetheart who doesn't want to make mama sick.

Baby Kieran is sleeping peacefully in my cozy womb.
Gonna turn around to show mommy and daddy my face!
There he waves! Baby Kieran says hi!
21st Week Ultrasound

This was the most exciting ultrasound because we were going to find out his gender! He was so active! We caught him kicking my bladder and moving all over! Fortunately, he was nice enough to allow us to take some good 3D pictures of him.

 That is the boy part and we call it the turtle!
Look, mama! I can sing! I will be a superstar!
Mama, I am tired now. I need a nap. Sing to you later!
Here is a kick to your bladder, mama! I need more space!
Kieran says he likes to kick mama! Here is the solid proof!
My son is the thinker. Bet he is thinking about my Danish cookies!
38th to 39th Ultrasound

Almost done there! Doctors were double-checking everything on the baby, so I got 2 ultrasound examinations in a row! The baby is currently in the right position, facing down and ready to greet the world! We also tried really hard to take some good 3D pictures of him, but he moved so much. Ah, what a wild one! The expected date based on the latest ultrasound result has been moved to the first day of 2019, which is exactly 1 week later than expected.

This was from the 1st ultrasound. Kieran is hiding his face with his fists!
This was from the 2nd ultrasound. We tried to take a good picture of his foot, but he moved too much!

Dec 22, 2018

My Pregnancy Cravings

December 22, 2018 0
My Pregnancy Cravings
Lately, I've been eating a lot and gained so much weight. Guess the baby has a really good appetite. He keeps asking mama for more, even in the middle of her sleep. The ultrasound result thinks baby Kieran will come out on the first day of 2019. That is again a very nice day for a baby to be born. Let's hope he gets here on time so I can spend more time cuddling with him before going back to work. Anyhow, here is a list of my cravings. Just by writing this blog post, I am already drooling!

1. My Danish Cookies 


This buttery and sugary type of cookie is so irresistible. I bought so many of them from Walmart. I just can't help it. I think my baby Kieran loves them, too. I could feel his kicks after I ate these cookies. The reaction was fast. These are my favorite midnight snacks. 

2. Butter Croissants 


Heading to the bakery section of Walmart. OMG, these buttery croissants are so delicious. I have them every morning with my coffee and my chocolate cereal. Life is so good. Lucky me,  my hubby Jimmy deals with my croissant refills. He makes sure that I have enough of croissant supply. At work, I am so obsessed with chocolate croissants. Those who work in our caf all know I love them.  

3. Sweet Corn Muffins


Oh my, DEAR! These sweet corn muffins were introduced to me by Jimmy's mommy when she was down here visiting us. They are so tasty. I can finish the pack in just a few minutes. Then Jimmy has to do another Walmart run to get more muffin stocks. 

4. Homemade Toasts


This is me making toasts in the middle of the night while Jimmy is working on his 'projects' in the basement. I almost finished the whole bag of bread today. Speaking of toasts, I am going to resume eating right after I finish writing this blog. I can't wait. Jimmy spoils me too much. He is always willing to refill my cravings!

5. Iced Coffee


My everyday morning boost is my iced coffee. I can't live without it and even the caf ladies know! To solve my caffeine cravings, Jimmy got me a Keurig to make iced coffee right from home.  

Dec 20, 2018

My Pregnancy

December 20, 2018 0
My Pregnancy

It has been a very long journey. This is my 39th-week bonding with my son!  His expected due date is on Christmas day, the most wonderful time of the year.  From my ultrasound, we saw him practicing his muscles and breathing.  He is well-positioned and ready to greet the world with his lovely smile. He is definitely the most precious Christmas present. 


Since this is the last part of my pregnancy, I've been experiencing serious swollen feet and hands (the doctor is even concerned). As a result, I can't sit, stand, or walk for a long time. Even sleeping and getting dressed nowadays have become very difficult. I have gained so much weight and my little bones can't even support my heavy weight. So exhausting! My hubby Jim, on the other hand, has been very supportive. He's been cooking and cleaning for me since the day I've become clumsy. He also assembled the baby changing station, crib, stroller, car seat, etc. 


On my 34th week of pregnancy, Jimmy took me to Kentucky. Driving from Upstate New York all the way down to Kentucky roughly took 10 hours! I couldn't believe both my baby and I made it through the long trip. Later in the week, Jimmy drove us all the way to Gulfport, Mississippi. That place was really warm for November. We stayed there for a bit and drove directly back to Upstate New York and from there we drove all the way to Maine for some lobsters. Should I call us crazy? Our baby was totally fine with traveling that far. We passed by a lot of hospitals on the way, so the worst case scenario was to give birth wherever we drove by. 


Here Jimmy is posing with the beautiful palm trees of Gulfport, Mississippi. Last year around the same time, Jimmy and I were there and we engraved our initials on the Mississippi beach. We also dipped our toes into the Gulf of Mexico and bought back some beach sand for our aquarium.  Good times without the baby. We will soon not have time to travel that far. 


Here Jimmy shows off our oversized Maine lobsters in a local diner in Maine. I was super happy with my freshly caught lobster. It was worth it to drive all the way there for some good seafood. Jimmy is such a sweetheart.