This post may contain affiliate links, for which we earn a small commission at no additional expense to you. Click here to read our Disclosure.
There hasn’t been much to write about lately, because we have been lying pretty low lately. At 8 months pregnant, we have been enjoying lots of home time and getting ready for baby. This week the kids and I are moving to our rented apartment in Penang (2 hours from here). Paul will continue to work in Ipoh, come on the weekends and high tail it to Penang when I go into labour. I am a little nervous about going into labour on my own with the kids, but am optimistic it will all work out. Our helper Nini will be coming for some of the time and I have met some nice women in Penang that can help in a pinch and join in some playgroups with. Our doctor is away until the 12th so although I am hoping the baby comes early…I hope he/she stays put until he returns. 
Happy Canada Day! 
In the 5 months we have been away, we have definitely come to appreciate Canada even more. We take for granted what a great country Canada is and distance has definitely made the heart grow fonder. We miss the rituals and celebrations of Canada, especially in the summer time (cottage weekends, weekend BBQs, splash pads and sprinklers, popsicles and freezies). Someone mentioned the other day how it is summer right now in Malaysia, which got Paul and I both laughing. We are currently in the dry season right now and we have really noticed less rain (maybe once a week now) compared to when we first arrived in February during the wet season where you could expect torrential rains every afternoon. But the absence of seasons is something we really miss. Perhaps I am romanticizing the 6 months Canada sits in winterish weather, but I love the excitement as a new season comes upon us in Canada. We had originally planned on waiting until Christmas to come home for a visit, but have booked a flight at the end of August. The kids and I will be home for 5 weeks and Paul will be home for 2 weeks. We are so excited to visit with friends and family and get our dose of Canada. We are just hoping the baby’s passport will be completed in time and knowing our trouble with passports, we better get praying:)
I’ve been reading a great book called “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett about black maids in the US south during the ’60s (fiction). It has been an interesting read for me because of the amount I depend upon our helper/maid. I remember when we first arrived here in Malaysia and we pulled into our new home and Nini was there cleaning the house. It felt so ackward and weird. I was so uncomfortable having someone else in the house, cleaning up after us. I used to try to plan to be out when she came over and if I was home, I tried to keep busy and never sat down. Nini now comes a lot more frequently and amazingly I have become much more comfortable with having someone in the house. In fact, she is probably the person other than Paul that I talk to the most in a week. She does more childcare these days and the kids absolutely adore her. I don’t feel as guilty sitting down while she is here, taking a nap or her changing Gavin’s diaper as I once did. I feel incredibly spoiled to have such great help although I justify it by considering that living in Canada, I have a great support network from family and friends. Here, she replaces that support network and gives me a much needed break. 
The next blog will either be about our stay in Penang or announcing #3’s arrival.
Lots of love,
the Nicholson’s