Cutie pie

Hat from auntie veron. Soo adorable right!!

Singapore here we come!

Notice

Heading back to SG from tomorrow to Jan 10th. Hope T's first flight will be smooth!! I've been very stressed about the packing and logistics of everything.

Anyway if i don't get to blog before the end of 2009, Happy New Yr everyone!!

Steamed Cod

I'm one of the few who don't particularly like the taste of cod very much. It's too milky for me... but there's a real lack of freshwater fish in China so i don't have that many options. I've been experimenting with a couple of ways to cook cod. So far i've tried the Nobu Black Miso Cod recipe, and this Chinese Wedding Dinner style. For the latter, recommend using less soy sauce if the fish is not that big.

Celebrating 100 days

T turns 100 days (thereabouts) today. Apparently babies in China don't really go out before they turn 100 days, so this is a key milestone for them.

Happy 100 days to our little family!

Don't they look cute? Awww.... somebody pls tell me that T's looking more like me now.

Hands on...

T is developing his motor skills quickly in the 3rd month. Other than putting his hands together and playing with his fingers, he also yanks my hair out, pulls my shirt, pokes my face.

Luckily, he also seems to have a flair for music. He realised that constant banging results in music.



Daddy teaches T how to be a pro-drummer.

Bak Chor Mee

Chanced upon some mee pok at the wet market the other day so i decided to whip up some Bak Chor Mee. Nowhere near hawker standard, but better than i expected.

Ingredients

Meepok

Dried Mushrooms

Beansprouts

Fishcake/Fishballs (or meatballs)

Sambal

Black vinegar

Soy sauce

Oyster sauce

Cooking wine

Salt n Pepper

Sesame oil

Chicken essence

A. Stewed Mushrooms

Soak some dried mushrooms in sugar (it gives flavour to dried mushrooms, a trick mother taught me). Fry the mushrooms in Oyster sauce, Soy Sauce, Sesame oil and cooking wine.

B. Mince pork

Marinate with pepper, salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce and corn flour.

C. Sauce for meepok

Oyster sauce, Soy sauce, sesame oil, dark vinegar, pepper

Steps:

1. Mix C and Sambal in a bowl.

2. Blanch Meepok in boiling water, and then pour into 1. and mix evenly..

3. Boil the fishballs, fishcake, minced pork, taogeh all in 1 pot. Add abit of chicken essence if u want to cheat. i cheated. heh

4. Sieve contents of 3 and stewed mushrooms into bowl.

VOILA! (Sorry my instructions not very good)

hello sunshine

Walking by faith...

My 3 month old son can do this!

Auntiehood

I may be the envy of many moms out there cos i get a good 6 months break from work. Other than playing with T, I also get to do regular luncheons and shopping with other SAHM (Stay at home mothers), my nails are almost always perfect given that i now have time to run to the manicurist every few days to fix a minor chip.

But frankly, life as i knew has ended.

No more sophisticated talk with colleagues about the latest business acquisitions, and soon there will be no more shop till i drop since i'm now on a humble salary package from the husband (not that i'm complaining, it's more than enough). I am pretty much unaware of what's going on beyond the radius of my home and the market. Reality hit me only when i started texting a fellow SAHM about this great deal i saw at the supermarket- the price of Gold Medal Flour is now 33RMB instead of 66RMB, yipee.

It's pretty much like seeing a crystal chandelier fall from the ceiling in slow mo but i can't do anything to stop it.

But u know what... I see it clearly now. Being a mother is who i am. It's a new role and i embrace it. So what if this blog has turned into a homage to dear son. It shouldn't scare me that now know the name of every vegetable in English and Mandarin, and the price of rice per kg. Instead of strategising about the next media campaign, i really do the strategising at the market- if i buy this i can use 20% to make this dish and the other 80% to make another dish...

I don't hate this life. I love and appreciate it cos i have a husband who is blessed and generous.

On turning 3 months

The day T turned 2 months, i heard his first laugh.... His laughter was considerably rare and hard to "induce", but yesterday a whole new T emerged. He laughed at everything, everyone and he couldn't stop "talking"! I couldn't even turn away for 1 second, he'll demand that i continue with "the conversation".

I'm also proud to report that T is still on my breastmilk after 3 considerably difficult months. I hope these saggy breasts won't stop working anytime soon!

3 months old

Taking T out to shop on my own!

I... wanna rock and roll all night.... and party everyday...

I must admit that i'm not a KISS fan, but i couldn't resist the cute T-shirt! My little rocker is so handsome!!

Another baby...

So i sold 2 balenciaga bags and got myself the Lauren Conrad bag...Medallion Chanel Tote in silver hardware, thanks to hours of watching The Hills while expresing milk.

It's turning out to be such an addictive series! The girls are too immature for their own good, the boys are spoilt brats and the drama is so bitchy! It keeps me young at heart and up to date with the latest fashion trends...

Oh who am i kidding it's a crappy show. I'm totally scrapping the bottom of the barrel with the Hills after devouring 4 seasons of How I Met Your Mother and 5 Seasons of Weeds. Any idea what i shd watch next? Is the OC any good?

Hotslings part 2

Remember how i was so crazy about carriers?

T is now strong enough to be carried upright, so i have a new way of slinging him in. It's much better than the cradle carry cos less of his body is in the carrier so it's not so tight. But my verdict is that it's a good to have for short periods at home or short trips to the market. Active babies like to wriggle around too much the sling won't hold them in!

Apologies for the blur picture.

T is also abit too big for the Ergo + Infant insert (plus all the heavy winter clothing), but too small for the ergo without the infant insert. So i've been utilising the Bjorn and i've actually gotten compliments for how special the colour is!

Chit Chatty T

He loves it when adults chit chat with him...

Genghis Ng

Pictures of T

T: Are u my momma?

He tends to dose off when i read to him... He is either not an academic, or i have really bad story-telling skills!

Breakout!

Beijing has been foggy the last one week. Index as high as 500, high enough to give clean-air-breathing singaporean kids asthma. But china kids are immuned to smog, in fact it gives the scenery a romantic feel and a delicious barbeque smell. (just kidding)

the air is finally better today so i decided to bring T out! I think he may have forgotten what the outside world is like after being couped up at home for 5 days. He is wearing the gap sweater from aunt esther, how adorable and smooshy wooshy right!!

Mommy accidentally took a cool shot of herself, hehe.

Laughing out loud (Again)

okay the previous post is not the real laugh... tht was more excited plus babbling plus abit of laughing...

THIS video is the real laugh, i finally captured it on video after many many many days of trying. The nanny was throwing a colourful ball in the air and it drives him nuts! His laughter is kinda dorky. Like hurhurhur...

I purposely chose the shortest video clip to post. it's only 15 seconds. =)

He laughs OUT LOUD!

You remember that episode of FRIENDS when Ross heard Emma laugh, and Rachel tried to make her laugh by singing Baby Got Back?

I totally understand why FRIENDS made an episode out of baby's laughter (versus them grabbing things, scratching themselves, projectile peeing...), it's the cutest sound on earth!!! The very day T turned 2 months old, i heard him laugh. I wanna share his giggles with you but problem is whenever i whip out my camera he shuts up!

I managed to capture somewhat a laugh in this video. The rest of the video is just me trying to make him laugh again. My voice is seriously going to crack anytime soon from going too high pitch. deeeelannnn..... heeeheeheeeee......

Doing the Karen Cheng

Skirt from H&M. It's stretchy so perfect for fatty me! i have 6.5kg more to lose!

The Robot Whisperer?

Remember the robots i pasted in his room?

The nanny told me one morning that T loves staring and mumbling to the robots during his night feeds. I didn't believe her... I thought she was exaggerating, it's pretty common for moms/dads/nannies to overstate the abilities of their kids.


I was proven wrong a couple of nights ago. He really does stare and speak to the robots, ALOT.



We even captured it on video. Just view the first 10 seconds...


According to Mountain Man, he remembered "hallucinating" and imagining stationary dots move around in his room. So err... maybe it runs in the family.

Imagination from Daddy, chattiness from Mommy... Oh dear...

Mommy's companion

Milk pumping can be reallly boring. Good thing T provides good entertainment chatting and babbling.

NICE?

Playtime with Papa....

Look ma.. i can fly!

The son doesn't seem to like xbox very much...

Quick update:

Went to the PD for 2nd month check up and 5-in-1 vaccination. All is well, he is 63cm and 5.9kg. He earned praises from the PD for lifting his head quite high when put on his tummy, he also "sat" for quite long when being pulled into the seating position.

The vaccination didn't go too well though. The first jab was followed by a high pitched shriek and his face turned purple! Mommy who was holding down his legs couldn't help but cry with him (so embarrassing!!!). I had to ask mountain man to take over for the 2nd jab while i hid in the corner to wipe away my tears. Poor T exhibited bi-polar behaviour the whole of yesterday, his smiles were followed by sudden sobs as the memories of his painful experience haunted him . hik hik...

Crazy about carriers

A good carrier is quite essential in my opinion. It's handsfree so u can drink coffee on one hand and carry your shopping bag in the other. It eliminates the reliance on strollers which are bulky and inconvenient if you don't have ur own car. And it's great for parent-child bonding. In China, there's an additional benefit of keeping warm during harsh winters!



Hotsling

Pros:

1. More portable as compared to other carriers: Light, foldable, easy to stuff into diaperbag.
2. Many cloth patterns to choose from.
3. Can hip-carry, cradle, semi-cradle (with baby sitting up), back carry.
4. Can breastfeed- though i don't know how.
5. Mother looks chic.

Cons:

1. Very hard to put the baby in. The first few (hundred) tries were a struggle.
2. I am not sure how comfortable it is. T was very squashed when i first put him in at around 5 weeks. But as the bb gets bigger, less of him goes into the sling and it'll get better.
3. Need to get the right size. If it's not the correct size it will look quite clumsy and won't be comfortable for the mother. It's non-adjustable nature also means that u cannot share the sling with ur husband. (not that mountain man wants to carry a floral yellow sling).

To buy or not to buy...

Despite the many cons i've stated, the chic-ness makes it very tempting for mothers. I must admit that even though i've struggled with it, i look forward to the day when T gets bigger so i can hip carry him.

Baby Bjorn

Pros:

1. Comfortable for both baby and mother. T loves it very much.
2. Easy to put on.
3. Front carry, baby can either face in or face out.
4. Relatively portable: it's still OK to stuff into diaper bag.
5. Looks pretty good.

Cons:

1. No hip carry and back carry.
2. Actually hard to find fault with the bjorn from a usage perspective. But there are alot of negative press about suspending the baby at the crotch and the outward facing position. it's supposed to be bad for posture and spinal development.

To buy or not to buy...

I think the rule of moderation applies. Baby walkers also has bad press, but we all grew up using it and i think we're fine. I guess just don't use the bjorn for long hours and it'll be fine.

Ergo Carrier

Pros

1. Easy to put on.
2. Provides good overall support to baby and mother. Weight is focused more on the hips rather than the back and shoulders so u won't feel so "achy".
3. 3 main positions: front carry (includes cradle carry for infants), hip carry and back carry.
4. Can use for babies up to 3 yrs (longest usability amongst all carriers).
5. Infant insert allows good posture for infants.
6. Attached sleeping hood great to block out stimulation and the cold.
7. Most comfortable for babies amongst the 3 carriers.
8. Has a front pocket.
9. Has safety features that ensures that the carrier don't fall apart should the buckles come off.

Cons

1. Cannot face outward, but it's because the makers claim that outward facing posture is bad for babies.
2. Looks a bit too sporty for me.
3. Quite bulky. Cannot stuff into diaper bag.
   

To buy or not to buy...

If u only have money to buy one carrier, invest in this one. That's cos I rate comfort quite high when you have to carry ur baby or toddler for long hours. Also, it's got the longest usability so u get a better value for ur money!

PS: This is one of the dresses from H&M. hehe.

Snow or no snow part 2

I headed to Qianmen, an outdoor shopping street so i could get the full snow treatment. The cab driver suggested n alternative route to avoid the jam, but i'd have to drop at the south gate. I was like whtever just get me there and do it fast.

I was sooooo pleased when i saw the golden arch at the south gate, I had a craving for cheeseburger all morning.

Fun fact: did u know all mcd outlets toilets in it? That meant i got to empty my bladder before the shopping rampage! Things were going well, i knew today would be a great day.

True enough, i got 2.5 hrs of uninterrupted no-crowd-weekday-snowed-out shopping. The harvest was plentiful, I bought 18 items in total- something for T, mountain man, and mama.

Snow or no snow

Ok it's official, i am the harbinger of snow. Beijing experiences the heaviest snowstorm in years. 2 yrs ago in Shanghai, heaviest snowstorm in 10yrs (and no snow after i left the following yr), 6 yrs ago, snowstorm in Banff in May! I wont be surprised if singapore starts snowing when i get back.

But snow or no snow, i am gg out! I need clothes badly. Being in between sizes is painful in winter. I look like Katie Holmes without a stylist, basically putting on whtever fits. Hopefully my trip to hnm will be fruitful.

Send instant messages to your online friends http://asia.messenger.yahoo.com

The snow continues

Its important that T aclimatizes to the cold, beijing can get really harsh winters with temperature dipping below minus 10.

This morning the sun hung proudly in the sky (a rare sight of late). So I wasnt gonna let T stay indoors, i anticipated this day by preparing appropriate clothing for him to step out comfortably. He was bundled up in my carrier and we wore matching furry boots.

Thank god he didn't cry from our little excursion, in fact he slept like a baby!

Tamagotchi and Friends

T had a conference with his favourite friends- Mr Giraffe and Mr Tigger.

Coo...

Honestly, it's been the longest 7 weeks of my life.

The baby consumes me, I'm tired of losing sleep, of constantly worrying if my baby is eating enough or too much, will he keep warm in the winter, is he sleeping enough, is the colour of his poo normal, is he growing ok, is his giant booger interfering with his breathing... etc etc etc...

But like every mommy, i am my own son's biggest fan. He is alllll i think/talk/dream about these days. All the cons of motherhood is worth it when your baby does this...



He coos and smiles at me when i play with him everyday. I just wonder how come i'm so lucky to have such a cute baby. My life as a mother is slowly unveiling like a cliche. I see it happening and i can't stop it.

My boy likes the camera

He may not look like me at all... but we have at least one thing in common.

I swear i didn't know he also stuck out his tongue!!

Baby mario

A mommy friend organised a Super Mario birthday party for her son right about the time T turned 1 month old. It was quite a challenge dressing the family cos T was too small to fit into a jumper, I was too fat, and Mountain Man is Mountain Man, he'll refuse to get into a jumper even if i begged.

But I really hate to disappoint when a theme is involved. Besides loving to dress up, it's also as a sign of courtesy to the host. So i came up with this ingenius idea of colour printing Super Mario pictures and sticking them on our shirts. Cheap, right on the theme, and simple to pull off...

Here's the result...Drumrolls.....TADA....

Mountain man came up with the idea of sticking Mario's body on his T-shirt. haha. We had really good laugh cos it was so lame.

It's Britney Bi*ch

It's halloween again. My favourite made-up holiday cos i get to dress frivolously... This year, i am my favourite pop-star in her trippy/bi-polar pink wig phase.

I'm cam-whoring in my own room cos it's highly inappropriate to cam-whore in public now that i'm a mother. haha. I'm gonna regret posting this but i hope u'll at least get a good laugh. I feel like i'm 10 yrs old again.

Activity Time: T @ 7 weeks

Activity time is really important for babies and adults. It's when I really get to spend quality time with T and get to know his temperament as a little person. The PD taught us a couple of simple exercises that will help T develop physically and mentally.

T hates his tummy time... so i cheat him into doing it. I put him on my chest and slowly slowly lower my body until it's horizontal. haha. Tricky mommy...

T enjoys Mr Ducky who sings to the tune of "How much is the Doggy in the Window", courtesy of Aunt Gingerblossom. It's one of his favourite toys.

T responding to a rattle- it's supposed to develop his sense of hearing and the bright colours help his eyes focus on objects. Check out his huge feet!

Smiling at at Ahyi... His little tongue curls up. so cute!

Bleeeh...

Look Pa! I can hold a rattle! Of course it falls off almost instantly. But still, it's a giant step for T!

T is finally dozing off after a full day of fun activities.... zzz..."Mommy, pls let me take a catnap!"

One final picture of T and mommy before bedtime.

PS: Miss u daddy!