40 Years and Counting....

My in-laws recently celebrated their 40th Wedding Anniversary with a small party at their house in Hampshire. It was a good gathering for all the family members, some of which I have never met. We had a 3-course meal comprising of a salmon-prawn-salad starter, pork loin with cream sauce as the main course and custard tart with strawberries for dessert. 

My father-in-law gave a touching speech thanking his wife for the lovely family she has given him - with 3 children and 4 (going on 5) grandchildren. 

The 40th Anniversary is also known as the Ruby Celebration. It is called so as rubies are thought to possess an eternal inner flame which also symbolises the passion in a marriage which is still strong and alive after 40 years together. Marriage is a life-long journey which requires a lot of compromise, perseverance, love, patience and trust between two people. With our 2nd wedding anniversary coming up in two weeks' time, it was a good opportunity to reflect on our own shortcomings and how we can work better together to build a solid foundation for a happy marriage in many more years to come. 

To Mum & Dad, wishing you both a wonderful anniversary and - here is (toast!) to another 40 years of love, happiness and beautiful times together.

The Cursons (....Rolfes, Hughes, and Imberts)

London 2012 - Inspire a Generation

The London Olympics came and went in a blink of an eye! We were lucky to be living in London. Many people around the world travelled into London just to be part of the Games! 

I was a little sceptical at first with how the Games would turn out, but I was amazingly surprised with the smooth operation with the help of tens of thousands of volunteers! Well done London!

Few photos to share:-

Some Catching-Ups to do!

So quickly it has been 2 months+ since my last post. I have been very busy with work and of course soaking up the summer sun and the London Olympics atmosphere! 

Within the last two months, we've had the 20week scan (twice!) and a follow on check up at 25 week. In the UK, the 20 week scan is known as the Anomaly Scan, where the baby's main organs (eg heart, brain, bladder, kidney) and spine are checked for abnormalities. The main measurements taken at this stage are the Head Circumference, Abdominal Circumference and Femur Length. This is also where you can find out the gender of the baby (if you choose to know). The reason we had the scan twice was because I was not happy with the 1st scan as baby's femur length was not measured. I was given a 2nd scan at week 22 of pregnancy. Baby's been behaving well for both scans, making the sonographer's job very easy. Love my darling baby for that!

Our baby's measurements at 22 week are:-

HC = 208 mm

AC = 179 mm

FL = 38 mm

Apparently, the measurements are in the 70th - 80th percentile, am not sure if this means that baby is big :P

The pregnancy journey over the last 2 months has been smooth sailing (Thank GOD)! Baby's been very active in the womb, but I have yet to identify a routine for baby's movements and kicks yet. The movements felt like wave within the abdomen, and they happen at random times and do not have a particular pattern.

We have also been doing some shopping for baby products, which I will cover in the next post :) Shopping needs a dedicated post by itself !

I have also been experiencing numb hands. The GP advised this is called Carpal Tunnel syndrome. I thought it only happens to people who use the mouse for an extended amount of time, but pregnant women do develop this. At night time especially, I tend to wake up with part of my hands all numbed and 'frozen'.

At the 25th week check up, the GP measured the Fundal Height. This is the distance between the top of the uterus (mind you, it is now few inches above the belly button!) and the top of symphysis (otherwise known as pubic bone). The reason for this is to assess that baby is growing well. My FH measured 26cm, which the GP said was normal because each cm represents each week of pregnancy :)

Me and my Bump at 25 week!               

My weight gain from conception till now is a whopping 15kgs! The GP thinks I have put on too much weight, and hence advised me to do more walking and cut back on food intake! lol!

Guess What? We Are Expecting.....

By far, 2012 has been the best year for me since moving to the UK over 4 years ago. I got a new job in a great company, Hubby obtained his Chartership, and we are expecting our first child end of this year! I tested positive for pregnancy end of February after returning from a business trip to Moscow. We were really delighted as we've been trying for a few months. As with all pregnancies, we just kept the happy news to ourselves and only informed our parents.

Last week, I had the first antenatal scan and everything is looking great. It was really overwhelming and exciting seeing our baby kicking about and moving his/her hands in the womb. The sonographer started explaining where's what (the kidney, mouth, stomach etc) - though I hadn't got a clue. All I could see were the more obvious body parts like legs, arms and body :P.

Without further elaboration, let us share with you our baby's first scan photo :)

Our baby @ 13 weeks

My First Ever Blog Post!

Putting thoughts into words has never been my forte. I do not have the habit of keeping diaries either. However, in 2012, I'd vow to do something different. Hence, I decided to start a blog where I can record and share feelings, thoughts, and interesting experiences with our loved ones. 

To start off, I'd like to share a beautiful moment where we started our lives together as husband and wife.