Daddy, Daddy Cool

Mountain man looking all suave while T sleeps comfortably in the Baby Bjorn.

Cardblanche celebrates Christmas early!

The happy thought that makes me fly is my wedding day. I'm not apologetic for being such a girly girl. I love weddings right from the time i was about 3 feet tall.

So when Ferne told me to post this Christmas deal on the blog, i gladly agreed cos frankly i'd take any chance to revisit that special day.

Thanks to Ferne and her creative/dedicated team at Cardblanche, our special day came with really nice customised invites and mass booklets!

Photo by Gabriel Mendes

Click here for more info on Cardblanche!

Draught, Bottled or Frozen?

T has a variety of options when it comes to his meals.

A. Straight from the breast
B. Expressed and bottled
C. Frozen and defrosted

I haven't tried option A since he rejected "it" (or rather "them") when he was about two weeks old. So he's been on option B ever since, this has worked well for the both of us cos he doesn't fuss, and my life is quite regulated and predictable with a 5 hrly expressing schedule.

A trip to the PD today however reopened option A. Babies below 2 months are apparently not overly choosy with the modes of feeding and can toggle between the breast and the bottle. Draught milk is the freshest and best for baby, also promotes mother/child bonding. So despite bearing the fear of rejection, i still put him to my breast today. Surprisingly, he gladly took it. Not surprisingly however, he wasn't satisfied with the draught milk so i still had to supplement feed with bottle.

Option C is not really recommended. Somehow the milk taste changes when frozen and defrosted. A friend even claims that it tastes "metallic", not sweet and refreshing like draught/bottled milk.

So mothers. Like a good beer. Draught is always best.

Here's some snapshots of T and I. T is nursing some eczema from potential shellfish allergies passed on from my breastmilk. U know what that means??? NO BLACK PEPPER CRABS!

Botak Boy

T's signature hair was shaved off this morning. In China, we can hire specialists to come to our home to cut baby hair (and the very first haircut is free!). So I made an appointment yesterday and was told to wait 3-5 days for a free slot. But the call came earlier than expected, i totally wasn't ready to bid farewell to T's natural mohawk.

Here's us getting ready. Apologies for the pjs. i didn't even have time to change.

The first cut. ARGH!!!

All of his hair could fit into one palm. Can u see his hairline?? Just like his dad's!

Complete! My little shaolin monk...

Looking all handsome.

Yeehaa!

This little ox celebrated his first month party at a cowboy bar called Tim's Bar-BQ this afternoon. Nothing fancy, we just wanted a simple affair where adults can enjoy good food, an afternoon beer and each other's company.

Our little family feels so blessed and grateful that over 60 people graced this special occasion. Other than our Singaporean friends, 80% of the guests were colleagues of Mountain man and I (we work in the same company), and they've been nothing but supportive and caring towards the both of us throughout the pregnancy. All of them were really excited to meet T for the first time...


See how popular he is, hoards of people surrounded him when he arrived. They even greeted him (and me) with a warm round of applause. Like some celebrity...hehe.

Grandma Mary brought T round to the tables as well. This photo is classic. The office Ahyis requested a picture of them looking at T, and T looked back! so sweet...

We were so busy entertaining the guests that we forgot to take pictures of ourselves! I had my own mini photo-taking session at home with the little celebrity.

Bad camera angle revealing his double chin!

Actually until now we've not taken a family photo together. I wanted to wait for mountain man to come home but it was too late cos he peed on his new bumblebee/wolverine outfit already.

Happy 1 month old T! So many people love you!

Outings

Getting him used to the outside world was a challenge. The conditions indoor and outdoor is vastly different. The few times we tried to take him out he always came home over-stimulated and frightened. Mountain man and i were also abit adventurous the first time we brought him out. Pushed the pram too quickly through rocky ground.. Slowly we learnt that we had to do things one step at a time.

1. Make him feel comfortable in the pram. swaddle in blanket, wear a cap, put a pillow.
2. Get him used to the temperature outside. Just leave the pram out for a while (without pushing).
3. Push the pram really slowly and avoid rocky road.
4. If we really must hurry, carry him instead...

I hope T is ready for him big full month party on sunday!

Another frivolous photo of T i found on my phone.

"Hhmm... "

A trip to the PD!

T took a trip to the PD for his 2nd hep B jab today. Bringing him out was a major operation... We started preparing almost one and a half hour before departure, and even then we were half an hour late for the appointment! His feeding time coincided with appointment time so we struggled between breaking his feeding routine and leaving him to cry his lungs out while waiting for his turn. (we ended up choosing the option less embarrassing)


He weighed in at 4.98kg. Minus roughly 0.2kg for a heavy diaper... and he's 59cm! What a cute little gnome.


T was such a trouper for enduring the painful jab, he shriek for only less than 10 seconds!

1 month old!

T turned 1 month old yesterday... I've been busy getting myself familiar with the tasks i've missed out on during confinement. It's been an absolute joy caring for him. He is starting to make new cooing sounds beyond the cries of hunger and sleepiness, sometimes very manja! Makes our hearts melt.

Here's a few recent pictures...

T started lifting his head quite early on. We try to put him on his belly a few times a day so he can exercise his neck and "crawl" a bit. This is a picture of him lifting his head... (Daddy accidentally deleted another picture that showed a distinct lift off).

T sleeping on the job. I guess i won't be trusting him with my jewellery! (Thanks again aunt april for the really cute t-shirt)

Check out his hair! What stupendous volume! I can't bear to shave it all off after his first month party. =(

Grandma tries to calm a hungry boy. He makes this face when he wants his milk. soo poor thing...This little cow drinks pretty well also. Approx. 120-150ml per feed, 8 times per day. My milk is not as abundant as before, so i may have to dig into my reserves!

Taking a dump over the dustbin

T takes a dump before airing his buttocks. His t says 'My mummy is a yummy mummy'. Duh... Mummy is his only source of yummy at the moment.

From the same mould

From left: Mountain man, Tamagotchi, Grandma

*Gulp*

Me: So... i've accumulated all these milk in the freezer. What now? What if i never get to use them? Do i just... throw them away?

CL: Don't throw! Drink it urself!

Me: Haa?

CL: It's really nutritious...

Me: But, it's from me! I know, how about i wash my face daily in it? (i was kidding of course)

CL: Uhm, tht's good too. Ur skin will be fair afterwards!

Me: Uh....

*******************************************

Me: CL asked me to drink my own milk. You wanna you wanna?

Mountain man: YUCKS!!!!

*******************************************

You must be curious to know if i've actually tasted my own milk. YES I HAVE, just drops of it. it's nice and sweet. haha.

hi Aunt April!

I hide my cracks in my nappy! heehee...

iPood! woohoo!

Stepping out during confinement

The confinement lady asked for half day leave to settle some of her own stuff. So we decided to sneak the baby (and myself) out on this glorious sunny yet windy day!

A quick lunch at the vietnamese restaurant within our estate.

T became overstimulated after our little excursion and refused to sleep afterwards. I feel so bad! But it was nice to step out for a bit. Need a little respite from being locked up at home for so many days.

Happy 60th Birthday China

On October 1st, China celebrated her 60th birthday. In days leading up to the parade, the roads near our home were closed for rehearsals. The back of our estate became the holding area for these tanks. It was quite exciting to witness the action up close, I've never seen a real tank before!