Sharing Our Highs and Lohs...

One Heartbeat at a Time

2009-08-18T04:17:00.004+08:00

Firstly, I want to thank Alan for this post. It's a timely reminder that this post is long overdue.

Jas and I used to say "I Love You" to each other everyday. I would kiss her and tell her I love her before I leave for work every morning, failing which would invoke a myriad of teases from her for the rest of the day for forgetting to do so. We would end off every phone conversation with these 3 words. It was important to me cos' I have this somewhat morbid idea that every conversation could be the last and I wanted to make sure that those were the last words she heard from me. However, since the arrival of the kids, we find ourselves reserving those words for them instead of each other. I don't think we mean to, it's just natural for parents neglect their partners especially when the children are so much more adorable.

So, I would like to dedicate this post to my beautiful wife, who has never ceased to capture my heart every waking day.

Hunny,
I want to let you know that I appreciate you for all the sacrifices you have made for me. You are a wonderful wife, lover and most of all, my best friend. You always see the best in me and I am a better person because of your love. Our children can never dream of having a better mother for a better care-giver and teacher there is none. Nothing I do or say can ever make up for what you have given up for the family. I only hope that you will always find delight in my love and the adoration of our children. I will always be grateful for the fact that I am loved by you and there is no one else I'd rather grow old with.

I hope you find encouragement in this song by Steven Curtis Chapman. In this season of our lives when chaos and screaming babies are the only certainty in our household, I pray that you never lose sight of this simple truth - You are Beautiful.

One Heartbeat at a Time
You're up all night with a screaming baby
You run all day at the speed of life
And every day you feel a little bit less
Like the beautiful woman you are

So you fall into bed when you run out of hours
And you wonder if anything worth doing got done
Oh, maybe you just don't know
Or maybe you've forgotten

You, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch
And every smile

Oh, you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time

With every, "I know you can do it"
And every tear that you kiss away
So many little things that seem to go unnoticed
They're just like the drops of rain, over time they become a river

And you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch
And every smile

Oh, you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time

You're beautiful, so beautiful
How you're changing the world
How you're changing the world

You, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch
And every smile

Oh, you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
Oh, I believe that you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time

Our First As Parents

2009-07-26T16:47:00.006+08:00

My in-laws went on a short holiday a couple of weeks ago, so I took leave to help Jas with the kids and engage in some family bonding activities. Boy...we had a bonding experience alright but just not the way we would have planned.

I'll save the details for some other time but in a nutshell, here's what happened:

Mummy got the flu...

...followed by David....

...David's fever got really high and Mommy got worried...

...We had problems administering parecetamol to David and fever went up even more, Daddy also got worried...

...Admitted David into the hospital to get the experts to help bring his fever down, now less worried...

...Daddy also go the flu, nobody seems worried....

...Nai Nai took leave to help look after Cherise, one thing less to worry...

...David got better and got discharged, Daddy got worse and Mummy took charge...

...David started having stuffy nose that affected his nursing, Mummy started to worry again...

...Cherise started having slight fever, everyone begining to worry...

...Used 3 different thermometers on Cherise and all showed very different readings, not helping with the worrying bit...

...Cherise still very active, so nothing to worry...

...Start of new week, Daddy needs to go to work, Mummy really needs to rest, kids need attention...

That's the gist of it.

Some may consider such events a rite of passage for any parent, but that does not mean that it is an easy thing to watch one baby getting poked by needles while worrying about who is going to look after the other one. And having both parents ill at the same time is not helping the situation at all. However, there were a few things that made the whole ordeal a lot manageable:

1) Grand-parents - whom without their help (physically and financially) we would have been a lot more stressed out.
2) Friends - who offered to do our household marketing for us while we rested at home...for the record, they did it in the midst of their family retreat!! Thanks Des and XL!
3) Carecell Members - for covering us in prayer and offering to help us tangibly.
4) Family - concerned uncles and aunts who covered us in prayer.

Thank God the bug has run its course and we've recovered from it.

And just as we thought things were back to normal (it's an oxymoron actually cos' nothing is ever normal with 2 kids!!!) we had a new battle to fight....Cherise came down with fever and diarrhea caused by enterovirus. Imagine our relief when the doctor told us it was not HFMD. However, it was still contagious - transmitted through contact, so we had to disinfect the entire house especially the kids' play area so that it does not spread to David. We also had to stop Cherise from getting near to her brother - not easy because she is really affectionate towards him. Well, thank God the fever and diarrhea has stopped, now we have to start stuffing her with food again to help her gain back the weight lost when she was sick.

It's the start of a new week tomorrow, I wonder what surprises we're gonna get this time....

2009-05-25T00:42:00.003+08:00

Cherise

I read somewhere (can't quite remember, and so I quote loosely) that a sibling is a net positive for the family. But this statement then implies that a sibling would be a net negative for someone in same family - and would that someone be the elder sibling/s?

We've been having trouble at bedtime for the past few nights. Daytime, she is the model big sister. Sweet and caring, her antics make us laugh. Just the other day, David was fussing in his rocker, and she came up to him and said, with both arms reaching out towards him, "Oh, oh, come, come, come, Mommy carry!" Adrian and I laughed and laughed. "So, she thinks she's the Mommy now, eh?" I joked.

But things aren't so funny at bedtime. It's as if the quiet of nighttime and the lack of distraction takes the lid off suppressed emotions, and suddenly, it's meltdown time. The first night, she cried for half an hour, saying "Mommy sayang" over and over and over again - even though she was perched on my lap. It broke my heart to see her clutching me tightly, and it was as if my hugs and kisses and her clutching couldn't bridge the distance she felt. The second night, Daddy got his turn. He dozed off as she dozed off, but suddenly she awoke and it was "Daddy sayang" as well, clutching his hair and kissing him and crying all at the same time. And just now, as I patted her and sang to her, all of a sudden her eyes filled with tears and her little mouth turned down at the corners. A little girl doing the big girl thing and trying hard not to cry.

What's going on? We think she misses us. It's hard on her, I think, to go from having Mommy and Daddy 100% of our free time, to maybe 50%/60% instead. Especially since Mommy was there all the time from the start. Nowadays, Mommy sometimes disappears. Sometimes for quite long. And where Mommy is these days, there's someone else too - another baby.

***

David

We thank God that he's such an easy baby. So much easier than his sister was at the same age. So easy that sometimes, we're guilty of exploiting that easiness. While Cherise was pretty much a "sling baby" who couldn't be put down and so got the benefit of being in our arms a lot, David spends a lot less time being carried. Oh, it's not that he doesn't like being carried - I'm sure all babies love the physical closeness and the vantage point - but he's pretty ok lying down on his own. And so, because we're always so tired, and because there's always another needy child to attend to, he's always lying down whenever he'll tolerate it.

Are we shortchanging him, I wonder? We rarely carry him for the sheer pleasure of it. Tired arms and tired minds. But that's no excuse, is it?

When we go out as a family, Adrian plays chauffeur and the rest of us squeeze in the back - me sandwiched between two car seats. Cherise is demanding - wants this item and that, wants this story read, wants that sticker book, wants that biscuit/raisin... the list goes on. And David, well, he just sits in his car seat, looks wonderingly around. On our last trip out, I was busy doing the usual with Cherise, when I took a quick glance at him and saw that he was staring at me intently. Really staring at me. Here I was, so busy and ignoring him, and there he was, just sweetly looking at me.

This morning was rather hectic. Both of them woke at the same time. I left him on the bed while I busied myself with Cherise. Changed her diaper and got her out of her jammies as fast as I could while our helper got her breakfast. I think he was alone a good ten minutes. But he didn't cry. Not even a squawk. I went back into the room to find a cheerful baby and he smiled at me. Gave me his first social smile.

Guilt. God's given me the sweetest little boy, and I'm too busy to do right by him.

***

So tell me how to be More. I need More. More of myself. More of myself to give. More of a Mommy to Cherise, and More of a Mommy to David. And if Adrian were the complaining sort, he'd probably need More of a wife too. And he'd be justified, I think.

The ridiculous musings of a tired mind:
If I cloned myself, then they'd each have a Mommy. Maybe me and the cloned Mommy could take turns with each of them. Maybe Adrian would need a clone too. Would they be able to tell the difference? Would the cloned Mommy breastfeed too? Do they even clone Mommies??

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-12T16:01:00.003+08:00

So what if it isn't a real flower.
So what if she didn't make it herself.
So what if her little chubby hands clutched and pressed until the petals were wrinkled and the stem was twisted.

She walked through the door and said, "Mommy, a present for you!"

It's the most beautiful flower in the world.

The First Month - We Survived (Just Barely)!

2009-05-05T16:11:00.004+08:00

Part I:

The First Two Weeks went by fairly quickly - too quickly, in fact, for me. Adrian was on leave to help out at home, and things were pretty smooth sailing as we all adjusted to having a newborn at home. David was feeding well, gaining weight and filling out. His jaundice was clearing up by the 10th day, but then again, the serum bilirubin levels were never really high to begin with.

I soon got the hang of changing his diaper - although I must say, it's really a lot more stressful than changing Cherise's diaper! I mean, hey, there's a time limit here! Don't take too long, quick wipe wipe not so clean never mind tick tock tick tock close up diaper before he p.. oops too late. The day before Adrian was due back at work, David blessed us with what Adrian and I will always remember as the "poo incident". A poo like no other. I was changing his diaper alone (thought I was pretty zai by then), preparing to head out to the airport to see my sister off. I lifted his bum to wipe when suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, whoosh! out flew (and I mean flew) a stream of projectile poop! I think it must have been the angle (you know, physics, 45 degrees and the projectile attains greatest horizontal distance yadda yadda) at which I was lifting his bum, but he should have won, or at least been in the running for, the prize for the furthest flying poop. It flew over a metre. Hit the two trolley organisers in which we keep Cherise's and David's clothes. Yes, hit them both. Hit the clothes in the trolleys. Hit the wall behind the two trolleys. Would probably have gone further if not for the wall. Needless to say, we were late going to the airport. The amount of cleanup to be done was mind-blowing. Part of his flying poop hit my hand. I can still remember - it felt warm. Eww.

Humorous incidents aside, I spent the first two weeks in a funny kind of emotional roller coaster. Happy to have Adrian at home, enjoying getting acquainted with David, and yet, weepy and consumed with guilt when it came to Cherise. I fretted that I wasn't spending enough time with her. She was the perfect big sister - not an ounce of jealousy. Loved kissing him and kept asking me to carry him. But I fretted - "I think she misses me, she must be missing me." "I miss her so much!" "She's looking at me - I think she misses me! I think she feels jealous but she's too good to ask!" I felt guilty - guilty that I had to spend all this time with the newborn, and not with Cherise. And I was sad that I couldn't do lots of things which I used to do with her - like feed her, bathe her, put her to bed... Things which Adrian now got to do. She grew closer to her daddy, it was "Daddy baobao" now, not "Mommy baobao" anymore. And each night as I cuddled her while she slept I cried at the loss I felt. And Adrian would roll his eyes at me.

Part II:

The Next Two Weeks was just plain exhaustion. Whatever guilt I felt went out the window. No time for guilt. No energy for guilt. No energy for feeling anything. My days flew by in a flurry of pee, poop and milk. Adrian was back at work, and we (the rest of us) spent our day times camped out at my mom's place, which is, thankfully, just the next block.

David is one gassy baby. A gassy baby with a sluggish digestive system. Unlike his sister who would religiously poop after every feed, David grunts and groans his discomfort until the huge (stored) poop comes out. Usually this grunting and groaning goes on for hours. More specifically, between the hours of 5 and 8. AM. It's like, he needs to poop to get comfortable, but he can't because he's too sleepy. Terrible. And his grunting is so loud it wakes everyone up. Even my helper says she can hear him from the kitchen. So we've been starting earlier and earlier in the mornings because Cherise gets woken up by noisy David. One day she even got up at 630am. My day starts when he starts his "music". I carry him out of the room so that Cherise doesn't wake up, and I walk around and basically do all sorts of things to get him comfortable but really, nothing works till he poops the big one.

So I've been really sleep-deprived. We all have been. But we made it. And things are settling down somewhat.

At my mom's place, even though I'm busy with David most of the time, I get short breaks when my mom takes over, and I get to sit and play with Cherise for a while. Sometimes, I feed her lunch. Sometimes, I join her during her morning bath and splash her with water as she tries to splash me back. I don't get to cuddle her to sleep, but I get to cuddle her when she wakes up from her afternoon nap. Adrian comes to pick us up when he gets home in the evenings, and it's a happy reunion. We have dinner, then we have Family Bath Time. We all take our baths from 8 to 9pm. No, not all together, but well, we bathe David first, then I shower, then Cherise and lastly Adrian. Then supper for the little girl and it's off to bed. Adrian and I will argue over who gets to put Cherise to bed. Usually I win. So I cuddle her and sing songs and pray our prayers - all those things we used to do together, while Adrian gets to carry David around (bonding with his son, I call it), and it's nice and sweet as we girls drop off to dreamland together.

And then we wake up the next day (don't forget the night-time nursings and diaper changes!) and do it all again.

Noisy Baby

2009-05-02T23:50:00.004+08:00

In my description of David, I mentioned that he makes funny noises like a grumpy old man. He does it in his sleep, when we carry him, when he is unhappy...basically he does it all the time. Not convinced? Hear it for yourself.

Now, I'm not trying to brag about our abilities but the truth is, Jas and I are pretty decent in the singing department. David's squawking and grunting are beginning to make us wonder..."Happy Feet"???

It's ok son...go ahead...make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

Birth Story - Daddy's Point of View

2009-05-02T11:06:00.007+08:00

If I have one word to describe David's birth, it would be this: Back-Breaking.

No...really...at the end of the whole thing, I could hardly stand up straight and my feet hurt like crazy. No wonder doulas charge ridiculous fees for their work, it's quite a task, considering I merely did a tiny fraction of what they would do. Not that I didn't enjoy the whole process though.

Jasmine made it very clear from the start of the pregnancy that she wanted this time to be as natural as possible. I was all for the idea (can save money mah ha ha!!!) and I offered to do whatever I could to aid in the process. However, I had to draw the line when she wanted a home birth - can you imagine the cost of replacing our laminated flooring if it gets stained by all the you-know-what?!?! Anyway, she then later toyed with the idea of engaging a doula to assist in the birth but I was not very keen because I really wanted to be a lot more involved this time round. Ok, confession time: I was quite useless the last time cos' while Jasmine was agonising in pain, I was blissfully snoring away in the labour ward...model husband right? Anyway, Jasmine was kind enough to accommodate my request to make amends this time round but not without making me go through a series of literature on how to be a labour coach. I had to spend most of my night duties reading the materials on the Labour Coach's Notebook which she printed out for me.

Well, reading about the various coaching techniques was easy, executing them was anything but. What used to work suddenly got on her nerves. I had to change from one massaging technique to another because she suddenly didn't like to be touched in a particular way, I had to contort my body into positions I never knew I could so that I could support her as she writhed in pain, I never got to sit down because she felt more comfortable in the arm chair that was meant for me (and I refused to sit on the floor, knowing what often ends up on said floor)... the list goes on. In the midst of everything, I suddenly forgot how to identify the stages of labour so I didn't even realise when she actually went into transition. Before I knew it, she was ready to push and I could not even let go of her for 1 second to turn the TV off (yes, I'm a TV addict).

It was a tiring affair indeed, but you know what, it felt great! It felt great to be so involved in the process. It felt great looking into her eyes as I helped her to control her pushing. It felt even greater looking at her sigh of relief when they placed David on her chest. It felt great knowing that we did it together. Yeah, I know that what I went through was nothing compared to what Jasmine had to go through. But if you compare this labour with the previous one, this was a big deal to me.

For the record, I really respect Jasmine for having the guts to go through it with no pain relief whatsoever. Honestly, I was expecting her to cave in and ask for something, but she didn't. Maybe it helped that I told her due to the shortage of rooms, we had no choice but to upgrade to a deluxe room which meant that we had no budget for any extras... ha ha. Jokes aside, my wife was really brave and I love her so much more for it. I don't think I have that kind of threshold.

As for me, the icing on the cake was that I got to cut the cord this time...wow...I want to do it again...if The Mammy is agreeable.

Birthstory!

2009-04-29T18:07:00.003+08:00

Long overdue post! Here's little David's birthstory:

At 39 weeks (6th April), I was feeling rather depressed. No sign that anything was happening and the physical exhaustion was making it hard to get up in the mornings. I left Cherise with my parents and headed out to make myself feel better. Went for a pre-delivery makeover - cut my hair, had a facial and massage. Thought maybe I was too tense for labour to start.

True enough, after the massage and all, I had the show at 3am (7th April), and contractions were ten minutes apart. By 9am, they were 6 minutes apart. I really didn't want to go to the hospital because I wanted to labour at home as long as possible, but the gynae's office receptionist told me to hurry down as it was my second child and things could happen rather quickly. So at 11am, we saw the gynae and he said I was 3cm dilated. He gave me two options - he could check me into the hospital or I could choose to labour at home. As I was hoping for as natural a birth as possible this time round, I chose not to stay in the hospital as it would leave me with nothing to do but focus on the pain.

So we went for lunch at United Square, hoping the walking would speed things up a bit. The contractions were painful enough now so that I couldn't really talk nor walk during one, but I still managed to get some shopping done. (It's amazing - the woman's capacity to shop under all circumstances...)

At 3pm, we were back at Thomson Medical Centre, this time to stay. At this point, I must add that I think we picked a wonderful doctor this time round. He's got a reputation for being very pro-natural, and this was reflected in the way the nurses at the labour ward treated me. The first question they asked, upon finding out who my doctor was, was, "Do you have a birth plan?" I replied no, but this gave me the opportunity to state that I only had one request - that I not be ~~chained~~ ~~strapped~~ confined to the bed during labour. I was also offered the room with the tub (for women who wanted to labour in water) but I turned it down. I did ask for a birth ball (which I never got to buy) but it wasn't available at that time.

I think the attitude of the nurses set the tone for the whole labour process. I had options, hence I felt in control. So different from the last time when I was hustled and bundled and strapped into bed and left there to suffer. I spent the next few hours keeping active, working through my contractions, which weren't half as bad as they were with Cherise. Adrian was a fantastic labour coach - the poor guy massaged my back between contractions, fed me milo when I got hungry, let me lean into his nice tummy when the pain got too much to bear...

At around 6 plus (I didn't note the time), I felt that things were different. I told Adrian to get the nurses, who did hustle me into bed this time, and found that I was 6 to 7cm dilated already. My waters broke, and things happened really quickly now - I kept wanting to push, but the nurses wouldn't let me, not till the doctor arrived, and once he did, David was out in a matter of minutes! Adrian said 3 pushes, I think. Really fast. So our little boy arrived at 6.51pm, 7th April 2009. Here's a video of his first moments:

It was a wonderful experience. If I had any idea of what to expect, I would have wanted it this way. I didn't labour too long in the hospital, and it was as natural a process as it could be. I didn't take any pain relief meds at all, and nobody poked any needles into me. My waters were allowed to break naturally, and I didn't have an episiotomy. Maybe next time I'll try a homebirth! (If there is a next time..)

Thank you - those who were praying with us, and praise God for His hand in all this - from conception to delivery and thereafter!

David - The Arrival...

2009-04-14T20:36:00.010+08:00

Hi everyone, sorry this came really late. Thought I'd better update everyone before it really becomes water under the bridge....

After waiting for a long 39 weeks, our son is finally here! Everyone, say hello to the latest addition to our family - David Nathaniel Loh.

Here is his biodata:
Date of Arrival: 7th of April 2009
Time: at 6:51pm
Weight: 3.04 kg
Length: 50 cm
Head Circumference: 34 cm

Ok, 4D punters may go crazy with the numbers now, just make sure you remember us when you strike it.

More about his birth story later, we're still trying to get the hang of dealing with a new born and a 20 month old hyper active girl at the same time. Not easy, but as usual, God is good. Give us a little more time adjusting to our new roles and I promise we'll update soon. Lot's of things to share with everyone!

In the meantime, thanks for your prayers and love!

Our Day at the Zoo

2009-02-06T13:09:00.004+08:00

As part of our 2 Day wedding anniversary celebration, I took Jas and Cherise for our long awaited visit to the Zoo. My company signed up for the friends of the zoo corporate membership, so it allows me to bring the family in for free. We get discounts for food and merchandise purchases as well! Anyway, after countless unsuccessful bids to get hold of the membership card from the admin department, I finally managed to loan it out for a few days. We initially wanted to go on Wednesday, but since we could not get anyone to baby sit on Thursday, we decided go on Thursday instead.

We planned to start the day early so that we can squeeze in more activities before it gets too hot for us, but somehow the night was not restful for Cherise (hence similarly for us), so we ended up sleeping in and having a late start at about 11am. Jas and I cannot remember when was the last time we visited the zoo. All we know is that the place has changed quite a bit and as a local, I must say that I'm very impressed with the improvements made to this attraction.

Like most kids, Cherise LOVED the animals. It helped that she recognises some of them...everytime, she saw something that she knew she went, "wah..bunky (monkey), wah...tiger, wah...giraffe, wah...ohdile (crocodile), wah...torti (tortise)...big!" As expected, every species of bear is a teddy bear, and anything that walks on four legs and resembles a canine is a dog. She had a lot of fun mimicking the sounds of the animals and didn't seem to mind the stench coming from the animal droppings...unlike mommy who almost fainted after walking past the rhino exhibit ha ha! Cherise also got to pat a rabbit for the first time at the Pets Corner at the Rainforest Kidzworld... If we had known that they have a water play area there, we would have brought our swim gear along.

Sadly, we didn't get to watch any of the animal shows this time round. I'm sure Cherise would be thrilled to see what the elephants can do. For our next visit, I must be sure to plan the itinery properly so that we canmake the best of our time there. Oh, and next time, I won't even bother bringing a stroller...cos' this super duper zoo has EVERYTHING!

We left about 2pm, just as Cherise was getting tired and needed her afternoon nap. Jas says if we want to do this again, we should do it really soon cos' once David comes, we'll have to say bye bye to family excursions for a while. Yah man...better start to "chop" for the membership card again soon!

Here's a pic of happy Daddy and Mommy with a clearly tired Cherise.

For more pics of our outing, check out my Flickr Photo Page.

3 Years Already???

2009-02-05T16:53:00.004+08:00

That was the thought that came to our minds as we were wondering how long it has been since we said our vows at the altar. Jasmine said it felt like only 2 years, probably because we did not celebrate our anniversary last year as I was away on an overseas exercise then. To make it up to her, I decided to celebrate the 3 years of our union over 2 days, one day by ourselves and the other with Cherise.

Jas's mom was available to babysit for us yesterday, so we took the advantage to do stuff that we usually would not be able to do if Cherise was with us. It was a simple affair - movie followed by dinner at the most baby unfriendly place we could find.

The Movie
For the first time in our lives, we stepped into Golden Village Cinema's Gold Class at Vivocity. When I stepped into the theatre, I was in total awe...it was quite embarrassing for Jas because I could not contain my excitement and kept playing with the seats - they can be reclined fully till you're literally watching the movie lying down - and they provide blankets! And man were the seats comfortable! We wanted to watch Red Cliff 2 initially but they didn't have it at the time that we wanted, so we settled for The Changeling instead. Jas commented later that considering the frequency of our visits to the movies (which is like erm...NEVER! The last time we watched a movie was when Jas was expecting Cherise!), we might as well go for Gold Class everytime. I totally agree.

The Dinner
Though still semi-full with popcorn and tortilla chips, we needed to take our dinner early to make it back in time to pick Cherise up (sigh...and you'd think that we're past the age of curfews). We chanced upon Tajimaya Yakiniku / Shabuya, a 2-in-1 concept restaurant at level 1. It's basically 2 restaurants operating under the same roof - One side offers BBQ, and the other steamboat - Japanese style. I was captivated by the Aussie Beef promotion so we went for the BBQ. Good thing that Cherise was not with us cos' we had to cook everything ourselves over a super hot charcoal grill...
IT's really hot man!
For the price of the meal, we didn't expect the spread to be so good...the economy must really be bad for them to offer so much for that price. Here's what we had:
The whole spread.
Two cuts of beef...the thin one tastes like Bak Kwa.
Chicken thigh and Kurubuta.
Veg
Shrimp
Salad
Tempura
Ice-cream
We tried our best to finish everything but it was simply overwhelming...
We hate to waste food but what to do...we were simply...
...too stuffed!

Alas, like Cinderella, we had a curfew to follow (8pm!!!) so we went wee wee wee all the way home to our little princess. Though our date was short, we enjoyed it totally. Hopefully we'll have more of these when our kids are a little more independent.

Transitioning

2009-01-14T22:16:00.005+08:00

We've gotten Cherise her own bed!

It's sandwiched between the wall and our bed so she can't roll off but she can climb safely onto our bed if she needs us.

We finally put those cot bumpers to good use!

Lots of padding for those wooden edges... Cherise is an active sleeper!

I resisted the idea of her moving out of our bed for the longest time. With the new baby coming, I didn't want her to feel that we were moving her out and someone else in. My initial plans were to have Cherise still sleep with us on our bed and the new baby in the cosleeper, but a few things made me change my mind:
1. Cherise is a very active sleeper. She turns perpendicular in her sleep, and when we adjust her position at night (because we cannot tahan the foot on our face/neck) she stirs in her sleep. So we figure she needs more space.
2. I imagine that nursing a newborn in the same bed where she's sleeping is risky - might wake her up with all the movement etc.
3. I won't have any space to nurse the newborn lying down.

Conclusion: we've decided to make the transition now instead of later when the baby arrives.

I'm so glad that she's taken to the new bed really well. Last night was her first night and she slept all the way from 11.30pm to 7am without stirring. I woke up a few times in the night to check on her, make sure she's not cold etc, and I found her turned perpendicular again, but since there was plenty of space in her own bed, I left her like that and just shifted her blanket so she wouldn't get cold. And this afternoon, we all took a three-hour nap - she in her bed, and us in ours.

I was expecting some crying, but it turns out my little girl's more ready for this than I am. No tears upon waking, only an eagerness to climb onto our bed to nurse and reconnect with me, it seems. No waking mid-sleep missing mommy contact. She knows it's her bed - we ask her, "Where's baby's bed?" And she responds, "There! Baby bed," pointing in the right direction. She loves clambering to and from her bed - we've taught her, "Crawl, no running," and to watch out for the wall. We bought more doh dohs to make the bed cozy, but she didn't want them - she tossed them all out the first day. Good - she gets to have a say in how she wants her bed to be.

I think we, the parents, are having more difficulty making this change than she is. I usually cuddle her when I put her down after she's nursed off to sleep, but with her in her own bed, I can't do that anymore. Adrian won't let me go onto her bed - he says I'm too heavy. So I got a bit teary last night. Missed a little warm body and a certain baby smell. Felt sorry for my poor little baby who wouldn't get cuddled. Then I felt sorry for myself because I couldn't cuddle.

But despite my emo-ness, I wasn't the one to cave first. Today, we had this conversation before our nap -
Adrian: You can put her on our bed if you want.
Me: Why? You miss her?
Adrian: A bit.
Me: A bit?
Adrian: A bit.
Me: A bit or a lot?
Adrian: A lot...

Feeling lonely and emo right now. Adrian is at work, and my little girl is in her own bed sleeping soundly. My king-sized bed is suddenly really big and empty. Oh well, I suppose I'd better try to enjoy the space while I have it - it's going to get pretty crowded again in three months' time!

Dr Jekyll and Miss Hyde

2009-01-11T22:15:00.002+08:00

There's an old nursery rhyme that goes:

There was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead.
And when she was good
She was very, very good
But when she was bad
She was horrid!

Ok, I'm not saying Cherise is horrid, but she was very bad today! We planned to go to Ikea this morning to pick up a bed for Cherise (more about this in another post). We thought it would be a fun outing - having a mission and all, plus Cherise likes to play with the many toys at the Children's section. But she was in some kind of weird mood today - so difficult to handle! She didn't want to sit properly in the taxi, she didn't want to sit in the high chair, she didn't want daddy to carry, she didn't want to nurse, she didn't want to play, she didn't want to eat - all she wanted was "Mammy, baobao, go go", but go go where? I don't know. We thought maybe she was cranky because she was tired and needed a nap, but her behaviour didn't improve even after she woke up from her nap. Strangers who simply looked at her would send her into a frenzy - "Nononononono!" It was so terrible that we cut our outing short. We actually planned to stay out the whole day, moving on to other places after Ikea, but I was so drained by noon that I just wanted to go home and stay home the rest of the day.

Once we got home, she morphed into another person! She played with her toys, ran from room to room (without us!), watched TV and danced along, fed herself banana, fed us banana, let daddy change and bathe and feed her while I went to poop - just a totally different little girl! And her behaviour was so much improved that we decided to venture out to United Square because I wanted her to get her hair cut.

So at 7pm we left home, reached United Square, had dinner at Jack's Place - and she was an angel! She was so friendly, waving at waiters and waitresses and strangers we met. She sat happily in her high chair and ate her porridge, fed herself (and us) porridge, played a bit with some ice, and when our food came, we took turns to eat and she was quite content with either of us, even letting go of our hands to run around the open spaces outside the restaurant. She was happy in the pram, and when we rewarded her with kiddy rides, she didn't fuss when we wanted her to come off the ride. And to top it all, when we brought her for her haircut at Junior League, she sat and watched the Barney video, and though she kept giving slightly disturbed glances at the hairdresser, she didn't cry at all! And that's a first! On the way back, she fell asleep in the taxi - she didn't ask to nurse, she didn't fuss at all, she just closed her eyes and fell asleep. And we couldn't rouse her! I didn't want her to sleep because I wanted to give her hair a rinse before bedtime, but since she was so soundly asleep, we changed her diaper and clothes and let her be.

I'm so amazed at the two different Cherises I saw today. What made the difference? Maybe it was the time spent with us at home. Maybe she just needed to be somewhere familiar where she could hang loose and play a bit, connect with her parents, snuggle a bit... And even though none of us slept during the afternoon hours at home, we all felt rejuvenated in that short time. That's great, I think - exactly what home should be. A place to rest, relax and recharge. And the fact that Cherise feels the same way means that we have, in some measure, succeeded in creating a home for her.

I Need To Solve This Mystery...

2009-01-09T03:12:00.004+08:00

3 a.m. and I'm too keyed up to sleep. A bit awake because I've just completed a tough task - changed Cherise's poopy diapers. At night. While she's asleep. Without her waking. And all by myself because hubby's pulling a night shift.

It's amazing how attuned I've become to Cherise's bodily functions, i.e. she poops at night and I manage to wake up, mid-dream, because my nose recognises Cherise-poop-smell. (By the way, this goes for Cherise-pee-smell as well.)

And my nose has certainly been put to the test this week.

***

Tuesday, 1 a.m.: Adrian and I are horrified to discover our little girl has pooped in her sleep. We put a screaming Cherise (who was angry at being awakened) onto the changing table, and I change her while Adrian tries to soothe her (without success) and halfway through it all she poops some more, and then tearfully announces, "All done, all done!" I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Tuesday, 8 a.m.: I wake up to Cherise-poop-smell - she's asleep but she's pooped again. We change her, with a lot less crying this time, and then conclude that something's not right. So off to the doc we go.

Tuesday, 10 a.m.: At the doctor's. We've just seen the doc the day before for Cherise's pneumococcal jab, so I'm thinking, maybe this pooping is a side effect from the vaccine. The stools are a little loose - not really watery, just a little slushier than usual. Doc gives us loperamide for diarrhoea and abdominal pain, and some probiotics. But Cherise doesn't poo for the rest of the day - appears totally normal actually, so we hold the medication and conclude it was a one-off thing and we overreacted.

Wednesday, 1 a.m.: We are watching a movie in bed when we hear little grunting noises from Cherise's corner. We look at each other helplessly, and put away the movie with a sigh. More screaming as we change her and I have to nurse her back to sleep.

Wednesday, 8 a.m.: Poop while asleep again. Why am I not surprised anymore...

***

And so it's been like that the past week. She's been having slushy stools, 3 to 5 times a day since Tuesday. And she will do a night time poop while asleep. This is strange because prior to this, Cherise was really regular - she'd do a nice big one once a day and that would be it. We've tried the loperamide. No change in the consistency of stools, nor improvement in frequency. Probiotics and yogurt aren't helping. Dietary changes are useless. I have no idea what's going on.

She's not sick. She's not in pain, and there's no fever or vomiting. Plus, 3 times a day doesn't quite constitute diarrhoea, does it?

Is it the jab? Diarrhoea is one of the side effects listed for the pneumococcal vaccine. But then, it's been so many days already - and it doesn't explain the night poop!

My helper thinks it could be teething - I'm quite inclined to agree. Cherise's bottom molars are coming out - they're huge! The right side's almost completely out, and the left looks really bumpy - I can practically see the white tips beneath the gums. Dr. Sears calls it drool diarrhoea, I think. But again, why the night poop? Why doesn't she go more during the day???!!

It's like, out of 3 poops a day, she'll do 2 asleep and 1 awake. Hm.

I can deal with slushy day time poops, but the night time ones are really stressing me. I'm afraid to go to sleep, because I'm scared I'll miss it and not wake up and she'll sleep through the night with the dirty diaper. Thankfully my nose hasn't failed me so far. I'm afraid of touching her in her sleep - afraid if I do, then she'll get roused from deep sleep and do a poop. I wake up many, many times at night to reassure myself that her diaper is still poop-free. And I was really stressed when Adrian went off to work this evening, because if it happened (and it did), I would have to deal with it alone.

Thank God He gives me the strength (and ability!) to get through this night. How wonderful - she didn't even wake up when I changed her! No screaming baby this time! But really, I hope this stops soon. I tell you - there will be much rejoicing in this household the day we see a nice big solid poop in her diaper again. Until then, I'm just going to have to try harder to solve this mystery...

Preggie Diary: Crossing Over and Other Random Thoughts

2009-01-05T00:54:00.003+08:00

Just the other day, a friend asked me if I was in my third trimester yet. I replied that I didn't know because I couldn't remember when the third trimester actually started. But it hardly makes any difference whether the last leg starts at 26 weeks, or 27 weeks, or 28 weeks, because to me, my body's already left the blissful second trimester and crossed over.

It all started on new year's eve. While most of my friends were busy ushering in the new year (including hubby who was at watchnight service), I was stuck at home. It was a bit depressing not to be able to attend watchnight with hubby, but I had to stay home because it was a logistical nightmare to take Cherise along. And as I went about the usual routine of feeding her, playing with her, changing her diaper, bathing her etc, for the first time since I got pregnant, I found it hard. Suddenly, my belly was in the way of everything. Bending to pick up toys was difficult. I caught my reflection in the kitchen door and realised I was no longer walking, but waddling. My belly put me further away from the changing table than I was comfortable with. And while bathing her, I suddenly found my shower stall way, way too small.

It's been deceptively easy, till now. I thought I was stronger this time round - thought maybe looking after Cherise had conditioned my body to be tougher. Sure, I experienced a few aches and pains, but hey - I could walk longer, carry more, do more things this time round. But that's over, for sure,

As we all left 2008 behind and crossed over into 2009, I've crossed over into whale-land as well.

Of course I wasn't that naive to think it would be easy all the way. But what my mind can't really accept is how suddenly it all happened. Like, everything was fine and usual one day, and then the next, so different and difficult. What happened to gradual changes?

Suddenly,
all my comfy spaghetti-strapped tops decide to start revealing a tantalising belly swatch below.
amorous activities are no longer fun because my belly makes it hard to breathe.
clapping and moving on stage at church threatens to create an embarrassing scene because I get thrown off-balance.
all the doorways in my home are too narrow.

And to top everything off, my darling princess is teething her molars. So everything familiar and comfortable gets thrown out the window. She doesn't want to drink her milk - any milk. She wants to nurse five times a day. She doesn't want to nurse to sleep, only before she tosses and turns for 45 minutes to sleep. She wakes up at 6am asking to drink water - but I think it's to play with the straw because rubbing it against her gums provides some comfort. She wants me to baobao all the time - even at home, even when there's no one else at home but me. She cries out at night, "No, no, mommy, mommy", leaving me in distress, but her eyes aren't even open and she can't be soothed, so I stay awake while she tosses and turns for the better part of an hour till she falls asleep again.

So, my prayer for this new year is for strength. Strength to infuse aching and tired arms and legs. Strength for the long nights alone. Strength to stay patient instead of losing my temper in frustration and fatigue. Strength to stay smiley and positive through physical and mental weariness. Strength to get out of bed in the morning when I would much rather snuggle up and continue sleeping. Strength to continue doing my best to mother my baby and baby-to-come.

Blessed New Year!

2009-01-03T14:12:00.002+08:00

Jasmine was in a "let's-get-out-of-the-house-and-stay-out-the-whole-day" mood on New Year's Day, so like any smart husband, I gave in despite the fact that I really didn't want to fight through the crowd on a public holiday. We made our way to Marina Square and to our pleasant surprise, it was not as bad as I thought it would be.

We didn't know what we wanted to do, it was really a go with the flow thing. So we ended up eating...eating...and eating! How so? Here's what happened:

When we arrived at MS at about 11am, Cherise was due for her pre-lunch snack. She was also getting a little cranky because it was time for her nap. We decided to make ourselves comfortable at Gloria Jeans where Cherise can have her babycino and quiche while Jas and I can have our much needed cuppa. However, it turned out that her royal highness was a little too cranky to eat so we had to let her have her nap first and hope that she'll sleep for at least 2 hours before she wakes up for lunch. While she was sleeping, Jas and I got hungry so we ate some sandwiches and the quiche that was originally meant for Cherise.

Cherise was actually sleeping pretty well for about 45 mins or so till this bunch of inconsiderate ladies started screaming and laughing at the top of their voices (knowing full well that there were a couple of sleeping babies nearby). They made no effort to tone down their voices and soon enough, Cherise woke up much earlier than expected - and hungry... So we had no choice but to find a place for lunch. We decided on Pasta de Waraku because every child gets a free toy - to distract them while their parents eat! I think the restaurant is really smart, the toys are inexpensive, and it works! The service is also excellent no matter how busy it is. It's no wonder they are almost always crowded. Anyway, Jas was too full to eat so I ordered a meal for myself while she fed Cherise.

After lunch we decided to do some baby shopping for David and then get some Pigeon baby food from John Little for Cherise, just in case we intended to have dinner out. They were having a members' sale there so the queue to the cashier was ridiculously long. As expected, the queen mother got hungry and left me to pay for our purchases while she went around hunting for a place to eat. She finally decided to satisfy her burger cravings and settled for Burger King. By the time I got there, she was almost done but Cherise was hungry after seeing her mommy munching on her burger so it was time to feed her some grapes. She finished the entire container of grapes but was visibly still hungry for more, so we decided to get her some red bean pancake and soy milk from Jollibean.

After buying the stuff from Jollibean, we needed a place to rest our legs but there were no empty benches in sight, so I suggested that we should just head over to the Ritz Carlton for tea instead. Wah...you should have seen how I kena left right center from the Queen Mother because now she had no more room for tea (especially after she saw the buffet spread)! We went ahead anyway because the spread was too good for me to resist. We paid for 2 even though Jas didn't eat much...next time must go back and wack big time to make up for it. The iced tea there is really good...the ice cubes they put into the tea is actually frozen iced erm...tea, so you don't end up with some overly diluted iced tea over time. Sorry I forgot to take pictures of the food, but here's Cherise enjoying her waffles...

Yum Yum...

There goes my New Year's resolution of losing weight... better start buying new pants! Anyway, I bet I'll make up for it when David comes ha ha! Have a Blessed 2009 Everyone!

A Lovely Surprise!

2008-12-31T23:41:00.002+08:00

I was quite excited when I heard the doorbell ring today, accompanied by, "Postman!" I'd been waiting ages to receive some shoes I ordered online for Cherise, so I've been listening out for the postman for quite some time now, but it was a surprise when he handed me not one parcel, but two. The registered parcel contained the shoes, but the other one contained this:

A big thank you to Uncle Kenneth, Auntie Evelyn and Baby Kate in Australia for the lovely, lovely gifts! The barrier balm is a much needed item - we're on our last jar! We're going to keep the frame for a family photo once David arrives, and Cherise has already made me read her the book a few times in a row. As for the sunglasses - well, you gotta see for yourselves!

A little diva in the making...

Her royal taoness. I call it the Jay Chou look.

More Jay Chou...

A smile at last!

Thank you once again for the gifts - it brought us a lot of laughter on an otherwise dreary afternoon.

Sweetness....

2008-12-30T23:14:00.004+08:00

I haven't been taking many pictures of Cherise lately partly because I don't carry our camera around with us all the time. Thank God we decided to stuff it into the bag anyway because I found the perfect photo opportunity...

How can anyone look at this sweet little face and resist picking her up for a cuddle? My heart simply melted when she went "daddy daddy bao bao?" Sigh...what will I not give to have her stay like this forever...

This reminds me of a song by Collin Raye, "I Wish I Could". The chorus of this song really struck a chord in me. It's officially my theme song for Cherise and I.

Looking out my window
See you playing in the leaves
It's amazing how a little girl
Means all the world to me
When I tell you that I love you
I love you more than words can say

Smile, say cheese pretty-please
I wanna take your picture
How'd you ever get so big
I gotta take your picture
Hold on to the memory before the whole thing slips away

I wish I could save these moments
And put 'em in a jar
I wish I could stop the world from turning
Keep things just the way they are
I wish I could shelter you from everything
Not pure and sweet and good
I know I can't, I know I can't
But I wish I could

When you kiss me for no reason
It goes straight to my heart
When I feel your arms around me
I almost fall apart
It's time for bed you whisper
Daddy, we forgot to pray

I wish I could save these moments
And put 'em in a jar
I wish I could stop the world from turning
Keep things just the way they are
I wish I could shelter you from everything
Not pure and sweet and good
I know I can't, I know I can't
But I wish I could

And when I watch you sleeping
All my worries fade away
A little bit of heaven glows on your angelic face

I wish I could save these moments
And put 'em in a jar
I wish I could stop the world from turning
Keep things just the way they are
I wish I could shelter you from everything
Not pure and sweet and good
I know I can't, I know I can't
I know I can't
But I wish I could

Here's his live performance of the song, enjoy it.

Happy Birthday Jesus

2008-12-25T00:47:00.003+08:00

I was trying to find the lyrics to the song with the above title (which Jas sang for Christmas two years ago, which according to Pastor Pete caused some folks to end up with diabetes...muah ha ha!!) and came across this video.
For the record, this little girl by the name of Stormie Carter was only 4 years old at the time this video was recorded. That's pretty amazing for a kid that age.

Well, I do not have a voice like Stormie and I am certainly not four years of age. But I would still like to dedicate this song to my Lord Jesus. I pray that my family and I will continue to serve and love Him with all that we are and have till the day He returns.

Happy birthday to You
Happy birthday to You
Happy birthday dear Jesus
Happy birthday to You

Happy Birthday Jesus
I'm so glad it's Christmas
All the tinsel and lights
And the presents are nice.
But the real gift is you.

Happy Birthday Jesus
I'm so glad it's Christmas
All the carols and bells
Make the holiday swell
And it's all about you.
Happy Birthday Jesus, Jesus I Love You.

Have a Blessed Christmas everyone!

Why I Love the Christmas Season...

2008-12-22T01:07:00.003+08:00

Here are 10 reasons why I love this time of the year:

1) One word...HOLIDAY!!!!
2) Decorations. Lights, trees, glitter, fake snow and the whole lot.
3) Christmas music. Nothing beats Christmas carols, one of my favourites is "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" made famous by Judy Garland.
4) Another reason to meet up with family and old friends.
5) Receiving presents.
6) Giving presents. Surprisingly, I find this more enjoyable than the former.
7) Seeing the faces of your loved ones when they open up their gifts.
8) Shopping for gifts with my family.
9) Staying up late at night with Jas wrapping presents and stressing over who we might have forgotten to buy gifts for.
10) Being reminded that the reason for this season is the greatest gift ever given to us...the Christ of Christmas.

Have you ever wondered why Christmas is such a big deal even to non-Christians? I believe that it is more than just the gifts and parties. I believe that deep down inside each and everyone of us there's a need...a need for a reason to express love and to receive it. And Christmas gives us the reason to do so without the "asian" in us feeling uneasy about it. My prayer for anyone who has yet to receive the greatest gift of all is that you will experience Jesus in a very personal way this Christmas...after all, it's His birthday party and you are invited.

Christmas Isn't Christmas
Jesus brings warmth like a winter's fire,
A light like a candle's glow;
He's waiting now to come inside,
As He did so long ago;
Jesus brings gifts of truth and life,
And makes them bloom and grow;
So welcome Him with a song of joy,
And when He comes, you'll know...

That Christmas isn't Christmas till it happens in your heart,
Somewhere deep inside you is where Christmas really starts;
So give your heart to Jesus, you'll discover when you do,
That it's Christmas, really Christmas for you!

It runs in the family...

2008-12-21T14:55:00.008+08:00

Last weekend, we visited our friends Des and XL as it was their baby's first month. Our cell group was in full attendance for the first time in a while, so I had a good time chatting with ZG and Ade while our babies played with Clara's toy kitchen - you know, one of those push around stove-cart thingys with a toy oven below. And so I had only half an eye on Cherise while she was seated on the floor, happily taking fake food out of the oven, when ZG brought me to full attention when he exclaimed, "Eh, what happened to Cherise?" I turned to look at her and found her still and unmoving, one arm extended, reaching into the oven, and her head resting on that arm. I quickly went to her, thinking maybe her arm was stuck inside or something, and when I gave her a tug, I found her whole body very heavy and limp - the little girl had fallen asleep while playing! In mid-stretch, as it were!

Everyone else thought it hugely amusing - but being the concerned parent I am, I was a little worried. Was it normal? I asked my mom and she thought it was amusing and unusual but no cause for worry. Still not convinced, I googled "child sleeping while playing", and "baby sleep problems" but all the search results came back with articles on parents who couldn't get their children to sleep, not the other way around.

And then I read this on my sis-in-law's blog. Ah! So it runs in the family!

Just now, while we were taking a leisurely walk back from Bukit Panjang Plaza, we found Cherise slouched over in her stroller - lulled to sleep by the ride.

I guess I am a little surprised. Cherise never could fall asleep easily - she was always one of those active babies who struggled to sleep - and now, she's falling asleep all over the place! But how nice! It's a good thing.

Family Retreat @ Sentosa - Part 3

2008-12-06T00:10:00.004+08:00

Day 2 of our Sentosa escapade started with breakfast at the hotel's cafe. The buffet spread was nothing to boast about, the food quality was not fantastic either. Cherise was not very cooperative during breakfast so we had our hands full trying to feed her and keep the flies away from our food. She got bored of the bread with jam and banana pretty quickly and wanted to be carried, till we gave her this...
Meiji Yogurt! She liked it so much she finished two cups of it. And she insisted on feeding herself.
You should have seen the mess she created after she was done.

We went swimming after breakfast and as mentioned here, the swimming pool was indeed a pleasant surprise. The water was so clear and fresh that Cherise kept taking sips of it, much to our dismay. We didn't manage to take her to the shallow area where the waterfall was cos' there was a bunch of other kids playing there. She enjoyed splashing about at the deeper end with us though...

Doesn't she look adorable in her little pink hat?
Once again, no pictures of Daddy swimming cos' he looks more pregnant than his wife.

We managed to negotiate for a later check out time so that Cherise could take a nap before we headed to the Underwater World. I also managed to squeeze in another solo session in the jacuzzi while they slept. It would have been perfect if I had a nice cold glass of iced tea to accompany me but for some reason the hotel does not serve room service before 11am (yes, not even drinks!!) so I had to make my own hot tea with the tea bags provided in the room.

After we checked out, we left our bags at the hotel and had lunch at Rasa Sentosa's Silver Shell Cafe. The buffet spread was excellent and the service was outstanding. There are hotels that claim to be 5-Star and there are those that simply are. Rasa's got everything! I suspect we may end up coming here for our anniversary next year.

The main event was our visit to the Underwater World. Cherise has always been fascinated with fishes, she can't stop looking at them whenever she passes an aquarium or seafood restaurant. But nothing could ever prepare her for this...
You call THAT a fish?!? More like a giant sea monster with scales!
The little girl was quite daring though, she tried to tap on the glass to get their attention but got a little startled when they swam towards her.

She had a whale of a time (pun intended) looking at the sharks and sting rays and observing the schools of fishes darting to and fro.

She was clearly frustrated that we kept asking her to turn around for pictures ha ha! We almost had problems leaving the place cos' Cherise kept going "Fish Fish" every time we walked past the aquarium with the giant Arowanas.

We're glad that Cherise enjoyed herself there. At least we gave her the opportunity to see real sea creatures as opposed to pictures in story books or on TV. Our next excursion will be to the zoo! Better go and see the animals before mommy becomes one of the elephants ha ha!

Family Retreat @ Sentosa - Part 2

2008-12-04T22:13:00.004+08:00

I think Jas and I are simply not the kind of people who can simply do nothing but chill out when we're having a holiday. It's like we have a desperate need to make the most of our time by doing as many things as we can when what we need the most is simply do nothing but rest. Maybe it's because we get bored easily. I bet we would have felt a lot more rested after the retreat if we had just stayed within the hotel and soaked in the jacuzzi till we turned soft but noooo......

Barely 40 mins after checking in, we found ourselves frolicking under the sun at the private beach of Cafe Del Mar.
Day beds and Cabanas on the beach...how cool is that!

This beachfront dining hotspot even has its own swimming pool (and pool bar)...
Check out her cheeky grin...
Hot mama....
Cherise REALLY likes the water.
Sorry, no pictures of daddy in the pool cos' he's too fat!

After about an hour or so in the sun, we decided to have lunch there. The food was not fantastic this time though, Jasmine's lobster bisque tasted more like lobster consomme, and my spring chicken was more like erm...a spring chick??? Or maybe a quail in disguise. We were so unimpressed this time round that we didn't even bother to take pictures of the food.
The little princess was not too thrilled with her home made porridge as well.

After lunch, we went back to the hotel for a nap because her royal highness was starting to get a little cranky.

Later in the afternooon, we took a leisurely stroll to Palawan Beach and made it just in time for the animal show at the amphitheatre. Cherise was probably still in her semi-awake state, so she didn't get very excited when she saw the huge birds of prey. She wasn't even the least affected when the wings of the falcon whisked through her hair when it flew past us. Her mommy on the other hand was quite tense throughout the performance. Cherise managed to get up close to the albino python for the first time though. After the show Cherise gave indications that she was hungry for a snack, so we stopped over at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf for tea and bought her a muffin. Mummy also bought her some new toys which she could not resist playing with immediately...

Oh, I have to share this with everyone...never in my wildest dreams would I have expected that Sentosa would take the effort to make the island more baby friendly...well, they did!
A relatively well maintained family room at the train station.
Big changing station for the toddler, and a small foldable one for the baby.

We wanted to go to the Underwater World initially but thanks to my superb navigational skills, we ended up at the Butterfly and Insect Kingdom instead. By then it was too late for the former so we decided to kiv till the next day. It was not a wasted trip though, because we ended up finding Sarpinos Pizza there and decided to order a couple of them back for dinner. My navigation skills did not improve despite having a map on my hands, so we ended up walking along the long and winding route along the main road back to the hotel.

Lesson learnt - Stick to the beach....or at least walk back the way you came!

I was quite impressed with Jas for walking all the way back without complaining though...hee hee, sorry dear!

Anyway, the rest of the night was divided between a bonding session at the jacuzzi and watching the 1st episode of "Don't Forget the Lyrics". I would have won the the 50K if I was the one playing!

So that's the end of day 1, standby for Day 2!

Family Retreat @ Sentosa

2008-12-03T22:33:00.004+08:00

I took Jas and Cherise for a short retreat at Sentosa last Thursday. I've been wanting to do this for the longest time but was unable to get my leave approved due to the shortage of manpower at work. But like they always say, "good things come to those who wait", I managed to get a pretty good deal for a 2 days 1 night stay at the Siloso Beach Resort.

A first of its kind in Singapore, this eco-friendly hotel is a heaven for folks who wish to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and just pamper yourself in the midst of nature. You can tell that a lot of effort has been made in the design of the hotel to preserve the original flora and fauna as much as possible. Instead of cutting down trees to make space, they build the walkways around them. It's almost like staying in a treehouse.

We went for the Roof Garden Suite because they were having a relaunch promotion. The main draw of this suite is that it features a private open air roof top garden that comes with a jacuzzi. Needless to say, that was the best part of our stay...nothing beats a nice warm bubble bath with your family under the stars...

If you are naughty, you can peek over the ledge to spy on your neighbours ha ha!

It's not as small as it looks...it's meant for 2 adults, so the 3 of us managed to squeeze into it quite comfortably.

Ok, this is not an advertorial for the hotel but I always believe that good things must be shared, so here's what I like about the place other than those I've mentioned.

1) Accommodating service Staff
Official check in time was 3pm but we arrived really early (before 12 noon) cos' we wanted to make the best out of our day in Sentosa, so we requested to leave our bags with the hotel while we go "jalan jalan". The staff upon seeing that we had a sleeping baby in tow, told us that we could check into our rooms immediately for our convenience. How thoughtful indeed.

2) Location
I love the fact that the hotel is just behind Cafe Del Mar, our other most favourite spot in Sentosa. It is also within walking distance to the Underwater World...the only attraction that Cherise could appreciate at this point.

3) Swimming Pool
They use natural spring water...erm...makes me ask this question - Singapore got natural spring meh??? But who cares? Once you dip into this pool, I gurantee you will never want to use those heavily chlorinated swimming pools again. It's really very refreshing.
Check out Cherise in her new hat...
Our pictures cannot do justice to the pool, so just go the website to see more of the pool if you want to.

But the place does have it's cons too:

1) No room service between 0700H to 1100H.
So if you don't like the buffet breakfast, too bad. Wait till the kitchen opens at 11am. Oh, there are also VERY limited items in the room service menu between 2300H to 0700H. It'll be wise to bring your own cup noodles if you need supper.

2) No shelter from Reception area to the accommodation area.
The two areas are linked by an uncovered suspension bridge, so you will be at the mercy of the elements. They do provide umbrellas though.

3) The Roof Garden Suite haa a VERY small toilet
Understandably so because they have to make room for the private stairwell that leads you to the roof top garden. So if you are anything like me, you'll let the exhibitionist in you run wild and bathe here...

Overall, it was a very pleasant stay. We would have been more rested if not for the fact that Cherise had a mild fever that night (due to her MMR jab 10 days back) and we (ok lah, mostly Jas) had to keep waking up to sponge her. I'm glad Jas enjoyed the stay, though I suspect she may have preferred Rasa Sentosa. But for the refreshing pool and the hot tub under the stars...we may just come back again next year...maybe without the kids ha ha!

Face the Facts Fats...Vol 1

2008-11-26T23:26:00.004+08:00

My waistline is getting bigger...very much bigger. I have a total of 4 pairs of denim jeans but I can only fit into 2 of them. Last month, I could fit into all my 3 pairs of khakis. This month, I have only 1 pair which I can wear comfortably without feeling faint due to lack of blood circulation. Even my uniform makes my already sexy butt look even sexier. Belts are no longer necessary, if I do wear them, it's just to complete the outfit. I dread serving on weekends not because I'm not prepared but because I can't fit into my suit.

Jas says that I refuse to buy new pants cos' I'm in denial - she thinks that I think that if I buy new clothes it means that I am acknowledging that I've passed the point of no return! Actually....she may be right. I don't believe I cannot lose the extra inches. I really must start exercising soon. It's not that I haven't been trying though...everytime I feel the urge to go for a run, something always comes up. Either it rains, or Jas needs help with Cherise. So I try the other method, eat less. Recently I found myself skipping lunch cos' I simply have no time to eat, but it didn't work cos' by the time I get home, I'm so hungry that I compensate by having seconds, so I end up putting on even more weight. Sheesh....

Maybe it's the PPL effect ha ha ha (those in CM will know what I mean)! Well...at least there's more cushion for Cherise when she runs to hug me.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I'm on leave for the next couple of days so I'm taking Jas and Cherise to the former Pulau Belakang Mati for a short retreat. If we don't return your calls...you know why muah ha ha!

The ridiculous things we say - Instalment 1

2008-11-24T21:07:00.001+08:00

Scene: Over dinner, spoken to Adrian's mom.

Jas: Baby's moving a lot more now. Sometimes I can feel my belly make a wave.
Adr: My belly does that every time I do the Dino Dance [from Barney]. (Demos)Shake your dino tail, shake shake.....

*******

Scene: Lying in bed, staring at ceiling, trying to sleep.

Jas: Do you feel like doing it*?
Adr: No. Why? Do you?
Jas: Yah. I'm bored.

2 minutes later.
Jas: Do you ever feel like doing it just because you're bored?
Adr: (incredulous) No..
Jas: (resignedly) Sigh. You're so boring. No wonder I'm so bored...

*: Language has been edited for younger readers.

*******

Scene: Cherise is watching Barney and we are watching her.

Adr: She is such a drama queen.. maybe she'll be an actress when she grows up.
Jas: Yah, the next Zoe Tay.
Adr: Zoe Tay only popular in Singapore leh.
Jas: Well, at least she's prettier than Fann Wong.
Adr: Zhang Ziyi then.
Jas: No lar! Zhang Ziyi not pretty. I know! Maggie Q!.
Adr: Why can't she just be herself??!!

*******

Preggie Diary: Halfway mark!

2008-11-24T11:36:00.002+08:00

I'm 20 weeks today! Halfway mark! Woohoo!

Currently sick though. It started with the bak kwa. Ate too much of it. Then a sore throat. And a cough that night. Followed by two days of runny nose and sneezing and coughing.

It's been a hectic weekend. Adrian's grandmother celebrated her 83rd birthday just this Saturday, so we had a good time with family followed by dinner. And then on Sunday, we had to serve in church, where I croaked along with the rest of the team. Today, my nose is less runny, but still blocked, and my throat is really scratchy. I don't even recognise my own voice. Cherise is currently at United Square with my parents, who are probably spoiling her this moment by donating bucketloads of dollar coins to the Barney kiddy ride machine. I thought to take the opportunity to get some much-needed rest but couldn't sleep because of my nose and throat.

Little David has been moving around more these few days. His movements are now strong enough to be felt by a hand on my tummy. Last night, just as we were settling to sleep, I felt him move and I quickly placed Adrian's hand over my tummy. For this pregnancy, Adrian hasn't had the chance to really feel significant baby movements yet, so I thought he'd be quite thrilled. But instead he mumbled, "Mmmm. Dear, sorry, I really need to sleep now else cannot work tomorrow." Snore.

Ok. Ah well. Such is the difference between the first and the second, I suppose.

Preggie Diary: Not again..

2008-11-20T14:34:00.003+08:00

[Current mood: Sore. As in sore throat. Been eating too much Bak Kwa. Got Bak Kwa craving.]

Our detailed scan on Monday was reassuring - little David was growing well, estimated to weigh 256g (which is awfully little compared to the 3kg I've gained so far!!), no anomalies detected and head was down. He wasn't very active (unlike Cherise!) and stayed curled up for quite a bit, so the sonographer had to wiggle my belly to try to get him to spread out.

I suppose the only thing which kind of troubled me a bit was the position of the placenta. The placenta is anterior (front of the womb) - which is fine and nothing to worry about, except for the fact that babies tend to face their placentae, which means there's a higher chance I'll end up with a posterior baby. Again.

But I'm committing it to God and trusting Him to position my baby appropriately. After all, women with posterior placentae have posterior babies too, so it could go either way.

Anyway, does anyone know where to get a birth ball in Singapore? I want hubby to get me one for Christmas. I can just imagine Cherise being so thrilled with it too. "Ball, ball! Big ball!" *grin*

It's a Boy!

2008-11-18T21:18:00.002+08:00

Listen folks, Intelligender really works! We went for our detailed scan yesterday and true enough, we're going to have a boy. And unlike with Cherise, we're not going to withhold his name from everyone. This is because God spoke to us in our dreams and told us, "And you shall call him David"....NAH!!! It's simply because I've always wanted to call my son David, even before I got married. Plus it's the name of my favourite bible character.

Actually, Jas wanted to call him Nathaniel cos' it was a name that popped into her head out of no where, but we figured that since my Dad already has problems pronouncing Cherise's name (he still calls her Cherish), he may just end up calling my son Na Da Niu - "take a big cow" when translated in mandarin. Anyway, I'm just glad that Jas (as ditzy as she is now) did not attempt to come up with a ridiculous name like "Pilot Inspektor" or something.

So David it shall be...my one and only Beloved son...for now...

Some baby news - Cherise

2008-11-16T19:59:00.006+08:00

I realise that when I use the word "baby" these days, I've got to specify which one. Heh. Haven't been posting about Cherise for a while so here are some updates..

Our little social butterfly
Cherise's aversion to strangers has been a source of stress to me for quite some time. We first realised our little girl was different when a stranger came up to her when she was just two months old, and her little mouth turned upside down. We thought, "Babies of this age aren't supposed to feel stranger anxiety," but that's our little girl for you. Doesn't take well to new places and new people. She does terribly in large family gatherings - well, in not-so-large family gatherings too. I recognise that every baby is different, but I couldn't help but wish that she weren't so extreme and intense in her dislike of strangers who aren't quite strangers - aka extended family members.

But it's been getting better. Just yesterday at church, she surprised us by hugging people that she's never interacted with much before. And today when we went to visit Adrian's grandmother and aunt, she did her usual crying thing for ten minutes, and then warmed up considerably, so that by the end of the visit, she was hugging and kissing everyone and didn't want to leave.

I'm so thankful she's becoming more sociable. I know she's loved lots by our extended family, and it must have been hard for them when she wouldn't even tolerate them looking at her. And I feel thankful too, that they didn't stop loving her, even going to extreme measures like using a mirror to catch her antics since she wouldn't let them look at her directly.

Our water baby
Cherise loves swimming! We all had to attend Adrian's command family day at the Civil Service Club at Bukit Batok, which I wasn't keen on going to actually (having better things to do like sleep in on a Saturday morning!), but we decided to make the best of it. We brought her swimming gear (and Adrian's too) so she could play a while in the pool.

Here are some pictures of her frolicking in the water. The pictures aren't too good since silly me forgot to bring the camera. She's wearing her new swimsuit for the first time!

I was really regretting not bringing my swim gear along. She was having so much fun and I could only stand by the edge and take photos. Vain lah - didn't want people to see me in a swimsuit. Anyway, we'll be visiting the club more often as Adrian managed to get one year's membership free of charge. It's so near our place and we really like the pools - there are many different small pools there, even a water slide!

Baby likes nursery!
She's really taken to the nursery programme at church. Of course she still has to be accompanied by Larlar so she doesn't cry, but she likes the environment and enjoys the activities. She came back this week with this:

It's supposed to be a boat. With pictures of animals stuck on it (teacher did it, of course). Noah's ark. Cute eh? Cherise likes her boat, and will point to the different animals, naming them and making their sounds. I think we should start enrolling her in some playgroup soon. Maybe when Babyloh No. 2 arrives, so at least it ensures I block out some alone time with Cherise.

Well, that's all we have at the moment. Here's a lovely pic of Cherise to end off - she's at the playground in our HDB cluster. I've finally relaxed my dirt-and-germs rule. I figure she's old enough now and well, like my mother says, a little bit of dirt won't kill!

Good News!

2008-11-15T23:00:00.001+08:00

Sorry to keep you on tenterhooks - been a bit busy so no time to update this -

Yes, he passed! Completed the test in 20 minutes too! So proud of him!

Don't dehumanise me.

2008-11-14T23:53:00.002+08:00

Why is it so difficult to admit that we are less than perfect beings? That we sometimes get tempted, that sometimes we feel the very human emotions of tiredness, loneliness, longing?

Just because I say I get tired, just because I say sometimes I'm tempted to be selfish, does that mean I'm not right with God? Does it mean I don't have my values in the right place? Does it mean *gasp* I don't trust God in all things?

Let me explain. My husband's work schedule is crazy. I hate it. On weekends we serve in church. Both of us. Sometimes I'm drained. No, make that many times I'm drained. I wish he were around more. So sometimes do I feel selfish? Yes. Sometimes do I wish he had less on his plate, workwise and churchwise? Yes. Sometimes do I wish he would say "no" instead of always saying "yes"? Yes.

But do we stop doing what we do? No. Is it tough? You bet!

That's called sacrifice. A sacrifice that comes from obedience.

What would you have me do? We still serve cheerfully, yes we do. I still sleepily kiss him goodbye when he leaves in the morning for his 24 hour work shifts. But when it's late at night and I miss him, or when I've had a tough day without him and I'm facing a tough night ahead, or when I'm out with my family and everyone has his/her spouse with him/her except me, am I allowed to feel a little wistful? Am I allowed to feel a little longing? Am I allowed to feel a little lonely?

You can spiritualise everything. But don't dehumanise me.

Passed!

2008-11-14T14:27:00.000+08:00

Ok ok. We admit it. We are slackers. Our youth has come and gone in a haze of hedonistic days and now, almost hitting the big three-oh, with one child and another one on the way, we still haven't gotten our driver's licences.

But all that's going to change!

I went for my Basic Theory Test today. A bit self-conscious of my belly bulge, so I wore something nice and loose to cover it up. Didn't want to hear anyone make the comment, "Pregnant still want to take licence," (which is what my parents think, by the way).

It took 15 minutes. And ta-dah!

First hurdle cleared. Easy peasy.

So yahyah right? Studying and scoring in written exams has never been a problem for me. But watch me sweat once I actually get behind the wheel. Part of the reason why I've put this off for so long is that I seriously doubt I am capable of driving a car. It's so scary out there. I don't want to get a licence and then become one of those drivers who give women a bad name on the roads.

But it's got to be done. I think having babies is a great motivator - gets us off our lazy bums to do the things we've been putting off for so long. Interestingly, we're not the only ones rushing to get a licence before the baby arrives - I saw this sign as I was leaving the building:

What an awful term. Pregnant Learner. Eww. Got to ask my doc about that certification letter when I see him on Monday.

And in case you're wondering, the hubby isn't slacking anymore either. He's currently at the driving centre, due to take his Advanced Theory Test in, well, 25 minutes. He's the exact opposite of me, I think. Written exams scare him. He turns into this monster (like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde) because he gets so stressed. But I have faith in him. (I'll just pray really hard for the next hour...!) Go Hunny! I hope to be able to post more good news later on today!

Chill Out @ Grill Out!

2008-11-10T23:42:00.001+08:00

It was our 2 years and 9 months anniversary last Wednesday, so we arranged for Jas's parents to look after Cherise for a few hours so that we can spend some alone time with each other. Nights out like that don't come often so we decided to seize the opportunity and go somewhere not so baby friendly.

My cousin-in-law manages Grill-Out!, a cosy little steakhouse at Sunset Way which has gotten pretty rave reviews by food critics. I've been wanting to try it out ever since my dad and the entire Loh clan went down for dinner earlier this year. We couldn't make it then cos' Cherise was still very young and the place wasn't exactly baby friendly.

The ambience is really nice, you tend to forget that you are actually dining at an HDB estate.

This link gives a very accurate description of the restaurant so I will not repeat what's in it. But we absolutely have to tell you about the food to do justice to Jon (my cousin-in-law) and his team! To say that this place is a meat lover's heaven is an understatement. If you want good quality meat at affordable prices, there is no better place. Their primary business is in fresh meat/seafood wholesale (they supply to hotels) so everything is fresh, juicy and tender.

Everything in the menu looked good but we could not ~~eat~~ afford everything, so we had to settle for these:

Starters
1) Grilled Ox tongue
2) Grilled Kobe short rib
Sorry, no pictures for these 2 items because we were so eager to eat that we forgot to take pictures. But trust me...they were heavenly! The Ox tongue was thinly sliced and grilled with salt and pepper and served with BBQ sauce. The texture was a little like grilled calamari, only that it's a lot thinner.
The Kobe beef short rib (no bones) was substantial enough to be a main course. It was almost like eating mini pieces of Kobe tenderloin...soooo...juicy and tender.The meat literally melts in your mouth and you don't even need to chew much. Oh, and did I mention that it was sooooo juicy?!?!

In-between Starters and Main course
Jon surprised us with one of their signature cuts - the Kurobuta pork shoulder.

Now, Kurobuta means Japanese black hog and it's prized as much as Kobe Beef. According to Jon, it's really a pork that wants to be a beef and I can see why. It's just as tender and it does not taste like regular pork. In fact, it tastes a lot better that $10 "airflown" sirloin steak you get at the food courts.

Main Courses
For Him - Black Angus Tenderloin

This was one of the best pieces of tenderloin I've ever sunk my teeth in. So good that you don't need any sauces to go with it. The best thing about this place is that all their meats are lightly seasoned with only salt and pepper so get to taste the original flavour. And they are all grilled over the charcoal flame so you get that natural smokey taste. In my opinion, that's the best way to have your steak cos' it's the real deal.

For Her - BBQ Pork Ribs

I managed to dissuade Jas from ordering the Yellowtail Cheek (That's fish, people!!!) even though it looked really good! Anyway, the ribs were really soft and tender, you could just tear it off and eat it. However, by the time it came, we were so stuffed that we could only finish half the rack. So we had to pack the rest to go.

When we thought that we've survived a night of gluttony, Jon brought out another surprise for us...a selection of desserts not from his menu but from the cafe called Peaberry just next door...

For once, I could not finish my sweets...but Jas lapped them all up!

So for all meat lovers out there...Grill Out! is a definate must try. They are opened for lunch and dinner everyday except for Mondays. Do make a reservation if you wanna go during the weekends for dinner, they are usually quite packed. I'm gonna make a return visit soon...still craving for the Kobe Short Ribs!!!

Preggie Diary: Weird dreams and other thoughts

2008-11-06T20:46:00.000+08:00

I dreamt of my baby last night. Or rather, I dreamt I gave birth to twin girls. Both had no hair, were rather short (47 cm long) but were quite fat. If dreams are the opposite of what's going to happen, does it mean I'll have one hairy boy who's rather tall, and not-so-fat?

Anyway, I think the reason why I had this weird dream was because I couldn't get to sleep last night and was reading all sorts of pregnancy-related articles on the internet. I came across this article which I thought was really cool.

Having gone through a labour that was full of interventions, leaving me feeling totally out of control (imagine: the doc didn't even tell me she was going to break my waters before she did it), I really really want this birth to be different. We've switched doctors - our obstetrician is Dr Paul Tseng whom I picked because he's known to be more pro-natural - but what I secretly desire is to be able to give birth at home.

I don't want to be confined to a bed while I'm in labour. Don't want to have to lie on my back, which was so uncomfortable the last time round. I don't want the bright lights, the horrible hospital gown, and most of all - I don't want stirrups!

I want to labour in the comfort of my home, to be able to snuggle in my bed if I so choose, to have the room dim so I can try to rest, to shower if I feel it will help and to chase everyone out of the room when I need to be alone.

Hardly anyone in Singapore ever gets to have a homebirth (planned and attended by a trained midwife). It's just not done here. Maybe too many of us women have lost the confidence that our bodies were made to have children. Even I have my doubts when I think about it further. Little thoughts sneak in. Thoughts like, "What if something goes wrong? What if I can't do it?"

So it's going to be the hospital again for us. Maybe this time it will be vastly different - after all, we got a good doctor. And now I know what I absolutely don't want so I won't be such a pushover this time round. Plus, we've got a plan. We're going to wait as long as possible before we head to the hospital. So I can just go there and push the baby out. Hooray! Target: half an hour in the labour ward! Haha!

Preggie Diary: It's not the same thing this time round.

2008-11-03T17:29:00.000+08:00

I'm a little blue today. Found a varicose vein on my inner thigh. It's bulging and blue and looks absolutely awful.

My body's not taking this pregnancy too well, I think. I know all the literature states that every pregnancy is different - but really, my body seems to be in complete upheaval this time round.

I didn't really have any skin problems the first time round - no breakouts, only perhaps an increased sensitivity to my usual facial cleanser which was resolved once I changed products - but this pregnancy's got my face looking like the "Pacific Ring of Fire". Little volcanoes erupting all along the hairline. And on my neck. And on my ears.

And I've got dry patches on my body - I'm not telling where! - and no amount of shea butter or whatever moisturiser seems to do anything to make it better.

And my hair! I wash my hair daily with my usual shampoo and my scalp's still perpetually oily.

But all that's just external. My morning sickness, while thankfully subsided somewhat, hasn't gone away totally. I get horribly carsick. Cooking smells make me want to throw up. And I have food aversions. A lot of food aversions. Don't want to eat seafood. Or garlic. Or red meat. Don't like ice cream. Milk doesn't go down well. Curry is too spicy. Soya sauce too salty. Desserts too sweet. Yah, I have food aversions. As in to food in general.

Only thing I feel like eating is fish. But can't eat fish now! Not after the unagi incident!

I injured my tailbone during my first pregnancy. Coughed so hard during an illness that I injured it. Hurt for the remainder of that pregnancy. It never really recovered after childbirth, as it would still be a little sensitive when I sit in a bad position for some time and try to get up. But the pain's coming back in full force - I had trouble getting up from the couch just now. And I'm only 17 weeks along. Does that mean it's going to hurt for the rest of the 23 weeks left?? I can't bear to think of it.

But it's not all bad I guess. I'm emotionally more stable this time round. Less needy, less insecure of Adrian's love. After all, he's seen me in labour and through childbirth! I can't possibly look worse than that! I think our relationship is much better than during my first time. We don't argue so much. Maybe he knows what to expect and which buttons not to press. Maybe I don't cling so much, don't read so much into his grumps and mumps. There's less of that restless energy too. I'm more relaxed. Less anxious. Less busy. More lazy. More peaceful and restful.

I do pray that one thing will be different though - that this baby will position himself nicely for an easy delivery. Cherise was stuck in the OP position - she never turned and was born facing up. Labour was long and slow to progress - I still remember 3 hours of contractions coming every 5 minutes or less, no pain relief, not even gas, and only progressing 0.5 cm in that time! Don't want to think about going through that again.

So, I'm 17 weeks today. Not feeling so good at the moment.

A glimpse into the future

2008-11-02T09:23:00.000+08:00

My little Cherise came back from nursery yesterday with homework!! When I went to pick her up after service, the helper at the counter presented me with this:

I was a bit baffled at first, and I asked him, "What's this?" He replied, "Oh, it's her homework."

My darling's only 15 and a half months old and she's got homework!

It's so cute.

Nobody expects her to do it, of course. The other side of the paper's got a short bible story which I will read to her since she likes reading so much. And then, maybe I will frame it up. Or put it in my scrapbook. "Baby's first homework assignment".

There'll be plenty more to come in the future. And I think it won't be quite as cute, or funny, then. There may be stuff that I might end up doing ~~for~~ with her. But that's then. For now, I'm just going to laugh at the fact that my poor little baby, who can't even hold a crayon properly, has got homework!

My Pride and Joy.

2008-10-29T23:20:00.000+08:00

Jas once told me I have to be careful about "showing off" Cherise's accomplishments because I tend to overdo it. I don't mean to be ya ya papaya about it but it's just not easy to contain my pride when it comes to my little princess. For the record, I think my daughter's brilliant! But which doting father doesn't right?

Ok...since it's not nice to show off in public, I shall do all the showing off here!

Here's Cherise reciting "1-2-buckle my shoe". With a little help from mummy of course....

And here she is with "This Little Piggy"

For more videos of my little genius, please visit my Flickr page.

I'm still trying to video her singing. She's so adorable when she attempts to sing "I Know Who I Am" by Israel Houghton...she can only do the "am" though, but at least she tries to follow the tune. It's hilarious...

Third Time's a Charm...NOT!

2008-10-28T23:55:00.000+08:00

Jasmine's got a thing with fish bones...they like to give her a hard time. She's got choked by these nasty buggers twice before. The first time when she was barely 5 years old, and the second time when she was about 14. Both times, she had to go to the hospital to have it taken out. One might think that she's learnt her lesson but noooo......she had to do it to herself one more time - this time with the help of the mighty unagi!

It all started at Sun and Moon Cafe where we were having dinner. Knowing how bad Jasmine was with fish bones (especially the small soft ones), I protested strongly when she wanted to order some unagi with rice thingy, but she went ahead with it anyway because she had a craving for unagi. Barely halfway through our meal (I hadn't started yet cos' I was feeding Cherise), my worst fear came to pass, Jas complained about something stuck in her throat and that she had problems swallowing. I knew something was really wrong when she rejected the piece of foie gras I offered her. So like any smarta@# husband, I told her to try and dislodge it by swallowing some rice. But it didn't work so we had to head to the hospital for some professional help.

Being an experienced fish bone victim, Jasmine decided to head down to the 24 hr clinic at Thomson Medical Centre where she had her previous two fish bones taken out. However, this time the doctor could not see the bone so to play it safe, he referred her to the A&E. So we ended up at Mt Alvernia Hospital A&E where the doctor also could not find the bone. Thus, we had to wait another 45mins for the ENT specialist to arrive with his equipment. For the first time, I saw this cool device they call the scope which the ENT doctor inserted into Jasmine's nose so that he could locate the bone. I was more interested in the scope (looked like the kind spies/police use in the movies for surveillance) than what Jasmine was feeling at that time. Well, the scope did the trick and we managed to locate the offending bone which was deeper down than where the doctor initially thought it was. I later learnt that it was probably my fault that the bone got so deep in - remember the swallow-a-lump-of-rice trick??? Bad move!!! The doctor says that in future the first and only thing to do for such an event is to go straight to the doctor. Attempting to dislodge it by swallowing will only make it worse.

Jasmine was quite brave throughout the ordeal though, she did everything the doctor told her to do. It was quite comical observing the whole process though. She had to pull her tongue and go "eeee". The doc was pretty skilled - he managed to get the bone (about 1.2 cm) out in a matter of seconds.

When it was all over, Jasmine was really relieved. As the doctor left the A&E, she went, "There goes my hero!" to which I retorted, "I would have been that hero if you had listened to me and not ordered that unagi in the first place!"

Lessons learnt today:
1) Always listen to your husband when he warns you not to order something detrimental to your health.
2) Never listen to that same husband when he tells you to do stupid things like swallow a lump of rice to dislodge a fish bone.

On a serious note, always consult a doctor immediately if you suspect that you have a fish bone (or anything) lodged in your throat.

Lastly, if you happen to be like Jasmine....PLEASE DON'T EAT UNAGI!!!!

The reason why this Hubby is Chubby...

2008-10-27T16:58:00.000+08:00

Sinfully chocolatey Chocolate Cake with thick vanilla cream from Canele Patisserie Chocolaterie.
Muah ha ha ha ha!

The Macarons are to die for...beats Bakerzin anytime man.

Swimming Pools + Babies = ???

2008-10-27T15:51:00.000+08:00

Wet daddies and even wetter babies!!!! (Thank you Roy and Ade for the pictures!)

Our carecell organised a BBQ for our friends and families yesterday and boy was it fun! The food was great, the company was even better. We even had free Christian music courtesy of the friendly folks from another church using the next BBQ pit, that really brightened up the whole atmosphere. Thank God for that.

The only problem was that it was really humid and there was no wind at all. So when ZG brought Zoe for a little dip in the pool, the rest of us daddies gladly followed suit. But none of us had brought our swim suits along so you can imagine how drenched we got - I'm talking about the the daddies. The babies had a change of clothes so they were more than happy to stay in the water with their clothes on. Cherise was a little hesitant initially, sitting quietly on the step, kicking her legs in the water.

But once she got the hang of it, there was no stopping her!

Note to self: Always pack a change of clothes when bringing kids to places with water fixtures.....

Nursery Adventures!

2008-10-25T20:11:00.000+08:00

We put Cherise in nursery during service today!

Adrian and I were serving together at Adam, so we decided to put Cherise in the nursery (our church's childcare) while we were in service. Larlar (our helper) would keep Cherise company, and well, rescue her if necessary!

She started off in N1, and then got "kicked out" to N2 - because I think the helpers realised that she could walk pretty ok and didn't really belong in N1 anymore (where she might accidentally step on one of the sleeping babies on the mattresses). Being a bit kancheong, I popped down to check things out after the worship segment was over. Bad mistake. On seeing me, her little mouth turned upside down, and I had to carry her to soothe her a bit. Sally was there and we chatted for a while. She told me that Cherise had been doing really well in my absence - she did not cry at all, had fun kicking ball and had been enjoying the singing session in N2. Reassured, I settled Cherise down in a chair with her milk and biscuits, and snuck out once more. I think the worst thing about me popping down was that Emma saw me and started crying. Oh dear. I am so sorry Emma dearie! And even more sorry to Emma's mommy and daddy! I won't do it again!

Yup, I think we'll continue to let Cherise enjoy nursery each week, especially since I'm now serving on Saturdays. A part of me does wish, though, that I could be in there with her. I listen to Larlar's account of what transpired - how Cherise was playing with the toys, how a little naughty boy kept snatching toys from her, how she sat on the little kid-sized chair and ate all the little biscuits during snack time just like a little girl and not like a baby anymore - and I feel a little twinge that I missed all that. But it was good also to sit in service, next to my husband. It's been so long since we've been seated in service together that when he slung his arm around the back of my chair I got a fright, wondering who it was before it hit me that it was him. :)

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

2008-10-25T13:05:00.000+08:00

My dad turned 61 on Tuesday. This year, instead of going out for our traditional dinner, we decided to book a chalet at NSRCC and have the whole family chill there instead.

The BBQ was held on the first night - I forgot to take pictures! There was a lot of food, because my sister, in usual Chan family fashion, over-ordered. Most of the meat was ordered from Mmmm, this great place that sells meat and marinates it for you, so all you have to do is open the pack and dump the contents on the BBQ. I love their kurobuta (black pig) - super yum!

Here's my dad and his birthday cake - tiramisu from Bakerzin. Incidentally, nobody in the family likes tiramisu. Except for dad, of course.

Adrian was in the middle of an exercise so it was really difficult for him to get time off to spend at the chalet, but he managed to get Thursday off (after pulling a super long shift on Wednesday, arriving only at 12 midnight to stay over). We took Cherise swimming at the pool and she had a whale of a time!

Daddy and baby in the water. Her cheeks are smeared with sunblock!

Water playground...

Baby loves the water! Likes to taste it too...

Here's a video of Cherise playing with the jets of water.

It was a really enjoyable time spent with family. We all had so much fun, we're planning the next chalet gathering already!

Family Fun!

2008-10-20T19:43:00.000+08:00

Given Adrian's busy schedule, it's not often that we get to spend a whole day together as a family, so it was a real treat that we found ourselves with an entire day and nothing else to do but spend some good quality time as a family.

Some time back I blogged about how we loved this place called Caffe B. It's still one of our favourite places to eat at, and guess what? Cherise loves it too! They've changed the look of their menu somewhat, and the famous side orders that we love are no longer on the menu, but still available for order. I like to think that it's sort of like an insider's secret. Heh. (The sides are additional orders that you can add on to your basic order of toast, which only comes with butter, jam, vegemite, marmalade or all of the above. Some examples of sides are: sausages, eggs, avocado, spinach, banana, roast beef, smoked salmon.)

So when we have breakfast at Caffe B, we would have our toast with eggs, sausages etc etc, and we would order a few sides like avocado and banana for Cherise. We'd share our yummy soup and toast. The little girl gets to feel all grown up, eating the "same" food that we are.

Perched on Daddy's lap for breakfast.

Happily attacking a crust of bread that we gave her to play with. We were quite shocked when she bit off a rather substantial chunk while we were momentarily distracted, and then even more amazed when we found out that she (and her four teeth) could handle it quite well!

Ah! The kiddie ride... situated just next to Caffe B. She clamoured to "sit, sit" the moment she saw it, so we obliged, but haha! no coins! Anyway, there'll be plenty of time for that as she grows older.

After a fantastic breakfast, we headed to Takashimaya to pick up some baby items. To keep Cherise occupied while Adrian picked up what we needed, I let her play with some of the stuffed toys at the toy section. She usually loses interest in any one toy pretty quickly, but somehow, she got really fixated on a particular doll. It's from the Baby Gund collection - and we already have two dolls from the same brand. I didn't really want to get it for her, as I felt that it would be so similar to the ones we have at home (which she isn't interested in anymore). But when we tried to take the doll away from her, she howled! I mean, really really howled! So we were like, "Ok, ok let's get this for her since she likes it so much." She screamed when we took it away to pay. We had to hurry the cashier, "Please, just cut the tag." And for the rest of the day, she was really happy with her doll-doll, talking to it while she was in her stroller, hugging and kissing it at regular intervals, and even cuddling it to sleep.

So much for being firm disciplinarians, eh? But I tell you, she really likes that doll! It's so cute to see her with it - she calls it her baby. Rocks it to sleep. Feeds it her biscuits. Tells it "gaigai (go out)". I think my little baby is trying to be me! Aww.

I'm getting her a toy stroller for Christmas. I chope first.

This One's for Nai Nai...

2008-10-19T23:50:00.000+08:00

Everyone knows it's never easy to get that perfect shot of a toddler, it's even more difficult with an energizer bunny like Cherise. But when you wait patiently for that picture perfect moment...you get this!

Great job Nai Nai!

Weird Dream

2008-10-14T23:10:00.000+08:00

Just 2 days ago I had this crazy dream that Cherise - still 14+ months of age - got a job as a sales assistant at a shoe shop. She looked incredibly cute with her salesgirl uniform (looked like sailor moon) and pretty little name tag which she kept fiddling with. She was so adorable, going "See see....shoe shoe...." and then waving customers into the store, saying, "Come, come" just like she does at home.

You think it's cute? Well, I didn't think so cos' I woke up in cold sweat! Why in the world am I even dreaming about my little princess working as a shoe salesgirl? Not branded some more! Some people say that dreams are reflections of what's in our subconscious...so it's probably all the negative vibes I'm getting everywhere regarding this whole "we're in a technical recession" thingy that's stressing me out unknowingly. I'm claiming Philippians 4:19 (New King James Version) "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." My God is rich...so I think I'm pretty safe.

Anyway, I'm thankful that Jas is always very level headed when it comes to our finances (clearly she's the smarter half of this relationship). When I brought up the topic of recession, she had this to say, "Recession? Give less then." Wise words indeed. Now before you go away thinking that we're being stingy, allow me to explain why my wife said what she said. Jas and I consider ourselves to be pretty generous to the point of fault. Why? Because we often give beyond our means. I'm not talking about giving to God. What belongs to Him belongs to Him so we will never even think about shortchanging God. For the record, we have experienced God's faithfulness financially even through the tough times so we understand first hand what it means when the bible says "Give and it will come back to you". What we are really talking about is our generosity towards others and charitable causes. So in future if we don't offer to belanja you next time...you know why la! Muah ha ha!

It's a Boy! (I think...)

2008-10-14T22:45:00.000+08:00

We went for our regular gynae check up yesterday, and the Dr asked if we wanted to know the sex of the baby. We said yes without hesitation but the Dr took a long time to figure it out because the little beanie just did not cooperate at all...super active and kept squirming away from the scanner as if he was deliberately trying to keep us in suspense. Anyway, the Dr did manage to get a glimpse of "something sticking out" which indicates that it may be a boy...but then again it could simply be the umbilical cord that is round the baby, giving the appearance of a male appendage. Sigh...looks like we have to wait another 5 weeks for the detailed scan to confirm the gender. Jas is very sure that it's gonna be a boy though...in her words, "How can Intelligender and Dr both be wrong?' We'll see won't we? Thank goodness our Dr did not give us the probablity of the baby's gender in percentages else we might have wound up with a situation like this.

I'm her best friend!!!

2008-10-11T22:52:00.000+08:00

At least for today...Cherise seemed to want my company a lot. From the moment she woke up, she went "daddy daddy daddy...." and she even gave me a big kiss (the kind reserved for her dohdoh). Maybe it's because I got to spend a lot more time with her this week, thanks to Jas for making sure that I don't rot in front of the TV when I'm home. Simple things like feeding and bathing her go a long way. And I'm slowly learning how to play with her for extended periods of time without the pressure of needing to keep her entertained. She's more than capable of entertaining herself and you'll marvel at her ability to play pretend. Oh, and by the way, my 14 month old girl actually likes to play soccer!!

Looks like it's gonna be goodbye Disney Channel and hello Football Channel soon!

Insomnia

2008-10-11T01:45:00.000+08:00

Can't seem to get to sleep. Maybe I have too many things on my mind.

We had cell group today. I love my cell - someone said that even before we were formed into a cell, we were a clique. Well, maybe that's not entirely true (a clique connotes exclusivity - which I don't think we ever were), but we certainly are close. We all share something in common, see. Our husbands all work for the military. Which makes the women of the cell military wives.

A friend in church once told me, "It takes a strong woman to be the wife of a military man." Not to be presumptuous, but yes, I think I do agree.

We have to deal with their crazy work hours. Adrian often does night shifts of more than 12 hours, sometimes several times a week, and almost every weekend he pulls a 24-hour shift. And my friends have it worse, I think.

It's not about the lack of family time. It's not even about having to tell your daughter, "Daddy's at work," when she goes, "Daddy? Daddy?" over and over again. It's about having to go it alone.

I remember when Cherise was barely 5 months old, and Adrian had to travel to Thailand for work for 3 weeks. Oh how I cried! It wasn't the fact that I had to do everything by myself, it was the sense of aloneness that I felt. The sense that I've got no one to help me in this and I have to handle everything-whatever-may-come-even-if-the-sky-were-to-fall all by myself. No one to back me up, no second opinion, no safety net, no reinforcements, no one to swap shifts with.

And every time he goes on night shift, that same sense of aloneness creeps back in.

I thank God we finally hired a helper. And she's fantastic. But it's not the same. Helpers, parents - they can't take the place of a husband, your partner, a helpmeet. They are, after all, one step removed. For one, they don't sleep with me.

What's it going to be like when the new baby comes along? When Adrian goes off on his inevitable night duty, who's going to help me if the baby cries at night? If both babies cry? What if I need to change one baby and nurse the other - at the same time? What if there's an incident - like baby regurgitating milk, or pooping/peeing on the bed?

And who's going to hold me when it all happens and tell me it'll be ok?

But we'll manage. We always do.

We are, after all, military wives.

Updates and News

2008-10-09T10:37:00.000+08:00

It's been a long time since I blogged about my little girl (actually, since I blogged about anything), and she's grown so much, I don't really know where to start.

Let's see - she's now an active little girl, approaching 15 months, but sometimes behaves older than her ~~years~~ months. She's running all over the place now, sometimes in a really scary way, heedless of all obstacles in her path. She's a little chatterbox too - in addition to the words that she mimics, she can say so many while understanding what they mean. Some favourites are: "go-go" when she wants you to go somewhere, "come", "hug", "food", and my favourite - "ma-bao-nen" - which means "mummy baobao and nen nen (nurse) please"! She recognises people - like when she sees her Nainai, she asks for her Yeye. She sings along with the tv, and knows the actions for many songs, like London Bridge, The Grand Old Duke of York, If You're Happy, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Head and Shoulders, and many more. (So you can imagine how tiring it is when she wants us to go through the whole repertoire!) When we ask her where Jesus is, she points to her chest and says, "Heart!" Oh and our favourite - she dances to the Hot Dog song at the end of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (on the Playhouse Disney Channel)!

It's really a blessing to see her grow each day.

And now, we're expecting blessing No.2! I've been wondering - will this baby be more like me, given that Cherise is so much like Adrian in personality? We bought the Intelligender test, and guess what? Result = Boy! I've got to stop buying pink.

There are going to be a great many changes in the coming months. It isn't easy, being pregnant (tired and pukey) and still having to chase after a little energizer bunny, but it will all be worthwhile in the end, I'm sure.

Significant changes...

2008-10-09T01:08:00.000+08:00

So...what has changed in our lives since we last blogged? Hmm...let's see...

1) We did some minor renovation to our flat. What started out as a simple project to replace the aircon system for the whole house turned out to include the following:
- Removed the platform in the living room to make it more baby friendly.
- Removed mounted cabinet in the study room that was threatening to fall off and converted it into a spare room for our helper.
- Converted the original baby room into a "classroom".
- Reconfigured our master bedroom to house EVERYBODY.
- Re-tiled the kitchen floor (at last!)

Thank God for a reliable contractor who worked within our budget and did a great job. This is one guy we'll highly recommend to anyone who needs a good contractor.

2) We have a new addition to our family!
Yes...our new helper whom we refer to affectionately as Lar Lar (Cherise calls her Ya Ya). She's truly an answered prayer - a strong Christian from Myanmar, a really good cook, hardworking, speaks English fluently and she takes really good care of us. What more can we ask for?

3) Jas can't fit into her clothes anymore ha ha!!!
That's because we are expecting BabyLoh no.2! Ok ok...it's all my fault....I think Jas is still sore about it...she'll probably tell you more about it in days to come. But at the end of the day, we are thankful for another beautiful gift that God has given us.

4) I can't fit into my clothes anymore too!!!
Blame it on Lar Lar and her fried chicken wings. My pants went up 2 sizes and my t-shirts are getting too "sexy" for my body.

5) Cherise has a thing for latinos!!! (Jas says which woman doesn't...?)
We say that because she always has this shy shy sweet sweet smile everytime she sees Handy Manny and Mario (from Barney) on TV!!! For the record, I'm not thrilled...not at all! Hmph!

Welcome to our new blog...again!

2008-10-08T23:33:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone! We are BACK! For those who have been "yearning" for our updates, we apologise for our long absence. If you have been wondering what happened to us, here are some quick answers:

1) How come so long no updates leh??
Well...not that we didn't want to update, it's just that Wordpress was giving us a lot of problems (keeps causing our browsers to auto quit). As such, we could not post anything even if we wanted to.

2) Then why wait so long before returning to the blog scene?
That's because we have been VERY busy preparing to be parents of almost 2! Plus Cherise is too adorable for us to ignore her so we practically spend every waking moment playing with her.

3) So why a family blog?
Because the wife says so. Plus it's a lot easier to just maintain one blog between the 2 of us. Makes things a lot easier for our readers right?

4) Erm..btw, who are you?
Wah biang! Read so long then ask!?!?

So, thank you for bearing with us through our many moves. We hope this will be our last move for a very long time...