Little family outing

I love weekends, it's the time when Daddy doesnt have to work so we can bring Baby A out.

I'm glad he enjoys his new car seat. But then again, there's nothing not to like!

We brought Baby A to Kiddy Palace to shop for his stuff, then to the nearby eatery for a meal. The entire level of the shopping mall was filled with parents and kids.
Andy & I grin like every proud parent whenever some stranger stops to touch our baby or smiles at us when passing by :D
Funny how I'm a completely transformed person now, when I used to think that kids were a nuisance! These days, Andy & I are always looking at other couples with kids and giving each other a knowing smile and exchanging ideas on parenting style, what stuff they are using which we might find useful, etc.

Baby A with Popo in matching polos:


Dressed in Carters top which Popo bought for Baby A: he is wearing 18-24M sizing now and there are no more "another size bigger" rompers for my wriggly baby *sob*. I dont really like putting him in seperates these days because the top always rides up whenever he is bouncing on our laps or wriggling to grab something.
Really miss his babyness..


In the evening it was dinner at Boon Tong Kee.

Towkay Adam at dinner with the old people (haha), entertaining himself


There is better use for the safety bar of the stroller: to rest his legs!

The waitress, waiters and soon-to-be parents at the table next to us were amused by all his blabbering and cheekiness!

We're super glad that Baby A is a sociable and outgoing bubs, and he has become so inquisitive of his surroundings, eager to find out everything about our huge, huge world.
So huge, yet so small. Perhaps huge and small are one, and all?

First food

4 Months is getting pretty exciting. Baby A is starting to drool whenever we eat, and attempts to reach out for everything within view to put into his mouth.
He has become so much more vocal, adding more vowels, chuckles and sounds into his vocab.
As you can imagine, we've been kept on our toes here!

We've also started him on his first semi-solids.. Isnt it exciting!

Mummy has been doing alot of reading up and preparation. This book has lots of Asian recipes and sample meal planners to help first-time parents.

Organic iron-enriched cereal.

Form & function: Carter's bibs. Terry clothed on the top and waterproof backed.



Opening his mouth wide wide and having his first taste of food!

"Ahh..mmmm"! He really loves his cereal. He polished the whole bowl with ease and could even finish his milk. WOW!

Friday

Was supposed to bring Baby A to Ikea with us to do some shopping for our new home but just as Andy drove home to pick us up, Baby A decided it's time for a nap - in the evening.
One thing with kids, you cultivate a wry sense of humour because kids always choose the most inconvenient times to come up with something!

When he finally woke up, it was 9pm. Time for bedtime milk milk then off to bed he goes. By the time we tucked him into bed, it was already 10pm.
Thank goodness for the wonders of staying in the East - you get late night shopping and 24hour food :)


Baby A: all dressed up with nowhere to go.

We tucked our little one into bed and headed to Ikea for a quick walk-around.
We're a social couple and this lounge chair set looks casual enough for our spacious balcony when we have friends over whaddya think? :)
Too plain? Wood corrodes and a metal framed one with glass table is better? So many possibilities!

Furniture shopping with Hubby is fun! We love exchanging ideas on how to do up the deco, and it makes me happy whenever we see something we can both agree on.

Luckily for us, the kitchen department has been kindly taken care of by none other than my Mother dearest. She has already bought us a whole lot of kitchen ware that one can possibly imagine - pots, pans, slowcooker, etc which are all stacked up in her storeroom.

Im really eyeing my Dad's tube amp on which Baby A listens to Nursery Ryhmes in the comfort of his Fisher Price swing Heh heh..


Okays going to sleep now. More of home-shopping to come ^_^

Back!

I'm back from the land of cheap spicy food and wholesale shopping!
I miss my baby sooo much. In fact, too much! We called home everyday to check on him and make sure he was Ok and happy.

I've been super busy since I am back, with my exploding mailbox full of emails from fellow Mummies regarding bulk purchases, sprees, recommendations and what-nots.

To Lea:
Yes the Rocker cum high-chair is a worthy investment especially when your baby has reached the age where she is super kpo about her surroundings, so she can sit up high high with the adults at the dining table. The swivel wheels are godsend because it allows you to wheel the high chair everywhere! Short of having handles for you to push like a stroller lah Hehehe

To CJ:
Thanks sweets for the offer but I just bought 2 bottles from Stonston from her recent order.
Thanks for replying though. Maybe next time! :)

Back to the real world of changing nasty nappies and being Baby Kai's personal assistant :)
Which reminds me, we are going to buy his new car seat tomorrow.
He has outgrown his infant one that my brother bought for him, and for those who are interested in which model we are upgrading to, it's the Maxi Cosi Priori XP
Thanks to Chris aka Nat-mummy's recommendation!



(photos courtesy of Toysrus)


Features:
- Forward facing
- Can be installed using 3-point seatbelt
- Adjustable 4 sitting/sleeping positions
- Newer improved model from the Priori.


Some people asked what I do with Baby Kai. Well, lotsss! I dont know where to begin.
He is one busy baby keke. These are some of the activities he does at home under my supervision:
- Flashcards
- Tummy time
- Sitting in rocker playing with his rattles/ teething hanky/ teething toy
- Playing in crib: FP kick piano, musical mobile
- Nursery rhymes time where Mummy launches into crazy dancing according to lyrics and ear-piercing singing.

Andy & I are thinking of signing him up for Baby Yoga too! Just some bonding time for us parents and our dear son. Will do a review of it once we find the time to bring him :)
By the way, Baby Kai just turned 4 Months old last week. Happy one-month-older, my dearest baby! Thank you for bringing so much joy into our otherwise mundane lives. Daddy & Mummy love you so much.

Bye lovelies!
V.

Setting off on a jetplane

I ditched my LV shawl for my darling son's blankie. It is filled with his ru yi oil/ milk smells and I get an instant high just sniffing it.

This Mummy is suffering from seperation anxiety already!



I've got so many people in my shopping list this time.
Will be back on Monday night... until then..
Bye bye and enjoy your long weekend my loved ones!
Love,
V.

My baby

sprawls his legs out and makes "swimming" movements like a turtle. He is learning how to crawl.

Here's looking at you, babe!

As sung by Daddy...

to Baby Kaikai:

Lou lou where is the Loo?
Lou lou I want to Poo
Lou Lou where is the Loo?
I bueh tahan loh...

Mummy asked: "How come you never skip to the Loo?"
Daddy replied: "Want to laosai already still skip. Wait all the sai come out ah."

ZzzzzzZzzz.. 0__O

The most beautiful morning

The most beautiful morning is when you wake up to two of the people you love with your whole life, looking at you and smiling.

You are my Sunshine, my only Sunshine
You make me happy, when skies are grey
You never know dear how much I love you...

Face to face and heart to heart.




Notice how Adam has abandoned his pillow so that he can sleep closer to Daddy.

There's nowhere else I wanna be other than right here.

Happy Lunar 4th Month!

Baby Adam turned 4 months old according to the Lunar Calendar, and my fav Aunt LY came over early in the morning to pray, and it was the start of an overwhelming day for Baby Adam cos after that, he had to go back to my folks' to pray to our ancestors as well, followed by the inevitable shopping with my Mum.

As a custom, you need to put your 4 mths old (according to Lunar calendar) baby in a walker as a symbol of 快高长大 or "to grow up fast".
So here he is, in his new F1 wheels and trying to comprehend what all this is about!



The whole time he was mostly fixated on the gear-stick because it produces music when you "change gear"


Still fixated on the gear stick and driving his vehicle all over the place!

Technically, he is still only 3mths old, so although he can hold his head up and his feet can touch the ground, I think I will suspend his license for a couple of months before letting him drive again! Kiasi Mummy here.

Fit for a King

Ok, I said I will share some happy news, so here is the "Silver lining in every cloud" post :)

Lady Luck must've been smiling on us, because we won 4D!
We won Starters, and would have won 2nd prize as well if not for a jump in the digits.
But cant ask for more, and because Andy's folks also chipped in some $$, everyone made a little windfall :)

Part of the prize money goes to a new baby walker and a swinging high-chair!

Thanks to Baby Adam for always bringing us luck. This is the 2nd time we won 4D since the arrival of Baby Adam. The first time was on the day we bought his new rocker, and it was that very first time when we sat him down on the rocker while Andy switched on the telecast, our carplate number opened!


Adam's new wheels. Yes, this Daddy fell for the F1 hype.


His new high chair on swivel wheels. Just in time for weaning. Love the adjustable height so the dogs wont steal his food.


So how is our Lil Prince liking his new throne?

Fit for a King.

Whee!

Trying to contain his excitement.


Then the whacky banging and shrieking that followed:

Mummy please dont go!

The past few days have been really heartbreaking.
We've been giving Adam lots of "prep talk" about me having to go back to work soon, and he hasnt taken to it very well. In fact, horribly!

He would wail on top of his lungs, bawl his eyes out till the vein on his right eyelid pops out.
Then he would refuse milk, and keep demanding for me to carry him and never want to be put down. The moment I carry him near his hammock or crib or start lowering him onto our bed, he will cry again.

So the whole day, I would be carrying him until he is exhausted from all that crying, then he will sleep for awhile, but only that short while. When he wakes up again, the whole cycle would start.

At first, we thought it was just pure coincidence, and how could babies understand?
But it happened 3 times on 3 different days and occasions so we dont want to take any chances.
Another incident which proves that babies understand what you're telling them is - My brother's gf Lipeng was carrying Adam when we went home over the weekend so everyone said "Oh, Kaikai go and stay with Aunty Lipeng in Jurong West for 1 mth" and Adam immediately started crying.

As a result, we've been really careful not to mention the words "Mummy" and "work" in the same sentence in case it set Adam off again.
Meanwhile, I've been really unrested trying to cajole my clingy on-a-hunger-strike baby!
It's also worth mentioning that my Adam isnt a crybaby to begin with, unlike some babies who cry for nothing/ colicky etc. He's mostly happy and smiley as you can see in his photos he is almost always smiling.
Therefore, when he cries so hard and so bad, you know he is really upset and that is heart-wrenching to us (Andy, his mum & I).
.
.
But I do have some happy news. That silver lining in the cloud. More about that in another post when I have time!
*scoots off to cajole Adam*

Down memory lane

During our free time for these 2 days, Baby Adam & I have been doing a little project called the Memory Album :)
I will put him on his rocker and show him his neonate photos and tell him stories of when he was born etc.

Inside this album there are columns for memories like:
How Daddy & Mummy met, when Baby was conceived, names we considered, Birth story, Baby shower etc.

There is even a mess-free ink pad for taking baby's hand and foot prints.
Of course, with a wiggly messy 3 mth old, how mess-free can one expect?

Here's what happened to the "mess-free" ink pad: LOL

It looks like Baby Adam has 6 toes.. and I bet you dont want to see the hand-print one!
Baby Adam then clapped his feet together, smudging ink all over his legs, and as if to add a finishing touch, he promptly put his inky hand into his mouth.

I laughed so hard at my messy baby and that made Baby Adam chuckle as well :D
Both Mummy & Baby had a fun time cleaning up and piecing the Memory Album together with the hand & foot prints, his ultrasound scans and his truckload of photos, as well as writing the stories inside.



The finished product:

Overcome with sadness

I'll be going back to the workforce in Oct.
Yes. That's right. 5 months of leave would have gone, just like that. In a flash.
What's 5 months compared to a lifetime of growing up with my baby, watching him develop and being there to witness his milestones?

I feel so sad as I'm typing this. As I imagine waking up in the wee hours of the morning, leaving my sleeping angel for work, I feel overcome with sadness. This reluctance is enough to make me cry.
In Andy's and my opinion, I am the best person to bring up our baby.
We have our own ideals in bringing up Baby Adam. Our own folks may not agree with our way, but it is nonetheless, our way.
For eg:
- No TV for Baby Adam. He is too young to understand anyway. But because his rocker is in the living room, he is "forced" to watch TV with the adults. I cant change this unless Im at home to stop the adults from overdoing it.

- We decide to wean him when he is 5mths old. Not too early, not too late. When that happens, he will only get baby-specific food. That means, no keropok crumbs, chewed-up noodles, kuey teow tng or anything that sort! I've already warned my parents about this. Andy's mum told me she fed KFC whipped potato to Andy and his brother when they were weaning. Yikes!
If she feeds KFC whipped potato to my son, esp when Im at work, you can be darn sure I will SCOLD her profanities till she turns upside down and never let her feed Adam again.

- Both Andy & I need to be congruent in disciplining Baby Adam. We need to let the Grandparents know that they shouldnt interfere in our way of upbringing, esp not in front of Adam and giving our son mixed messages.

- Most importantly, Andy's mum needs to do housework so I doubt she can give our baby the quality time like teaching him Flashcards and letting him learn through play.

Well, more to worry about in due course..

Meanwhile, my bosses have been kind to let me be on long leave. From my pregnancy till now, I've been away from work for 7 months!
I've not quit my job yet. Andy and I decided that I should at least try going back to work.
If I change my mind, if things dont work out, or if his mum cannot handle all the housework and the baby, then I can quit my job and become a SAHM, for good.

I seriously wonder how those Yummy Mums in Harpers Bazaar Baby magazine do it!
How do they go from boardroom to home with 2,3 kids and still manage everything so well?!
They must have hired Super Nannies or Power Maids.


In the meantime, I will treasure the last full month I have with Baby Adam till I go back to work!

Bumbo

Baby Adam on his Bumbo. His Bumwear is making his ass super big and everything down south seems pretty squashed up!
And his thighs got not much space too...

Cannot balance already.... Doink!

Some happy times with the boys

Here's Andy with Baby Adam after giving him his morning bath.
He was reading the soft book to Adam in which the animals said "It was naughty little Puppy!" *points promptly at Mavy* and that really cracked Adam up!

Andy felt guilty after making me mad and he made up by being super nice to me. What can I say?
Boysss.... Cant live with them, cant live without them. Hmmph..

We had a fantabulous weekend. We brought Adam back to my parents' and I'm reminded once again how lucky I am to have a fab family to egg me on.
I love my parents, Aunt LY, Grandma and siblings so much and I'm thankful that Adam will grow up in such an environment as well :)

SAHM

Yesterday it was the Lunar Ghost Festival's 15th day and we had to go to Andy's Grandma's house in the morning with Baby Kai to pray.
I woke up earlier than usual, had to bathe Kai, prepare his diaper bag, get myself bathed and changed.
As any parent can expect, such times are really a mad rush lor.
If you need a breakdown, here it is:
Gotta prepare baby's bath equipment, fill water, fill right amount of hot water to make water lukewarm, prepare a glass of cool boiled water, dampen cotton balls to wipe baby's face and clean his mouth, wash baby's hair, wash baby's body, dry baby, dress him, clear all the equipment.
Then after that, gotta pack his diaper bag.
Have to bathe and get myself ready.

Andy was still sleeping at that time.
When he woke up, he threw his temper at me for leaving my worn T-shirt on the bed and also not throwing away my half-drank Yakult and packet drink. "Cant you just finish the drink and throw it away? And why do you have to leave your clothes lying around? Can you be more tidy?"
I was SO ANGRY man!
We exchanged heated words because of this. He thinks SAHM very free ah? Got time to sit down sip drinks and put everything in place?!
I didnt even scold him for not helping out yet he can still turn the tables on me and scold me for being untidy?! WTH..

At that moment poor Kai was crying because we fought, and I just walked off.
Since he thinks Im so free and all... so I sat myself down at the kitchen to finish my drink and left Andy alone to carry and pacify Kai.

Seriosuly, what do these men think?!
I was already up to my neck caring for a baby, 2 dogs and myself. So what if a T-shirt is out of place?! So what if I didnt throw the drinks away? Has it occured to him that I dont have the TIME to finish my drink?

anyway we left for his Grandma's house and let this matter rest.
Then
.
.
.
In the evening back at home:
At about 5.30pm, Andy's mum needed to go to Grandma's house again to collect something. Before she left, she told me she wont be locking the door because Andy's Dad will be back any minute.
So OK, I went inside my room with Baby Kai and closed the room door because I need to pump my breasts..
When FIL came back, he was damn angry that the door wasnt locked and nobody was in the living room.
When I came out of my room with the EBM, I greeted him.. He replied by scolding me "Why you never lock the door?"
I explained that "Mum said dont need to lock cos you are coming back" and I just walked away, feeling damn PISSED OFF and FED UP!

Andy's Dad is those MCP kind who expects MIL to unlock door for him when he is home.
Sometimes when the door is locked he will comment "why need to lock?" meaning that he is coming back why lock the door.
Then now, she didnt lock the door, he also angry. And worse, he took his anger out on ME!
What I cant stand is he has hands right?! Cant he just bloody hell use his keys to open the damn door so MIL wont have to leave it unlocked and all this wont have happened.
And he really should be directing the "Why you never lock the door" to MIL and not at me!

When Andy came home I couldnt take it anymore had a BIG fight with him.
In our room I shouted "Cant expect me to sit in the living room with red carpet just to wait for him to come back and open door for him right?! I dont have to do my things? Dont have to EBM, dont have to look after baby ?!"
"Everyone thinks Im at home everyday shaking legs and not doing anything is it?? That's why you expect everything to be in order and neat & tidy?? One Tshirt cannot be out of place.. drinks must immediately finish and throw away? Then you jolly well go hire a God damn maid!"

I was so loud and dont even care whether his parents heard me.. better still if they did. Cant be bothered anymore. People always think Im a SAHM so I must be a tai tai living the high life.
I also want to sit down shake legs, slap on a mask, paint my nails and read Cosmopolitan while waiting for Hubby to come home from work everyday leh. Then everyday paint a different nail color to match different outfits. Who doesnt?!

So fedup with these stupid men.

Random Wednesday

After dinner, Andy & I went to T3 to collect our free pair of Swatch watches and to do some paktor.
We got the free watches because "you are one of the selected customers who spent more than $1200 on your credit card bill in a month and we would like to thank you for your support"
Muahahaha! Geez I dont even know we spent that much! And the thing is, we dont even see the $$, or where it went, for the matter.
For eg, in the past when I had my bag fetish, I could still see my $$ hanging in my closet. Now, dont even ask me. They must've been spent on the baby :)

When we arrived at the T3 carpark, we witnessed this accident involving 2 cars and 1 lady driver.
We quickly parked and got off to offer her help. She must've been really scared and grateful, because she was in tears and couldnt stop thanking us.
We didnt do much really. I being a busybody, went to help her take photos and bluetoothed to her so she can claim insurance. After that we took down the other vehicle's number and went to the information counter for them to announce for the car owner to come down and settle the incident.

After giving our help, we went on our ways to collect our watches and do a bit of window-shopping.
Something as simple as walking down the supermarket aisles is also very sweet if you are with your loved one :)
Best of all, you dont have to spend a single cent in order to be happy with the man you love.

Inevitably, we went to look at baby food - so many different types of jarred food, organic cereals, organic garden fruit juice, organic wheatstix, wow babies today sure are spoilt for choice.
I suddenly had a mental image of Toddler Adam looking at me eating my fav sinful, calorie-ladden Nutella and say "Mom, you're so shoddy!" Hahahah although Im pretty sure that likely wont happen.

Im so hopeless. I admit defeat. Everywhere we go we just think of him and anything, everything BABY! Even at the supermarket. Even at T3 when it's supposed to be our couple-time.
Even our families are guilty of that, indulging him in toys and what-nots.
Baby Adam has us wrapped all round his tiny fingers!

But one thing is definite - we cant love our boy enough.

Our parenting style for Baby Adam:
Andy & I never hesitate to cuddle him, kiss him and tell him we love him, even though he is happy on his own and not fussing. During afternoons when he is more wakeful than usual, I will carry him around the house to let him be involved in whatever Im doing (albeit with only one hand!), and I also play his Nursery Rhymes CDs and dance with him.
What's the point of showering your attention on your child only when he is misbehaving, yet he doesnt get any while he is being good? That's exactly why children became "naughty".

And regarding the rule that says "Let your baby cry for 10min before picking him up otherwise you will spoil him". Well, to us it's utter rubbish. We have never ever done that to Baby Adam because it will only mean to a poor helpless baby that he needs to scream at the top of his lungs before anyone will notice him, and we cant bear to do that.

Not to a baby so precious!

Long dayyyy

It's another of those hectic days for me today.
In the early noon, I brought Adam to see his new PD Dr Simon Ng at MAH together with my Mum.
He's a very nice and friendly doc, very patient and kind. Not the rush-rush kind which is the most important criteria I look for in a doctor.

I would like to share my unpleasant experience with a PD in Tampines (I wont reveal the clinic and Doc's names for privacy):

Went to see Dr Simon Ng at MAH (my mum's excolleague) because last Saturday during Adam's 6-in-1 and growth assessment, his Length perentile was only 25% (from prev 75%), and his Weight percentile was 50% (down from 90%). Naturally, being any parent, of course I was worried.

So anyway, went there today, the nurses at MAH are really very professional. They measured Adam properly using measuring tape and even minused 100gm for his diaper for a more accurate body weight, unlike the prev PD whose nurse not even nurse lah just clinic assistant, just anyhow measure him using a ruler and never even straighten his legs!
Even more annoying is that the PD didnt even pick up that drastic drop in percentile and insisted that everything was "normal".
I thought that was really unprofessional, and she didnt even assess Adam for his Milestone Development.. She asked "can your baby reach out for objects?" and before I could answer, in a nano-second, she answered her own question, "This age should be yes hor" then she just went on to tick tick tick Yes in the milestone column.

That's not the worst thing. For his 1st jab she wrote down 5-in-1 and during this recent Saturday jab she wrote 6-in-1. WTH?!?!?!?!!
I need to call up the Tampines bogus clinic tomorrow to verify which vaccination did she give exactly so that Dr Simon Ng can follow-through with Adam properly.

I've attached a pic to illustrate my point.
Red circles: written 6-in-1
Yellow circles: 5-in-1
Black arrows: indicate the same clinic Adam took his jabs



Anyway back to Dr Simon at MAH...

End result of today's visit:
Adam's length at 3.5mths: 62cm (85%)
Weight: 6.9kg (90%)
Everything is NORMAL and it's just the stupid Tampines PD miscalculated and didnt even pick it up. Absurd!
Make us made a wasted trip all for nothing. Well, at least I can set my mind at ease now, and my Mum also caught up her old friend. We spent 10min in Dr Simon's consultation room chatting and he even gave us "special price". My Mum should've recommended her friend to Adam earlier mah.. Alamak.


So.....
After the appointment, happy Mummy and happy Popo brought sleepy Adam to United Square for high tea and shop around their many baby boutiques.

Popo with chubby Adam looking bored and sleepy


Fell asleep on the sofa at Bakerzin



Headed home after that to get ready for my dinner appt with the gals.
"50% cancellation charge if no-show!" WAHAHAAHAH this Angeline was so scared everyone stand her up.

Dinner @ Carousel. As usual, when you put a bunch of women together, it becomes a market!
Carol told the receptionist to put us at a secluded spot because we are very noisy :P
I'm so happy that everyone is doing well now. Those supposed to get married are getting married. Those married ones (Siew Wei & I) have kids (we are both Mums to 1 boy each, aged 1mth apart only!) and Siew Wei even trying for No.2 now.
Carol is crazy as always... Kept asking me to "peep through that hole" and update her of my neighbour Hahahaha nonsense girl.

Top from left: Casey, Siew Wei, Huiwen
Bottom from left: Carol, Angeline, me.